OT Open Area for Political Diatribes

“Iowa politics are like pre-season football. I don’t watch or give any merit to either.”

this is the most lackluster group (sans Paul) that the republicans put up since well the Democrats vs Bush Jr 2nd time around

He’s the only one on either side of the fictional aisle who actually talks a different message with a record to back it up.

but when they fell apart he seized the chance to make the change we needed.

Sadly, only a 1st termer could and most are too obsessed with a 2nd term to grab that chance they had.

I probably won’t read any of it from this point forward, but I love that it exists.

instead of the millions and yes, billions wasted on campaigns and other BS, how about this …

all candidates put out a “position paper” on as many or as few topics as they want

all registered voters get copies of all position papers no less than 3 months in advance of primaries and no less than 3 months in advance of general elections

in any “candidate debate” no candidate shall be allowed to go “off topic” as judged mny an independent panel of forensics students (not paid and unaffiliated with any side) – any candidate who goes off topic shall be silenced for the remainder of the debate and be disqualified for future debates

no candidate shall spend money for any advertising of any kind … any advertising by or on behalf of any candidate shall disqualify that candidate from office

in short, tell us where you stand and let us figure it out … if we, the people, can’t do that we have no business voting to begin with

Americans are so caught up in “end of the republic” activities that we have lost all discernment. We must be more sophisticated in our analysis and resist the new world order. Watching people participate(STILL) in the political duality is making me lose faith in humanity. I wanna watch my Chiefs kick ass, not watch the economy collapse! Pull yourselves out of the illusion! Ron Paul is where to start!!

Go Chiefs

I’m off to register thedonkey.com and theelephant.com then get them signed up to SBnation.

Was a very productive night, hope there are no hard feelings. I always enjoy thoughtful discussion. :-)

Poli – As a prefix, often meaning more than one or many
Tics – Tics (ticks) are ectoparasites (external parasites), living by hematophagy on the blood of mammals, birds, and occasionally reptiles and amphibians.

More than one or many external parasites living by the blood of others….describes politicans to a tee IMO!

And the “everyone gets a trophy generation”

I’m a libertarian, tried and true. Voted for Harry Brown twice, Bob Barr last cycle (Ron Paul in the primaries though), and will vote for Paul and continue donating to him and his son Rand. Paul’s big issues are international relations and the Fed. Although I agree with his stances on both, my big issue is spending and entitlement reform.

Some simple facts, we could annex every dollar in income earned in excess of $250k and still not have enough to cover this year’s deficit (and by annexing all that money, the impact upon the following year’s GDP and revenue collection would be profound). Defense, SS, and Medicare/Medicaid comprise close to 75% of total federal spending. If one wishes to continue these programs as presently structured, it requires large scale tax increases across all classes and income brackets of Americans.

My ideal would be significant immediate reductions to the department of defense. An interesting thing to note for the Dems and Obama supporters here: Obama’s ten year budget proposal had the Defense Department growing to over $1 trillion, while Rep. Paul Ryan’s ten year proposal had the DoD under $900bn.

But if we are serious about getting the fiscal house in order, SS and Medicare/Medicaid need to be addressed. I support means testing. It is outright absurd that I, who make a modest income and barely scrape by, should be paying 12% of my income to a transfer payment that Warren Buffet is collecting. That isn’t just insane and counterproductive, it is vastly immoral.

Here’s the best column I’ve read on the American state of affairs in a long time:
545 vs. 300,000,000 People
-By Charlie Reese

Politicians are the only people in the world who create problems and then campaign against them.

Have you ever wondered, if both the Democrats and the Republicans are against deficits, WHY do we have deficits?

Have you ever wondered, if all the politicians are against inflation and high taxes, WHY do we have inflation and high taxes?

You and I don’t propose a federal budget. The President does.

You and I don’t have the Constitutional authority to vote on appropriations. The House of Representatives does.

You and I don’t write the tax code, Congress does.

You and I don’t set fiscal policy, Congress does.

You and I don’t control monetary policy, the Federal Reserve Bank does.

One hundred senators, 435 Congressmen, one President, and nine Supreme Court Justices equates to 545 human beings out of the 300 million are directly, legally, morally, and individually responsible for the domestic problems that plague this country.

I excluded the members of the Federal Reserve Board because that problem was created by the Congress. In 1913, Congress delegated its Constitutional duty to provide a sound currency to a federally chartered, but private, central bank.

I excluded all the special interests and lobbyists for a sound reason. They have no legal authority. They have no ability to coerce a Senator, a Congressman, or a President to do one cotton-picking thing. I don’t care if they offer a politician $1 million dollars in cash. The politician has the power to accept or reject it. No matter what the lobbyist promises, it is the legislator’s responsibility to determine how he votes.

Those 545 human beings spend much of their energy convincing you that what they did is not their fault. They cooperate in this common con, regardless of party.

What separates a politician from a normal human being is an excessive amount of gall. No normal human being would have the gall of a Speaker, who stood up and criticized the President for creating deficits. The President can only propose a budget. He cannot force the Congress to accept it.

The Constitution, which is the supreme law of the land, gives sole responsibility to the House of Representatives for originating and approving appropriations and taxes. Who is the speaker of the House now? He is the leader of the majority party. He and fellow House members, not the President, can approve any budget they want. If the President vetoes it, they can pass it over his veto if they agree to.

It seems inconceivable to me that a nation of 300 million cannot replace 545 people who stand convicted — by present facts — of incompetence and irresponsibility. I can’t think of a single domestic problem that is not traceable directly to those 545 people. When you fully grasp the plain truth that 545 people exercise the power of the federal government, then it must follow that what exists is what they want to exist.

If the tax code is unfair, it’s because they want it unfair.

If the budget is in the red, it’s because they want it in the red.

If the Army and Marines are in Iraq and Afghanistan, it’s because they want them in Iraq and Afghanistan ..

If they do not receive Social Security but are on an elite retirement plan not available to the people, it’s because they want it that way.

There are no insoluble government problems.

Do not let these 545 people shift the blame to bureaucrats, whom they hire and whose jobs they can abolish; to lobbyists, whose gifts and advice they can reject; to regulators, to whom they give the power to regulate and from whom they can take this power. Above all, do not let them con you into the belief that there exists disembodied mystical forces like “the economy,” “inflation,” or “politics” that prevent them from doing what they take an oath to do.

Those 545 people, and they alone, are responsible.

They, and they alone, have the power.

They, and they alone, should be held accountable by the people who are their bosses. Provided the voters have the gumption to manage their own employees…

We should vote all of them out of office and clean up their mess!

What you do with this article now that you have read it… is up to you.
This might be funny if it weren’t so true.
Be sure to read all the way to the end:

Tax his land,
Tax his bed,
Tax the table,
At which he’s fed.

Tax his tractor,
Tax his mule,
Teach him taxes
Are the rule.

Tax his work,
Tax his pay,
He works for
peanuts anyway!

Tax his cow,
Tax his goat,
Tax his pants,
Tax his coat.

Tax his ties,
Tax his shirt,
Tax his work,
Tax his dirt.

Tax his tobacco,
Tax his drink,
Tax him if he
Tries to think.

Tax his cigars,
Tax his beers,
If he cries
Tax his tears.

Tax his car,
Tax his gas,
Find other ways
To tax his ass.

Tax all he has
Then let him know
That you won’t be done
Till he has no dough.

When he screams and hollers;
Then tax him some more,
Tax him till
He’s good and sore.

Then tax his coffin,
Tax his grave,
Tax the sod in
Which he’s laid…

Put these words
Upon his tomb,
‘Taxes drove me
to my doom…’

When he’s gone,
Do not relax,
Its time to apply
The inheritance tax.

Accounts Receivable Tax
Building Permit Tax
CDL license Tax
Cigarette Tax
Corporate Income Tax
Dog License Tax
Excise Taxes
Federal Income Tax
Federal Unemployment Tax (FUTA)
Fishing License Tax
Food License Tax
Fuel Permit Tax
Gasoline Tax (currently 44.75 cents per gallon)
Gross Receipts Tax
Hunting License Tax
Inheritance Tax
Inventory Tax
IRS Interest Charges IRS Penalties (tax on top of tax)
Liquor Tax
Luxury Taxes
Marriage License Tax
Medicare Tax
Personal Property Tax
Property Tax
Real Estate Tax
Service Charge Tax
Social Security Tax
Road Usage Tax
Recreational Vehicle Tax
Sales Tax
School T ax
State Income Tax
State Unemployment Tax (SUTA)
Telephone Federal Excise Tax
Telephone Federal Universal Service Fee Tax
Telephone Federal, State and Local Surcharge Taxes
Telephone Minimum Usage Surcharge Tax
Telephone Recurring and Nonrecurring Charges Tax
Telephone State and Local Tax
Telephone Usage Charge Tax
Utility Taxes
Vehicle License Registration Tax
Vehicle Sales Tax
Watercraft Registration Tax
Well Permit Tax
Workers Compensation Tax

STILL THINK THIS IS FUNNY?
Not one of these taxes existed 100 years ago and our nation was the most prosperous in the world.
We had absolutely no national debt, had the largest middle class in the world, and Mom, if agreed, stayed home to raise the kids.

What in the heck happened? Can you spell ‘politicians?’

I hope this goes around THE USA at least 545 times!!! YOU can help it get there!!!

GO AHEAD. . . BE AN AMERICAN!!!

US Military Bases in the Middle East

But the TV Box told me they’re crazy and want to blow up Israel!!! Yeah that’s gotta be it.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gMStCHtUNeY
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SqDy6H1bEQs

^Nobody else seeing a pattern at all?

http://gawker.com/5831167/

^One of the more enjoyable Daily Show segments