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42168. vonKreedon - 1/25/2012 7:46:56 PM Plus a fair amount of the sluggishness in the current net job creation is because of job losses in the public sector, driven largely by conservative refusal to increase taxes. From the Bureau of Labor Statistics:
"Employment in the private sector rose by 212,000 in December and by 1.9 million over the year. Government employment changed little over the month but fell by 280,000 over the year. (See table B-1.)" 42169. Jenerator - 1/25/2012 8:39:44 PM So nothing has changed here. Everything a Republican says is racist or stupid, and everyone knows this except those dum Republicans.
VonK - If people live in poverty, whose ultimate responsibility is it to get them out of poverty? 42170. Jenerator - 1/25/2012 8:41:54 PM And last night's address was predictably boring, though I found it ironic that he appealed to military success so much. We all know the Democrats do NOT support the war.
Also, doesn't the federal goverment regulate all business? So aren't all members of Congress shareholders in all businesses?
And how does Buffet's secretary pay more in taxes?
blahblahblah 42171. judithathome - 1/25/2012 9:00:48 PM Have you been paying any attention at all? Buffet's secretary doesn't pay MORE in taxes, her RATE is higher than her boss's rate.
Mitt Romney's wealth inceases by $57,000 a DAY...and his tax rate is 13.8%. What per centage do YOU pay, Jen?
Both Republican candidates want to do away with taxing capital gains at all...Mitt would pay nothing in taxes if Newt's tax programs went into effect. Does that sound anywhere near fair to you? If it does, you are far richer than I ever dreamed.
As for Obama appealing to military successes...he can do that because as Commander In Chief, he has HAD THEM. Even as he spoke to America, he was having another one...the Navy SEALS rescuing people kidnapped by Somalis. 42172. vonKreedon - 1/25/2012 9:40:01 PM Jen asks, "If people live in poverty, whose ultimate responsibility is it to get them out of poverty?"
In my opinion it's all of our responsibility to ensure that people aren't mired in poverty. Certainly the specific individuals have specific responsibility to help themselves, but we are a social animal, we all do better if we work together to all do better.
And further, when the actions of society have led to the creation of an underpriviledged class of people, as slavery and Jim Crow and other forms of institutional racism have done to blacks, then we have an even greater imperative to work as a society to lift this class of people out of poverty.
Jen also said, "Everything a Republican says is racist or stupid, and everyone knows this except those dum Republicans." Certainly there are those on the left who believe this, I am not one. I do believe that Newt is a nasty little racist of convenience, that he uses innuendo and terms in context to give racists the good feeling they get from being better than blacks. For example, blacks don't have jobs, don't have a work ethic, or even exposure to the idea of a work ethic, and so we need to create a set of menial below minimum wage jobs and force poor black students to perform janitorial work. This of course means the firing of adult janitors who are perhaps unionized.
No, not all Repubs are particularly racist, after all most of us are racist to a greater or lesser extent, but some, such as Newt, know how to play on racism for political gain. 42173. Wombat - 1/25/2012 11:44:38 PM Mittens seems to be able to avoid racist dog whistles. On the other hand almost every time he opens his mouth he lies about something. 42174. Jenerator - 1/26/2012 12:13:05 AM Wombat,
For the record, I am not sold on Newt. I do think he is likely a real douchebag in private. What I *do* like about him is that he seems to be a solid conservative in terms of party definition. He is intelligent and has experience. In some ways he is an excellent candidate.
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In my opinion it's all of our responsibility to ensure that people aren't mired in poverty. Certainly the specific individuals have specific responsibility to help themselves, but we are a social animal, we all do better if we work together to all do better./i>
How does that work in any practical realistic way? I agree with you idealistally, but we have to be practical. The responsibility of an individual to get out of poverty or to not become poor is that of the individual.
Welfare needs serious reform. Unemployment needs serious reform.
Is it the government's job to support people from cradle to grave?
42175. Jenerator - 1/26/2012 12:13:20 AM Crap 42176. Jenerator - 1/26/2012 12:13:29 AM 42177. Wombat - 1/26/2012 12:54:26 AM Jen,
I think it was Krugman who said Gingrich is a stupid person's idea of what a smart person is. In the interests of bipartisanship, former Republican Congressman Joe Scarborough--who was in Congress with Gingrich--has said that if Gingrich is the smartest person in the room, you need to change rooms. Republicans who worked with Gingrich when he was Speaker are almost unanimous in their criticism of him. 42178. arkymalarky - 1/26/2012 1:34:35 AM Hahaha! Suffice to say Jen you missed a lot. But I saw that Fox filled in gaps and explained real good about class warfare.
Newt is racist. I don't think the other candidates are. And newt won't be once he loses. He will do anything for strokes. You ought to be insulted by his opinion of your party. 42179. judithathome - 1/26/2012 1:58:58 AM Unemployment needs serious reform.
Yeah...people getting actual jobs might be a start at reforming....where do you suggest they look for them? 42180. judithathome - 1/26/2012 2:01:15 AM This bullshit about giving the "job creators" tax breaks is just that...total bullshit.
Mitt makes heaps of money and gets tax breaks...what jobs does HE create?
(aside from grist for political cartoonists) 42181. arkymalarky - 1/26/2012 2:17:01 AM I agree with Obama's suggestions wrt corps who hire here and those who hire overseas. 42182. thoughtful - 1/26/2012 3:29:30 AM Ohio, the other important thing you didn't mention was obama's stimulus program was cut by the gop, so it didnt have anywhere near the potency it would've had had he been allowed to pass the original package.
42183. OhioSTOPAS - 1/27/2012 7:07:38 PM Another con/Repub slam against Obama and the stimulus legislation is that "Obama promised if the stimulus was passed, unemployment would not exceed 8%."
Indeed, the January 2009 forecast put out by Obama's economic advisers shortly before Obama took office predicted that unemployment would be 8% if a stimulus package was enacted. And that forecast did assume a stimulus in the approximate amount that was eventually enacted.
But the flaw in that forecast was not in underestimating the effect of the stimulus, but rather in underestimating the ferocity of the ongoing recession. The advisers' forecast assumed that if no legislation was enacted, the unemployment rate would go up to "only" 9%. In fact, the amount of job losses in early 2009 was significantly worse than estimated in January.
The forecast was correct in estimating that unemployment would be about 1% less if the stimulus was passed than if it wasn't. (Every competent and honest analysis concludes that the stimulus created or saved a million jobs or more.) But the reduction in the unemployment rate was from (approx.) 10% to 9%, instead of from 9% to 8%. 42184. OhioSTOPAS - 1/27/2012 7:11:37 PM And speaking of the stimulus bill, why is it always referred to as "$787 billion in spending"? That amount actually consisted of about $500 million in spending and about $300 million in tax cuts.
In any other context con/Repubs object to referring to anything that's in the form of a tax cut as "spending". Those subsidies to oil companies are just "letting people keep more of their own money", right? But when Democrats cut middle class people's taxes, it's "spending." 42185. Jenerator - 1/27/2012 10:58:29 PM Alright - Republicans are evil and stupid and only Democrats get this.
If Obama wins the election, I hope you all are happy.
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42186. judithathome - 1/27/2012 11:08:58 PM As to the debate last night: Newt's tagline is now "Carpe Dudum".
Today in a speech Obama is calling for colleges to lower the costs of providing students educations and Newt is talking of spending billions to colonize the moon.
Who has the more serious plan for America's future? 42187. Wombat - 1/27/2012 11:17:25 PM Not evil, just misguided and easily led. There is a lot of stupidity and ignorance out there too.
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