Grmpy,
you love to say that unlike corporations, at least government is accountable and we can vote them out.
http://www.reddit.com/r/politics/comments/ei2ka/olbermann_still_has_it_calls_obama_sellout/c18aby5
So who will you be voting for in 2012?
So much for accountability.
Dude! You’re totally right! It was boring.
Dude! You’re totally right! It was boring.
I warned you dick nose.
I admit I actually laughed a little, though. I just thought it was funny that he was calling him SELLOUT. I skimmed through his list of reasons hoping to see a plan for an Obama Christmas album or a Remixxx CD.
He backed off of his promise to keep lobbyists out of his administration.
He granted waivers to 30 companies, including McDonalds, exempting them from health care reform.
He gave permits to BP and other oil companies, exempting them from environmental protection laws.
He appointed Monsanto executive Michael Taylor to the FDA.
He appointed a former Monsanto lobbyist as Chief Agriculture Negotiator.
He passed a massive Wall Street bailout at the expense of the taxpayers.
Democratic leadership saving millions, maybe billions for huge, and in some cases evil, corporations. Looks like lobbying pays of no matter which party is running the dog and pony show.
This is why I don’t think people who have become rich by starting a successful grocery store chain or software company deserve to have their money taxed to hell so it can go to Washington and into the pockets of Wall Street, McDonalds, BP, and Monsanto. We should devote a higher percentage of what we’re already taxed, or possibly less if we could be more efficient, to funding education and social programs. Successful people shouldn’t be punished by having to pay more so that politicians and big business don’t have to make less.
So which existing programs are you going cut to obtain the money for your pet programs?
Are you saying that the Fed needs to fund education?
Obama already implemented the Educate to Innovate program: http://www.whitehouse.gov/issues/education/educate-innovate. This program is designed to improve the US’s math and science scores.
Right now, the states fund education - that is where my property tax dollars go despite not having a mini-me that benefits from it. The FL lottery also funds the Bright Futures scholarship program. Additionally, the FaceBook guy, MZ, recently pledged $100M to NY Public Schools.
Do you go out and chat with kids at schools?
Education starts at home. If we want vast improvements in society, the parents must be educated first. The parents must take a vested interest in their child to stress education and provide a nurturing environment to instill success and social qualities in their child, not just pawn the child off onto the system. There will always be children that rise above their upbringing, but they are not the vast majority of students.
It takes much more than being book smart in the education system to succeed in life. There are plenty of people who have never completed a formal education who are successful because they have common sense, strong work ethic, social skills, desire, and passion for what they do. I also know some very smart people who flunked out of university; and others who can’t function socially with other people, making them horrible employees.
Children are being fed a line of crap by adults when they are told that they can be anything they want to be when they grow up. All that line does is set them up for unrealistic expectations that eventually lead to huge disappointments and a waste of their time and money (many times, mommy and daddy’s money these days): let’s face reality - not everyone can be a successful pro athlete, professional musician, a doctor, an attorney, an engineer, a trades person, an investment banker, a CSI forensic investigator, a wall street trader, a VP of a company, etc. Not everyone is going to be a millionaire. Next thing, they will believe they are spiderman and sling webs from their wrists to swing from building to building. Each child learns differently and their natural talents should lead them in the direction of their eventual profession. Nobody should be mediocre to low-performing at their job. If they are, it is time to move on to something else.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H5OtB298fHY&feature=player_embedded
Interesting and disturbing speech by one of your American senators.
or are you talking about the Fed student loan programs and the two higher eduction credits (Lifetime Learning and Hope) that are tax deductible? The student loans are subsidized by the Fed (they pay the interest), but as far as I know, it is a private investor that actually owns the loan (much like 50% of mortgages).
I watched the video. He is telling the out of touch decision makers the way it really is for the majority of us. Do any of the rest of them really care? Doubtful, because the majority of them have their fingers in the cookie jar, live comfortably, own a business, have an inheritance to pass along, and/or do not have sons and daughters fighting overseas in the military.
Lobbyists are paid by big money companies to influence the Fed lawmakers’ votes. They do this in various ways.
Grmpy,
you love to say that unlike corporations, at least government is accountable and we can vote them out.
http://www.reddit.com/r/politics/comments/ei2ka/olbermann_still_has_it_calls_obama_sellout/c18aby5
So who will you be voting for in 2012?
So much for accountability.
Well, I already mentioned that some leaders are already calling for a midterm challenge.
depending on who they get (if they get anyone at all) I may be voting for that person… But there is no way I’m voting for a republican… Not happy with Obama acting like a repub. I’m certainly not going to vote for the real thing.
Maybe I’ll vote 3rd party again and vote for Nader again (if he’s running, when is he not?) or perhaps whoever shows up as the Independent candidate (My actual registered party)
Thanks for the link btw I knew some of that stuff but not all of it.
I’d be alright reading that stuff as long as it’s presented as it is, I can’t stand the persistent editorializing that goes on on the news and other’s blogs… can’t really stomach MSNBC any more It’s almost as disgusting as Fox (can’t stand Rachel Maddow or Ed Schultz, Keith bugs me some times and I really haven’t give the new guy a chance but I didn’t care much for him when he would fill in for Keith)
Some of the things Obama’s done on the list I’m alright with some of things are straight out wrong, Like the exemptions status to BP… remember back when BP first had the disaster some senator apologized to BP because the white house made them put together a 20 billion pay out fund for the locals it hurt… that isn’t exempt in my book.
Late,
grmpysmrf
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H5OtB298fHY&feature=player_embedded
Interesting and disturbing speech by one of your American senators.
thanks for the link. The right hates this guy. And has you heard for good reason.
Late,
grmpysmrf
This is why I don’t think people who have become rich by starting a successful grocery store chain or software company deserve to have their money taxed to hell so it can go to Washington and into the pockets of Wall Street, McDonalds, BP, and Monsanto.
but in the other thread you said you didn’t want it going to the lazy now you don’t want it going to the already wealthy…
I agree we need to have better tax management but if we can’t I’d much rather see that money go to those suffering than some twit that doesn’t need it.
Watch the Bernie sanders link miguel posted… what you call punishment is not really punishment. It’s just fair because as the rich get richer the poor get poorer and it has nothing to do with hard work.
Successful people shouldn’t be punished by having to pay more so that politicians and big business don’t have to make less.
I agree wholeheartedly… but taxes need to exist because with out them, way to much of the nations wealth ends in up in the hand of a few and when you have concentrated wealth like that it’s disastrous for the economy as you are seeing now.
Taxes are not a punishment it’s a security.
Late,
grmpysmrf
You make excellent points Mooney…nobody gives you any credit. (or even complains about you for that matter) just thought I’d let you know I read what you wrote and I agree with it. right down to the school points… although we can’t start testing kids for what they’d like to do cause then here comes the “state” telling kids what they have to do.
Absolutely school isn’t for some people… my father in law has a buddy that is a high school drop out, dudes a millionaire several times over based on his own business. yeah he may not have a H.S. Diploma but this guy has Charisma like nobody’s business… He’s also got common sense, so school wouldn’t do him a any real good (although who knows how much wealthier he could be if he paid attention in Econ Class)
Late,
grmpysmrf
… although we can’t start testing kids for what they’d like to do cause then here comes the “state” telling kids what they have to do.
grmpysmrf
Cheers, Smrf. I appreciate the response.
You all don’t have to test them and tell them what they have to do. Their natural talents that stand out above their peers should be noticed and encouraged as much as that high school boy’s natural talent who you know is going to go on to play college>pro football or pro baseball should their knee or shoulder not give in first. Usually, his talent was noticed long before he entered high school. Give them all sincere praise and constructive encouragement in their specific talent areas. Ask them questions and tell them about different jobs/professions. Explain to them what it takes to get to their goal/dream and ask them if they think they can support themselves or will be dependent upon someone else.
The students all have ideas, but many don’t know how to achieve them let alone know if they are realistically attainable.
I did a workshop with some students a few years ago. One of the students who was around age 10 told me that she wanted to be an Olympic figure skater. Knowing that most female Olympic skaters are around age 15 to 18+ and most have trained since they could walk, I asked her if she had ever taken ice skating lessons before. She said no.
Others see CSI on TV and think that they are going to be medical examiners. They eventually get to university and have to take the classes with the carcass of real animals and real cadavers. They then decide that they can’t do it.
30% of freshman engineering students drop out after the first year. They were all smart enough to be accepted. Therefore, why? Various reasons: most are undisciplined and want to party versus study because they are now outside of mommy and daddy’s direct control, some cannot continue to afford tuition, and others find out that it is not what they thought it was going to be or that it is much too difficult.
Where there is a will, there is a legal way to pay for it.
I want to be a millionaire: I either need to buy a lotto ticket, go on a game show, marry one, save my cash, get a new job, start/buy a business, or wait to inherit it from dead relatives.
So which existing programs are you going cut to obtain the money for your pet programs?
Pet programs? What are you talking about? Stupid programs below. Too easy.
Are you saying that the Fed needs to fund education?
Sure. As opposed to any of the nonsense programs in the links below.
Do you go out and chat with kids at schools?
No, but that’s a really weird question. Do you?
There are plenty of people who have never completed a formal education who are successful because they have common sense, strong work ethic, social skills, desire, and passion for what they do.
And according to grmpy those people deserve to pay for others who don’t have those skills because it isn’t fair.
Is the rest of your post directed at me or is it just in general? It’s rather confusing.
http://www.cagw.org/reports/pig-book/2010/
http://www.areddy.net/mscott/porkabs.html
I’m not going to spend a lot of time finding and posting more links, but really just type in wasteful government spending or list of pork barrel spending and the results are overwhelming.
Btw, last political post. Sorry to everyone who has had the misfortune to stumble into this thread or the “Damn it, Obama” thread.
Late,
grmpysmrf
Tax increases to the wealthy will do nothing to the pockets of the corporations you vent about, and will be a huge burden to small and midsized business. Those smaller businesses are really the only thing in the way of everything being run by an exclusive group of corporations that will be impossible to compete with. BP, Monsanto, Wal-Mart and others will simply lay off more “poor” people to offset the cost. They will not make any less money. Small to midsized business will fold left and right, sending more people to the “poor” class and making the gap between the classes if any larger and harder to overcome. Overtaxing small-midsized business WILL effectively end the middle class, count on it. Broad tax increases across the board is a very bad idea, for you and me both. You’re just not looking at it the right way. You’re taking your rightful anger with these huge, evil, conglomerates and applying it to the people and businesses that are successful, who employ people and offer much better benefits and consideration than employees at huge cubicle factories.
Find a way to tax the mega corps and not the mom and pops.
Here is the 2011 tax money spending proposal: http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2010/02/01/us/budget.html
I speak with students and adults frequently. I’d have to count them up to know the exact number, but it’s usually ~1,000 - 2,000 people/year.
I’m stating that by the time the Fed funds education (they subsidize higher education, NSF, some outreach to young students, etc.), it is too late. The states fund K, elementary, and secondary education. I don’t see the Fed taking over the states’ responsibilities any time soon - the teachers’ unions and the parents would most likely revolt. PreK-6 is where the students need to be reached. This starts at home with their parents. Students decide between grades 7-10 their identity and their future path in life. There are a few who will overcome all obstacles to succeed in the end, but this is not the majority.
Somebody benefited from all that pork-barrel spending. I will say that policy is very difficult to write and get everyone involved to agree to it.
The non-formally educated already did pay when they paid their self-employment taxes/property taxes. If they got a huge refund, they have a better accountant.