Political Hippo Circle Jerk - America, farg YEAH!

[rjs246]

Best news blurb I've read all week.

President Obama will seek to cut the federal deficit in half by the end of his first term, according to an administration official.

Most of the savings would come from spending less on the war in Iraq, raising taxes on those who make more than $250,000 a year and streamlining government, the official told CNN.

The president's budget proposal for fiscal year 2010 projects that the estimated $1.3 trillion deficit he inherited from the Bush administration will be halved to $533 billion by 2013, or from 9.2 percent of the gross domestic product to 3 percent, the official said.

[MadMarchHare]

That's what they should be doing.  Let's see it actually happen.  So far, at least, Obama is saying things that make sense, which is refreshing.

[Butchers Bill]

Here's the problem.  The highest tax bracket of 250k+ is roughly the same income threshold as it was in 1942.

http://www.ntu.org/main/page.php?PageID=19

While everyone is fighting over 250k-300k, or 50k-100k the uber-wealthy are laughing their asses off.  If Obama wanted to impress me (and millions of other Americans) he would slash taxes on everyone making less than 500k and raise them on the top bracket based on the following income thresholds:

0-50k
51-100k
101-250k
2551-500k
500k+

The "top tax bracket" now includes more Americans than ever because it was never tied to a rate of inflation.

[ATV]

Racist Repubelican US Senator from Alabama is still in denial over a black man being president....

Said Shelby: "Well his father was Kenyan and they said he was born in Hawaii, but I haven't seen any birth certificate. You have to be born in America to be president."

http://www.cullmantimes.com/local/local_story_052203445.html

[Butchers Bill]

Racist Repubelican US Senator from Alabama is still in denial over a black man being president....

Said Shelby: "Well his father was Kenyan and they said he was born in Hawaii, but I haven't seen any birth certificate. You have to be born in America to be president."

http://www.cullmantimes.com/local/local_story_052203445.html

Subjective parsing of what the douchbag said does not encourage constructive dialog.

[Diomedes]

You don't have to do any parsing--subjective or otherwise--to see that Senator Shelby is out of line.

[Butchers Bill]

You don't have to do any parsing--subjective or otherwise--to see that Senator Shelby is out of line.

100% agree.  That doesn't make him a racist or someone who can't accept a black President though.

[Diomedes]

Sure, by strict reason you're on point. 

But another kind of intelligence outside of syllogistic thought has to tell any reasonable person that there is no other explanation for persisting to truck in this manchurian candidate bullshtein than racism or bigotry.

That he is a hard core Republican conservative representing the deep south--it is a fact that Alabama is and has always been a racist homeland--only supports the contention that this guy is spewing some racist shtein, and is likely racist himself.

[rjs246]

Some republican Governors plan to turn down a portion of the money assigned to their states

"If we were to take the unemployment reform package that they have, it would cause us to raise taxes on employment when the money runs out -- and the money will run out in a couple of years," Mississippi Gov. Haley Barbour told CNN's "State of the Union" on Sunday.

I have been reading about how parts of the bill would act to reverse the extremely effective welfare reform that Pres. Clinton and a Republican congress worked together to enact in the 90s. Of course I don't know enough to know if this bill would actually reverse anything, but I like this move by the GOP governors. If they don't need/want the money for certain programs they shouldn't take it. Smart politics and more common sense than I generally give people.

[Diomedes]

The Governator has said he'd be happy to take the money all the Jindals of the country refuse.

[rjs246]

Oh yeah. California is completely farged.

[Butchers Bill]

California is going to go under.  Maybe not this fiscal year, but eventually.  Just looking at their basic economic and financial structure it's clear that the way they have been doing things in unsustainable.  California will be the test case for the eventual collapse of the Federal Government because of its size, and because of the similarities in financial structure.

Will be frightening to watch, but US citizens want to have their cake and eat it too.  They want lower taxes, and all the services that a European style government provides.  They want, want, want, but are unwilling to sacrifice for it hence the rise of easy credit during the last 20 years.

[rjs246]

US citizens want to have their cake and eat it too.  They want lower taxes, and all the services that a European style government provides.  They want, want, want, but are unwilling to sacrifice for it hence the rise of easy credit during the last 20 years.

farging spot on.

[Diomedes]

Jindal's talking about turning down about 100 Million out of the 4 billion or so his state will be getting, or about 2.5%

[rjs246]

The % doesn't matter. If they don't need it or don't want it, they should turn it down. It's smart politically but it's also smart financially.