Political Hippo Circle Jerk - America, farg YEAH!

[ice grillin you]

another sickening aspect of the obamacare is that people on the right act like people who would be benefiting from it are free loaders and only are without insurance because they are lazy.  someone on my facebook actually said the following:  "Health insurance is not a right, it's a privilege like having a driver's licence."

to me this is the most disconcerting aspect of the conservative mentality shift in the last 15-20 years...it went from less government and personal responsibility to no govt and farg everyone but me...the right used to be all about community...now they don't even want their community taken care of...for example the future of any community is children yet they want to destroy funding for public education...it doesn't take a village anymore with them...it takes a basement full of ar15's and canned food....I mean the south has a regional pride that should be the envy of everyone....they always are flying their flags whether it be the confederate or their respective state flags...not defending the sickening conf flag just pointing out their pride...yet they don't give a flying farg about what makes a state or region....the farging people in it

anyway the affordable care act is no different than any other large social safety net law that the country has enacted...and there has never been one that wasnt changed numerous times over the years...right now most people think that social security needs major changes...but very few people want to get rid of it?....the president and the democrats have been just woeful when its come to the message game regarding the aca...if they frame like i did above in more large scale terms instead of talking about exchanges and the taxes that are going to help pay for it maybe more people would at least give it a shot and they def wouldnt think it wasnt going to destroy the country...I mean for god sakes a majority of country doesn't even realize that if you currently have insurance you hve to give it up and go into the aca exchanges...yes a lot of that speaks to the ignorance of the population but a lot of it is on barry and the dems for just pathetic promotion of the program

[phillycrew]

There's this contradictory stance that's common on the right where they want the country to go back to the good old days but they also refuse to acknowledge that 'the good old days' included much much higher tax rates, especially on the wealthy. The supply side economics of the 80s, which have shown to be short-term stimulus and long-term disastrous, drove tax rates down to historically low levels and yet the right still howls about taxes being too high and cutting government spending and blah blah blah. If taxes were at the levels of the 50s or 60s our fiscal picture would look much better. If we didn't start multi-trillion dollar wars that had no defined end-game our fiscal picture would look much better.

The irony, as Rome has said, is that despite the fiscal problems that the right has caused with their recent decisions, the left still thinks that spending should come down and has historically brought spending down when Democrats are in office. So how does this fallacy that the right cares about America's fiscal situation continue to exist? It's infuriating.

I don't think either side cares about America's fiscal situation.  They think that if they give out freebies that their side likes, they will get re-elected.  There is no accountability and the government kicks the can down the road on every hard decision that it can.

[rjs246]

There's this contradictory stance that's common on the right where they want the country to go back to the good old days but they also refuse to acknowledge that 'the good old days' included much much higher tax rates, especially on the wealthy. The supply side economics of the 80s, which have shown to be short-term stimulus and long-term disastrous, drove tax rates down to historically low levels and yet the right still howls about taxes being too high and cutting government spending and blah blah blah. If taxes were at the levels of the 50s or 60s our fiscal picture would look much better. If we didn't start multi-trillion dollar wars that had no defined end-game our fiscal picture would look much better.

The irony, as Rome has said, is that despite the fiscal problems that the right has caused with their recent decisions, the left still thinks that spending should come down and has historically brought spending down when Democrats are in office. So how does this fallacy that the right cares about America's fiscal situation continue to exist? It's infuriating.

I don't think either side cares about America's fiscal situation.  They think that if they give out freebies that their side likes, they will get re-elected.  There is no accountability and the government kicks the can down the road on every hard decision that it can.

If that's how you feel, and I suspect that that's how a lot of people feel, I don't understand how anyone can support the GOP. If your opinion is that both sides are bought and sold, why would you side with the party who is 'bought and sold' by big business and the Koch brothers and Wall Street instead of the side that's 'bought and sold' by the poor and the disadvantaged and sick and the unions that represent workers like you and me? If everyone's bottom line is handouts and favors, why side with the team who gives handouts and favors to those who are already wealthy and powerful? It's a morally indefensible position in my opinion.

I'm not attacking, mind you, I just don't buy the intellectual validity of claiming that 'both sides are bought and sold' and then siding with the political party that gives handouts to those with the biggest advantages.

I have no great love of the Democratic party for some of the reasons you've laid out. But I am incapable of analyzing our current situation and saying that 'both parties are to blame'. Right now one party is working to address societal issues, while the other is obstructing progress. Right now one party is howling about an entitlement hurting the economy while blocking every single jobs bill that the President has presented. The deficit has shrunk by almost half over the past few years and the GOP continues to claim otherwise while demanding more and more cuts... in the middle of a weak economy.

The bottom line is that one side of our two party system brings absolutely nothing to the table right now other than obstruction, chaos and anger. They actively work to stop progress. They undermine attempts to help the economy and in fact have plotted to hold the economy hostage for months if they don't get what they want. I just don't understand what motivates people to continue supporting a party that actively works against the country's best interests.

[phillycrew]

There's this contradictory stance that's common on the right where they want the country to go back to the good old days but they also refuse to acknowledge that 'the good old days' included much much higher tax rates, especially on the wealthy. The supply side economics of the 80s, which have shown to be short-term stimulus and long-term disastrous, drove tax rates down to historically low levels and yet the right still howls about taxes being too high and cutting government spending and blah blah blah. If taxes were at the levels of the 50s or 60s our fiscal picture would look much better. If we didn't start multi-trillion dollar wars that had no defined end-game our fiscal picture would look much better.

The irony, as Rome has said, is that despite the fiscal problems that the right has caused with their recent decisions, the left still thinks that spending should come down and has historically brought spending down when Democrats are in office. So how does this fallacy that the right cares about America's fiscal situation continue to exist? It's infuriating.

I don't think either side cares about America's fiscal situation.  They think that if they give out freebies that their side likes, they will get re-elected.  There is no accountability and the government kicks the can down the road on every hard decision that it can.

If that's how you feel, and I suspect that that's how a lot of people feel, I don't understand how anyone can support the GOP. If your opinion is that both sides are bought and sold, why would you side with the party who is 'bought and sold' by big business and the Koch brothers and Wall Street instead of the side that's 'bought and sold' by the poor and the disadvantaged and sick and the unions that represent workers like you and me? If everyone's bottom line is handouts and favors, why side with the team who gives handouts and favors to those who are already wealthy and powerful? It's a morally indefensible position in my opinion.

I'm not attacking, mind you, I just don't buy the intellectual validity of claiming that 'both sides are bought and sold' and then siding with the political party that gives handouts to those with the biggest advantages.

I have no great love of the Democratic party for some of the reasons you've laid out. But I am incapable of analyzing our current situation and saying that 'both parties are to blame'. Right now one party is working to address societal issues, while the other is obstructing progress. Right now one party is howling about an entitlement hurting the economy while blocking every single jobs bill that the President has presented. The deficit has shrunk by almost half over the past few years and the GOP continues to claim otherwise while demanding more and more cuts... in the middle of a weak economy.

The bottom line is that one side of our two party system brings absolutely nothing to the table right now other than obstruction, chaos and anger. They actively work to stop progress. They undermine attempts to help the economy and in fact have plotted to hold the economy hostage for months if they don't get what they want. I just don't understand what motivates people to continue supporting a party that actively works against the country's best interests.

I have no great love of the GOP either.  In Virginia, I like the libertarian candidate for governor.  I support a smaller, more efficient government.  You can't tax enough to cover every want and wasted government program.  I have sat in too many meetings where they talk about end of year "fall out" money that must be spent so that they can get that amount next year or the budget shrinks.  I have no love for the Wall Street side that was bailed out during the crisis but I know that government is not the answer.  Government service used to be a noble profession.  I think the corruption and bureaucracy make it inefficient at best and harmful at worst.  Nearly half of America receives government assistance.  The government is good at a few things but has grown to where it is in all facets of life and all parts of the economy.  I know no empire lives forever, look at Rome.

[rjs246]

The Libertarian candidate for Gov in VA went to my high school and was two year ahead of me. Relevant.

I think that the concept of government waste is overblown, but I don't exactly have matrices in front of me to prove/disprove that thought so I think we'll just have to agree to disagree. I also don't blame government for providing assistance to half the population. I blame a corporate robber baron culture where executives and CEOs make absurd salaries on the backs of employees who barely make a living wage. I blame a financial culture where all of our money is funneled through a tiny handful of massive investment houses who are free to gamble that money with impunity in a regulatory environment where there are few rules, no oversight and no risk to them. The risk is all ours. With effective regulations, reasonable tax codes and the existence of pensions previous generations didn't have to worry about this gigantic schism between the haves and have nots. The fact that inflation has continued to go up for 30+ years while people's wages have stayed stagnant is not the government's fault. But the government is there to help pick up the pieces for those families who are working just as hard and not getting nearly as much for their dollar.

All of this is just a difference in perspective I suppose, but the more I read and the more I pay attention, the harder it is for me to relate to the other perspective.

[SunMo]

wealth inequality in america


http://youtu.be/QPKKQnijnsM

[phillycrew]

Look at the assclowns on TV.  You really trust giving your money to them?  I agree that we will just have to agree to disagree.  I do like my government penson though 

[Munson]

Looks like they have a deal in the Senate.

OF course that douche bag Ted Cruz met with the media to pretend what he's doing was for the good of everyone.


Do you think he'd be railing so hard for Washington to "listen to the American people" if this were 2009 and polls were once again showing majority or near-majority support for a public option?? I"m thinking no, probably not.

[smeags]

shame we cant vote in the samurai rule for politicians cause it would come in handy with the GOP right now.

[Sgt PSN]

wealth inequality in america


http://youtu.be/QPKKQnijnsM

I've seen this before, and of all the various videos, articles and charts used in recent years to explain the problem, I think this one explains it in the simplest possible way so that it can be understood by pretty much everyone. 

[Rome]

We had our morning meeting today and the discussion turned h the shutdown.

It was 5 to 1 against me a the only liberal and unlike my usual quiet shrugging of shoulders I lit into them.   I literally couldn't stand to hear one more second of Obama bashing so I popped my cork a bit.   The looks on their faces was worth the shtein I'll take for it in the long run.

[smeags]

they are planning your lynching as i type.

[Rome]

Fine by me.  I have 4.5 yrs to go here.   After that I'm out regardless.

[rjs246]

Topical and very well written.

[General_Failure]

China picks a fight with the Tea Party as US government default looms

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