Unless I'm mistaken, you weren't even born when Carter was President.

This myth has become so popular that it just gets worse and worse. The national debt is $14 trillion. That just isn't out of line with historical trends. It 's just a really impressive number. People just haven't figured out what to do with the "t" word. America is not broke. America's net national worth is 54 trillion dollars with a budget deficit of about 1.3 trillion dollars. (That's total national assets minus total national liabilities). That is not a country that is broke. That's just a country that doesn't want to pay. that's a cheap-skate dead-beat country.

This manufactured, so-called deficit crisis is directly out of the Jude Winniski play-book. Winniski was a Republican strategist in the '70s. He coined the term "supply-side". As the strategy goes, when the Republicans are in power, they spend like drunken sailors. The people love them because they get lots of stuff they want. Big tax breaks for rich people, lots of gifts for corporations and shiny trinkets for the common folk. Debt goes up dramatically, but nobody notices or cares. Then, when Democrats are in power the Republicans kick and scream and pound their little fists about this huuuuge deficit, not acknowledging that they created most of it.

The mythology will endure, because people are basically lazy. They will accept any analysis that is quick and easy to digest and doesn't require independent thinking. Sound bites. Even President Obama has found that he has to buy in to some of the tenets of republican ideology because it has been so effectively sold for the last 30 years. That is why we heard him pandering to those who call for "minor adjustments" in Social Security and Medicare and making tax cuts a major feature of his plan.

Unfortunately, the 33 percenters have managed to distract the politically active into believing that the election is all about the deficit, when the number one issue for the other 66% is jobs, but there is not strong voice to speak for measures that would remedy the jobs situation. Obama's plan will have some impact on jobs, but nothing compared to what could be accomplished by raising lifestyle taxes on the spoiled uber-wealthy. (BTW, weren't the "job creators" supposed to create millions of jobs if we gave them enough money? They are swimming in more money than they know what to do with. Yes, Mr's Boner. Where are the jobs?)

Are you sure about that? Just because 12 Texans say so? You had better study the case of Cameron Todd Willingham. Also, you should read John Grisham's last book. It tells us how innocent people get executed in strong death penalty states.

All that aside, I can see a sense of justice, a sense of ''it's something that had to be done", but a sense of celebration?! Cheers?!

We're not really talking about laws here.It's about mentality. Why would this be be something to celebrate?

Most people don't think that killing other people is a really fun thing to do. Especially coming from the Party of "life".

Also, the story of Cameron Todd Willingham is very disturbing.

No they don't. Christians say things like "I am the master of my fate: I am the captain of my soul."
- Timothy McVeigh's last words before being executed.

If I'm not mistaken, anybody can buy an AK-47 at a gun. show without any kind of a background check. Perfectly legal. We can't be upsetting the 2nd Amendment folks, now.

It seems that labor is getting to be too expensive in China. Greedy Chinese factory workers are getting $141 a month these days. That's too much for the giant corporatists. Now they're looking to move to Viet Nam.

http://www.time.com/time/world/article/0,8599,2081532,00.html

Right. This is an exact description of Capitalist Corporatism.

You oughta hear what the left-wing is saying about the corporatist-Capitalist side.

This oil isn't going to America. The refineries get a better price for it overseas. As of Nov, 2010 America has become a net exporter of oil.

http://www.eia.gov/dnav/pet/hist/LeafHandler.ashx?n=PET&s=MTPNTUS2&f=M[/url

Probably a big part of the reason that Republi Governor Rick Scott is one of the most despised Governors in America.

everybody knows that we lefties are all violent thugs. Isn't that why you picked your username, DraGOONess?

It might be worth pointing out that it was Darryl Hannahs' purpose to be arrested. The media don't seem to give much coverage to left-wing demonstrations, while a couple of dozen Tea-partiers will draw cameramen from every news outlet in the country.

In a way, the rules at the Capitol were only a benefit to the protestors. They provided a relatively benign object that was needed for some mild civil disobedience to bring the needed attention.

This probably wouldn't serve the needs of the Texas oil refineries who need the finished product to be where they can ship it overseas.

Thank goodness! It seemed like an odd thing to insert into specific thread about various political and religious groups. And just following my post.

Since we are taking the thread in a different direction, I think that a good way to become unpopular is to quit bathing and to use foul language excessively.

Shalom aleikhem!

To some extent, this is a great idea. Initiative voting has been vigorously used a lot by one party at the State level, and there is some interest on my side in using it on the national level.

http://www.ballot.org/

One of the screwiest things about how the Senate works is with the filibuster rule. The phrase "majority rule" is meaningless, and Government is unable to do anything if one side wants to prevent all progress.

It's amazing to know that these attitudes are still around to the point where public people feel emboldened enough to express them in public.


It makes no sense to take pride in one's heritage. You are born with a heritage. You can't earn it. The white arian racists make a very strong call to their 'pride in their heritage'.

I don't remember inviting a personal insult from you. However, since you want to talk about this, It is noteworthy that popularity is not a goal in political debate. For that matter, I have always felt honored to be hated by extreme Conservatives. That's why I am not a bit ashamed to announce to the world that I am a liberal. (BTW, does your comment apply only to liberals ? Just wondering).

that's a really great item. Your first sentence is right on. We should have learned that from Blackwater in Iraq

can't we all get along? Well . . . no, we can't. Not when 2/3 of the people perceive that the other 1/3 have too much power and very dangerous and destructive motives.

How are you going to unite with that going on?