| Author | Message | ||
     Cowboy |
All I know is that we had a pretty good economy for 6 yrs of Bush . When the Democrats won the congress (last 2yrs of Bush) It proves that American business has no faith in democrats and things startaed to un ravel. | ||
| Sphere79 |
> I could have supported Ron Paul were it not for his stance on Iraq/Afghanistan. Personally I think his response to 911 was spot on when he introduced HR3076 the very next month. The September 11 Marque and Reprisal Act of 2001 would have essentially allowed a bounty on Osama's head and made him and those responsible the targets, rather than the countries they are/were hiding in. Also, it cannot be forgotten that out of all of the 2008 presidential candidates, Ron Paul received the most donations from active-duty military personnel. Even Fox news had to begrudgingly cover the story. > His strategy was errant in that it sought to win Democratic party faithful by crapping on the previous administration. I don't think there was any deliberate plan to woo Dems. While there is plenty the liberal media disagrees with Dr. Paul on, they do tend to give him facetime regarding the issues they agree with. The problem is whenever he (or his son Rand) get close to success, they get loyal real quick and go into attack mode. I think the whole left / right paradigm is pretty much BS anyway. America votes in a "conservative" president and he outspends Clinton. America votes in a "liberal" to "end the war" and instead we're just moving on to the next never-ending war. | ||
| Stirz007 |
Cowboy - we did have a pretty good economy, but we're paying for it now. Obama had nothing to do with the crash, and Dubya probably didn't either. Between the end of the depression, when strict banking and investment laws were in place, and deregulation, we had NO financial meltdowns. Since deregulation, there have been numerous episodes. It's all about greed - from the bankers and investors, to the elected officials and 'regulators' that are in bed with the financial industry and allowed it to happen. We have a system where banks "cannot fail", so we give them taxpayer money after they gamble with our savings accounts, 401(k)'s and retirement funds. The system is set up so that you almost HAVE to give these guys your money, then you have NO say in what they do with it. Savings account interest will not even keep up with inflation (my account gets less than 1%). You cannot rent a car, buy airline tickets, or purchase a range of goods and services without a credit card (OK you can, but the system makes it a PITA), which the banks are increasingly charging more and more for. Banks charge YOU for the privilege of using YOUR money - what a sweet deal. You, me and Fat Bastard need to have a couple of cold ones and figure out how to save this thing - or at least have a couple of cold ones trying. | ||
| Stirz007 |
Cowboy - I just checked your profile and we have maybe a couple of things in common: Born in Shreveport - I know, north of Marksville, so automatically redneck. Went to grades 2 to 10 in Tioga, LA, just up the road from Pineville. Graduated HS in Shreveport. LSU alum (78 to 84). Geaux Tigers! Had to move out of state when the oil biz went to crap in 91. | ||
| Ft_bstrd |
There's a reason the savings account is only paying 1%. Banks aren't lending money. NOTHING has been done to correct the core causes of the for the stock and real estate melt down. The "financial reform" legislation is a show piece designed to increase Federal intrusion into our daily lives. Car rental, airline tickets, or "range of good" items have little to do with banks and more to do with ancillary industries capitalizing on technologies and conveniences created by the banking industry. "Greed" is what prompts workers to climb out of bed every day and seek to make a living. "Greed" is what drives an investor to seek to grow capital. "Greed" is what prompts individuals and corporations alike to create and perfect goods and then bring them to market. My wife and her partner started a girls clothing line 4 years ago. So far, after 4 years of activity, we've made about $5,000. We've paid about $4,000 in taxes. We currently have annual sales of about $350,000. We have reinvested every dollar made back into the company. "Greed" is what keeps us going even though we aren't being individually enriched by our efforts. "Greed" manifests in a single word. Yet.... We haven't made any money. Yet. | ||
| Ulyranger |
Why on earth would any sensible business have any confidence in politicians that just want to tax and regulate their hard hard work till it's no longer profitable to stay in business. Unless you change your strategy to outsource everything tangible until there is nothing left here except a building or two and a name. Oh, our grandkids will have no problem remembering who started the Obamination..... "I hope the next President takes a hatchet to the Federal government." Hatchet? Next Prez better be slinging a Stihl 660. Unfortunately we live in a society of sheople that live on five second sound bites delivered by experienced propagandists, like to have their cake and everyone else's and eat it all on someone else's dime. Unless a whole LOT of these lethargic couch potatoes wake up real soon and see what's happening out there we are truly fooked....... There are those that think they like what's going on, change, hopey thing happening. They'll still claim to support it when their taxes and bills skyrocket, because we're just trying to help those without, right? At some point they'll realize their mistake, probably when the Gov't brick of cheese hits their fridge. Of course there are true believers in all this redistributed change. Who idolize Castro, Mao, Chavez and Che. Gotta love those fashionable Che T-shirts everywhere. Of course once the fashion wears out and it becomes reality things might look different. While I hope to see some REAL reformers coming to the plate, I just don't see enough of them getting past the big Dem/Rep machines. Both parties have been taking us down the same road paved by big unions, corporate PACs and countless special interests. OK, stepping away from the keyboard.... | ||
| Buellerthanyou |
For what it's worth; Gary Johnson (former New Mexico governor) used to ride a Buell S1 Lightning. I saw it on consignment at Chick's in Albuquerque when I picked up my X1 there. He might even have been able to talk his wife into riding behind him (no mean feat on an S1, even with a Twintail!) because it had a Corbin "Gunfighter and Lady" seat on it! | ||
| Doug_s |
in 200 years, when the history of the fall of the american empire is studied, historians will trace it back to the beginning of deregulation, and tax policies favoring the wealthy, started by ronnie reagan, in 1980... what we are seeing now is the chickens coming home to roost. while barack is not a fave of mine - far too conservative, imo - the hand he was dealt when he took office was the biggest mess this country has seen since 1929/1930. i find it highly ironic that many americans are so stupid that they blame barack for the economy, and want to put the same idiots who caused this mess back in power... (and do not talk to me about bill clinton - he is a democrat in name only - his economic policies were a pure give-away to the corporations.) 22 Statistics That Prove That The Middle Class Is Being Systematically Wiped Out Of Existence In America:http://finance.yahoo.com/tech-ticker/the-u.s.-middle-class-is-being-wiped-out-here%27s-the-stats-to-prove-it-520657.html?tickers=^DJI,^GSPC,SPY,MCD,WMT,XRT,DIA doug s. (Message edited by doug_s. on August 04, 2010) | ||
| Hootowl |
Doug you're delusional. Tax policies don't favor the wealthy, they pay the most taxes. Tax policies favor the nearly 50% of Americans who PAY NO TAXES AT ALL. Everyone should pay taxes, and we should all pay the same rate. Voting patterns might change if the guy making $25K a year had to pay 20% of it in taxes. I guarantee our government wouldn't be the sprawling monstrosity it has become, and there would be no entitlement mentality. And what the heck are you doing in the conservative clubhouse?  | ||
| Ulyranger |
Oh yes, I see it now. Obama is just trying to right the wrongs of the past. Social Justice, Redistributive change and all that. With Conservative views like that I'd hate to see what Socialism looks like. That's going to save us for sure... I love it when people talk about "look what he inherited". So the economy was tanking and you spend trillions of dollars that our grandkids won't even be able to make up? Not to mention the blitzkrieg pace of new regulation and executive order that only goes toward limiting further growth. Yup, the good ship Obama is sailing tall.... | ||
| 86129squids |
Kinky Friedman for Prez!!!   | ||
| Arbalest |
Hootowl, 2% of the population have 95% of the money in the U.S. The reason we tax the rich is because THEY HAVE ALL THE MONEY. If the federal government had to get all their tax money from people who earn $250,000 or less, the government couldn't buy the military BB guns. | ||
| Doug_s |
hootowl, you are the delusional one. the wealthy pay far less in taxes percentage-wise than the middle class. even the lower middle class... http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/money/tax/article 1996735.ece doug s. | ||
| Reindog |
Doug_s: Don't hijack this Conservative thread. If you wish to contribute, then give your opinion who will be the best Conservative candidate to replace Obama. Get yer own thread if you wish to talk nonsense. | ||
| Strokizator |
Buffet's earnings of $46 million are largely due to gains on investments which are taxed differently than payroll income. Maybe the real story in that article is that a guy who made $47 million last year and is worth up to $52 billion only paid his secretary $60,000.00. Talk about a tight-wad. Then again, it looks as if he had a pretty bad year. $47 million divided by $52 billion is only a gain of .09%. Looks like I won't be taking any investment advice from him as his return on investment is only slightly better than hiding your money under your mattress. (Message edited by strokizator on August 04, 2010) | ||
| Reindog |
So far with a couple of exceptions, this thread has been informative and civil. Let's keep it that way. We must find a way to remove this Communist who currently resides in the White House. | ||
| Reindog |
"Our work or your guns. You are free to choose either but you cannot choose both." -John Galt from "Atlas Shrugged" This sentence summarizes Ayn Rand's epic tome. Written in 1957, "Atlas Shrugged" resonates more today than it probably ever has. It reads like it was written yesterday. Check it out and you will find the answer to the first line of the novel: "Wbo is John Galt?" A government that steals from the People in the name of "fairness" is one that leads to economic catastrophe and tyranny. | ||
| Reindog |
Is the prevailing wage for a secretary $60K? If so, what is your grievance? What is the purpose of your comparison? She probably works 9-5 and has stable employment. Buffett took risks, probably worked a lot more than 9-5, was not guaranteed of any income, and became rich. Why do you make it seem like he is a bad guy? Dude, start reading "Atlas Shrugged" or anything by Ayn Rand and start educating yourself. I also recommend, "The Creature from Jekyll Island". It is left as an exercise to the student to find out what this cryptic title is about. | ||
| Buellerandy |
I'm curious but I'm actually in the market for a good book when I'm on break at work. I've been meaning to re-read George Orwell but would also like a backup. What is the idea behind "The Creature from Jekyll Island?" Besides what you obviously stated about leaving it to the student. (no sarcasm in this post) | ||
| Hootowl |
Doug, I believe I said we should all pay the same tax rate, that includes the uber rich. Whose fault is it that they are uber rich? Whose fault is it that the poor are poor? Is it the rich man's fault? The rich don't steal money when they make it. Wealth is generated by the rich by creating things, not by stealing money from the poor. It isn't a zero sum game. Now get out of my clubhouse! | ||
| Reindog |
I first learned of this book from Court. It is a history of the Federal Reserve System and its predecessors. It attempts to explain history, economics, and politics of how the Fed is ruling our lives. It is a bit on the alarmist side but just because one is paranoid doesn't mean that they aren't trying to get you. If you don't already know how money is currently created, then you will lose sleep as you begin to understand that the Federal governement has been in collusion with the Fed since 1913 to create an unsustainable economic system of fiat currency. The hidden tax that government deliberately imposes on the citizenry is called inflation. This book is not dry and is quite entertaining in its presentation. Check it out. | ||
| Ft_bstrd |
Buffet is the favorite capitalist of the left. His viewpoint is singular and unshared. Odd that with his viewpoint he doesn't simply just cut a check to Uncle Sam. | ||
| Reindog |
When government extends an entitlement to its people, you only get more people on that entitlement and insisting that it is a right. I have observed unemployed people on their second extension not even attempt to go on a job interview. Those $475/week checks are a powerful drug. | ||
| Buellerandy |
Until they run out and are forced to get a job, only to realize how much they're gonna be paying back. | ||
| Ft_bstrd |
Once we have 50% plus 1 person who are "recipient class" and leadership who don't respect ANY of the limitations on Federal government placed by the Constitution, the Republic is dead. Right now 47% of the population pay NO income taxes. This has been the plan since Woodrow Wilson. | ||
| Reindog |
The income tax is probably the biggest threat of tyranny as it attempts to peer into every single atom of everyone's financial life. It imposes the carrot/stick approach to shaping societal behavior. Just because we are "used" to it doesn't make it right. I am in favor of a consumption based tax enabling us to build bombs and highways. Critics scream that it is "unfair" but it is actually liberating as you can choose NOT to consume anything other than essentials. Government programs are and would still be in place to help the poor who "can't afford" to buy food. I might be a bastard to some, but I am not a heartless bastard. | ||
| Reindog |
Alexis deTocqueville wrote about the demise of American Democracy when the voting public realize they can vote themselves benefits from the public trough. This was in 1821. We are getting closer to that cliff and then we will have dictatorship by a faceless, formless, and unaccountable bureaucracy. | ||
| Ft_bstrd |
A flat tax or consumption tax won't fly because it hinders the efforts of those seeking "redistributive justice". You can't take from the "rich" and give to the "poor". | ||
| Bikertrash05 |
Those $475/week checks are a powerful drug. $388 a week. | ||
| Doug_s |
funny, i thought this was a public forum. you guys wanna continue on with your mindless moronic love-fest, carry on. sorry to disturb your narrow-minded neanderthal worldview opinions w/facts.  again, you may want to re-read (or read for the first time?) the 22 Statistics That Prove That The Middle Class Is Being Systematically Wiped Out Of Existence In America: http://finance.yahoo.com/tech-ticker/the-u.s.-midd le-class-is-being-wiped-out-here%27s-the-stats-to- prove-it-520657.html?tickers=^DJI,^GSPC,SPY,MCD,WM T,XRT,DIA and ruminate on their causes. think it's being caused by progressives/democrats/communists/socialists? if you believe that, then perhaps you would be interested in buying this bridge i wanna sell ya... i believe it is because the system is rigged by the rich to help the rich. trickle-down economics?  it behooves everyone to read the 22 stats i posted, and the following commentary about it. when the disparity in wealth gets too great, even the rich will start to suffer - they need infrastructure, too. they don't need wiolence in the streets either. they need a middle class to buy all their stuff; when the rich own everything, the party is over because no one else can afford to play anymore. doug s. |
