The open political discussion thread. Read the first post!

[Bob Dog]

What I'm tired of is government subsidies to major corporations, banks, manufacturing and the leacherous healthcare industry, and porkies like new runways for airport in no traffic nowhereville. I mean wtf are they doing planting flowers in th middle of the interstates when people are dying for lack of healthcare. I'm also damn tired of sports stadiums and arenas getting subsidies. I don't hate sports, bu f--k me paying out taxes so someone else can make a profit on people watching a ball game.

[TLyttle]

"overburdened taxpayer"... That phrase, coming from the US, makes me giggle. Most countries have heavier taxes than the US; the taxes are applied in different forms, and in Canada (for instance) are usually "sin" taxes, ie, cigarettes and booze are heavily taxed, but not nearly as hard hit as, say, Norway. Having the US taxes get dumped straight into wars (2 of them, remember?) is a ridiculous burden in my mind, yet there are 47 million medically uninsured citizens there. I guess that makes sense to some...

[ChinoCharles]

I don't hate sports, bu f--k me paying out taxes so someone else can make a profit on people watching a ball game.

Now, in defense of subsidizing sports stadiums, the impact a new stadium has on a local economy is usually drastic. Cleveland has had three new stadiums in the last 20 years and without them, I might be living near a crater.

"overburdened taxpayer"... That phrase, coming from the US, makes me giggle. Most countries have heavier taxes than the US; the taxes are applied in different forms, and in Canada (for instance) are usually "sin" taxes, ie, cigarettes and booze are heavily taxed, but not nearly as hard hit as, say, Norway. Having the US taxes get dumped straight into wars (2 of them, remember?) is a ridiculous burden in my mind, yet there are 47 million medically uninsured citizens there. I guess that makes sense to some...

Agreed. Most of the nuts in this country don't know how good we have it, and they certainly don't understand how having it this good is screwing things up.

[Bob Dog]

I don't like paying taxes one bit, and I like a stripped down government, but some essentials seem best done in such a way that there is no profit motive. I would put under this heading, infrastructure, military(although there is all that juicy pork in subcontracting isn't there), police, disaster, and fire protection, and as world wide evidence demonstrates, healthcare.

[Bob Dog]

Perhaps it should be a crater, when students here in the rural south are using texts books so dated that the internet is mentioned in the future tense it seems to us a serious misuse of our tax money .

[elmo]

folks there is only 1 way in my sick little mind THE FAIR TAX, if you don't know what it is buy the book i don't even have time to explain it but in a nut shell you only pay taxes on products you buy that way EVERYONE pays


Oh by the way TLyttle we got sin taxes here to so don't feel special because you live in canada.

[RedRide]

What I'm tired of and totally disgusted about is the fact that the majority of our lawmakes are just coporate puppets. This is true for both side of the asile.

The is no real democracy. The lawmakers simply pass laws to benifit their bidggest financial contributors. It is governmen for, by, and of the corporations.

We would have real, sensible health care reform if it wasn't because of this.

[Bob Dog]

Our lives are bought and sold like medieval surfs and seems nobody has guts to face it: noone gets elected without being corporate moneys whore in this country:

of the sheeple
by the swine
for the wolves

money buys the legislature, and money buys the lawyers who make it possible for crimes to be committed by corporations and those of extreme wealth that a person ordinary means would spend their life in jail for.

But then again I guess its always been that way....

[ChinoCharles]

Well, I don't know a lot of average working-class people that bother running for office, either. Hard to complain when the sheep seem content in the pastures...

[Bob Dog]

Working class people can't afford to run for office and if they did big money would throw down if they suspected any real form of opposition.

[ChinoCharles]

Cite your sources.

[mo_feezy]

I'm a sociologist by trade, and I am positive the numbers you are posting are incorrect. the 47 million is AFTER accounting for undocumented immigrants, and because a person earns 50k a year doesn't mean very much if they are the only person in the household working, especially if their employer doesn't cover health insurance expenses.

Again, saying "according to the census bureau" does not count for much, considering that much has changed since the last time they officially did any actual data collection (that was during the CLINTON administration).

finally, when you say things like: "Don't get all of your info from Obama and the media that elected him!" you instantly lose ALL credibility with the rational few left in this country.

[churp]

Too bad ther is no rational few in the DC area! 2 to 4 year term limits...with no lifetime health and retirement benifits afterwards, would weed most of the idiots out in a few years.

[Altitude]

I consider the number of uninsured to be secondary to the primary issue which is cost. Even if we had 100% coverage in the private sector that still doesn't change the fact that getting sick or injured shouldn't result in bankruptcy or that insurance companies shouldn't be able to deny a claim or drop your coverage in favor of a profit. It's morally and ethically wrong is so many ways.

I find it so hypocritical that the conservatives and republicans who would otherwise be spouting about ethics, morality, family values and Christian beliefs are the ones trying to bring down this policy. A policy that would have a far greater impact on the health and wealth of families in this country than any scrap of a trickle down tax cut for the wealthy.

[ChinoCharles]

Altitude, the White House is going to repackage their message to echo the sentiment you just said. Expect a lot of talk about the "moral imperative" of health care reform in the coming weeks.

Also, if you need a laugh, you have to see this clip. Its brilliant.
http://blog.chinocharles.com/2009/08...he-smack-down/

[Darb]

Originally Posted by ChinoCharles

Also, if you need a laugh, you have to see this clip. Its brilliant.
http://blog.chinocharles.com/2009/08...he-smack-down/

Awesome.

Also, it seems people need a refresher course on history...

[Kal-El]

Originally Posted by ChinoCharles

Also, if you need a laugh, you have to see this clip. Its brilliant.
http://blog.chinocharles.com/2009/08...he-smack-down/

I don't support the Hitler sentiments toward Obama but does anyone notice the difference in the acceptance of such attacks made of Bush but now with Obama it is totally unacceptable.

Why is there always a double standard between parties?

It's the same double standard that allowed liberals to protest the wars for 8 years (many of them violent) while peaceful conservative protests being conducted now are considered dangerous.

[ChinoCharles]

The term "refresher" implies some previous understanding...