| T O P I C R E V I E W |
| balataf |
Posted - 04/15/2010 : 6:27:38 PM
To "celebrate" Tax Day, I am posting about the Tea Party popular movement. While I have no affiliation with any of their many decentralized groups, they are worth of note.
443,000 individuals voted on the Internet, with these ten points becoming their basic platform:
the votes of more than 443,000 were cast, the top ten planks were:
(1) Require each bill to identify its constitutional authorization
(2) Defund, repeal, and replace government-run health care
(3) Demand a balanced budget
(4) End runaway government spending by imposing a statutory cap limiting growth in federal spending
(5) Enact fundamental reform to simplify and lower taxes
(6) Create a Blue Ribbon task force that engages in a complete audit of federal agencies and programs
(7) Reject cap-and-trade
(8) Pass an “all of the above” energy policy
(9) Stop the 2011 tax hikes
(10) Stop the pork.
This sounds to me like a good starting point for the nation. Disclaimer: while not a Tea Partier, I have been a Republican in recent years after a career of 27 years in Democratic Party affairs. |
| 15 L A T E S T R E P L I E S (Newest First) |
| NudeNate |
Posted - 04/16/2012 : 12:13:27 PM
quote:
Originally posted by NaturistDoc
The "average wage earner" is already in an ACTUAL disaster. Fact: Wages have been stagnant, i.e., little or no growth for thirty years. Yet worker productivity has increased enormously during that same time. The question becomes: Who benefits from increased worker productivity? Answer: NOT the worker. Since management can squeeze more work out the workers, they need fewer of them; thus the wage stagnation and chronic unemployment. Balataf brings up an interesting point. What with all the gizmos he mentioned, doesn't it seem like the American citizen is viewed more as a consumer than as a producer? It's a bizarre situation when business doesn't need more workers ... but it desperately needs more consumers! But where do you find those consumers when so many people are unemployed, underemployed, facing foreclosure, etc? People can rail all they want about Eurosocialism, but the "conservative alternative" appears to be a third-world economy with a wealthy and corrupt oligarchy running things and the rest of the country getting screwed. (Don't take my word for it. Read "13 Bankers" by Simon Johnston.) Given the choice between Sweden and Honduras, I'd take Sweden any day. More nudists there, too!
It is agreed that wage earners make less money. So don't be a wage earner. Build a business. I'm in the army, but I find time to build a business on the side and manage a wife and 4 kids. |
| Warmskin |
Posted - 07/29/2011 : 01:14:20 AM
Interestingly enough, the debt ceiling was established in 1917, during World War I. I'm not sure how it should be broken to the politicians, but World War I is over, and so is World War II, the sequel to WWI. Since that ill-fated time, raising the debt ceiling was almost a ritual, depending on how remote our politicians were to the Constitution back in those days.
The one time we did cut into spending was during Harding's administration. During the worse depression of 1920-1921, Congress and the president cut into spending, and that made more money available for the people - it worked quickly, and the depression was over - it was worse the depression of the 1930s. So, spending the people's money for government prolonged the 1930s depression. The lesson one could learn from this is quite clear - shrink government during a depression, or recession, too.
Had the USA chosen to stay out of WWI(there was no reason for entering that war), there would have been a long delay until that tactic was brought up again. FDR and LBJ were the two bigges reasons for a lofty debt ceiling, along with Bush, the younger, and Obama.
Of course, we remember that Hamilton said that "debt is a blessing." Feel blessed yet?
The Tea Party is more correct on this problem than either major party. The US Constitution simply does not require trillions of $$$ to operate, but the destruction of it does require trillions of $$$. That is what we are seeing take place, and it did not start today, but has been greatly aggravated by the abuse of our Constitution by both major parties.
"Whenever a man has cast a longing eye on offices, a rottenness begins in his (and her) conduct."
Thomas Jefferson |
| rahel |
Posted - 07/25/2011 : 6:19:50 PM
this is for Warmskin and Balataf. Please listen carefully. http://unitedwithisrael.org/danny-ayalon-the-truth-about-the-west-bank/
rahel |
| Warmskin |
Posted - 07/24/2011 : 10:42:50 PM
Interesting point of view, regarding the Tea Party, and Ron Paul. This article shows some stats, although stats are static, unless they include past polls and current ones that can be compared and contrasted. Otherwise polls are of lesser value.
When I have mentioned that Ron Paul, on loan to the GOP from the Libertarian Party, in a manner of speaking, was the designated thinker of the GOP, I was halfway kidding, but this article shows that I was really correct in that expression; not to too my own horn, of course.
"When Paul ran for president in 2008, experts scoffed at his constant criticism of the Federal Reserve. Now, every member of the House Republican Caucus is behind his push to audit the Fed. He warned that rampant budgetary and monetary mismanagement would plunge the country into a very deep recession, and it has. While most Republicans still don't agree with him about Iraq and isolationism, there is a growing sense that Iraq made possible the current Democratic majority, and Obamacare, and all sorts of other things that they don't like. Paul's stubbornness on these matters has earned him either admiration or grudging respect from a lot of people.
What's more, Americans are becoming more, not less, sympathetic to his point of view, at least on domestic issues. Rasmussen Reports also found "24% of voters now consider themselves a part of the tea party movement, an eight-point increase from a month ago" and "48% of voters now say the average tea party member is closer to their views than Obama is." In many respects, it was Ron Paul's last presidential run that got this party started."
Jeremy Lott is editor of Capital Research Center's Labor Watch newsletter. He has worked for both Cato and CEI and co-hosts CEI's Liberty Week podcast.
"Whenever a man has cast a longing eye on offices, a rottenness begins in his (and her) conduct."
Thomas Jefferson |
| Warmskin |
Posted - 07/20/2011 : 06:24:38 AM
Is the Tea Party willing, on average, to cut deeply into the national budget? One can hope so. The sticky wicket is are they willing to pull out of the Mideast, thus causing huge savings to our US Treasury? If they have the courage to demand the cessation of US involvement over there, you can look for large cuts in the budget. While, of course, welfare is an enormous cost to America, that is a tougher category of spending to cut.
As it is, the Fed is pumping out gobs of new money into the economy, as they did back in the 1960s, when we had "butter and guns." That is, the Great Society and the Vietnam War. The Fed monetizing those two major expenditures caused the huge run up on inflation, which ultimately caused 20% interest rates.
It may well turn out that the welfare and warfare empires will put us into the same situation, only worse. The savings accounts of Americans will lose value. Seniors will notice that they cannot keep up with inflation, thus the senior tax. You can be sure the corporations will be bailed out if they cannot keep up with inflation.
There is no good solution that is likely to happen. It may well be an aggregate of monetizing, borrowing from overseas, and higher taxes that will prop up our nation for a while longer, until all those "solutions" cease to be of any value.
Is there anyone wise enough to solve this crisis? Maybe one or two. Don't look for the standard GOP and Democratic poiticians to solve it. There is only one designated thinker in the House of Representatives, and that is Ron Paul. He has more economics education that most Congress Critters combined.
One thing to remember is that gov't welfare is only 30% efficient, while bonafide charity is 80% efficient in getting material help into the hands of the truly needy.
Another thing to remember is that the nonsensical wars in the Mideast (which are creating more terrorists than before the wars) are costing now trillions of $$$. Imagine if there were no wars, except for bombing terrorist training and congregation points right after 911. We could have saved ourselves about $3 trillion so far. The cost is mounting, as our debt increases, too.
We have only ourselves to blame for demanding these kinds of expenditures. They have cost us many trillions of dollars. The unfunded mandates now run at least 75 trillion dollars. You would never tolerate this kind of spending in your home budgets. You'd be wiped out, yet our nation does this.
I am forced to think that if we had not spent all this money, there would have been much more employment today. Employment depends on wisely using money to expand business. We don't any wisdom today, just reckless spending, as in throwing lots of money at something, without considering the efficacy of that spending. It's superstitious to think that the ritual of spending money, just because we can, is going to make America a better country.
To that end, here is a video clip by the nation's designated thinker when it comes to gov't in general and in sound economics. You don't have to agree with the words in this video, but you ignore this fellow at your peril.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sEP8cQF-QC4&feature=player_embedded
"How far you can go without destroying from within what you are trying to defend from without?"
Dwight D. Eisenhower
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| Warmskin |
Posted - 07/16/2011 : 01:39:24 AM
A newer Ron Paul ad out-tea parties the Tea Party. No wonder Ron Paul is a hit with the independents.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lt-jcS3ItRY&NR=1
"How far you can go without destroying from within what you are trying to defend from without?"
Dwight D. Eisenhower
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| Warmskin |
Posted - 07/10/2011 : 03:32:13 AM
Knowledge is said to be power. It can also be freedom. To be free, one must possess truth. Here are some truthful videos that are virtually not allowed in America, yet get smuggled through.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=87NrkNV_owM
and
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=WlRxopyhUp0
"How far you can go without destroying from within what you are trying to defend from without?"
Dwight D. Eisenhower
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| Warmskin |
Posted - 07/08/2011 : 11:34:26 PM
Israel has no right to blockade any state in the world. It has no authority to intercept aid given to Palestine. It may seem to a few people that Israel has the right to steal food and medicine from the needy, but what they say is based purely on unlawful actions, and they prove over and over that they have no valid claims to be real Americans, and would be more comfortable in Israel, where they themselves could personally be active in denying children some nutritious food.
It is shocking to see how some people use the usual Israeli propoganda (they are the master propaganda artists) to defend their atrocities against humanitarians. The same could be said about their verbal advocacy of hurting children just because of their race. This advocacy here is too reminiscant of the KKK'd desire to commit ethnic cleansing. Israel has said time and time again they want to commit ethnic cleansing against the Palestinians, yet I see that from my own experience that some people defend this -- mostly people who buy into the fantastic myths of having a right to rid the world of a certain race. Did not we see this in WWII? Well, we are seeing it again, only in slow motion. They hope it's slow enough to be non-detectable, but like most plans that criminals devise, all people of conscience know about their intent.
The people who resist having everyone find out about the ethnic cleansing are people who are for this unspeakable activity, or those who are clueless and listen only to American "news media." Naturally, the people who are for this cleansing speak out in favor of it, and simultaneously try to obfuscate the matter.
Mexico cannot intercept food going to the USA. I find it interesting that some people would actually defend thugs at sea who do not allow basic aid to arrive at the shores of a needy people. Are those who advocate such denial of basic human needs inhumane?
Anytime you read the sentences or video presentations from people who love to deny aid to the needy you are taking in the thoughts of those who are desperately to rid the world of a certain race. We saw that in the past, and it is sad to see these hateful sentiments expressed by others.
The world condemns Israel for illegally pirating goods in neutral waters, and holds that troublesome state in the deepest contempt. I worry for the many good people, people of conscience, in Israel, in that their "leaders," Nazis all, will risk the life of the whole of that state in order to luxuriate in ethnic cleansing. Yet, you will find those who defend this practice, even as some people defend the old Nazis. Sick, sick, sick.
How far will the heedless syncophants of our special ally facist state go to defend even their willful attack on the USA?
http://www.ussliberty.org
You'd be surprised how many "Americans" defend this attack, and at the very least, call this attack an unavoidable mistake, yet all the NSA has the tapes of the Israelis' conversations, air-to-ground, and air-to-ground wherein Israel stated they knew the ship they mercilessly attacked was AMERICAN. Only non-Americans, or people who merely claim to be Americans defend this horrible attack. If you love ethnic cleansing of minorities, and attacks on America, you would be better off, psychologically to move to those countries to partake in these world-condemned activities.
Enough of the "innocence" of that rogue, outlaw nation, and their defenders.
"How far you can go without destroying from within what you are trying to defend from without?"
Dwight D. Eisenhower
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| Warmskin |
Posted - 07/08/2011 : 10:53:29 PM
Great qoute from Ronald Reagan:
“Ron Paul is one of the outstanding leaders fighting for a stronger national defense. As a former Air Force officer, he knows well the needs of our armed forces, and he always puts them first. We need to keep him fighting for our country.” – Ronald Reagan
Wonder if he had similar quotes for Giuliani, Romney, Palin, Bachmann, McCain.....
"How far you can go without destroying from within what you are trying to defend from without?"
Dwight D. Eisenhower
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| Warmskin |
Posted - 07/06/2011 : 8:14:41 PM
By Jove, I think he's got it. Remarks from British PM Cameron shows he understands, and this has caused him to take this stand:
http://www.veteransnewsnow.com/2010/07/28/british-prime-minister-cameron-calls-gaza-under-israel-blockade-a-%e2%80%98prison-camp%e2%80%99/
If Obama could realize the same thing, America would move toward freedom like it had back in the 1950s when it came to foreign affairs.
"How far you can go without destroying from within what you are trying to defend from without?"
Dwight D. Eisenhower
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| Warmskin |
Posted - 07/06/2011 : 04:08:08 AM
Whoa! I forgot add the link to the post above.
Click the lower part of the link provided. Remarkable statements from these fellows.
http://www.cato-at-liberty.org/gop-congressmen-most-republicans-now-think-iraq-war-was-a-mistake/" target="_blank"> br / http://www.cato-at-liberty.org/gop-congressmen-most-republicans-now-think-iraq-war-was-a-mistake/
"How far you can go without destroying from within what you are trying to defend from without?"
Dwight D. Eisenhower
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| Warmskin |
Posted - 07/06/2011 : 03:35:20 AM
Invading Iraq was a terrible mistake, say most GOP congresscritters. It takes some people longer than others to see the corrupt nature of this stupid war.
One could only think that the lies Bush told the nation, to advance the neoconservative war, was a main reason that many people were fooled by the whole war. Of course, the war was planned by the neoconservatives, and the now infamous letter to Pres. Clinton as penned by the smarmy Bill Cristol and others of PNAC (Project for the New American Century). This was back in the 1990s. It was a pre-cooked war that had nothing to do with 911. Yet, the neocons and their senseless acolytes still try to tell us the war was wonderful. It would not be unthinkable that many American troops must now die in Iran, for again, completely bogus charges.
There is no secret that Israel was highly complicit in the Iraq war. It was first shown to the Israeli Prime Minister in 1996. He approved it, and a letter went out to Clinton urging him to go to war. Clinton did not want to do this. Bush, on the other hand, was remarkably dupable and like a good little sucker, presided over a number of cabinet meetings well before 911, and discussed the war on Iraq. This was confirmed by Treasury Secretary O'Neill, who complained about the war talk. He was soon gone.
It amazes me that there are still some people that cling desperately to the notion that this was a war to save America or to bring "democracy" to Iraq. America never was a democracy, and I'm trying to think of a nation that ever had it. Democracies are best when applied to a small group, and America or Iraq are not small groups. That is why our Constitution never mentions the word, "democracy." It guarantess us a republican government, not meaning the GOP.
Among all the notorious lies by Bush, the malevolent concoctions of PNAC, and the participation of the obnoxious neoconservatives who have a large say in the current GOP's actions, the "American" Enterprise Institute, and other national pests like the neocons, the Iraq war was not only unlawful under the Constitution, but a prolonged event that only has served to inspire more terrorists to hate us. Naturally that sort of thing happens when we ignore our Founders' advice -- no allies overseas. When greedy people, with their minds set on violence against mostly innocent people, arrange these kinds of events, there can be no profit to America. In fact, just the opposite.
As the Tea Party appears to be slouching over to Palin and Bachmann, more insanities will cripple the GOP, as did the Iraq war. The fact that the Tea Party types ran for Ron Paul's congressional seat in the primary tells you that the Tea folks are, at least in some part, succumbing to the propaganda of Palin and Bachmann.
Ron Paul is being proven right, over and over again. He was right in 2008, and even the GOP folks who hated him the most, are being a bit more polite this time around. It took them four years to think this through. Unfortunately for them, they still have not drawn the fully correct views of how the GOP committed suicide in 2006, and 2008, and how to avoid it in the future. As I have said before, they got lucky in 2010, when the Democrats picked an extreme liberal earlier for president. That backfired in 2010, and the GOP picked up some seats, but they would be mistaken if they thought the public loved the GOP for itself. They picked up those seats as a protest to Obama's actions.
Who got Obama into office? Why, the neocon involvement in the GOP, and the public rejection of these crazed neocons. If you dislike Obamacare's being passed into law, you have only the neoconservative powerful takeover of the GOP to thank, and the weak Republicans who bought into that mindset. Anyone who pushes the neoconservative agenda, in whole or in part, is the one to blame for the elected offices going Democrat.
Of course, I'm a liberatarian, so I don't have a horse in that race. Still, I have to live under the laws either party makes. I'd rather not have it be laws made by either gullable or arrogant politicians. |
| balataf |
Posted - 07/05/2011 : 7:15:28 PM
You are ignoring the fact that Israel has previously announced that all legitimate materials would be passed thru. subject to inspection. Remember that the Iranian ship last year had 50 tons of explosivres, muniotions and weapons, when intercepted.
If ir is only food nd medicine, as claimed, there is no reason to object to peaceful inspections.
This is a legitimate security question under established international law.
If Hamas would agree to a peaceful border, instead of firing rockets at farme families, we could make progress. Such slimy actions as recently hitting a schoolbus with an antitank round, undercut the alreadynquestionable moral base of the Islamic Terrorist networks.
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| Warmskin |
Posted - 07/04/2011 : 10:23:41 PM
The Reverse Tea Party has hit a few snags, even as it attempts to bring food, medicine, and letters of love to the Palestinian people.
Greece, which faces terrible monetary problems, is being obsequious to Israel, the USA, and the IMF. I.e., the USA is actively trying to stop assistance to help the suffering people of Palestine (made possible by the artificial state of Israel). Suddenly, the ship, USS Audacity of Hope, went from seaworthy to non-seaworthy - just like that with no natural changes in the boat. Amazing. I wonder how that happened.
When evil strikes, logic is hidden, and the people remain ignorant. Clearly someone was disabling this ship.
Still, the project goes forward, despite foul play done in the name of each and every American, by our "leaders." The USA wants American participants to die, so it can have better solidarity with our special ally. I guess the more Americans dead the better, according to this nation's sycophantic outlook. Some specially ally!!
Still, there are fake Americans who do not want this aid to get through, and all it is is food and medicine. How dangerous is that? We give aid all kinds of suffering people through charitble work, but we are so weak and cowardly before our special ally, we actually think it's better that people suffer and be treated like animals to prove our willingness to lick the bottom of Israel's shoes. It's not that I have a big thing against Israel per se. It's any country that makes the USA become a lapdog so that the country that dominates us can have a more comfy life. Actually Israelis are leaving Israel to a degree because they are sick of Israel's brutality and crimes against humanity. I admire these people for standing up for decency and respect for human life, especially the kind that is helpless and brutalized each day. If Bangledesh was doing the same things as Israel, I would be against that, too. So, it is not a group, but it's their behavior.
When is human suffering derived by connivance going to come to an end? A long, long time from now, if the USA has anything to do with it.
Here is the link of a better informed author who gets into the dirty details.
http://www.veteranstoday.com/2011/07/03/israeli-freedom-flotilla-ii-terrorism/
Something to think about as we hit the BBQ grill today.
"How far you can go without destroying from within what you are trying to defend from without?"
Dwight D. Eisenhower
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| Warmskin |
Posted - 07/04/2011 : 10:01:17 PM
On this, Independence Day, we should look back and pay tribute to those who declared the USA into existence, under the law of nations. While we think of the USA as having been born in the Constitutional Convention, it was really July 4, 1776. The problem than was to expel the British foreign troops, which we did. After the dust settled we began to set up a free nation. Interestingly enough, there is a micro-consitution in the last part of the Declaration.
There is no way this could have happened today. Just look at today's leaders, and you will find very few who have a high regard for individual liberty. It's all mandatory group behavior, and no longer the age of the individual.
Imagine Jefferson trying to build his magnificent Monticello home today. Environmental impact reports, county permits, property taxes, using 1040 income to help build it, and a whole slew of federal regulations that would have brought his new home construction to a halt. I've taken a tour through that marvelous quintessentially American home. It's worth the trip there.
If all of us could go back in time and live there, we would have been amazed at how free people were back then, of course with the horrible exception of slaves, and indentured servants. Want to build a house? No problem, just get the lumber after you have your property surveyed, and start building. Of course there were fewer people back then, and that helped. April 15th? What is that - -a holiday? Meant nothing back then. Imagine living in a time where no one ever heard of the 1040 form. Actually you could have experienced the same thing early on in the 20th century.
Sadly, Americans have allowed themselves to be sacrificed by eloquent spokesmen and liars about how wonderful things would be if the American people would turn part of their income over to the British King, ooops, I meant the federal government to make their lives so much better. Is it better yet? Got prosperity in some form? More nudism in the nation. No? Hmmm.
When we have lost so much, we need to hunker down and determine that the gov't will get no more money from us to conduct gratuitous wars, a huge unfunded welfare empire that does not address the improvement of the inner-self and the work ethic, and so many more categories that keep helping to bring this nation down to bankruptcy. Bankruptcy is terrible, but we may have to go there, and then drive the kind of thinking out of this land that made us bankrupt. If we keep the same list of malevolent politicians and think tanks around that led us to this point, then we will fail, and will deserve our fate. We will go back in time prior to 1215 AD (Magna Carta). That is not progress, but our politicians will tell you it is.
If we kick these leeches out, we will be poised to re-find our freedoms, and that will bring out the best of each individual. At that point we can re-instate the Declaration of Independence, not to mention our Constitution. Now that is worth shooting off fireworks for!!
"How far you can go without destroying from within what you are trying to defend from without?"
Dwight D. Eisenhower
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