Submitted by Lawrence Rafferty, (rafflaw), Guest Blogger
It seems like everywhere you turn there is a story about the how bad the deficit is and how the government must make drastic cuts to save the economy and reduce the deficit. The Tea Party is clinging to their demands for $100 Billion in budget cuts or they say they will shut down the government. “Rep. Mike Pence (R) of Indiana, a tea party favorite in Congress, urged taking a hard-line on budget cuts – and if that meant a shutdown, then so be it. “If liberals in the Senate would rather play political games and shut down the government instead of making a small down payment on fiscal discipline and reform, I say, shut it down,” Congressman Pence said, eliciting a chant of “Cut or shut! Cut or shut!” from the crowd. Republicans worried about blame for a shutdown might not be so happy with Pence for that.” Christian Science Monitor
It is interesting to note that cuts in the bloated defense budget were not included in the demands made by the Republicans and Tea party faithful. They want to cut the programs that seem to do the most good for the poor and the middle class, all the while allowing the wealthy and corporations to get tax breaks and tax credits. We have seen the stories detailing so many of the big corporations that paid little or no federal tax. “Last week, the New York Times reported that General Electric (GE), the world’s largest corporation paid nothing in federal corporate income taxes in 2010. In fact, the company made over $14 billion in profits and actually received a $3.2 billion tax benefit.” Think Progress
That is an amazing statistic. GE not only paid no federal taxes, they actually got billions in tax credits! That means that all of those nurses, and firemen and state workers who were in danger of losing their jobs, paying more in insurance premiums and losing their collective bargaining rights in states across the union because of the dire economic situation in their states, actually paid more taxes to the Federal Government than the Third largest corporation in the world! Why aren’t the Tea Party faithful going after the GE’s of the world to share in the sacrifice?
The Tea Party is not satisfied with the large cuts that have been already made and those offered by the Democrats, they simply want to tear away at the heart of the programs that help you and I. They want to end all funding to Planned Parenthood that would actually put poor women in the street looking for serious health care programs because they are also demanding to defund The Affordable Care Act, or Obamacare as they refer to it as. “With a hard deadline looming, talks to prevent a government shutdown have been stymied for a week because Tea Party members of the House have demanded everything: not just some of their cuts but almost all of them, and not just a reduction in spending but a reduction only in the programs they don’t like. Many are insisting Democrats also agree to nonbudgetary riders, like ending the financing of Planned Parenthood or health care reform. “ New York Times
Why does the Tea Party want to attack the programs that help the most people? Why doesn’t the Tea Party include the Defense budget in its budget cut plans? Why does the Tea Party not want to force our largest corporations to pay their fair share of Federal taxes? I submit that the Tea Party is only concerned about helping themselves. Just who makes up the Tea Party? According to one poll, the majority of the Tea Party is comprised of white, male, wealthy Republicans. “The 18 percent of Americans who identify themselves as Tea Party supporters tend to be Republican, white, male, married and older than 45. They hold more conservative views on a range of issues than Republicans generally. They are also more likely to describe themselves as “very conservative” and President Obama as “very liberal.” And while most Republicans say they are “dissatisfied” with Washington, Tea Party supporters are more likely to classify themselves as “angry.” ‘ New York Times
If I read this poll correctly, the Tea Party hates Obama and they think black people and poor people are getting all of the breaks from the government. They also want to end wasteful government spending, but most of them want to keep “government’s big hands” off of their Medicare and Social Security! In other words, I want mine, but the hell with everyone else! These guys might be well-educated, but they must not be well read if they think the poor and minorities are getting all of the “big breaks” from the Federal government. Maybe they need to stop listening to intelligent politicians like Michele Bachmann and Rand Paul and start reading Prof. Turley’s blog! What is your take?
Respectfully submitted by Lawrence Rafferty, (rafflaw), Guest Blogger
Or: 👿 ➡ 😈
J. Brian Harris, Ph.D., P.E.,
You could probably make a few bucks by renting out a room or turning a field into parking or even setting up a lemonade stand.
I have a feeling that soon your state is going to be so full of feds, lawyers, demonstrators, activists, and various other strange life forms that the smart man can make a little “egg money” for himself … progressively speaking.
How about these attempts emoting regressive to progressive:
😮 😐 😯
For all of us humans life is at its best bittersweet.
OS and AY and many of the rest of us know that the losses
we suffer through our lives will leave pain that remains with us always. The pain of losing ones progeny has to be the worst to endure, especially in their youth. As much as I might want to you both are wise enough to know I can say nothing to heal your pain, only I can offer my sympathy and caring.
eniobob,
The Feds need to get involved before ballots are “lost” and more damage is done.
raff:
What I’m seeing with the debate about the shutdown the true reasons are coming out,and I hope the people will realize whats going on.
RE: J. Brian Harris, Ph.D., P.E., April 8, 2011 at 2:13 pm
The evidence is now conclusive?
My “regressive emoticon” did not work, I take that to be absolute proof that “regressive politicking” does not work, either.
My “progressive emoticon” did work, I take that to be absolute evidence that progress (things happening which never exactly, in every minute detail, happened before) is what does work.
Perhaps the progressive aspect of regressive politicking will be learning and understanding how and why regressive politicking can never work.
New days seem to keep coming.
Regressives, notwithstanding.
eniobob,
It should be be big news everywhere, but the shutdown issue is pushing many stories aside.
raff:
Is it me again or shouldn’t this new found ballot story be all over the tube,especially fox ?
Just as I’m typing this,there was a slight mention of it.
RE: Blouise, April 8, 2011 at 1:05 pm
Bdaman,
Wisconsin is going to be fun to watch for months and months and months.
##########################################
While watching Wisconsin may be fun for months and months —
I have the wonderful gift of actually living in Wisconsin.
The last time a gift in any way comparable came my way, it was a gift from “Tail-gunner Joe.”
Wisconsin appears to me to have two political traditions:
Will my emoticon attempts work? Like some notable Wisconsin politicians, I will try something and learn whether it does or does not work…
No point in thinking first…
Total environment may affect overt behavior…
I live in rural Wisconsin, why would I ever think before I act?
Regressives ;-( ,
and,
Progressives 🙂 ?
Am I regressing into becoming progressive?
eniobob,
Elias is the attorney that Kloppenburg should have. He tore apart Coleman’s legal team during the Franken recount adventure. There is a good book about the recount, “This is not Florida: How Al Franken won the Minnesota Recoutn”, by Jay Weiner.
Bdaman,
Wisconsin is going to be fun to watch for months and months and months.
Swarthmore mom
1, April 7, 2011 at 1:41 pm
Just looked at the menu, Buddha. You can’t beat Italian Creole.
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That’s one of the things I love about NO … where else in the world would one find “Italian Creole”?
The other thing I found most enjoyable about New Orleans was their sense of humor about themselves coupled with pride in their ancestry. I also greatly appreciated their intense dislike for Jackson. Like I said … I could live there, I’d just have to stay away from all politics. Tex, however, refuses to move unless it’s to New Mexico.
Kloppenburg’s campaign is working with Marc Elias, an attorney with Perkins Coie, a Washington D.C.-based firm with an office in downtown Madison. Elias is the same attorney who represented Democratic challenger Al Franken in his eight-month epic recount battle with incumbent Republican Norm Coleman. Franken eventually prevailed, winning his U.S. Senate seat by 312 votes
You know what they say, when you hire a firm hire the best.
This is or was President Obama’s firm he hired to handle all of his legal affairs during and post election with the lead attorney, Bob Bauer, obtaining a position within the administration as White House legal counsel. He also represented Obama in a number of birther cases and this is where the highly toted claim Obama has spent over two million dollars to avoid the issue comes from. Bauer has since quietly exited the administration. His wife was former Communications Director Anita Dunn made famous by Glen Beck for her Chairman Mao Mother Theresa remark.
rafflaw
1, April 8, 2011 at 11:59 am
This County Clerk, Kathy Nickolaus is one dirty politician. We need the Feds to investigate this one asap.
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I suspect the feds are already looking at her and everyone else in that office no matter what their party affiliation. Lawyers are going to be pretty busy all over the state of Wiconsin.
As I’m heading out the door, thanks for that eniobob…
High-profile lawyers retained for possible Supreme Court recount
Twenty-four hours ago challenger JoAnne Kloppenburg was looking at an all but certain recount of her razor-thin victory over incumbent Justice David Prosser in the Supreme Court race. Now that it’s come to light that Prosser might take a thin but substantial lead due to a computer error in Waukesha County, Kloppenburg could be the one to trigger a recount. But one thing hasn’t changed: both camps are lawyering up and have brought in the big guns.
Kloppenburg’s campaign is working with Marc Elias, an attorney with Perkins Coie, a Washington D.C.-based firm with an office in downtown Madison. Elias is the same attorney who represented Democratic challenger Al Franken in his eight-month epic recount battle with incumbent Republican Norm Coleman. Franken eventually prevailed, winning his U.S. Senate seat by 312 votes
http://host.madison.com/ct/news/local/govt-and-politics/article_3f954782-618c-11e0-ae4d-001cc4c03286.html
This County Clerk, Kathy Nickolaus is one dirty politician. We need the Feds to investigate this one asap.
Chan, you may be at least partly right, but still the results are not encouraging for those who identify as hard core conservatives. I was familiar with the types of study you cite about cab drivers, and am not surprised. There is a certain plasticity in the brain. However, it is kind of like a bodybuilder working on muscles. Exercise it more and it grows more.
SO: The fear driven conservative has more development in the fear centers of the brain. No surprise there. FDR said that, “…all we have to fear is fear itself.” The average conservative seems to be saying, “All we have is fear.”
Those who are willing to exercise critical thinking, mental flexibility and can see different sides of a complex situation simultaneously have more development in the areas of the brain that make those skills possible. Those folks are usually called liberals or progressives.
This is NOT something for a conservative to be proud of. To paraphrase a certain former neo-con President, “Thinkin’ is hard work.”
Back in the late 1960s, Richard Nixon complained to an aide that they were having trouble getting good people to work for his administration because the smartest candidates were all liberals.
Chan,
“Yes, history is “facts” but those “facts” are often times manipulated for various reasons.”
Clue #1 that you’re drowning – opinions are not facts. One can draw their own opinion from facts presented, but said opinion is not factual. Opinion: 2 + 2 = 3; Fact: 2 + 2 = 4
“So one has to be careful of just whose “facts” one is using. I would have thought an educated woman such as yourself would understand “historical facts”.”
Clue #2 that you’re drowning – See Clue #1 (P.S. – Thanks for the compliment; I am evidence of a college drop-out whose growth didn’t stop at 20).
“I think you are in way over your head, but then that is just my personal opinion.”
Clue #3 that you’re drowning – See Clue #1 and 2. Additionally, don’t think. It gets you into trouble.
Grow up, son … if you don’t you’re in for a swift kick in the ass from reality … well, being a smart-assed little punk, maybe that’s what you need.
RE: Buddha Is Laughing, April 8, 2011 at 10:49 am
Anyone, other than me, ever make an effort to make intelligible sense of Paul Feyerabend, “Against Method”?
Perhaps empiricism is itself not without empirical difficulties?