tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21829866.post8241587746477298029..comments2023-08-20T07:06:14.115-04:00Comments on Thurber's Thoughts: Typical leftist: 'government is the only solution'Maggiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12677808307727487766noreply@blogger.comBlogger12125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21829866.post-6801633559308313692009-02-10T17:37:00.000-05:002009-02-10T17:37:00.000-05:00Maggie,”(Side Note: The President blames his prede...Maggie,<BR/><BR/><I>”(Side Note: The President blames his predecessor for the current financial crises saying that 'tax cuts alone' don't work. However, if you look it up, you will find that the Bush tax cuts resulted in higher income to the federal government. But if you look also at spending, you will see that spending by the federal government increased more than the additional revenue could cover. It wasn't the tax cuts, it was the spending - and I blame both Congress and Bush for that.”</I><BR/><BR/>Exactly, but why try what works every single time that it's tried, except curb the spending part. Except that both parties have become addicted to spending like drunken sailors... And, you're exactly right Congress AND Pres. Bush were both at fault...<BR/><BR/><I>”Also note that no one asked about the Bush tax cuts which are set to expire. Will they be extended? Or will everyone in Washington allow them to just go away, resulting in huge tax increases for every single tax bracket - not just 'the rich' like the Democrats always claim?)”</I><BR/><BR/>Extended? <BR/><BR/>Bwahahahahahahaah, <BR/><BR/>The dims are planning a going away party, followed by another “drunken sailor” spending party.<BR/><BR/><BR/><BR/><B>Welcome to the United Socialist States of Amerika comrade. . .</B><BR/><BR/>:-(<BR/><BR/><BR/>Oh..., and don't even think about getting sick/ill any time soon, unless you apply for the priveledge in advance...Hooda Thunkit (Dave Zawodny)https://www.blogger.com/profile/13176392380086227377noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21829866.post-183238306923639022009-02-10T15:09:00.000-05:002009-02-10T15:09:00.000-05:00Maggie,I guess nobody but Obama and those he confi...Maggie,<BR/><BR/>I guess nobody but Obama and those he confides in will ever know which economists he was talking about. <BR/><BR/>Of course, that could be the whole point--he is not specific because there are things that we shouldn't know. We are supposed to just "Stand still and see the salvation of the messiah of hope and change."Jay Otthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08170850586783653546noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21829866.post-30080679528853589252009-02-10T14:56:00.000-05:002009-02-10T14:56:00.000-05:00Jay - I'm CERTAIN, the President wasn't thinking o...Jay - I'm CERTAIN, the President wasn't thinking of these economists - they disagree with him...<BR/><BR/>What - you didn't know there were economists who disagreed? Well, of course not, the matter was settled years ago - just like global warming....Maggiehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12677808307727487766noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21829866.post-64262292476115229202009-02-10T14:53:00.000-05:002009-02-10T14:53:00.000-05:00Maggie,Thanks for the link. If those are the econ...Maggie,<BR/><BR/>Thanks for the link. If those are the economists Obama was referring to in his speech, it would have been nice and respectful of your time if he would have quoted his source(s.) Instead, Obama left it up to the viewers' imagination to speculate just exactly who he was talking about.Jay Otthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08170850586783653546noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21829866.post-31877852773572673372009-02-10T14:32:00.000-05:002009-02-10T14:32:00.000-05:00I started to write a commentary about this, but I ...I started to write a commentary about this, but I got discouraged and quit. The bottom line is that <I>Porkulus</I> is Frankenstein's monster revisited.<BR/><BR/>The only way that something remotely resembling this plan could work is if:<BR/><BR/>A) In order to save what remains of the economy and to stave off an imminent economic disaster of great depression proportions, workers must be put to work immediately. The government must collect job applications this week, and people must start to work on the following Monday. Paychecks are weekly.<BR/><BR/>B) These are all temporary jobs of a finite length, maybe 6 months at the outside, maybe less. The government will employ these people until real jobs become available or the time runs out.<BR/><BR/>C) Create a labor shortage by getting people to start small to medium businesses.<BR/><BR/>D) Establish a Federal right to work law and a relative wage law (the CEO's salary tops out at a mandated multiple of the lowest paid worker in the company).<BR/><BR/>E) Cut taxes.<BR/><BR/>F) Cut military spending, foreign aid and Federal government employees.<BR/><BR/>G) Legalize recreational use of cannabis and collect the new Happy Tax.<BR/><BR/>I know that these suggestions aren't fair, particularly the relative wage law, but you what? Life's tough. Suck it up. All this stuff would have a sunset clause on it.Mad Jackhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06190137186843630543noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21829866.post-58482579241688735452009-02-10T14:11:00.000-05:002009-02-10T14:11:00.000-05:00Jay Ott - Here's the link to the Cato ad which lis...Jay Ott - Here's the link to the Cato ad which lists the 200 economists, including former Nobel Prize winners, who oppose the package:<BR/><BR/>http://www.cato.org/fiscalrealityMaggiehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12677808307727487766noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21829866.post-36920477283264724672009-02-10T13:40:00.000-05:002009-02-10T13:40:00.000-05:00There's only one real argument that Obama continua...There's only one real argument that Obama continually repeated throughout the news conference. It was a point which he kept coming back to over and over. He said it in many different ways and everything he said, revolved around that one particular point.<BR/><BR/>So that argument must have been the argument Obama would have us believe is his strongest in order to justify the stimulus:<BR/><BR/><I>"the most important thing we can do for our budget crisis right now is to make sure that the economy doesn't continue to tank. And that's why passing the economic recovery plan is the right thing to do, even though I recognize that it's expensive."</I><BR/><BR/>If that's all he's got, then I am not convinced. As it is turning out, not many others who think critically are convinced either and he knows it.<BR/><BR/>That's the reason Obama is now taking his "show on the road" promoting himself as the "great problem solver" he was when he was a community organizer, vis a vis, Saul Alinsky.<BR/><BR/>There are good reasons to believe that this is his Achilles' heel, his weakest argument. <BR/><BR/><I>"Make sure the economy doesn't continue to tank"? Doesn't that beg the question of HOW that should be done--socialism v. free-market capitalism?</I><BR/><BR/>Obama played the blame game by criticizing Bush's economic policies saying:<BR/><BR/><I>"But as we've learned very clearly and conclusively over the last eight years, tax cuts alone can't solve all of our economic problems, especially tax cuts that are targeted to the wealthiest few Americans. We have tried that strategy time and time again, and it's only helped lead us to the crisis we face right now."</I><BR/><BR/>Let's see if I got this right. Obama sets up as a criterion if something doesn't work, then it shouldn't be done. O.K. that's a valid principle.<BR/><BR/>Then Obama says: "the lack of consistency, the lack of clarity, in terms of how the program was going to move forward."<BR/><BR/>That's another valid principle.<BR/><BR/>According to Obama, a stimulus plan must haved worked elsewhere and be consistent.<BR/><BR/>So using Obama's sound principles, when have socialist programs ever worked where ever they've been tried? <BR/><BR/>Answer: They haven't. So in order for Obama's position to be consistent, by his own criteria he must also have to abandon his stimulus for the same reason he critizes the former administration.<BR/><BR/>Which also raises the question of what if the cause is not completely Bush's fault? What if the problems have been caused by the very same solutions that are now being proposed in the stimulus?<BR/><BR/>Then we are right back where we started from and Obama's strongest argument collapses in on itself.<BR/><BR/>One last thing, another one of Obama's criterion is "clarity". Question: Does anyone really believe that there was any clarity at all in what Obama had to say?<BR/><BR/>I think it was just the opposite. He built "straw men":<BR/><BR/><I>"It's a plan that is already supported by businesses"</I><BR/><BR/>Who are these businesses and what were their exact words?<BR/><BR/><I>"Most economists almost unanimously recognize" </I><BR/><BR/>What economists? What's their addresses so we can ask them.<BR/><BR/>So much for Obama's requirement for "clarity." To me, it sounds more like hasty generalization, appeal to popularity, special pleading, and posioning the well.<BR/><BR/>What do I know? I'm just an average citizen, not a messiah of hope and change.Jay Otthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08170850586783653546noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21829866.post-10004244127007481342009-02-10T12:43:00.000-05:002009-02-10T12:43:00.000-05:00An old saying goes: "When the only tool in yo...An old saying goes: "When the only tool in your toolbox is a hammer, all of your problems look like nails." If the only solutions you consider are more government involvement, that's what you will find>Romanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07016139270835685661noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21829866.post-58946327092174697432009-02-10T11:55:00.000-05:002009-02-10T11:55:00.000-05:00I just had another thought...The ONE says he wants...I just had another thought...The ONE says he wants to save or create 4 million jobs. isn't it interesting that this number keeps changing? back in December 2008 it was 2 to 2.5 million, then quickly 3 million and now we are up to the 4 million...he appears to believe Nancy Pelosi that we are losing 500 million jobs a month. When will people see that he is just making up this crap as he goes?Hot Dog Manhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01819572375983795025noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21829866.post-63764501062309764062009-02-10T11:41:00.000-05:002009-02-10T11:41:00.000-05:00This whole thing is just scarey...we think Carty i...This whole thing is just scarey...we think Carty is bad? Obama is Carty on mega-steroids with no limiting factors. Listening to Rush yesterday, he pointed out that National Health Care management is in this "stimulus" bill...how many other things that will destroy this country are in that monstrosity?<BR/><BR/>The nation was sold out by three "Republican" wimps...but alas if it had not been those three there are several more to take their place. I am actually surprised that McCain or Graham weren't in the bunch too.<BR/><BR/>Once this piece of crap is passed and implemented, it won't matter what Carty & council do or don't do, the nation is at serious risk...the cliff is in sight and momentum is too great to stop.<BR/><BR/>I am truly afraid.Hot Dog Manhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01819572375983795025noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21829866.post-87234269146275515932009-02-10T11:20:00.000-05:002009-02-10T11:20:00.000-05:00Maggie,It had everything but the tap dancing music...Maggie,<BR/><BR/>It had everything but the tap dancing music. Contradictory answers, meaningless rhetoric, demonization of the previous administration, a demand for immediate and blind acceptance of direction, and the citing of "history as we want you to believe it". <BR/><BR/>The president gets full marks for using all the tools available to him. He likewise gets points for showing the talent for rhetoric that he showed in the campaign. He finally gets points for showing sincerity.<BR/><BR/>He loses a couple of points in the end for the contradictory answers to questions however. He loses additional points for flawed logic. He finally loses some points for having failed to recognize the lessons of history.<BR/><BR/>In spite of what was probably a zero sum performance, it appears that he and the Democrats will be able to ram this one through. Our only hope is that the Republicans stand firm and take every opportunity to walk this back when they can.Timothy W Higginshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17118861693269565715noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21829866.post-11743488603541528722009-02-10T10:16:00.000-05:002009-02-10T10:16:00.000-05:00For a more 'tongue-in-cheeck' review of the press ...For a more 'tongue-in-cheeck' review of the press conference, check out <A HREF="http://www.lonelyconservative.com/2009/02/09/the-one-gives-his-first-white-house-press-lecture/" REL="nofollow">The Lonely Conservative</A>Maggiehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12677808307727487766noreply@blogger.com