Government shutdown (Page 2): I'll buy that. The question then becomes what do we cut and what do we keep. That is not an easy answer since there are so many special interests lobbying...

KW Conch Loc: USA

PrairieSeasons wrote:

If we are spending money we don't have and can't afford, we need to stop it while we can do that under our control. It doesn't make any difference which party of the ruling class is managing that spending.

I'll buy that. The question then becomes what do we cut and what do we keep. That is not an easy answer since there are so many special interests lobbying in Congress. There is a lot of corporate welfare that costs the taxpayers as much as general welfare.
The middle class is eroding because all of the gains are going to the top brackets. Without a strong and prosperous middle class we cannot survive as a nation.
The question remains about shutting down the government to get your way since it didn't work the last time.

PrairieSeasons Loc: Red River of the North

KW Conch wrote:

I'll buy that. The question then becomes what do ... (show quote)

Obama actually had a very good idea when he suggested sequester. They should try more of it and use it as the mechanism to decide what spending to reduce or eliminate.

A strong and prosperous middle class is not, was not and will not be the result of corporate largesse. If individuals do not take on the mantle of personal responsibility through family, education, entrepreneurship, delayed gratification and a sense of right and wrong, the middle class will continue to shrink whether or not Wall Street gets richer.

KW Conch Loc: USA

PrairieSeasons wrote:

Obama actually had a very good idea when he sugges... (show quote)

Concerning the sequester, it is the military that is beginning to feel the pinch. I think that many of the social programs need to be trimmed and this is a good way to do it.
I would love to get into a discussion on the disappearing middle class, but I feel we should save the nitty gritty of that to another thread.

PrairieSeasons Loc: Red River of the North

KW Conch wrote:

Concerning the sequester, it is the military that is beginning to feel the pinch. I think that many of the social programs need to be trimmed and this is a good way to do it.
I would love to get into a discussion on the disappearing middle class, but I feel we should save the nitty gritty of that to another thread.

OK. It's Saturday night anyway so we should probably get back to a name-calling food fight.

KW Conch Loc: USA

PrairieSeasons wrote:

OK. It's Saturday night anyway so we should probably get back to a name-calling food fight.

Time for me to watch a little football. :thumbup:

PrairieSeasons Loc: Red River of the North

KW Conch wrote:

Time for me to watch a little football. :thumbup:

Me too. Northwestern Wildcats!!

Bmac Loc: Long Island, NY

KW Conch wrote:

What is your response to the Dick Cheney quote on deficits when Bush was doing so much spending ?

This quote is attributed to Cheney by Paul O'Neill, the fired Bush Treasury Secretary, and contained within the book by Ron Suskind entitled, "The Price of Loyalty: George W. Bush, the White House, and the Education of Paul O'Neill."

Dick Cheney has denied stating the quote and to the best of my knowledge it is merely an unsubstantiated allegation by O'Neill.

Whatever Cheney may have said or not said is of little practical significance now. 8-)

KW Conch Loc: USA

Bmac wrote:

This quote is attributed to Cheney by Paul O'Neill, the fired Bush Treasury Secretary, and contained within the book by Ron Suskind entitled, "The Price of Loyalty: George W. Bush, the White House, and the Education of Paul O'Neill."

Dick Cheney has denied stating the quote and to the best of my knowledge it is merely an unsubstantiated allegation by O'Neill.

Whatever Cheney may have said or not said is of little practical significance now. 8-)

Forgive me if I believe that if a Democrat said it then it would be all over the Internet as gospel.

Bmac Loc: Long Island, NY

KW Conch wrote:

What is your response to the Dick Cheney quote on deficits when Bush was doing so much spending ?

This quote is attributed to Cheney by Paul O'Neill, the fired Bush Treasury Secretary, and contained within the book by Ron Suskind entitled, "The Price of Loyalty: George W. Bush, the White House, and the Education of Paul O'Neill."

Dick Cheney has denied stating the quote and to the best of my knowledge it is merely an unsubstantiated allegation by O'Neill.

Whatever Cheney may have said or not said is of little practical significance now. 8-)

KW Conch wrote:

Forgive me if I believe that if a Democrat said it then it would be all over the Internet as gospel.

You're forgiven, but Cheney was not a Democrat and this quote is all over the Internet as if it were gospel.

Hey.....I thought you were watching football? :D

Bruce with a Canon Loc: Islip

KW Conch wrote:

House Republicans have now voted 41 times to repea... (show quote)

Plan I hear is to fund the government, simply not fund obamacare, That means if the government does shut down it is because Obama wants it to.

The symbolic votes are simply to bring attention to the issue.

Defunding Obama care is all the right wing can do.

and over 70% of Americans do not want Obama care, most notably Government unions and government workers.

For my part, if ANYONE is exempt, NO ONE should be forced in to this nightmare

EVERY GOVERNEMNT worker. every union worker should be subject to the same laws every one else is ( teachers unions included, Senators, Congressmen, President Veep. EVERYONE

sye Loc: The Old Dominion Near DC

In the 30+ years that I was a Fed, there was only one year that we weren't told that we would be furloughed for X day(s). That was the year that Willie C. was running for reelection.

Every other year the only ones required to come to work were those of us designated as mission essential. Non-essentials would not be paid for those furloughed days

In the end, the result was that everyone -- including the non-essentials - got their full paycheck at the end of the pay period. AND they also got the paid day(s) off for those days they were told to stay home.

I wonder if this trend continues under the BO Admin.

rickerb Loc: utah

It's easy to be a Tea Party member, just be against everything and hold fake press conferences with the three stooges.
What a country
:thumbup:

Dr Grump Loc: Southern New England

The incredible thing is that raising the debt ceiling is necessary to pay for expenditures that congress has previously passed! That's like getting your car fixed and then refusing to pay the bill. Does this reflect the morality of the far right wing?

Bangee5 Loc: Louisiana

Dr Grump wrote:

The incredible thing is that raising the debt ceiling is necessary to pay for expenditures that congress has previously passed! That's like getting your car fixed and then refusing to pay the bill. Does this reflect the morality of the far right wing?

It is about de-funding Obamacare only, which the Republicans did not vote to fund, the Democrats did. Obama does not want a budget so that he can spend more money on as bigger government.

phcaan Loc: Willow Springs, MO

KW Conch wrote:

The debt ceiling is designed to simplify the issuing of bonds. It permits the US to automatically authorize the issuing of debt up to a certain amount. This is not the same thing as spending money. This is instead the ability to pay for spending. The money has already been budgeted to be spent. A failure on the debt ceiling is not like maxing out a credit card. It's more like refusing to pay your bills.

KW, I realize that you understand far more that I about finance, and that may be part of the problem. I don't think most people understand much more about economics than I do, and therefore may form opinions that are not relevant to the situation.
The finance I understand is when it is necessary I borrow money from the bank or charge something on a credit card. Once that is done it drives me crazy that I am in debt and I cut back on everything to pay it off. Right now we are remodeling a home, it is slow as we do it as we can afford, in the process however we have accrued a $2500 debit. I started working 2 part time jobs to pay it off.
Now this will seem foolish to many others but people with my outlook on debit look at the government and cringe at the seemingly carefree way our government spend money they don't have.
As far as the health care issue in my mind it is simply a gift to the insurance companies, and I want it gone.