Tax the Rich!!!

[Cloud]

Good post Baba.

Taking money out of our school system is basically starving this country to its death. Why would one want to reduce an educated work force?

Talk of further deregulation ( closing EPA etc) is downright scarey.
California has never recovered from the Ron Paul-esque libertarian zealots that passed Prop 13 in 1978. The education system has plummeted to the bottom of the country and will take many many years and a lot of resources (and political will) to rebuild. Meanwhile the social / economic costs have been devastating.
Indeed there is in fact too much government spending in some areas, and inefficient and misguided spending in others.
Th equestion is where do you focus and prioritize on spending the money?
First place I would take the axe to is the bloated military budget. Prisons too need to be cut down and closed. Unnecessary wars, weapons systems that are fantasy toys for the militarily inclined have soaked up far too much of our budget for too long.

The inefficiency of current government spending is disastrous. Funny you mention prisons baba.

The privatization of the prison industry gave private companies more money. It is very simple, the more people incarcerated the more money for these private companies because the republicans of Arizona brought this bill to voters were actually lobbyists for CCA (Corrections Corp of America) in Washington DC. Each person who ends up in prison means more money for CCA. Because the prison population was declining in Arizona, CCA and the republicans in office decided to play on the general public and get this bill past so they could put MORE illegal immigrants in prison thus make more money. It's fraud. It's the working of the conservative mindset, reduce government, privatize everything. The funny thing is that state run prisons are much better facilities.

Privatizing prisons does not save taxpayers money. All it does is create prisons lacking human care. Health care in the prison industry is provided free by the government but in private prisons it is not. Ironically, any care that prisoners receive is from the government. It is not paid by the private prison industry. The conservative republican mindset also created these corrupt corporations that continue to grow. Sadly many states are trying to or have enacted similar laws such as SB 1070. It is not about stopping illegal immigration (there are much more efficient ways), its about giving the CEOs of CCA more money making these companies richer and richer.

This is one of the many reasons I can NOT get around the current republicans. Not only are these folks socially conservative, but their "fisical" conservative mindset which ironically has somehow increased government size can also lead to these corrupt corporations to get bigger also widening the gap between rich and poor. Most of the work force isn't the problem, its the CEO's, the lobbyists, the ones making decisions. Funny that these are the top 5 percent earners in the USA and we all know the graphs on that. The top 5 percent is earning more and more while most Americans are earning less and less. The social conservative-ness will just make the next 4 years be all about gay mirage and abortion when we have much other important matters to deal with. What a bunch of garbage.

One might say, why don't you get behind someone who isn't socially conservative? Like Ron Paul? The one who would have opposed the civil rights act of 1964 because the government is getting to involved? Seriously? He believes it's not governments job to stop discrimination. Ron Paul believes that business should be able to put up "NO BLACKs." http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PbLcnnXX ... ture=share

This guy is insane. I think I might have to do what stinkfingers said, pull the Goodwins Law. He honestly believes that the government shouldn't be involved in civil rights in 2011. He honestly feels its not the governments job to tell that bar to take down that "NO BLACK'S" sign. Is this guy for real? If the government didn't step in and enact civil rights after blacks fought so hard, where would be today? People might argue that people have changed. Those same people that were against Civil Rights of 64 are still alive today. Have we changed so much that something like the Nazi uprising in Germany which killed millions of Jews or the Jim Crow laws couldn't happen today? Look at France and what they are doing. We all know the history of this country. It is not out of the question that if we took out Civil Rights, that we could go backwards. Ron Paul actually believes that the human race today all mixed up together will just act perfect and everything will be just fine? No. That is why we had the government intervene. That is why we had the Civil War. Racism is very much alive today and it would be foolish not to notice.

So as much as I disagree with much of what Obama has done, the options the republicans have presented is just saddening. I most certainly don't want a religious nutcase like Palin, Bachman or Perry in the government, and I most certainly don't want somebody who will use our money even more inefficiently. There is so many other problems such as education, environmental concerns, infrastructure, jobs, attacking the widening gap between rich and poor, healthcare, ect. I really hope our leaders can use our money efficiently to fix these problems rather than social conservative crap like telling me what to do in my bedroom, gay mirage, ect. Why not use any discretionary money on scientific research such as stem cell research?

[Weasel]

Good points Cloud and stink but you guys should type less. I doubt most people would read that essay you guys wrote. lol...

[Blind Cide]

I voted for Ron Paul in the Ames straw poll and then ate a free BBQ sandwich at the Pawlenty tent. Work just called, gtg.

[Mighty Mouse]

Also consider this. Just because private companies are paid for the operation of prison facilities, that does not mean that they can influence the number of prisoners brought onboard. Have you considered that many of the debated arguments are pointing to the cause of the booming prison population?

Specifically, consider the socioeconomic stratification happening in the US. In that scenario, there will be stresses inter-level and intra-level. The fallout is that there will be many laws and lower tolerance for violations of these new laws. Thus more people will be in jail for longer.

Can you blame the private corporations for that? So let's not generalize unless there is some understanding of the cause/effect relationship.

[JJ]

@MM

The right? Well, I don't know. The first line of the Declaration?

Here's a big conspiracy: Buffett owes about a billion in back taxes. Even if he doesn't, he could just pay it, right? At least, put his money where his mouth is...

Billionaire investor Warren Buffett triggered a major debate over taxes recently when he wrote in The New York Times that he should be paying more to the federal government. He called on Washington lawmakers to up tax rates on the rich.

But it turns out that Buffett’s own company, Berkshire Hathaway, has had every opportunity to pay more taxes over the last decade. Instead, it’s been mired in a protracted legal battle with the Internal Revenue Service over a bill that one analyst estimates may total $1 billion.

Yes, that’s right: while Warren Buffett complains that the rich aren’t paying their fair share his own company has been fighting tooth and nail to avoid paying a larger share.

The story of Berkshire’s years-long tax battle, which is generally known in business circles, took on new life this week when a group called Americans for Limited Government (ALG) reported that, according to Berkshire Hathaway’s own annual rep

Comcast is where most of you pay your connection bill, right? Big bucks come from Comcast. Peek-a-boo down at the last paragraph. Warren Buffett again...

I find it hard to believe that most of you can't understand that "gaming the system" is just part of things. Almost from the first time I loaded TT, in a game someone was asking for a hack or a cheat. That someone cheats doesn't mean it's the way things should be. Of course, it isn't fair or right. The game has to be some protections (read regulation) but it doesn't invalidate the whole game as most of you suggest. Same in politics, economics...

@ Stink

You know your bogus system of philosophies is about to shown for what it truly is... Blaming Bushhitler for 3.5 years of economic failure wears thin. You are the naked emperor, the political strawman, the one who says, pay no attention to that man behind the curtain! But soon the curtain will be pulled back! Muahahaha. Spouting like a lefty is fun... Oh, and it's like Socialist German of 1930's. I didn't break Godwin's law at least...

[Mighty Mouse]

When in the Course of human events, it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another, and to assume among the powers of the earth, the separate and equal station to which the Laws of Nature and of Nature's God entitle them, a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the separation.

Where does that refer to the "right"?

[KKB]

Geez what a bunch of idiots here.

My wife works for the school system here and she admits that she is overpaid for what she does. $24 bucks an hour and she has to look for things to do. She feels guilty.

No wonder our society is so fucked up.

[fishtank]

[get some]

^ phenomenal production quality in that video. i miss those days.

@ KKB

i have never felt any animosity towards you or your views though they typically run opposite of my own but i have to call you out for that statement.

it exceeds douchiness to offer up your wife thinking she gets paid too much as an educator as an argument for what's wrong with society today. maybe she is in the best area and the best school district ever but even if that be the case i doubt her circumstances can be considered the standard for the educational system in this country today....or even the mean for that matter.

my wife is a grade school teacher as well so i speak on this matter with direct day to day experience. she pulls in about 10k less a year and deals with daily behavioral challenges just to get to the point of teaching her planned lessons. as a specialists she sees 600 plus different students a semester with virtually no faculty support outside of the classroom to deal with disruptions that interfere with class instruction. given the 30+ students per class during a 45 minute period, it is an extreme challenge to manage the classroom and deliver the lesson plan under the circumstances. add to that the mandatory after school meetings, participating in mentoring new hire teachers, and going to grad school so she can qualify for a 5k bump in salary and she more than earns her (exorbitant) salary.

if your wife feels as though she is stealing money then maybe you should suggest to her to do the honorable thing and resign so that she can pursue a career that will challenge her and give her the satisfaction of "earning" her pay while opening up her vacated position to someone who is more inspired and who will put in the extra effort for these kids so that the districts money gets greater value.

or if that is not an option then at least you could resist the urge to post such ridiculous statements that paint both you and your wife in such a bad light.

[stinkfingers]

I have never met a good educator who has to "look for things to do." That staggers my mind. Every single educator worth her/his salt will tell you there's not enough time in the day.

Clearly your wife isn't a teacher. If she's an aide, then she's 1) not a very good one or she'd be busy and not looking for something to do and 2) is likely overpaid. In the second case, she's very lucky to get that kinda dough. In my district, aides get $12 an hour to start. They top out at 15. Not going to buy any stock with the disposable income on that salary.

And $24 an hour might seem like a mint in hillbilly country, but where I live, that won't pay for a mediocre apartment. Once again KKB, you stagger us with your limited perspective.

And once again, you've reminded us that limited perspective and vitriol go hand and hand. Thanks for that Fox Moment.