08 Apr 11
It is disgusting and immoral for the Republicans to make this yet one more disguised power grab by attaching EPA, NPR and Planned Parenthood to their stinking budget. These areas take so little of the budget yet they'd sink the country for these items.
Could it be that for political reasons the GOP wants to stop the government for an attempt to screw the economy so to weaken Obama? you bet it is. How can anyone define the GOP as having any interest in the welfare of the average American? This party is an abomination. Anyone who isn't wealthy that supports this party disgusts and angers me with their stupidity.
08 Apr 11
Originally posted by WajomaThese workers are your neighbors. Their children attend school with your children. They work as hard as any other are of commerce. Tis a dishonest man who makes such idiotic assumptions.
Perhaps they'll have to become productive instead of parasitical.
Tis a dishonest man that consumes more than he produces.
08 Apr 11
Originally posted by badmoonYou'd think the GOP would have learned from the previous "shutdown". Didn't work out so well for them that time.
It is disgusting and immoral for the Republicans to make this yet one more disguised power grab by attaching EPA, NPR and Planned Parenthood to their stinking budget. These areas take so little of the budget yet they'd sink the country for these items.
Could it be that for political reasons the GOP wants to stop the government for an attempt to screw the ...[text shortened]... Anyone who isn't wealthy that supports this party disgusts and angers me with their stupidity.
08 Apr 11
Originally posted by Metal BrainRasmussen: 48% Say Their Views Closer to Tea Party Than Congress
I keep hearing about how the Tea Party is pressuring the rest of the republicans in congress to support deep cuts the dems won't accept.
Can anybody tell me how the Tea Party has that much power? Their numbers are not large, right? Why would anybody let the Tea Party crowd pressure them? It sounds impossible to me.
In the ongoing budget-cutting debate in Washington, some congressional Democrats have accused their Republican opponents of being held captive by the Tea Party movement, but voters like the Tea Party more than Congress.
The latest Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey finds that 48 % of Likely U.S. Voters say when it comes to the major issues facing the country, their views are closer to the average Tea Party member as opposed to the average member of Congress. Just 22 % say their views are closest to those of the average congressman. Even more (30 % ) aren’t sure. (To see survey question wording, click here.)
This shows little change from a survey in late March of last year.
Forty-nine percent (49 % ) of voters think the Tea Party movement is good for the country, consistent with findings since May 2010. Twenty-six percent (26 % ) disagree and say the grassroots, small government movement is bad for America. Sixteen percent (16 % ) say neither.
Forty-five percent (45 % ) say the average Tea Party member has a better understanding of the problems America faces today than the average member of Congress does. That figure is down seven points from a year ago. Still, today only 31% think the average member of Congress has a better understanding. Twenty-three percent (23 % ) are undecided.
One-third of voters continue to have ties to the Tea Party movement. That includes 22% who say they themselves are members and 12% more who say they have friends or family who belong. Those findings haven’t budged from the end of December. Fifty-two percent (52 % ) say they have no links to the Tea Party, but 14% are not sure.
http://www.rasmussenreports.com/public_content/politics/general_politics/april_2011/48_say_their_views_closer_to_tea_party_than_congress
08 Apr 11
Originally posted by SleepyguyThat probably tells you more about the popularity of Congress than the popularity of the Tea Party.
[b]Rasmussen: 48% Say Their Views Closer to Tea Party Than CongressIn the ongoing budget-cutting debate in Washington, some congressional Democrats have accused their Republican opponents of being held captive by the Tea Party movement, but voters like the Tea Party more than Congress.[/b]
The latest Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey ...[text shortened]... olitics/general_politics/april_2011/48_say_their_views_closer_to_tea_party_than_congress
08 Apr 11
Originally posted by KazetNagorra"One-third of voters continue to have ties to the Tea Party movement. That includes 22% who say they themselves are members and 12% more who say they have friends or family who belong."
That probably tells you more about the popularity of Congress than the popularity of the Tea Party.
Metal Brain's question was about the Tea Party's actual numbers. 22% of voters, with many more that agree w/the Tea Party on some issues. That's a significant influence.
08 Apr 11
Originally posted by badmoonI might say the same for anyone who has children and sits back while the Obama administration and Congress runs up 1.5 trillion dollar budget deficits that their children will be saddled with.
Anyone who isn't wealthy that supports this party disgusts and angers me with their stupidity.
08 Apr 11
1 edit
Originally posted by wittywonka1) So the Dems wanted GOP participation for the budget last fall? You mean like they did with Obamacare?
A few questions I have since considered with regard to Republicans' criticisms of Democrats:
1) Is it not true that Republicans, who now blame Democrats for not having passed a bill last fall, also criticized Democrats for considering passing a budget last fall during the lame-duck session because they wanted to be sure that the freshmen Republican maj emocrats' fault is bogus, although this year I think blame is abundant enough to be shared.
2) The Dems should have at least proposed a budget so that the voters could see both proposals with an informed ballot.
The bottom line is that the last time the government shut down under Clinton with the GOP in control, Clinton's poll numbers went up. That is what Obama and company are counting on.
As for sharing the blame, like I said both the GOP and Dems proposals to cut the deficit are very small, about 1.6% of the deficit at best and both helped contribute to the overall finacial train wreck we see today.
08 Apr 11
2 edits
Originally posted by sh76That's not all. When Ben Bernanke is prompted to start printing money because of all the insane spending, the value of our dollars shrink. It is no better than the government doing away with collective bargining to reduce wages. For some reason, however, those on the left simply don't see it that way.
I might say the same for anyone who has children and sits back while the Obama administration and Congress runs up 1.5 trillion dollar budget deficits that their children will be saddled with.
08 Apr 11
Originally posted by whodeyI disagree. I think irresponsibly running up deficits is worse than cutting off collective bargaining.
That's not all. When Ben Bernanke is prompted to start printing money because of all the insane spending, the value of our dollars shrink. It is no better than the government doing away with collective bargining to reduce wages.
Collective bargaining rights are policy issues. Companies are prohibited from colluding on wages by antitrust legislation. Now, it makes sense to allow unions to collectively bargain to allow them equal footing with big companies, even though those companies do not control the industry. Big companies negotiating with a union has some element of fairness because both parties have the profit motive and thus you'll likely get a fair compromise.
On the other hand, when a union is bargaining with a government entity, there is no profit motive for the government negotiators. The have no real fundamental incentive to bargain against the unions in anything more than a half-assed manner. Government entities figure they can always raise taxes if they give away too much and besides, these problems are going to come home to roost when some other civil servant is sitting in that bureaucrat's chair.
Of course, there are arguments to be made in favor of allowing public employees to collectively bargain. But the point is that it's a policy issue and neither side is clearly right or clearly wrong.
Enormous irresponsible deficit spending because you're too weak politically to get your opponents in line and don't have the guts to make the tough choices and tough changes yourself, on the other hand, is not something that has arguments on both sides of the issue. It is wrong. Period.
08 Apr 11
Originally posted by sh76A strange argument. Surely the government wants to pay as low wages as possible to public employees? At least in the Netherlands, where there is a strong collective bargaining culture, there is not much of a difference between private and public in this regard.
On the other hand, when a union is bargaining with a government entity, there is no profit motive for the government negotiators. The have no real fundamental incentive to bargain against the unions in anything more than a half-assed manner.
08 Apr 11
Originally posted by KazetNagorraIf the government cared that much about its bottom line it wouldn't be running up 1.5 trillion dollar budget deficits.
A strange argument. Surely the government wants to pay as low wages as possible to public employees? At least in the Netherlands, where there is a strong collective bargaining culture, there is not much of a difference between private and public in this regard.