Obama's speech stirs, but some say a bit too much
Podcast Episode
President Obama presents his "American Jobs Act" to a joint session of congress on the evening of September 8, 2011.
Photo
Wilma Dillard stands outside her family's barbecue restaurant in Durham, NC, on Thursday, Sept. 8, 2011. The family had to close after 58 years because of a drop in business and because banks were increasingly unwilling to lend money.
DURHAM, N.C. — Wilma Dillard took over her family's barbecue restaurant in 1997, after her father's death. But this spring — with her blue-collar customers cutting back, and the banks unwilling to extend the usual credit — she was forced close the 58-year-old Durham eatery and lay off her dozen employees.
"I could hear my father telling me, 'Wilma, it's time for you to get out of the waters. The water's a little too rough for you right now,'" the 51-year-old former school teacher says. "'Bring it into dock, and maybe it can sail again at a later day.'"
On Thursday, she and millions of other recession-weary Americans sat rapt before their televisions as President Barack Obama told Congress that later isn't soon enough.
"They need help," Obama said in pushing his $300 billion American Jobs Act. "And they need it now."
Dillard took heart; she proclaimed herself "inspired" by Obama's speech, and pleased to see Republicans applauding some of his comments. This economic crisis, she said, "shouldn't be settled at the ballot boxes."
Dillard is an optimist, unlike many others who watched Obama's speech. They hold all sorts of opinions about his proposals, but hovering over it all is skepticism that the ferocious partisanship of recent months can be overcome, and that anything will be done.
Marc Epstein liked what the president was saying. He just didn't care for the WAY he said it. Epstein, owner of Boston-based Milk Street Café, said he would have preferred something less "pugnacious."
Epstein, 53, opened his first "food hall" in Boston in 1981 and employs 65 people there. In June, he used a loan guaranteed by the Small Business Administration to open a second location on Wall Street in New York City, putting 107 more people to work.
He took advantage of the down economy — and an empty space in a prime location — to expand.
"I feel that I'm doing what I'm supposed to be doing, which is create jobs," he said.
He wants to see more of what he was able to benefit from — the public/private partnership between the SBA and his bank. But he's not sure Obama's approach is likely to create the kind of bipartisan feeling that will make that happen.
"I don't know if it's going to be dead on arrival," he said of Obama's proposal.
Watching House Speaker John Boehner's body language, Roy Dabbs agreed.
"He's sitting back like, 'Oh, no. I'm not touching this baby,'" said Dabbs, 64, of Elkhart, Ind., who was laid off in January 2010 from his $68,500-a-year job as an operations manager for an Illinois packaging company. "I think they're going to fight it."
Ansha Saunders, of Redwood City, Calif., worried that the speech only served to highlight the divide between Obama and Republicans, big business and the average worker.
Saunders, 35, was laid off in March from a job in accounts receivable for the credit card industry. She's been going to career fairs, hoping to land something that will take advantage of her master's degree in information systems.
"I get the concerns by business owners about closing tax loopholes, because that's how they've been profitable," she said.
"I want to be optimistic that Congress will really not just use this (downturn) to say, 'We want a Republican in next year,' but really look to the benefit the U.S. economy, the people who are out of work, and compromise."
But David J. Tufts thought the president struck just the right tone. When Tufts joined The Marketing Directors in 2007, the Atlanta-based real estate marketing company was in expansion mode. By the end of 2009, the luxury condominium market in "Hotlanta" had cooled.
"Rather than fire people, we got together as a group and said we're going to be all in this together and keep it going," Tufts recalled. "It was a watershed moment for our company, and we were ready for the rebound. Unfortunately, the rebound has yet to come."
There have been few hires in the past two years, and no salary increases. This summer, he gave employees every other Friday off.
He said Obama "came on strong," because he had to.
"He said he's going to take it to the public," Tufts said. "I think he made his case very well that sometimes you have to spend money to make money. ... The logjam needs to be broken."
Others reveled in Obama's tough talk. "My immediate reaction is 'Wow! That's the guy I voted for,'" said Erik Berg, 43, who teaches at the John D. Philbrick Elementary School in Boston's Roslindale neighborhood. "Where's he been for the last 2 1/2 years?"
He particularly liked Obama's dig at members of Congress who've pledged never to vote for a tax hike on the wealthy.
"I don't know how our country has come to a point where we cuddle billionaires and we vilify working people, particularly public sector workers," he said.
Lincoln Newey, of Utah's Salt Lake Valley, said he liked the way Obama "took it to the tea party." Laid off in early 2009 by the limousine company he managed, the 49-year-old MBA with two decades of marketing and communications experience feels lucky to have a part-time job providing financial advice to seniors.
"It's an hourly wage, but it's the best hourly wage I've seen in a while," he said.
The way Newey sees it, nothing short of a "man on the moon" plan that ignores the clamor for reduced federal spending will shake the economy out of the doldrums.
Joe Olivo, though, was not impressed by the president's proposals. The owner of Perfect Printing in Moorestown, N.J., has had a good year so far. Revenue has grown 20 percent, back up to pre-recession levels. But he's still skittish from 2008, when revenue plunged 25 percent in a single month — the worst drop since he opened shop in 1979.
Olivo has 45 employees and could use a few more. But he's wary of reaching that magic payroll of 50, at which point health care reforms would mandate he provide employee health insurance or pay a fee beginning in 2014.
"That is a huge cloud," said Olivo, who has gotten by with temporary workers and has postponed buying new equipment. He said the president's proposals — such as the tax credit for hiring veterans — show he doesn't understand small business.
"They don't have the time or resources to file the paperwork to get those credits," he said. "There was nothing (in the speech) to convince me, 'Start investing again.'"
Back in Durham, Wilma Dillard swung by the restaurant Thursday to check on things, just as she does every few days. She's still paying the utilities, waiting — and hoping.
On a wall in the silent banquet room out back, the nation's first black president stares out from a framed, enlarged copy of an Ebony magazine cover. "IN OUR LIFETIME," the headline declares.
"This country cannot go down the tube — I just don't think it will," she said. "But we've got to come together. We've got to have unity. The parties have to come together and WORK together as one. This hand cannot fight this hand and expect for the body to be whole."
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Associated Press writers Johanna Kaiser in Boston; Errin Haines in Atlanta; Ken Kusmer in Indianapolis; Christine Armario in Miami; Chris Rugaber in Washington, D.C.; Tom Coyne in South Bend, Ind.; Haven Daley in Redwood City, Calif.; Josh Loftin in Salt Lake City; and Deepti Hajela in New York also contributed to this report.
Sep 13, 2011 at 8:22 p.m.
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Campaign fund manager for California Democrats charged with mail fraud
http://www.cnn.com/2011/US/09/13/califor...
Sep 13, 2011 at 6:59 p.m.
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Donald Trump said he doesn't consider this jobs bill another stimulus package. He looks at it as capital investment in the country's infastructure, which is needed to attract business. I agree with him. Reflect back on how the interstate system allowed business to grow. America's power grid is at risk, our roads are crumbling and bridges are falling into rivers. If we don't repair our infrastructure we will never be able to compete with countries like China that are spending billions on their infrastructure and modernizing.
I'm proud to be a progressive. I want to see our country progress and grow and maybe become the super power it was. I really can't understand why the Tea Party wants to take this country back. My mother is 93 and she told me what life was like for the poor and elderly before the New Deal and S.S.. Many on this site are probably not aware of the "poor houses" and "county farms" in our nations history. It was not a positive time for our country and I don't want to see those conditions in our country ever again.
Sep 13, 2011 at 5:04 p.m.
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whzbng: Like I said why are we not going after our government representatives? Or are they the entitled and untouchables?
Sep 13, 2011 at 5:02 p.m.
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http://news.yahoo.com/nearly-1-6-america...
Sep 13, 2011 at 2:29 p.m.
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dkush, you are right Government (public) employees are the ones that have cadillac health care, pensions, perks and salaries that are paid for by the taxpayers.
Sep 13, 2011 at 9:32 a.m.
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dkush -- we probably dont agree on much -- but on your last point we totally agree. I would say that these same elected officials, have put out a fog -- causing class warfare between the corporations, business owners, job creators and the working class. They have done this such that it detracts from focusing on the lack of their performance, a job which we as citizens elected (hired) them to do. In the end, we may disagree on the path forward (you and I), but we do agree that our leaders have completely and totally failed us. State, federal, and local. All of them.
Sep 12, 2011 at 9:06 p.m.
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"Who blamed state and local employees for the federal debt?"
Alot of people have. THey have attacked our teachers and will soon go on to attack our policeman, fireman, etc. Again, I ask why hasn't anyone gone after our government representatives, who have cadillac healthcare, great pensions and perks, and fantastic salaries that the taxpayer pays for?
Sep 12, 2011 at 9:02 p.m.
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Got to let the smaller businesses thrive and not be driven out of business by bigger corporations.
Sep 12, 2011 at 9 p.m.
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donnaw: You are right. But I think that it should be more like those making 1 Million or over.
Sep 12, 2011 at 3:45 p.m.
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Our family's income is way below the $200,000 amount but I don't consider those who earn that much as "rich". I would consider those over $500,000 closer to "rich". I have a relative who owns or partially owns a few small businesses and works his butt off 24/7 and I don't begrudge him a penny of his hard earned income. He employs lots of people.I think those that work that hard shouldn't be the ones to pay for those who don't want to work. If they can't work that's another story.
Sep 12, 2011 at 3:07 p.m.
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Who blamed state and local employees for the federal debt?
Sep 12, 2011 at 2:34 p.m.
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RAF,
If a bank robber is taking the money and donating it to charity (Robin Hood)...
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The money you talk about...the money that the rich don't want to pay any extra for....goes for the roads (their business probabably benefits more than me from), police, fire, public education, the military, etc...
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What still does not make sense is the FACT that while starting TWO wars and the cry of patriotism stronger than ever, the rich took a tax cut...then when the budget is backwards and upside down, the teachers and police officers get blamed.
Sep 12, 2011 at 1:56 p.m.
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Wow wanting to keep whats theirs from those who want to take is seen as a problem by some? Using that philosophy bank robbers should be able to keep what they want too.
Sep 12, 2011 at 1:37 p.m.
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Thats the problem -- most of the far right can't spell honesty or integrity. All they see are $$ signs. More money for their own pockets. That is the philosophy of the Repubs.
Sep 12, 2011 at 1:02 p.m.
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And now the truth about how Obama will pay for this "wonderful" stimulus plan. For those who make over $200,000 your taxes will be raised losing deductions such as mortgage interest, charitable deductions, medical expenses, etc. That's so he can have a stimulus plan that pays additional unemployment to people to sit home on their a..., so he can pay off the unions by sending money to states to pay teachers, police, etc.
Sep 12, 2011 at 12:57 p.m.
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Thats the problem -- most of the far left cant spell honesty or integrity. They just the means -- through they ends they want, so anything goes.
Sep 12, 2011 at 10:49 a.m.
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"Wanting to deny the President a second term in office is the same as wanting to see him fail"
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? LOL
At least ATTEMPT to be honest. Your interpretation of a persons words is not the same as what they actually say...
Sep 12, 2011 at 10:04 a.m.
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Once again -- more of the same from Obama.... it didnt work before, it wont work a 2nd time, taking cuts in other areas, will only shift the pain, not solve it. Taking additional loans for stimulus 2 or 3 just drives us further into debt.
I must say that at least the tea party repubs are trying to bring sanity to the fiscal mess the lifelong dems and repubs have us in now. The must stay strong.
Sep 12, 2011 at 9:39 a.m.
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Wanting to deny the President a second term in office is the same as wanting to see him fail. The Republicans have done nothing to help the President succeed. The Republicans have done nothing to help the country, no more than Rep. Ryan has done anything to help his district.
Sep 12, 2011 at 8:51 a.m.
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Why does the white house need to send out press releases for public union support, why not let the unions put out their own press releases? Interestingly the white house also posted a press release for GE, paid no federal taxes yet had their most profitable year; past owners of msnbc/nbc.
http://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-offi...
http://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-offi...
http://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-offi...
http://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-offi...
http://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-offi...
http://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-offi...
http://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-offi...
Sep 12, 2011 at 8:13 a.m.
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If you want to be truthful, disciple, here is your quote; "deny President Obama a second term in office."
Sep 12, 2011 at 8:10 a.m.
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Funny in all of those this never appeared " Mitch McConnell already said they will do whatever it takes to see the President fail."
As I suspected, the truth is, he said something no different than any other political "party" leader, wanting only their party/person in power. A far cry from the exaggerated tale told by the far-left (can't say the rest anymore) disciple.
Sep 12, 2011 at 8:06 a.m.
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916WI-don't expect SarahB1 to respond to your pointing out that she is a hypocrite. She has no defense for her actions so she will conveniently avoid your post.
Sep 11, 2011 at 8:11 p.m.
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RAF; I don't know how you missed it. I saw it on so many stations.
www.mediaite.com/.../sen-mcconnell-makin......
www.rawstory.com/.../mcconnell-stopping-...... -
thinkprogress.org/politics/2010/10/25/.../mcconnell-obama-one-ter... -
www.msnbc.msn.com/.../gop-leaders-top-go...... -
www.youtube.com/watch?v=W-A09a_gHJc
Sep 11, 2011 at 7:34 p.m.
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Is that the same conyers that admittedly broke ethics rules and his wife was sentenced, by a federal court, to three years in prison?
http://talkingpointsmemo.com/archives/01...
http://washingtonscene.thehill.com/in-th...
Sep 11, 2011 at 6:35 p.m.
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dkush......Too funny! Attached is the bio for the executive director of the group that compiled the list:
"Before becoming a prosecutor, Sloan served as Minority Counsel for the House Judiciary Committee, working on criminal justice issues for then-Ranking Member John Conyers (D-MI). Sloan also served as Counsel for the Crime Subcommittee of the House Judiciary Committee, chaired by then-Representative Charles Schumer (D-NY)."
Do you think there could be a little bit of bias there??:)
Sep 11, 2011 at 6:07 p.m.
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Whenever a politician puts Big Money and special interests ahead of the middle class and poor, they are causing their own failure. That goes for both parties.
Sep 11, 2011 at 6:03 p.m.
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Mitch McConnell on 25 most corrupt list
Sep 11, 2011 at 6:01 p.m.
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http://www.courierpress.com/news/2010/oc...
Sep 11, 2011 at 4:15 p.m.
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SarahB1.....Help me understand this. You and several of your liberal buddies seemed to be absolutely disgusted with the fact that a Republican congressperson has allegedly made comments regarding wanting to see president Obama and his agenda fail.
Here's where I'm confused......When looking at the same issue on a state level, our Democrat representatives, as well as many of the "liberal" posters on this website, have made it absolutely clear that they are willing to go to any length to see that Walker and his agenda fail. Don't you find that your mindset when looking at these two instances is seriously hypocritical and pathetic?? Just wondering.........
Sep 11, 2011 at 3:09 p.m.
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sarah the problem with distortions, they continue to grow; like the tea party is racist or wanting to fix social security is atheist. If you are so sure he said it, provide a link to the quote or better yet a link to the audio or video. If I'm wrong I will gladly admit to it.
Having not heard it myself I have looked for it, but have never found a source anywhere. Something like this should be easily be found...I suspect he said something about making sure he didn't get elected again (as most political party leaders play the same game) and his words have been changed as the story was told over and over.
Sep 11, 2011 at 2:49 p.m.
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Seeing big brother deleted the comment let's try again. Concernedless lied and stated " Mitch McConnell already said they will do whatever it takes to see the President fail."
When asked to provide proof of the comment or admit libel it was deleted...wow.
Sep 11, 2011 at 2:34 p.m.
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Brain?
Sep 11, 2011 at 10:51 a.m.
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concerned...you've gotta quit the drugs and the sauce as they're not good for your brain.
Sep 11, 2011 at 10:46 a.m.
Sep 11, 2011 at 10:39 a.m.
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Easy to prove then, provide a link to a credible quote. Otherwise...
Sep 11, 2011 at 10:31 a.m.
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RAF: You do not tell the truth. Mitch McConnell was on all T.V. stations. I saw him on NBC, CBS, CNN. Would you like me to name others? Everyone knows he said it. So stop trying to say he didn't.
Sep 11, 2011 at 10:26 a.m.
Sep 11, 2011 at 10:20 a.m.
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Easy, unemployment has been higher EVERYDAY since the stimulus was enacted. As a major lagging indicator of the economy it is a clear sign there has been very little to no improvement. The rebound in the markets has been from the Q's (1,2,3...), other wise known as printing money.
Sep 11, 2011 at 7:40 a.m.
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RAF,
You can disagree with his opinion, FINE!
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Look at the charts, if you can understand them...tell me the stimulus didn't help.
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donnaw, nobody is arguing that the stimulus was great. It did not work as well as intended, as shown in the charts, but it did help.
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My point was if you honestly believe the stimulus "didn't help" you are ignorant to the facts. I didn't say it did what was promised (it didn't).
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BTW, quick quiz: what % of the stimulus was the always a savior....TAX CUTS?
Sep 11, 2011 at 7:23 a.m.
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American...don't you remember even Obama joked there weren't as many "shovel ready" projects as they thought?
Sep 11, 2011 at 7:15 a.m.
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LOL, jared bernstein, really? Imagine that a former adviser to the vice president thinks the stimulus was a success...who'da thunk it.
Sep 11, 2011 at 7:02 a.m.
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donnaw,
If you honestly believe the first stimulus "didn't help" there is no point to discussing this with you because you are simply too ignorant of facts.
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http://jaredbernsteinblog.com/the-recove...
Sep 11, 2011 at 6:57 a.m.
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Sarah:suggestions
1. Raise the age gradually for social security eligibility, means test for receiving benefits and take off the cap for FICA salary deductions.
2. Raise the fed income tax on the top 1% of wage earners. (it won't get much more in taxes butnwill make those on the left feel better.)
3. No additional unemployment and audit more closely those who receive it.
4. Lower corp taxes and close ALL loopholes.
5. Dump Obamacare.
6. No more stimulus.
7. Streamline gov't bureaucracies. Cut their budgets.
8. Cut congress' salaries and budgets along with the White House and their benefit programs.
That's just for starters. Anyone want to add to it?
Sep 10, 2011 at 11:51 p.m.
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@ dustyd - "gotthat: If you believe that poor people are poor because they're lazy and stupid, and rich people are rich because they are smart and hard-working, you are sadly mistaken."
Rags to riches stories.
Oprah
Jay-Z
J.K. Rowling
Celine Dion
Amancio Ortega
Jim Carrey
Snoop
J.D. Rockefeller
Ozzy Osbourne
Richard Branson
Chris Gardner
What do they have in common? None of them said " I can't " when things got tough.
The list goes on and on and on and on and on.....
Life is full of opportunities for those who CHOOSE to see them, and full of problems for those who CHOOSE to focus on those instead.
Sep 10, 2011 at 10:42 p.m.
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RAF: Mitch McConnell already said they will do whatever it takes to see the President fail.
Sep 10, 2011 at 7:30 p.m.
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What makes Obama think a stimulus bill will work this time when it didnt help the first time?
Sep 10, 2011 at 5:22 p.m.
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concernedperson until there is a bill to vote on how can you be so sure what the outcome will be? As of right now the press secretary a the white house says a bill will not be ready until next week for congress to see...makes the remarks of pass the bill seem very premature since there is no bill as of yet.
Sep 10, 2011 at 4:40 p.m.
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This is the plan the Repubs. liked before. Now they don't? C'mon! We can all guess why they don't like it now. It's not because they can't make up their minds. They do not want the President to succeed. Mitch McConnell already said they will do whatever it takes to see the President fail. Too bad for our country!
Sep 10, 2011 at 10:43 a.m.
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"and link comments"
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? A cartoon to you is comments? No wonder you have such a tough time grasping the reason there is criticism to a not so new plan.
Sep 10, 2011 at 10:43 a.m.
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Clearly an attempt to secure a second term which this country can not afford to have happen. This guy has no ideas other than to position himslf as the savior of the middle-class when in reality his spending is what is killing the middle-class. For an educated man, he sure is clueless on leadership. We can not keep throwing money at a problem and expect to get out of the hole we have dug. It is largely due to spending habits and home ownership practices advocated by the Democratic leaders that have dug such a deep hole. Now the people they thought they were helping continue to ask for another lifeline thrown to them. Enough!
Sep 10, 2011 at 10:15 a.m.
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RAF,
The less you say and the more you use OTHER'S ideas...
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the more I like your comments.
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Keep it up. Keep up the LOL and link comments...your best to DATE!
Sep 10, 2011 at 10:11 a.m.
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http://gazettextra.com/photos/2011/sep/0...
Sep 10, 2011 at 10:09 a.m.
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LOL
Sep 10, 2011 at 9:54 a.m.
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$250 Billions of this plan is TAX CUTS!
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Republicans USED to argue that TAX CUTS ARE NOT SPENDING and DO NOT ADD TO THE DEFICIT.
Heck, their argument is tax cuts increase revenue...perhaps the tax cuts will then increase enough revenue to pay for the rest.
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WOW! I just figured out the republican logic...that is frightening.
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That said, the president asked for MORE CUTS, something republicans LOVE to pay for the bill.
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The only thing republicans dislike about this bill is that it might work and create an environment where President Obama could be re-elected.
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This may have been a political speech by the president but the response by the republicans...politically DISGUSTING!
Sep 9, 2011 at 11:54 p.m.
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I would like to point out that the user Iriss , copies and pastes "its" rhetorical garbage on every single post.
With almost NEVER any factual information in its posts , I would please urge all of you to continue to call this unintelligent person out , every single chance you get.
While IRISS likes to encourage ignoring posters "it" disagrees with , I would encourage you all to continue vigorous debate with all and any posters on these sites. Even the most silly and unitelligent. While there are some very intelligent folks I disagree with on here constantly and vigorously, I respect MOST of you and enjoy the opinions.
Iriss if you really want people to just agree with your ridiculous ideas and cant handle the challenge of REAL and VIGOROUS debate, I suggest that you start your own blog, and get out of here because you rarely if ever bring anything to the discussion.
Unlike Iriss, this will be the first and only time I ever am childish enough to copy and paste a post to every thread. But it was time someone called this embicile to the table.
Sep 9, 2011 at 11:18 p.m.
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The new acronym for OMG is OBAMA MUST GO! Jan. 20th 2013 The end of an ERROR!
Sep 9, 2011 at 7:53 p.m.
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Grandy: You said you rather enjoy the misspelled words. Only that isn't how you spelled it. You misspelled the word yourself. You should not talk about misspelled words.
Sep 9, 2011 at 4:18 p.m.
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IMO, Walker and Ryan's theories are about as UN-Christianlike as you can get! Again, that's my opinion. No one person will change my opinion on that.
Sep 9, 2011 at 4:14 p.m.
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Maybe those are not all misspelled words. They can be typos too. Not everyone types well.
Sep 9, 2011 at 3:10 p.m.
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Leave it to the loon from out west to talk about eggs...imagine that.
Sep 9, 2011 at 3 p.m.
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Iriss says,
Well, I grew up with Scott Walker, and his faith is uncompromising and steadfast, and I know this for a fact.
A foolish consistency is the hobgoblin of little minds.
Ralph Waldo Emerson
Sep 9, 2011 at 2:36 p.m.
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Who said there was no such thing? Corporate thugs exist as well, they just ship our manufacturing jobs away so millions can be broke, homeless, and hungry.
Sep 9, 2011 at 2:33 p.m.
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Very similar to talk radio , I have no time for idiotic things like video games or for people that hate others based on an ideology. I could care less if someone "thinks like me" as long as they think for themself, which you seem to demonstrate that you are incapable of.
Each time you attack an ideology you seem to attack unions, what makes Richard Trumka a bad man? Because he believes Americans should make a licing wage? I am NOT a union person, but they are NOT all bad like you would make them out to be. I don't like people making BIG salaries representing them, I think Trumka and others should take meager middle class salaries and fight for those making the same. I also don't believe that CEOs of corporations should be making on average a 1000 times more than their workers either. Maybe thats okay with you but I find that to be a huge part of the problem, along with complete non-thinking parrots that are influenced by talking heads in media.
Sep 9, 2011 at 2:25 p.m.
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No such thing as union thugs? 500 Union members storm port in Seattle port.... take six hostages. That's the way things get done right? Gimme a break. Anyone who says the unions don't resort to violence must live on another planet. A non union planet at that.
Sep 9, 2011 at 2:16 p.m.
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fearandrhetoric4dummies
"Real" stories and real people........or just the ones that think like you?
If you think Walker is unchristian like....I would love to hear what you think of Trumka, or the company who produced the video game that lets you "kill" conservatives.
Sep 9, 2011 at 2:16 p.m.
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Iriss copies and pastes a comment to all of the threads, now that is funny! Talk about a poster worth ignoring!
Sep 9, 2011 at 2:07 p.m.
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*There are enough houses, roads, and other structures to replace that should put a great many people back to work.*
Yeah but, who's gonna pay for it? Should I pay for something to get rebuilt in another city that, let's say, foolishly wasted all their own tax money on a domed football stadium, or something?
Sep 9, 2011 at 2:02 p.m.
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If Scott Walker's family are "devout Christians" they might want to read about Jesus. Because NONE of the policies enacted by his administration are Christian at all.Taking progrmas and health care aid form poor families is hardly a Christian policy. Nor is cutting 800 million from public Ed , considered by most to be the equalizer for poor families and the American dream.
Iriss you are as much a conservative rhetoric machine as mouse is a liberal one. Your contentions are full of OPINIONATED junk just like someone else's. For you to call someone else out like that is very funny. Your "facts" are just as questionable as anyone elses. Just because you pot links to conservative think tanks and websites doesn't make what you say fact, it just makes your opinion more obviously slanted. So spare us all the 'please Ignore mouse" junk, I spend time normally ignoring you until now. Now I will go back to my ignoring your partisan ignorance.
Sep 9, 2011 at 1:53 p.m.
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Wislady admitting that she parrots talk radio, anyone shocked?
No offense but I have no time for talk radio. I read and research, enjoy to watch documentaries about real stories, real people. Something Vicki would know NOTHING about.
Maybe you should remove yourself from your slanted garble.
Sep 9, 2011 at 1:48 p.m.
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Does anyone think the USA might have enough projects right now that are "shovel ready", from all the natural disasters we have had?
There are enough houses, roads, and other structures to replace that should put a great many people back to work.
Sep 9, 2011 at 1:46 p.m.
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We need real people , free from greed to have general interests in the people of THIS country working. Unfortunately we will not have that happen in my lifetime. Greed has won, and the USA will become a third world nation, it is inevitable. The only people that will succeed generationally are the top 10%, the gaps between the wealthy and lower class will continue to widen, mark my words. I have been saying it BEFORE the great recession, and it has ALL come true. There is NOTHING that anyone could possibly point to factually that would convince me that the manufactured "Tea Party" has answers, they like any other american party have nothing but rhetoric, get used to it, theories and rhetoric. USA USA USA USA! Be proud, this is what the "free(unregulated) market has bore, a generation of greedy people on top distancing themselves further from the generation of bottom feeders, many of whom just want a fair shot, an education, a future for their kids. Very scary to be alive folks.
This whole montra that people that dont have things and are poor aren't hard working is RIDICULOUS. Millions of hard working families are unemployed, broke, homeless. They are many times that way not of their own choice. Their job is now being done in China or Mexico for pennies on the dollar! But we still have knuckleheads saying that "its a global economy , deal withh it", tell that to the 20+ million Americans that worked VERY hard and had their job shipped away, thanks to a bought off government. Then their families get sick, they have no insurance , no money and they are now BANKRUPT. Are they lazy? We arent talking about union workers here.we are talking about HARD WORKING , blue colar Americans that just WANT to work hard and make a decent wage. The rhetoric flying around here and nation wide has literally destroyed the middle class. You call it "class warfare" you would be right, and the middle class has lost. America, land of the free, home of the homeless, home of the broke, home of chinese made goods, home of Vietnamese made shoes, home of Mexican made cars, home of Taiwan made clothing, home of American made greed. Once great nation has sold herself down the river, and has dumbed herself down to believe that it is somehow the middle/working classes fault. All of you people are gullible left/right alike, partisan politics has mad you all gullible.
Sep 9, 2011 at 1:42 p.m.
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I am beginning to wonder just how many articles Iriss posted the same thing on!
Sep 9, 2011 at 1:38 p.m.
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fearandrhetoric4dummies
The term is perfect.....sounds nicer than union slugs.
I think the terminology on her program is less violent than the hate talk show you probably listen to....Sly (the name fits him).
Sep 9, 2011 at 1:35 p.m.
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Now to the "speech". How on Earth are the republicans against this? tax CUTS for the small businesses of America, a reduction of the corporate tax rates that all of the repubs have been crying for, in exchange for the closing of the ridiculous tax loopholes for large corporations. It is so entertaining for me when I watch the republicants sitting on their hands no matter how much the pres comes their way. I was watching the "speech" until the hypocrte president started advocating for the very free-trade agreements that he himself campaigned against! Columbia? Panama? Korea?
My contention is this, we don't have a need for higher or even lower taxes, this whole tenniss match with the tax rates of the wealthy, the cuts in NECESSARY programs for the not wealthy. all of it may be a discussion for the future, BUT none of it will solve our problem. The "revenue" crisis that we have is also a demand crisis. This is all to do with the fact that the USA and her corrupt politicians have sold out the middle class to corporate interests, and bankers, taking our jobs to 3rd world nations,PERIOD! Proof? AFTER the bank bailout that was si desperately needed , where did the money go? These are expenditures made AFTER we handed the investment bankers a trillion dollars and didnt ask for reciepts, Ready:
Citigroup spent 50 million dollars on a new luxury private jet
Goldman Sachs set aside 7 billion dollars for BONUSES!! 210,000 per person!! The very people that speculated millions of Americans 401ks right into the toilet, get BONUSES? Ias that the "real , adult world" that so many try to speak of?
AIG paid out bonuses to 73 people of over a million dollars a piece!
My whole sumation of this? Obummer is hypocrite, republicans care about corporate profits and theier campaign donors, and so do democrats. The government has NO interest in putting the country back to work. Not ONE republican, not one democrat. They are simply interested in keeping power , and filling their pockets with corporate money, and thanks to the supreme court corporations now own all 3 branches of government! If you think a congress / presidency /court controlled by one party or another will change this, you are wrong. Tax cuts for rich folks, WONT work, tax HIKES for the rich won't work. Overspent governemnt progams full of pork, wont work.
Sep 9, 2011 at 1:20 p.m.
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Ya, ya ya. And the crack baby's opportunities are equal to those of the Harvard lawyer's baby. Blaming the poor for their poverty provides you with an excuse for not helping people in need. Social darwinism in action. Welcome to the Republican/Tea party.
Sep 9, 2011 at 1:11 p.m.
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Hey Nevada---The economy is NOT a zero sum game
Sep 9, 2011 at 1:09 p.m.
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dustyd: "I suppose you also believe that there is equal opportunity for everyone."
Yes, I do.
Explain the millions of immigrants that have come to America and prospered.
How about local people that took advantage of opportunity like Ken Hendricks, and others, that came from a low to middle class background to become finacially successful.
Sep 9, 2011 at 1:04 p.m.
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Comments by the Left are the same as Obama's speech(s). Just repeats!
Sep 9, 2011 at 1:04 p.m.
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billy....Cons love Social Darwinism. That's what today's Republican Party is based on...."survival of the fittest." You been smokin' that stuff again? Because if you haven't, you may be a liberal Democrat my friend.
And gotthat....Dustyd's point is that when one kid gets all of the eggs in an Easter egg hunt, other kids get none. It's a zero sum game. Don't you understand that? If you do understand his point, then you obviously don't give a damn about your fellow man. And that would make you a right wing Republican, wouldn't it?
Sep 9, 2011 at 1:03 p.m.
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With all the rhetoric flying today the predictables are doing their best, with almost zero original thought on here. wislady , the unionista term? Thats from that wretched Vicki Mckenna(not her real name) show! Cmon make a point of your own, dont dress it up with rhetorical name calling that is a repeated puke of another!
Sep 9, 2011 at 1:03 p.m.
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With all the rhetoric flying today the predictables are doing their best, with almost zero original thought on here. wislady , the unionista term? Thats from that wretched Vicki Mckenna(not her real name) show! Cmon make a point of your own, dont dress it up with rhetorical name calling that is a repeated puke of another!
Sep 9, 2011 at 12:58 p.m.
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gotthat: If you believe that poor people are poor because they're lazy and stupid, and rich people are rich because they are smart and hard-working, you are sadly mistaken. I suppose you also believe that there is equal opportunity for everyone. Conservatives love to advance these myths to justify their greed, selfishness and lack of compassion.
Sep 9, 2011 at 12:23 p.m.
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http://www.newsbusters.org/blogs/noel-sh...
Forgot the link!
Sep 9, 2011 at 12:20 p.m.
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Dustyd: "You must emulate the kid at the Easter egg hunt that aggressively seeks to get all the eggs in his own basket."
As it should be in THE ADULT WORLD. Grow up kid. If some people CHOOSE to be LAZY and some people CHOOSE to WORK HARD than that is their CHOICE. That's freedom my friend. You have the ability to CHOOSE what life you want to make for yourself. NFL players, Managers, Small Business Owners, etc... ALL COMPETE TO EARN THEMSELVES THE CAREER THEY CHOOSE. Stop demonizing the American Spirit! If you feel bad for the ones who choose to give excuses and whine about how they can't do this and can't do that... then you can pull out YOUR teet and nurse them for life. That can be YOUR CHOICE, but remember to HONOR MY FREEDOM and keep me out of it.
Sep 9, 2011 at 12:19 p.m.
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Warren Buffett wants the taxes raised on wealthy Americans. Perhaps he should drop the law suits against the IRS, and Birkshire Hathaway pay the Billion they owe the American people. That way his company will pay more taxes than his secretary! Ya gotta lov these libs!
Sep 9, 2011 at 11:58 a.m.
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So we can cure our ecoomic woes by creating more debt, funding more public sector teachers,firefigter,police and shovel not ready jobs. Seems I heard that in the first stimulus.
Spend now and the next president can figure out how to pay for it over the next 10 years.(Never going to happen) Doing the same thing over and over again.......ect. The definition of insanity.
Sep 9, 2011 at 11:56 a.m.
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With the many disasters we have had, there is plenty of work to be done rebuilding houses and roads. Providing the equipment and materials also adds to the employment with the rebuilding.
Maybe the government just needs to make sure the claims get paid, and then get out of the way.
Sep 9, 2011 at 11:48 a.m.
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Union thugs lol makes me laugh every time...
Sep 9, 2011 at 11:40 a.m.
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America needs a president who represents ALL working people, not the the 7% represented by the unionista's.
Sep 9, 2011 at 11:39 a.m.
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The economy is 70% consumer spending. Go out an spend like the Paytriot you are.
Sep 9, 2011 at 11:25 a.m.
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The left is so gullible to class warfare chatter. Even the president plays the game by bringing in comments made by buffet; a man by choice that has protected his own tax liability by investment choices and tax law. Buffet's income tax rates are low because he has little income and mostly capital gain. Congress sets tax rates, obama was one of them and voted for these gains rates. If the president was truthful he would declare the facts. If buffet was honest about wanting to pay higher taxes he would have done so voluntarily already.
Sep 9, 2011 at 11:24 a.m.
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dkush- Not likely to happen.....They've fully figured out how to steal money to buy votes and votes are all a politician really needs..end of story.
When a politician perfects the art of stealing tax money to buy votes, he/she needs to know or do nothing else to remain in position.
Sep 9, 2011 at 11:13 a.m.
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Great speech! Now let's see that go into action and start working for the majority of the people.
Sep 9, 2011 at 10:39 a.m.
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More right-wing talk radio propoganda! Repeating lies over and over doesn't make them true. The longest running voucher program in the country is the 20-year-old Milwaukee School Choice Program. Standardized testing shows that the voucher students in private schools perform below the level of Milwaukee’s public school students, and even when socioeconomic status is factored in, the voucher students still score at or below the level of the students who remain in Milwaukee’s public schools. Cleveland’s voucher program has produced similar results. Step away from Fox News long enough to read this article from the Milwaukee Journal:
http://www.jsonline.com/news/education/1...
Sep 9, 2011 at 10:26 a.m.
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If favoring the privatization of public schools so that our kids get a better education free from the clutched of union greed is promoting social Darwinism, then I should change my username to Darwin2! (I wouldn't look for that anytime soon!)
Sep 9, 2011 at 10:25 a.m.
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So when is this privatization of public schools going to start? Is there a proposal in place? Do you mean vouchers such as in Milwaukee? It seems that statistics prove that the voucher program leads to a better education.
Sep 9, 2011 at 10:23 a.m.
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So the President's got a new bill he wants Congress to pass now, since he's back from his latest bi-weekly vacation. He's had over 900 days to do something about jobs, perhaps 600 since his "stimulus" package failed so utterly. So now it's on to "Stimulus Lite". Only, since the first "stimulus" was such an abject failure, he doesn't want to call it that anymore, and who can blame him. This seems so typical of liberalism. If one of their "wonderful" ideas doesn't work, it's because they didn't throw enough money at it.
But really, we all should know the truth behind "Stimulus 2.0". The President knows this bill is D.O.A. in it's present form and probably in any form. He's not proposing it because he thinks it'll work. He's throwing it out there hoping the Republicans will balk so that he can blame the " do nothing" Congress for his failures. It's called the "Harry Truman" strategy for re-electing a President who's afraid he can't be re-elected on his own merits. Yet Obama said it himself just after he took office 2 1/2 years ago, "You know, a year from now, I think people are going to see that we're starting to make some progress but there is still going to be some pain out there. If I don't have this done in three years, then there's going to be a one-term proposition." Three years is almost gone, Mr.President. I think you're getting desperate. And so are your followers!
Sep 9, 2011 at 10:16 a.m.
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I was asked to name one conservative program that promotes social darwinism. Here you to:
privatization of public schools.
Sep 9, 2011 at 10:09 a.m.
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dustyd:
QUOTE"to be a good conservative today you need to believe in social darwinism, promote the failure of government to prove it's uselessness and capitalize on the ensuing crisis to your personal advantage. " END QUOTE
Name one conservative program that promotes social darwinism.
The failure of BIG government is not the failure of government. It is returning the government to its rightful size and scope. Most rights that have been assumed by the Federal Government belong to the States according to the Constitution of the United States.
Who is capitalizing on the current crisis other than President Obama himself?
Sep 9, 2011 at 10:03 a.m.
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If you always do what you've always done, you'll always get what you've always gotten.
Sep 9, 2011 at 10:02 a.m.
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NVgrf Sep 9, 2011 at 9:35 a.m.
No American Jobs Act has been sent to Congress. How can you read what does not exist.
Re: no "righties" have commented, did you miss my comment of 9:08am?
Sep 9, 2011 at 9:50 a.m.
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I'm sure we'll just get more theft of tax money to buy votes instead of building roads, bridges, sewers, water lines, etc. etc. and creating jobs.
Just like the last episode.
Sep 9, 2011 at 9:36 a.m.
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I am impressed with the President's speech. It's about time. I wondered where he went for a couple years. He is back now. We will see what the Tea Party and Repubs. do now. They had better come through. By the look on their sour puss faces, I wonder about that though. They will be gone in 2012 for having made our nation alomost go down the tube.
Sep 9, 2011 at 9:35 a.m.
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dustyd....You are able to pick up on these right wing goofballs fast. It took me a while to come to the conclusion that wislady, RAF, bebe and the others were actually serious and not doing a standup routine. The most mysterious part for me is that they are most likely middle class and yet don't really care that the giant corporations are gaining more and more wealth while their peers are becoming extinct. President Obama commented yesterday on how Warren Buffet's secretary pays a higher percentage in taxes than Buffet himself does. And the righties here actually think this is ok. If you notice, most of them have yet not commented negatively on the President's speech. That's because they have to wait to hear Rush, Gallager and the others in order to know what to say. I am quite sure none of them have read the new American Jobs Act. Anyway, welcome aboard dustyd.
Sep 9, 2011 at 9:19 a.m.
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third_eye: to be a good conservative today you need to believe in social darwinism, promote the failure of government to prove it's uselessness and capitalize on the ensuing crisis to your personal advantage. You must emulate the kid at the Easter egg hunt that aggressively seeks to get all the eggs in his own basket.
Sep 9, 2011 at 9:08 a.m.
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Nothing new in President Obama's speech. Just more class envy, tax the rich rhetoric. His plan is one that has failed every time it's tried, most recently by Jimmy Carter when he was President.
His repeated use of the phrase "even Republicans supported this idea" indicates that there are things in this proposed bill that are also completly contrary to Republican goals.
Repeat after me- we can not tax ourselves into prosperity.
Sep 9, 2011 at 9:02 a.m.
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dustyd: Is it your view that to be a conservative one must be a mind numbed robot?
Sep 9, 2011 at 8:49 a.m.
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Obama and Bernanke both spoke yesterday...it was a given what would happen to the stock market.
Sep 9, 2011 at 8:48 a.m.
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Dustydem, you're describing your own party. I'm impressed. You have a computer and internet connection hooked up in your mom's basement. You're living the dream!
Sep 9, 2011 at 8:36 a.m.
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And I bet wislady doesnt take that comment lying down.Yikes
Sep 9, 2011 at 8:35 a.m.
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Hey we did our part,bought a new car which was long overdue.The government wants to give tax breaks to small busineses among other tax breaks.Isnt one of the rules of economics supply and demand. Right now there isnt much demand.Why dont they try giving the consumer the tax break.The middle and lower classes are the biggest classes in the country, give us the tax breaks.We will put money back into the economy.
Sep 9, 2011 at 8:23 a.m.
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So now it's open season on those on the dole. Cool! That disqualifies 95% of all Democrats.
Sep 9, 2011 at 8:17 a.m.
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I think s/he works for the Republican caucus.
Sep 9, 2011 at 8:13 a.m.
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Anybody wanna bet that Wislady is on medicare, social security or both, doesn't pay crap in taxes, didn't graduate from college, thinks the earth is less than 10,000 years old and is laying around the house all day reading right-wing propoganda on the internet and listening to Rush Limbaugh?
Sep 9, 2011 at 8:01 a.m.
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Dems had control of both houses from 2007-2010....and accomplished raising the national debt to the highest amount ever.
Sep 9, 2011 at 7:56 a.m.
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Ego?
Sep 9, 2011 at 7:52 a.m.
Sep 9, 2011 at 7:06 a.m.
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Comprehensive List of Obama Tax Hikes
http://www.atr.org/comprehensive-list-ob...
Sep 9, 2011 at 6:37 a.m.
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The Totus had nothing new to say.
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