Ted Kennedy is receiving the “Congressional Let Them Eat Cake” Award today for trying to have his cake and eat it too. Ted is also receiving this award because he seems to have adopted that aristocratic attitude which says, “I can do anything I want, whenever I want, to whomever I want.”
In a stunning admission of his frailty, an ailing U.S. Sen. Edward M. Kennedy is asking the governor and legislative leaders to rewrite state law to allow for a temporary gubernatorial appointment to his seat.
In the letter, Kennedy asks that legislation be passed to change a law adopted in 2004 to provide for a special election to choose a new U.S. Senator in the event of a vacancy.
The law was pushed through during the 2004 presidential election because state lawmakers wanted to prevent then-Gov. Mitt Romney from appointing a successor for U.S. Sen. John F. Kerry, who was the Democratic presidential nominee.
Kennedy pushed for that law and he understands how much havoc his open seat would play with Bambi’s Borg moment on healthcare, and how a special election might not swing to the Dems considering how upset “the angry mob” actually is right now.
Here is one more little tidbit to think about in relation to previous articles on the borg absorption of our banks, car companies, and now healthcare; the infamous pie charts. Remember, government is a consumer, not a producer.
7 decades ago, when many of today’s senior citizens were children, just 12% of the economic pie was dependent upon GOVERNMENT (the red slice of the pie).
Restated, 12% of national income was consumed by government spending back then.
This left 88% of the pie to the productive PRIVATE sector (blue pie slice).
At that time the private sector was 7.3 times larger than the government share.
America WAS 88% FREE and 12% socialistic.
PICTURE #2 – post World War II
NOW, watch the non-productive government share in the left chart double to 22% of the economy, from the prior 12% share. (the red slice got bigger),
and note the remaining portion left to the productive private sector has been squeezed out of 10 points, compared to the previous chart.
That 10 point swing was mostly attributed to government getting into the ‘socialized spending business’, starting with the ‘New Deal’
– – basically going into the social business, an area never envisioned by our founding forefathers as a reason for forming a federal government..
At this point, the private sector was about 4 times larger than government – – well below its prior 7 times larger ratio of the first chart.
America was 78% FREE and 22% socialistic. (instead of 88% free and 12% socialistic in the first chart).
NOW, look at the left chart for today.
the government sector (red color) doubled its share again –
from 22% of the economic pie in 1947 to 45% of the economy today,
shrinking the private sector share (blue color) of the economy an extra 21 points – – caused by even more expanded socialistic spending (not intended by our nation’s founders), at rates many times faster than growth of the general economy.
Now the productive private sector (having lost 28 points) is not much bigger than the government-controlled share of the economy;
a long fall from its prior position of being from 5 to 7.3 times larger than government.
American has become 45% socialistic, leaving only 55% FREE, a tremendous move from the first chart of 12% socialistic and 88% free.
That last pie chart is from 2008. I would be willing to bet that the ratio is well reversed from 45/55 – and Barack wants to add 1/7th of our economy in the form of healthcare dollars to that chart.
I suggest you send these pie charts far and wide so that the Not-So-Silent-Anymore Majority fully understands what is at stake.
Are we going to allow the american idol-in-chief and the traitors in the House and Senate to permanently flip this country from capitalism to socialism?
It would seem that Ted is counting on the sympathy factor to get what he wants. After seeing Barney in action I hope that the citizens of Massachusetts will not fall for this.
Irony seems to play a lot this political climate and this situation is just another example of it. It is a very clear what the motives are in this and it seems to be that the residents of Massachusetts know first hand how bad a gov. run health care plan can be.
Ted doesn’t have to worry about the next election but Deval does.
Dug on August 21, 2009 at 3:15 am
What frosts me about the above charts is… for those of us who have been forced to “play the game” that the liberals setup 40-50+ years ago for the past 40 working years… having our paychecks raped every week/month for Social Security and Medicare… are now being told… oh… we spent your money on something else in the Federal budget and we now need to change the rules of the game in the 9th inning.
I am a little better off than a lot of people in my generation (baby-boomer) because we saved. But, I wonder how many baby boomers have really thought about this and the implications. Personally, I think they are still working their butts off (those that still have a job) and many haven’t raised their head long enough to really look at it.
If these Congresscritters think these townhalls were rough… wait until they try to pull the rug out from under this entire generation after sucking them dry on payroll taxes to pay for their runaway spending on things they should not have. I keep telling people I know that the DeathCare bill is part of this strategy. The lib elites realize they need to kill as many of us off as possible, so they don’t have to make good on their end of “the deal”… which should have never been set up to begin with.
And, btw, an ever-increasing portion of that government slice of the pie is going to be interest payments on debt here before long.
I don’t think that Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid are bad programs. In fact, they are essential to the well being of many who otherwise would be denied basic sustenance and care. Agreed, the framers never considered the need for these program vastly because of societal changes. For instance, the elderly and less fortunate were generally respected and taken care of by their families during the time our nation was born. It was the custom as it still is in much of the world. As our society has (d)evolved into a capitalist semi-monarchy ruled by King profit of a few at the expense of the many, the elderly and less fortunate have been left to fend for themselves in a world with the deck intentionally stacked against them. And usually they don’t fend so well. So programs like Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid have become essential to providing a safety net that families struggling to survive on their own are unable to offer.
While I will agree that many game the system and in general the massive bureaucracy put in place to oversee these programs is sorely inefficient, they are still necessary evils (as it were). And frankly, a majority of people that complain about them claim to be Christians which boggles the mind when one considers the basic tenets of the faith.
My mother is 74 years old and still works a full time job. Without Social Security from my father’s death and Medicare to pay her health care bills she could not survive. Period. If I was in a position to help her financially I would but I am left fending for myself just trying to get by.
So what solution to this example of a problem do you that think these programs are so heinous propose? Do you think my mother should just die off because she is not a contributing member of society, a drain on your resources or something? Would not this attitude be no different than the “death panels” everyone so rightly objects to? Does not your zeal to demonize those less fortunate merely betray your own self-centered in it for me morality?
Pardon the harsh questions, but when this effects your family then possibly you might understand why these programs are essential. And perhaps you might even be thankful for them.
I am not saying that anyone here actually harbors any of these thoughts. But my questions are valid and worthy of considerable debate.
The Ted factor is a symptom of a much greater disease. Yes, he is being selfish and hypocritical but the Democratic party itself is as well. And Republicans are not immune from gaming the system to their advantage which doesn’t take a whole lot of research to prove. Let’s face facts, We the People get screwed coming and going.
Fan… I don’t think anyone is saying we don’t need a safety net for the elderly. What I object to is government entering into what amounts to a “social contract” with society that basically says… you pay into the system and when you reach that age, you will be a beneficiary of what you paid into the system. That is how this has been sold to the public for decades. In fact, employer pension plans, financial investments, our tax code… everything is based on this predication.
So… now… fast forward from the 1930’s and 1965 to present day. What the government has done is they have taken all that money we have paid in and have made it part of the general Federal budget and have spent it on other things. They have in recent years finally come to the realization that… oh my… we spent all the money on other things! We don’t have any more and yet we have all these obligations to the people who paid in.
So, I really think this is the ultimate aim of Obama DeathCare (a government-run system). They realize they need to kill off as many elderly people as they can to save money. I’m not saying I support that… far from it… I’m going to be one of them here before long (unless they move the goal posts again)… but that appears to be their aim in rationing health care.
I see these reports of our national debt being $11-12 Trillion. That’s laughable. The total obligations are WAY beyond that. What they ought to do is be honest and actually put these obligations on the books. They ought to set up some type of government bond annuity equal to every person’s share in Social Security (in effect what they paid in) and then cut people loose except for the very poor and reset the system so they keep their hands off of it…. probably need to turn it over to the States where it belongs. The same thing for Medicare, except it would be in the form of HSA’s to buy private insurance.
But… the problem is… this will always go back to the old argument of government’s role versus individual liberty…. and how you finance a safety net and for which people… where is the money going to come from when we have a dwindling population that pays into the system? Especially since HALF the taxable population does not pay taxes AT ALL!!
Sorry… I’m rambling… I need another roll of duct tape for my head, DT.
Kathy on August 21, 2009 at 7:51 am
Maybe I am missing something but it would seem to me that a 74 year working full time, paying income tax, ss tax and medicare ,is a whole lot more valuable to the gov. than a 30 something that is not working.
Also it would seem that the older folks who are still working are probably as healthy as some of the younger ones who are not working.
What are these clowns going to do for money when they have to depend on those who have not skill, work ethic or desire to improve themselves. They are still going to need to have people paying taxes and there are not enough wealthy folks for that.
Fan – Dug is absolutely correct about our government robbing Peter to pay Paul…only problem here is that the only source of money they have is us. These programs are ponzi schemes that are unsustainable.
Now I wasn’t right there when these programs were started but after doing my research into history, it appears these programs were set up with the socialist shifting of our country in mind. When you have the 6x Socialist Party candidate for president (Norman Mattoon Thomas) stating that he doesn’t have to run anymore because the Democratic Party has adopted the entire Socialist Party platform – we have a very large problem. But back to the issues at hand. Yes, the intent behind these programs is right and good, but like Dug has said, wasn’t there a better way to do it? I have been paying into SS for my entire life and I know it isn’t going to be there and I am currently working the problem of no SS and no retirement funds.
I wrote a piece recently where I stated that a society that does not take care of it’s elderly has so very large moral compass issues. I still believe that – but these programs were not set up to enrich society – they were set up to drain every single last one of us dry. I am willing to bet there are quite a few smart people out there that would know how to tweak these programs and actually make them self-sustainable.
Dug – the death panels are just icing on the cake for these idiots. I don’t honestly believe that they are trying to shove this through to just get rid of a huge segment of the population that is costing too much money. I just think that they are all as dumb as a bag of hammers because they really believe that government healthcare will be deficit neutral, the tooth fairy exists, and Obama has his own private army of unicorns.
Kathy – here is the comment I wrote to Dug about the unicorns.
Dug – the death panels are just icing on the cake for these idiots. I don’t honestly believe that they are trying to shove this through to just get rid of a huge segment of the population that is costing too much money. I just think that they are all as dumb as a bag of hammers because they really believe that government healthcare will be deficit neutral, the tooth fairy exists, and Obama has his own private army of unicorns.
Dug on August 21, 2009 at 8:55 am
Kathy… I agree that a 74 year old that is still working is more valuable to the State than a 30 year old who is not. Unfortunately, a lot of employers don’t seem to think so. Having worked in large corporations for going on 40 years now, I marvel at how quickly these companies put their senior workforce out to pasture. They are such headlong into a rush to offshore work to other countries, that they don’t think that they could possibly restructure some of the older people’s jobs such that they could still use them. I know my company has laid off so many senior-level workers in favor of inexperienced overseas workers, that there has been a huge brain drain and customers are starting to notice.
Quite frankly… even if I “retire” from my current job, I intend to still work in some capacity… for three reasons: 1) I’ll probably need the money (especially given what they may do with SS and Medicare), 2) It keeps me engaged with people and my mind sharp, and 3) I won’t be around the house as much to drive my wife crazy. The other reason that Kathy alluded to is that it helps to keep you healthy and going. My grandmother lived to be 94, not only because she took care of herself, but almost up until the day she died, she was still managing her little set of apartments she rented. Had she not had that… which was a constant headache for her… I don’t she would have lasted as long as she did.
One of my biggest concerns for those of us who have managed to put some money aside in 401Ks, IRAs, etc., the government may become so starved for money, they will come after those assets, as well. This is the next thing I am expecting. Once one starts down this slippery slope we are now on… everything becomes game for the predator government.
Dug on August 21, 2009 at 9:01 am
I just think that they are all as dumb as a bag of hammers because they really believe that government healthcare will be deficit neutral, the tooth fairy exists, and Obama has his own private army of unicorns.
DT… lol …. That made my day! Thank you!
With all the duct tape we are using… we all need to get together and watch Red Green’s “Duct Tape Forever”
Dug – here’s something that will really make your day. What they are attempting to do is not going to happen and I truly see a rebirth of America as it should have been before the robber-baron pilgrims started gaming the system.
We have been reading your blog for a long time and want to thank you for the way you drill down into topics and issues. I have passed along links to your articles as a way to try and get more people informed.
I just started my own blog after being inspired by you and others on top of just being generally pissed off at the government. The name ‘One Nerve Left’ just about says it all.
We are going to DC, arriving Thursday and coming back Sunday and would love nothing more than to shake your hand and Dr. Kate’s and all the rockin’ women that make my day, every day.
I would love to meet you also. I will send an email and thanks for your support! I love the name of your blog…can you pass the duct tape?
Dug on August 21, 2009 at 12:13 pm
DT… I would love to go to DC and be with y’all. But, my work schedule and load is just not going to allow me to. But, I will be there in spirit!
Be sure and send me some pics!
Practical Madman on August 21, 2009 at 12:53 pm
If anyone is thinking of putting any money into the stock market….invest in DUCT TAPE!!!!!!
This gov’t makes me so CRAZY and my head is about to explode too!!!
Social Security was a good idea that was created with good intentions (or at least sold to us that way) but it has been hijacked for pure evil intentions. It is pure evil to make a people think that any gov’t is their savior and that they do not need to take care of themselves and their family, because the gov’t is there to do it for them. This was the beginning of the demoralization of this country. When people stop taking care of family, the country has lost it’s moral compass.
Dug: Many apologies for misunderstanding your point. I agree with you (and Diamond) that the government has been using money that was supposed to be set aside for other purposes which is a large part of the problem, if not all of it. Frankly I am so disgusted with our government in general that I cannot believe a word coming from anyone of any party. The way I see it, it really doesn’t matter what the party affiliation, they all do the same bullshit. Screw us over any (and every) way they can.
Fan – I won’t speak for dug, but you don’t need to apologize to me because the people that come here are independent thinkers who can actually do math and are good at using critical thinking skills. Most of us cannot stand our government and know that the both parties are just two sides of the same coin….taking our money and giving it to someone else.
Dug on August 21, 2009 at 3:20 pm
Fan – no worries. You don’t need to apologize to me. I will be the first to admit these are complex issues, with many different facets. It is easy to sometimes go down a path someone didn’t intend.
Diamond is right… there are some very good folks here who actually can use their God-given critical thinking skills and can recognize fallacious, circular reasoning and assumptive statements when they see them. That’s why enjoy The Monster’s blog so much.
But, a lot of that complexity is not because of “We the People”… it is because government has interjected itself into areas that were never intended. I think that is something that most of us here agree on.
Those charts are “priceless.” I think some one should send them to the Chinese. Perhaps they might consider an expedited removal of His Wholly Reluctance God/King Obama and his acolytes–as they are devaluing the investment ($9 Trillion projected 10-year deficit) by insane leaps and bounds.
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PICTURE #2 – post World War II
NOW, look at the left chart for today.
It would seem that Ted is counting on the sympathy factor to get what he wants. After seeing Barney in action I hope that the citizens of Massachusetts will not fall for this.
Irony seems to play a lot this political climate and this situation is just another example of it. It is a very clear what the motives are in this and it seems to be that the residents of Massachusetts know first hand how bad a gov. run health care plan can be.
Ted doesn’t have to worry about the next election but Deval does.
What frosts me about the above charts is… for those of us who have been forced to “play the game” that the liberals setup 40-50+ years ago for the past 40 working years… having our paychecks raped every week/month for Social Security and Medicare… are now being told… oh… we spent your money on something else in the Federal budget and we now need to change the rules of the game in the 9th inning.
I am a little better off than a lot of people in my generation (baby-boomer) because we saved. But, I wonder how many baby boomers have really thought about this and the implications. Personally, I think they are still working their butts off (those that still have a job) and many haven’t raised their head long enough to really look at it.
If these Congresscritters think these townhalls were rough… wait until they try to pull the rug out from under this entire generation after sucking them dry on payroll taxes to pay for their runaway spending on things they should not have. I keep telling people I know that the DeathCare bill is part of this strategy. The lib elites realize they need to kill as many of us off as possible, so they don’t have to make good on their end of “the deal”… which should have never been set up to begin with.
And, btw, an ever-increasing portion of that government slice of the pie is going to be interest payments on debt here before long.
I don’t think that Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid are bad programs. In fact, they are essential to the well being of many who otherwise would be denied basic sustenance and care. Agreed, the framers never considered the need for these program vastly because of societal changes. For instance, the elderly and less fortunate were generally respected and taken care of by their families during the time our nation was born. It was the custom as it still is in much of the world. As our society has (d)evolved into a capitalist semi-monarchy ruled by King profit of a few at the expense of the many, the elderly and less fortunate have been left to fend for themselves in a world with the deck intentionally stacked against them. And usually they don’t fend so well. So programs like Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid have become essential to providing a safety net that families struggling to survive on their own are unable to offer.
While I will agree that many game the system and in general the massive bureaucracy put in place to oversee these programs is sorely inefficient, they are still necessary evils (as it were). And frankly, a majority of people that complain about them claim to be Christians which boggles the mind when one considers the basic tenets of the faith.
My mother is 74 years old and still works a full time job. Without Social Security from my father’s death and Medicare to pay her health care bills she could not survive. Period. If I was in a position to help her financially I would but I am left fending for myself just trying to get by.
So what solution to this example of a problem do you that think these programs are so heinous propose? Do you think my mother should just die off because she is not a contributing member of society, a drain on your resources or something? Would not this attitude be no different than the “death panels” everyone so rightly objects to? Does not your zeal to demonize those less fortunate merely betray your own self-centered in it for me morality?
Pardon the harsh questions, but when this effects your family then possibly you might understand why these programs are essential. And perhaps you might even be thankful for them.
I am not saying that anyone here actually harbors any of these thoughts. But my questions are valid and worthy of considerable debate.
The Ted factor is a symptom of a much greater disease. Yes, he is being selfish and hypocritical but the Democratic party itself is as well. And Republicans are not immune from gaming the system to their advantage which doesn’t take a whole lot of research to prove. Let’s face facts, We the People get screwed coming and going.
One Party Rules
Fan… I don’t think anyone is saying we don’t need a safety net for the elderly. What I object to is government entering into what amounts to a “social contract” with society that basically says… you pay into the system and when you reach that age, you will be a beneficiary of what you paid into the system. That is how this has been sold to the public for decades. In fact, employer pension plans, financial investments, our tax code… everything is based on this predication.
So… now… fast forward from the 1930’s and 1965 to present day. What the government has done is they have taken all that money we have paid in and have made it part of the general Federal budget and have spent it on other things. They have in recent years finally come to the realization that… oh my… we spent all the money on other things! We don’t have any more and yet we have all these obligations to the people who paid in.
So, I really think this is the ultimate aim of Obama DeathCare (a government-run system). They realize they need to kill off as many elderly people as they can to save money. I’m not saying I support that… far from it… I’m going to be one of them here before long (unless they move the goal posts again)… but that appears to be their aim in rationing health care.
I see these reports of our national debt being $11-12 Trillion. That’s laughable. The total obligations are WAY beyond that. What they ought to do is be honest and actually put these obligations on the books. They ought to set up some type of government bond annuity equal to every person’s share in Social Security (in effect what they paid in) and then cut people loose except for the very poor and reset the system so they keep their hands off of it…. probably need to turn it over to the States where it belongs. The same thing for Medicare, except it would be in the form of HSA’s to buy private insurance.
But… the problem is… this will always go back to the old argument of government’s role versus individual liberty…. and how you finance a safety net and for which people… where is the money going to come from when we have a dwindling population that pays into the system? Especially since HALF the taxable population does not pay taxes AT ALL!!
Sorry… I’m rambling… I need another roll of duct tape for my head, DT.
Maybe I am missing something but it would seem to me that a 74 year working full time, paying income tax, ss tax and medicare ,is a whole lot more valuable to the gov. than a 30 something that is not working.
Also it would seem that the older folks who are still working are probably as healthy as some of the younger ones who are not working.
What are these clowns going to do for money when they have to depend on those who have not skill, work ethic or desire to improve themselves. They are still going to need to have people paying taxes and there are not enough wealthy folks for that.
Fan – Dug is absolutely correct about our government robbing Peter to pay Paul…only problem here is that the only source of money they have is us. These programs are ponzi schemes that are unsustainable.
Now I wasn’t right there when these programs were started but after doing my research into history, it appears these programs were set up with the socialist shifting of our country in mind. When you have the 6x Socialist Party candidate for president (Norman Mattoon Thomas) stating that he doesn’t have to run anymore because the Democratic Party has adopted the entire Socialist Party platform – we have a very large problem. But back to the issues at hand. Yes, the intent behind these programs is right and good, but like Dug has said, wasn’t there a better way to do it? I have been paying into SS for my entire life and I know it isn’t going to be there and I am currently working the problem of no SS and no retirement funds.
I wrote a piece recently where I stated that a society that does not take care of it’s elderly has so very large moral compass issues. I still believe that – but these programs were not set up to enrich society – they were set up to drain every single last one of us dry. I am willing to bet there are quite a few smart people out there that would know how to tweak these programs and actually make them self-sustainable.
Dug – the death panels are just icing on the cake for these idiots. I don’t honestly believe that they are trying to shove this through to just get rid of a huge segment of the population that is costing too much money. I just think that they are all as dumb as a bag of hammers because they really believe that government healthcare will be deficit neutral, the tooth fairy exists, and Obama has his own private army of unicorns.
Dug – pass the duct tape – I’m out! 😉
Kathy – have you refreshed and seen my comment about unicorns?
Not sure where to look. I do not see it.
Kathy – here is the comment I wrote to Dug about the unicorns.
Kathy… I agree that a 74 year old that is still working is more valuable to the State than a 30 year old who is not. Unfortunately, a lot of employers don’t seem to think so. Having worked in large corporations for going on 40 years now, I marvel at how quickly these companies put their senior workforce out to pasture. They are such headlong into a rush to offshore work to other countries, that they don’t think that they could possibly restructure some of the older people’s jobs such that they could still use them. I know my company has laid off so many senior-level workers in favor of inexperienced overseas workers, that there has been a huge brain drain and customers are starting to notice.
Quite frankly… even if I “retire” from my current job, I intend to still work in some capacity… for three reasons: 1) I’ll probably need the money (especially given what they may do with SS and Medicare), 2) It keeps me engaged with people and my mind sharp, and 3) I won’t be around the house as much to drive my wife crazy. The other reason that Kathy alluded to is that it helps to keep you healthy and going. My grandmother lived to be 94, not only because she took care of herself, but almost up until the day she died, she was still managing her little set of apartments she rented. Had she not had that… which was a constant headache for her… I don’t she would have lasted as long as she did.
One of my biggest concerns for those of us who have managed to put some money aside in 401Ks, IRAs, etc., the government may become so starved for money, they will come after those assets, as well. This is the next thing I am expecting. Once one starts down this slippery slope we are now on… everything becomes game for the predator government.
DT… lol …. That made my day! Thank you!
With all the duct tape we are using… we all need to get together and watch Red Green’s “Duct Tape Forever”
Dug – here’s something that will really make your day. What they are attempting to do is not going to happen and I truly see a rebirth of America as it should have been before the robber-baron pilgrims started gaming the system.
Hey Diamond,
We have been reading your blog for a long time and want to thank you for the way you drill down into topics and issues. I have passed along links to your articles as a way to try and get more people informed.
I just started my own blog after being inspired by you and others on top of just being generally pissed off at the government. The name ‘One Nerve Left’ just about says it all.
We are going to DC, arriving Thursday and coming back Sunday and would love nothing more than to shake your hand and Dr. Kate’s and all the rockin’ women that make my day, every day.
Keep it up and see you in DC !
One Nerve Left
I would love to meet you also. I will send an email and thanks for your support! I love the name of your blog…can you pass the duct tape?
DT… I would love to go to DC and be with y’all. But, my work schedule and load is just not going to allow me to. But, I will be there in spirit!
Be sure and send me some pics!
If anyone is thinking of putting any money into the stock market….invest in DUCT TAPE!!!!!!
This gov’t makes me so CRAZY and my head is about to explode too!!!
Social Security was a good idea that was created with good intentions (or at least sold to us that way) but it has been hijacked for pure evil intentions. It is pure evil to make a people think that any gov’t is their savior and that they do not need to take care of themselves and their family, because the gov’t is there to do it for them. This was the beginning of the demoralization of this country. When people stop taking care of family, the country has lost it’s moral compass.
Dug: Many apologies for misunderstanding your point. I agree with you (and Diamond) that the government has been using money that was supposed to be set aside for other purposes which is a large part of the problem, if not all of it. Frankly I am so disgusted with our government in general that I cannot believe a word coming from anyone of any party. The way I see it, it really doesn’t matter what the party affiliation, they all do the same bullshit. Screw us over any (and every) way they can.
Please accept my sincere apology.
Fan – I won’t speak for dug, but you don’t need to apologize to me because the people that come here are independent thinkers who can actually do math and are good at using critical thinking skills. Most of us cannot stand our government and know that the both parties are just two sides of the same coin….taking our money and giving it to someone else.
Fan – no worries. You don’t need to apologize to me. I will be the first to admit these are complex issues, with many different facets. It is easy to sometimes go down a path someone didn’t intend.
Diamond is right… there are some very good folks here who actually can use their God-given critical thinking skills and can recognize fallacious, circular reasoning and assumptive statements when they see them. That’s why enjoy The Monster’s blog so much.
But, a lot of that complexity is not because of “We the People”… it is because government has interjected itself into areas that were never intended. I think that is something that most of us here agree on.
Keep up the good fight!
Those charts are “priceless.” I think some one should send them to the Chinese.
Perhaps they might consider an expedited removal of His Wholly Reluctance God/King Obama and his acolytes–as they are devaluing the investment ($9 Trillion projected 10-year deficit) by insane leaps and bounds.