The Republicans are the Problem

[1robin]

I've read several of your posts, though not the entire thread. They're all in the same vein - we're selfish, lazy, entitled brats who want to get rich off your hard work. Not a fact in sight.

As for politicians, 95% of them care about one thing and one thing only: their careers. The other 5% rarely get far.

Lastly, it's not so much comic relief as trolling.

That is BS. I make it a habit of not doing that. I hate claims that have nothing to back them up and I avoid makeing them in general. I will admit to saying some of the characteristics you claim but I always make it clear why I say them. They usually take longer to type than factual ones and I am lazy. Sounds like you are just frustrated. Like I said just hang out and relax I don't usually make claims devoid of facts. If your looking for who is the emotional illogical side in this look at the thread title.

 

[Penumbra]

That is BS. I make it a habit of not doing that. I hate claims that have nothing to back them up and I avoid makeing them in general.

Please feel free to back up the claim you made that I contested in post 197.

 

[Storm]

That is BS. I make it a habit of not doing that. I hate claims that have nothing to back them up and I avoid makeing them in general.

Shall I start quoting them?

I will admit to saying some of the characteristics you claim but I always make it clear why I say them.

No, you didn't.

They usually take longer to type than factual ones and I am lazy. Sounds like you are just frustrated. Like I said just hang out and relax I don't usually make claims devoid of facts. If your looking for who is the emotional illogical side in this look at the thread title.

Did you read the OP? The GOP has been proudly claiming obstructionism since Obama got into office!

 

[1robin]

Please feel free to back up the claim you made that I contested in post 197.

No problem but I am out of time. Remind me if I forget.

 

[1robin]

Shall I start quoting them?

I don't care

No, you didn't.

Yes I did or generally do. Get off the soapbox.

Did you read the OP? The GOP has been proudly claiming obstructionism since Obama got into office!

Thank God almighty. That's the most benevolent action I can think of. I am out of time, but will take this up again real soon.

 

[Storm]

I don't care

About the truth? What a shock.

Yes I did or generally do. Get off the soapbox.

You haven't in the last dozen or so posts I've read. I don't know what your standard of "generally" is, but that sure as hell doesn't meet mine.

Thank God almighty. That's the most benevolent action I can think of. I am out of time, but will take this up again real soon.

IOW, the accusation is true, you just think it's justified.

 

[Copernicus]

Please feel free to back up the claim you made that I contested in post 197.

No problem but I am out of time. Remind me if I forget.

You seem to have a lot of time to make claims that you don't back up, so consider this a reminder from someone else. Let's see that graph before you make another post. The statement that you "saw a graph the other day" does not adequately back up the claim.

 

[Skeptisch]

Could this be part of the problem?

“The United States now stands alone in the developed world as a country that conducts its national discourse under the shadow of religious literalism. Eighty-three percent of the U.S. population believes that Jesus literally rose from the dead; 53% believe that the universe is 6,000 years old. This is embarrassing. Add to this comedy of false certainties the fact that 44% of Americans are confident that Jesus will return to Earth sometime in the next 50 years and you will glimpse the terrible liability of this sort of thinking.
Nearly half of the American population is eagerly anticipating the end of the world. This dewy-eyed nihilism provides absolutely no incentive to build a sustainable civilization. Many of these people are lunatics, but they are not the lunatic fringe. Some of them can actually get Karl Rove on the phone whenever they want.”
Sam Harris

 

[Jacksnyte]

Could this be part of the problem?

“The United States now stands alone in the developed world as a country that conducts its national discourse under the shadow of religious literalism. Eighty-three percent of the U.S. population believes that Jesus literally rose from the dead; 53% believe that the universe is 6,000 years old. This is embarrassing. Add to this comedy of false certainties the fact that 44% of Americans are confident that Jesus will return to Earth sometime in the next 50 years and you will glimpse the terrible liability of this sort of thinking.
Nearly half of the American population is eagerly anticipating the end of the world. This dewy-eyed nihilism provides absolutely no incentive to build a sustainable civilization. Many of these people are lunatics, but they are not the lunatic fringe. Some of them can actually get Karl Rove on the phone whenever they want.”
Sam Harris

Very, very frightening, isn't it? If something isn't done about this, we may soon have a theocracy posing as a "democracy".

 

[tytlyf]

Post 125 by

The tea party is so racist that liberals had to resort to sending in their own people with racist signs in order to produce a photograph of a racist tea party sign. Pathetic. Obama threw more money down the drain in three years than bush spent in 8 and then said Bush was wastefull. Fail.

We have worse unemployment numbers under Obama three years later than we did under Bush especially among african americans. Who's racist? Obama got over 90% of the african american vote. Who's racist?

That was your response to my post 124. And I proved you wrong with your lame liberals sending in racist signs. You don't have facts to back up your Rushy, Becky, Hannity nonsense. It's like an alternate universe and very obvious to spot in your replies.

 

[Dirty Penguin]

Wages are supposed to be driven by supply and demand not by collective bargaining. There is no legitamate reason for this disparity and there is absolutely no way to establish that the taxpayer is responsible for paying a guy 40$ an hour to change light bulbs when he would make 10$ hr in the private sector.

You have a propensity to over exaggerate. While I can't be sure you're being totally honest as to the one single job function this guy supposedly had I will say that I see nothing wrong with what he's getting paid. I've been in plenty of federal and local court rooms and changing light bulbs in these facilities is nothing like changing the light bulb in your lamp on your nightstand. We're talking about ceiling heights of 20 to 50 feet. We're talking about using equipment that puts the person at a more significant risks to change bulbs..such as ladders and/or motorized lifts. We're talking about fixtures that are 120 and/or 240 volts. We're talking about people who do this everyday all day and in many cases in multiple facilities.

Italian mountaineer dies falling off church steeple - Telegraph

Many of the guys I know that do this work "changing light bulbs" also have to repair them such as replacing the balusters or even replacing the fixture itself. Not to mention that at any given facility there can be hundreds of lights....inside as well as outside. They also have to be compliant with fire safety rules and subject to scheduled and random inspections to make sure exit signs are illuminated at all times

Capitalism works, when it is subverted by the government then failure is expected and soon realised.

You can't let capitalism run completely free unchecked with no or limited regulations. That is what in essence we did with the banks years ago and it's what contributed to a collapse in our economic structure. If we fail to hold companies/corporations accountable then we pay the price.

You seem to suggest that the guy who makes 40$ hr to change bulbs isn't paid enough. Amazing.

What's amazing is that you don't really seem to get it. I never suggested he wasn't getting paid enough. I think his pay is fine and is most likely commensurate with the job function(s) he has. You seem to be suggesting he's getting paid too much without really understanding or knowing all that he does on a daily basis. I know because I've worked in a facilities dept for fed. govt. and know exactly what the "light bulb" changer does.

If that logic is ever universally applied as it is being suggested even now we are doomed.

Your assessment is irrational because that's not what I'm suggesting. I'm suggesting people be paid according to what it cost to live and for their particular skill set.

Is anything ever enough for a democrat until the well runs dry and a new parasitic host is found.

This is pathetic and low. I'm a Dem and I work for a public school system. Right off the back you should realize I'm not making a lot money. Additionally I've gone plenty of years here without seeing one red cent of a cost of living increase in the bad economy even though the cost of living itself has increased. I have bills just like everyone else. I don't live beyond my means and it is still tough making sure I stay a float. I find that many republicans (not all) are simply out of touch with (Joe Everyman).

Like I said...We pay more to a McDonald's worker in minimum wage than we did years ago. McDonald's process and business hasn't changed. The guy on the line is flipping the burger the same way it was done years ago. Would you suggest we lower the minimum wage because the job is easy and hasn't changed or do you think the minimum wage being twice than what it used to be is justified in today's economy?

 

[Skeptisch]

 

[Dirty Penguin]

I don't disagree with all the rest of your posted content, but I disagree with this.

If two people making $40/hr can't generate a very large monthly surplus, then they're almost certainly making enormous financial mistakes, or living way above their means

Possibly but I know and work with many in my school district that are faced with these tough economic responsibilities.

or choose to have way too many children compared to what they expected to be able to support.

On top of all your bills you may need to put your two children in daycare while you work. The cost per child is around $235- $250 per week. While many families are larger than my scenario you can see how this would be tough for two parents with two kids. About time you subtract their monthly bills from their net pay their not left with very much. And what's left over can be saved unless it falls into the category of (incidental)...such as car repair, child/school obligation..or other misc. expenses that seem to come out of nowhere.

Two years ago this happened to me. I needed car repair. It was definately unforseen. I needed struts for the front of my car. This isn't the type of work Harry Homeowner can do himself. I needed two struts. Each costing $280 and that's not including what it cost to have them put on. All I'm saying is in tough economic times life continues to happen regardless of a families efforts to save money or how many kids they have.

 

[1robin]

Post 125 by


That was your response to my post 124. And I proved you wrong with your lame liberals sending in racist signs. You don't have facts to back up your Rushy, Becky, Hannity nonsense. It's like an alternate universe and very obvious to spot in your replies.

How and when did you prove me wrong?

 

[MD]

Blasphemy! Raegen was the best president ever! Republicans save economies! Wars build economies! Call in the minutemen project, I think we should check your birth certificate. Romney 2012! GO FOX NEWS!!!

(I'm being sarcastic )

 

[idea]

similar trends?

"Number of inmates. 1920 to 2006.[1][2] (absolute numbers) General US population grew only 2.8 times in the same period, but the number of inmates increased more than 20 times."
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Incarceration_in_the_United_States

I think the problem lies within the population, not with the leadership. Work ethic is deteriorated, as are marriages, the solution has to start within individuals...

 

[MD]

similar trends?

"Number of inmates. 1920 to 2006.[1][2] (absolute numbers) General US population grew only 2.8 times in the same period, but the number of inmates increased more than 20 times."
Incarceration in the United States - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

I think the problem lies within the population, not with the leadership. Work ethic is deteriorated, as are marriages, the solution has to start within individuals...

I wonder how many of those incarcerated were prosecuted for marijuana posession...

 

[idea]

I wonder how many of those incarcerated were prosecuted for marijuana posession...

Looks like things started going crazy in the 70's, but marijuana was illegal way before that right? so that's prob not the main cause. It would be nice to know what triggered the onset of the trend though.

here's another graph with the same trend:
http://www.bsos.umd.edu/socy/vanneman/socy441/trends/divorce.html

looks like divorce rates skyrocketed the same time the debt did, and imprisonment did... the family really is the fundamental building block of society....

wow, I'm not Catholic... but here is another graph that matches the trend:

http://onemoresoul.com/downloadable-pamphlets/divorce-rate-graph-and-history-table.html

 

[1robin]

You never backed up your claim. Just what everyone has been telling you this whole time. I think you're a troll. And a woman.

Why do you think I am a woman? Must every troll be a woman. I am in no way agreeing with you. By the way you are now wrong two more times. So you claim you proved me wrong by saying I never provided proof. Then you make two bogus claims and provided no proof. Amazing. You are entertaining anyway. Your original claim that tea party people were racists was not backed up and so by your standards you are wrong. About my claim I said when I made it I saw it on several news casts about two years ago and can't there are no links to them. If you don't believe it then ignore it. I don't care.

 

[Penumbra]

similar trends?

"Number of inmates. 1920 to 2006.[1][2] (absolute numbers) General US population grew only 2.8 times in the same period, but the number of inmates increased more than 20 times."
Incarceration in the United States - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Compare that to this chart.

The chart form is from wikipedia but the data is from the Bureau of Justice Statistics

Comparing these charts:

-Incarceration skyrocketed starting in 1980 and kept going up.
-Violent crime per capita, however, had a small dip in 1980, then kept going up until the early 1990's, and then had a long sustained dip to levels below 1980.

It seems to me that the numbers of violent crime per year, per 100,000 people, is a more reliable statistic about the general population than the number of people incarcerated.

I think the problem lies within the population, not with the leadership. Work ethic is deteriorated, as are marriages, the solution has to start within individuals...

In the U.S., the average number of hours worked per year is fairly high by international standards.
Source: International Comparisons of GDP per Capita,GDP per Hour, and Related Measures, 1960–2009

The number of hours worked per year in the U.S. changes over time, but the number of hours worked in 1980 and the number of hours worked today are very close. Something like 1790 hours per year on average for an employed person now compared to 1820 hours per year in 1980.
Source: http://www.bls.gov/opub/mlr/2009/05/art1full.pdf

The GDP per hour worked has increased in the U.S. as well:
Source: International Comparisons of GDP per Capita,GDP per Hour, and Related Measures, 1960–2009

So I'm not really sure what your statement regarding work ethic is based on.

Budget deficits and debt are linked to pretty specific decisions by Congress and the presidents. While changing population, like the percentage of informed voters, or personal responsibility, can sure play a part in electing quality leadership, many of the decisions themselves are linked to leadership after that point.

Looks like things started going crazy in the 70's, but marijuana was illegal way before that right? so that's prob not the main cause. It would be nice to know what triggered the onset of the trend though.

Here's a similar version of the incarceration chart.

here's another graph with the same trend:
Divorce rate trends

looks like divorce rates skyrocketed the same time the debt did, and imprisonment did... the family really is the fundamental building block of society....

wow, I'm not Catholic... but here is another graph that matches the trend:

Divorce Rate Graph and History Table | One More Soul

Your charts show divorce rates skyrocketing prior to 1980, and then staying fairly flat and going downward after that.

The debt, however, began skyrocketing in 1980.

Therefore, this statement:

looks like divorce rates skyrocketed the same time the debt did

Is not only incorrect, but actually inverse to what the numbers are. Divorce rates started heading mildly downward at the same time debt started increasing substantially.