How far does the corrruption go?

bukowski · #1 (**permalink**) 11-09-2006, 07:51 AM

Greetings Everyone,

I'm new here, and I just want to say that I needed to write to say how relieved I am that the Republicans really lost their power today. It is a great day for the U.S.

I'm a left-wing liberal who did leave the country when the Neo-Facist/Christian Right won the elections in 2004.

For many, this behavior is deemed as a betrayal to one's country. It is not. It comes from deep pain, that is not relieved by our typical political discourse and the vitriol spewed by our politicians and citizens... It comes from truly believing in your country and the IDEALS it stands for... It's when you can't bear to see what is going on... I love the U.S. and I could not watch it being destroyed before my very eyes.

As an English teacher, I have always been able to travel. I worked in many countries in Latin America, which have a distinctly leftist slant. And I noticed two things right away:

1) Most Latin American countries still think of the US in an older sense of our ideals. There are statues of George Washington everywhere. He represented a revolution... He represented anti-establishment... He was against the monarchies, the fat cats, the abusers, the imperialists... And they have a hard time reconciling that view with the U.S. under the Neo-Cons.

2) Since these countries are not at war (many have never even been in a war), they have little to no hate speech... There are no Rush Limbaugh's, no Bill O'Reilly's, no Ann Coulter's, etc. etc. etc...

The discussion, the argument, is the gap between the rich and the poor. A country with dignity cannot have people dying of hunger or being dirt poor. Many Latinos that have never been to the U.S. believe that in the U.S. this gap doesn't exist or is minor. It was Hurricane Katrina that opened their eyes. They saw that poor people do exist in the U.S. that they struggled through a terrible storm that they did NOT cause (no matter what Pat Robertson might say) and they saw the fat cats of America sit by and watch them drown.

Here, the worries are education, healthcare, jobs and the economy. That's all. That's it.

And the U.S. is failing in many aspects of these issues.

One is the education of our leaders... These men went to the best schools, the best universities; they are supposed to be the brightest...

Didn't they have a clue about what they were getting into in Iraq? I mean, I'm no scholar on the Middle East, but I did know that Iraq was divided internally by several factions which had no love for one another. It was well-known that the Shiites, the Sunnis and the Kurds didn't get along... It was the Brits (the Red Coats) who drew the line around Iraq to control the oil there.

Did Bush, Cheney, Rumsfeld, Rice, Rove, Wolfowitz and Perle really think it was going to be a cakewalk?

It's hard for me to decipher this part, because that would mean that I actually know more about the region than these almighty leaders... Or, they knew about it and they did it anyway... For political gain, for personal gain...

While the U.S. looks on every Latin American country as corrupt, here they talk about the corruption in the U.S. that no one in the U.S. talks about...

War is about money, it's about crucial natural resources, and it's about power and the strategy to maintain it.

Who made the money on this war? Who gained from this war? (I wish I really could know the numbers, including the bribes, the abuses and the "lost" money.)

Were the negotiations just? Or was it "contracts for cronies"? (In Hurricane Katrina it was contracts for cronies, and financially, the money spent there was a drop compared to the money thrown at Iraq...)

The corruption scandals have shown that what I'm asking is fair... I do not believe Neo-Cons are idealists in any way, shape or form. I believe they are abusers, fat cats, wannabe imperialists. They represent the new Red Coats (even the Brits backed off on this one!!!)

I cannot even stand the sight of these people with their pockets stuffed with dirty money, never noticing the bright red blood on their hands. I will never be a shareholder of Halliburton, or Bechtel, or the Carlyle Group... NO MATTER HOW MUCH I CAN MAKE!!! This is the worst of the worst of humanity. These are the guys who don't care if they kill a few thousand families so they can drink the best cognac and eat high-priced meals in FRENCH restaurants...

Since Republicans always blame Liberals for not having an agenda (which many times is true), I will outline mine.

1. ABORTION

Stays legal. Yes, I do have a problem with abortion; it will never be an easy subject. But the world is first come, first serve. Why do Pro-Lifers get so worked up about a fetus in development while choosing to IGNORE the thousands of children who are hungry or needing help? This just makes no sense to me whatsoever... So, you don't take care about those WHO ARE ALIVE, and you REALLY, REALLY CARE about someone who hasn't been born yet??? I prefer to give it up for kids who go to bed hungry, or have abusive parents or are suffering from a disease and they can't be regular kids. They come first in my book.

2. HOW TO STOP THE WAR.

First fix the sloppy, disturbing, incompetent job this government has done. That means training the Iraqis to defend themselves. Bring/force/negotiate with other moderate Arab nations to help. Reduce the number of U.S. troops; force the Iraqi forces to become responsible.

How to get out of this mess forever? America used to have great scientists and inventors, go to alternative fuels, force the oil companies to finance it (ha ha, that's a kicker!). Give up on war as a way to make a buck. Force weapons manufacturers and those who make money on blood to go into another line of business (another kicker!). The War on Terror, the War on Drugs... Yeah, right... Any War Will Do To Sell More Missiles.

GET OUT OF THE MIDDLE EAST. (If somebody came into your house, like they owned it, over and over again, you'd get to the point where you're going to try to stop them... The Brits, Europe and the U.S. have worn out their welcome in the Middle East a long, long time ago...) Become a neutral (fair) arbitrator between Israel and the region. You cannot say you're neutral then support Israel each and every time.

3. ECONOMY

Be fair with taxes... The government should spend much of its time creating job opportunities and making sure Americans are receiving the education to succeed in those opportunities.

4. HEALTHCARE

Get over it Republicans, THERE ARE POOR PEOPLE WHO NEED HEALTHCARE. You don't want to cure them in time, fine; you'll pay much more later. There has to be a way for those who don't drive a BMW to get a shot, or some medicine or see a doctor for a few bucks... paid by OUR tax dollars and by the RICH & WEALTHY. Yeah, you guys, who are truly reaping the MOST BENEFITS of OUR society. Maybe bringing the pharmaceutical industry and the HMO's down a few notches could help. If you want to find these people, they're also drinking cognac in French restaurants.

Oh, and for those who have a problem with this "socialist" line of thinking... You don't seem to mind how our "communistic" military complex is run (it runs on tax dollars, don't it? Run by the State, correct? Just like in old Communist Russia, right?) And I just don't want to give out any more handouts to these folks...

5. EDUCATION

Instead of the dull, inadequate mess they teach at school, it's time to teach philosophy and critical thinking. I know this goes against religious types and those who believe in indoctrination in general, but we need people who can think clearly without have their heads filled with drivel: dogma, traditions and the conservation (uh-hum, conservatives...) of the status quo because it suits their greed and lifestyle.

Well, that's my three cents. I hope to be back in the U.S. soon, I miss it, and I'll be smiling wide when I get there!

Peace.

Areyouforreal · #2 (**permalink**) 11-09-2006, 08:23 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by bukowski

Greetings Everyone,

I'm new here, and I just want to say that I needed to write to say how relieved I am that the Republicans really lost their power today. It is a great day for the U.S.

I'm a left-wing liberal who did leave the country when the Neo-Facist/Christian Right won the elections in 2004.

For many, this behavior is deemed as a betrayal to one's country. It is not. It comes from deep pain, that is not relieved by our typical political discourse and the vitriol spewed by our politicians and citizens... It comes from truly believing in your country and the IDEALS it stands for... It's when you can't bear to see what is going on... I love the U.S. and I could not watch it being destroyed before my very eyes.

Wow leaving the country just because you party lost. What a way to show support for your country

As an English teacher, I have always been able to travel. I worked in many countries in Latin America, which have a distinctly leftist slant. And I noticed two things right away:

1) Most Latin American countries still think of the US in an older sense of our ideals. There are statues of George Washington everywhere. He represented a revolution... He represented anti-establishment... He was against the monarchies, the fat cats, the abusers, the imperialists... And they have a hard time reconciling that view with the U.S. under the Neo-Cons.

Washington was also against political parties and foreign affairs. He was for Capitialism and the ability for people to do well for themselves without government interference.

2) Since these countries are not at war (many have never even been in a war), they have little to no hate speech... There are no Rush Limbaugh's, no Bill O'Reilly's, no Ann Coulter's, etc. etc. etc...

Good for them. Really I mean it. We would be better off without the hate speech from such people as Al Frankin, Jerry Springer, Michael Moore and etc...

The discussion, the argument, is the gap between the rich and the poor. A country with dignity cannot have people dying of hunger or being dirt poor. Many Latinos that have never been to the U.S. believe that in the U.S. this gap doesn't exist or is minor. It was Hurricane Katrina that opened their eyes. They saw that poor people do exist in the U.S. that they struggled through a terrible storm that they did NOT cause (no matter what Pat Robertson might say) and they saw the fat cats of America sit by and watch them drown.

If you like the Sociallistic style of government then by all means move to a country that does this. The porblem with the poeple in New Orleans and Louisiana is that so many of their people relied on government help for so long before Katrina hit that they did not know how to take care of themselves afterwards. Why is it the the other states that got hit turned right back around and quickly got back opn thier feet? The blame for Louisiana lies with its Governor, the NO mayor and the people that lived there. While they did not cause Katrina the knew very well what would happen if a hurricane of that size actually hit them. They knew and still did not prepare for it. Blaming Bush for it is the cowards way out.

Here, the worries are education, healthcare, jobs and the economy. That's all. That's it.

And the U.S. is failing in many aspects of these issues.

I'll give you education, healtcare is just fine (though it could use less government interference), unemployment is at its lowest in years and pay is up, and the ecomomy is doing wonderful.

One is the education of our leaders... These men went to the best schools, the best universities; they are supposed to be the brightest...

Didn't they have a clue about what they were getting into in Iraq? I mean, I'm no scholar on the Middle East, but I did know that Iraq was divided internally by several factions which had no love for one another. It was well-known that the Shiites, the Sunnis and the Kurds didn't get along... It was the Brits (the Red Coats) who drew the line around Iraq to control the oil there.

Did Bush, Cheney, Rumsfeld, Rice, Rove, Wolfowitz and Perle really think it was going to be a cakewalk?

No they said from the getgo that this was going to be a hard fought war, and that it wasn't going to be easy. If you would actually pay attention instead of running away you would know these things.

It's hard for me to decipher this part, because that would mean that I actually know more about the region than these almighty leaders... Or, they knew about it and they did it anyway... For political gain, for personal gain...

While the U.S. looks on every Latin American country as corrupt, here they talk about the corruption in the U.S. that no one in the U.S. talks about...

War is about money, it's about crucial natural resources, and it's about power and the strategy to maintain it.

Who made the money on this war? Who gained from this war? (I wish I really could know the numbers, including the bribes, the abuses and the "lost" money.)

Were the negotiations just? Or was it "contracts for cronies"? (In Hurricane Katrina it was contracts for cronies, and financially, the money spent there was a drop compared to the money thrown at Iraq...)

The corruption scandals have shown that what I'm asking is fair... I do not believe Neo-Cons are idealists in any way, shape or form. I believe they are abusers, fat cats, wannabe imperialists. They represent the new Red Coats (even the Brits backed off on this one!!!)

I cannot even stand the sight of these people with their pockets stuffed with dirty money, never noticing the bright red blood on their hands. I will never be a shareholder of Halliburton, or Bechtel, or the Carlyle Group... NO MATTER HOW MUCH I CAN MAKE!!! This is the worst of the worst of humanity. These are the guys who don't care if they kill a few thousand families so they can drink the best cognac and eat high-priced meals in FRENCH restaurants...

I will have to get to this later

Since Republicans always blame Liberals for not having an agenda (which many times is true), I will outline mine.

1. ABORTION

Stays legal. Yes, I do have a problem with abortion; it will never be an easy subject. But the world is first come, first serve. Why do Pro-Lifers get so worked up about a fetus in development while choosing to IGNORE the thousands of children who are hungry or needing help? This just makes no sense to me whatsoever... So, you don't take care about those WHO ARE ALIVE, and you REALLY, REALLY CARE about someone who hasn't been born yet??? I prefer to give it up for kids who go to bed hungry, or have abusive parents or are suffering from a disease and they can't be regular kids. They come first in my book.

2. HOW TO STOP THE WAR.

First fix the sloppy, disturbing, incompetent job this government has done. That means training the Iraqis to defend themselves. Bring/force/negotiate with other moderate Arab nations to help. Reduce the number of U.S. troops; force the Iraqi forces to become responsible.

That is exactly what they are doing. Don't you ever pay attention?

How to get out of this mess forever? America used to have great scientists and inventors, go to alternative fuels, force the oil companies to finance it (ha ha, that's a kicker!). Give up on war as a way to make a buck. Force weapons manufacturers and those who make money on blood to go into another line of business (another kicker!). The War on Terror, the War on Drugs... Yeah, right... Any War Will Do To Sell More Missiles.

GET OUT OF THE MIDDLE EAST. (If somebody came into your house, like they owned it, over and over again, you'd get to the point where you're going to try to stop them... The Brits, Europe and the U.S. have worn out their welcome in the Middle East a long, long time ago...) Become a neutral (fair) arbitrator between Israel and the region. You cannot say you're neutral then support Israel each and every time.

We never say that we are neutral. WE have always supported Israel. Please pay attention.

3. ECONOMY

Be fair with taxes... The government should spend much of its time creating job opportunities and making sure Americans are receiving the education to succeed in those opportunities.

4. HEALTHCARE

Get over it Republicans, THERE ARE POOR PEOPLE WHO NEED HEALTHCARE. You don't want to cure them in time, fine; you'll pay much more later. There has to be a way for those who don't drive a BMW to get a shot, or some medicine or see a doctor for a few bucks... paid by OUR tax dollars and by the RICH & WEALTHY. Yeah, you guys, who are truly reaping the MOST BENEFITS of OUR society. Maybe bringing the pharmaceutical industry and the HMO's down a few notches could help. If you want to find these people, they're also drinking cognac in French restaurants.

Oh, and for those who have a problem with this "socialist" line of thinking... You don't seem to mind how our "communistic" military complex is run (it runs on tax dollars, don't it? Run by the State, correct? Just like in old Communist Russia, right?) And I just don't want to give out any more handouts to these folks...

And how do you plan to pay for this?

5. EDUCATION

Instead of the dull, inadequate mess they teach at school, it's time to teach philosophy and critical thinking. I know this goes against religious types and those who believe in indoctrination in general, but we need people who can think clearly without have their heads filled with drivel: dogma, traditions and the conservation (uh-hum, conservatives...) of the status quo because it suits their greed and lifestyle.

So now you want to basically make religion illegal. School need to teach facts and things that are true.

Well, that's my three cents. I hope to be back in the U.S. soon, I miss it, and I'll be smiling wide when I get there!

Here is your change back

Peace.

Oh btw welcome to AWE

mikeydude · #3 (**permalink**) 11-09-2006, 08:27 AM

bukowski.....as in charles bukowski??? say no more. i await my letters from a drunken mailman.good luck and welcome to AWE. prepare to be assualted

bukowski · #4 (**permalink**) 11-09-2006, 08:39 AM

Thanks, mikeydude... I see areyouforreal has begun his campaign... ;-)

Areyouforreal · #5 (**permalink**) 11-09-2006, 08:46 AM

I just call it as I see it and I was nicer that a lot of other people would have been and will be.
Like I said welcome and I always enjoy a good debate.
I am also not afraid to learn, say I'm sorry when I'm wrong, and see thing in a different light.

freedomlover · #6 (**permalink**) 11-09-2006, 09:49 AM

rufr-health care is just fine you say. Here's an example of fine health care. I know a man whose wife just died of cancer. He is a very responsible man. He owns several hundred acres of farmland, some of which has been in his family for generations. He worked hard his whole life, helped his kids with college/careers, had a savings account to help with his retirement, had insurance to cover medical expenses. He is now being forced (and there really is no other word for it) to sell off his land to pay for his 20% of his wifes expenses. His savings is gone. He's worked his whole life now, for What? By the way, he's one of your republican brothers. He is a wonderful man who has lost not only his wife, but everything to a terrible disease. There IS something wrong with this picture

Dom1 · #7 (**permalink**) 11-09-2006, 09:59 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by bukowski

3. ECONOMY

Be fair with taxes... The government should spend much of its time creating job opportunities and making sure Americans are receiving the education to succeed in those opportunities.

I only have time to respond to one of them right now.

The government does not create jobs or job opportunities, not unless they increase the size of government. The private sector creates jobs. As far as education, it goes much deeper than the government and what it is doing. Look at social problems and parental problems before the government if you want to figure out what is wrong with education. Scores have been falling since the 1960's and funding has increased since the 1960's. This happens under both parties and cannot be blamed on one party or another. If you would like to do that I would be more than happy to point out these statistics under both Democratic and Republican administrations.

gdfather02 · #8 (**permalink**) 11-09-2006, 10:01 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by bukowski

Greetings Everyone,

I'm new here, and I just want to say that I needed to write to say how relieved I am that the Republicans really lost their power today. It is a great day for the U.S.

I'm a left-wing liberal who did leave the country when the Neo-Facist/Christian Right won the elections in 2004.

For many, this behavior is deemed as a betrayal to one's country. It is not. It comes from deep pain, that is not relieved by our typical political discourse and the vitriol spewed by our politicians and citizens... It comes from truly believing in your country and the IDEALS it stands for... It's when you can't bear to see what is going on... I love the U.S. and I could not watch it being destroyed before my very eyes.

As an English teacher, I have always been able to travel. I worked in many countries in Latin America, which have a distinctly leftist slant. And I noticed two things right away:

1) Most Latin American countries still think of the US in an older sense of our ideals. There are statues of George Washington everywhere. He represented a revolution... He represented anti-establishment... He was against the monarchies, the fat cats, the abusers, the imperialists... And they have a hard time reconciling that view with the U.S. under the Neo-Cons.

2) Since these countries are not at war (many have never even been in a war), they have little to no hate speech... There are no Rush Limbaugh's, no Bill O'Reilly's, no Ann Coulter's, etc. etc. etc...

The discussion, the argument, is the gap between the rich and the poor. A country with dignity cannot have people dying of hunger or being dirt poor. Many Latinos that have never been to the U.S. believe that in the U.S. this gap doesn't exist or is minor. It was Hurricane Katrina that opened their eyes. They saw that poor people do exist in the U.S. that they struggled through a terrible storm that they did NOT cause (no matter what Pat Robertson might say) and they saw the fat cats of America sit by and watch them drown.

Here, the worries are education, healthcare, jobs and the economy. That's all. That's it.

And the U.S. is failing in many aspects of these issues.

One is the education of our leaders... These men went to the best schools, the best universities; they are supposed to be the brightest...

Didn't they have a clue about what they were getting into in Iraq? I mean, I'm no scholar on the Middle East, but I did know that Iraq was divided internally by several factions which had no love for one another. It was well-known that the Shiites, the Sunnis and the Kurds didn't get along... It was the Brits (the Red Coats) who drew the line around Iraq to control the oil there.

Did Bush, Cheney, Rumsfeld, Rice, Rove, Wolfowitz and Perle really think it was going to be a cakewalk?

It's hard for me to decipher this part, because that would mean that I actually know more about the region than these almighty leaders... Or, they knew about it and they did it anyway... For political gain, for personal gain...

While the U.S. looks on every Latin American country as corrupt, here they talk about the corruption in the U.S. that no one in the U.S. talks about...

War is about money, it's about crucial natural resources, and it's about power and the strategy to maintain it.

Who made the money on this war? Who gained from this war? (I wish I really could know the numbers, including the bribes, the abuses and the "lost" money.)

Were the negotiations just? Or was it "contracts for cronies"? (In Hurricane Katrina it was contracts for cronies, and financially, the money spent there was a drop compared to the money thrown at Iraq...)

The corruption scandals have shown that what I'm asking is fair... I do not believe Neo-Cons are idealists in any way, shape or form. I believe they are abusers, fat cats, wannabe imperialists. They represent the new Red Coats (even the Brits backed off on this one!!!)

I cannot even stand the sight of these people with their pockets stuffed with dirty money, never noticing the bright red blood on their hands. I will never be a shareholder of Halliburton, or Bechtel, or the Carlyle Group... NO MATTER HOW MUCH I CAN MAKE!!! This is the worst of the worst of humanity. These are the guys who don't care if they kill a few thousand families so they can drink the best cognac and eat high-priced meals in FRENCH restaurants...

Since Republicans always blame Liberals for not having an agenda (which many times is true), I will outline mine.

1. ABORTION

Stays legal. Yes, I do have a problem with abortion; it will never be an easy subject. But the world is first come, first serve. Why do Pro-Lifers get so worked up about a fetus in development while choosing to IGNORE the thousands of children who are hungry or needing help? This just makes no sense to me whatsoever... So, you don't take care about those WHO ARE ALIVE, and you REALLY, REALLY CARE about someone who hasn't been born yet??? I prefer to give it up for kids who go to bed hungry, or have abusive parents or are suffering from a disease and they can't be regular kids. They come first in my book.

2. HOW TO STOP THE WAR.

First fix the sloppy, disturbing, incompetent job this government has done. That means training the Iraqis to defend themselves. Bring/force/negotiate with other moderate Arab nations to help. Reduce the number of U.S. troops; force the Iraqi forces to become responsible.

How to get out of this mess forever? America used to have great scientists and inventors, go to alternative fuels, force the oil companies to finance it (ha ha, that's a kicker!). Give up on war as a way to make a buck. Force weapons manufacturers and those who make money on blood to go into another line of business (another kicker!). The War on Terror, the War on Drugs... Yeah, right... Any War Will Do To Sell More Missiles.

GET OUT OF THE MIDDLE EAST. (If somebody came into your house, like they owned it, over and over again, you'd get to the point where you're going to try to stop them... The Brits, Europe and the U.S. have worn out their welcome in the Middle East a long, long time ago...) Become a neutral (fair) arbitrator between Israel and the region. You cannot say you're neutral then support Israel each and every time.

3. ECONOMY

Be fair with taxes... The government should spend much of its time creating job opportunities and making sure Americans are receiving the education to succeed in those opportunities.

4. HEALTHCARE

Get over it Republicans, THERE ARE POOR PEOPLE WHO NEED HEALTHCARE. You don't want to cure them in time, fine; you'll pay much more later. There has to be a way for those who don't drive a BMW to get a shot, or some medicine or see a doctor for a few bucks... paid by OUR tax dollars and by the RICH & WEALTHY. Yeah, you guys, who are truly reaping the MOST BENEFITS of OUR society. Maybe bringing the pharmaceutical industry and the HMO's down a few notches could help. If you want to find these people, they're also drinking cognac in French restaurants.

Oh, and for those who have a problem with this "socialist" line of thinking... You don't seem to mind how our "communistic" military complex is run (it runs on tax dollars, don't it? Run by the State, correct? Just like in old Communist Russia, right?) And I just don't want to give out any more handouts to these folks...

5. EDUCATION

Instead of the dull, inadequate mess they teach at school, it's time to teach philosophy and critical thinking. I know this goes against religious types and those who believe in indoctrination in general, but we need people who can think clearly without have their heads filled with drivel: dogma, traditions and the conservation (uh-hum, conservatives...) of the status quo because it suits their greed and lifestyle.

Well, that's my three cents. I hope to be back in the U.S. soon, I miss it, and I'll be smiling wide when I get there!

Peace.

Where to begin....

I won't dive into the worries of most Latin American nations because, well, they aren't my immediate worries....

I will begin by stating the obvious: the republicans dug this hole themselves. They talked a good game, but couldn't deliver the goods. Now we have the democrats who come in talking of "bipartisanship;" that is all cute, but it won't happen.

Now, what to begin with first:

1) Abortion: Unfortunately, its not a done deal. As a libertarian, I am of the mindset to allow freedom of choice. However, like you, I believe that abortion is wrong on all counts (perhaps used only under extremely extenuating circumstances). As long as you have the fringes from the left and the right, the issue will never go away.

2) Middle East: If it was left up to me, I would withdraw all forces (ours and coalition), and proceed to give the nations of the ME 72 hours to come up with a meaningful, constructive way to bring themselves out of their doldrums, renounce ALL jihads against the west, and completely reign in their extremists. 72 hours, period. If no progress....

I would end any and all economic ties to the ME: trade, financial, cultural, what have you.

Lastly I would begin to position each naval battlegroup that we have DIRECTLY off the coast of each nation over there; a show of force to let them know that we do mean business, and not this wishy washy UN crap.

Its time to stop allowing those nations to play the "woe is me" role. They need to step up to the plate and accept some responsibility of their own. Lebanon, as a nation, allowing a dangerous group like Hezbollah to operate within their territory? And they have the unmitigated gaul to ask us to accept that?
Contrary to recent history, the UN has been in southern Lebenon since the mid to late 70s, and was supposed to be enforcing the dismantling of groups like Hezbollah.
(to be continued)

gdfather02 · #9 (**permalink**) 11-09-2006, 10:01 AM

(continued from above)
As we can all plainly see, they have done such an bang up job with that.

Israel has never been given a fair shake within the UN, and the UN, as it stands right now, is a neutered organization that needs to be blown the hell up.

3) Economy: You want to see the economy grow substantially? Convince your representatives to support legislation that destroys the current outdated, bloated, and completely obtrusive tax code we presently have in place. Convince them that it should be replaced with a flat tax. This will allow americans at all levels to generate savings (something that americans don't do) because the flat tax will end the federal governments' ability to double tax people (earnings and savings).

The flat tax is a fair and just deal. Those families below a certain level will pay no taxes, and those above a certain threshold will pay their fair share (i.e. someone making three to four times as you and I will pay three to four times the taxes that we do). Period.

The flat tax will get rid of the need to hire accounts and such to figure out the mountains of tax laws we presently have. Corporations will have nowhere to hide, as they will not have the numerous loopholes to hide behind as they presently do today.

The government should absolutely resist the urge to the raise minimum wage. Want to kill an economic boom faster than anything? Do that. Raise the minimum wage so that you destroy thousands of businesses that will be unable to match those wages. And even those that do survive will hire less, so who wins under a minimum wage hike?

If you want americans to succeed on the education front, get rid of the Department of Education. Get rid of government-indoctrination style education, and give families a choice as to where their children can go, instead of relegating their kids to the worst schools in the nation. Spending has gone upwards year after year for education, and what do we have to show for it? High school seniors reading at middle school levels, geography shoot to pieces (many children have no clue where Canada, or for that matter, Mexico is). This is what we have received in return for bloated government spending on education.
Statistics show that we, as a nation, spend more per child, per capita, than nations like Japan, South Korea, and even many western European nations, yet we lag behind these nations on standardized testing. Why is that?? It isn't because we aren't spending enough money, that's for sure.

Blow up the DOE, and give families a choice.

4) Healthcare: You brought up healthcare, yet brought forth no solutions of your own, other than the usual rhetoric that we hear all of the time.

Under the fair tax system (see above), americans would have more of their earnings so that they would be better able to afford better healthcare. A government run system is asking for trouble. Long lines and long waiting periods for routine services is what you can look foward to.

5) Education: You don't believe that we don't have indoctrinal education with these poorly run government schools now? Please see my thoughts on education under economy....

gdfather02 · #10 (**permalink**) 11-09-2006, 10:03 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dom1

I only have time to respond to one of them right now.

The government does not create jobs or job opportunities, not unless they increase the size of government. The private sector creates jobs. As far as education, it goes much deeper than the government and what it is doing. Look at social problems and parental problems before the government if you want to figure out what is wrong with education. Scores have been falling since the 1960's and funding has increased since the 1960's. This happens under both parties and cannot be blamed on one party or another. If you would like to do that I would be more than happy to point out these statistics under both Democratic and Republican administrations.

Good point, and one that many liberals seem to have a hard time understanding....