TheAnvil 0 #51 November 8, 2006 The majority of spending is non-discretionary, which is why mandatory spending reform & reduction is so critical. Spending causes deficits - not tax cuts. Vinny the Anvil Post Traumatic Didn't Make The Lakers Syndrome is REAL JACKASS POWER!!!!!! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
rehmwa 2 #52 November 8, 2006 QuoteWell, as the right tells us endlessly, a lot of spending is NOT discretionary. And as far as taxes go, the famous Laffer Curve has two ends. Reaganomics only acknowleged one of them, leading to the huge deficits of the Reagan and Bush presidencies. 1 - ALL spending is discretionary. Despite what the right AND the left tell us. 2 - As far as taxes go, the curve has a sweet spot and we seem to be in it. I'd really hate to see the table mucked with. The key dial right now is spending, not pissing on the tax tables again. At best, the only effect will be to make the rates even more progressive with only a little loss in net revenue (politically, we can't touch the tables unless we ratchet up slightly the population percentage that pays NOTHING - this is called 'compassion'. This happens whether it's an increase or decrease - so ANY tweak is a progressive adder). At worse, we'll be dialed into a very crappy economy. ... Driving is a one dimensional activity - a monkey can do it - being proud of your driving abilities is like being proud of being able to put on pants Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
jcd11235 0 #53 November 8, 2006 QuoteQuote Nah, he'll just write "signing statements" that allow him to interpret laws in ways that are at odds with their letter and intent, and that increase Presidential authority in ways the authors of our constitution never intended. And this is different than the last dozen years, how? Because W has signed far more "signing statements" than all previous presidents combined. He uses them to circumvent the Constitutional authority of the Congress to keep the executive branch's power in check.Math tutoring available. Only $6! per hour! First lesson: Factorials! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
kallend 2,182 #54 November 8, 2006 Quote "The majority of spending is non-discretionary", Anvil "ALL spending is discretionary.", Remwha Will you guys get your acts together please!... The only sure way to survive a canopy collision is not to have one. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
rehmwa 2 #55 November 8, 2006 no - vinnie and I don't see eye to eye ... Driving is a one dimensional activity - a monkey can do it - being proud of your driving abilities is like being proud of being able to put on pants Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
kallend 2,182 #56 November 8, 2006 Quoteno - vinnie and I don't see eye to eye You must be over 4'10" tall, then.... The only sure way to survive a canopy collision is not to have one. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
rehmwa 2 #57 November 8, 2006 QuoteQuoteno - vinnie and I don't see eye to eye You must be over 4'10" tall, then. who are you? the narrator? my jokes stand on their own. the dumb people that won't get them know who they are. ...... or do they? ... Driving is a one dimensional activity - a monkey can do it - being proud of your driving abilities is like being proud of being able to put on pants Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Nightingale 0 #58 November 8, 2006 Quote I am OK with government housing. It should be like the soldiers have...One room apartments with shared bathrooms, simple furnature. Make it uncomfortable, not cruel, but not nice. I'd be fine with that, except it would mean a lot of construction and management, and you end up with a high concentration of unskilled workers in one place. A rent voucher system would bypass this issue by using housing that is already there, and allowing two or three adults to combine their vouchers would allow a wider distribution of the unskilled work force, so they're more likely to be able to find jobs where they're living, and if they get a job making decent money and no longer qualify for assistance, they don't have to move (which may cost them the job they just got). Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
kallend 2,182 #59 November 8, 2006 QuoteQuoteQuoteno - vinnie and I don't see eye to eye You must be over 4'10" tall, then. who are you? the narrator? I'm not "The Decider". What would you like me to be ? ... The only sure way to survive a canopy collision is not to have one. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
rehmwa 2 #60 November 8, 2006 QuoteWhat would you like me to be ? honest answer - the guy spotting the plane on the latest big way attempt I'm on ... Driving is a one dimensional activity - a monkey can do it - being proud of your driving abilities is like being proud of being able to put on pants Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
kallend 2,182 #61 November 8, 2006 QuoteQuoteBecause food stamps and WIC are accepted at regular grocery stores, and cash is given as change Yep, hand out debit cards. QuoteSection 8 housing isn't accepted everywhere. My plan would require any corporation owned apartment building to accept vouchers for part of the rent. Section 8 also costs landlords money by putting caps on the rent. I am OK with government housing. It should be like the soldiers have...One room apartments with shared bathrooms, simple furnature. Make it uncomfortable, not cruel, but not nice. They tried that in Chicago some 40 years ago. What a disaster that was. Tore them all down over the last 3 years.... The only sure way to survive a canopy collision is not to have one. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
kallend 2,182 #62 November 8, 2006 QuoteQuoteWhat would you like me to be ? honest answer - the guy spotting the plane on the latest big way attempt I'm on Gee, there I was being all New Age and you have to inject reality.... The only sure way to survive a canopy collision is not to have one. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
DaVinci 0 #63 November 8, 2006 Quotewould allow a wider distribution of the unskilled work force, so they're more likely to be able to find jobs where they're living, and if they get a job making decent money and no longer qualify for assistance, they don't have to move (which may cost them the job they just got). Very good point. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
DaVinci 0 #64 November 8, 2006 QuoteI am OK with government housing. It should be like the soldiers have...One room apartments with shared bathrooms, simple furnature. Make it uncomfortable, not cruel, but not nice. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- They tried that in Chicago some 40 years ago. What a disaster that was. Tore them all down over the last 3 years. Why was it a disaster? Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
TheAnvil 0 #65 November 8, 2006 You're lucky...if we did see eye to eye, you'd be much shorter. All spending is discretionary from a certain point of view. From a budgetary lingo point of view at the federal level, non-discretionary spending refers to spending that is required by law prior to the formulation of the budget, ie interest on the debt, medicare, SS, medicaid, federal employeee retirements, etc. One could state that such spending IS discretionary because Congress could repeal the legislation requiring the majority of it, but that would never occur in all likelihood. If you check out CBO's website they break down spending into discretionary and mandatory. Bill and I are both correct, depending on how you're looking at things. I'm such a JACKASS though. Everyone should probably consider me wrong for that reason alone. Throw in the fact that I'm short and the majority of Americans hate short people, and I think the point made. Vinny the Anvil Post Traumatic Didn't Make The Lakers Syndrome is REAL JACKASS POWER!!!!!! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
billvon 3,132 #66 November 8, 2006 >and the majority of Americans hate short people, But they like tequila, so it's probably a wash. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
TheAnvil 0 #67 November 8, 2006 This is true. I'll bet some short hating people even drink tequila or tequila enhanced beverages whilst watching the NBA, a known bastion of anti-short hatred and bigotry. It probably is a wash. Vinny the Anvil Post Traumatic Didn't Make The Lakers Syndrome is REAL JACKASS POWER!!!!!! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
SpeedRacer 1 #68 November 9, 2006 http://www.cnn.com/2006/POLITICS/11/08/election.senate/index.html Now it looks like the Democrats may take the majority in the Senate as well. ---- November 8, 2006 Dear Republicans: Enclosed please find one (1) ass. Yours. Sincerely, The Democrats. Speed Racer -------------------------------------------------- Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Samurai136 0 #69 November 9, 2006 Quotehttp://www.cnn.com/2006/POLITICS/11/08/election.senate/index.html Now it looks like the Democrats may take the majority in the Senate as well. ---- November 8, 2006 Dear Republicans: Enclosed please find one (1) ass. Yours. Sincerely, The Democrats. PS Electronic Voter Fraud works both ways. pwned! There. Fixed it for you."Buttons aren't toys." - Trillian Ken Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Amazon 7 #70 November 9, 2006 QuoteWhy was it a disaster? You ever hear of the projects????... the gangs and drugies basically took over and it was hell on earth for many of theresidents. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
kallend 2,182 #71 November 9, 2006 QuoteYou're lucky...if we did see eye to eye, you'd be much shorter. All spending is discretionary from a certain point of view. From a budgetary lingo point of view at the federal level, non-discretionary spending refers to spending that is required by law prior to the formulation of the budget, ie interest on the debt, medicare, SS, medicaid, federal employeee retirements, etc. One could state that such spending IS discretionary because Congress could repeal the legislation requiring the majority of it, but that would never occur in all likelihood. If you check out CBO's website they break down spending into discretionary and mandatory. Bill and I are both correct, depending on how you're looking at things. I'm such a JACKASS though. Everyone should probably consider me wrong for that reason alone. Throw in the fact that I'm short and the majority of Americans hate short people, and I think the point made. The biggest entitlement program in a generation is the prescription drug component of Medicare passed by the GOP controlled Congress and signed into law by GWB. The true cost was hidden from the Congress by the Whitehouse until after it passed.... The only sure way to survive a canopy collision is not to have one. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
TheAnvil 0 #72 November 9, 2006 Very true. The cost estimates keep climbing too. Vinny the Anvil Post Traumatic Didn't Make The Lakers Syndrome is REAL JACKASS POWER!!!!!! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
DaVinci 0 #73 November 9, 2006 QuoteYou ever hear of the projects????... the gangs and drugies basically took over and it was hell on earth for many of theresidents. Yes, I have heard of them. Was that the reason the ones in ORD were torn down? Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Lucky... 0 #74 November 9, 2006 QuoteNo, a sudden pay rate for the lowest paid workers will only raise the cost of goods and services. Also people making more than min wage will be crunched by the rising costs without further compensation. It was a joke play on raise inflation / redundant. S/B cause inflation. Anywho, your concern is more for the betterment of the market than that of people who can’t play their light bill? I think a couple bucks an hour can be absorbed by the consumer, but thanks for the humanitarianism anyway. QuoteFor example...All the 16 year old's at McDonalds get a raise to 7.25 from 5.25. Now McDonalds has a few options: 1. Reduce costs by reducing employees. 2. Reduce costs by running more efficiently. 3. Raise prices to afford the added cost. W/O checking stock value or net worth, they could absorb it. Everyone will be paying the hike, so there will be a need to stay competitive by all, which is what we call a free market. I’m just floored by your contempt for poor people. QuoteOption 2 would be nice, but 1 and 3 are much more likely. And option 2 often leads to option one. Option one has the problem that it reduces the amount of people who will buy goods since they will no longer have a job. Option 3 will raise the cost of the hamburgers, and the people that eat there will need to raise the cost of their services to make up the sudden rise in the cost of a BigMac. I bet you cry like a baby if you get turned down for a raise, and you probably make >50k/year. Classism, fuck the poor, they deserve to get shit, right? QuoteWhen I was in the service, they raised the BAQ (Amount they give the troops to live off of post). The month that the raise went into effect the landlords raised the rent. Now for the troops it was a zero loss deal, they just handed the "extra money" over to someone else. Their standard of living did not go up, only the landlords standard did. Also, anyone NOT in the military got screwed in the deal. Face it, we took BAQ, BAS, COLA, and whatever other goodies we got to subsidize our pathetic pay, so the landlords exploited that. QuoteDo you think a guy in high school sould get paid 7.25 to take tickets at the local movie house, or to flip burgers at Mickey D's? QuoteAnd are you willing to pay the extra money that those things will cost if they do? Yes and yes. I’m not willing to fuck the poor family so I can withhold extra pay for the kid living at home using his pay for spinners on his car. I like your generalization tho, fraught with humanity. QuoteTaxing the hell out of the people will only kill the economic uptick. People will hoard money not spend it. The SAME argument you use for giving the little guy a raise works against you on taxing the hell out of people. Look, we are getting stuck on this argument that you can’t shit any real-world examples for. SHIT OR GET OFF THE POT. Show me examples of your model or quit the drudgery of, “Raising taxes will only slow the economy and create a recession.” Show, in the recent past where that is the case, not just in your textbook. QuoteYes, they system is broken and more and more it is being abused. I don't mind helping those that need it, I do mind paying people to sit on their asses all day. And those bastards getting minimum wage to flip burgers are expoiting the shit out of us, laughing all the way to the bank with their $167.35 paychecks, and now they’re going to get an additional $73.86; BASTARDS, THIEVES….they make Lay and Schilling look like choir boys. QuoteIt is not a big deal if you like the idea of a socialist state, but it is a big deal if you like capitalism. If Capitalism means selective healthcare, I like anything else but Capitalism. QuoteDoubt it. The best thing is the war in Iraq was a major reason for the swing....But at one point the war was popular. So the only thing that has really changed is the voters have grown sick and do not back the choices they made. That’s oversimplification. The moral righties fucking little boys, revealing the names of agents, cutting taxes for the rich, having this robust economy, yet wages are low, EXTREME corruption up and down the spectrum with Abramoff. Please, it is FAR more complex than you state. QuoteEdit: lets try to keep this civil and on topic...Care to explain in economic terms the benefits of raising min wage? That’s a microcosm; it will have no measurable effect on the economy. QuoteOr how taxing the hell out of the population will help the economy? Let’s not tax the hell out of them, let’s raise the taxes on the richest who use their bank accounts as scorecards, while the rate of poverty climbs. QuoteThe deficit I will agree, but the overall economy? Hello, what, huh, WTF???? The deficit IS the overall barometer of the economy behind the debt. Are you serious? Tell me you’re not. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Lucky... 0 #75 November 9, 2006 QuoteAnd maybe one of these years we'll actually see our federal debt reduced. How long has it been since that happened? 46 years? It was flattened after a huge increase, one that the country has never seen in US history.... oh, that was by Clinton; he tuned it flat for Bush to turn it steeper. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
