TheAnvil

Er...perhaps you read what you wanted to read. Try again. McCain's position is correct. How he came to the conclusion, I don't care - I agree with him. Why don't you, out of morbid curiosity? In contrast, I think EJC's lessening of technology restrictions for the Chinese was bad for the nation - again, regardless of the positions or former employers of his advisors that may have influenced him.

I never said it did, rather used your line of reasoning in another administration - quite accurately I might add.

I must not follow your reasoning, then. EJC's man, Sandy Berger, was a paid Chinese lobbyist. John McCain's man was a paid Georgian lobbyist. As per yourself, McCain has good reason to side with Georgia because of their past association with one of his advisors. One might deduce that EJC had reason to side with the Chinese for identical reasons. Vinny the Anvil Post Traumatic Didn't Make The Lakers Syndrome is REAL JACKASS POWER!!!!!!

Is this an admission from you that Sandy 'socks' Berger pushed EJC's regime to nicer ties with the Chinese? Fits quite in with the Johnny Huang into criminal activity with OwlGore in the infamous iced tea caper, eh? I think the Georgians were wrong to attack South Ossettia and think the Russians have been quite wrong in bombing Georgian civilian targets as well. A plausible hypothesis would be that Putin had a deep mole or three encourage such an attack to give Russian an excuse to re-annex some of the USSR's former territory. WIth the Baku-Tibilisi-Ceyhon pipeline within its borders, Georgia is a very important nation. They purportedly have some excellent cuisine as well. I feel sorry for the Georgian people. Vinny the Anvil Post Traumatic Didn't Make The Lakers Syndrome is REAL JACKASS POWER!!!!!!

Bah. This is between Edwards and his wife. This doesn't change any of his political positions. The zero defect mentality has cost us dearly as a nation with regards to selection of our public servants. I don't like him and disagree with his politics - and I most certainly disagree with the politics of the Democrats - but hope the Dem's use him to his full potential. He's one of their better thinkers, organizers, and strategists and has been a good spokesman for their cause. Vinny the Anvil Post Traumatic Didn't Make The Lakers Syndrome is REAL JACKASS POWER!!!!!!

Do you think that anyone in a foreign court would NOT contact their embassy for support? Vinny the Anvil Post Traumatic Didn't Make The Lakers Syndrome is REAL JACKASS POWER!!!!!!

Very nice, sir John. If you'd read a bit into the case, you'd find this worthless sonofabitch didn't request consular support until after his conviction. Always interesting to see Christians attacked with regards to the death penalty. WHen those attacking Christians can tell me why Aquinas was wrong, perhaps they'll be more credible. Vinny the Anvil Post Traumatic Didn't Make The Lakers Syndrome is REAL JACKASS POWER!!!!!!

Happy birthday!

Sheesh - both of you know better. Vinny the Anvil Post Traumatic Didn't Make The Lakers Syndrome is REAL JACKASS POWER!!!!!!

Hmm...you haven't followed McCain much, have you? Given the content of the Congress, I highly suspect either COA to come to fruition. However, when thinking of budgetary responsibility, anyone who seeks to socialize health care really doesn't have credibility, eh? Vinny the Anvil Post Traumatic Didn't Make The Lakers Syndrome is REAL JACKASS POWER!!!!!!

I'm chuckling yet again at the absurdity of your avoidance mechanism WRT Sen. Obama's inexperience. Read up about the $$$ for the bonds. And remember...Clinton left more debt than he inherited. (I know he had a surplus). Vinny the Anvil Post Traumatic Didn't Make The Lakers Syndrome is REAL JACKASS POWER!!!!!!

I don't think the key resides in either of the tax plans, rather in a complete revamping of all spending. - Mandatory spending (i.e. entitlement programs) - need to be on the table for examination. All of it. Add PBGC in there as well. - Discretionary spending needs to shift from DoD-centric to internal improvements. Quickly. And it needs to decrease in magnitude. Both of those are necessary - and Sen. Obama might do the latter; the former he will not touch and we all know it. It's the more critical of the two. Even very disciplined people become foaming-at-the-mouth-fucktards when confronted with an entitlement going away. That is going to be a VERY unpleasant undertaking politically. McCain would be far more likely to do it. Vinny the Anvil Post Traumatic Didn't Make The Lakers Syndrome is REAL JACKASS POWER!!!!!!

If it wasn't you then I wonder who it WAS that I was getting a good chuckle out of a few weeks ago in some thread in here. If not - oops. I'm pretty sure it was you stating that any congressman couldn't point to a single accomplishment because Congress as a whole and not any one person within it causes a legislative action. Untenable argument - I thought you were the one making it. My memory might be incorrect. I'm not wrong: - EJC had a budget surplus - EJC left more debt than he came in with (ooohhh...yes....he did...and nothing you can say will make that fact go away) - EJC - and preceding and following administrations - wrote themselves IOUs via government bonds - those same IOUs will come due for more $$ than which they were purchased - writing yourself IOUs will set your accountant's heart and temper afire. Exactly what's incorrect? Nada. Get used to it. Now every time someone spouts 'Clinton left a surplus' you're going to get 'and he left more debt than he inherited' right along with it. Awwww.... Vinny the Anvil Post Traumatic Didn't Make The Lakers Syndrome is REAL JACKASS POWER!!!!!!

Uhhhh...because he spent more and took in fewer revenues for the first couple of years...then spending kept going even though revenues came back up as the economy improved... Vinny the Anvil Post Traumatic Didn't Make The Lakers Syndrome is REAL JACKASS POWER!!!!!!

Oooooh! How nice. And maybe after your future performance on the Mall, you can stop in and tell all those Congressmen your theory on how no congressman can accomplish a damned thing! That'll surely make the bonds not come due! What was the bond total in the one report? $678 billion in FY00 or FY99? I forget. But by God it was a surplus! Yaaaahhhhooooo!!!! No! Wait! It's: "EEEEEEE aaaayyyyeee eeee aayyyyeee ooooooooooohhhhh!" Bwaaaaaahahahahahahaaaaaaa! Bonds? What bonds? Why - they're assets! Backed by the U.S. government no less! They're an asset AND a liability at the same time! And there WAS A SURPLUS! Don't forget it! We had a surplus dammit! Vinny the Anvil Post Traumatic Didn't Make The Lakers Syndrome is REAL JACKASS POWER!!!!!!

Ooooh! Accounting! Where one may learn the folly of anyone writing themselves bonds? Goody goody goody! Maybe if you record my brilliant song, an accounting class could use it as a learning tool! Vinny the Anvil Post Traumatic Didn't Make The Lakers Syndrome is REAL JACKASS POWER!!!!!!

Nope. I read it just fine. I didn't read about any initiative to change that law, though. Perhaps I missed it. You don't like my jig dancing idea, I take it? You could sing in the legally obligated portion...wouldn't even require a backup singer. You could get a banjo and hit the steps of the capital - or how about the Mall - if the weather's nice. I'll help you. EVERYONE knows the tune to Old McDonald had a farm! "Bubba Clinton Had a surplus Good, good Bubba Clinton! And with that surplus he bought bonds - Bought them from himself! With a bond bond here and an IOU there Here a bond, there a bond, everywhere a bond bond Ole Bill Clinton had a Surplus Good good ole Bill Clinton! The law made the gov't issue some bonds. Damned damned laws they did! With a bond bond here and an IOU there Here a bond, there a bond, everywhere a bond bond Ole Bill Clinton had a surplus! Yes he really did! The debt increased, anyway we got deeper in the hole! With a bond bond here and an IOU there Here a bond, there a bond, everywhere a bond bond Bubba Clinton had a surplus! Eeee aaayyyeeee eeeee aayyyeee oooooooohhh!" Vinny the Anvil Post Traumatic Didn't Make The Lakers Syndrome is REAL JACKASS POWER!!!!!!

Maybe when the IOU's come due, you can go dance a jig in D.C. and yell Clinton had a surplus at the top of your lungs. That will certainly make the IOU's coming due far less painful. Explain to everyone who hears you how even though there was a surplus, these bonds were issued by the gov't to the gov't (just as in other administrations) and well, the increased amount due at the time of issue wasn't known, but back then it was figured that future taxpayers wouldn't mind when it came time to for the gov't to redeem the value of the bond from itself to pay itself. Vinny the Anvil Post Traumatic Didn't Make The Lakers Syndrome is REAL JACKASS POWER!!!!!!

IOUs are debt and I've never insinuated otherwise. Keep working on your reading comprehension. I'e accounting down pretty well. The >< concept too. A GREAT concept that writing yourself an IOU and agreeing to pay yourself interest equates to putting yourself in debt as well. Keep dreaming! Those IOUs might never come due...they really might...Baby Boomers might never REALLY start to draw SS...and the unfunded Medicare costs might never really materialize...and MORE entitlement programs might just save the day! Vinny the Anvil Post Traumatic Didn't Make The Lakers Syndrome is REAL JACKASS POWER!!!!!!

Hey, his motto is 'change you can believe in' - perhaps he's living up to that by changing his position so often. Vinny the Anvil Post Traumatic Didn't Make The Lakers Syndrome is REAL JACKASS POWER!!!!!!

Yes, gov't IOUs ARE debt...as I said... Keep dreaming. Maybe all the IOU's will go away...maybe they will never be redeemed...what a nice dream... Vinny the Anvil Post Traumatic Didn't Make The Lakers Syndrome is REAL JACKASS POWER!!!!!!

Work on your own reading comprehension a bit. You are incapable of dealing with the fact that El Jefe Clintonista didn't reduce the debt a damned bit with a BUDGET surplus and executed a fiscal loss every year in office - despite doing a better job than his predecessors. Use whatever accounting tricks you like, the debt has increased every single year for decades. Chortle 'Clinton left a budget surplus' until the cows come home if you like. THE DEBT INCREASED along with gov't IOUs to itself. Vinny the Anvil Post Traumatic Didn't Make The Lakers Syndrome is REAL JACKASS POWER!!!!!!

Newsflash: the federal government purchasing federally backed securities IS the gov't borrowing $$ from itself. Odd that the comptroller states this then, eh? "Certain of these trust funds such as the Social Security and federal civilian employee and military retirement trust funds, have been running annual surpluses, which are loaned to the Treasury and reduce the current need for the government to borrow from the public. Primarily as a result of such trust fund surpluses, intragovernmental holdings have increased by approximately $637 billion since September 30, 1997, with about $247 billion of this increase occurring in fiscal year 2000." So you're right and the comptroller is wrong, eh? Suuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuure. Keep dreaming. Your hero, EJC, accomplished a budget surplus that didn't really do a damned thing. Only when ALL entitlement programs are placed on the table for possible cancellation and everyone faces the fact that our current system of entitlements are fiscally unsustainable can the impending budget disaster start to be addressed. Vinny the Anvil Post Traumatic Didn't Make The Lakers Syndrome is REAL JACKASS POWER!!!!!!

Wrong again. As per the Comptroller: "Intragovernmental holdings represent balances of Treasury securities held by individual funds, primarily trust funds, that typically have an obligation to invest their excess annual receipts over disbursements in federal securities. Most federal trust funds invest in special U.S. Treasury securities that are guaranteed for principal and interest by the full faith and credit of the U.S. government. These securities are nonmarketable, however, they represent a priority call on future budgetary resources. Certain of these trust funds such as the Social Security and federal civilian employee and military retirement trust funds, have been running annual surpluses, which are loaned to the Treasury and reduce the current need for the government to borrow from the public. Primarily as a result of such trust fund surpluses, intragovernmental holdings have increased by approximately $637 billion since September 30, 1997, with about $247 billion of this increase occurring in fiscal year 2000. The transactions relating to the use of the funds’ surpluses net out on the government’s consolidated financial statements because, in effect, they represent loans from one part of the government to another." Here - let me repeat in case making it bold didn't work: $247 billion increase in the gov't borrowing from itself in FY2000. Fact: The debt did not decrease under EJC Fact: The government borrowed money from itself to operate under EJC (as it has during many administrations) Running from either, won't make them go away.

Again - work on your reading comprehension. 'Debt held by the public' is not used interchangeably with 'the public debt. The public's debt (that would be the government's debt) is held by both the public and the government. If you were familiar with it, you'd realize that (you're not). Bureau of the Public Debt's website does a great job explaining this - highly recommended reading. The debt increased under EJC's tenure - period. Face that fact whenever you so desire. How 'bout that surplus [sic]? The gov't in 1999/2000 was borrowing from itself to reduce the debt held by the public. Face it whenever you so desire. ("But...but...but...we had a SURPLUS! We did! We did!") Or - don't face either of them. Facts they do remain. Maybe some more entitlement programs will make the mean ole facts go away, eh? Vinny the Anvil Post Traumatic Didn't Make The Lakers Syndrome is REAL JACKASS POWER!!!!!!