Do you think the government will shut down?

[MamaMia]

From what I understand about 1/4th of the government, considered as non-essentials, would be the only portion that would really shut down if a budget agreement isn't met.

It would appear that the tea party congressional members plan to vote against raising the debt ceiling and allowing Obama to borrow more money.

From now until the end of September Obama wants to add another half trillion. :eek:

The democrats as a whole, are only willing to make about 4 billion in cosmetic cuts.

Some older republican leadership type members have proposed making about 60 billion in cuts.

The tea party conservatives, which is comprised of all parties, but mostly republicans, want to make serious cuts...including cutting Obamacare and take more than 100 billion out of there.

Looks like we might have us a stale mate. Schumer gets caught on tape saying he was instructed to always refer to the republican spending cuts as "extreme."

The report on Schumer...http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4zWcRNEyx_w

[1890MilesToNorman]

Shut it down!!! NOW

[pphilfran]

No...they will either present a cobbled together plan that does little to address the deficit...or they will sign another extension...

[Boarder]

I didn't read the report, but I'd think that it would be pretty tough to take 100 billion out of something that doesn't kick in very much on this year's budget.

[hawaii 5-0]

They'll strike a deal.




Or not.



5-0



Trump/Sheen 2012

[MamaMia]

It looks like the Democrat and Republican spenders have until Friday at Midnight to save some money or else the government will turn into a pumpkin. :D

[MamaMia]

I just heard on a financial show that we are spending 25 cents of every dollar just paying the interest on the loans that both parties have made. :eek:

We are going to have to cut entitlements. We just have to. We have no choice. The big question is which ones do we cut? Which ones do we have to cut?

We are also spending 30% more for every day needs like gas and groceries than we were just a year ago! I know it costs me so much more out of my paycheck to take care of my family. I have really been feeling the pinch. We HAVE to start tapping our own resources! Drill baby drill! :P

[Harry Beanbag]

I'm for cutting about $600 billion for starters. Cutting $60 billion means you're not even serious about it.

[RUSH LIMBAUGH is my clone!]

We need to quit kicking the problem down the road. Something serious and meaningful must be done to confront the democrats, and get the country headed in the proper direction. Things will only get worse if it's not done. Probably that's what the democrats really want?

[hawaii 5-0]

I wish some would take a hard look at Defense spending. I know Defense wins games, but there's a lot of stuff just sitting around on Oahu that could be sold off.

I would guess that about 1/4 of our military bases are unnecessary as well.


I'm all for a strong Defense, but we're over the top and it's killing us in the pocketbook.


5-0



Trump/Sheen 2012

[pphilfran]

I just heard on a financial show that we are spending 25 cents of every dollar just paying the interest on the loans that both parties have made. :eek:

We are going to have to cut entitlements. We just have to. We have no choice. The big question is which ones do we cut? Which ones do we have to cut?

We are also spending 30% more for every day needs like gas and groceries than we were just a year ago! I know it costs me so much more out of my paycheck to take care of my family. I have really been feeling the pinch. We HAVE to start tapping our own resources! Drill baby drill! :P

We pay just under 6% of all revenue on the debt...though it will double to 12% in five years...

Table 3.2

http://www.whitehouse.gov/omb/budget/Historicals

[SouthCarolinaSooner]

We can only dream...

[MR2-Sooner86]

$25 Billion - Foreign aid (Eliminated)
$15 Billion - War on Drugs (Eliminated)
$50 Billion - Department of Education (Eliminated)
$25 Billion - Department of Energy (Eliminated)
$55 Billion - Department of Homeland Security (Eliminated)
$150 Billion - Department of Defense (23% cut)
$1 Billion - ATF (Eliminated)
$100 Billion - Social Security (16% cut)
$100 Billion - Medicare/Medicaid (13% cut)

$521 Billion cut from the yearly budget.

That's just right off the top of my head. Will it hurt? At first but it needs to be done. I don't see why they're throwing such a fit over $60 Billion. It's a drop in the bucket compared to what we need to do.

[Flagstaffsooner]

$25 Billion - Foreign aid (Eliminated)
$15 Billion - War on Drugs (Eliminated)
$50 Billion - Department of Education (Eliminated)
$25 Billion - Department of Energy (Eliminated)
$55 Billion - Department of Homeland Security (Eliminated)
$150 Billion - Department of Defense (23% cut)
$1 Billion - ATF (Eliminated)
$100 Billion - Social Security (16% cut)
$100 Billion - Medicare/Medicaid (13% cut)

$521 Billion cut from the yearly budget.

That's just right off the top of my head. Will it hurt? At first but it needs to be done. I don't see why they're throwing such a fit over $60 Billion. It's a drop in the bucket compared to what we need to do.
Dont forget the $143,000 for Juan's lettuce field!;)

[tcrb]

We are going to have to cut entitlements. We just have to. We have no choice. The big question is which ones do we cut? Which ones do we have to cut?



All of 'em.

[StoopTroup]

Wat gubermint?

[Soonerfan88]

Looks like I better stock up on Ramen, generic mac 'n cheese and hot dogs. I may not get paid for awhile.

[Flagstaffsooner]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pZyPaivOARM&feature=player_embedded

[Whet]

I wish some would take a hard look at Defense spending. I know Defense wins games, but there's a lot of stuff just sitting around on Oahu that could be sold off.

I would guess that about 1/4 of our military bases are unnecessary as well.


I'm all for a strong Defense, but we're over the top and it's killing us in the pocketbook.


5-0



Trump/Sheen 2012

I believe there are some things DoD could do, including excluding Hawaiians from shopping at the NEX, AEX, and AFEX, where we are subsidizing their purchases. I did notice they are rehabbing a lot of the military housing. The bases are in great shape, lawns are neatly manicured and landscaped.

Heck, I bet DoD could sell off most of those houses in the Pacific Command housing. Can you imagine how much money Admiral Nimitiz's house would sell for on the open market?

Maybe timeshare condos on Ford Island! Make the tunnel on Schofield Barracks a holiday destination. Also, sell off the Marine base at Kanehoe Bay - great potential for more timeshares! All those bullet-pocked buildings on Hickam Field could be sold off to Hilton or other corporation to make some nice hotels or condos! Kuola Ranch Bunkers - don't need them, sell them! While we are at it, lets close down Wheeler Airfield - we would have part of Hickam left!

Anything else DoD could sell off or get rid of on Oahu? :rolleyes: :confused: :D

[StoopTroup]

What better way to make unemployment numbers rise than to shut down the gubermint.

[Flagstaffsooner]

What better way to make unemployment numbers rise than to shut down the gubermint.Dats racist!

[OU_Sooners75]

The first step that the government needs to make in cutting budget is the pay of all High ranking federal employees...both elected and nominated!

I do not think they should cut Military Employee Pay or Civilian Pay...but the elected officials and their staffs plus the nominated employees make WAAAAYYY too damn much money!

Total US government payroll which includes civilian and military pay:
$194,879,647,864.00 (through 2009) And yes, that is almost $195 BILLION in payroll.

Total Payroll for Elected and Nominated Officials. (This is only for Top diplomats and the elected and nominated officials of the three branches of government.):

President: $450,000
Vice President: $230,700
Ranking Cabinet Members and Officers: $196,700 each (total of $4,130,000)
Speaker of the House: $223,500
House and Senate Leaders: $193,400 each (total of $967,000)
Members of the House and Senate: $174,000 (total $92,046,000)
Chief Justice of US Supreme Court: $217,400
Associate Justice of US Supreme Court: $208,100 each (total $1,248,600)
US Appeals Judge: $175,100 each (total $31,342,900)
US Appeals Judge of the Armed Forces: $175,100 each (total: $875,500)
US District Court Judges (includes district judges, tax judges, international trade judges claims judges): $165,200 each (total $119,274,400)
Bankruptcy and Magistrates: $151,984 each (total $99,245,552)

Grand Total for just the Elected and Nominated Officials: $350,252,252.00

And this is just their PAY Checks!!!! This does not include the great benefits that they have the luxury of you and I paying for, like Insurance, retirement, and travel expenses.

I did not included the payroll of other executive branch workers that are nominated or the aides and workers of the elected congress people so here those are. Includes all Deputy Secretaries, Heads of Departments, White House employees (butler to gardener to Chef), Special assistance to the president, aides to congresspeople, etc:
Total Payroll of these people: $703,151,192.00

I would break this list down, but there are a bunch of different departments that are included here.

Want to make a good living and have all the perks? Try to get hired as an Aide for a Senator. They are allowed 3 in which they cannot pay each more than $150,753/year! The house aid is not that bad either. Each Representative is allotted almost $800,000 to hire 16 aides and 4 part-time employees (interns).

Want to get the congress to cut the budget and level the national debt? We need to get them to start with themselves first!!!!

[OUthunder]

Both parties are crooks. They'll pass something just so that they can steal more from the taxpayers of this country.

[MamaMia]

The first step that the government needs to make in cutting budget is the pay of all High ranking federal employees...both elected and nominated!

I do not think they should cut Military Employee Pay or Civilian Pay...but the elected officials and their staffs plus the nominated employees make WAAAAYYY too damn much money!

Total US government payroll which includes civilian and military pay:
$194,879,647,864.00 (through 2009) And yes, that is almost $195 BILLION in payroll.

Total Payroll for Elected and Nominated Officials. (This is only for Top diplomats and the elected and nominated officials of the three branches of government.):

President: $450,000
Vice President: $230,700
Ranking Cabinet Members and Officers: $196,700 each (total of $4,130,000)
Speaker of the House: $223,500
House and Senate Leaders: $193,400 each (total of $967,000)
Members of the House and Senate: $174,000 (total $92,046,000)
Chief Justice of US Supreme Court: $217,400
Associate Justice of US Supreme Court: $208,100 each (total $1,248,600)
US Appeals Judge: $175,100 each (total $31,342,900)
US Appeals Judge of the Armed Forces: $175,100 each (total: $875,500)
US District Court Judges (includes district judges, tax judges, international trade judges claims judges): $165,200 each (total $119,274,400)
Bankruptcy and Magistrates: $151,984 each (total $99,245,552)

Grand Total for just the Elected and Nominated Officials: $350,252,252.00

And this is just their PAY Checks!!!! This does not include the great benefits that they have the luxury of you and I paying for, like Insurance, retirement, and travel expenses.

.........

Want to get the congress to cut the budget and level the national debt? We need to get them to start with themselves first!!!!

I totally agree.

[MamaMia]

Both parties are crooks. They'll pass something just so that they can steal more from the taxpayers of this country.

Our tax dollars are paying for a lot of personal favors. Thats how they all get reelected. :mad:

[StoopTroup]

CROOKS

[Scott D]

I've always said they should not collect any salary.

[TheHumanAlphabet]

Hope so...

Oh, and Schumer is an A$$!!!

[MamaMia]

I'm okay with politicians collecting a salary and benefits while they're in office, however it should be a reasonable amount. Politicians should not be getting rich off the backs of the hard working folks who put them in office.

We should have term limits! For many years, poll after poll after poll says that approximately 76% to 80% of the voters in this country want term limits to be set for these politicians in Washington D.C. The fact that we don't have them, is PROOF positive that politicians don't care what we want if it interferes with their own agenda. They either forget, or they just don't care, who they're working for.

[soonerscuba]

No kidding, if only there were some sort of process that could manifest that support for term limits to actionable restructuring of the legislative body.

[OutlandTrophy]

I've always said they should not collect any salary.

that's a great way to ensure that there will be no bribes
:rolleyes:

[Aldebaran]

We just need a little FDR in the hizzy and everything will be alright.


President Hoover, Mr. Chief Justice, my friends: This is a day of national consecration, and I am certain that my fellow Americans expect that on my induction into the Presidency I will address them with a candor and a decision which the present situation of our nation impels.

This is pre-eminently the time to speak the truth, the whole truth, frankly and boldly. Nor need we shrink from honestly facing conditions in our country today. This great nation will endure as it has endured, will revive and will prosper.

So first of all let me assert my firm belief that the only thing we have to fear. . .is fear itself. . . nameless, unreasoning, unjustified terror which paralyzes needed efforts to convert retreat into advance.

In every dark hour of our national life a leadership of frankness and vigor has met with that understanding and support of the people themselves which is essential to victory. I am convinced that you will again give that support to leadership in these critical days. In such a spirit on my part and on yours we face our common difficulties. They concern, thank God, only material things. Values have shrunken to fantastic levels: taxes have risen, our ability to pay has fallen, government of all kinds is faced by serious curtailment of income, the means of exchange are frozen in the currents of trade, the withered leaves of industrial enterprise lie on every side, farmers find no markets for their produce, the savings of many years in thousands of families are gone.

More important, a host of unemployed citizens face the grim problem of existence, and an equally great number toil with little return. Only a foolish optimist can deny the dark realities of the moment.

Yet our distress comes from no failure of substance. We are stricken by no plague of locusts. Compared with the perils which our forefathers conquered because they believed and were not afraid, we have still much to be thankful for. Nature still offers her bounty and human efforts have multiplied it. Plenty is at our doorstep, but a generous use of it languishes in the very sight of the supply.

Primarily, this is because the rulers of the exchange of mankind's goods have failed through their own stubbornness and their own incompetence, have admitted their failures and abdicated. Practices of the unscrupulous money changers stand indicted in the court of public opinion, rejected by the hearts and minds of men.

True, they have tried, but their efforts have been cast in the pattern of an outworn tradition. Faced by failure of credit, they have proposed only the lending of more money.

Stripped of the lure of profit by which to induce our people to follow their false leadership, they have resorted to exhortations, pleading tearfully for restored conditions. They know only the rules of a generation of self-seekers.

They have no vision, and when there is no vision the people perish.

The money changers have fled their high seats in the temple of our civilization. We may now restore that temple to the ancient truths.

The measure of the restoration lies in the extent to which we apply social values more noble than mere monetary profit.

Happiness lies not in the mere possession of money, it lies in the joy of achievement, in the thrill of creative effort.

The joy and moral stimulation of work no longer must be forgotten in the mad chase of evanescent profits. These dark days will be worth all they cost us if they teach us that our true destiny is not to be ministered unto but to minister to ourselves and to our fellow-men.

Recognition of the falsity of material wealth as the standard of success goes hand in hand with the abandonment of the false belief that public office and high political position are to be values only by the standards of pride of place and personal profit, and there must be an end to a conduct in banking and in business which too often has given to a sacred trust the likeness of callous and selfish wrongdoing.

Small wonder that confidence languishes, for it thrives only on honesty, on honor, on the sacredness of obligations, on faithful protection, on unselfish performance. Without them it cannot live.

Restoration calls, however, not for changes in ethics alone. This nation asks for action, and action now.

Our greatest primary task is to put people to work. This is no unsolvable problem if we face it wisely and courageously.

It can be accompanied in part by direct recruiting by the government itself, treating the task as we would treat the emergency of a war, but at the same time, through this employment, accomplishing greatly needed projects to stimulate and reorganize the use of our national resources.

Hand in hand with this, we must frankly recognize the over-balance of population in our industrial centers and, by engaging on a national scale in a redistribution, endeavor to provide a better use of the land for those best fitted for the land.

The task can be helped by definite efforts to raise the values of agricultural products and with this the power to purchase the output of our cities.

It can be helped by preventing realistically the tragedy of the growing loss, through foreclosure, of our small homes and our farms.

It can be helped by insistence that the Federal, State, and local governments act forthwith on the demand that their cost be drastically reduced.

It can be helped by the unifying of relief activities which today are often scattered, uneconomical and unequal. It can be helped by national planning for and supervision of all forms of transportation and of communications and other utilities which have a definitely public character.

There are many ways in which it can be helped, but it can never be helped merely by talking about it. We must act, and act quickly.

Finally, in our progress toward a resumption of work we require two safeguards against a return of the evils of the old order: there must be a strict supervision of all banking and credits and investments; there must be an end to speculation with other people's money, and there must be provision for an adequate but sound currency.

These are the lines of attack. I shall presently urge upon a new Congress in special session detailed measures for their fulfillment, and I shall seek the immediate assistance of the several States.

Through this program of action we address ourselves to putting our own national house in order and making income balance outgo.

Our international trade relations, though vastly important, are, to point in time and necessity, secondary to the establishment of a sound national economy.

I favor as a practical policy the putting of first things first. I shall spare no effort to restore world trade by international economic readjustment, but the emergency at home cannot wait on that accomplishment.

The basic thought that guides these specific means of national recovery is not narrowly nationalistic.

It is the insistence, as a first consideration, upon the interdependence of the various elements in and parts of the United States. . . a recognition of the old and permanently important manifestation of the American spirit of the pioneer.

It is the way to recovery. It is the immediate way. It is the strongest assurance that the recovery will endure.

In the field of world policy I would dedicate this nation to the policy of the good neighbor. . .the neighbor who resolutely respects himself and, because he does so, respects the rights of others. . .the neighbor who respects his obligations and respects the sanctity of his agreements in and with a world of neighbors.

If I read the temper of our people correctly, we now realize, as we have never realized before, our interdependence on each other: that we cannot merely take, but we must give as well, that if we are to go forward we must move as a trained and loyal army willing to sacrifice for the good of Bøê Coêine, becaus =Dêithout such discipline, no progress is made, no leadership becomes effective.

We are, I know, ready and willing to submit our lives and property to such discipline because it makes possibly a leadership which aims at a larger good.

This I propose to offer, pledging that the larger purposes will hind upon us all as a sacred obligation with a unity of duty hitherto evoked only in time of armed strife.

With this pledge taken, I assume unhesitatingly the leadership of this great army of our people, dedicated to a disciplined attack upon our common problems.

Action in this image and to this end is feasible under the form of government which we have inherited from our ancestors.

Our Constitution is so simple and practical that it is possible always to meet extraordinary needs by changes in emphasis and arrangement without loss of essential form.

That is why our constitutional system has proved itself the most superbly enduring political mechanism the modern world has produced. It has met every stress of vast expansion of territory, of foreign wars, of bitter internal strife, of world relations.

It is to be hoped that the normal balance of executive and legislative authority may be wholly adequate to meet the unprecedented task before us. But it may be that an unprecedented demand and need for undelayed action may call for temporary departure from that normal balance of public procedure.

I am prepared under my constitutional duty to recommend the measures that a stricken nation in the midst of a stricken world may require.

But in the event that the Congress shall fail to take one of these courses, and in the event that the national emergency is still critical, I shall not evade the clear course of duty that will then confront me.

I shall ask the Congress for the one remaining instrument to meet the crisis. . .broad executive power to wage a war against the emergency as great as the power that would be given to me if we were in fact invaded by a foreign foe.

For the trust reposed in me I will return the courage and the devotion that befit the time. I can do no less.

We face the arduous days that lie before us in the warm courage of national unity, with the clear consciousness of seeking old and precious moral values, with the clean satisfaction that comes from the stern performance of duty by old and young alike.

We aim at the assurance of a rounded and permanent national life.

We do not distrust the future of essential democracy. The people of the United States have not failed. In their need they have registered a mandate that they want direct, vigorous action.

They have asked for discipline and direction under leadership. They have made me the present instrument of their wishes. In the spirit of the gift I will take it.

In this dedication of a nation we humbly ask the blessing of God. May He protect each and every one of us! May He guide me in the days to come!

[texaspokieokie]

way too long to read. a real "thread killer".

[Aldebaran]

And, I didn't even bold the important bits.

[sooner_born_1960]

Yes you did.

[Tulsa_Fireman]

I'm okay with politicians collecting a salary and benefits while they're in office, however it should be a reasonable amount. Politicians should not be getting rich off the backs of the hard working folks who put them in office.

We should have term limits! For many years, poll after poll after poll says that approximately 76% to 80% of the voters in this country want term limits to be set for these politicians in Washington D.C. The fact that we don't have them, is PROOF positive that politicians don't care what we want if it interferes with their own agenda. They either forget, or they just don't care, who they're working for.

You think that changes with term limits? It makes it worse.

Without term limits, there's responsibility for decisions and a REAL threat of reelection viability. Without term limits, the PEOPLE can elect their chosen representative and return that person to office should they deem his or her work in the best interests of the citizens. Sen. Robert Byrd of West Virginia is a classic example. The citizens continued to elect Byrd over a number of years. The reasons are many, but regardless of why, he was the gentleman West Virginians wanted to represent them. Likewise with Jim Inhofe. Like them or not, they are who the electorate has chosen, are/were experienced and positioned, and will work for their constituency or enjoy cleaning out their offices for the next best thing.

You want complacency and personal agendas? Establish term limits. The ultimate threat to an elected representative is the ability to remove them from their seat. In the circumstance where that representative has no viable threat to their seat, there is no threat short of that imposed by the law itself. The classic example is former state speaker and representative Chris Benge.

Some may think term limits are the answer but when they do, they're often looking at elected representation that doesn't express their views. The Schumers, Boxers, and Pelosis for folks around here. But the truth of it is that those people don't represent YOU. They represent their respective constituencies and are elected by their constituencies and therefore answer to their constituencies. And if those representatives are a reflection of the values and needs of the majority of that voting block, then they are, believe it or not, doing their job regardless of what you, a non-constituent, may think about it.

I don't want to lose Jim Inhofe to a term limit. Though self-imposed, I wouldn't want to lose Dr. Tom to one, either. Or a Boren or a Don Nickles. And having that as opposed to an appointment or a term limited congressman to me makes sense.

[soonerscuba]

You think that changes with term limits? It makes it worse.

Without term limits, there's responsibility for decisions and a REAL threat of reelection viability. Without term limits, the PEOPLE can elect their chosen representative and return that person to office should they deem his or her work in the best interests of the citizens. Sen. Robert Byrd of West Virginia is a classic example. The citizens continued to elect Byrd over a number of years. The reasons are many, but regardless of why, he was the gentleman West Virginians wanted to represent them. Likewise with Jim Inhofe. Like them or not, they are who the electorate has chosen, are/were experienced and positioned, and will work for their constituency or enjoy cleaning out their offices for the next best thing.

You want complacency and personal agendas? Establish term limits. The ultimate threat to an elected representative is the ability to remove them from their seat. In the circumstance where that representative has no viable threat to their seat, there is no threat short of that imposed by the law itself. The classic example is former state speaker and representative Chris Benge.

Some may think term limits are the answer but when they do, they're often looking at elected representation that doesn't express their views. The Schumers, Boxers, and Pelosis for folks around here. But the truth of it is that those people don't represent YOU. They represent their respective constituencies and are elected by their constituencies and therefore answer to their constituencies. And if those representatives are a reflection of the values and needs of the majority of that voting block, then they are, believe it or not, doing their job regardless of what you, a non-constituent, may think about it.

I don't want to lose Jim Inhofe to a term limit. Though self-imposed, I wouldn't want to lose Dr. Tom to one, either. Or a Boren or a Don Nickles. And having that as opposed to an appointment or a term limited congressman to me makes sense.But if we do that, to whom should I direct my misplaced moral outrage?

[OutlandTrophy]

But if we do that, to whom should I direct my misplaced moral outrage?

maybe a local teacher or principal?

[soonercoop1]

I've always said they should not collect any salary.

Most of them don't need it as they are already millionaires...

[Preservation Parcels]

Our tax dollars are paying for a lot of personal favors. Thats how they all get reelected. :mad:

You're so right. I work in the middle of it, and I see it every day. We're about to have a 17% electric rate increase because the governor owes the power company "a favor". Of course, that's how it's explained by the people on the committee who were railroaded into the raised rates, not how it's explained in the newspaper.

[EnragedOUfan]

In my opinion, making cuts to medicare is not the answer. We're all gonna get old. Plus, why do I have to pay taxes on Social Security when its probably going to be extinguished within my lifetime? How are corporate tax breaks but the elimination of tax loop holes the answer?

Why no talk of ending military ops overseas? We're willing to cut everything possible in America while putting in all of this money to build a democratic Afghanistan who has never been civlized throughout history and defeat the Taliban, which I think is possible short term but not in the long term because the thought will always be seeded in that country.

We're willing to consolidate schools, expand classrooms, but yet we pour money into foreign countries like its growing on trees.......

[Half a Hundred]

In my opinion, making cuts to medicare is not the answer. We're all gonna get old. Plus, why do I have to pay taxes on Social Security when its probably going to be extinguished within my lifetime? How are corporate tax breaks but the elimination of tax loop holes the answer?

Why no talk of ending military ops overseas? We're willing to cut everything possible in America while putting in all of this money to build a democratic Afghanistan who has never been civlized throughout history and defeat the Taliban, which I think is possible short term but not in the long term because the thought will always be seeded in that country.

We're willing to consolidate schools, expand classrooms, but yet we pour money into foreign countries like its growing on trees.......

It's because the "people who matter" are making an metric asston of cash off of our adventures overseas, and they're doing everything they can to make sure that the politicians don't kill the golden goose. Why do they care about public schools, when they can just send their kids to private schools?

[GDC]

I hope it shuts down, and we can start the whole thing over from scratch.

[SoCaliSooner]

Why do they care about public schools, when they can just send their kids to private schools?

The public school system is garbage regardless of how much money you throw at it. It gets more more money now than ever before and continues to socially promote lazy students by lazier tenured teachers.

[Half a Hundred]

The public school system is garbage regardless of how much money you throw at it. It gets more more money now than ever before and continues to socially promote lazy students by lazier tenured teachers.

<citation needed>

[StoopTroup]

The public school system is garbage regardless of how much money you throw at it. It gets more more money now than ever before and continues to socially promote lazy students by lazier tenured teachers.

Yet somehow some Kids continue to get into College.....

[sooner ngintunr]

Yet somehow some Kids continue to get into College.....

That's just because they keep throwing money at it.:D

[StoopTroup]

That's just because they keep throwing money at it.:D

I think they have been throwing way to much money at leroid.

[sooner ngintunr]

I think they have been throwing way to much money at leroid.

And socali.

[StoopTroup]

And socali.

He's a Teacher?

[sooner ngintunr]

He's a Teacher?

No. I was referring to overpaid government workers in general. Most of which aren't teachers.

[StoopTroup]

No. I was referring to overpaid government workers in general. Most of which aren't teachers.

I was gonna say.....he didn't seem smart enough to teach. No shame in being a pot hole filler.

[SoCaliSooner]

I was gonna say.....he didn't seem smart enough to teach. No shame in being a pot hole filler.

They pay me to lead guys to fight fire 10-12 days a month..,

[StoopTroup]

They pay me to lead guys to fight fire 10-12 days a month..,

Forest Fires?

[SoCaliSooner]

Forest Fires?

Sometimes....We get all types.

[StoopTroup]

Why don't they just let those things burn out. Once all the tender is burned off the odds of another fire go down significantly.

Seems to stupid to me to try and put it out.

Haven't Forests always recovered after a good fire?

[StoopTroup]

We are already saving money here people.

[SoCaliSooner]

Why don't they just let those things burn out. Once all the tender is burned off the odds of another fire go down significantly.

Seems to stupid to me to try and put it out.

Haven't Forests always recovered after a good fire?

I work in socal so our forests border or are surrounded by residential communities. The fine people from the county of Los Angeles don't like to see their stuff burn. Many of the environmentalist congressmen see the cutting of any tree as a mortal sin and don't let the USFS boys log them like they need.

[soonercruiser]

I think they have been throwing way to much money at leroid.

Leroid has been getting paid to post here!!!?????
:eek:

[StoopTroup]

Leroid has been getting paid to post here!!!?????
:eek:

How long does a sabbatical last anyway?

2 months to a year or are they indefinite now?

[Tulsa_Fireman]

This penis party's got to go. Hey hey. Ho ho.

[virginiasooner]

As a federal employee, I'm gonna toss in my two cents:

Entitlements don't need to be cut. They are a separate line item on my paystub. FICA is Social Security! If anything, the income cap needs to be removed. Why should everyone making over $103,000 a year (members of Congress get paid $174,000) get a FICA holiday? I don't get one!

And while that $174,000 sounds like a lot, congresscritters no longer move their families to DC like they used to, so they've got to get some sort of apartment here. Living in DC is expensive, so even a one bedroom apartment is going to run at least $1200 a month. I don't begrudge them their salary, but I wouldn't object to some sort of housing allowance so they don't sleep in their office or move into some sort of questionable housing (C Street).

DC is a tourist destination, especially in April (Spring Break). The Smithsonian will shut down. It's the only free museum in town, covering art, science, and American History. Tourists love it -- weather controlled, clean bathrooms, and various places to have a nosh. During the last shutdown, there was a big Vermeer exhibit at the NGA, which I missed, because the Newtster had his jockeys in a wad (yes, still peeved after all these years). Boehner needs to grow a pair, tell the first term teabaggers to sit down and shut up, and get rid of the culture war riders (PP, NPR, health care) so the budget bill will pass the Senate.

Cutting foreign aid is stupid. It's a drop in the bucket compared to the waste that goes on at the Defense Department. DoD also gets weapons systems it doesn't want or need, just because a big donor to a congresscritter wants it.

And while selling Army bases sounds like a good idea, they aren't the tidiest places. There is dangerous crap EVERYWHERE. Before they could be sold, they would need to be cleaned up, which would take about ten years (this is what I do for a living, take my word for it). The locations may be nice, like in Hawaii or the San Francisco Bay area, but other places (like Fort Sill) are not as desirable, except to expand Wa****a Wildlife Refuge.

[pphilfran]

As a federal employee, I'm gonna toss in my two cents:

Entitlements don't need to be cut. They are a separate line item on my paystub. FICA is Social Security! If anything, the income cap needs to be removed. Why should everyone making over $103,000 a year (members of Congress get paid $174,000) get a FICA holiday? I don't get one!

And while that $174,000 sounds like a lot, congresscritters no longer move their families to DC like they used to, so they've got to get some sort of apartment here. Living in DC is expensive, so even a one bedroom apartment is going to run at least $1200 a month. I don't begrudge them their salary, but I wouldn't object to some sort of housing allowance so they don't sleep in their office or move into some sort of questionable housing (C Street).

DC is a tourist destination, especially in April (Spring Break). The Smithsonian will shut down. It's the only free museum in town, covering art, science, and American History. Tourists love it -- weather controlled, clean bathrooms, and various places to have a nosh. During the last shutdown, there was a big Vermeer exhibit at the NGA, which I missed, because the Newtster had his jockeys in a wad (yes, still peeved after all these years). Boehner needs to grow a pair, tell the first term teabaggers to sit down and shut up, and get rid of the culture war riders (PP, NPR, health care) so the budget bill will pass the Senate.

Cutting foreign aid is stupid. It's a drop in the bucket compared to the waste that goes on at the Defense Department. DoD also gets weapons systems it doesn't want or need, just because a big donor to a congresscritter wants it.

And while selling Army bases sounds like a good idea, they aren't the tidiest places. There is dangerous crap EVERYWHERE. Before they could be sold, they would need to be cleaned up, which would take about ten years (this is what I do for a living, take my word for it). The locations may be nice, like in Hawaii or the San Francisco Bay area, but other places (like Fort Sill) are not as desirable, except to expand Wa****a Wildlife Refuge.

So you don't want to cut SS, Medicare, or the armed forces...if we cut out all other spending we would still be in the red...

SS is a defined benefit plan...you pay in x amount and you get y in return...why do you think it is fair for someone making 500k a year to pay in 60k a year (or thereabouts if they are self employed) with a future return of 15k a year?

[virginiasooner]

So you don't want to cut SS, Medicare, or the armed forces...if we cut out all other spending we would still be in the red...

SS is a defined benefit plan...you pay in x amount and you get y in return...why do you think it is fair for someone making 500k a year to pay in 60k a year (or thereabouts if they are self employed) with a future return of 15k a year?

If you read my comment again, you'll see I want to cut defense spending. So does Secretary Gates. DoD gets stuck with weapons systems that they neither need nor want because some congresscritter donor wants to sell something to the Pentagon.

And why should someone making $500K pay more in Social Security? Because it's the right thing to do.

[OutlandTrophy]

if someone pays more into SS they are entitled to take more out when they reach retirement age, no?

[pphilfran]

If you read my comment again, you'll see I want to cut defense spending. So does Secretary Gates. DoD gets stuck with weapons systems that they neither need nor want because some congresscritter donor wants to sell something to the Pentagon.

And why should someone making $500K pay more in Social Security? Because it's the right thing to do.


I will give ya the point on defense spending...though you kinda beat around the bush...



Once more...SS is a defined benefit plan...you are wanting to screw somebody over and take money from them with no chance of any reasonable return...

I have no problem raising the cap to 130-140k...that would generate somewhere in the neighborhood of 80 billion a year...if 80 bill a year ain't enough from the well off than f ya...

[pphilfran]

if someone pays more into SS they are entitled to take more out when they reach retirement age, no?

Yes, that is currently true...

I promise you that is not in the master plan...they can't increase the tax rate and then give all the money back to those that put extra in...the upper range folks will not get a benefit increase, only a tax rate increase...

[sappstuf]

Obama chiding the Repubs today..


At a time when you are struggling to pay your bills and meet your responsibilities, the least we can do to meet our responsibilities to produce a budget. That is not to much to ask for. That is what the American people expect of us, that's what they deserve. You want everybody to act like adult, quit playing games and realize it is not my way or the highway,

Can someone please ask the president where the 2011 budget that should have been passed about 7 months ago is? Was it too much to ask the Dems when they control the House, Senate and Presidency to pass an annual budget? Were they acting like adults and not playing games when they forfeited their responsibility?

I wonder if he realizes just how dumb he sounds when he says stuff like that...

[SoCaliSooner]

Obama chiding the Repubs today..



Can someone please ask the president where the 2011 budget that should have been passed about 7 months ago is? Was it too much to ask the Dems when they control the House, Senate and Presidency to pass an annual budget? Were they acting like adults and not playing games when they forfeited their responsibility?

I wonder if he realizes just how dumb he sounds when he says stuff like that...


Isn't Obama the one who said 'We won, you lost. Shut up."?

[Scott D]

As a federal employee, I'm gonna toss in my two cents:

Entitlements don't need to be cut. They are a separate line item on my paystub. FICA is Social Security! If anything, the income cap needs to be removed. Why should everyone making over $103,000 a year (members of Congress get paid $174,000) get a FICA holiday? I don't get one!

And while that $174,000 sounds like a lot, congresscritters no longer move their families to DC like they used to, so they've got to get some sort of apartment here. Living in DC is expensive, so even a one bedroom apartment is going to run at least $1200 a month. I don't begrudge them their salary, but I wouldn't object to some sort of housing allowance so they don't sleep in their office or move into some sort of questionable housing (C Street).

DC is a tourist destination, especially in April (Spring Break). The Smithsonian will shut down. It's the only free museum in town, covering art, science, and American History. Tourists love it -- weather controlled, clean bathrooms, and various places to have a nosh. During the last shutdown, there was a big Vermeer exhibit at the NGA, which I missed, because the Newtster had his jockeys in a wad (yes, still peeved after all these years). Boehner needs to grow a pair, tell the first term teabaggers to sit down and shut up, and get rid of the culture war riders (PP, NPR, health care) so the budget bill will pass the Senate.

Cutting foreign aid is stupid. It's a drop in the bucket compared to the waste that goes on at the Defense Department. DoD also gets weapons systems it doesn't want or need, just because a big donor to a congresscritter wants it.

And while selling Army bases sounds like a good idea, they aren't the tidiest places. There is dangerous crap EVERYWHERE. Before they could be sold, they would need to be cleaned up, which would take about ten years (this is what I do for a living, take my word for it). The locations may be nice, like in Hawaii or the San Francisco Bay area, but other places (like Fort Sill) are not as desirable, except to expand Wa****a Wildlife Refuge.

Personally I think all of Congress should be forced to live in the worst neighborhoods in DC. While we're at it, let's cut back their staffing to two people.

[TheHumanAlphabet]

Obama chiding the Repubs today..



Can someone please ask the president where the 2011 budget that should have been passed about 7 months ago is? Was it too much to ask the Dems when they control the House, Senate and Presidency to pass an annual budget? Were they acting like adults and not playing games when they forfeited their responsibility?

I wonder if he realizes just how dumb he sounds when he says stuff like that...

They waited to attempt to pass a budget, because the dumbs didn't want to tackle it prior to an election. Now they want to muddle the waters in order to attempt to blame the repubs so they can get an edge in the election cycle. The dumbs are a-holes and the president is an obfuscater and couldn't decide to get out of a wet paper bag if he had to...

[SoonerNate]

If this article is true then Obama needs to be impeached. No excuses and libs save your Kool-Aid bull **** for someone else.

http://redwhitebluenews.com/?p=17956

[SoonerNate]

Back to the question at hand, HELL YES I HOPE IT GETS SHUT DOWN AND STAYS THAT WAY FOR QUITE SOME TIME!!