The Politics Thread

[ArchieBunker]

I think I actually said it was "immoral" to have the govt confiscate over 50% of ones income. It is obscene as well. We dont have as much as a revenue problem as we do a spending problem. You know the federal budget has DOUBLED, yes DOUBLED, within the past 10 years. If we go back to near 2001 levels, we would be in the dire shit we are in right now.

Look at this bullshit Super Committee. What a bunch of horseshit!! Are there any ADULTS in the room?? The caramel guy in the White House has shown, once again, a total lack of leadership and guidance over these issues. Tactically, I think he WANTS the enitre thing go to ratshit. The ONLY way he is going to win the election is to get his base out by hook or by crook.

Its gonna be a battle of about 10 states. We all know that. Ol Arch's vote aint gonna count since I live in New York.......

The left are such hypocrites regarding the issue of taxation. Dont get me started on the 99%!! Actually, they had some points I could get behind but they come across as a bunch of spoiled, gimme gimme gimme, self important, brats. I love it some of the ringleaders/paymasters were caught living it up large in a chic hotel in Chelsea that cost $700/night with 350 count Egyptian cotton sheets. VIVA LA REVOLUCION!! Let them eat cake!!! The guy was quoted as saying, "Tents arent for me." YCMIU!!!

[Lefty]

A percentile FLAT TAX for all!

No loopholes. No offshore hidden accounts.

You earn X as income and you pay a percentage of X as income tax. 30% seems fair.

Plain and simple.

Beat's me why people don't embrace this approach. Perhaps it would put a lot of lawyers and accountants out of business.

Except the mega rich don't have income in the form of wages or salaries. The way to nail those scum is to increase capital gains tax from 15% to 25%.

[pdogg]

Except the mega rich don't have income in the form of wages or salaries. The way to nail those scum is to increase capital gains tax from 15% to 25%.

Why should capital gains be given any favored tax treatment whatsoever?

Why not tax capital gains at ordinary income rates?

Most cops, teachers, and nurses are in the 25 percent marginal tax bracket, some even in the 28 percent bracket.

The cop is out there putting his life on the line protecting the capitalist's stash of cash and his reward is unflavored tax treatment?

But expanding of Lefty's idea, let's bring back the estate tax to 1941 levels and make sure that any loopholes involving trusts and gifts are closed.

The first 5 or 10 million of the estate could be significantly lower or even exempt.. My intention is not to penalize a doctor who has worked hard his entire life.

Wake up middle class!

[pdogg]

a spending problem

I agree with Ol Arch .

Government spending is very often wasteful.

Slash the budget and give the savings back to the working people.

Right now about the first 10K of income is excluded from tax. Bump that up to 50K.

I also agree that it's not fair that living at 704 Hauser Street makes Archie's presidential vote as useless as a limp dick. I favor direct election of the POTUS.

So candidates now need to pander to Ohioans and Floridians since those states count.

How about Senator Menendez as the Dem veep candidate to get the Floridian Cuban vote, a similar tactic to Lieberman .

On a personal level, I would love this as in our only chess match when our high schools met, I killed him. My claim to fame if he somehow became prez.

This thread has turned country specific but the same problem exists throughout the world. The super rich write the rules and exploit the middle and lower class.

[Lefty]

Why should capital gains be given any favored tax treatment whatsoever?

Why not tax capital gains at ordinary income rates?

Most cops, teachers, and nurses are in the 25 percent marginal tax bracket, some even in the 28 percent bracket.

The cop is out there putting his life on the line protecting the capitalist's stash of cash and his reward is unflavored tax treatment?

But expanding of Lefty's idea, let's bring back the estate tax to 1941 levels and make sure that any loopholes involving trusts and gifts are closed.

The first 5 or 10 million of the estate could be significantly lower or even exempt.. My intention is not to penalize a doctor who has worked hard his entire life.

Wake up middle class!

Even bring income tax rates back to 1960s levels would help quite a bit by nailing those rich bastards.

I don't agree with a flat tax. 30% seems fair Sam? Maybe to someone making 700k a year, but that is big chunk for someone making 15k a year. I guess it is their own fault they are working poor, right Archie?

Actually, I find it rather silly or ironic that a guy who is an avowed right wing Rep chooses a user name of a tv character who was a stereotypical blue collar Truman Democrat, played by an actor who was as left wing as they come.

[SiamSam]

Well put Houndman.

I have a Thai friend living in Denmark. She works there, pays taxes, but for some reason not entitled for medicare for the time being. She recently learned she has blood cancer and will die unless she undertakes heavy drug and chemo treatments. The state will not pay and she does not have the money for treatment. As you can imagine it is a terrible situation and there is very little to do. Adding insult to it all is she has learned that anyone claiming refugee status in Denmark gets free housing, food, clothes, and MEDICARE for themselves and their entire extended family while their case is being evaluated!!! I know nothing is as simple as it appears but this is not fair in my opinion. A lot of the western world is going to hell in a hand basket due to their immigration policies.

[williethepimp]

very good post hound.....i was with you all the way until the last paragraph........repeat ,obama's the smart guy....his colour has nothing to do with it.......the uk is fucked and has been for a long time.....i could rant til eternity about what and when it all went wrong,but instead ile vote with my feet and leave the uk as soon as i can....THE uk has missed its chance....what was needed a few years ago was an english republican army....top a few of those fuckers who sold us out.....too late now ,another 50 years and it will be re-named Englandistan.......By the way,Mohammed is now the most popular boys name in the uk........

[strocube]

' . . . by the way are the democrats not the yank equivalent of the Labour Party ? Another money wasting bunch,who think a good way to spend tax payers money on left wing ,one legged lesbian centres or one eyed,abyisinian,ragmens welfare funds or other such stupidity" (The Hound). Not exactly, Mr.Hound. While that is more or less the standard rhetoric coming form the so called right, there is VERY little difference between the two parties in the U.S. The only real difference between the two is one of rhetoric; the form is different, but the content is basically the same. Both parties take money from the same corporate "donors," therefore they are both run by the same people; the corporations who finance their respective "campaigns." In reality, it is all smoke and mirrors; a propaganda puppet show designed to give the mouth-breathing masses the illusion of "democracy." Frankly, I sometime wonder why they even bother to put on the show. But, I suppose it keeps the masses quite.

[SiamSam]

It is all a matter of time. As history shows, the masses will have their day when the straw finally breaks their heavy loaded backs and they are left with no choice but to wheel out that trusted all propose cleanser, the guillotine. Gotta love that guillotine. It does the trick for sure, tried and true.

The Middle East and Med countries are doing it their way as witnessed this year in Egypt, Libya, and presently Syria. Europe needs one helluva of revolt every couple of centuries and man oh man is it due. Their immigration polices are crazy and downright disrespectful to their citizens who built it all and pay for it all. Ditto for Canada and the US. The US has its own cleanser when they assassinate their rulers but oddly enough never take out the bastards on Wall Street that exploit them relentlessly. Perhaps the "occupy" movement is the precursor for something like that.

[Lefty]

It is all a matter of time. As history shows, the masses will have their day when the straw finally breaks their heavy loaded backs and they are left with no choice but to wheel out that trusted all propose cleanser, the guillotine. Gotta love that guillotine. It does the trick for sure, tried and true.

The Middle East and Med countries are doing it their way as witnessed this year in Egypt, Libya, and presently Syria. Europe needs one helluva of revolt every couple of centuries and man oh man is it due. Their immigration polices are crazy and downright disrespectful to their citizens who built it all and pay for it all. Ditto for Canada and the US. The US has its own cleanser when they assassinate their rulers but oddly enough never take out the bastards on Wall Street that exploit them relentlessly. Perhaps the "occupy" movement is the precursor for something like that.

Only good ones seem to get assassinated. Lincoln and JFK first and foremost. Garfield we didn't have long enough to know how he'd have done, but he was exceedingly intelligent and gifted. He could write legibly with both hands simultaneously. How frigging rare is that? McKinley, is less well known, but he was big on opening foreign markets for American goods, he backed the gold standard, was an abolitionist who supported civil rights as well as anyone in those days. He was president during the Spanish American war, which eventually led to our annexing of Cuba, Puerto Rico and Philippines. He was the one who pushed for annexation of Hawaii. So we have him to thank for it becoming later a state. So rather than shoot the bad presidents, in the USA it has been 3 good ones and an unknown.

[Lefty]

Republicans are known for their continuous gripe about the "liberal" media, but I have to say I'm sick and tired of the usual media line "it's everyone-in-Washington's fault" being constantly played over the airwaves. It's NOT everyone's fault, it's 90% the Republican's fault we're in this mess. Starting with Reagan's budget-busting spending spree and tax slashing of the '80s, continuing with Bush II's rampant tax cuts, two credit card wars, an unfunded prescription drug program, and mass financial deregulation all along the way - it's impossible to make a plausible case for blaming the fiscal and economic mess 50-50 on BOTH parties.

[Lefty]

[pdogg]

'While that is more or less the standard rhetoric coming form the so called right, there is VERY little difference between the two parties in the U.S. The only real difference between the two is one of rhetoric; the form is different, but the content is basically the same. Both parties take money from the same corporate "donors," therefore they are both run by the same people; the corporations who finance their respective "campaigns." In reality, it is all smoke and mirrors; a propaganda puppet show designed to give the mouth-breathing masses the illusion of "democracy." Frankly, I sometime wonder why they even bother to put on the show. But, I suppose it keeps the masses quite.

I'm pretty much with Strobcube on this. There's a permanent invisible government with the primary function of making the rich richer.

From 1932 to 1981 the tax rate on the richest of the rich ranged from a low of 63 percent to a high of 92 percent. This does not seem unreasonable to me.

It's time for the middle class to wake up and stop funding welfare for billionaires.

The GOP may be more obsessed with preserving the good life of the rich but the Dems are also heavily invested in maintaining the status quo.

Having said this, if it weren't for a few hanging chads, the USA would probably not be at war with Iraq. Brave young Americans killed in action would be eating turkey tomorrow with their wives, children, parents, and grandparents. Lots of Iraqis would be alive too. But if McCain had been the Repub candiate and defeated Gore, I suspect we wouldn't be in Iraq either.

[rxpharm]

GOP means "Grand Old Party" which is a nick name for the Republican Party.

[strocube]

GOP = Greedy Old Pricks

Just kidding, it really is Grand Old Party, but I like my version better.

[Lefty]

GOP or Republicans, whatever name you refer to them by, it means the same...no good stinking pond scum. If you are an American and Republican and we ever meet, unless you are old and fragile, I will probably be very outspoken and insulting, in the hopes I coerce you into an altercation, so I can stomp your stinking guts out...because, make no mistake, if you are a Rep, its 99% chance I hate your stinking no good guts and would like nothing better than to show them the light of day. :aggressive:

If anyone cares about the environment, or LGBT rights, to name two important issues in my book, there is no way you can support or be a member of the GOP and not be insane. :growl: :growl: :growl:

[Lefty]

Other things GOP just as well stands for:

God Ordained Politicians

God's Own Party

Guns are Our Priority

Greed Over People (my personal favorite)

Greed Over Patriotism

Gas Oil Petroleum

Gluttons Of Privilege

Grand Old Plutocrats

Gut Our Public

Grand Old Porkers

Get Old People

Goofy, Outrageous, and Peculiar

Greedy One Percent

Groping old perverts

Gay old pedophiles

[Hefe]

Mr. Cain & Mrs. Cain are having what I am sure is an interesting "conversation" today. I suspect a few vases will be broken, maybe a lawyer for an eventual separation, then the last of the "stunt" candidates will bow out....

[pdogg]

Cain may not be a familiar name to many of you. He was the CEO of Godfather's Pizza and came on strong in the GOP in the past few months. But he was forced to suspend his campaign due to charges of sexual harassment and also a decade long affair with Ginger White.

[williethepimp]

Mr. Cain & Mrs. Cain are having what I am sure is an interesting "conversation" today. I suspect a few vases will be broken, maybe a lawyer for an eventual separation, then the last of the "stunt" candidates will bow out....

They're all 'stunt' candidates....American politics is a sham...

[Lefty]

They're all 'stunt' candidates....American politics is a sham...

Which country's politics isn't a sham?

[williethepimp]

Which country's politics isn't a sham?

Good point lefty,but in other countries it is less apparent.

In Germany for instance,the rapid rise in the Green Party has forced the Germans to abandon Nuclear fuel to create its electricity....In the UK,the Lib Dems have joined forces with the Cons to create a coalition government(not necessarily a good thing)....In Belgium-there is no government at all.(but everything still works nonetheless)

Can you imagine any other scenario except Reps/Dems in America??Can you ever see any change in this format?.....any Green party on the horizon that can change anything in the USA?

[pdogg]

Can you imagine any other scenario except Reps/Dems in America??Can you ever see any change in this format?.....any Green party on the horizon that can change anything in the USA?

It is my hope that the Occupy Wall Street movement morphs into a true political party andbeacons a major force. :money:

Is this likely?

No.

But if the middle class gets mad as hell, anything is possible.

But more likely the OWS movement gets absorbed into the Dem party just as the Tea Party is absorbed into the Repubs.

In

[Hefe]

OWS just moved into a donated office downtown, I think this is the beginning of the split between those who see that as the future & those who are more anarchic/ street-action oriented. There are apparently 2 distinct factions like this, hilariously depicted in this Daily Show segment recently.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H6qkv4TMTLo