"Relativity applies to physics, not ethics."
— Albert Einstein
Not sure how old (mature ) everybody is here, but lemme throw this out...
My grandparents came here from Italy. Had 10 kids...Not 1 graduated from HS let alone went to college. Not one of them relied on unemployment or gov't "hand outs". In fact, "back in the day" it was possible to be a drop out, get a menial job, and still make enough money to marry, raise a family, own a home, with only 1 parent working. This was 30 years ago, and I know, lived it firsthand as did most of my friends. Back then, businesses paid almost 70% of all income taxes and the top marginal rate was more than 90%. Now, everyone (even many of the "better off") have to work their backsides off, both spouses have to work, and corporations pay less than 25% of income taxes, and only the top 10% of all wage earners have seen ANY increase in their standard of living in those same aforementioned 30 years . And with a top marginal rate of 35%, the 1%ers are complaining that they pay too much of the taxes. Are there slackers? Yep. Are there "teet takers? Yep. The rich are killing the middle class (whats left of it) and killing everything that made America great.
Up until 6 mos ago I had an awesome job, made more $$$ then I ever had - as a college grad. My wife raised our 3 kids, was able to volunteer and did some side work as a way to help our income.
I lost my job, due to the economy - not work performance. I had to get rid of the house also...
I have 6 wks left of all the nest egg we had saved for 14 yrs...
The "gov't help" will be 1/6 of what I was earning monthly - not enough to support the family. I have worked every single day since I was 16 yrs old and will be 40 in Nov.
I am struggling mightily to gain re-employment...
I am no mooch and certainly not trying to be a freeloader. I am entitled to unemployment as I paid into it as did the company that "eliminated my position". yet I am fearful to try to apply as I feel as there are people walking around this planet who think I am lazy, freeloading and trying to milk the system. Hearing Romney's comments - as originally posted in the first post - made me sick to my stomach. Thanks for listening and commenting everyone, I appreciate the dialogue...
Thanks for the thoughtful post. Take the unemployment (that's what it's there for) there is no shame in it, and good luck with the job hunt.
"Relativity applies to physics, not ethics."
— Albert Einstein
Not sure how old (mature ) everybody is here, but lemme throw this out...
My grandparents came here from Italy. Had 10 kids...Not 1 graduated from HS let alone went to college. Not one of them relied on unemployment or gov't "hand outs". In fact, "back in the day" it was possible to be a drop out, get a menial job, and still make enough money to marry, raise a family, own a home, with only 1 parent working. This was 30 years ago, and I know, lived it firsthand as did most of my friends. Back then, businesses paid almost 70% of all income taxes and the top marginal rate was more than 90%. Now, everyone (even many of the "better off") have to work their backsides off, both spouses have to work, and corporations pay less than 25% of income taxes, and only the top 10% of all wage earners have seen ANY increase in their standard of living in those same aforementioned 30 years . And with a top marginal rate of 35%, the 1%ers are complaining that they pay too much of the taxes. Are there slackers? Yep. Are there "teet takers? Yep. The rich are killing the middle class (whats left of it) and killing everything that made America great.
Up until 6 mos ago I had an awesome job, made more $$$ then I ever had - as a college grad. My wife raised our 3 kids, was able to volunteer and did some side work as a way to help our income.
I lost my job, due to the economy - not work performance. I had to get rid of the house also...
I have 6 wks left of all the nest egg we had saved for 14 yrs...
The "gov't help" will be 1/6 of what I was earning monthly - not enough to support the family. I have worked every single day since I was 16 yrs old and will be 40 in Nov.
I am struggling mightily to gain re-employment...
I am no mooch and certainly not trying to be a freeloader. I am entitled to unemployment as I paid into it as did the company that "eliminated my position". yet I am fearful to try to apply as I feel as there are people walking around this planet who think I am lazy, freeloading and trying to milk the system. Hearing Romney's comments - as originally posted in the first post - made me sick to my stomach. Thanks for listening and commenting everyone, I appreciate the dialogue...
So, you had a job when Bush held office, but no longer have one while Obama is in office. Hmmmm. Interesting. Join the (ever growing) crowd. 4,400 American Airlines employees are about to feel the similar pain of the current administration's policies (how long will we be in denial?).
Take the unemployment. Folks are exaggerating the meaning of the words to fit their version of reality.
Nobody is saying there doesn't need to be a safety net, especially for folks such as yourself. It's a "discussion" of degrees. Sound bites will get us nowhere.
Sorry. The world doesn't work the way you tell it to.
I'm not sure what you all mean when you say "expect the government to take care of them." ... I mean, we're talking about seniors, of course. So... your pension collapsed so you can't afford medicine, but too bad so sad, the government can't help you? And people who got laid off and have spent all their savings and run out of EI ... no food stamps? No health care? And what about people on long term disability? How about single mothers who got out of abusive relationships and aren't getting child support? Out of luck as far as Romney is concerned? How about students who have $100,000 in students loans, but can't find a job that pays more than $18 an hour? These people aren't worth anything under his government? They don't deserve help because they can't help themselves? Really, I just don't get it... As far as I can tell, what's being said is that those who aren't able to earn enough money to have good health care, a decent place to live, and put food on their table, for whatever reason, are just moochers who aren't working hard enough, and therefore aren't worth the government's (and therefore American citizens') help, and so they just stay where they are, down and out, forever. Good God. :?
And then there is the idea that these people, along with a healthy dose of drug addicts and losers who are too lazy to work (because we all know that they're the first in line at the polls), are only people who vote for Obama... which I guess means that every person in American who is stable, has a good job, and has not run into any diversity is Republican. Wow. I had no idea that all Republicans were so fucking even keeled and together! It's like they are a superior race or something!!
With all its sham, drudgery, and broken dreams, it is still a beautiful world. Be careful. Strive to be happy. ~ Desiderata
I actually caught a "pre" debate thing last night and they were both in good form.
Good to hear. O'Reilly drives me bonkers... Let him speak, Bill!
I'm hoping for a WWE type setup where Bret Baier is the special guest moderator ... and that folding chairs are tucked away under the podiums. Right before Bret Baier proclaims O'Reilly the winner, Colbert can come from behind the curtains dressed up like Jimmy "The Mouth of the South" Hart and nail them both with a Megaphone :geek:
I actually caught a "pre" debate thing last night and they were both in good form.
Good to hear. O'Reilly drives me bonkers... Let him speak, Bill!
I'm hoping for a WWE type setup where Bret Baier is the special guest moderator ... and that folding chairs are tucked away under the podiums. Right before Bret Baier proclaims O'Reilly the winner, Colbert can come from behind the curtains dressed up like Jimmy "The Mouth of the South" Hart and nail them both with a Megaphone :geek:
All these people saying the race is over are ridiculous. There are almost seven weeks left, and a million things could happen between now & then.
You don't spike the ball before you get into the end zone.
Spectrum 10/27/09; New Orleans JazzFest 5/1/10; Made in America 9/2/12; Phila, PA 10/21/13; Phila, PA 10/22/13; Baltimore Arena 10/27/13; Phila, PA 4/28/16; Phila, PA 4/29/16; Fenway Park 8/7/16; Fenway Park 9/2/18; Asbury Park 9/18/21; Camden 9/14/22; Las Vegas 5/16/24; Las Vegas 5/18/24; Phila, PA 9/7/24; Phila, PA 9/9/24; Baltimore Arena 9/12/24
Tres Mtns - TLA 3/23/11; EV - Tower Theatre 6/25/11; Temple of the Dog - Tower Theatre 11/5/16
"Relativity applies to physics, not ethics."
— Albert Einstein
Not sure how old (mature ) everybody is here, but lemme throw this out...
My grandparents came here from Italy. Had 10 kids...Not 1 graduated from HS let alone went to college. Not one of them relied on unemployment or gov't "hand outs". In fact, "back in the day" it was possible to be a drop out, get a menial job, and still make enough money to marry, raise a family, own a home, with only 1 parent working. This was 30 years ago, and I know, lived it firsthand as did most of my friends. Back then, businesses paid almost 70% of all income taxes and the top marginal rate was more than 90%. Now, everyone (even many of the "better off") have to work their backsides off, both spouses have to work, and corporations pay less than 25% of income taxes, and only the top 10% of all wage earners have seen ANY increase in their standard of living in those same aforementioned 30 years . And with a top marginal rate of 35%, the 1%ers are complaining that they pay too much of the taxes. Are there slackers? Yep. Are there "teet takers? Yep. The rich are killing the middle class (whats left of it) and killing everything that made America great.
Up until 6 mos ago I had an awesome job, made more $$$ then I ever had - as a college grad. My wife raised our 3 kids, was able to volunteer and did some side work as a way to help our income.
I lost my job, due to the economy - not work performance. I had to get rid of the house also...
I have 6 wks left of all the nest egg we had saved for 14 yrs...
The "gov't help" will be 1/6 of what I was earning monthly - not enough to support the family. I have worked every single day since I was 16 yrs old and will be 40 in Nov.
I am struggling mightily to gain re-employment...
I am no mooch and certainly not trying to be a freeloader. I am entitled to unemployment as I paid into it as did the company that "eliminated my position". yet I am fearful to try to apply as I feel as there are people walking around this planet who think I am lazy, freeloading and trying to milk the system. Hearing Romney's comments - as originally posted in the first post - made me sick to my stomach. Thanks for listening and commenting everyone, I appreciate the dialogue...
But I'm sure the CEO, CFO, COO, the 27 Vice Presidents, and upper management still have their jobs, their million dollar salaries (the upper level), their generous retirement benefits, their business accounts, etc.
And, that is what is most important.
Over the past few years (actually 4 or 5), while working on my PhD, I was fortunate enough to be introduced to the world of commodities trading by my best friend form high school. I actually spent this past summer trading on the NYMEX (a few blocks from where the Twin Towers stood). Anyway, part of this line of study involves following Bloomberg.com, cnbc, marketwatch, etc. There were an endless line of articles with the following title:
"Company X posts record quarterly profits, lays off 3,000."
Capitalism does not have to be humane. This is something I vehemently disagree with. And now, we are dealing with the effects of the cannibal nature of capitalism, one that rests on profits and efficiency.
Now some, like inlet13 and edsonnasciemento, will have no problem with this and will disagree with my stance--and, that is fine; those two have some good knowledge and experience, we just disagree.
Think about this: (and as a disclaimer, I am not saying this was the sole cause of the financial meltdown/economic collapse). When were a handful of mutants on Wall St. and in the banking/finance industries manipulating the derivatives markets (credit default swaps, CDOs, mortgage-backed securities)? When did they put their clients and the thousands of employees at risk? When did those who make six figures or millions a year put their own greed before the welfare of others?
Most of this was done after the U.S.A. got their asses kicked on 9/11, an event that brought the country to its knees, and an event we are still dealing with today and will be for many, many years.
Capitalism does not need to be patriotic or humane. It is like the natural world in a sense: free from all constraints of emotion, of right and wrong. The best we can hope for, is that these companies that do so well in the best economic system in the world are urn by good, decent, humane individuals who have the well-being of others--their employees, the community--at heart.
All these people saying the race is over are ridiculous. There are almost seven weeks left, and a million things could happen between now & then.
You don't spike the ball before you get into the end zone.
From what I've seen there are two types of people who are saying the race is over
1) Democrats gloating waaaayyyyyy too early
2) Conservatives who never liked Romney in the first place, and are taking a chance to say "I told you so"
My whole life
was like a picture
of a sunny day
“We can complain because rose bushes have thorns, or rejoice because thorn bushes have roses.”
― Abraham Lincoln
They have Obama as a 67% favorite, so you may think that's a good buy.
I mean, I like Obama's chances. But it ain't over.
Spectrum 10/27/09; New Orleans JazzFest 5/1/10; Made in America 9/2/12; Phila, PA 10/21/13; Phila, PA 10/22/13; Baltimore Arena 10/27/13; Phila, PA 4/28/16; Phila, PA 4/29/16; Fenway Park 8/7/16; Fenway Park 9/2/18; Asbury Park 9/18/21; Camden 9/14/22; Las Vegas 5/16/24; Las Vegas 5/18/24; Phila, PA 9/7/24; Phila, PA 9/9/24; Baltimore Arena 9/12/24
Tres Mtns - TLA 3/23/11; EV - Tower Theatre 6/25/11; Temple of the Dog - Tower Theatre 11/5/16
When a person joins the military, they are put on govt insurance from day one. Their direct family members as well (wife/husband and kids). Can we consider that govt assistance? And since they pick on programs that we pay into and call that "mooching" or "dependence" on the government (ie: SS, Medicare etc), can we consider the GI Bill for service members the same thing? When I was in the service, I paid $100 a month for a year ($1200) and when I got out I was eligeable to use up to $24,000 for school. Nobody seems to pick on these types of govt programs. Why?
When a person joins the military, they are put on govt insurance from day one. Their direct family members as well (wife/husband and kids). Can we consider that govt assistance? And since they pick on programs that we pay into and call that "mooching" or "dependence" on the government (ie: SS, Medicare etc), can we consider the GI Bill for service members the same thing? When I was in the service, I paid $100 a month for a year ($1200) and when I got out I was eligeable to use up to $24,000 for school. Nobody seems to pick on these types of govt programs. Why?
They are picking on them. They just don't know it.
With all its sham, drudgery, and broken dreams, it is still a beautiful world. Be careful. Strive to be happy. ~ Desiderata
When a person joins the military, they are put on govt insurance from day one. Their direct family members as well (wife/husband and kids). Can we consider that govt assistance? And since they pick on programs that we pay into and call that "mooching" or "dependence" on the government (ie: SS, Medicare etc), can we consider the GI Bill for service members the same thing? When I was in the service, I paid $100 a month for a year ($1200) and when I got out I was eligeable to use up to $24,000 for school. Nobody seems to pick on these types of govt programs. Why?
Not sure if you are thinking it all the way through. One is an enticement/benefit/reward to gain, keep, and reward employees. Another is seen as simply giving someone something for doing nothing in return.
Getting paid a salary and benefits by the government isn't the same. A benefit program for serving in the armed forces isn't the same as say, receiving SS because you are obese, or receiving food stamps (neither are meant to be disparaging in nature, just making examples).
that’s right! Can’t we all just get together and focus on our real enemies: monogamous gays and stem cells… - Ned Flanders
It is terrifying when you are too stupid to know who is dumb
- Joe Rogan
When a person joins the military, they are put on govt insurance from day one. Their direct family members as well (wife/husband and kids). Can we consider that govt assistance? And since they pick on programs that we pay into and call that "mooching" or "dependence" on the government (ie: SS, Medicare etc), can we consider the GI Bill for service members the same thing? When I was in the service, I paid $100 a month for a year ($1200) and when I got out I was eligeable to use up to $24,000 for school. Nobody seems to pick on these types of govt programs. Why?
Not sure if you are thinking it all the way through. One is an enticement/benefit/reward to gain, keep, and reward employees. Another is seen as simply giving someone something for doing nothing in return.
Getting paid a salary and benefits by the government isn't the same. A benefit program for serving in the armed forces isn't the same as say, receiving SS because you are obese, or receiving food stamps (neither are meant to be disparaging in nature, just making examples).
Plenty of vets in in the group that Mitt trashed.
With all its sham, drudgery, and broken dreams, it is still a beautiful world. Be careful. Strive to be happy. ~ Desiderata
What should Mitt Romney do now? He should peer deep into the abyss. He should look straight into the heart of darkness where lies a Republican defeat in a year the Republican presidential candidate almost couldn’t lose. He should imagine what it will mean for the country, for a great political philosophy, conservatism, for his party and, last, for himself. He must look down unblinkingly.
And then he needs to snap out of it, and move.
He has got seven weeks. He’s just had two big flubs. On the Mideast he seemed like a political opportunist, not big and wise but small and tinny. It mattered because the crisis was one of those moments when people look at you and imagine you as president.
Then his comments released last night and made months ago at the private fundraiser in Boca Raton, Fla. Mr. Romney has relearned what four years ago Sen. Barack Obama learned: There’s no such thing as private when you’re a candidate with a mic. There’s someone who doesn’t like you in that audience. There’s someone with a cellphone. Mr. Obama’s clinger comments became famous in 2008 because when people heard what he’d said, they thought, “That’s the real him, that’s him when he’s talking to his friends.”
* * *
And so a quick denunciation of what Mr. Romney said, followed by some ideas.
The central problem revealed by the tape is Romney’s theory of the 2012 election. It is that a high percentage of the electorate receives government checks and therefore won’t vote for him, another high percentage is supplying the tax revenues and will vote for him, and almost half the people don’t pay taxes and presumably won’t vote for him.
My goodness, that’s a lot of people who won’t vote for you. You wonder how he gets up in the morning.
This is not how big leaders talk, it’s how shallow campaign operatives talk: They slice and dice the electorate like that, they see everything as determined by this interest or that. They’re usually young enough and dumb enough that nobody holds it against them, but they don’t know anything. They don’t know much about America.
We are a big, complicated nation. And we are human beings. We are people. We have souls. We are complex. We are not data points. Many things go into our decisions and our political affiliations.
You have to be sophisticated to know that. And if you’re operating at the top of national politics, you’re supposed to be sophisticated.
I wrote recently of an imagined rural Ohio woman sitting on her porch, watching the campaign go by. She’s 60, she identifies as conservative, she likes guns, she thinks the culture has gone crazy. She doesn’t like Obama. Romney looks OK. She’s worried about the national debt and what it will mean to her children. But she’s having a hard time, things are tight for her right now, she’s on partial disability, and her husband is a vet and he gets help, and her mother receives Social Security.
She’s worked hard and paid into the system for years. Her husband fought for his country.
And she’s watching this whole election and thinking.You can win her vote if you give her faith in your fairness and wisdom. But not if you label her and dismiss her.
As for those workers who don’t pay any income taxes, they pay payroll taxes—Social Security and Medicare. They want to rise in the world and make more money. They’d like to file a 1040 because that will mean they got a raise or a better job.
They too are potential Romney voters, because they’re suffering under the no-growth economy.
So: Romney’s theory of the case is all wrong. His understanding of the political topography is wrong.
And his tone is fatalistic. I can’t win these guys who will only vote their economic interests, but I can win these guys who will vote their economic interests, plus some guys in the middle, whoever they are.
That’s too small and pinched and narrow. That’s not how Republicans emerge victorious—”I can’t win these guys.” You have to have more respect than that, and more affection, you don’t write anyone off, you invite everyone in. Reagan in 1984 used to put out his hand: “Come too, come walk with me.” Come join, come help, whatever is happening in your life.
You know what Romney sounded like? Like a kid new to politics who thinks he got the inside lowdown on how it works from some operative. But those old operatives, they never know how it works. They knew how it worked for one cycle back in the day.
They’re jockeys who rode Seabiscuit and thought they won a race.
* * *
The big issue—how we view government, what we want from it, what we need, what it rightly asks of us, what it wrongly demands of us—is a good and big and right and serious subject. It has to be dealt with seriously, at some length. And it is in part a cultural conversation. There’s a lot of grievance out there, and a sense of entitlement in many spheres. A lot of people don’t feel confident enough or capable enough to be taking part in the big national drama of Work in America. Why? What’s going on? That’s a conversation worth having.
I think there is a broad and growing feeling now, among Republicans, that this thing is slipping out of Romney’s hands. Today at a speech in New York with what seemed like many conservatives and Republicans in the audience, I said more or less the above. I wondered if anyone would say, in the Q&A, “I think you’ve got it wrong, you’re too pessimistic.” No one did. A woman asked me to talk about why in a year the Republicans couldn’t lose, the Republican candidate seems to be losing.
I said pre-mortems won’t help, if you want to help the more conservative candidate, it’s a better use of your time to pitch in with ideas. There’s seven weeks to go. This isn’t over, it’s possible to make things better.
Republicans are going to have to right this thing. They have to stabilize it.
It’s time to admit the Romney campaign is an incompetent one. It’s not big, it’s not brave, it’s not thoughtfully tackling great issues. It’s always been too small for the moment. All the activists, party supporters and big donors should be pushing for change. People want to focus on who at the top is least constructive and most responsible. Fine, but Mitt Romney is no puppet: He chooses who to listen to. An intervention is in order. “Mitt, this isn’t working.”
Romney is known to be loyal. He sticks with you when you’re going through a hard time, he rides it down with you. That’s a real personal quality, a virtue. My old boss Reagan was a little colder. The night before he won the crucial 1980 New Hampshire primary—the night before he wonit—he fired his campaign manager, John Sears. Reagan thought he wasn’t cutting it, so he was gone. The economist Martin Anderson once called Reagan genially ruthless, and he was. But then it wasn’t about John Sears’s feelings or Ronald Reagan’s feelings, it was about America. You can be pretty tough when it’s about America.
Romney doesn’t seem to be out there campaigning enough. He seems—in this he is exactly like the president—to always be disappearing into fund-raisers, and not having enough big public events.
But the logic of Romney’s fundraising has seemed, for some time, slightly crazy. He’s raising money so he can pile it in at the end, with ads. But at the end will they make much difference? Obama is said to have used a lot of his money early on, to paint a portrait of Romney as Thurston Howell III, as David Brooks put it. That was a gamble on Obama’s part: spend it now, pull ahead in the battlegrounds, once we pull ahead more money will come in because money follows winners, not losers.
If I’m seeing things right, that strategy is paying off.
Romney’s staff used to brag they had a lower burn rate, they were saving it up. For what? For the moment when Americans would rather poke out their eyeballs and stomp on the goo than listen to another ad?
Also, Mr. Romney’s ads are mostly boring. It’s kind of an achievement to be boring at a moment in history like this, so credit where it’s due: That musta taken effort!
* * *
When big, serious, thoughtful things must be said then big, serious, thoughtful speeches must be given. Mr. Romney is not good at press conferences. Maybe because he doesn’t give enough, and so hasn’t grown used to them, and confident.
He should stick to speeches, and they have to be big—where America is now, what we must do, how we can do it. He needs to address the Mideast too, because it isn’t going to go away as an issue and is adding a new layer of unease to the entire election. Luckily, Romney has access to some of the best writers and thinkers in the business. I say it that way because to write is to think, and Romney needs fresh writing andfresh thinking.
Romney needs to get serious here.Or, he can keep typing out his stray thoughts with Stuart Stevens, who’s sold himself as a kind of mad genius. I get the mad part.
Wake this election up. Wade into the crowd, wade into the fray, hold a hell of a rally in an American city—don’t they count anymore? A big, dense city with skyscrapers like canyons, crowds and placards, and yelling. All of our campaigning now is in bland suburbs and tired hustings. How about: New York, New York, the city so nice they named it twice? You say the state’s not in play? It’s New York. Our media lives here, they’ll make it big. How about downtown Brooklyn, full of new Americans? Guys—make it look like there’s an election going on. Because there is.
Be serious and fight.
If you’re gonna lose, lose honorably. If you’re gonna win do it with meaning.
* * *
Romney always seems alone out there, a guy with a mic pacing an empty stage. All by himself, removed from the other humans. It’s sad-looking. It’s not working.
Time for the party to step up. Romney should go out there every day surrounded with the most persuasive, interesting and articulate members of his party, the old ones, and I say this with pain as they’re my age, like Mitch Daniels and Jeb Bush, and the young ones, like Susana Martinez and Chris Christie and Marco Rubio—and even Paul Ryan. I don’t mean one of them should travel with him next Thursday, I mean he should be surrounded by a posse of them every day. Their presence will say, “This isn’t about one man, this is about a whole world of meaning, this is about a conservative political philosophy that can turn things around and make our country better.”
Some of them won’t want to do it because they’re starting to think Romney’s a loser and they don’t want to get loser on them. Too bad. They should be embarrassed if they don’t go, and try, and work, and show support for the conservative candidate at a crucial moment. Do they stand for something or not? Is it bigger than them or not?
Party elders, to the extent you exist this is why you exist:
Right this ship.
* * *
So, these are some ideas. Others will have more, and they’ll be better.
Not a 99%'er
Not a 1%'er yet. I will keep working on that though
Not a 47%'er
I guess I am I am a 53%'er
The dignity of work is why the USA is the country it is. Wicked awesome.
Woot
You do realize you will be a 47%er someday.
Most of that group consists of the elderly, people paying payroll taxes and the working poor. Half of this country aren't laying around being lazy as Romney likes to think of it.
Sorry we can't all get rich by handling other people's money. Some people work their asses off for very little and rich people couldn't be rich if they didn't do so.
Some people are lucky and some are not. It doesn't make people who got rich any "better" than those who didn't. The 21st century has meant that there have been a lot of fast changes. People whose entire industry went belly-up thanks to cell phone apps, people whose jobs were eliminated after a computer program was developed that did their job. People who joined the military and came back without limbs.
I would like to speak for the... um... well, without being too much of a douche, let's just say that I'm "financially comfortable" and unlike Mr. Romney, who pretends that he worked for what he has, I actually did make it all myself.
That said... just because I'm more comfortable than other people, that doesn't mean that I feel that people who accept unemployment or welfare or social security or disability are lazy people who think they're "entitled to food."
Quite frankly... most of those people ARE entitled to get the help they deserve. They paid into a system that was supposed to protect them in case they needed it and it's there to make sure there is a floor below which we will not let people sink.
And it's the same system that allowed me to become "financially stable." But it doesn't make me any "better" than the man who went to Iraq and came back unable to work because of that pesky "no arms" thing.
Don't you wish Mitt fucking Romney and that horrible monster he married could see that?
Comments
Alright...
Good to hear. O'Reilly drives me bonkers... Let him speak, Bill!
Thanks for the thoughtful post. Take the unemployment (that's what it's there for) there is no shame in it, and good luck with the job hunt.
So, you had a job when Bush held office, but no longer have one while Obama is in office. Hmmmm. Interesting. Join the (ever growing) crowd. 4,400 American Airlines employees are about to feel the similar pain of the current administration's policies (how long will we be in denial?).
Take the unemployment. Folks are exaggerating the meaning of the words to fit their version of reality.
Nobody is saying there doesn't need to be a safety net, especially for folks such as yourself. It's a "discussion" of degrees. Sound bites will get us nowhere.
And then there is the idea that these people, along with a healthy dose of drug addicts and losers who are too lazy to work (because we all know that they're the first in line at the polls), are only people who vote for Obama... which I guess means that every person in American who is stable, has a good job, and has not run into any diversity is Republican. Wow. I had no idea that all Republicans were so fucking even keeled and together! It's like they are a superior race or something!!
That, I would pay $4.99 for.
I've always wanted to go to Raw....
You don't spike the ball before you get into the end zone.
Phila, PA 4/28/16; Phila, PA 4/29/16; Fenway Park 8/7/16; Fenway Park 9/2/18; Asbury Park 9/18/21; Camden 9/14/22;
Las Vegas 5/16/24; Las Vegas 5/18/24; Phila, PA 9/7/24; Phila, PA 9/9/24; Baltimore Arena 9/12/24
Tres Mtns - TLA 3/23/11; EV - Tower Theatre 6/25/11; Temple of the Dog - Tower Theatre 11/5/16
But I'm sure the CEO, CFO, COO, the 27 Vice Presidents, and upper management still have their jobs, their million dollar salaries (the upper level), their generous retirement benefits, their business accounts, etc.
And, that is what is most important.
Over the past few years (actually 4 or 5), while working on my PhD, I was fortunate enough to be introduced to the world of commodities trading by my best friend form high school. I actually spent this past summer trading on the NYMEX (a few blocks from where the Twin Towers stood). Anyway, part of this line of study involves following Bloomberg.com, cnbc, marketwatch, etc. There were an endless line of articles with the following title:
"Company X posts record quarterly profits, lays off 3,000."
Capitalism does not have to be humane. This is something I vehemently disagree with. And now, we are dealing with the effects of the cannibal nature of capitalism, one that rests on profits and efficiency.
Now some, like inlet13 and edsonnasciemento, will have no problem with this and will disagree with my stance--and, that is fine; those two have some good knowledge and experience, we just disagree.
Think about this: (and as a disclaimer, I am not saying this was the sole cause of the financial meltdown/economic collapse). When were a handful of mutants on Wall St. and in the banking/finance industries manipulating the derivatives markets (credit default swaps, CDOs, mortgage-backed securities)? When did they put their clients and the thousands of employees at risk? When did those who make six figures or millions a year put their own greed before the welfare of others?
Most of this was done after the U.S.A. got their asses kicked on 9/11, an event that brought the country to its knees, and an event we are still dealing with today and will be for many, many years.
Capitalism does not need to be patriotic or humane. It is like the natural world in a sense: free from all constraints of emotion, of right and wrong. The best we can hope for, is that these companies that do so well in the best economic system in the world are urn by good, decent, humane individuals who have the well-being of others--their employees, the community--at heart.
From what I've seen there are two types of people who are saying the race is over
1) Democrats gloating waaaayyyyyy too early
2) Conservatives who never liked Romney in the first place, and are taking a chance to say "I told you so"
was like a picture
of a sunny day
“We can complain because rose bushes have thorns, or rejoice because thorn bushes have roses.”
― Abraham Lincoln
Of course, if you are the candidate running you don't...but people making predictions is so wrong?
You wanna make a wager? I'll take Obama for the win..... what are you going to owe me?
I don't gamble... much.
You can make a wager here: http://www.intrade.com/v4/home/
They have Obama as a 67% favorite, so you may think that's a good buy.
I mean, I like Obama's chances. But it ain't over.
Phila, PA 4/28/16; Phila, PA 4/29/16; Fenway Park 8/7/16; Fenway Park 9/2/18; Asbury Park 9/18/21; Camden 9/14/22;
Las Vegas 5/16/24; Las Vegas 5/18/24; Phila, PA 9/7/24; Phila, PA 9/9/24; Baltimore Arena 9/12/24
Tres Mtns - TLA 3/23/11; EV - Tower Theatre 6/25/11; Temple of the Dog - Tower Theatre 11/5/16
Ok, that is funny.
Just say'n.
:ugeek:
9/29/04 Boston, 6/28/08 Mansfield, 8/23/09 Chicago, 5/15/10 Hartford
5/17/10 Boston, 10/15/13 Worcester, 10/16/13 Worcester, 10/25/13 Hartford
8/5/16 Fenway, 8/7/16 Fenway
EV Solo: 6/16/11 Boston, 6/18/11 Hartford,
Not sure if you are thinking it all the way through. One is an enticement/benefit/reward to gain, keep, and reward employees. Another is seen as simply giving someone something for doing nothing in return.
Getting paid a salary and benefits by the government isn't the same. A benefit program for serving in the armed forces isn't the same as say, receiving SS because you are obese, or receiving food stamps (neither are meant to be disparaging in nature, just making examples).
It is terrifying when you are too stupid to know who is dumb
- Joe Rogan
Not a 1%'er yet. I will keep working on that though
Not a 47%'er
I guess I am I am a 53%'er
The dignity of work is why the USA is the country it is. Wicked awesome.
Woot
This was a great line
Most of that group consists of the elderly, people paying payroll taxes and the working poor. Half of this country aren't laying around being lazy as Romney likes to think of it.
Sorry we can't all get rich by handling other people's money. Some people work their asses off for very little and rich people couldn't be rich if they didn't do so.
I would like to speak for the... um... well, without being too much of a douche, let's just say that I'm "financially comfortable" and unlike Mr. Romney, who pretends that he worked for what he has, I actually did make it all myself.
That said... just because I'm more comfortable than other people, that doesn't mean that I feel that people who accept unemployment or welfare or social security or disability are lazy people who think they're "entitled to food."
Quite frankly... most of those people ARE entitled to get the help they deserve. They paid into a system that was supposed to protect them in case they needed it and it's there to make sure there is a floor below which we will not let people sink.
And it's the same system that allowed me to become "financially stable." But it doesn't make me any "better" than the man who went to Iraq and came back unable to work because of that pesky "no arms" thing.
Don't you wish Mitt fucking Romney and that horrible monster he married could see that?