Political & Elections

longprime · Guru

Budget: We get to all make Nice.

soccerguy315 · Guru

I do have some money in the S&P (low 5 figures)... I think the market is going to tank again at some point.

longprime · Guru

I sold some stock today. Didn't make the high but close enough for something that hit new highs. I'm getting short and into cash. We still have ~14 months before the next election cycle. It's gonna git to be a domestic fight. evileye

See's Chocolate was doing a pretty good business today aww . I think they raised their prices ashamed . My last two bucks. Actually my -$, because I just saw the dentist. doh

-- Edited by longprime on Wednesday 2nd of January 2013 05:51:36 PM

Razorsharp · Guru

Apparently Boehner told Reid to go F himself because Reid called Boehner a dictator. If there is anybody who deserves to be told to go F himself it is Reid. McConnell had to bypass Reid and work with Biden to get anything done. Reid is worthless.

longprime · Guru

That $60 Billion comes from just about 2% of people who have income.

You maybe could raise $60billion from the next 20%.

And Never raise $60 billion from the remainder 78%

Too bad about your raise. S&P500 up 18% for 2012. evileye

catahoula · Guru

Conservative columnist Charles Krauthammer even thinks Cantor may be going to make a move at Boehner. “It's possible (Eric Cantor's opposition to fiscal cliff bill) is the prelude to a challenge Thursday,” Krauthammer said on Fox News Channel’s Special Report on Tuesday evening.

“It would be naked to do it at this late hour as a result of the split over this vote. Look, there are a lot of conservatives in the Republican caucus in the House who hate the bill and for good reason. This is a complete surrender on everything. The ratio of tax hikes to spending cuts is 40 to 1, rather than 1 to 1 or 1 to 2 or 1 to 3. So, I mean it's a complete rout by the Democrats."

So, Boehner may end up falling on his sword for a really, really sweet deal the vacationeer in chief forced on him, the result being we might end up with another 2+ years of (gasp) non-bipartisanship.

catahoula · Guru

Actually my favorite cuts would be to all federal money going to those congressional districts that are represented by these jerks. My state gives more than it gets.

The idea that blue states give till it hurts is kind of a warming one, since their voters tend to be the ones that intially pushed the programs they resent spending for these days.

On the other hand, if they want to form some of those militias they tend to think are a requirement for firearms, invest in some Barrett light .50's, and take a little more proactive stance on where there money actually goes, I'm all for that too. biggrin

john doe · Guru

god has spoken !

9:34 p.m. ET - Were he in Congress, Grover Norquist says he would be voting with President Barack Obama and Democratic National Committee Chairwoman Debbie Wasserman Shultz. The keeper of the anti-tax pledge explains why. His assessment of the bill frees Republicans to vote for the measure without concern that his group, Americans for Tax Reform, will invest in their defeat next election.

john doe · Guru

I guess Grover came to his senses - the Republicans are letting the house vote

soccerguy315 · Guru

looks like my .5% raise is going away. bummer

so... the 2011 deficit was like $1.1 trillion. The tax hike will be... $60 billion?

longprime · Guru

One of the favorites is the FAFSA/Pell/Ford/Direct Student loan program. A program that has a supposedly high default rate and needs reforming-but the statistics indicate that the default rates are abnormally bad for the "for-profit" schools. So when D's and DOE tried to impose tougher eligibility on recipient schools, the R's hindered the proposals because the regulations addressed the defaults but restricted free enterprise (schools) and freedom of choice (student).

So, do away with the Studen Loan programs. ?

busdriver11 · Guru

" Everybody loves cuts except to their programs. Its a total disgrace."

Most definitely.

And the majority of people are just fine with raising taxes (except on them). Don't cut my program, and tax the other guy more for it. Seems to me that life is nothing but a money shuffle, everyone trying to get money from everyone else. I'm really sick of all this.

john doe · Guru

Actually my favorite cuts would be to all federal money going to those congressional districts that are represented by these jerks. My state gives more than it gets.

john doe · Guru

I suggest these a**holes ask their constituents how much they want their medicare and social security cut. Everybody loves cuts except to their programs. Its a total disgrace.

longprime · Guru

1700 hr EDT, I don't think it's going to happen in the House. The R's are divided. PBO has played his hand well, "Going-all-in" early and forcing the R's to call on a weak hand.

Watch the Rose Bowl, Go Stanford. biggrin

catahoula · Guru

I thought blackberry thickets were just another one of the afflictions the South suffers. The right canes, the right amount of rain, and caught at the right time, they are tasty but the thickets are still just a pain in the butt at any time.

busdriver11 · Guru

You can't get rid of blackberry bushes around here, cat. It's like the northern version of Kudzu. with thorns. They are aggressive and flourish, people don't plant them, they attempt to destroy them. Tasty, though.

catahoula · Guru

It's in Alabama and that lush looking understory is just around and downhill of the springs - springs being misleading, since it's more of a continous band of weeping mess running along a contour. My wife grew up on that water and wants to be self-sufficient so we'll skip running a line to the town supply.

Are the blackberries native or a cultivated variety, longprime?

longprime · Guru

Bird cultivated. evileye

-- Edited by longprime on Saturday 29th of December 2012 10:50:34 AM

longprime · Guru

I got acreage, in blackberries.

Is this in TX. Looks lush.

longprime · Guru

He oversized.

SamuraiLandshark · Guru

3 year payoff? Wow. Our system has been in since 2006. I think we have another five years before I would consider it paid itself off.

longprime · Guru

You betcha l'd like to see your off-grid stuff. One of dreams to have a solar cell home, 12 volt LED lighting, and Solar heating. My first boss (Carnegie Tech, broadband developer) left cable systems and went into off-grid systems. He was always 20 years ahead of seeing his ideas to fruition.

My current boss put in solar-cell. Figured a payoff in 3 years. He however refuses to put in a washlet bidet.

catahoula · Guru

Disagree, lonprime, otherwise he'd have forced a pre-election dealing with the debt ceiling. Nope, the 47% and their elected representatives seem to be calling all the shots and getting in their way is just begging for a bullet.

Hey! I got some pics of my off-the-grid... and I mean like really off-the-grid retirement acreage - wanta see 'em?

catahoula · Guru

Still just acreage, though we've cleared a portion for mixed pasture and pines.

View of what we've row-planted with loblolly (old pasture and new ground in the background of the photo).

The cleared areas here will be planted in switchgrass and big bluestem, thin lines of trees are run-off tracks from springs.

-- Edited by catahoula on Friday 28th of December 2012 07:57:56 PM

longprime · Guru

yep. Too bad too. He had a winning hand in 2011.

Now that everyone knows the demographics and read Buchanan's book, it's all over except for the name of the booted out fraction.

catahoula · Guru

Time will tell but I suspect, when all the dust clears, the consensus is going to be that the TanMan got rolled.... maybe even that he dropped down for Obama to push him.

(From 'DBD' by Chris Muir.)

-- Edited by catahoula on Friday 28th of December 2012 09:08:52 AM

longprime · Guru

CA is really in a mess: A big and bigger immigrant population which is largely low income, taking high resources and taking jobs. A sizeable high income group that is largely immune to economic vulgarities, and a shrinking middle.

You really got to read Pat Buchanan's latest book, mention earlier. A couple of chapters will confirm your's and mine suspicions. evileye

SamuraiLandshark · Guru

I might add, much of the money raised is by guilt. Kids are pressured to have full compliance in their early Kinder-5 grade classrooms. I stopped donating years ago.

SamuraiLandshark · Guru

There are roughly 600 of these Ed foundations in California. In 2009, they raised 250 million additional monies for these school districts. http://www.cceflink.org/about_ccef.html

longprime · Guru

I can't say too much about the problem of ED. disbelief

I got thru it and so did DS. So we got ours.

Currently reading Patrick Buchanan, Suicide of a Superpower, Will America Survive to 2025?, 2011 October. The R's should have listened/read, P.Buchanan. The D's apparently did. evileye

catahoula · Guru

That Ed deal sounds like the icing on a perfectly baked cake. Get them damn asians to move over just a little, give a guy or girl a little room, and everyone in California'll be doing some kind of Mary Poppins sing-a-long.

longprime, hate to say this, but the last six or so decades have gone a long way towards proving all those bright ideas were just bull****.

longprime · Guru

Sorry, "Ed Foundation", had me confused.

DS was probably a big user of public educational resources, IB, special bus for trigometry, district EC's. But I think the District broke even on him, since they skipped him 1 grade. District really wanted to make $$ when they suggested that he skip 2 grades,... We said no thankyou; District budgets 12 years + K, and we wanted to get the full benefit of our taxes. evileye

During the mid BushW years, some parents were about to force the adminstration to allocate more $ to TAG programs rather than to middle and NCLB students. blankstare .

No answers from me, SLS. confuse

busdriver11 · Guru

"If you don't pay it, you make it on the infamous list of non-contributors that is made public."

That would enrage me so much, I would never pay it. Maybe I'd put a sign in my yard stating, "Non-contributor", too!

SamuraiLandshark · Guru

It is about 6000 a year to educate a student in California. Some districts "need more" and have Ed Foundations that are community based to raise more money for special services to enrich their students. Then there are those lawsuits to pay off disgruntled families, often relating to Special Ed. In a local community near where I live, the Ed Foundation comes door to door to ask for their yearly family donation. If you don't pay it, you make it on the infamous list of non-contributors that is made public. Don't forget grants, one time or continuing that add more to the coffers. Plus fundraising to ay for extra, extras. Free education ain't free. But it is a bitch if you are a family that shuns the local k12 for a private or home schooled option, because your taxes and property taxes, parcel taxes are still coming out if your checkbook. Plus tuition. My sister sent a couple of kids to a cheapo private school and found that the tuition was just a start to the true costs involved.

longprime · Guru

Merry Christmas.

I just realized that the thread can be made slightly to topic by changing the U to I.

RE: Bidget: We get to all make nice. evileye biggrin

busdriver11 · Guru

I only have two comments to make tonight.

Merry Christmas, everyone!

And longprime, seek help for your anal fixation, please. Merry Christmas to you too.

catahoula · Guru

That you can choose not to eat it doesn't mean you can skip paying for it, longprime. Private and home-schooled just means the education lobby has had even more money to spend on even worse outcomes. Vouchers, on the other hand, mean having to forego some of the monopoly loot and who's really surprised at all the squealing?

(Merry Christmas to you both, btw.)

Edited to add:

I couldn't figure out how to wrap it, lp, but... https://www.google.com/search?q=washlet+bidet&oe=utf-8&aq=t&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&client=firefox-a&channel=np&um=1&ie=UTF-8&hl=en&tbm=isch&source=og&sa=N&tab=wi&ei=NsDZUI6KB4K02gXa4IDoCg&biw=1180&bih=1383&sei=OMDZUKXpAuTg2gXuy4CYCw

-- Edited by catahoula on Tuesday 25th of December 2012 07:05:38 AM

longprime · Guru

The Gov does not have a k-12 monopoly. Plenty of kids are homeschooled or private schooled.

And a roomful of monkeys is a roomful of employed monkeys, all using a washlet bidet. biggrin

catahoula · Guru

There are significant drawbacks for PE for doing too much. ie Monopoly, Oliopoly, Integration, eventual Stagnation.

But government has a monoply on K-12, longprime, and the result is enough to make a train take a dirt road. They've been working on another one since the 30's, when it comes to charity, and that's even uglier.

The space race was cool, true, but most definitely reactive. Pretty darn innovative, but it drizzled out into a stagnant bureaucracy... think Manhattan Project and the fossilized crap left over from it.

Give a roomful of monkeys enough money and they'll eventually find something useful to spend a tiny, little bit of it on --- that's Government when it comes to planning, my friend.

longprime · Guru

Speaking of butts,

Costco has a cold water, mechanical timed, butt washer. $35. biggrin

busdriver11 · Guru

I sure hope these guys get off their butts and do something soon. Not so much with the tax rates, but all the other stuff. So many people are going to be in for a very rude surprise.

longprime · Guru

Disagree but I would wish that Private Enterprise would take more initiative.

There are significant drawbacks for PE for doing too much. ie Monopoly, Oliopoly, Integration, eventual Stagnation.

The big drawbacks for Government involvement are, It's taxpayer money, regulation-oversight overhead, single goal.

China (government) is going to spend a lot of money on R&D while USA (government) is going to be restrictive.

catahoula · Guru

It keeps young people off the streets. Type of welfare.

An expensive one, when you'd rather your history major was something both productive and useful like a machinist. Vo-Tech used to train kids up to where industry was willing to lend a hand but once they started selling four-year Arts degrees as being the way to a better life all those shop teachers just sighed and moved on, lp.

Normalization structure where the smarter and not as smart are "normalized".

As far as alleviating class resentment, I can't tell there's a distinguishable difference. Not that's it's worked in any other respect either.

Government sometimes needs to direct industries and personel into certain fields that benefit the whole: cold war, space race, computers-technology, medical, ethics of the afore mentioned. Private industry has no motivation in these fields unless Government leads.

The Space Race was happenstance, cold war just military spending, useful computer advancement more private than public, and the only medical ethics in our future will be normalizing putting the old out on ice floes.

I'll take "Private", for 867 billion, next time.

catahoula · Guru

That budget widget's cool, longprime. If you haven't done so yet, you really ought to change the start date to around 1940 or so.

Besides illuminating how education spending has been an enormously successful entitlement for the public education lobby it kind of opens your eyes to what the always imminately revoulutionary class has come to expect when they get sick or catch a bullet, steak knife, blunt instrument, etc., when they're out having a good time.

Curtailing federal spending is not going to change demographics.

The first objection that comes to mind is that of illegals, which kinds of sinks the whole point, john doe.

longprime · Guru

IMO

The Education entitlements are 2 fold.

A) It keeps young people off the streets. Type of welfare.

B) Trains a cadre of young people because Industry/Marketplace is too cheap to train potential workers as in apprentiships and longterm internships.

C) Normalization structure where the smarter and not as smart are "normalized". It's the Numbers. Certain industries rely on the last 2 % (parente (?) observation on wealth) and the only way you can get a bunch of 2% is a massive input.

D) Government sometimes needs to direct industries and personel into certain fields that benefit the whole: cold war, space race, computers-technology, medical, ethics of the afore mentioned. Private industry has no motivation in these fields unless Government leads.

Well that's 2 more than 2. But notice that all 4 items are Government related. evileye So can anyone think of a field that did NOT need Government initiation? smile

-- Edited by longprime on Sunday 23rd of December 2012 04:14:42 PM

soccerguy315 · Guru

john doe wrote:
So now the Republicans deny their god - Grover and his directives. Are they going to wait for the **** to crow before doing the right thing?

well... it has been mentioned months ago, that it might be politically better to go over the cliff, and then "cut" taxes for the non 1%-ers. Since then, no one actually voted to raise taxes.

These are the asinine things that happen in congress.

That said, I think the country probably needs to go over the "cliff" and suffer through these cuts and tax increases. We needs to get our spending and revenue back in order.

soccerguy315 · Guru

my chances of being furloughed are climbing higher and higher as the days go by...

honestly, I would happily be furloughed though. Even though I am young, I have sufficient money to last awhile with no income (I spend very little), so as long as they don't cut my job, I will be happy enough.

longprime · Guru

I don't disagree with you, Winchester.

But the 47%+ of the people are really gonna be PO'ed when they can't get entitlements when they really need it the most. And they will blame, who? Sometimes we need to remember that revolutions is about how much the non-wealth class can be squeezed.

Here's a Budget Wizard: http://www.usgovernmentspending.com/spending_chart_1994_2017USb_09s1li111mcn_00f10f40f20t_Entitlement_Spending_Chart

longprime · Guru

and unfortunately, it will take another Democrat President to cut entitlements. evileye

PBO is out to reform the Republican Party. He's succeeding too. biggrin