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But you came onto the job market close to the same time I did when a High School diploma was still worth something. How many articles have you read talking about the number of unemployed college grads?BTW we are getting perilously close to hijacking this thread again. ;DNow to get us back on topic. It is my hope that the Republicans will win veto proof Majorities in both houses and that the Tea Party candidates among them can prod them into doing something concrete to control the budget. My cynical side is saying something to me about urination and wind though.I just don?t see how the course of America can be changed without something seriously drastic. I just don?t think the majority of people, even ones who are angry are really ready to swallow the pain that fixing the national budget will require. Look at the riots and demonstrations in France over trying to raise the retirement age from 60 to 62. Real reform would have us see those same kinds of demonstrations in the states. It is all well and good to know something intellectually but a something completely different when it hits you personally in the pocketbook. At this point, I might even sanction a reduction in my military retirement benefits if I thought that the government would spend the money wisely.
if I thought that the government would spend the money wisely.
Almost spit out my coffee with that one! ;D 😀
My problem is not with taxes, it is how that money is spent. Hopefully the Tea Party cna do something about it.
My problem is not with taxes, it is how that money is spent. Hopefully the Tea Party cna do something about it.
OK, there is something we can agree on after all. 😀While I am for providing for those less fortunate, I think it is ridiculous if they have to get $20 from me to give somebody a bowl of beans (or equivalent). I bet a company in the private sector could provide services at half the cost and make a profit.
Back on track, I just saw a new opinion poll article at CBS with some numbers on Palin in particular, but also the Tea Party in general:http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-503544_162-20018857-503544.html?tag=cbsContent;cbsCarouselWhile it sounds bad for Palin, the Tea Party in general numbers indicate pretty even lovers and haters while the majority are undecided. That surprised me, but other than here I tend to move in liberal circles so my perception is a little skewed (and before you jump on that with a clever comeback, yours is probably skewed also)...
Any poll from CBS is skewed
Their interpretation may be, but I think they use pretty good polling practices. But polls in general have never been all that reliable.
I have to admit that my view is probably off a little bit too. Most of us in the military are fairly conservative socially where there is no consensus is on the economy. Maybe that is because as government employees we are essentially immune to the effects of the recession; just look at recruiting #'s after the crash of '08. I get my economic views from a couple of areas, 1. I did not grow up well off, 2. I have worked in government acquisitions and seen waste firsthand, 3. I have built up my own investment portfolio from nothing to a goodly amount, and 4. I am a news and information junkie.As to polling, my first instinct with any poll is to dismiss it. They almost seem as if reports of the supposed numbers are designed to influence those very numbers. I essentially think that polling is a very subtle form of propaganda. People tend to follow the crowd and if they think the Tea Party is not popular they will not support it. It is no different than cliques in high school. Luckily, I was always an outsider in school and still don't really worry too much about the opinion of others; if my conscience is clear about my decisions and actions I could care less what others think. The only people whose opinion I have to worry about are my wife and God. My wife gives me immediate feedback and when I stand in front of the pearly gates I will get it from God. I have minimal control over either so I live my life and will accept the consequences.
Quotes like this are why people should vote anything but Democrat; this came from Obama: “Days before the release of a key jobs report, Obama said most of the job losses his administration gets blamed for occurred before “any of my economic plans were put into place,” and that the country is still “experiencing the hangover from the misguided policies” of the last decade.” It was found here. At what point does Obama own the economy if he can still blame Bush two years later? Do we have to wait until he is reelected before he has to take responsibility? I am waiting for him to say the devil made me do it.
Here is an interesting report comparing the recession to others in the past with some timelines:http://www.cfr.org/content/publications/attachments/2009OutlookFinal_Long.pdfIf you look at the chart for unemployment rate, you will see this one is far worse than average, but even the average ones were not resolved in 48 months. The data for the current unemployment does seem to support his statement (the first half; the second half is an opinion). But pointing that out does no good; he knew it was like that when he took over. It's his job to clean up the mess whether he made any of it or not.
Obama's biggest problem is credibility. He made all kinds of grand statements about what his almost trillion dollar stimulus would accomplish and so far the average American has seen none of it. The Tea Party is eating his lunch on that and so they should. I wonder if Obama though he was playing a video game and would get instant gratification? He sure sounds like he is whining now. He is using Bush as the bogey monster and it is not flying with many Americans. I even think he believes the garbage he is spewing.
I know what you mean all too well. I am far more aligned with his promises than his actions and results...
Never forget the old saying that “actions speak louder than words”. Obama and the Democrats are full of grand promises that they never quite manage to come through on. The Republicans do it too; the difference is that Republicans manage to come through on some of the good parts while the Democrats generally only come through with half measures that hurt more than they help. Then they use those half measures to try and justify going farther. It is like the Democrats are always asking for one more chance because they wont screw it up this time and the electorate believes them despite their record of spectacular failures. The Democrats have been wrong since they supported slavery and have not gotten much if anything, right since then.
And so it begins, The Dems are now going after the Tea Party on social issues and some candidates are helping them do it. I called it months ago, getting wrapped around social issues will lose a lot of potential Tea Party voters, perhaps, even certainly, not enough to make a difference next month but the Tea Party and Republicans need to focus on fiscal issues and ignore attacks on social issues. Sadly the Dems are probably more in line with the social mores of America today and if they can change the debate the have a chance of undoing Rep/TP success in two years. The Tea Party needs to avoid discussions of social issues because they are only distractions to what made the Tea Party strong in the first place.
