Deem, Dumb and Dems
It seems health care reform will now, in fact, be passed late this weekend. That’s historic.
Too bad the cowardly Dems seem ready to use the oily “deem and pass” maneuver. It’s legal. It’s constitutional. It’s legit. But it’s sleazy. And when the Republicans used the same procedure, the Democrats rightly denounced it as such.
All it really amounts to is an obscure and complicated move that allows a House member to vote for something indirectly but still legally voting for it. This supposedly provides “cover” for pro-life Dems on the right and pro-public option progs on the left to approve a Senate bill they don’t really like but see as a necessary evil.
It’s also a move that will, in great part, shift the national conversation away from the substance of providing tens of millions with medical coverage to a phony and cynical Republican-driven debate over the legality of the vote. It will also prove that Democrats are every bit as hypocritical as Republicans. It will convince the dumber half of the population that something horrible has just happened. And it will plain confuse almost all of the other half.
All because a few dozen Dems — right and left– don’t have the courage to put the national interest above their petty personal concerns. And, the tragic part is, it won’t even achieve their narrow, selfish ends. It will only diminish a legislative and policy victory they should be proud to be part of.
March 19th, 2010 at 7:54 pm
“But there is one thing of which I am nearly perfectly certain: If we pass this thing, no American politician, left or right, is going to cut any of these programs, or raise the broad-based taxes necessary to pay for them, without any compensating goodies to offer the public . . . until the crisis is almost upon us. I can think of no situation, other than impending crisis, in which such a thing has been done–and usually, as with Social Security, they have done just little enough to kick the problem down the road. The idea that you pass a program of dubious sustainability because you can always make it sustainable later, seems borderline insane. I can’t think of a single major entitlement that has become more sustainable over time. Why is this one supposed to be different?”
http://www.theatlantic.com/business/archive/2010/03/democrats-want-to-buy-now-pay-later-with-health-care/37760/
March 19th, 2010 at 8:57 pm
All because a few dozen Dems — right and left– don’t have the courage to put the national interest above their petty personal concerns
———————————-
Much like the stall over the investigation of torture..
March 20th, 2010 at 8:42 am
Oh not – “Jane Galt” demagogues the HCR – Run for the hills!!!
I keep wondering why Ms. “Galt” sticks around rather than withholding her unique genius and bringing the whole corrupt system down.
March 20th, 2010 at 9:52 am
The “deem and pass” procedure was not intended to be used for a massive takeover of the government of one-fifth of our economy. It was a tool to facilitate reconciliation of budget matters. This attempt by the Democrats is dishonest and may, despite your assurances, be unconstitutional in its application.
March 20th, 2010 at 10:25 am
Here is a response from a progressive faction that is calling for real change:
We came across a very brief obituary notice this morning, about a
curious individual with a single word for a name, in an obscure
newspaper of diminishing circulation and soon to cease publication
altogether itself. The notice read:
Hope, a professional political campaigner and poster model of
Washington, DC, dead at the age of 26 months, from starvation and
abuse. No surviving close relatives.
Pledge of Independence Action Page:
http://www.peaceteam.net/action/pnum1040.php
Friends, our premise from the beginning has been that we must first
speak out for policy change to our elected officials. For unless we
are in fact speaking out, only then can we know if they will listen
to us or not. AFTER we do that, it becomes clear who is listening and
who is not, and THEN we have the base to hold them to account
accordingly, and to remove from office those who will not listen.
We have now arrived at the latter point with regard to each and every
sitting member of Congress of both major parties without exception,
and the fake Independents can go too.
We are calling for all citizens of the United to declare that under
no circumstance will they vote for any candidate associated with
either the Democratic or Republican parties, and that we instead
dedicate our lives, our fortunes and our sacred honor, to electing
worthy independents who can demonstrate a lifetime of public policy
advocacy on behalf of the people, true citizen legislators.
In support of this initiative, besides asking you to submit the
action page above, we have set up a Facebook page which will expand
into a national organizing network, with pages for each individual
district in the country. For those of you who have resisted
participating in Facebook up to this point, we will do our best to
find alternate ways to help you connect with this, but it really is
time to get with it on this page here.
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Independents/273947939969
When you visit the Facebook page above, please become a fan. Then
post something on the wall, click on the Voices tab to submit the
Pledge of Independence action page that way, start and/or add to a
discussion. In short, we need to start congregating, talking to each
other, and organizing.
Because where we are now at is this:
For their part the Democratic Party tied its wagon to a fundamentally
corrupt health care bill, based on a secret deal made long ago by
President Obama personally to kill off any prospect of a public
option of any kind. So cynical was the deception in which Democratic
members of Congress also conspired that while 51 Senators stated they
supported a public option of some kind, after being forced into the
procedure of reconciliation (which would only require 51 votes) the
Speaker of the House further conspired to suppress even the very weak
public option passed in her own chamber, so that those Senators would
never have to honor their pledges.
Let us be clear. There would not have even been that 51 on the record
had they not been gaming the fact that they thought 60 would be
necessary.
Likewise, while more than 60 members of the House pledged
unequivocally in August that no bill would pass by them without a
“strong” public option, all but two waved through a House bill that
was anything but, including a draconian new restriction on a woman’s
right to choose for good measure of insult. And the last one
standing, Dennis Kucinich, failed in the end to honor even his
pledge. He is returning, by the way, all contributions based on this
in case you are interested about that.
From all this one truth in inescapably evident. There is not a single
Democratic member of Congress who is willing to take responsibility
for being the deciding vote on ANY matter of progressive principle.
Not one. Not a single one. Not now, not tomorrow, not next week or
month or year, until the end of time.
If they could not pass a meaningful public option NOW, with 51
declared votes in the U.S. Senate, and only that many needed, it will
never, ever, ever happen. All this talk about “we’ll get to work the
very next day on improving the bill” is nothing but knowing and
willful LIES. Never again will the Democratic party have such
compelling margins in both houses of Congress. It is not that they
couldn’t get it done. In truth, they were never even the slightest
bit interested in getting it done, only in lulling us into thinking
they would.
The entire last presidential campaign was nothing but a slick
corporate con job, which is why we have ended up with a slick
corporate health bill, and the slick corporate graphics and the slick
corporate slogans are all we are going to get until we DEMAND
something different.
For the last couple election cycles, the Democratic “leadership” has
been pitching that if we would just elect more Democrats, then they
could finally get something done for the American people. What is
transparently clear now is that if they only needed ZERO votes to
pass a public option, they could not even come up with those.
Whatever the required number, they would find some way to fall short
in the end.
So what we are left with is a bill that is so despicable at its
bottom line, forcing all of us to buy corporate insurance under
penalty of the IRS, with no meaningful option that might actually
save us any money, that they are trying to find a way to sneak it
through so that nobody is actually on record voting for it. That is
how utterly ashamed they themselves are of what they are doing.
And by the way, the blue doggy Democrats who ARE voting against it
are against it not because it does too little for the people, but
because it does too MUCH!!
Which brings us to the Republicans, who have gleefully done
everything they could in the last year to grind the entire business
of government to a halt, with an unparalleled number of Senate
filibusters over even the most mundane matters, tying up hundreds of
bills even approved by large “bipartisan” margins in the House. And
all for the unabashed and declared purpose of paralyzing our
legislature so that the American would experience so much pain and
anger that they might exploit that to get back into power.
This must not happen.
There must arise in every district of the country strong independent
candidates for office, and the people must organize themselves to
rally behind the best and most worthy independent challengers. And
then ALL incumbents without exception must be removed from office in
the next election possible.
We have barely 7 months to do it before the next general election,
and we’d better get on it. The social media network we need is in
fully in place on the Facebook site with 300 million members. The
basic conversational resource tools are there, and we have created
our own astounding new application functions through the Voices tool.
All we are asking you to do is go there and talk among yourselves to
get this thing started, and let’s get it together folks.
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Independents/273947939969
Please take action NOW, so we can win all victories that are supposed
to be ours, and forward this alert as widely as possible.
March 20th, 2010 at 11:48 am
The deem and pass was perfectly legitimate for dealing with reconciling similiar bills that were already passed in both houses. Anyone who says otherwise is either hopelessly ill-informed or a liar. (Sort of like the types who claim this is a government take-over of one-fifth of the economy. Shameless liars or just the dumbest fuckers on the planet.)
But the House is going to take seperate votes. Frankly, I thought that the deem and pass strategy was good in that if makes it clear that the House is voting to move to forward with a reconciled version of the Senate bill, not the original wording in every aspect. The demagoguery of the GOP around this shows a level of desperation that I’m enjoying. Looking forward to November actually. Official GOPers and their pathetic apologists are nothing but empty suits. They’ve offered nothing in health care reform to the American people when they had the chance EXCEPT a whopping deficit-financed bill when George Bill offered to “stuff it down their throats” that proves their utter hypocrisy – both politically and as regards deficit spending.
The GOP tax-cutters are the Mothers of Skyrocketing Deficits – even in “good times.” They are nothing but dishonest, soulless bastards. I’m hoping the TeaBaggers put a dagger in their GOP “friends” backs by primarying as many GOP opportunists as possible with their own psuedo-populist far-right wingnuts. This will add to the GOP’s irrelevance over the long-term, with the added benefit of producing some great theater in spirit of the Glenn Beck Comedy Hour along the way.
March 20th, 2010 at 11:50 am
That was George “BUSH” not “Bill” – must have been my not-in-love-with-Clinton subconscious typing.
March 20th, 2010 at 2:19 pm
I’ve calculated that, after a 3,000 percent decrease in my health insurance premium payment, I’ll be able to retire! In Monaco!
Thanks Mr. President!
(Too bad, reg, the committee abandoned the “perfectly legitamate” deem and rule. Pussies.)
March 20th, 2010 at 5:43 pm
Do you ever get the feeling your stuck between two brawling street gangs, each fighting to the death for the right to your wallet to fund their f–king private wars.
I just hope to hell we can throw out as many of these crazy bastard as possible in the next election. Both the ones that attacked us with a dagger while stealing out wallet, and the others for twisting the dagger while stealing our credit cards.
Washington has become a pathetic play ground for two adolescent street gangs to act out king-of-the hill righteous religious crusades. Like the original, the rest of us are left to bury the dead and try to rebuild from the destruction.
Problem is this time there is nothing left to build on. There is no cash or credit left to work from.
And please don’t piss me off showing your gang sign and ignorance by claiming your war was the good one. Your f–king crusade is going to be paid for, while as we speak your gang leaders are still passing out our credit cards to whoever is willing to get baptized.
Crazy reckless dangerous and worse of all, religiously righteous born-agains, the whole lot.
THROW THE BUMS OUT!
March 20th, 2010 at 5:54 pm
Yes, someone is hopelessly misinformed or a liar, reg. It’s you.
Pelosi was Against ‘Deem and Pass’ Before She Was For It
Sen. Byrd Single-Handedly Stopped President Clinton From Using Reconciliation
But, you’ll probably smear Sen. Byrd, who was one of the authors of the legislation creating the budget ‘reconciliation’ process in 1974, as a racist KKK member, as you do with everyone else who proves you wrong – and you have been proved wrong.
March 20th, 2010 at 6:40 pm
Obama’s speech today was first-class – we’ve got a real President for a change. All the rest of this is nonsense.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/03/20/obama-quotes-lincoln-to-h_n_507124.html
March 20th, 2010 at 6:46 pm
I thought Pelosi decided to drop ‘deem and pass’ this morning. Is this not the case?
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/03/20/AR2010032001196.html?hpid=topnews
just asking…
March 20th, 2010 at 6:46 pm
Woody, you’ve got nothing. These rules have been used time and again. Nobody cares about procedural maneuvers – HCR is going to pass. Obama is kicking your ass. Enjoy, you bigoted little bastard.
March 20th, 2010 at 6:55 pm
Incidentlaly, Woody – both you and Andrew Breitbart are total idiots. Byrd is talking about passing an entire bill via reconciliation – not reconciliation of two similiar bills that have already been passed, and in the Senate by 60. Nor is the problem with the Deficit Reduction Act of 2005 a comparable situation. But the funny thing about that is if it were the case, your headline could as easily be “Republicans were for deem and pass before they were against it” – so what the fuck have you got here, other than waving your wee-wee at us. You are so fucking stupid you waste the earth’s oxygen every time you take a breath.
March 20th, 2010 at 7:15 pm
“That’s historic.”
So was the Titanic, Pearl Harbor, Katyn Forest, the San Francisco Earthquake and any number of other tragedies. Lets be honest for once, this is NOT about health care reform, it is about establishing a health insurance entitlement.
Oh, and reg, your comment “Obama’s speech today was first-class – we’ve got a real President for a change.” is easily classifiable as a blivet. This bit from CBS News/ Opinion seems far more on target than something you as a true believer would admit to:
Seems like you used to comment that since the vast majority of the American people were against Bush (ohhhh, from around 2006 or so) that he ought to be run out of town on a rail. Now that the majority of Americans believe that Obama is doing a crapola job, I suspect its time you decided he needs to be run out … Nah, like mark yorkie, you are one true believer and you never let the facts get in your way.
March 20th, 2010 at 7:40 pm
Deem & Pass nixed, no?
***
Apparently President Obama should have sprinkled in a few “Yabetcha’s” into his speech today, eh? How predictable (and sad) that the gentlemen poo-pooing Obama’s very fine speech is none other than the guy who decided to support McCain only after McCain chose as his running mate someone who is the oratorical equivalent of a sorority hostess. No expects the politically tone-deaf Roper to have a clue as to why Obama’s speech was so good.
March 20th, 2010 at 7:41 pm
…No “one” expects…
March 20th, 2010 at 7:42 pm
This bit from CBS News/ Opinion seems far more on target than something you as a true believer would admit to:
A bit by Ben Domenech, who once referred to Coretta Scott King as a “communist” and had to resign from the WaPo because he’s a plagiarist is something we’re supposed totake seriously?
I don’t think so.
Now that the majority of Americans believe that Obama is doing a crapola job,
Wrong again. If you’re referring to the Gallup poll, 47% disapproved while 46% approved with a margin of error of 2 points. I believe statisticians would call that a statistical break even.
Moreover, 47% would not be a majority and as I indicated above, it might not even be a plurality. A majority would be more than 50%. One would think a Mensa member would know the difference . . .
March 20th, 2010 at 8:58 pm
This article is why Marc’s site is one of my favorites. He takes a stand which is educated, politcally smart and ethical…those elements combined being such a rare thing in much of the online world and elsewhere. And it turns out, someone else, be it Barack or whomever thought so too as of this evening, deem and pass having been just a prop to give Republicans something to chew on for three days.
March 20th, 2010 at 10:11 pm
Yeah, right, reg. I have nothing. Nothing except a video of a U.S. Senator who sponsored the law saying that it would be wrong to use it for health care legislation. It wasn’t about how, but what. You’re a total idiot.
March 20th, 2010 at 10:49 pm
“Palin-is-the-future-of-the-GOP” Roper – you’re too fucking stupid to bother with. Yeah, I’m a “true believer.” Is this the best you’ve got, you flatulent old huckster ? You outed yourself as a clown, several notches below “unserious”, fixing your star to that reality-show Barbie in ’08 (as if your years of witless defenses of GWB weren’t idiotic enough.)
As for Woody – when Senator Byrd objects to the relatively minor fixes in this health care legislation that has already been passed by both houses on the basis of the “Byrd rule” get back to me. You guys are losers. I’m loving it.
Total waste of time talking to this pathetic duo, but old habits die hard.
March 20th, 2010 at 10:58 pm
HCR = “The Katyn Forest” – Roper, you’re a disgrace. Really.
And on Domenech -plagiarism is one thing, but what’s truly remarkable is being accused of plagiarizing Jonah-fucking-Goldberg !!! Unbelievable.
March 21st, 2010 at 12:13 am
Roper and Woody supported the addition of over a trillion dollars to the federal deficit via a “reconciliation” bill.
Can’t be said enough in this context – contemporary “conservatism” is little more than an “I’m with Stupid!” tee-shirt. Edmund Burke would be appalled by the Ropers and Woodys, who are cheerleaders for governance by the impulses of an ill-informed right-wing radical mob, led by half-wit demagogues protecting special interests.
March 21st, 2010 at 5:11 am
“Lets be honest for once, this is NOT about health care reform, it is about establishing a health insurance entitlement. ”
Right on, and about time, just like most other countries in the developed world.
March 21st, 2010 at 7:13 am
reg: “HCR = “The Katyn Forest” – Roper, you’re a disgrace. Really. ”
The only one equating the HCR and Katyn Forest is you reg, you simple minded idjit. I only said they were both “historic” and I did not imply that they were “historic” for the same reason. Nice try boychic, but please, do a better job next time – reg, you’re a disgrace. Really.
Oh, and Palin still makes more sense than that great bamboozler. Like the man said, cut out the “cotton candy” and you have an unforgetable mishmash. Oh, and which prez is it that crashed so precipitously in the polls in so short a time… was his name Obama? Yes, that’s it… Obama!
March 21st, 2010 at 7:14 am
make that forgetable.
March 21st, 2010 at 7:15 am
Oh and reg, how’s that hopey changey wild eyed rhetoric working for ya huh?
March 21st, 2010 at 8:23 am
reg, you’re a disgrace. Really.
Coming from someone who can’t tell the difference between a majority and plurality and who uses a red-baiting serial plagiarist as his “source”, that’s truly risible.
March 21st, 2010 at 9:18 am
Yeah, reg, tell me where I celebrated a trillion dollar addition to the deficit via a reconciliation bill or admit that you’re a liar, which you don’t have to do because everyone already knows it. It’s so interesting to see you celebrating the beginning of the end of a free nation.
I hope all the young people who helped elect Obama enjoy their mandatory purchases of health insurance at the point of a gun and paying off for their whole adult lives the national debt that Obama created.
March 21st, 2010 at 9:41 am
Bush’s 2001 tax cuts, Woody. Or are you too stupid to even know what planet you’ve been on.
I’m truly sorry for bringing up the “historic tragedy” of the Katyin Forest in the context of this discussion on health care reform. I don’t know what got into me. Anyone who would invoke those as parallel is an idiot. Disgraceful, really. Once again GMRoper steers me back onto the high road.
I think he even winked at me when he quoted the Wassilla Bamboozilla who started out as a weather girl and is on her way to scoring a reality show.
Yes, GMR – The Hope of the Republican Party ! She’s yours and your ass is showing..
March 21st, 2010 at 9:43 am
Woody – “the beginning of the end of a free nation.”
GMR – “wildeyed rhetoric”
Uh…yeah, how’s it working out for you ?
March 21st, 2010 at 9:45 am
Oh, yeah Woody – also the 2003 Bush tax cuts which added to the deficits even more. Your shit, pal. Enjoy.
March 21st, 2010 at 9:51 am
Hey, dumb (GM Roper) and dumber (Woody) are back! Nah, I’m just kidding–that’s not correct. It’s actually dumb (Woody) and dumber (Roper).
“the national debt that Obama created.”
Okay, it looks like I was wrong. They’re both “dumber”. Or perhaps we need to cut straight to the superlative.
Seriously, do you morons actually think before you write this crap? Or are your heads that far up your rear ends? Hey, better get another teabagging party organized–HCR’s about to pass!
March 21st, 2010 at 11:22 am
Looks like it wasn’t such a good idea to have the HCR vote on a weekend. People who pay the bills don’t work on weekends. Should be basic political calculation. Damn!
Nan makes a quick note to self. “Don’t do massive spending bill voting on weekends again, idiot.”
March 21st, 2010 at 11:27 am
No Jim – do the bills that contribute most to deficit reduction and benefit ordinary Americans the most. Like HCR.
Or are you privy to information that Peter Orszag is missing ?
At least this wasn’t a late nite mugging session while the vote was open for hours, like Bush’s prescription drug/deficit spending bill.
March 21st, 2010 at 11:34 am
Anyone yammering about Obama and deficits is more than welcome to argue with the information in this article:
http://www.cbpp.org/cms/index.cfm?fa=view&id=3036
Three little words on deficit spending not related to wars and deep recession – Bush. Tax. Cuts. This “Obama” blame game is CYA bullshit courtesy of the same folks who dug this very large hole (and, as if the picture isn’t absurd enough, they dug it using the dreaded “reconciliation.)
March 21st, 2010 at 11:39 am
reg, I didn’t favor reconciliation to approve tax cuts, which is what you said. That is what you said. I guess you’re wrong again, even though you won’t admit it.
Also, tax cuts are money which is earned and belong to taxpayers rather than money that first belongs to the government and taken from the Treasury resulting in more debt.
Is there anything that you think that doesn’t belong to the government?
March 21st, 2010 at 11:41 am
Why is Ed Schultz dressed up like the lion from the Wizard of Oz?
March 21st, 2010 at 12:09 pm
The tax cuts, which you slobber over as the solution to all of mankind’s problems, were passed by reconciliation. Were you protesting ? The truth is, you didn’t even know it. But you do a stupid dance over this “process.”
Your “argument” is fucked, buddy. Stupid again. But that’s a priori with any of your comments. Like your pretzel logic trying to slide Bush’s tax cuts away from the issue of deficits they caused. I thought you were an accountant. This is basic revenue/spending math. Third grade stuff. But when choosing between a convenient lie and an inconvenient truth, you always choose the lie. Or some outlandish slander like “child molester.” You’ve got problems, little man. Big ones. Deep. Stuff that rots the soul.
Come back when you’ve got something that’s not insulting to Marc’s readers’ intelligence.
March 21st, 2010 at 12:28 pm
This is ridiculous, but to make it 100% clear:
“reg, I didn’t favor reconciliation to approve tax cuts, which is what you said.”
No, asshole, I said you supported the tax cuts that were passed by reconcilation. Arguing over the wording is ridiculous, because the tax cuts were a fiscal disaster no matter how they were passed, but you can’t slide the alleged subject of my sentence and try to call me “liar.” What I stated was absolutely true on the face of it. Now you’re the one constructing a lie because you can’t handle the truth or the fact of your blatant hypocrisy and ignorance.
March 21st, 2010 at 1:12 pm
Sorry, reg. I don’t like any process that avoids the standard process, just like Pelosi used to. You’re wrong and you’re pathetic…still trying to avoid responsibility like you did when you were eight.
BTW, the tax cuts arent’t the cause of deficits. Spending more than revenues is the cause.
For someone worried about Bush deficits, you sure have no problem with Obama doubling those in only a year.
Get lost.
- – -
How Democrats “rule”:
Key House Democrat: “There Are No Rules Here … We Make Them Up As We Go Along”
and
90 Seconds to Gov’t Run Healthcare
March 21st, 2010 at 1:13 pm
Corrected link: 90 Seconds to Gov’t Run Healthcare
March 21st, 2010 at 1:56 pm
“Trying to avoid responsibility” – you’re too transparent when you engage in projection, Woodster. You have trumpeted the Bush tax cuts as part of God’s plan for the greater good and you know it. Never once mentioned any qualms about “reconciliation.” Can’t bail out now.
Frankly, the biggest violation of process in this mess is when a minority can – on purely partisan grounds – hold the majority hostage and keep a vote from ever coming up on major legislation. The guys who wrote the Constitution never anticipated the possibility of such a screwed up system.
March 21st, 2010 at 2:01 pm
“BTW, the tax cuts arent’t the cause of deficits. Spending more than revenues is the cause.”
This from an “accountant.”
The same Congress enacts the spending that cut the revenues, but it’s only the spending – not the same body simultaneously cutting revenue – that causes the deficits. I’ve come to the conclusion that you’re a half-wit posing as a crackpot.
March 21st, 2010 at 2:09 pm
Way to keep it classy, teabaggers.
March 21st, 2010 at 3:25 pm
I’ve come to the conclusion that you’re a half-wit posing as a crackpot.
Maybe the best line ever.
March 21st, 2010 at 4:11 pm
Money is earned and belongs to the taxpayers. The government doesn’t earn anything, and it’s not the government’s to claim in full and allow some as a “cut.”
Congress shouldn’t pass more spending than can be supported by current revenues or begin entitlements that never go down. More spending is done with taxpayer money, not theirs. Spending over revenues creates deficits.
This from an accountant to a dropout.
March 21st, 2010 at 4:41 pm
“Spending over revenues creates deficits.”
Reducing spending without reducing revenues creates deficits. If you want to live in a country without taxation, you’re absolutely welcome to do so. If money “belongs to the taxpayers”, then I’ll take my portion out for everything I don’t agree with. Let’s start with the Iraq tax. Then the Reagan obscene military spending increases. You can direct deposit my check.
Everyone except a very tiny and deluded minority agrees that a civilized nation needs a system of taxation. Individual disagreements lie in deciding which specific taxes, and the distribution and proportions of these taxes. The voters ultimately decide, albeit indirectly, and apparently you haven’t fared too well over the years, considering that FDR is your mortal enemy. Good luck next time.
March 21st, 2010 at 4:51 pm
When a majority of voters realize that they can use the force of government to take money from a minority, then that nation is all but over.
March 21st, 2010 at 4:56 pm
“Reducing spending without reducing revenues creates deficits.”
And thank God I’m not an accountant. I meant, of course, “raising spending without raising revenues creates deficits. Sheesh. I still haven’t adjusted from DST, okay?
March 21st, 2010 at 6:34 pm
“The subjects of every state ought to contribute towards the support of the government, as nearly as possible, in proportion to their respective abilities; that is, in proportion to the revenue which they respectively enjoy under the protection of the state.”
Adam Smith
March 21st, 2010 at 7:30 pm
Reg,
Some of the wingnut commenters probably think Adam Smith is the guy who played Batman on television in the 1960′s.
March 21st, 2010 at 9:57 pm
Randy – we actually have a “conservative” movement thrashing about in this country that makes Adam Smith and Edmund Burke sound like leftists. Very strange times.
March 22nd, 2010 at 7:58 am
“Some of the wingnut commenters probably think Adam Smith is the guy who played Batman”
While other might think he marched arm in arm with Karl Marx.
March 22nd, 2010 at 9:18 am
While other might think he marched arm in arm with Karl Marx.
I was being sarcastic; were you?