bbundy

LOL

The so called Republican/Libertarians had control of all three branches many of years preceding the collapse. And like all Republican administrations in my life time they grew government while giving tax breaks disproportionally to the rich thus increased the deficit and selectively deregulated in some areas and ran with complete incompetence in other areas resulting in bad consequences.


There is still a lot of damage the last regime did that has yet to be un-done thanks to idiots in congress.

olderguy

iTrader: (19)

Orly?

Party In Power - Congress and Presidency - A Visual Guide To The Balance of Power In Congress, 1945-2008

blaen99

iTrader: (6)

Uh. Why did you prove his point, Olderguy?

olderguy

iTrader: (19)

I can see only two periods that the Republicans/Libertarians controlled all three branches, with the Democrats taking over congress again in the 110th. Democrats Control of Fanny Mae and Freddy Mac thwarted all of George W.'s attempts to intervene, leading to the sub-prime loan debacle.

blaen99

iTrader: (6)

I'm still confused there, man.

They had control of all 3 houses for 2 sessions that he was talking about, and argubly a third session (50/50 split, note the D*), as well as had control of the house and the senate for many years beforehand.

Scrappy Jack

iTrader: (2)

Really? Compared to the Great Depression (the last time we had a huge global banking/financial crisis combined with a major drought in the USA), it seems like we are doing a lot better than then.

No tent cities, no lines around the block for soup kitchens, etc. The economy is quite bad, but much better than the last comparable time around.

samnavy

iTrader: (7)

I don't normally get involved in this thread unless somebody wants to take my guns, but if I remember the Great Depression correctly, when you lost your job or your farm went dry, you were day-to-day trying to stay alive, feed your kids, eating stray dogs, riding trains, desperately looking for work and willing to do anything.

I don't know if Hoover coined the phrase "rugged individualism", but basically it was about hard work and self-sufficiency. (I'm going back to 10th grade here) He lost to Roosevelt in the 1932 election and the Democrats gained control of Congress because Hoover refused to "save" the country by simply giving people money. I know that's a simplistic way of looking at things, but he believed social welfare was inherently evil and should be the responsibility of state and local gov'ts, not the Federal Govt.

Roosevelt, with his "New Deals" and "First 100 days" was the birth of the modern social welfare system. The economy (of the world) sort of recovered over the next 10 years just in time for WWII.

As I look at our current system and how much "better" it is, I wonder if we wouldn't be better served by replacing food-stamps and welfare checks with soup lines.

Obligatory pic:

blaen99

iTrader: (6)

Human cycles: History as science : Nature News & Comment

Interesting reading. I'm not certain if I buy into it, but it definitely makes for an interesting theory - and it's easily testable over the next few years too.

viperormiata

iTrader: (24)

Am I the only one who is in favor of restricting child birth? I mean, you can be any age and have a child, and it seems it's turning into a problem. As of two days ago I have to start using my toes to count all the friends of mine that have/are having kids. Only one....ONE is planned and in a financially responsible home. Is it going too far to suggest birth control in the water or reversible procedures for sterilization at birth? We don't have a "lack of children" crisis in this country, but we do have a "Holy shit I am completely, 100% unfit and too much of a piece of shit to raise a child" issue. Then there's the same sex couple/marriage "they can't raise children" bullshit that's going on now.

14 and got knocked up by some high school dude? Of course you can have your child! It's gods miracle!

Two financially and emotionally responsible adult men want to have a child? Fuck no you sick faggettes!!!!

lol! Who wants to put money down that she is a single parent and dependent on government aid?

bbundy

Thanks for proving my point. 10 year period with most republican/libertarian control of government, 1995-2005 and really 6 years they had control of all three branches for the only time in history. We got un-funded un-warranted wars, huge upward shift in wealth distribution and a giant bursting economic bubble aided by selective deregulation and government incompetence. An explosion in the amount of lobbying money rained on congress. The worst period of government since the 1930’s. And their economic growth policy of Handing out free money and tax breaks to corporations and the super wealthy that we are still practicing has failed to create job growth.

bbundy

The movie Idiocracy is prophecy only stupid people are breeding and they are doing it quite well 7 billion and De-Evolving.

blaen99

iTrader: (6)

So, anyone else follow 538 here? (Ref: Election Forecasts - FiveThirtyEight Blog - NYTimes.com )

It's interesting to see some of the polling for various states, although I am surprised that Obama is pulling away from Romney in most polls now.

P.S. Inb4 the derp, the dude called the '08 elections far closer than anyone else, and uses mathematical models - not his personal opinions - to generate his predictions.

triple88a

iTrader: (2)

Braineack

iTrader: (62)

derp?

Braineack

iTrader: (62)

i would have fired this guy the first time I ever met him, no douche allowed.

cordycord

iTrader: (2)

You (of course) realize that the "Dust Bowl" of the Great Depression is being re-created in the central valley of California by the government. They're cutting off water to farmers while trying to save the "delta smelt", a little minnow that's not indigenous to the area.

You probably also know about the tent cities outside of Sacramento now. Right? Soup kitchens? Normal. I have a friend who runs one in Washington DC--business is booming.

Braineack

iTrader: (62)

until they outlaw outdoor feeding...or grains.

cordycord

iTrader: (2)

Those unfunded, unwarranted wars were signed on by Bill & Hillary, John Kerry and every other major Democrat, AS WELL AS CONGRESS. And while the rich were getting richer, SO WAS EVERYBODY ELSE!

So yes, whether in good times or bad, the rich are always bad.

Personally, I don't know of one private person who wouldn't sign onto a flat tax or a consumption tax. I don't know of one business owner who wouldn't agree to closing all loopholes so everyone had a level playing field.

You think Nancy Pelosi and Harry Reid would agree? I heard Harry just signed up a big Chinese solar job in his home state. State land was given at a 1/10th of the cost, and his son is doing the legal work on the project.

bbundy

I have been following 538. Dude has been the most accurate predictor in I think every election I have seen him follow.

Bob

bbundy

I have put much thought into a flat tax or consumption tax Both would be awful for many reasons I don’t want to get into right now.

I’m for eliminating pretty most all loopholes and retain a slightly progressive income tax at the federal level And All forms of income being treated the same for tax purposes.

Romney’s tax plan is basically to make the tax rate for his class of un-earned income extractors or so called job creators (doublespeak right there) zero while eliminating existing tax loopholes for the poor and middle class ~98% of everybody else to pay for it claiming his plan is revenue neutral.

Its just class warfare he is proposing. It will most likely lead to decline and distruction of the nation.