... being that it's Thanksgiving Day in the U.S. http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/11/24/AR2010112407072.html r b-j
every once in a while i can read about something to be be thankful for...
Started by ●November 25, 2010
Reply by ●November 26, 20102010-11-26
On Nov 25, 11:24�am, robert bristow-johnson <r...@audioimagination.com> wrote:> ... being that it's Thanksgiving Day in the U.S. > > �http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/11/24/AR201... > > r b-jAnytime a corrupt politician gets caught is a good time. We see these guys commit malfeasence, misfeasence and nonfeasence all of the time. They should all forfit their congressional benefits and pension and go to jail, To me this is not a democrat or republican thing, but instead it is a clean house thing. If these guys know they will get caught, then perhaps they won't be so quick to cheat taxpayers.
Reply by ●November 26, 20102010-11-26
On Nov 26, 6:12�pm, Clay <c...@claysturner.com> wrote:> On Nov 25, 11:24�am, robert bristow-johnson > > <r...@audioimagination.com> wrote: > > ... being that it's Thanksgiving Day in the U.S. > > > �http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/11/24/AR201... > > > Anytime a corrupt politician gets caught is a good time. We see these > guys commit malfeasence, misfeasence and nonfeasence all of the time. > They should all forfit their congressional benefits and pension and go > to jail, To me this is not a democrat or republican thing, but instead > it is a clean house thing. If these guys know they will get caught, > then perhaps they won't be so quick to cheat taxpayers.i agree that it's not a dem/GOP thing, but i still think that GOP is the party of the rich and powerful that seeks to sustain that status quo (or even increase it, make the rich richer). another difference i've noticed is that the dems give in way to easily (even when they are right) whereas *never*, *ever* admit they're wrong (even when they are, which of course is never). Bill Clinton, Charles Rangel had to admit their wrongdoing (though they had argued against severity of whatever punishment that others sought against them). DeLay maintains he did nothing wrong (despite the obviousness that what he did violated precisely the letter and the intent of the Texas law he sought to circumvent). i don't necessarily want to see him in prison for life, but he should spend some time there. maybe the minimum (5 years, if they don't give him probation) would be appropriate. those 5 years is a long time to be in denial amidst the stark contrast of his environment. there *is* a qualitative difference in the measure of self- righteousness between the secular left and the religious right. the latter group likes to wrap themselves with (besides the flag) pages of scripture that they apparently never read. r b-j
Reply by ●November 27, 20102010-11-27
On Fri, 26 Nov 2010 15:42:07 -0800 (PST), robert bristow-johnson <rbj@audioimagination.com> wrote:>On Nov 26, 6:12�pm, Clay <c...@claysturner.com> wrote: >> On Nov 25, 11:24�am, robert bristow-johnson >> >> <r...@audioimagination.com> wrote: >> > ... being that it's Thanksgiving Day in the U.S. >> >> > �http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/11/24/AR201... >> >> >> Anytime a corrupt politician gets caught is a good time. We see these >> guys commit malfeasence, misfeasence and nonfeasence all of the time. >> They should all forfit their congressional benefits and pension and go >> to jail, To me this is not a democrat or republican thing, but instead >> it is a clean house thing. If these guys know they will get caught, >> then perhaps they won't be so quick to cheat taxpayers. > >i agree that it's not a dem/GOP thing, but i still think that GOP is >the party of the rich and powerful that seeks to sustain that status >quo (or even increase it, make the rich richer).Come on Robert, look at the wealth of that Dem alcoholic Senator Ted Kennedy. And look at: Democrat Senator: Net worth: John Kerry $164 million Herb Kohl $111 million John Rockefeller $82 million Diane Feinstein $75 million Robert, to say that the Republicans "are the party of the rich" is just not realistic. Now I'm not defending the Republicans because my hatred for them is exceeded only by my hatred for the Democrats. By the way, for the last five years the average net worth of U.S. Senators has been in the range of $16 million -to- $17 million. All these politicians say they're "in the business of public service." We bend over and they "service" us. Question: "What's the saddest sight in the world?" Answer: A bus-load of Senators flying over the edge of a cliff, and there's one empty seat. [-Rick-]
Reply by ●November 27, 20102010-11-27
I have mellowed a little in my old age. I no longer think that politicians are the cause of our problems. They are only a symptom. Let's face it, in a democracy politicians only have as much power as we hand to them. We elect them, we fail to monitor them and then we toss them out only when times are bad regardless of whether they had anything to do with causing the bad times. The reason we have an electoral college to select our President is because the founding fathers could not agree that people at large were capable of running their own government. Some of them didn't believe we should have an elected government at all and wanted to make George Washington the King of the new country. I'm not sure they were far wrong. Most elections in this country are a popularity contest, not too different than running for class president in high school. So don't blame a pig for having a shorter neck than a giraffe! We make politicians the way they are by responding to their negative campaigning, listening to their BS rhetoric and swallowing the hook, line and sinker of their election promises even when we ***know*** they are lying to us. "We have met the enemy and he is us" Regretfully, Rick PS I would say the national elections in the US are a feedback loop with an adequate time delay to cause unstable oscillations with a period of roughly 7 years. What sort of filter is needed in the loop to stabilize it? How does this theory explain the recent election results? Can Chaos Theory be applied to understand and prevent these oscillations? McLaughlin says, "No, politics is beyond Chaos Theory and can not be controlled! Like the stock market, the act of understanding it adds a new dimension that further complicates it."
Reply by ●November 27, 20102010-11-27
Ha ha. How's this for 'timing"?
Just this morning I read that Democratic Senator
John Kerry rented the 2,000-seat Boston Symphony
Hall for a celebration:
"... meant to celebrate Kerry�s 25 years in the
Senate and 45 years of public service."
Public service-- ha ha ha ha.
[-Rick-]
Reply by ●November 27, 20102010-11-27
Rick Lyons <R.Lyons@_BOGUS_ieee.org> writes:> [...] > Question: "What's the saddest sight in the world?" > > Answer: A bus-load of Senators flying over the edge > of a cliff, and there's one empty seat.Ha ha. As long as Pelosi was on it, I'd wouldn't lose too much sleep. -- Randy Yates % "Maybe one day I'll feel her cold embrace, Digital Signal Labs % and kiss her interface, mailto://yates@ieee.org % til then, I'll leave her alone." http://www.digitalsignallabs.com % 'Yours Truly, 2095', *Time*, ELO
Reply by ●November 27, 20102010-11-27
Randy Yates <yates@ieee.org> writes:> Rick Lyons <R.Lyons@_BOGUS_ieee.org> writes: >> [...] >> Question: "What's the saddest sight in the world?" >> >> Answer: A bus-load of Senators flying over the edge >> of a cliff, and there's one empty seat. > > Ha ha. As long as Pelosi was on it, I'd wouldn't lose too much sleep.Yeah, ok she's house. My bad. -- Randy Yates % "And all that I can do Digital Signal Labs % is say I'm sorry, mailto://yates@ieee.org % that's the way it goes..." http://www.digitalsignallabs.com % Getting To The Point', *Balance of Power*, ELO
Reply by ●November 27, 20102010-11-27
On Nov 27, 8:44 am, Rick Lyons <R.Lyons@_BOGUS_ieee.org> wrote:> On Fri, 26 Nov 2010 15:42:07 -0800 (PST), robert bristow-johnson > > > > <r...@audioimagination.com> wrote: > >On Nov 26, 6:12 pm, Clay <c...@claysturner.com> wrote: > >> On Nov 25, 11:24 am, robert bristow-johnson > > >> <r...@audioimagination.com> wrote: > >> > ... being that it's Thanksgiving Day in the U.S. > > >> > http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/11/24/AR201... > > >> Anytime a corrupt politician gets caught is a good time. We see these > >> guys commit malfeasence, misfeasence and nonfeasence all of the time. > >> They should all forfit their congressional benefits and pension and go > >> to jail, To me this is not a democrat or republican thing, but instead > >> it is a clean house thing. If these guys know they will get caught, > >> then perhaps they won't be so quick to cheat taxpayers. > > >i agree that it's not a dem/GOP thing, but i still think that GOP is > >the party of the rich and powerful that seeks to sustain that status > >quo (or even increase it, make the rich richer). > > Come on Robert, > look at the wealth of that Dem alcoholic Senator > Ted Kennedy. And look at: > > Democrat Senator: Net worth: > > John Kerry $164 million > Herb Kohl $111 million > John Rockefeller $82 million > Diane Feinstein $75 millioni wonder how many of these guys liked: http://www.csmonitor.com/USA/Justice/2010/0121/Supreme-Court-Campaign-finance-limits-violate-free-speech or the Buckley v. Valeo decision when it was the first that i heard that "free speech is the same as money" the ethic protected by those decisions is celebrated by GOP fully, and not by very many dems, because it allows free reign by people with wealth and now corporations (which are controlled by people with wealth) to pour money into elections that is limited only by their ability to come up with the money. this supports anti-tax candidates much more than those who might want to "call upon the wealthy to pay their fair share."> Robert, to say that the Republicans "are the > party of the rich" is just not realistic.besides being against taxes and being responsible for legislation that obviously favors those with money. e.g. the reduction of capital gains taxes and elimination of income tax on dividends so now Warren Buffet pays a lower percentage of his income than the secretarial employees of his company. the GOP maintains influence among the "less rich" by a few different tactics: 1. the poor, particularly the rural poor is less educated than the general population. the GOP takes advantage of that with outright lies (Obama is a muslim, a socialist, Kenyan born and constitutionally unqualified to be prez) and with speciously reasoned arguments like "trickle-down economics" (or "the illegal aliens are taking our jobs going overseas"). 2. they hold out this promise, what is sometimes called the "American Dream" but i wouldn't presume to define the term, that someday your ship will come in and when that happens, you won't appreciate all those nasty taxes you will have to pay when *you're* making six or seven digits. this is partly how they get so many poor and middle- class Americans literally vote against their own self-interest. the guy making $80,000 is paying a greater portion of his income to taxes than the guy making $800,000 and he's fine with it. he is also paying more for his health care than he would if we had single-payer (OMG! it's socialism!!), but screams "keep the government outa my Medicare" at these tea-party rallies. 3. they appeal to a particular morality common to the religious right in the U.S. that scoops up a lot of evangelical christians (mostly white, but not completely) from the bible belt that extends from Florida through Texas and up the plain states to my stomping ground (the "red states"). 4. they appeal to a simplistic nationalism, what is sometimes called "patriotism" but i wouldn't presume to define that term either, justifying all sorts of criminal behavior ranging from torture to get testimony and warrantless wiretapping. all in the name of the American Exceptionalism that somehow, when *we* do it, it's okay and justified. it's really a sense of entitlement (that often goes along with wealth and privilege except for those rich that have enough self- reflection to not always support self-serving policy).> Now I'm not defending the Republicans because > my hatred for them is exceeded only by my hatred > for the Democrats. > > By the way, for the last five years the average > net worth of U.S. Senators has been in the > range of $16 million -to- $17 million. > > All these politicians say they're "in the > business of public service." We bend over > and they "service" us.it's also the powerful in the private sector that are reaming out our rectum. not just the powerful in government. at least we can vote against those in government, but if you ain't a major stockholder, there is nothing we can do about the powerful in the private sector that are "servicing us". On Nov 27, 12:36�pm, Randy Yates <ya...@ieee.org> wrote:> Randy Yates <ya...@ieee.org> writes: > > Rick Lyons <R.Lyons@_BOGUS_ieee.org> writes: > >> [...] > >> Question: �"What's the saddest sight in the world?" > > >> Answer: A bus-load of Senators flying over the edge > >> � � � � of a cliff, and there's one empty seat. > > > Ha ha. As long as Pelosi was on it, I'd wouldn't lose too much sleep. > > Yeah, ok she's house. My bad.yeah, but Randy, i don't know that you're aware of who the enemy is. r b-j
Reply by ●November 27, 20102010-11-27
On Nov 27, 5:39�pm, robert bristow-johnson <r...@audioimagination.com> wrote:> > the GOP maintains influence among the "less rich" by a few different > tactics: > > 1. the poor, particularly the rural poor is less educated than the > general population. �the GOP takes advantage of that with outright > lies>Obama is a muslim,There is more evidence supporting that than not supporting it.> a socialistHe is> Kenyan born and constitutionally > unqualified to be prez)No valid BC has been produced yet> and with speciously reasoned arguments like > "trickle-down economics"Many economists believe in this idea>(or "the illegal aliens are taking our jobs > going overseas").I would say that the argument against illegal aliens taking jobs is a Democratic one. The argument that they suck our welfare system dry and commit crimes is the Republican one. brent
