Shameless Self Promotion
The British website, "The Carnage Report",
will be publishing an interview with me in a couple of days. The questioner is Alex Clarke. Here is the
transcript:
CARNAGE REPORT: What got you into writing about politics?
TOM DEGAN: I'm just barely old enough to remember the assassination of JFK. I can remember what my dad was wearing when he told me, "The president's been shot". As young as I was, I knew that something dreadful had occurred and that everyone - myself included - would be affected by it. A few years later I followed the 1968 presidential campaign closely, or as close as a nine-year-old kid possibly could. I was rooting for Bobby Kennedy, the late president's younger brother - not for any deep, ideological reason - but just because I liked him. When he was shot and killed in June, I was completely devastated. It took me years to get over his death. For the longest time I refused to accept the fact that he was gone. But it was the Watergate hearings five years later that changed me forever. I became a hopeless political junkie at the age of fifteen, although I didn't start writing seriously about politics until 2000 when George Dubya sought the nomination. I knew damned well that if he ever got into the White House it would be disastrous for America. I called that one, didn't I?
CR: What inspires you to write?
TD: Comedy and tragedy. There's so much unintentional humor out there - particularly from the extreme right wing. Sarah Palin, for instance, is a satirist's dream; the gift that keeps giving and giving. She just won't go away - and I almost hope she never does. Someone once remarked how prolific I was as a writer. I told her that I really wasn't one/tenth as talented as she thought. Given the pathetic state of American politics, these things tend to write themselves. And then there's tragedy. What happened in Newtown, Connecticut in December moved me as you might imagine. I can usually mine a little humor out of any situation regardless of the tragedy. Newtown was the exception to the rule. My little niece attends a school less than ten miles from Sandy Hook Elementary. That one really hit home, let me tell you.
CR: In your blog, The Rant, you have a healthy streak of pessimism towards the political system and the establishment in general, what would you like to see happen in the US to ease your disappointment with both?
TD: There are a few things I'd like to see happen but I'm afraid that I've become too much of a cynic to think that we'll ever have meaningful change. Whenever the thought crosses my mind that there might be a brighter day down the road - not just for the United States but for everyone on the planet - I dismiss it as naive self-deception. Maybe it will happen; I hope so, but I'm convinced that not much will change in my lifetime. Degan men tend not to live too far into their sixties. I'm fifty-four. C'est la vie.
CR: What do you think of the need for a third party?
TD: I think that a third party is a grand idea. But what I would love to see even more than that is the utter destruction of the Democratic and Republican parties. The Democrats have been thoroughly corrupted and the Republicans completely so. In fact, it would be a misnomer to refer to the GOP as a "political party" so to speak. They've devolved into an organized criminal enterprise. There are some Democrats whose hearts are in the right place - Sherrod Brown of Ohio comes to mind - and a few others. But for the most part I've given up on them.
CR: What other blogs do you like to read or would like to recommend?
TD: AlterNet is a good site - although I'm a tad peeved at them at the moment. They will no longer allow me to post a link to my blog in their comments section, the bastards. I guess I've become a bit too controversial for them even - which is an unintended compliment, I suppose. The Huffington Post is still pretty good, although it's lost some of its bite since it was sold about a year ago. I love the columnists Gail Collins, Paul Krugman, Leonard Pitts, Frank Rich - and I miss Molly Ivins like nobody's business, God rest her soul. Hunter Thompson was another of my heroes. His suicide in 2005 sent me into a complete funk that took me a week to come out of. He was a great influence on me.
CR: What do you think of the state of the left in the US?
TD: Actually it's doing quite well at the moment. I think the sleeping giant of the American left is awakening from a long and troubled slumber. During the so-called "Reagan Revolution", they (we) were sound asleep. America has come to realize that it is more liberal than it ever imagined. What people have to understand is that Ronald Reagan was essentially a mask - with a twinkle in its eye and a fine, Irish smile. Remove that mask and what is revealed is the twisted, hideous smirk of George W. Bush. That's the real face of the Reagan Revolution.
CR: Why do you think that leftist parties have not, as of yet, achieved the political gains that far right movements such as the Tea Party have managed in the US?
TD: Again, they were in such a slump for so long that it's taken some time for them to get their act together. For over thirty years the right wing used the word "liberal" as an expletive. People believed that liberalism was responsible for America's decline. They didn't understand their own history. It was the radically progressive administration of Franklin D. Roosevelt that saved this country - and the average voter had forgotten this fact. That's starting to change. The plutocracy no longer has the political upper hand. The American people (or at least enough of them to make a difference) are fed up with conservative policies. That's what the Voter ID laws were all about. The GOP will never rehabilitate themselves - so they tried to make it impossible for the traditional progressive constituency (city dwellers in particular) to cast their ballots in the 2012 election. They failed miserably of course. The first piece I ever wrote on my blog was called "George W. Bush: The Last Republican President". At the time I was only being cheeky. I didn't really believe it then. I believe it now.
CR: We often hear the refrain that the people get the leaders they deserve, do you agree with this statement?
TD: Do you mean, did the American people deserve George W. Bush? Yeah, absolutely they deserved him - or at least the ones who were silly enough to think that sending the half-witted little frat boy to the White House would be a really neat idea. They most definitely deserved him. For the record: I'm blameless.
CR: Do you have any political heroes or political figures you admire?
TD: Franklin and Eleanor Roosevelt. About two months ago I was staying at a hotel across from the FDR Library in Hyde Park, NY. I woke up at about three AM, unable to go back to sleep. So in the dead of night I walked over to the rose garden where they are buried for a few moments of meditation. It was a very peaceful experience. We owe the both of them so much. I loved Teddy Kennedy. Although a flawed man personally, he was always on the side of the angels. I really miss the guy. By the way, I'm pretty flawed myself. Ask anyone who knows me.
CR: Final Question. What’s next for you on The Rant?
TD: Nary a clue. There's so much to write about I don't know where to begin. It's almost like playing darts blindfolded and hitting a bulls-eye every time. Any suggestions?
CARNAGE REPORT: What got you into writing about politics?
TOM DEGAN: I'm just barely old enough to remember the assassination of JFK. I can remember what my dad was wearing when he told me, "The president's been shot". As young as I was, I knew that something dreadful had occurred and that everyone - myself included - would be affected by it. A few years later I followed the 1968 presidential campaign closely, or as close as a nine-year-old kid possibly could. I was rooting for Bobby Kennedy, the late president's younger brother - not for any deep, ideological reason - but just because I liked him. When he was shot and killed in June, I was completely devastated. It took me years to get over his death. For the longest time I refused to accept the fact that he was gone. But it was the Watergate hearings five years later that changed me forever. I became a hopeless political junkie at the age of fifteen, although I didn't start writing seriously about politics until 2000 when George Dubya sought the nomination. I knew damned well that if he ever got into the White House it would be disastrous for America. I called that one, didn't I?
CR: What inspires you to write?
TD: Comedy and tragedy. There's so much unintentional humor out there - particularly from the extreme right wing. Sarah Palin, for instance, is a satirist's dream; the gift that keeps giving and giving. She just won't go away - and I almost hope she never does. Someone once remarked how prolific I was as a writer. I told her that I really wasn't one/tenth as talented as she thought. Given the pathetic state of American politics, these things tend to write themselves. And then there's tragedy. What happened in Newtown, Connecticut in December moved me as you might imagine. I can usually mine a little humor out of any situation regardless of the tragedy. Newtown was the exception to the rule. My little niece attends a school less than ten miles from Sandy Hook Elementary. That one really hit home, let me tell you.
CR: In your blog, The Rant, you have a healthy streak of pessimism towards the political system and the establishment in general, what would you like to see happen in the US to ease your disappointment with both?
TD: There are a few things I'd like to see happen but I'm afraid that I've become too much of a cynic to think that we'll ever have meaningful change. Whenever the thought crosses my mind that there might be a brighter day down the road - not just for the United States but for everyone on the planet - I dismiss it as naive self-deception. Maybe it will happen; I hope so, but I'm convinced that not much will change in my lifetime. Degan men tend not to live too far into their sixties. I'm fifty-four. C'est la vie.
CR: What do you think of the need for a third party?
TD: I think that a third party is a grand idea. But what I would love to see even more than that is the utter destruction of the Democratic and Republican parties. The Democrats have been thoroughly corrupted and the Republicans completely so. In fact, it would be a misnomer to refer to the GOP as a "political party" so to speak. They've devolved into an organized criminal enterprise. There are some Democrats whose hearts are in the right place - Sherrod Brown of Ohio comes to mind - and a few others. But for the most part I've given up on them.
CR: What other blogs do you like to read or would like to recommend?
TD: AlterNet is a good site - although I'm a tad peeved at them at the moment. They will no longer allow me to post a link to my blog in their comments section, the bastards. I guess I've become a bit too controversial for them even - which is an unintended compliment, I suppose. The Huffington Post is still pretty good, although it's lost some of its bite since it was sold about a year ago. I love the columnists Gail Collins, Paul Krugman, Leonard Pitts, Frank Rich - and I miss Molly Ivins like nobody's business, God rest her soul. Hunter Thompson was another of my heroes. His suicide in 2005 sent me into a complete funk that took me a week to come out of. He was a great influence on me.
CR: What do you think of the state of the left in the US?
TD: Actually it's doing quite well at the moment. I think the sleeping giant of the American left is awakening from a long and troubled slumber. During the so-called "Reagan Revolution", they (we) were sound asleep. America has come to realize that it is more liberal than it ever imagined. What people have to understand is that Ronald Reagan was essentially a mask - with a twinkle in its eye and a fine, Irish smile. Remove that mask and what is revealed is the twisted, hideous smirk of George W. Bush. That's the real face of the Reagan Revolution.
CR: Why do you think that leftist parties have not, as of yet, achieved the political gains that far right movements such as the Tea Party have managed in the US?
TD: Again, they were in such a slump for so long that it's taken some time for them to get their act together. For over thirty years the right wing used the word "liberal" as an expletive. People believed that liberalism was responsible for America's decline. They didn't understand their own history. It was the radically progressive administration of Franklin D. Roosevelt that saved this country - and the average voter had forgotten this fact. That's starting to change. The plutocracy no longer has the political upper hand. The American people (or at least enough of them to make a difference) are fed up with conservative policies. That's what the Voter ID laws were all about. The GOP will never rehabilitate themselves - so they tried to make it impossible for the traditional progressive constituency (city dwellers in particular) to cast their ballots in the 2012 election. They failed miserably of course. The first piece I ever wrote on my blog was called "George W. Bush: The Last Republican President". At the time I was only being cheeky. I didn't really believe it then. I believe it now.
CR: We often hear the refrain that the people get the leaders they deserve, do you agree with this statement?
TD: Do you mean, did the American people deserve George W. Bush? Yeah, absolutely they deserved him - or at least the ones who were silly enough to think that sending the half-witted little frat boy to the White House would be a really neat idea. They most definitely deserved him. For the record: I'm blameless.
CR: Do you have any political heroes or political figures you admire?
TD: Franklin and Eleanor Roosevelt. About two months ago I was staying at a hotel across from the FDR Library in Hyde Park, NY. I woke up at about three AM, unable to go back to sleep. So in the dead of night I walked over to the rose garden where they are buried for a few moments of meditation. It was a very peaceful experience. We owe the both of them so much. I loved Teddy Kennedy. Although a flawed man personally, he was always on the side of the angels. I really miss the guy. By the way, I'm pretty flawed myself. Ask anyone who knows me.
CR: Final Question. What’s next for you on The Rant?
TD: Nary a clue. There's so much to write about I don't know where to begin. It's almost like playing darts blindfolded and hitting a bulls-eye every time. Any suggestions?
**************************
SUGGESTED READING:
SUGGESTED READING:
The Carnage Report:
It's a great site. Gotta love them Brits!
posted by Tom Degan @ 1:42 PM
52 comments
52 Comments:
Tom,
Well spoken. I think your assessment of the liberals perspective is on point.
I would add the biggest problem for liberals is they have a disproportionately small voice in public policy and representation.
The House is controlled by Republicans through gerrymandering, despite the fact more Americans voted for Democratic representation in the House.
The Senate is even more unbalanced. The conservative voters of less populated states also have more representation per capita in the Senate than the liberals of large states and the rest of the country.
Couple these factors with the filtering of information by corporate media and the dominance of lobbying and "free speech" cash by Big Money interests, and we are left wiht a Right Wing government for a left leaning population.
The only hope for liberals is for them to be as motivated as the Right in mid-term elections.
But I don't think most liberals get it. Unlike the Right, they don't have their own saturated radio and TV corporate media. We don't have mega-media conglomerates urging the public to vote against the exclusive interests of the economic elites.
I wonder why....
No Dave, liberals do not have disproportionately small voice in public policy and representation.
Poll after poll shows that the vast majority Americans do not identify themselves as liberal in their political views.
The representation that liberals have is based on the percentage of the American population that agrees with liberalism. That means it could go up or it could go down. But it is not disproportionate.
Tom, how's the employment front coming along for you? Still don't have a job?
Did they ask you about this Tom?
The Congressional Budget Office is now projecting that the U.S. economy will never achieve full employment during the eight years Barack Obama serves as president.
That would make Obama the only American president during the post-World War II era who never presided over a year in which the U.S. economy offered full employment to the American people.
The CBO defines “full employment” to be when the national unemployment rate is at or below what it calls the “natural unemployment rate.”
The natural unemployment rate, according to CBO, is the “rate of unemployment arising from all sources except fluctuations in aggregate demand. Those sources include frictional unemployment, which is associated with normal turnover of jobs, and structural unemployment, which includes unemployment caused by mismatches between the skills of available workers and the skills necessary to fill vacant positions and unemployment caused when wages exceed their market-clearing levels because of institutional factors, such as legal minimum wages, the presence of unions, social conventions, or wage-setting practices by employers that are intended to increase workers’ morale and effort.”
Anonymous "That would make Obama the only American president during the post-World War II era who never presided over a year in which the U.S. economy offered full employment to the American people."
I see what you (or, rather, the site you got this from) did there.
Mitch McConnell being removed from the US Senate is the most important thing that we progressives can do at this point. If Ashley Judd is the answer, fine. If Jack Conway could take that seat and represent Kentucky as well as needs to be,good. I can't vote in 'tucky and neither can Tom. Do the right thing Kentcuky and vote him out. Please. Rand Paul is bad enough...
Good luck Charlie indeed....
I think they have a good chance of giving old Mitch (the plutocracy's bitch) McConnell the heave ho in 2014. That would be a beautiful thing indeed. Further thoughts on Mitch from a three years ago:
http://tomdegan.blogspot.com/2010/04/mitch-plutocracys-bitch.html
Tom Degan
Hi Tom,
I used to read Alternet daily and I would scan the comments section for you. I was so happy when you started your own blog and I have read every post since the first one. I stopped reading Alternet - they kept changing the format and the trolls took over the comments.
I used to read your comment section but stopped because the trolls belch out the same old rhetoric and I have no patience for unintelligent debate. (As an aside: I feel like Charles Moore is an old friend to me - I think he has been here since the beginning, too.)
This is a very nice interview and I am happy that other media outlets are taking notice of you. Your blog is insightful, funny and always a pleasure to read. I hope you find the courage to continue despite the times you feel like you are spitting into the wind.
Love and Peace to you, too.
Jo in Arizona
Thank you, Jo. That was a nice message to open my eyes to. And thank you so much for reading my little tirades these past seven years. Your kind words mean more than I can express.
Love and Peace,
Tom
To further illustrate my above points, I can add this:
As most of you know, Obama won the past two elections, despite the fact a large percentage of Republican voters believe ACORN "stole" the election for him. And both the Democratic House and Senate candidates won more votes than Republicans.
Poll after poll shows most Americans agree with liberals on keeping public safety nets like Medicare and Social Security. Poll after poll shows most Americans agree with liberals on ending the Bush tax cuts for the rich.
More people say they are liberal than identify with tea party. More people agree with liberal policies, whether they identify themselves as liberals or moderates.
Wall Street has more influence in government than Main Street. Period. The bottom line to any sane observer is Big Money is over represented and most Americans are under represented.
Yet the idiots, true believers, and indoctrinated cult still think we are a "right leaning" country, and they think those who disagree with them are commies.
No wonder they want to "take their country back"...to the 19th century.
And speaking of “poll after poll”, as someone here is so fond of doing:
“Fifty-seven percent of people view Obama ” favorably in the new Post-ABC survey while 41 percent regard him unfavorably.”
Here is a must read article on Truthout that will upset both Dems and Repubs. Obama is getting ready to enact his biggest treachery yet. And he will have the full support of the Repubs in this case. I bet this story never gets mentioned on Conservative sites, does it?
http://truth-out.org/news/item/15353-transpacific-partnership-will-undermine-democracy-empower-transnational-corporations
Kudos, Tom. That was a great interview.
You deserve all the notice the journalism world can afford you.
Maybe this will solve that job problem.
Here's hoping!
S
Dave,
What do Obama's numbers prove? You and others on Tom's blog have said many times that Obama is not a liberal, so why do you use his poll numbers to show liberalism is in the majority?
Poll after poll shows most Americans agree with liberals on keeping public safety nets like Medicare and Social Security. Poll after poll shows most Americans agree with liberals on ending the Bush tax cuts for the rich.
More people say they are liberal than identify with tea party. More people agree with liberal policies, whether they identify themselves as liberals or moderates.
Dave,
Gotcha there didn't I. Had to do a retraction.
Gotcha there didn't I. Had to do a retraction.
LOL!
Perfect example of cult beliefs held in complete denial of reality.
Or does, "retraction" mean repetition in cult talk?
Congratulations Tom. A well deserved recognition.
Polls, schmolls. What about all of the polls that showed Romney was going to win the election? Polls aren't worth the time it takes to conduct them.
Polls schmolls. Trolls schmolls. What about all of the polls that showed Romney was going to win the election?
Yeah, what about "all of the polls"? FOX(R) polls maybe?
LOL!
anybody know when the "Hope And Change" is coming?
The smooth talking skinny man with the big ears couldn't run a McDonald's!
Wonder why the press doesn't report anymore on how Michelle spends taxpayer money on extragavant vacations?
When everyone is equally poor, that is social justice according to that underachiever Dave "from each according to his ability, to each according to his needs" Dubya!
"When everyone is equally poor, that is social justice according to that underachiever Dave..."
Note the casual hatred behind the lies coming from a brainwashed, conned-servative, and no doubt "Christian", hypocrite.
The troll mentions the press. I wonder if he's aware of his fellow slime-merchants at Breitbart.com who ignored all standards and ethics, and revealed the location where the minor children of the president vacationed, at the time they were there.
Yes, children, apparently black children especially, get "special" treatment from his cult.
Unprecedented, but don't call these guys who talk about "big ears" and black kids racist. No siree.
They will tell you only liberals are racist. Imagine that. Wow.
If that isn't pure bigotry and hatred I don't know what is.
But, racist? Nosiree. Just because they hate liberals and uppity blacks doesn't mean they are bigots and racists...Right?
And we can be certain that this troll was furious with Laura Bush and her husband for taking more vacations than any president.
Right?
Right.
How is this for a Black Swan event?
http://www.alternet.org/economy/think-your-money-safe-think-again-confiscation-scheme-planned-us-and-uk-depositors?page=0%2C2
The funniest part of Fox's coverage of the past election was that at the same time all their pundits were claiming a 'landslide' victory for Romney, their own polls actually agreed with most of the major polls, even while they were trying to manufacture the phony outrage about the polls being 'skewed'.
First the Dumbocrats stand for a babies brains being blown out like JFK's was and now they want to destroy marriage. Great party.
Nobody died at Watergate as at Benghazi but the Devilcrats can have their double standards.
Martin Sheen would not vote for Obama. At least he doesn't treat the Democrats who assault the catholic church and life by rewarding them. At least Sheen has some morals.
Anonymous "And the Rapist in Command, Bill Clinton, likewise committed genocide against the Serbian people."
Yeah, Tom! By aligning against Slobodan Milosevic, ethnic cleanser, Bill Clinton committed the real genocide!
"Now Christians suffer in Egypt as well."
Yeah, Tom! By not totally and absolutely supporting a aging, kleptocratic repressive despot, it's your fault that the no-longer repressed extremist groups (as well as every other group that posed a threat to his status) are no longer banned, tortured, jailed or executed!
In short, take that, Tom Degan! You can be interviewed a billion times, but you can't wash away these unrelated subjects!
Tom,
It's fast coming up to April 15th. That time when all Americans get to share the pain which makes the nation so wonderful.
Will you have to pay federal income taxes this year? Or will you be in the 49% of Americans who do not pay nor owe any federal income tax?
It's good to know that everybody in American is sacrificing in our recovery from Bush/Chaney.
====================================
First Lady Michelle Obama and her two daughters skied at a posh resort in Aspen, Colo., with the help of numerous instructors on private ski runs during Presidents Day weekend.
While President Obama was golfing with Tiger Woods in Florida, Michelle — who brought along a few friends and daughters Sasha and Malia — headed to the slopes.
They were given all-day private lessons with pro skiers from the Ski and Snowboard School of Aspen — a few instructors with the adults, and more with the kids, we’re told.
Good interview Tom, good recognition. I see you get your share of trolls on here too, eh? Oh well, one must take to bad with the good right?
Again, good hit!
Frank Pitz
Michelle Obama and her two daughters skied...President Obama was golfing
Those shameless, uppity black folks. The very indecency of it all. Who do they think they are? Taking vacations. How un-American. Hummph.
And we can be certain that this troll was furious with Laura Bush and her husband for taking more vacations than any president.
Right?
Right.
I get criticized a lot for not deleting the comments of the trolls. Just take a look at the one just above. How could I delete it? It's priceless!
The Nazicrats Sacred Cow of Planned Parenthood promotes killing of live already born children
Degan knows about self promotion, he's gone on the web to make people eat his waste product since he's so devoid of morals, even Martin Sheen isn't so repugnant.
Tom Degan's most famous words "Hey everyone, look at me".
Anonymous: "Gee Dave so in your liberal way of thinking, it's racist to point out how two faced the Obama family is when the govt is laying off people due to sequester?
Liberals really do see racism in anyone who disagrees with them."
and...
Tom Degan: "I get criticized a lot for not deleting the comments of the trolls. Just take a look at the one just above. How could I delete it? It's priceless!
The inane remarks of Anonymous are always, if nothing else, bewildering and perplexing, but agreeably this one is so precious it's inappreciable!
By the way, nice interview, Tom. You've encapsulated the current political era with pinpoint accuracy and aplomb. The worst is yet to be...
It seems the Conservatives posting here has not thought out the abortion issue, there are much more Liberal babies being aborted than Conservative ones. That should please them to no end. Once that idea spreads, they will be willing to take the good with the bad.
"Liberals really do see racism in anyone who disagrees with them."
Prove prove this wrong.
Sequester cuts are only for the "common" people. Royalty has it's privileges.
It’s only March, but Vice President Joseph R. Biden Jr. is off on his third vacation the year.
Mr. Biden and wife Jill arrived at Kiawah Island off South Carolina on Thursday evening, with plans to stay five days, the Associated Press reported.
That follows last month’s trip to Snowmass, Colo., where the vice president vacationed over the President’s Day three-day weekend.
"Liberals really do see racism in anyone who disagrees with them."
Prove prove this wrong.
Easy. Nothing you say is correct. Therefore, the statement is wrong.
"third vacation the year"
Grrr.. This is an outrage, I tell you.
...And we can be certain that this troll was furious with Laura Bush and her husband for taking more vacations than any other president.
Right?
You miss the point Dave, I want Obama on vacation all the time! Less time on the job, means less time to screw us over.
BTW, your comments about Tea Party, their racists, comments that conservatives cant stand having a black man in the White House, just two examples of race being brought into a topic by liberals.
How about this, I'm against Affirmative Action, does that make me a racist? I am opposed to the Affordable Health Care law, am I a racist? I want the 2nd Amendment left untouched, Rev Sharpton says that's because I'm white and a racist. Am I?
I believe in the principles of limited government, the "rights of human nature"(James Madison). I do not believe that the primary objective of government is the collective welfare of the people. Instead I believe it is liberty.
Χριστός Ανέστη!
I'm with Anonymous. I'm both mad that Obama takes vacations at all and, when called on it, I'm also mad that he doesn't take more of them. (Note that if this, too, is called, I am also mad that he takes the correct number of vacations)
I'm mad when he or is not on vacation, whether or not the Sequester is or is not in effect. And pay no attention to the generally obvious point that, since the GOP solution to the Sequester is moving all of the its cuts, from Defense and "everything else" into just "everything else", that the Sequester cuts I (and Anonymous) am pretending to be mad about would be multiplied greatly in the very areas I (and Anonymous) am pretending to be mad about.
Therefore, I (and Anonymous) am blaming both job losses due to the Sequester as it stands on Obama, and would also do the same with the GOP's prefered resolution to the Sequester. Because Obama.
So in short, Obama vacations are bad and also Obama working is bad, because Obama, and government is too big and government job losses are bad, because Obama.
And, lastly, government can't get anything done. Because Obama.
...
And ignore that Anonymous and others are suddenly for the counter-cyclical spending ("Keynesian") they've spent the last four years being against. That's expected when Defense is involved, but the expansion to other areas is kind of nice. Although, now that I've pointed that out, I'm sure that the new narrative will be that they're for spending there, but not over there. Because Obama.
http://youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=kRY8AIEsWVs
This happened because he isn't a liberal
OK, for all who are so incensed about Obama's vacations, how do you feel about the members of Congress who spend more time away from Washington than they do being there, and when they are there do no work? And don't tell me that when they are not in session they are home looking our for their constituents. Simply not true.
Hell, , I'm my happiest when Congress and the President are on vacation. Means they won't be able to spend more of our money on programs that do nothing to increase or protect our Liberty!
Hell, , I'm my happiest when Congress and the President are on vacation. Means they won't be able to spend more of our money on programs that do nothing to increase or protect our Liberty!
It's clear to me that our Federal Govt is simply not liberal enough. Why else would there be such dismal lack of positive returns on the money spent so far. It's clear that that we have not spent enough, taxed enough and reduced the freedoms of our citizens enough.
Liberalism can work if we let it.
".....the White House, Congress and the Fed, under Mr. Bush and then President Obama, made a series of desperate, reckless maneuvers that were not only unnecessary but ruinous. The auto bailouts, for example, simply shifted jobs around - particularly to the aging, electorally vital Rust Belt - rather than saving them. The "green energy" component of Mr. Obama's stimulus was mainly a nearly $1 billion giveaway to crony capitalists...."
Less than 5 percent of the $800 billion Obama stimulus went to the truly needy for food stamps, earned-income tax credits and other forms of poverty relief. The preponderant share ended up in money dumps to state and local governments, pork-barrel infrastructure projects, business tax loopholes and indiscriminate middle-class tax cuts.
California (duh!) is still attempting to build the first twenty-nine mile leg of high-speed rail systems from Madera to Fresno (this is not an April Fool's joke) in the state's agricultural heartland, the Central Valley.
Using the numbers from recovery.gov, the website that explains, sort of, how the ARRA stimulus money was spent, we find that the state of New York had created 5,856 "recipient reported jobs" at cost of $14.321 billion. That's about $2.4 million per job.
California had 14,079 "recipient reported jobs" at a cost of $27.254 billion. About $1.9 million per job.
The state of Washington used $3.3 million for each job. Ohio ran $1.7 million per job, and thrifty Florida spent only $1.1 million on each job created with the ARRA stimulus funds. Will you be remembering these numbers as you pay your Federal taxes on April 15th this year?
I will remember cause I don't have to pay any federal taxes, I demaned the rich pay more!!
Tennessee Republican compassion on display:
Bill tying student performance to welfare benefits advancing in Legislature
The bill is sponsored by Sen. Stacey Campfield, R-Knoxville, and Rep. Vance Dennis, R-Savannah. It calls for a 30 percent reduction in Temporary Assistance for Needy Families benefits to parents whose children are not making satisfactory progress in school.
“Grades a slippin’ thar lil' kids? Reckon we best be a cuttin’ them foodstamps so’s ta smarten y’all up some. Ya hear?”
Like I said, the only problem we have is those dang Rich Greedy Republicans. If we want to get our nation back on its feet, we need to spend more of their money!! Who cares how many millions of tax dollars it cost to create one job, it's not my money anyway. The percentage of people we have on food stamps is directly tied to how successful liberal economic policy's are.
We need to raise taxes and rid the rich of their tax loop holds, like the mortgage interest deduction. We need to spend more money!
We are simply not liberal enough!
Tha's right. More tax cuts fer the rich and less food stamps for the poor is the Amurikan thang ta do.
Whinle Amurikins learn the best thing is ta let the rich have everthing cuz they deserve it.
The poor are too rich an the rich are too poor. Republicans kin fix that if'n only them commmie democrats git outa the way.
I think all those numbers about ARRA jobs is bullshit. I was an ARRA contractor for 3 years and I made between $60.00 and $75.00 per hour. And there were thousands like me all over the country.
The 14,079 "jobs" in Cal were probably contracts to pave roads at 1.9 million each. They spent too much in road paving but big oil was pleased.
James you are right on!! Here is proof that the ARRA figures are wrong.
The problem is CA is not liberal enough. If they were more liberal, this kind of B.S. wouldn't happen. CA. needs to raise income taxes on everyone who makes more than the minimum wage by at least 15%! Then they should pass a law creating a tax fee on the assets of any person or corporation moving from CA. This would increase revenues for the state and might reduce the numbers of of those leaving CA.
Liberalism is not getting a chance to show how well it really works in CA. CA, is not liberal enough and their current situation proves this.
March 28, 2013
State auditor: California's net worth at negative $127.2 billion
California's state government a business, it would be a candidate for insolvency with a negative net worth of $127.2 billion, according to an annual financial report issued by State Auditor Elaine Howle and the Bureau of State Audits.
The report, which covers the fiscal year ending June 30, 2012, says that the state's negative status -- all of its assets minus all of its liabilities -- increased that year, largely because it spent more than it received in revenue.
The Sacramento Bee
Tom although we differ on politics, gun control and just about everything else, I for one wish you much health in the future well past your sixties as for you are one of my more colorful friends.
John Ryan above.
( changed my mind. Deleted my nagging suggestions ,re your age expectation. I know you're aware. )
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