It's Hard Being A Liberal These Days

[red states rule]

After reading some of Bullypuplit posts this morning, and after daily discussions with my liberal buddy and co-worker - I now understand it is very hard being a liberal these days

Libs have been running Washington and the Federal government for a year, and what the hell do their supporters have to show for it?

Dems tripiled the deficit with a "stimulus bill" that brought double Digit unemployment

They had to throw the anti-war Left to the side

Sarah Palin reaches out from the political grave to take on the left and succeeds.

Gitmo did not close, and was moved to Illinois

President Obama has about a 45% approval rating. Congress is in the 20's

The Virginia and New Jersey election results

Conservative talk radio is strong as ever

The Tea Party movement is huge and not going away

Democrat Congress members are quitting, and switching over to the Republican party

In order to get their fellow Dems to vote for Obamacare, Harry Reid has to hand out hundreds of millions of dollars in bribes

Conservative books are the hot selling books in America

and all the left can reply with is "It's Bush's fault"

So much for all that hope and change that was promsied

[Jeff]

After reading some of Bullypuplit posts this morning, and after daily discussions with my liberal buddy and co-worker - I now understand it is very hard being a liberal these days

Libs have been running Washington and the Federal government for a year, and what the hell do their supporters have to show for it?

Dems tripiled the deficit with a "stimulus bill" that brought double Digit unemployment

They had to throw the anti-war Left to the side

Sarah Palin reaches out from the political grave to take on the left and succeeds.

Gitmo did not close, and was moved to Illinois

President Obama has about a 45% approval rating. Congress is in the 20's

The Virginia and New Jersey election results

Conservative talk radio is strong as ever

The Tea Party movement is huge and not going away

Democrat Congress members are quitting, and switching over to the Republican party

In order to get their fellow Dems to vote for Obamacare, Harry Reid has to hand out hundreds of millions of dollars in bribes

Conservative books are the hot selling books in America

and all the left can reply with is "It's Bush's fault"

So much for all that hope and change that was promsied

Wow they are doing a great Job aren't they , LOL

[April15]

After reading some of Bullypuplit posts this morning, and after daily discussions with my liberal buddy and co-worker - I now understand it is very hard being a liberal these days

Libs have been running Washington and the Federal government for a year, and what the hell do their supporters have to show for it?

Dems tripiled the deficit with a "stimulus bill" that brought double Digit unemployment

They had to throw the anti-war Left to the side

Sarah Palin reaches out from the political grave to take on the left and succeeds.

Gitmo did not close, and was moved to Illinois

President Obama has about a 45% approval rating. Congress is in the 20's

The Virginia and New Jersey election results

Conservative talk radio is strong as ever

The Tea Party movement is huge and not going away

Democrat Congress members are quitting, and switching over to the Republican party

In order to get their fellow Dems to vote for Obamacare, Harry Reid has to hand out hundreds of millions of dollars in bribes

Conservative books are the hot selling books in America

and all the left can reply with is "It's Bush's fault"

So much for all that hope and change that was promsied

If that is all you see you need new Eyes. I am fine with the little progress made. With what he started with it is a miracle we aren't in another great depression like Hoover left.
And it is really the end result of Ray Goon nomics. Bush was just the last player to hand off the ball.

[Kathianne]

If that is all you see you need new Eyes. I am fine with the little progress made. With what he started with it is a miracle we aren't in another great depression like Hoover left.
And it is really the end result of Ray Goon nomics. Bush was just the last player to hand off the ball.

So April, what do you see down the road, that gives you 'hope'?

[sgtdmski]

Reagan was right!!!!!


It isn't that Liberals are Ignorant. Its just that they know so much that isn't so.

They were wrong about appeasement and standing up to the Soviet Union and have never apologized.

They were wrong about Welfare and requiring people to work and have never apologized for it.

They were wrong about the War on Poverty and have yet to come up with an exit strategy. They complained about the 7 year war on Terrorism, yet their war has now continued for 44 years........................................

Damn, will they ever be right????

dmk

[Jeff]

If that is all you see you need new Eyes. I am fine with the little progress made. With what he started with it is a miracle we aren't in another great depression like Hoover left.
And it is really the end result of Ray Goon nomics. Bush was just the last player to hand off the ball.

AAAhhh I see it is still GW's fault, LOL, get with the times man, they gave that up a while ago, hell there almost past the point of blaming everything on Racism, no telling what is next but I am sure the LIAR in charge will think of something

And by the way , what did Clinton leave GW, hmmm Maybe that is a angle for the Liar in Charge, he could have idiots believing it is Clintons fault ( not likely, he is a Dem) but as I said The Liar in Charge will think of someone to blame

A year in office and still looking to pass the Buck, what a deal

[red states rule]

If that is all you see you need new Eyes. I am fine with the little progress made. With what he started with it is a miracle we aren't in another great depression like Hoover left.
And it is really the end result of Ray Goon nomics. Bush was just the last player to hand off the ball.

What progreess April?

The swelling of the annual deficit from $500 billion to $1.t trillion?

The open bribes being given to Democrats by Democrats to vote for Obamcare?

The open attacks and war declared on talk radio and Fox Nwws by the White House?

The total contempt the Democrats show toward voters who speak out against their tax and spend policies?

The bringing of terrorists to America so they can now be tried in Federal Courts and use the courtroom as a platform to spread their hate?

So instead of your usual mindless rants attacking the previous administrations, why not step up and tell us why we are wrong about Obama, Reid, and Pelosi - How massive deficits, countless tax increases, mounting pork are all good things and how the economy will benefit from them

The floor is now yours April - enlighten us

[namvet]

the next election will close the books on liberals in office. for good

[Jeff]

the next election will close the books on liberals in office. for good

Certainly hope you are correct, but I think more so , it will be a cold day in Hell before another Black man is voted in, it is a shame really, there are plenty of very intelligent and qualified Blacks , but this election the Country was divided, after the messiah came in and has done the things he has done, those that were voting against him cause of skin color still will , but more importantly those that were unsure will be sure now

[April15]

What progreess April?

The swelling of the annual deficit from $500 billion to $1.t trillion?

The open bribes being given to Democrats by Democrats to vote for Obamcare?

The open attacks and war declared on talk radio and Fox Nwws by the White House?

The total contempt the Democrats show toward voters who speak out against their tax and spend policies?

The bringing of terrorists to America so they can now be tried in Federal Courts and use the courtroom as a platform to spread their hate?

So instead of your usual mindless rants attacking the previous administrations, why not step up and tell us why we are wrong about Obama, Reid, and Pelosi - How massive deficits, countless tax increases, mounting pork are all good things and how the economy will benefit from them

The floor is now yours April - enlighten us
I do not attack! I point out where the original problems stem from. I know you have a hard time with this so don't accept it.
You know the system is broken and by whom! Ray Goon was the great deceiver! Just for the hell of it a failure too. Or just a glorified crook.




Dark Victory:
Ronald Reagan, MCA, and the Mob
(Viking Press, 1986)

By Dan E. Moldea









President Ronald Reagan's professional life--his acting career, his personal financial fortune, and his rise in politics--has been interwoven with and propelled by a powerful, Hollywood-based entertainment conglomerate named MCA. For nearly fifty years, Reagan has benefitted both personally and financially from his association with this sixty-two-year-old company--formerly known as the Music Corporation of America--as well as from his close association with the firm's top executives: Jules Stein, Lew Wasserman, and Taft Schreiber.
Everyone involved has greatly profited from this relationship. MCA helped to make its client, actor Ronald Reagan, a multimillionaire; and the favors that were returned by Reagan, the former president of the Screen Actors Guild (SAG) and the former governor of California, have helped to transform MCA into a billion-dollar empire and the most powerful force in the entertainment world today.

Reagan and his closest friends have portrayed and defended the president's business transactions with MCA, which date back to 1940, as being totally above suspicion. But there remain numerous unanswered questions and allegations about the relationship between Reagan and MCA. These doubts raise delicate issues that involve possible personal and political payoffs--as well as links to major Mafia figures, particularly Beverly Hills attorney Sidney Korshak, who has been described by federal investigators as the principal link between the legitimate business world and organized crime.

In 1962, the Antitrust Division of the U.S. Department of Justice tried to resolve some of these questions, but their secret investigation was settled out of court before the evidence could be presented. The results of the probe were never made public, and no one close to MCA was ever indicted. However, through the Freedom of Information Act, many of these documents have been recovered and are excerpted in this book.

These records show that Reagan, the president of SAG and an FBI informant against Hollywood communists, was the subject of a federal grand jury investigation whose focus was Reagan's possible role in a suspected conspiracy between MCA and the actors' union. According to Justice Department documents, government prosecutors had concluded that decisions made by SAG while under Reagan's leadership became "the central fact of MCA's whole rise to power."

Over the past two decades, Ronald Reagan has refused to answer any in-depth questions about how he amassed his personal wealth--currently estimated at more than $4 million. In 1976, when he first ran for president, and again in 1980 and 1984, Reagan managed to avoid any intense scrutiny of his finances. His financial ties to MCA have been virtually ignored, relegated to the category of ancient history.

Nor has Reagan ever been asked about his personal, financial, professional, or political relationship with Sidney Korshak--who has repeatedly appeared to be involved with Reagan and several of his top advisors throughout their careers.



--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

MCA first began to receive national attention in 1946, when a federal court in Los Angeles ruled against the company for antitrust violations. At the time, MCA was simply a talent agency, booking bands in nightclubs and actors in motion pictures. In rendering his decision, the presiding judge declared that MCA held a virtual monopoly over the entertainment business. This antitrust suit, one of many legal actions filed against MCA over the past fifty years, involved a San Diego ballroom operator who had accused MCA of demanding exorbitant prices from him to book bands for his dances--charging him much more than competing ballrooms were paying for their musical acts. The jury found that MCA's practices had restrained trade in the band-booking business, and it awarded the ballroom owner a $55,000 judgment.

In deciding against MCA, the judge called the talent agency "the Octopus . . . with tentacles reaching out to all phases and grasping everything in show business." The image of "the Octopus" remained and became MCA's nickname in both the Hollywood trade and the press.

Years ago, a motion picture executive commented, "A studio can't exist for any time without some contact with MCA. I would say it's impossible to operate without them. Jack Warner [the head of Warner Brothers] tried it. He couldn't hold out for long."

Today, MCA is still "The Octopus," even though it is out of the talent agency business and now the owner of the largest motion picture and television production companies in the United States, Universal Pictures and Universal-Television. Headquartered in the stark, imposing, black-steel and glass tower at Universal City on the edge of California's San Fernando Valley, the giant, two-billion-dollar conglomerate has offices in major cities all over the world and owns businesses in book and music publishing, a major record company, transportation systems, home video marketing, recreation services, a savings and loan company, real estate, data processing, mail-order purchasing, retail store merchandising, and cable television.

But, far and away, MCA's major business is show business. "They own it," comedian Jerry Lewis once quipped.

During the 1950s, MCA's then-television subsidiary, Revue Productions, became the world's most successful producer and distributor of television film series. Each week Revue supplied the television networks with some forty hours of programming, including such top-rated shows as Wagon Train, Alfred Hitchcock Presents, The Jack Benny Show, Ozzie and Harriet, Dragnet, This Is Your Life, and Leave It to Beaver.

After MCA bought Universal Studios made plans to produce motion pictures as well as television programs, Revue became Universal-Television in 1962, creating such shows as Marcus Welby, M.D., Columbo, McMillan and Wife, Kojak, The Six-Million-Dollar Man, The Rockford Files, The Incredible Hulk, Magnum, P.I., and Miami Vice. Under MCA, Universal Pictures has won three Academy Awards for Best Picture for The Sting, The Deer Hunter, and Out of Africa. And the studio has also produced such financial blockbusters as Airport, American Graffiti, Jaws, E.T. the Extraterrestrial, On Golden Pond, and Back to the Future.

For years, MCA has been viewed by its clients, rivals, and the business press as the General Motors of Hollywood. Despite the company's vast power within the entertainment industry, most Americans have never heard of MCA. Since the company was founded in 1924, it has cultivated an air of mystery about itself. In an industry that thrives on publicity, MCA's executives have thrived on anonymity. The guiding credo at MCA has always been that publicity is for the clients, not the company.

It is a show business legend that one of the ways MCA agents tried to remain anonymous was to dress extremely conservatively--in black or dark-gray suits, white shirts, and dark, narrow ties. The top executives set the example, which everyone followed. MCA's management team was credited with bringing a correct, Ivy League dignity to a profession that had previously been characterized by plaid-jacketed, cigar-smoking agents who did nothing more than "peddle flesh." MCA believed agents should look, dress, and act like other businessmen and bankers. With the MCA dress code came the reputation for ruthless efficiency. During the 1950s, competitors derisively called MCA's aggressive agents "the black-suited Mafia."

The brains behind MCA was Jules Stein, a Chicago ophthalmologist who discovered that he could make more money booking bands. When Stein and an associate, Billy Goodheart, founded the Music Corporation of America in 1924, they began empire-building--with the help of James Petrillo, the head of the American Federation of Musicians, with whom MCA maintained a sweetheart labor-management relationship. According to Justice Department documents, Petrillo was paid off in return for favors to MCA. Taft Schreiber and Sonny Werblin were among the first two top MCA assistants, followed by Lew Wasserman, who was groomed as Stein's heir and was named president of the company in 1946; Stein then became MCA's chairman of the board.

The rise of MCA and its move to Hollywood paralleled the rise of the Chicago Mafia and its infiltration of the motion picture industry. While MCA was representing some of the top motion picture stars, Chicago mobsters took control of the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees (IATSE), the major Hollywood labor union--through Willie Bioff, a small-time hood, who was supervised by Chicago mob lieutenant Johnny Rosselli. The studios made payoffs to the underworld for labor peace--and to keep their workers's wages and benefits to a minimum. But when the studios' payoff man was caught for evading federal income taxes, he plea-bargained with the government, implicating Bioff, but not the Mafia, in the extortion scheme. Bioff was indicted and convicted--and then turned state's evidence against his cohorts, who were also convicted and sent to prison.

The Chicago Mafia's role in Hollywood did not end with the convictions; it simply changed. Chicago's new liaison in the motion picture industry became attorney Sidney Korshak, who had represented Bioff. Charles Gioe, a top Chicago Mafia figure, had told Bioff that Korshak was "our man . . . any message he may deliver to you is a message from us."

A close friend of Stein's and Wasserman's, Korshak quickly became one of the most powerful influences in the entertainment industry and in California politics. One of his key political connections was another former Chicagoan, Paul Ziffren, who at one point was California's delegate to the National Democratic Committee. (He would not seek reelection after his ties to major organized crime figures were exposed by a national magazine.) Korshak also associated himself with top Republican leaders to hedge his bets--and always have friends in power.

In the late 1940s, Hollywood shifted its attention away from the Mafia's infiltration of the film industry to its infiltration by communists. Ronald Reagan, a young actor who was represented by Wasserman and MCA, was a star player during the investigation and hearings by the U.S. House Un-American Activities Committee (HUAC), serving as both an informant for the FBI and a friendly witness for the committee.

After his performance in the war against communism--which included support for IATSE, the union formerly controlled by Bioff that was still run by his same executive board--Reagan was rewarded by being elected as president of the Screen Actors Guild, serving for five consecutive one-year terms.

In 1952, during his fifth term, Reagan engineered a "blanket waiver," exempting MCA from SAG rules prohibiting a talent agency from also engaging in film production. Reagan's second wife, actress Nancy Davis, was also a member of the SAG board of directors at the time the MCA-SAG deal was made. MCA was the only such firm to have been granted such a favored status, giving it the ground floor in television production. It placed the company in a position where it could offer jobs to the actors it represented. Other talent agencies complained that this situation gave MCA an unfair advantage.

Soon after Reagan's tenure as SAG president ended, he found himself in serious financial trouble. With his film career on the skids, Reagan was saved by MCA with jobs in Las Vegas and on television. According to Justice Department documents, several government sources believed that the preferential treatment Reagan received from MCA was a payoff for services rendered while Reagan was the president of SAG.

In 1959, the SAG membership reelected Reagan as president of SAG for a sixth term to lead an impending strike against the studios--despite the fact that Reagan had been producing episodes for MCA/Revue's General Electric Theater. According to SAG's by-laws, producers, even if they were primarily actors, are disqualified from serving on the SAG executive board. Previous board members faced with similar situations had resigned; Reagan refused to do so.

Although MCA and a handful of smaller studios made an early, separate peace with SAG and continued production, the major motion picture companies held out, causing the strike to last six weeks. In the end, according to the president of IATSE, Reagan's final settlement with the big studios came with the help of Sidney Korshak--with whom Reagan had allegedly been associated. The 1960 contract was so unsatisfactory to the SAG membership it has since been called "The Great Giveaway." Reagan resigned in midterm soon after the strike.

After several abortive attempts to investigate MCA for antitrust violations, the federal government--upon the election of John Kennedy as president and the appointment of Robert Kennedy as attorney general--began a concentrated probe into MCA's business affairs. The government had evidence that MCA had engaged in numerous civil and criminal violations of law and empaneled a federal grand jury to hear the specifics of its charges, which included restraint of trade, conspiracy with SAG to monopolize talent and film program productions, extortion, discrimination, blacklisting, and the use of predatory business practices.

Among those called to testify was Ronald Reagan, who displayed a remarkable loss of memory while on the witness stand. Soon after, the federal income tax records of Reagan and his wife were subpoenaed for the years following the MCA-SAG blanket waiver.

In the midst of the grand jury's investigation, MCA purchased Universal Pictures and its parent company, Decca Records. The government immediately went to court, seeking to block MCA's takeover of the corporation. However, after lengthy negotiations between attorneys for the Justice Department's Antitrust Division and MCA, a consent decree was issued and the case was considered closed. The litigation forced MCA to choose whether it wished to be either a talent agency or a production company. Considering that its production efforts yielded nearly ten times more money than the talent agency, the decision was an easy one: MCA dissolved its talent agency.

Reagan has admitted that the government's breakup of MCA affected his political beliefs, inclining him toward a more conservative, antigovernment stance. Beginning with the Barry Goldwater presidential campaign in 1964 and then with his own bid for governor of California in 1966, Reagan's reactionary tone enhanced his image with other conservatives but nearly cost him his job with General Electric Theater. Among the guiding forces in the shaping of Reagan's political philosophy were MCA's Jules Stein and Taft Schreiber. According to law-enforcement authorities, several of Reagan's campaign financiers were close friends and associates of Sidney Korshak.

Stein and Schreiber--as well as Reagan's personal attorney, Los Angeles labor lawyer William French Smith--made several questionable transactions on Reagan's behalf, making him a multimillionaire overnight. Once governor, Reagan made executive decisions that were greatly beneficial to MCA and other corporations with motion picture studio interests.

The same year that Reagan was elected governor of California, Paul Laxalt was elected governor of Nevada. Both Laxalt and Reagan had been heavily involved in the Goldwater campaign. The two men, as governors of neighboring states, became close friends while the latter tried to "clean up" Nevada's image. However, during Laxalt's tenure, a scandal broke out in Las Vegas over a corporation that owned several casinos. Korshak was the major target of the federal investigation that followed. Although Laxalt has been linked with Korshak's associates and clients, he has denied any association with Korshak.

Although Laxalt chose not to seek a second term as governor, Reagan did and was reelected. Laxalt returned to practicing law and then opened a gambling casino in Nevada--which failed. Laxalt then ran for the U.S. Senate and won. While serving as a senator, Laxalt ran Reagan's campaigns for the presidency in 1976 and again in 1980. Laxalt then became general chairman of the Republican National Committee.

Meantime, Stein removed himself as MCA's chairman of the board and was replaced by Wasserman--who was succeeded by the head of Universal-Television, Sidney Sheinberg. MCA grew enormously under Wasserman and Sheinberg. Its only major failure was an attempt to mass-produce a home entertainment system-- consisting of video discs, containing motion pictures and other programs, which could be played on machines hooked up to standard television sets. However, MCA's idea was eclipsed by a similar product marketed by its rival RCA and another system developed by Sony, utilizing videocassettes that could do everything the MCA and RCA systems did as well as record television programs. Nevertheless, MCA continued to shatter box-office records with its blockbuster motion pictures while its television productions soared in the network ratings.

Wasserman also became increasingly involved in politics. He had supported President Jimmy Carter but then had a falling out with him after Reagan announced his 1980 candidacy. Korshak, a Democrat who had supported Reagan during his 1970 reelection bid for governor of California, ha been the target of a four-part series in June of 1976 in the New York Times, which described him as "a behind-the-scenes 'fixer' who has been instrumental in helping criminal elements gain power in union affairs and infiltrate the leisure and entertainment industries." Although Korshak was not on record as supporting either Carter or Reagan in 1980, his close associate, Democrat Paul Ziffren, became a law partner of William French Smith, who later became Reagan's attorney general.

During the presidential campaign, Reagan met privately with known associates of organized crime and appointed others to his personal campaign staff. Several of these people were later given high positions in the Reagan administration after his election. President Reagan talked tough about the organized crime problem in the United States, while surrounding himself with many who were closely linked to those who have created it.

To illustrate this web of power and manipulation, this story has been organized chronologically, minimizing whatever reader confusion might result from the proliferation of names, events, and dates contained in the narrative. The common thread through this story is the corporation MCA. In tracing its history, I have concentrated on the parallel and sometimes intertwining careers of Ronald Reagan, Lew Wasserman, and Sidney Korshak--and how these three men have affected political, business, and labor history in America. ***
__________________

[April15]

Certainly hope you are correct, but I think more so , it will be a cold day in Hell before another Black man is voted in, it is a shame really, there are plenty of very intelligent and qualified Blacks , but this election the Country was divided, after the messiah came in and has done the things he has done, those that were voting against him cause of skin color still will , but more importantly those that were unsure will be sure nowDon't hold your breath. If Palin is the best the republicans have you can bet a dem will get elected. This country has been divided since 2001 and getting more so. With NCLB dumbing children it is a wonder the people even know they can vote. Let alone figure who is the best person for each office they put candidates in.
The PNAC has set into action a course that will destroy America. There is nothing you or I can do to stop it now. All we can do is hang on and hope China is nice to what was the USA.

[April15]

So April, what do you see down the road, that gives you 'hope'?I gave up hope when Bush got elected in 2004. There is really not much anyone can do at this point with all the division of republicans and Dems quarreling over insignificant things while the big problems are overlooked.
We need to bring our jobs home from overseas. We need manufacturing right here where the payday money stays in this country and feeds our people. That is not going to happen with all the trade offs Ray Goon made to big corporations back in the 80's.

[namvet]

typical retarded lib. always someone's else's fault. Osama is giving away free crutch's. the left stopped buying them at inflated prices.

nice copy and paste

[Jeff]

Don't hold your breath. If Palin is the best the republicans have you can bet a dem will get elected. This country has been divided since 2001 and getting more so. With NCLB dumbing children it is a wonder the people even know they can vote. Let alone figure who is the best person for each office they put candidates in.
The PNAC has set into action a course that will destroy America. There is nothing you or I can do to stop it now. All we can do is hang on and hope China is nice to what was the USA.

April you may be right, But I seen two Democratic states just recently elect Republican Governors, And lets not forget if the Messiah is the one running for office in 2012 I would be willing to bet Mickey Mouse could run for the Republicans and win By a land slide , yes I know there will be the Die hards, but you dumb down Americans all you want, but the majority of Americans will still see Obama for what he is, A liar and a Democratic Puppet

[namvet]

only a black moron would raise tax's during a recession.

[sgtdmski]

If that is all you see you need new Eyes. I am fine with the little progress made. With what he started with it is a miracle we aren't in another great depression like Hoover left.
And it is really the end result of Ray Goon nomics. Bush was just the last player to hand off the ball.

Oh yes let's blame Reagan. You have to love how liberals/dmeocrats seem so easily to shift blame to someone else, they are trully selfless.

Oh it is the fault of the Republican Party that in the 1950's and 1960's that members of the Democrat party supported Jim Crow laws. We are the heroes of blacks today because it was the great Democrat LBJ that passed the Civil Rights legislation, with the help of Republicans in Congress because many within his own party had voted againsts. But today is the democrats who are the true heroes because they treat Blacks special, the Blacks need their help, any time you hear a Conservative or Republican talk about individual merit, be aware that is code words for being racist. People cannot judge a person by their actions, but they must judge them solely by there race. Is there any wonder why racism continues today, it is not the fault of conservatives or Republicans, but rather the liberals and Democrats who constantly continue to judge solely on race.

Today's economic woes can all be traced back to the eighties, the liberals are right about that, but it is not the fault of lower taxes and supply-side economics, a policy which by the way still has brought us the longest consecutive monthes of economic growth and expansion, 86. No the fault can be placed squarely on the shoulders of Tip O'Neill and Edward Kennedy, who in negotiations with President Reagan, convinced him to raise taxes by promising to cut spending.

Well we saw how well that deal worked out, Reagan raised the tax, and Tip and Eddie raised spending. Something that Congress has continued to do constantly. Washington is the only place in the world where although you may get additional funds in the new year but if they do not match inflations it is considereda spending cut. Is that not remarkable, inflation was 3% but we are only going to expand this department's budget by 1.5%, lo and behold, that is a spending cut. Unfortunately, the real world does not act this way. If businesses did what Congress does year in and year out, their boards, CEOs, and CFOs would all be in jail for fraud, so tell me what to wwe exempt Congress from these same laws.

Last I checked we fought a Civil War to ensure that Government of the People, for the people and by the people would not perish from this earth. Well I can tell you, it has, and today 600,000 Americans who gave their lives for this great country are turning on in their graves.

dmk

[red states rule]

I gave up hope when Bush got elected in 2004. There is really not much anyone can do at this point with all the division of republicans and Dems quarreling over insignificant things while the big problems are overlooked.
We need to bring our jobs home from overseas. We need manufacturing right here where the payday money stays in this country and feeds our people. That is not going to happen with all the trade offs Ray Goon made to big corporations back in the 80's.

So again April, how will record reckless sepnding and trillions of new debt be a good thing?

How will higher taxes, more government regulation, and increasing the cost of doing business increses employment?

From what I have sen, most of Obamacare is nothing but tax increases and government mandates. Not to mention there are over 100 NEW government panels and commissions

I will admit Obama is creating more government jobs - and how will they be financed?

[red states rule]

April you may be right, But I seen two Democratic states just recently elect Republican Governors, And lets not forget if the Messiah is the one running for office in 2012 I would be willing to bet Mickey Mouse could run for the Republicans and win By a land slide , yes I know there will be the Die hards, but you dumb down Americans all you want, but the majority of Americans will still see Obama for what he is, A liar and a Democratic Puppet

Apparently libs can’t trust people to read a contract or find a good insurance company so libs think the government must do it for them. Instead of educating people on how to take care of themselves they want a nanny state

When private companies do the "wrong thing" libs they they go to the government for "justice". When you give government that much power to do such things there will no other place to go except the government

[April15]

April you may be right, But I seen two Democratic states just recently elect Republican Governors, And lets not forget if the Messiah is the one running for office in 2012 I would be willing to bet Mickey Mouse could run for the Republicans and win By a land slide , yes I know there will be the Die hards, but you dumb down Americans all you want, but the majority of Americans will still see Obama for what he is, A liar and a Democratic PuppetI knew that whoever was elected after Bush would be a one term president. Barack can't be the nominee for the dems in 2012. As you said even a cartoon character would beat him.
The reason I had for believing no person could be more than one term after Bush is because of the division of the nation and the economic problems that won't be resolved in a month or two. These problems will be here in several years into the next presidential election and maybe longer.
The reason for the long term economic problems is that the nation is unable to manufacture it's way to recovery. The other is the wealth has moved from the middle class to the top 5% or so of Americans. There is no cash flow to spend or consume our way out.

[HogTrash]

You realize we are talking about the most foolish, ignorant, arrogant group of people in America, right?

Getting a liberal to admit being wrong is like trying to pull a hungry tiger's teeth while it's eating raw meat.

[red states rule]

I knew that whoever was elected after Bush would be a one term president. Barack can't be the nominee for the dems in 2012. As you said even a cartoon character would beat him.
The reason I had for believing no person could be more than one term after Bush is because of the division of the nation and the economic problems that won't be resolved in a month or two. These problems will be here in several years into the next presidential election and maybe longer.
The reason for the long term economic problems is that the nation is unable to manufacture it's way to recovery. The other is the wealth has moved from the middle class to the top 5% or so of Americans. There is no cash flow to spend or consume our way out.

So what you are saying is, even the greatness of Obama, total control by the intellectually superior left, and the economic polices of tax and spend liberalsim can't overcome the policies of a President and Congress who are no longer in power

This is why your party is in so much trouble in the next election

[red states rule]

You realize we are talking about the most foolish, ignorant, arrogant group of people in America, right?

Getting a liberal to admit being wrong is like trying to pull a hungry tiger's teeth while it's eating raw meat.

http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_kzGsbp41ZD0/SzePTFyC52I/AAAAAAAAARU/VqucImSvA5U/s1600/Pelosi%2BCleans%2Bthe%2BSwamp.jpg

[Jeff]

I knew that whoever was elected after Bush would be a one term president. Barack can't be the nominee for the dems in 2012. As you said even a cartoon character would beat him.
The reason I had for believing no person could be more than one term after Bush is because of the division of the nation and the economic problems that won't be resolved in a month or two. These problems will be here in several years into the next presidential election and maybe longer.
The reason for the long term economic problems is that the nation is unable to manufacture it's way to recovery. The other is the wealth has moved from the middle class to the top 5% or so of Americans. There is no cash flow to spend or consume our way out.

I am shocked April, wasn't it Obama who was going to take care of the working class, the poor, time to tax the rich, no new taxes for anyone making under 250,000 ??

Obama won't be reelected cause he is a lying piece of trash, has even kept 1 of his campaingn promises ? Yes he did he took his ol lady out on a date that cost us how much ?

[red states rule]

I am shocked April, wasn't it Obama who was going to take care of the working class, the poor, time to tax the rich, no new taxes for anyone making under 250,000 ??

Obama won't be reelected cause he is a lying piece of trash, has even kept 1 of his campaingn promises ? Yes he did he took his ol lady out on a date that cost us how much ?

Obama, Reid, and Pelosi are taking care of the working class Jeff. They are making sure they are kept right where they are in life, and dependent on at least one government program

In exchange for the governemnt candy, they expect those people to become dependent on the Dem party to keep the check coming every month

That is the liberal mindset these days

[Joyful HoneyBee]

The age of this speech is interesting because if it were written today there would be even more items to add to the list. A calm, steady voice has tried for years to reason with politicians and with the American people, yet conservatives slam liberals and liberals slam conservatives, and nothing constructive gets done - while in essence we all just hand over our power to those who abuse us.

People have commented that Ron Paul comes across as timid, or strange, or that his ideas are inconceivable, but, on his congressional website a review his speeches and the bills he has introduced, along with his press releases, proves that he is the only sensible politician in Washington and the only one with viable answers. If we had a few hundred more like him in Washington our troubles would turn into triumphs for us all.


HON. RON PAUL OF TEXAS
Before the U.S. House of Representatives

June 29, 2006

Why Are Americans So Angry?

I have been involved in politics for over 30 years and have never seen the American people so angry. It’s not unusual to sense a modest amount of outrage, but it seems the anger today is unusually intense and quite possibly worse than ever. It’s not easily explained, but I have some thoughts on this matter. Generally, anger and frustration among people are related to economic conditions; bread and butter issues. Yet today, according to government statistics, things are going well. We have low unemployment, low inflation, more homeowners than ever before, and abundant leisure with abundant luxuries. Even the poor have cell phones, televisions, and computers. Public school is free, and anyone can get free medical care at any emergency room in the country. Almost all taxes are paid by the top 50% of income earners. The lower 50% pay essentially no income taxes, yet general dissatisfaction and anger are commonplace. The old slogan “It’s the economy, stupid,” just doesn’t seem to explain things

Some say it’s the war, yet we’ve lived with war throughout the 20th century. The bigger they were the more we pulled together. And the current war, by comparison, has fewer American casualties than the rest. So it can’t just be the war itself.

People complain about corruption, but what’s new about government corruption? In the 19th century we had railroad scandals; in the 20th century we endured the Teapot Dome scandal, Watergate, Koreagate, and many others without too much anger and resentment. Yet today it seems anger is pervasive and worse than we’ve experienced in the past.

Could it be that war, vague yet persistent economic uncertainty, corruption, and the immigration problem all contribute to the anger we feel in America? Perhaps, but it’s almost as though people aren’t exactly sure why they are so uneasy. They only know that they’ve had it and aren’t going to put up with it anymore.

High gasoline prices make a lot of people angry, though there is little understanding of how deficits, inflation, and war in the Middle East all contribute to these higher prices.

Generally speaking, there are two controlling forces that determine the nature of government: the people’s concern for their economic self interests; and the philosophy of those who hold positions of power and influence in any particular government. Under Soviet Communism the workers believed their economic best interests were being served, while a few dedicated theoreticians placed themselves in positions of power. Likewise, the intellectual leaders of the American Revolution were few, but rallied the colonists to risk all to overthrow a tyrannical king.

Since there’s never a perfect understanding between these two forces, the people and the philosophical leaders, and because the motivations of the intellectual leaders vary greatly, any transition from one system of government to another is unpredictable. The communist takeover by Lenin was violent and costly; the demise of communism and the acceptance of a relatively open system in the former Soviet Union occurred in a miraculous manner. Both systems had intellectual underpinnings.

In the United States over the last century we have witnessed the coming and going of various intellectual influences by proponents of the free market, Keynesian welfarism, varieties of socialism, and supply-side economics. In foreign policy we’ve seen a transition from the founder’s vision of non-intervention in the affairs of others to internationalism, unilateral nation building, and policing the world. We now have in place a policy, driven by determined neo-conservatives, to promote American “goodness” and democracy throughout the world by military force-- with particular emphasis on remaking the Middle East.

We all know that ideas do have consequences. Bad ideas, even when supported naively by the people, will have bad results. Could it be the people sense, in a profound way, that the policies of recent decades are unworkable-- and thus they have instinctively lost confidence in their government leaders? This certainly happened in the final years of the Soviet system. Though not fully understood, this sense of frustration may well be the source of anger we hear expressed on a daily basis by so many.

No matter how noble the motivations of political leaders are, when they achieve positions of power the power itself inevitably becomes their driving force. Government officials too often yield to the temptations and corrupting influences of power.

But there are many others who are not bashful about using government power to do “good.” They truly believe they can make the economy fair through a redistributive tax and spending system; make the people moral by regulating personal behavior and choices; and remake the world in our image using armies. They argue that the use of force to achieve good is legitimate and proper for government-- always speaking of the noble goals while ignoring the inevitable failures and evils caused by coercion.

Not only do they justify government force, they believe they have a moral obligation to do so.

Once we concede government has this “legitimate” function and can be manipulated by a majority vote, the various special interests move in quickly. They gain control to direct government largesse for their own benefit. Too often it is corporate interests who learn how to manipulate every contract, regulation and tax policy. Likewise, promoters of the “progressive” agenda, always hostile to property rights, compete for government power through safety, health, and environmental initiatives. Both groups resort to using government power-- and abuse this power-- in an effort to serve their narrow interests. In the meantime, constitutional limits on power and its mandate to protect liberty are totally forgotten.

Since the use of power to achieve political ends is accepted, pervasive, and ever expanding, popular support for various programs is achieved by creating fear. Sometimes the fear is concocted out of thin air, but usually it’s created by wildly exaggerating a problem or incident that does not warrant the proposed government “solution.” Often government caused the problem in the first place. The irony, of course, is that government action rarely solves any problem, but rather worsens existing problems or creates altogether new ones.

Fear is generated to garner popular support for the proposed government action, even when some liberty has to be sacrificed. This leads to a society that is systemically driven toward fear-- fear that gives the monstrous government more and more authority and control over our lives and property.

Fear is constantly generated by politicians to rally the support of the people.

Environmentalists go back and forth, from warning about a coming ice age to arguing the grave dangers of global warming.

It is said that without an economic safety net-- for everyone, from cradle to grave-- people would starve and many would become homeless.

It is said that without government health care, the poor would not receive treatment. Medical care would be available only to the rich.

Without government insuring pensions, all private pensions would be threatened.

Without federal assistance, there would be no funds for public education, and the quality of our public schools would diminish-- ignoring recent history to the contrary.

It is argued that without government surveillance of every American, even without search warrants, security cannot be achieved. The sacrifice of some liberty is required for security of our citizens, they claim.

We are constantly told that the next terrorist attack could come at any moment. Rather than questioning why we might be attacked, this atmosphere of fear instead prompts giving up liberty and privacy. 9/11 has been conveniently used to generate the fear necessary to expand both our foreign intervention and domestic surveillance.

Fear of nuclear power is used to assure shortages and highly expensive energy.

In all instances where fear is generated and used to expand government control, it’s safe to say the problems behind the fears were not caused by the free market economy, or too much privacy, or excessive liberty.

It’s easy to generate fear, fear that too often becomes excessive, unrealistic, and difficult to curb. This is important: It leads to even more demands for government action than the perpetrators of the fear actually anticipated.

Once people look to government to alleviate their fears and make them safe, expectations exceed reality. FEMA originally had a small role, but its current mission is to centrally manage every natural disaster that befalls us. This mission was exposed as a fraud during last year’s hurricanes; incompetence and corruption are now FEMA’s legacy. This generates anger among those who have to pay the bills, and among those who didn’t receive the handouts promised to them quickly enough.

Generating exaggerated fear to justify and promote attacks on private property is commonplace. It serves to inflame resentment between the producers in society and the so-called victims, whose demands grow exponentially.

The economic impossibility of this system guarantees that the harder government tries to satisfy the unlimited demands, the worse the problems become. We won’t be able to pay the bills forever, and eventually our ability to borrow and print new money must end. This dependency on government will guarantee anger when the money runs out. Today we’re still able to borrow and inflate, but budgets are getting tighter and people sense serious problems lurking in the future. This fear is legitimate. No easy solution to our fiscal problems is readily apparent, and this ignites anger and apprehension.

Disenchantment is directed at the politicians and their false promises, made in order to secure reelection and exert power that so many of them enjoy.

It is, however, in foreign affairs that governments have most abused fear to generate support for an agenda that under normal circumstances would have been rejected. For decades our administrations have targeted one supposed “Hitler” after another to gain support for military action against a particular country. Today we have three choices termed the axis of evil: Iran, Iraq or North Korea.

We recently witnessed how unfounded fear was generated concerning Saddam Hussein’s weapons of mass destruction to justify our first ever pre-emptive war. It is now universally known the fear was based on falsehoods. And yet the war goes on; the death and destruction continue.

This is not a new phenomenon. General Douglas MacArthur understood the political use of fear when he made this famous statement:

“Always there has been some terrible evil at home or some monstrous foreign power that was going to gobble us up if we did not blindly rally behind it.”

We should be ever vigilant when we hear the fear mongers preparing us for the next military conflict our young men and women will be expected to fight. We’re being told of the great danger posed by Almadinejad in Iran and Kim Jung Il in North Korea. Even Russia and China bashing is in vogue again. And we’re still not able to trade with or travel to Cuba. A constant enemy is required to expand the state. More and more news stories blame Iran for the bad results in Iraq. Does this mean Iran is next on the hit list?

The world is much too dangerous, we’re told, and therefore we must be prepared to fight at a moment’s notice, regardless of the cost. If the public could not be manipulated by politicians’ efforts to instill needless fear, fewer wars would be fought and far fewer lives would be lost.

[red states rule]

The Obama administration has only talked about improving the economy and has pushed an agenda that are job killers.

I’ve heard have read many polls (a couple from Dem pollsters) and it is clear voters are angry. While some Dems I know try to spin it by saying the voters are angry at both parties. But which party has total control of the government?

Democrats in positions historically considered safe are now in question.

[Kathianne]

Seems some Democrats are getting scared:

http://www.commentarymagazine.com/blogs/index.php/rubin/205852


No Partisan, Controversial Legislation for Them!
JENNIFER RUBIN - 12.28.2009 - 7:30 AM
Senate Democrats are crying out for help:


Bruised by the health care debate and worried about what 2010 will bring, moderate Senate Democrats are urging the White House to give up now on any effort to pass a cap-and-trade bill next year. “I am communicating that in every way I know how,” says Sen. Mary Landrieu (D-La.), one of at least half a dozen Democrats who’ve told the White House or their own leaders that it’s time to jettison the centerpiece of their party’s plan to curb global warming.

So if health care is so toxic, why did they all cast the decisive votes in its favor? It seems as though it has unnerved those Democrats who were essential to its passage, before it has even become law. But you have to marvel at the lack of self-awareness:


“I’d just as soon see that set aside until we work through the economy,” said Sen. Ben Nelson (D-Neb.). ?“What we don’t want to do is have anything get in the way of working to resolve the problems with the economy.”

Because we wouldn’t want a massive tax-and-spend plan unsettling a sixth of the economy to pass before we get the economy back on track, right? Oh, wait. No, Nelson sold his vote already on that one...

[red states rule]

Seems some Democrats are getting scared:

http://www.commentarymagazine.com/blogs/index.php/rubin/205852

Like they actually believe they will have the votes to pass it in 2011?

What will Dems make the center issue after healthcare? The deficit? The unemployment rate?

Those should have been their top issues since day one

[Joyful HoneyBee]

Like they actually believe they will have the votes to pass it in 2011?

What will Dems make the center issue after healthcare? The deficit? The unemployment rate?

Those should have been their top issues since day one

Absolutely right!!! They certainly should have. It never has made sense that the first order of business would have been the healthcare reform bill when they were already working from the bottom of a hole. Now they've dug the American people into a deeper abyss; and based on the article above, some are suffering a little 'buyers remorse'. Honestly, I think they were just drunk on the power of being the majority and were too intoxicated to think clearly. Let's hope that the realization that they've just walked all over the voters who will turn them out in the next election sobers them up enough to make better choices in hopes of redeeming themselves, (not that they will ever be redeemed).

[Kathianne]

You both missed the point.

[Joyful HoneyBee]

I prefer to make my own points.

Personally, I think all the rot in Washington needs to be shaking in their shoes and I hope they are. Only Dr. No has a real clue, though a few others have some inklings......

[Kathianne]

I prefer to make my own points.

Personally, I think all the rot in Washington needs to be shaking in their shoes and I hope they are. Only Dr. No has a real clue, though a few others have some inklings......

Good for you, carry on.

[red states rule]

I know first hand how hard it is being a liberal these days. On the way home from work, my car pool buddy Mike said the following

1) When I asked him why Dems voted to reject the proposal Republicans offered that would allow ins companies to sell across state lines, he did not blame Demcorats; he blamed the insurance lobby

I asked him how they could influence Dems if they really wanted to lower the cost of insurance for Americans. He said money

I pointed out money was already the reason several Dems chnaged their vote since they were openly bribed to vote for Obamacare. He had no reply except Dems will be "responsible" for their vote

I then asked him later why Obama has troops in Iraq when he promised to withdrawl them. His reason was Bush. Yes, he blames Pres Bush for the troops still being in Iraq

His logic was, once the hole is punched in the dike, it is very hard to reprai the damage. So even though Obama has been in office for 11 months, and Dems have total power in DC, it is still not their fault troops are not out of Iraq

It is comical to be around libs these days. It is going to be the place to be in November 2010