YellowLinesandArmadillos

I agree he didn't react strongly enough to House Dems out of control. The appointee process is always a mess and the other side always finds ammunition... it sucks but it is true. Sounds like the Dems in the Senate are making progress and I can't wait till Pelosi is removed. She is revealing herself as dumber by the moment.

Flat taxes on earned income as often proposed are inherently regressive, the poor pay a much higher proportional ratio of their income. A flat tax has been proven to be inherently regressive, not neutral unless you include unearned income in the equation. Boy, you can hear the hooting and hollering over that one! That being said the simplification would be nice. The problem is, you would have to apply it to business income as well and the devil is in the details. Politically, despite folks now touting it, it is a trojan horse. No businessman in the right mind would ever support it. They have too many marginal advantages right now and it would cost them a lot of money.

I understand there are administrative costs in there, plus, how would there be a need to hire more folks? Bush already raised the number of employees at those departments way above his father's levels, which Clinton drastically cut. Though I agree it is a boondoggle for some of those agencies and departments. Question how much of it is part of the total bill and is this just the House numbers? As far as stimulative, it will be even with this crap a lot more stimulative than the (corporate loopholes) so called tax breaks the Republicans are pushing. That being said, until the homeowners debt crisis is addressed non of this is going to do much long term good and it is going to take longer to break out of this mess. As housing prices fall, no one can sell and no one has any equity to buy or relocate.... I am stuck in a mortgage in Massachusetts for a House I can't sell. I moved to an area with more available cash and business near White Plains, NY. I am cash flowing the House luckily... renting it out, but I know folks that are getting laid off by the truck load right now and no one knows what to do. Because of this they are not spending and won't, they are just hoping to hold on to their homes... and this is Westchester, NY. Maybe all this adjustment needs to happen, the problem is the recession/depression isn't going to end soon until people settle this debt, one way or another and right now it is all heading towards Bankruptcy on the slow torturous route. So, other than the tax credit stuff for corporations, food stamps for the poor and tax breaks for working people, some of the infrastructure spending that can be done right away, the rest of this stuff is just fluff. Yet, it is the House side and what can you expect, not much. I wish the President had a line-item veto.

I have no idea, but FU anyway.

It's the House, what do you expect... A circus no matter which party is running things, even Obama has to laughing at this point.

Give them a stimulus check is fine, but that is a tax credit more than a cut. Also, we are talking about incentives for corporations right now, not individuals. Tax credit v. tax cut? A credit in the form of a cash payment is immediate, a cut just reduces your outlayes..... There is more likely that you will spend at least a portion of a check or cash when put in your hand and if it is a credit for doing something, i.e., requiring that you spend it is definitely stimulative. A cut may or may not be stimulative in the short term... Long term yes, but we have plenty of loopholes already for that purpose, that is why the 35% corporate rate is paper only, it is not real as stated many times before on this board.... If you're paying 35%, you have an incredibly bad accountant.

Here is the original National Journal article: http://www.nationaljournal.com/njmagazine/...090124_2562.php

Amen!

Quit the conspiracy theory for a minute. National Journal, WSJ, CBS had it before CNN.... they were late on the switch.

Okay, got it... Yep, I hear the problem... interesting though that was probably a stupid promise because a lot of talent has been lobbyists at one time and how is that any different than being a CEO, COS, or CFO of company or interest group, though that person is not directly involved in lobbying??? Also, according to reports Patterson will have to recuse himself from the issue areas he lobbied on behalf of Goldman Sachs. http://online.wsj.com/article/SB1233097022...=googlenews_wsj

Do me a favor, what are your specifically refering to when you say Obama is breaking his promise.... Not being sarcastic, I am having a senior moment... if you are stating the wishy washy promise of changing the way Washington does business, big wup, if it is more than that, please refresh my memory.

I wouldn't make that assumption... More likely he wasn't listened to... however, in DC Mark has more leverage... and I will leave it at that.

Women, both because they can giveth and taketh away and because they are much more dangerous. They have more weapons at their disposal and I am convinced are educated at five years old in the basement of the CIA on how to deal with men..... There are exceptions to the rule, Palin and Kennedy, but most have figured us men out too well. Those two must have slept through class.

I am getting older too, are you talking about his promise to change the way Washington does business? If so, yea, that was a whopper, ain't going to happen.... But if you are talking about someone to monitor Guitner, Mark is a good person for the job and will actually understand how to keep him on the straight and narrow.

Florida insurance is screwed up from what I understand, no matter who you insure with, that is why so many cos are leaving the state. Even subsidized by the Feds, they can't sustain themselves. Maybe folks should just leave the state to the older generation... I just can't write the next sentence... too mean and sarcastic.

Get off it. Mark is a tough guy and doesn't play that game. I trust Patterson more then most folks who have gone back and forth....across the private/public sector line and mind you most people you see on the Hill do. That being said, I am biased, Mark hired me when I worked for Daschle... but he is a true NYer and is one of the few guys on the Hill who is both smart and straight forward. So other then the typical implication and CBS hatchet job CBS is doing, that he worked for Goldman Sachs, know what you are talking about before you make judgments. Patterson will serve us well and I don't see the problem.

Think about this some more though. Tax cuts are not really stimulative.... especially in the short term, which is what true Keynesian economics is about. There was some talk with Senator Feingold on MSNBC this morning about corporate tax credits for spending money on projects. This would be stimulative and yet let the private sector still decide what they wanted to spend money on. What are people on this board's take on tax credits v. tax breaks for businesses and its stimulative effect?

The man actually thinks. Better yet, if the Dems had brains or balls they would adopt (coopt) this suggestion of his! Not bad for oxy boy... No vitrol, just a bi-partisan observation.... Hmmm, must have had an epiphany and just put down the pills.

She just couldn't contain herself to the facts. I think Kennedy was interested in running but not sure if she was up to all it entailed and how to handle. Like Palin, she wasn't ready for prime time and didn't get the deal and yet both her independence and Kennedy name meant something others don't have... But what about Cuomo, he has a name, but IMO is an empty suit and not his father... Her analysis is off and Dems have decided to just ignore her because once again anorexic or heroin adddict blonde surfer dude with long hair speaks in tongues!

If this is the way you apply the law, this is why people don't trust you. There are plenty of good policemen and I have a lot of respect for them. But your attitude on this board, shows why certain people don't trust the men in blue.... It begs the question?...Are foot patrolmen a benefit or hindrance to a free society??? You don't help your cause.... Hope you get traffic duty and then you can really feel the ire of citizens' distrust for your kind.

Go Away.... Puke head.

No, but it probably will be in the crapper for about a decade.

Get a Harley and ride baby ride!

I would consider dropping it. If they do it again, write a politician so that some young staffer wanting to make a name for him or herself gets on your side, but be ready for the media attention. Otherwise, I betting they got the message. On Capitol Hill, I got harrassed a couple of times for carrying my camera by the young 'uns. I showed my ID and they still treated me disrespectfully. I knew their supervisors and said something to their bosses. Next thing I knew the guys were both moved to posts inside with more senior policemen. I didn't mind being stopped, but being harrassed was a bit much, especially because it was my job to take photos of the Capitol. So despite the cover their backside response, I guarantee your message got sent. If it happens again, send a copy of the original letter to your state rep or congressman or mayor and and get their badge numbers and maybe carry a little camera with you. The time stamp on it will enable you to further document the incident. That being said, I doubt you will be stopped again... and if you see the officers, make nice with them, chat it up, ask how their wife and kids are doing.... yada yada yada.

I wasn't talking to you, I disagree with you, but don't think you are an idiot.... Duh Big Boy is an idiot, nuff said.