YellowLinesandArmadillos

A Presidential candidate Kennedy is not, neither is Kerrey, but Kennedy is a great Senator and he and Byrd have changed from their Youthful indescretions, obviously Bush, Cheney and idiot savant Dick Santorum are still practicing.

I am inclined to agree with you. It is incumbent on the other side to work hard enough to get its voice heard, besides there are plenty of other avenues beside radio or TV to reach out, the internet obviously provides that opportunity. However, if I hear one more rightwinger whine about liberal media, I am going to puke on them. Oh, there are a few liberal media icons left, but the right dominates the airwaves, print and cable now. There is no disputing this. Unfortunately, moderate fact based journalism is totally gone, we are back to the mud raking of the 1930s, but from a humour standpoint, this era is actually much more interesting even if it is a joke.

If we could clone more Eliot Spitzers sure..., but you probably are of the crowd that thinks big business can police itself...Love Canal, Haliburton, Enron...and the list goes on. Free market trickle down philosophy is worse than big government, I at least want them to compete with each other, not be in bed together. Sounds like your knuckles are dragging from carrying the rock you just crawled out from under or are you are smoking some incredible weed. Medical science has proved weed smoking causes the brain activity of a severly mentally retarded person. Which is it?

I didn't say business, just big corporate business that mimics big government bureaucracies, can't believe that you are that narrow minded. Business is good, necessary and provides for the economy, but it too has its inefficiencies, curruption, abuse and inability to adapt. Since you can't even acknowledge this then don't complain about Buffalo's government. The most intractable problems are a combo of government and business, duh! That is why it is important to effectively enforce anti-trust laws, which haven't been in years and applying true Keynsian economic principals...through short term economic interventions. Go Eliot Spitzer!

I am inclined to agree with you that big government is a problem, but direct transfers like social security and medicare prior to this latest incarnation of including big business in its program are some of the most efficient forms of social welfare. USDA income support, while poorly targeted in my opinion are relatively efficient. But the military ironically, is the most inefficient bureacracy. Big government only seems to work well in a crisis, but under this administration, that old adage has been proved incorrect, Michael Chernoff should be fired for incompetence: Karina biggest example, even Brown doesn't look quite as incompetent. Federal officials knew long before the storm showed up on the radar that 100,000 people in New Orleans had no way to escape a major hurricane on their own and that the city had finished only 10 percent of a plan for how to evacuate its largely poor, African-American population. Mr. Chertoff failed to name a principal federal official to oversee the response before the hurricane arrived, an omission a top Pentagon official acknowledged to investigators complicated the coordination of the response. His department also did not plan enough to prevent a conflict over which agency should be in charge of law enforcement support. And Mr. Chertoff was either poorly informed about the levee break or did not recognize the significance of the initial report about it, investigators said. and Cheney and Bush where were they despite the warnings? "The president is still at his ranch, the vice president is still fly-fishing in Wyoming, the president's chief of staff is in Maine," Mr. Davis said. "In retrospect, don't you think it would have been better to pull together? They should have had better leadership. It is disengagement." One of the greatest mysteries for both the House and Senate committees has been why it took so long, even after Mr. Bahamonde filed his urgent report on the Monday the storm hit, for federal officials to appreciate that the levee had broken and that New Orleans was flooding. NYTIMES today.

You said it, Repugnicans have the controls and the ones filching your tax dollars, Dems did it before, the only time that there was some accountability was with divided government with both parties switching regularly which branch they had control of. The bodies could only be buried so far in the ground and were easier to uncover. I miss Newt and Clinton, the only time we had a balanced budget and prospering economy.

Western New York's problem isn't big government, it is a corrupt incompetent government. Kinda like the current federal administration. However, I understand your frustration, NY has one of the highest property tax rates in the country, yet the funding doesn't seem to accomplish much. Buffalo has all the wonderful lake front property, but I understand the corruption is so great nobody is will to redevelop it, even though folks have made efforts. Other cities have pulled it off with great success, even DC in Georgetown and San Antonio, Tx. Not areas known for their clean government. Too easy to just blame big government, however, and big business may have created much of the problems with its hazardous waste dump sites all over downtown. Not sure I would want to test and clean up some of those piers.

Not totally zero sum, but you are getting there...Also, it really depends on how the overall package is stuctured, does it favor big corporations, capital investment or human resources, or individual investment and where are we in the business cycle. Sometimes changing any one of these targets taxes can effectively help the economy, but only from a short-term perspective. If tax breaks or increases could be one time events not expected with the ability to change them regularly then they could be effective. Permanent ones effect structure of the economy but little to meet short-term problems. Like bureacracies, they stagnate and folks adjust to them. I.e., you are corret long-term tax breaks are a wash economically, except for the negative effect they have on the budget. Politically, they are very hard to change.

I received a quarter, enough for a cup of coffee...but they increased my sales tax and the state had to find a back way of increasing my assessments to make up the difference...some tax break. I would cut oil company tax breaks, and cut the $400 billion and rising estmiated giveaway to the medicare prescription drug company providers, who have raised prices anyway above the discount, so senior are actually paying more, we didn't get any return on the $400 billion. Also, I would close the corporate tax loophole for companies incorporated offshore, then maybe I would actually get a significant real tax break. Also, I would invoke a penalty tax on CEOs and upper management that get golden parachusetts when the companies they manage go under. This is just a start, I am sure we could find some waste, fraud and abuse in the military. P.S. I would require Haliburton to refund the Federal treasury every dollar given to them over the last 5 years, since they can't even manage to provide our troops with decent peanut butter and jelly or prison quality baloney and cheese sandwiches. Then maybe, to budget would be in good enough condition to give my family a decent tax break.

No, I think you just made Mickey's point, even the U.S. was complicit with Nazi sponsored corporations, before it became untennable even for them. Sure facism and communism meet on the other side of the spectrum, but there are degrees and Mickey's point is valid, read your history of Nazi business capitalism, free market business and freedom are not the same thing. Maybe you should reread history, start with the 1920s.

Cool, sorry if I offended you. Bush Bad definetly. I have friends that are Republicans and not all are evil, but this one is. P.S. Just got an email from one of those good Republican friends and don't know how well this crowd goes for bipartisan jokes, but this one ranks as one for both Clinton and Bush haters equally! "Subject: BUSH IN HELL One day in the future, George Bush has a heart attack and dies. He immediately goes to hell, where the devil is waiting for him. "I don't know what to do," says the devil. "You are on my list, but I have no room for you. You definitely have to stay here, so I'll tell you what I'm going to do. I've got some folks here who weren't quite as bad as you. I'll let one of them go, but you have to take their place. I'll even let YOU decide who leaves." Bush thought that sounded pretty good, so the devil opened the first room. In it was Ronald Reagan and a large pool f water. He kept diving in and surfacing empty handed. Over and over and over. Such was his fate in hell. "No, George said. "I don't think so. I'm not a good swimmer and I don't think I could do that all day long." The devil led him to the next room. In it was Richard Nixon with a sledge hammer and a room full of rocks. All he did was swing that hammer, time after time after time. "No, I've got this problem with my shoulder. I would be in constant agony if all I could do was break rocks all day," commented George. The devil opened a third door. In it, Bush saw Bill Clinton, lying on the floor with his arms staked over his head, and his legs staked in a spread eagle pose. Bent over him was Monica Lewinsky, doing what she does best. Bush took this in disbelief and finally said, "Yea, I can handle this." The devil smiled and said "OK, Monica, you're free to go." Hope all enjoy!

I understand your logic, about non-governmental interference of a moral choice, or at least that is the way Walmart sounds like it is trying to portray itself, but since Walmart can't at least pay their workers a living wage, has had store accused of letting meat taint and restocking shelves, hired tons of illegal aliens, not paid workers for time, let alone overtime so "morally" they are suspect and should fall into a hypocracy exception under your standard. Now that Walmarts variable morality is established it therefore should be regulated even under a laissez faire standard, besides they are not a church and do not qualify for a tax exemption and under any normal part of the interstate commerce clause come under the "Constitution" as allow to be regulated by the states. The Constitution doesn't say anarchy or is that what you think.

What!, What time warp were you in, yes there was a slight dip at the very last month of Clinton's last term, where by Republican rejiggling of statistics, they claim the Bush hadn't actually gotten into office at that point and a recession had started under Clinton, although not conceding Republican quibilling over a month or so, the actual stock market crash didn't happen till after 911, when Bush and been in office over 9 months, long enough for it to be his baby, reread your history and at least get your basic timeline facts straight! Even then, he didn't do much, there was a rebound and then a second dip well into his administration because of the lack of confidence in his economic policies, which lingers on today. Every time he opens his mouth about economics, consumer confidence falls, even when the jobs picture is doing well right now, bout time. And another thing, Clinton went through some short term down turns earlier in his administration intervening effectively by tightening the budget, using the line item veto, delaying implementing certain projects...to his parties own frustration...in order to keep inflation low and thus less incentive for the Fed to raise interest rate, while the business cycle worked through it. Bush has done neither and we have had to bear the full brunt of the business cycle and rate causing among other things the gap between rich and poor to widen at an accellerated rate. These greater disparities in income that will risk causing long run economic and political instability, ala the late 20s and 30s unless something is done. The trade deficit may do it anyway. STOP reading the Drudge Report as the Gospel, check his facts first. He makes up half the stuff he shovels.

and God has a heck of a sense of humor if only people would stop, look and listen!

Some, but they have to talk intelligently, often a real problem for right wingers, they too often want to name call, like on Rush, too bad, he doesn't allow it. Lately, the righties have struggled with it and he has had to cut them off. Darn!

Hey we all have our paranoias, Bush is mine, Clinton yours... It probably has more to do with getting laid on any given day than anything else, a Clinton P.R. problem, and a Bush factual problem nowadays. Sounds like Laura tied a knot in it. I think we would all be better off if our Presidents drank more and chased more skirts. Less damage.

Mickey, couldn't agree with you more, the problem with the press is they won't post new news, but keep rerunning old crap that is outdated info, CNN and Fox are the worst, but others are too. Now with the secret prisons in eastern europe, who knows? Darn it is hard to tell all these arabs apart, they all look the same including the Iranians (sarcasm), Iranians are persian, not arab! What I don't trust is not so much this administration's miliciousness, but its laziness with information. Nothing like a an angry lazy redneck to screw everything up. Maybe the real reason 911 happened.

Please that was lame, the post before had it right, liberals were slow on the switch, but even worse boring. He said where were we, no quip blaming Bush?, but that really isn't creative either. It should be more on par with right wing conspiracy theories, like...hmm.. The ferrry is owned by Haliburton, and Dick Cheney authorized its operation until it sank, stating that "we have to show god is on our side too, but not before I make another mill off that damn boat." And upon hearing that it sank Cheney is heard to inquire about empty seats..."adaptable lawyer joke." That at least is a plausible ironic response if not actually funny.

Would love to see those actual stats, don't see them much or discussed much as to their accuracy? Sources on any of that info? That seems like a lot? But I have heard they are going up under the current Administration, who knows what that means?

I don't know whether I agree or disagree about your Boehner comment, not swiftest brick, but not dull either. He learned about deal cutting on the House Ag Committee, and is not immune to it. And if he pulled off the manuevering folks give him credit for, he did a good job. Besides deal cutting is what got the current batch of Republicans in trouble, too much like the old Rostenkowski group under the Dems. Rosti went to jail, maybe so should a few Repubs until they can straighten themselves out. Too many have sold out.

Walmart is hardly an individual, it is corporation, so the analogy doesn't work, but one that does and is currently happening is the many states establishing emergency requirements "regulations" that pharmacies under medicare to keep a 30 day supply of all drugs listed under medicare and not deny any senior access to it until insurance situation can be worked out. States have the right to regulate their pharmacies under the interstate commerce clause of the constitution, not necessarily the drugs. Drugs are regulated by the FDA. I am not sure what the current status of the morning after pill is at the FDA and that may be where the arguement really is. The rest of it is all window dressing and part of current legal precedent.

Just like all Republicans are lemmings...oh well

Yep, didn't get it either, but still I like the early part about Clinton getting credit for balancing the budget because a booming economy that he had nothing to do with. Another lemming, the 94 budget act raised taxes on the rich attempted to cut taxes for the middle class failed because of Republican opposition. Of course it doesn't get framed that way. I know, it is a chicken or egg thing, but Clinton's fiscal policies, as well as his implementation, i.e., dragging his feet implementing a lot of pork barrel congressional projects as well as reducing Washington bureaucracy by third allowed him to save a lot of money. A 30,000 reduction at USDA alone, but now under Bush, we are right back up there. You get rid of corporate farm programs and reduce by half and you can actually do a lot towards balancing the budget Balancing the budget helped put more money into the economy and increase its velocity, creating consumer confidence and thus spending that resulted in the great expansion in the late 90s. Supply siders forget this and don't understand. Econ 101, the money multiplier effects. But I love Republicans taking credit for it. Pathetic.

Yep! Be nice to actually keep both parties from taking votes for granted.

What is the use when he is unwilling to do anything about it, or worse aggravate the problem with tax breaks for his oil buddies and insufficient alternative energy tax breaks except for a car maybe 10 years off. He veto threatened practically anything of substance that could save energy last year. Phasing out the alternative fuels energy tax breaks for cars and providing a pathetic tax break for homeowners. $2,500 won't even get you in the door for one solar panel.