| StockFetcher Forums · General Discussion · POLITICS GOES HERE | << 1 ... 14 15 16 17 18 ... 76 >>Post Follow-up |
| TheRumpledOne 6,529 posts msg #85416 - Ignore TheRumpledOne |
1/2/2010 10:43:03 AM Cry for Me, Argentina http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_orkXxp0bhEA/SwgAXwEcpkI/AAAAAAAAX50/Wn1rIzPDBiE/s1600/09112-arg-navy.jpg In the early 20th century, Argentina was one of the richest countries in the world. While Great Britain 's maritime power and its far-flung empire had propelled it to a dominant position among the world's industrialized nations, only the United States challenged Argentina for the position of the world's second-most powerful economy. http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_orkXxp0bhEA/SwgAkT4PlHI/AAAAAAAAX58/OzcG6NY2rpw/s1600/091120-arg-port.jpg It was blessed with abundant agriculture, vast swaths of rich farmland laced with navigable rivers and an accessible port system. Its level of industrialization was higher than many European countries: railroads, automobiles and telephones were commonplace. http://4.bp..blogspot.com/_orkXxp0bhEA/SwgBX5zyPyI/AAAAAAAAX6E/6NAiEMJ_vlc/s1600/091120-arg-hip.jpg In 1916, a new president was elected. Hipólito Irigoyen had formed a party called The Radicals under the banner of "fundamental change" with an appeal to the middle class. ("Fundamental change"... now where have I heard that?) http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_orkXxp0bhEA/SwgH1a-zioI/AAAAAAAAX6M/7xHd-4tT4h4/s1600/091120-arg-pension.jpg Among Irigoyen's changes: mandatory pension insurance, mandatory health insurance, and support for low-income housing construction to stimulate the economy. Put simply, the state assumed economic control of a vast swath of the country's operations and began assessing new payroll taxes to fund its efforts. (Beginning to sound more familiar?) http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_orkXxp0bhEA/SwgI1cnOf9I/AAAAAAAAX6c/J_YfG6Io_1w/s1600/091120-arg-church.jpg With an increasing flow of funds into these entitlement programs, the government's payouts soon became overly generous. Before long its outlays surpassed the value of the taxpayers' contributions. Put simply, it quickly became under-funded, much like our Social Security and Medicare programs. (And, more!) http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_orkXxp0bhEA/SwgIWfipXII/AAAAAAAAX6U/srXX52-AwUo/s1600/091120-arg-perons.jpg The death knell for the Argentine economy, however, came with the election of Juan Perón. Perón had a fascist and corporatist upbringing; he and his charismatic wife aimed their populist rhetoric at the nation's rich. (Still more!) http://2.bp..blogspot.com/_orkXxp0bhEA/SwgJHeV2E3I/AAAAAAAAX6k/C7OoiYTzncc/s1600/091120-arg-peron-speech.jpg This targeted group "swiftly expanded to cover most of the propertied middle classes, who became an enemy to be defeated and humiliated." (And, more!) http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_orkXxp0bhEA/SwgJdUhYNfI/AAAAAAAAX6s/XPpkgwyf8HY/s1600/091120-arg-perons-train.jpg Under Perón, the size of government bureaucracies exploded through massive programs of social spending and by encouraging the growth of labor unions. (Do you see the light?) http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_orkXxp0bhEA/SwgJy1zbwWI/AAAAAAAAX60/7bnr9AjbfVk/s1600/091120-arg-desk.jpg High taxes and economic mismanagement took their inevitable toll even after Perón had been driven from office. But his populist rhetoric and "contempt for economic realities" lived on. Argentina's federal government continued to spend far beyond its means. (That can't happen here!) http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_orkXxp0bhEA/SwgKV4MXCMI/AAAAAAAAX7E/pw0Bz9fDZAc/s1600/091120-arg-food-riot.jpg Hyperinflation exploded in 1989, the final stage of a process characterized by "industrial protectionism, redistribution of income based on increased wages, and growing state intervention in the economy..." (Never!) http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_orkXxp0bhEA/SwgLFVzykjI/AAAAAAAAX7M/h1HyhmyrhFA/s1600/091120-arg-food-riot2.jpg The Argentinean government's practice of printing money to pay off its public debts had crushed the economy. Inflation hit 3000%, reminiscent of the Weimar Republic . Food riots were rampant; stores were looted; the country descended into chaos. (Impossible!) http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_orkXxp0bhEA/SwgLX298DlI/AAAAAAAAX7U/yziI0o2EOXY/s1600/091120-arg-pension2.jpg And by 1994, Argentina 's public pensions -- the equivalent of Social Security -- had imploded. The payroll tax had increased from 5% to 26%, but it wasn't enough. In addition, Argentina had implemented a value-added tax (VAT), new income taxes, a personal tax on wealth, and additional revenues based upon the sale of public enterprises. These crushed the private sector, further damaging the economy. (Only happens in those lesser countries! NOT us!) http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_orkXxp0bhEA/SwgMXR-yE7I/AAAAAAAAX7c/Ssd0PQUXsY8/s1600/091120-arg-pension3.jpg A government-controlled "privatization" effort to rescue seniors' pensions was attempted. But, by 2001, those funds had also been raided by the government, the monies replaced by Argentina 's defaulted government bonds. (Hmmmm.... ) http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_orkXxp0bhEA/SwgMov9M8GI/AAAAAAAAX7k/BPZuo2QYRqQ/s1600/091120-arg-crisis.jpg By 2002, "...government fiscal irresponsibility... induced a national economic crisis as severe as America 's Great Depression." (But, we won't let that happen again... will we?) http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_orkXxp0bhEA/SwgKFcAw_EI/AAAAAAAAX68/KLS5-sgArr8/s1600/091120-arg-now.jpg We've seen this movie before. The politician's populist plans NEVER work, because power corrupts and government bankrupts everything it touches. For those that will listen, history shouts over and over that we cannot sustain the wild spending and government takeover of business, banking, health care, and continue to inflate unfunded entitlement programs! Like history tells us, it will be utter and complete disaster!!! Today's politicians are guilty of more than arrogant stupidity; they are enslaving future generations to poverty and misery. And they will be long gone when it all implodes. They will be as cold and dead as Juan Perón when your children and grand children must ultimately pay for the blind arrogance of politicians! THINK AMERICA ! WE ARE ALLOWING POLITICIANS TO REPEAT THE FAILURES OF HISTORY! THINK.... AND ACT ! ! PS... while working America cuts back... Congress just increased government expenditures by 12% in the "Omnibus" spending bill of nearly half a TRILLION! Last year there was ONE person in the Dept. of Transportation making over $170,000! This year that Dept. has 1690 people making over $170,000! Is your company, or ANY company, doing that well? AND, this bill has 5224 earmarks totaling $4,000,000,000! |
| TheRumpledOne 6,529 posts msg #85438 - Ignore TheRumpledOne |
1/2/2010 6:46:50 PM No one would believe this would happen in America: http://www.davidicke.com/forum/showpost.php?p=1058511426&postcount=10 |
| TheRumpledOne 6,529 posts msg #86094 - Ignore TheRumpledOne |
1/13/2010 12:38:30 AM In my inbox: YOUR SOCIAL SECURITY Just in case some of you young whippersnappers (& some older ones) didn't know this. It's easy to check out, if you don't believe it. Be sure and show it to your kids. They need a little history lesson on what's what and it doesn't matter whether you are Democrat or Republican. Facts are Facts! HISTORY OF SOCIAL SECURITY Franklin Roosevelt, a Democrat, introduced the Social Security (FICA) Program when he was President. He promised: 1.} That participation in the Program would be Completely Voluntary NOW - No longer Voluntary -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 2.} That the participants would only have to pay 1% of the first $1,400 of their annual Incomes into the Program, NOW - 7.65% on the first $90,000 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 3.} That the money the participants elected to put into the Program would be deductible from their income for tax purposes each year. NOW - No longer deductible -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 4.} That the money the participants put into the independent 'Trust Fund' rather than into the general operating fund, and therefore, would only be used to fund the Social Security Retirement Program, and no other Government program. NOW - And for many years, under Lyndon B. Johnson, the money was indiscriminately moved to our Governments General Fund to be spent by the Congress and Senate for non-accountable purposes and causes determined not by the people, but by the leaders in charge of the political powers over the people. These same politicians use a false cliché, that we the people put them in office, and that they are just representing our wishes. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 5.) That the annuity payments to the retirees would never be taxed as income {If you consider SS a tax from your income, raise your hand}. NOW - Under Clinton & Gore and the democratic party, Up to 85% of your Social Security can be Taxed. Many of us have paid into FICA for years and are now receiving a Social Security check every month, and then finding that we are getting taxed on 85% of the money we paid to the Federal government to 'put away for your retirement'. What part of this picture isn’t right. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- YOU MAY BE INTERESTED IN THE FOLLOWING: Q: Which Political Party took Social Security from the independent 'Trust Fund' and put it into the general fund so that Congress could spend it? A: It was Lyndon Johnson and the democratically controlled House and Senate. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Q: Which Political Party eliminated the income tax deduction for Social Security (FICA) withholding? A: The Democratic Party. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Q: Which Political Party started taxing Social Security annuities? A: The Democratic Party, with Al Gore casting the 'tie-breaking' deciding vote as President of the Senate, while he was Vice President of the US -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Q: Which Political Party decided to start giving annuity payments to immigrants? AND MY FAVORITE A: Jimmy Carter and the Democratic Party changed the SS Structure one more time to allow illegal immigrants who SNUCK into this country or stayed past their legal welcome period and made it to age 65, to receive Social Security payments just like the citizens that paid for theirs! The Democratic Party gave these payments to them, even though they never paid a dime into it! -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Then, after violating the original contract (FICA), the Democrats turn around and tell you that the Republicans want to take your Social Security away! The worst part about it is that the uninformed citizens believed it! If enough people receive this, maybe a seed of awareness will be planted and maybe changes will evolve. Maybe not, some Democrats are awfully sure of what isn't so. But it's worth a try. How many people can YOU send this to? Actions speak louder than bumper stickers or eMails. Better yet, go out and vote these sap suckers out of office in the upcoming elections. Last, but far from least, where is our 3% {SS recipients} raise this year. The Politicians just voted a 3% raise for themselves. Wouldn’t it be nice if we could do the same as things continue to go up almost every day. IN ADDITION, CONGRESS GIVES THEMSELVES A 100% SALARY RETIREMENT FOR ONLY SERVING ONE TERM {4 Years}! AN OLD QUOTE FROM ONE OF OUR ORIGINAL FOUNDERS: A government big enough to give you everything you want, is strong enough to take everything you have. -Thomas Jefferson |
| heypa 283 posts msg #86096 - Ignore heypa |
1/13/2010 1:10:16 AM Which party thought (correctly) that the American people would be stupid enough to believe that their employer would pay half the F.I.C.A cost? THE DEMOCRAT PARTY .. FRANKLIN D. ROOSEVELT. |
| TheRumpledOne 6,529 posts msg #87992 - Ignore TheRumpledOne |
2/9/2010 8:08:17 AM The Unvarnished Truth By Robert Ringer As the U.S. edges ever closer to coming face to face with the consequences of its $100+ trillion of debt and "unfunded liabilities," the cries from the never-give-up-the-fight progressives over "unfettered" capitalism are becoming increasingly louder. The coalition of communists, Marxists, socialists, progressives (a.k.a. "liberals") - along with those who are simply envious, ignorant, or angry - are calling for capitalist scalps. They say that the worsening depression (euphemistically referred to by politicians and media pundits as "recession" - and one that is on the verge of a rebound, at that) is a result of capitalism run amok. More regulation and more redistribution of wealth is the only thing that can save America, right? Not quite. If you want to give a true-believing progressive apoplexy, just tell him the unvarnished truth: The overriding reason that the United States has devolved into a financial basket case is too much regulation, too much taxation, too much printing of fiat currency, too much borrowing, too much government interference in the marketplace, too much nannyism. You can go right down the list - Social Security, Medicare, Temporary Assistance for Needy Families - all of these programs drain capital from the productive free market, which makes everyone worse off. Another unvarnished truth, one that very few people want to hear, is: The government has no Constitutional - or moral - authority to operate any wealth-transfer program, no matter how worthy some people may believe it to be. Unfortunately, the idea that a politician's self-proclaimed compassion gives him the right to take the property of law-abiding citizens and give it to others is a perversity that has come to be accepted by a large percentage of the population. A few politicians dance around the edges of this issue, but none seem to be willing to speak out on it unequivocally, which is why the tea party movement is so refreshing. Many politicians have finally said that they've heard the message of the tea party people loud and clear. But, in truth, they haven't. Even Sarah Palin, whose basic ideology seems to be pretty much on target, avoided being specific in her keynote address at the tea party convention in Nashville. Like all other conservatives, Governor Palin said that government has to cut spending, which is fine. But, also like all other conservatives, she did not specifically mention Social Security and Medicare, the two programs that, all by themselves, are 100 percent guaranteed to bankrupt America - no matter what other spending rollbacks government implements. I'll cut the governor some slack here, because it probably wasn't a good time for her to get specific and take on the sacred cows. But hear me on this, Washington: Sooner or later, someone is going to have to get serious with a public that is addicted to nanny statism - a public that doesn't want to hear about economic reality, much less morality. So I end this article with the same question (borrowed from an article by Thomas Friedman, no less) I've asked many times before: Who will tell the people the truth? Right now, no politician has the courage to advocate the phasing out of all wealth-redistribution programs, because they do not believe there is a constituency for cutting entitlements. (Note that I used the term phasing out , because to pull the rug out from under Social Security and Medicare recipients cold turkey would cause too much pain and suffering.) Which is why the tea party people are probably America's last hope. What I believe most of the tea party people are saying is "No!" - no to any kind of wealth redistribution ... no to any kind of government involvement in health care ... no to any kind of tax increases ... no to any kind of "green" legislation ... no to any kind of new regulations. No! No! No! If so, strong voices in the tea party movement must speak up and deliver that message loud and clear to both politicians and voters. If they do not, or if a majority of voters will not accept it, then the question will be not if, but when, the U.S. will experience a complete financial collapse - and Americans will lose what is left of their freedom. Admittedly, it's a tough message to deliver to everyday Americans, but someone must be willing not only to step forward and do it, but explain, in clear, easy-to-understand terms, why it is not in their best interest to continue to receive government benefits of any kind. Put simply, the public has to be taught that the price of unsustainable wealth-redistribution programs is servitude. And, like it or not, that's the unvarnished truth. |
| crunkle 54 posts msg #88000 - Ignore crunkle |
2/9/2010 12:37:37 PM Please meet Dr. Starner Jones from Jackson, Mississippi. His short 2-paragraph letter to the White House accurately puts the blame on a "Culture Crisis" instead of a "Health Care Crisis". Its worth a quick read: Starner Jones, MD I am a seventh generation Mississippian and wanted to come back here after going somewhere else for college and medical school. My extracurricular interests are golf, hunting, fishing and college football. Dear Sirs: During my last night's shift in the ER, I had the pleasure of evaluating a patient with an expensive shiny gold tooth, multiple elaborate expensive tattoos, a very expensive brand of tennis shoes and a new cellular telephone equipped with her favorite R&B tune for a ringtone. Glancing over the chart, one could not help noticing her payer status: 'Medicaid'. She smokes more than one costly pack of cigarettes every day and somehow, still has money to buy beer. And our Congress expects me to pay for this woman's health care? Our nation's health care crisis is not a shortage of quality hospitals, doctors or nurses. It is a 'crisis of culture', a culture in which it is perfectly acceptable to spend money on vices while refusing to take care of one's self or, heaven forbid, purchase health insurance.. A culture that thinks "I can do whatever I want to because someone else will always take care of me". Life is really not that hard. Most of us reap what we sow. Don't you agree? STARNER JONES, MD Jackson, MS -- "In my many years I have come to a conclusion that one useless man is a shame, two is a law firm, and three or more is a Congress." -- John Adams A government big enough to give you everything you want, is strong enough to take everything you have. -Thomas Jefferson |
| karennma 8,057 posts msg #88002 - Ignore karennma modified |
2/9/2010 1:11:32 PM Dear Dr. Jones: Is this letter representative of your best "bedside manner"? I certainly hope not, as it surely lacks the compassion I'd expect from a physician, who is supposedly trained to HELP and heal the sick. If you don't like working with poor people, then why don't you GET THE HELL OUT OF MISSISSIPPI, and move to Beverly Hills, where I'm sure the patients would be more to your liking. Or ... You're more than welcome to move to Maryland where I live. You can work with people who live here illegally, don't speak English, and drain our tax coffers of all gov't funded resources. By the way, if you don't speak Spanish, YOU will be despised just as much as the pathetic patient you so described above. HATE works both ways. |
| karennma 8,057 posts msg #88004 - Ignore karennma modified |
2/9/2010 1:21:26 PM -- "In my many years I have come to a conclusion that one useless man is a shame, two is a law firm, and three or more is a Congress." -- John Adams A government big enough to give you everything you want, is strong enough to take everything you have. -Thomas Jefferson =================================================================================================== I like those two quotes. However, neither has anything to do with Dr. Jones. His dilemma is a separate issue. He's a Doctor. I'm sure he can find work elsewhere ... Potomac, Barrington, Hinsdale, Northbrook, Sugar Land, Beverly Hills ... Whatever!! America's a BIG place. |
| kahern1014 13 posts msg #88012 - Ignore kahern1014 |
2/9/2010 4:15:22 PM So, it's OK to be compassionate towards a freeloader sponging off the government, but a doctor is chastised because he does not think that what the woman he was treating is doing the right thing - paying for tennis shoes and cell phone and tattoos, but not paying for health insurance. No mention of him giving her bad treatment or the woman being black. I guess you are all for a socialist government karen? |
| scott111552 173 posts msg #88015 - Ignore scott111552 |
2/9/2010 5:19:11 PM tsk, tsk......he never mentioned the woman's race.....Karen, is our racism showing just a bit?? |
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