USA Politics Thread - *No gun debate*

[mrcash2009 0]

I guess like Mrcash says, we need to start letting them kill people first so we'll know how effective their plans are. The trials for murder always draw more fanfare than those for plotting.

No, that's not what I posted or the point I was making, but you did guess.

[Baff1 0]

This might be a different case, but the current 10 year notion of keeping people safe and lots of arrests and "alleged plots" far outways many convictions for the action they are supposed to be taking. A few UK situations where people have been raided and its been slapped all over the news, then hear nothing, then you find out that they were released and not charged for what they were suspected of (that part doesn't hit the mainstream news though).

I'm from the U.K. and I've been arrested for terrorism.

In my opinion it boils down to them not needing any evidence or any probable cause.

If they want to have a pop at you, and you aren't actually doing anything illegal, the anti-terrorism laws allow them to. So they use them. It's the path of least resistance.

That said they do find bombs on aeroplanes still. The Shoe bomber, the UnderPants bomber. Those printer catridges full of explosives. Not all those arrests are false alarms.

On the subject of American politics, there was a lovely article this week where, in a private meeting, someone had videotaped Hilary Clinton threatening to cut off U.N. funding if the U.N. allowed the recognititon of the Palestinians to be tabled at the U.N.

Hilaryarious!

They posted the video online, but it got taken down pretty fast apparently.

Edited June 26, 2011 by Baff1

[Prydain 1]

I'm from the U.K. and I've been arrested for terrorism.

This sounds dubious.

[Baff1 0]

1984 Prevention of Terrorism Act.

Obviously my arrest had jack diddly to do with terrorism. Just as all those extraditions to the U.S. don't.

What a law is made for and what it is used for are not necessarily connected.

Give someone power, and they will use it.

We were a bunch of teenagers driving around with Acid House flyers in the window of our car.

Not an Irish accent amongst us.

Edited June 27, 2011 by Baff1

[Hans Ludwig 0]

MH-60S Algae-Based Biofuel Test Flight

0qhZVxQEhl0

[mrcash2009 0]

At least when the oil gets cut off in wars we know the equipment can still run to fight while its off.

Im not sure if that's good, bad, irony, a joke, or not really.

BTW off topic, isn't that a video for Jarhead to look at :)

[BronzeEagle 2]

didn't know if this was mentioned yet but in accordance with this news there is a libya map for ofp/arma:cwa

[Hans Ludwig 0]

If things aren't already more expensive due to in large part inflation. Now this.

California Wants Amazon to Tax Californians

The Los Angeles Times has a good article on California’s move to require Amazon and other out-of-state retailers to collect taxes for it. Good because it accurately portrays what’s happening. Many such stories will say that California is seeking to tax Amazon. In fact, says the headline, “California Tells Online Retailers to Start Collecting Sales Taxes From Customers.â€

You see, Californians generally don’t pay their “use taxes“—the alternative to sales taxes, for things brought into the state from outside. If the tax authorities tried to collect use taxes, going door to door to tally up the goods that haven’t yet been taxed, there would be bedlam.

Read more: http://www.cato-at-liberty.org/california-wants-amazon-to-tax-californians/

v1U1Jzdghjk

Edited June 30, 2011 by Hans Ludwig

[Hans Ludwig 0]

Official Calls For Riverside, 12 Other Counties To Secede From California

RIVERSIDE (CBS) — Is the state of California about to go “South�

Riverside County Supervisor Jeff Stone apparently thinks so, after proposing that the county lead a campaign for as many as 13 Southern California counties to secede from the state.

Stone said in a statement late Thursday that Riverside, Imperial, San Diego, Orange, San Bernardino, Kings, Kern, Fresno, Tulare, Inyo, Madera, Mariposa and Mono counties should form the new state of South California.

“Our taxes are too high, our schools don’t educate our children well enough, unions and other special interests have more clout in the Legislature than the general public,†Stone said in his statement.

Read more: http://losangeles.cbslocal.com/2011/07/01/official-calls-for-riverside-12-other-counties-to-secede-from-california/

Minnesota government shuts down

NEW YORK (CNNMoney) -- A budget stalemate forced a virtual full shut down of the Minnesota government on Friday and left only a limited array of state services in operation over the busy holiday weekend.

Visitors won't be able to go to the state parks or the zoo, and travelers will find the highway rest stops shuttered. Road construction projects will cease, as will licensing for teachers and businesses.

Many social service agencies will lose their funding, cutting state support for programs such as job training and homelessness prevention. Those that don't have reserves will likely close their doors.

And up to 23,000 state workers are scheduled to be laid off, though they will continue to get health benefits and can return to their jobs when the budget impasse is resolved.

Read more: http://money.cnn.com/2011/07/01/news/economy/minnesota_government_budget/index.htm?hpt=hp_t2

Edited July 1, 2011 by Hans Ludwig

[Hans Ludwig 0]

Congress's Mood on Military Spending

Amidst the wrangling over a debt deal between the White House and Congress, the most interesting movement pertains to military spending. Several reports today suggest that up to $700 billion in military spending cuts is under consideration, which would amount to a bit more than 10 percent less than current projections over the next 10 years. A more realistic bottom line might be $300 billion, which could be achieved by allowing the budget to grow at the rate of inflation (in other words, no real cuts in spending).

As always, the devil is in the details. From what baseline? Over what time period? Would the cuts apply only to the base DoD budget, or all national security spending, including the costs of the wars, as well as the budgets for the Departments of Homeland Security and Veterans Affairs? Most important is timing. If the savings are all backloaded in the out years, they may never materialize. Today’s budgets project spending out five or 10 years, and the “savings†really just amount to a new set of projections against that baseline. Plus, these agreements are rarely binding on future congresses; a different cast of characters will be responsible for passing DoD appropriations bills in 2018 or 2020.

Read more: http://www.downsizinggovernment.org/congresss-mood-military-spending

[Baff1 0]

10%?

Is that it?

What a bunch of jokers!

They have a budgetry overspend of 40%.

They need to half government spending, not "allow it to grow at the rate of inflation".

No wonder the market is getting so nervous.

[*LK1* 10]

let's talk about something more generic, does the us can fail like greece and ireland?

seriusly whats going on....

http://rt.com/usa/news/us-economy-cuts-fail-spending/

[Tonci87 163]

I think the US needs a reform of the tax system

[walker 0]

Hi all

The major problem for the USA is the 12.5 Trillion Dollars of Republican Debt that George Bush left the American Tax Payer holding the bill for.

Since then President Obama has added another 1.7 trillion mostly interest payments for the Republicans 12.5 Trillions of debt.

The plain fact is that Big Government Republicanism has been NeoConning the American people since the profligate tax and spend Reagan days, in fact Cheney made a big thing about doing the same when he said "Reagan proved deficits don't matter,"

Of course the reality is that the Republicans Trillion Dollar Welfare for the Wealthy budget of the Bush Paulson plan for the Welfare Queens of Wall Street and the vast Bush Tax Benefits scam where most of Tax benefits are given to foreign owned companies like the Arab Oil Firm Halliburton; is what is bankrupting America.

Hense why the Republican Congress will default on its debts in a couple of weeks and go the way of Greece.

But you can not expect the commie NeoConmen of congress to stop paying their foreign masters.

Not when the Republican party is Murdoch owned and run. Murdoch decides who the Republican Presedential candidates are and has even started to decide who the individual members of the Republican Party for Congress and the Senate are, as well as what they think, say and do.

They agree to what Murdoch tells them through Fox or they loose their jobs.

Kind Regards walker

Edited July 20, 2011 by walker

[Nicholas 5]

About the US Federal Government shutdown.....wait what?

Government shutdown!?!? OMG!!!!11!!

That is the reaction of most people when they hear it ^^

I'd like to post some facts here:

1995 - United States Federal Government shutdown under Clinton Administration

1996 - United States Federal Government shutdown under Clinton Administration

2005 - Minnesota State Government shutdown

2006 - New Jersey State Government shutdown

2007 - Pennsylvania State Government shutdown

2011 - Minnesota State Government shutdown

The government shutdown isn't anything new. But people are freaking out like it is, there is just a much larger national debt this time around.

In other news, the State of North Dakota is doing extremely well and has a budget surplus! Supposedly this budget surplus is over 1 billion dollars.

Edited July 20, 2011 by Nicholas

[walker 0]

Hi Dice

When I spoke about this:

Hi all

The major problem for the USA is the 12.5 Trillion Dollars of Republican Debt that George Bush left the American Tax Payer holding the bill for.

Since then President Obama has added another 1.7 trillion mostly interest payments for the Republicans 12.5 Trillions of debt.

The plain fact is that Big Government Republicanism has been NeoConning the American people since the profligate tax and spend Reagan days, in fact Cheney made a big thing about doing the same when he said "Reagan proved deficits don't matter,"

Of course the reality is that the Republicans Trillion Dollar Welfare for the Wealthy budget of the Bush Paulson plan for the Welfare Queens of Wall Street and the vast Bush Tax Benefits scam where most of Tax benefits are given to foreign owned companies like the Arab Oil Firm Halliburton; is what is bankrupting America.

Hense why the Republican Congress will default on its debts in a couple of weeks and go the way of Greece.

But you can not expect the commie NeoConmen of congress to stop paying their foreign masters.

Not when the Republican party is Murdoch owned and run. Murdoch decides who the Republican Presedential candidates are and has even started to decide who the individual members of the Republican Party for Congress and the Senate are, as well as what they think, say and do.

They agree to what Murdoch tells them through Fox or they loose their jobs.

Kind Regards walker

I was not talking about the US Government shutting down, because congress refuses to set a budget.

I was clearly talking about a Republican Congress defaulting payment on its debt which would send the US dollar into a downward spiral and where the US economy could no longer afford to buy oil or anything else including food.

$1000 Gas at the pump anyone?

Kind Regards walker

[Nicholas 5]

I wasn't speaking to you walker. I just brought up the US Government shutdown as this is the US politics thread, isn't it? If I was speaking to you, I would have quoted your post.

[Baff1 0]

The U.S. is one of the worlds biggest exporters of food.

The U.S. dollar, and Euro however are definitely on a downward spiral currently.

When those states go bust, who are the people who don't get paid?

I heard talk of veterans and pensioners were up for missing out. Obviously parking wardens would be top of my list.

You could have a lot of fun and make the world a better place if you got to choose who was worth the money and who wasn't.

Edited July 20, 2011 by Baff1

[walker 0]

The U.S. is one of the worlds biggest exporters of food...

Hi Baff1

Yes that is part of what the US uses to buy Oil and everything else.

And it makes the giant grain conglomerates lots of money.

But it is not the averge American Tax Payer that sees that money. Many of those conglomerates are not owned by US companies but rather by multi nationals who pay very little US tax, especialy since the Bush Tax Benefits scam has been in operation.

And it sure as heck don't put bread on the US Tax Payers table.

If the US Republican Congress defaults its payments to it creditors then essentially the USA is bust just like Wiemar Republic in the 30s where they were running from work with a barrow load of cash to buy a loaf of bread.

Kind Regards walker

Edited July 20, 2011 by walker

[st_dux 26]

The major problem for the USA is the 12.5 Trillion Dollars of Republican Debt that George Bush left the American Tax Payer holding the bill for.

While it's true that Bush spent a previously-unprecedented amount of government money on wars, entitlement programs and more, Obama has done absolutely nothing to rectify the situation, and in fact, has spent far more than Bush did. The budget deficit under Bush was something like $400 billion. Under Obama, we are already well over $1 trillion. This is truly a record in reckless government spending.

The Republicans and Democrats are both just as bad at governing. The United States will eventually default on its debt (whether that comes in the form of legitimate defaulting or simply printing more money to pay off the debt remains to be seen), but the Republicans won't necessarily be in charge when it happens.

[walker 0]

Hi ST_Dux

Actually you are wrong, the majority of the 12.5 Trillion Dollars of Republican Debt that Bush bequeathed America was used to pay for Bush's Tax Welfare For the Wealthy incidentally often for non US companies like the Arab owned Haliburton.

In reality if you look at the adjusted figures, President Obama has paid a fair chunk of this off it is just the interest rates are so high and Borrow and Spend Republican Congress, who have innocently increased the Share of the Tax Burden on middle class Americans, as well using inflation based tax methods on the poor and middle classes, have again used it up to pay for yet more Welfare for the Wealthy.

This is hardly surprising as Dick Cheney gave the ailing Haliburton, which Cheney had driven into Chapter 11 when he was CEO, a 6 Billion Dollar welfare cheque in the form of No Bid Contracts.

The Republican party then proceeded to give it and KBR trillions of dollars of drip feed Iraq Pork Welfare Benefits. So much so that the US Army started complaining about it.

All told Bush's Welfare for the Wealthy Tax benefits cost about about 10.5 Trillion dollars in Debt.

Then of course those stalwart supporters of the Republican Party the Welfare Queens of Wall Street screwed the American economy after receiving a decade of Bush's Tax Benefit Scam hardly surprising government subsidised industry like Wall Street tend to be inefficient just like in any commie run country, so when they went bust the Bush Paulson plan gave them another Trillion dollars.

Making it about 11.5 trillion dollars at least that was what Bush raised the debt ceiling to as he left office as his previous raise to 10.5 trillion two months before was over run:

http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-500803_162-4486228-500803.html

Then there were then of course a whole host of leftovers from contracts that fell due after Bush left office as well as interest on all the debt they left.

The total Republican debt then was about 12.5 Trillion give or take a few hundred billion.

This debt for largely by loans from the people like Republican Parties great buddies the Communist Chinese, and the sovereign wealth funds of the Arab Oil Sheiks, who like all the rest of the world are expecting the the current Republican congress to honour its debts or else...

Kind Regards walker

Edited July 21, 2011 by walker

[Baff1 0]

"Tax benefits" ROFLMAO.

Welfare is when you give people money, not when you take less from them.

[st_dux 26]

All told Bush's Welfare for the Wealthy Tax benefits cost about about 10.5 Trillion dollars in Debt.

Where are you getting this number? The budget deficit under Bush never got anywhere near that high. Actually, the budget deficit has never been anywhere near that high, and I doubt that it would even be possible (although Obama is trying as hard as he can). The national debt was around $10.5 trillion ($14+ trillion now), but the debt has been steadily increasing for decades. It certainly wasn't $0 when Bush came into office and then suddenly shot up to $10.5 trillion.

Here is some hard data on the federal deficit while Bush was in office versus the federal deficit since Obama has taken over:

http://www.wolframalpha.com/input/?i=u.s.+deficit+2000+-+2008+vs.+u.s.+deficit+2008+-+2010

As you can see, Obama has more than doubled the highest budget deficit under Bush.

Cheney was a snake, no question about it, and the Bush administration certainly conducted its fair share of shady business with special interests. However, backroom deals are hardly new in the world of politics, and Democrats are just as prone to this kind of corruption as are Republicans. Remember, it was the Obama administration and a Democratic congress that decided to bail out all of those "Welfare Queens of Wall Street" when the housing bubble burst.

[walker 0]

"Tax benefits" ROFLMAO.

Welfare is when you give people money, not when you take less from them.

Hi Baff1

When you expect everyone else to pay increased taxes so that you can get your increased benefits what else would you call it? You are aware that these people do not even pay as much taxes as everyone else are you not?

So it is OK for the rest of the country to pay for the roads, the police and military and everything else that is needed but Whiny Whinging Welfare Queens of Wall Street and their budies dont?

Whiny Whinging Welfare Queens are special because they can't run their business so they need a government bailout?

Kind Regards walker

Edited July 21, 2011 by walker

[The Hebrew Hammer 10]

Yes, and because George Bush was an idiot, it's totally cool to spend lots of money because he did too right?

Cut spending, eliminate tax cuts, cut military spending(not defense spending), and end the fed.