patrick.net

This just in, Obama's approval rating is 40%.
Thank you that is all...
On related news, scientist now know what causes irritable bowel syndrome.

dude ... did you just write "Obama = failure"? That sounds very Limbaugh-ish for you, my fine feathered friend.

Australia has 21 million people. There are 21 million people in LA?

FortWayne says

ok tell me how Communist China was letting millions starve until they moved to Capitalism, how Soviets collapsed because they ran out of money and are now trying to be Capitalist. How are Greeks unable to get their finances in order with socialist redistribution programs?

There are plenty of examples where large scale countries fail when they have too much socialist mentality.

And australia is tiny, they have less people than we have in Los Angeles.

Quality Auto Repair Since 1979

China is not capitalist. Not even close. Almost every large Chinese business is state owned. They even have competing state owned businesses.

China builds empty cities, forces people to leave their land without compensation, and doesn't allow foreign companies to do business locally unless they agree to hand over their technology and operations to local partners.

Despite all of this, they still have lots of starving people.

All economic policies have good and bad in them. Just as you claim there are no large scale socialist success stories, there are no large scale free market success stories. The only success stories are mixed economies,period.

HousingWatcher says

"And australia is tiny, they have less people than we have in Los Angeles."

Australia has 21 million people. There are 21 million people in LA?

Los Angeles county has maybe 8 or 9 million, so no its not close. Of course most countries are tiny compared to the united states - but so what?

bdrasin says

Los Angeles county has maybe 8 or 9 million, so no its not close. Of course most countries are tiny compared to the united states - but so what?

Ah you are missing EncinoMan, I mean FortWayne's point.

Which is he can make any cross-country comparison he wants to prove his point. Other people's cross-country comparisons however are automatically invalid if they disagee with his views. Clear now?

HousingWatcher says

"they all have very small economies and they are small countries too, aren't leading the world in anything."

Ok then, tell me how Socialist Australia has 4.9% unemployment. Certainly they are not a small country.

Not trying to sway the argument one way or another, but Australia's property bubble was still in its growth stages and appears to be poised for a huge pop. The reason they managed to escape the initial global housing collapse was because they are an economy heavily dependent upon natural resources. Additional fuel kept their bubble afloat when commodities were skyrocketing in 2008 and the demand via the Chinese stimulus has inflated it even more. As soon as China's faltering economy is realized by the market, Australia is done for. Again, this isn't taking a position on one side or the other, but Australia will have much higher unemployment than 4.5% in a year or two.

Cave... cave, cave, cave... cave of fools!

Let's play Kick the Can. Sorry, the can has been replaced by a crumpled up piece of paper due to budget cuts.

The Republicans won't rest until our economy is destroyed hoping that they will be able to make President Obama look bad. They are that evil.

President Obama caves again at his own peril. Now There is something that the scumbag Republicans can use to make it look like the Depression that is coming is his fault. And they would be 25% correct. By being complicit in making a bad deal that trashes our economy, President Obama proves yet again that he is a Republican in Democrat's clothing.

If he had any backbone he would have held out until the Rethuglicans released the hostage by signing onto the debt ceiling increase with higher taxes on the parasitic rich. If Rethuglicans would have refused, the economic dsaster would have been theirs alone. Now he walked right into their clutches.

Why bother having more than one party if they do essentially the same thing?

What difference does it make how large a country's population is when discusssing their economy? I don't see it being relevant. If anything, most Socialist European countires have SMALLER govts. than the U.S. does since they don't have state govts. like we do. They only have federal and local govts. If it was up to me, there would be no state govts. We don't need 3 levels of govt.

It's too early to be celebrating now. The "Super Congress" will most likely raise taxes, which is what Obama wanted all along. And if they don't, then it's pretty much guaranteed he will let all the Bush tax cuts expire.

This does not come from me, but from the right wingers:

http://www.redstate.com/erick/2011/08/01/not-playing-the-fool/

You won the battle, but you will lose the war.

Obama did pull off some victories since most of the cuts will come from Defense, which Rpeublicans do not want to touch, and there will be no Balanced Budget Amendment.

I fail to see how Obama caved. Seems more like he just hoodwinked you righties into a method of eliminating Tea Party idiocy from government. According to Drudge no real cuts take place until 2014 while getting the debt ceiling raised through the election. Since the Tea Party gained so much exposure on the "all eggs in one basket" battle progressives will be able to paint them as owning the next downturn while failing to create jobs. People will remember that the republicans cut unemployment support.

I'm glad you think Obama caved. Be sure to vote Bachmann in your primary. Thanks!

We have genetically engineered super viruses that can wipe out 90% of the earth's human population. We have thermo-nuclear arsenals that can extinguish all life on earth four times. And based on the beliefs of the vast majority of humans, there exists entities (God, Allah, gods, space-beings, extraterrestrials, the Devil, the Anti-Christ, other wordly beings, dimensional beings, etc.) that have the capacity to destroy the world. Various other threats - climate change, asteroids, earth crust displacement, solar eruptions, Ice Age, super volcanos, etc. can instantly destroy the majority of the earth's civilizations.

And any combination of the above could easily doom us all despite any of our best preparations. I am not losing any sleep over some undefined economic depression. I am losing sleep in anticipation of the real threat: Zombie Apocolypse.

SoCal Renter says

I am not losing any sleep over some undefined economic depression. I am losing sleep in anticipation of the real threat: Zombie Apocolypse.

Last year Russian bears were so desperate after a scorching summer, they started digging up corpses to feast on.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2010/oct/26/russia-bears-eat-corpses-graveyards

How long before it's us? A training movie made back in the 70's:

I don't think Sarah Palin has enough helicopter fuel and ammo if they all start coming for us.

simchaland says

Why bother having more than one party if they do essentially the same thing?

Well... it looks more 'legit' that way. Even Big Brother had his Goldstein.

terriDeaner says

And then what happens once the we're in this state of affairs? The story doesn't end here...

Fox News will ensure people know to take their Soma when they have thoughts about their own long-term good or that of a civil society.

Brave New World is for most a socialist creation, but much of it could as easily be serving fascism or other structure.

There's no reason to assume it couldn't persist quite a long while.

I think it's great that they didn't raise taxes (or so it's advertised as such, I'm guessing that the actual details might be different).

If they want to "raise taxes" let them do away with the per kid tax credits and decustions, along with mortgage interest deduction.

Vicente says

There's no reason to assume it couldn't persist quite a long while.

Eh, I disagree. We've been in this depression since 2008, but things haven't gotten bad enough yet for most of the people, including many of those that have been strongly affected by the downturn. Much different from 1929.

And today's Soma is not so much Fox news as it is instant electronic gratification, and fast food, and many other easily accessible pacifiers. BTW, it is 2011 and where the heck are the 'feelies'?

Let's see what happens now that we're trying things 1937 style. It will be an interesting election year, if nothing else.

Vicente says

Obama caved and this is a disaster for America.

Spoken like a government employee...

zzyzzx says

If they want to "raise taxes" let them do away with the per kid tax credits and decustions, along with mortgage interest deduction.

So they should raise taxes, without raising taxes? I think GOTP already updated all dictionaries. Eliminating any form of loophole or deduction now counts as insane socialist tax increases. Witness the fight over estate taxes, a better example of which to get wealth flowing back into the society that made it possible I cannot think of. So that's right out and anyone even whispering such things is at best a suspect RINO, a quisling ready to turn Democrat and eat brains, or at worst one of the fickle independents that needs a trip to Liberty Camp for retraining.

Please try to keep up with the terminology changes. You can no longer use the word "rich" either unless it refers to desserts. It's the new N-word in the GOTP. Richie Rich comics in private hands are being located, witness this offensive example:

so they can have labels affixed over the offensive language correcting it to JobCreatorie JobCreator.

*footnote: suprising lack of Rule 34 for Richie Rich. A niche to fill!

HousingWatcher says

It's too early to be celebrating now. The "Super Congress" will most likely raise taxes, which is what Obama wanted all along. And if they don't, then it's pretty much guaranteed he will let all the Bush tax cuts expire.

Yep, here comes some more politics with the "Super Congress". I imagine they won't get much done until another near miss deadline and threats of calamity. If Obama gets re-elected, stand by for us to swing to the far, far left in response to the Tea Party’s extreme right stance.

I also don't understand this. If you submit and pass a budget are you not agreeing to raise the debt limit if that budget goes above the debt ceiling? However, the democrats did balk at the budget last year. This is probably why they stalled last year.

Jay Carney just said, “The suggestion that it is impossible for the joint committee to raise tax revenue simply is not accurate, it’s false.” So here we go again with the politics while the jobless rate is high and GDP stays down.

I guess every forum needs at least one hyper-troll

"What we learned" (and where we are (hint: it's early yet))
http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/the-fix/post/the-debt-ceiling-fight-what-we-learned/2011/08/01/gIQA94dbnI_blog.html

For some reason, most libertarians seem to think that the Republican core philosophy -- or at least the philosophy they claim to believe in -- is more in line with the Libertarian core philosophy than Democrat philosophy is. However, I never could see the case for this.

Before the extreme polarization of American politics, Republicans typically believed in economic rights, but not civil rights whereas Democrats believed in civil rights but not economic ones. Libertarians were those who believed extensively in both kinds of rights: the rights to property and the right to individual liberties. However, if either of these types of rights is more personal and important, it would have to be civil and human rights. The worst atrocities that governments commit against their citizens are against human and civil rights, not the right to run businesses without regulation.

So if anything, a Libertarian trying to avoid Wolf’s Dilemma should run as a Democrat. Of course, using instant run-off elections would solve Wolf’s Dilemma allowing Libertarians to run in their own party and provide for much better representation for all citizens.

Really Shrek? Really?

I hate this deal too, most likely for different reasons.

But to use Satan's name in vain like that is just unacceptable. I'll be waiting for your apology to Satanists for dragging their lord's name into it. You should learn to be more sensitive.

And True Bitchesâ„¢ everywhere want you to stop violating their trademark by misusing their title. They await your sincere apology too.

We won't find out if Obama caved until November. That is when the Super Congress will come out with their proposal that will likely include tax increases. I'm curiosu to see who will be in the Super Congress. All you need is just one moderate Republican to have tax increases. Just one.

FortWayne says

Most Americans fall within a category of those who either want government to tax others and spend to provide them lots of benefits OR those who want no taxes and no services.

You left out the largest category:

Those who want services and infrastructure but don't want to pay for them. This includes a lot of billionaires who don't recognize the country would NOT be better off with cannibal anarchy.

Does it mean we should now buy GS stocks?

Does anyone have any idea what teno is talking about?

Yes, we (lefties) lose.

But,...

this might make good lies and propaganda harder to come up with in 2012.

And...

it might make the truth an easier sell.

Personally I was more disappointed in Obama last December, when he didn't let the Bush Tax cuts expire.

A big part of our current deficits have to do with spending not decreasing while GDP and tax revenues are way below what was projected a few years ago. We may soon be in a choice between extreme cuts to the military, tax increases, or cuts to social security and medicare.

Meanwhile, many states are fucked.

shrekgrinch says

Plus, spending as a portion of GDP has gone up from 20% to 24%, as well.

Replace "plus" with "that is" and you make sense here.

shrekgrinch says

Hahahahahahahah! O man! I am just ROLLING on the floor. You guys really are having denial problems, aren't you?

What a weasel. You don't even take victory well.

Huh I think you do...
I think you do you know...

Hey!

You! You know, I mean you got to know right?
You guys never miss an opportunity to let me know that you have no idea what in the hell I'm talking about. But you know? I've never seen someone get so worked up over posts for you to NOT know what you're dismissing.

Dems love it when they get to Gladhand the next day.
Hate it like hell when they don't get to wear the TuTu and do political pirouettes.

The Tea Party demanded a Balanced Budget Amendment and they did not get one. That is a FACT.

http://rsc.jordan.house.gov/Solutions/debtceiling.htm

I dont't know what you watch or read shrek, but for the past month all I have been hearing about is Balanced Budget Amendments. That was definitely a major hit to the Tea Party that they did not get one, nor will they ever.

They'll get a vote.

Seems to me there were many lines in the sand. The right was far more adamant about not raising taxes (or at least equally), as the democrats were for revenues.

The right won that battle, but lost a battle (for the amendment) that they couldn't have seriously wanted. That's strategy right ?

But the republicans had a secret weapon: whacko crazy people that many believed were willing to default.

They must be so proud.

Well marcus, I don't think anyone won. Senate kicked the can down the road as usual. They chose to simply raise the debt with empty promises to do something about the debt eventually.

Vicente says

FortWayne says

Most Americans fall within a category of those who either want government to tax others and spend to provide them lots of benefits OR those who want no taxes and no services.

You left out the largest category:

Those who want services and infrastructure but don't want to pay for them. This includes a lot of billionaires who don't recognize the country would NOT be better off with cannibal anarchy.

“Eagles are dandified vultures” - Teddy Roosevelt

In my life I have personally talked to 6 different billionaires, and all six were pretty liberal. All 6 have created tens or even hundreds of thousands of jobs.

As far as I can tell, political ideology has little to do with wealth. Many poor people vote Republican, many vote democrat. Many rich people vote Republican, many vote democrat.

HousingWatcher says

What difference does it make how large a country's population is when discusssing their economy? I don't see it being relevant. If anything, most Socialist European countires have SMALLER govts. than the U.S. does since they don't have state govts. like we do. They only have federal and local govts. If it was up to me, there would be no state govts. We don't need 3 levels of govt.

The EU has local, state (as in country) and federal the EU itself) governments.

The only difference between the EU and the us is that the EU actually cares about states rights, though I'm sure one day they'll be a real union with a strong federal government

shrekgrinch says

...What's the deal with libruhls and their fixation with Satan, anyway?

Satan is our mascot. I thought you and your Teabagger friends already knew that. You have to swear an oath to Satan while dropping acid while performing an abortion on a woman who is about to give birth to triplets while billing Medicaid for performing the abortion while giving oral sex to a turkey that you bought with your sister's food stamps while performing a gay wedding after using your mother's welfare check to buy his and his cockrings as the wedding gift to become a True Libruhlâ„¢.

simchaland says

Satan is our mascot. I thought you and your Teabagger friends already knew that. You have to swear an oath to Satan while dropping acid while performing an abortion on a woman who is about to give birth to triplets while billing Medicaid for performing the abortion while giving oral sex to a turkey that you bought with your sister's food stamps while performing a gay wedding after using your mother's welfare check to buy his and his cockrings as the wedding gift to become a True Libruhlâ„¢.

Wow. I mean - fucking wow. How long did that take you?