I think that if someone were to cut the hair of Paul Ryan (Republican Congressman from Wisconsin), they just might find the numbers "666" etched into his head.
It's obvious that America is in a dire financial situation, but Paul Ryan's ideas of how to balance the budget are a bit extreme, to say the least. Ryan would basically reverse everything that FDR and LBJ started. Medicare as we know it would no longer exist. Seniors instead would have to rely on vouchers for health insurance.
On "Real Time with Bill Maher", Maher asked RNC Chairman Michael Steele what would happen to seniors when the vouchers ran out:
"We don't know yet." Steele replied.
"They're S.O.L." said one of the other panelists.
This whole exchange pretty much sums up what will happen to the poor, the middle class, the elderly, and the sick if the GOP ever has complete power. They will be S.O.L. (or..Shit Outta Luck, for those who don't know)
This outright attack on the elderly is pretty bizarre, considering that seniors are the base of the Republican party. Seniors also vote in large numbers. This just doesn't make sense.
Paul Ryan's budget cuts pretty much every social program out there....but, he wants to cut taxes on the rich from 35% to 25%, and increase defense spending. What a surprise, huh? That 10% cut for the rich alone would cost the country over 4 trillion dollars in lost revenue.
I don't look forward to the future that the GOP have laid out. A future where tax cuts for the rich are paid for on the backs of the middle class. As weak a president as Obama is, how could I possibly ever vote Republican when these are the values they stand for? Raising taxes a few percentage points on the rich won't hurt them, but throwing seniors to the wolves in their golden years certainly will.
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I want to take back any positive thing I might have said about Donald Trump in one of my previous "Ramblings." Now that he's reversed his opinion on numerous topics, and become a Tea Bagging birther, he's just become a big, orange clown with bad hair.
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Bon Jovi is accusing Steve Jobs of killing the music business. This is what he said:
"Kids today have missed the whole experience of putting the headphones on, turning it up to 10, holding the jacket, closing their eyes and getting lost in an album; and the beauty of taking your allowance money and making a decision based on the jacket, not knowing what the record sounded like, and looking at a couple of still pictures and imagining it."
Sounds a bit like the ramblings of an old man, but I sort of agree with him. As a kid, I used to love listening to albums, and I would often come home from school, go to my room and just zone out the rest of the day with the music. An iPod isn't really a good substitute for a vinyl record with trippy artwork.
However, when I was a kid, I didn't really own that many albums, either. Maybe about 50, with the bulk of them being Pink Floyd and Led Zeppelin. So my musical exposure was pretty limited. Now thanks to the internet, I've got more music than I could ever possibly listen to. I've got hundreds, if not thousands, of songs from almost every genre of music. I just recently downloaded "The 99 Most Essential Opera Masterpieces" from Amazon.com for 99 cents. 99 cents for 99 songs! And opera, no less! Would I have listened to opera 30 years ago? Hell no. But now I do. So...sorry Bon Jovi, but I don't think you have a very good argument.
It's obvious that America is in a dire financial situation, but Paul Ryan's ideas of how to balance the budget are a bit extreme, to say the least. Ryan would basically reverse everything that FDR and LBJ started. Medicare as we know it would no longer exist. Seniors instead would have to rely on vouchers for health insurance.
On "Real Time with Bill Maher", Maher asked RNC Chairman Michael Steele what would happen to seniors when the vouchers ran out:
"We don't know yet." Steele replied.
"They're S.O.L." said one of the other panelists.
This whole exchange pretty much sums up what will happen to the poor, the middle class, the elderly, and the sick if the GOP ever has complete power. They will be S.O.L. (or..Shit Outta Luck, for those who don't know)
This outright attack on the elderly is pretty bizarre, considering that seniors are the base of the Republican party. Seniors also vote in large numbers. This just doesn't make sense.
Paul Ryan's budget cuts pretty much every social program out there....but, he wants to cut taxes on the rich from 35% to 25%, and increase defense spending. What a surprise, huh? That 10% cut for the rich alone would cost the country over 4 trillion dollars in lost revenue.
I don't look forward to the future that the GOP have laid out. A future where tax cuts for the rich are paid for on the backs of the middle class. As weak a president as Obama is, how could I possibly ever vote Republican when these are the values they stand for? Raising taxes a few percentage points on the rich won't hurt them, but throwing seniors to the wolves in their golden years certainly will.
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I want to take back any positive thing I might have said about Donald Trump in one of my previous "Ramblings." Now that he's reversed his opinion on numerous topics, and become a Tea Bagging birther, he's just become a big, orange clown with bad hair.
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Bon Jovi is accusing Steve Jobs of killing the music business. This is what he said:
"Kids today have missed the whole experience of putting the headphones on, turning it up to 10, holding the jacket, closing their eyes and getting lost in an album; and the beauty of taking your allowance money and making a decision based on the jacket, not knowing what the record sounded like, and looking at a couple of still pictures and imagining it."
Sounds a bit like the ramblings of an old man, but I sort of agree with him. As a kid, I used to love listening to albums, and I would often come home from school, go to my room and just zone out the rest of the day with the music. An iPod isn't really a good substitute for a vinyl record with trippy artwork.
However, when I was a kid, I didn't really own that many albums, either. Maybe about 50, with the bulk of them being Pink Floyd and Led Zeppelin. So my musical exposure was pretty limited. Now thanks to the internet, I've got more music than I could ever possibly listen to. I've got hundreds, if not thousands, of songs from almost every genre of music. I just recently downloaded "The 99 Most Essential Opera Masterpieces" from Amazon.com for 99 cents. 99 cents for 99 songs! And opera, no less! Would I have listened to opera 30 years ago? Hell no. But now I do. So...sorry Bon Jovi, but I don't think you have a very good argument.
When Republicans talk about tightening belts, it’s never their own belts they’re talking about. They’d much rather put the squeeze on people who are desperate, demoralized, and broke, and who have few prospects. It’s all to protect future generations of unseen children, they say, while the current generation goes hungry right before their eyes.
ReplyDeleteThey harp on the budget deficit, but that’s just a smoke screen. Government is inconvenient for the rich. It makes them pay taxes. It makes them pay living wages to their employees. It makes them make safe products. So the best strategy is to starve it to death so it can’t interfere with the unimpeded fattening of the fat cats. If a few million poor people go hungry as a result, well, that’s just the cost of doing business.
GOP Budget Solution: Let 33% of the population go homeless and starve.
Really now... Ryan with Satanic intentions for introducing a bill that balances the budget along his party lines?; Let 33% of the population go homeless and starve? You guys can't be serious with this cliched sort of hyperbole. Yeah Ken, I know it’s a rant, but FTL? Yeesh...
ReplyDeleteThe world is not perfect and never will be. Be assured that the Congress will do what is equitable to the best of their ability; the Democrats will go along eventually - they see the writing on the wall as well as the Republicans.
Nothing passed will ever be as extreme as the silly assertions made by FTL. I have to say that I am embarrassed to read his thoughts sometimes. No one could possibly be this misinformed or truly believe what they are writing.
Starve? I just got home form shopping at Wal-mart. I didn't see anyone who appeared to be starving. Capitalism is a wonderful thing. As Margaret Thatcher once said, “The trouble with socialism is that you eventually run out of other people’s money.”
ReplyDeleteForgot to comment...
ReplyDeletePeople like to listen to Trump only because he is rich and bombastic. Many find this entertaining, but when it comes down to the wire, he does not stand a chance of ever winning the presidency. Big mouths usually do not equate into a big intellect. He may be a good businessman, but POTUS? No...
I agree with Ken on the music business. Vinyl and music stores had their time and we were lucky to experience it when it was the norm. Times change however, and in this case it is for the better. The variety and selection we now enjoy is miraculous by yesterdays’ standard. Steve Jobs is a genius and I’m happy for the fantastic changes he brought to the music industry. Bon Jovi needs to buck up and get with the times... or find a new shtick.
Starve? I just got back from shopping at Walmart. I didn't see anyone who appeared to be starving.
ReplyDeleteIronically, the poorest people (who you often see at Wal Mart) are usually the most overweight and unhealthy. When your budget is tight, 99 cent hamburgers and fried chicken might seem appealing.
ReplyDeleteMy family wasn't poor when we grew up, but now my mom has found herself entirely dependent on the government healthcare system. She's in a nursing home, and if she were under the Paul Ryan budget, she would have run out of vouchers a long time ago. She'd be kicked to the curb.
As for Free Thinking Liberal, his posts are pretty far out there, even more left than me. Any liberal who claims that 9/11 was in inside job is just as wacky as any conservative who thinks that Obama is some sort of Manchurian Candidate/closet Muslim who is going to bring down the country from the inside.
But, since Jesuit Monkey Fan only seems to comment on here once every few weeks, it's good to have at least one reader on here who (usually) backs up my point of view. :)
Okay, the satanic references are a bit crazy...but, gutting programs like the EPA, Medicare, nutrition programs for babies and home heating for the poor while cutting taxes for the ultra wealthy just seems a bit evil in my opinion.
ReplyDeleteWith these kinds of ideas, the GOP just continues to vilify itself in the eyes of the left (and even independents). If Paul Ryan had come out and called for all of these cuts...AND also called for a 10% tax INCREASE on the rich, AND called for a huge cut in defense spending, that would most likely shut us up entirely. Now that would be truly bold, and something I could at least respect, even though I would disagree with it.
Free Thinking Liberal does make a good point that the GOP only likes to cut things the Democrats like, while keeping everything they like. If they are truly serious about cutting the deficit, then sacrifices should be made everywhere.
We could easily balance our budget with hardly touching social services and middle class, just via defense cuts, removal of corporate subsidies, and taxes on big rich corps and richest individuals. W took us from surplus by doing mirror opposite, rich tax cuts, sellout Medicare Part D to Pharma, expanding defense spending, wars. And yet, working people under 55 are instead thrown to wolves
ReplyDeleteNot only would senior citizens be negatively affected by this budget proposal, but also the 20% of US citizens, both young and old, who have mental and/or physical disabilities that impair many aspects of their lives, including their ability to work and gain income needed for necessary health care. Essentially, Ryan's proposal would further disable the disabled, in order to richen the rich. This guy is worse than the Sheriff of Nottingham.
ReplyDeleteA remedial history lesson for the Obama bashers:
ReplyDeleteFirst the GOP gave everyone massive deficit causing tax cuts while saying, dont worry about the deficit, the tax cuts will cause economic prosperity and increase tax revenue.
Then they push to invade the wrong country while letting the mission in the right country get totally mismanaged, all while putting the bill for this war on the national credit card.
Then they didnt pay attentions to signs of the economy going off a cliff, due to their own economic priority of deregulating the financial industry
Then Obama takes office with the economy losing 700K jobs/month, but in the 2 yrs since then has net positive 1mil+ jobs created. This is after total net jobs were lost over his predecessor's 8 years (see First above).
Then a bunch of GOPers who voted for Bush twice rename themselves Tea Party members out of embarassment and shame at the past 8 years, and hope they can misdirect the anger in the population at the results of the policies they spent 8 years supporting.
Then the GOP obstruct as much jobs legislation as possible in the senate while pointing fingers at the dems saying they arent doing enough about the jobs situation
Then they run on the need to cut spending, despite CAUSING THIS PROBLEM THROUGH THEIR OWN POLICIES (see above)
Then the GOP get elected on a mandate they'll create jobs but after the election they immediately hold UI benefits and middle class tax cuts hostage unless those making 1mil+ get their tax cut extended too. The end result is extensions of these tax cuts at a cost of 70bil+/yr. So much for the deficit and fiscal responsibility. (jobs?)
Then their first bill through the house attempts to redefine rape to restrict a woman's abortion rights in rape situations, as well as reducing womens' rights in general by make date rape much more easily defendable in court (jobs?)
Then they attach riders to the 2011 budget attacking womens' healthcare and school lunches for poor kids(jobs?)
Then these Tea Party members (ie ex-Bush supporters) get 235 of their members to commit political suicide by voting to end medicare while giving the rich YET ANOTHER massive unnecessary tax cut.
Then the adults raise some taxes, close some loopholes, cut a little spending, and balance the budget without tossing the elderly in the gutter. Instead they toss the GOP/Tea Party into the gutter in '12
Yep, I think that about sums it up.
FTL,
ReplyDeleteAll that bitterness is going to eat you up. Put the pitchfork down and take a breath. In the meantime, write your congressman and vote your conscious in 2012. That is where the real power is. Whining is pointless as well as impotent.
OOPS...
ReplyDeleteI meant to write "conscience" in my last post. Never write anything without your coffee in the morning. My apologies.