« Déjà vu... | Open Thread Main | Democracy in Action: Open Thread version »
Success At Last!
Isn't this what Reaganomics was about? And isn't this what neo-conservatives have promised to do since FDR--take away all domestic programs and give to the corporations and the rich?
George Bush has succeeded in tapping out the American taxpayers. According to leaked information:
President Bush's 2009 budget will virtually freeze most domestic programs and seek nearly $200 billion in savings from federal health care programs, a senior administration official said Thursday.
Overall, the Bush budget will exceed $3 trillion, this official said. The deficit is expected to reach about $400 billion for this year and next.
Bush on Monday will present his proposed budget for the new fiscal year to Congress, where it's unlikely to gain much traction in the midst of a presidential campaign. The president has promised a plan that would erase the budget deficit by 2012 if his policies are followed.
To that end, Bush will propose nearly $178 billion in savings from Medicare over five years_ nearly triple what he proposed last year. Much of the savings would come from freezing reimbursement rates for most health care providers for three years. An additional $17 billion would come from the Medicaid program, the state-federal partnership that provides health coverage to the poor.
The budget for most domestic programs funded by Congress will look similar to last year's, according to the official, from the Office of Management and Budget.
"It's a very small increase," he said. "Very small."
A second administration official said domestic discretionary spending would increase by less than 1 percent under Bush's proposal.
Both officials spoke on condition of anonymity because the budget has not yet been released.
So there you have it. You thought all along that Bush was a failed pResident, but instead he has done what couldn't be done by other Republicans since the 1929 depression and FDR's days.
Have Americans given up their prejudices against "welfare queens driving pink Cadillacs" yet? Do they understand that the only welfare queens are living in 10,000 square foot mansions, driving hummers, and happen to be cronies of George W. Bush and Dick Cheney?
And now that the American people have experienced such failure success, what can we do to try to regain our economic stature and our sense of fair play?
Perhaps, these questions will be answered in the upcoming debates.
40 Comments
Leave a comment
Not registered? Click on 'Sign-in' above and then select 'Sign up' in the lower right corner. Don't forget to click on the link in the confirmation email that will be sent to your email address.
Enjoy the debates, Karen.
It's got to be better than watching the SOTU.
Also, since there's at least a 50-50 chance that the incoming President (legitimate we hope) would have to deal with the budget mess Bush has created, I hope they talk about this at the debates and make sure that they create jobs so that we can fix this messed up system Bush has created.
BTW...and with all the talk about universal healthcare coverage, where does this information come into play?
I watched in horror at the supermarket checkout line yesterday as an older Black woman with WIC vouchers was told that several items (Lactaid was one of them) could not be covered by her allotment. As the number of items she could not buy grew larger than the number of items that she could take home, I could see her eyes fill.
I felt homicidal at that moment. WTF business is it if she needs Lactaid over regular milk? JEEZUS!!!
Lactaid?
Is the government aware that lactose intolerance seems to be more prevalent nowadays than ever before? (Could be something to do with giving a whole generation cow's milk formula instead of breast milk.)
But additionally, lactose intolerance also is more prevalent in Jewish people too. (I'm not sure if it is for blacks as well. Perhaps, Oncall can enlighten us on the statistics of lactose intolerance.)
Love's the only house
I was standing in the grocery store line
The one they marked express
When this woman came through with about 25 things
And I said don't you know that more is less
She said this world is moving so fast
But I just get more behind with every day
And every morning when I make my coffee
I can't believe my life's turned out this way
All I could say was
Love's the only house big enough for all the pain in the world
Love's the only house big enough for all the pain
He was walking by the other day and I said
Hey baby how you been?
Yeah I got me a little girl now and she's 4 years old
And she's got her daddy's little grin
And you only want what you can't have
And baby you can't have me now
I gave me heart to another
Yeah I'm a mother and he's a father
And we've got each other
And I found out the hard way that
Love's the only house big enough for all the pain in the world
Love's the only house big enough for all the pain
You drive three miles from all this prosperity
Down across the ricer and you see a ghetto there
And we got children walking around with guns
And they got knives with drugs and pain to spare
And here I am in my clean, white shirt
With a little money in my pocket and a nice warm home
And we got teenagers walkin' around in a culture of darkness
Livin' together alone, and all I can
Love's the only house big enough for all the pain in the world
Love's the only house big enough for all the pain
And I can't explain it and I can't understand
But I'll come down and get my hands dirty and together we'll make a stand
Somewhere cross the parking lot some bands playin out of tune
City streets are gonna burn if we don't do something soon
And senorita can't quit cryin, baby's due now any day
Don Juan left, got sick of tryin
No one there to show him the way she came down to the grocery store and
She said I, I wanna buy a little carton of milk but I don't have any money
I said hey I'll cover you honey cause the pain's gotta go somewhere
Yeah the pain's gotta go someplace
So come on down to my house
Don't you know that
Love's the only house big enough for all the pain in the world
Love's the only house big enough for all the pain
(To those who don't like country music...sorry! But I think this is one great song!)
sparrow
Lactose intolerance is very common for all nonwhites.
I remember being institutionalized in Arizona, when I repeatedly told those in charge of my "wellbeing" that I could not tolerate lactose, and therefore did not want milk. They kept giving me milk, because I was just another liberal commie pinko lunatic being held as W's political prisoner.
Mexico can have Arizona back. It'll be a huge improvement for Arizona.
BTW, today's welfare queens don't drive Cadillacs.
They drive BMWs and Lexuses, and they are corporate welfare queens.
No wonder BMW loves to keep advertising on O'Reilly.
I've bought my last BMW.
Ally,
It seems to me that lactose intolerance and gluten allergies are the current "diagnosis". It use to be that you couldn't even mention gluten-free diets to anyone without a big blank look on their face. But now, it's more a blank you if you don't have it rather than if you do!
As far as the lactose intolerance being prevalent in nonwhites, I wasn't sure so I didn't want to jump the gun and say something inaccurate.
CONYERS VS. MCGOVERN (RAY) ON DEMOCRACY NOW:
When was that recorded, Ralph?
(Thanks for posting it.)
Ray is great!
Maybe the WIC program has antiquated guidelines. It originally seemed to have a real emphasis on dairy. Knowing the government, maybe they're in cahoots with some farm subsidy people or something - who knows.
OK from their site:
WIC foods include juice, iron-fortified cereal, eggs, cheese, milk, peanut butter, dried beans or peas, iron-fortified infant formula, tuna, and carrots. Federal regulations specify the minimum nutritional requirements for these WIC-eligible foods. Each of the WIC foods is rich in one or more of the nutrients protein, calcium, iron, vitamin A, and vitamin C. These nutrients have been shown to be lacking in the diets of the population WIC serves and are needed to help WIC participants meet their nutritional needs during critical periods of growth and development. The WIC foods are intended to supplement a participant’s nutrient intake and should be consumed along with other wholesome foods needed for a balanced diet.
JOHN KERRY is coming to the Hub Auditorium at the University of Washington in Seattle as a surrogate for BARACK OBAMA.
GABE GRIESER is going as a surrogate for DIANNE GRIESER and to take photos.
video not working ralph :(
Certainly looking forward to those photos - thanks, Gabe and NMP.
nmp - how exciting. It's great that Gabe is going as your surrogate/proxy. It will be good to hear about it and see the pics.
Dianne - I hope your son has a great time. I drove 8-hr round trip last weekend to Birmingham for an absolutely packed rally and it was incredible!!! I even got a chance to talk to Sen. Obama and shake his hand.
And with regard to the thread topic, raping our economy is endgame for this administration. They've screwed us over in every other possible way; now they're looting us all and then they'll leave with their golden parachutes. Witness the recent dramatic devaluation of the dollar which will undoubtedly result in rampant inflation. As it was the uncertainty of debt valuation that caused the recent financial market crisis of credit...and as lenders have thankfully tightened lending standards again to reasonable standards...the average consumer won't see consumer interest rates drop at all. The only ones to profit are the large corporations (and their shareholders) who can now make a killing on the debt spread.
Meanwhile they send us less than enough for a month's premium of health insurance in order to keep us quiet.
And there is nothing we can do to stop the federalized pillaging of our economy, at least not for several months.
Invest overseas.
Meanwhile they send us less than enough for a month's premium of health insurance in order to keep us quiet.
And there is nothing we can do to stop the federalized pillaging of our economy, at least not for several months.
Invest overseas.
January 31, 2008 11:43 PM
Yep. IF you have any spare change that is.
V
Can you give me the link to your website again?
Thanks!
Read THIS gem in it's entirety... it's gettin' serious, folks...
Bush fights move to rein in war contractors
President hints he may ignore anti-fraud provisions in defense bill
Fri., Feb. 1, 2008
WASHINGTON (AP) - Lawmakers say they will push ahead with a presidential commission designed to root out waste and fraud in military contracts despite President Bush's concerns that it could usurp his authority.
Bush signed into law on Monday a wide-ranging defense bill that includes instructions to create a commission to investigate defense contracts in Iraq and Afghanistan. It is modeled after a similar commission that was headed by Harry Truman in the 1940s to uncover abuse in military contracts during World War II.
Along with his signature, Bush singled out the commission and three other provisions that could "purport to impose requirements that could inhibit the president's ability to carry out his constitutional obligations."
A White House spokeswoman said parts of the contracting provision could be read to require the Justice Department to report whether or not they are prosecuting individuals.
"Under longstanding constitutional principles, the executive branch may protect from disclosure certain sensitive information, including national security information, as well as information about decisions whether to file criminal charges," the spokeswoman, Jeanie Mamo, said late Tuesday. "The signing statement provides notice that the commission's requests for information, if they are too broad, may run afoul of the Constitution."
Such "signing statements" are controversial tools in which the president signs a bill into law but notes portions he may ignore.
Congress rebuffs Bush's move
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., said Bush can't just pick and choose.
"His job, under the Constitution, is to faithfully execute the law — every part of it — and I expect him to do just that," she said.
Virginia Sen. Jim Webb, who sponsored the military contracting provision with fellow Democratic Sen. Claire McCaskill of Missouri, said Congress intends to move forward with setting up an eight-member commission.
The commission would be bipartisan, with four members appointed by Democratic congressional leaders, two by Republican leaders, one by the president and one by the defense secretary. Panel members would be professionals with expertise in government contracting.
"We don't quite know what the administration intends with this sort of language, but I want all my colleagues to be aware of it and to be aware that it potentially is an infringement on the rights of this legislative body, in effect saying that the president has the authority to ignore a law that is now passed, a law that he has now signed," Webb said on the Senate floor Tuesday.
Bill prohibits permanent bases in Iraq
In the signing statement, Bush also reserved the right to ignore expanded whistleblower protections for government contract workers, requirements that U.S. intelligence agencies respond quickly to congressional requests and a prohibition on federal dollars for permanent military bases in Iraq.
U.S. officials have said repeatedly that their policy is not to have permanent bases in Iraq, but anti-war groups reacted quickly to the presidential statement.
"This signing statement raises further suspicions that President Bush seeks to establish a permanent presence in Iraq," said John Isaacs, executive director of Council for a Livable World. "If Bush is allowed to negotiate a treaty with Iraq that binds the United States under international law, the next president will be handcuffed."
Supporters of the contracting commission say that because of the many reports of fraud and mismanagement in wartime contracts since the invasions of Afghanistan and Iraq, contractors need more federal oversight. McCaskill on Tuesday said Bush should welcome the bipartisan effort.
"It would be devastating for any president to stand in the way of true accountability for war profiteering while men and women are losing their lives," she said.
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/22945042/
"...will virtually freeze most domestic programs and seek nearly $200 billion in savings from federal health care programs,"
OMFG!
Please, somebody wake me up from this freaking nightmare!
Yeah, ya like that Christy? Not only will he NOT approve a childrens health care program for additional dollars towards public healthcare, he is actually CUTTING another $200 billion from federal healthcare programs.
That's quite a Swing from the King of Compassion.
But wait, there's more! If you don't act now, we'll throw in this...
Exxon shatters profit records
Oil giant makes corporate history by booking $11.7 billion in quarterly profit; earns $1,300 a second in 2007.
February 1 2008: 10:03 AM EST
Exxon Mobil booked the biggest quarterly and annual profits in U.S. corporate history Friday, helped by higher oil prices.
Eye on oil
High gas prices: Recession-proof
Americans may see falling stock markets and employment rates, but worldwide demand and OPEC should keep the heat on oil and gas prices. (more)
Oil prices: OPEC's high wire act
The cartel struggles to keep oil prices high, but not high enough to kill the economy. Long term, are they investing enough to meet worldwide demand? (more)Video
More video
New combat videogame depicts a world at war over rapidly dwindling crude supplies. But what's the message players walk away with?
Play video
NEW YORK (CNNMoney.com) -- Exxon Mobil made history on Friday by reporting the highest quarterly and annual profits ever for a U.S. company, boosted in large part by soaring crude prices.
Exxon, the world's largest publicly traded oil company, said fourth-quarter net income rose 14% to $11.66 billion, or $2.13 per share. That's up from $10.25 billion, or $1.76 per share, in the year-ago period.
That topped Exxon's previous quarterly profit record of $10.7 billion, set in the fourth quarter of 2005, which also was a record for a U.S. corporation.
"Exxon can put out some amazing numbers and this is one of those cases," said Jason Gammel, senior analyst at Macquarie Securities in New York.
Exxon also set an annual profit record by earning $40.61 billion last year - or nearly $1,300 per second in 2007. That exceeded its previous record of $39.5 billion in 2006. In the fourth quarter, revenue rose 29.5% from a year ago to $116.64 billion.
morons...
http://money.cnn.com/2008/02/01/news/companies/exxon_earnings/index.htm?cnn=yes
Batteries not included... YET!
monkey said
"purport to impose" and "could inhibit"
These clauses don't mean a damn thing legally or literally. They are the typical wishy-washy language of the president. The whole thing is just full of excuses he can use to continue to do as he pleases. For the rest of his reign.
I'm wondering. Can the president, under all his new laws, simply veto his own impeachment?
Or perhaps issue a signing statement to unimpeach himself. Or to make himself immune to prosecution for anything at all.
woz
He could, by suspending the Constitution.
The Constitution explicitly says the House of Representatives will draft the articles of impeachment by a simple majority, and the Senate will approve it by a 2/3 majority.
A means of impeaching the President is built into the Constitution to check the power of a wayward President. The President cannot veto this, without suspending the Constitution.
Three Presidents have been impeached in the House. Andrew Johnson (who succeeded Abe Lincoln) survived by one vote in the Senate. Nixon resigned before the Senate could vote on him. Clinton's impeachment didn't get even a simple majority in the Senate.
Ann Coulter: I'll Campaign For Hillary If McCain Is The Nominee
Doesn't Coulter realize no one cares what she thinks? If McCain wins the R nom and AC campaigns for HC, does she think it would actually help OR hurt anyone?
I read that MoveOn endorsed Obama by 70% after Edwards pulled out. Polls going up but maybe not fast enough for Super Tuesday. We'll see. So curious to know if my son made it to the Kerry event today for Obama.
I also read the headline that women with Down syndrome were used in Bagdad to blow up a pet market. That would be double sick.
Of course, we probably wouldn't have been there had it not been for our invasion. Meanwhile, things are going terribly in Afghanistan, if you heard any of the Senate hearings yesterday. Opium and heroin should be really cheap.
It's strange too how internet is knocked out in some of India & the middle east because of a broken cable under the sea. That means quite alot of vulnerability.
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) -- President Bush prodded Congress to pass an economic stimulus package Friday, pointing to "troubling signs" in a new report that ended a 52-month streak of national job growth.
Bush was in the nation's heartland pressuring Congress to boost the sagging economy with a plan of tax rebates for millions of people and tax breaks for companies. The White House-backed economic rescue deal in the House has hit roadblocks in the Senate.
"Inflation's low. Productivity's high, but there are certainly some troubling signs, serious signs that the economy is weakening and that we've got to do something about it," said Bush, who spoke just hours after the Labor Department reported that employers cut 17,000 jobs in January.
It was the first such reduction in more than four years and a fresh sign that the economy might be stalling. And it ended Bush's repeated claim - made most recently in his State of the Union address - that "America has added jobs for a record 52 straight months."
On Friday, at Hallmark Cards Inc., Bush said, "A serious matter is that for the first time in 52 months we didn't create jobs."
"And so the question is, what do we do about it? ... I do think government has a responsibility. I think government can take decisive action to help us deal with this period of uncertainty," he said.
Bush said the economy was going through "a rough patch."
Trying to get an economic growth package through the Senate, he gave perhaps the gentlest push of his administration, in a shift in rhetoric.
"I appreciate the fact that the Senate is trying to work through this as quickly as possible," he said. "I'm just urging them to get it done - because the sooner this package makes it to my desk ... the better off our economy is going to be."
Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid said the troubling jobs report "is yet more evidence that President Bush's assessment of the state of our economy is greatly misguided."
more...
http://money.cnn.com/2008/02/01/news/economy/bush_economy.ap/index.htm?cnn=yes
gee, just weeks ago the pretzeldent said the ecomedy was gooder than ever.
U.S. casualties rise in Iraq after falling for 4 months
http://www.mcclatchydc.com/homepage/story/26030.html
Doesn't Coulter realize no one cares what she thinks? If McCain wins the R nom and AC campaigns for HC, does she think it would actually help OR hurt anyone?
Hysterical isn't it, absolutly ludicrous.
Coultergeist... what a useless waste of space.
I have almost made my caucus decision.
Teresa Heinz Kerry endorses Obama for environmental president, another endorsement that carries weight with me. Am curious if my son made it to see John and what he'll say if he did. I would vote for Hillary Clinton if she got the nomination, especially against McCain, as the middle would be up for grabs. She is endorsed by Senator Cantwell, Congressman Inslee, and I've seen her speak several times. Am really hoping for a miracle though, something new.
AUSTIN, TX -- Gov. Rick Perry on Thursday announced his endorsement of presidential candidate John McCain.
Perry said he is backing McCain, because he is the candidate who would do the most for and win the war on terror.
"Two words: Hilary Clinton; that kinda gets everybody focused on what the alternative is," Perry said.
"How would that make you feel if you were to see her as president? Where do you think the nation would be?" asked KXAN Austin News' Michelle Valles.
"Hilary Clinton as a president? I guess 'to hell in a hand basket' probably would not be a good quote, but that's the first thing that came to mind," Perry replied.
more...
http://www.kxan.com/global/story.asp?s=7803866
Can we impeach yet?
How bout now?
How bout now?
How bout now?
McCain vs. Obama.
Why does that make me think of Elmer Fudd vs. Bruce Wayne?
nmp said
Yes. Isn't it strange?
And about Afghanistan going badly. It's been going badly for a very long time now - a year or more? I just read that Germany has refused to send more troops to southern Afghanistan.
So much for the troop surge in Iraq! The one that's been working and praised all over the Australian media - even my most trusted media have been saying how successful it's been. But that same media has reported the million dead Iraqis, most of whom were citizens. A real success story that one.
Thanks, faggot.
Christy said
That's hilarious. I'll never be able to see McCain in any other way now.
nmp - which website did you want? My BO page?
CIA flights to Greenland probed
Denmark is to demand answers from the United States for the "unacceptable" use of a Danish airport in Greenland for secret CIA flights, the country's foreign minister has said.
According to a documentary called The CIA's Danish Connections, the US agency secretly used Danish airspace and airports as transit for its aeroplanes.
http://english.aljazeera.net/NR/exeres/54C6BF3F-53CB-4416-BB3B-437AD760430D.htm