Richie,

Glad that I am able to put a smile on your face.

Join Caribou Barbie on Facebook or Twitter? Richie, do you honestly believe that (a) she even reads what her fans tweet or facebook her? or (b) she even has the tehnical ability to open tweets or a Facebook page?

I am quite sure that Palin does not read or respond to her messages. It is all done by aides who are probably well-paid 20-somethings with a script.

I am glad that the Federal shutdown is averted for the time being. It is time to get to real issues (yes, the budget is a real issue) and stop doing things strictly on a party line.

JimJoe: Do I believe there's a debt crisis? You're damn right I do. Do I know about the dollar index? Let me put it this way - I keep DAILY tabs on the value of the dollar against the Canadian dollar, the British Pound Sterling and the Euro. I can tell you that the Euro was at $1.63 when my daughter was in Europe, $1.33 when I was there last year and was at $1.25 earlier this year but had hovered recently at $1.40 then popped to $1.44 because the Europeans decided to hike their interest rates a quarter of a percent.

But when you get what you want, as far as dollars, in the stopgap measure and THEN hold everything up over social policy? Well the "it's all about the deficit" rhetoric is proven to be just that. Rhetoric.

When Bill Maher's famous (to some) picture of the federal budget dinner plate still has the fried chicken, mashed potatoes and gravy and mac & cheese (Medicare, Social Security & Defense) UNTOUCHED. Then it's about rhetoric.

We could take a good home-run swing at the deficit by doing the following:

- Get out of Aghanistan (since Karzai took it upon himself to publicize Terry Jones' idiocy), Iraq (8 years is enough), Germany (I think Hitler's dead and the Soviet Union doesn't exist) and Japan (I hear we won that war). Perhaps leave our troops in Korea until something sane happens to the DPRK (North Korea). This'll cut some of the fried chicken off the plate. Maybe, while we're at it, cancel the backup F-35 engine that the Air Force says it doesn't want bu legislooters keep funding - there's a couple BILLION right there.

- Reinstate the tax brackets the way they were under Clinton. You know, when times were good.

- Find out why the same ER visit that cost my insurance company over $2500 iin the US cost $580 CDN (under $500 US at the time) in Montreal. It's not like they have a 3rd-world medical system over there. Oh - and while we're at it, how come THEIR prescription drugs are so much cheaper? (Hint: I know some of those answers). This might reduce the mashed potatoes.

- Eliminate the cap on FICA and re-examine the COLA formulas along with disability payments for Social Security. The mac & cheese gets attention.

Arguing over NPR and Planned Parenthood is RIDICULOUS in light of all the bigger elephants being ignored.

Maybe we should also be billing the host countries for the protection we provide them if we still have troops in that country. ...just a thought.

DJPlong,

You have hit the answers directly on the head. I like all of them.

Originally Posted by djplong

JimJoe: Do I believe there's a debt crisis? You're damn right I do. Do I know about the dollar index? Let me put it this way - I keep DAILY tabs on the value of the dollar against the Canadian dollar, the British Pound Sterling and the Euro. I can tell you that the Euro was at $1.63 when my daughter was in Europe, $1.33 when I was there last year and was at $1.25 earlier this year but had hovered recently at $1.40 then popped to $1.44 because the Europeans decided to hike their interest rates a quarter of a percent.

But when you get what you want, as far as dollars, in the stopgap measure and THEN hold everything up over social policy? Well the "it's all about the deficit" rhetoric is proven to be just that. Rhetoric.

When Bill Maher's famous (to some) picture of the federal budget dinner plate still has the fried chicken, mashed potatoes and gravy and mac & cheese (Medicare, Social Security & Defense) UNTOUCHED. Then it's about rhetoric.

We could take a good home-run swing at the deficit by doing the following:

- Get out of Aghanistan (since Karzai took it upon himself to publicize Terry Jones' idiocy), Iraq (8 years is enough), Germany (I think Hitler's dead and the Soviet Union doesn't exist) and Japan (I hear we won that war). Perhaps leave our troops in Korea until something sane happens to the DPRK (North Korea). This'll cut some of the fried chicken off the plate. Maybe, while we're at it, cancel the backup F-35 engine that the Air Force says it doesn't want bu legislooters keep funding - there's a couple BILLION right there.

- Reinstate the tax brackets the way they were under Clinton. You know, when times were good.

- Find out why the same ER visit that cost my insurance company over $2500 iin the US cost $580 CDN (under $500 US at the time) in Montreal. It's not like they have a 3rd-world medical system over there. Oh - and while we're at it, how come THEIR prescription drugs are so much cheaper? (Hint: I know some of those answers). This might reduce the mashed potatoes.

- Eliminate the cap on FICA and re-examine the COLA formulas along with disability payments for Social Security. The mac & cheese gets attention.

Arguing over NPR and Planned Parenthood is RIDICULOUS in light of all the bigger elephants being ignored.

Maybe we should also be billing the host countries for the protection we provide them if we still have troops in that country. ...just a thought.

If you believe there is a serious debt crisis then 39 billion that is full of smoke and mirrors is NOT a good start. Repubs promised $100 billion in their Pledge to America.
I think they should have separate funding bills for the military, federal courts, military, prisons, executive branch, legislative branch, entitlements, and social programs, and they rise and fall on their own merit. What is wrong with that?
I am a tea party supporter. Most of us do not care about social issues "primarily".. it was social conservatives doing that. Those are two different priorities. Social spending has to be cut too.. I would be happy with 10% across the board every year until the budget is balanced, and then 10% of revenue goes to debt payment until paid. Let the social programs compete for funding and the ones that have the most support should win.
JJ

are not.

btk

JimJoe: The $39B *is* something. It *is* a start. But don't let anyone kid themselves into thinking the problem is ANYwhere near 'licked'. Dismissing the $39B reminds me of the dynamic I had with my adoptive mother back in the 1980s. I owed her a lot of money. I wasn't making much money. When I proposed at least giving her $50 (a lot, to me, at the time) she insulted me saying it was a 'drop in the bucket' and that I shouldn't bother until I got serious. Of course, she kept charging me interest and the bill just kept going up. Long story short is that the debt wasn't settled until I settled her estate.

Bill: Ok, I *like* that line

Originally Posted by djplong

JimJoe: The $39B *is* something. It *is* a start. But don't let anyone kid themselves into thinking the problem is ANYwhere near 'licked'. Dismissing the $39B reminds me of the dynamic I had with my adoptive mother back in the 1980s. I owed her a lot of money. I wasn't making much money. When I proposed at least giving her $50 (a lot, to me, at the time) she insulted me saying it was a 'drop in the bucket' and that I shouldn't bother until I got serious. Of course, she kept charging me interest and the bill just kept going up. Long story short is that the debt wasn't settled until I settled her estate.

Bill: Ok, I *like* that line

..no one gets to see the details until they work them out..HUH??? what the heck does that mean? Sounds like Pelosi saying we have to pass the obamacare to find out what is in it...
but we do know that Boehner and his rino buddies are now counting the 39b from the Obama budget that was never even submitted, the billions they had already gotten from the two previous continuing resolutions, from non reoccurring accounts that they already knew would not be spent, and using "smoke and mirrors" to quote Boehner.
But worst of all these rinos got elected by PROMISING us in the Pledge to America they would cut 100b.. right? You still trust them?
Boehner let the dems control the speech.
It is NOT shutting the gov down.. it is FURLOUGHS for NON essential employees. I took twice as many furlough days as my staff last year to help save the state budget... I had to take twice as many days as my staff, and my caseload was bigger and more difficult cases, because bone head bureaucrats find it easier to claim supervisors are overpaid and do nothing but sit around and drink coffee.
They never even bothered to look at our caseloads.. you are called supervisor.. you get twice as much loss.
There is NO WAY Boehner and the rinos will be able to do anything with the debt ceiling limit. They will get a few token "cuts" like they did this time in the 2012 budget. If your child asked for help with a debt they could not pay, you would "raise" their debt ceiling to help them pay their bills ONLY if they cut up their credit cards (NO more debt) AND insisted they set up a payment plan to pay their bills.. WHY CANT WE DO THAT WITH OUR GOVERNMENT?
The only solution is to replace ALL of the Rinos in the next election. I guarantee you the tea party will be primaring all of them. The tea party is not going to take this from the rinos. That is why I predicted on this forum that Boehner will be forced to resign and I stick with that prediction. He is going to completely blow the debt ceiling debate completely.. Obama and the dems are going to give NOTHING of substance and Boeher will be toast.
JJ