Raising the debt ceiling...

[BlueTiki]

So . . .

Why not a Federal Sales Tax? No exemptions. Individuals and corporations. Raw materials and finished goods.

There . . . tax revenue based on consumption versus income.

This is an adjunct to the existing tax rates, not a replacement.

There you go, geezers! Your checks are in the mail. Slot machine money for August's Senior Days at the casino and reservation cigs!

Don't forget your player's card!

[Maggot]

Who should be paid first American citizens or foreign investors?

[Cracker]

Who should be paid first American citizens or foreign investors?

Investors. We gave our word.

Your word is your bond. Honor is more valuable than money.

Why are we paying so many Americans that don't contribute? Why? If you take it away, people will find a way to survive. Let the churches do charity and the do-gooders finance non-contributing members of society. They are a bad investment.

[Duchess]

Honor is more valuable than money.

Thank you! Thank you so much! I didn't think anyone was "getting" how very important that is.

[BlueTiki]

It's also a Constitutional mandate.

Entitlements are not.

[username]

Nope. You're the asshole by yourself today.

You want to take away the money we've paid into all these years (I've been working 30 years, will have to do at least 10-15 more) and give it to welfare? Or they just keep it? Not sure why you think money earmarked for SS shouldn't go to retirees. Just because the government has spent what I paid in doesn't mean they don't owe that back. I would take a check to invest myself, but they can't renege on the deal.

Not by myself--Dick's here.

I don't want to take away social security; I'm simply discussing the options that appear to be on the table right now.

What I do want is some movement towards reducing the debt and deficit. Not my fault the fuckwads in Washington are choosing these approaches vs. illegal immigrant and welfare reform.

I'm bothered by the increase in defense spending too. Cut everything!

[BlueTiki]

So we default on our debt repayment and can't borrow more funds.

Gee . . . sounds like what is happening to many American families at this very moment.

Maybe we should keep giving credit to these folks who can't pay their bills and refuse to cut down on their spending while increasing their debt?

Yeah. That's the ticket! Keep rewarding irresponsible spending by granting more credit to continue the irresponsible spending behavior!

Doesn't DC have a Check into Cash joint in some strip mall? Can't they get a title loan on AF 1? C'mon . . . hit up a payday loan store.

Then play 18 holes.

[Cracker]

Not by myself--Dick's here.

I don't want to take away social security; I'm simply discussing the options that appear to be on the table right now.

What I do want is some movement towards reducing the debt and deficit. Not my fault the fuckwads in Washington are choosing these approaches vs. illegal immigrant and welfare reform.

I'm bothered by the increase in defense spending too. Cut everything!

We just need to change our perspective. Swap out each member of the military with some POS that hasn't worked for 5 years. Let the lazy fucks fight it out in the desert and let the warriors lay around and chill for a few years. I wouldn't sweat the casualties so much that way.

Offer folks getting ss a chance to work for the government for an hour a day and get rid of the folks making over 100,000k a year (like Julie) for surfing the Internet. Then the homebound old folks won't be lonely and the same amount of work gets done.

Start the Swap a Mexican Who Works with a Homie Who Won't program. The Mexicans will at least work under the table while they are getting benefits so something is getting accomplished. Let Mexico have our poor.

If you want to really fix this, maybe don't vote for Obama again. Our House and Senate shouldn't let the dumbass do any more damage before we kick his ass to the curb. If he gets voted in again by the now-majority POS people, I may move to Mexico.

[Cracker]

Stories like these always warm my heart. I'm glad we pay people to sit around and have as many lovely kids as they want and pay them to such a good job raising them:

ATLANTA -- A grandfather claims a group of children attacked and sexually assaulted his 10-year-old grandson in a southwest Atlanta neighborhood.
Police are now investigating the incident that happened Sunday night in the Cascade neighborhood. The man told Channel 2’s Michael Buczyner his grandson lost a bet that involved the boy doing a backflip off a tree, and suddenly the other children turned on him.
"The whole group jumped on him like there was a pack of wild dogs or wolves," the man said. "(They) put him in a headlock, choke hold and dragged him into the house."
The grandfather told police the boys took his grandson into a vacant house, shot him with a BB gun, beat him and forced him to perform sexual acts.
"They pulled him right here, forced him to his knees,” the man told Buczyner while demonstrating what happened. The boy suffered a broken arm and sprained wrist.
During the interview, a group of neighborhood children started shouting obscenities at the grandfather to “tell the truth,” Buczyner reported.
"No matter what happened, it does not give a group or anybody permission to sexually take advantage of anybody else," the grandfather said.

[username]

So we default on our debt repayment and can't borrow more funds.

Gee . . . sounds like what is happening to many American families at this very moment.

Maybe we should keep giving credit to these folks who can't pay their bills and refuse to cut down on their spending while increasing their debt?

Yeah. That's the ticket! Keep rewarding irresponsible spending by granting more credit to continue the irresponsible spending behavior!

Doesn't DC have a Check into Cash joint in some strip mall? Can't they get a title loan on AF 1? C'mon . . . hit up a payday loan store.

Then play 18 holes.

Tiki, I won't pretend to know enough about macro-economics to predict what would happen if we don't raise the debt ceiling and if Moody's decides to downgrade our credit rating. "Doom and gloom" is what is being predicted by "people" (whoever those people might be). I neither believe or disbelieve it.

Educate me (if you will) but you can't talk in stories or analogies or reference old movies and books that I never saw/read. Kthanx.

Although you might not want to bother since BOTH sides seem intent on raising the damn thing anyway; fait accompli.

[username]

Start the Swap a Mexican Who Works with a Homie Who Won't program. The Mexicans will at least work under the table while they are getting benefits so something is getting accomplished. Let Mexico have our poor.

If you want to really fix this, maybe don't vote for Obama again. Our House and Senate shouldn't let the dumbass do any more damage before we kick his ass to the curb. If he gets voted in again by the now-majority POS people, I may move to Mexico.

Sign me up for the SAMWWAHWW program!

Part of the reason for my post is I'm kind of surprised Republicans are pushing to cut medi-care and s.s. Ballsy--they're potentially pissing off a pretty powerful group of constituents.

You can't blame Obama for any s.s. or medi-care cuts since he's opposing them in favor of raising the taxes (err, I mean letting the Bush tax cuts expire) on the upper 2%.

[Middle Finger]

I love America and what it has been, and continues to be, a world leader in. I just wish that included being a world leader in financial discipline. Unfortunately, political corruption and the short-term focus of too many voters combines to make that a lofty goal.

[BlueTiki]

Educate me (if you will) but you can't talk in stories or analogies or reference old movies and books that I never saw/read. Kthanx.

Although you might not want to bother since BOTH sides seem intent on raising the damn thing anyway; fait accompli.

TARP, Bailouts, "Summer of Recovery" . . . how are they working out as promised?

And again with Moody.

"But Tiki . . . so they didn't work as promised but it could have been worse. Much worse! And you're no Moody either, half breed! THEY know things! Interest rates will rise and that will stifle industry borrowing which will cripple the recovery and make it impossible for people to get mortgages! You're a dumb anti-American bitch."

Read MF's response. Spot on.

Then sit back and think about the effect of high interest rates and its impact on business investment and home buying.

Interest rates are practically non-existent. Do we see businesses purchasing equipment at record levels? And all of those vacant homes . . . rapidly being purchased?

Gosh . . . low interest rates and no investment! Hooda thunk?

Read MF's response again.

Then get back to watching CNN, FOX or MSNBC. They know things.

Like Moody.

[username]

I agree with MF and I don't think either side (Republican or Democrat) is getting it right. I think the group that came closest was the President's bi-partisan committee on the subject (and of course both parties rejected most of their recommendations).

I read this morning that McConnell is suggesting they give Obama some short term authority to raise the ceiling basically as a way to end the stalemate without either side looking bad. Stupid. Obama said he'd prefer to settle on a larger plan and Boner didn't sound thrilled with the idea either but it's out there.

[IMaDick]

It won't be short term, it will be law, it will in fact let obama run his spending increases without much resistance by giving him the power to veto a no vote by congress, it will undermine the constitution, and it will give congress a way out of the disaster which is coming.

when the fuck are people going to wake up to the scam that is being perpetrated on us?

when the fuck are people going to take the time to see how this shit works so they can make some reasonable decisions? there is no doubt that our government likes idiots they like the uneducated and they depend on those masses to be able to pull this kind of shit on everyone.

[ZEROSPHERES]

Making important decisions through adversarial brinkmanship is foolish. When similar tactics are undertaken in the justice system we get decisions like the Casey Anthony verdict and we are left wonder WTF happened.

[BlueTiki]

Mark this day on your calendar.

Dick is right on target.

[username]

Did Obama walk out on the meetings today in a hissy fit? Or did the meeting just end with him refusing to agree to a short term solution offered by Cantor?

Who will blink first?

*munching popcorn*

[BlueTiki]

Thought you might find this interesting. And it's mainstream . . . no obscure economic treatise.

The U.S. Is Not Drowning In Debt

http://moneyland.time.com/2011/07/15/the...g-in-debt/

[Maggot]

Barry said there was no more money in the social security bank
Barry thinks that Americans are stupid
This may be the only thing that Barry is right about.