Are you more concerned about putting food on the table and paying rent or a terrorist attack?

[ForgoTheConsequence]

I suppose if you already live a comfortable life and your bills are caught up it's easier to worry about terrorism.

Myself? A predatory banking system and health insurance industry has done more damage to my life than a terrorist could ever dream of.

[NYC_SKP]

1. Recommended. (nt)

[Downwinder]

2. Who are the real terrorists?

[bigwillq]

27. The elected ones in Washington, DC (nt)

[grahamhgreen]

37. The ones who control those elected in DC. nt

[packman]

48. To the 1 to 3%'ers

the real true terrorists are the rest of the subtraction - the 99 to 97%. They are the ones who truly threaten their way of life.

[Downwinder]

58. It is the consolidation of wealth and power

above them not the mass below them that will threaten their way of life.

That class is cannibalistic.

[markmyword]

62. REPUBLICANS! NUMBER 1 ENEMY of the STATE!

Republicans have put ideology over the good of our country!

NO terrorist could do the damage that the Republicans and Tea Party have done to this country. Let's include our Supreme Court Justices too.

They represent the 1 % and couldn't care about the people of this country, as long as they make their millions!

We should declare war on the Koch brothers, their billionaire friends and the Wall Street Barron's. They are enemies of the state!

They want class warfare divide and conquer, they want public schools to fail, the dumber we are the easier to control. No jobs or part-time jobs, who has the time or money to fight the 1% and who wants to rock the boat and lose that minimum wage job, that you're lucky to have!

They are EVIL people and I'd love the American government to TAKE the Koch brothers wealth from them. Don't we do that to drug dealers? They're using their money and power to DESTROY
DEMOCRACY! They ARE the ENEMY from WITHIN!

We should be marching at the homes and businesses of the Koch brothers and the CEOs of the Wall Street banks. Surround their private jets at the airports, block the streets so they can't drive, let them be scared of US for a change!

We have to take our country back, like we did when the Robber Barron's ran our country.
This country was good to all of them, WHY should they deprive the rest of us from the dream????

[Rockyj]

73. Koch Brothers, Mitch McDonnel, John McCain...

[House of Roberts]

3. I've been spared from the predatory banks, but my ex hasn't.

The health insurance industry and big pharma are my biggest worry. Employers are my next concern after that.

[zappaman]

4. Terrorist attack.

[Iamthetruth]

63. I worry about Both

I can only control the first, I rely on the government to protect me from terrorists.

[bettyellen]

77. I confess I get a twinge commuting through the once buried WTC station, when there's extra security

you can't help but wonder and hope it's just because the president is in town, or there's some big thing happening I'm unaware of. Or some kind of chatter/ threat thing. Back in the day, there were lots of those on bridges and tunnels that few people heard about.
Every once and a while I look around the station, and remember not that long ago, it all was buried along with god knows how many people under the rubble of that building. What's also weird is that so many imagine the new building will be htt some point. It seems inevitable.

[onecaliberal]

5. I'm askeered

Not.

[Trajan]

13. Once a liberal?

Gungeonite as well?

Figures ...

[onecaliberal]

15. I don't know what the hell you're

Talking about.
My comment was sarcasm. I am a liberal always have been, always will be.

[cheri010353]

36. I think

that maybe Trajan has a little bit of dyslexia?

[bvf]

80. Have another look. n/t

[ForgoTheConsequence]

6. “The Odds of Dying In a Terrorist Attack Are a Lot LOWER than They Are of Dying In a Car Accident”

- Obama.

I know ISIS is evil and needs to be dealt with, but in no way should it be priority number one while equality in this country is so prevalent.

[Scuba]

7. We spend more $$ on defense than the next 11 nations combined, 10 of which are allies, and ....

... we're still scared of being attacked? Gee, maybe we need to rethink this whole defense thing.

As for me, I'm much more afraid of being poisoned by Monsanto, or Freedom Industries, than I am of being killed by a terrorist. Not to mention that the reason that guy is is a terrorist is that we made him one when we killed his loved ones who we claimed were terrorists but were really just part of a wedding party.

The 'war on terror' is an invention of the MIC.

[Laelth]

41. +1. n/t

-Laelth

[Bettie]

8. My Republican relatives

would say terrorist attack.

I'm going to go with the dangers and pitfalls of normal life.

[DJ13]

9. These questions wouldnt be asked if they had us scared enough

Lets hope we keep asking questions!

[Dont call me Shirley]

10. Be afraid, be very afraid of having no health insurance, no bank account, no job, no home, no food.

The ruling elites have lost their final stitch of self control.

[jtuck004]

88. 312 million people cowering in fear of the 1%

Spineless...

[840high]

11. All of the above.

[proReality]

12. We're all going to die someday and most of us don't know how it will happen, we just know it will.

I'm more frightened of a system led by those with no compassion for their fellow human beings, making life a hell on earth until we're gone.

[JEB]

14. No vacation in at least 5 years. Just trying to

keep my head above water.

[NRaleighLiberal]

16. certainly not a terrorist attack!

[Nye Bevan]

17. Neither.

Fortunately I an economically secure enough not to worry about rent or food.

And I aldo recognize that my chances of being affected by terrorism are infinitesimal.

[cantbeserious]

18. The Real Terrorists - Oligarchs, Corporations And Banks

eom

[airplaneman]

19. Crap yes I am worried about food, rent, and medical costs.

As I approach retirement age its looking like I should just work as long as I can rather than retire and find myself destroyed by medical costs. My sister retired two years ago and even with good insurance had to fork out $24K or 10% of her retirement savings in her first retirement year. Now with year two of being retired she believe she should go back to work while she can because her nest egg will run out in less than 10 years otherwise.
-Airplane

[littlemissmartypants]

20. We are currently

BEING attacked and we are numb. What food? What table?

Why are there car buying schemes?
What are payday lenders doing?

We are being terrorized.
Verbal abuse is exhausting.
Financial abuse is debilitating.
We are exhausted.

Power and Control.


Something needs to change.
There's a tipping point on the horizon.

Love, Peace and Shelter.
~ littlemissmartypants

[obxhead]

21. I'm more concerned about the pillow on my bed killing me than a terrorist.

That is the honest truth.

That is also coming from someone who was within 10 minutes of the Pentagon when it was hit by a plane on 9/11.

I fear the police.
I fear the MP's that were posted on every bridge and overpass on 9/12/11.
I fear our banks.
I fear our crumbling infrastructure.
I fear the rising tides due to global warming.

I could give a shit about terrorists half a world away. If they can get here we need to immediately end all funding for DHS, CIA, FBI, and all the rest of the alphabet soup agencies that drain our tax base.

There is a simple answer. STOP FUCKING WITH THEM!

A 16 year old Iraqi child has known one constant in life, America may drop a bomb on your head at any moment. They are the enemy.

I'm sure they are furious with us, rightfully so.

[pnwmom]

22. Not that this should be a factor in deciding, but wars typically stimulate economies.

Last edited Mon Sep 8, 2014, 11:30 AM - Edit history (2)

So fighting ISIS might not damage our economy.

http://krugman.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/01/29/an-iraq-recession/

One thing I get asked fairly often is whether the Iraq war is responsible for our economic difficulties. The answer (with slight qualifications) is no.

Just to be clear: I yield to nobody in my outrage over the way we were lied into a disastrous, unnecessary war. But economics isn’t a morality play, in which evil deeds are always punished and good deeds rewarded.

The fact is that war is, in general, expansionary for the economy, at least in the short run. World War II, remember, ended the Great Depression. The $10 billion or so we’re spending each month in Iraq mainly goes to US-produced goods and services, which means that the war is actually supporting demand. Yes, there would be infinitely better ways to spend the money. But at a time when a shortfall of demand is the problem, the Iraq war nonetheless acts as a sort of WPA, supporting employment directly and indirectly.

SNIP

[kiva]

24. This was true in WWII.

Not in most other wars, and I don't see anyway this would help today - consider what Afghanistan and Iraq have done to our economy.

[arcane1]

28. Halliburton is based in Dubai now, so that's where our money would go.

[JI7]

31. in those days people were willing to give something up, this is not the case anymore

[grahamhgreen]

39. Like the rest of the stimulation these days, it goes to the .01%

[sabrina 1]

49. How did the Iraq War stimulate the economy over he past decade? It made a few people very

rich, but most Americans definitely didn't profit from it.

And personally I prefer not to profit from bloodshed. I can think of better ways.

[pnwmom]

51. Unfortunately, it was part of the bubble, before the banks caused the crash.

Bush had been using it to keep the economy moving along.

http://krugman.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/01/29/an-iraq-recession/

[Marr]

50. Is that so.

Hell, we must've done great economically during Bush's Iraq invasion then. How about England after WW2. Were they 'economically stimulated', too? France? Turkey? What did endless wars do to the British Empire?

The idea that war is an economic stimulus is a fallacious one used by people who sell war. It's an economic drag for everyone but a few plutocrats who sit on top and reap the profits.

We came out of WW2 on top of the economic heap because everyone elses' factories and infrastructure were destroyed, that's all.

[pnwmom]

52. Yes. That's what Paul Krugman, the progressive, Nobel prize winning economist said.

http://krugman.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/01/29/an-iraq-recession/

[Marr]

56. In the very short term, of course it spurs some activity.

It's like giving someone a credit card. There's activity in the short term and serious costs in the long term.

[pnwmom]

65. The Iraq war didn't crash our economy. The reckless actions of the banks crashed our economy. n/t

[Marr]

66. The Iraq War has been a drag on our economy. /nt

[pnwmom]

67. Do you have evidence for that?

[Marr]

68. Well, this fellow agrees with me.

http://www.reuters.com/article/2008/03/20/idUSN20605610

[pnwmom]

69. This is 6 years later. How is it a drag on the economy since Obama pulled us out? n/t

[Marr]

71. How is that relevant? Your statement was that war is an economic stimulus.

I said it's a drag in the long term. Obama seems to agree with me, or at least-- he did during the presidential campaign.

The costs and debts of a war don't just disappear when our soldiers leave the theater.

[pnwmom]

81. Obama said it during the Presidential campaign when the war was going on.

He isn't saying, like you, that the Iraq war is still a drag on the economy.

As it happens, I think Krugman is a better judge than Obama of the effect on the economy. But Obama was right to oppose the war for every other reason, and overall his position against the war has always been the right one.

The reason our economy isn't better now, according to Krugman, is NOT because we're still paying for the war. It's because the Fed and others have made the conscious decision to hold down interest rates to a level that Krugman says is entirely unwarranted. He says that they have been more afraid of inflation than they should have been, and willing to sacrifice the goal of full employment out of this misplaced fear.

[Marr]

82. That isn't what Krugman said.

The article you cited was written almost seven years ago, as a response to people who were blaming the economic woes of that time on our expenditures in Iraq. He said that wasn't accurate, because wars tend to spur short term economic activity, and rightly put the blame elsewhere.

I'm also not saying that the Iraq War is still some big drag on our economy. I don't know the extent of it's impact. But I do know that the activity that was spurred by that credit card ten years ago is still on our credit card bill today, and I have a hard time seeing how anyone could view it as a net positive for the economy.

[bullsnarfle]

74. Huh.

Yeah. This was a freakin' wonderful stimulus alright.

http://www.theguardian.com/world/2007/feb/08/usa.iraq1

[Yavin4]

59. Yes and No. War does stimulate government spending, but it's not productive spending.

Yes, a few plants may make some weapons, but once the war is over, there's no productive use of the spending (not counting militarizing domestic police forces.)

You can acheive the same results by government spending on more productive measures like infrastructure. Upgrading roads, bridges, schools, etc. makes the economy more productive.

[pnwmom]

64. Of course there are other better ways, like spending on infrastructure, to stimulate the economy.

Unfortunately, the Rethugs believe even the highways and bridges should be privatized. Spending on war is the only stimulus they ever back.

[Yavin4]

72. The problem with that is there's no way to re-pay the stimulus

When you spend on education, roads, infrastructure, then that money gets paid back into the treasury. War spending never gets repaid. it forces the govt to go into debt to repay it.

[abelenkpe]

23. K&R

[whatchamacallit]

25. I'm more concerned about Americans

Last edited Mon Sep 8, 2014, 02:39 PM - Edit history (1)

They're obviously extremely dangerous; gullible, emotional, irrational, entitled, vengeful... They thrive on conflict and are always ready kick someone's ass. Anybody's ass.

[bigwillq]

26. Energy prices, being underpaid and overworked, high taxes, paying bills

basically paying for everything because everything is so expensive.

Terrorist attack is the least of my concerns.

But I continue to hope for hope and change.

[defacto7]

29. I only fear for

my children and their future, and their children.... whatever the present danger that's emerging, it's not now I am concerned about. Many other more catastrophic long term events are not mentioned in the OP. Putting food on the table in 30 years will be a whole different story and the terrorist threat in 30 years may or may not even exist. But the destructive possibilities in my children's future is massive and absolute as well as being beyond my reach except for what contribution I can make to this planet and with humanity right now.

I am concerned about terrorism, I am concerned about people being able to put food on their table, but they are not what disturbs me the most. The global choices civilization is making now are the ghosts that will haunt our children. That is the only real problem no matter what ideology is in vogue.

[JI7]

30. Random Gun attack, Drunk Drivers, Creepy Perverts more than Terrorist ATtacks

[Cleita]

32. I'm more concerned about global climate change and the nuclear power plant up

wind from where I live. Because if we continue with this drought or have a Fukushima type event at the nuke plant because of an earthquake or fracking, it will affect putting food on my table and many other tables across the country. A terrorist attack wouldn't matter then.

[factsarenotfair]

33. There are probably a thousand things I worry about more than being a victim of terrorism.

Right now I can't get the picture of the "spider-dog" out of my head!!!

[Voice for Peace]

35. wasn't that the best?

I am still laughing. The clickety click of his feet was the worst.

[factsarenotfair]

44. I'm still getting chills!!! n/t

[Voice for Peace]

34. yes. not worried about terrorists at ALL.

But food on the table day to day is a concern, and rent,
not to mention all the stray cats, how to feed them all.

[grahamhgreen]

38. I've got duct tape and plastic, so I guess the food and rent thing.

[Tom Ripley]

40. Terrorist shmerrorist

I worry about them as much as I worry about invaders from Mars or radioactive zombies.

[hobbit709]

42. Terror attacks aren't even in my top 50 worries

[yuiyoshida]

43. and you didn't make this a poll?

Shame on you

[Iggo]

45. I'm more concerned about idiots with guns than terrorists.

As in a lot versus not at all.

[pampango]

46. More afraid of what terrorists do to others than what they might do to me.

Domestically, more afraid of what the 1% does to all of us.

[closeupready]

47. Totally with you, Forgo.

K&R

[samsingh]

53. what terrorists r doing to other people

[daredtowork]

54. Concerned about housing not food

You can still always fall back on food stamps and food banks in this country. The U.S. is fairly generous with food.

What the U.S. is not generous with is housing. Rents skyrocket. Your landlord sells your housing out from under you so he can turn a quick profit. There is no other place you can afford. Your job is at risk because your stressed out over having to find a new place to live. People on fixed incomes have no place to go at all. They apply to dozens of places, have to track all the wait lists they are on for months - still no dice. When Section 8 housing opens up in random places, the wait list is always 10 miles long. Armchair economic theorists are telling people who have lived in their communities for 20 years that they should be ready to move elsewhere when they live on "desirable" property they can no longer afford due to speculation/hyper-inflation: they have to get out of the way of "rational demand".

The risk of homelessness is all the more terrifying because of the gutting of the welfare system in the U.S. As information starts to get out about there being no help you run out of resources, it's easy to panic. Even organizations that help with housing issues will usually only offer temporary help - and only if you can show proof you have a job and can pick up the slack after the "crisis" is over. But if you've lost your job, and you're out of resources...then you could be on track for a spate of shelters/couch-surfing/homelessness/sleeping-in-your-car-if-you-still-have-one. That is a tremendous source of stress lurking in the back of people's minds.

So I would say the housing issue (since it's rent and/or mortgage payment) is an even bigger deal than food, and it overshadows terrorism as an immediate issue by a thousand percent. It has most of mindshare at any one time unless someone has a totally stable job or they have already paid down their house.

[Phlem]

55. yes.

[MynameisBlarney]

57. I am concerned with both of those and many other things

Some to a greater or lesser than others of course.
As for which terrorists I'm more concerned with, well obviously those would the ones that are already here.
The ones that get all frothy over guns, waving the Gadsden Flag, and beating us over the head with their bibles.
Those are the terrorists I'm concerned with.

[A Simple Game]

60. This also points out a flaw in the Republican philosophy of running government like a business.

What business would stay healthy if it threw most of it's money at one of the lowest priority hazards to it's viability?

Since WWII and even counting wars that were justifiable, deaths from war and/or terrorism has to be a very low percentage of total population.

Since WWII the percentage of population that has died from heart disease, cancer, diabetes, etc. has to be very high.

If you were running government like a business and your business was to, as the constitution says, protect the people, where should your priorities be? If as a CEO you chose military then your board would be more than justified to fire you.

If we spent 50% of the military budget to research and cure diseases, and to prevent hunger worldwide we would not have to worry about terrorists.

[llmart]

87. Best answer yet.

Sometimes I have to shake my head at certain people who focus so much energy on being fearful of a terrorist attack. When I look at them and see an extremely overweight person who hasn't climbed a stair or left their Lazy Boy recliner in ten years, I can't help but think, "Hell, you'll kill yourself through your bad habits before a terrorist attack occurs."

I, too, am sick of this meme that businesspersons are always the best choice for governors, Congress, etc.

[loyalsister]

61. I don't think a person has to be afraid of being personally attacked by terrorists

to have some realistic worries about ISIS. The don't have to attack us to do worldwide damage. It started 30+ yrs ago when we made promises to the Afghan people in order to convince them to fight the Soviets. And, Al Qaeda was born when we abandoned them.
Then we escalated with the Iraq invasion. Now there is ISIS and they are threatening. Terrorism relies on anger. Even here anger is a useful recruiting tool. We may not be afraid, but the countries that are feeling pain because of our actions are most definitely angry.

I don't think we can ignore the fact that there are thousands, if not millions, of people who are poised to become terrorists and may inflict damage upon others, if not us. I have some empathy for people who we have already victimized and are sitting ducks for ISIS to bring more. I don't know if we can be successful in preventing more damage, but I do think we owe it to the people who have suffered and are suffering because of the vile actions taken on our behalf to try to help.

[Initech]

70. No. Isis is just another boogeyman.

You're far more likely to get arrested or killed by our heavily armed police, or get killed by a stray bullet fired by some open carry whack job than you are to be killed by a terrorist. Remember we live in a country where this is socially acceptable:

[indepat]

75. TPTB have diligently perpetuated an abject fear of terraist attacks so MIC

spending could be increased exponentially, safety net spending could be gutted, and constitutional freedoms and liberty itself could be eviscerated as a national security surveillance state is being fully implemented: to wit, a right-wing PNAC vision of the new Amurika instituted.

[SomethingFishy]

76. +1 Today I was attacked by an organization

called the IRS. After 2 years of paying monthly on back taxes the IRS decided that they weren't getting their money fast enough so they took every penny I had in my bank account. Not that there was much in there, just enough to buy groceries and pay bills.

So now the IRS has taken enough money from my bank to cover about half a second of one Department of the Pentagons expenditures. Meanwhile I have no food.
Of course when I called the IRS they apologized profusely, and told me I'd have the money back within 7 days. So I guess we just don't eat for the next week.

Meanwhile, I watch as Corporations don't pay shit and the IRS spends a fortune to collect 10 grand from me, a guy supporting 6 people on a single income.

Yeah terrorists are real high on my priority list...

[heaven05]

78. inafix income

first 2

[ProfessorGAC]

79. I'm Not All That Worried About Any In Your Sentence

But i worry least about a terrorist attack.

Now the health insurance situation is different than the choices in your title. We all need to be concerned about that.

[AtomicKitten]

83. more concerned about putting food on my family

none of them will hold still

[Enthusiast]

84. The General Welfare should be top priority.

[Algernon Moncrieff]

85. I am concerned about both

We could reduce our terrorist exposure by sticking to our knitting and letting the Middle East solve its own problems. It would save taxpayer money as well - money that is better spent here. If we're going to drop big nationbuilding money, let's start right here. Then, let's build stronger neighbors in Mexico and the Caribbean basin.

[1dogleft]

86. this is a serious question

just what is a predatory banking system? When I bought my house all the information about interest, length of loan.# of payments even how little goes toward principle and that is true of everyone I have ever spoken to on the matter so what am I missing. If it is a system where to little of my mortgage goes towards principle then I understand and reluctantly agree

[arcane1]

89. They're all predators, always looking for new ways to nickel and dime you

Fees are a great revenue generator, for example. Those can change overnight.

[cheapdate]

90. College tutition. Social Security. Terrorist attack not on list.

[niyad]

91. the reichwing nutjobs and woman-hating terrorits in THIS country worry me a hell of a lot

more than any terrorist from "over there"