Really?

[CoffeeCat]

I'm watching The Today Show now and listening to Matt Lauer talk about
Fema, and how the agency is struggling to find the funds to deal with
the devastation of Irene.

I'm sitting here--watching people from Vermont weeping from the loss
of their houses and belongings. I see people in New York who have
nothing left. Their houses are submerged, their clothes are gone and
their lives have been carried away with the flood waters. Many people
are trapped in areas, due to washed out roads, without any food or water.

And I hear this gem--that Fema doesn't have enough money. There will
be delays. Matt Lauer interviews a Fema official and the cross talk includes
a reality check--THAT CONGRESS WILL HAVE TO APPROVE MORE FUNDS, BUT IT IS
LIKELY THAT POLITICS WILL ENTER THE PICTURE AND CUTS WILL BE DEMANDED FROM
OTHER PROGRAMS--IN ORDER TO SECURE THE FEMA FUNDING.

It's a crime that Fema is low on funds. It's a horrendous crime that "We
The People" will have to wait further for help from a natural disaster--that
is not our fault--because our politicians have decided to make this
tragedy a political football.

The wars in Afghanistan, Iraq and Libya NEVER have problems with funding. The
money is ALWAYS there, without question. Billions of dollars. Tens of millions
spent daily--and no glitches. No Congressional hold ups.

The banks get their billions in bailouts and we see plenty of politicians
urging, begging and pleading on behalf of Wall Street. Where are the politicians
who will urge, beg and plead for "We The People"?

Why is there even one nanosecond of hesitance or delay for "We The People" in
a natural disaster? It didn't use to be this way.

The despicable, warmongering, obnoxious and pathological politicians who think
these dynamics are ok--need to have their asses kicked to the curb. They need
to be grabbed by the shirt collars and reminded that they work for "We The People".

How in the hell can they fund their wars and load billions into the coffers of
GE and BP, in the form of tax breaks--and then cause Mr Smith and Mrs. Jones to
wait--as they stand crying in their flooded driveways? THIS IS SICK!

The fact that there is ANY hesitancy or talk of delays is unacceptable. You
don't do that to disaster victims--who are in shock after losing everything.

Don't "We The People" deserve the same damn respect that is given to the BP executives
who destroyed the Gulf and the banksters who imploded the housing market?

The politicians--OUR EMPLOYEES OF WHOM WE ARE THE BOSSES--are not only funding their
war games and bank bailouts with our money--they're now suggestion that we will
have to wait and endure political shenanigans from them--and that help may be
delayed.

I don't know how anyone can call this a democracy with this reality playing out.

[valerief]

1. The people who call it a democracy either don't live in reality or they're

the rich people benefitting from the taxpayers' largesse. The most important thing in the world is to make rich people richer, not helping out your fellow man. That was so 20th century.

:grr:

[deutsey]

6. Yep...welcome to the New American Feudalism

:evilfrown:

[fasttense]

111. WE don't have to take it. They can only rule us if we let them.

There are millions of us and only a handful of those who think they rule us.

Join the Prolonged Occupation of Washington DC starting October 6th.

http://october2011.org/welcome

"It is time to light the spark that sets off a true democratic, nonviolent transition to a world in which people are freed to create just and sustainable solutions.

We call on people of conscience and courage—all who seek peace, economic justice, human rights and a healthy environment—to join together in Washington, D.C., beginning on Oct. 6, 2011, in nonviolent resistance similar to the Arab Spring and the Midwest awakening.

A concert, rally and protest will kick off a powerful and sustained nonviolent resistance to the corporate criminals that dominate our government."

[deutsey]

116. You're preaching to the choir

It's them lost souls outside the church that we got to convert.

[napoleon_in_rags]

97. The priorities are just bizarre. Paul Begala knocked it out of the part tonight on CNN.

I don't remember the details, but he gave the number spend on Iraq and Afghanistan reconstruction aid, then the costs of the war...Bottom line trillions paid to knock buildings down and rebuild them again over there, but they can't be bothered with aid here? A foreign girl said it well to me not to long ago: "you know you guys (Americans) are getting nothing out of all this, (war) right?" I just nodded. Its a raw deal for us.

[Dutchmaster]

98. Honestly, the whole "they work for us" thing . . .

. . . it's so laughable, why even bother to put it in there. Go tell them that and they will laugh in your face.

[valerief]

117. Yep, it's all part of the American Myth. nt

[liberal N proud]

2. Meanwhile - the GOP wants to demand additional cuts before any additional FEMA funding

White House blasts GOP over FEMA funding


GOP leaders say they want new money for the Federal Emergency Management Agency's disaster fund to be offset with spending cuts elsewhere in the federal budget, an unprecedented approach to disaster aid that is creating a political stalemate as FEMA is about to run out of money.

"When we have a national -- a natural disaster and an emergency situation in, in this case, a significant stretch of the country, our priority has to be with -- has to be responding to the disaster and then helping those regions and states recover," White House Press Secretary Jay Carney said.

"I wish that commitment to looking for offsets had been held by the House majority leader and others, say, during the previous administration, when they ran up unprecedented bills and not paid -- and never paid for them," he added.

http://www.latimes.com/news/politics/la-pn-fema-funds-20110830,0,7738995.story

[shireen]

66. how about we start with cuts in THEIR DISTRICTS?!

:mad:

[liberal N proud]

80. The only cuts they are interested in are medicare and Social Security

That is what these brinkmanship games are all about.

[rubberducky]

3. Wish I could rec this a million times. Great, great rant.

[kdmorris]

4. FEMA had to stop rebuilding the areas of the country hit by the tornadoes this spring

to concentrate efforts in the NE. It is a completely travesty of justice to put billions of dollars into war and banks, while leaving the people who pay those same monies (in taxes) hanging.

The vile teabaggers (Cantor et al) are demanding that any money they give to FEMA comes out of another budget pool. If they had their way, I'm sure it would come out of food stamps and medicaid. After all, the poor pay no taxes, so why should they be given food and health care? :sarcasm:

This is the opportunity to point out that they gave tax breaks and monies freely to FEMA during the disastrous 2005 hurricane season... but then, a Democrat wasn't in change. They forget who ran up the deficit in the first place with the tax cuts to the rich and the endless supply of money to the defense department (most of which doesn't even go to the soldiers. It goes to "contractors")

[jwirr]

14. Actually food stamps and medicaid are going to be one of the

programs that are going to receive a lot of new clients due to Irene. If you have lost everything those two programs are priceless. This is going to hit the economy like a led ball. With the isolation they are not going to be able to rebuild and go to work (if there is work)until the roads and bridges get fixed. And that will take a jobs stimulus from the government. This may very well bring us down if we cannot get that stimulus.

[kdmorris]

17. Good point

They don't seem to care, though. I keep thinking... wow, that will shoot them in the foot, but as long as the media is controlled by Republicans, we never hear anything about how repulsive most people think they are.

[totodeinhere]

42. But those same politicians are trying to cut food stamps and Medicaid too.

If they have their way those priceless programs will be gutted and the poor will have absolutely nowhere to turn.

[jwirr]

74. And they may very well use the "food stamps & medicaid are out

of money" excuse.

[SpiralHawk]

5. "Pull yourselves up by your own damn sneaker laces." - Republicon FatCats to Americans

[Stumbler]

109. "...just like I did when I inherited my social status."

[no_hypocrisy]

7. It's OUR money. OUR taxes. WE should decide how those funds are spent.

And Congress isn't listening to us. Their owners aren't even paying the taxes that we're paying. That's right. Persons (natural and corporate) who don't pay taxes tell representatives how to (or not to) spend OUR money.

[woo me with science]

10. They are completing the transition from being our representatives to our leaders.

You are absolutely right.

The major legislation we have seen over the past several years has not come from the people. It has come from government and has been pushed onto us, often after closed door sessions and in fabricated "emergency" (read: Shock Doctrine) situations. The Patriot Act was passed that way. The health insurance legislation was passed that way. And we are getting the Super Congress that way.

Even the terminology has shifted. People talk increasingly about our "leaders" rather than our representatives. It is a subtle change, but it is all over the place, even here on DU. Here's a little google experiment I did a while back:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=439x1522513

[jwirr]

15. Good point - leaders.

[bongbong]

28. Leaders?

More like "rulers".

[Fumesucker]

59. " In a mature society, "civil servant" is semantically equal to "civil master."

-Heinlein

[spanone]

8. K&r...

[Enthusiast]

9. K&R!

These wars are serving no good purpose.

[Bluenorthwest]

11. People suffering is not important. Bipartisan rhetoric is important.

And God is in the mix! We have to compromise with the other side, even if they are pure evil in intention. That is the ideology of the President. People suffering is not important, ideological loyalty to bipartisanship is important. Even when it does not work and is in fact sinking your own lifeboat, bipartisanship is all important. And God in the mix, of course. So remember, Bipartisan, but never Bisexual!

[SusanaMontana41]

23. A great post in a great thread.

Well stated, my friend!

[Ikonoklast]

39. What are you babbling about?

Cantor and the Republican Party wants to play politics with disaster relief, and you blame OBAMA?

You've gone off the rails with ODS.

[SusanaMontana41]

79. Hostage-taking worked last time, didn't it?

Why wouldn't they try it again?

I despise them, too. Snakes are too noble to be compared with Can'tor.

[Ikonoklast]

81. If you call a Republican Pyhrric Victory a 'win' then I concede the point.

Seems all they accomplished was to get most of America pissed off at them for playing politics while the country teetered on the brink of economic disaster.

I say the attempt at taking the economy hostage over the debt ceiling vote was a stupendous blunder on their part.

[SusanaMontana41]

83. If I get 98 percent of what I wanted in a "compromise," I win.

Can't see it any other way.

They care about winning; they don't care how. Doesn't really matter how you or I describe it.

[Ikonoklast]

89. So, you take Boner at his word.

Seems like even the Republicans don't on the debt deal, what Boner was spouting was spin to placate the 'Baggers.

Guess we all choose who to believe...I'll stick with the president on this one, not some scotch-soaked congressman from Ohio.

[Jakes Progress]

91. So you tell me all the things we "won" in the deal.

You saying it over and over and over don't make it so, and most of us -and America - know how the republicans are playing the president. But if you are losing but keep telling yourself your winning, I guess it won't make any difference to you.

[SusanaMontana41]

120. Thank you. nt

[SusanaMontana41]

119. What did We the People get?

Please tell me what We the People won.

[Cherchez la Femme]

118. You seem to have missed a minor little 3 letter word:

WAR.


Nah, not important to you. Why should any of our many wars get coverage? Covering war doesn't give fuzzy-feelies, and no fuzzy-feelies: no Entertainment (News)!

'Americans' can get their Tee-Vee blood and gore fix any hour of the day, now with cable -- what do they care about war?
So the studio heads think.

War is not important to hardly ANYONE in these United States even in the terms of how many countries we are occupying (and yes, our bases in foreign countries where they are not needed for ANY reason, nor are they even wanted by the 'host' country ARE "occupying" those towns, non-traditionally sure, but they're still there eating up our tax dollars and making poor utilization of our troops; while troops in Iraq and Afghanistan are up to at least their 9th mission back!) What are they still doing in Japan? Germany? The Philippines? More, in which we have no business in?
What about in the countries in which we are currently aggressive but not even 'close' to being 'officially' at war?
...aggressive perhaps not up to the full level as they are in other regions, especially as we have our brave little Predator Drone-bots which don't bleed, feel or think yet deliver pain, blood, bone and the reek of death on one side

and give a Score! and a 'Yoo-Hoo'! from the JOYstick wielder?

We've deliberately made war unimportant, but heaven help us if any bloodshed comes to THIS country via foreigners wielding what relatively little damage they can effect (our weapons in Iraq & Afghanistan can and do kill the size of the death toll visited upon us om 9-11-01 in mere minutes. And the average Afghani had nothing to DO with 9-11,

the average Iraqi had NOTHING to do with it.

So HOW many times must we get our revenge??


which
involves
waging
aggressive
war

--Congressionally approved or not!


Seriously, as it seems it is not important to you, how do you justify all this war?
And would your opinion be any different if there were a Republican as POTUS?

[SusanaMontana41]

122. Didn't you listen to Gee Dub?

We are in Iraq as liberators. Our troops receive flower showers.

Other than that major error, your post is right on.

[Cherchez la Femme]

123. Ohhh.... HOW could I have forgotten?!

And showered with candy in the streets too,
weren't they?


What Good Cops of the Whole World the U.S. of A. makes!
Why, who needs Interpol??!

[NYC_SKP]

12. K&R

And Be Sure to Sit out the Election in 2012 to Send a Message to Obama!!!11!!

:kick:

[muffin1]

50. ?

:eyes:

[Name removed]

68. Deleted message

Sub-thread removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[Jakes Progress]

90. Yep. There it is. Pointless fear mongering. Right on time.

Knew you would be in with the old crap.

[Arctic Dave]

13. Why is this happening? Becuase our "democracy" is dead.

Hard to admit but that is the truth of the matter.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Political_corruption

Political corruption is the use of legislated powers by government officials for illegitimate private gain. Misuse of government power for other purposes, such as repression of political opponents and general police brutality, is not considered political corruption. Neither are illegal acts by private persons or corporations not directly involved with the government. An illegal act by an officeholder constitutes political corruption only if the act is directly related to their official duties.

Forms of corruption vary, but include bribery, extortion, cronyism, nepotism, patronage, graft, and embezzlement. While corruption may facilitate criminal enterprise such as drug trafficking, money laundering, and human trafficking, it is not restricted to these activities.

The activities that constitute illegal corruption differ depending on the country or jurisdiction. For instance, certain political funding practices that are legal in one place may be illegal in another. In some cases, government officials have broad or poorly defined powers, which make it difficult to distinguish between legal and illegal actions. Worldwide, bribery alone is estimated to involve over 1 trillion US dollars annually.<1> A state of unrestrained political corruption is known as a kleptocracy, literally meaning "rule by thieves".

[Blue Owl]

16. K&R

n/t

[MH1]

18. So much easier to get an 'emergency appropriation' for a stupid war, eh?

really mind-blowingly frustrating.

Also, on NPR this morning, NOAA hurricane (and other storm) predicting ability will deteriorate as the aging fleet of weather satellites fails to be replaced, for the same reason.

[savannah43]

49. MSNBC just reported that 60 billion has been "wasted"

in the "wars" in the last 10 years. And mostly to civilian contractors. Maybe we should try to borrow some of it back from Blackwater/Xe.

[MH1]

114. Only 60 billion??

I'm sure the number is MUCH higher. Not to mention the priceless lives.

[Dont call me Shirley]

19. How can they you ask because

they are sociopaths, psychopaths and genocidalists. They take great glee in watching the suffering they cause others. This is how the vast majority of the upper class is.

[Tuesday Afternoon]

20. Huge K&R !!! very well stated.

[nolabear]

21. Me either. We appear to be The Divided States of America and Big Business likes it.

As long as we are a house divided against itself we cannot stand. And those who live to pick our bones want it that way.

[SusanaMontana41]

22. Righteous rant, CoffeeCat!

Cantor is heartless, thieving bastard. Look at the people IN YOUR OWN STATE, you idiot. They're hurting, too.

And I hope Virginians send you packing.

[marions ghost]

24. K&R

n/t

[bertman]

25. Agree 100%, CoffeeCat. REC. nt

[BobbyBoring]

26. I remember when FEMA was pretty good at what they did

As they are government, they had the usual fuck ups, but in the 80s and 90s, when your roof blew off, you had a nice FEMA blue roof sometimes within a few days. Like everything else W touched, he fucked it up.

[Auntie Bush]

36. FEMA was excellent under Clinton who strengthened it...Bush ruined it...so did his father.

[JDPriestly]

56. The mistakes are not due to the fact that the government is involved.

They are due to the fact that human beings are involved.

Private industry makes just as many probably far more mistakes than the government.

Far, far, far more.

[kenny blankenship]

27. And what do you suppose Bank Of America depositors will be told if/when it goes down?

"Uh, we don't really have the money in FDIC to refund your deposits. We spent it in Afghanistan last year."

[Metta]

29. We're collateral damage to those who rob us. They don't care about our suffering.

As long as they get theirs. They are also asleep to the fact that they inherit the suffering they cause as their inevitable karma.

[w0nderer]

30. k&r for reading later n/t

[malaise]

31. Get it clear - help is on the way for the corrupt bankers

oil men and illegal wars. Let those suffering from natural disasters pull themselves up with their bootstraps. :sarcasm:

[obxhead]

32. It's time for Democrats to stand up on the next war funding.

Stand up and say not 1 penny for Iraq, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Libya, Syria, or any of the other wars we fight without an equal increase in taxes to the 250K bracket and up.

Period. Filibuster it until they break or we end the wars over a lack of funding.

[grantcart]

33. They are free to cut it from the Department of Defense.

[syberlion]

72. If the "super-Congress" can't agree...

There will be 50% of the cuts coming out of Defense... and with the winners appointed from the right, there will be no agreement. They will have total plausible deni-ability. Fingers will point everywhere and still nothing will get done.

It won't be until the Progressive Democrats get both the House and a filibuster-proof Senate will anything get done. Period. Yes, I said progressive because right now we have the tea party regressives running the show as a minority from within the Republican Party!

Do you want a pro-Jim-Crow Supreme Court? We already have corporate person-hood and the denial of the Women of Walmart class-action case... All of these "papers-please" and voter suppression laws will eventually go before the Supreme Court. Which way do you want the court to rule? Roe v. Wade?

That is what is at stake in this next election cycle. We need more progressive Supreme Court Justices and to do that we need more progressives in the House and a progressive majority in the Senate or the individual will be completely un-represented in the government of this country.

[FailureToCommunicate]

73. +1!

[kentuck]

34. Happy to recommend ...

and kick!

[treestar]

35. Of course it's a democracy and filled with right wing voters

who really do want to cut back on these things. That's what we get for electing Republicans.

[HomerRamone]

37. I refuse to believe that a lot of them legitimately won their elections nt

[ConservativeDemocrat]

58. Believe it.

In where I live, I'm not considered a socialist, I'm damn near considered a Communist.

Public libraries and schooling. Without a cross of jesus on 'em? What are you, Karl Marx?

- C.D. Proud Member of the Reality Based Community

[wial]

38. a modest suggestion

take the money out of the hides of everyone who has publicly questioned the reality of global climate change over the past ten years, and double that for identifiable internet trolls.

[totodeinhere]

40. Speaking of "We The People," last November too many of we the people

stayed home and now we are stuck with these "despicable, warmongering, obnoxious and pathological politicians" that you speak of.

[truedelphi]

41. Meanwhile many of us can clearly recall how over 50 BILLIONS of

Dollars went missing over in Afghanistan.

How can anyone in office justify these wars?

And these wars occur with military spending approved regardless of which party happens to be in office.

Only President I can think of who did manage to keep America out of any wars was Carter (D.)

For which the Kissinger and other Republican forces created an oil shortage, to throw the nation's economy into recession and then force Carter's numbers into the toilet.

Which brought Ron Reagan into the White House.

[McCamy Taylor]

43. GOP House thinks Obama will be blamed if the money does not come.

They are likely correct. Obama needs to gets tough with them---oh, I forgot. He is non confrontational. Gotta wonder, if someone was threatening his own family the way that Congress is threatening the East Coast, would he try to negotiate?

[MissDeeds]

44. I share in your outrage

K&R

[onethatcares]

45. and they just discovered there was 60 Billion dollars in fraud in Iraq

with the reconstruction contracts.

But it's too hard to get that money back from those upstanding companies so they'll probly let that slide.

[BlueIris]

48. One of the most important posts in this thread.

The fraud discoveries are awful. I can't think of a bigger betrayal of, well, anything, than the idea that there is now less than no justification for even that most corrupt part of the occupation.

[savannah43]

51. Blackwater/Xe will NOT give it back.

That's why the company "changed hands" and moved to Dubai. To avoid prosecution? Haha! Like that would happen.

[SammyWinstonJack]

46. Bet Matt along with the rest of the greedheads in this Country don't really give a rat's ass so long

they can continue to stock pile through tax cuts.

[avaistheone1]

47. #160 Recommend

:kick:

[muffin1]

52. K&R

I "hoped' some of this would "change" when Obama was elected. Turns out, he's just another politician. :evilfrown:

[deadinsider]

53. Maybe we could change how FEMA works and save money...

... by buying bootstraps and airdropping them over affected areas. Let the American entrepreneurial spirit take over from there.

That combination would surely suffice.

[lillypaddle]

54. Well said!

My blood is boiling... what a bunch of assholes:mad:

[Bryn]

55. Where's the country for We The People?

We no longer have the country. Apparently the White House would screw anything that "We The People" moves. They think The White House is their own country club for the elites only. I wish I could get out of this dirty country full of corrupted politicians who can't get their priorities straightened. But there are other countries more likely are just as corrupted because it's getting to be Global. USA spreaded it like cancer.

[yardwork]

57. Great rant!

[Lydia Leftcoast]

60. Sick, isn't it?

The right-wing media are going on and on about how the government "overstated" Irene, that it was no big deal, and that people should have known enough to evacuate. (Yeah, the people in Vermont should have moved their houses, roads, and bridges. :sarcasm: )

I don't know when ordinary Americans were replaced by these evil pod people.

[deadinsider]

61. Ahh, the 'news' media with their self-righteous, manufactured controversies...

And they were all over Bush for not taking Katrina seriously enough.

What a bunch of clowns.

[ZombieHorde]

62. So absurd. Recommended. nt

[Quantess]

63. Best OP I've seen in days.

K & R

[Swede Atlanta]

64. Yes, we are screwed.......

If FEMA were a private company with lots of shareholders, lobbyists and profits to make Congress would open the coffers.....come in and take whatever you want......... but that it is government workers working with NGOs and contractors to provide relief to Americans in need...NOPE...sorry charlie go suck an egg.

[shireen]

65. the problem is 'We the People" , at least an unacceptably large number of them

i whole-heartedly agree with your sentiments.

We have a certain segment of "We the People" to thank for this debacle, a segment that allows big money to determine their elections, refuses to engage in critical thinking, and are devoid of compassion. The people who elected the likes of Eric Cantor to Congress. THEY are responsible for the mess we're in. Right now, I truly despise them.

[RainDog]

67. fuck yes.

this is TOTAL BULLSHIT.

maybe we just need to march on DC and shut the whole thing down.

[Booster]

69. That's exactly how I feel. You put it in words much better than

I could ever do. This country is just so damn screwed up and I blame BOTH sides in Wash DC.

[sasha031]

70. K/R best post ever

thank you

[KT2000]

71. Border Patrol

in my area is swimming in money and personel who have nothing to do. Hear it is like that elsewhere too.
This is nuts!

[Kablooie]

75. And instead of attacking the Republicans as the cause Dems will be defending themselves from blame.

[madinmaryland]

76. Recommended.

:thumbsup:

[humanityisfree]

77. I couldn't agree more

Thank you for expressing it so well.

[hulka38]

78. We are so far from being in charge of anything I'm afraid.

The people need to square their shoulders and stare this reality in the face before we can effect real change.

[blkmusclmachine]

82. On the one hand, you've got the Too Big To Fail's:

And on the other hand, you've got everybody else, the Too Small To Matter's.

[WillyT]

84. HUGE K & R !!! - Thank You !!!

:kick:

[abelenkpe]

85. GOP: We won't let you help disaster victims

Unless you let us cut more jobs increasing the economic disaster.

[OwnedByFerrets]

dupe

[OwnedByFerrets]

86. We should send this to every one of our ELECTED politicians

[Zax2me]

87. Eh. Congress has been wasting money for 50 years.

You just noticed?
Thing is, we keep giving them more and more of our money to control/eer - waste.
THAT is the crime.

[Chisox08]

88. Since Eric Cantor wants any aid offset by spending cuts.

I say start by cutting every penny of federal dollars going to his district. I am so sick of these jackasses. If they want people to suffer then let it be the people who put them in office.

[Lorien]

92. Whatever happened to promoting the "general welfare" of American citizens??

going to war with people who did nothing to us does not promote the general welfare of Americans, but disaster relief DOES (as do jobs programs, universal health care, etc. etc). End the wars, cut the Pentagon budget by 50% and limit Representatives pay to YEARS SERVED ONLY; no health care or other benefits after time spent in office. There's your FEMA budget, AND money enough for Universal health care!

[Arugula Latte]

93. Every day this country makes me a little sicker and more ashamed.

[russspeakeasy]

94. The "Great Experiment" is over....Welcome to the dark ages.

:evilfrown:

[Creideiki]

95. The only technicality is that Irene and the Joplin devastation and the Texas drought and the

Mississippi floods and the Montana floods and Snowmaggedon and the Blizzard in Chicago and, and, and really ARE our fault. How many one-in-a-century to one-in-a-thousand year events have to happen in a single year before we accept that these are our fault. And we can either try to correct the course or attempt mitigation or accept the losses. Really our fault.

And that's true of both parties because the Republicans are idiots and the Democrats keep allowing them to frame the debate.

[syberlion]

105. It's hard to frame a debate when

All the media outlets are owned lock-stock-and-barrel by the other side. I swear, they allow the few voices from the left just to give the appearance that the Left has a voice. I mean really? DC and there's no Left Radio voices? really?

more later.

[Deep13]

96. It's about making priorities.

If you aren't spouting oil from your head, you aren't one.

[earcandle]

99. It is because we are not levying tax revenue. We are debt financing and cutting services. Derelict

[earcandle]

100. Congress is being derelict in its duty to level compulsory tax without favor, which is law.

[earcandle]

101. Start protesting that we need people in congress with balls and job skills to raise revenue.

[lonestarnot]

102. Who's calling this a democracy these days?

[Scottybeamer70]

103. Would Cantor agree to

cutting off aid to Israel? That 3 billion (plus) a year would surely be a help
to the American people needing it.

[BrightSideOfLife]

104. And all this because they won a lousy 1/3 of the government

Hell in a handbasket's where we're headed.

[WCGreen]

106. I can not recommend this because there is no mention of Cantor...

It is not "our" politicians it is a small cadre of venal political figures. Please do not conflate the ambitions of an inferior little pipsqueak with the majority of the folks who spend a life time serving the people.

That is what they want you to do, they want you to blame all politicians so that no one will miss them when they are gone and replaced by unelected thugs who will plunder and destroy this great country of ours.

Other than that, well said...

[defendandprotect]

107. RW's "Third world America" .... We are all being "Katrina'd" --

By any chance did Matt Lauer mention Global Warming and the fact that these hurricanes

are traveling further north -- and that they are increasing in intensity?

[Jamastiene]

108. Ever notice how the first thing they care about is getting

businesses up and running after a disaster? I'm not talking about small businesses. I'm talking about the big money makers. The sad truth is, our government is not there for us. They are there to make sure the money keeps flowing.

It is not about helping the average person in this country. It is about making sure the money makers have what they need to keep making more money...and not paying taxes on the money they make, most of the time.

The sooner we realize our government is not there for us, but only for the wealthy and big business, the sooner we can find ways to change that. I just don't believe any part of our government is for us any more.

Most people still do believe that our government is for us. I cannot even pretend to see it that way any more. We stay in this gridlock with lousy government because the majority doesn't seem to realize that they are electing the same greedy snobby out of touch assholes over and over again.

The first step is for every person who pays any attention to government any at all to accept the fact that our government is not for us. They take from us and give to the rich. They are sucking us dry to make the rich richer. When more people wake up to that fact, only then do we stand even a slim chance of changing things.

[mwb970]

110. The banks and corporations are too big to fail. The citizens are too small to succeed.

Welcome to republican america.

[LiberalEsto]

112. The Pentagon has NEVER been low in funds

Maybe they should cough up a few billion.

[myrna minx]

113. K&R n/t

[chillspike]

115. AWESOME POST!!!!

[sarcasmo]

121. No longer a Democracy it has been a Plutocracy with a puppet figure head for

many years now. The wealthy and corporations control this country, and the only thing that matters is GREED!

[shanti]

124. k&r

too late to rec your excellent post.

[MaeScott]

125. K and R. nt