birdog1960

they don't always work. what you've stated is the goal for many programs but certainly not for medicare and social security. so, i think you're mostly talking about welfare and food stamps, correct? in recent history, Bill Clinton did the best job with welfare reform, i think. many people were removed from the dole and that is still the goal. the problem is finding how to get there, especially in the middle of a recession. i think most on the left are very receptive to ideas and solutions as long as it doesn't involve cutting out the safety net suddenly and entirely. starving people are bad for the stability of the country, not to mention those that might starve. oh, andf the solutions need to be less expensive than the current system. many times, handing out money is cheaper than retraining.

i was told this about a month ago by a 90 year old lady. it's definitely a go to for me now. tell it often and can't remember anyone not liking it.

man gets pulled over for speeding cop looks in the back seat where three penguins sit "you can't keep those penguins. take them to the zoo" says the cop next day he pulls the guy over again and there sit the three penguins "i thought i told you to take them to the zoo!" the man answers, "i did. tonight, i'm taking them to the opera".

this is the most important consideration. the path is what matters and why much of the money from both campaigns will be spent on virginia, florida and ohio with proportionally less on the swing states with less electoral votes. doc's link also includes locked in states like south carolina, missouri, new york and california. those numbers don't matter as almost everyone agrees they're a fait de compli. the campaign managers are concerned with the swing states. interested observers should be too.

woman walks into a pharmacy to inquire about viagra for her husband. woman: can you get it over the counter? pharmacist: i can if i take 2.

update. 14,000 ( romney had 1500 in ford field) is more than romney's had for any single rally yet this was in the news cycle for 3 days? and you all complain about the liberal media? you and the guy from the washington times are seeing the poll data much dfferently than most analysts i've read including real clear politics. obama ahead in combined polls in nc, ohio and virginia. virtual dead heat in fla. didn't check nh and iowa - knock yourself out. which candidates numbers would you truly prefer to have right now?

so aging conservative boor is more glamorous, somehow? btw aging and liberal i'll proudly admit to.

that's at least the 3rd time you've tried to insult me by referencing this...do you know anyone not aging? you'd be able to fund your entire law school expense by just revealing that one subject. most societies that are considered sophisticated throughout history honor their elders. the fact that you don't, seems to point to the likelihood that you've been thoroughly hoodwinked by your corporate keepers: youth is the only desirable and appreciated state (despite the fact that most ceo's of major multinational corps are older than i).

i think the excerpts of the book in articles and interviews, widely available, give several examples of exxon's power and influence in the world. australia, china, germany? probably not directly or in the same obvious manner they have in places like chad or indonesia but yes, money buys influence in these places as well. do they pull the puppet strings on rulers in china? no, i greatly doubt it but are the chinese worried about the world economy more than feeding their peasants? i bet they are and exxon and other multinationals are big players that are not ignored in policy making and decisions making. oh and the us? certainly during the bush admin, less so with the dems in power but i think bp had some influence over the feds handling of the spill. so yes, even with the dems they have significant power in the us. more so after the supremes, citizens united ruling.

don't think reuters and spiegle had much interest in that one...but your responses are predictable. yall already knew the world was really run by a loosely aligned group of multinational corporations...and that's the way you like it!

i took it as a more general statement. in this case, i think his tone mattered but since neither of us was there to hear it, let's assume it was a specific answer to this question. how bout exxon's ability to influence the us govt (not to mention our old friend wolfowitz at the world bank) to influence the outcomes of civil upheaval in chad and indonesia for there own purposes? i'm sure you cynical guys here knew all this before but apparently many large news agencies including politico and time felt it an important book with new revelations, many interviewing the author for further clarity.

here's the link. looks like interesting reading but probably too depressing to read the book in it's entirety. amazing the influence they have over international and american foreign policy. the quote from bush to the indian prime minister is telling "nobody tells those guys what to do". reactions, comments?

kinda silly to look at the swing states en masse, as if that's how electoral votes are counted. but even then, declaring romney the likely victor in ohio, fla and va based on obama being ahead 2 points per this data is utterly ridiculous and based solely on wishful thinking. the piece should have been entitled "how i wish romney will win".

that america and the world in general are closer to being a corporatocracy now than anytime since the gilded age (and citizens united threw a bunch of oil co gas on the already ragin fire). i've linked the boardroom scene with ned beatty from "network" in a couple different contexts on this board but this is where it's most applicable (unfortunately, i don't seem to be able to supply links on my work computer). if able to, i'd also link to a new book about exxon and their world powers. if you're the dictator in a small oil producing country in africa and exxon give you $400 mil per year while the us gives 25 (i believe the example given by the author was chad) who you gonna take your orders from? who ya gonna go to when you need help? and this is not an isolated example. "i'm not a us company and i don't make decisions based on what's best for america" exxon former ceo, raymond from the above mentioned book excerpted from Time, "inside the death star, aka exxon", may 1, 2012.

exxon's revenues are larger than a great many country's budgets. it's more like country in it's own right than an american company separate from the govt.

i would think that would make it much more important that romney play to packed houses than obama. the point is that slanted journalism and reporting goes both ways...no one can argue that drudge doesn't reach a lot of americans. you might even call him part of the "msm" based on his readership.

well, you might want to talk to 3rd. he's quite certain that the us could be energy independent any day now if we just willed it. then your $75 could go straight to exxon without going through the saudis.

wondering what the empty elevator shaft signifies...don's marriage falling off a cliff? foreshadowing a future suicide? my wife thought the other, loaded elevator was gonna crash right in that scene killing everyone in it. wrong!

how many times has romney played to a 2/3 fuil venue or less? have you ever seen a similar headline on drudge about this? it would more likely say something like "romney opens to 14k". it's almost as good as the reporter for the washington times handing romney ohio, virginia and florida now based on what exactly? maybe romney should make his slogan "a hope and a prayer".

Headline on drudge this am: "obama kicks off to empty seats". i'm saying it looks pretty good right now for obama: current electoral votes based on a conglomerate of polls =315. obviously, things can change.

ya mean he brought in big crowds? drudge is reporting that no one is coming to his rallies....wonder why the discrepency? this is the more important analysis of the race. looks pretty tough for romney on this basis. and this is the "if pigs could fly" logic it takes to project romney the next prez as of may.

you might want to look here. intergenerational mobility might be of particular interest.

weren't you the same guys who complained bitterly about folks who bought $150k houses causing the recession? and now a poor boy buying a 50k car is something to celebrate? seems a bit schizophrenic.

so, i was thinking about this guy conrad and simultaneously reading a chapter in "the hunger games" (yeah, i live in district 12) and thinking he might innovate such a spectacle...good sport and all. can we get back to his book?

marx may have read voltaire...i don't know, do you?