Obama to nominate far-left Sonia Sotomayor to SC

[erynthered]

I admire your blind faith. Wish I had me some. As always happens when we discuss this, the final agreement between us is that time will likely prove one of us right. I honestly hope it's you. I prefer to be wrong on this.

 

This should make you feeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeel better.

 

 

http://www.politico.com/singletitlevideo.h...tid=24507747001

[Kelly the Dog]

I admire your blind faith. Wish I had me some. As always happens when we discuss this, the final agreement between us is that time will likely prove one of us right. I honestly hope it's you. I prefer to be wrong on this.

 

I saw Elizabeth Warren a couple weeks ago explain a little bit of why we don't know where the money has gone, and whether it is working or not. (She was talking about the first $350 billion of the TARP funds from last year). I hope I do her justice when I try to recall/paraphrase... but basically she said something like this...

 

If you have $300 in your checking account, but you owe more than that and need a loan -- and someone gives you $500 -- you then have $800 in your account.

 

If you invest some of that $800 in your business to make some money -- and you use some of that $800 to pay off bills you owe -- if a month later you have $200, or $400 or $600 in your account -- you really can't pinpoint where that $500 loaned to you went. Was it the money that you paid bills off with -- or was it the money you invested to make money -- or is it some, or most or all of the money still in your account.

[IDBillzFan]

I saw Elizabeth Warren a couple weeks ago explain a little bit of why we don't know where the money has gone, and whether it is working or not. (She was talking about the first $350 billion of the TARP funds from last year). I hope I do her justice when I try to recall/paraphrase... but basically she said something like this...

 

If you have $300 in your checking account, but you owe more than that and need a loan -- and someone gives you $500 -- you then have $800 in your account.

 

If you invest some of that $800 in your business to make some money -- and you use some of that $800 to pay off bills you owe -- if a month later you have $200, or $400 or $600 in your account -- you really can't pinpoint where that $500 loaned to you went. Was it the money that you paid bills off with -- or was it the money you invested to make money -- or is it some, or most or all of the money still in your account.

 

There's nothing that makes me feel more comfortable than the person being appointed to track TARP money coming out and saying there is no way to track the TARP money.

[Kelly the Dog]

There's nothing that makes me feel more comfortable than the person being appointed to track TARP money coming out and saying there is no way to track the TARP money.

It does make sense though.

 

She says that Geithner put a lot more contingencies and tracking devices on it since he was put in charge of the Treasury but that it's still very difficult to pinpoint how much went where, especially because the banks are intentionally hiding it.

[IDBillzFan]

It does make sense though.

 

She says that Geithner put a lot more contingencies and tracking devices on it since he was put in charge of the Treasury but that it's still very difficult to pinpoint how much went where, especially because the banks are intentionally hiding it.

Well, then, I guess that website we were promised to track "every dime" will come in pretty handy, won't it?

[Kelly the Dog]

Well, then, I guess that website we were promised to track "every dime" will come in pretty handy, won't it?

If I am not mistaken, that was for the stimulus plan.

 

And over the weekend I had a nice conversation with a good friend of mine who owns a construction company near Riverside, and is a big republican. In brief, his report was as follows:

 

The infrastructure projects have (within the last couple weeks) just begun to hit and his company is going to make a fortune. The details the government is asking him to provide in their new rules (which is the stuff you are talking about) is a huge pain in the ass, but he is willing because he's going to have unlimited work (he did pretty well without this stuff too, mostly because his co-owner/wife is a minority and they win all kinds of government bids. He's an awesome guy and they do good work and run a great company regardless, however.) And they do have to provide basically where every penny goes.

 

He said he is responsible for that webpage, and for putting in where all money is going for the projects, and again that is a pain and he'd rather not do it but he's okay with it. He is, however, very pissed at one thing, which I agreed with him on.

 

The webpage insists he put in his personal compensation for the project, which he refuses to do, and again I don't blame him. He mostly objects because it's never a sure thing until it's over just how much money his company is going to make on these things, and it could be a disaster and even be a loss, which he has to bear but wouldn't necessarily be shown on that particular form.

 

And again, I agree with that. I don't think he should have to show what he makes as long as he shows how much the project cost, and where all the money from the government was spent on the project.

[UConn James]

He's literally said something like "I don't want to be a car company owner, I have enough other sh-- to do" on more than one occasion. So perhaps there is something to the claims that he had no choice? Do what he did... or economic collapse?

 

My brother had a girlfriend who said she hated one of his friends. Couldn't stand him, didn't want to be in the same room with him. Come to find out she was banging the dude all the while.

 

What people say in public, what they really think, and then what they actually do... most of the time is two different things. In politics, it's often three different things.

[drnykterstein]

My brother had a girlfriend who said she hated one of his friends. Couldn't stand him, didn't want to be in the same room with him. Come to find out she was banging the dude all the while.

 

What people say in public, what they really think, and then what they actually do... most of the time is two different things. In politics, it's often three different things.

 

Right I know, you all think Obama is a liar.. I don't. I think he has the most honorable of intentions and is very busy saving all of your asses while you complain about it and hate on him all the time.

[erynthered]

Right I know, you all think Obama is a liar.. I don't. I think he has the most honorable of intentions and is very busy saving all of your asses while you complain about it and hate on him all the time.

 

 

.....but you still love him, dont you?....course you've said this before..........

[Kelly the Dog]

My brother had a girlfriend who said she hated one of his friends. Couldn't stand him, didn't want to be in the same room with him. Come to find out she was banging the dude all the while.

 

What people say in public, what they really think, and then what they actually do... most of the time is two different things. In politics, it's often three different things.

 

So you honestly think, and are willing to say in public, that you believe that when Obama was announcing his candidacy, or later competing in the primaries against Hilary, that there were behind the scenes discussions with his staff and wife about if he were to win the Presidency, he would want to take over and run the big three car companies and major banks and AIG style insurance companies?

[Taro T]

So you honestly think, and are willing to say in public, that you believe that when Obama was announcing his candidacy, or later competing in the primaries against Hilary, that there were behind the scenes discussions with his staff and wife about if he were to win the Presidency, he would want to take over and run the big three car companies and major banks and AIG style insurance companies?

Do I think that he thought he'd get the chance to totally remake the auto companies and the banking system when he announced his candidacy?

 

Absolutely not.

 

Do I think that when he announced his candidacy he would like to steer our system to a more socialistic version and one where government plays a more predominant role in our everyday lives?

 

Absolutely.

 

Do I think he's following Emanuel's mantra of "never let a crisis go to waste?"

 

Absolutely.

 

His mantra was "change." The fact that it looks like he'll get to change more than he expected the day he cast his hat into the ring is not likely to temper the mantra.

 

It appears that we're in that once per generation period when all the cards are lined up to steer the country quite a bit to the left. Don't know if he'll pull it off, and I hope he doesn't because I expect it will set us up for far greater problems down the road than if we were to follow a more fiscally responsible path, but he does seem to be going for it.

[IDBillzFan]

Right I know, you all think Obama is a liar.. I don't. I think he has the most honorable of intentions and is very busy saving all of your asses while you complain about it and hate on him all the time.

And there it is again.

 

I don't need the government to save my ass. I can save my own ass. The fact that you can't save your own ass is your problem, and your inability to do anything with your life without government involvement does not mean WE ALL live an equally pitiful existence. You need help? Fine. Quit your job and let the government carry your dead weight with some dead end government job in some dead end government office for minimum wage, minimum health benefits, and maybe even your own little Smart car.

 

But leave those of us who are productive and self-sufficient out of your dilemma. Just because you can't survive on your own doesn't mean we should be forced to live your pitiful existence.

[Kelly the Dog]

Do I think that he thought he'd get the chance to totally remake the auto companies and the banking system when he announced his candidacy?

 

Absolutely not.

 

Do I think that when he announced his candidacy he would like to steer our system to a more socialistic version and one where government plays a more predominant role in our everyday lives?

 

Absolutely.

 

Do I think he's following Emanuel's mantra of "never let a crisis go to waste?"

 

Absolutely.

 

His mantra was "change." The fact that it looks like he'll get to change more than he expected the day he cast his hat into the ring is not likely to temper the mantra.

 

It appears that we're in that once per generation period when all the cards are lined up to steer the country quite a bit to the left. Don't know if he'll pull it off, and I hope he doesn't because I expect it will set us up for far greater problems down the road than if we were to follow a more fiscally responsible path, but he does seem to be going for it.

 

If you are talking about "government playing a more predominant role in our everyday lives" as stuff like Universal Health Care, and education reform and green energy to change the way the country uses oil, then sure, he is and was without question always for stuff like that. If you are talking about the government playing a more dominant role as taking over corporations like banks and car companies so it can run them in their own image as if that was the plan, that is lunatic fringe talk.

 

I do agree with much of what you said in your post though. I do think because of all the crises, they are going much further than they originally planned, but that is simply because what they got was such a mess that a quick fix wasn't going to fix, it was just going to be a band-aid. They VERY likely wouldn't have done a tiny thing about credit card companies but once that became a huge problem, that is when the overhaul thinking comes in, not before.

[Taro T]

If you are talking about "government playing a more predominant role in our everyday lives" as stuff like Universal Health Care, and education reform and green energy to change the way the country uses oil, then sure, he is and was without question always for stuff like that. If you are talking about the government playing a more dominant role as taking over corporations like banks and car companies so it can run them in their own image as if that was the plan, that is lunatic fringe talk.

 

I do agree with much of what you said in your post though. I do think because of all the crises, they are going much further than they originally planned, but that is simply because what they got was such a mess that a quick fix wasn't going to fix, it was just going to be a band-aid. They VERY likely wouldn't have done a tiny thing about credit card companies but once that became a huge problem, that is when the overhaul thinking comes in, not before.

Whether he was going to try to increase govt's role in health care and the other issues you mention was never up for debate. (The merits of increasing govt's role are debatable, but that's for another thread.)

 

I don't think he ever expected to be able to nationalize the auto or financial industries (or, for that matter any other industries, with the possible exception of airlines). To suggest otherwise is getting into OM territory. But he could significantly increase the government's role in how they are run w/out being in charge outright. I think that is something that he would have been pushing for even if the economy was running smoothly. (Had it been running smoothly, he would have had a much more difficult time to pursue "change" and would have come away with far fewer "reforms" but he would have been looking for change none the less.)

 

You and I disagree about the credit card companies. I think he would have been pushing for "reforms" to help the "struggling" borrowers which would have severe unintended consequences much like the bill he just signed.

[erynthered]

I don't need the government to save my ass. .

 

 

Yup. Why the hell do I need someone else to save my ass.

 

Why is it that You and I only see it this way............at least here anyway............

[Gene Frenkle]

Yup. Why the hell do I need someone else to save my ass.

 

Why is it that You and I only see it this way............at least here anyway............

Maybe it comes back to the people who do need the government to save their ass. In terms you can relate to, WWJD? Would he make sure the poor, sick and needy were taken care of or would he take his ball and go home like a bratty little kid? I guess ya'll are at least separating your religion and politics. Social liberalism is not an evil concept - quite the opposite. It's kind of ironic that the hedonist lefties are the ones leading the charge for this sort of thing.

[Gene Frenkle]

Yup. Why the hell do I need someone else to save my ass.

 

Why is it that You and I only see it this way............at least here anyway............

Maybe it comes back to the people who do need the government to save their ass. In terms you can understand, WWJD? Would he make sure the poor, sick and needy were taken care of or would he take his ball and go home like a bratty little kid? I guess ya'll are at least separating your religion and politics. Social liberalism is not an evil concept - quite the opposite. It's kind of ironic that the hedonist lefties are the ones leading the charge for this sort of thing.

 

You're not going to heaven with this kind of attitude.

[IDBillzFan]

So you don't have any money invested in stocks or bonds or anything? What about money in the bank, if the banks went down.. you still ok?

Did the government save your ass when your 401K shot its wad last year? No. You know who saved my ass? My financial adviser, who told me -- a year ago January -- to pull and and sit on the sidelines because he didn't like what he saw coming. Was I taking a chance? Sure. But I trusted him. He took care of me. I lost nothing while everyone around me took it in the ass. He gets a bonus. How'd that whole government saving your ass thing work out for you? Exactly.

 

And for the record, if all of my money in stocks and investments sschiit the bed because banks went under, guess whose fault that is? Mine. For being a dumbass for leaving it there.

 

You have no idea how that line of reasoning works, which is why you count on the government to save your ass, and the government is the last person I need saving my ass. If the government wants to save my ass, build up your defenses, arm your asses to the earlobes and fubar anyone who tries to do our country harm. Otherwise, stay the !@#$ out of my life. I'll win or lose on my own, thank you.

 

Maybe it comes back to the people who do need the government to save their ass. In terms you can understand, WWJD? Would he make sure the poor, sick and needy were taken care of or would he take his ball and go home like a bratty little kid? I guess ya'll are at least separating your religion and politics. Social liberalism is not an evil concept - quite the opposite. It's kind of ironic that the hedonist lefties are the ones leading the charge for this sort of thing.

 

You're not going to heaven with this kind of attitude.

To paraphrase Dennis Miller, I'm always willing to help the helpless. I just don't want to be made to help the clueless.

[drnykterstein]

You have no idea how that line of reasoning works, which is why you count on the government to save your ass

 

FWIW I've never taken a dime of government money in my life. My 401k and savings are fine. You probably depend on the government more than me. Still doesn't mean I was interested in seeing most of the banks in this country go to hell. What do you think would happen if that did happen? We'd be fine? Or is it mass chaos? Does the grocer that sells me food stay open?

[Alaska Darin]

Maybe it comes back to the people who do need the government to save their ass. In terms you can relate to, WWJD? Would he make sure the poor, sick and needy were taken care of or would he take his ball and go home like a bratty little kid? I guess ya'll are at least separating your religion and politics. Social liberalism is not an evil concept - quite the opposite. It's kind of ironic that the hedonist lefties are the ones leading the charge for this sort of thing.