“I just hope the turnout of parties is more on the even side.”

Thanks, Sue. I hope so too. Unfortunately, for all the Republican scandals, blunders and BS that’s floated to the surface of late (to make a Democrat hopeful) I’m still not optimistic. 

Regardless of the turnout, it all boils down to whether or not the American people and the media will once again quietly accept the results of rigged elections on November 8.

To Janie’s post.

Hooray for you! I notice there are a few people that like to hold “knowledge” wars with these posts. I don’t need to hear all that mumbo jumbo to know what you are saying is true.
My husband and I are in the unfortunate “middle- class: category of citizens and we didn’t receive any memorable tax breaks either.
As for as the economy being good, it is if you’re rich. Oil compainies boasting record profit years. Stock market surges. (friends of George Bush, and good things do tend to happen a little more quickly than ususal when an important election comes up.) I’m sure we’ll see more before Nov. 7th. I just hope the turnout of parties is more on the even side. Too much one sided party lines is not a good thing for anybody.

Maybe it’s too late to post this but if not, this is for John Keating and Tim:

I don’t profess to understand how this economy works, I just know simple truths that you both seem to ignore.

The disparity between how this government treats the exceedingly rich vs. the rest of us is what’s at issue here.

I’ve no doubt that as you say “EVERYONE got tax cuts - not just the rich”.  What you don’t seem to ‘get’ is that the billions in tax cuts they’ve received in the past six years translate to mega-profits for the filthy rich and nickels and dimes to the majority of Americans.

For the average American, if we see the effects of Bush’s tax cuts at all, it might mean a few hundred bucks in our pockets. Or to put it another way, tax cuts for one of Bush’s friends might equal a new luxury car, a second, third or fourth home, a private jet, or the yearly salaries for their maids, drivers, nannies, etc.  Tax cuts for the rest of us might mean a dinner out or two and some groceries.

It’s obscene how the wealthiest in this country are made even wealthier while so many are without health care, without jobs, without financial security. I could probably live for a few years on the money that just one of Bush’s buds saved in tax cuts this year alone.

People like you are sad, ignorant fools who can’t even see how you’re being played by these sick bastards. Bush arrogantly describes his base as “the haves” (multi-millionaires) “the have mores” (mega-billionaires) and he’s recently added “the nuts” (the evangelicals). He’s openly contemptuous of the people that are dumb enough to support him, and that includes you both.

Oops sorry for the double post mess. Some sort of malfunction somewhere...maybe me <shrug>.

B

May 2003....CNN Money.....Feb, MARCH, April..523,000 jobs lost. Workweek from 34.3 hours to 34 hours...Loss of one tenth has economic impact of losing 200,000 jobs.
Year to Year net change in private payrolls has been negative for 22 straight months, extending the longest stretch of labor market pain since 1944-46. Private, non-farm payrolls are now 2.6 million jobs lower than they were in march 2001 WHEN A RECESSION BEGAN.
BUT ON WALL STREET THE REPORT DID NOT HURT STOCK PRICES.
MAY 2006....FINANCIAL TIMES....wages up by 3.8%.
Slow employment growth of 138000.
Economists said Fed expected to raise rates for the 16th consecutive time to 5% at meeting in May.
MSN MONEY...OCT 2006....
Author Robert Campbell writes: “I always figured the deflation of the housing bubble would resemble a slow train wreck, but there is new evidence that makes me think the correction may occur more rapidly. This is because there is compelling evidence that a recession is dead ahead. … Now that housing prices are going sideways to down—and incomes and jobs are still sagging—this ‘debt-fueled’ artificial-life-support system for continued consumer spending (and an expanding U.S. economy) is running out of gas.

“In the long run, housing prices cannot continue compounding faster than incomes. We are now facing this economic reality. People cannot continue buying homes with creative, voodoo mortgage-loan financing—that, in the end—they can’t afford. I don’t know who has been more irresponsible, real estate agents, mortgage lenders, borrowers, or banking regulators—but I do know that the lending standards for mortgage borrowing have dropped to a zero setting for the past five years. If people weren’t in prison or earned more than the minimum wage, money essentially was free to all—whether they could ever hope to pay it back or not.”
FOX NEWS...In the three months through September, the world’s biggest economy posted its worst performance since the first quarter of 2003, due above all to the end of a long boom in the US housing market.

Falling household investments slashed 1.12 points off gross domestic product (GDP) in the third quarter, the department said.

INVESTORS VIEW MAG 2005...The United States has the largest budget, trade, and current account deficits in its history. Historically other nation’s have experienced some sort of currency crisis once their current account deficit passes 5% of GDP. The United States surpassed this level almost a year ago.
NATIONAL DEBT CLOCK.....AS OF TODAY....
$8,559,369,145,815.00
300,080,812 PEOPLE
$28,523.55 PER PERSON
THE NATIONAL DEBT HAS INCREASED AN AVERAGE OF $1.60 BILLION PER DAY SINCE SEPT 30, 2005
YAHOO ANSWERS SAYS ,NO TAX REVENUES HAVE NOT GONE UP SINCE THE 2000 TAX CUT.

JOHN AND TIM....THESE ARE NOT MY VIEWS....I DO NOT COMPLETELY UNDERSTAND ALL THE NUMBER GAMES PLAYED BY THE DIFFERENT AGENCIES, INSTITUTES, ETC., BUT THE FINANCIAL REPORTERS USUALLY COME PRETTY CLOSE TO THE REAL STORY....AND IT DOES NOT LOOK ROSY FOR THE WORKING STIFF..

This post is in response to ...

Comment #33566 by John Keating on 10/25 at 5:02 pm

“The proof that tax cuts worked is very simple: govt. tax have INCREASED since the cuts.  And that’s why the deficit has gone down.

Again - the tax rebates received were proportional to the taxes paid by that individual.  This is the only fair way to do it and it’s how our tax system works.  Most low income people pay NO taxes - and in fact receive money back from the govt. anyway. “

Ok let’s start with the first bit. I assume by govt. taxes you mean Revenue. I also assume that by increase you mean we have more tax revenue than before the tax cuts. I further assume that by “deficit has gone down” you mean that our deficit has shrunken since the tax cuts.

Here’s a site for ya…

http://www.cbo.gov/budget/historical.pdf

Can’t get a much more official source than the Congressional Budget Office. So lets take a look at what they have to say. First off revenue is measured in two ways. One is in dollars (unadjusted) the other is in percentage of GDP.

Year Revenue (in Billions) % Of GDP
2000 2,025.5 20.9
2001 1,991.4 19.8
2002 1,853.4 17.9
2003 1,782.5 16.5
2004 1,880.3 16.3
2005 2,153.9 17.5

So, as you can see, ONLY spin can make it appear that our tax revenues have grown. Also, the enormous amount of government spending (military expenditure for example) artificially increases the tax revenues with deficit spending.

Speaking of Deficits…

Year On Budget (Departure from) % of GDP
2000 86.4 B 0.9
2001 -32.4 B -0.3
2002 -317.4 B -3.1
2003 -538.4 B -5.0
2004 -568.0 B -4.9
2005 -493.6 B -4.0

So, as you can see, we went from a Budget Surplus of 86.4 B to a deficit of -493.6 B. No amount of spin can make it appear our deficits are now smaller.

Now lets move on to “Proportionality” and “Taxes”. I agree in proportionality in taxes. Those who use the most public goods should pay the most in taxes. This is NOT how it works here in the U.S.

“A little bit of research will go a long way ...”

On this I TOTALLY agree.

B

http://b-political.blogspot.com/

Excellent job, Mr Keating. It’s too bad the only koolaid being drunk is around here. This was literally my first time here (reading the Tillman’s brother story), thinking I’d find a nice, balanced place to research and debate issues. TruthDig? Farcical.

John, you articulated very clearly your views and the facts to back them up, but you can tell that the ears here are quite deaf (and “mad"). To all those who took shots at John here, please take a debate class some time and then come back. Then maybe you can engage in some healthy debate (that this country sorely misses, I might add). Watch the first couple of seasons of West Wing to see what I’m talking about. I may disagree with Sorkin on most issues, but at least he wrote intelligently about both sides of the issues and occasionally had Reps and Dems hash things out like civilized humans.

You all enjoy your “truthdig” flavor of kool-aid. I’ll look elsewhere for constructive conversation.

tim

In response to…

Comment #33566 by John Keating on 10/25 at 5:02 pm

“The proof that tax cuts worked is very simple: govt. tax have INCREASED since the cuts.  And that’s why the deficit has gone down.

Again - the tax rebates received were proportional to the taxes paid by that individual.  This is the only fair way to do it and it’s how our tax system works.  Most low income people pay NO taxes - and in fact receive money back from the govt. anyway.”

Let’s start with the first bit. First lets define some things. By govt. tax I assume your refering to Tax Revenue. By increased I assume you mean higher revenues than before the cuts. By “deficit has gone down.” I assume you mean it is LOWER than before the tax cuts.

Definitions out of the way let’s go to facts.
Try this site.

http://www.cbo.gov

Can’t get it more from the horses mouth.

Now as to revenues....there are two main measures. The first is straight (unadjusted) dollars. The second is as a percentage of GDP.

Year Revenue In Billions Percentage of GDP
2000 2,025.5 20.9
2001 1,991.4 19.8
2002 1,853.4 17.9
2003 1,782.5 16.5
2004 1,880.3 16.3
2005 2,153.9 17.5

So as this clearly shows ONLY by spin can we say revenues have grown since the tax cuts began. If the #s were adjusted for inflation there would be NO claim to growth here. Also, Enormous government spending skews these data by artificially inflating the economy (war spending for example).

Now to the deficit going down. Same measures (unadjusted dollars and percentage of gdp), same source (CBO). [+ numbers are budget surpluses, - numbers are deficits]

Year On Budget (Departure From) % GDP
2000 86.4B 0.9
2001 -32.4B -0.3
2002 -317.4B -3.1
2003 -538.4B -5.0
2004 -568.0B -4.9
2005 -493.6B -4.0

So we went from 86.4 B in surplus to 493.6 B in deficit. Needless to say the deficit has NOT gone down.

“A little bit of research will go a long ...”

I agree TOTALLY.

B
http://b-political.blogspot.com/

I have been telling this for some years now but it falls on pluged (not honestly deaf) ears.  I have tried to tell the folks in my comnunity that although they may think they are part of the club they arent anywhere near rich enough to truly be a member. Can anyone tell me what the income range for the “Richest of the Rich” actually is?

I am still waiting for one dummycrat to call him on cutting the deficit in half when in fact he is going to CREATE NEW deficits at half that he has been doing if he is lucky

Mad as Hell - with that screen name, I’m not surprised that your anger is your defining characteristic.  But it’s clouded your memory and reasoning.

Few thinking people attribute the bursting of the internet economy bubble to Bush - especially since the recession began before he even took office and the majority of job losses happened before Bush fiscal policy and tax code even took affect in Q4 of 2001.  But your bias is either unaware of that, or chooses to ignore it.

The proof that tax cuts worked is very simple: govt. tax have INCREASED since the cuts.  And that’s why the deficit has gone down.

Again - the tax rebates received were proportional to the taxes paid by that individual.  This is the only fair way to do it and it’s how our tax system works.  Most low income people pay NO taxes - and in fact receive money back from the govt. anyway.

You’re confused about interest rates: the Fed has not been “raising them for years”.  The first increase in rates happened in 2004 after a string of rate decreases.  They’ve modestly increased rates recently, precisely because the economy has been so good.  Through most of the 90’s, rates were at least 2-4 points higher than they are now.

As to realestate, most economists believe we’ve already bottomed out.  Just today, the data released shows a DECREASE in the inventory of unsold homes.  If ever there was a soft landing in realestate, this is it.

No matter how you want to portray it, inflation around 3% is historically low and has been for some time.  In Sept., it was just over 2%.  I’m afraid the figures just don’t support your claim.

You’ve betrayed your conspiracy card with the claim that the recent decrease in oil prices is tied to elections, since the President doesn’t set oil prices.  So I’m not inclined to spend too much more time on rebutting you.  But the idea that an increase in business startups is attributed to corporate layoffs is just preposterous; corporate payrolls are at all time highs, reflected by the low unemployment rate.  You’re just not making any sense.

There’s little point in my responding to your future posts given how fictional your last one was so please count me out of this discussion now.  But I welcome responses from level-headed thinkers to this, or my first post.  A little bit of research will go a long way towards debunking the myths articulated in Molly’s article.

Well we got what we or everybody else but the smart ones voted for. No child of a millionaire left behind but for the rest of us no child left a dime. Plenty of money for war, torture and halliburton but none for the poor or health care or education. I guess in George Bush we got what we deserved. While in Iraq we are reaping what we
have sowed.

If Republicans go to Heaven, send me to Hell.
There is no way in Heaven I’d want to spend eternity with such sorry assed liars, corrupt bastards, and religious neo Christians.
A good Christian can not be a Republican, because the Christian believes are totally opposite of what drives a Republican.
There are no normal thinking Republican, they are driven by ignorance and greed. They preach nothing but hate,and can’t be trusted.
Now the reason Bush went to Iraq was to steal the oil. In doing so, he destroyed the lives of 23 million people, 80 thousand of them Christians.
This election is about good verses evil, the evil sits in the Whitehouse schemeing to desroy the Bill of Rights, rewrite the constitution, and ienslave the American society.
The reason Bush didn’t go to Iraq to build a Democracy, is because he has no idea what a Democracy or our society is about.
He’s an idiot.

Another thing we need to force the Dems to reverse are ALL OF THE WELFARE PROGRAMS FOR THESE CORPORATIONS WHO ARE NOT PEOPLE.

There are a lot of people on the fringes who are unable to understand what it means to be a liberal. They are so threatened by those of us who hope to see that we become a better nation that they cannot even say the word. Instead of liberals we are “libs.” When I repeat the pledge to the flag a proudly declare that I our nation stands for “liberty and justice for all.”

Someone posted the thought that there are people who pay no taxes at all. Oh? then they must not buy clothing or groceries in many states nor do they own property. How do they escape gas taxes, real estate taxes, sales taxes etc.?

IF WE REMEMBER THAT THESE ARE INCIDENTAL DETAILS TO THE IMPLEMENTATION OF A PLAN MADE 60 YEARS AGO AND RENEWED WITH A MORE IN-YOUR-FACE ATTITUDE BY THE PRESENT GANG, THEN WE CAN WORK ON REVERSING THE CHANGES MADE IN THE LAST 60 YEARS TO MAKE IT POSSIBLE. READ PNAC FOLKS!
1...Get rid of the present crime family, and force the Dems to change the worst of their depredations, like patroit and torture.
2...Remove the enabling act of corporations. They are not people.
3...Stop funding for most of the military, especially the Star Wars bullshit.
4...Reverse NAFTA, GHAT, and put the IMF and World Bank out of business.
5...Forget all these phony wars and trumped up reasons for war and start building a decent place for our children to raise their children....if we have not left it too late.

Steve Jeffries.33074..GET BACK UNDER YOUR ROCK
Steve.32986..Please compare a blow job and upwards toward 1,000,000 dead.
Steve.32908..Repeat after me, POPULATION EXPLOSION,BIOCAPACITY,300,000,000! keep it in your pants!
Mad-As-Hell..HEAR, HEAR, PAY ATTENTION, FOLKS.
Scott Lewis..What vigorish do you suppose China will demand when we default...as we will?

I truly believe in the saying that “Money is the root of all evil”. I wonder how many politicians, (both democrat and republican) would be so interested in their jobs if say their salaries were to be cut in half, that they couldn’t directly benefit from lobbyists trying to buy them for a vote in their direction. Take away their luxurious living and truly make them work for us the AMERICAN people as they try and make us believe they will if we’ll only please, please vote for them?
I personally get sick of election time. All of a sudden things start happening very quickly for us which any other time takes months, even years to get accomplished just because they want our vote. I hate beggers. And most of the corruption going on with politicians, sports figures, high class corporate executives all fit into the “money is the root of all evil” category.
Money and power is why most of these people want in. Why not? Who wouldn’t want that kind of piece of the pie? It just makes it hard for the minority HONEST people try and make their case. I’m just a downtrodden middle class american trying to make ends meet. Trying to convince myself that voting on Nov. 7th will truly make a difference.  Unfortunately for me, being middle class, I’m STUCK in the middle and I don’t see anything too positive happening for me in a republican world. We do need CHANGE. In more ways than one.

Bush thought again.......
Less benefits for YOU, sorry but my wealthy INSURANCE friends need the money to pay for my elections and the k - street lobby boys so i get what I need from a republican congress.
a.k.a jessie james

psssssssssss..only 20 percent increase a year for every year since 2000.
----------------------------------------------

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20061025/ap_on_bi_ge/health _confidence

Americans upset with rising health costs

By EILEEN ALT POWELL, AP Business Writer
NEW YORK - A growing number of Americans are upset with rising health care costs and say that covering medical bills is reducing their ability to save.

The 2006 health confidence survey released Wednesday by the nonprofit Employee Benefit Research Institute in Washington, D.C., found that fewer than two in 10 Americans are satisfied with the cost of health insurance and with costs not covered by insurance. More than half are “not too satisfied” or “not at all satisfied.”

As a result, six in 10 rate the nation’s health care system as “fair” or “poor.”

“There’s no change in satisfaction with the quality of care,” said Paul Fronstin, direct of health research at EBRI and co-author of the study. “It is the cost that is driving dissatisfaction with the whole system.”

Fronstin noted that recent studies have found the increase in health care costs slowing. The Kaiser Family Foundation reported last month that health insurance premiums rose this year by the smallest amount since 1999.

“But the 7.7 percent increase is still double the rate of increase of workers’ earnings and double the rate of inflation,” Fronstin said. “And people are paying more.”

The Kaiser study estimated that the health insurance bill for the average family was nearly $11,500 a year; the cost for individuals was about $4,200 a year.

Respondents to the ninth annual EBRI survey also said that paying more for health insurance — and more for health costs not covered by insurance — meant they had less to save.

More than 36 percent said they had to reduce contributions to their retirement savings plans, up from 26 percent a year ago. At the same time, some 53 percent said they had to cut contributions to other savings accounts, up from 45 percent, and 28 percent said they had difficulty covering basic expenses, up from 24 percent.

“Due to rising costs, Americans are falling behind in savings and struggling to handle even basic expenses, which over time has had a significant impact on their confidence in the health care system,” said Jerry Ripperger, director of consumer health for the Principal Financial Group, which was an underwriter of the study.

Americans also have changed their behavior — seeking out generic drugs, trying to take better care of themselves and talking to their doctors more carefully about treatment options, the study found.

And probably because they’re aware of the high cost of health care, most workers value their company-sponsored health plans, the survey found. Three-quarters of those with work-based health benefits said they would opt for $6,700 in health coverage before they’d take an additional $6,700 in taxable income.

The phone survey of 1,000 adults was conducted by EBRI and Mathew Greenwald & Associates Inc., a Washington, D.C.-based market research firm. The margin of error was plus or minus 3 percentage points.

___

I hate to take you back to elementary accounting, but here we go.  The Bush administration changed the rules when they took over.  The US government no longer uses the standard accrual method to balance the books.  It switched to the more favorable (and completely innacurate) cash-based method.  The problem is that cash accounting does not account for future expenses.  So all the expenses that have been deferred are ignored.  It’s like buying something on credit and then pretending that the future payment of the note does not exist.  I tried doing that when I was in college and let me tell you “It does not work!” I’ll call my pop to see if he can bail the country out, but I think it’s a long shot.  Plus the vigorish he charges is substantial.

Steve................ litle secret okay but don’t tell other DUMB republicans:

Condi & Bush are the Katrina to 911 attacks!

Condi was out buying her 750.00 shoes in NY, NY in an upscale shoe store. Meanwhile, the JUlY 2001 memo terrorist alert died in her shopping cart. Sorry Americans you aren’t important enough compared to my shoes!
Great JOB!

Bush was out bike riding through the shrubs and “playing President” on his Texas Crawford Ranch. He did get the all important August 2001 memo noting of the pending attacks by planes. However, sorry America you aren’t important while I’m on vacation for 3 weeks at a time. I have more important things to do that think about running a country; my exercise program didn’t YOU know!
Great JOB!

Poof then 911 happens all do to George Bush NOT doing his JOB!  And wow even just a few minutes ago he just stated he WILL BE HELD ACCOUNTABLE!  In most corporations they would have been FIRED! Just like after the bankruptcy of Enron! I like that idea! <smile>

I now understand there is a terrorist training Camp inside Iraq. Those “want to bees” use same and leave. Where do YOU think they are going so well trained now? A little clue for YOU. Look across the pond at the attacks that have happened in the last 4 years. All coming to a theater near you. And we the dumb americans are paying to train them. Well don’t be surprised if we see NEW neighbors and really don’t know who they are. We have done such a great management job in Iraq equal to that of Katrina.

If and when they show up I’ll reference them to all the RED VOTERS homes not me I’m a democrat!  Those republicans caused the terrorists to grow inside Iraq!

You stated and I quote:
“Why don’t you just admit the fact that you and the other libs want to open this country to more harm. “

Have a lovely day Steve,...........gone shopping!, <smile>

Americans are concerned about job security more than ever before, they go along with the “trickle down” concept because they can’t afford to upset what security they have, what their employers have to maintain the status quo.  I think that is the fact of the matter.  If workers were to get more security it would be to reduce the competition for labor:  get off the swan song of why millions of illegal immigrants need our jobs (and it’s a myth that that is confined to agriculture), take a good look at birth control as the US population has grown 50 % in less than 40 years, and think of ways to encourage more US manufacturing with added tax to corporations that move jobs overseas. The rich don’t need cheaper yachts but if 10 % of their gain goes back into expanded business, workers know that in a small way that helps them, sad but true.

#33239 - Not Shirley

John Conyers?  You can’t be serious.  The Downing Street Minutes have not been recongized by anyone as being an authentic piece of information.  Even the 9/11 Commission would not admit its information.  Good grief!

Why don’t you just admit the fact that you and the other libs want to open this country to more harm.  The foreign policy of the previous administration FAILED.  We underwent 8 direct assaults from terrorism under Clinton and nothing was done in response to it.  Since 9/11, this counrty has not seen a successful attack.  That’s a pretty good track record, don’t you think?

I never liked Clinton and thought he was a Republocrat. Even though he garnered a lot of sympathy from me over blowjobgate his signing NAFTA was a kick in the gut and a betrayal of all the workers who have long supported the Democratic Party.

I have a college degree and have worked in a Public Library for ten years. I earn $9.57 an hour and have no insurance though my employer contributes $1,600.00 a year to a 12k Medical Account. My husband lost his job of 20 years in August. Two women I work for have husbands who are unemployed. One worked for Otis elevator until they moved to Mexico and the other worked at GE before they moved to Mexico. The economy in the Mdwest is horriffic and none of George W. Bush or his supporters mealy mouthed “we can create our oun reality” the economy is great spin can negate our lived reality here. Hearing how great the economy supposedly is just pisses us off and is one of the reasons that Indiana for Christ’s sake is trending blue this election cycle.

“If you look at the general, overall situation, they’re doing remarkably well.”

Of course they are. What people fail to get is that from the standpoint of the Bush Republicans, everything IS going just as planned.

They’ve got more power than any other American administration in history and their corporate friends are making a fortune, some of which kicks back into their own pockets.

One example: The Halliburton-no-bid-contract machine that our Vice President is still connected to in a big, conflict-of-interest way. (Much like the American voting machine manufacturers who are Republican-sponsored, funded and owned in a big, conflict-of-interest way.)

As long as we “stay the course” in Iraq, Halliburton makes how many millions of dollars per second? Do the math.

It’s not about the American people, democracy in Iraq or their color-coded war on terror. It’s about the most obscene, immoral, money-grubbing war profiteering this world has ever seen.

“EVERYONE got tax cuts - not just the rich.  Perhaps the idea of proportionality is foreign to you, but that’s the way the tax system works.  And contrary to your claim, the poor are paying less in taxes than ever before in history.  More low income people pay NO TAXES AT ALL than ever before, and many more get additional money back from the govt on top of that.

Also contrary to your quoted claim, preserving these tax cuts has, and will continue to LOWER the deficit.  Why?  Because govt. tax receipts have INCREASED due to the tax cuts.  It’s why the deficit has decreased, despite two wars, 9/11, a recession, and corporate scandals.  It’s why many states are now looking at surpluses.

The President has every right to talk up the economy; 4.6% unemployment, highest home ownership on record, record stock markets (though contrary to your claim, the NASDAQ is far from a record), low interest rates, low inflation, GDP that won’t stop growing, and a national debt that is not even historically high as a percentage of GDP (which is how it’s measured).  And as to wages; guess what?  The President doesn’t set wages.”

JK: When you drank the koolaid, was it tasty?

Please TELL ME how turning a SURPLUS into a DEFICIT to the tune of a loss of 3/4 of a trillion dollars and them reducing that deficit “proves” the tax cuts worked? The Tax cuts are what TURNED a half-trillion dollar surplus into a quarter trillion dollar deficit. Only someone totally delusional or deliberately misleading would say otherwise.

The lion’s share of this money went to the wealthiest 1% of the population--most ordinary folks saw a couple of hundred dollars at most.  Proportional taxation is fair because the wealthiest CONSUME the most of public goods. You think Wal-Mart doesn’t get a HUGE benefit from the roads you and I pay for that their trucks run on? Roads, police, fire, garbage, mail, water purification, etc. are ALL huge benefits that large corporations and the wealthy get from the taxpayer. Then there’s the protection the military gives them overseas--priceless, and we pay for it. They GET the most, that’s why they should pay the most.  Put the Koolaid down and find out how much they pay in taxes VERSUS what percentage of the income they make and what percentage of the national wealth they hold.  You’ll find that the wealthiest are paying far, far less than their fair share for what they get.

Talk up the economy? Only a short-term memory koolaid drinker or a liar would say that.  Jobs creation under Bush has been terrible. The WORST quarter of jobs creation under Bill Clinton was better than the BEST quarter of jobs creation under Bush.  Look it up!

More importantly, look where the economy is up, and where it isn’t.  Not one ordinary middle-class person is better off than they were.  If the Repugs were to ask the Ronald Reagan question in the next two weeks “Are you better off now than you were 6 (or 4 or 2) years ago?” then the House AND the Senate would end up with 67% Democratic majorities. 

Low interest rates? Are YOU INSANE???? The Fed has been raising interest rates for years to try to prevent inflation from taking off. Today a 6% fixed rate mortgage is a blessing--we re-fi’ed a a few years ago to get down to 4%.  Can’t get that now, no way!  “Down” means lower than before, not higher.  It doesn’t mean “Down” since the last quarter, but it can mean “down” in the last year--which it isn’t. Or down since Mad King George stole his way into office--it sure as HELL isn’t “down” since then!

What does this mean for home ownership, which you tout? It means the boom is over. It’s over and the bubble has already burst--just the MSM and Fox/Pravda haven’t caught on JUST how serious that is.  Prices are falling. The bubble has burst, but the effects haven’t hit.

As for inflation, maybe YOU haven’t noticed, but all the prices in all the stores are up.  Only two things are holding inflation back: The collapse of the housing boom (directly related to all those interest increases the Fed had to make) and, of course, the convenient collapse just prior to the election of oil prices. “Oh, but Bush can’t control that” Right. Sure. Drink more Koolaid.  The Bush family and the Saudi royal family are SO close that either the King or Crown Prince was considered a member of the Bush family. You don’t think they wouldn’t increase production and lower the price to help a “family member” keep power? Drink up!

Without the housing boom collapse and the artificially low oil prices, inflation would be rampant--it actually is, but the index is suppressed by those things.

Next you’ll tell us that business startups are up.  Sure they are. But that’s a bogus figure too.  Each employee that a corporation forces to become a freelance contractor (losing all benefits, btw) is considered a “business startup”.  The cleaning service that isn’t deducting taxes from its immigrant work force tells the government that each of these women are “independent businesses”.  Those business startups are a DIRECT result of people losing jobs. And, in the world of cooked statistics, once they do that startup, (whether it fails or not), they aren’t counted as unemployed.  Just like when they are out of work SO long that they lose their unemployment insurance, they are no longer counted.

So stop drinking the koolaid, JK.  And don’t expect the rest of us to drink it with you!

Every one of your facts is either false or mis-interpreted.  I know it’s really, really hard to accept, but EVERYTHING you know is wrong.

The deficit figures are a crock anyway - Iraq and Katrina are off budget.

Check the year to year growth in the total national debt - for FY2006 it was 574 Billion - not the $248 billion “deficit” figure.

09/30/2005 $7,932,709,661,723.50
09/29/2006 $8,506,973,899,215.23

http://www.publicdebt.treas.gov/cgi-bin/cgiwrap/~www/o pdpen.cgi

Given that there’s only one post that takes issue with this article, it’s clear that you’re preaching to the choir Molly.  Which is why the crap that passes for facts doesn’t get rebutted.

EVERYONE got tax cuts - not just the rich.  Perhaps the idea of proportionality is foreign to you, but that’s the way the tax system works.  And contrary to your claim, the poor are paying less in taxes than ever before in history.  More low income people pay NO TAXES AT ALL than ever before, and many more get additional money back from the govt on top of that.

Also contrary to your quoted claim, preserving these tax cuts has, and will continue to LOWER the deficit.  Why?  Because govt. tax receipts have INCREASED due to the tax cuts.  It’s why the deficit has decreased, despite two wars, 9/11, a recession, and corporate scandals.  It’s why many states are now looking at surpluses.

The President has every right to talk up the economy; 4.6% unemployment, highest home ownership on record, record stock markets (though contrary to your claim, the NASDAQ is far from a record), low interest rates, low inflation, GDP that won’t stop growing, and a national debt that is not even historically high as a percentage of GDP (which is how it’s measured).  And as to wages; guess what?  The President doesn’t set wages.

So Molly - I’d suggest you abandon op-ed’ing the economy.  You blew your facts and no one calls you on it because, frankly, they don’t know the difference.  So here they are.  You can go look them up at official sites that track these things - http://www.bls.gov, for example.  And to the choir out there: I suggest you ignore Molly when she goes ranting on economic issues.  You’ll be better informed if you go directly to the information sources and skip her poorly researched editorials.

Steve 32986 There’s plenty of evidence of lies. Start with John Conyers’ investigation of the Downing Street Minutes where it’s laid out for you. All of it has been documented. It is fact. Your President has lied to you and people are dying because of it.

Reagan/Bush senior economics was caller “trickle down.” I involved big tax cuts for the superrich and big corporations.  It did not work and almost drove the country into bankruptcy.  I for one could never tell the difference between trickle down and being peed upon.  No fun.
Can anyone tell the difference in GW’s economic policy?  Big tax cuts for the superrich and big corportions and deficits and national debt spiraling out of control.
They seem the same failed policy to me.

And then there’s Molly!

Mad King George and his band of Merrie Fascists have a plan. Sure they do.  They want to create an empire, and The New Feudalism.  They believe in Neo-Con Socialism. That’s where taxpayers’ money is given to the wealthiest to help them cement their power.

Before 9/11, Mad King George saw the Clinton half-trillion dollar surplus as a giant TROUGH to feed all the wealthiest and took it down to a 1/4 trillion defict.  Literally 3/4 of a TRILLION dollars was transferred from YOU and ME to the wealthiest top tenth of 1% of Americans.  And idiot and cowardly ball-less congress let him.

Then when things got rocky, like manna from heaven came the GOLDEN opportunity: The World Trade Center was attacked and destroyed.  He lead us into Afghanistan where the Taliban had stood side-by-side with Al Qaeda (whom Ronald Reagan and Bush 41 help build into a power) and, with 99% of Americans behind him tore the Taliban and Al Qaeda apart.  Nearly completely, but not completely.

Then their dastardly plan was dropped on us--Iraq--and you all know the lies that took us into this holocaust.  The idea was to GRAB Iraqi Oil so the wealthiest American companies would have it and get wealthier. Oops.

So as it got worse and worse, and the TRUE war on terror was moribund--so NOW Mad King George and the Merrie Fascists conned and lied their way to what they REALLY wanted--the suspension of American liberties, especially Habeas Corpus.

If the Democrats do not win either House in 2 weeks, you can bet your bottom dollar it wasn’t because they didn’t have enough votes. It will be because the votes weren’t counted.

And if that happens we will either see a return to the 60’s and demonstrations in the streets of 100s of thousands of angry Americans, who want their Democracy back.  Or we we TRULY see what Germany saw in the 30’s--the end of their Democracy.  I expect of the GOP pulls this off it will be the last two party election we will every see.  I truly expect Karl Rove to come up with a way to JUSTIFY Mad King George NOT leaving office on January 20, 2009, and not leaving office at all.

After all, Ball-less,Spine-less Congress has, with the MCA, given Mad King George and his band of Merrie Fascists the tools to cross the Rubicon, and take us from Democracy and Freedom to Empire, Tyranny, and Neo-Con Feudalism.  We will be expected to give up our sons and their lives to their wars to enrich them further.

But then there’s Molly!  Out there, telling us the truth, with a laugh and a tear.  You go, Girl!

Nice comments #33119 by JPark, but you left out a big one:

(Once again this is Duh-bya speaking:)

I proudly point out the creation of 5 (or was it 7, no matter) million new jobs over the past five years, BUT:

1) I fail to point out they are low paying ones because of illegal employers hiring slave labor illegal immigrants...and...,

2) And I definitely fail to say it takes approximately 150,000 new jobs to be created each month to allow for young people coming into the job market (not to mention jobs for the million illegal aliens that each year sneak across our borders). I don’t believe King George ever did anything other than BUY his college degrees. Otherwise he would have done the rudimentary high school multiplication of 150,000 x 12 x 5= 9,000,000 jobs + 5,000,000 immigrant jobs= 14,000,000 million jobs that needed to be created---5 to 7 million jobs is far shy of the amount of jobs that needed to be created...AND,

3) I failed to mention a good percentage of the new jobs are in the public sector, which means the American taxpayer foots the bill for their wages & superb benefits package.

It’s time to get real about questioning ANY statistic or information regarding the glowing economy this administration sends out to the public. They are masters at ‘cooking’ the books as evidenced by their Enron buddies.

They are masters of other deceptions as well. Whether you subscribe to the belief the WTC & Pentagon destruction was the result of planned demolition jobs & a cruise missle attack, or not, one financial fact is inescapable. The day before 911, Sept 10, 2001 to be exact, a report was issued showing the Pentagon couldn’t account for several TRILLION (with a ‘T’)dollars worth of material in their budget/care/area of responsibility. How convenient the events of 911 happened early the next day. What perfect timing to distract all our eyes off the ball.
Paul Magill

Steve:

You just don’t get it. You, amongst many others, are still caught up in the Bill Clinton era to distract from the truth about this President and his minions. The facts are in plain sight. If someone needs to explain them to you, there is an important job waiting for you at FEMA.

And, oh by the way, since when did Jesus become pro-war? Since when did Jesus become pro-rich?

And, for those of you who acuse the Democrats of wanting to cut and run from Iraq, look back to the Reagan era when, two months after 264 U.S. Marines were killed in their barracks, he CUT and RAN from Beirut. Did that send a message to the terroists? You bet your behind it did. So get off the Clintons and stop being so self-centered in your new found wealth.

The Bush raid on the U.S. Treasury will have nearly the same devastating affect on future generations as the Bush slaughter of Iraqis. It will also provide a footnote to Clinton that he failed to protect the sacrifrices of millions to benefit of the undeserving few.

My God!!  WHEN we can document Bush lied??  Volumes have been written on Bush’s lies.  Well-documented lies!!

How about ‘We went to war in Iraq because Saddam wouldn’t let the inspectors in,’ ‘We were never “stay the course” people, ‘Mission accomplished,’ The deficit in 2006 he said would be a surplus.  Things are going well in Iraq.  We will get bin Laden dead or alive to ‘I don’t think about him much any more.’ They were going to take care of the victims of Katrina.  The Iraq War would cost maybe $50 B., most of which would be paid in oil revenue. 
Of course Wolfowitz said that, and it was Rumsfeld who said the war might take 6 days or 6 weeks, he doubted 6 months.  Bush said he had been a good stewar of the environment, but even Republican EPA heads under other Republican presidents say that isn’t the case.  And do you really believe he can’t remember he never drilled in Alabama and was also AWOL in Texas?  Do you really believe he did not know he was engaging in insider trading in his oil company? 
Good Grief!!

Steve, when I read the words “I don’t recall” I hear it in my head and you know whose voice it is?  The worst president since the current one...Ronnie Raygun.

How Do I RAPE the America Middle Class thought George Bush.

I pretend to PUMP up the Dow while printing money and hiding the M3 figures. Humpty Dumpty sat on wall.....................

I “control” the cost of OIL with my Saud Bandits.

I pretend there are jobs, but they are waitress and service sector jobs at min. wage. No health care benefits for you.

I don’t Count those little americans that fall out of UN-employment benefits......shhhhhhh...don’t tell!

I don’t count the ones with part time employment either in the numbers.......shhhhhh don’t tell.

I don’t put FOOD and ENERGY in the CPI for inflation purposes, this way I can BACK END TAX the people.

I pretend to enforce all the sec rules, full well knowing the rich walk away with most of the holdings.  Just like my friends from ENRON!

I send out my treasury badits to say we believe in a strong dollar policy, meanwhile every other foreign nation is dumping the greenback (us dollar).  Foreign Central Bankers don’t want same in their currency reserves! Dollars falls like “timber”!

I pretend the cost of living is so low that I play in all the WARS ( I Love my War Machine)meanwhile raping the people with INFLATION of commodities (better known as a BACK END TAX). FOOD, HEALTH CARE, ENERGY.

I pretend to give the little americans a few extra dollars but I ‘ll make it up through the oil farm friends like EXXON. We need the money for our trillion dollar retirement funds. Please BUY exxon oil.

I make the tax code so confusing that the little people think they are getting a tax break, but really my tax cuts are for 250,000 and up.

I give the old folks a whooping 3.4 increase their SS benefits all the while knowing I’m raping the american public of old folks making eat SOUP w/ rice.

I make a CALL on the OLD government BONDS issued to MOM and POP 20 years ago w/ high interest rates.  In return I then give a treasury with the 2 percent interest.  I enjoy stealing from the old folks to yet reduce my deficit for my WARS!

I saturated you with DEBT and LOANS for you to keep the american economy going.  And maybe to drive you into bankruptcy. Telling you to buy and buy and buy more!

Now I place New bankruptcy law in place for us to make MORE money from YOU.

I have taken away the cheap interest rates and doubled colleges loans rates, cause I know I gotta pay for mega deficit. I have reduced all pell grants DOWN for the middle class to nada. To hell with middle america education. It is only for the super RICH KIDS that have degress from the Yale! I can even pay for my grades and NOT earn them, just like a paper from a box of Cherrios.

I pretend their are NO lay-offs in america. I ignore those facts from Challenger and Gray stats showing boatloads by HUNDRED THOUSANDS that have lost their jobs.

The only ones that get us government contracts are the ones who GAVE ME MONEY for my election to the white poof house of crooks.

I have Carlye Group IPO Armour HOldings (they make Humvees) AH.  I acquire a whooping 390 percent return on my money.  Feed that WAR machine! Meanwhile the dumb Americans are willing to pay anything for war products as long as
K-Street Republican Lobby boys win big!

I put fear in your blood about bogeyman that have since been killed LONGAOANDFARAWAY!

Thank you American Republicans for being so DUMB and NOT NOTICING that I’m raping YOU BLIND!!!!!

Cheers,
George Bush
a.k.a. Jessie James, Hilter

Comment #32986 by Steve on 10/24 at 9:40 am

“Are you forgetting who perjured himself in front of a grand jury?”

Are you forgetting who rabidly and knowingly launched rhetoric against Iraq that was false? And who not only lied to a grand jury but EVERY American AND citizen of the world?

Bill was a dolt for business like all the others. But his indiscretions are laughable literally. Bush’s can bring no laughter. Thousands of American patriots (our military men and women) dead, thousands more wounded, nearing 700,000 Iraqi people dead no telling on wounded.

Oral sex and lies compared to nearly 1 million dead and wounded achieved through lies....Hmm doesn’t take a rocket scientist.......

B

The economy has improved the lot of the investor class, but done little for working Americans. Wages have been stagnant for since Bush took office, while health care and education costs have gone through the roof and pension plans keep getting cut by corporate America. Little wonder that middle America is digging into their home equity to make ends meet.

Democrats have done little to counterbalance the pro-business Bush policies because they are scared to death of the “liberal” label they might be tagged with. Democrats need to get back to their “roots” and start fighting for the working class and the middle class again. Greenspan, Bernake, Trump, & others have warned about the United States becoming a richer version of a third world country with only two classes of people - rich and poor. That would truly be a tragedy for this country.

And I just read that Neil and Barbara of the Bush crime family are waxing fatter off NO CHILD LEFT BEHIND. THESE F______S KNOW NO SHAME.

and we are a country of idiots!!!!!

re comment #32986 by Steve:
How about last Sunday when the leader of the present administration said he had never said “stay the course”?
Oh, and “I don’t recall”, no matter how many times said, is not lying. And while I’m certain that you believe that Hillary was right there whispering words into President Clinton’s ear (maybe that’s where the present incumbent got that idea for the debates?), as far the record goes, only President Clinton testified.
I doubt this will cause you re-examine your beliefs, but one can only hope. Cheers.

I hawk vinyl bags that are bad for the enviroment & get filthy rich robbing idiots with dreams that never pan out.

Kaneh bosm, kaneh bosm, kaneh bosm!!!
Food, fuel, shelter, medicine, true spirituality. Henry Ford built and fueled a car of it. Kaneh bosm!!!

Hey, you guys are getting it.  Doesn’t matter, Republican or Democrat, they are all liars, only interested in lining their own pockets.  The rest of us be damned.  I am sick of the lot of them and finally understand why only 38% of registered voters even bother.  Doesn’t seem to make any difference.  I used to think voting was a civic duty but I am done with hearing that I should at least pick the least of two evils.  At some point, evil is evil and there is no point in voting for any evil.

Steve’s reference to Clinton is goofy. Clinton’s nonsense greatly impacted exactly one person (his wife), but it had no impact whatsoever on, e.g., my wallet or my child’s future or our nation’s future or the future of the world.

Nancy Palosi said that there would be no impeachment, if the Dems take control, from the point of the middle class, if the laws stay the way they are the rich will still get richer, I believe if the Bushies and their friends stay in power, people will work for food, kind of like the pesents of old Russia.  The bottom line, throw all of thm out of office.  Another thing these people depend on the vote from their own, and like in fla. they will do all in their power to adjust the polling place, even if they have to take away most of the polling booths where the poor and vote (make them stand in line) another thing they can do is steal the election. 

Margaret from Vancouver, Washington

I come from a political science/history background at a top university in California that I was only lucky enough to get in because of my athletic ability.  My family comes from old-school, middle class “work hard for every penny” to provide a better than average life background.  Typically my family is a Bush supporter, but I don’t follow that easily.  After studying under extremely liberal professors and being in one of the most liberal places on earth (Bay Area, CA) its hard not to absorb it all; however, I only look at the whole picture...and this one is messed up, at home and abroad.
I find (aside from the glutony, greed, and deception of our leaders) that our biggest problem is the bi-partisan non-sense that everyone seems to adhere to.  Please for the sake of this country don’t eliminate people’s opinions because they come from “the other side”, or from the red or blue states!!!
The only thing we can do is call it as we see it.  In this particular time in our lives, generation, and history, this is black and white.  We have been lied to, crushed by our own government’s complexity, and are paying the price with money we dont have, soldier’s lives, and in the wake of it all other people are dying by the thousands.  In my eyes, the lip service our government is paying is doing nothing but digger all of our own graves. 
In the face of all of this, I still feel it necessary to say that we dont need to create more divisions which have already become giant cracks in this country.  Everyone has an opinion, a passion, a love for this country, and a right to say what they feel, but in these sensitive times we most operate under the idea that WE hold the power. 
If we want to make change, we musn’t turn away our co-workers, colleagues, friends, family, strangers, etc., because they support Bush, or aren’t aware of the secrets that are designed to fool the common American in order to support illegal activities!
Inform them, give them literature, websites, prove to them why other countries think we are the enemy, because we certainly are not!  There is no more time to buy into this bi-partisan nonsense.  The only thing it does is show other countries that the “United We Stand” posters/stickers/flags on our cars, billboards, sidewalks, are nothing but a joke, and are fading away! 
Lastly, I will put into simple terms.  Why did we leave the country where our supposed target was (Afghanistan) who started this whole mess. Yes, yes, i know a lot more goes into it, and that we turned on the taliban months after we swooned them in Texas trying to buy a giant pipeline in Afghanistan through Unocal! I’m quite aware of the lead up to the war and that Afghanistan is suffering too!) I’m just saying Bin Laden was the guy, why did we leave when all we needed was a few thousand troops that we didnt send to get him, call it victory, and then go spend billions of dollars, to create a crisis we may not get out of without paying in a dear cost?! Kind of shows an agenda if you ask me!!!

Thanks for the time,

-Post grad 9-5er unhappy with the status quo

As the decider he decided to enrich his base, “THE HAVE MORES.”

It’s amazing what passes for economic journalism these days. Let’s see, what counts for evidence that “an immense shift of wealth from the poor and middle class to the very rich” has occured?

1) Some premiums for the Medicare drug benefit are possibly increasing.

2) A new bankruptcy law was put into effect, with possibly negative effects on some middle-class individuals.

Really, do people accept this drivel?

Dems have to start repeating the phrase, “Liars figure and figures lie,” every time Bush pulls his “numbers” out of his lying head.

When the Founders put together the Constitution they began it with WE THE PEOPLE and they meant it.  The Great Experiment called America would turn the power pyramid upside down - people at the top, the governing and their rich benefactors at the bottom.  It was a radical move, maybe never tried before. Never before perhaps had a government existed for the good of the people rather than the people for the good of the government and the few rich.

If Mr. Bush and his criminal cohorts remain in office for two more years, chances are the pyramid will once again look like the Egyptian model.

“OUT OF MY CLASS”
Or, an Unclassy Undeclared War Fought Against the Middle and Lower Classes

The Prez sayz that the economy is doing super.  For once, he’s right in a way, assuming that is, if you happen to view it from the perspective of the already super rich.  The economy is now almost fully re-tooled for the exclusive purpose of transferring any wealth created by the productivity of the lower and middle classes into the coupon clippers and the indolent offspring of the extravagantly wealthy class; i.e. the top 1% controlling 90% of everything.

It has been a multi-front assault involving every tactic and strategy imaginable from the indirect (shifting expenses to the workers such as health care and day care) to the direct (outright transfer of the treasury to the super rich bank accounts in the form of tax cuts and direct subsidies).

While management demands for ever greater productivity have soared, wages have either declined or been essentially frozen in terms of the consumer price index (unless you are a Congressman) for years.  That is assuming you have a job.  The formerly well paying ones are constantly being shipped elsewhere to any country willing to have child labor and/or practically slave labor and/or willing to ignore whatever human rights or environmental protections standards might exist.  The bottom line unfortunately is truly becoming the very bottom line.  In other words, more profits for those who already have more than they can spend.  It was recently announced for example there is becoming a shortage of docking spaces large enough for the new mega sized yachts.

Sadly, the only groups capable of protecting the workers such as unions or regulatory agencies have been attacked, legislated against, under staffed, defunded or simply re-prioritized with corporate friendly directors and commissioners controlling the decision making.  Diligent defenders of the workers have been fired, retired or expired with Republicans controlling the purse strings, appointments and agendas.  IRS audit resources for instance have been shifted to search for the hundred dollar welfare cheaters while some CEOs steal more money every year than every welfare cheat who ever existed managed combined. 

The warfare by the upper class against everyone else has even involved changing the very language of the debate itself as for example the estate tax now referred to as death taxes.  What is fascinating is that the lower and middle classes who would never have paid such taxes themselves end up contributing to the lifestyles of the Paris Hiltons would find it a visual joke to even be in the same room with common people.

Workers, whether blue or white collar, have been willing to put up with such things on the hope or assumption that they too could someday enter higher classes.  The super rich however have been rigorously closing the doors.  Colleges and educations, particularly the “good ol’ boy network schools that are critical to that process, have been functionally barred by either preemption of all spaces to “legacies,” in other words the children of the already rich, or lack of scholarship and other financial aid, not to mention the destruction of the public education system in the lower grades.  It is now a stigma to come from public schools creating further barriers to egalitarianism.

The same could be said of the clubs and jobs that support the same exclusionary system.  Soak the lower and middle classes in debt, eliminate protections like bankruptcy and make savings worthless, plus drive up prices of everything.  The middle class is disappearing.  Their children certainly won’t belong.

Granted, the entrenched Democrat leadership in Congress has done little to prevent it, but when voting, remember it is the Republicans who have sponsored it all and continue the attacks and dirty tricks in their undeclared class war.  What is especially ironic is that Republicans have the nerve to allege others are indulging in “class warfare” whenever anyone points out the obvious fact that it has long been underway and they’re winning.

More at resistence-is-possible.blogspot.com

#32933 - Shirley

You stated the Republicans are, “bunch of lying liars with absolutely zero regard for the common american.”

Are you forgetting who perjured himself in front of a grand jury?  And who got his law license suspended?  And who used the phrase “I don’t recall” in front of a grand jury 23 times in 1998?  That’s right, Bill and Hillary.  When you can provide the documentation that Bush/Cheney lied (not just your feeling), then I will take you seriously.

Bush & CO. can say all they want that things are better with the economy, but none of my middle class friends are better off now than 6 years ago, none.  I lost my IT job to overseas labor, my 2 best friends were laid-off from high tech jobs after 16 years.  Sure, they both found jobs, like me, at 60% of our previous pay.  Unemployment numbers may look better, but most folks I know are working for less pay and for less benefits, with greater expenses on their shoulders.  Under Clinton, I had a great hightech job, great benefits, and life was good.  Since Bush and the Neocons took over, I am debt to pay for healthcare bills ($1000/mo for a family of 4 via an HMO just for premiums!), education (schools are so strapped we parents are expected to pay for supplies and activities that used to be paid from federal tax funds), can barely make ends meet, and avoid doctors visits for myself and family because we can’t afford it. 
The economy is probably better for the upper 1% who control the money and politics of this once great nation, but for most of us middle class folks, our future and our childrens future are in peril due to the huge debt being created by Bush to help the rich (tax cuts, war payments to overpaid contractors/cronies, etc..) at the expense of the working class.
No one I know that is educated and paying attention to our economy supports pay cuts for the rich.
No one I know that is educated and paying attention supports spending billions to fight a bad war as the expense of trillions of debt.
Anyone who thinks the economy is better now than with Clinton is either Rich or getting Rich from the war, or is too ignorant to see the truth and believes the lies coming from Bush and Co..

world’s gonna be a nice place when we convict all these billionaires for conspiracy to commit genocide in iraq, seize their assets and put them in jail. WE’LL HAVE our money back, to get back on track and help the neediest.
And er, um, “ Steve “, we’re glad you’re getting by, but your eff’d up sunshiny-ness is killing little brown people with false conciousness, and if you’d check down in your atrophied soul, YOU KNOW IT.

Six years ago I was working and making more than I ever have. Today I can’t find a decent job and the prospects are bleak, bleaker, bleakest. I’m eating through my savings. If W is a true republican then how does he justify his borrow and spend program? Six years ago we had paid off the national debt. Thanks to the Bush regime, we are hundreds of billions in the red - again! Can you spell Ronnie Ray-gun? BUSH - Like a Rock, Only Dumber!

Bush has funneled even more money into his retirement account with the astronomical recent oil prices. Jenna Bush, one of the First Twins who has some UNICEF “job” somewhere in Latin America, had dinner with the president of Paraguay, just to put a personal stamp on the deal where Dubya buys a huge chunk of the country which just happens to be sitting on a very large natural gas supply. It’s right next to Daddy Bush’s chunk of the country. Sun Myung Moon owns another ajacent parcel of land that’s sitting over a huge aquifer that represents a large part of the country’s fresh water supply. (Any truth in the rumor that the new Sec. General of the UN is a Moonie?)

So, when Bush finally leaves office, one way or the other, and the south becomes too dry and hot, or too lashed by storms to live in, I can see he and his friends, and probably live-in love interest Rice, heading off to Paraguay, which has no extradition treaty with the U.S., to live out the rest of their evil little lives surrounded by supporters and leaving the country to deal with the mess he’s made.

But that’s how he’s always done things, so it shouldn’t come as any great surprise.

Thanks Molly, you’re a helluva broad.
We just recently moved to eastern Washington, very conservative; and I hold you up as a model in keeping keeping my perspective in a respectful and appropriate manner. The people here are very nice, they are so nice in fact, that they believe most of what they hear from their President and His minions. They deserve respect and argument is not what’s needed. Good listening and modest response is the key; and that is what I’ve always admired about your writing. I’m sure you can get on to quite a rant among like-minded people yet you keep it together in the larger public forum. Thank you.
I almost feel sorry for The Shrub and his frat buddies because they will probably never understand that the best plan of the smartest people in the world has within it the seeds of its failure and that ultimately we all die and that we have to do alone.
In the meantime lets keep our Wits in print.