What will happen on Aug. 2, that isn't already happening now?

[ProudLefty]

...

I don't know why you keep talking to me as if I'm a Republican Congressman. I'm not even registered to vote.

You like politics, obviously. A big election is coming up. Start working on the get out the vote for someone. Its a ball. Meet like-minded people, do some good, and maybe get a free tee shirt and a meal or two.

Last night I had the good fortune to meet two governors and have a great roast beef dinner with more than a thousand people who are working hard to retire three Republican congressmen on 2012.

Who knows, maybe you will make a difference?

 

[Openmind]

You like politics, obviously. A big election is coming up. Start working on the get out the vote for someone. Its a ball. Meet like-minded people, do some good, and maybe get a free tee shirt and a meal or two.

Last night I had the good fortune to meet two governors and have a great roast beef dinner with more than a thousand people who are working hard to retire three Republican congressmen on 2012.

Who knows, maybe you will make a difference?

Don't push him! He may not be a Citizen, or he may be a felon.

Everyone can't vote!

 

[PLC1]

If a person is not even registered to vote, who cares what his political ideology might be? He has no voice anyway.

 

[Openmind]

If a person is not even registered to vote, who cares what his political ideology might be? He has no voice anyway.

I don't totally agree. . .a person can still influence A LOT of people who might vote. That person who is not able to vote may also provide a services to those who would vote, but have no means to get to the polls, or not enough motivation.

Sometime, a person doesn't have to be in the voting booth to place a vote. . .he/she can be instrumental in providing hundreds of additional vote through advocacy and community organizing.

 

[PLC1]

I don't totally agree. . .a person can still influence A LOT of people who might vote. That person who is not able to vote may also provide a services to those who would vote, but have no means to get to the polls, or not enough motivation.

Sometime, a person doesn't have to be in the voting booth to place a vote. . .he/she can be instrumental in providing hundreds of additional vote through advocacy and community organizing.

It seems highly unlikely that anyone who can't be bothered to register would do any of the above. Perhaps an immigrant who hasn't yet earned citizenship might, however.

 

[Openmind]

It seems highly unlikely that anyone who can't be bothered to register would do any of the above. Perhaps an immigrant who hasn't yet earned citizenship might, however.

Bingo! And also some people convicted of felony for a youthful mistake, and who is genuinely interested in his/her country.

I've known both cases.

 

[clarkatticus]

I am sorry, the US has run a deficit since the beginning. We look at the numbers and they scare the hell out of us, but this happens cyclically here and the same arguements ensue. We have to increase demand, like it or not this means the public perception has to be positive, they have to believe we are on the way out of this mess. Business is the same way, it looks for stability before it can plan ahead and hire, this is why the public confidence is measured regularly. When both houses yell the end of the world over and over, that is what we get. Positive attitude and leadership is called for not polarizing partisan rhetoric. I am not pollyannish, this is a realistic method to ensure positive results.

 

[ProudLefty]

Exactly. Farmers understand that eating the seed corn is fatal, killing the bull is fatal, trading the axe for cow is fatal.

We need to be careful what it is that we are bringing down on ourselves by some of these proposed suggestions.

 

[ThisTooShallPass]

I have my reasons for not registering to vote.

Suffice to say I am not convinced of my power to affect change in the political sphere. For one thing, I cannot even change the minds of a few people on an Internet forum, and I've obviously got all the right answers.

 

[PLC1]

I have my reasons for not registering to vote.

Suffice to say I am not convinced of my power to affect change in the political sphere. For one thing, I cannot even change the minds of a few people on an Internet forum, and I've obviously got all the right answers.

I've had all the right answers for years, and yet no one's minds are being changed.

Of course, the people who already agree with me, that is to say, the ones who are right, will listen.

 

[ThisTooShallPass]

I am sorry, the US has run a deficit since the beginning. We look at the numbers and they scare the hell out of us, but this happens cyclically here and the same arguements ensue. We have to increase demand, like it or not this means the public perception has to be positive, they have to believe we are on the way out of this mess. Business is the same way, it looks for stability before it can plan ahead and hire, this is why the public confidence is measured regularly. When both houses yell the end of the world over and over, that is what we get. Positive attitude and leadership is called for not polarizing partisan rhetoric. I am not pollyannish, this is a realistic method to ensure positive results.

Again, what is your plan for achieving 5% GDP growth? Literally all of our efforts to this point (trillions in bailouts, stimulus, and freshly-printed money) have produced barely 2% growth.

The capacity simply isn't there -- we blew up our economy in the name of free trade and mass immigration and covered it up with deficit spending which is shortly going to come to an end. It is time to recognize the losses and act to coordinate our economic decline now, while there's still time.

Exactly. Farmers understand that eating the seed corn is fatal, killing the bull is fatal, trading the axe for cow is fatal.

We need to be careful what it is that we are bringing down on ourselves by some of these proposed suggestions.

What we've been doing for the last several decades is eating the seed corn. All I'm saying is that we must recognize the food is nearly gone, and stop eating it before we starve.

 

[clarkatticus]

Again, what is your plan for achieving 5% GDP growth? Literally all of our efforts to this point (trillions in bailouts, stimulus, and freshly-printed money) have produced barely 2% growth.

The capacity simply isn't there -- we blew up our economy in the name of free trade and mass immigration and covered it up with deficit spending which is shortly going to come to an end. It is time to recognize the losses and act to coordinate our economic decline now, while there's still time.



What we've been doing for the last several decades is eating the seed corn. All I'm saying is that we must recognize the food is nearly gone, and stop eating it before we starve.

In this situation, the American consumer is the seed corn, not the deficit. Capitalism runs on demand. By providing infrastructure jobs, retaining government employees, loaning to small business we can start a recovery. By cutting too many programs we expand unemployment, by hoarding money in banks we deny small business the ability to grow (and hire), by continuing talking about a debt instead of jobs we creat insecurity in the business world. We need positive attitudes from our leaders not political infighting for personal gain. Without a plan to increase employment, the collapse of our economy is a foregone conclusion and all the debt in the world is meaningless. You want to adjust to a smaller economy and lowered expectations, I say that is bullsh*#, I say get our heads down and our butts up and go to work together and make it better than before. Giving up is for losers.

 

[ThisTooShallPass]

In this situation, the American consumer is the seed corn, not the deficit. Capitalism runs on demand. By providing infrastructure jobs, retaining government employees, loaning to small business we can start a recovery.

We have been trying to do just that for three years now and none of it has worked.

What you are talking about, at any rate, is not stimulating demand but simply plugging the hole in the boat with more debt. That is, it is not actually improving the economy, it is simply covering up its deficiencies. It is only feasible if you assume our credit capacity is unlimited, and as Egan-Jones has demonstrated and S&P is threatening to demonstrate, we cannot borrow forever.

By cutting too many programs we expand unemployment, by hoarding money in banks we deny small business the ability to grow (and hire), by continuing talking about a debt instead of jobs we creat insecurity in the business world. We need positive attitudes from our leaders not political infighting for personal gain. Without a plan to increase employment, the collapse of our economy is a foregone conclusion and all the debt in the world is meaningless. You want to adjust to a smaller economy and lowered expectations, I say that is bullsh*#, I say get our heads down and our butts up and go to work together and make it better than before. Giving up is for losers.

This isn't a pep rally. The money is not there and cannot be raised to keep all our current government employees employed indefinitely, much less to expand that employment to include a sizable portion of the 20 some odd million currently unemployed (which, as I indicated previously, would necessitate roughly an additional $1 trillion annually in deficit spending).

Face it: you do not have a plan. That's understandable because there isn't a good outcome here. We are going to lose nearly a third of our GDP in a crippling repeat of the Great Depression and there is absolutely nothing to be done about it. And the longer we try to deny that reality with more deficit spending, the bigger the structural deficit becomes that must be extracted from GDP when the eventual correction arrives and the more suffering there will be upon the land.

 

[ProudLefty]

TTSP, no one is arguing about whether spending has to come down. Democrats have been saying this for 10 years and have been scorned for it. That is a total non-issue.

We have got to deal with the causes of why we moved from a surplus to a trillion dollar deficit in 8 years. We have got to pull back our spending on Iraq and Afghanistan, we have to address the ridiculous cash gift to pharma called Medicare Part D, and we have to return to the sensible tax rates of the Clinton and Reagan years. Just addressing those 4 budget-busting disasters will go a very long ways to fixing problems. A very long ways.

 

[clarkatticus]

TTSP, no one is arguing about whether spending has to come down. Democrats have been saying this for 10 years and have been scorned for it. That is a total non-issue.

We have got to deal with the causes of why we moved from a surplus to a trillion dollar deficit in 8 years. We have got to pull back our spending on Iraq and Afghanistan, we have to address the ridiculous cash gift to pharma called Medicare Part D, and we have to return to the sensible tax rates of the Clinton and Reagan years. Just addressing those 4 budget-busting disasters will go a very long ways to fixing problems. A very long ways.

Absolutely right. No business or bank is going to get off a dime if all they hear from Congress is the sky is falling. I am not saying the remedy is going to be quick, either. But if we just keep cutting programs the only net effect will be more unemployment, not a balanced budget-we will continue to lose revenue at an increased rate. When consumer confidence is increased and our leaders say there is a light at the end off the tunnel, then and only then will it turn around. This is not a pep rally, this is the most influential act the government can do besides infrastructure. Our economy is not based on gold, silver or latinum bars, it is based on demand. The debt is a non issue, only brought up by the GOP when they cannot win the day. Screw Egan-Jones and the S$P, they lied all thru the Bush years and did much to destroy our economy, call them on it and watch them shut up.