It's About Jobs, Congress

Once the press gets past the jobs speech scheduling snit between the Mr. Obama and House Speaker John Boehner, perhaps We, the People can discuss the content of the proposal--putting America back to work.

The following ideas may make the President's final draft.

--Federal money to school districts for much needed repairs, to be paid by "...wiping out nearly $50 billion in tax breaks for oil and gas companies." (I'd like to pitch repair of the a/c in my own school which heats up like an kiln anytime the outside doors open to the heat and humidity).

--Tax credits for companies that hire new workers.  "The credits — perhaps $5,000 per employee — would be given only for net increases in a company's payroll, rather than for every new worker."

--Tax credits for companies that hire vets returning from Iraq and Afghanistan.

--Double an existing tax credit for hiring long-term unemployed veterans who have service-related disabilities.

--Provision of job training for the long-term unemployed.  Georgia pays stipends for such training through unemployment insurance.

--Extension of pay roll tax cuts for a second year.

--Job-creating infrastructure projects" that could be sped up and completed within 18 months.

It is President Obama's intention "...to lay out a series of bipartisan proposals that the Congress can take immediately to continue to rebuild the American economy. It is our responsibility to find bipartisan solutions to help grow our economy, and if we are willing to put country before party, I am confident we can do just that."

If the GOP decides to dig in, should be fun watching them dig themselves out by explaining to 2012 voters just why they refused to put the shovel back into the hands of the American worker.

Talk to Me.

Taxing My Income Disparity

Quite the conversation going on over at Sunday Debate.

S.D. columnist Lynne Grace has inspired 165 comments at this writing, raised in debate of the age-old right-leaning core issue, the rich pay more than their fair share.

The back and forth has lobbed a couple of informative links. The first fact headlining Business Insider's 15 Mind Blowing Facts About Wealth and Inquality in America details the gap between the top 1% and the rest of us.

The conclusion?

The income disparity gap hasn't been this great since the Roaring '20s. Read the remaining 14 facts here.

I came across How to Pay No Taxes during a wait in the emergency room. Fortunately, the Bloomberg Businessweek article was available online, allowing me to post the link within my offered commentary to the Grace opinion piece.

(...)

The 400 or so wealthiest American families live off the money their money makes for them. This allows the top 1% of the wealthiest Americans (not those earning $250,000 annually) to be taxed off off dividends and capital gains, at a lower tax rate than the rest of us, who are taxed off our adjusted gross income (our salaries, not dividends or capital gains).

Which is why Warren Buffett once observed his secretary--who earned $60,000 yearly--was taxed at a larger rate than himself.

The question taxpayers should consider is not the amount of actual dollars the top 1% pays toward federal taxes--of course that figure is substantially more due to incredible wealth--but ask what percentage of the one percenter's earnings--as compared to percentage of the salaries of the everyday taxpaying public--is paid toward taxes.

I believe you will find that the everyday taxpayer pays a larger percentage of their salaries toward taxes than the top 1%.

No one ever really talks about the income disparity of our tax system, but would rather get into a debate about us vs them.

(...)

For the 400 U.S. taxpayers with the highest adjusted gross income, the effective federal income tax rate—what they actually pay—fell from almost 30 percent in 1995 to just under 17 percent in 2007, according to the IRS. And for the approximately 1.4 million people who make up the top 1 percent of taxpayers, the effective federal income tax rate dropped from 29 percent to 23 percent in 2008. It may seem too fantastic to be true, but the top 400 end up paying a lower rate than the next 1,399,600 or so.

Check out the following link here.

Perhaps it will help someone manage to keep a few bucks.

For those too tired of being sick and tired and broke, shout it out with me.

Oh, the disparity!

Talk to Me.

Scott Harris

I turned to News 13 when Charlie Crist decided to jump Republican ship and run for Florida U.S. Senator as an Independent.

I had to catch the Scott Harris viewpoint.

The veteran journalist enjoyed reporting that story, chuckling most of the way through, the way most do when experiencing a just when you think you've seen it all moment.

I laughed right along with him, the Crist political move so blatantly transparent to everyone, except quite possibly, Crist himself.

Harris was a man who knew the game of Florida politics, inside and out. The absurdities, the calculations, the soft money dance, the schmooze, the spin, the back room deals, the obfuscation, the cast of characters, the good, the bad and the ugly.

Simply, he loved politics. And it showed.

Central Florida lost Scott Harris to kidney cancer early Monday morning. As reported by the Orlando Sentinel, his colleagues rallied around him during his final hours.

Harris was 64.

He will be missed.

Jeb and Rick Do Email

Nothing starts off my week better than a good Jeb Bush story, especially information uncovered during the heightened investigation swirling about current Florida Guv. Rick Scott's deleted emails.

Seems emails between the former Guv and the current have come to light, included among the 700 emails the Scott team didn't manage to delete forevermore.

Jeb was a bit dismayed with the hiring/firing transition decisions made by the self-proclaimed CEO of Florida and voiced as much through the magic and wonder of electronic communication.

The St. Pete Times, 8/28/2011:

(...)

A schedule that shows Scott had a private dinner with former President George W. Bush shortly after the November election and e-mails from former Gov. Jeb Bush questioning a decision to dismiss three African-American employees working in the Governor's Office.

"I don't quite understand this decision," Bush wrote about the dismissal of Mavis Knight from the appointments office. "The transition team is letting dedicated, admired people (go) without hiring anyone? Mavis has served four governors well."

A day later, Bush expressed regret about two more dismissals in the office: Freda King and Marsha Smith. "All three are African Americans, nonpolitical and good workers. Freda just lost her son who died in Afghanistan."

No indication was made that Florida teachers and state workers were offered up for dessert after Scott dined with George W.

But Jeb--never a big fan of those who commit lifetime careers to the state--chose off the dessert plate himself.

The Herald-Tribune (8/24/1011)

(...)

"...the former two-term Florida governor urged Scott prior to his swearing-in to push for universal private school vouchers, save money by releasing elderly prisoners and close down one of the state pension plans.

Bush also suggested that his fellow Republican consider selling off the state’s virtual school, eliminate state money for some university programs and look at taxing online sales as part of a swap to lower other taxes. Some of the initiatives suggested by Bush were passed by the Republican-controlled Florida Legislature last spring.

“Take them for what they are…a desire that you succeed,” Bush wrote in one email to Scott that was sent around New Year’s Day. Scott, a former health care executive who had never held office, was sworn-in Jan. 4.

Here's my favorite suggestion.

(...)

Bush called the state pension plan that guarantees benefits to employees based on their salary and years of service “doomed.” Scott tried unsuccessfully to persuade lawmakers to shut this pension plan down and shift new hires into one that paid them on how well their investments perform.

(Read the rest of the power play here).

Jeb remains coy regarding his intent, indicating to the press that he volunteered the same sort of advice to his successor, former Guv. Charlie Crist.

Charlie indicates he has no idea what Bush is talking about.

Fellow Floridians, what we have with the gubernatorial election of Rick Scott is the perfect political pig in a poke--"an offering or deal that is foolishly accepted without being properly examined first".

The poke is the perfect example of the effective manipulation by the powers-that-be of angry voters who know nada about how the political game is played.

Yet, blinded by perceived self-importance, conservatives and voters wishing to make a point sat Rick Scott in the Big Chair, leaving the rest of us holding the proverbial tea bag.

Oh, about Scott and those unfortunate deleted emails? Enjoy Rick's take on the matter.

(..)

"In the last week and a half, two weeks, I guess they've pretty much come to the conclusion that they couldn't get the ones off, I guess, Rackspace — whatever that is," he said."

Whatever. Well, poke this, Rick.

Florida law carries a maximum $500 fine for violations of public records law and more serious penalties, including impeachment, for any official who "knowingly violates" the statutes.

With any luck, this guy's soon gone and Lt. Governor Jennifer Carroll will be sworn in as the next governor of the great state of Florida.

Oink.

Weekend Zen

Good night, Irene.

Jerry Lee Lewis.

University of Diploma Mills

As a college senior, I allowed my suitemate to talk me into taking an elective class with her.

Social Control and Deviance (as much as some would feel appropriate for aspiring educators) proved a huge mistake. Dull, dull, dull and the instructor spoke so soft, I could hardly hear a word he said.

Only "C" I ever made as an undergrad.

My post-course evaluation suggested the use of a mike.

Looking back, the sociologist was likely a genius, more comfortable with stats than lecture. And I could have dropped the class or had my ears checked.

But if Guv. Rick Scott has his way yet again, college profs ranked poorly by students may take a hit on the road to tenure (which he would also like to end or at the very least, severely limit).

In fact, professors like my low-toned instructor who teach small, difficult, or specialized classes could be penalized based on number of students taught.

Seems old Rick is so impressed by the Seven Breakthrough Solutions developed by the Texas Public Policy Foundation and endorsed by Guv. Rick Perry, he's "...quietly promoting the ideas among candidates he's considering appointing to college boards of trustees."

The Orlando Sentinel (8/22/2011)

(...)

Instructors would get annual bonuses as high as $10,000 a class if they rated highly on student satisfaction surveys. Even the assignment of faculty offices and parking spaces would be based on their performance.

Such reforms were designed to move Texas colleges toward more of a business model in which students are viewed as consumers purchasing a product — a college degree.

In other words, the Guv is ready to transform Florida's colleges and universities into diploma mills.

The same trick the other Rick is trying to pull over higher education in Texas.

Talk to Me.

Get Real

Florida Guv. Rick Scott finds himself under fire yet again, deleting transition emails without so much of an I can't manage my own public records oops.

But now, he's really gone and done it.

(...)

Last week, Scott put an end to the filming of MSNBC's Lockup at a Panhandle prison nearly two weeks after the film crew arrived at Santa Rosa Correctional Institution with (Department of Corrections Secretary Edwin) Buss' approval. The state would have received $110,000 for allowing the reality series to be filmed at the facility.

Somebody really needs to follow Scott around with a camera.

By the way, deletion of the Guv's 40 some odd transition email accounts is a violation of Florida law.

Oops.

Talk to Me.

Palm Monday

I've got this neighbor, more into his garage band than yard work.

At any given time, twenty to thirty palm fronds lie scattered about his lawn.

But this afternoon while out walking The Millie Girl, I noticed that every frond blanketing his yard just yesterday was stacked neatly in a pile by the driveway, branches pointed out toward the street for easy pick-up.

In fact, most of the homeowners in my neighborhood had piles stacked and ready to go, some mixed with dead branches and other debris.

In front of one home, a single frond had been tossed curbside.

Then it hit me. Only one scheduled yard waste pick-up prior to the projected arrival of Hurricane Irene.

Any palm frond that finds its way from a yard to a wood chipper is one less palm frond likely to whiz airborne via sustained winds through a plate glass window.

I headed home and got stacking.

Storm prep. It's all about the palm fronds.

Review the recent legislative changes regarding Florida homeowners' insurance here.

Short Shorts Monday

For those readers out there who have commiserated these last several years regarding the slant of FLORIDA TODAY opinion, this is your chance to be the change you seek.

Public Affairs Editor Matt Reed talked up taking Brevard County opinion in a new direction last week and from thoughts conveyed, the editorial page, it is a'changing.

Ready to take public interest up a notch? Take a listen here.

Then get involved.

***

T.S. Irene may visit Florida this Thursday.

***

And a South Dakota school district goes back to school-- four days a week.

Weekend Zen

No disguise for that double vision.

Double Vision.

Foreigner.

Here We Go Again

First indicator that a candidate has no game...

.... they stick to the old plays.

Texas Gov. Rick Perry yesterday put the chill on global warming, saying it's a hoax by crooked scientists.

"There are a substantial number of scientists who have manipulated data so that they would have dollars rolling in to their projects," the GOP presidential hopeful said in Bedford, NH.

Perry also blasted President Obama's policies to cut greenhouse gases.

"The cost to the country and to the world of implementing these anti-carbon programs is in the billions if not in the trillions of dollars," he said.

I imagine Perry will maneuver past the line of scrimmage with that sort of canned nonsense, certainly with the Tea Party blocking for him.

But in my opinion, it's the same old GOP quarterback sneak.

The Rain in Spain

If I were Rick Perry, I try to lose the Texas accent that smacks of George W. Bush and fast. I actually felt my skin crawl the first time the guy opened his mouth. My guess is most thinking Independents won't be able to scratch fast enough.

Secondly, the truth about Texas jobs from the Guv might prove nice. Read how most of what Perry cites about jobs, jobs, jobs is all hat and no cattle here.

(Hint : Texas leads the nation in minimum-wage jobs, and many positions don't offer health benefits. Also, steep budget cuts are expected to result in the loss of more than 100,000 jobs.")

***

Wisconsin held the last two recall elections Tuesday night, both challenges aimed at incumbent Democrats. At this writing, one Democratic appeared to retain his seat while the other was holding on, his Republican challenger initially ahead, but falling behind around 10:30 pm.

***

On the Right--just who isn't running for President?

The Republican field is becoming quite the pajama party.

New Jersey Guv. Rep. Chris Christie and Paul Ryan (R-WI) are the latest names to be dropped by the GOP brass, the rumor out and about that the current field of Rep contenders is considered "weak".

***

And last, but certainly not least, the Florida Supremes handed Guv. Rick Scott a legal loss.

Apparently Scott overreached "...with an executive order freezing all pending rules until he could approve them." Rulemaking authority lies with the Legislature.

Back to the boardroom, Rick.

Three-Three

The 11th Circuit Court of Appeals has struck down the federal health care reform provision requiring all Americans to purchase health insurance.

(...)

The divided three-judge panel of the 11th Circuit Court of Appeals struck down the so-called individual mandate, which is considered the centerpiece of the law, siding with 26 states that had sued to block the law. But the panel didn't go as far as a lower court that had invalidated the entire overhaul as unconstitutional.

Florida joined 25 states in filing the lawsuit.

It's a tie ball game.

Obama: Three. Naysayers: Three.

Pulling Straws

With Ron Paul a mere 152 votes behind, Michele Bachmann pulled out all the straws to win the Ames Straw Poll.

Unfortunately, the first and second place finish of the above candidates proved the last straw to Tim Pawlenty. The T-Paw--more than 2500 votes behind Bachmann at the end of the day--quit while he was ahead, with a few bucks left in his campaign coffers and still retaining the ability to speak in complete sentences.

When asked on ABC's "This Week" if Michele Bachmann was qualified to be President, Pawlenty chose his words carefully.

(...)

PAWLENTY: Well, I think she's qualified to be president.

ABC: You do?

PAWLENTY: I think now she's going to have to make her case to the American people about whether she's the best candidate and why she should be the Republican nominee and why she should be the next president against Barack Obama. And time will tell whether she can do that.

And then there's this guy.

Texas Guv. Rick Perry--who wasn't on the ballot--earned 718 write-in votes.

Since the inception of the Ames Straw Poll in 1979, only three of the five winners have gone on to win the Iowa caucus, which gives full credence to a quote by O. Henry:

"A straw vote only shows which way the hot air blows."

Talk to Me.

Bachmann's Views are Extremist

Sunday Debate

Would GOP U.S. Rep Michele Bachmann make a good president?

FLORIDA TODAY, 8/7/2011

***

Republican U.S. Rep. Michele Bachmann once associated being liberal with being anti-America.

During an Oct. 17, 2008, interview with MSNBC “Hardball” host Chris Matthews, the congresswoman suggested that some members of Congress were also anti-America.

“The news media should do a penetrating expose and take a look. . . at the views of the people in Congress and find out, are they pro-America or anti-America. I think people would love to see an exposé like that,” she said.

Those remarks branded Bachmann as a political extremist. She successfully parlayed her new status by joining ranks with the tea party.

Extreme political viewpoints are often short-term political strategies that serve to undermine democracy as a whole.

For example, although 68 percent of respondents to a Pew Research Center poll reflected that lawmakers who share their views on the debt-ceiling issue should compromise — even it meant striking a deal they disagree with — Bachmann indicated she would vote against the bill reached by Congress.

As a “No Dealer,” Bachmann believes hitting the debt ceiling would benefit the country by forcing the immediate reduction of governmental spending by 40 percent.

Yet, as she wrapped herself in the Constitution as founder of the House Tea Party Caucus, she cloaked the legal truth about the issue from her base: Constitutionally, governmental departments and functions can be closed only through a majority vote in both houses of Congress, not by refusal to pay funds already appropriated and obligated by the government to pay.

With Democrats in control of the Senate, such a scenario would not have played out. Bachmann knew her stance was nothing more than safe pander to the tea party. At the same time, her actions stunted consensus as the rest of America watched the debt-ceiling clock tick down.

After her 2008 remarks on Hardball, five Democratic members of Minnesota’s congressional delegation issued a joint statement putting into question Bachmann’s ability to “work in a bipartisan way to put the interests of our country first.”

Meaning, Bachmann’s ideological purity does not translate into an ability to govern as a president of the United States.

***

Commentary underlying FT Sunday Debate

8/7/11-8/14/11

Gridlocker

7:50 AM on August 7, 2011

"With Democrats in control of the Senate, such a scenario would not have played out."

Exactly! Sheree finally gets it.

The recent action by S&P has shown us exactly where "compromise" has gotten us. Senate Democrats see the writing on the wall. They cannot get on the balanced budget bandwagon fast enough. Check with hypocrit Bill Nelson.

According to Sheree, anyone who does not share her own ultra-left wing views, especially as it relates to using abortion as birth control, is an "extremist". If this politician happens to be a female, total hysteria ensues while her credibility evaporates. Not long ago, she predicted that Sarah Palin would be frog-marched out of the Alaska governors office by the FBI.

***

Sheree

10:06 AM on August 7, 2011

The recent action by S&P has shown that both both Democrats and Republicans did not compromise enough.

S& P-- 8/5/11

"The political brinksmanship of recent months highlights what we see as
America's governance and policymaking becoming less stable, less effective,
and less predictable than what we previously believed. The statutory debt
ceiling and the threat of default have become political bargaining chips in
the debate over fiscal policy. Despite this year's wide-ranging debate, in our
view, the differences between political parties have proven to be
extraordinarily difficult to bridge, and, as we see it, the resulting
agreement fell well short of the comprehensive fiscal consolidation program
that some proponents had envisaged until quite recently. Republicans and
Democrats have only been able to agree to relatively modest savings on
discretionary spending while delegating to the Select Committee decisions on
more comprehensive measures. It appears that for now, new revenues have
dropped down on the menu of policy options. In addition, the plan envisions
only minor policy changes on Medicare and little change in other entitlements,
the containment of which we and most other independent observers regard as key
to long-term fiscal sustainability.
Our opinion is that elected officials remain wary of tackling the
structural issues required to effectively address the rising U.S. public debt
burden in a manner consistent with a 'AAA' rating and with 'AAA' rated
sovereign peers ... . In our view, the difficulty in
framing a consensus on fiscal policy weakens the government's ability to
manage public finances and diverts attention from the debate over how to
achieve more balanced and dynamic economic growth in an era of fiscal
stringency and private-sector deleveraging (ibid)."

Read here:

http://www.standardandpoors.com/ratings/articles/en/us/?assetID=1245316529563

***

debbieqd

8:16 AM on August 7, 2011

This comment is hidden because you have chosen to ignore debbieqd. Show DetailsHide Details

The Washington Post did an excellent expose on the Republican destruction of America yesterday. And, the Tea Party that won a little over 20% of all American voters in 2010 continually says it has a mandate. No. America rejects the Tea Party, and all extremist right-wingers like Bachmann. We are LIVING their destruction right now. And, one gets the feeling they are still not satisfied in their desire to bring America down in the name of God. When America is Somalia, they will have succeeded.

***

Sheree

11:55 AM on August 7, 2011

Please consider posting the link to that specific story. Several stories are posted, but my guess is "Origins of the debt showdown" is the article you have referenced. Thanks for your contribution!

http://www.washingtonpost.com/business/economy/origins-of-the-debt-showdown/2011/08/03/gIQA9uqIzI_story.html?hpid=z1

***

Tommie2O

9:40 AM on August 7, 2011

'Bachmann's views are extremist'

Understatement of the day.

***

MangoMeister

10:14 AM on August 7, 2011

Yes, the Tea Party wants a smaller government (one that doesn't spend more than it takes in), lower taxes to stimulate the economy and an adherence to our founding document, the Constitution. Wow, that really is extreme.

***

Sheree

11:05 AM on August 7, 2011

(...)

"As a “No Dealer,” Bachmann believes hitting the debt ceiling would benefit the country by forcing the immediate reduction of governmental spending by 40 percent.

Yet, as she wrapped herself in the Constitution as founder of the House Tea Party Caucus, she cloaked the legal truth about the issue from her base: Constitutionally, governmental departments and functions can be closed only through a majority vote in both houses of Congress, not by refusal to pay funds already appropriated and obligated by the government to pay.

With Democrats in control of the Senate, such a scenario would not have played out. Bachmann knew her stance was nothing more than safe pander to the tea party. At the same time, her actions stunted consensus as the rest of America watched the debt-ceiling clock tick down."

***

despierta

7:57 PM on August 8, 2011

.....meister....you need to change yur cup o' tea bro.....you payin' a little less on yur taxes ain't gettin' you no better payin' job. No sir, it ain't gonna get other folks no job either. Yur in it like tha rest of us bro....them there have bin tellin' us that lie for long time now....where've ya been?.....tha only thang no taxes git us is nowhere man...and fast....

MrBrevard321

10:55 PM on August 8, 2011

Sheree - Are you loony leftist liberals serious? The private sector gives $2 Trillion for you to spend, and that isn't enough? So you need to spend $4 Trillion and run up a debt of $16 Trillion? How much spending is enough for you lunatics?

How about we live within our means and only spend what we take in? That's called a balanced budget, and that is what Michele Bachmann and the Tea Party proposed - it's called Cut, Cap and Balance! There is nothing extremist about that and if we passed and executed Cut, Cap and Balance, then S&P would not have downgraded the US.

Instead we have Barackalypse Now, Obamageddon, and the Audacity of a Dope.

***

Sheree

6:59 AM on August 9, 2011

Everyone should live within their means--right, left, independent or otherwise.

***

MrBrevard321

11:13 PM on August 9, 2011

Sheree - thanks for the nice reply. I'm glad that we agree on principle. I see that you work in the public sector. I know that there is always a struggle for increased funding, and that teachers are not paid very well.

I work in the private sector, and we have to struggle against taxes and regulations to stay in business. I have worked very hard in my career to generate a good income, and am willing to pay taxes to support public education, infrastructure and a safety net for those less fortunate.

But how much is enough? We have increased funding for education and almost every other government program, yet we are always asked for more. Unfortunately, if the economy (and our salaries) are not growing, then it is difficult to give more. That is what the Tea Party, Michele Bachmann and I are saying - that we must cut spending and live within our means when economic conditions demand it. I don't think that sounds extreme.

***

Sheree

5:59 PM on August 10, 2011

Thanks, Mr. Brevard. I appreciate your thoughtful response.

***

RonnieRaygun

11:23 AM on August 7, 2011

The term "extremist" is too kind.

Ms. Bachman is a pentacostal religious jihadist who's ideas such as being able to "pray the gay away" - a sentiment she and her husband are strongly devoted to is but one example of how disingenioously simpleminded she is.

She nor the misnformed Tea Party Non-Patriots have any business in governance or being able to understand the complexity of the role of our government in 2011, not 1791.

Thinking that merely running around with juvenile costumes from an era 200 plus years ago while holding a 'Don't Tread on Me' flag and quoting talking point from Right Wing Hate radio and FOX News should be proof enough even a child can fathom.

Our troops are in harms way becuase our enemies believe as Ms. Bachman does, that life, politics, and governance should be held bound and captive by religious dogma, and not reason and intellect.

***

MangoMeister

1:46 PM on August 7, 2011

Wow...the "complexity of our government in 2011, not 1791..." Do you think that ideas such as freedom, inalienable rights, the right to be free from tyranny are not apropos in this century? The problem with you Ronnie and your ilk is that you are a liberal...which is fine, but YOU can pay for the myriad of socialist agendas YOU want to support. If you think we need a huge government because of the 21st century (again, lol), then YOU can pay the taxes to support it. As Margaret Thatcher said, "Socialism works until you run out of other peoples money." Anyone who would think the Tea Party's ideals to be un-American has absolutely no clue as to our country's history, its founding documents, or the wisdom of the founding fathers. As I have said repeatedly, liberals are the most open-minded people until you don't agree with them. They lament and protest the deaths of 5,000 professional soldiers in Iraq, but then support the abortion of 3500 babies a DAY in this country. They will then say "don't you think a woman has a right to decide what to do with her body?" The answer is "no." If so, then why is prostitution illegal? Why if a woman attempts to commit suicide why is she hospitalized forcibly if the attempt fails? I mean, both cases involve "her body." The main difference is that liberals have a lack of faith in God so they replace the government as their God...because if God isn't there to support them, then something else needs to. So, please explain: why is the need for a fiscally sound, smaller government unpatriotic? Seriously, I want one of you liberals to state your case. WHY IS THE CALL FOR A FISCALLY SOUND, SMALLER GOVERNMENT UNPATRIOTIC???

***

Sheree

6:50 PM on August 7, 2011

"WHY IS THE CALL FOR A FISCALLY SOUND, SMALLER GOVERNMENT UNPATRIOTIC???"

Certainly not an unpatriotic request; however, the cuts come from across the board and across the aisle and not just from the left.

As far as fiscally sound, the S&P itself cited the Republicans for lack of leadership regarding increased tax revenues.

Read here:

http://www.standardandpoors.com/ratings/articles/en/us/?assetID=1245316529563

***

MangoMeister

6:45 PM on August 8, 2011

Sheree, save your revisionist history for someone else. Your problem is, I read the S&P report; I'm in the financial field for a living. Here's what the crux of the report said: "In addition, the plan envisions only minor policy changes on Medicare and little change in other entitlements, the containment of which we and most other independent observers regard as KEY (emphasis mine) to long-term fiscal sustainability."
So the KEY (S&P's term) to our "long-term fiscal sustainability" is the unwillingness of the our government to make cuts in the entitlement programs. So, which side doesn't want to make cuts that are KEY to our long-term fiscal sustainability? That's right...the LEFT. Nice try.

***

Sheree

7:25 PM on August 8, 2011

"We lowered our long-term rating on the U.S. because we believe that the
prolonged controversy over raising the statutory debt ceiling and the related
fiscal policy debate indicate that further near-term progress containing the
growth in public spending, especially on entitlements,

or on reaching an agreement on raising revenues

is less likely than we previously assumed and
will remain a contentious and fitful process."

Guess the raising revenues citation slipped right past you.

***

Sheree

7:33 PM on August 8, 2011

And the sentence previous to your redacted statement--

"It appears that for now, new revenues have
dropped down on the menu of policy options. "

(So what side doesn't want to consider raising revenues? That's right...the RIGHT. Nice try).

Here's the section you chose to cut and paste.

"In addition, the plan envisions
only minor policy changes on Medicare and little change in other entitlements,
the containment of which we and most other independent observers regard as key
to long-term fiscal sustainability."

I'm certain additional references regarding the lack of responsibility by both sides can be located in the article.

***

MangoMeister

1:37 PM on August 9, 2011

Sheree, thank you for the links to the MSNBC piece. You've shown your true colors: an un-abashed liberal. I never "omitted" the raising revenue citation. I merely pointed out that S&P (you know, the group who authored the report you love to reference) wrote that the KEY (S&P's term) to our "long-term fiscal sustainability" is the unwillingness of the our government to make cuts in the entitlement programs.The political party unwilling to make these cuts is the Democrats. Fact.
Note that S&P didn't write that the KEY to our fiscal sustainability was "the Republicans for lack of leadership regarding increased tax revenues." as you selectively noted. The partisan points you quoted were not noted as being "KEY" to this decision. Do you understand this? If not, then obviously my point eludes you.
If you're going to author an article, at least have the decency for an honest debate and present the relevant points. Americans tire of your type who selectively pick and choose bits of information to prove an obvious partisan slant. It's actually embarrassing that I have to point this out to you...you're supposed to be the professional here...I'm just a commentator

***

Sheree

6:28 PM on August 9, 2011

Well, you know what is said about critics....

"Asking a working writer what he thinks about critics is like asking a lamp-post what it feels about dogs."

On that note, I invite you to come out from behind your alias and pen a column for FT. Put your thoughts on the record.

(BTW, you're welcome about the MSNBC reference).

***

MangoMeister

11:56 PM on August 9, 2011

Thank you for posting your opinions Sheree. At the end of the day, that freedom is one of many that makes our country great.

***

Sheree

6:10 AM on August 10, 2011

And for that sir, I'll give you a thumbs up! Have a nice rest of the week. :

***

Sheree

7:25 PM on August 8, 2011

"We lowered our long-term rating on the U.S. because we believe that the

prolonged controversy over raising the statutory debt ceiling and the related
fiscal policy debate indicate that further near-term progress containing the
growth in public spending, especially on entitlements,

or on reaching an agreement on raising revenues

is less likely than we previously assumed and
will remain a contentious and fitful process."

Guess the raising revenues citation slipped right past you.

***

RonnieRaygun

2:39 PM on August 7, 2011

LOL, more canned and overly used sloganeering.

Heard it all before, give me something new.

No offense, but you sound more like advertising for Jihad radio - Beck, Hannity, Levin, Savage, and the Drugster - and I take their brand of "serious" political discourse as that of a drunkard passed out at a redneck bar.

Feel free to offer what is on your mind, and not ordered to say by political hacks.

***

MangoMeister

4:37 PM on August 7, 2011

Of course, RonnieLiberalgun can't answer my question. Again, a typical liberal; unable to engage in reasoned discourse...claiming my arguments for fiscal governance are somehow un-American. Please Ronnie, explain how adherence to the Constitution and the need for a fiscally conservative government is un-American and unpatriotic. Oh, I forgot. We're now in 2011, so we "need" an all-encompassing government to handle all of our needs, from the cradle to the grave. You sound like a guy who is part of the problem; i.e. a cog in the giant parasite that sucks our taxpayer dollars. Go watch CNBC and wax poetic with your liberal friends over a latte. You are such a pathetic product of the liberal machine (from advertising right on down the line, you don't even realize it). You probably believe that America is a bad country. Are you even proud to be an American? Seriously, I'm curious. How's your man Obama doing? Ha ha ha! How did ending the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan go? How did shutting down Gitmo go? How's the repeal of the Patriot Act going? You voted for a bill of goods and got...nada. Hope and Change, LMAO!!! This guy had NO experience (a community organizer), and you were dumb enough to vote for his rhetorical mantra of "Hope and Change."

***

Sheree

7:36 PM on August 8, 2011

I would be the first to fight for your right to free speech. Have a nice day.

***

despierta

8:07 PM on August 8, 2011

....sir or madam, whichever it is, glad you are speaking out. But, what are you? A serial number, code word, or just an ID label off tha shelf?.......

***

despierta

7:46 PM on August 8, 2011

....Sheree...you have my vote....

***

Sheree

9:00 PM on August 8, 2011

Thanks!

***

Sheree

8:35 PM on August 8, 2011

Bachmann: The Tea Party Queen.

http://www.thedailybeast.com/newsweek/2011/08/07/michele-bachmann-tea-party-queen-for-america.html

***

MAH061159

10:16 PM on August 7, 2011

We, the people of the "silent majority", have chosen to be silent no more. Michele Bachmann reflects the values that made this country great and that you are trying to destroy. It scares me when I read that you work in the public school system. What kind of leftist political agenda are you trying to imprint on the next generation? Your values are not the values that made America great and I ask that you keep your opinions to yourself when interacting with our children.

***

Sheree

10:37 PM on August 7, 2011

Allow me to remind you: Brevard Public School employees have the right to free speech in a free press.

***

MangoMeister

9:02 AM on August 8, 2011

Sheree; you're right. These are rights that are guaranteed in our founding document, the Constitution. It seems unfortunate that members of the left (which you are a member I believe) only turn to the Constitution when it fits one's needs. I hope that this is not the case with you.

***

Sheree

7:36 PM on August 8, 2011

I would be the first to fight for your right to free speech. Have a nice day.

***

MrBrevard321

10:55 PM on August 8, 2011

Sheree - Are you loony leftist liberals serious? The private sector gives $2 Trillion for you to spend, and that isn't enough? So you need to spend $4 Trillion and run up a debt of $16 Trillion? How much spending is enough for you lunatics?

How about we live within our means and only spend what we take in? That's called a balanced budget, and that is what Michele Bachmann and the Tea Party proposed - it's called Cut, Cap and Balance! There is nothing extremist about that and if we passed and executed Cut, Cap and Balance, then S&P would not have downgraded the US.

Instead we have Barackalypse Now, Obamageddon, and the Audacity of a Dope.

***

Sheree

6:59 AM on August 9, 2011

Everyone should live within their means--right, left, independent or otherwise.

***

Sheree

7:01 AM on August 9, 2011

The Hardball Interview:

Michelle Bachmann accuses Congress of being un-American

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E_pN2IPAw6E&feature=player_embedded

***

Gridlocker

5:30 PM on August 9, 2011

How to tell if you are an Extremist:

1. If you think we cannot tax our way out of the double dip recession, you are an Extremist.

2. If you think the days of tax and spend politics are over, you are an Extremist.

3. If you think tax payer funded abortions are not an acceptable form of birth control, you are an Extremist.

4. If you think of the children and not the overpaid bureaucrats are the most important thing in public education, you are an Extremist.

5. If you think dead soldiers should not be a necessary expense ('cost of war") to prove Obummer's points about Afghanistan, you are an Extremist.

6. If you do not want to adopt and pay for 12 million illegal aliens, you are an Extremist.

7. If you happen to believe in God, you are lumped in with Muslim terrorists and you are an Extremist.

8. If you would like to see some actual proof of man made global warming before your taxes are raised across the board you are an Extremist.

9. If you would like to see people actually vote on same sex marriage before it is implemented, you are an Extremist.

10. If you believe we should actually cut spending instead of what we just did, you are an Extremist.

Frankly, I am not a Michelle Bachman fan. I don't think I can forgive her for supporting Jimmy Carter when she was a youngster. I am certain when she considers the Jimma clone occupying the White House, she has nightmares. You just do not make mistakes like that.
Secondly, doing anything with Hardball shows a certain lack of judgement. No one watches it anyway.

***

ToolJob

11:52 PM on August 9, 2011

Anybody that would vote for Bachmann needs to have their brain examined.....

***

spacehound

11:02 AM on August 10, 2011

Bachmann is a believer in a kind of Christian conservative reimagining of slavery, where "many Christians opposed slavery" but owned them anyway and didn't free them because "“it might be very difficult for a freed slave to make a living in that economy; under such circumstances setting slaves free was both inhumane and irresponsible.” How charitable of them!

http://prospect.org/csnc/blogs/adam_serwer_archive?month=08&year=2011&base_name=bachmanns_views_on_slavery_are

Weekend Zen

Girl, you gotta change your crazy ways--you hear me.

Aerosmith.

John Glisch

Rep. Charlie Rangel ticked me off a few years back with all his talk about reinstating the draft.

Like most persons my age, the Vietnam war curtained my youth, always somewhere in the background darkening the room.

The war became real for me when someone I cared about was killed in action.

That someone for me was Paul Clark, a YMCA swim instructor who coached the dog out of my paddle.

Rangel brought the war back and I did what comes second nature to me when I'm ready to pop.

I wrote a guest column for my local paper.

FLORIDA TODAY Editorial Page Editor John Glisch liked it and ran the column.

What happened next was totally unexpected. Paul's mother opened the paper to the editorial page and found her son's name headlining a column written by someone who thirty years later was remembering her son. She phoned the paper (as did other members of her family) to learn the name of the person who had brought their son back to Brevard, if just for a moment. John put us all in contact and I had the pleasure of remembering Paul with those he left behind.

Within a few days, a soldier who had served with Paul found the column posted on a Vietnam veteran's web page and he too contacted me. He had been searching for Paul's mother for many years, to share his memories. Because of the reaction to the column, I was able to put those two together.

Never underestimate the power of the written word.

A few months later, John asked me to join other Brevard County citizens as part of his community advisory board. He asked if anyone would be interested in writing a blog and my hand shot up. Talk to Me was birthed February 2007.

Jim Manely soon followed with Right Turn. Posts from our blogs were reverse published on Mondays for the FT print edition and we both had a good run before members of the team blog OPINION MATTERS joined us in effort to start a conversation with our fellow citizens.

Several of us became community columnists as well as co-writers for Sunday Debate.

John was the mind behind these opinionated citizens, mentoring us to use our voice in a quickly changing press.

After 35 years in journalism, John Glisch has moved on to a new position with BCC. We wish him much success. His voice, his imprint on FLORIDA TODAY will be missed.

Many thanks to John for the opportunities provided this educator with the heart of a writer these last several years.

And welcome to the world of education. :)

Extreme Rebuttal

With unfavorables at 51 percent, a handful of Tea Party types are continuing to take a local dip beneath the comments section of a Letter to the Editor inspired by my recent Sunday Debate column, Bachmann's views are extremist.

Don Jordan took exception with my viewpoint and penned a literate rebuttal, Obama, not Bachmann, a political extremist.

I do, however, take exception with this point: "Shatsky brands Bachmann “a political extremist” because she suggested there are some in Congress who might be anti-American."

The exact quote by Bachmann reads as follows: “The news media should do a penetrating exposé and take a look. . . at the views of the people in Congress and find out, are they pro-America or anti-America. I think people would love to see an exposé like that,” she said."

Perhaps I'm splitting hairs here, but between you, me and the thesaurus, anti-America (against the country) and anti-American (against the people) mean not one and the same, at least used in the context cited above.

But I have to give Mr. Jordan props for stepping out from behind an alias, setting pen to paper or fingers to keyboard and forming a cogent stream of thought. I particularly enjoyed the use of my quote to close his letter.

But the T.P. gang's all there, complete with conservative code words. "Revisionist thinking" seems to be among one of the more popular, tossed at anyone who chooses to challenge their sweet tea script.

On another note, at 10:23 PM, found Wisconsin cautiously optimistic.

Two Democratic challengers overtook the lead from incumbent Republican state senators in the closely watched recall elections. Two of the four races were called for and retained by the GOP. Three is the magic number to hand the state senate majority to the Democrats.

At this hour, the remaining races were two close to call.

Talk to Me.

***

Alice Kreitz rebuts Bachmann's views are extremist via Letter to the Editor 8/14/2011 (Bachmann qualified to be president here).

Again, the hair split.

The letter writer refers to the Hardball Bachmann quote incorrectly, citing the anti-America reference as anti-American.

The exact quote by Bachmann reads as follows:

“The news media should do a penetrating exposé and take a look. . . at the views of the people in Congress and find out, are they pro-America or anti-America. I think people would love to see an exposé like that,” she said.

At the very least, some sort of conversation is happening in Brevard County.

Confused, but happening.

Crazy

This wide-eyed photo of Michele Bachmann making the cover of the August 15th issue of Newsweek during the same week my commentary opining the congresswoman's ability to govern as a United States president is almost as crazy as the cover.

Crazy lucky, that is.

Gives me yet one more opportunity to shamelessly promote "Bachmann's views are extreme".

Read my Sunday Debate column here and follow up with a tip-toe through the tulips with Bachmann: The Tea Party Queen over at Newsweek here.

Then there's this guy.

Rick Perry.

I'm uncertain as to what is more crazy about the Texas governor. His channeling of George W. Bush, his secessionist beliefs or his spot-on impersonation of Jim Jones at the recently staged Houston prayer revival.

Yet, the chances that Bachmann and Perry are making GOP Presidential noise in the same election cycle is insanely good fortune for yet another person ...

... Mitt Romney.

Now if only Sarah would join in the fun, what a wild, crazy circus this race would become.

We can only hope.

Votes for Donuts

I enjoy a good rip-off of political schtick as much as any other political junkie and Guv. Rick's Scott donut counterhelp attempt to coattail off former Florida Governor and U.S. Senator Bob Graham work day tradition success did not fail to disappoint.

But I have to agree with Kenneth Quinnell over at the Florida Progressive Coaltion--it's not about Rick Scott.

As noted by Ken and also by The Washington Post article "Origins of the debt showdown", conservatives have puzzled together "...a.systematic mission to change the political system..." here in Florida as well as this nation.

But what goes around comes around. The puzzle has unpredictably shifted.

Tea Party conservatives proved a thorn in the side of the GOP during the debt ceiling issue, cracking the shoulder-to-shoulder facade most associate with the Republican party.

Here at home, Floridians will get a chance to lame duck Scott in 2012 when all Florida legislative districts come up for vote. We can vote out the current GOP majority and deliver Scott a legislature that will not give him free reign to pass his agenda.

And from what I heard around the water cooler last week, it may soon be time for members of the Florida GOP to make the donuts ... for real.

Weekend Zen

...free fallin'.

Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers.