New VP

[NM_Shooter]

You're right.. there is no war to lose because it has been long over.  The war officially ended when we captured Saddam and removed his authority.

What we have now is more of a police action.  You can not wage war against guerrillas nor terrorists.  But by leaving abruptly (before they can police themselves) we lose any benefit that was gained by the war.

It is sort of like helping a neighbor pull weeds who either doesn't know how or is too overwhelmed by the size of the task.  If we leave before it is bite sized for him, those weeds will multiply back to where they were. 

This may be all due to big oil (oil prices dropping two months before the election?  What a coincidence!)... but I would rather have big oil engaging us in a war across the globe rather than allowing it to happen here. 

There is not anyone in our armed forces who did not volunteer, and I am grateful for every one of them.

(BTW... if this coming election is "prearranged" and controlled by big oil and big business, then that means that the Republicans have to win since oil prices are dropping.  Why would they allow a loss of profits if dems are going to win anyway?  )

[glenn kangiser]

Oh yes, I remember, Mission  Accomplished. 

There is very little difference in the way  things are run between the two parties and I wouldn't look for a lot of changes even if Osama were to get it. 

You are right - we can't leave the country we have destroyed until they can manage their own rubble.

What would be wrong with keeping our military here and instead of blowing up billions of dollars a day that we don't even have to spend, saving, building, stockpiling the WMD's we have and doing like Russia is doing recently --- only attack and fight when our interests are attacked?  Make our military invincible here and ready to rumble, rather than taxing it to the point that now even the misfits are being encouraged to join the effort?

The answer to that is that the oil company and big business profits would dwindle.  You can't as easily rip off the taxpayers money unless there is mass confusion and deals working for business at so many angles the public can't keep track.  It doesn't really matter because they are pretty well powerless to do anything about it anyway.  Fascism has a firm grip on the country.



PS: It's great when we end up a some sort of semi-agreement, Frank.  I enjoy conversing with you. 

[peternap]

Well.....Good speech but it's still the same face. But something is different this time. The babe!

I had planned on voting for the better of the worst but for the first time in a very, very long time, I'm getting excited about a presidential election.

Sarah is new, honest as far as I can tell and has EXPERIENCE with corrupt legislators.

I'll vote for her and mean it. I'll vote for MCcain and hope he dies shortly after taking office.

[NM_Shooter]

Peter, you crack me up.  I am voting for Palin too.

Glenn, I agree.... that mission accomplished thing was a lot of BS.  I have a really harsh opinion of how wars should be waged, and journalism and PR does not fit into my model.

There have been a lot of positive changes for Iraq; it is not all rubble

[Sassy]

As Mayor, 'Hard-Core Fiscal Conservative' Sarah Palin Left Wasilla $20 Million In Debt»

palinquarter4.jpgThe campaign of Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) is presenting his running mate, Gov. Sarah Palin (R-AK), as a reformer, fiscal conservative, and "tough minded budget cutter." Other conservatives have latched onto this image - Phyllis Schlafly calls Palin "the total package" with "fiscal conservative credentials."

Palin embraces the title, labeling herself a "hard-core fiscal conservative," whose "agenda was to stop wasteful spending.

However, as mayor of Wasilla, AK, Palin "was not always the fiscal watchdog she has since boasted of being."

During her term in office, Palin cut property taxes and other small taxes on business. But as the Anchorage Daily News points out, "She wasn't doing this by shrinking government." During her tenure, the budget of Wasilla (population 5,469 in 2000) "apart from capital projects and debt, rose from $3.9 million in fiscal 1996 to $5.8 million."

Palin also successfully pushed through a sales tax increase in Wasilla, which went to fund a $15 million sports complex. However, a land dispute over the sight of the complex led to "years of legal wrangling" and cost Wasilla almost $1.7 million, "a lot more than the roughly $125,000 the city would have paid in 1998 if it had closed a deal to buy the property outright." Wasilla is still facing budget shortfalls from the case today.

When Palin left office in 2002, Wasilla had "racked up nearly $20 million in long-term debt," or roughly $3,000 of debt per resident.

But Palin's approach actually brings her in line with McCain, whose own "massive tax cuts" "would recklessly exacerbate the fiscal irresponsibility of the Bush Administration" and cause the largest deficit in 25 years.



http://thinkprogress.org/wonkroom/2008/09/03/wasilla-in-debt/

[ScottA]

Is anyone really suprised by any of this? Politicos know how to spend money. It's what they do best.

[desdawg]

Ah, here comes the mud. We knew there had to be some. Or else why would we have or need Google. If something sounds too good to be true it usually is. Famous words of Samuel Clemens (AKA Mark Twain) if I am not mistaken. Well we had some hope for about 5 minutes. Skeptical hope at best.

[lonelytree]

I would like to see a line by line sheet of all the "debt" that she left. Is this debt due to bonds voted on by the members of her community? It is hard to get anything done with a very small tax base. 2.5% with a CAP of $12.50. The most sales tax you will pay on anything is $12.50. Try to build anything with that tax base.....

Wasilla is one of the fastest growing areas in the state. I'm talking 'boom town".

The old infrastructure could in no way handle it. How fast you wonder.... New Target, Chili's, Home Depot, Lowes, Hospital, schools everywhere, etc.... This is (was) a small town just a couple years ago.

Wasilla is a bedroom town for Anchorage. Many people bought homes out there and commute to Anchorage for work.

Wasilla and Palmer are commercial centers for the Mat-Su Borough. Estimated population 60K people spread over 25,000 square miles.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Matanuska-Susitna_Borough,_Alaska

[NM_Shooter]

The rumor mud i heard was that she initially was for the bridge to nowhere.  I have not googled around for details yet.

-f-

[glenn kangiser]

I heard the same one Frank. 

[Sassy]

Lonelytree, it does give me some hope that you & most Alaskans support her  if she'd been a big failure or done a lot of bad stuff, I don't think she'd have a 92% approval rating...  but I still am very leery of McCain & co & just wonder what they're all up to... 

[glenn kangiser]

Here's what I see...







(My dog would love to chew the ears off of that head.) 

Sarah Palin has an  Israel star on her office window and has already met with Aipac.

Are there no politicians who feel it is important to be loyal to the US?

If they are God's people why do they need our support at all costs. 

What happened to faith in God to provide rather than in our military , sons, daughters, martyrs for Israel at the behest of our politicians.

Why should they expect our children to pay for their ticket through the pearly gates. 

[desdawg]

Here is an article regarding the Bridge:
http://news.bostonherald.com/news/2008/view.bg?&articleid=1116208&format=&page=2&listingType=2008pres#articleFull

[lonelytree]

Personally, I am for earmarks. Everyone says that are bad these days, but many towns and cities have benefitted from them in the past. I am of course against wasteful, corrupt, and unbeneficial projects. If I am the mayor of a small town that really needs a project to suceed and I don't have the tax base, capital etc to do it, why now ask for an earmark? Dedicated funds to a project seems more responsible to me. I would believe that ONLY a percentage of projects should be for non-essential projects.

Bridges to nowhere..... AK Senator Don Young screwed this up by being a stubborn, brat instead of actually communicating like an adult. When asked about the projects, he should have told the media to wait for a day to get ALL the benefits together. Instead of throwing a fit in public and looking the fool that he is.

2 Bridges
Gravina - Wouldn't it be nice to be able to drive to the airport instead of take a ferry? Maybe have a little room to grow. While expensive, look at the history of areas that ran out of room to grow. I personally was not for this project. Lots of money and not a huge population that would benefit. That does not mean that it does not bear looking at it.

Knik Arm - Anchorage is landlocked between Cook Inlet, Military bases, and the Chugach State Park. We are running out of land quickly. The Knik bridge would open up a large area of land for growth AND create a transportation corridor for Houston, Big Lake, Willow and the Knik Arm. It would also create a second evacuation route in case of an emergency. Anchorage has one road north and one road south. The road north is heavily traveled daily. Bumper to bumper for 3-5 hours a day.

Look at the areas of the US that have received monies to build bridges and grow. Growth = taxes. Esentially, projects like this can pay for themselves.

P.S. If the arcticle says Andrew Halcro or Hollis French ..... be wary, be very wary.

[desdawg]

This really points out how lame the two party system is. When two new faces came on the scene, Joe Biden and Sarah Palin the entire election scenario took on new meaning. I think most people would rather have a larger menu to choose from. Primaries be damned they are still only about the same two parties. And even within those parties there are sub-parties. Liberal, ultra liberal, conservative, ultra conservative, religous right. Whatever. There are rifts within the organizations themselves, not a united front. McCain is making concessions to maintain party favor right now so he may be talking out of both sides of his mouth again. What kind of deals with the devil do these people have to make to please their party heirarchy. Which of Sarah Palins principles will she have to sacrifice to be on the national scene. Will she have to join the good old boy network that she has fought to be a player. I suppose. And no matter how high up the food chain they end up they can only do so much. 

[muldoon]

I'm thinking I'm going to vote Obama. 

McCaine got up there on Wednesday and announced the republican platform of no bailouts WHILE the bailout planning was underway by the existing republican administration.  He has not spoken out against it, nor will he.  He was not present to vote against against giving Paulson the authority to put the treasury in the hole 5 trillion and has not spoken out against it yet either. 

Yes Obama will be bad, and he didnt vote against that bill either.  However he didnt make a speech about fighting for the USA and stopping bailouts this week either.  Truly, I believe Obama to be the worse of two evils.  He is the absolutely worst choice.  My hope is that he will openly make people angry enough to wake up and do something about this.  We had some friends over this weekend, friends of my wife.  They complained about the economy and jobs and gas and food and insurance.  I asked them if they could name the two senators from Texas.  Just got some dumb stares back.  I told them they had no right to complain ... they got exactly the government they deserved.  It didnt go over well.   I guess I have been on edge lately. 

[StinkerBell]

I'm thinking I'm going to vote Obama. 

McCaine got up there on Wednesday and announced the republican platform of no bailouts WHILE the bailout planning was underway by the existing republican administration.  He has not spoken out against it, nor will he.  He was not present to vote against against giving Paulson the authority to put the treasury in the hole 5 trillion and has not spoken out against it yet either. 

Yes Obama will be bad, and he didnt vote against that bill either.  However he didnt make a speech about fighting for the USA and stopping bailouts this week either.  Truly, I believe Obama to be the worse of two evils.  He is the absolutely worst choice.  My hope is that he will openly make people angry enough to wake up and do something about this.  We had some friends over this weekend, friends of my wife.  They complained about the economy and jobs and gas and food and insurance.  I asked them if they could name the two senators from Texas.  Just got some dumb stares back.  I told them they had no right to complain ... they got exactly the government they deserved.  It didnt go over well.   I guess I have been on edge lately. 

I heard McCain addressing it today, I heard blah blah blah, then that the bailout should not benefit the board of directors, they need to be replaced. It should help the home owner and the small banks holding the federally insured loans....then blah blah blah. So he has addressed it, but to be honest I was half listening...It was either early this morning or last night.

[muldoon]

I heard McCain addressing it today, I heard blah blah blah, then that the bailout should not benefit the board of directors, they need to be replaced. It should help the home owner and the small banks holding the federally insured loans ....then blah blah blah. So he has addressed it, but to be honest I was half listening...It was either early this morning or last night.

Hold on.  I have to comment on somthing you said.  "small banks holding the federally insured loans ."

This is printed on every Fanny May bond.  When you read it do you understand it as "Federally insured"?  Federally insured debt is called Treasuries.  It trades at a low yield because it is low risk.  GSE or Agency paper trades at a much higher yield because it has risk.  "Investors" and I use the term lightly, took risk to gain a higher return on their investment.  These were not federally insured and they damn well knew it. 


Also, it does nothing to help homeowners, and does nothing to help regional banks.  Regional banks will get a huge black eye from the loss of dividends on the preferred.  Homeowners problems are related to falling valuations and job loss and rising mortgage costs and tighening lending standards.  This exacerbates every one of those problems.  You cant refi an underwater loan.  Hell Fanny and Freddie do not allow late payments on any new mortgages as of two months ago, so any non-performing loan would be ineligible to be refinanced to a Fannie or Freddie loan.  This is brand new regulation, likely written in anticipation of this bailout.  This does not help average people in any way!

Unless McCain is an idiot he knows this.  Even if he was an idiot, he still should know this, he has advisors. 

{edited to change the image of the bond to fit screen}

[desdawg]

From this story comments by both candidates or in McCains case an advisor I guess. http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20080908/bs_nm/fannie_freddie_dc_15
I haven't really been watching much TV this weekend. Has either candidate addressed the issue?

The proposals outlined on Sunday, less than two months away from the U.S. election, leave the ultimate fate of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac in the hands of the next president.

Democratic presidential contender Sen. Barack Obama said it will be necessary to clarify whether they are truly public companies, subject to market discipline, or special entities that investors feel they can put money in risk-free.

A senior adviser to Republican presidential nominee Sen. John McCain described them as examples of "crony capitalism" and said McCain believes they should eventually be privatized.

[StinkerBell]

I note you didn't comment on my blah blah blah.....

[desdawg]

I live with a woman who goes blah blah blah incessantly so I have learned to screen it out.

[desdawg]

I'm thinking I'm going to vote Obama. 

McCaine got up there on Wednesday and announced the republican platform of no bailouts WHILE the bailout planning was underway by the existing republican administration.  He has not spoken out against it, nor will he.  He was not present to vote against against giving Paulson the authority to put the treasury in the hole 5 trillion and has not spoken out against it yet either. 

Yes Obama will be bad, and he didnt vote against that bill either.  However he didnt make a speech about fighting for the USA and stopping bailouts this week either.  Truly, I believe Obama to be the worse of two evils.  He is the absolutely worst choice.  My hope is that he will openly make people angry enough to wake up and do something about this.  We had some friends over this weekend, friends of my wife.  They complained about the economy and jobs and gas and food and insurance.  I asked them if they could name the two senators from Texas.  Just got some dumb stares back.  I told them they had no right to complain ... they got exactly the government they deserved.  It didnt go over well.   I guess I have been on edge lately. 

I can't bring myself to vote for Obama. The message he is sending is that if a person has a little motivation and incentive he will be penalized with higher taxes. The penalty will be distributed to some couch poatoes who are getting welfare, food stamps and enemployment. The reward is for doing nothing. So the best thing a person can do under the Obama plan is to be a deadbeat and collect from the doers.

[Squirl]

That is why I can't vote for McCain.  McCain platform on health care is to tax employees that get it provided by their employer.  That is most of the county.  He will give a tax break to people that buy there own insurance.  This is bought and paid for by the major insurance companies.  By having collective bargaining companies can get the best prices for their employees for health insurance.  By everyone going out and buying their own, the insurance companies can select out the people they don't want to cover and jack the rates for everyone.  McCain has promised to raise taxes on almost every American.  Then give a rebate back at the end of the year if you went out and bought your own health care plan.  We all know how great the government is in giving back money.
Taxing the employer sponsored health care that most Americans receive will be one of the largest tax increases on the middle class in American history.  If the self employed buy their health insurance through the company that they manage, the don't pay taxes on the insurance anyway.  There is no tax break to give them. 
If people really want to focus on their taxes. Focus on the federal budget.  Over 90% of the budget is on four items. #1 defense.  Homeland Security, DOD, Veterans Affairs and the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan make up over 40% of the federal budget. #2 Social Security is around 20% of the federal budget #3 Medicare/Medicaid is around 19% #4 Interest on the Debt 9%. 
Personally I am not going to focus on the 3-4 pennies out of every dollar I pay the government in to people on welfare (probably about half that actually need it) than the 90% that goes to war, the sick and the elderly, and deficit spending.

[glenn kangiser]

I live with a woman who goes blah blah blah incessantly so I have learned to screen it out.

  There you go, Stink... and they think we don't hear....

[desdawg]

That is why I can't vote for McCain.  McCain platform on health care is to tax employees that get it provided by their employer.  That is most of the county.  He will give a tax break to people that buy there own insurance.  This is bought and paid for by the major insurance companies.  By having collective bargaining companies can get the best prices for their employees for health insurance.  By everyone going out and buying their own, the insurance companies can select out the people they don't want to cover and jack the rates for everyone.  McCain has promised to raise taxes on almost every American.  Then give a rebate back at the end of the year if you went out and bought your own health care plan.  We all know how great the government is in giving back money.
Taxing the employer sponsored health care that most Americans receive will be one of the largest tax increases on the middle class in American history.  If the self employed buy their health insurance through the company that they manage, the don't pay taxes on the insurance anyway.  There is no tax break to give them. 
If people really want to focus on their taxes. Focus on the federal budget.  Over 90% of the budget is on four items. #1 defense.  Homeland Security, DOD, Veterans Affairs and the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan make up over 40% of the federal budget. #2 Social Security is around 20% of the federal budget #3 Medicare/Medicaid is around 19% #4 Interest on the Debt 9%. 
Personally I am not going to focus on the 3-4 pennies out of every dollar I pay the government in to people on welfare (probably about half that actually need it) than the 90% that goes to war, the sick and the elderly, and deficit spending.

So if Obama gets elected my best strategy is to dump what I have worked for for the last 20 years, get what I can for it, find myself a nice section 8 rental, park my arse on the couch, apply for welfare, start eating food stamps and maybe get a little short term job so I can draw unemployment and do what I can to get that 3-4 cents you are talking about jacked up to 25-30 cents on the dollar. All the motivations will be in place and I better hurry so I don't get caught in the stampede. I have lived most of my life with no health insurance. I am not recommending that but it has worked out OK for me. I was a patient in a hospital on Feb 3, 1948 and I must not have liked it cause I never went back.
Already it is abused as many people run for the doc with every sniffle. Imagine when it becomes a function of government. I don't like Socialism, I like independence. I don't want your problems to be my problems nor do I want mine to be yours.