So...before Ryan was picked, Dem's actually seemed to like him?

[hanselthecaretaker]

Arguably the most robust praise came from Erskine Bowles, the White House chief of staff under former President Bill Clinton who recently co-chaired President Obama's deficit-reduction committee.

In a late 2011 talk at the University of North Carolina, Bowles told the audience "this guy is amazing."

"I always thought I was okay with arithmetic. This guy can run circles around me, and he is honest, he is straightforward, he is sincere," Bowles said. "And the budget he came forward with is just like Paul Ryan. It is a sensible, straightforward, honest, serious budget."

...Then there's the off-mic moment caught in 2011 between Clinton and Ryan backstage at an event.

In the cellphone footage, aired by ABC News at the time, Clinton said he hoped a recent Democratic congressional victory wouldn't be used "as an excuse to do nothing."

"My guess is it's going to sink into paralysis is what's going to happen," Ryan told the former president. "And you know the math. I mean, it's just we knew we were putting ourselves out there. But you've got to start this. You've got to get out there. You've got to get this thing moving."

Clinton opened the door, saying: "If you ever want to talk about it ..."

"Yeah, I'll give you a call," Ryan said.


Videos surface of Dems, including President Obama, praising Paul Ryan | Fox News


If you can't stand Fox, Google will yield similar results.
This year's debates should be interesting.

 

[-SD-]

But its election time
Which means all niceties are off and its time to circle the wagons and dig the trenches

 

[wootoom]

huh?

 

[-SD-]

huh?

Can i elect?

 

[wootoom]

Can I politics forum move?

 

[redsamurai]

probably before the ryan budget came out bor...just have a feelign on that one. lmao

Seriously since the Ryan budget came out they've rooasted that guy.

 

[digimon7068]

pffft...he's batshit crazy...of course they liked him...

 

[simply dave]

probably before the ryan budget came out bor...just have a feelign on that one. lmao

Seriously since the Ryan budget came out they've rooasted that guy.

He doesn't even touch the money we're spending projecting power, occupying sovereign nations...for the sake of "Freedom and Democracy" of course.

How can this asshead be taken seriously? How? We 'Merikuns like our "superpower" status and whereas we want fiscal responsibility...not at the cost of being able to be the ones calling the shots in the affairs of other governments...**cough** in the name of **heh** "Democracy"...

We should take a poll here and ask what is more important...educating our children and taking care of our elderly vs. being able to kick the shit out of any country we deem an enemy...**wink**

 

[digimon7068]

He doesn't even touch the money we're spending projecting power, occupying sovereign nations...for the sake of "Freedom and Democracy" of course.

How can this asshead be taken seriously? How? We 'Merikuns like our "superpower" status and whereas we want fiscal responsibility...not at the cost of being able to be the ones calling the shots in the affairs of other governments...**cough** in the name of **heh** "Democracy"...

We should take a poll here and ask what is more important...educating our children and taking care of our elderly vs. being able to kick the shit out of any country we deem an enemy...**wink**

we HAVE TO choose??

 

[digimon7068]

we HAVE TO choose??

and, before you answer, let me just say that my wife teaches middle school math and my mom is old...

 

[redsamurai]

we HAVE TO choose??

yuppers^^


it's unsustainable...we've only been able to do it this long cause we printed (ie shit) the worlds reserve currency. So the end of that gravy train is in sight so fuck yeah we need to choose and we need to choose wisely right fucking now cause we're decaying from the inside out.

 

[digimon7068]

yuppers^^


it's unsustainable...we've only been able to do it this long cause we printed (ie shit) the worlds reserve currency. So the end of that gravy train is in sight so fuck yeah we need to choose and we need to choose wisely right fucking now cause we're decaying from the inside out.

pretty sure most of the rest of the world is in the same shape as us...me thinks there may be some other forces at work...

 

[redsamurai]

pretty sure most of the rest of the world is in the same shape as us...me thinks there may be some other forces at work...

yeah they all pegged their shit to the dollar. Everybody wanted aboard the spend what you don't got and let the americans print money wagon. That wagon is just about done now so everybody has to retool. If we think the days of blowing up some paper currency are coming back we're not gonna make it out of this.

 

[digimon7068]

yeah they all pegged their shit to the dollar. Everybody wanted aboard the spend what you don't got and let the americans print money wagon. That wagon is just about done now so everybody has to retool. If we think the days of blowing up some paper currency are coming back we're not gonna make it out of this.

i'm just gonna work really hard and make as much money as i possibly can...someone else can figure out whether it's worth anything or not...honestly, though? i think one of the biggest issues globally (with regard to economic issues) is a total lack of consumer confidence...there's pent-up demand right now out the whazoo...people have money to spend...banks have money to lend...but, no one is pulling the trigger...and everytime the artificial employment statistics are released, everything goes in the crapper for another month.

 

[redsamurai]

yeah cause nobody's sure what their money is going to be worth next year. I mean sensible people finally realize that buying that big screen or that 1k bag of new golf clubs may not be the most prudent decision if hyper inflation hits us. DC is not telling us just how close we are to that kind of scenario. The system is so complex now that 4 years ago nobody was really sure where this was gonna go, but now the big brains are finally starting to get a handle on things and they're worried, real worried. BUt of course they're told to STFU and not cause a run on banks.

 

[digimon7068]

yeah cause nobody's sure what their money is going to be worth next year. I mean sensible people finally realize that buying that big screen or that 1k bag of new golf clubs may not be the most prudent decision if hyper inflation hits us. DC is not telling us just how close we are to that kind of scenario. The system is so complex now that 4 years ago nobody was really sure where this was gonna go, but now the big brains are finally starting to get a handle on things and they're worried, real worried. BUt of course they're told to STFU and not cause a run on banks.

i can't imagine a "run on the banks" scenario with the access that we have to instant information...the economic conditions that led to the market crash of 1929 and then the depression were almost certainly less egregious than the ones that led to the market crash of 2008, yet we did not (yet) fall into a depression...why? ready, up to the minute, access to financial information...instead of running to the banks, the people sat back and watched their tickers and listened to the news and waited to see what would happen, because they had access to those resources. it's a different world now and trying to glean any useful information from 1929 through 1939 is apples-n-oranges at best.

 

[redsamurai]

the problem is what we see on the tickers is like the tip of the iceberg, it's what we're allowed to see. The financial scandals recently are kind of showing that to be true. It's a big show. These guys are doing things behind our backs, they're running their own rules that we are not privy to. I have no doubt in my mind that things can look rosey 60 seconds ahead of a major crash...shit can go down that quick and quicker the further we move along. It's like getting punched in the nuts hearing people whine about govt over-regulating wall street....like really? Are you not paying attention to these guys and what top to bottom crooks they are?

 

[digimon7068]

the problem is what we see on the tickers is like the tip of the iceberg, it's what we're allowed to see. The financial scandals recently are kind of showing that to be true. It's a big show. These guys are doing things behind our backs, they're running their own rules that we are not privy to. I have no doubt in my mind that things can look rosey 60 seconds ahead of a major crash...shit can go down that quick and quicker the further we move along. It's like getting punched in the nuts hearing people whine about govt over-regulating wall street....like really? Are you not paying attention to these guys and what top to bottom crooks they are?

it's a pervavsive issue...in my opinion, the wall street frauds and defalcations are financial crimes of the highest order...and the punishment should fit the crime...the punishment has to be so unbelievably distasteful that no one wants to even think about trying to pull some funny shit to line their pockets...the perp goes to jail for life without any opportunity for parole...his/her family forfeits any and all assets acquired or gained during the period of his/her fraud or defalcation, regardless of whether they were acquired through legal means or otherwise...no exceptions...you'd only have to do this once or twice, and that would be it...high-ranking business people are fucking pussies...they don't even want to spend one day in jail, let alone the rest of their lives.

 

[simply dave]

it's a pervavsive issue...in my opinion, the wall street frauds and defalcations are financial crimes of the highest order...and the punishment should fit the crime...the punishment has to be so unbelievably distasteful that no one wants to even think about trying to pull some funny shit to line their pockets...the perp goes to jail for life without any opportunity for parole...his/her family forfeits any and all assets acquired or gained during the period of his/her fraud or defalcation, regardless of whether they were acquired through legal means or otherwise...no exceptions...you'd only have to do this once or twice, and that would be it...high-ranking business people are fucking pussies...they don't even want to spend one day in jail, let alone the rest of their lives.

No Charges In MF Global Collapse

And let's keep votin'em in folks. We only have ourselves to blame. We've been asleep at the wheel and have given these criminals carte blanche to do whatever they want. Wall Street bailouts for everyone! WOOHOO!

 

[digimon7068]

No Charges In MF Global Collapse

And let's keep votin'em in folks. We only have ourselves to blame. We've been asleep at the wheel and have given these criminals carte blanche to do whatever they want. Wall Street bailouts for everyone! WOOHOO!

a few people at the top wrecked the entire world economy (9/11 and the resulting fall out helped too, though)...and they should be punished severely...however, many of the "injured" had a hand in their own demise...if something sounds too good to be true IT IS!!! many of those who suffered the largest losses were placing bets that could only be won if some other poor bastard was taking a severe beating...and they knew that...and they didn't give two shits...they were just as greedy as the perps...they just didn't know that they were the ones that were getting fucked...they let their greed override their common sense...shame on them!

 

[redsamurai]

So Digi you realize if we keep voting either republican or democrat none of ur obvious and sensible ideas ever have the remotest chance of becoming law right? I mean I have no faith in Obama to really drop the hammer and he's the one actually talking about doing it. The republicans actually say things like we're intruding too much on this poor honest businessmen who are just trying to scratch out a paycheck. This is the kind of stuff that drives men like me and Simply D crazy. People just utterly refuse to look behind the curtain.

 

[digimon7068]

So Digi you realize if we keep voting either republican or democrat none of ur obvious and sensible ideas ever have the remotest chance of becoming law right? I mean I have no faith in Obama to really drop the hammer and he's the one actually talking about doing it. The republicans actually say things like we're intruding too much on this poor honest businessmen who are just trying to scratch out a paycheck. This is the kind of stuff that drives men like me and Simply D crazy. People just utterly refuse to look behind the curtain.

i'm a theoretical libertarian...and, i vote with my head...i could give two shits how anyone is registered...i want to know "what have you done for me lately, baby??"...our two-party system is a joke. the truth is, everyone needs to pay a little more for a while and (more importantly) we need to give less shit away for a LONG time...i'm keeping score in my head...both parties suck.

 

[hanselthecaretaker]

yuppers^^


it's unsustainable...we've only been able to do it this long cause we printed (ie shit) the worlds reserve currency. So the end of that gravy train is in sight so fuck yeah we need to choose and we need to choose wisely right fucking now cause we're decaying from the inside out.

Still doesn't sound as bad a predicament the Japanese are in now. Aging population and the youth have become very uninterested in sex. Given their economic struggles the last couple decades topped off with a tsunami wreaking nuclear disaster, it would seem they're getting burnt out. I remember hearing an old adage about how if an American fucks up on the job he goes home and gets drunk. If a Japanese fucks up on the job he goes home and kills himself. There is a far, far greater pressure to succeed over there and I think it's resulted in a huge backlash.


Despite concerns about the lack of babies, the country is still a very crowded place.

The majority of the population is packed into the coastal belts because the rest of the country is mostly mountains.

If you travel from Osaka through Kobe to the historic city of Kyoto, its impossible to see where one city ends and the other starts as the concrete conurbation spreads for hundreds of miles.
One Japanese friend discussed with me the fall in the birth rate and suggested to me if there are far fewer people there in the future it will be a much better place to live.


Read more: Lack of babies could mean the extinction of the Japanese people | Fox News
Lack of babies could mean the extinction of the Japanese people | Fox News

 

[javaguru]

So Digi you realize if we keep voting either republican or democrat none of ur obvious and sensible ideas ever have the remotest chance of becoming law right? I mean I have no faith in Obama to really drop the hammer and he's the one actually talking about doing it. The republicans actually say things like we're intruding too much on this poor honest businessmen who are just trying to scratch out a paycheck. This is the kind of stuff that drives men like me and Simply D crazy. People just utterly refuse to look behind the curtain.

You realize that your government IS the problem? As long as the government writes the tax code people that are taxed will spend money to reduce their taxes and get bailouts.

Obama got more money from Wall Street than McCain 2:1 and Dodd-Frank was written by Wall Street to ensure their monopoly and exclude start ups. How do you "wind down" Bank of America? They have more assets than the federal budget....the big banks got "too bigger to fail" with Dodd-Frank...