Sunday Morning Talk Show Thread 29 June 2014

Various driveby media television networks ^ | 29 June 2014 | Various Self-Serving Politicians and Big Media Screaming Faces

[Cheerio]

Karl Rove has had his 15 min of fame and should exit stage left. Who believes anything this guy says what with his record of success?

Karl Rove’s nightmare: A one percent success rate on American Crossroads’s spending

[Jeff Chandler]

Bill Clinton underwent quadruple bypass surgery. I’ve seen people go through a major surgery with no ill effects, but some people are never the same.

[Jeff Chandler]

. . . and then there’s the syphilis . . .

[TomGuy]

Also among the 151,014,000 who received benefits from one or more government programs during that period: 49,901,000 who collected Social Security; 49,073,000 who got food stamps; 46,440,000 on Medicare; 23,228,000 in the Women, Infants and Children program, 20,223,000 getting Supplemental Security Income;13,433,000 who lived in public or subsidized rental housing; 5,098,000 who got unemployment; 3,178,000 who got veterans' benefits; and 364,000 who got railroad retirement benefits.

There is a problem with lumping all of these together.

Social Security, Medicare, VA, and railroad are 'earned' benefits. People worked and paid into those, either with money or service.

Unemployment is funded initially by employers who pay into the state system. When the system is overwhelmed (more unemployed than normal), the state or FED has to increase the fund.

The others are 'unearned' benefits or special qualifications benefits.

[Morgan in Denver]

Your approach is better than mine has been. Trying to explain political philosophy does not work and takes too much time to explain. Bad judgment and poor decisions seems better.

I think I'll add statism, big government versus personal liberty to the mix too. It seems most people understand the broad brush of too much and too intrusive government into our lives.

I also really like the VA is just like 0bamacare example. It's easy to understand and it's in the news.

[rodguy911]

Hard to argue with you since you are usually right. Let’s hope we can get rid of the rinos and bring some sanity to the party.I know the odds are long but we have to try. Too much at stake.

[DanZ]

” I don’t suggest any move until after these mid-term elections.”

No, In my case I will be selectively voting.

In Texas we do have a few local issues that need to addressed. The Lt. Governor slot is one, I will be voting for Dan Patrick. The rest - Either 3rd party or empty

[rodguy911]

YOU hit it Jeff! He’s not the same that’s for sure.

[Cboldt]

What I meant by the GOP not knowing how to use the power, once it had it, was that it did very little to advance the general principles it claimed and ran on. Less intrusive government, less spending, etc.

But I see your point. They do know how to use their power to advance their self-interests.

[rodguy911]

LOL!! And then there’s all the other stuff we don’t even know about.Bubba could be a walking virus.

[CDB]

Too bad Faulkner's not alive to write a novel about this. He could have titled it, As the GOPe Lay Dying.

[DanZ]

” that’s why I repeat all Democrats have bad judgement and make poor decisions,”

History just repeats itself

Today’s Democrats are no different than pre WWI German G’ment. “We” control and direct, You are serfs and are expected to work hard and if needed to die in conflagration of “our” choosing.

This is how WWI started. The Germans desired Oil in the Balkans and the middle east. Various other “Elites” in the respective G’memts, French, English, Russian, Austro-Hungarians, Turks, others, looked at the world the same way.

Unless you have traveled outside the U.S. you simple cannot appreciate the level of Top Down control that exists EVERY where else in the world

[kabar]

Social Security, Medicare, VA, and railroad are 'earned' benefits. People worked and paid into those, either with money or service.

They are perceived as "earned benefits," which is why they are called entitlement programs. The reality is that they represent over $100 trillion in unfunded liabilities. People are getting far more out of the programs than they contributed. The average Medicare beneficiary receives three times more than they paid into the program. The premiums paid for Medicare Parts B and D cover, by law, only 25% of the costs. The rest comes from the General Fund, which is why Medicare will consume the entire federal budget if it is not reformed. It just some more redistribution of wealth.

This graph shows that the average man and woman (average defined in the study as average income over their working lives and living to the average life expectancy) who start receiving benefits in 2010 get over 3 times more in benefits than they pay in to the system! Of importance, the study accounts for inflation by calculating all past taxes and future payments in 2010 dollars to provide an accurate comparison.

If the notion that Medicare recipients are simply "getting back what they paid in" is false then where is the money coming from? Simply, the excess received is being borrowed from younger generations and the cost is more than we can bear.

[Fishtalk]

I couldn’t help but respond for I, too, had quadruple bypass surgery.

Same age as ole Bill, almost exact conditions.

But something must be different, of course, as I am HEALTHIER than I was before the bypass.

Course I must work it, make no mistake. My blood tends to sludge up, as for my entire family...none of whom lived passed age 73.

But Bill Clinton must have a bad heart is all. Most of us elder types have been around someone with heart ain’t working right....we know it when we see it.

His thin-ness is not even a good thing as it ....I don’t think his thin-ness is by choice. His heart is struggling...he’s not going to live very much longer. And recall his father died very young.

[kabar]

Jeff Sessions for President.

[DanZ]

” once it had it, was that it did very little to advance the general principles it claimed and ran on.”

How many remember the 1988, 2000 Platform fights? WHAT Republican party “principles” PLEASE

[Cboldt]

-- Social Security, Medicare, VA, and railroad are 'earned' benefits ... --

That's how they were sold to the public. In reality, they are taxes, and the government has no legal obligation to honor the promises of payment. Hence, those who are in line to revceive payment from the government, from those programs, have a personal interest in having them preserved even if the programs are financially non-viable.

Not saying the programs are non-viable at this moment in time, but they are in the long run. That's why Congress keeps tinkering with eligibility.

[Night Hides Not]

In Texas we do have a few local issues that need to addressed. The Lt. Governor slot is one, I will be voting for Dan Patrick. The rest - Either 3rd party or empty

I'm a RINO now, that way I can vote for Cruz and other TPers running in the primary.

[Recovering Ex-hippie]

As my mother said, may her soul rest in peace.....

“To get a good night’s rest, you need either a clear conscience..or no conscience.”

Sooo True.

[Cboldt]

-- Unless you have traveled outside the U.S. you simple cannot appreciate the level of Top Down control that exists EVERY where else in the world --

The top-down arrangement drives the US too. But, it is much easier to keep a population from becoming restive, by telling the population that IT is in control. That's the primary function of universal suffrage, to fool the people.