Politicians say the darndest things

[Escher's Waterfall]

Actually, Al Gore probably could claim a lot of credit for political measures that resulted in the Internet as we know it today.

Vint Cerf said as much: "No other elected official, to our knowledge, has made a greater contribution over a longer period of time."

Yes, it's political grandstanding by Gore saying what he did, but if we're going to attack him for his statement, we need to attack every politician for grandstanding, such as claiming credit for lower crime rates, lower taxes, better schools, etc.

 

[Care]

Then why not FIX social security, medicare and other social services instead of getting rid of them outright? Getting rid of them will do no one any good, especially those of us that are dependent on them.

I didnt say we should eliminate social services, in fact i specifically said that governments main (if not only) purpose should be to provide lifes essentials to its people. If that were the case then the need to have a huge amount of money when you retire wouldnt be so great. The federal government cant be trusted with social security money, they have been proving that for the last 40 years.

A much better system would be to have that money go into a 401k type of personal investment with small tax incentives instead of all going to one big lump sum where congress can rape it every time the budget gets tight.

If you're a young person working today you might aswell kiss that % of your paycheck that goes to social security goodbye because you will NEVER see it again. Its not going towards your retirement, its going to people that are retired right now because our current retireee's social security money was completely mismanged and by the time you turn 65 (or 69 lol) it will be gone and social security will be a memory, which is basically the definition of a ponzi scheme.

The system needs to be changed. I for one am not satisfied to be forced pay for the failures of the previous generation to implement an effective social security system without expecting anything in return. I pay into these programs every time i get my measly paycheck, yet I dont even have any health coverage myself, how is that fair?

 

[zekethemusicman]

beats coppin' dope in jerz, sport.

wow...wat a terrible post. not talking about your words mane, but that picture does not belong in CEP. thats Lounge material bro!

Oh, and i dont have any quotes atm. I dont really listen to anyone who runs for political office, especially presidential candidates. lol...fucking losers they are. Im more here to watch Big BrothaBear and UB go back and forth like children. Look, you know we love you both equally, but UB is my favorite.

 

[Apostacious]

I didnt say we should eliminate social services, in fact i specifically said that governments main (if not only) purpose should be to provide lifes essentials to its people. If that were the case then the need to have a huge amount of money when you retire wouldnt be so great. The federal government cant be trusted with social security money, they have been proving that for the last 40 years.

A much better system would be to have that money go into a 401k type of personal investment with small tax incentives instead of all going to one big lump sum where congress can rape it every time the budget gets tight.

If you're a young person working today you might aswell kiss that % of your paycheck that goes to social security goodbye because you will NEVER see it again. Its not going towards your retirement, its going to people that are retired right now because our current retireee's social security money was completely mismanged and by the time you turn 65 (or 69 lol) it will be gone and social security will be a memory, which is basically the definition of a ponzi scheme.

The system needs to be changed. I for one am not satisfied to be forced pay for the mistakes of the previous generations failures to implement an effective social security system without expecting anything in return. I pay into these programs every time i get my measly paycheck, yet I dont even have any health coverage myself, how is that fair?

Ah, I see. I had you wrong, my mistake. Fair enough.

I do agree that there needs to be appropriate financial reform. But, first we would have to make serious changes to the federal budget. The changes should begin with the immediate withdrawal of all troops from Iraq and Afghanistan, with a promise of no American boots on the ground anywhere else unless it's World War 3. If there are humanitarian crises overseas, we should be involved, but only at the same level as everyone else: limited.

There are some more changes we should make. Namely, ending excessive subsidies on commodities that we do not benefit from, namely, sugar, corn and oil. I must admit it was nice to see this in the news recently: http://thecaucus.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/05/06/obama-calls-for-end-of-oil-subsidies/. Hopefully there is more where that came from. And, hopefully the federal government funnels the money freed up from those greedy fucking resource firms, and actually starts to expand our nuclear energy programs. Not only do we need more plants, but some of them need some repairs.

And of course, the best way to free up some money is to legalize weed, and decriminalize everything else. The untold billions that would be freed up from the prison system would be a breath of fresh air, including all of the other financial gains that would be met from taxation of cannabis as has been discussed on bluelight ad nauseum.

Let's just hope that some of the above happens in our lifetimes, eh?

 

[Care]

Let's just hope that some of the above happens in our lifetimes, eh?

Word.

The federal government has no political will to accomplish anything right now. Back in the great depression when people were out of work the government set up huge public works projects and it really helped our employment and infrastructure needs.

Today we have crumbling highways and dams and aqueducts, aswell as high unemployment and yet our government cant stop bickering long enough to realize that they can kill two birds with one stone if they wanted.

I think part of the problem is in the way we elect our politicians. It takes millions of dollars to make a run for political office, yet once someone gets into office their overall pay is a mere stipend compared to what they spent on their campaign. So naturally these people use their power to benefit themselves and the people that helped get them into office.

Why not have some sort of social network (like a forum or facebook) where citizens can vote for what issues are important to them, hear what candidates have to say about what matters to them, and choose who they think would be best for the job based on that. That would let the people choose who gets the attention instead of the media only giving coverage to people who have raised alot of money.

Then once politicians are in office actually pay them a decent amount of money so that if they dont feel the need to take bribes from industry and actually have the opportunity to operate government with integrity. After all they do a very important job for this country, I think they should get paid accordingly.

 

[SubDude]

No new stupid Obama quotes? I thought this was a thread for quotes and statements regarding the upcoming election.

Hmmm... I didn't know there was a time frame.... and if you don't go back in time, the thread is a premature. That is... if there's going to be any fairness to it. In other words, it's somewhat biased at this point since the presidential race is the focus. Dems have one running and Repubs have any number of potentials now... and perhaps 5-8 will announce.

All politicians and everyone else says crazy things at the spur of a moment... especially when they have microphones stuck in their face. I think most agree the incumbent has the advantage. [leaving the news bias aside] Repub candidates don't have a teleprompter in front of them as Obama usually does. Geez he even needed it for a sixth-grade classroom.

The thread invites lib "clans and gangs" [the majority here] to have an unfair advantage with all the extra material they will have... simply due to the numbers involved.

After the convention nominations... posting current and ongoing statements would be a fair game... which is what this thread is all about.... playing a game to see if the dem or repubs says the most absurd or idiotic things.... and frequency of same. At this point... it's a "set up" and agenda oriented. If I partcipate further... I'll try to leave Biden out... since he's just too goofy. Kinda reminds me of Quale and how silly he was.

Anyway, I'm just as interested and excited as anyone else about this coming race... but I don't care much about blunders... unless it's in the presidential debates which is what I look forward too. The policies of each one are the most important factors...

 

[ego_loss]

^^
There is a difference between Obama (or any politician, for that matter) making a gaffe because he doesn't have a teleprompter and Michelle Bachman sounding like a lunatic while saying precisely what she meant to say.

 

[SubDude]

^ she may sound like a lunatic to the left but she's a congresswoman and millions support what she stands for. Libs are afraid of Repub women because they expect all ladies to agree with thier beliefs and serve the interests of militant feminists. Obama is such a flip flopper and thats what scares dems more than anything. The candidate is not the same person as the president. Everyone knows that. Some right center repub will break out of the pack and thats when we'll have something to talk about.... instead of calling people names because you don't agree with their beliefs.

 

[Care]

she may sound like a lunatic to the left but she's a congresswoman and millions support what she stands for. Libs are afraid of Repub women because they expect all ladies to agree with thier beliefs and serve the interests of militant feminists.

I've been following this gem of a conservitave for a while now and while i cant remember every batshit crazy thing she has said over the years a quick google search has unearthed some ones that i find fantastic.

NSFW:

"I find it interesting that it was back in the 1970s that the swine flu broke out under another, then under another Democrat president, Jimmy Carter. I'm not blaming this on President Obama, I just think it's an interesting coincidence." -Rep. Michele Bachmann, on the 1976 Swine Flu outbreak that happened when Gerald Ford, a Republican, was president, April 28, 2009

2. "I wish the American media would take a great look at the views of the people in Congress and find out: Are they pro-America or anti-America?" -Rep. Michelle Bachmann, calling for a new McCarthyism, Oct. 2008

3. "Take this into consideration. If we look at American history, between 1942 and 1947, the data that was collected by the Census Bureau was handed over to the FBI and other organizations at the request of President Roosevelt, and that's how the Japanese were rounded up and put into the internment camps. I'm not saying that that's what the Administration is planning to do, but I am saying that private personal information that was given to the Census Bureau in the 1940s was used against Americans to round them up, in a violation of their constitutional rights, and put the Japanese in internment camps." -Rep. Michele Bachmann, June 2009

4. "During the last 100 days we have seen an orgy. It would make any local smorgasbord embarrassed … The government spent its wad by April 26." -Rep. Michele Bachmann, accusing the Obama administration of premature fiscal ejaculation, May 2009

5. "That's why people need to continue to go to the town halls, continue to melt the phone lines of their liberal members of Congress, and let them know, under no certain circumstances will I give the government control over my body and my health care decisions." -Rep. Michele Bachmann (R-MN), a pro-lifer who completely missed the irony of using the same slogan as the pro-choice movement in arguing against health care reform

6. "Carbon dioxide is portrayed as harmful. But there isn't even one study that can be produced that shows that carbon dioxide is a harmful gas." -Rep. Michelle Bachmann, April, 2009

7. "There are hundreds and hundreds of scientists, many of them holding Nobel Prizes, who believe in intelligent design." -Rep. Michele Bachmann, Oct. 2006

8. "I want people in Minnesota armed and dangerous on this issue of the energy tax because we need to fight back. Thomas Jefferson told us 'having a revolution every now and then is a good thing,' and the people -- we the people -- are going to have to fight back hard if we're not going to lose our country." -Rep. Rep. Michele Bachmann, March 2009

9. "Does that mean that someone's 13-year-old daughter could walk into a sex clinic, have a pregnancy test done, be taken away to the local Planned Parenthood abortion clinic, have their abortion, be back and go home on the school bus? That night, mom and dad are never the wiser." -Rep. Michele Bachmann, on health care reform's potential to dupe parents, October 2009

10. "I don't know where they're going to get all this money because we're running out of rich people in this country." -Rep. Michele Bachmann, accusing the Obama administration of plotting to divert money from Republican to Democratic districts and planning to tax the wealthy to fund the windfalls, Feb. 2009

that is why we think she is crazy, not be cause she isnt a radical feminist (as a male and sane individual i find radical feminism silly)

 

[Apostacious]

^ she may sound like a lunatic to the left but she's a congresswoman and millions support what she stands for. Libs are afraid of Repub women because they expect all ladies to agree with thier beliefs and serve the interests of militant feminists. Obama is such a flip flopper and thats what scares dems more than anything. The candidate is not the same person as the president. Everyone knows that. Some right center repub will break out of the pack and thats when we'll have something to talk about.... instead of calling people names because you don't agree with their beliefs.

It's good to see you haven't changed the slightest bit. I must admit, it provides me a sturdy, reliable foundation to see that some people just stop learning when they get older, and get stuck in their ways. It really makes things orderly and neat. Its admirable that you are sold on the two party system, and you refuse to compromise by not admitting that the politicians you rely upon to make your opinions appear to be relevant to this decade/century are two-faced money-grubbing whores. Then, you come out and claim that since your team has an "R(etard)" next to their names, they are by default, infallible. And to top it all off, you actually expect people to believe that a Republican whore is better than our Democrat president. You should know that they are both two sides to the same coin. 8)

 

[Kenickie]

^ she may sound like a lunatic to the left but she's a congresswoman and millions support what she stands for. Libs are afraid of Repub women because they expect all ladies to agree with thier beliefs and serve the interests of militant feminists. Obama is such a flip flopper and thats what scares dems more than anything. The candidate is not the same person as the president. Everyone knows that. Some right center repub will break out of the pack and thats when we'll have something to talk about.... instead of calling people names because you don't agree with their beliefs.

i'm blown away with how content you are to be a caricature, a terribly ignorant one at that. this is why young people hate old people. they have no shame about their terribly bigoted, disgusting, out of touch and flat out baseless opinions. I don't even want to say anything about the ludicrous claim that millions support Michelle Bachmann, but I will say I admire Olympia Snowe and Kathleen Sebiulius if you even know who those women are.

more quotes

With regard to the idea of whether you have a right to health care, you have realize what that implies. It’s not an abstraction. I’m a physician. That means you have a right to come to my house and conscript me. It means you believe in slavery. It means that you’re going to enslave not only me, but the janitor at my hospital, the person who cleans my office, the assistants who work in my office, the nurses.

Basically, once you imply a belief in a right to someone’s services — do you have a right to plumbing? Do you have a right to water? Do you have right to food? — you’re basically saying you believe in slavery.

I’m a physician in your community and you say you have a right to health care. You have a right to beat down my door with the police, escort me away and force me to take care of you? That’s ultimately what the right to free health care would be.

--- Rand Paul

you see that? I believe Americans have a right to food and water, so I believe in slavery. Is Rand Paul even a fucking doctor? Right, he's not.

watch the video:
http://youtu.be/u_HVyoT2PgM

 

[indelibleface]

Hey, speaking of Mitch Daniels:

I'm not sure it's all that new. People who reject the idea of a God - who think that we're just accidental protoplasm - have always been with us. What bothers me is the implications - which not all such folks have thought through - because really, if we are just accidental, if this life is all there is, if there is no eternal standard of right and wrong, then all that matters is power.

And atheism leads to brutality. All the horrific crimes of the last century were committed by atheists - Stalin and Hitler and Mao and so forth - because it flows very naturally from an idea that there is no judgment and there is nothing other than the brief time we spend on this Earth.

Right, we need religion to tell us what's good and what's bad. Of course, because without an imaginary friend telling us what to do, we will all devolve into rabid satanic killing machines.


I will say this for Mitch: At least he's trying to get the GOP to stop fighting so much on social issues and focus on the fiscal. He's pretty much the only guy besides the pot-smoking libertarians of the bunch to say so.

 

[ego_loss]

And atheism leads to brutality[....] it flows very naturally from an idea that there is no judgment and there is nothing other than the brief time we spend on this Earth.

I never understood that bit of the anti-atheist debate. Atheists believe they only have a brief time here on earth, so they are going to use it being brutal monsters? Seriously? It's the exact opposite, really. My belief that there is no afterlife compels me to live a fuller happier life while doing my best to allow others the same luxury. If anything, it's the people who believe they are doing gods work and will be rewarded in the afterlife that tend to make most peoples lives miserable.

 

[qwe]

she may sound like a lunatic to the left but she's a congresswoman and millions support what she stands for. Libs are afraid of Repub women because they expect all ladies to agree with thier beliefs and serve the interests of militant feminists.

new thread title: subdude says the darndest things.

And atheism leads to brutality. All the horrific crimes of the last century were committed by atheists - Stalin and Hitler and Mao and so forth - because it flows very naturally from an idea that there is no judgment and there is nothing other than the brief time we spend on this Earth.

as opposed to killing a thousand people, asking for forgiveness, and spending an eternity in heaven?

religion is philosophy (great philosophy at the time it was invented) frozen solid in time. and the crimes that have been carried out in its name match those of "atheists"... and those evil atheists, by the way, were carrying out their crimes against humanity under another banner (eg the "evil communism"), hardly atheism. atheism is simply a lack of religion... -.-

 

[alasdairm]

...Obama is such a flip flopper...instead of calling people names...

care to practice what you preach?



alasdair

 

[SubDude]

i'm blown away with how content you are to be a caricature, a terribly ignorant one at that. this is why young people hate old people. they have no shame about their terribly bigoted, disgusting, out of touch and flat out baseless opinions. I don't even want to say anything about the ludicrous claim that millions support Michelle Bachmann, but I will say I admire Olympia Snowe and Kathleen Sebiulius if you even know who those women are.

Now it's pretty clear how much ugly rage/hate you have for others who don't believe as you... fairly typical of left lunes. Since your now attacking your elders...I believe it's appropriate to refer to you as a Gerontophobe. I undertand it's relatively common among young angry lib females who feel powerless... and not as smart as they give them selves credit to be. You're really kinda disturbed and nauseating... I probably got a similar lib education as you. However, maturity brings a more clear perspective on things which are important. Grow up and get some life experience and I'll speak with you in about 10-15 yrs. Until then, I'm fine with overlooking your lack of awareness.

BTW you better get use to seniors running things since the baby boomers are just getting started... and the most youngsters don't give a damn

It's good to see you haven't changed the slightest bit. I must admit, it provides me a sturdy, reliable foundation to see that some people just stop learning when they get older, and get stuck in their ways. It really makes things orderly and neat. Its admirable that you are sold on the two party system, and you refuse to compromise by not admitting that the politicians you rely upon to make your opinions appear to be relevant to this decade/century are two-faced money-grubbing whores. Then, you come out and claim that since your team has an "R(etard)" next to their names, they are by default, infallible. And to top it all off, you actually expect people to believe that a Republican whore is better than our Democrat president. You should know that they are both two sides to the same coin. 8)

Once again the gangs all here... I learn something new everyday, the problem being, it's mostly misinformation and people who want to change something they know little about... and the potential consequences thereof. The money grubbing whores you refer too are likely paying your salary... thats assuming you aren't living off the taxpayers.

I'd appreciate you not twisting what I say into a black and white statement. Generally speaking, most repubs are better prepared to govern and determine whats best for the the US.

care to practice what you preach?



alasdair

I only respond to whats thrown at me first... which comes frequently at BL CEP. Many are personal attacks which are difficult to ignore. But then, I clearly understand who I'm dealing with here and the numbers.

 

[Apostacious]

Once again the gangs all here... I learn something new everyday, the problem being, it's mostly misinformation and people who want to change something they know little about... and the potential consequences thereof. The money grubbing whores you refer too are likely paying your salary... thats assuming you aren't living off the taxpayers.

Is you cereal? Shit, last I checked it was Republican administrations that ran up the debt by cutting taxes for the wealthy (which does NOTHING to increase consumption expenditure, and barely does anything to increase the supply of goods and services) and increasing military spending, got us involved in two long, unwinnable wars, deregulated the financial sector (yes, Clinton went ahead with the deregulation, but he was gaining presidential capital from congressional republicans, that spearheaded the deregulation, while democrats watched horrified), and limited our civil liberties via the USAPATRIOT act. So, yeah, Republicans have had a bad record while in office.

Also, should I kiss my employers' feet, simply because they pay me a meager salary? Fuck that. I refuse to kiss anyone's ass.

 

[Care]

And atheism leads to brutality. All the horrific crimes of the last century were committed by atheists - Stalin and Hitler and Mao and so forth - because it flows very naturally from an idea that there is no judgment and there is nothing other than the brief time we spend on this Earth.

I had a western civ teacher a year or so ago ( super conservitive, wore tea party shirts to class) that made that exact point during one of his first lectures of the year. I interupted him and said something along the lines of "Some priests rape children, but that doesnt make all catholics bad".

Then he went on a 10 minute rant, staring at me almost the whole time, about how believing in god is the best way to keep society moral. Suffice to say i spent most of my time in his class rolling my eyes and whispering mean things about him to my neighbors. Still managed to get an "A" too.

Thankfully I dont go to community college anymore >.<.

 

[Apostacious]

^My World Religions professor is also an Eastern Orthodox Christian priest, and he had a similar issue with atheism. He claimed that it is at the root of all immorality, and that only through faith in an otherworldly power, are humans able to be released from their animalistic ambitions.

Anyway, needless to say, the easiest way to piss off a Christian priest, is to remind them that their entire foundation is built on the Nicene Creed, NOT Jesus' teachings, and that pre-Nicene Creed, Gnostics were the spiritually elite in Christian churches. But, of course, that all changed when they burned their own Gnostic texts. Oh, and it doesn't hurt to remind them that all of their Gospels are forgeries, or pseudonymous, and the ecclesiastic authority has no basis in the book they profess their authority from.

Fucking Christians man... lol...

 

[qwe]

my religion in culture (sociological/psychological/anthropological theories on the origin of religion - personally i feel like it's a mix of all of the major theories) professor was open to my paper thesis that entheogens helped to bring about religion's existence.

i live in a very fundamentalist state, but i suppose progressive openness to knowledge still exists in certain pockets of academic circles