Whether in politics, basketball or even courting his future wife, Barack Obama is known as a strong closer, a thinking man with the patience and inquisitiveness to quietly gauge circumstances until settling upon a winning choice at the last minute.
Will this chaotic debt-limit fiasco be yet another example of Obama rising above skeptical friends and foes?
While some, myself included, have questioned his conciliatory negotiating tactics, another view could be that Obama, as always, has kept his options open in yet another marathon debate – much as he did with health reform, which after all did end up in something tangible and dramatic, no matter how unsatisfactory to all sides.
Perhaps the most telling image of this enigmatic man’s strength under pressure was this video of him swatting a fly. A simple thing, to be sure, but for anyone who has tried to strike down such an elusive foe, we know it is not an easy thing to do — certainly not as easy as he made it look.
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103 Responses to Will Obama Swat His Prey Again?
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sjwny: This country was born out of revolution. Perhaps the time has come again to revolt against a government whose members choose to enrich themselves, instead of representing us and our future well being. I do not call for...
+9jace: Sjwny, Great post and well said. As for myself I prefer a healthy dose of symbolism attached to all my protests. Perhaps a guillotine set up on the capital steps and the occasional tumbrel parked in the limo. spaces?
+4
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coloradobob: Going to the “woolly headed stone cutter” tomorrow. That 2 tons of limestone I bought, has 2 flat sides . I’ll get “TOOTER” cut into a one foot rock. , and see what it looks like. Then I...
+7xrepublican: ! SATIRE ALERT ! It’s too bad the Pommies no longer have torture chambers with which to induce confessions. A few waterboardings could break this murdoch case wide open. According to dick cheney, sleep...
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WooHoo
Craig: “Barack Obama is known as a strong closer, a thinking man with the patience and inquisitiveness to quietly gauge circumstances until settling upon a winning choice at the last minute”
Boy you couldn’t prove it by anything I’ve seen. Bleech.
Ha, Patsi, guess I’m feeling generous this morning — and no, i did not accept my periodontist’s offer to administer laughing gas yesterday
Still, you gotta admit that’s some impressive fly swatting in that video
True that, Craig.
Craig… HA! I see you’ve decided to go over to Blue’s camp.
For the sake of this country, I hope the both of you are right. But I ain’t holdin’ my breath.
Jack…
that sounds like the kind of vacation one takes in some foreign country where the water is bad… like Mexico.
Sorry about it… vacations are to be enjoyed and savored. Better luck next time.
“I’ll bide my time, but I’ll get you my pretty, and your little dog, too.” -WWW
And no matter how much water, or tea, they try to throw on him, he doesn’t melt.
Notice that the GOoPers are now trying to wrangle their own people. To paraphrase Monty Python, the king is the one without any $--+ on him.
Smeagol/Gollum McCain --
“Sen. John McCain railed against “bizarro” alternative plans by “Tea Party hobbits.”
http://today.msnbc.msn.com/id/43923236/ns/politics-capitol_hill/
Obama’s presidency has that cool-as-a-cucumber fly-swatting video, and, getting he-who-now-swims-with-the-fishes.
W’s time as POTUS can best be shown with that clip of him walking into a door.
Craig -- Astor, FL looks perfect for you. Their community website even has a recipe tab!
Good morning…I’ve always liked how our Nobel Peace winning President can take-out pirates, flies and Osama with complete coolness and accuracy.
I am so fed-up with the can’ts…newbies shooting the US economy in the head, stomach and now knee-capping us so we cannot recover. They will be off in their new gold society sowing those hybrid seeds they bought from the Faux network commercials while the misery continues for the American people.
BW
Love that web page for Astor. All sorts of things to investigate. http://www.astorflorida.com/
My only question about that lovely river is “what lives in it?”. I have a feeling swimming might not be one of the better ideas.
I admire Obama’s ability to stay cool. I know that’s not what people want, but I think it works in the end. Lawrence O’Donnell was on FIRE this morning on No-Mojo. Glad he was, tho, because Scarborough was his usual donut-lobbing self, and Mika, again, ineffectual. What a team!
chuck norris gave the Pres fly-swatting video such a thumbs up he put a guy’s eye out.
Those who wish to sell off South Dakota can begin with the town of “Scenic”…….it’s for sale.
http://news.yahoo.com/blogs/upshot/own-own-town-800k-210019125.html
First, the main reason we are in this mess is because of Obama. If he had tied raising the debt ceiling to extending the Bush tax cuts none of this would have happened.
Second, The Tea party isn’t the problem, it is being used as an excuse by both parties for not behaving in a responsible manner. It is a minority that only has the power of the mouth. The adults in both parties could easily run over them if they wanted to. But that would mean they would have to decide to govern instead of run for office. This would include Obama who has been the biggest culprit of them all. for him this has been a pure campaign play and I hope it blows up in his face.
Jack
Sturge — thanks. I’ve been to Scenic…in 1988 when gambling was legalized in the Black Hills. Scenic is on the way to Wounded Knee from the Black Hills. We did get gas at an old pump in town and there was rooster on the pump, no kidding. I need to go through some old photos and post on FB.
craig, you’d have been better off paying for a round trip ticket to orlando, staying at the folks and seeing a florida dentist/peridontist. probably have money left over.
btw, this is an informative discussion by the docs themselves on such costs
http://thewealthydentist.com/surveyresults/119-perio-cleaning.htm
sturge, you are a health hazard to dentists. what’s your track record of fatalities in the employment of other professions?
mainly just those two….there was this Handy-man who dropped dead in my client’s front yard while I was inside doing cabinets but they couldn’t pin it on me….
“We have made our tasks infinitely more difficult because we failed to do yesterday what we are glad to do today…. To delay longer will make the war more protracted and increase the sacrifices for victory. Let us stop asking ourselves if it is necessary to do more now. Let us ask ourselves what more we can do today, so we have less to sacrifice tomorrow.”
this segment of usa ambassador to gb gil winant’s 1940 speech sounds like something our critters should be considering in the debt ceiling war.
got it out of lynne olson’s “citizens of london” which is a terrific book imho about ed murrow, winant, harriman and some other yanks who influenced fdr in the early ’40s to come to the aid of britain. highly recommend the read…not stuff one finds in the average high school american history text.
Obama the Moderate Conservative
Bruce Bartlett — an economic adviser to Ronald Reagan — explaining why Obama is indeed a moderate conservative in practical terms.
Barack Obama: The Democrats’ Richard Nixon?
By BRUCE BARTLETT, The Fiscal Times, July 27, 2011
Although Republicans routinely accuse him of being a socialist, an honest examination of his presidency must conclude that he has in fact been moderately conservative to exactly the same degree that Nixon was moderately liberal.
Here are a few examples of Obama’s effective conservatism:
• His stimulus bill was half the size that his advisers thought necessary;
• He continued Bush’s war and national security policies without change and even retained Bush’s defense secretary;
• He put forward a health plan almost identical to those that had been supported by Republicans such as Mitt Romney in the recent past, pointedly rejecting the single-payer option favored by liberals;
• He caved to conservative demands that the Bush tax cuts be extended without getting any quid pro quo whatsoever;
• And in the past few weeks he has supported deficit reductions that go far beyond those offered by Republicans.
here’s last years washtimes’ book review of it:
http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2010/mar/19/book-review-citizens-of-london/
from that review another good line from winant:
It was Winant’s philosophy that international relations “should concentrate on the things that unite humanity rather than on the things that divide it.”
In his Foreign Policy blog
David Rothkopf wrote:
Obama is not as sharp as people make him out to be…here in chicago he was just always “present” as a Senator he was always “present”. That”s what he is as a president “PRESENT” IMO..he is the world’s champion at deadpanning……maybe he waits to see what his wife tells him to do no?
And Purple, that BRUCE BARTLETT, article was good stuff, thanks…
I always have these types of arguments with some of my Republican friends; but when I show them charts, information that shows that Clinton, Obama, and some info about other D’s…they clam up…they are nice people that like to talk at a lunch table about the evils of the D;s without acknowledging their own….just like I wasn’t in the room.
There is only one person that I even care to talk about it at the table..and he does talk about politics from an informed point of view…
But if they keep it up…I can;t stands it any longer, and I remind them…in a nice way, that they are full of BS…..and please don’t order any beans…..
These are intelligent people that I have known for many years…they just like to rah rah their team is all…..
Renee, that skate board that you and Rick Rick gave me….a beefallo ate it….what else you have?
ps, I do carry a cpl of charts, that shows the difference, or the similarities of them both…and a cpl of articles…..I like to whip out a chart showing how the R;s grew government more then the D’s grew government…I carry them for self defense…it gets a little rough..specially around my religious family…
Hurricane season (TS “DON” the way to the Texas gulf) has started early. I hope FEMA is well-funded.
Now the tundra is on fire!?!
Glad that Gov. Christie will be OK, but that may put they kybosh on anyone trying to push him into a run for POTUS.
Did the good people of NJ foot the bill for his trip to the hospital?
The GOoPer war on Christmas --
“…the White House is circulating a new set of talking points…”
“* Under the Boehner bill, we will be right back into this debate during the holiday season, which is the most important time in the year for our economy.”
“The debt ceiling debate would ruin Christmas,” Plouffe said. He was apparently ad-libbing the line, but now it’s found its way into the White House’s official talking points.”
http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/plum-line/post/new-white-house-talking-point-house-gop-plan-will-ruin-your-christmas/2011/03/03/gIQA8ZJ5eI_blog.html
Lawrence O’Donnell was on fire last night on his own program, too. If he’s right, Obama has “them” just where he wants them. He’s offered them propositions he knows they cannot accept, and will walk away with all the prizes in the end. I hope so. I’m watching and waiting….
I’m just sorry that the Murdoch story may get lost in all this! How best to keep it alive…and kicking???
Christie is lucky he has insurance. An inner city child with Asthma probably wouldn’t be so fortunate.
Not only will James Murdoch remain in charge, but a corporate buy back of stock will probably make the family wealthier than ever.
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424053111904800304576474110002296484.html
This Forbes article on Rupert is interesting.
http://blogs.forbes.com/martinsosnoff/2011/07/28/rupert-murdoch-is-king-lear-on-steroids/
Thanks for posting that, Jamie. There are several articles about the Murdochs and News Corp. in The Economist, also. Had heard about the vote of confidence for James…unless, of course, he ends up in jail. I truly hope this story will stay alive until all the rocks are turned over.
A Volcano on the Moon — Where None Should Be
Read more: http://www.time.com/time/health/article/0,8599,2085558,00.html#ixzz1TQIq62wq
Everyone on earth, (and all living creatures) everyone: Looks at >>>> La Misma Luna: The Same Moon.
“The moon was combing it’s hair, in the mirror of the water”………..:
httvp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bsk7aBM-zsQ
oh,bummer already swatted his prey, and it was the Democrats. He’s alread washed his hands of us.
As Mr. Purple writes, oh,bummer is the Second Coming of babybush, down to keeping the status quo on abortion, ignoring genocide in Darfur, and advocating water torture.
There is no detail of the bush/cheney Administration that is too trivial for oh,bummer to make his own.
Tech Update: New feature on the sidebar — Get Recent Post Alerts. You can subscribe for alerts when new threads are up (Either by email or via a large selection of social media sites).
I am glad to hear Mr. Boner has been driven to cursing.
speaker’s bill set for vote
http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/07/28/us-usa-debt-idUSTRE7646S620110728
why won’t senate, instead of voting it down when it comes over as expected by above report, substitute (or amend into it) their bill and send it back thus saving time by setting up a conference committee to finalize it if the house doesn’t agree with the amended bill. since it nominally would be boner’s bill he’ll then get credit for saving the country, the senate gets what they want, prez gets to sign something and everybody can go on vacation…
ta ta, big oil
http://vakkomsen.blogspot.com/2011/07/tata-air-powered-car-in-india.html
critters, please vote on the damned bill!
as melina mercouri’s character in “never on sunday” said:
“bad things happened, then everbody was happy and went off to the seashore….”
a musical interlude to help contemplate the above love fest
NBC Analysis: Democrats in ‘Retreat’
by Taylor Marsh
NBC’s “First Read” has a devastatingly blunt headline on the Democrats this morning: “in retreat.” But Democrats contend they will win the “longer-term war.”
Ah tony wouldn’t make too much of that. Lamestreamers so spooked by tea party they’re buying too much of their narrative spin. I am still convinced gop loses the most in this mess.
BlondeWino — are we on each other’s Facebook lists?
‘Hardball with Chris Matthews’ for Wednesday, July 27, 2011
Read the transcript to the Wednesday show
BARTLETT: No, I think the dirty secret is actually that Obama is a moderate conservative. And if I were a liberal Democrat, I would pretty upset.
Bruce Bartlett was former deputy assistant treasury secretary under the first George Bush [41] and was a policy adviser to Ronald Reagan.
Oh please, this thing ends in a little over $1 trillion in discretionary cuts (more from defense than Boehner wants), yet another stupid committee to recommend future cuts, about a trillion in debt ceiling increase giving Obama carte blanch for future increases. Probably no revenue spikes, but all in all something so confusing that nobody knows who won and Obama comes out the winner while Boehner plays the fool.
Watching all this I keep thinking of Kurt Vonnegut’s Slaughterhouse Five: And So It Goes.
Where is Linda Ellerbee? I miss her commentary and closing line. And So It Goes is so much classier that S*** Happens.
Solar,
Based on everything I have read, you are correct; a 1 billion year old volcano should not be on the Moon. Live and Learn.
patd,
Neat car. I would bet that the oil companies have one similar to it stored in a secret vault somewhere that was invented by an American. Can’t have that concept on the “Free Market” to reduce their profits.
IMO Our leader is absolutely correct, we do not need any more committees or commissions or anything like that. They are a waste of time and money. They are only for show. The end conclusions are already made before they start.
C-Bob,
What is going to happen to the top soil with no roots to hold it if it is hit by Tropical Storm DON. Will it wash away leaving a barren field?
http://craigcrawford.com/2011/07/will-obama-swat-his-prey-again/#comment-265736
Craig,
I agree if the deal is as you say Obama the winner..Ha but is he a winner with working class people like me??? Personally, nope! A Democrat puts SS and Medicare on the chopping block, unforgivable.
Majority Opposes Any Cuts to Medicare or Social Security
By: Jon Walker
If you have a problem with 4 letter words, do not play. If you want an honest commentary on the current political climate … hasa diga eebowai
Tony, I hear ya. But we gotta remember what he’s dealing with and I for one am ready to cut him some slack for the moment.
Keith did a bit on Murdoch tonight. At least someone is keeping the issue alive.
http://craigcrawford.com/2011/07/will-obama-swat-his-prey-again/#comment-265746
Craig,
I understand. I know what he’s dealing with but i think much of it is of his own making. As Bill Maher said he’s a Democrat that acts like a Republican. Its funny usually i’m very charitable but i think the president has sold us out one too many times. I would love to be where your at but its never gonna happen with this guy.
If I end up voting for Obama it will only be to save Florida from going in the Republican column, sad, i know..Thanks for all you do! Lov, lov Trail Mix..
And if the Democrats cave one final time …
BY STEVE KORNACKI
Just played this one for Sean
Watching Steny Hoyer. The sausage is being made
If it walks like a puguglican and talks like a puguglican, it’s a ripuplican.
Tony, Neither the Senate nor oh,bummer need to deal with the the grinch’s bill, even if it passes. They can just ignore it and it’ll die, presumably along with the grinch’s career as Bane of the House.
oh,bummer has stupidly said that he won’t ride the 14th Amendment to victory. He’ll have to eat those words, and bring down that other idiot loudmouth, midge mconnell, who told oh,bummer that he could handle the debt ceiling all by himself.
What is about to happen to the present puguglican misleadership is an important lesson for every American : “He who lies down with the teaparty shall discover bed wetters.”
Good night.
What I would love to do to Congress
I, also, would love to agree with Blue and Craig, but I just can’t. Will we ever know the real o? He sure was good at knowing what the liberals would think he said in the primaries, but he uses that skill against liberals now. I don’t trust him.
So I’m not caring re this game re the debt ceiling, and I will protect my stomach. Right now I just want to get thru the election next year -- that’s what I care about. Ultimately,
future depends on our keeping some kind of control, having some strengths. One true necessity is to never again allow an
unknown to have his way, and that means not enabling the dnc.
The things the tp is fighting for/against show their goal. They are not interested in maintaining the u.s. as a modern nation. They want to sit on their nest eggs and enjoy them, but they are going to run down and become just another party -- they are an emotional clot and really can’t hold their place.
Well, that’s my bit for the night. Ta ta.
From the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Databases, Tables & Calculators by Subject
I wanted to find out what items had the inflation. What I found instead was why Medicare and Medicaid are in financial trouble, but we all knew that. Obummer’s health care bill does nothing to solve the problem, but we all knew that too. I was not surprised by the “Tobacco and smoking products” with all of the taxes added by the fed and the states. I was surprised by “College tuition and fees” meteoric rise which has been going on for a long time. The analysis is based upon the
Consumer Price Index -- All Urban Consumers
Area: U.S. city average
Base Period: 1982-84=100
Not Seasonally Adjusted Annual Average for 2010
I measured the indexes to the index for “All items” Annual Average for 2010.
Base Item: All items 220.186
Item: Tobacco and smoking products 807.33 UP 367%
Item: College tuition and fees 638.188 UP 290%
Item: Hospital and related services 607.679 UP 276%
Item: Medical care services 411.208 UP 187%
Item: Prescription drugs 407.824 UP 185%
Item: Dental services 398.756 UP 181%
Item: Medical care 388.436 UP 176%
Item: Physicians’ services 331.33 UP 150%
Item: Medical care commodities 314.717 UP 143%
Just because I’m moody, doesn’t mean you’re not irritating.
(One more thing Michele Bachmann probably doesn’t believe in: Spain.)
“…downgraded six regions of Spain on Friday…Moody’s has also put the U.S. on notice…”
http://www.chicagotribune.com/business/breaking/chi-moodys-downgrades-spain-20110729,0,3693180.story
———-
Even Krauthammer finally gets this part of it, despite the fact that he refuses to see it is not Obama’s mess, but a mess left for Congress & the WH to clean up. Really horrible optics for the GOP/TP right now.
“The perfect out: Those crazy Tea Partyers ruined the recovery! Why would any conservative collaborate with that ploy?”
http://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/the-great-divide/2011/07/28/gIQAeOtifI_story.html
—
And George Pataki thinks he’s now the answer to what’s ailing the GOP and America? Hmmm.
Mr. [Wm Jennings] Bryan was the logical man to prosecute the case. He had not been inside a courtroom for forty years, but that made no difference, for he did not represent a real case; he represented religion, and in this he was the idol of all Morondom. His scientific attitude was epigrammatically stated in various speeches and interviews regarding what he did not know about science. He said that he was “not so much interested in the age of rocks as in the Rock of Ages.” This left nothing more to be said by him to his credulous disciples who filled every hall and tent and crowded every grove when he appeared and defended The True Faith. A lecture advertisement by him on “The Prince of Peace” found men and boys clinging to the rafters when there were rafters, and to the limbs of trees when there were groves. Such a meeting in the countryside was an event. They were all there regardless of admission fees. As to science, his mind was an utter blank. He was willing to believe with Genesis that the earth was less than six thousand years old.
—-Clarence Darrow, from THE STORY OF MY LIFE
sturge -- Maybe Bachmann’s biographer can excerpt and footnote the last part of that.
The judge called a special grand jury to indict John T. Scopes. This indicates how seriously that part of Tennessee viewed the heinous offense of teaching evolution, which they all pronounced as though the word began with double EE. The special grand jury was not legal, as the regular grand jury was to convene in a few weeks and the statute provided that a special grand jury could not be called excepting as a certain length of time intervened before the regular jury would assemble and be available.
But even though the statute forbade the calling of the special jury, the crime was so terrible that the case could not be delayed. Then, too, there were other towns in the State that wanted the case, and the judge meant that Dayton should have the honor of prosecuting the boy for teaching science, and he himself would have the glory of defending The Faith. I might also mention that the judge’s term would soon expire, and he wanted to run again. Of course, I do not know that this had anything to do with his illegally calling the special grand jury to stop the spread of infidelity in the shortest possible time. And if John T. Scopes was found guilty, the highest penalty that could be inflicted upon him would be a one-hundred-dollar fine. Still, the treason against religion was reason enough for ignoring the law and resorting to a special session to bar the teaching of “EEvolution” in Tennessee.
Tennessee seemed to understand the significance of the battle. Especially did Dayton. Fences, bridges, buildings, streets were placarded with giant signs, and mammoth banners swung from tree to tree in the courtyard that could be easily read a block away summoning the community to “Come to Jesus”, “Prepare to meet thy Maker”—and the slogan of all the section, greeting one at every turn, was “Read your Bible daily.”
Certainly Tennessee could never be blamed if our souls were not saved that hot summer, in that torrid land that might have inspired one to beware of ever going to a hotter clime.
—Clarence Darrow from the same as above
Book of the Month: THE STORY OF MY LIFE, by Clarence Darrow
Bachmann, Schmachmann…..that woman deserves her ignorance.
Darrow put Bryan on the witness stand….the prosecuting attorney on the stand to define Religion juxtaposed with Darrow’s witnesses defining EEvolution…it wasnt kosher trial stuff, but bryan was so anxious to take the stand to defend religion that they bulldozed the judge into allowing it…..Darrow tied him in knots, made him appear a complete fool to his own tribe and the next day the judge would allow no more and threw out Bryan’s testimony. The papers had it though, and so was acheived Darrow’s plan of making the trial appear far and wide as a JOKE.
These people who support Bachmann…can’t they see she makes no sense, that she is not just a narcissist, but , hey…she’s appearing to be just …stupid? Is this too harsh a word? Cuz it fits.
http://www.realclearpolitics.com/articles/2011/07/28/bachmann_defends_husband_wont_vote_for_boehners_debt_plan_110749.html
Wm Jennings Bryan… tea partier… same difference.
Poor Orange Man… he made his bed with fleas… and now they’re biting his ankles.
I saw a comment over at TPM… to paraphrase it…
for years we thought communism would destroy us… then we thought we’d be destroyed by terrorists… but being destroyed from within by a bunch of ignorant hicks called tea partiers, this I never saw coming.
When the court adjourned [after bryan's testimony] it became evident that the audience had been thinking, and perhaps felt that they had heard something worth while. Much to my surprise, the great gathering began to surge toward me. They seemed to have changed sides in a single afternoon. A friendly crowd followed me toward my home. Mr Bryan left the grounds practically alone. The people seemed to feel that he had failed and deserted his cause and his followers when he admitted that the first six days might have been periods of millions of ages long. Mr. Bryan had made himself ridiculous and had contradicted his own faith. I was truly sorry for Mr. Bryan. But I consoled myself by thinking of the years through which he had busied himself tormenting intelligent professors with impudent questions about their faith, and seeking to arouse the ignoramuses and bigots to drive them out of their positions. It is a terrible transgression to intimidate and awe teachers with fear of want.
—Darrow
Finally some joy in this season of immense political discontent: we have local sweet corn at the farm stands, and it is very, very tasty. I bought a dozen last night and I forgot all about the news for a little while.
PiT
You are interested in numbers, here is something from the IRS a report on the top 400 tax returns for 2008. It is kinda interesting to dig through. Toward the end of the Report is a table that shows the historic tax rate. The rate in 2008 was a bit over 18%. In 1994 it was 29%.
The wife and I’s tax rate including Soc sec was ~ 26%
Jack
wiki:
After 1920 he was a strong supporter of Prohibition and energetically attacked Darwinism and evolution, most famously at the Scopes Trial in 1925. Five days after Bryan had won the case, he died in his sleep
http://craigcrawford.com/2011/07/will-obama-swat-his-prey-again/#comment-265759
Bethy,
As usual, terrific comment!
Fun with Sarah
by Taylor Marsh
Bryan was in many ways an admirable man except for two major evils: Racial prejudice and enslavement to religion. In almost all other ways he was the great commoner and progressive.
A Godly Hero by Michael Kazin is an excellent biography
RR Some paraphrase of that paraphrase should be tweeted and Facebooked so that everyone could read it.
“bunch of ignorant hicks called tea partiers”
Except they are not ignorant hicks, they are just like you and me. That is the problem, we as a nation have decided to go insane.
Jack
Oh I AM SO GOING SHOPPING SOMEWHERE: 150 calories per pint Ice Cream!!!
http://www.myarcticzero.com/
From a quick calculation from the federal tax forms
A selfemployed couple earning $40,000 a year pay 20% of their income in taxes.Compared to the top 400 at 18%
Jack
“It’s like a delicious-tasting frozen protein shake you can spoon.”
*shudder*
One reason I shop at walmart is that they have Ben & Jerrys in the single serving size. Just enough for the wife and I to share a little indulgence.
Jack
Thanks Jack.
Insanity: doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.
Misattributed quote to various people, including Benjamin Franklin, Albert Einstein and Mark Twain.
Debt Plan Includes Spending-Cut ‘Trigger’ With a Long History of Failure
By Heidi Przybyla, July 29, 2011 12:00 AM EDT
As they struggle to reach an agreement over how to extend the nation’s debt limit and trim budget deficits, Republicans and Democrats are turning to an enforcement tool, called a “trigger,” with a history of failure.
Republicans are insisting that the trigger causes across- the-board, automatic spending cuts if Congress comes up short of implementing its own budget reductions. Democrats want the mechanism to force deficit reduction through both spending cuts and adding revenue.
When I woke-up today, the American Canary was dead. Too little, too late. And The Great Recession was deeper than previously thought…republican’t timing is precious. This little debt nightcap ought put the American people under ‘a la Rip Van Winkle’ for about twenty years.
Revised economic outlook…recovery is not happening.
http://www.theatlantic.com/business/archive/2011/07/no-real-recovery-gdp-grew-less-than-1-in-first-half-of-2011/242744/
purp,
that trigger enforcement tool is political bulimia: they’ll gorge themselves with earmarks and other vote-getting unable-to-be funded mandates, then stick their “trigger” finger down their throats so they won’t get debt fat.
Ya know any congress critter who votes for the trigger thingy, should at the same time turn in his resignation because he has just admitted that he is not able to handle the job. He should also give back all of his salary because to keep it would be fraud.
Jack
The end of John Boehner?
BY STEVE KORNACKI
“Neat car. I would bet that the oil companies have one similar to it stored in a secret vault somewhere that was invented by an American. Can’t have that concept on the “Free Market” to reduce their profits.”
purp, the tsa and some states who live on gas tax revenues might not be so happy about this new development either.
as for the inventor, bet he/she played a lot with balloons in childhood. wouldn’t be surprised to find that what the compressed air fills up in the tata is just a big balloon under the hood with a slow release valve and a rubber-wound propeller and footpedals for backup. next they’ll come up with the flying car… hard to manuever but it’ll sure go fast and not need petrol.
“any congress critter who votes for the trigger thingy, should at the same time turn in his resignation because he has just admitted that he is not able to handle the job.”
jack, yep. such critters are certifible appropriations addicts and can’t hold their political liquor.
End of Boner….who will be the replacement Canter? I guess the apacolypse is coming
Now I think -- let the tiny minority that is the tea party screw up government services and then take responsibility for the massive FUBAR that will occur
Obama & the Fake Debt Ceiling Crisis: This President Is Really Just Smarter Than You Are
Bruce A. Dixon
Great Recession Substantially Worse Than Previously Thought: Report
By MARTIN CRUTSINGER
murdoch’s wsj on “boehner moment of truth”…interesting twist
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424053111904888304576474563657202494.html
Boehner turns to Balanced Budget Amendment to save his job
byJoan McCarter
Obama: Keep those phone calls, emails and tweets comin’ into Congress.
by Taylor Marsh
Why Americans Are So Angry
Source: Wall Street Journal
By Senator Bernie Sanders
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Today’s bit of trivia: The Queen’s granddaughter is getting married in the same church where my great grandparents got married. The Canongate kirk is beautiful.
Just to keep it in the realm of the political, this is where Adam Smith is buried.
The mess we are in is totally the fault of the Republicans and they are insisting on making it worse.
I blame the lack of any journalism being practiced in America
NEW THREAD
Putting this in three words, The Economy Sucks! Obummer continues to ignore the economy and you reap what you sow. I don’t know where Obummer’s head is except where the sun don’t shine.
If the U.S. Department of Commerce’s Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA) is as wrong on the first estimate for the second quarter as they were for the first quarter then we will be half way into a double dip recession.
I do not see any change in Obummer actions happening so he and the idiots’ in Congress will achieve the Tea Party objective of making America a Dark Ages feudal system third world country. We are now, and have been, at a crisis that demands action now instead of debate.
Economy slowed sharply in first half of year
By CHRISTOPHER S. RUGABER, July 29, 2011 10:23 AM EDT
WASHINGTON (AP) — The economy expanded at meager 1.3 percent annual rate in the spring after scarcely growing at all in the first three months of the year, the Commerce Department said Friday.
The combined growth for the first six months of the year was the weakest since the recession ended two years ago. The government revised the January-March figures to show just 0.4 percent growth -- down sharply from its previous estimate of 1.9 percent.
• Consumer spending only increased 0.1 percent this spring, the smallest gain in two years;
• Consumer spending on long-lasting manufactured goods, such as cars and appliances, fell 4.4 percent;
• Employers have pulled back on hiring after seeing less spending by consumers;
• Those who have jobs are seeing after-tax incomes, adjusted for inflation, rose only 0.7 percent;
• Government spending fell for the third straight quarter.
The government also revised data going back to 2003. The data show the recession was even worse than previously thought. The economy shrank 5.1 percent during the recession, which lasted from December 2007 through June 2009, compared to the earlier estimate of 4.1 percent.