Doubled child tax credit.

Gomez 12 Oct 2006

I know that as a single person with no kids I can count that as a republican success.

They may have doubled the tax credit, but they have destroyed the economy,environment and democracy to do it. Those 2.5 kids are gonna have a great life.

nora 12 Oct 2006

DCTC, Now that's soemthing you can run on, in a time of terrorist attacks. Everything else is F.U.B.A.R..

jpeg 13 Oct 2006

Hey, you asked for one success and I gave you one. Don't get all defensive.

The economy is incredibly strong ("Destroyed"... are we in the midst of a stealth recession? Is the record high Dow another Rove-orchestrated conspiracy... like 9/11... [kudos to South Park this week]). The enviroment is not any worse than it was 8 years ago (probably much better... hybrid cars, technological advancement, etc. Like the economy, stuff that, in the grand scheme of things, presidents have little to no control over), and democracy is fine (do you actually think republicans are gonna keep the house this year?!?).

Gomez 13 Oct 2006

That's all pre-9/11 thinking (ha ha). And yes the Repubs could still steal the election with a miraculous last-minute 1 percent lead (and one seat) borught to you by the good folks at Diebold.

People fell for it the last two times, and did nothing.

jpeg 13 Oct 2006

Anyone who suggests that the US economy is going strong is an idiot, least of all once the Dow reaches record highs in October! October, for crying out loud!

The national housing market is on the verge of complete collapse, the US dollar is weak, inflation has not been kept in check by the Fed (2 straight pauses by Bernanke), the U.S. national debt continues to spiral out of control without a balanced budget, oil prices are down but OPEC is cutting production just in time for the cold winter months - and let me see - can I find another slice of smelly cheese to put on this great big shit sandwich? - Oh yeah, the liberation of Iraq has degenerated into all-out Sunni-Shi'ite civil war!
Well done, Re-pube-licans.

MarkusArelius 13 Oct 2006

Diebold, Inc. voting machines. That's the answer.
When there is an tight election, use them or lose them.

MarkusArelius 13 Oct 2006

Markus, anyone who claims to know what the economy is going to do in the future is the real idiot. The current state of the economy is good. We are not in recession and we may not be headed that way either, a great many economists are now anticipating a "soft landing" after the strong economy of the past couple of years (that's right, strong. You can't have an economic downturn if there was no upturn!), but who (besides you) knows. If you're gonna blame Republicans for whatever future downturn we may hit in the coming year, then please give them props for the upturn of the past few years. Anyhow, personally--as I have stated many a time here in this blog--I really don't think that in a free-market society Presidents and Legislatures have as direct a control over the economy as political hacks like yourself would love to believe.

Gomez 15 Oct 2006

Ok, this is where i start to swear. Anyone who thinks the economy is "good" is must have their head so far up their ass, they can't see the truth. You wanna know the last time i got a real raise, it was was 3 fucking years ago. Salaries aren't going up, but credit card debt and defaults are way up. People aren't making more money because the economy is good, its just they are over extending themselves on credit and loans.

I am not claiming to know what the economy will do in the future, but I do know that while unemployment maybe down, underemployment is way up. People have to work one or two jobs just to keep their head afloat. The people that are doing well now are they people they have always done well. They have smart accountants and financial planners that will make them money in any type of economy.

I don't actually blame the republicans entirely, I blame the whole entire government. I blame the fact they we are basically being financed by foreign companies and governments. That are economy seems to rise and fall on the decisions of OPEC and other foreign governments. That oil is now almost $70 a barrell and most people can't afford to heat their houses. Or even better that public schools no lower their heat cuz they can't afford to keep the tempature at a more comfortable level. Students who probably don't have a warm house to go home to at night, now have to wear their coats in class to keep warm.

I ccould go on and on, but really, are we that much better now then we were 10 yeasrs ago. Its funny on how the only people who say the economy is doing well, seem to be people who probably believe that the war is going well and that government is really working. Rant over.

nora 16 Oct 2006

We can all cite anecdotal stories of how individuals have prospered or not in the past years (my salary went up, but, then again, I'm a suuuuuper genious [sic]). This is not how the state of the economy is measured. There is no, none, nada, nein, doubt that we are at the end of a five-year EXPANSION in the economy.

Despite the directly observable effect on specific segments of consumers, energy prices or housing markets (please crash, seriously, I want to buy a 3 bdrm house for less than half-a-million dollars!) are only a part of the many factors that measure of the strength of an economy.

The business cycle is just that, cyclic. What can a government really do to prevent these naturally occuring down turns? Not much of anything. They can only help/hurt small segments of the population through regulation and taxation, and this is mostly done purely for political gain, with little to no effect on the overall rollercoaster ride that is the economy.
The question then remains, how far down will the downturn be? So far, my anecdotal experience tells me it isn't that bad at all. I'm all warm and toasty as I stand, basking in the glow of my Charles Foster Kane sized fireplace; fueled by hundred-dollar bills, old back issues of The Economist and the sweat of my army of financial planners that allow me to live the extravagant playboy lifestyle that I do so much enjoy.

Gomez 16 Oct 2006

Man, I wanna hang at Gomez's place! That fireplace sounds awesome!

I think, once again, arguments are passing one another in the night. The economy may very well be on a 5 year expansion. But the fact remains that the rich are getting richer, and it is HELLA expensive to be poor.

andrew 16 Oct 2006

gomes, you are right, the business cycle is just that, cyclic. seriously, I mean that. I know it is, and that Clinton lucked out by being in office when the last peak hit, but you made me snort milk through my nose because that is EXACTLY what g-dummy would say. I can hear it now, complete with a few "umm"s and a couple of "heh"s.

you may be right, but you sound like Rush Limblahh. I wish I could look back and see how you felt about the big $400 tax kickack we all got back in '01. Doubled the Child tax credit, which you better put aside to send your kid to college, babay.

I can't believe that after all this time, you still take the "hey, you asked, I showed one good example of how g-dummass is a fine prez. Your silly efforts to one up les je' peg is like me going to the Vikings website and saying it looks like the destiny bears will win the super bowl. my hat goes off to you, and

cracker 19 Oct 2006

gomes, you are right, the business cycle is just that, cyclic. seriously, I mean that. I know it is, and that Clinton lucked out by being in office when the last peak hit, but you made me snort milk through my nose because that is EXACTLY what g-dummy would say. I can hear it now, complete with a few "umm"s and a couple of "heh"s.

you may be right, but you sound like Rush Limblahh. I wish I could look back and see how you felt about the big $400 tax kickack we all got back in '01. Doubled the Child tax credit, which you better put aside to send your kid to college, babay.

I can't believe that after all this time, you still take the "hey, you asked, I showed one good example of how g-dummass is a fine prez. Your silly efforts to one up les je' peg is like me going to the Vikings website and saying it looks like the destiny bears will win the super bowl. my hat goes off to you, and sean

cracker 19 Oct 2006

hannity sends his best

cracker 19 Oct 2006