No...you are done. Because what you wrote above is (and I'm trying to do without name calling) is silly man.
Now, that's not fair. He benefited the American people who matter to him. Rich Old White Dudes who contribute to Republican campaigns. ;-)
News flash, America is a socialist country give or take a tenant here or there. ok......now "I" am done.
Now this we agree on. The only question I have is what do you mean "these days" since the 70s its how its been.
Stimulus checks which "went to the people" were an advance on their tax returns. I know this, because the first stimulus check was deducted from my tax refund. I made too much to get the second stimulus check, which bothered me not at all as it was my money to begin with.
However, Obama's stimulus plan extended unemployment benefits for those who were unemployed for a duration of 99 weeks, I believe. Imagine if you were unemployed, you would have to rely on it to sustain a living. Ok, you got me there. But the majority of us were not included in that, which includes the middle class (entirely) and people who are simply struggling financially. You probably know that though.
Here is a handy dandy pie chart to the US budget. Quite revealing http://www.examiner.com/political-buzz-in-national/pie-chart-photo
Exactly. I was replaced by two guys from India with no training at all on the specific type of computers I ran (they're called NonStops, with a proprietary OS and proprietary hardware for the most part, and they run big applications like ATM back ends, and credit card transaction back end processing), and limited English. Last I heard, they were trying to find an American who knew what the hell he's doing. (Note: Not all Indians dont know what they're doing, but these two don't)
No, I did not say that. I said borderline. There is a difference. Why wouldnt socialists matter? Are you making the mistake of thinking socialism and communism as practiced in the Soviet Union and China are the same thing?
OFFS. Do some research man. Read real news. Try some European sources for a start, something outside of the US. Then try reading hard news sites, not those with a left or right bias. I don't get my FACTS from sites which are biased.
Here is a basic overview of the stimulus plan's Make Work Pay Credit: Middle Class Tax Credit: Under the plan, there would be a tax cut amounting to $500 a year for individuals, and $1,000 for couples. The economic stimulus would be issued in the form of a tax credit, and would be limited to those making $75,000 or less ($150,000 or less for married workers filing joint tax returns). Low Income Tax Credit: For low income taxpayers, there would be an increase and expansion of the Earned Income Tax Credit to provide a refundable tax credit for low income assistance. The expansion would affect even working tax filers without any actual net tax liability - typically very low-income workers - and allow them to potentially qualify for free stimulus tax refund credits. Child Tax Credit: For those who have children, a temporary increase in the child tax credit would result in larger tax refunds. Ideally, taxes should be cut for these groups while at the same time, taxes could be increased on the wealthy. http://www.moneybluebook.com/second-stimulus-check-for-obama-2009-economic-stimulus-package/
The only one I have a problem with is the Child Tax Credit. I don't think the government has any business trying to influence people to have children. Someone who chooses to take spend their income in a different way and don't have children should not be penalized for that, and with a child tax credit and the current deduction, it amounts to a penalty.
I suppose that makes sense. Perhaps it should have been omitted. Anyways, they just announced on CNN that they're going to try to strike a deal in the next 24 hours, but again, neither side is budging over the issue of tax revenue. Republicans refuse to have tax increases involved in a deal, Democrats make it imperative that they want tax increases in a deal, so as a result, there is political gridlock and the possibility of the country defaulting will increase.
Both sides are just playing chicken. Obama will probably be the one who blinks, because he usually does when he goes toe to toe with the Rethuglicans.
I hope he doesn't do it this time, otherwise it's a political blow for him. It will hurt his chances for re-election in 2012.
http://www.addictinginfo.org/2011/07/22/america%E2%80%99s-debt-problem-is-not-caused-by-social-programs/ Interesting comparison of debt as % of GDP with similar nations, and what we get for our money. It appears the problem is not social programs, but breaks for corporations and the amount we spend on the military. It also appears we're not getting for the same % of GDP what citizens in Australia and Canada get.
