Republicans make it too easy..

[jaycanuck]

It's an old story by now..but seriously...tea protest...with tea bags...

c'mon guys. I know your ideals are somewhat in the past but you had to know what this was going to get you. lol

Here's Keith Olbermann's report..

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/3036677/#30235184

[kilrjo]

Keith Olberman, MSNBC and CNN aren't even considered news.

[SarahG]

It's an old story by now..but seriously...tea protest...with tea bags...

c'mon guys. I know your ideals are somewhat in the past but you had to know what this was going to get you. lol

Here's Keith Olbermann's report..

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/3036677/#30235184

They have reason to protest if you think about it. We rushed so fast into bailing out the banks that the whole thing ended up smelling of gross incompetence & corruption. Meanwhile all these other industries and people suffering from the economic disaster are simply being ignored. No one is rushing to bail out the other industries in the speed & manner seen earlier with the banks.

People are getting laid off and realizing "hey, my employer's business was highly successful until this lending crisis, yet instead of coming to their rescue & keeping me employed, the only people who get this major recovery funding are the idiots that caused this mess!"

Look at how hard the automakers have had it trying to get LOANS (instead of a big truckload of money that doesn't have to be paid back), congress still doesn't know what they plan to do to fix the auto industry. There was no "well, since we don't know what to do we should throw money at you immediately like with the banks." And as much as the big three have had serious problems & bad decisions in recent decades, the same could be said for the banks that got us into this mess in the first place.

The amount of people in my area that have been sent home with pink slips is truly scary, and my part of PA isn't doing as bad as most places. What people need is employment, not extensions on emergency unemployment, making cobra cheaper, or a $30/week "tax credit" in their paycheck (that they might not be getting at all after next week/month).

[bte]

That is pretty funny.

[JerseyMike]

Keith Olbermann was reporting? I thought it was John Stewart.

[ILuvGurls]

probably should have searched for someone else to voice your point, Keith Olbermann, is a pecker head that should have stayed at ESPN, cause he ain't shit for a news guy.

[jaycanuck]

First off, I enjoy Keith Olbermann's reporting just fine. Who should I listen to? Bill Blowhard O'Reilly? That link was an example of the "tea-bagging" marketing fuck-up. Check the news on Google for teabagging. Last I checked there were about 3000 stories related to my topic heading. Pick one.

As for the protesting it was mainly to do with tax increases. Got news for you folks.. tax and death are the 2 constants in life...

And as for the barfing out of money..I think it was Bush who started this little train ride before O'Bama got in. O'Bama's just having to clean the shit up that Cheney and crew made. I for one was happy to see them tell the auto makers to go back and fucking evolve into the new century. God knows I'm not buying a gas car next time I do buy.

[icarus2112]

despite any opinion on the tea bag protests, watching Keith Olbermann trying to keep from laughing at his tea bag jokes had me rolling LOL.

[SarahG]

As for the protesting it was mainly to do with tax increases. Got news for you folks.. tax and death are the 2 constants in life...death and tax.

The protesters are protesting more than the fact they're being taxed, its that they feel they're being taxed for the wrong reasons.

There's a far cry difference between paying taxes so you can have roads, fire departments, police, schools, SSA, etc... and paying to bail out an industry that -caused- a massive economic disaster.

IF we as a nation can cut out the bullshit like this absurdly implemented bank bailout, all the pork spending, and everything else- everyone, both republicans and democrats, win from it. To protest those practices helps everyone- the less we waste on crap like that, the more people in need we can actually help in tangible ways.


And as for the barfing out of money..I think it was Bush who started this little train ride before O'Bama got in. O'Bama's just having to clean the shit up that Cheney and crew made.

Which are you referring to? The halliburton scandals at least, on paper- provided services to the feds in exchange for the money we threw at them. That's more than we can say about the bank bailout. Bush supported the bailout publicly, but that doesn't mean Obama gets a free pass here.

By "Change" I, at least, was hoping that change would include the accountability we've been lacking for decades. The bank bailout was simply a disaster, and one that Obama begged and begged for. Whatever happened to having the balls to take a stance other than Bush's? Why are we increasing the amount of soldiers in Iraq? Why did Obama demand this bank bailout without specifying seemingly obvious requirements for the bill? Why did Obama not demand the bailout include accountability for bank corruption? There is a major problem here...


I for one was happy to see them tell the auto makers to go back and fucking evolve into the new century. God knows I'm not buying a gas car next time I do buy.

I agree with you. You know what my problem is? My problem is not that we're giving the big three such a hard time. My problem is that we didn't say "you made your mess now lay in it" to the banks instead of bailing them out.

-The banks were the ones who caused this mess. Why reward their gross stupidity, corruption, and incompetence?

-The banks that we bailed out included predatory lenders that were disproportionately giving minorities adjustable rate mortgages even when they qualified for a decent fixed rate mortgage. The republicans have tried to blame the lending to minorities for part of this mess, but that simply ignores that so many minorities WHO QUALIFIED FOR NORMAL FIXED RATES, were unable to acquire those fixed rate loans because the corrupt banking industry overwhelmingly LIED to them and claimed all they qualified for were these risky adjustable rate mortgages. I can't find the study offhand but, at the time of the bailout the mortgage crisis was the single worst change in race wealth distribution since the Civil War because of these predatory lenders.

-The bailout didn't make it easy for banks to return or pay back their bailouts, nor did it allow them to take less than what they were being offered.

-The bailout contained no accountability, there was nothing incorporated in the plan that would allow the feds to force the banks to clean-house. So instead of using the bailout to keep lending out (which was the whole purpose of the bailout) they simply used it to buy other banks!



If our attitudes towards the big 3 are correct (imho they are), then we should adopt those viewpoints all across the board when dealing with all American commerce- including the banks. These banks need to "get with the 20th century" and realize 1- predatory practices will not and should not be tolerated, 2- bad business decisions will not be rewarded by the tax payers, 3- if you're going to get gov money there's going to be stipulations on your conduct.

[jaycanuck]

The original topic was the fact that the image of "tea bagging" was missed. I didn't expect an economical / sociological debate on the state of the U.S. (which I'm not a resident).

I for one support these institutions to an extent. The HOPE was that giving the big 3 some time, they could sort their mess out. Perhaps that was a mistake. As was the AIG debacle. As stated in another thread on here, I've learned not to trust anyone.

That being said the government can't say bye without giving these companies a chance. You yourself said pink slips were going out all over the place. A lot of people would be unemployed.

The government is doing what they can with this stimulus money. No one knows how to handle this crisis....but I for one think a bunch of close-minded republicans marching around with tea-bags taped to their head just because this president hasn't saved the world in less than a hundred days is silly.

And the main idea of this thread was to point out the humerous element of the tea bagging movement. haha...just typing that is funny. :)

[trish]

The Boston Tea Party was an intentional act of civil disobedience that was destructive to private property in legitimate protest of a specific tax law, namely the Tea Act. The current “tea baggers” have no particular tax law to protest. The current administration lowered taxes for most people. Some have already been getting their refunds. The tax break for the wealthiest one percent of Americans initiated by W at the beginning of his first term is being allowed to expire. So their taxes are not being raised; their time is simply up __ their break is over. That law was calculated, by the Bush administration, to expire when the surplus generated by the revenues of the Clinton administration was returned to those from whom it was collected (apparently the wealthiest one percent and not the vast majority of workers who were paying into social security). For the wealthy their taxes will merely return to about 20% of what they paid under the wonderful Reagan administration. So nobody is raising anyone’s taxes. There is no tax law to protest.

I don’t think any one at these parties has given the issue of taxes any serious thought. It’s all just a lame excuse to engage in tea bagging.

[phobun]

It's an old story by now..but seriously...tea protest...with tea bags...

c'mon guys. I know your ideals are somewhat in the past but you had to know what this was going to get you. lol

Here's Keith Olbermann's report..

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/3036677/#30235184

It's always funny how Canadians can get so invested, almost emotional at times, over American politics, despite Canada's own challenges and the herd of clowns running things in Ottawa and the various bickering provinces and parties, and yet most Americans don't give a rat's ass about anything that goes on up there.

[jaycanuck]

Do Republicans tea bag? I thought it was all missionary.

[jaycanuck]

It's an old story by now..but seriously...tea protest...with tea bags...

c'mon guys. I know your ideals are somewhat in the past but you had to know what this was going to get you. lol

Here's Keith Olbermann's report..

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/3036677/#30235184

It's always funny how Canadians can get so invested, almost emotional at times, over American politics, despite Canada's own challenges and the herd of clowns running things in Ottawa and the various bickering provinces and parties, and yet most Americans don't give a rat's ass about anything that goes on up there.

Oh we're interested in what happens up here. It's mostly small laundering scandals and flubs by politicians who are unaware how silly they are. Until we get another Trudeau ( or maybe even a Chretien ), it's fun to watch stuff down there.

[vincidog]

Jay....Bullshit, your defense is as weenie as your country....If, as you said, you were merely noting the humor (or Humour as you diluted Brits spell), you wouldn't have featured Republicans in your header.
Yeah, the term "teabagging" is funny, fine.

The protest is as Sarah noted...there are a ton of working people that do their jobs,pay taxes, live their lives and all of a sudden the future went to shit. Now, without any type of restrictions their taxes are given away to the very folk that caused this and now, future generations unborn have to come up with the money. It may have started with Bush, however its gone ballistic with Obama. Unfortunately for him, he is on watch now; and there is evidence that he is going further than just fixing. So, he may get some or the blame.

Yes, the bulk of the protesters are blue collar, "redneck', uneducated....but they work and do necessary services nonetheless. I've spent some time in Canaduh, and your people are as dumb, provincial, parochial and redneck as the US

[jaycanuck]

Jay....Bullshit, your defense is as weenie as your country....

I'll remember that when I'm not paying my medical bill.

[fred41]

You won't say that when you need an MRI that you can't get there. Also your freedoms of speech are slowly sailing right out the window.



...that being said Jay... I must say you fellows to the North have some excellent weed :smoking

[vincidog]

Good for you, you have a big brother watching out for all else ;)....honestly, sometimes I wish we had "a US" watching out for us....I know vested self-interest, but nonetheless

[jaycanuck]

Good for you, you have a big brother watching out for all else ;)....honestly, sometimes I wish we had "a US" watching out for us....I know vested self-interest, but nonetheless

Coalition Countries in Iraq - 21
Coalition Countries in Afghanistan - 22
Canadian Soldiers killed in Afghanistan - 118

Stop the high and mighty protector thing and work with the world in bettering it.

[jaycanuck]

This is the last I'll say on this. My god...the hornets nest I stirred. Republicans clueless on the double entendre of tebagging = funny!!

[vincidog]

Did my time...'70-73....I actually like fish head soup :)

I don't dislike Canadians, just dislike the holier than thou attitude than seems to come up frequently

[vincidog]

BTW, I'm not a republican....I'm politically a Libertarian, but only cuz I'm educated....intellectually I'm an Anarchist. How's them apples? :)

[jaycanuck]

I don't dislike the States either. I think I dislike the back-tracking they've been hit with over the last 8 years in terms of world relations and science. Not only the States but the world needs to come together (sounds cheesy).

To be honest if I had my way we'd all drop down to zero and start over. Too much invested I guess.

I need pot

[vincidog]

Bye the bye Jay, thanks....I'm getting my count up.

Not too many threads spark my interest. Maybe I won't be a rookie for another 3 years lol

[jaycanuck]

Try the word association thread...easy numbers.

[fred41]

I need pot



...sometimes I think the whole world should smoke some weed. You ever in N.Y...we''ll talk music and smoke pot (but not politics.) :smoking

[vincidog]

Jay you fucker....I burnt my steak! I shall blame Canada...yeah, that works

[fred41]

Bye the bye Jay, thanks....I'm getting my count up.

Not too many threads spark my interest. Maybe I won't be a rookie for another 3 years lol

..Whoa..you got steak? I can go for some of that..I already ate a half a jar of peanutbutter.


...whoa even answered the wrong quote......

[vincidog]

Fred, yeah but its burnt, my dog is happy....I like it blood rare LOL...but, I've got 1 and a half bottles of vino in me so it s not a catastrophe.

[fred41]

Fred, yeah but its burnt, my dog is happy....I like it blood rare LOL...but, I've got 1 and a half bottles of vino in me so it s not a catastrophe.

...what kind of wine is it (if you don't mind me asking)?

[vincidog]

#1 Carmenere, #2 a Zin.....all local
aCali wine region

I like it heavy, non fruity and dry like my grandfather made

[jaycanuck]

was gonna do steak....didn't thaw in time. I blame Russia.

[fred41]

#1 Carmenere, #2 a Zin.....all local
aCali wine region

I like it heavy, non fruity and dry like my grandfather made


I love wine.used to have at least one glass a day (can't afford as much since I got separated). For all around drinking I used to prefer Merlots. Maybe a Shiraz with steak ( but your Cab and Zin are better choices with the steak I'm sure). also love Chianti and occasionally, when I can afford it...a nice Amarone.

Totally cool that your Grandad made his own wine!!!!

Take care..nice talking to ya (plus your count is now up :D )

[vincidog]

Shit Jay, now we have the cold war again....ok, been there once....let's do it :)....reminds of a Beach Boys song.....but you are probably too young

[SarahG]

Jay....Bullshit, your defense is as weenie as your country....If, as you said, you were merely noting the humor (or Humour as you diluted Brits spell), you wouldn't have featured Republicans in your header.
Yeah, the term "teabagging" is funny, fine.

The protest is as Sarah noted...there are a ton of working people that do their jobs,pay taxes, live their lives and all of a sudden the future went to shit. Now, without any type of restrictions their taxes are given away to the very folk that caused this and now, future generations unborn have to come up with the money. It may have started with Bush, however its gone ballistic with Obama. Unfortunately for him, he is on watch now; and there is evidence that he is going further than just fixing. So, he may get some or the blame.

Yes, the bulk of the protesters are blue collar, "redneck', uneducated....but they work and do necessary services nonetheless. I've spent some time in Canaduh, and your people are as dumb, provincial, parochial and redneck as the US

There's no need to attack the Canadians, they did after all burn the whitehouse to the ground, took Juno's beach, and ignored that incident where we accidentally bombed them in Iraq. We're all adults here, this thread doesn't have to resort to name calling.

Er wait, what was I thinking? http://i41.tinypic.com/2lnemu1.gif This is HA...

[vincidog]

Fred...my Grandparents (both gone) left Brooklyn in '39 for Cali... do we have any relations?


For the rest of the folk this is a Guido thing

[callahac]

It's an old story by now..but seriously...tea protest...with tea bags...

c'mon guys. I know your ideals are somewhat in the past but you had to know what this was going to get you. lol

Here's Keith Olbermann's report..

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/3036677/#30235184

Dude,
The fact that everything is a fucking joke to you says it all. Tea, as in the Boston Tea Party. Keith O and all the other assholes should grow up and stop the high school bullshit. If you don't lke something why not state your case instead of making silly sexual references? Answer: you don't have the mental aptitude or honesty to do so.

[fred41]

Fred...my Grandparents (both gone) left Brooklyn in '39 for Cali... do we have any relations?


For the rest of the folk this is a Guido thing

.. :D I doubt it ..I'm German/Polish (maybe some other stuff too). no Guido in me though..sorry.The German in me sometimes likes a little Rhein wine (especially with my weed).

[vincidog]

Fred...weed goes well with the dry reds as well...its just a bit more of a commitment :)

[Felicia Katt]

It wasn't even truly about a "tax increase". It was about eliminating a tax cut which had beneffited the richest of the rich for the last 8 years, to take the rate back to what it had been under Clinton.

The whole teabag thing pretends to be a "grass roots" protest but is really an "astroturf" vent funded and formented by the right wing who don't really care about or offer solutions to the problems the country is facing but only desperately want the Obama administration to fail so they can regain power.

FK

[fred41]

Fred...weed goes well with the dry reds as well...its just a bit more of a commitment :)

You're absolutely right.

[vincidog]

Felecia...its not that easy to dismiss. I agree that some Pols have adopted this and will use this to further themselves. Problem is that quite a numer of normal, working folks are pissed and rationally you can't dismiss them...they are us and we are them

[Felicia Katt]

Felecia...its not that easy to dismiss. I agree that some Pols have adopted this and will use this to further themselves. Problem is that quite a numer of normal, working folks are pissed and rationally you can't dismiss them...they are us and we are them

I don't doubt that they are pissed and don't fault them for it, but their anger is being exploited by those they should be angry at, and misdirected against those who are trying to make things right.

FK

[jaycanuck]

not worth it.

[Tepres]

:arrow:

[MrF]

LOL @ tea-bagging. I bet 95% of the populace has no idea about that as sexual slang.

On the political front, I am very concerned we (in the USA) are spending gobs of money we don't actually have. Prior to 2009, we already had 10 trillion in debt; now we are threatening to double that in just a few years. At some point such spending becomes unsustainable. It's very depressing that few people even seem to understand, much less care, that we are destroying ourselves.

The conservatives want to avoid high taxes, but the actual problem is the lack of a budget balance, in my opinion. Want lower taxes ? Ok, fine, let's make that decision. But in that case, we have to figure out what we will cut in the spending. Nobody in government, not even the conservatives, has the courage to make these decisions. Instead, empty talk.