#397002 - 10/01/0412:49 PM
Re: Political Discussion: One Thread Only!
Anonymous
Unregistered
[QUOTE]Originally posted by jon h.: "Kerry keeps telling me he has a plan for Iraq. I still have not heard it."
Then you clearly are not listening!
"Will I learn that he will go on to talk to other great nations (I bet he means France and Germany)? Talk is cheap. Bush is doing something."
That's one part of his plan, yes.
What Bush is doing is wrong headed and unjust, and the faster we can establish stability and get out, the better off we and the rest of the world will be. But as long as there is money to be made by the oil and defense industries Bush will keep us there.
"Kerry has said "this is the wrong war in the wrong place at the wrong time". He has also said that "I will track down the terrorists, wherever they are...." Aren't the f-ing terrorists in Iraq? They are there now."
This IS the wrong war in the wrong place at the wrong time. We should have focused our military efforts solely on Afghanistan and Bin Laden, and taken more time and continued to use containment and diplomacy where Iraq and Hussein were concerned. It worked with the Soviets during the cold war and they were a much bigger threat than Hussein ever was.
And yeah, the terrorists are there NOW! Was that his secret plan all along? Lure all the terrorists into one place? Unfortunately, Bush isn't that scary-smart to have even thought of that! What's he gonna do now, kill everyone there and lot Allah sort them out? And BTW, not EVERY terrorist is in Iraq, many are already right here in the U.S., not to mention elsewhere in Europe (like Russia?, Spain? Germany? etc, etc, ad nauseum). Saying the terrorists are now in Iraq, so that's where we should meet them on the field of battle is simplistic and naive.
"I don't know what an insurgent is, but the people doing these acts of barbarism in Iraq are terrorists."
Insurgents are rebels or insubordinates.
"I don't think it really matters what sandy desert country in the middle east this war is fought at."
THAT is the scariest freakin' statement I have ever heard! THAT is exactly the problem with the neo-cons and the right wing, and the entire Bush doctrine! THANK YOU! for making our point for us!
"Iraq was a good choice because at the same time we took out Hussein and are in the process of liberating his people."
Taking out Hussein was certainly a positive, but only collaterally, and was not and should not have been the focus or purpose. Liberating Iraq was likewise a noble endeavor, but could have waited, we waited this long, and could have been accomplished with time and diplomacy through less violent and costly means. And as far as "liberating" the Iraqis, to what, civil and religious war for the unforseeable future?
"This all at the cost of American lives, yes. But for those of you who forgot - we lost thousands in September of 2001."
Which can certainly never be denied nor forgotten, but that has nothing whatsoever to do with Iraq or Hussein. Again, wrong bad guy, wrong time, wrong place.
"Diplomacy - clearly does not work with these seventh century camel f-ers."
Smacks of racism, prejudice, and intolerance, IMHO, not to mention ignorance. Again demonstrating the very crux of the problem with the far right and the neo-cons steering the right's agenda. Scary stuff you're espousing there my friend!
"Our leaders are stupid, they are stupid people," "It's just very, very sad" - Donald Trump 2011
"With all of the hysteria, all of the fear, all of the phony science, could it be that man-made global warming is the greatest hoax ever perpetrated on the American people? It sure sounds like it." - JAMES M. INHOFE
"Most meteorological research is funded by the federal government. And boy, if you want to get federal funding, you better not come out and say human-induced global warming is a hoax because you stand the chance of not getting funded." - WILLIAM GRAY
"The gods do not deduct from man's allotted span those hours spent in fishing" - Babylonian proverb
What politics is about today is basically image. If the Dems hoped to win, they should have picked an handsome actor with a gift of gab, and good writers. It's all about how you come across to the public. (Image, Image, Image.) Kerry's other problem is his loudmouth wife who will never know enough when to keep her mouth shut.
I'm with KC. Jesse Ventura. He tells it like it is, and a lot of people don't like that.
Hmm, I'll say this: This must be an issue in "2004". ----------------------------------
SOCIAL SECURITY:
Perhaps we are asking the wrong questions during election years.
Our Senators and Congresswomen do not pay into Social Security and, of course, they do not collect from it.
You see, Social Security benefits were not suitable for persons of their rare elevation in society. They felt they should have a special plan for themselves. So, many years ago they voted in their own
benefit plan.
In more recent years, no congressperson has felt the need to change it. After all, it is a great plan.
For all practical purposes their plan works like this:
When they retire, they continue to draw the same pay until they die.
Except it may increase from time to time for cost of living adjustments.
For example, former Senator Byrd and Congressman White and their wives may expect to draw $7,800,000.00 (that's Seven Million, Eight-Hundred Thousand Dollars), with their wives drawing $275,000.00 during the last years of their lives.
This is calculated on an average life span for each of those two Dignitaries.
Younger Dignitaries who retire at an early age, will receive much more during the rest of their lives.
Their cost for this excellent plan is $0.00. NADA....ZILCH....
This little perk they voted for themselves is free to them. You and I pick up the tab for this plan. The funds for this fine retirement plan come directly from the General Funds;
"OUR TAX DOLLARS AT WORK"!
From our own Social Security Plan, which you and I pay (or have paid) into, -every payday until we retire (which amount is matched by our employer)- we can expect to get an average of $1,000 per month after retirement.
Or, in other words, we would have to collect our average of $1,000 monthly benefits for 68 years and one (1) month to equal Senator Bill Bradley's benefits!
Social Security could be very good if only one small change were made.
That change would be to jerk the Golden Fleece Retirement Plan from under the Senators and Congressmen. Put them into the Social Security plan with the rest of us ... then sit back and watch how fast they would fix it.
If enough people receive this, maybe a seed of awareness will be planted and maybe good changes will evolve.
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