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Bush governed with hatred????
The only hate that was present during the last administration was directed AT President Bush by the left wing.
President Bush, flawed as he is, did not govern via hate.
To say he did displays either the hatred YOU are dishing out, or the complete baloney your professors, motivated by THEIR hate have fed you.
Great article
It's always good to know that not everyone has been brainwashed to hate President Bush. The country was extremely indifferent about Lincoln emerging America into the Civil War. Today, however, he is seen as our greatest president. History will judge President Bush differently, just as it did Lincoln.
A job well done
Ms. Hodges,
Thanks' for reminding your readers of how President Bush has kept us safe and made the tough calls to go on the offensive to deliver a crippling blow to the terrorists that prevented them from killing more Americans here on our land.
President Bush admitted to some mistakes but there can be no doubt that history will note how he took to heart the oath of the presidency ..."to protect this country from enemies foreign and domestic". He did his duty and did it well, so I join you in thanking Mr. Bush.
I can only hope that our new president, if faced with the choice of popularity or national security, will have the same character to choose the later.
Granholm Obama Cabinet
Kelly:
You ask a good question: what possible beneficial advice accrues to our President-elect from a governor who's overseen a complete crash in the viability of manufacturing industries in her state.
Here's my opinion: none.
I've read, from my ex-pat outpost here in the Netherlands, with some interest, the whining from my home state for a bail-out of the of the righteous, beleaguered, uniquely oppressed workers of the UAW and Michigan auto industry.
My answer (as a Ford shareholder watching his investment go to zero): let it go to zero.
Both the management, and the oh-so-oppressed workers/ retirees/their unions, have collaborated to make the shares and bonds worth zero. Those of us who were dumb enough to buy shares or bonds in Ford (or GM or Chrysler) should take our medicine.
The American taxpayer should not bail us, or the employees/retirees/union sponsors out. We didn't ask them to bail out steelwoorkers in Pittsburgh, and we shouldn't ask this for auto workers in Detroit.
Jennifer Granholm is a nimrod. She lives in the Kum-ba-yah something-for-nothing universe that seems to infect the once proud, self-reliant state of Michigan that now sucks at the teet of the federal governemnt. Raise taxes on business, than be bewildered when it flees the the state. "Hello?"
For those of you for whom the genious of Jennifer Granholm, Carl Levin, Sander Levin, John Dingell (et al) makes sense, "have at it guys ... there's a free lunch after all".
I didn't vote for sen. Obama, but I hope he has the good sense to tell you he's not prepared to throw good money after bad.
obama video
Kelley I love that you used this in your blog- you're welcome =]
MarcG Dearborn
I guess your post just show that ACT/SAT scores and the Honors College do not indicate common sense.
Get out of school and start to pay your own way. Maybe then you will get your head out of that dark place it is now parked.
Republican Scare Tactics
National security is a legitimate issue. The video simply shows how wrong headed, inexperienced and out of touch Barack Obama is with the threats facing our country. Let me remind you that our country was brutally attacked on 9/11/01 and 4,000 innocent Americans were killed. On 9/12/02 we were united as one nation to defend our way of life. President Bush has accomplished that by unleashing the strongest military in the world to seek justice and kill those responsible for this despicable act. He refused to disarm our military or dismiss any action that would protect America. The President, with authority approved by Congress, has taken this fight to Iraq and Afghanistan. Critics, for political expediency, will claim Bush lied about WMD's to go to war. The fact is President Bush acted on security intelligence, faced the threat and his decision to fight terror in Iraq and Afghanistan has protected us from any further attacks on our soil. Our President has put our national security ahead of his own popularity and we are a safer nation because of these actions.
Quoting Barack on his plans for our defense systems a scare tactic? I would suggest it is Obama's own words that are sending shivers up your spine. After hearing these statements, you and your candidate would be wise to reconsider who is the bigger threat to this country, the American citizens that make over $250,000 (now $200,000) a year or the ones who would cut your head off without regret because you dare to call yourself an American. No matter how scary Obama sounds, I believe Americans should listen to his words before they vote for change.
Republican Scare Tactics
Give me a break. They continue to use 9/11(TM) to try to scare you into voting Republican. This one is almost as good as the Iraq "Tribute" video from the Republican Convention. Absurd...
Reconsidering tax cuts for the wealthy
If you hate it here so much, go ahead and leave. I'm sure you would love Canada.
Who stole our Social Security?
Our Social Security system, known as the FICA program, was set up by Democrat President FDR. He promised the following:
1.) That participation would be completely Voluntary. 2.) That participants would only have to pay 1% of the first $1,400 of their annual incomes into the program. 3.) That the money the participants elected to put into the program would be deductible from their income for Tax purposes each year. 4.) That the money would be put into the Independent "Trust Fund" rather than into the General operating fund, and therefore, would ONLY be used to fund the Social Security Retirement Program, and NO other Government program, and 5.) That the annuity payments to the retires would NEVER be taxed as incomes.
Today many retires who paid into the system, and are now receiving Social Security checks every month...and are being theTAXED on 85% of money they receive, they question of how did we get from the original intent of the system to where it is now?....It's amazing what a simple vote can do.
Please understand this:
It was in 1958 that the Congress started to remove the funds from Social Security and put it in the General Fund, but it was under Democrat Lyndon Johnson that Congress thought the money would never run out, there was so much of it in the fund, and he needed it for his "great society program". The House of Representatives and the Senate were controlled by the Democtaic party. They had the votes to overun any Republican opposition. So the spending spree began....It's amazing what a simple vote can do.
Which party began Taxing Social Security annunity payments? Democrats. It was the tie breaking vote of the President of the Senate Al Gore, that gave us the Tax on 85% of the Social Security payments seniors get today....It's amazing what a simple vote can do.
Which President, with a Democratically controlled Congress, allowed payments to Immigrants who moved into this country before they were age 65 even though they NEVER PAID INTO IT?....Democrat President Jimmy Carter....It is amazing what a simple vote can do.
Then after violating the original contract(FICA), the Democrats turn around and tell you that it is the Republicans who want to take away your Social Security! The worst part is that the uniformed Citizens believe it!
AND Congress gives themselves a 100% retirement program, DIFFERENT from our Soclial Security program(FICA), for serving only ONE term.
It's amazing what a simple vote can do, for Critical Thinking...is dangerous...to a Socialist, Marxist, or Communist.
Know the "change" you vote for.
Reconsidering tax cuts for the wealthy
Ms. Hodges,
Thanks for the insight on who is paying their fair share of the taxes in this country. Below is a sad tale on just how Senator Barrack's tax plan would affect "Joe Six-Pack". Maybe after reading this some of your fellow bloggers may reconsider their support for redistributing the wealth. Hope you enjoy it.
Rickyras
Subject: Taxes
Tonight's Quiz is based on: Redistribution of Wealth
Which candidate's plan does this sound like?
TAX ANALOGY (Proposed tax the wealthy plan to balance the budget)
Our Tax System Explained - Bar Stool Economics
Suppose that every day, ten men go out for beer and the bill for all ten comes to $100.
If they paid their bill the way we pay our taxes, it would go something like this:
The first four men (the poorest) would pay nothing.
The fifth would pay $1.
The sixth would pay $3.
The seventh would pay $7.
The eighth would pay $12.
The ninth would pay $18.
The tenth man (the richest) would pay $59.
So, that's what they decided to do.
The ten men drank in the bar every day and seemed quite happy with the arrangement, until
one day, the owner threw them a curve. Since you are all such good customers, he said,
I'm going to reduce the cost of your daily beer by $20. Drinks for the ten now cost just $80.
The group still wanted to pay their bill the way we pay our taxes so the first four men
were unaffected. They would still drink for free.
What about the other six men - the paying customers?
How could they divide the $20 windfall so that everyone would get his fair share?
They realized that $20 divided by six is $3.33. But if they subtracted that from everybody's
share, then the fifth man and the sixth man would each end up being paid to drink his beer.
So, the bar owner suggested that it would be fair to reduce each man's bill by roughly the
same amount, and he proceeded to work out the amounts each should pay.
And so:
The fifth man, like the first four, now paid nothing (100% savings).
The sixth now paid $2 instead of $3 (33%savings).
The seventh now pay $5 instead of $7 (28%savings).
The eighth now paid $9 instead of $12 (25% savings).
The ninth now paid $14 instead of $18 (22% savings).
The tenth now paid $49 instead of $59 (16% savings).
Each of the six was better off than before. And the first four continued to drink for free.
But once outside the restaurant, the men began to compare their savings.
"I only got a dollar out of the $20", declared the sixth man. He pointed to the tenth man,
"but he got $10."
"Yeah, that's right", exclaimed the fifth man. "I only saved a dollar, too.
It's unfair that he got ten times more than I got."
"That's true!!" shouted the seventh man. "Why should he get $10 back when I got only two?
The wealthy get all the breaks!"
"Wait a minute", yelled the first four men in unison. "We didn't get anything at all.
The system exploits the poor!"
The nine men surrounded the tenth and beat him up.
The next night the tenth man didn't show up for drinks so the nine sat down and had beers
without him. But when it came time to pay the bill, they discovered something important.
They didn't have enough money between all of them for even half of the bill! And that,
ladies and gentlemen, journalists and college professors, is how our tax system works.
The people who pay the highest taxes get the most benefit from a tax reduction.
Tax them too much, attack them for being wealthy, and they just may not show up anymore.
In fact, they might start drinking overseas where the atmosphere is somewhat friendlier.
Team Spirit!
I guess no one told you.
The contributors to this blog are all members of the Honors College here at Michigan State University. All of us graduated at the top of our high school class and were among the top scorers on the ACT and/or SAT. Which makes me think that somewhere along the way, all of us passed, or more likely aced, an English class.
I would have to agree with you that age is just a number and not an IQ. We are intelligent and mature beyond our years and continue to grow as students and citizens every day.
It must scare you that the most of us blogging are liberals. The idea that someone out there is thinking differently and trying to better this nation. That our age group may be responsible for putting an African American Democrat in the White House. Ahh...what a thought!
Your generation of conservatives have left us quite a mess to clean up. Clean up? Not enough. We are going to have to renovate the whole thing. The last eight years haven't helped much.
Who knows? If we can get things right, our retirement won't disappear with a struggling economy like yours probably has. Hell, there won't be a struggling economy.
We will clean up a planet that you have littered.
We will help the poor and unfortunate in the cities of these United States that you have continued to ignore so CEO's and the wealthy can buy another yacht or take another cruise.
We will treat and help the sick no matter how rich or poor.
We will continue to support America's greatest resource, the youth, and give them the education they deserve. And we will stop punishing those who struggle to do well in the classroom like you have been doing for the last eight years and instead do our best to help them.
We will research to find cures for those who are ill with diseases like Parkinson's Disease and not put up roadblocks like you have been doing for too long due to you inability to separate church and state.
We will stop fighting wars that are doing this country more harm than good.
We will stop fighting wars over oil and instead find alternative resources of energy.
We will stop fighting wars that give our buddies a chance to make a profit.
We will stop fighting wars because someone looks, thinks, or believes differently than we do.
We will better ourselves at home before we stretch ourselves too thin.
We will stop ignoring the facts and start doing what is right for this nation as whole, not what is best for the individuals who funded our campaign.
We are the future of this nation. It might scare you. But you can take it or leave it. If you do leave it, try not to break anything else on your way out.
re: How much is enough?
Ariel Goldstein wrote in part "Is it right to have a CEO who makes an average of $14.2 million a year pay the same percentage in taxes as an elementary school teacher who makes a salary of barely more than $40,000?
Interesting question, however the current Federal income tax code prevents that from happening
The average tax rate of the bottom 50% of the wage earners (which includes your $40k/year teacher) is 3.01%. The average tax rate of the upper 1% (Which includes evillll CEO's) is 22.79%
http://www.taxfoundation.org/taxdata/show/250.html
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Mr Goldstein
"It seems to me like the CEO could have a fabulous life, even if said executive had to live off a mere $7.1 million."
Explain why you feel its the governments responsibility to determine what is "Fair" compensation?
You use the CEO's as a example..why not Hollywood celebs, Sports stars, etc...?
Are you paying your own way at MSU? Should your parents be taxed even more to send my children?
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Mr Goldstein "The idea is to use the money generated from tax revenues to fund public services, of which I would like to see an increase. As I mentioned before, basics like infrastructure, law enforcement and public schools are suffering in our country today. By comparison to the other leading developed nations, our government provides very little for us as citizens, which is something I would like to see changed.
The US spends near the top for K-12 education, yet finishes in the bottom 1/2, particularly in math and sciences
Yet your solution is to throw more money (or other peoples money) at the underperforming system?
As far as the government "provides very little for us as citizens", what do you think you are entitled to for simply being a citizen?
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Mr Goldstein "This issue comes down to a fundamental view of economic function. I am of the belief that for the common good, and to keep the economy functioning, we need to keep money in the pockets of the many not the few."
"From each according to his ability, to each according to his need" eh comrade?
How about a economic system that has no artificial barriers to entry, rewards success, and punishes failure?
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Mr Goldstein"According to data released by the Congressional Budget Office (not Rush Limbaugh), people who make more than $250,000 comprise no more than 2 percent-3 percent of the U.S. population. It is not right to shape tax policy in a way that benefits 2 percent-3 percent of the population and leaves the remain 97 percent-98 percent in the dust. Not only is that greedy, it is unsound for the economy. Look at where greed has left our economy today; clearly something isn't working.
A few points/questions in rebuttal. How much do you currently think the evilllll rich (above $250k) per year pay of the total Federal income tax?
10%? 20%?
Try 39.89% paid by just the upper 1% in 2006. In addition this is approx 2.5% HIGHER than in 2000 under Clinton (see cite above)
The upper 10% pay 70% of the Federal income taxes
And you demand even more
President Bush's tax cuts cut taxes across for all taxpayers, not just a few.
After the Clinton/Gore recession and the 9/11 attacks, the economy has grown for 27 consecutive quarters, with inflation in check and decent job growth.
The reason for the recent debacle can be found in many bipartisan aspects of government. However the "wealthy" not paying enough in income taxes is not one of the reasons
As a student at a leading university, why not look up some economic statistics when the top marginal tax rates were above 70%? Take a look at the Carter economy and tell us how wonderful that was.
I lived through it..I know the answer already
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Mr Goldstein "Lastly, there is no way to compare a classroom to the economy. That is an incredibly flawed analogy. "
Not any more flawed than the argument you have presented so far (imo)
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Mr Goldstein "In the economy, we all start off in different places dictated by socioeconomic standing, race, gender and even geographic position. These are negated in the college classroom."
Interesting you didn't list intelligence, desire, ethics, etc...
Those are key aspects of success and are not negated in the classroom.
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Mr Goldstein "College is a privilege, not a right, although I'm sure people who come from families in the top income bracket view this very differently."
Why do you assume what upper income families believe?
Why the class envy?
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Mr Goldstein "The economy, on the other hand, affects everyone, not just those fortunate enough to attend college. People who must drop out of high school to help support their families from a young age, or come from a socioeconomic block where college is not a feasible possibility still have to enter the workforce"
With todays safety net, I'm not aware of too many students needing to drop put of HS to support their families.
As far as the "socioeconomic block" argument..If a person really wants to go to college, they can do so. It may take longer than they would like, they may not be able to attend a top University like MSU, or they may need to provide service.
For example, the US military will pay for much of a students costs, if they commit to service after school.
I was able to earn a degree (not at a major university) by working, and living frugally. If a person of average intelligence and above average desire could do in the 1970's, it can be done now (imo)
There is no free lunch Mr Goldstein.
-------------
Mr Goldstein "College in the United States is not currently obtainable for everyone."
Nor should it be. 70% of all jobs do not require a college degree. Why should the 70% subsidize the 30%?
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Mr Goldstein "I will go to the professor and offer to help the students who you call less fortunate, to obtain a mastery of this material that enables them to receive a 4.0 on their own. I am sure Sen. Obama would approve of me donating my time and knowledge to help others help themselves."
Not a good analogy Mr Goldstein
Under your and Senator Obama's proposals, your would be forced to contribute your time.
Its not "fair" that you work hard and earn a 4.0. In addition you cannot be trusted to donate your time and talent. You might decide to apply yourself elsewhere making...a profit and wealth
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Facts are stubborn things; and whatever may be our wishes, our inclinations, or the dictates of our passions, they cannot alter the state of facts and evidence.
John Adams
Team Spirit!
OK so you think you're so darn smart...then....
WHY don't your other young whipersnapers at MSU get it?
I guess they are in "higher education" and that means they don't have to think, they just swallow the Bilge of their Liberal Professors. But then we do have to remember, that some of them did make it through High School without learning the English language completely. Is that why we call them Freshmen or is it that age is only a number, not an IQ.
Team Spirit!
William,
Very funny reasoning on your part! You can bet when he is in Ohio he is saying he is a Buckeye fan. Unfortunately most politicians have a master's degree in pandering. You just need to make sure you have your waders on when they start shoveling all this bull bleep your way! Looks like you are on to him!!
Rickyras
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