StrangeSox

QUOTE (southsider2k5 @ Jun 7, 2011 -> 07:36 AM) So Balta is actually claiming that the 17 FRB governors over the last two years have been essentially worthless, because without the two Obama appointees, they haven't been able to find their way to tackle any of the issues that are out there. But, somehow, if these 2 people had been on the FRB, they would have solved unemployment, the employment gap, economic turmoil, inflation, AIDS, cancer, and Adam Dunn's swing. Yet I am the partisan shill asking questions that don't mean anything? Yeah, speaking of reflexive partisan postings... The fascinating thing here is that this post completely fails to address the actual problem at hand. It doesn't even attempt a justification or even a hand-wavey excuse.

Also read an explanation elsewhere that compared right-wing conservatives' understanding and use of American history to their biblical usage--legends and storied from the past, selectively remembered (by the right-wingers) and distorted or abused to justify their own beliefs. This whole Paul Revere story was just a way for Palin to defend her 2nd Amendment Rights! by stealing a legend from the "Founding Fathers."

QUOTE (kapkomet @ Jun 6, 2011 -> 09:37 PM) Everything's meaningless to you unless you've thought of it. Nah, just tangential s*** thrown out there to avoid having to actually discuss the issue at hand. Like this thing. Yeah, I already said that. Good job I guess? Now can you get back to the actual topic?

QUOTE (kapkomet @ Jun 6, 2011 -> 09:34 PM) Okay. Whatever. How about trying to actually answer the question instead of being the "WINNAH" at debate tactics? No. It's a meaningless distraction. But keep pretending its a legitimate point, it's funny.

QUOTE (kapkomet @ Jun 6, 2011 -> 08:59 PM) Answer the damn question. You can't. FOCUS on something for once instead of moving the goalposts. I've moved goalposts? In case you missed it, that was my way of saying "your question is an irrelevant diversion." My unwillingness or inability to answer the question may score ss2k5 a SoxTalk point, but it doesn't actually say anything whatsoever regarding obstructionism and the refusal to approve or even have a discussion on yet another appointed official.

QUOTE (southsider2k5 @ Jun 6, 2011 -> 08:36 PM) Where would a difference have been made by these two people? That would be a compelling question if it actually meant anything. But since it doesn't, it's reflexive defense.

QUOTE (southsider2k5 @ Jun 6, 2011 -> 08:34 PM) No one has been able to give a single real reason that it would have made a single bit of difference. Its been all hyperbole. So your position then is that these posts are meaningless? Or are you reflexively making excuses for Republicans?

QUOTE (southsider2k5 @ Jun 6, 2011 -> 02:22 PM) So in otherwords, while being a great talking point, it wouldn't have made a difference. Selective Outrage indeed. Yeah, just selective outrage. s***, just abolish the whole Fed board, or at least cut down these two seats, they aren't even necessary according to ss2k5!

congrats! when can I buy her her first BBQ bacon burger?

QUOTE (PeavyTime @ Jun 3, 2011 -> 05:54 PM) It's happening again. I have Comcast internet and for the past few years, every time it gets really hot outside, my internet begins disconnecting. My router will not connect. Then nighttime comes or a day when it is cooler, and the internet works fine again. WTF? I have never heard of or experienced anything like this in my life. We used to have similar problems. The cable and/or connectors coming into your house/condo/apartment are bad. It took two years and probably 12 tech visits before one of them actually bothered to diagnose the problem. He then had to call in a different crew (two-man job) and warned us that they'd probably try to say it was something else. They did, but we stood firm and made them replace the stuff. Finally worked correctly after that. Comcast is the worst.

This isn't surprising if you view it from the Dunning-Kruger authoritarian viewpoint.

QUOTE (Milkman delivers @ Jun 3, 2011 -> 04:25 PM) So because they're stupid, they should be allowed to get away with it? Because is it really worth your effort?

getting married

QUOTE (Jenksismyb**** @ Jun 3, 2011 -> 03:31 PM) MORE STIMULUS!!!!!!!! ...less stimulus?

QUOTE (Jenksismyb**** @ Jun 3, 2011 -> 01:50 PM) What about the 14 billion we just burned spent wasted lost handed to GM? How can they track revenue but not losses? Again, that was a stock exchange, the governor could hang on to those shares in the time being to recoup those expenses.

QUOTE (Chisoxfn @ Jun 3, 2011 -> 11:13 AM) Student Loan debt is 850B and growing. It actually exceeds credit card debt in this country. And from 10 years ago, the average student loan debt in this country has increased by ~54%. Pretty insane given how much more we are actually spending as a country. It is actually quite mindboggling to me that debt has increased that much and tuition costs have increased as much as they have as well (and that isn't a coincidence, imo), all in a short 10 year span. Makes you wonder what the f*** we spend our money on, given gov spending has done nothing but go through the roof. Would have been nice to do something about all of those predatory for-profit colleges that generate 90% of their revenues from federal loans that most students have no hope of paying back...

A look at Groupon's finances http://thinkprogress.org/yglesias/2011/06/...upon-economics/

QUOTE (Jenksismyb**** @ Jun 3, 2011 -> 10:10 AM) Yeah I was trying to look that up to see how much the gov't collects. It can't be THAT much though, considering their loan practices (being extremely lenient on payment). Plus, they make their money over the 10, 20, or 30 year life of the loan. The loss from one year could be spread out. Yeah but the smaller the budget impact the smaller the stimulus. Not saying it couldn't be a highly effective program, just that it wouldn't have that large of an impact.

I have to go to Dothan, AL for work next week. The high temperature is supposed to be 100*. Every.Day.

QUOTE (Jenksismyb**** @ Jun 3, 2011 -> 10:01 AM) I've advocated a one year freeze on obligations to pay back student loan debt held by the federal gov't. Think of all that extra capital that people would have to spend. Spending=better business performance=job hiring=economy back on track. Instead, we'll waste billions on GM to save "300 million" jobs. What would stopping those payments do to the deficit, and how much more would we have to cut social services to finance it?

The Structure of Inequality and the Politics of Redistribution

QUOTE (Balta1701 @ Jun 3, 2011 -> 09:53 AM) After wasting more of my time than I want to admit tallying them up myself from legal settlement reports, the California EPA has collected ~$450,000 in fines for air pollution in 2011 so far. No wonder businesses are fleeing Fascifornia More funny/sad when you combine this with the negative effective tax rate in the uber-repressive, highest-rate-in-the-developed-world US!

QUOTE (Balta1701 @ Jun 3, 2011 -> 09:42 AM) House Speaker Boehner has offered a sidelining resolution that he hopes he can use to keep an actual War Powers resolution from ever coming to the floor. The Speaker's proposed resolution would essentially express disapproval coming from the House and ask the White House to better explain what they are doing there, however, it would not have the form of a legitimate War Powers Act challenge of the sort that could actually force the White House to withdraw from Libya. Greenwald is melting down over this. http://www.salon.com/news/opinion/glenn_gr...ibya/index.html

QUOTE (NorthSideSox72 @ Jun 3, 2011 -> 09:42 AM) LOL at that being nationalizing. Its business. Scrape up cheap assets to re-sell later, grant some to private or public use which takes surplus out of circulation... its much more stimulative with better multipliers than the other garbage we did, not to mention that like TARP, the government could make some of the money back and be out of the business over a period of like a decade. It was a joke mocking both Socialist sloganeers and right-wing "ZOMG OBAMMA IS A SOCIALIST COMMIE-NAZI!" reactionaries, I wasn't trying to make fun of your point or what you said.

QUOTE (NorthSideSox72 @ Jun 3, 2011 -> 09:44 AM) Yes, plus US EPA... not sure of any others that would be significant. Balta already cited that negligible figure.