What are the odds smokey the bear is between us and an explosion of camp fires. What about we encourage states to have 1 quarter of phys ed cover outdoor education. Seems worthwhile.

 

That would cost significantly more than the proposed cut costs. May improve efficacy, but not efficiency. You're looking at many teacher hires, supply purchases, curriculum research, etc.

 

On the note of cost cutting that refuses to happen, the defense budget summed up in charts. After seeing that, you may realize that we don't have a spending problem, we have a military spending problem.

That would cost significantly more than the proposed cut costs. May improve efficacy, but not efficiency. You're looking at many teacher hires, supply purchases, curriculum research, etc.

 

So?

 

On the note of cost cutting that refuses to happen, the defense budget summed up in charts. After seeing that, you may realize that we don't have a spending problem, we have a military spending problem.

 

We have a revenue problem.

So?

 

I thought we were talking about ways to spend less money.

 

 

We have a revenue problem.

 

I can get on board with that. Of course, we now have made permanent a tax code that doesn't pay for our most precious programs. Perhaps more importantly, the deficit goes as unemployment goes.

Incoming House Freshmen given a typical suggested schedule during a powerpoint presentation (on the Dem incoming side):

 

Call time? AKA fundraising.

 

1/2 the day for an incoming Congressperson is spent fundraising.

Time for a Congressman is very precious. Spending half the day fundraising and talking to constituents isn't uncommon at all, many do it more.

Time for a Congressman is very precious. Spending half the day fundraising and talking to constituents isn't uncommon at all, many do it more.

I like how you lumped "taking phone calls from big money donors" and "Talking to constituents" together into the same item, when there's clearly a very big difference.

Big money donors are constituents, too!

I like how you lumped "taking phone calls from big money donors" and "Talking to constituents" together into the same item, when there's clearly a very big difference.

 

Those are often intermingled. Part of cold calling these people is hoping for more than their vote in the end run. They also will schedule meetings with lobbyists around these times. The lobbies are just as important, really. Most congressmen learn the most about issues of concern from the lobby groups.

Those are often intermingled. Part of cold calling these people is hoping for more than their vote in the end run. They also will schedule meetings with lobbyists around these times. The lobbies are just as important, really. Most congressmen learn the most about issues of concern from the lobby groups.

This is an indictment of our system, not a statment of fact or a compliment to it.

Sigh

he's really gone off the deep-end, hasn't he?

he's really gone off the deep-end, hasn't he?

No more than anyone else in the strongly-pro-gun side.

I meant more in general, like his "n***** n***** n*****" post a few weeks ago.

Stewart had a great segment on gun control last night.

well, he's just dealing with being irrelevant now.

well, he's just dealing with being irrelevant now.

How so?

How so?

 

Drudge used to own beltway media stories. The past two elections he hasn't pushed anything into national conversation. Last thing was...that one school bus beating? The only one who pays attention is politico.

oh, politico

I actually like Politico. Most of their reporting tends to be pretty much down the middle when I read it (I don't necessarily read all of their stuff, especially not their opinion).

good lord. You like Politico?

good lord. You like Politico?

 

You should probably bear in mind that I read a variety of things like Breitbart, Fox, National Journal. I try to get a full spectrum of reporting and I really have no issues reading Politico. On the other hand, Breitbart and Fox usually get my anger switches going off so quickly that I cannot read for long. A site like ThinkProgress might give me the news the way I see it to be true, but I often feel when reading news material from Politico that there is an honest attempt to report from multiple partisan viewpoints.

Being "down the middle" isn't necessarily what makes Politico terrible, though faux DC media centrism is a problem.

Being "down the middle" isn't necessarily what makes Politico terrible, though faux DC media centrism is a problem.

 

It's their obliviousness to how policy affects real people, and all that really matters is gamesmanship and optics.

Tactical Response CEO Issues Threat Over Gun Control: ‘I’m Gonna Start Killing People’

CNN's coverage of Biden's gun violence event was interrupted to report on a school shooting.

 

http://thinkprogress.org/politics/2013/01/...chool-shooting/