Big girl

We are simply seeing the problem in allowing Iraq to try to rule itself.  They have three groups of people who dont really like each other.   Doesn't matter how long we stay, when we leave, they will be killing each other again.    I dont see why you guys want to throw a few more billion down that rabbit hole.  

Will this make you happy...I'm not a Democrat I don't believe obama has had a successful presidency I think it's been awful. But still you believe I must be a liberal why because I refuse to spend my days posting anti Obama links...they're are other issues. Crying like a baby won't change that. Find a winnable candidate if you want change.

so, you and your kids can volunteer to go to Iraq to protect the country. We need to stay out of it. We should've never been there.

I am saying that we should let Iraq handle their problems themselves. We dont need our soldiers going there to be slaughtered.If you disagree, you can send your kids.

Good friend who is now retired ARMY told me he was responsible training the Iraq military. Said they were the laziest people you'd ever be around. Said they never wanted us there.

Are you drunk?

LOL!  WE were all holding our breath to see what your opinion would be.

It wouldn't matter what Big girl said if she would just agree with you guys. Lies don't matter on this board if someone is saying what you guys want to hear.

The audacity of someone to be a little liberal and a little conservative. Conservative is the only way on this board brother!

My party affiliation isn't a secret. You're just too stubborn to see that there can be a middle ground.

It's called being a "moderate". You mix in a little bit of both parties.

I am fiscally conservative and socially liberal.

Groundbreaking revelation right?

I'm glad I can be of assistance to the small town folk here today. Stay tuned and I'll try to educate you commoners more often.

Unlike most of you commoners here, I work in one of the most competitive and lucrative industries. I don't have time to live on a message board discussing politics and economics with small town folk

Now to my theory on long term answers to the economy:

First of all, it is a theory because obviously no one holds the magic answer to the question. If they did, we would have been doing it for some time and living in a utopian society. If you think you do, you are a fool (your vast fortune notwithstanding). However, we all have our thoughts and opinions and who knows if we are right. Our beliefs are our beliefs and we are entitled to them.

I believe the biggest ill in our country (and in our state for sure) is the failure to educate. Specifically, our public education is severely lacking. You see, I believe education is the great equalizer. Education is power, or at a minimum empowering. We have undervalued it in our country for too long. Sure we talk about its importance and almost every politician has it in their platform. But we never see any serious reform. We see how important we believe it is when our teachers, those charged with shaping our children and, thus, our future, are paid just enough to survive if they keep to a right budget. It is appalling.

I am not against government spending, per se, but I am against it when it is irresponsible. And in this millennium, we have seen it happen often with two different presidents from two different parties. It is not helpful to the discussion to say, "yeah, but he did it more!" Any of it is unnecessary. And far, FAR too much of it is spent overseas when we have so much to do within our borders.

Yes, I believe welfare reform is needed. But it will take more than merely drug testing the recipients. If someone receives benefits, require them to be working, actively pursuing jobs (with proof), or best, working on an education. Put more money into grants and less into other forms of assistance. Make it more attractive financially to be working towards a degree than receiving assistance.

If we become more educated as a society, a lot of other problems (crime, drugs, homelessness, poverty) will slowly eradicate themselves. We do a poor job in this country of educating the masses. For instance, I am not appalled by the recent discussions of student loan forgiveness. They have done this for years in the UK. I lived in London and can tell you with no reservation, the Brits, as a whole, are better educated than we are. Are our brightest and best educated behind theirs? Absolutely not and the reverse is probably true. But as a whole, top to bottom, they are well ahead of us. Don't believe me? Go spend some time there and visit with the people. They do not have anywhere near the "gap" we have in this country. As a result, walk down almost any street in London, at 3 am, bearing in mind that their law enforcement officers aren't armed. Do the same in NYC or LA and let me know where you felt safest. Hell do it it in Houston or Beaumont for that matter. It really is amazing.

If we would spend more in areas where we are truly benefiting our people, I have no problem with the taxes we pay. And I have no problem paying a higher percentage than those who aren't as fortunate as me. The wealth gap in this country continues to expand and that is not healthy. If history has taught us anything, it is when a powerful country has an elite few who have everything and masses with nothing, it is bound to fail. You have to try and figure out how to pull up those beneath you, not hold them down.

Although it is not the only answer, education is a great place to start.

Interesting. I agree there is more to education than formal education. I was referring to your comment about google. I have a four year degree with honors. An advanced degree from the top school in the state in my field with studies in a joint program at two European colleges, one arguably the most prestigious on that continent. Oh and I passed one of the exams you were told was harder than the securities exam on my first try, after self studying, and finished in the top 10 percent of those taking the exam in my class. Where's my cookie?

When attempting to educate, it is helpful when the question you ask isn't premised on a term such as "raid," which is ambiguous as best. If you rephrase the question with more specificity, I will be glad to take a shot at the answer. For instance, had you asked under which president was social security created, I would have answered FDR. If you had asked under which president did social security annuities begin being taxed, I would have answered Reagan.

All I know is Republican better run christie...Hillary wouldn't even need to campaign nor go to debates if Rafael is the right choice.

I'm really in disbelief how shortsighted the loonies here are.

Tea party returning to prominence means the republicans will have to become more extreme (aka religious freaks), which almost guarantees a 2016 win for Hillary Clinton.

They realize that the teabaggers will cause the end of the good ole boy establishment

Bullets13, I'm going to need you to stop being reasonable. ASAP.
 
Only extreme far right right or left views are welcome in this part of town.
 

It's a tough balance. The answer is not ending all assistance programs, nor is it expanding them so that they become a career. I honestly believe the biggest hindrance right now for the GOP is the huge gap between their social beliefs and those of a large majority of younger voters. I know a lot of fiscally conservative people who can't get past the right's social stances. Also, younger voters who have liberal social stances and don't have grown up money problems are going to vote left until they start feeling the economic pinch as they get older.

Just calling yall out. I begin to notice that the very people who complained about others throwing out the race card are the real culprits.

So dems only get votes via welfare. Gay marriage, abortion, immigration, economy, had nothing to do with it. The Republican ship is sinking because they're on the less popular side of top issues today not because of welfare. Find a more appealing approach.

In addition, I participated in a similar study about 20 years ago. Although the costs are higher for both now with inflation, the comparative figures are relatively unchanged. We found the cost of execution back then was 3X cost imprisonment for somewhere between 40-45 yrs.

You will note that what makes DP cases so expensive are the automatic and numerous appeals. Until we figure out how to avoid killing innocent people, I would not advise reducing their rights of appeal. Watch the documentaries "Paradise Lost" about the West Memphis, AR child murders. Without extensive appeals, an innocent kid would have been murdered by the state in that case as well.

If minimum wage was raised before, then why does it need to be raised again? That should have fixed the problem!

I agree, these guys are hopeless and they dont know what they are talking a bout. It is a waste of time trying to debate with them