'We've done it!

Vashon Votes October 15, 2010 (3:17 pm)

A special thanks should be given to King County Council candidate Diana Toledo for making the South Park Bridge closure (and how local government dropped the ball) a focal point of this election.

It was Diana Toledo and Tim Fahey who lit the fire which caused Dow, Patty, and Jim to get involved and follow through with long overdue promises.

THANK YOU DIANA TOLEDO!

Supporters placed your name at the top of the last bridge as a show of thanks for your work in the community, I say we should place your name at the top of the new bridge as well.

YAY DIANA TOLEDO!

I. Ponder October 15, 2010 (4:11 pm)

And a shout out to Patty Murray for bringing home the bacon!

“Murray created the TIGER grant program in 2009 as part of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA).”

WWDD: What would Dino do?

I fear South Park’s not on Dino Rossi’s map of WA state. Or maybe he’d say residents should take back personal control from the government and build the bridge themselves. American ingenuity!

visitor October 15, 2010 (4:49 pm)

I’m just waiting for all the current and potential pols to rush in and take credit. sheeesh. Something good happens, bingo! there they are, pointing the friggin finger at themselves.

Ex-Westwood Resident October 15, 2010 (5:04 pm)

Yup!!!
Ole Patty WAS so CONCERNED about the SP Bridge that it just took her over a YEAR to get funding from the TIGER program THAT she help create.
How LONG have we KNOWN that the SP Bridge NEEDED replacement???
I think your praise of the worn out tennis shoe wearing mom is WHY over reaching.
If she REALLY cared for this issue she would not have waited till she was in the TOUGHEST race for her seat in the Senate to come out with the pork.
This was STAGEd and GIVEN to this project so that she could claim a point in the race.
Some have OBVIOUSLEY fell for this cheap political tactic.

Baba October 15, 2010 (5:07 pm)

A Nation on Entitlements”
By Sara Murray, The Wall Street Journal

“Efforts to tame America’s ballooning budget deficit could soon confront a daunting reality: Nearly half of all Americans live in a household in which someone receives government benefits, more than at any time in history.

At the same time, the fraction of American households not paying federal income taxes has also grown—to an estimated 45% in 2010, from 39% five years ago, according to the Tax Policy Center, a nonpartisan research organization.”
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I believe Patty’s wish is to significantly increase these numbers in the next 6 years. That way she will get re elected in 2016 by the 99.9% majority landslide, just like the “polles” showed in the former USSR. Yay! Go Patty!!!
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THE QUESTION IS -DO YOU HAVE THE GUTS TO FIGHT THE HAND THAT FEEDS YOU OR WILL YOU REMAIN DOWN ON YOUR KNEE”S?AND BEG FOR MORE!

Baba October 15, 2010 (5:13 pm)

A Nation on Entitlements”
By Sara Murray, The Wall Street Journal

“Efforts to tame America’s ballooning budget deficit could soon confront a daunting reality: Nearly half of all Americans live in a household in which someone receives government benefits, more than at any time in history.

At the same time, the fraction of American households not paying federal income taxes has also grown—to an estimated 45% in 2010, from 39% five years ago, according to the Tax Policy Center, a nonpartisan research organization.”
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I believe Patty’s wish is to significantly increase these numbers in the next 6 years. That way she will get re elected in 2016 by the 99.9% majority landslide, just like the “polls” showed in the former USSR. Yay! Go Patty!!!
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THE QUESTION IS -DO YOU HAVE THE GUTS TO FIGHT THE HAND THAT FEEDS YOU OR WILL YOU REMAIN DOWN ON YOUR KNEE”S?AND BEG FOR MORE!

Baba October 15, 2010 (5:16 pm)

I did misspell “polls”, sorry.

toddinwestwood October 15, 2010 (5:19 pm)

Look at how sad Mayor McBike looks in the pic. “Damn cars and trucks, why dont we turn it into a bike only bridge?”

WSB October 15, 2010 (5:21 pm)

Seconds before introducing him, KCE Constantine did declare pointedly that bicycles would be able to travel on both sides of the new bridge.

I. Ponder October 15, 2010 (5:46 pm)

Dear Trolls:
Personally, I’d like to see a bicycle-only bridge, but out of consideration for you old-fashioned neighbors, I’ll defer to you the right to not have to haul your out-of-shape butts around in public where children would laugh at you. I hope you’ll defer to my choice of traveling by bike as much as possible and not contributing to the gridlock as you wait 15 minutes to get out of the Jefferson Square parking lot. Hey, it’s not bikes that are holding you up, it’s cars.
Back to the bridge. If it took Patty Murray too long to get the $ to satisfy you, that’s life in America folks. If you don’t like it, build your own bridge or don’t use it once completed.
If we can’t afford a bridge in South Park, why is it we can afford to build them in Afghanistan and Iraq? That’s the hole where the $ goes trolls.

foy boy October 15, 2010 (5:50 pm)

Hey patty wheres our tiger money to help with the traffic mess we face every mornning getting out of westseattle.We need some of that extra fat on it pork to build us a park and ride. Just tell our mayor that thier will be extra parking for bikes and he’ll drole all over it.

Genesee Hill October 15, 2010 (6:01 pm)

I voted today. I swore I would never vote for another Republican after the last election. I kept my word! Satterberg was un-opposed. That is the only blank oval that I did not fill in.

The Republican Party has, in my mind, become the Party of Bigots.

Congratulations, Democrats, for keeping OUR interests in mind!

The WSJ, OMG!

Baba October 15, 2010 (6:07 pm)

@I. Ponder, Wars in Iraq and Afganistan are drops in a bucket comparing to the amount of $ US government spends yearly on entitlements, please, look it up!!!

JanS October 15, 2010 (6:18 pm)

I, Ponder, dear heart…there are some of us who, no matter how much we’d like to, simply can’t ride a bike. Please don’t look down on us with a superior attitude. The same fate may befall you one of these days ;-)

Baba October 15, 2010 (7:06 pm)

Genesee Hill, I did bring up WSJ just for the sake of reference. Can you provide other numbers?

JanS October 15, 2010 (7:14 pm)

Baba…we know you’re trying to make a point..but…billions and billions on the two wars…where are your numbers? If you’re gonna throw that kind of thing out there, back it up, please. Or you’re just like all the rest of the people who like to talk, but nothing else. Thank you :) and have a great weekend.

foy boy October 15, 2010 (7:22 pm)

Dear ponder the minute you start paying taxes on your bike then you can complain about not having anough bike lanes. If it wern’t for car taxes and gas taxes you wouldn’t have squate to ride on. Bike riders need to start paying thier fare share and quit ridding on the backs of car taxes.

I. Ponder October 15, 2010 (7:49 pm)

Dear Trolls & Misinformed:
Your car taxes do not pay for roads. I also own a car and pay the same taxes on it as you. Those taxes pay to run the license system. Do you really think your $35 car tabs build roads? You couldn’t build 6″ of curb for that. I also own a house. Property taxes and income taxes and gas taxes pay for roads. Your car use is subsidized by people like me who don’t use it much.

Seriously, you sit in gridlock in your cars and then have the nerve to blame bicycles for your woes.

The cost of both wars since 2001 as of right now is $1,093,422,400,000. That’s about a trillion and a half dollars. You are right Baba, it’s just a drop in the bucket. That $ would only be wasted here in the US anyway.

Jan S.: No offense. I am merely feeding the Trolls some dirty pancakes. I know the bicycle doesn’t work for everyone. I am tired of Trolls expelling their bile on bikes and bike lanes. They are benefiting from the gas I don’t use and the space my car doesn’t take up on the road. Perhaps they’d rather sit in traffic behind my car.

Lonnie October 15, 2010 (8:19 pm)

To Ex Westwood….You say it took Patty over one year. It is rather unforunate that you obviously do not understand how the Washington DC system works. With only a very small pot of money available that every corner of America is competing to recieve for all the many problems that exist, and the SP bridge being just one of them, good things take time. To recieve the grants takes political jockeying and time. Wn. State citizens are extremely fortunate to have Patty and her clout looking out for us. It took 18 yeras for her to earn that respect. She is becoming the reincarnation of Warren G. Magnuson. How much clout do you think Wn. State would have with an incoming freshman Senator named Dino if he were to win? That is why I am voting for patty Murray. Lonnie

JanS October 15, 2010 (8:57 pm)

I. Ponder…I know. I ws just sitting here thinking that my broken body (fell last week – lol) simply isn’t up to walking much, let alone riding a bike. And. My car has been parked for over a year. I use Zipcar, Metro, sometimes accept rides with friends.

You’re right…saying a cyclist doesn’t pay their fair share is not very intelligent.But , then, education is everything, isn’t it? ;-)

dsa October 15, 2010 (9:03 pm)

Federal and state gas tax pays for our roads including maintenance. It is not property or income tax. Bicycles are truly getting a free ride. Here is one ref. I did not look for the one that shows the county and city share:
http://www.wsdot.wa.gov/Finance/gastax

redblack October 15, 2010 (9:56 pm)

funny.
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SOUTH PARK BRIDGE GETS ENTITLEMENT MONEYS BECAUSE OF COMMIES PATTIE MURRY SOCIALISM ENTITLEMENT BUT WHERE IS MY ENTITLEMENT MONEYS BECAUSE THE WEST SEATTLE BRIDGE COMMYOOUTE SUCKS!!1!!1
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also, too.

I. Ponder October 15, 2010 (10:17 pm)

dsa: You claim bicycles are “truly getting a free ride”. I’d like you to go in your garage and see if there’s a bicycle in there. If there is, please destroy it. It’s your civic duty. It’s consuming precious resources.

I drive a car (to Costco), take the bus, water taxi, and ride a bicycle because sitting on the West Seattle Bridge in traffic is a huge drag. I prefer to commute downtown by bicycle. It’s quicker and I’m minimizing my support of BP, Exxon,etc. by voting with my wallet.

I am sick and tired of urban rednecks demonizing people who ride bikes. I live in Seattle, pay my taxes, and treat people respectfully for the most part. I’m not sure what you get out of scapegoating bicyclists. If you don’t like my bike, would you prefer to sit in traffic behind my car? I think you’re misdirecting your road-rage.

With respect to roadway funding….

Municipal roadways are primarily funded by property taxes paid by all citizens that own or rent property within the given municipality.

The lion’s share of municipal roadway budgets is dedicated to repairing damage to our shared roadways by motor vehicle traffic. Ironically, those citizens who choose not to drive – pedestrians and cyclists – already subsidize those who do.

Gas taxes generally go to pay for a *portion* of highway construction and maintenance costs. The remainder of the costs for those projects come in the form of subsidies from general funds.

In both cases, motorists are the subsidized group, not cyclists..

Johnston October 15, 2010 (10:23 pm)

To ex-Westwood and all the other haters I have seen on this forum and others since this wonderful news was announced:

Really?

The timing of this was planned because Murray is doing so bad in the polls? Several other TIGER II grants were announced today (as WSB reported). Murray helped create the TIGER II program, and the SP bridge couldn’t qualify without better local commitment. The system worked as intended and I am grateful to Senator Murray for helping to create this program and working so hard for this state. It is too bad that the bridge got so bad that it had to be closed, but that is not the fault of Senator Murray in any way.

By the way, she’s leading in the most recent 5 polls.

And I voted for her, today.

Thank you Senator Murray.

redblack October 15, 2010 (11:03 pm)

baba: has it occurred to you that the reason that the number of people who don’t pay taxes has risen is because the number of people who are eligible for tax exemption has risen?
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in simpler words, there are more poor people since 2005. (remind me who was in the white house and congress then, please?) almost half of the home of the brave now lives below the poverty line.
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oh, say! can you see?
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and as a liberal, i resent the implication that we’re lazy and only want dole checks instead of jobs and that we want to swell the ranks of the poor.
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furthermore, since you’re so civic-minded, i’m sure you’re aware that exxon/mobil paid no taxes last year, despite record profits. i guess that means that you won’t be patronizing the welfare queen of gas stations now, huh?
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which brings us back on topic, since we’re talking about funding roads and bridges.

Baba October 15, 2010 (11:12 pm)

JanS. The Iraq/Afganistan war is hardly even a reason let along a “main reason” why the US is in such a financial mess. I’d suggest you take a look at the US budget, most of which goes to various entitlement programs along with a huge federal government set of agencies and personnel.It’s public knowledge available freely online.
My goal is not to convert die hard democrats,that are very common on this blog, but to try to plant some seeds of common sense into the heads of someone who is still confused about the truth…

Baba October 15, 2010 (11:20 pm)

” Or you’re just like all the rest of the people who like to talk, but nothing else. “-were you talking about Obama? :-)

Thank you for being so polite and have a great weekend too!

Justin October 15, 2010 (11:21 pm)

Ask a resident of South Park how they feel about having this bridge gone. No more hookers because the Boeing workers can not come over after work. No more drugs because the Boeing workers can not come over after work. The traffic is better, the noise has gone away.

I also just want to point out that most of the people that want to slam Murray seem to be about 4 feet away from being retarded. The spelling and gramatical errors are amazing. The regurgitation of what ever they have heard from a TV commercial while watching COPS is hilarious. Yes, she has run this state so far into the ground that we are way a head of any other state in the union. Yeah, keep going Tea Baggers.

Justin October 15, 2010 (11:29 pm)

Also let off the freakin Caps Lock for a second. When your browser is under lining every other word you are typing, it means you should have repeated the third grade.

Dave October 16, 2010 (1:39 am)

Justin, couldn’t have said it better myself, I owe you a beer!

Baba, still no numbers? Thanks for the OPINION.

Mannix October 16, 2010 (7:28 am)

Rebuilding the South Park Bridge was supposedly an impossible dream when Ron Sims was Executive. It took Dow ten months.

Mannix October 16, 2010 (7:28 am)

PS: Who’s Diana Toledo?

redblack October 16, 2010 (9:12 am)

baba: “entitlements” go to corporations, as well.
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e.g., in addition to writing a bill to bank of america, you’re also giving them tax dollars for things like – oh, let’s say acquiring merrill lynch. or remaining solvent..
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sounds like the top 2% are double-dipping to me.
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regarding the budget, yes HHS is the biggest slice of the pie. but you realize, don’t you, that most of that slice goes to doctors and hospitals for things like disease communication/awareness/prevention? welfare is a small portion of that slice.
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the second biggest slice is the military. (hmm. i haven’t checked lately, but since obama put the wars on the books, is it now the largest slice?)
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anyway, the third biggest slice is interest on the republican debt.
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common sense should involve voting for your own interests, not the obscenely wealthy’s.

toddinwestwood October 16, 2010 (10:22 am)

cars and trucks only add to the SMOG.

Bicyclists contribute to a thick, nasty layer of SMUG.

P.s. I have always been an avid cyclist until people like I.Ponder have turned me off riding.
Oh yeah, I also have to go to the grocery store, hardware store, pick up my daughter from school and live somewhere is really sucks to commute to by bike.

Baba October 16, 2010 (11:48 am)

redblack

“Newly released July figures show 41.8 million Americans on food stamps (or SNAP, the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, to use the new de-stigmatized terminology). That’s an 18% jump from one year earlier and 1.4% from June.”—-Who are these people? Rich?
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you are confusing US military budget with war expenses.
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It’s a huge part of human nature to get something for nothing. And I have a problem with democtarts encouraging this behaviour.
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Justin: keep contributing your impeccable grammar to discussion. LOL. How many languages do you speak?

JanS October 16, 2010 (2:57 pm)

So, Baba…you really can’t quote numbers…you can only say…look it up. We simply have to take your word for it, because, after all, we’re oh, so wrong, and you’re oh, so right.(hey…right…get it?) And, it’s simply your opinion that others are confused, and you need to educate them. This country was in a financial mess way before Pres. Obama took office…but you really don’t have an argument with that, do you? really? Yep..opinion…that’s what you have.

And maybe all those Americans on food stamps are there because they’re poor…think about it…you are only a few steps from there yourself. Things can change in an instant…and you just may need the services that the gov’t. can give you, and you’d be damned thankful.

Baba October 16, 2010 (6:19 pm)

Ok! By popular demand!!! Drum roll!!!
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2010 US budget $3.55 trillion
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18.74%-defense (664 billion, wars included)
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16.13%- unemployment/welfare (573 billion)
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+ a huge federal government set of agencies and personnel.
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2008 bush-190 bil. for wars
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2009 obama – 130 bil. for wars
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2011 obama proposes – 160 bil.
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So let’s say the average is 160 bil. per year. That is 4.5% of 2010 US budget. I’ m not saying it’s pocket change, but it’s hardly the cause for financial disaster. You can say It’s been accumulating since 2003, but unemployment/welfare part + federal government set of agencies and personnel was only getting bigger too.
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I want to make it clear again, I’m not republican nor democrat. I’m pro common sense.
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ps: All the numbers above are from wikipedia (I still don’t understand why some of you just couldn’t look it up…). If you have other anecdotal or conspiracy theory numbers, please do publish them. Thank you.

VBD October 16, 2010 (9:54 pm)

As an avid cyclist, I want those who have any remaining semblance of rational thought to understand that the majority of cyclists you see on the road are not part of the anti-car political movement. I ride on roads without bike lanes and do just fine. As I have for the last 30 years.

Many of the anti-car/pro-bike political movement don’t have a clue about real civic planning. Along with my bikes (I have 6 of them, because I race some as well as ride on the roads) I own a car, and am equally upset with the lousy road planning and loss of lanes to silly bike routes that I prefer not to use, even though they have a cute little picture of a bike in them.

I salute the efforts of Patty Murry and the others. Of course the timing is political. Would we expect any less from our politicians? But at least an important issue has finally gotten the attention it deserves.

I look forward to riding my bike over the new bridge, and will do so happily with or without a bike lane.

Baba October 16, 2010 (10:30 pm)

Liberals tactic in the last couple years was/is:— make your opponent look like a village idiot…Well… W bush is no longer with us, folks…get over it.

toddinwestwood October 16, 2010 (11:43 pm)

well said VBD. Thank you.

JanS October 16, 2010 (11:51 pm)

baba….I didn’t bring up numbers, you did. So, it shouldn’t have to fall on me to produce the numbers that you’re referring to. You brought it up…you follow through…

now…a question…since you don’t like those numbers, what is your common sense approach for reducing them, since you’re all fired up about you having common sense…

Baba October 17, 2010 (12:20 am)

JanS, Happy saturday night!!! I understand… :-) We can talk tomorrow…

waterworld October 17, 2010 (1:03 am)

Baba: Since you are relying on wikipedia for information (I express no opinion on its reliability), I wanted to add some additional information that relates to this topic:

(1) the defense spending number of $664 billion is limited to DOD’s budget, and does not include all defense spending. Here’s what wikipedia says about the defense budget number:

“This does not include many military-related items that are outside of the Defense Department budget, such as nuclear weapons research, maintenance, cleanup, and production, which is in the Department of Energy budget, Veterans Affairs, the Treasury Department’s payments in pensions to military retirees and widows and their families, interest on debt incurred in past wars, or State Department financing of foreign arms sales and militarily-related development assistance. Neither does it include defense spending that is not military in nature, such as the Department of Homeland Security, counter-terrorism spending by the FBI, and intelligence-gathering spending by NASA.”

When you put those expenditures back into the defense spending column, you get a total of $1.0 to $1.22 trillion for defense spending. Including the non-DOD expenditures, defense spending accounts for between 25-29% of budgeted expenditures. Expressed as a percentage of tax revenues, that’s 38-44% of estimated tax revenue.

(2) On the issue of war spending, Obama’s numbers do not readily compare to Bush’s, because Bush relied so heavily on supplemental expenditures (that is, non-budgeted spending) to pay for Iraq and Afghanistan. In other words, the Bush administration’s true spending on the wars was much higher than what their budgets suggest.

(3) I can’t tell where you got the $573/16% number for unemployment/welfare. As far as I can tell, “unemployment/welfare” is not a common term for a category of spending. I can’t find it anywhere. I agree that outlays for Social Security and Medicare % Medicaid are enormous, but I do not agree that all of those expenditures fit under the heading “welfare.” I could be wrong, but I think up through 2009 social security taxes exceeded social security benefit payments. We all know some kind of reform will be needed, but it’s not like social security is some kind of freebie for old folks; we pay in for the promise of some payout later on.

I’m pro common sense, too. That’s one of the reasons I support the notion of taxpayer supported spending for at least some health care expenses. What gets lost in the debate at times is the concept of public health. We all benefit when infectious diseases are controlled or eliminated, when our food supply is free from contaminants and infectious agents, when government works to eliminate or control health issues that affect a significant number of the people. Maybe you and I can’t agree on how much should be spent or where the dollars should go. To me, spending money to ensure the basic health of Americans is common-sense spending.

redblack October 17, 2010 (7:57 am)

i’m going to ride waterworld’s coattails on the numbers, and i’ll point out that bush had a budget item generically titled, “global war on terror.”
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baba, you claim to be independent. may i ask who you voted for in the past 5 presidential elections? were you old enough to vote for reagan?
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“It’s a huge part of human nature to get something for nothing. And I have a problem with democtarts encouraging this behaviour.”
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wtf do you mean by this? for one thing, the first sentence makes no sense.
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then there’s the crux of conservative/republican/teabagger/”independent” thought: that democrats want something for nothing. that health care should be free. that we just want to redistribute wealth.
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again, i resent those implications. we don’t want free health care; we want to replace our premiums with a tax, because insurance companies suck at providing access to health care. we want to ensure continued funding of welfare, unemployment, medicare, medicaid, and social security, because sometimes people need a hand getting back on their feet and/or retiring with some dignity. i.e. no one expects anyone to get rich and live in broadmoor on government programs, but we don’t want to live in an impoverished society that can’t or won’t take care of desperate citizens.
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and i’m going to keep beating this drum: government isn’t the problem. wall street is. but, by all means, keep carrying water for the top 2%. it’s worked out so well so far, hasn’t it?

Baba October 17, 2010 (2:17 pm)

Wow, wow, folks! I think we are getting carried away here.It’s very simple and staightforwards.Please go to:
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http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Fy2010_spending_by_category.jpg and enlarge the pie chart. Department of Energy, Veterans Affairs, Homeland Security etc.- ARE ALL seperate expenditures.
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waterworld: I took 3.55 tril. budget and 16.13%(unemoployment/welfare) of that is $573bil. I did not talk about SS, Medicare, Medicaid or HHS. I’m very ticked off about the growing federal gov. set af agencies and personnel though.
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http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Financial_cost_of_the_Iraq_War (appropriations). Yes we can argue till the cows come home about wikipedia and validity of these #s. But it comes up first when you google “us budget” and unless you can provide other sources my Opinion still stands. Yes wikipedia maybe wrong by few percentage points but I think that pie chart shows a pretty scary picture.
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redblack, don’t try to label me. Yes, I did vote for Obama, but only because it did make sense at that time. As William Z. Foster once said: Americans will gladly except socialism/communism…it just has to be named differently…

JanS October 17, 2010 (7:30 pm)

and here’s more about the record number of people on food stamps. Baba, please tell us you’re not paying attention to ANYTHING that Newt Gingrich has to say. He’s a weasel…more than that, he’s a lying weasel..

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/10/17/opinion/17sun4.html?th&emc=th

redblack October 18, 2010 (6:58 am)

baba, you labeled yourself by using words like “entitlement” to refer to welfare. and you claim that democrats want something for nothing. labels? i’m a proud liberal democrat, and a union member.
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you voted for obama? thank you. are you pleased that he’s not governing as a true progressive, like he talked about on the campaign trail?
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entitlement, etc.: that’s not language that progressives use. we don’t care about government spending for people, social programs, health insurance, roads, or bridges. we do care about rich people and corporations offshoring jobs, getting subsidies, and tax breaks. want to cut spending? great. start there. but until the depression is over for all americans, we’re not going to cut domestic spending.

Baba October 18, 2010 (11:12 am)

JanS, you , die hard liberals, are hard to please and just jump from one subject to another… :)
No, I try not to pay much attention to the articles with political bias (right or left). I prefer facts, numbers, charts, graphs and time over time conparisons.I think I’m intelligent enough to figure out myself what does it all mean. As for your “lying weasel” remark. It’s just a part of politicians job description.
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What needs to be done: We, as a country, have to VOLUNTARILY agree to lower our standard of living, because it’s going to happen anyway. The “voluntarily” part is just going to make it easier on us, citizens.
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redblack: I did NOT say that only democrats want something for nothing. I said – it’s an unequivocal part of EVERY human being (Me and You included!!!).You seem to live in the ideal, texbook but imaginary world!Do you have any idea how long it will take to repair this moral hazard , that democrats keep encouraging? It might take years maybe decades for people to regain their ethics and morals. I can already hear your reply, well, bush started it with bailing out banks…So, according to your logic, since now we have democrat in the White House it’s a poor saps turn to loot the treasury?
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And yes, when millions are staying in their houses for up to two years without paying mortgage and tens of millions are sitting at home watching American idol and keep expecting the benefit extensions (and getting them) – that is called -entitlements- in my book. Oh, and please don’t reply with a phrase: Those are isolated incidents. thanks.

redblack October 18, 2010 (4:32 pm)

i’m going to have to disappoint you, baba: i don’t think like you do, and none of the words you expect to hear will come out of my mouth.
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i read what you said about people wanting something for nothing and i don’t agree. i think that speaks to your nature, not mine. i work hard to scrape out a living, and i pay my bills. i’m a firm believer in capitalism and democracy.
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again, what you’re saying about democrats’ ethics and morals – or what being chronically poor might do to one’s ethics and morals – or whatever point you’re trying to make – is downright insulting. do you understand why?
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i’ll say this one more time: we don’t want anything for free. yes, what you call entitlements are paid for by all of us as a society. tough luck, pal. it’s the cost of living here.
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but wanting to do away with those social “entitlements” while the top 2% and corporate america evade taxes – and complain about the ones they do pay – is selfish, mean-spirited, and unamerican.
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and you’re encouraging that behavior by voting for their interests above your own.

regarding the unemployed, i don’t see wal-mart opening bread lines to help feed the jobless and their kids. i guess that we, the people, have to feed them and pay for it through taxation on those of us who are still lucky enough to have jobs.
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despite your platitudes, there are still 5 job-seekers for every job available today. it’s not a matter of laziness, or ethics and morals corrupted by some nanny-state teabagger boogeyman.