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Republican House Speaker John Boehner says he’s not sure Congress and President Obama can...
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Tuesday, September 11, 2012, 7:42 PM ETRepublican House Speaker John Boehner says he’s not sure Congress and President Obama can reach a deal to avoid the fiscal cliff. “I’m not confident at all,” Boehner quips. It may just be electioneering by the Republicans to keep the heat on the President going into October, but it's risky banter with a resolution already priced into the markets - like we have right now.
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(1) People always say that hate Congress and then continuously re-elect their own Congressmen and Senators. I live in a congressional district where my congressman has the 8th worst attendance record in the House. You know what? He's been in office almost 40 years. Ridiculous.
(2) People always say that they want cuts in government spending and then when offered a list of items to cut to balance the national budget, they refuse to cut anything that effects them personally. Except Foreign Aid which is less then 1% of the total national budget.
(3) People want the two parties to cooperate but continually fall victim to partisan bickering. Dictating a resolution or saying "no" for political gain is NOT cooperation, you know?
In my mind the only single true thing you can say about politics is that PEOPLE GET THE LEADERSHIP THEY DESERVE. And that is how we got to where we are today.
Our 'compromise' again will involve: (1) more spending and (2) less taxes.
The thing about compromise is that both sides have to do it, and face neither one is going to happy about it.... but that's what separates the adults from the children.
USA is default and I´m getting worried of romney war against Iran:(
That they don't solve this problem -before the election- is completely irresponsible. The very persons with the most responsibility in America are the least responsible.
In fact, they should all be voted out if they cannot pass a budget prior to the budget year beginning every year. It is pathetic to continue operating on the prior year's budget. The damage this does is underestimated and ignored. It's time to start holding Congress accountable for doing their job.
Just curious.
Personally I believe virtually everyone in the country will agree that the Bush tax cuts need to be extended in some form or other, so the question there is can Repubs and Dems drop their partisanship and propose something to one another both can agree on, for the good of the country and the people who elected them? Considering the intransigent nature of this Congress and its belligerent attitude towards the President I doubt it.
As for the spending cuts? I say, who cares.
Not "do great things for America" or "solve problems". Just "score points on the opposition".
There you go. (no I don't think Dems are much better, mine is not a partisan comment, just answering your question)
It wasn't a congressman that turned his back on Simpson-Bowles because they recommended cuts to social programs as well as defense.
If Mr. Obama is re-elected, there is virtually no chance of compromise.
If Romney is elected, there is at least a small chance of compromise.
One thing I will agree on -- if Romney is elected there is a chance of compromise. Because he is currently lying his butt off, saying whatever he thinks will get him elected. But I think, once in office, he is highly intelligent and will try to make the horse trades that result in a "grand bargain", which is the only practical way to make progress on all this.
The Republicans were children, and had a tantrum about raising taxes on their precious billionaires, and walked away. They are
children.
We all know that.... ie spend $800B and unemployment won't exceed 8%. "Heal the world" and terrorism is at an all time high. The Afgan war is now more deadly than the Iraq war.... yeah "trust me ?"
SA really is no different than chris matthews and MSNBC; like obama they could care less about 9-11 or radical jidahists tearing up our flag and storming our embassy in egypt
this is the kind of crap that is ruining our country
Who blew their cover, putting them and their families at risk -VP Biden.
That is not taking credit, that is giving credit where credit is due. Might also be a mark of a good leader too, if you think about it.
idiot that wrote a descriptive book about it, and is now in hiding...
Once the Republican party wakes up and starts working on agreements that invite compromise, they might actually get somewhere.
I know I will earn a lot of love for this post. ;P
I never had a job that you could “just say no” and stay employed!
Why are voters giving these people a free ride? I say fire them and put people in their seat that want to work!
It is no wonder that the Republicans did not and will not put up with this kind of crap.
Had he decided to compromise and show some leadership I believe we would have a real healthcare reform that would reduce costs by 30 to 40%, would start to remedy the demand/supply imbalance and would have created full employment by now.
And that really sucks because I would have LOVED to see the Reps pitch in on healthcare reform and contribute some sensible ideas to shape it... we would have come out with a much, much better bill.
As I recall the only Republican they negotiated with was the senator from Maine.
And where is tort reform in Obamacare? Are the Republicans the only ones capable of it?
I don't care whether you support or not support Obamacare, the financial regulations, etc - nor do I care whether you think we should fix the financial disaster by raising taxes or cutting spending. The simple fact is that the President has NOT led. Now we are talking that in 2013 maybe, maybe we can start to fix the fiscal problem...... How many years down the drain? How many more trillions must our children and grandchilren pay?
Obama is the President. If the negotiations fell apart - HE should have gotten them back on track. If the Republicans changed their offer (I don't know who did what), then HE should have publicly shamed them. If Obama changed his offer - then he should have publicly explained his position and then get back to negotiating.
Why do we need an election to enable Congress to add and subtract and reach zero????
We see article after article about food stamps, people dropping out of the workforce, lower middle class earnings, and its all just part of the slow steady decline in living standards we will experience as long as our fiscal policies are self-destructive.
I'm a fairly conservative person. I support common sense regulations that protect our water, air, ground, medicine, food. I believe government should do what its not reasonable to expect the individual to do..... and I nearly threw up listening to that woman speak at the democratic convention speaking as if our country would be in the stone age should women be expected to pay for their own contraception??? Really? I should buy my neighbors condoms?
Is that really the pressing issue facing our country?
Or is it just a way to distract people from the total lack of leadership in this administration?
I'd throw bums like McConnell and Reid out just as quickly as I'd throw out Obama - all these lifetime politicians - enriching themselves and their families - while doing things like voting "present" - are a disgrace.
Leadership would have been Obama forcing Reid to pass a budget in the Senate and then forcing both Senate Democrats and House Republicans to go through the reconciliation process with the President right at the table. Get it done.
Instead he voted "present". Time to allow him to go back to his law school classroom and he can take rollcall.
I'm just calling bullshit on the posters who say it's ALL the Dem's fault.
They ALL suck.
Obama too is weak.
What a mess this is turning out.
Obama isn't that weak - he got his health reform through. Not even Clinton got that done in the first term.
Boehner has been the most uncorruptable in congress as far as I can remember.
Obama needs to show some leadership here.... but that won't happen - it didn't happen last time and we got this fiscal cliff to try to force him..... but he don't care.
Dems will get their entitlement spending.
Repubs will get tax cuts for the rich and defense spending.
Just move along....
And the parties have accommodated this.
Government is far too big and there are far too many pigs at the trough.
Last year between all taxes and fees (state, federal, local) I believe I paid somewhere around 34 or 35% of my income to the government. Exactly how much more should I pay? Exactly how much more should be handed out to those living less responsibly? Because I have no debts and won't structure my life to "take advantage"of things like mortgage deductions or tax free munis I should work four days a week for my family and two days a week for the "governement"? While those receiving the benefits play their Xbox and buy beer and junk food and demand I provide contraception for their sex? And while I'm working just about every day the "public servants" work their 9-5, or flextime, or just whenever the spirit moves them? And the teachers in Chicago go on strike when they "earn" $74K in salary and over 100K including benefits.... and the results they produce include 15% of 4th graders being proficient in reading - and 50% of total students ever - EVER - graduating from HIGH SCHOOL????
And I should just be happy and keep on paying? While watching my children's and grandchildren's future steadily erode day by day, Week by week?
No thanks - if you want to call folks like me bitter thats fine. But you need to realize that eventually I'm just going to stop working - see I actually own businesses. I live a pretty good life whether or not those businesses grow - or whether I start or invest in new businesses. Eventually I'm just going to say the heck with it.... and if you think some bureaucrat is going to pick up the slack from me then your living in la la land. And I'll be sitting by my pool drinking my lemonade and you'll be wondering why there are fewer tax dollars coming in for your free stuff!
Appreciate your position and in reading your comments it seems that I am much like you (although I am not certain on your specifics as I do not know). I too am working for my children and grandchildren as I know, at this time, they have not had the opportunity that I had. The point I wanted to make and perhaps didn't sufficiently is I once, when I was younger, was very politically stringent and I lost friends and alienated family. I now want to be remembered as a provider that provided for my family and not one that was always grumbling about something I could not control other than my single vote. I sincerely hope the best for you as you appear to be a hard working family man.
After Obama enacts his taxes on the 1% earners, then will come the tax on the top 1% wealth. I'm not in that 1% currently - but I'm probably in the 3 or 5%. And since a 2 or 3% wealth tax on the top 1% won't be able to fund a socialist nirvana, then it will become the top 5%, top 10% and the tax rate will keep growing until its enough to take what I've earned throughout my life within a decade. At the same time, of course, the bureaucrats will become the new upper middle class.
It reminds me of the old USSR. Those in the party had the best jobs - almost all in government - they lived the best lives. They had the best flats, had access to things like appliances that the general population didn't have access to - they got to the front of the line for cars (even though they were pretty poor Ladas), etc, etc.
We are heading in that direction. Use Chicago teachers. They earn 74K average salary plus their health care and pension benefits. I've read this brings total compensation to over 100K. That is the AVERAGE. The population they serve have an average HOUSEHOLD income of 47K. They are being paid twice the average of the people they SERVE. Now, for the best teachers - I have no issue with that - but we are talking about the AVERAGE teacher - teachers that basically can't be fired irregardless of what they do.
And what results have these teachers produced? 15% of fourth graders last year tested as proficient or above in reading - same results in math. 15%???????????????? Are you kidding me! I think we'd have 15% if there were NO public schools!!!!!!
And 50% of the students EVER (not in 12 years, EVER) graduate high school. If I failed 1 out of 2 of my customers every single business I own would be out of business within a year.
And they are getting 16% raises???? And they don't want to be evaluated????
Is that what you think about when you think about what made America great? I don't. And I think I owe it to my children and grandchildren to do whatever I can to ensure that somehow this gets changed. And if some people say I'm just yelling into the wind that is ok - because perhaps there are others that will stop and say - hey that actually makes some sense.
I watched parts of both conventions. I almost threw up listening to the woman that was basically saying the USA would be back in the stone age if the government wouldn't provide free contraception!! Now I give fairly freely to local charities. I've organized booksales for the local food pantry. I give free use of parking lots and water,etc for just about any worthy cause doing car washes, sales, banners, flyers, etc, etc. Are we saying that local groups can't provide free condoms to a woman that somehow can't afford to purchase them??? And really, should that woman be running around having sex and potentially getting pregnant? How far have we sunk as a society when we are basically saying that no one should be responsible for providing virtually any part of their lives???
Free health care, Free college loans (its coming), free disability if you can't find a job, free retirement, free food stamps, free rent controls, free unemployment, free mortgages, free, free, free, free, free - our society believes they are entitled to everything. And don't worry, we'll just tax the top 1% and its all paid for... and hey you deserve it!
IMO its total nonsense.
Looks like I have to find yet another source for true business discussions devoid of partisan politics. Seriously, any of you that think any of these guys is in your corner have not lived long enough to know that they are all in it for themselves. A bunch of liars that spend more time raising money for reelection than negotiating our future.
I am not confident that they will resolve the cliff and if they don't it will cost us all dearly. Boehner is at the mercy of Cantor and Obama is locked into place. The markets will tank when it happens, the dollar will devalue, but we will stave off another credit downgrade. Very ugly all around.
Muddying the water is what nut jobs do to Tricky's point.
Here is an example.......if we go off the fiscal cliff and suffer a downgrade, does this debase our currency further, risk our ability to borrow money around the world, and will it sink equities in total or just some selected issues that have greater exposure to the risk?
Nothing personal, nothing directly political, yet the questions are valid and immediately related to the press release. I pick my own winners and losers not the government. Make sense?
The best course of political action is to stop the obstruction.
-- Chuckles the Clown
It is obvious that none of you has ever been close to politics, and politicians.
These guys have an EXTRAORDINARY need for self aggrandizement. It is not measurable to any of us mere mortals. Nothing they think, say, nor especially do, has anything to do with anything other than feathering their own sense of importance.
Democrats, Republicans, or any other party.....they only exist for one reason: to, in simple terms, but it goes a WHOLE lot deeper, feather their own nests. It is not something which is comprehensible to anyone who is not involved in politics. These guys would literally stab their best friend in the back....even their own mother...if they thought it was going to bring them a few seconds of 'aren't i important'. Their ego's know nothing else.
And by the way. You and me? We ONLY exist to pay for it all.
You can dismiss all this other rubbish about social programs, or the country going to hell if one or the other of these clowns is elected. They are ALL very dangerous to our nations health.
-Plato
I think the reason for such strong opinions is that many who truly love their country see growing numbers of people that are willing to place their own personal interests ahead of what is good for the country.
Often during these financial debates, folks will post something along the lines of "ok davidbdc... you give up your social security", and my reply is that I'm perfectly fine with that as long as the money goes towards paying down the debt on my children and grandchildren as opposed to simply spending it on more handouts.
And I do believe that we have passed the tipping point - where government is so big that a majority is concerned only with "getting theirs" out of government as opposed to whats best for the country.
The Chicago teacher's strike makes me sick. 15% of 4th graders are proficient in reading within the school system there..... And the teachers object to performance measurements? I'd fire them all and start over - how much worse could it get? there is only 15% left to go down - 85% to go up!
Public service does not exist within government anymore - pay and benefits is why people are there. MBA programs teach how to build empires within government agencies and non-profit groups. Government jobs aren't seen as an opportunity to serve - they are seen as the ticket to the gravy train.
So I don't think I'm the only one that cares about the country, but I do think that I'm in a minority that cares about the country first - and is more than willing to "give up" elements of government that benefits me personally.