The president’s state of the union address lived up to its billing, sort of.
The GOP’s response, panned by virtually every major media outlet in the country, left much to be desired.
In fact, Florida Sen. Marco Rubio’s sweaty retort was so lacking in any depth that it quite possibly made President Obama look twice as good as he actually was. So is today’s GOP, a shell of its former self, a sell-out party stuck between a CEO’s gold brick and a bunch of tea bagger hard heads.
This does not bode well for the country. In a two-party system, competent people from both sides of the aisle are required to engage in smart debate, come up with fruitful compromise in order for something, anything, to get done. When one side takes its cues from a mentally deranged fringe, the other side has no one it can really intelligently talk to, hence the gridlock. And Democrats are wimps in the face of insanity, prone to caving in at the slightest GOP-generated sound byte, when in fact Dems should be cramming their agenda right down the throats of the vanquished Republicans at every turn, just as the GOP did when a certain special someone from Texas took the reins in 2000.
Too much to ask, the victorious to lead, I guess.
Despite President Obama’s disappointingly conciliatory bipartisan tone (bipartisanship worked real well the first go-round, now didn’t it?) , despite his wonderfully progressive ideas for the next four years, I bet my bottom dollar not a semblance of what he wishes to accomplish will get done. How sad. Until Democrats control both houses of Congress, Obama’s agenda will be watered down and virtually tasteless if it ever does get out of House committees.
Yet, we little people will endure more of the same.
Our economy, slowly recovering as it is, will still be vulnerable to the excesses of Wall Street greed because of the gutlessness of leaders to enact real reform — what a complete and utter failure is Obama’s strategy to help homeowners facing foreclosure five years after the housing bubble burst, for instance. And, of course, you can draw a straight line from gutless banking regulation right to the failure to fix the truckloads of cash being pumped every election into the political process. How can you govern effectively if you can’t see above the pile of cash being doled out by the very people that desperately need governing?
Obama’s rhetoric on minimum wage and the middle class and CEO pay rang hollow Tuesday night, too, when in fact his own rubber stamped Treasury nominee, Jack Lew, is nothing more than yet another cardboard cut-out front man for Wall Street who likely helped raise tons of financial sector cash to get his boss Obama elected in November, hence the plum job, left by Tim Geithner, himself a Wall Street proxy man, who replaced another, who replaced another, who replaced another, et cetera, et cetera.
It’s hard for me to swallow the hypocrisy of the president’s choice at Treasury. He picks a man who engaged in the same tax haven shenanigans as Mitt Romney, who Obama attacked over and over for his offshore money hiding ways?
Boggles the mind. Washington, D.C. is truly broken when Republicans, straight-faced during his confirmation hearing, rail against the former Citibankster Lew for taking a $1 million bonus while his bank was failing so badly it required a bailout of historic proportions. Washington, D.C. is truly broken when Democrats, also straight-faced, defend the man against said attacks, when they engaged in similar soirees just four months ago against the other side. Talk about an acid trip. More like a whitewash. Lew will get in like greased lightning.
Among the high points of Obama’s state of the union were his call for a gun control vote and his call for a better, more secure future for the middle class, though both have an icicle’s chance in hell of being enacted with any meaning.
I agree guns should be more tightly regulated. Too many whackjobs have access to too much firepower and too little education in my humble opinion. There should be a vote. Too many people are dying in our streets for the country’s leaders not to do something. And for the fringe to bark about their rights in the face of so many dead children, sorry, you lost most of us, you’ve already lost the debate before it’s even begun.
Less barking, more compromising, and you might actually keep your guns and make the nation safer in the meantime. How nice would that be?
Tying the minimum wage to the actual cost of living is another nice idea that I was glad to see the president address. Still, it’s a grandiose notion that corporate America will surely spend billions trying to defeat — how ironic, CEOs won’t pay a living wage but have no problem lining the pockets of some revolving door lobbyist in order to ensure your neighbors stay poorer.
Nine dollars is what Obama and company might soon ask for. Nine dollars an hour. Fast food joints and Walmart will most likely lead the charge against such an egregious assault on free market capitalism. Of course, if the minimum wage were tied to actual increases in worker productivity over the last few decades versus the cost of living, one recent study suggests that wage would have risen to over $21 an hour last year. Compare that to $9 an hour. One is a real wage, with a real life guaranteed; the other means you will still, despite the president’s socialist largesse, be living with your mama.
Karl Marx figured out the secret in the late 19th century. He published it in a really complicated book called “Capital,” or Das Kapital, if you prefer. See, capitalists don’t earn their wealth off the value of their products. It’s the value of labor, that’s where the gold is mined — keep the value of labor low and the world is your oyster. Why does Nike make shoes in China, no, Vietnam, no, Bangladesh? Cheap labor. Why are manufacturing jobs leaving the U.S.? Cheap labor. What is the number one cost for business in America? Labor. So keeping it cheap is a capitalist’s number one priority.
Why are all of the jobs being created during this puny recovery — lest you know, this is the longest and most sluggish economic recovery in U.S. history — fast food and minimum wage jobs? Cheap labor is where the money is.
Don’t vilify Marx (the wingnuts are starting to growl already) , he just pointed it out over 100 years ago, that’s all. The president, oh so careful not to sound too Marxist, and even his Republican opponents, who turn their noses up at such talk, know in their hearts that this country is sunk without good jobs that pay good wages.
But $9 an hour isn’t what anyone should consider good enough. We can do better, but I fear greed and gridlock will continue despite Obama’s kind words.
You forgot the other side of the equatioin, over educated, unproductive whacked out editors, shooting their mouths off! Add liberal legislators that say it will be alright because we say so and you have stalemate or disater if they get control.
They really quoted Karl Marx? Ok this is just getting funny now. I hear shades of Occupy Pahrump, us evil rich “exploiting” those poor working people. Wonder where they would be without us “evil rich” to give them jobs?
Gee, I wonder why Labor is so expensive in the USA.. lets see.. Unions, the EPA, OSHA, the IRS, Health Care Scare, Obama Care.. and the list goes on and on.
A whole lot more people would be employed if we had far far less government intrusion in our daily lives and our businesses.
Gun Control is not about guns, its people control and has ZERO chance of passing. Mainly because Americans have wised up. We played that silly gun control game during the Grey Nineties, it did nothing to benefit anyone (anyone remember Columbine, dead solid perfect in the center of the Assault Weapons ban?). I am not at fault because someone elses nutcase kid shoots up a school, sorry, not my problem. I don’t need the nanny state to make me “safer”, I trust myself to do that.
As for “Keeping my guns” read the latest gun control proposals being put out there, Confiscation, Bans, removal from states? Naaa, not going to happen. I didn’t move to Nevada to be chased around by leftist control freaks. I will not comply. Odd isn’t it, what you thought was “the fringe” this time turned out to be mainstream. Younger people shoot now. More women than ever before shoot and carry guns for self defense. Oops, bet you didn’t see that coming. Well there goes that whole “Fringe” argument. Guns and shooting are more mainstream than ever before.
And the push to Californicate and Liberalize Nevada continues.. Onward… or is that Forward? Yikes.
“And for the fringe to bark about their rights in the face of so many dead children, sorry, you lost most of us, you’ve already lost the debate before it’s even begun.”
Bad people murder children. I don’t. Therefore I’m not responsible. After all hundreds of young folks die every day from the effects of illegal drugs. I dont use them or push them so I’m not responsible for their death. I dont belong to a gang so the carnage caused by them is not my fault either. Does anyone really believe that taking away Semi automatic weapons from law abiding citizens will save even one child? For those who are unable to think critically I will point out the fact that all children killed in schools are lost in “gun free” zones. Obviously the shooter didn’t see the sign with a slash through a gun or He’d have turned and gone home. Come on… Anyone with a shred of common sense will surmise that a mentally challanged mood enhanced punk with a hate for mankind and a gun (usually illegal) will attack gun free areas. So far not one single school protected by armed security has been targeted.
The real loser of this argument is the semi intelligent fringe who with feel good intentions set up the laughable gun free zones and expect the children to be safe. The blood is on their hands.
There are well over 300 million priviately owned guns in this country and 100 million owners. Most of us do not slaughter innocent children. Lets see, in a year maybe around a 100 kids are tragicly lost to lunitics with illegal guns most if not all in schools where some common sense lacking officals decided that concealed guns are not allowed. My math isn’t good enough to come up with the percentage equal to 100 deaths out of 100 million gun owners but One has to quess there are a lot of zeros to the right of the decimal point.
So in reality Mr Editor You and the rest of the gun banners have started a fight you cannot win. There are still enough of us left that realize facts outweigh ideology in any argument against our constitutional rights.
Are You on CRACK? Do you live in the same world, town, county that we the people do?
$9 an hour minimum wage would put a lousy Mcdonalds meal at over $10. Obama and his thugs have no idea about guns and butter and supply and demand. The more the government mucks with our economy the worse it will get. 4 years and 5 Trillion later pumped into banks that are so tight with their lending you could shove a lump of coal up their a$$ and have a diamond in two weeks.
We are no better off than when Obama took office but we are more in debt.
What does this mean:
‘I agree guns should be more tightly regulated. Too many whackjobs have access to too much firepower and too little education in my humble opinion. There should be a vote. Too many people are dying in our streets for the country’s leaders not to do something. And for the fringe to bark about their rights in the face of so many dead children, sorry, you lost most of us, you’ve already lost the debate before it’s even begun.’
Our country leaders have already written it:
As passed by the Congress:
A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed.
What little respect I had for this as an actual NEWS media was just lost in this so-called article. WOW, I didn’t know I moved to a communist state. You all need to move back into the People’s Republic of California.
Ahhh No wonder I have taken to reading the Mirror. I only come into the internet Pravada to read the comments and this asinine editors rants.
Since all the same Republicans are in here bashing the editorial like they always do, I have a question for them. Can any of you name a single thing that the GOP has done for the good of the AVERAGE American worker in the past 32 years?
Also, it would be nice if we could put this myth that the rich are the job creators to bed once and for all. They do NOT create jobs here in America. They kill them and move them overseas. It is the little guy that creates the jobs. The small mom and pop operations that giant corporations like Wal-Mart kill.
One more thing. If our wages kept pace with inflation then minimum wage would be about 15 bucks per hour. And if they kept up with increase in the pay of CEO’s, then the minimum would be about 21 dollars. Our wages have gone up about 1% since 1981 while CEO’s have gone up over 275%. So please people, wake up and see who the real enemy is. It is the wealthy. As Warren Buffet said, “there is class warfare and our side started it, and we are winning”.
1) As the avarage American worker is non union the GOP has helped by not forcing union membership as the lefties try to do.
2) the rich provide most of the jobs by purchasing merchandise. You may say they buy the things the poor can’t afford to buy like flat screens and new cars..Oh I forgot do to welfare, food stamps, disability retirement, and free cel phones Obambi has created a nation of entitled takers who can afford more than us workers can. Quit taxing the rich to give the bums their “fair share” and regulating them to force the ridiculos warming nonsense on them and they may stay on shore. After all the rich corporations are owned by me and other stock holders who risk our money for a profit . I aint in the market to lose money and if any business I own stock in moved back to the states for political correct marxist reasons I’d vote to fire the CEO. I spend money here that I made from the rich and so does anyone else that draws breath in this country.By the way I notice You dont mention Wal-mart who employes tens of thousands Americans. I guess their poor.
3) If the minimum wage was 15 bucks per hour I couldn’t afford to eat. My first job paid me 2.96 per hour. When I got tired of being poor, I didn’t sit around whining about it, I moved on to better jobs. If kids were taught the three R’s in high school instead of the the three most popular rap groups and how to install condums maybe they’d know enough to qualify for productive employment. As far as college goes, kids paying a fortune to attend classes on diversity and tolorence of evil is just plain insane. If they would spend their money on a trade school where they’ll learn something worthwhile they might not have to sit around wondering why (a rich company) wont hire them.
Your marxist talking points are blasphemous to hard working capitolists who take care of themselves and won’t, any time soon, be giving up their right to be free just so the worthless can get freebes.
You tried to make 3 points. Unfortunately you failed miserably as all 3 are total bull. Yes, Wal-Mart workers are poor. The poverty line is about 15,000 per year. The Wal-Mart worker makes about 9 bucks per hour if they are lucky. If they worked full time, 40hrs per week x 52 weeks, (2080 hrs.), comes to $18,700. And that is IF they work full time. Which almost none do. So yes bungicord, that is poverty. That is why YOU have to subsidize their wages with food stamps and welfare. Because the 5 Wal-Mart heirs, who have as much money as 40% of all Americans, won’t pay them a decent living wage.
No person has ever been forced to join a union. Besides, what do you have against Democracy? That’s what a union is. Democracy with a small “d”. A group of people coming together to fight for their best interests. Unions bring up the wages of ALL Americans. As union membership declines, so do the wages of all Americans. This is a FACT! Right-to-work means the right to work for slave wages.
Also, like I said before. The rich don’t create jobs. If you really believe that they do then your thinking is as bad as your spelling.
Btw, I also noticed that you couldn’t answer the question. Your response was NOT an answer. It was dribble. You still cannot name a single thing. Nice try though. Thanks for playing.
Try working on the docks, or any government funded job without joining a union. Try making beds, waiting tables or dealing cards in Vegas, without your union card. Dont try to get a job on the assembly line of chevrolet as a scab. By the way my dog could perform on the assembly line as well as the average drunk at lunch bolt tightner for a lot less money. Unions are to democracy as rat poison is to rats. They destroy self realience of those who are forced to belong as well as killing the companies stupid enough to go union. The members blindly vote democrat because they depend on the government to keep them employed, instead of working harder to move up the ladder on their own. Unions are for the people who want more than the’re worth, ie. teachers in Wisconsin.
Its not up to the companies to provide livable wages. They offer a wage period. If you cant live on it don’t take the job, or get a second job or one that pays more money. Thats what the vast majority of American workers do. Thats what I did and to spite my spelling handicap I did fairly well without union reps. Unions represent a small percentage of workers cause most people don’t need them.
As for who provides jobs I have worked for many companies in my life and not one of them was owned by poor folks. Your drivel is straight out of progressive theology. “If it needs to be true or should be true, then it is.”
Republicans tried to teach you liberals, how to start wars and how to fight them. They tried to teach you the falacy of Keynesian economics like spending your way out of debt and ignoring the debt ratio, (failed there). Reagan taught you how to increase revenue by cutting taxes. He also ended the cold war with Russia by tricking them with star wars. After Reagan the GOP became as maladjusted as the liberals and joined the party of give em everything as long as the taxpayer pays the bill. The current party is on the way out as it has forsaken it’s base. But not to fret the common sense, gun toten, bible thumping, conservatives are waking up.
Spoken like a true Fox watcher. Proving once again that those who watch Fox are the least informed people in the world. Btw, if Reagan proved that cutting taxes grows the economy, then why did he RAISE taxes 11 times in 8 years?
If we have learned anything in the past 32 years, it is that “trickle down” economics has been a colossal disaster. The 3 Republican presidents that preceded the Great Republican Depression tried the same thing. It failed then, it failed under Reagan and ever since.
Some day you may wake up. But I seriously doubt it.
John Boehner has virtually destroyed everything the Republican economic conservatives stood for. He has done more to destroy the Republican Party than maybe anyone in history.
Rubio is toast now because of his about-face on his once steadfast opposition to amnesty. If it were legal, I would throw both Rubio and Boehner under a bus and then backup over them.
And from a broken and destroyed republican party the phoenix will rise from the ashes of its former life.
“In the 2106 election a third party candidate will win the White House” —-William Wallace
The Editor here must have escaped from Huff Po to come here to write non factual nonsense.
“icicle’s chance in hell” so you believe in an actual place called hell?
“my humble opinion” based only on your writing, since I have never had the privilege of a face to face, “humble” is not one of your character traits.
An apparent philosophy and dream of today’s generation of re-thinkers is, a one world government and leader would be a desirable way to go. May I say, you will have your way sooner than later. And that is written. Don’t say your weren’t warned.
mrribbert
Your cool aid inspired Huff post talking points don’t hold up to facts.
In 1980, the last year before the Reagan tax cuts, tax revenues were $956 billion (in constant 1996 dollars).
Revenues exceeded that 1980 level in eight of the next 10 years. Annual revenues over the next decade averaged $102 billion above their 1980 level (in constant 1996 dollars).
Any increase in budget deficits was therefore the result of spending increases rather than tax cut-induced revenue decreases.
You really should spend more time watching Fox
Oh Yaa another great thing Reagan did for the country is fire the union air traffic controllers.
Happy Nixon day…opps I mean Presidents day.
Reagan tripled the national debt. And he raised taxes 11 times. And for this you praise him? Go figure. You and your anti-union bashing rants are exactly what is wrong with this country. Instead of trying to bring everyone up, you insist on bringing everyone down in a race to the bottom. How does decreasing a persons salary help American workers? 8 out of the top 10 poorest states in the union are right-to-work for less states. To be anti-union is to be anti-American.
Workers are worth only as much as they can individualy produce. If they can’t meet the limit they need to work in a less demanding career. Unions create an atmosphere where the lowest and slowest can demand the same wage as the high producer. America was founded by those who rose above the average, not by people who need the government or union to protect their every endeavor. Individual responsiblity and self realience is the true American. The vast majority of American workers are non union. They may not (in some circumstances) make quite as much as their union counterparts but on the other hand they are free to do as they like, work where they want, and work as hard as they wish to get ahead without a union rep watching over them. Those who wish to keep their job would not be throwing back beer at lunch while knowing the union would protect them if caught.
I’d rather rely on myself to get through this world than pay some union boss to protect me.
The race to the bottom you speak of starts with NEA who has to lower the bar in order to keep everyone equal, and protects teachers that graduate children who are incapable of standing on their own. If You can explain passing a kid who cant read on to the next grade, giving equal medals to all who play sports, not keeping score so as not to hurt the feelings of the other team, teaching 6 year olds that any diverse sexual orientation is a wonderful thing and what I like the best, (self esteem is a right and never earned), please do so.
Is this paper serious? This is what passes for an editor?
Quoting Karl Marx on capitialism? I just took the time to read the contacts for this “paper” and this editor is listed as Matt Ward with a telephone number in Vegas. Do the owners of this newspaper realize Nye county is not very receptive to progressive propaganda?
Just in case anyone actually thinks Mr. Ward has a single truthful thought in his head regarding capitalism and how it works to make everyone richer, just spend a day over on Milton Friedmans site, freetochoose.tv.