The 2010 Elections

[matapule]

Re: The 2010 Elections

Probably the best thing cities and school systems can do is sell off all they can to private investors. People won't pay taxes, period. They can subscribe to trash services, sewer services, water service, fire protection service, and send their kids to private schools.

This issue came up just last month. An incorporated community contracted with a private company to provide fire protection. Members of that community paid a monthly fee directly to the private contractor for those services. One honeowner was delinquent in his payments because he had lost his job. His house caught fire. The private contractor would not respond because his account was overdue. The house burned to the ground. Welcome to the Tea Bagger way of doing business.

Matapule and uaifi had a long, forth and back, discussion about this. In the end, we arrived at an agreeable solution that would probably not please the private contractor, the City, or any of the community inhabitants!

[Leo Lakio]

Re: The 2010 Elections

This issue came up just last month. An incorporated community contracted with a private company to provide fire protection. Members of that community paid a monthly fee directly to the private contractor for those services. One honeowner was delinquent in his payments because he had lost his job. His house caught fire. The private contractor would not respond because his account was overdue. The house burned to the ground. Welcome to the Tea Bagger way of doing business.

I thought that was the Mafioso way of doing business - you pay an advance fee for "protection."

Although after this last election (in WA State, pretty much everything tax-related was crushed), there's a movement afoot to create a "pay-as-you-use" system for all "public" services.

[matapule]

Re: The 2010 Elections

Well, well! Here is an alternative opinion on the outcome of Tuesdays general election. The article gives this matapule pause to reflect. Maybe you have to lose the battle in order to win the war! Interesting.

[tutusue]

Re: The 2010 Elections

Well, well! Here is an alternative opinion on the outcome of Tuesdays general election. The article gives this matapule pause to reflect. Maybe you have to lose the battle in order to win the war! Interesting.

Thanks for the link. I'm going to quote you on Facebook, but not use your name! My brain is futting on my own words today!

[Random]

Re: The 2010 Elections

Probably the best thing cities and school systems can do is sell off all they can to private investors. People won't pay taxes, period. They can subscribe to trash services, sewer services, water service, fire protection service, and send their kids to private schools. A lot of debt could be paid off just by selling the public beaches to China. They already own either the Indiana or Illinois turnpike. Sell them the Grand Canyon, Yellowstone, and Yosemite too. Everybody knows private business always does everything cheaper and better than public. People would be happy with their nice low taxes. With the savings they might be able to put a small dent in their sewage service bill, maybe even afford a few days at the beach. There's no point trying to convince people its cheaper just to pay the damn taxes, who knows--maybe privatized everything actually will be cheaper and better. Lets at least give it a try. Who's with me?

They'll do it for cheap, but they won't do it for free, especially when low-income families can't afford privatized services.

[Kalalau]

Re: The 2010 Elections

A couple of days after the election I ran into this multimillionaire elderly guy I see walking around the neighborhood sometimes. He was happy the proposed local tax to finance schools had lost, he said it would have cost him $400 a year. So...where is that $400 doing the most good? Keeping a school open, educating children, buying books and supplies? Or sitting in his bank account. He is 82. It might sound cruel, but he will not be able to use that money anywhere near as long as today's children will. Turning his back, like millions, on raising the next generation. Paving the way for the next generation is one of the most basic and important functions of all life. Not all countries are so cheerfully abandoning future generations to poverty. Education is how people get the skills to get good jobs, they become better taxpayers if we invest in them now. I had an econ class in college, at one point a student asked the prof what the most profitable investment by the gvt. had been, without missing a beat he answered, "The GI Bill", and it makes sense, millions of people had their earning capacity multiplied. Oh it might be nice to be in a 5 % bracket, but wouldn't you really rather be in a 39% bracket? In America it is so important to keep entrenched wealth free from taxation that we are glad to abandon future generations to ignorance and poverty.

[tutusue]

Re: The 2010 Elections

High 5, Kalalau...

[Kalalau]

Re: The 2010 Elections

Thank you. Evidently the new congress will be holding hearings to debunk the theory of global warming. I imagine the tack they will take will be to say, yes, it is happening, but the carbon dioxide content of the air we are responsible for has nothing to do with it. Supposedly most of the 'experts' who line up against the theory of global warming are financed by the oil companies, so it will be interesting to see if the press brings that out. There was a case from Florida a few years ago, reporters for a Fox affiliate had discovered a problem with the products of one of the station's advertisers, the affiliate management told them to not broadcast the story, to lie, the reporters went to court and the Republican court said, yes, employers even at news organizations can require their employees to lie. So you can't take anything you hear on the news as 100 % reliable, it could easily be just p.r. lies for an advertiser. As I recall hearing about that case, the reporters not only lost their jobs, they also had to pay their employers' legal fees. Certainly a chilling message to anyone interested in telling the truth.

One of the biggest problems with global warming is the melting of mountain glaciers that are the source of the world's rivers, the water supply for billions of people. Glaciers in the Himalayas are receding, China, Indochina, and India could all face very hard times without reliable river water. If the glaciers of the Sierras melt, California has no water, if the glaciers of the Rockies disappear, the whole southwest will face very hard times. With the arctic ice sheet melting away so much that ships can now navigate the northwest passage it seems pretty hard to deny the existence of global warming, I imagine Congress will just tell the world that it has nothing to do with carbon emissions from their employers, the oil companies. I wonder if the public will notice, if they might get some inkling of the incredible, stupid mistake they made by electing this congress. Maybe yes, maybe no, it will depend on how much the news media lies for the oil companies.

A bit off topic, but the debt commission is going after social security, which has nothing to do with the debt. Republicans have hated social security ever since FDR created it and with the blessings of the voters they will now dismantle it, raid the trust fund and enrich their Wall St. friends. Stupid, stupid voters...

[matapule]

Re: The 2010 Elections

Oh it might be nice to be in a 5 % bracket, but wouldn't you really rather be in a 39% bracket?

If there are any multimillionaires on HT who want to exchange their PROPOSED 39% marginal tax rate for my marginal tax rate........I volunteer!

the debt commission is going after social security,

Not exactly true. The commission co-chairmen (both Demos) have propsoed changes to social security. The commission as a body has yet to deliberate on this proposal.

Republicans have hated social security ever since FDR created it and with the blessings of the voters they will now dismantle it, raid the trust fund and enrich their Wall St. friends. Stupid, stupid voters...

What is exasperating is that the Repubs now have the Demos doing their dirty work for them through the Debt Commission. On our walk this morning, I told uaifi that Obama should distance himself far, far away from the commission chairs proposals and condemn those recommendations. Uaifi then said something that sent ice water through my veins! She said, "I think Obama is in favor of cutting Social Security."

!Oiaue!

[Kalalau]

Re: The 2010 Elections

Its true, the debt commission has nothing to do with this incoming congress. Perhaps too much coffee? But its also true that social security has zero to do with the debt, that was caused by financing tax cuts for billionaires on borrowed money and financing two wars. David Stockman, Reagan's budget director, has said that the tax cutting mania has gone too far, we are letting things deteriorate. Money is no good at all if it isn't being used, it is meant to be used, it is meant to do useful things, if people have paid into social security, and they have, its THEIR money, its not an "entitlement", certainly not "welfare", nobody, Obama included, has any right to apply that money to the debt. The way to cure the debt is to 1) eliminate the problems that caused the debt and 2) have forensic accountants see where the Wall St. money and corrupt war contractor money went and get it back, the concept is very simple. The execution might take a while, but what needs to be done is simple.

[Linkmeister]

Re: The 2010 Elections

Not exactly true. The commission co-chairmen (both Demos) have propsoed changes to social security. The commission as a body has yet to deliberate on this proposal.

Alan Simpson (R-WY, retired) would be astonished and disturbed to be called a Democrat.

[matapule]

Re: The 2010 Elections

Alan Simpson (R-WY, retired) would be astonished and disturbed to be called a Democrat.

You are right. Thanks. My bad.

[Kalalau]

Re: The 2010 Elections

regarding the San Diego city proposal to balance the budget by dropping health care for retired workers, it appears to be true that the city workers did not pay into social security, so I don't see how they could qualify for medicare. This info is from a retired county worker who probably is correct. Getting the working public fighting among itself is a great technique for suppressing everybody. The right is transforming public workers into enemies.

[Kalalau]

Re: The 2010 Elections

The Rally To Restore Sanity apparently out drew Glenn Beck's show, I bet a Rally To Save Social Security just might be the biggest ever. It would probably be a good idea to start organizing one as soon as possible.

[matapule]

Re: The 2010 Elections

regarding the San Diego city proposal to balance the budget by dropping health care for retired workers, it appears to be true that the city workers did not pay into social security, so I don't see how they could qualify for medicare. This info is from a retired county worker who probably is correct. .

You bring up an important point. Over the years, I paid into both SocSec/Medicare and CalPERS (California Public Employees Retirement System), so I am familiar with both systems. I did not work through CalPERS long enough to qualify for permanent health benefits upon retirement. San Diego City/County is a member of CalPERS, but no CalPERS government agency pays for employee health benefits upon retirement. CalPERS does which is a totally separate entity from city/county/state governments. So the reported story does not make sense. Something is wrong with the details.

And to further complicate the issue, government employees who have never paid into Medicare (only CalPERS) can still qualify for Medicare at retirement. They will have to pay more for their Medicare benefit than someone who has paid into Medicare while employed. Currently, I pay $96 per month for my Medicare benefit. A CalPERS recipient would have to pay more than that if they wanted Medicare coverage.