The 112th Congress - The first Orange-American to be elected Speaker

[Kepler]

Re: The 112th Congress - The first Orange-American to be elected Speaker

Interesting how "Socialism" has become indistinguishable from "Gilded Age Crony Capitalism."

But we need to continue to protect the wealthy from taxation. Look at how much they've helped the average American since we started rolling back tax rates...

*****http://www.businessbookmall.com/Econom63.jpg******

Hourly wages in the U.S. have not kept pace with inflation in the past 35-40 years. To the degree that U.S. households have been able to maintain higher real household earnings, it is all due to the influx of women into the workforce.

Real hourly earnings peaked at $20.30 per hour in January 1973, on the eve of the first oil shock. Over the next 22 years, it plummeted to $16.39. It now stands at $17.94, almost 12% lower than at its peak 35 years ago. In May 2008, hourly earnings growth y-o-y stood at -0.62%.

[Handyman]

Re: The 112th Congress - The first Orange-American to be elected Speaker

Throw that baby out with the bath water! More tax cuts for the rich! USA! USA!

It will stimulate job growth...just look at GE!!

[ScoobyDoo]

Re: The 112th Congress - The first Orange-American to be elected Speaker

Throw that baby out with the bath water! More tax cuts for the rich! USA! USA!

I love this blurb I read today.

Still scrambling to file your taxes? You'll probably take little consolation in hearing that the super rich pay a lot less taxes than they did a couple of decades ago. And nearly half of U.S. households pay no income taxes at all.

The Internal Revenue Service tracks the tax returns with the 400 highest adjusted gross incomes each year. The average income on those returns in 2007, the latest year for IRS data, was nearly $345 million. Their average federal income tax rate was 17 percent, down from 26 percent in 1992.

http://www.startribune.com/nation/120064674.html

[bronconick]

Re: The 112th Congress - The first Orange-American to be elected Speaker

S&P just put out a pretty dire report on the US' ability to overcome the deficit.

It appears they've been waiting to see what the stimulus/recovery would do...before making this call. US business has nice profits...but that has failed to translate into the middle/bottom half of society as business hasn't really been hiring with those profits. Hence its come to Jesus moment with the stimulus and the deficit.

Time to see what this baby's made of!

Throw that baby out with the bath water! More tax cuts for the rich! USA! USA!

[5mn_Major]

Re: The 112th Congress - The first Orange-American to be elected Speaker

S&P just put out a pretty dire report on the US' ability to overcome the deficit.

It appears they've been waiting to see what the stimulus/recovery would do...before making this call. US business has nice profits...but that has failed to translate into the middle/bottom half of society as business hasn't really been hiring with those profits. Hence its come to Jesus moment with the stimulus and the deficit.

Time to see what this baby's made of!

[amherstblackbear]

Re: The 112th Congress - The first Orange-American to be elected Speaker

Correction: it was about blow jobs from fat chicks. If his standards were higher, it wouldn't have been a scandal.

Best take?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HpSqS4Pgh1I (language NSFW)

[Bakunin]

Re: The 112th Congress - The first Orange-American to be elected Speaker

There is always politics, but when times are good it's about inanity like flag burning amendments and "the culture wars" and blow jobs. When the economy tanks politics are about real things.

Correction: it was about blow jobs from fat chicks. If his standards were higher, it wouldn't have been a scandal.

[Kepler]

Re: The 112th Congress - The first Orange-American to be elected Speaker

Except for that little impeachment thingy

There is always politics, but when times are good it's about inanity like flag burning amendments and "the culture wars" and blow jobs. When the economy tanks politics are about real things.

Re: The 112th Congress - The first Orange-American to be elected Speaker

Look at Germany in the early '30s. And frankly the boomtimes of the US in the '90s was probably most nonpolitical period I remember.

Except for that little impeachment thingy

[5mn_Major]

Re: The 112th Congress - The first Orange-American to be elected Speaker

Hard times are just bad news for moderates.

Look at Germany in the early '30s. And frankly the boomtimes of the US in the '90s was probably most nonpolitical period I remember.

Re: The 112th Congress - The first Orange-American to be elected Speaker

Balanced Budget?

Democratic Congressman was on Morning Joe this morning and said when he proposed a War Tax to, you know, pay for war they acted like he kicked a puppy.

Pay for the war? What a novel concept.

Wait...which war?

[ScoobyDoo]

Re: The 112th Congress - The first Orange-American to be elected Speaker

Balanced Budget?

Democratic Congressman was on Morning Joe this morning and said when he proposed a War Tax to, you know, pay for war they acted like he kicked a puppy.

Re: The 112th Congress - The first Orange-American to be elected Speaker

The True Finns picked up more votes from 07-11 than the Center party got (total) in '11.

They have 7-11 in Finland? And they actually care how people who work there vote?

[Kepler]

Re: The 112th Congress - The first Orange-American to be elected Speaker

Militant populism always rears its ugly head during hard economic times.

In the Netherlands, Belgium, Denmark, Italy, France, Austria, Sweden, Hungary, Serbia, Romania, Switzerland, and more, the far right is on the rise, making it to national legislatures and prominence in a number of countries. On November 2, a CNN headline announced: "UK far-right group boasts Tea Party links".

[amherstblackbear]

Re: The 112th Congress - The first Orange-American to be elected Speaker

Which means there are a couple of Finns that support something other than outright communism.

One of my colleagues is a Finn -- probably his most irritating trait is his smugness whenever politics comes up for discussion. I didn't rub it in yesterday, but this like the Palin-Bachmann party outpolling the Democrats.

Nat'l Coalition Party (right-wing): 20.4%
Social Democrats (left-wing): 19.1%
True Finns (really right-wing): 19.0%
Center Party (more truth in advertising): 15.8%
Left Alliance (really left wing): 8.1%

The True Finns picked up more votes from 07-11 than the Center party got (total) in '11. So partisan polarization is not just an American thing. Hard times are just bad news for moderates.