USA & World Economics

[Big Boss Man]

Written 25 years ago, it is a spy novel but it has good insight about American, Israelis, and Palestinian relationships. To paraphrase a key concluding paragraph: Israelis are like the wife and Arabs are like the mistress. Americans always return to the wife.

The novel supposedly is base on the life of Robert Ames who is the subject of recently published biography.

http://www.amazon.com/Agents-Innocen...eywords=agents+of+innocence.

http://www.amazon.com/Good-Spy-Life-...1&keywords=the+good+spy+the+life+and+death+of+robert+ames.

[Rev BS]

RB, that's ridiculous.

I don't believe anyone has suggested that the Palestinians "give up idolatry and accept Jesus Christ as their personal savior.", but perhaps you might post a link quoting the source of this statement.

In the mean time, do you have a problem understanding that the Palestinians have been firing rockets from the Gaza strip into populated neighborhoods of Israeli?

How do you justify that?

If you were Israeli, what would you do? Surrender?

Curious minds want to know.

Thanks,

Jax.

And they reply, you took our land, and you kick us out. And on, and on, and on, it goes. In the end, it's the problem of not wanting to share, like everything else in life.

By the way, what is the latest on the Hatfields and the McCoys? Have not heard too much lately. They all can/t be dead? New generation, new thinking?

[Rockin Bob]

RB, that's ridiculous.

I don't believe anyone has suggested that the Palestinians "give up idolatry and accept Jesus Christ as their personal savior.", but perhaps you might post a link quoting the source of this statement.

In the mean time, do you have a problem understanding that the Palestinians have been firing rockets from the Gaza strip into populated neighborhoods of Israeli?

How do you justify that?

If you were Israeli, what would you do? Surrender?

Curious minds want to know.

Thanks,

Jax.

I suggested it. I wasn't quoting anyone.

Ah, the Israel-Palestine question. Ain't going to go there, Jackson. I can only deal with objective facts and logical reasoning and when you are dealing with the Israel Palestine problem, facts and reason have no place.

[Jackson]

And you know, Jackson, all them Arabs would have peace tomorrow if they would just give up idolatry and accept Jesus Christ as their personal savior.

It's that simple!

RB, that's ridiculous.

I don't believe anyone has suggested that the Palestinians "give up idolatry and accept Jesus Christ as their personal savior.", but perhaps you might post a link quoting the source of this statement.

In the mean time, do you have a problem understanding that the Palestinians have been firing rockets from the Gaza strip into populated neighborhoods of Israeli?

How do you justify that?

If you were Israeli, what would you do? Surrender?

Curious minds want to know.

Thanks,

Jax.

[Rockin Bob]

Bullshit.

The Palestinians could have peace tomorrow if they stop firing missiles into their neighboring country.

It's that simple.

Thanks,

Jax.

And you know, Jackson, all them Arabs would have peace tomorrow if they would just give up idolatry and accept Jesus Christ as their personal savior.

It's that simple!

[Rev BS]

Obama is the one who failed to come to the table.

"Obama's youth and surprise nomination & victory" is just another way of saying that he skated his way into the White House without ever demonstrating that he possessed even a modicum level of executive management skills.

His subsequent inability to deal with the "uphill battle within the Democratic leadership" clearily demonstrated that he did not and does not have the leadership skills for the job.

Jax.

You remind me of some tennis players whose calls are always in their favor whenever it is a close call. Right, they insist they can see better from across the court when you are standing right where the ball drop.

[Jackson]

Nobody will give in.

Bullshit.

The Palestinians could have peace tomorrow if they stop firing missiles into their neighboring country.

It's that simple.

Thanks,

Jax.

[Jackson]

You cannot blame Obama for any significant failure if you fail to come to the table.

Obama is the one who failed to come to the table.

Obama's youth and surprise nomination & victory meant that he had a uphill battle within the Democratic leadership, let alone the screaming rejection & hate from across the aisle

"Obama's youth and surprise nomination & victory" is just another way of saying that he skated his way into the White House without ever demonstrating that he possessed even a modicum level of executive management skills.

His subsequent inability to deal with the "uphill battle within the Democratic leadership" clearily demonstrated that he did not and does not have the leadership skills for the job.

Jax.

[Rev BS]

http://www.latimes.com/world/middlee...809-story.html

http://www.latimes.com/opinion/op-ed...0-story.htmlll

Nobody will give in. The never ending self destructive nature of mankind.

[Rev BS]

Reverend, Please be realistic. While we could get enebriated to the point where we believed we could solve America's ills, we wouldn't have the power to get that done. Actually I'd consider Obama and Reid to the be the current heads of the "Gang that Can't Shoot Straight" club. My heroes are straight shooters -- Ronald Reagan, Margaret Thatcher, Lee Kuan Yew. My models for health care are Singapore and Hong Kong, which include private sector providers and hospitals, allow consumers a choice, and allow the free market to operate (outside of the public hospitals). And produce outcomes better than the USA at far lower costs. Democrats and Republicans played a big part in screwing up the financial system. Dodd Frank isn't a good solution. Instead it's better to have simple, effective rules and get regulators that do their jobs. And never bail out shareholders or bondholders of financial companies.

Sometimes, we take ourselves far too seriously. My tongue in cheek comments were meant to say that my contribution to any solutions in community & life only reaches to the people that I come into contact with on a daily routine basis. And within this small circle, that I practice the golden rule. Nothing more than that.

Nobody and no party can claim to have the perfect solution / answer. Life in general is a series of pragmatic compromises. You win some, and you lose some. You cannot blame Obama for any significant failure if you fail to come to the table. Obama's youth and surprise nomination & victory meant that he had a uphill battle within the Democratic leadership, let alone the screaming rejection & hate from across the aisle. As in the AP forum. You all deny this? A magic wand does NOT Obama have.

Today, America looks very different than 50 years ago, and 50 years from now, it will be very different again. So can we say that we have a more cut-throat culture / society today? Why and who have contributed to all this? The rise of corporate culture in the last 3-4 decades into our homes and daily lives. Frenzy and getting more frenzy. That's the way it is. I am no fan of this lifestyle. Mental health, already the next explosion. I cannot keep up with all these new disorders.

The leaders you attributed are rare. They are leaders who have the long view, and they view community / nation over the individual. Yes, they did. It might be a surprise to some people who approve of them.

[Tiny12]

You are the only member of the "Gang that Cannot Shoot Straight" to acknowledge that Universal Healthcare and Dodd-Frank are important. The rest of the gang usually dismiss them as Marxist ideas.

I think you and I have the potential to solve all of America's ills. I know the perfect location, too. Food, massage, hot tubs and FS are available when we need a break or two.

Reverend, Please be realistic. While we could get enebriated to the point where we believed we could solve America's ills, we wouldn't have the power to get that done. Actually I'd consider Obama and Reid to the be the current heads of the "Gang that Can't Shoot Straight" club. My heroes are straight shooters -- Ronald Reagan, Margaret Thatcher, Lee Kuan Yew. My models for health care are Singapore and Hong Kong, which include private sector providers and hospitals, allow consumers a choice, and allow the free market to operate (outside of the public hospitals). And produce outcomes better than the USA at far lower costs. Democrats and Republicans played a big part in screwing up the financial system. Dodd Frank isn't a good solution. Instead it's better to have simple, effective rules and get regulators that do their jobs. And never bail out shareholders or bondholders of financial companies.

[Rev BS]

Because he's not very competent. Universal health care is very important. Taking health care costs from 16% to 20% of GDP without improving outcomes is not a good approach to accomplish this. And that's what's going to happen. Obama should have been listening to the guy from Taiwan that testified in front of the Congressional Committee that you provided the video for. Health care there costs 6.6% of GDP and outcomes are similar to the USA. However, instead Obama's creating a monster. Same with Dodd-Frank -- extremely important goals, but wrong approach. Obama, like lawyers in general, comes up with "solutions" that are inefficient and complicated beyond belief.

I agree with what you wrote above. However, Obama is part of the disease, not the cure.

Right on. We need to educate lots of art history and philosophy majors. Then government can pay them to sit on their asses and do whatever it is that they do.

You are the only member of the "Gang that Cannot Shoot Straight" to acknowledge that Universal Healthcare and Dodd-Frank are important. The rest of the gang usually dismiss them as Marxist ideas.

I think you and I have the potential to solve all of America's ills. I know the perfect location, too. Food, massage, hot tubs and FS are available when we need a break or two.

[Rockin Bob]

Right on. We need to educate lots of art history and philosophy majors. Then government can pay them to sit on their asses and do whatever it is that they do.

Think, mostly.

They inspire other men to act. Like say Thomas Jefferson, James Madison, who apply ideas into political movements, say. Tom Paine, who wrote pamphlets to rouse the colonists to action. George Washington, who led an army and fought for these ideas. The USA was born in a Revolution based on new ideas, that people had a right to self government, not depending on the whims of monarchs. Freedom. Liberty. Even hear those words? Just two centuries ago the western world was ruled by monarchs and the Catholic church.

Ideas change the face of the world.

Nowadays, nobody cares about thinking. That's why everybody is regressing back to being serfs. The Bill of Rights is nothing more than a piece of paper. Freedom and democracy just words.

Slaves used to fight to be free. Now, free men fight to be slaves. They go in debt up their eyeballs to get a marketable skill so they can get worked to death and still live at home with their parents. If they're lucky.

I really love The Big Lebowski.

LEBOWSKI.

My wife is not the issue here. I hope that my wife will someday learn to live on her allowance, which is ample, but if she doesn't, sir, that will be her problem, not mine, just as your rug is your problem, just as every bum's lot in life is his own responsibility regardless of whom he chooses to blame. I didn't blame anyone for the loss of my legs, some chinaman in Korea took them from me but I went out and achieved anyway. I can't solve your problems, sir, only you can.

Let's keep those Little Lebowski Urban Achievers coming, folks!

[Tiny12]

Obama has NOT been able to escape the patronage of the American election system. But in ObamaCare and Frank-Dodds, he has shown he is willing to rectify some imbalances, yet he has been vilified for them. Why?

Because he's not very competent. Universal health care is very important. Taking health care costs from 16% to 20% of GDP without improving outcomes is not a good approach to accomplish this. And that's what's going to happen. Obama should have been listening to the guy from Taiwan that testified in front of the Congressional Committee that you provided the video for. Health care there costs 6.6% of GDP and outcomes are similar to the USA. However, instead Obama's creating a monster. Same with Dodd-Frank -- extremely important goals, but wrong approach. Obama, like lawyers in general, comes up with "solutions" that are inefficient and complicated beyond belief.

You don't think the educational loans have not been corrupted and exploited by the loan sharks. And now we are hearing of the sub-prime loans in the auto buying industry. Corruption like poverty is never ending. As I said before, it has been made legal in the US. And some of you seem to like it. The US was dominant because of its middle class. The decline of the middle class is a part of the evolution of the world economy. There are many ways in which the government can stymie that decline, but we cannot do it because we are dysfunctional. As stated before, look in the mirror, and what do you see?

I agree with what you wrote above. However, Obama is part of the disease, not the cure.

Right on. The last thing we need is people who can think, people who have some broader understanding of the world, of history, of culture.

Right on. We need to educate lots of art history and philosophy majors. Then government can pay them to sit on their asses and do whatever it is that they do.

[Dickhead]

subsidizing seniors who are already wealthier than everyone else.

The only senior subsidy I can think of at the federal level is the additional personal exemption of $1200. A maximum value of about $475 a year and much less for most folks. OK, I suppose there are discounts on admissions to national parks but that could just be savvy pricing and not a subsidy. Big deal. Medicare certainly isn't a subsidy. Social Security (OASDI) is an anti-subsidy; its return diminishes the more years you work and thus with age. Other subsidies exist at the local level or are provided by private industry. Here some of the discounts or subsidies I get for being old:

1) My city, and most cities around here, charge non-residents more to use the facilities. These people never took cost accounting and have no concept of break-even point. But, I found a neighboring city that not only charges residents and non-residents the same, but gives a senior discount at age 55 vs. My city's age 62. $18 a month. Not surprisingly, the neighboring city does a healthy business while my city's facility is underutilized. However, the facility I use is not overcrowded during the hours I go there.

2) My state provides numerous silly discounts and few of them are means-tested. There is a $20,000 pension exclusion starting the year you turn 55 and then it goes to $24,000 at 65. Social Security, IRA withdrawals, IRA conversions, annuities, traditional pensions, etc. All qualify. There is a scheme whereby if you are 65 and low income (but could have assets out the ying yang), you never have to pay your property tax during your lifetime. It just creates a lienhold to be paid on sale or death. There is a similar scheme for utility bills but that one is means-tested.

3) 50% off on our transit system but it sucks so much it's not worth mentioning. I think this kicks in at 62 but it might be 65.

4) Albertson's gives 10% off the first Wednesday of the month at age 55 and they don't check I'd. Kohl's has a discount day that starts at 55 too.

5) AARP has the cheapest car rental rates. Check it out.

Now Tiny, you are ignoring an important point. Yes, seniors have lower poverty rates than the other two age brackets BUT they have a lot less opportunity to improve their situation! So looking at youth poverty vs. Senior poverty might not be as important as following the poverty rate for 19-64. That could be a better economic indicator. I think rather than being subsidies, a lot of these are marketing ploys.