haha – I was sure you were going to say that to me, Matt. lol
Nah, you, like the rest of us, have demonstrated only a partial lack of understanding, Santino.
“never received assistance from a government program”.
Yeah, see, if I’m getting money, it’s just me getting money I’ve earned. If someone else is getting money, then it’s the government subsidizes other people’s stuff with my money. American’s capacity for self-deception knows no bounds.
^ yeah really.
Bugs me when people get all holier than thou about stuff but generously partake of services offered by the gov’t. Everyone’s entitled to their opinion but for God’s sake, if something bothers you about the way things are, get involved and try to change it! Otherwise what use is complaining, it won’t go anywhere very far. It just ends up being a lot of whining in everyone else’s ears. And that gets really annoying to listen to.
What’s that called again? Oh yeah… armchair liberal. (or armchair ________ fill in the blank)
Whatever happened to Jason? He used to be good for at least a page or two of neocon rhetoric on all these type of threads.
I think the only “Armchair ___________” you can’t be is an “Armchair Lazy Piece of Crap”
Well, through all the posts on this thread — that somehow made it passed one page even though great threads about actual movies die horrible forgotten deaths after eight posts — I am most impressed with Curtis Francis’ complete lack humanity.
The house cost $400K because that’s what the market had marked things up to and lenders pulled out their smoke machines and mirrors and convinced the public the American Dream was still alive. Bad on the naive buyer, Yes, but worse on the predatory lender.
What should people do, rent all their life? Should we just accept that we will always be under the thumb of a landlord? Allow the the rich to control our lives or should we try to grab something we have always be lied to about and told was possible?
The American Dream is not affordable, greed and deregulation have made it so. An education, a family, a home are being further pulled away from citizens and conservatives love it. Santorum says not everyone has to go to college, but then where will they work? Costco and WalMart and McDonalds, maybe getting by in life, conservatives want people to remain uneducated so that they will be slaves to the corporate machine, low wage workers,
Curtis, hate socialism all you like, but you’re wrong. We must work together to ensure a stronger future for all.
^ ha ha ha
I think that’s what’s implied in “Armchair” anything.
“Nah, you, like the rest of us, have demonstrated only a partial lack of understanding, Santino.”
I’ll take it!
I’m just parroting what I hear from Thom Hartmann and Randi Rhodes. I don’t know what the hell I’m talking about.
“40% of people on either medicaid, medicare or receiving social security money believe they have “never received assistance from a government program”.”
This doesn’t surprise me. The majority of states that vote against so called “socialism” are also the states that receive more federal dollars then that put in.
I believe that statistic was quoted and linked to here before on the off-topic “Congress” thread, but I cannot find the link for it. Two Plus Two, linkee-poo?
Edit: and as for Santino’s states-style statistic, I DO have that link. Behold: Federal Taxes Paid vs. Federal Spending Received by State, 1981-2005
—PolarisDiB
Of course Bill Maher is biased but these people from Mississippi are real"
Uli,
Curtis Francis is the same cat who claimed in another thread to have come to this site “like a beacon from God.” Muddle-headed megalomania is par for the course.
“Edit: and as for Santino’s states-style statistic, I DO have that link.”
I have to admit I got this info from Jon Stewart. It’s pretty sad when The Daily Show holds politicians more accountable than actual journalists. A couple months ago Stewart had some politician from some red southern state on (for the life of me I can’t remember who it was) and he confronted him on this issue – that NY sends more money to Washington than it receives where this politician’s state took more money than it put in. And yet his state wanted LESS federal involvement.
It’s so crazy how oblivious people can be.
I haven’t looked all the way through Polaris’s link but it’s ironic that the blue states usually get less money whereas the red states get more. The red states are clearly freeloading off of the blue states.
Talk about welfare.
Jon Stewart, op-eds, Cracked.com…. places to hear “fun-facts” not nearly as important as the citations and sources they’re referencing. I love Stewart and Colbert but their best work is around calling out contradictions, not generating information. I get really antsy when I see things like “40% of people on either medicaid, medicare or receiving social security money believe they have “never received assistance from a government program”.” I don’t believe or disbelieve it, I just get antsy about figuring out where that statistic came from and how it was generated. I love having that information at my disposal, both the stat and its source, so that when arguments like these occur (some regularity) I can work with as much information I can.
—PolarisDiB
^I agree.
Although do you think that even when faced with the numbers, the other side will admit they’re wrong?
(nytimes discussing cornell study I referenced at top of page)
“Curtis Francis is the same cat who claimed in another thread to have come to this site “like a beacon from God.” "
He’s also, if I recall correctly, the one who expressed (before being moderated) a desire to urinate of Occupy Wall Street protesters from a window above. so . . .
[bows]
“I haven’t looked all the way through Polaris’s link but it’s ironic that the blue states usually get less money whereas the red states get more. The red states are clearly freeloading off of the blue states.”
A lot of what states “get” are what they request. A red state may elect a conservative to “cut taxes” and he does so by replacing state-level funding with federal dollars. Something something ironic something states rights.
“Although do you think that even when faced with the numbers, the other side will admit they’re wrong?”
I argue and debate, but in the end I care more about trying to know what to do myself. I cannot depend on other people to fix things or come to cohesion, especially since I end up debating with people who basically agree with me overall. Example: this board. We’re all here because we love discussing movies, but how often do we ever discuss movies versus argue about them? Or whether we should discuss them because isn’t this the board where we don’t discuss x type of movie?
Or derail into politics, even when purposefully lulled into it by Uli Cain’s exasperating sense of humor.
Anyway, my lifestyle is such that I rarely ever have the time or proximity to discuss politics with the truly illiterate/marginalized/extremist/disenfranchised. Everyone I talk to, like everyone on here, is aspiring for some form of self-recognition that I not only believe is possible to apply real information toward, but I can find my own consensus in even if others don’t see it.
If you want to convince anybody of ANYTHING, you have to make them think they came to the conclusion on their own. So it means applying all the information you have to their own values. At best that’s PSA, at worst it’s spin.
—PolarisDiB
“I haven’t looked all the way through Polaris’s link but it’s ironic that the blue states usually get less money whereas the red states get more. The red states are clearly freeloading off of the blue states.”
True enough. Nota bene, Alaska (home of that noted socialist Sarah Palin) has ranked number one in amount of federal funds received for many years, including all of the years of Comrade Palin’s governorship. And this is the state where every citizen gets a check from oil profits every year. Talk about welfare AND hypocrisy.
“I argue and debate, but in the end I care more about trying to know what to do myself…Anyway, my lifestyle is such that I rarely ever have the time or proximity to discuss politics with the truly illiterate/marginalized/extremist/disenfranchised.”
I agree and my experience is similar. Whether it’s the Bay Area or Southern California, I’ve only lived in areas that have been largely progressive and somewhat educated. It’s hard for me to really identify with ignorant extremists because I don’t interact with them on a day to day basis. Instead, it’s more about educating myself and knowing at least a partial view of the world around me.
Thanks Two Plus Two.
—PolarisDiB
^ unbelievable! “They” must be the haves. Don’t tax me, and don’t help my fellow man.
Basically, I want all my money you bastards and I can be my own authority on social issues and all will be well!
(talk about arrogant, stick your head in the sand beliefs; go to a deserted island and enjoy your vast wealth of everything, including options)
Although at least infuriating as the ignorant rednecks are the educated arrogant who, as I said before, do a lot of bitching and moaning but would never dirty their hands in any kind of political process to actually change anything. They “fight” for the underdog… um. Not really. I’ve met enough of those. If they take handouts from the gov.‘t even worse. Though I suppose yeah, as long as you’re getting social security, or an unemployment check, or any other kind of assistance — everyone can potentially fall into that bin.
Ultimately if you’re going to complain, do something concrete about it and make a positive impact!
Ok so I should shut up now. As usual I broke my previous vow to keep my mouth shut. Guilty as charged.
Well, here’s one government program all of us armchair posters should try to put a stop to, although it’s difficult to know how to even slow the Orwellian state much less end it.
lol
Armchair posters! Perfect, Volupte! lol
Two Plus Two
Did you hear this one?:
According to a poll: 40% of people on either medicaid, medicare or receiving social security money believe they have “never received assistance from a government program”.
Strange world.
EDIT- I should have said “strange COUNTRY.”
I hereby apologize to the world.