US Politics

[Yantelope V2]

Wiconsin is another good example of republican policies getting great results.

 

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052702303916904577377963809965708.html?mod=WSJ_Opinion_LEADTop

 

"Property taxes in the state were down 0.4% in 2011, the first decline since 1998. According to Chief Executive magazine, Wisconsin moved up four more places this year to number 20 in an annual CEO survey of the best states to do business, after jumping 17 spots last year. The Governor's office has estimated that altogether the reforms have saved Badger State taxpayers more than $1 billion, including $65 million in changes in health-care plans, and some $543 million in local savings documented by media reports. According to the Wisconsin-based MacIver Institute, Mayor Barrett's city of Milwaukee saved $19 million on health-care costs as a direct result of Mr. Walker's reforms"

[CorgiShinobi]

Nearly two weeks ago, Newsweek listed the 13 Useless Majors according to a website, and one of the careers that has suffered from the economy is graphic design. When I was beginning college, the instructors/professors would go on about how graphic designers are needed. This was back in '07/'08, but now there's an increase of unemployment either from 7.5 (experienced) and 11.8 (recent grad).

 

Guess which ones are the 13 Useful Majors?

 

Mainly: Language, Math, Business, and Economics. There are a few more, like Nursing, but it's not hard to see how these are less affected. This older co-worker I talk with has a son who knows five different languages. His son was offered to be a translator over in London, and as far as I know the guy is sitting pretty from that knowledge.

[Mr. GOH!]

Really, Yant, shifting costs to consumers from the state saved the state money? What a revelation. I notice the WSJ was silent on the effects this shift had on the folks who had their healthcare yanked away.

Edited May 8, 2012 by Mr. GOH!

[deanb]

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/interactive/2012/may/08/gay-rights-united-states

[Yantelope V2]

Really, Yant, shifting costs to consumers from the state saved the state money? What a revelation. I notice the WSJ was silent on the effects this shift had on the folks who had their healthcare yanked away.

 

Well, if you'd bother to read you'd see that isn't how they got the savings.

 

"Another 52 schools across the state saved an average of $220 per student thanks to the ability to introduce competitive bidding for health insurance, rather than automatically going through WEA Trust, the favored provider of the Wisconsin Education Association Council. If the savings are even half as large as the Governor's surveys indicate, they are still enormous."

[Mr. GOH!]

But that wasn't where the meat of the savings came from; it came from the cost-shifting.

 

I also am amused that an advocate for freedom is touting a governor who passed a law restricting how certain contracts may be negotiated.

[Battra92]

You mean competition brought prices down? Who'd have thought it?!

[Yantelope V2]

But that wasn't where the meat of the savings came from; it came from the cost-shifting.

 

I also am amused that an advocate for freedom is touting a governor who passed a law restricting how certain contracts may be negotiated.

 

If by "restricting how certain contracts may be negotiated" you mean allowing competition and not letting unions and cronies control the system it's easy to see how we're advocating freedom.

 

http://host.madison.com/wsj/news/local/govt-and-politics/article_3d93e6aa-363a-11e0-8493-001cc4c002e0.html

Edited May 8, 2012 by Yantelope V2

[Thorgi Duke of Frisbee]

"I hope everyone who voted for Amendment One lives long enough to become massively ashamed of what bigoted morons they were back in 2012."

[deanb]

So I hear Obama has backed same-sex marriage. Though I'd swear the reaction to it you'd think he just signed in the 28th amendment and declared 9th of May "Gay Marriage Day". (then again by Fox's reaction you'd think he'd just declared war on marriage )

[Mister Jack]

For the president to come out and openly say that he supports it, on an election year no less, is pretty significant. I'm not happy with everything Obama has done, but I'm proud of him for this one.

[CorgiShinobi]

After Biden came out supporting gay marriage, a lot of people were looking at what the president had to say on the matter. It's not a subject you could hold off until after election day. There were those thinking the issue was being withheld as a kind of "if I get in again, you'll get X" clause where Obama could have both the gay community and a majority of independent voters on his side since nothing was "confirmed" as of yet. A kind of having your cake and eating it too scenario.

 

If he had said nothing relatively soon, he would have lost significant support. So, say something now and ensure you get most of your votes, or try to convince them all that you'll make good once you're in your second term. Which is the most obvious option?

[Yantelope V2]

So the phrase "war on ....." is now getting almost as tired as adding the suffix "gate" to any scandal.

[Mal]

This is just in, Obama has declared Jihad against marriage. Fatwas has been called out by the White House for the private parts of head anti-gay marriage proponents.

[deanb]

In other news the House Oversight Committee pull out a ton of numbers on the TSA and the outlook (for TSA) is not good.

http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20120509/10161518848/congress-tsa-is-wasting-hundreds-millions-taxpayer-dollars.shtml

[CorgiShinobi]

It might not be pretty, but to save on taxpayers' dollars, everyone should just wear their swimsuits to the airport.

 

Anyone remember

? Edited May 9, 2012 by Atomsk88

[Mal]

Speaking of wasteful spending...

 

http://www.sfgate.co.../MNN61OF2I9.DTL

 

Lets cut or lower the 2% that makes up the funding for pedestrian and cyclist infrastructure. That's about $790 million right there, quite a tidy sum that could go into the maintaining and expansion of the highway system which is in dire need of repair and expansion so we can avoid something like this:

 

On the other side of the coin, however, is this:

http://www.cdc.gov/o...data/adult.html

People need to move around, especially kids. How are we pose to curb obesity rates if we don't have proper infrastructure to promote people to walk or bike to where they need to be as part of their lives? A two mile bike ride twice a day can do wonders to a person's health. A ten mile commute one way is still within reason and that will help even more.

 

Yes it is expensive to make the proper infrastructures but it is well worth the cost if we can slow, stop and reverse the obesity rates. With more and more people living in and around urban area (http://www.fhwa.dot.gov/planning/census_issues/archives/metropolitan_planning/cps2k.cfm old but it still stands today, I can't find the 2010 version), it should be possible.

[Battra92]

For the president to come out and openly say that he supports it, on an election year no less, is pretty significant. I'm not happy with everything Obama has done, but I'm proud of him for this one.

 

I'm sure you said the same thing eight years ago when VP Dick Cheney issued personal support for it during his debate with professional scuzball, John Edwards. Oh and Dick didn't have huge campaign donations from gay bundlers and Hollywood libs.

 

Anyway, it's hard to take Obama seriously on this. Democrats are less than enthusiastic right now. Obama has had a failed presidency with no progress on the economy, enormous debts, excuses everywhere and his fake "War on Women" blew up in his face. It's all about the money here. No one just "evolves" their position this quickly.

 

Seriously, anyone who takes this as anything other than cheap pandering for donations and to attempt to get the youth vote is just plain naive.

Edited May 10, 2012 by Battra92

[Yantelope V2]

I remember that Bridge Collapse because I used to work for URS and they did the structural assessment for it before it collapsed and they ended up getting sued for a ton of money.

 

http://blogs.citypages.com/blotter/2010/08/i-35_w_bridge_c.php

[deanb]

What is a bundler? Also War on Women?

 

(Also I'm not so sure most folks round these parts would have been politically active 8 years ago. I was only 14 back then.)

[Thursday Next]

Regarding gay donations, your link says about one in six Obama donees is gay. Isn't that roughly the ratio of homosexuals to heterosexuals anyway?

 

The War on Women thing was about Republicans saying that women should not have the right to choose whether or not to have an abortion and cutting funding to programs that affect women more than men for example funding for pre-school' since women are more likely to be a single parent or a secondary breadwinner they would be left with less money as pre-school fees increase or would be forced to stay at home with the kids while the husband goes out to work, rather than send their kids to pre-school and have a job of their own.

[Mr. GOH!]

No, I meant this: "Makes various changes to limit collective bargaining for most public employees to wages." That means certain things are non-negotiable. That limits the aggregate right to contract.

 

Edited to add: At least Obama finally stopped waffling. Not gonna convince anyone to vote for him, and it will scare away some homophobes. Hopefully the increase in donations will offset the assholes who hate gay marriage not voting or, worse, voting for the empty suit and funny underwear aficionado Mitt Romney.

Edited May 10, 2012 by Mr. GOH!

[TheMightyEthan]

For the president to come out and openly say that he supports it, on an election year no less, is pretty significant. I'm not happy with everything Obama has done, but I'm proud of him for this one.

 

I'm sure you said the same thing eight years ago when VP Dick Cheney issued personal support for it during his debate with professional scuzball, John Edwards.

 

I don't remember that happening, but if I'd known about it at the time I certainly would have said something about how I may not like him but I respect him for this. Not everyone is completely blinded against acknowledging the good things done by those they oppose. Making assumptions like that about people does not cast you in a good light.

[Mr. GOH!]

Oh, that totally happened. Cheney has a lesbian daughter. I *did* say, at the time, that I was surprised and I was happy at least one prominent Republican came out in support. I also said his whole fabricating claims to lead us to a war in Iraq and his callous disregard for human life was a political dealbreaker for me and that of course neocons don't give two shits about social issue policy, really, because they're all about flexing our military abroad and transferring wealth from taxpayers to Halliburton and its ilk.

[Battra92]

I don't remember that happening, but if I'd known about it at the time I certainly would have said something about how I may not like him but I respect him for this. Not everyone is completely blinded against acknowledging the good things done by those they oppose. Making assumptions like that about people does not cast you in a good light.

 

Had to double check my facts and in 2004 he said

"Gwen, you're right, four years ago in this debate, the subject came up. And I said then and I believe today that freedom does mean freedom for everybody. People ought to be free to choose any arrangement they want. It's really no one else's business."

 

He also went on to point out that the administration was opposed to judges modifying Constitutions (as was done in Massachusetts) and pointed out that the president sets the policy in the administration.

Transcript of the debate

 

Cheney again in 2009 responded to the issue and believed it was a state and not a Federal issue (something I firmly agree with him on)

 

The thing I find interesting is that America has been regulating marriage since the Colonial days, though most noticeably after the Civil War and many people my age are just now realizing it. In the Commonwealth of Massachusetts two gay people can get married but two cousins cannot. Migrate over to the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and the issue is reversed. I'm not advocating for cousin marriage here, just pointing out the obvious. It's always been a state issue and only now is it becoming a federal issue. I'm all for keeping it at the state level since governments will always regulate marriage.

 

Personally I say eliminate all government recognition of marriage and leave it up to the churches and the consciences of the public.