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To: RetiredNow who wrote (262649)	7/21/2010 11:38:09 AM
From: Jim McMannis	Read Replies (6) \| Respond to of 306849

Ever had a job? (thanks peppe51) Message 26699245 A chart that showed past presidents and the percentage of each president's cabinet appointees who had previously worked in the private sector - you know, a real life business, not a government job? Remember what that is? A private business? * Roosevelt - 38% * Taft - 40% * Wilson - 52% * Harding - 49% * Coolidge - 48% * Hoover - 42% * FDR - 50% * Truman - 50% * Eisenhower - 57% * Kennedy - 30% * LBJ - 47% * Nixon - 53% * Ford - 42% * Carter - 32% * Reagan - 56% * GHWB - 51% * Clinton - 39% * GWB - 55% And the Chicken Dinner Winner is......................... * Obama - 8%* This is the guy who wants to tell YOU how to run YOUR life! ONLY ONE IN TWELVE in the Obama Cabinet HAS EVER HAD A JOB. *YEP, EIGHT PERCENT! And these are the guys holding a "job summit"; going to tell us how to run our businesses, make our decisions for us? Do you want to trust them with every aspect of your life?

To: RetiredNow who wrote (262649)	7/21/2010 11:54:13 AM
From: neolib	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 306849

I'm all for carefully regulated free markets (not overly regulated BTW!). AFAIK, Ayn was not. She was deluded enough to think they would regulate themselves. She has plenty of followers.

To: RetiredNow who wrote (262649)	7/21/2010 1:07:22 PM
From: tejek	Respond to of 306849

Oops! THE RNC'S HIDDEN DEBTS.... I've lost count of how many times it's looked like a new controversy would force former RNC Chairman Michael Steele from his job. But in each instance, Steele looks ridiculous, the story eventually fades, the party doesn't want to go to the trouble of ousting him, and he lives to screw up another day. The Washington Times reports today, however, on a new matter that has nothing to do with Steele's notorious gaffes, and more to do with his notorious mismanagement. The Republican National Committee failed to report more than $7 million in debt to the Federal Election Commission in recent months -- a move that made its bottom line appear healthier than it is heading into the midterm elections and that also raises the prospect of a hefty fine. In a memo to RNC budget committee members, RNC Treasurer Randy Pullen on Tuesday accused Chairman Michael S. Steele and his chief of staff, Michael Leavitt, of trying to conceal the information from him by ordering staff not to communicate with the treasurer -- a charge RNC officials deny. Mr. Pullen told the members that he had discovered $3.3 million in debt from April and $3.8 million from May, which he said had led him to file erroneous reports with the FEC. He amended the FEC filings Tuesday. When it comes to consequences, the financial problem could cause all kinds of trouble for Republicans. Deliberately filing deceptive FEC reports is criminal, and could lead to stiff penalties -- if not formal charges -- before the elections. And while the Republican National Committee is already downplaying the significance of this, there's reason to believe the party is aware of the seriousness of the situation. The Washington Times also has learned that former Federal Election Commission Chairman Michael E. Toner has been retained as outside counsel to the RNC, a move Mr. von Spakovsky called unusual and significant. "The RNC normally uses its own inside counsel to deal with the FEC," said Mr. von Spakovsky, a Heritage Foundation legal scholar. "But if I had a really serious problem with the FEC, Michael Toner is one of the first guys I would turn to help me out." Not only could this generate real legal problems for the RNC, if the allegations are true, there's also the unfortunate political message -- when Republicans can't manage their own books, they play accounting tricks and hide off-book debts, regardless of the law. It's a story to keep an eye on.

To: RetiredNow who wrote (262649)	7/21/2010 2:01:02 PM
From: tejek	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 306849

But if we move too far towards socialism or jettison our free markets with never-ending bailouts and Keynesianism, then religion will be the only thing we have left, because class mobility will be a thing of the past. See......this is where things get a little sketchy. From the cradle, we are taught that capitalism is good; socialism is bad. US good; Europe bad. You want to upend a discussion on capitalism just throw the word, socialism, into the mix and the conversation quickly comes to an end. The truth is some of the most prosperous and capitalistic nations in the world are in Europe.......the very continent we are taught is made up of dangerous socialists. Germany is the second largest exporter of products after China and ahead of the US. Denmark has one the lowest unemployment rates in the world and was hardly touched by the Great Recession. Norway and Sweden have much less poverty per capita than the US. What US capitalism has become is a tax haven for the rich. Its why the rich from other countries emigrate here. And why that may be all good for the rich, I will not for the life of me understand why middle class Americans get all misty eyed when another foreign, rich arse pulls up stacks and moves here. The capitalism we endorse going forward should benefit all Americans, not just the rich. Oh yeah, some of my best friends are Germans......so sue me!