4 for 2010?
House Republicans are starting to pull together an agenda for 2010. It's not as sweeping as the Contract with America, or, even, Six for 06. But if you're a small businessman with a commercial real estate problem or a company wondering how you're going to pay for mounting unemployment insurance costs -- than this plan's for you. Once, you know, they figure out solutions and all (and we've seen some false starts from Cantor before). Also, I'm not 100% on point 4: this seems to be part of the business of governing. Better to do something than nothing, no?
Update:
For those interested, here is the document given to me laying out the four GOP principles.
-
1
Considering some of the spelling and grammar errors I saw on many of the Tea Party signs, Kantor may be better served to dumb it down to from four points to one:
Obama is a socialist, America-hating Kenyan Muslim and we MUST stop him!
-
2
"Cantor admits the group has yet to come up with any solutions, but they are meeting over the next few months to hear from experts and to hammer out concrete proposals."
Greetings. I am a traveler from the future and I come bearing Cantor's proposals. They are as follows:
1. Get rid of unemployment insurance and replace it with something called 'Tax cuts for the rich'.-
2.1
When was the last time a welfare recipient hired a single worker?
-
2.2
ADM has thousands of employees.
-
2.3
"When was the last time a welfare recipient hired a single worker?"
.
Lets see I thing these welfare receipent have.
.
Aerospace Corporation
Aerovironment
Advanced Integrated Systems
Aivea Corporation
Alliant Techsystems
Allied Container Systems
Allied-Signal Inc.
AM General Corporation
American Petroleum Institute
Anteon International Corporation
Applied Research Associates Inc.
ARINC
Argon ST
AV-Optimal Defense Consultancy Service
BAE Systems plc (U.S. subsidiary is BAE Systems Inc.)
Ball Corporation
Ball Aerospace & Technologies Corp.
Bath Iron Works
Battelle Memorial Institute
BBN Technologies
Bechtel Corporation
Berico Technologies
BDM Corporation
Blazeware Inc.
Black Knight Technology Inc.
Boecore
Boeing Company
Boeing Sikorsky Comanche Team
Boeing SVS
Booz Allen Hamilton
British Nuclear Fuels Limited
Brogden Enterprises, Inc.
CACI International Inc.
.
That's just a few. -
2.4
If you want evidence that welfare can provide billions of dollars to the economy, look no further than the richest woman in Britain and former welfare recipient, JK Rowling.
.
On a similar note, how many lives have been saved from a personal bankruptcy or starving to death so that they could then go on to lead a productive, helpful life and aide the national economy over the long run? The answer is a lot.
.
That said, I do have two questions to ask that I actually don't know the answers to but really should be the only factors on deciding whether welfare is a problem or note: "What percentage of welfare recipients are permanent recipients - that is, what percentage of recipients have stopped looking for work and have opted to spend the rest of their life on welfare?" and "Is that an acceptable level?"
.
The extreme right will always say the number is too high since it is never 0 and therefore it allows people to be lazy. The extreme left will always say the number is fine since we should help people regardless of whether even a vast majority of users are abusing the system. For everyone in between (and that is probably 95% of the country), your question is absolutely useless. -
2.5
Reminds me of how the banks want to give, what, 32 billion in bonuses to CEOs instead of paying 50 billion back in TARP money.
.
So how many employees did Chase hire, freetopee? How about Bank of America?
.
I mean, hells bells freetopee, why didn't they just divvy up a billion or two for those nitwits and give the govenment back 30 of that 50 billion they got?
.
Naw! Hell, no, freepeee would say, that would be interfering in the market!
.
Klonk... -
2.6
Has everyone forgotten that Welfare reform happened fourteen years ago?
.
How long can the GOP beat that dead horse... -
2.7
paul-no not th & gysgt213:
Blind ignorance on display once again.
-
2.8
53_3: that's right, we did have that a while ago, and it undeniably had a very positive impact. I somewhat agree that it is beating a dead horse, because I think it was such a leaping improvement (though of course nothing is perfect).
.
One thing that does annoy me with this though is when democrats like Bill Clinton try to claim credit for it, when it was like pulling teeth getting many of them to go along with it. -
2.9
"One thing that does annoy me with this though is when democrats like Bill Clinton try to claim credit for it"
.
Stupid Clinton claiming credit for a bill he signed! -
2.10
53_3
You continue to get dumber by the day.
http://www.thedeal.com/dealscape/2009/02/finance_layoffs_nyse_jpm_bac.php
Here you can count up the job losses at Bank of AMerica and JP Morgan, but you don't have enough fingers and toes.
-
2.11
Heres one for ya. Which one of these stimulates the economy more and creates more jobs:
.
1 guy with 50 million dollars to spend
.
or
.
1 million people with 50 dollars to spend.
.
The answer is obvious and is the reason whatever economic theory you can come up with to justify tax cuts for the rich does far less for the good of the country than empowering the middle class.
-
-
3
Thanks, Jay. Please write in more often. Kudos for stating the blinding obvious – the GOP has no solutions! When you noted Cantor's change in tone, what caused this – recent events alone, your tough questions, did you catch him off guard (hope so!), or something else? Is he trying to bypass HC entirely (HC as du jour, trying to skirt unified opposition, no alt. plan)? I'll help him out – don't try to solve all four “big problems” with tax cuts alone, k? Does he really want an inclusive party or just the “image of being an inclusive party” (think the NY-23 House race infighting)? Any more you can tell us?
-
4
…and Jay, speaking of NY-23, will YOU or others go up there to cover this? This could be a genuine GOP mutiny – even Lovely Sarah is involved (she's backing the conservative third candidate). Speaking of Sarah, which one of the Swamp reporters will review her book? Will you interview her again? (sim. to pafro's good stuff, I'm also pondering REAL problems / solutions; will post soon) Thanks!
-
4.1
Sarah and Levi are fighting again today and tossing around body slams.
.
JNS: Hint hint. We'll get off Mike's back if you throw us some red meat on Sarah. Sarah's complaining about Levi throwing meat around too. -
4.2
…yeah, Sarah complaining about Levi's meat. Oh, what we missed out on by electing Obama. Yeah, the world's getting safer now, but the only other drama we could've had would be an Edwards presidency. But he'd probably tell his WH Press Secretary to zip it already.
-
4.3
Levi claimed on tv that Sarah refers to her child as "My retarded baby".
-
4.4
...wow, that's a cold remark. I wonder what else he's holding back.
-
4.5
He said that he was sitting on some information that would "really hurt her" but that he wasn't going to spill the beans. I love those two. You know she's going to wind up waiting in an alley for him with a baseball bat.
-
4.6
sacredh
"Levi claimed on tv that Sarah refers to her child as "My retarded baby".
Actually she was referring to Levi! Amazing you folks mock news sources like Fox or Washington Times but will quote a nimrod who is literally selling his ass.
-
4.7
Levi says that is how Sarah has referred to her baby in private, not about him. I believe that was on CBS. Sarah came back in the press and denied it and then claimed how sad it was that "someone" was selling their body for money. I just read it this morning on AOL.
-
4.8
Sacred, here's the first part of Levi's interview –
http://www.cbsnews.com/video/watch/?id=5432885n&tag=related;photovideo -
4.9
Thanks for the link. I really am starting to like Sarah. She's a dumber better looking version of a cousin that livens up holiday get togethers.
-
-
5
What if you're a small-business owner wondering how to provide health insurance to his/her employees?
Oh that's right -- in America you can just go to the emergency room.
global warming may be [one of] the topics du jour
If the GOP were truly forward looking, they'd embrace the science and join the 21st century on this issue.
-
5.1
The GOP embrace science? Sacrilege.
-
5.2
You mean the "decided" falsified science that has been falling apart under inspection? The one liberals tried to rush through under "crap and tax"?
Every idea liberals have wilt under even casual inspection of the truth.
-
5.3
Ah yes, you mean all this falsified science?
http://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/oa/climate/globalwarming.html
http://www.epa.gov/climatechange/index.html
http://www.ucsusa.org/global_warming/
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/10/091019162929.htm
http://www.nasa.gov/worldbook/global_warming_worldbook.html
I know it's no feed day, but I want to laugh hilariously at freeper when he says something like "typical liberal idiot who got off his meds." and can't answer the question.
This ought to get your started. Or is NASA also a bunch of Socialist Communist Muslim Kenyans?
-
-
6
JNS, your snark on point 4 is silly. Investment depends on some certainty of the business environment. No certainty, and capital will go elsewhere.
.
This is not rocket science.-
6.1
It's rocket surgery...
-
-
7
In a rare ‘serious' move, I'll help out Cantor free of charge – Dude, I'll type slowly so you can understand: you're addressing the wrong problems. Commercial real estate? Unemployment tax? Deficits? Uncertain biz environments (whatever that is)? Ha! Your REAL four problems are unemployment, foreclosures, banking, and HC. HC / insurance costs / coverage / lack affect working and unemployed folks. You love the free market? Create a 100% private market that covers everyone, no exceptions. Good luck. Put everyone back to work. That raises revenues for both govt. / biz and helps reduce deficits, reduce unemploy. tax loads (if we're working, UE benefits don't have to be paid out, right?), and calm biz environments. Working folks can also pay mortgages. As for mortgages / banking, banks are sitting on capital / slow to lend and squatting in foreclosed homes (sometimes literally, see link) / slow to sell them. Move their butts already. Don't forget the huge derivatives market that built pyramids of nothing from those bad mortgages ...then crashed the banks and AIG. That market has to be reigned in, at min. through a transparent exchange (ala NYSE / NASDAQ) – no shadow markets. Got it, Cantor? http://www.cnbc.com/id/32800279
.
...thoughts, Jay? thx -
8
http://www.anncoulter.com/
.
The guilty pleasure that is Ann Coulter -
9
Principals or principles?
-
9.1
Sorry, spob.
.
When you look at who benefits from the GOP's talking points, and who would benefit, there's no question, at least in mind mind, it's principals... -
9.2
OK, that's funny.
-
-
10
Hilarious! This:
Thus far they have identified four key areas in which they believe their opponents are vulnerable: the ongoing credit crunch in the commercial real estate market, the looming costs of unemployment tax increases on states and businesses, the massive budget deficits and what Cantor calls an uncertain environment that Obama's ambitious agenda on health care, financial reform and climate change is creating for the business community.
is followed by:
"The essentials are the same: these are the issues that are impacting Middle America that are being ignored by the majority..." says Dick Armey, a former Republican House majority leader.
So, the issues impacting Middle America the most are (1) not being able to easily get a loan to purchase commercial real estate, (2) unemployment tax increases - not unemployment itself, (3) the budget deficit created when they had control of the government, and (4) the feelings of the business community.
Oh, yeah. Go with that; it smells like a winner...
-
10.1
Isn't Dick Armey the Freedomworks guy, the same Freedomworks that was taking big donations from supporters that Racheal Maddow exposed?
.
Thought so... -
10.2
Not to mention former Swampland guest poster - we all remember how well that went.
-
10.3
Not just that, 53_3...once upon a time, he was a Swampland blogger!
Look at the healthy components of our health care system. What they have in common is a large measure of independence from government subsidies and price regulation. For example, eye surgery centers, fertility specialists and cosmetic dental surgery. Costs have fallen dramatically, innovation abounds and safety improves.
There's plenty of time to comparison shop when you are in the ambulance on the way to the ER.
.
What an a$$hole.
-
-
11
I think the four points that box in the GOP are, as they've clearly demonstrated:
.
1. This isn't our America!
2. Tax Cuts for the Rich!
3. Long live HCICs! Death panels are ok as long as bean counters and CEOs run them!
4. The racial divide is good for politics, keep it up! -
12
Actually there will be yet a 5th point for disucssion before 2012.
.
5. The bankruptcy of the United States.
.
Yes ladies and gentlemen. Our esteemed Democrat Leadership, with President Barack HUSSEIN Obama as THE LEADER of this ill-fated party has bankrupted us in less than 10 months.
.
God only knows what the next 3 years will bring us?
.
Oh yes, ownership by China!!
.
Enjoy libtards!!-
12.1
R.I.P. USA 1776-2009
-
-
13
http://www.politico.com/news/stories/1009/28848.html
.
What the hell is the matter with these morons?-
13.1
The simple answer is they are liberals but how DARE you question there patriotism. Now go ahead it spray paint the Koran and watch the outrage!
-
-
14
Jay when you're on Hardball, you can discuss this:
.
http://www.powerlineblog.com/archives/2009/10/024827.php
.
Is Hilary a moron? -
15
More MoveOn.Org propaganda!
."Dear MoveOn member,
For months, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid has been under intense pressure to drop the public health insurance option.But on Monday he defied insurance lobbyists, political pundits, and conservatives of both parties by announcing that he'll include a public option in the Senate floor bill.
That's the kind of courageous leadership we need for victory on health care. But the fight's not over yet: Sen. Reid is still under fire from conservatives, including some in his own party, who will stop at nothing to kill the public option.
In this critical moment, we've got to show that thousands of Americans have his back and are fired up to fight alongside him. So we're placing a full-page ad in key newspapers on Capitol Hill and in his home state of Nevada with the names of thousands of Americans thanking Senator Harry Reid for his leadership."
.
Yes, please tell ol Harry how much we have his back. At least until we VOTE HIM OUT OF OFFICE -
16
rusty,
How come you start discussions but run away when asked simple, direct questions about your positions?
Case in point, yesterday's discussion of Karzai's brother and Obama's Afghanistan and Iraq policies.
You were pontificating as you so often do on military matters, advocating for more troops in Afghanistan and a continued presence in Iraq. You cited the usual talking points: We've been in North Korea and Europe for 50-60 years and so forth.
So I asked you a few simple, direct questions. And you, as usual, ran and hid.
So I'll repost them here to see if you can muster the courage to have an actual discussion on the issue, rather than your typical cut-and-run...
What in god's name does a civil war in Iraq have to do with keeping "us safe here at home?"
Ironic that you bring up Vietnam. How many troops did we have in Vietnam at its peak? Any guess, rusty? And who finally pulled the plug on that epic misadventure?
As for the same, tired old examples of our bases in Korea and Europe, are you suggesting we commit the same long-term assets to new outposts in Afghanistan and Iraq? Seriously? And how do you propose to continue to pay for those? I know you don't want a tax increase!Will we get NATO help in Iraq and Afghanistan as we do in Europe? To the same extent?
I look forward to your answers...
-
16.1
Are you saying that you think we should get out now?
-
16.2
arartteacher,
.
We should get out of Iraq on Obama's time frame, which is already happening.
.
As for Afghanistan, I think we need an exit strategy. rusty pulls the old, "We should stay as long as we have to to keep[ us safe" for both Iraq and Afghanistan. And he backs it up with the usual, "We've been in North Korea and Europe for 50-60 years."
.
So the question Is, does he think we need to establish similar long term presences in Iraq and Afghanistan? If so, why? And how do we sustain such a commitment?
.
If one wants to argue for sending 40,000 more Americans to Afghanistan, one should also have some idea of how we eventually get out of there.
.
rusty argues that Obama risks creating another Vietnam by not sending enough troops. The Vietnam fiasco happened because we didn't know when to stop sending troops. That's why I asked rusty if he knew how many troops we had in Vietnam at its peak. -
16.3
Just ignore rusty. Even if he ever made up his mind whether he was for or against HC mandates, it's Thursday. No feeding the trolls.
-
16.4
palin:
I will attempt to satisfy your desire to know why?
."What in god's name does a civil war in Iraq have to do with keeping "us safe here at home?"
.
First and foremost I do not agree with your assumption, and that is all it is that there is a "civil war" in Iraq. While I will not say the potential in the furture for such an occurence could happen, I believe that it is far to early in the entire scope of things to pre-judge as you are doing with the events in Iraq.
.
Secondly, I do believe we have invested a lot of treasury and lives lost in Iraq. Right or wrong, I for one do not want to see those lives lost in vain. I also do not believe it would be in our best interests in the US to allow this country to again fall into the hands of a dictator or some other enemy. If that means keeping our military in Iraq, with fully functioning bases of operation, so be it. As I said previously, we have done so in other countries for the past 50 or 60 years after a war, what is the difference. If we had to choose, I would close bases in Europe now, and put those funds into bases in Iraq if I had the decision to make.
."Ironic that you bring up Vietnam. How many troops did we have in Vietnam at its peak? Any guess, rusty? And who finally pulled the plug on that epic misadventure?"
.
There were over 500,000 troops in Vietnam at its peak in that specific conflict in 1968/1969. At least that is what I remember having been there myself at that time. Who finally "pulled" out those troops was none other than Richard Nixon, and in my mind when the US population went sour on Vietnam, and could not stomach the war any longer, he had no choice but to end the conflict.
.
My correllation to Vietnam to Afghanistan is simply, that we went into Vietnam under Johnson primarily. That was the Administration in power at that time. Johnson also did not have the stomach to really fight that war, just the same as Obama is now doing. Johnson also had pressure on him to pass major legislation domestically, just as Obama is now under. The Vietnam War quickly got out of control for Johnson. Many poor decisions were made because his focus on domestic issues out-trumped the War in Vietnam. This I fear is history repeating itself yet again with Obama. He has way too many things that he is fully incapable of handling. Time unfortunately will prove me right on this observation, and we shall see yet again another Republican come into office to clean up the mess left by the Democrats currently in power.
."As for the same, tired old examples of our bases in Korea and Europe, are you suggesting we commit the same long-term assets to new outposts in Afghanistan and Iraq? Seriously? And how do you propose to continue to pay for those? I know you don't want a tax increase!Will we get NATO help in Iraq and Afghanistan as we do in Europe? To the same extent?"
.
What is more expensive, palin? Lives lost in America or taking the fight to the enemy on their own turf. THE number one job of the Federal Govt is the protection and safety of its people. At least that is my interpretation of the constitution. Is that how you also see it?
.
If our own safety, and the well-being of our citizens are at stake because we need to fight an enemy, then other social programs should come second. Cuts need to be made in those social programs in order to fund the military. Period.
.
No one can tell me that there isn't enough "PORK" and waste in the federal budget alone that would fund what we need to do to protect our citizens. If it means cutting a project from Hawaii Sen Inouye so that the pet project he has to save the Hawaian $hit fly is cut, so be it.
.
I appreciate the time you shall take to read what I have written, palininatowel.
-
-
17
This is taken directly from Kantor's proposed four-point document. I pray that he does, indeed, manage to make this an official platform piece, because I can only imagine Kantor and the rest of the GOP trying to explain the following to their cement-head, Tea Party base:
Unlike residential mortgage loans that fully amortize, “permanent” commercial mortgage loans
typically have a balloon after five years. Thus, about $400 billion of permanent commercial
mortgage loans must be rolled over or refinanced each year.The issuance of commercial mortgage-backed securities (CMBS) has slowed to a trickle,
eliminating a significant source of permanent financing. Banks have reduced their loan-to-value
ratios on permanent commercial mortgage loans, while average commercial real estate prices
have fallen by 39 percent from their peak. Consequently, some owners of commercial real estate
projects may be unable to inject sufficient new equity to rollover or refinance their loans and thus
may default at maturity between now and 2012, even though their projects are profitable and
current on their loans.Hilarious. Really has that touch for the common man, doesn't it? I am certain the folks who were marching around with signs like this:
Let's keep the Tea
Dump the Polititions.. will be jumping on Kantor's bandwagon based on his proven ability to get to the heart of the matter for the average Joe...
-
18
Not sure if we need any more tax cuts, the Bush ones already worked. And they were, by the way, tax cuts for more than the rich. I can see why much of them were given to the rich though...given that they are the ones paying the vast majority of the taxes.
-
18.1
They pay a vast majority of the taxes because they control a vast majority of the wealth.
-
-
19
"...here is the document given to me laying out the four GOP principles."
.
They're lying. Anyone who's been paying attention (and isn't an idiot) knows that the GOP has only one principle and that's to roll back and prevent the regulation or taxation of our corporate owners. That's what they mean when they say "government is the problem". Everything else is a lie.-
19.1
Individuals, companies et al should be run by government because they have shown they can run what???
NOTHING!!!!
Check out Amtrak losing nearly $500/passenger going from Texas to California. Or the post office or Cash for Clunkers where it cost taxpayers $24,000/car. All paid for by the people liberals love to bash
-
-
20
O-nay eeding-fay the olls-tray, okay-ay?
-
20.1
Speaking French is so elitist.
-
20.2
ank-thay oo-yay, ape-gray ush-cray!
-
-
21
The four GOP principles for '10:
1. Tax cuts
2. No homos
3. No Mexicans
4. Coal plants-
21.1
A variation
.
1. NO! Mine!
2. Homos no mo'
3. Only if they work cheap
4. F*#k the carbon footprint. It's cheap. -
21.2
The four principles for GOP 2010 are -
1. Me2. Tax cuts for me.
3. Guns for me.
4. Enough weaponry to make the rest of the world look like me.
-
21.3
abdullah, I'm not disagreeing with your platform planks, but I feel they leave the critical issues of homos and Mexicans woefully unaddressed.
-
21.4
I suppose that in a pinch we could have a plank about Mexican homosexuals. The real worry and an issue of vital concern is the possibility of republican representatives abandoning their wives and mistresses for a same sex partner. Everybody's going to be wanting a Log Cabin.
-
21.5
If you spend the night in a log cabin does that mean you're a "real" American?
-
-
22
It's not easy being me. There's alot of irresponsibility involved.
Off for a road trip. Have fun folks.
- jnsmall @katieinDC medicine sans frontieres (doctors w/o borders in English). if not w/ them then they can refer you. - 1 hour ago
- jnsmall @katieinDC You should go-it's def an area where help is needed. maybe talk to MSF or the Adventist hospital (Adra). - 1 hour ago
- jnsmall @katieinDC The Israeli field hosp had 2 neonatal units -but those were the only 2 i saw in Haiti. There's a huge need there for obgyn care - 1 hour ago
Most Popular »
- Undercover Boss Is Phony and Manipulative. But Don't Hold That Against It.
- NBC: There Was Never a Conan O'Brien
- NH Poll: Dems Face A Thumpin'
- Gibbs Mocks Palin, Tea Party Convention
- Barack Obama: Then vs. Now
- Paul Ryan Won't Run For Prez In 2012
- Today's Health Care Checkup - GOP Plans Under the Spotlight
- Irony of the Day
- Do You Spend Less than $2,000 Annually on Internet, TV, Cell Phone Service, and Video Games?
- CO Gov Poll: Hickenlooper +4
- Asian Carp Battle: Foreign Fish Threaten Great Lakes
- Is the Bible Fact or Fiction? Archaeology's Discoveries
- Spain's Troubled Economy: Fears Over Euro Zone Outlook
- Kennewick Man, Archaeology Find: Who Discovered America?
- Al-Qaeda, Yemen, Wedding: Unlucky Name, Celebration
- Tea-Party Convention: Lessons on Palin and the Movement
- Venezuela: Chavez Protests at Ball Game Over Electricity
- Jim Frederick, Black Hearts in Iraq's Triangle of Death
- Marja: Operation Moshtarak Tests Obama's Afghan War Plan
- Why China Needs The U.S. -- And Vice Versa
Quotes of the Day »
RSS
