Ambassador Joe Wilson asks you to support Darcy Burner
George W. Bush is coming to Seattle Aug. 27 to raise money for his friend and ally, Rep. Dave Reichert (WA-08), and to thank him for his unwavering support of the president’s policy in Iraq. Reichert hopes to raise over half a million dollars from this $10,000/person event, but this is our opportunity to send a message Reichert and his fellow Republicans that toeing the Bush line on Iraq just won’t pay off.
Over the next five days the Darcy Burner campaign will be releasing a series of videos, asking for your participation in a Virtual Town Hall forum on Iraq, scheduled to coincide with the Bush fundraiser. Meanwhile a coalition of national and local blogs is launching a coordinated drive to help Darcy counter the Bush visit. Our ambitious goal: $100,000 in netroots contributions to the Darcy Burner campaign between now and the end of the drive.
Sure it’s a lot of money, but money seems to be the only political currency Republicans understand. Reaching our target will not only send a strong message that we want our troops out of Iraq, it will also teach other Republicans that bringing in Bush isn’t worth the financial and political cost, thus neutralizing the GOP’s most effective fundraiser.
We have created a special Act Blue page just for this event, or you can contribute directly via this embedded form:
As we’ve learned from several recent disappointing votes, it is not enough to just send Democrats to Washington — we need to send progressive Democrats who will stand up for the values and concerns of their constituents. So please dig deep into your pockets and give generously before the Bush fundraising juggernaut gets off the ground, and rubberstamp Republicans like Reichert get out to an insurmountable lead.
$10,000 to get in? Not exactly a man of the people, is he?
George W. Bush + Dave Reichert = government of the rich, by the rich, for the rich
Bet ya Kemper Freeman will be there, calling sidewalks “un-American.”
Hey Pellethead – Give some big money to Darcy or STFU!
Joe Wilson: Waaa haaa haaa haaa haaahaaa haaahaaa haaa haaa haaahaaa haaahaaa haaahaaa haaahaaa haaa haaa haaa haaa haaa haaa haaahaaa haaahaaa haaahaaa haaa
Google “Joe Wilson lied Senate Report”
Results 1 – 10 of about 334,000 for Joe Wilson lied Senate Report. (0.16 seconds)
This isn’t much different than publican fundraisers with oliver north. It will get the base fired up and contributing $$.
RR has absolutely NO life other than this blog.
@7 And your life is what? Selling girl scout cookies?
Goldy says “As we’ve learned from several recent disappointing votes, it is not enough to just send Democrats to Washington — we need to send progressive Democrats who will stand up for the values and concerns of their constituents.”
Which shows that the current Democratic Congress sucks which also agrees with the current polls that the rest of the Nation including Republicans think the same thing.
Excellent headline. Turns out despite what ditzy Darcy thinks, she wants to run and get beat yet again by Reichert, not Bush. A shame to all blondes everywhere….whats the number for 9-1-1 again? Morons.
@9 “the current Democratic Congress sucks”
We all agree on that. Too much talk, not enough impeachment.
No, I think I’ll talk to Darcy Burner. She hugs rabbits! And doesn’t charge $10,000 for 60 seconds of her time. She hugs rabbits free! Sheriff Blowdry doesn’t hug rabbits at all. Do-nothing Congressman Blowdry has been in office for 3 1/2 years and still hasn’t hugged a rabbit! But that’s not surprising, considering it took him 25 years to catch a serial killer who was right under his nose.
http://www.merchantsbay.com/eI.....t_Full.jpg
#12 Roger Rabbit says:
How many times do I have to tell you. Bush is NOT going to get impeached. Get over it. You are obviously not smart enough to know when your democrat leaders are lying to you. What’s the difference between “i did not have sex with that woman” and “bush will be impeached?” Nothing, you believed both. You silly rabbit, believing a democrat.
#25 Roger Rabbit says:
I’m not surprised there’s a an underage girl in the picture you linked to.
Who said anything about Bush? Impeach Gonzales. Impeach Cheney. Maybe there’ll be time left over to impeach Bush.
They should be citing these clowns, their subordinates, and their hemidemisemiordinates for contempt, sending the sergeant-at-arms to jail people who refuse to even show up, let alone testify — and they aren’t even doing THAT.
Add to that the fact that any time the Senate starts working on legislation the American people actually want the Republicans kill it, and it’s no wonder the people aren’t happy with Congress. They’ll remember this come election time, and they’ll have a pretty good idea whose fault it is.
I know feeding trolls like Mark1 and “me” @ 9 is pointless, but I have to ask, what do you hope to accomplish by adding such utterly useless and pointedly banal comments? Do you actually have a point to make or are you simply hoping to incite other readers of this site to waste time deconstructing your so poorly constructed comments?
Please contribute something to the conversation. If you have a differing opinion, or would like to educate or enlighten the rest of to your way of thinking, please do.. Otherwise, what does the name calling and straw man positing do for you?
rla – Surely you can add something more constructive than ad hominem attacks calling everyone a troll. Goldy’s post flat said he does not like the current Congress so how is that trolling? Its a good conversation to see how each side thinks about the same subject.
#18, the righties have nothing but tired out talking points that only make sense to the average Republicon zombie.
No Facts Support Their Positions
None
I loved hearing Rove claim the lying chimp put America “on a war footing”. What he meant was because of 9-11, we have the right to kill as many innocent people as we want, and lie about the reasons why they had to die. That is Bush’s war footing.
And you wonder why thousands of people are willing to kill themselves attacking us, and our allies. Can anyone blame them?
We would have made the people of Iraq suffer less if we just lined up one million of them against a wall, and executed them quickly. Standing by while the blow each other up on a daily basis is far worse.
Every single death in Iraq since shock and awe is a murder committed by the lying chimp, and the greedy cowardly bastards that support him.
Murder.
I just gave Darcy $100.
Screw you Bush, and may your supporters burn in hell with you.
Today’s Republicons are just like the NAZIS that followed Hitler to the bitter end. Maybe worse. Hitler was a billion times smarter than Bush. His propaganda expert Goerbils was the one who Rove patterns himself after, and learned his tricks from.
I’d love to contribute to Ms. Burner’s campaign even though I don’t live in her district. However, before I do so, I’d like to understand what her actual plans are and what specifics she will propose to solve some of the problems we currently facing. Her positions as stated on her web site are very high level and lack specifics to the point of sometimes being motherhood and apple pie rather than brass tacks action. For example:
On Tax Fairness:
I support tax relief for the middle class, and I would require that profitable corporations and the very wealthy pay their fair share of the tax burden.
What does this mean? Will she work to fix the AMT ceiling, perhaps peg it to inflation? Will she propose legislation that will add to the child tax credit? Will she propose changes to the tax tables to shift the burden higher? Will she work to get rid of corporate welfare and subsidies that recycle already underpaid revenues to certain industries? What?
I’d be very happy to invest in someone who will make a real positive difference even outside my district. That said, I am investing. Please, give me a good reason to.
To begin with, the word fair is not in the constitution of the IRS tax code. Life isn’t fair. The rich already pay the majority of the taxes being paid.
From 1986 to 2004, the share paid by the richest half increased from 93.5% to 96.7%, and the share paid by the richest 1% increased from 25.75% to 36.89%. At the same time, the amount paid by the poorer half decreased from 6.5% in 1986 to 3.3% in 2004. While the poor’s contribution was cut in half, the richest Americans saw their contribution increase by nearly 50%. When you get past the propaganda, for the last two decades the rich have been paying more and more while the poor have been paying less and less.
http://www.letxa.com/articles/9
Why should people with kids get a tax break? They are over populating the planet, and with that creating more of a burden on the planet. They should have to pay a tax for having children.
Shift the burden higher, the poor already get an earned income tax credit for NOT earning enough money. How about a flat tax, EVERYONE pays the same % of their earned income. That would be “fair.”
Ending corporate welfare would be great, unfortunately politicians get “contributions” from them, even the man of the people, john edwards.
me @ 17, I didn’t call everyone a troll. Just you and one other.
You said: “Which shows that the current Democratic Congress sucks which also agrees with the current polls that the rest of the Nation including Republicans think the same thing.”
How does this add to a conversation regarding giving money to Darcy Burner?
Republican talking points continually use the phrase “Democratic Congress” when trying blame Democrats for inaction in congress by conflating a non-cloture proof Democratic headcount in the Senate and failure to make sigificant progress on any particulare issue.
Every poll that talks about satisfaction with Congress asks one simple question as evidenced by the CBS poll on Aug 13, “q6 Do you approve or disapprove of the way Congress is handling its job?” Is it possible to extrapolate any value out of this type of poll question for this discussion?
So tell me, what was the point of your comment?
My wife, after we read the very good post, asks me “Why are you reading that shit?” where she’s referring to the comments here. Good question, I reply. Mostly because only shitheads comment here. Nevertheless, Darcy is a great candidate, with better answers, and we link her at our blog.
Marvin @ 20..
I’m not proposing that she should give people with kids a higher tax break, or that she tax the rich more heavily. My questions were not leading because of my view on the subject. They reflect some proposed directions other candidates have floated on this subject.
The point is, I don’t know what she means by this statement and other position statements she’s published. We’re left to guess. I personally want more information on the candidates position before I plunk down my $4,600, especially outside of my district. I’d be willing to bet others will want more concrete answers before investing as well..
Bush visiting here is a catalyzing event for both left and right, and though I certainly can’t match $10k against a Bush/Reichert/Esser supporter, I suspect that this event will bring together more of us out here than there will be wining and dining with the president in there. So yes, I’m a sucker for this, I’m on board.
Although I can’t describe Burner’s plans to the level rla @19 would prefer (what candidates ever get that specific on their Web sites?), I read Megavote and I know how Reichert has been voting well enough to know that I’ve had quite enough of him representing me in Congress.
Would somebody please tell Darcy Burner that this is 2007…..last year’s election is over….. SHE LOST….. and President Bush isn’t running for WA-08 Representative in 2008? And while your at it, remind her that she’s got to win a primary election before she can ever hope to unseat Dave Reichert. Go home blondie……the game is already over.
In the same vein, please also Join us for an impeachment party on the occasion of Bush’s visit to our neighborhood. We’ll be honoring Senator Eric Oemig for sponsoring our state’s impeachment resolution. When: 6 p.m. Aug 27th, Where: Laurel Park Clubhouse — 11012 N.E. 68th Street, Kirkland, WA.
Please bring a dish or drink to share.
To fuel the momentum, please bring your checkbook. Freedom isn’t free.
For questions or directions, call Nancy Rising (425) 827-9181
I would like to contribute to Darcy. What is Ames Lake Home Owners Assoiciation donation address???? hehehehe
And the Chimp-in-Chief will be here in Reno on Tuesday, addressing the American Legion convention, right across the street from where my band is playing at the Atlantis. Good thing I don’t have to be there until 10pm, by then the protestors will be long gone, the Legionnaires will be drunk off their asses, and the Chimp will be safely in his reality-proof jet, doing his part to insure the return of the Recraplican Party to ‘permanent minority’ status.
I don’t want Bush impeached at all. The longer he stays in office, the more damage he does to his party’s future. And if was actually dumb enough to take a swipe at Iran, I wouldn’t be surprised if there was actually a military coup d’etat staged to remove him from office. My stepsons in the military have told me that the soldiers they know want him gone just as badly as we civilians do.
‘And if HE was’……..argh. Trying valiantly to make a salient point, only to be undone by my lousy typing!
@20 Marvin Stamn
This stuff about the rich paying a huge share is horse turds.
Forget fairness (if you must) but an economy of only the rich would last about 3 picoyears. The rich pay taxes and extract benefit. So do the rest of us. The onlky thing that matters is how much wealth each individual can accumulate or spend.
So, the issue os whether our current mix of wealth, after taxes and costs of living, is productive. Does it increase our wealth as a society to have the present dichotmy of wealth?
John Stuart Mill discovered that extremes like this hurt society because the middle class was needed to generate cash flow … make and buy stuff. Don’y leave them with enough money and the thing stops.
So, this BS about the rich paying taxes is menaingless. We could restructure the syste, s that the salary gpa was smaller and then the rich would be taxed less but take hime the same amount.
You get it? Govmint prints the money, we distribute the govmints money through a free market and give some of it back to the govmnt can print more.
Goldy:
Has anyone ever raised 100K in a netroots campaign? What is the record?
Yes, but you’ll still be supporting disgruntled former Republican legislator Tommy Rod after he cleans Darcy’s clock in next year’s primary
I’m pretty sure it is $1,000 per person not $10,000…
@16
Well in that case I guess Roger Rodent out to be your target eh?
I wonder how Reichert and Bush would react if people were to line the streets in Bellevue on his way to the $10,000 a plate fund raiser and show Bush and Reichert their middle fingers. Can Reichert lie about getting everyone fired?
Oh and Marvin, you forgot to close your italic.
Since your minions claim many of us are RNC employees, how much are you getting paid from the Darcy Moonbat! campaign ASSIE Voice?
Your threads for her are more amazing everyday!
Michael Caine:
Don’t possess the skillset to close italics?
I wonder if Darcy supports sanctuary cities? Does she support Newark Mayor Cory Booker’s comments? Did she get the latest from Nancy Stretch Pelosi? I’d love to hear her position on ICE? Did she decide on the winter flower arrangement for her neighborhood?
Why doesn’t ASSIE Voice ask her these questions?
Will illegals work on her neighborhood flower patch? Who is hired to reroof their homes? Does she support cheap labor liberals like Mattel Toy Corporation? Does her child suck on their Thomas the Tank Engine toys? Did they get a doll stuffed with garbage?
What will Darcy Moonbat! say when someone asks her about Joe Wilson and his lying?
Oops… dumb question… Librul Seattle media people like Nicole Brodeur don’t ask the TOUGH questions!
What’s Darcy’s position on the Seattle Pee-In-Your-Eye’s stance on the FBI request?
If you Moonbat!s want her as your rep, she’s got to have a position on these and other questions.
What does Darcy Moonbat! think about illegals, who vote Democratic, who rape little kids? Surely she has a position on this?
What is Darcy Moonbat!s position on partial birth abortion?
Oops… I better stop asking thse tough questions about Darcy Moonbat!
Well at least I am asking about something important. More than Pellethead the Pelletizer says in a week and in many FEWER posts!
#35, I am making my “Republicans Are A Disease” sign right now.
Funny Puddybud, I’ve never heard Dave “don’t call me Shirly” Reichert’s position on any of those “issues”, and he’s been our Congressman for 2.5 years!
Why don’t you pay $10,000 for the opportunity to ask Reichert your questions (he hasn’t held a town hall since 2005) and you can watch him ask the President what to answer before he responds.
rla says:
“How does this add to a conversation regarding giving money to Darcy Burner?”
The answer is obvious – is Darcy ‘progressive’ enough to change how people think about Congress or will her being elected just add to the Democrats woes.
“Republican talking points continually use the phrase “Democratic Congress””
Hmmmmm – that is not a talking point but a fact – why try to spin it.
“when trying blame Democrats for inaction in congress by conflating a non-cloture proof Democratic headcount in the Senate and failure to make sigificant progress on any particulare issue.”
Maybe the root cause is the Democrats were out of power so long they forgot how to govern so now all they are capable of doing is adding record earmarks to legislation (not the Republicans do the same thing)
“Every poll that talks about satisfaction with Congress asks one simple question as evidenced by the CBS poll on Aug 13, “q6 Do you approve or disapprove of the way Congress is handling its job?” Is it possible to extrapolate any value out of this type of poll question for this discussion?”
Absolutely – see above
“So tell me, what was the point of your comment?”
See above!
Yes, but you’ll still be supporting
A Sharansky prediction. The kiss of death for whomever it favors. Darcy’s a shoo-in now.
@32
Yes, but you’ll still be supporting disgruntled former Republican legislator Tommy Rod after he cleans Darcy’s clock in next year’s primary
Stefan, as always, thank you so much for the great material you give us for Effin Unsound.
Lee @50: ROTF
I’m going to use blogs and e-mail to get the news out about the actblue Darcy Page. Plus, I’m going to contribute later today.
That’s how the netroots works. The direct mail mentality is outre’.
@44 Puddybus..
Do you even KNOW what “partial birth abortion” is? The issue is phony, deceptive, ROVIAN.
Here are some facts:
1. The SC did not ban late term abortion at all.
2. They banned a specific form of late term abortion where the fetus is killed (yes I like being honest) after most of the body is out. It remains utterly legal to kill the fetus while it is contained in utero.
2. The only difference between the two procedures is where the fetus is, part out or all in, when it is macerated. This is, at best, an aesthetic choice. At worst, it may endanger the Mom since the partial birth approach is easier and requires less training.
The USC should have rejected this case is not being a legal issue. BUT, presumably for Rovian reasons, the case was pursued I guess to make a point.
Puddy=my-bud do yo have a non-name calling side? If so, I would enjoy a serious answer to the following question:
What has the SC decision on partial birth achieved?
a. a symbolic victory, a warning of things to come.
b. nothing, this is an irritating and unnecessary example of judicial legislation.
c. a real change, saving lives that would otherwise be lost.
d. nothing, they will do more when the next SC justice is replaced.
@13, 14 – Bet you feel real proud of yourself being a shill for the most corrupt and inept administration since Grant. You need to stand in front of a mirror and take a good look at yourself, Stamn.
Jew – I know your mind is made up and that facts won’t change your position, but the fact of the matter is that us Producers at the top end carry the overwhelming portion of the tax burden.
http://www.allegromedia.com/sugi/taxes/
Sorry to burst your bubble. Dumass…
20 MS
Well, no one’s going to “get past the propaganda” while reading one of your posts. Standard Republican cherry-picking is the choose only numbers from income tax (our most progressive or even ONLY progeressive federal tax) and ignore other taxes such as the payroll tax, which is crushingly regressive. To quote Karl “Slime” Rove, “Nice try.”
I tend to agree, but only because I don’t have kids.
As you alluded earlier, “fair” is a subjective measure. This would not be more “fair” by my standards.
But my question to you is: when you say “earned income,” do you mean wages only? Dividend, capital gains, income from passive activities, gifts, government benefits, profits from a business partnership or sole proprietorship, interest income, non-cash benefits, in-kind contributions, scholarships and other cash assistance…..or what?
@20 “The rich already pay the majority of the taxes being paid.”
Duh … they make the majority of the money!!
“the word fair is not in the constitution of the IRS tax code. Life isn’t fair.”
This is your excuse for defending an unfair tax system?!
“When you get past the propaganda, for the last two decades the rich have been paying more and more while the poor have been paying less and less.”
Maybe that’s because ALL of the economy’s gains since 1975 have gone to the richest 5%.
“As we’ve learned from several recent disappointing votes, it is not enough to just send Democrats to Washington — we need to send progressive Democrats who will stand up for the values and concerns of their constituents.”
Very interesting comment.
Darcy Burner has no real platform, values, concerns or postions that aren’t handed to her by the DNC. She has no record of any meaningful publice service to point to indicating her “independent positions or thinking”.
What’s really funny is this…You accuse Rep Reichert of being a rubberstamp for Bush. Yet you complain that the Democrats in control now are not rubberstamp enough for you liberal “netroot” characters…So what you are saying is that Darcy is just the right type of rubberstamp for your liberal netroot ideology.
Brilliant!
58 Well said. Not sure what a ‘netroot ideology’ is though. Is that where folks think a good way of sending Bush a message is to have a discussion in a chat room instead of getting out in the street?
@20 Stamn, how do you justify a tax code that lets people inherit $2.5 million they didn’t work for without paying a penny of taxes? While wage earners get less than $10,000 of exemptions?
And before you make a fool of yourself again by responding, “the guy who earned that $2.5 million paid taxes on it, so taxing estates is double taxation,” you should first do a little research on stepped-up basis, because capital gains passed through an estate to heirs have NEVER been taxed. And because most multimillion-dollar estates have significant untaxed capital gains, the effective tax rate on a significant portion of inheritances is, in many cases, zero. Zero when it was earned; and zero when it is passed on to heirs.
How is that fair to wage earners? And if you agree it isn’t fair, why shouldn’t we reform the tax code to make it more fair?
I think we should have a flat-rate tax where everyone gets the same exemptions and pays the same tax rate. We should eliminate the inheritance tax and treat inheritances as ordinary income of the heir. We should tax the earned commissions of hedge fund managers as ordinary income, not capital gains. In fact, we should tax capital gains, dividends, interest, and other investment income the same as wages. Do you have any problem with this?
Hey MtR-
The spelling of “dumass” (sic) is “dumbass”,
DUMBASS!!!
re 19: Who do you think is more likely to understand your questions: Reichert, Bush, or Darcy Burner?
And don’t give me Bush’s Harvard MBA BS either. That’s as real as Elvis’ blackbelt.
re 61: MTR is attempting to make a comparison to Alexandre Dumas — the first African-American French author!
I think we can all agree on one thing: with the accommodations that will be made for Bush’s motorcade, traffic for the rest of us will be even more fucked up than ever.
I see Darcy didn’t learn a damn thing from the 2006 election. You can’t win simply by parroting Democratic party talking points. She tried to run against Bush the last time, even though he wasn’t on the ballot. He won’t even be on office the next election cycle, so how is she going to fit Bush into her campaign commercials next year? Original ideas of her own is the only hope she has, but thus far she has none. No experience + no original ideas = 100% empty suit LOSER!!!
re 58: You are just making things up out of whole cloth. Rodney Tom is the ‘annointed one’ of the DNC — not Darcy Burner.
Do you really think Reichert could verbally communicate his ‘platform’? He probably thinks it’s his patio deck.
Re 65: One of Darcy Burner’s original ideas is to transform the world economy by abolishing money and issuing every human beeing one million “quatloos” — a hypothetical ‘value’ that is securely stored in a centralized main-frame located deep in the Ural mountains.
This, Burner theorizes, will give everyone the even start that fairness, the DNC, and the typical Liberal’s PLAYBOOK, demands.
How is that fair to wage earners? And if you agree it isn’t fair, why shouldn’t we reform the tax code to make it more fair?
First the obvious. Life isn’t fair. Some people hit the lottery. As US citizens we all hit the lotter compared to much of the world.
The current system sucks and is already a huge income re-distribution from high wage to low wage earners.
Fine, good, let’s have a flat tax.
http://www.govtrack.us/congres.....l=h110-104
It’s been sitting in congress for a very long time.
I hear that Davey the Dim had a banner week. He finally got it straight–stand to piss and sit to shit. No more Depends for Davey!
Hey PL,
I like that:
Davey the Dim Bulb – the wingnut’s choice!
@65 “Original ideas of her own is the only hope she has, but thus far she has none.”
Wingnut Fallacy #13: Repeating a lie 10,000 times doesn’t make it true.
@68 “Right Stuff says: … Life isn’t fair.”
True, but whoever said that intended it to be an observation, not a value system.
@68 “The current system sucks and is already a huge income re-distribution from high wage to low wage earners.”
Really? Disregarding the income redistribution that results from government-sanctioned monopolies, the rich receive many times as much welfare as the poor.
A closeted, serial liar and draft dodger who wants another Vietnam, with a slacker cop whose only accomplishment is catching a serial killer 10 years too late.
That’s worth more than $10K.
Roger Rabbit says:
@65 “Original ideas of her own is the only hope she has, but thus far she has none.”
Wingnut Fallacy #13: Repeating a lie 10,000 times doesn’t make it true.
Really? I thought that was YOUR tactic, except that your lies are repeated 100,000 times since your entire life and self worth are invested in this blog.
@65 It’s ironic to see a wingnut complaining about talking points and lack of original ideas. No wingnut ever had an original idea; all they do is spew talking points. And there’s a big difference between DNC and wingnut talking points: Wingnut spew is based on lies. A wingnut complaining about other people using talking points is like Ted Bundy complaining about crime.
Burner has to be unrelenting in her dismissal of Bush/Neocon policy, and Reichert’s role as toady.
She has to 1) take out the trash, 2) define the fix, and 3) tell the truth at all times, even when it’s unpopular.
She’ll face a huge block of voters who are waiting for someone to cut through the lies. If she doesn’t do it this time, they’ll settle for Reichert, again. She really has to knock his block off. Anything less is failure. She can leave behind the stupid block who believe Saddam attacked us and terrorists are taking over the ferries, as long as she goes for the far bigger, more cynical block who are waiting for someone to call BS on a terror policy that stops the ferry for a bundle of incense.
67 HL
It’s true. You have to lie to have something to say.
Um, 58…Mr. “Right” Stuff…it’s mighty nice of you to label us “brilliant,” but it’s really not necessary and a tad hyperbolic. People don’t criticize Reichert for being a rubberstamp for the president b/c it implies he’s brainless or weak-willed (though if the shoe fits). The charge here is that he’s aligned with a man whose policies we don’t agree with and judging by his popularity around the country (hovering around 25-35% and even lower in washington state), most of the voters do not agree with either. That doesn’t clash with harboring criticism against those in our own party with whom we don’t agree. Moreover, I would posit that we are going to root most heartily with someone whose opinions agree with our own and push candidates to support positions and policies with which we agree. I’m pretty sure that’s the democratic process. Anyway, good luck with your trollery, Mr. Stuff…I’ll just bask in the fun that Reichert is going to be one of the unseated in the November wave.
#10 SeattleJew says:
Correct me if I’m wrong, I believe the federal reserve prints the money. I also believe the federal reserve is a private corporation. The federal reserve “loans” the govmint the money.
re 80: The U.S. Treasury prints one, two, five, 10, 20, 50, and 100 dollar bills. The U.S. Mint makes pennies, nickels, dimes, quarters, and silver dollar coins.
Wealth is created by capital when capital creates an artificial void called ‘debt’. Since the only way to create real wealth is through the labor of working people, keeping working people in perpetual debt is the engine for perpetual growth.
It’s a forced and artificial system that depends upon people believing that money is real — which it isn’t.
‘Quatloos’ , on the other hand, are as real as an electronic blippozoid.
Was going to type something naughty about our darling little Darcy, but don’t want Daddy to go as postal as postal chadt.
You are wrong Marvin, the Federal Reserve is not a private corporation. It is a Federal Charter, just as the IRS is and just as the US Post Office is. They were all established by acts of Congress to provide certain Government services and all of its upper management has to be appointed by the Federal Government. Their salaries are paid through the Federal Budget process and their operations are dictated to by Federal Bureaucracies.
Perpetual growth is unsustainable, no matter what the Russians and the Conservatives tell you.
“People don’t criticize Reichert for being a rubberstamp for the president b/c it implies he’s brainless or weak-willed (though if the shoe fits).”
You obviously haven’t been here long…
Use the search tool for HA on “rubber stamp reichert” and see the results….
“The charge here is that he’s aligned with a man whose policies we don’t agree with and judging by his popularity around the country (hovering around 25-35% and even lower in washington state), most of the voters do not agree with either.”
I assume the “we” you refer to are the 8th CD voters. And as of 8 months ago, that “we” voted him back to office. He was re-elected BECAUSE of his policies and alignment with GWB on the war. He has also been independent of GWB and the RNC.
“I would posit that we are going to root most heartily with someone whose opinions agree with our own and push candidates to support positions and policies with which we agree. I’m pretty sure that’s the democratic process.”
Again with the “we”……”We” voted to return Rep Reichert 8 months ago. That definitely was the democratic process.
Anyway, good luck with your trollery, Mr. Stuff…I’ll just bask in the fun that Reichert is going to be one of the unseated in the November wave.
Thanks and right back at you with your moonbatness…
We’ll see.
So, answer me this, you economic/political geniuses:
We all know that the Federal Reserve loans money to banks.
Where does it get that money from?
re 86: It’s fiat money — ‘quatloos’.
87 Fiat, my arse….in the Bushista world of “trickle-up” economics, it eventually becomes Ferrari money.
But, basically, you’re saying it’s money that’s conjured up out of nowhere…right, Lucy?
headless @ 81:
Wealth is created by adding value to something that someone else would like to have. Initially, people bartered because there was no money. Money was initially based on something of intrinsic value like Gold but that has gone by the way side. The intrinsic value of money these days (in the US) is dependent upon the economy which is dependent upon people working and adding value. Folks who have done well adding value have more money which can be spent buying something else of value or invested to start a business that adds value.
Value in this case is totally in the eye of the spender.
So could you please explain your thoughts behind:
“Wealth is created by capital when capital creates an artificial void called ‘debt’”?
@55 “us Producers”
Who? YOU?!!! You can’t even pay a $100 gambling debt!!!
Bwaaaa-haaa-haa-ha ha ha har har
HAR HAR HAR HAR HAR HAR HAR HAR HAR HAR HAR HAR HAR HAR HAR HAR HAR HAR HAR HAR HAR HAR HAR HAR HAR HAR HAR HAR HAR HAR HAR HAR HAR HAR HAR HAR HAR HAR HAR HAR HAR HAR HAR HAR HAR HAR HAR HAR HAR HAR HAR HAR HAR HAR HAR HAR HAR HAR HAR HAR HAR HAR HAR HAR HAR HAR HAR HAR HAR HAR HAR HAR HAR HAR HAR HAR HAR HAR HAR HAR HAR HAR HAR HAR HAR HAR HAR HAR HAR HAR
re 90: Debt is the fuel of the economic engine. Adam Smith pointed out that the only way to create wealth is through labor. The only way to keep labor creating wealth is to create perpetual debt.
You and I try to garner enough wealth to keep us out of debt. The capitalist collects as much debt as he can get his hands on (by fair means or foul) because that is where the wealth comes from.
It’s a very simple concept that every 8th grader was taught in my day.
@80 “I also believe the federal reserve is a private corporation.”
You believe a lot of things that aren’t true. I won’t speculate on where you got this from, a misreading of Lewis v. U.S., or confusing the federal reserve system with its member banks, but in any case …
the federal reserve system was created by act of Congress
the Board of Governors is a federal agency
the BOG is appointed by the president
the BOG exercises government regulatory power over the banking system
the BOG is required by law to submit annual reports to Congress
the federal reserve system is an instrument of government policymaking
Damn, Stamn, pull your head far enough out of your ass to come up for air once in a while!
@81 Most of our money is already electronic blippozoids. Physical currency comprises only a minor percentage of M2 (and even less of M3).
@89 ” … you’re saying it’s money that’s conjured up out of nowhere …?”
Sort of: “Open market operations are the means of implementing monetary policy by which a central bank controls its national money supply by buying and selling government securities, or other instruments. Monetary targets, such as interest rates or exchange rates, are used to guide this implementation.
“Since most money is now in the form of electronic records, rather than paper records such as banknotes, open market operations are conducted simply by electronically increasing or decreasing (‘crediting’ or ‘debiting’) the amount of money that a bank has, e.g., in its reserve account at the central bank, in exchange for a bank selling or buying a financial instrument. Newly created money is used by the central bank to buy in the open market a financial asset, such as government bonds, foreign currency, or gold. If the central bank sells these assets in the open market, the amount of money that the purchasing bank holds decreases, effectively destroying money.
“The process does not literally require the immediate printing of new currency. A central bank account for a member bank can simply be increased electronically.”
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Open_market_operation
@90 What intrinsic value did gold have, historically, before its industrial applications (e.g., in the space program) were discovered?
@90 “Folks who have done well adding value have more money which can be spent buying something else of value or invested to start a business that adds value.”
Why do you assume that folks who do well added any value? How about successful thieves? What value do they add? Welfare recipients? Here in the west, where federal reclamation projects cost on average $2 million per farm, does a farmer receiving the benefit of those projects who does well by getting federal subsidies to not grow crops add value? What value do taxpayer-funded mercenaries (aka “contractors”) in Iraq add to the economy (theirs or ours)? What value does Paris Hilton add by inheriting $40 million from her grandfather? Or do you wish to argue that Hilton isn’t doing well?
My point is, there are plenty of people who “do well” without adding value.
On the other hand, there are millions of workers who add value every day, but aren’t doing well. That’s because the relationship between effort that adds value to the economy (or to society’s overall wealth) and the distribution of wealth is very poorly defined in a capitalist economy. Workers aren’t fully rewarded for the value they add because they have weak bargaining power, while people like Stephen Schwarzman get compensation billions even though they produce nothing because they’re in a position to scoop money off the top of the financial system.
hey joe what do you play the skin flute
@89 – Money is not conjured out of no where unless you we in Germany after WW1. The German government basically printed billions of marks out of no where causing immense inflation.
#92 Lucy – Can you provide a reference please to Adam Smith?
#96 Roger – Gold was at one time the standard for money. Governments used Gold to ensure their debts. As I mentioned that has passed by the wayside many years ago other wise the price of Gold would be several thousands of dollars which would have caused the federal government to increase their price from $35.00 an ounce a way long time ago.
#92 Lucy
“You and I try to garner enough wealth to keep us out of debt. The capitalist collects as much debt as he can get his hands on (by fair means or foul) because that is where the wealth comes from.”
You still swear that we are not all Capitalists – even Roger has admitted he has stocks in his retirement account.
So our retirement accounts do make us Capitalists. Do you not have a retirement account?
#97 Roger Rabbit says:
On the other hand, there are millions of workers who add value every day, but aren’t doing well.
I agree with you! My son is in that position. He works in many cases under the table but how can the Democrats help him suvive?
#98 Roger
What is the problem with ‘stored’ value? If I inherit $50K or $500K from my parents why should I pay taxes on that? They have already paid taxes on their income or dividends.
Comments Please?
Roger Rabbit says:
“On the other hand, there are millions of workers who add value every day, but aren’t doing well.”
That is where Unions should be involved to protect the average worker (oops! I sound like a Democrat).
Yes Unions are necessary and I also believe in universal medical care as we should have that care (oops! I sound like a Democrat)