The Seattle chapter of Drinking Liberally meets tonight (and every Tuesday), 8PM at the Montlake Ale House, 2307 24th Avenue E. I’ll be there with parched lips.
I’m particularly looking forward to getting back on the podcast after the fogies boomers took it over last week. Betcha we speculate about tomorrow’s Supreme Court ruling on WA’s Defense of Marriage Act.
Oh… and if you happen to be a liberal drinker on the other side of the mountains I received an email from Jim this morning. Apparently it’s “freaking hot” out there so the Tri-Cities chapter of DL is meeting an hour later tonight, at 8 PM, Atomic Ale, 1015 Lee Blvd., in Richland.
And when it’s freaking hot for the Tri-Cities, it’s freaking hot.
Balmy 104 right now. Whoohoo!
Spokane’s fine right now as long as you don’t have to be in the sun: 93 with low humidity. I’m out on the (covered) patio, and it’s just a little too warm for me, not unbearable. 104’s too hot regardless of the humidity.
it’s a kewl 70 here in Everett :-)
Maria Cantwell , has voted for every bomb bullet and rocket that Israel is waging an illegal war of agression with . It was bad enough to support the war in Iraq , sustain the killing that the brewing civil war is creating . What’s with this war gal Senator Cantwell anyway ??
She says she has a plan , her boss Bush says things are going great . Meanwhile the “progressive base ” of Washington state lazily reaches for the low hanging fruit in their support for their war party candidate , Ms. Cantwell .
Over 2500 dead U S troops , 100,000 dead Iraqi civilians , trillions stolen from social security to support this fiasco . If Maria is right then the dead must be wrong . Heck of a job , Maria , democrats are making a killing on the war .
Frodo failed! Bush got the Ring.
The African Connection: DEMOCRAT Rep. Jefferson and Joe Wilson
The documents seized in the FBI raid on the offices of Rep. William Jefferson (DEMOCRAT-LA) remain unread by Justice Department investigators, pending a federal Appeals Court ruling scheduled for August 27. [snip] But we already know a bit about the charges and some of the alleged partners of Congressman Jefferson. Two people have pleaded guilty to bribing him.
Now, Remember,
Rep. William Jefferson, DEMOCRAT-La., who represents New Orleans, led a daring mission at the height of the flood crisis salvage his possessions and to be evacuated
Jefferson went into the house alone, the source says, while the soldiers waited on the porch for about an hour. Finally, according to the source, DEMOCRAT Jefferson emerged with a laptop computer, three suitcases, and a box about the size of a small refrigerator, which the enlisted men loaded up into the truck.
How many of you moonbats will be doing your part to combat “global warming” by walking or biking? Or at the very least taking an otherwise empty Metro bus?
It would be very hypocritical for any of you to drive a vehicle with an internal combustion engine, and your gawd algore would be very disappointed in you. Don’t disappoint your gawd.
Mark the Redneck @ 9
“It would be very hypocritical…”
Speaking of hypocritical…didn’t you have a bet with Goldy for $100? When are you going to make good on your bet, jackass?
How many of you moonbats will be doing your part to combat “global warming†by walking or biking? Or at the very least taking an otherwise empty Metro bus?
Yeah, the Metro buses are always empty. LOL! If you were any dumber, you could be classified as a plant.
Would MTR be welcome at DL? I’m thinking about dropping by and meeting some of you.
Mark the Retarded is such a cartoon character we should contact DC Comics and see if we can get him incorporated into one of there storylines. . .you know as . . .say DUMBSHIT MAN or some such.
Mark, that first beer is gonna be expensive:$
103.75.
If Mark shows up without a crisp Ben Franklin, I’ll be happy to “baptize” him with whatever beer I’ve got in my hand. . . . . .
MTR show up? Hell I might come if there’s a chance to call this fool a coward to his face!
It’s hot in Tokyo, and very humid. About 32 celsius (90 fahrenheit), 95+% humidity. They say the rain is ending, right about the time I’m heading for home.
My suite is a cotton-wool blend, like most of the ones we buy in Seattle. But in this weather I am very aware that it has too much wool, and not enough cotton in it. It’s fine for Seattle, but here it’s too hot.
In a concession to global warming, the government has requested all offices (public and private) to raise their thermastats so less fuel is consumed. This means the average office temperture is about 85 degrees F. But they also get to dress “summer casual”, without wearing a coat and tie. If I had known that before I came, I would have left the suit at home entirely.
I’m leaving in a few hours, about 4:00 PM flying to SF, then on a connecting flight to Seattle, arriving about 1:00 PM in Seattle – ON THE SAME DAY. Air travel and international date lines can be really interesting. Then to the office to check on things before going home.
By the way, did you know there are bluegrass music bars in Tokyo????? All local (Japanese) musicians, who study it pretty seriously. Musically they are very good. But its a bit of a challenge for them to sing English lyrics with a southern accent, combined with the country wail that is the Bluegrass style. But one singer even managed a respectible yodel.
I think I’ll pass on the “drinking liberally” tonight, as I’ll be in the air over the Pacific, I think.
# 17 is by RHP6033. I didn’t realize that the cookie with my nickname wasn’t on this computer.
By the way, did you know there are bluegrass music bars in Tokyo????? All local (Japanese) musicians, who study it pretty seriously. Musically they are very good. But its a bit of a challenge for them to sing English lyrics with a southern accent, combined with the country wail that is the Bluegrass style. But one singer even managed a respectible yodel.
Bluegrass is tough to sing under the best of conditions, but when Japanese is your first language, it’s definitely not the best of conditions. Still, it sounds like a great experience for you.
Safe travels.
17 I presume they still provide you with stuff to eat and drink on international flights. It’s getting so bad that one expects them to announce that due to the rising cost of fuel the passengers are all going to have to climb out on the wings and fart.
How wonderful it is to live in a “deregulated” world.
Fly safe dude. You’ll be happy to know that the heat wave’s broken here (at least for the time being) and you’ll be nice and comfortable.
5- Even Cantwell(D-Mexico,voted for NAFTA and CAFTA)gets one right once in awhile. Maybe she thought war would be good for American workers, just like NAFTA and CAFTA.
I’ve yet to hear a liberal explain how NAFTA and CAFTA helped the working class. Guess you agree that Cantwell(D-Mexico, voted against building a fence on the Mexican border) is just a cheap labor corporate Dem.
Didn’t Israel get attacked first by Hamas and then by Hezbollah? I guess that no matter what they do, they will be accused of being the agressor, because, you know, they really shouldn’t be there in the first place. You know that they stole all that territory. Even those hundreds of thousands who had been living in Jerusalem since the late 1800’s. And, yeah, they bought the rest, legally, but it was wrong of those Palestinians to sell it!
Anonymous, Flying to Japan, and back?? What about fossil fuel comsuption? What about “global warming”? What about the “ozone hole”? Don’t you libs care about the environment? Don’t you listen to Al Gore? I’m amazed at the hypocrite lib Democrats whoall wish to “save the world” by passing laws and attacking capitalism, but, like the Kennedys, do as they wish because they are “special”. hehe, JCH Kennedy
Hell, even I would come if I knew for sure that Redneck would show up! I’ve always wanted to meet Homer Simpson face to face, just to see what a real dork looks like up close and personal.
I’m in my burrow counting my money! Even a hole in the ground is now worth half a million bucks in Seattle. And I don’t even own the land.
The Accidental Revenue
The Economist, a British newsweekly with a conservative slant, says George Bush deserves little or no credit for improving deficit figures.
As has been reported elsewhere (and I’ve previously posted), the falling deficit is due entirely to surging revenue; Bush’s spending continues apace. And the increased revenue is coming from only two places: Corporate income taxes, and higher tax collections from CEOs raking in enormous salaries, bonuses, and stock options.
Bush didn’t cut corporate taxes at all. As The Economist points out, the higher tax collections from corporations are because the share of the national economic pie going to corporate profits is at an all-time high.
There has been no trickle down of this wealth to workers. Zip. Nada. None. Trickle-down is a myth.
The Economist also notes that part of the improvement is due to the fact the Bush administration consistently overestimates deficits so the actual numbers will look better. And a deficit equal to 2.6% of GDP just before the baby boomers begin retiring is not a good thing. Finally, the recent improvement in the deficit won’t last; it will evaporate when Congress fixes the AMT (alternative minimum tax), which is rapidly overtaking what is now considered middle incomes because it was never indexed to inflation.
The article is in the July 15th issue (with Putin’s picture on the cover), which is currently on local newsstands (but is not the current issue on the magazine’s web site). I didn’t link to the article because you have to pay to read it on the internet.
Janet S — you’re back! And debating better than ever!
I think you deserve an award for dumbing down the discussion about Lebanon by sketching a caricature of such overpowering simplicity.
Take that, straw man! And that!
Too bad you can’t (or won’t) rise above the easy duality. You present the argument as if there were a clear white and black, with no shades of gray. Indeed, you leave the impression that you think there are no differences of opinion among . . . leftists? Democrats? Non-conservatives? Non-Janets?
That puts some of us who would appreciate a good discussion in a bad position. Should we engage a dialogue when you would rather beat your straw man? Or should we ignore you and hope you’ll go back to Sound Politics, where all of your favorite dualities can rest in peace?
I’m busy on a writing assignment, so will opt for the latter. I hope you find someone who will take your bait.
27
“white and black”
But that’s what wingers are all about. They see everything in terms of white or black, good vs. evil, textbook economics, oversimplifications. They can’t handle ambiguity or subtlety. Above all, they can’t handle the real world.
How poorly their ideas work in the real world speaks for itself, doesn’t it?
I was merely responding to the simplistic liberal post in #5. Maria voted for the Iraq war, and voted to support Israel. I’m willing to bet it was a principled vote, and not pandering to the Jewish community in this state. I’m a republican. So what is your excuse for accusing her of all sorts of nastiness? After all, she is on your side.
“After all, she is on your side.” — Janet S
Maybe in your dualistic world there are only two sides. It must be very comfortable there, Janet. Heaven forbid you ever get involved in policy analysis.
It is only fitting that you’d respond in kind to the caricatured rantings of spit. He’s the ideological flip side of you. His rhetoric is so one-dimensional that it could easily be mistaken for a troll under cover.
A good straw man indeed.
Like me, Janet probably works (or has worked) in business where you have to clear away the bullshit and make a decision. The decision has to be clear and unambiguous. You go ahead with the project or you don’t. You spend the money or you don’t. You go with plan A or plan B. You hire the person or you don’t. Through all the data collection and analysis there can be some ambiguity and fuzziness, but in the end, all that stuff gets accounted for and a decision is made.
That’s what us conservatives do here. We understand the issues; in most cases far better than you do. We use our extensive education, superior intellect, knowledge of the basics, and a lifetime of experience to make judgements and take positions on the issues of the day.
The problem you guys have with this is that it highlights your fuzzy thinking and lack of character that makes you moonbat democrats.
Janet – Thumb likes to say “straw man”. He doesn’t know what the fuck it means, but he like the sound of it. To him, facts and data that disprove what he’s saying are “straw men”. I’m sure you’ve noticed… he’s a fucking idiot.
Notice how he never puts up any data or analysis? He just spouts the moonbat party line and calls us names. That’s what they do when they can’t win the intellectual argument.
1. Ms. Cantwell .
Over 2500 dead U S troops , 100,000 dead Iraqi civilians , trillions stolen from social security to support this fiasco . If Maria is right then the dead must be wrong . Heck of a job , Maria , democrats are making a killing on the war .
Commentby spitintheocean— 7/25/06@ 4:01 pm
Well, well spit in the ocean what a name, what are you hiding from the World with a name like that? Your father name you Sue and you got your butt kick every day. That may be the reason you think like a wimp. The Last two wars that were World Wars the folks dying were in the millions and covered more than one continent. Today this War covers many continents, just as many countries are fighting the battle, and the lost souls are less than a million folks. Now the War is being fought in the Middle East and not in Seattle should make you feel safer. Now the Social Security only paid for LBJ War in Viet Nam the other Wars were paid from a different budget. Now last but not lease I really do not care how many fools die supporting this nation enemies, but I do care about those who want to make a better life for their countrymen. Maria is right about something but not all and shouldn’t be abandoned because members of her Socialist Democrat Party lack some common sense.
I’m a lifelong democrat. And the “black and white” mindset is all coming from the wacko leftists in my own party.
“Israel BAD. Hezbollah and Hamas GOOD”. What crap.
It’s really sad when the people who are supposedly on my side of the political spectrum lie about history. More than likely, they’re simply ignorant. I’m starting to realize the old definition of liberlism – “open mindednesss” – no longer applies. Everyone sees what they want to see.
Janet, I’ve read some vicious, “black and white” posts from you in the past. But on Israeli history, you seem to have most of your facts right. However, it cannot be denied that back in the 1880’s – 1890’s, and also in the 1920’s, the Zionist settlers were also comitting horendous acts of violence that, today, would be called “terrorist”.
But it looks like hyperbole and distortion have won the day, from both sides.
I really do believe it’s time for a viable third party.
But Mark the Redneck and Klake are still idiots. No surprise there.
30
Democrats don’t have “a side.” We’re many sides. That’s why we fight among ourselves so much. The Democratic Party is a big tent, and a bottom-up party in which ordinary citizens tell party leaders what they want, not the other way around as in the GOP.
32
“Like me, Janet probably works (or has worked) in business”
How would you know? Are you fucking her?
Shoephone, I haven’t seen any evidence of what you say, but have gotten an idea that there are stories out there about Zionist activities. Given where they were living, and who there neighbors were, I suspect that it was pretty evenly happening on both sides. Doesn’t excuse it, but then, I wasn’t there, and I don’t know what I’d do in such an environment.
The one thing that is happening in all this is that the differences between Hamas and Hezbollah are becoming very clear. Hamas is a basket case and more on the side of those throwing rocks at tanks. No one wants the Palestinians, and this event is proving that to be even more evident. Almost makes me feel sorry for them. The Arab world has screwed them over since the founding of Israel, and they haven’t done much for themselves.
On the other hand, Hezbollahs is very obviously an agent of Iran. They are much more sophisticated in tactics. But their cause is a bit fuzzy. They have no territorial claims on Israel. So their task here is provacateur. Israel has no option but to wipe them out.
32
“you have to clear away the bullshit and make a decision. The decision has to be clear and unambiguous. You go ahead with the project or you don’t. You spend the money or you don’t. You go with plan A or plan B. You hire the person or you don’t. Through all the data collection and analysis there can be some ambiguity and fuzziness, but in the end, all that stuff gets accounted for and a decision is made.”
What a load of crap! Mark the Slide Rule (and bet welsher) wants us to believe everything goes according to plan in the private sector. He’s one of those business-can-do-no-wrong and government-can-do-nothing-wrong ideologues.
He wants us to believe businesses never fuck up. Bullshit!
Exhibit A – New Coke
Exhibit B – The Kingdome (remember Peter Kiewet & Sons, and the sand jacks?)
Exhibit C – Edsel
Now let’s look at how a government employee (called a “cop”) makes decisions.
He has to clear away the bullshit and make a decision about (a) what’s happening and (b) what to do about it. He has to make a clear and unambiguous decision — either arrest the subject (Plan A) or let him go (Plan B). After collecting all the information he can and figuring out what it means, there may be a great deal of ambiguity and fuzziness — not to mention loose ends and unanswered questions — but in the end, he has to make a decision that will stand up in court.
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We understand the issues; in most cases far better than you do.
Yeah, so well you lost a bet. How much did you say I-912 was going to win by?
lack of character
then you welshed on the bet. Loser.
Here’s an intersting idea. Eyman with his anti-Gay referendum claimed to have 80,000 or so signatures, but no one ever saw them. If Eyman is so good with his numbers, maybe he would allow someone to look over those petitions and see if he got the numbers right with them.
I want to remind everyone that in a previous thread, MARK THE WELSHER asserted the Bush tax cuts have increased federal revenue.
Disregarding FICA revenues, which weren’t affected by Bush’s tax cuts, federal revenue was:*
2000 – $1,372,376,000,000 (baseline year)
2001 – $1,297,063,000,000
2002 – $1,152,413,000,000
2003 – $1,069,364,000,000
2004 – $1,146,664,000,000
2005 – $1,279,114,000,000 (estimate)
* Combination of individual and corporate income taxes, excise taxes, and other taxes (including inheritance tax)
Source of data: http://www.taxpolicycenter.org.....?Docid=203
As The Economist — a British newsweekly with a conservative slant — reports in its July 15 issue, the current surge in revenues is entirely due to tax collections on soaring corporate profits (which have reached an all-time high as a percentage of GDP) CEO incomes, and reflects a “growing disparity” between the shares of national income going to the capital-owning class and the producers of economic output (i.e., workers).
It’s true, of course, that tax cuts can (in some circumstances) increase government revenue. If the tax rate is 100%, there will be no economic output, and tax collections will be zero.
But it’s also true that tax increases can (in some circumstances) increase government revenue. If the tax rate is 0%, revenue will be zero, and raising the tax rate above zero will increase revenue to a sum greater than zero.
Obviously, there’s a point somewhere between a 0% and a 100% tax rate where revenue is maximized. Equally obviously, if the existing tax rate is below that point, cutting the rate will result in further revenue loss. On the other hand, if the tax rate is above that point, a tax cut will stimulate more economic activity and result in increased government revenue.
Other factors, of course, influence government revenues – the most important of which is the economic cycle. But in general, it appears federal taxation is below the revenue optimization point most of the time, so tax cuts ordinarily result in revenue losses, not the opposite. It certainly is NOT true — as WELSHER asserted — that cutting taxes ALWAYS increases revenues. That certainly wasn’t true in 2001-2003, the first three years of the Bush tax cuts for the rich. And the current increase in federal revenues is temporary, because Congress has yet to deal with the AMT (alternative minimum tax), which is raising millions more middle class families’ taxes every year, because it was never indexed to inflation. If Congress grants AMT relief to middle class taxpayers, revenues will resume their fall.
Welsher may (or may not) have four degrees, but he doesn’t know SHIT about taxation economics.
42
“How much did you say I-912 was going to win by?” Commentby For the Clueless— 7/25/06@ 10:59 pm
As I recall, WELSHER bet Goldy $100 that I-912 would win by 15 points. It lost by 10 points.
While much of life is ambiguous and fuzzy, sometimes you just have to clear away the bullshit and make a decision. The decision has to be clear and unambiguous. When you lose a bet, you pay or you don’t. You go with plan A or plan B. Plan A is to preserve your honor and credibility by paying the bet. Plan B is be a fucking welsher. You can collect all the data and conduct all the analysis you want, but in the end, if you lose a bet and don’t pay — you’re a fucking welsher.
Janet, I think you hit the nail on the head pretty in post #39. A lot of the mess we’re now dealing with has its origins in the actions of that wonderful scumbag Nasser.
I see in the news that an equipment operator extracting peat moss from a bog in Ireland spotted “something” in the soil just beyond his backhoe’s bucket. It turned out to be a 20-page Book of Psalms in Latin that experts believe dates from about 800 to 1000 AD.
I think organized religion is the cause of 90 % of the problems in the world today
“That’s what us conservatives do here. We understand the issues; in most cases far better than you do. We use our extensive education, superior intellect, knowledge of the basics, and a lifetime of experience to make judgements and take positions on the issues of the day. The problem you guys have with this is that it highlights your fuzzy thinking and lack of character that makes you moonbat democrats.” — MTR @ 32
Let’s get this straight: MTR argues that all muslims should be exterminated. He denies that global warming via completely bogus “chi squared” argument. And yet he wraps himself in the flag of “superior intellect” and “character.”
That’s truly amazing double speak. What’s even more amazing is that I’ve never seen fellow wingers such as Janet S ever question MTR’s most extreme statements.
Apparently the wingers don’t care if “their side” looks positively insane.
http://www.tpmmuckraker.com/archives/001203.php
Looks like the recount queen is on her way out!
#48…so they turned up a medieval book in an Irish peat bog? Cool…and far less gruesome than the mummified bodies they find every now and then.
Okay, I’m back in Seattle, “feet dry”. Managed to get changed to a direct flight at the last minute, they must have had a cancellation.
I had to laugh at MTR’s comments, about how much easier it is for a Republican/Conservative to make decisions because they are “business people”. I guess its always easier to make decisions if you don’t want to be bothered with the facts. If MTR really is a business person, he’s probably Dilbert’s pointy-haired boss.
I laughed out loud because it fit so well within H.L. Mencken’s famous quote “There is always an easy solution to every human problem — neat, plausible, and wrong.” My guess is that MTR will pick the “neat, plausible, and wrong” solution every time, just because its not complicated.
As for REP, who wondered why I was contributing to global warming by flying to and from Japan – just how would you get a new aircraft to Japan, without flying it out there???? And once there, how would you get back????? (By the way, the aircraft burned only 400 lbs of fuel an hour at 40,000 feet. Pretty efficient, as those things go. So by replacing older aircraft with newer ones, they are actually reducing emissions, etc., etc.)
Not to worry. . .REP wouldn’t know anything about that. He washed out of flight school!
53….Sorry, Al Gore would not agree. You are destroying the ozone and causing global warming! You must pay more taxes.
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