LGP Political Discussion Thread

[shafnutz05]

Barack Obama is a bigger war spender than Bush..............L O L!!!!

[HomerPenguin]

Barack Obama is a bigger war spender than Bush..............L O L!!!!

Bush kept the war expenditures off budget to hide their cost, so, no, he's not.

[slappybrown]

Barack Obama is a bigger war spender than Bush..............L O L!!!!

Bush kept the war expenditures off budget to hide their cost, so, no, he's not.

Can you explain that a bit more Homer?

[HomerPenguin]

Barack Obama is a bigger war spender than Bush..............L O L!!!!

Bush kept the war expenditures off budget to hide their cost, so, no, he's not.

Can you explain that a bit more Homer?

Bush paid for virtually the entire Iraq War and much of Afghanistan with a series of emergency supplemental appropriations bills. These don't show up in the annual DOD budget, or anywhere else in the budget for that matter, which is neat if you want to pretend that you're running less of a deficit than you're actually running. Obama largely stopped doing that, so his DOD budget is higher.

http://www.roanoke.com/editorials/wb/xp-25651

But when he submitted his 2006 budget to Congress in February, it didn't contain one penny for combat in Iraq or Afghanistan. Sunny optimist that he is, Bush wasn't operating on the assumption that the mission would actually be accomplished by then.

Instead, Bush insisted it would be impossible to know how much would be needed, so instead of including anything in the regular budget, he plans to continue the tradition of coming to Congress for emergency supplemental appropriations when war funds get low.

Coincidentally, that approach has the side effect of making the federal budget deficit appear smaller than it actually is. Far smaller, considering that spending in Iraq has averaged more than $5 billion a month.

http://www.wired.com/dangerroom/2009/02 ... ng-the-ir/

In his address last night on the economic crisis, President Barack Obama made it official: No more budgetary sleight-of-hand at the Pentagon.

As we have noted here before, the U.S. military has largely paid for the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan through emergency spending measures, in effect keeping wartime costs off the books. In addition to masking skyrocketing budget growth at the Department of Defense, this process has allowed the services to treat budget supplementals as a piggy bank for new procurement. Members of Congress may have grumbled about poor oversight, but they have largely acquiesced.

[Guinness]

Barack Obama is a bigger war spender than Bush..............L O L!!!!

Bush kept the war expenditures off budget to hide their cost, so, no, he's not.

How noble... I mean, how nobel of him.

[Guinness]

http://www.comcast.net/articles/news-ge ... ar.Funding

WASHINGTON — President Barack Obama will ask Congress for an additional $33 billion to fight unpopular wars in Afghanistan and Iraq on top of a record $708 billion for the Defense Department next year, The Associated Press has learned — a request that could be an especially hard sell to some of the administration's Democratic allies.

Yeah, that's what this was about:

WASHINGTON (AP) - President Barack Obama will ask Congress for an additional $33 billion to fight unpopular wars in Afghanistan and Iraq on top of a record $708 billion for the Defense Department next year

http://apnews.myway.com/article/20100113/D9D6RFGG1.html

Welcome to Oceania.

WTF. WTF?????? How much money are we going to pour into that BS? All the money we wasted that could have been used for healthcare, social security, schooling, infrastructure. F this government.

Or, it could have been left in the hands of its proper owners - the present and future citizens of this country. Imagine the squandered innovations, advancements, and the improvement in the quality of life for so many people...

[DelPen]

You know how Obama said he would donate his $1.4 million from winning the nobel prize to charity? How about he leads by example and donates it to releif efforts in Haiti. Pretty ballsy of the White House to ask people in this country in a recession to try to help out people in another country while Obama has $1.4 million just sitting there.

[bh]

My guess is as good as yours. I'm just glad I didn't vote for Obama. One of the best decisions I've ever made. I really hope everyone who voted for him is regretting it.

Realistically there was no good choice for President. We would have got what we got with all the other realistic candidates (ie McCain). See they even own the voting system. It's basically impossible for anyone other than a republocrat to get in any office. They system is heavily weighted in their favor.

[Pavel Bure]

My guess is as good as yours. I'm just glad I didn't vote for Obama. One of the best decisions I've ever made. I really hope everyone who voted for him is regretting it.

Realistically there was no good choice for President. We would have got what we got with all the other realistic candidates (ie McCain). See they even own the voting system. It's basically impossible for anyone other than a republocrat to get in any office. They system is heavily weighted in their favor.

In truth though a system of more than two parties does not work. History proved this with Hitler. The Nazi party wasn't the biggest at the time, there were many parties that sapped votes from all over, and boom the world got Hitler. Anyone trying to champion that a different guy in office would have fixed the current problems in this country already though is simply unrealistic. It takes way more than a year and a half to undo 8 years of damage to this country.

[Guinness]

It takes way more than a year and a half to undo 8 years of damage to this country.

Do you really think Obama is going to undo any damage? REALLY?

He's not as bad in some ways, worse in others, and as a rule pretty much the same damned thing.

[Pavel Bure]

It takes way more than a year and a half to undo 8 years of damage to this country.

Do you really think Obama is going to undo any damage? REALLY?

He's not as bad in some ways, worse in others, and as a rule pretty much the same damned thing.

Nope, he's gonna keep doing what Bush did and continue the destruction of the country. If only a Republican would've been elected it'd be rainbows and happy times.

[Guinness]

Nope, he's gonna keep doing what Bush did and continue the destruction of the country.

Correct.

If only a Republican would've been elected it'd be rainbows and happy times.

I hope that's not what you think I'm saying...

[shafnutz05]

It seems like every time it is brought how up how crappy of a job Obama is doing, everyone goes to the kneejerk defense: "Well Bush wrecked the country give the guy some time!!!!" Are we going to be hearing this in 2012 when he is up for reelection and unemployment is even higher than it is now (which I am predicting it will be, if he gets his way legislation-wise). Bush was bad, Obama is 10x worse IMHO.

[shafnutz05]

http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0110/31452.html

George may have been bad, but I always had a soft spot for Laura Bush. I am happy that after all the bluster about her high fashion sense disappeared after the first half of last year, the intellectual vacuum inside Michelle's head has had more time to be exposed.

“Harry Reid has no need to apologize to me because I know Harry Reid. I measure people more so on what they do rather than the things they say,” said Obama, in a roundtable with several media outlets, including POLITICO.

Whew....good thing she isn't measuring her husband by those same standards!!!!!

[bh]

In truth though a system of more than two parties does not work. History proved this with Hitler. The Nazi party wasn't the biggest at the time, there were many parties that sapped votes from all over, and boom the world got Hitler. Anyone trying to champion that a different guy in office would have fixed the current problems in this country already though is simply unrealistic. It takes way more than a year and a half to undo 8 years of damage to this country.

You are very correct here. I don't think think in the terms of "the damage has been done" however. I see it as the slow but steady erosion of individual freedom and a steady decline into a totalitarian corporatist state. This has been going on for a lot longer than 8 years.

[SoupOrSam]

In truth though a system of more than two parties does not work. History proved this with Hitler. The Nazi party wasn't the biggest at the time, there were many parties that sapped votes from all over, and boom the world got Hitler. Anyone trying to champion that a different guy in office would have fixed the current problems in this country already though is simply unrealistic. It takes way more than a year and a half to undo 8 years of damage to this country.

You are very correct here. I don't think think in the terms of "the damage has been done" however. I see it as the slow but steady erosion of individual freedom and a steady decline into a totalitarian corporatist state. This has been going on for a lot longer than 8 years.

I agree!

http://www.teamlaw.org/history

[Kraftster]

My guess is as good as yours. I'm just glad I didn't vote for Obama. One of the best decisions I've ever made. I really hope everyone who voted for him is regretting it.

Realistically there was no good choice for President. We would have got what we got with all the other realistic candidates (ie McCain). See they even own the voting system. It's basically impossible for anyone other than a republocrat to get in any office. They system is heavily weighted in their favor.

In truth though a system of more than two parties does not work. History proved this with Hitler. The Nazi party wasn't the biggest at the time, there were many parties that sapped votes from all over, and boom the world got Hitler. Anyone trying to champion that a different guy in office would have fixed the current problems in this country already though is simply unrealistic. It takes way more than a year and a half to undo 8 years of damage to this country.

Eight years of damage? Come on, now.

[tluke53]

Two to three years ago I was deeply engaged in the Republican vs. Democrat debate right here on this message board. What a difference a few year makes. It's now clear to me and I believe many here that neither the Republicans nor the Democrats have any integrity. These people have only one goal…. To get elected….. None of them have the stones to do what's best for the country. None of them have the guts to make the social and military spending cuts necessary to reduce our debt and put together a long term plan to fix our economic issues.

Obama ran as some sort of visionary who was out to "CHANGE" America. He was supposed to be the kind of inspirational leader that would bring renewed prosperity. Instead he is spending money like crazy, escalating an unnecessary war, and pushing through costly legislation that could be a costly burden for generations to come. Does any of that sound different than the George Bush administration?

[Gaucho]

Two to three years ago I was deeply engaged in the Republican vs. Democrat debate right here on this message board. What a difference a few year makes. It's now clear to me and I believe many here that neither the Republicans nor the Democrats have any integrity. These people have only one goal…. To get elected….. None of them have the stones to do what's best for the country. None of them have the guts to make the social and military spending cuts necessary to reduce our debt and put together a long term plan to fix our economic issues.

You, my friend, have figured it out.

[Sarcastic]

I see it as the slow but steady erosion of individual freedom and a steady decline into a totalitarian corporatist state.

That's what it is. It's not socialism we're drifting toward or what I'm worried about.

[pittsoccer33]

None of them have the guts to make the military spending cuts necessary to reduce our debt and put together a long term plan to fix our economic issues.

What do you want to cut about our military budge when there is a religion of fanatics across the world bent on destroying us by any and all means, hourly cyber attacks on our defense, finance, and infrastructure computer systems, and rogue states like North Korea and Iran shooting off missiles and testing nuclear weapons like it's their own private 4th of July?

[Guinness]

None of them have the guts to make the military spending cuts necessary to reduce our debt and put together a long term plan to fix our economic issues.

What do you want to cut about our military budge when there is a religion of fanatics across the world bent on destroying us by any and all means, hourly cyber attacks on our defense, finance, and infrastructure computer systems, and rogue states like North Korea and Iran shooting off missiles and testing nuclear weapons like it's their own private 4th of July?

That's right - let's destroy ourselves before they can do it!

It's not a "religion of fanatics"... it's people in many ways justifiably tired of our imperialist meddling.

[Guinness]

I see it as the slow but steady erosion of individual freedom and a steady decline into a totalitarian corporatist state.

That's what it is. It's not socialism we're drifting toward or what I'm worried about.

You can't have it both ways, Sarcastic.

[Gaucho]

None of them have the guts to make the military spending cuts necessary to reduce our debt and put together a long term plan to fix our economic issues.

What do you want to cut about our military budge when there is a religion of fanatics across the world bent on destroying us by any and all means, hourly cyber attacks on our defense, finance, and infrastructure computer systems, and rogue states like North Korea and Iran shooting off missiles and testing nuclear weapons like it's their own private 4th of July?

[Sarcastic]

I see it as the slow but steady erosion of individual freedom and a steady decline into a totalitarian corporatist state.

That's what it is. It's not socialism we're drifting toward or what I'm worried about.

You can't have it both ways, Sarcastic.

What do you mean both ways? The two parties we have work for big business. That's clear by now. There is nothing socialist that Obama is doing. He surrounded himself with people who worked for wall street, lobbyists, etc.. The healthcare plan they're about to pass seems more beneficial to insurers than people. I really don't think it's a rep/dem debate anymore. It is corporate world + government officials who either take their $ or are afraid to stand up to them VS people like you and me.