The Democrat Thread

[NorthSideSox72]

Some interesting results of Walker's tea party policies in Wisconsin:

 

 

 

In other words, massive failure.

You are looking at "non-farm payrolls (public and private)". One of his stated goals is to reduce state government. In order to evaluate the "success" of his policies - whether you are agree with them or not - is to look at all non-public payroll numbers (including farm, by the way). If that has increased, or done better than other states, then he is "succeeding".

 

By the way, I am not saying his ideas are good. In my view, the better picture is ALL payroll, public and private, farm and non-farm, to see the whole picture. Just saying, this is not a fair way to see how his policies are doing in terms of effectiveness.

 

[Balta1701]

You are looking at "non-farm payrolls (public and private)". One of his stated goals is to reduce state government. In order to evaluate the "success" of his policies - whether you are agree with them or not - is to look at all non-public payroll numbers (including farm, by the way). If that has increased, or done better than other states, then he is "succeeding".

 

By the way, I am not saying his ideas are good. In my view, the better picture is ALL payroll, public and private, farm and non-farm, to see the whole picture. Just saying, this is not a fair way to see how his policies are doing in terms of effectiveness.

Ok, you've raised the issue and I've never stopped to think about it. Why does the BLS only put out "Nonfarm payrolls"?

 

Even though, there's obviously no reason to think that WI has somehow done better in generating farming jobs than other states.

[StrangeSox]

You are looking at "non-farm payrolls (public and private)". One of his stated goals is to reduce state government. In order to evaluate the "success" of his policies - whether you are agree with them or not - is to look at all non-public payroll numbers (including farm, by the way). If that has increased, or done better than other states, then he is "succeeding".

 

By the way, I am not saying his ideas are good. In my view, the better picture is ALL payroll, public and private, farm and non-farm, to see the whole picture. Just saying, this is not a fair way to see how his policies are doing in terms of effectiveness.

He said this would bring in tens of thousands of jobs. Instead, services are cut, pay is cut, taxes for the wealthy are cut and overall unemployment is up against a nation-wide trend of going down.

 

If you are looking simply at ideological changes, sure, he has done that. But if you are in any way interested in the outcome of those changes, he is a huge failure. Shockingly, austerity and slashing government still didn't result in magical growth outcomes.

[Jenksismyhero]

Wonder how Texas policy in the same period compares to Wisconsin.

[Balta1701]

So, saying Romney is an Etch-a-Sketch that can be reset for the General Election is probably not something Romney's top adviser should say.

The stock price of the company that makes the Etch-a-sketch has tripled this morning.

[StrangeSox]

Wonder how Texas policy in the same period compares to Wisconsin.

Well it is in the graphs, very well actually. Thanks to robust housing regulations, however, they weren't hit nearly as hard.

[Jenksismyhero]

Well it is in the graphs, very well actually. Thanks to robust housing regulations, however, they weren't hit nearly as hard.

 

Well i meant the tea party policies in effect in Texas. Are they similar to the ones Wisconsin enacted? If so, that would negate your point that they didn't work - they just didn't work in Wisconsin (though I agree with NSS that you're fudging the numbers by not recognizing the cuts in government jobs are obviously going to lower hiring numbers).

[bmags]

Well i meant the tea party policies in effect in Texas. Are they similar to the ones Wisconsin enacted? If so, that would negate your point that they didn't work - they just didn't work in Wisconsin (though I agree with NSS that you're fudging the numbers by not recognizing the cuts in government jobs are obviously going to lower hiring numbers).

 

Has their growth accelerated? It's probably close to the trend line. Texas isn't hard to figure out, it's got growing population and cheap housing. Maybe we should allow more population growth...OH MY GOD NOOOO THE LATINOS

[StrangeSox]

Well i meant the tea party policies in effect in Texas. Are they similar to the ones Wisconsin enacted? If so, that would negate your point that they didn't work - they just didn't work in Wisconsin (though I agree with NSS that you're fudging the numbers by not recognizing the cuts in government jobs are obviously going to lower hiring numbers).

 

To the best of my knowledge, no, they have not enacted policies similar to Walker's Wisconsin.

 

The numbers aren't being fudged. The conservative mantra is that cutting government will "free" private businesses and results in economic growth and more employment for everyone. It doesn't. Walker promised growth and instead there's been losses. This supports the argument that simply dismantling government doesn't reduce unemployment or create net positive effects.

[Jenksismyhero]

To the best of my knowledge, no, they have not enacted policies similar to Walker's Wisconsin.

 

The numbers aren't being fudged. The conservative mantra is that cutting government will "free" private businesses and results in economic growth and more employment for everyone. It doesn't. Walker promised growth and instead there's been losses. This supports the argument that simply dismantling government doesn't reduce unemployment or create net positive effects.

 

Yet. It's been a year and a half. A year and a half into all the bailouts and stimulus, was everything all hunky dory?

[StrangeSox]

Yet. It's been a year and a half. A year and a half into all the bailouts and stimulus, was everything all hunky dory?

They were a hell of a lot better than March 2009. Walker's Wisconsin is heading in the opposite direction of the rest of the country.

[Y2HH]

They were a hell of a lot better than March 2009. Walker's Wisconsin is heading in the opposite direction of the rest of the country.

 

I never noticed things were bad...just had a lot of people telling me they were.

[StrangeSox]

I know it wasn't very tough on you Mr. Romney

[Y2HH]

I know it wasn't very tough on you Mr. Romney

 

I wish I had that kind of money.

[StrangeSox]

Gay man apologizes for 'ruin' of senator's marriage

 

Perhaps you've read about Minnnesota Sen. Amy Koch, the Republican majority leader, who recently gave up her leadership position because of an "inappropriate relationship" with a Senate staff member.

John Medeiros, who curates an LGBT reading series in Minneapolis, wrote an open letter to Koch, saying he is sorry gays and lesbians have destroyed the institution of marriage and contributing to her inevitable relationship with a subordinate staffer.

“These recent events have made it quite clear that our gay and lesbian tacts have gone too far, affecting even the most respectful of our society,” Medeiros wrote in the letter. He continues:

 

"We apologize that our selfish requests to marry those we love has cheapened and degraded traditional marriage so much that we caused you to stray from your own holy union for something more cheap and tawdry. And we are doubly remorseful in knowing that many will see this as a form of sexual harassment of a subordinate.

 

"It is now clear to us that if we were not so self-focused and myopic, we would have been able to see that the time you wasted diligently writing legislation that would forever seal the definition of marriage as being between one man and one woman, could have been more usefully spent reshaping the legal definition of “adultery.”

[StrangeSox]

"moderate" Republicans seem to be back-tracking a bit now in press releases on their anti-labor stances, just in time for election season. But let's not forget things like this from Mitch Daniels:

 

“We cannot afford to have civil wars over issues that might divide us and divert us from that path. I have said over and over, I’ll say it again tonight: I’m a supporter of the labor laws we have in the state of Indiana,” he said in a speech to the Teamsters 135 Union Stewards Dinner on Sept. 23, 2006. “I’m not interested in changing any of it. Not the prevailing wage laws, and certainly not the right to work law. We can succeed in Indiana with the laws we have, respecting the rights of labor, and fair and free competition for everybody.”

[Balta1701]

The odds of being a registered voter in Texas in the 2008 and 2010 elections and having your identity used by someone else who is trying to cast a vote are somewhere worse than 1 in 6,250,000.

[StrangeSox]

Rand Paul:

 

Instead of punishing them, you should want to encourage them. I would think you would want to say to the oil companies, “What obstacles are there to you making more money?” And hiring more people. Instead they say, “No, we must punish them. We must tax them more to make things fair.” This whole thing about fairness is so misguided and gotten out of hand...

 

“We as a society need to glorify those who make a profit,” Paul concluded.

[StrangeSox]

Cracked with another great piece, this time on misogyny in the modern world:

 

http://www.cracked.com/article_19785_5-way...hate-women.html

[Balta1701]

I don't recall exactly where we had that last discussion on copyrights so I'm sticking this here. Amazon.com sales by decade a book was published.

 

 

That gigantic gap after 1920 is the extra protection granted to copyright holders thanks to Disney. That's somewhat remarkable.

[Jenksismyhero]

Cracked with another great piece, this time on misogyny in the modern world:

 

http://www.cracked.com/article_19785_5-way...hate-women.html

 

I made it half of the first page before laughing at how ridiculous that is. That guy needs to grow a pair of balls. Jesus.

 

When did being a man become a bad thing?

[Y2HH]

I made it half of the first page before laughing at how ridiculous that is. That guy needs to grow a pair of balls. Jesus.

 

When did being a man become a bad thing?

 

Haven't you watched a single sitcom or romantic comedy in your entire life? Men are stupid retarded asshats and women -- unless they are in love -- are smart, intelligent, and awesome.

 

However, if women are in love, they're allowed to be clumsy asshats.

[Jenksismyhero]

Haven't you watched a single sitcom or romantic comedy in your entire life? Men are stupid retarded asshats and women -- unless they are in love -- are smart, intelligent, and awesome.

 

However, if women are in love, they're allowed to be clumsy asshats.

 

I LOVED the fact that he uses those bud light commercials to prove his point that men are afraid of losing their masculinity. Yes, David Wong, who clearly lost his wang years ago, I fear daily....nay, hourly...that I will "lose" my masculinity if I don't "man up" at every possible moment. Such an astute observation of your typical American male! We ALL do that kind of stuff, right?

 

Ugh, seriously, it made me laugh at how stupid it was, and then I got unreasonably angry about the whole thing. (Unfortunately I finished it).

[farmteam]

I made it half of the first page before laughing at how ridiculous that is. That guy needs to grow a pair of balls. Jesus.

 

When did being a man become a bad thing?

 

Once God took the rib away.

[Y2HH]

Once God took the rib away.

 

There is a story around that most do not know.

 

I know because I went there in a DeLorean and witnessed it. Don't question the validity of my statements, either.

 

Originally, God asked a lonely Adam if he wanted companionship, and of course Adam -- rather excitedly -- responded, "Oy...my...God...Yes!". Despite the fact he was actually responding to God himself, I credit Adam with the original creation of OMG. Now, where was I? Oh, right...God then explained that in order for that to happen, sacrifices must be made for all future mankind. Now, keep in mind this is the original God, not the new nice God they decided to "rewrite" in the New Testament. Adam grew suspicious, knowing that the new testament had not yet been completed, so this omnipotent being he was dealing with was known to be a dick at times...but Adam forged ahead for all of us future men and asked for details.

 

God said, "Ok, I'm feeling good today. How about I create a female gender which would contain all of the following attributes: A slender yet curvy, not to mention beautiful/perfect face with the hair and body to match, which never gets sick or has headaches, loves cooking (and knows how too cook), cleaning, raising children, pleasing you any time of the day or night, taking care of your every whim, always smiling and helping to brighten your day, that allows you to play with any and all of her friends, even at the same time?"

 

Adam was overcome with joy...he immediately said, "Yes! Yes! Give me that! Give us all of that!"

 

God stopped him in his excitement and said, "Hold on...before you agree to anything, you need to know what I'm asking in return...for all of that, and keep in mind this sacrifice is for all of man kind to come...not just you...all I want is an 'arm and a leg'.

 

Adam thought about this for a few seconds before replying, "Hmmm...well, err, what can I get for a rib?!"

 

...and this is what we have.

 

Thanks, Adam. You dick.