Displaying 0 To 0 Of 0 Comments Uncertainty in Business: Will it become Sustainable? ACB, thanks for the post. There is a troubling trend that becomes more apparent every year: Many large corporations are finding that innovation through research and development, new products, efficiency, etc is not where the profits are. Innovation through legislation is. As margins begin to shrink globally due to increased competition, large American firms have found that one of the easiest ways to maintain their profit margins is through legislation. Sweetheart trade deals, tax incentives to ship jobs overseas, regulatory “reform”, tax-offsets, subsidies, to name a few. The average S&P-sized company now gets 45% of their earnings from overseas. This is untaxed if it is not repatriated into the US. Why would ANY company NOT lobby to keep that sweetheart deal in place? » Posted By funksands On July 25, 2011 @ 11:19 am Weekend Music Thread – Carmageddon! KT, man did I love these guys in high school. Favorite band for a couple of years. » Posted By funksands On July 16, 2011 @ 9:22 pm Carl Perkins Cadillac – Driveby Truckers “Dammit Elvis, I swear son I think it’s time you came around » Posted By funksands On July 16, 2011 @ 9:07 pm The Debt Ceiling Crisis Thread CL: And?….Easier said than done. Is this as simple as re-igniting civics lessons for our school-kids? » Posted By funksands On August 2, 2011 @ 2:21 pm Agrippa, thanks for your reply. I’ve often thought that conservatism is culture of inertia. It is easier to be the immovable object rather than the irresistable force. It takes a tremendous amount of motivation and energy to create real change in a society. I think that motivation is lacking. I don’t think that battling agains the chipping away of the social safety nets provide enough impetus to prod the left-ish. The politically active are so because they each have a deep well of motivation they can draw on to sustain them through good times and bad, through the next fight and beyond. That is atypical. » Posted By funksands On August 2, 2011 @ 2:11 pm CL, why is it too much work? Are people inherently lazy? Or is there a deeper issue I’m not seeing clearly within the left and left-ish? » Posted By funksands On August 2, 2011 @ 12:13 pm Yes I know this whole disaster is the ultimately the Republican’s fault. Yes I know that the administration is to blame for not being prepared for the continued intransigence of GOP. Yes I know that Obama is to blame for buying into the whole “deficit and debt as priority” Bullshit, taking money out of the economy when times are weak. Yes I know that through ninja jedi tricks ultimately some analysts think that that Obama will end up getting a LOT of revenue out of this deal, giving the tea party next to nothing. None of this matters as much as one big issue and a continuing win for the GOP: Convincing the American public that government can do nothing, is helpless, incompetent, and broken. Every day the GOP sets out to break the government down piece by piece until eventually the perception of government incompetence becomes reality. Even if ultimately we avoid a downgrade. Even if we improve job numbers. Even if it turns out that the President ate the GOP’s lunch in this bill, even if the economy starts roaring, they still won because now even LESS people than before have confidence in their government’s ability to solve problems. Changing and altering this perception (and reality), I believe is the task that falls to liberals to tackle. Because we are the only ones that still believe that government is not simply for punishment, but can help all of us realize our full potential. » Posted By funksands On August 2, 2011 @ 11:26 am RE: Bush Tax Cuts: (Tell me if I have this right) *If we let them ALL expire midnight Dec 31st 2012, nothing can stop it. *If we extend them, both parties can agree to do so just like last year, but the spending cuts trigger will decimate the defense budget by nearly half. So that probably won’t happen *If the administration wants to extend to the cuts to the middle and lower middle class, while hiking it on the rich, that’s when things get messy. This deal makes it very very very hard to do this because the CBO scoring of the deal is contingent on ALL of the cuts expiring. In other words we all better be prepared for ALL of the Bush cuts to expire? Which they should. » Posted By funksands On August 1, 2011 @ 4:41 pm Em, you and Choice are hilarious. 🙂 It’s called “Zoom” in the browser toolbar. » Posted By funksands On August 1, 2011 @ 2:38 pm » Posted By funksands On August 1, 2011 @ 10:39 am Good article from ThePeoplesView: Paul Krugman is a Political Rookie. Or How Barack Obama Left John Boehner Holding the Teabag, Again. http://www.thepeoplesview.net/2011/08/paul-krugman-is-political-rookie-or-how.html » Posted By funksands On August 1, 2011 @ 8:51 am Bito, that is really useful. Thank you! » Posted By funksands On July 31, 2011 @ 3:39 pm Tex, only about every other day. » Posted By funksands On July 31, 2011 @ 3:24 pm Number of Liberals in Congress: 100 or so Number of Moderates: 200 or so Number of Conservatives: 325 or so 1 Moderate President 5 Ultra-Conservative Justices 33,000 lobbyists Completely broken campaign finance system Corporate-owned media Liberals can’t figure out why they can’t get more wins. 🙂 For some of them the solution is to give up and stay home. Not this one. I found a long time ago that looking at this struggle as a multi-generational fight to the death helps keep me on an even keel. » Posted By funksands On July 31, 2011 @ 3:08 pm Em, great find! Remind me to call you if I ever lose my keys! Im going to have to look at this closer, but it looks really interesting. » Posted By funksands On July 31, 2011 @ 8:17 am I’ve heard worse. Still hope it isn’t true. The “trigger” has been reported as the major hangup in the negotiations. Reid has been trying to avoid having that in his bill. That said. The special committee is just as good as its participants, and automatic cuts to programs spook me. Duly salted. » Posted By funksands On July 30, 2011 @ 8:45 pm GOP House members voting: “Nay” Republicans Voting ‘Nay’ Rep. Justin Amash [R, MI-3] » Posted By funksands On July 29, 2011 @ 6:01 pm One point he did make that I had not fully considered is that this authority would at best be VERY temporary. Which means all it does is buy time for Congress to mill around and moo some more. I still think the only bill that is going to have a half a chance to pass is McConnell’s. » Posted By funksands On July 29, 2011 @ 6:00 pm Maybe its just me, but McConnell and Reid’s dance on CSPAN seemed a bit scripted. » Posted By funksands On July 29, 2011 @ 5:51 pm UCLA Law Professor agrees with me that Obama should just pay the nations bills anyway. Ignoring the Debt Ceiling and the 14th. At least that is the selective hearing I am using at this moment. » Posted By funksands On July 29, 2011 @ 5:49 pm Why will a ratings downgrade cause serious problems? Simple. There are countless governments, companies, trusts, foundations, pensions, around the globe that for LEGAL reasons MUST hold AAA rated securities. If there is a downgrade, a FORCED sell-off of Treasuries will ensue. And who will buy them? If they are bought, they will be bought at a deep discount, crushing bond prices for investors both big and small. » Posted By funksands On July 29, 2011 @ 11:31 am Perhaps a facial tattoo would be appropriate. » Posted By funksands On July 29, 2011 @ 10:04 am I love this tweet from David Frum today: “Why doesn’t new Boehner bill just require Obama to resign in favor of a Republican before 2nd debt ceiling increase? Tidier.” » Posted By funksands On July 29, 2011 @ 9:11 am My favorite part is when Ali asks “What part of this don’t your understand Governor?” Nice. » Posted By funksands On July 27, 2011 @ 9:09 pm CNN V. Rick Scott. This is TWICE these two have totally ripped into a GOP liar in a week. Wow. Didn’t know CNN had it in them.[img]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9Edf6PhEhts[/img] » Posted By funksands On July 27, 2011 @ 9:08 pm Choice, the default on our debt and meltdown of the world economy would provide a year of breathless horse-race analysis for the MSM. It…wouldn’t….bother…them…a….bit. » Posted By funksands On July 27, 2011 @ 7:50 pm Choice, there is copy (much further down in this thread) of a letter that 400 S&P sized company’s CEO /Presidents sent to the President and to Congress on July 12th. They’ve already weighed in. Now its Ned Beatty time. » Posted By funksands On July 27, 2011 @ 8:51 am Child: Grandpa? “What was the Tea Party?” (A question a child might ask. But not a childish question) Grandpa: “Well Timmy, the Tea Party was a group of patriots that protested against a multi-national corporation by dumping tea into Boston Harbor. Some say that it was one of the primary sparks of the popular movement that resulted in the Revolutionary War.” (Satisfied pause) Child: “No Grandpa, the Tea Party I hear about on TV. That one.” Grandpa: “Ah. Well that Tea Party was a group of tories that protested for multi-national corporations. They did this by wearing tea-bags on their hat and by wrecking the world economy.” (Awkward pause) Child: “That’s dumb.” Grandpa: “I know Timmy..I know…” » Posted By funksands On July 26, 2011 @ 9:05 pm You’ll like this one from our Chris: @chrisr266 » Posted By funksands On July 25, 2011 @ 9:45 pm Is there a hashtag for stupid useless drunkass orange porcupine (porcupine?)? » Posted By funksands On July 25, 2011 @ 9:44 pmComments Posted By funksands
Making money you can’t spend ain’t what being dead’s about
You gave me all but one good reason not to do all the things you did
Now Cadillacs are fiberglass, if you were me you’d call it quits”[img]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JlzJZEtio8o&feature=related[/img]
“We need to grow up and embrace the wide range of ideas and possibilities, and we need to learn how government REALLY works instead of throwing temper tantrums over how it “ought” to work.”
Rep. Michele Bachmann [R, MN-6]
Rep. Paul Broun [R, GA-10]
Rep. Jason Chaffetz [R, UT-3]
Rep. Chip Cravaack [R, MN-8]
Rep. Scott DesJarlais [R, TN-4]
Rep. Jeff Duncan [R, SC-3]
Rep. Trey Gowdy [R, SC-4]
Rep. Tom Graves [R, GA-9]
Rep. Tim Huelskamp [R, KS-1]
Rep. Timothy Johnson [R, IL-15]
Rep. Jim Jordan [R, OH-4]
Rep. Steve King [R, IA-5]
Rep. Thomas Latham [R, IA-4]
Rep. Connie Mack [R, FL-14]
Rep. Tom McClintock [R, CA-4]
Rep. Mick Mulvaney [R, SC-5]
Rep. Ronald Paul [R, TX-14]
Rep. Tim Scott [R, SC-1]
Rep. Steve Southerland [R, FL-2]
Rep. Joe Walsh [R, IL-8]
Rep. Addison Wilson [R, SC-2]
ChrisR
Congress’ website has crashed. Just about a political orgasm.
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