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Americans must demand more from both parties
Published 12:45pm Wednesday, May 9, 2012In a recent article, Jim Crawford stated that the Republicans say we can no longer afford Social Security, as it is, and Medicare, as it is.
If he would just check “Obamacare,” it is not the Republicans who are doing away with Medicare. It is Obama and the Democratic Party that passed the legislation.
If you will check just what is to happen in 2013 under Obamacare those who go on dialysis will no longer be covered by Medicare. And those who are over 75 years of age, in order to have heart stints, will not be approved for the procedure. Also, those who are on Medicare, when they need major surgery it must be approved by a panel of the government before they can have the surgery.
Now, I’m on Social Security and I am in no way rich. However, I can plainly see that the tax structure is wrong. You see, the top 10 percent of the people pay more than 69.94 percent of the taxes. The next 40 percent pays 27.9 percent and the bottom 50 percent pays 2.7 percent, of which some pay no tax, but get earned income tax with their refund.
What percent do you think is fair for the top 10 percent?
Yes, the two parties should work together for the betterment of our country. But when the Democrats had control of both the House and Senate they totally ignored the Republicans on all issues.
Obama and Harry Reid still control the Senate and will not pass anything the Republicans send to them.
However, since they are Democrats they are not to blame. It is just the other side that won’t work with them.
We need to stop spending for departments that could be eliminated. Then maybe we could get our budget in line. The Democrats who have had control since Obama was elected but have never passed a budget, nor will they let one pass the Senate.
When both parties start working together, we will be a much better country. This will only happen when we, the people, demand it from our political leaders.
Homer Campbell
Ironton
Mick, You are so right.
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“only a human being is capable of reasoning.”
And that’s the 10% they can’t automate yet.
Give them time, though, and they will find a way. Did you know that we already have automobiles that are absolutely able to do all the driving for us. It is a technological reality already? Why don’t we see those cars on the streets yet? Easy. People aren’t ready to accept giving up that control…yet.
There are many, many more stories of brand new breakthroughs in technology that will utterly change the landscape of human reality. It’s a shame we can’t put links on here anymore to make it easy for everyone else to see. Whether it’s on here or not, though, we will all see these breakthroughs soon enough. It is inevitable.
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The interesting aspect of “technology” and it’s weakness is, it cannot reason, only a human being is capable of reasoning.
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Maybe I’m just not checking in often enough but it seems like it’s awful hard to get a comment posted on some of the staff articles these days. Are they closing the comments off more these days?
Anyway, the op-ed I saw was on the criminal justice system and how insane it is. He started the story off with…
‘A famous scientist is often credited with saying the definition of insanity is “doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.” ‘
You know, I see that quote used over and over again and…invariably…the person using it seems to hope the outcome will be different. They seem to hope that people will “get it” this time. If you’re to trust Einstein’s quote you might consider the actual USING of said quote to be yet another form of insanity.
Yes, the criminal justice system is an insane waste of money.
The real insanity, though, is to think it’s that way just because we haven’t figured out a way to make it more efficient.
That’s not the problem.
The PROBLEM is that we have a FOR PROFIT criminal justice system. You can buy stock in the companies that operate for-profit prisons. The more people arrested, convicted and sentenced to prison….THE MORE MONEY THEY MAKE.
Of COURSE, this doesn’t even begin to touch on all the government employees who make a living off this deeply flawed system.
It’s not rocket science. That’s why I said (below) I want LESS from both parties and that includes less prisons and NO profit motive for imprisoning American citizens.
Where I come from, that’s enough to be called a motive.
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Hey indie, if you want less prisons,fewer cops and less goverment just make all drugs and booze legal to everyone with no age limit. And also make them all free; no robberies and crime in dark alleys.
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I said less Mike, not none.
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As a leftist, elitist intellectual and (per Noesis) a woman I totally disagree with this opinion piece. Actually, the only part of that first sentence that’s not tongue-in-cheek is the disagreement part.
I don’t demand more from both parties. I demand less. Well, actually, neither you nor I are in much of a position to “demand” anything but we can still vote and express our opinions.
I prefer less government intervention, less military, less of a police-state mentality, less prisons and less BS.
On the other hand I prefer more freedom, more liberty and more government hand-outs. Let me elaborate on that last part.
This isn’t an opinion. It’s a fact. Right now, in the year 2012, about 90% of the world’s jobs could be COMPLETELY automated away right now. Yeah, 90%.
Do you really think that the business world of today and tomorrow will be able to resist that? Computers and robotics don’t lobby for higher wages. They don’t call in sick. They don’t slack. The future is inevitable, folks.
So where does that leave us humans??
What will we do when our identity and our worth is not measured by “what we do for a living?”
In the future, the concept of “jobs” will be an antiquated relic of the past. You and your spouse will no longer punch a time clock to put food on the table and pay the bills. So how will you pay the bills? You’ll get a check. In the future there will be no more of this business of “who should” and “who should not” get a check from the government. Everyone will get one.
Furthermore, these people will not consider themselves to be lazy deadbeats or godless communists. I know that’s hard for some of you to grasp but it will happen.
Trust me. You can not compete against technology. In my career I not only worked personally but I also was tasked with evaluating the productivity of other employees. While some of them did a nice job, none of them posed any real threat to technology. None of them could process calculations faster or more accurately than a computer. None of them were stronger than a hydraulic lift. Of course, that was the technology of today and technology is only getting more efficient. People, unfortunately, are not.
So, trust me, technology WILL be able to handle most all of the work in the (near) future. When that happens, it would be anti-capitalist to insist that business stick with humans when they can have the work done better and cheaper via technology.
So let’s not bicker over the inevitable. Let’s not spit into the wind singing about John Henry versus the steam-powered hammer. Just understand that this is not optional. The only part that is optional, really, is whether you live long enough to see it…and I hope you do.
In the meantime, I suggest you start thinking about what you might do with your days in a post-job economy. Find something positive, constructive, challenging or creative. Yes, CHOOSE how you will invest your days. Embrace the fact that you will define your own value when that day comes and do something great.
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Hey indie, if no one has to work and everything is free, the local drug store will be the meeting place of the future. Everyone can get zonked out and no one will care.
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Hmmm, wonder who will be throwing stones when Obama follows the lead of France’s new president and taxes the rich up to 75%.
Hollywood may want to take back their 21 million.
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Yes it is true some will say that Homer’s comments are what they are simple. It is due to the fact that he hits the nail on the head and they want to intelliectize this whole thing that way they can hide behind there so called superior intellectual banners and not have to deal with reality. Well since many folks are not independent to asked which party will cast the first stone is a show of complete ignorance. Independents are not a larger majoriry then either party.
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we the people should cast the first stone. every one of them at the president, congress, and the senate, they are all a bunch of crooks. since we can’t throw rocks at them we need too vote them all out of office, and start over.jmo.
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Homer; As a PS: I found merit in your comment “When both parties start working together, we will be a much better country.” I wonder, which party should cast the first stone?
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Homer Campbell; I find your comment pertaining to Social Security and Medicare rather backward and simplistic. You can rest assured if the Grand Old Party had their way, we would not have Social Security, Medicare or Medicaid. The Republican Party is and has always been lacking in care and concern for the less affluent in our society. This is an Historical Fact. Jim Crawford’s comments are less biased than yours, more factual and closer to the truth. On second thought, I feel I am doing him a disservice by using the word “biased” in his regard. His comments are factual. I admire his fortitude and stability for putting up with the verbal abuse and immature comments he must endure.
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Many more people are growing tired of those that take either extreme positions and then fail to compromise and this is not just the Tea Party as many would like one to believe but it goes to a president that is the most divisive president in history, He caters to the left and wonders why so many democrats and republicans are moving toward a more central form of government that knows how to meet in the middle and not just follow blindly like so many after there piped piper down the road he chooses. Many times this goes against traditional american values that have made us at least in the past one of the greatest nations on earth. One wonders where this president with his young and female majority will actually lead this nation. As we have seen in France socialism that then leads to communism is not not far behind.
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