Mark Stapleton

This was the guy's motive? Seems a little threadbare to me.

It should be noted that many of the politicians, or more accurately those who manipulate the politicians, have substantial personal property portfolios so it is in their interests to keep property values artificially inflated. Increasing immigration is one of the ways of achieving this, and the people of Paris and London are now discovering the social costs of this policy.

I agree John. It's incredible how quickly our corporate leaders change from rabid free marketeers into enthusiastic recipients of Government largesse when things go sour. Thatcherism keeps kicking.

YOU certainly don't. The big question (that you have yet to satisfactorily answer) remains. Why, WHY are Americans making such poor choices--statistically significant and disturbing--whereas most other western nations are not? Is it the water?

That's the point. The old GOP no longer exists. It's been replaced by a menace to any semblance of global harmony. It's over for the GOP. Sorry. I agree with some (but not all) of what you say about the GOP. The GOP exalted political practicality and power over principal, and it got what it deserved. After losing its power, perhaps it will one day regain its soul. Because the GOP is now so marginalized, however, it will be interesting to focus on what the Democrats do with their control of the Federal and state governments. Pelosi and Reid clearly lack the courage to do what the liberal base of the Democrat Party (the ones who rejected HRC and chose Obama, based on what he was then saying) wants them to do. They will do almost anything to avoid debate on bills, prefering instead to reach a concesus with the GOP and tell the taxpayers what they have done. I would rather see Congress debate proposed legislation in the light of day than learning what deals the 2 parties have cut with each other through backroom negotiations. The lack of true debate in Congress is precisely why it is difficult to discern what its Members truly stand for and believe in, which is their intended objective in proceeding down the path of least resistance. It is also why Harry Reid believes himself to be singe-handedly tyrannized by Sen. Tom Coburn (Oklahoma), who routinely exercises the option given to each Senator to require public debate on bills. In other words, Reid is afraid to bring bills to the floor for debate, even though there are sufficient votes for passage. Talk about a lack of political courage. It is also interesting to watch as Obama's previous clearly enunciated positions shift almost daily, presumably as campaign money pours into his campaign, the DNC and liberal 527s from groups and industries who want their interests advanced. Like I said, though, the GOP isn't a threat to anyone these days. Chris, my view is that the political system has failed. Not just in the US but the US is the focus because it is the acknowledged standard bearer for western culture. How could the world's great democracy elect George W Bush twice? Because the system is corrupt. It doesn't work anymore. America will have another revolution, imo.

Again with the poor choices. You're still playing both sides of the street, you crafty devil. Fascinating stuff about how freedom works. I'd like to know more about this interesting concept. p.s. we'll forget the fact that the US prison population exceeds that of other modern countries by a factor of five---that's just poor choices, right?

The stats are bullsnit http://www.overpopulation.com/articles/200...fant-mortality/ According to the foregoing article (post #1), the report was funded was Oxfam, the Conrad Hilton Foundation and the Rockerfeller Foundation. I assume thier intentions are good and don't see how their interests would be enhanced by painting such a bleak picture. It also reinforces what I've been reading for years about America's wealth and social inequality. So you respond with a link to a dinky website. I think I know bullsnit when I see it.

I think Sirhan was a programmed killer for sure. It's hard to understand what Len's carrying on about. Then again..............

I don't know, Craig. I THINK you are saying that the statistics are bullxxxx. But you seem to agree that Americans are appallingly bad choice makers. Which one are you running with? (not that it makes any difference).

That's the point. The old GOP no longer exists. It's been replaced by a menace to any semblance of global harmony. It's over for the GOP. Sorry.

That's sentimental loyalty to a political party, Chris. I used to feel that way but I think it's a futile pursuit in the current political environment. The main parties represent old views and values, are slow to evolve and are corrupt beyond redemption. Of course, this is my own political view.

see below

So the damning statistics are due to the fact that Americans make more poor choices than the people of the other nations in the Report? Do you have an explanation for why Americans are such poor choice makers?

Sounds good.

I'm not sure if it's nationalism or capitalism (or a purely American blend of both), but something has supplanted your morality, Craig. You ignore the subject matter of the article, or maybe you approve of it. The fact that people from Mexico, Cuba and other third world economies attempt to enter the US is easily explained by the fact the US is still a very wealthy country by comparison.

A quick google search reveals the California Democrat proposals which have been rejected out of hand by Republicans, thus creating this legislative deadlock. Most of the tax increases apply to big business and high income earners. Much of the tax relief and exemptions benefitting high income earners were legislated in the late 1990's when the economy was booming, but now the economy is contracting these greedy pigs are unwilling to return some of the largesse they were granted in boom times, preferring instead to place the load on the burgeoning underclass. So much for the Christian ethics and morality which the Republicans are supposedly famous for. Of course, Republicans would probably find some biblical justification for their selfishness. Maybe 'charity begins at home'. http://www.sacbee.com/111/story/1069555.html Democrats detail tax increase proposals By Judy Lin and Dan Smith - jlin@sacbee.com Last Updated 9:23 pm PDT Tuesday, July 8, 2008 Republican Assemblyman Roger Niello of Sacramento, right, said the Democratic budget proposal "will be a troubled and very challenged proposal on the Assembly floor." Brian Baer / bbaer@sacbee.com Democrats on Tuesday proposed billions in tax increases on businesses and high earners to help bridge California's budget shortfall. The proposed hikes include rolling back the dependent child income tax credit expanded in the 1990s, creating two higher income tax brackets for the state's biggest earners and increasing corporate taxes. The long-awaited list of revenue proposals faces near certain defeat, however, as Republican lawmakers have repeatedly said they are unified in their opposition to any tax increases. Approving a budget and increasing taxes requires a two-thirds vote, which means GOP support is mandatory. "I guarantee you it will be a troubled and very challenged proposal on the Assembly floor," said Assemblyman Roger Niello, a member of the two-house budget conference committee that finished its work over Republican opposition Tuesday. "After we're done (rejecting the tax increases), we can all go back to square one to figure out how we get a supermajority vote on this budget." Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger and state lawmakers have yet to strike a compromise on how to close a $15.2 billion budget shortfall in the $101 billion general fund. The entire budget proposed by the governor is $144 billion, including bond and special funds. Lawmakers missed a June 15 constitutional deadline for passing a balanced spending plan for the fiscal year that began July 1. In earlier drafts of the budget, majority Democrats presented plans that called for as much as $11 billion in added revenues. Tuesday's proposals amount to $8.2 billion, plus another $1.5 billion from a proposed tax amnesty plan. Democrats have proposed before -- a 2005 move failed to receive a single GOP vote -- the creation of 10 percent and 11 percent tax brackets for high earners. The highest tax bracket now is 9.3 percent. The plan unveiled Tuesday would impose a 10 percent rate on the portion of couples' incomes above $321,000 a year and an 11 percent rate on the portion of income above $642,000. It would raise about $5.6 billion a year. Big business would lose its net operating loss deduction for three years, bringing the state another $1.1 billion, according to the Senate plan. And the plan would restore the franchise tax rate for businesses from 8.4 percent to 9.3 percent, raising $470 million. Reducing the dependent income tax exemption would bring the state about $215 million in the fiscal year that started July 1. Lawmakers and then-Gov. Pete Wilson expanded the child dependent exemption in 1997 and 1998 when the state's budget picture was brighter and tax relief was a necessary political piece to approve the spending plan. The Senate's proposal would apply only to households with adjusted gross income more than $150,000 a year. It would lower the current allowable exemption for each child from $294 to $94 - the same amount currently allowed for a personal exemption. Democrats rejected a more ambitious plan advanced by Legislative Analyst Elizabeth Hill who called for the dependent credit to be rolled back for all families, regardless of annual income. It would have raised $1.3 billion for then state. Niello and other Republicans said the tax proposals would drive businesses out of the state and hurt families already reeling from a flagging economy. Democrats countered that schools and health care programs will suffer without higher taxes. "It's not possible to get anywhere near to current year (education) funding without (new) revenues," said Sen. Denise Moreno Ducheny, D-San Diego and chair of the budget conference committee. "These really are just rolling back the tax cuts that have been made since 1997," Ducheny said. "These restore some of these in as modest a way as possible." State Controller John Chiang and Treasurer Bill Lockyer have warned several times that the state would face a cash shortage next month unless lawmakers can come to an agreement. A protracted budget fight, they warn, would force the state to borrow billions in an unfriendly lending atmosphere. The move would jeopardize the state's credit rating, which is already among the nation's worst. Already, the state cannot pay some programs for school districts, community colleges, local governments, vendors and salaries and per diem of state elected officials and their appointed staff. California lawmakers will now be the last of their colleagues in the 46 states with a fiscal year beginning July 1 to pass an annual spending plan. The Golden State earned the same title last year when the budget standoff dragged on for 52 days. Despite a sour economy, only a handful of states missed their July 1 deadlines. On Tuesday, North Carolina's Legislature shipped off a compromise budget bill to Gov. Mike Easley after two weeks of negotiations.

Looks like no-one's putting their hand up to defend the GOP, Peter. I'd even settle for Craig Lamson at this point.

LBJ was incensed by Bobby's criticism of Vietnem and growing popularity. That press conference where it appeared that Bobby was undertaking to reopen the investigation into JFK's murder was a big mistake, imo. He should have parried that question. You have to marvel at LBJ's Machiavellian mastery when he said "we're running a goddam Murder Inc. down there".

Re: bananas - I thought Chiquita was the new (blood-free) name of the United Fruit Company? Silly me. I suspect that, very shortly, we're about to see what the End Game consists of. Until now, Shock Therapy has been prescribed for everywhere from Chile & Argentina to Poland & the former USSR - with Africa permanently vibrating as the electric current courses through its bones. Will Shock Therapy be tried in America and western Europe? Or will it be Business As Usual - ie some catastrophic war? 1001% congruence - It's called when the 'chickens come home to roost' - and they xxxx on wherever/whomever they are at home - don't they.... I suspect they will relieve themselves on the USA, UK, much or Europe, all of the developing nations and Iran [and middle-east] in particular. A personal note. I was in deep depression today. My love died not long ago and life seems meaningless on that 'level' and now the political and economic 'magic show' is 'folding'......very sad. A Planet and Species with such potential...and apparently not realized........."so it goes" [K. Vonnegut] I shed a tear for the current reality/nightmare. What would have been bizarre parody a few months ago is now sad reality....and things will soon get much worse. Goodbye all. Good luck to us all. We'll really need it. Endgame is here and it looks 'rigged' to me....[to fail for the average Human]. But we must fight on just in case.....just in case.......just...... The banana republics are notorious for their political violence and instability. Political upheaval in America is likely, imo, as the population discovers that the current political system has failed. And it's a massive 300 million population. What system will emerge is anyone's guess but I predict the USA will break up into several separate entities.

I wonder if Tim Gratz will speak in defence of the GOP. Speak Tim .

http://www.counterpunch.org/roberts07232008.html The Greatest Threat America Has Ever Faced: the GOP? The Mother of All Messes By PAUL CRAIG ROBERTS Republicans are sending around the Internet a photo of a cute little boy whose T-shirt reads: “The mess in my pants is nothing compared to the mess Democrats will make of this country if they win Nov. 2nd.” One can only wonder at the insouciance of this message. Are Republicans unaware of the amazing mess the Bush regime has made? It is impossible to imagine a bigger mess. Republicans have us at war in two countries as a result of Republican lies and deceptions, and we might be in two more wars--Iran and Pakistan--by November. We have alienated the entire Muslim world and most of the rest. The dollar has lost 60% of its value against the euro, and the once mighty dollar is losing its reserve currency role. The Republicans’ policies have driven up the price of both oil and gold by 400%. Inflation is in double digits. Employment is falling. The Republican economy in the 21st century has been unable to create net new jobs for Americans except for low wage domestic services such as waitresses, bartenders, retail clerks and hospital orderlies. Republican deregulation brought about fraud in mortgage lending and dangerous financial instruments which have collapsed the housing market, leaving a million or more homeowners facing foreclosure. The financial system is in disarray and might collapse from insolvency. The trade and budget deficits have exploded. The US trade deficit is larger than the combined trade deficits of every deficit country in the world. The US can no longer finance its wars or its own government and relies on foreign loans to function day to day. To pay for its consumption, the US sells its existing assets--companies, real estate, toll roads, whatever it can offer--to foreigners. Republicans have run roughshod over the US Constitution, Congress, the courts and civil liberties. Republicans have made it perfectly clear that they believe that our civil liberties make us unsafe--precisely the opposite view of our Founding Fathers. Yet, Republicans regard themselves as the Patriotic Party. The Republicans have violated the Nuremberg prohibitions against war crimes, and they have violated the Geneva Conventions against torture and abuse of prisoners. Republican disregard for human rights ranks with that of history’s great tyrants. The Republicans have put in place the foundation for a police state. I am confident that the Democrats, too, will make a mess. But can they beat this record? We must get the Republicans totally out of power, or we will have no country left for the Democrats to mess up. I say this as a person who has done as much for the Republican Party as anyone. I helped to devise and to get implemented an economic policy that cured stagflation and that brought Republicans back into political competition after Watergate. If I could have looked into a crystal ball and seen that under a free trade banner, Republicans would enable corporate executives to pay themselves millions of dollars in “performance pay” for deserting their American work forces and hiring foreigners in their place, thus destroying the aspirations and careers of millions of Americans, I never would have helped the Republicans. If a crystal ball had revealed that a neoconned Republican Party would launch wars of naked aggression against countries that posed no threat to the United States, I would have shouted my warnings even earlier. The neoconned Republican Party is the greatest threat America has ever faced. Let me tell you why. How many Republicans can you name who respect and honor the Constitution? There are Ron Paul, Bob Barr, and who? The ranks of Republican constitutional supporters quickly grow thin. The reason is that Republicans view the Constitution as a coddling device for criminals and terrorists. Republicans think the Constitution can be set aside for evil-doers and kept in place for everyone else. But without the Constitution we only have the government’s word as to who is an evil-doer. This would be the word of the same infallible government that told us that Saddam Hussein possessed weapons of mass destruction that were on the verge of being used against America, the same infallible government that told us that Guantanamo prison held “770 of the most dangerous persons alive” and then, after stealing 5 years of their lives, quietly released 500 of them as mistaken identities. Republicans think the United States is the salt of the earth and that American hegemony over the rest of the world is not only justified by our great virtue but necessary to our safety. People this full of hubris are incapable of judgment. People incapable of judgment should never be given power. Republicans have no sympathy for anyone but their own kind. How many Republicans do you know who care a hoot about the plight of the poor, the jobless, the medically uninsured? The government programs that Republicans are always adamant to cut are the ones that help people who need help. I have yet to hear any of my Republican friends express any concern whatsoever for the 1.2 million Iraqis who have died, and the 4 million who have been displaced, as a result of Bush’s gratuitous invasion. Many tell me that the five- and six-year long wars in Iraq and Afghanistan are due to wimpy Americans “who don’t have the balls it takes” to win. Killing and displacing a quarter of the Iraqi population is just a wimpy result of a population that lacks testosterone. Real Americans would have killed them all by now. Macho patriotic Republicans are perfectly content for US foreign policy to be controlled by Israel. Republican evangelical “christian” churches teach their congregations that America’s purpose in the world is to serve Israel. And these are the flag-wavers. Those of us who think America is the Constitution, and that loyalty means loyalty to the Constitution, not to office holders or to a political party or to a foreign country, are regarded by Republicans as “anti-American.” Neoconservatives, such as Billy Kristol, insist that loyalty to the country means loyalty to the government. Thus, criticizing the government for launching wars of aggression and for violating constitutionally protected civil liberties is, according to neoconservatives, a disloyal act. In the neoconservative view, there is no place for the voices of citizens: the government makes the decisions, and loyal citizens support the government’s decisions. In the neocon political system there is no liberty, no democracy, no debate. Dissenters are traitors. The neoconservative magazine, Commentary, wants the New York Times indicted for telling Americans that the Bush regime was caught violating US law, specifically the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act, by spying on Americans without obtaining warrants as required by law. Note that neoconservatives think it is a criminal act for a newspaper to tell its readers that their government is spying on them illegally. Judging by their behavior, a number of Democrats go along with the neocon view. Thus, the Democrats don’t offer a greatly different profile. They went along with the views that corporate profits and the war on terror take precedence over everything else. They have not used the congressional power that the electorate gave them in the 2006 elections. However, Democrats, or at least some of them, do care about the Constitution. If it were not for Democratic appointees to the federal courts and the ACLU (essentially a Democratic organization), the Bush regime would have completely destroyed our civil liberties. Some Democrats are “bleeding hearts,” who actually care about suffering people they don’t know, and who think that we have obligations to others. Have you ever heard of a bleeding heart Republican? Traditionally, Democrats objected whenever policies resulted in a handful of rich people capturing all of the income gains from the economy. There might still be a few such Democrats left. Looking at the Republican mess, I doubt that Democrats, try as they may, can equal it. Paul Craig Roberts was Assistant Secretary of the Treasury in the Reagan administration. He was Associate Editor of the Wall Street Journal editorial page and Contributing Editor of National Review. He is coauthor of The Tyranny of Good Intentions. He can be reached at: paulcraigroberts@yahoo.com

I never said NEVER. I said in "the current chaotic situation" that the inquiry is postured. Fair enough. My mistake. I'm looking at this as more of a general discussion than an adversarial debate. One wonders if the 'current chaotic situation' will ever cease to be chaotic. It's a wildly optimistic proposition, but I'm hoping Barack Obama might be favorably disposed towards more than a passing glance at the JFK and RFK issues (of course, he'll have a multitude of more pressing matters to address). Perhaps those in the Kennedy clan who are still curious may eventually take their concerns to him. Of course it is ludicurous to think that Ted Kennedy, RFK, Jr. and Caroline even talk about the assassinations, or can agree on anything, as they certainly didn't agree on who should be president. Nor would they ever seek new investigations into the murders. In fact, why should anyone seek yet another investigation as every one has thus far failed. Freeing the files and the JFK Act is totally different ball game however. What is their opinions on releasing the assassination records, the JFK Act and those records destroyed, missing and illegally withheld? It would be more appropriate to make the JFK Act Oversigt Hearings a campaign issue, and asking them reasonable questions about releasing the remaining government records releated to the assassination of the President and other government records that should be public (all Congressional Records are secret and not FOIA). Now that's something that they should be able to agree on. BK Wouldn't the release of the missing assassination records result in a new investigation anyway?

I never said NEVER. I said in "the current chaotic situation" that the inquiry is postured. Fair enough. My mistake. I'm looking at this as more of a general discussion than an adversarial debate. One wonders if the 'current chaotic situation' will ever cease to be chaotic. It's a wildly optimistic proposition, but I'm hoping Barack Obama might be favorably disposed towards more than a passing glance at the JFK and RFK issues (of course, he'll have a multitude of more pressing matters to address). Perhaps those in the Kennedy clan who are still curious may eventually take their concerns to him.

I agree Don, and it would be great if they did. Such an action would put the mainstream media in a very awkward position. In that case you guys don't know the mainstream media very well. The mainstream media treats Coretta Scott King and members of her family as pitiable Looney Tunes ever since they got involved in re-opening the MLK case. You think they couldn't make (what is left of) the Kennedy family look like Looney Tunes also? Just look at the insults thrown at the Kennedy family by the amateurs on this thread, then imagine that amplified times 1 Million by PROFESSIONAL character assassins. There are sound legal, moral and practical reasons why the family should stay clear of this subject (the JFK & RFK assassinations) given the present chaotic state of the inquiry. Yes, I realise that the Kennedys would whip up a media frenzy and find themselves in the maelstrom, but you never know---they might garner surprisingly strong support. It should be remembered that the credibility of the mainstream media has been greatly eroded in recent years. Their strong support for war in Iraq--on the back of a flimsy pretext-- has not been forgotten. And there's the blogosphere, where such dubious concepts as the war on terror and the war on drugs are subject to critical analysis, not the blind dogmatic adherence the MSM demands. Of course, the Kennedys are under no obligation to call for a new investigation. They don't owe America a bloody thing. However, the notion that the Kennedys--if they spoke out collectively--would be subjected to millions of insults by the MSM and should therefore never consider such an action is repugnant, frankly. Nobody elected the MSM, but they have established the culture of fear which presides over the populations of Western countries. It's evil.

I agree Don, and it would be great if they did. Such an action would put the mainstream media in a very awkward position. They might be unable to prevent a groundswell of public support for a proper re-examination of the case. I expect they would wheel out the tired old line 'why can't we let the Kennedys rest in peace--let's not tarnish their memory' etc etc (which they have used to great effect in the past). But if it's the Kennedy family themselves calling for a new investigation, then the media's tired old line starts looking very lame.