Originally Posted By mawnck Vicious, funny, and all too accurate: <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8ZXEShSIFks" target="_blank">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v...EShSIFks</a> (And thus endeth my days as a card-carrying progressive.)
Originally Posted By Dabob2 Well, to be fair, they simplified plenty of stuff - like having Obama say "Um...I don't know" to the question "how is insuring 30 million uninsured going to save money?" Of course, they could have had Armisen say "those 30 million uninsured tend to show up at emergency rooms when they get so sick they have no other choice, the taxpayers end up paying for that anyway, and that's the most expensive way to pay for them; insuring them and giving them access to preventive care before the illnesses progress will save us money in the long term." But then, that wouldn't have gotten the cheap laugh that "Um... I don't know" got, would it?
Originally Posted By wahooskipper Cheap laughs on SNL? No one seemed to mind when those cheap laughs were aimed at previous politicians.
Originally Posted By Dabob2 I always minded if the cheap laughs didn't have a factual basis. Like I always thought the Chevy Chase bits of Ford stumbling around were cheap shots, since Ford was rather unfairly tagged as a stumblebum, when in reality he was one of our more athletic presidents. Now some of this recent skit was fine - the mounting debt IS a problem. I even laughed at the "I like to be kissed when someone is DOING SEX TO ME!!" just because it struck me funny - though even that, if you think about it, doesn't quite work, since the Chinese have shown no indication that they feel taken advantage of by being our big lender. In fact, they seem happy to do it, at least for now. It's a problem long-range, and when it stuck to that theme it had some basis to it.
Originally Posted By Mr X Well, in Ford's case he did have some fairly brutal evidence against him... <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jlz0he9rtKw" target="_blank">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v...0he9rtKw</a>
Originally Posted By Kilroy We should not repay the Chinese until they clean up their act. What are they going to do hire goons and break some legs? They can't do jack to us and they know it. US state should prohibit American tourism to China and we should not allow any of their rubber or plastic trolls, fake barf and other worthless novelties, sweatshop garments and dangerous toys in the USA. Kilroy was here
Originally Posted By SuperDry <<< We should not repay the Chinese until they clean up their act. >>> What happens to a borrower when they selectively stop repaying some of their debts? That's right - their credit rating goes to crap and nobody else will lend them money anymore. And, with traditional lenders, an unwillingness to pay is actually considered worse than an inability to pay. It would immediately be the end of the dollar as we know it if we were to selectively stop paying certain treasury debts. <<< US state should prohibit American tourism to China >>> The land of the free, the home of the brave, should be restricting where in the world its citizens can go on vacation? Actually, it's China that does this now. Chinese citizens are not allowed out of the country for tourism unless the destination country is on an approved list of tourist destinations. How ironic that you would suggest that the US move to be MORE like China in the very same breath that you're blasting them. <<< and we should not allow any of their rubber or plastic trolls, fake barf and other worthless novelties, sweatshop garments and dangerous toys in the USA. >>> In almost all cases, these "dangerous items" are not being sold by Chinese companies or Chinese brands. Rather, they are being sold to Americans by American companies, who have chosen to move manufacturing to China in order to increase shareholder return. Would you restrict what a US company can do to make a profit?
Originally Posted By Kilroy ****It would immediately be the end of the dollar as we know**** too late for that mate. The dollar is destined for failure already. It is looking mighty frail and the long term outlook is bleak. Do you agree? ***The land of the free, the home of the brave, should be restricting where in the world its citizens can go on vacation?*** If you live in USA like me then you should already know about travel restrictions. The USA doesn't let us go anywhere we want so add China to the list. Easy as pie. ****Would you restrict what a US company can do to make a profit?*** why yes, isn't that already obvious. If no USA citizens were allowed to China then certainly no companies either. And when I said China should clean up its act I mean environmentally, slave labor and organ stealing. What did you think I was talking about? Kilroy was here!
Originally Posted By SuperDry <<< If you live in USA like me then you should already know about travel restrictions. The USA doesn't let us go anywhere we want so add China to the list. Easy as pie. >>> The ONLY place that the US gov't restricts its citizens from going is Cuba. And technically, the restriction only applies to spending money while there, although there is an assumption within the law that if you go there, you spend money. As a US citizen, I'm free to go anywhere else in the world as a tourist, even places like Iran or North Korea, even though the State Department may recommend against it. And even that restriction is something antiquated and left over from the heyday of 1960's cold war with the Communist nations, and maintained largely under the guise that one could not win the presidency without winning Florida, and that one cannot win Florida without the support of the Cuban expat community centered in Miami. Now that the Cold War is over, and the latter presumption has been proven incorrect, and since Fidel is probably not long for this world at this point, I suspect that the economic embargo against Cuba will not last much longer either. Once that happens, Americans will be free to go to any country on the planet that they please, at least as far as not breaking US law is concerned. I hope that we don't regress into the cold war mentality that you seem to be espousing.
Originally Posted By Kilroy *** As a US citizen, I'm free to go anywhere else in the world as a tourist, even places like Iran or North Korea,*** To be frank with you I thought we were not allowed to go to those 2 countries. Thank you for helping me. Hey, that's what we are here for aren't we? I learned something tonight. Kilroy was here
Originally Posted By Mr X ^---for some reason I always made the same assumption. In fact, I always imagined there were four, Iraq, Iran, N. Korea and of course Cuba. The fact that it's only Cuba does make that whole situation quite odd (I have Canadian friends who've been there, they said it's a nice place to hit beaches and eat good food cheap). Google up some info on folks who've travelled to N. Korea Kilroy, it's quite an eye opener. (also if you travel with your wife Iran, while in country technically you own her, so...depending on your moral sensibilities you could make something powerful out of that lol)
Originally Posted By Kilroy ****(also if you travel with your wife Iran, while in country technically you own her,**** you and I are going to be better friends than I thought Mr X, thanks for that terrific tip. <---- Jumps in the air kicking his heels and screams YIPYIPYIPPEEE like a 49 miner who just hit the motherlode and opens up another window to Travelocity for the first flight out of San Jose to Terhran.
Originally Posted By Kilroy <---- Kilroy was there. Now he will soon be is 30,000 feet in the air with his wife who has had too many headaches lately.
