Originally Posted By utahjosh < What was your source? Is it recent or a couple of weeks old?> My source was glennbeck.com. He usually cites all of his numbers, but I couldn't find where he got these.
Originally Posted By Mr X ***If they want to do Volcano Monitoring then have the states where there are volcanoes pay for it. We don't have volcanoes here, why should I pay for that. I wouldn't expect someone in Florida to pay for Snow Monitoring up here.*** First of all, as written in the OP, it affects military bases so it's a national security issue (you DO support the troops, DON'T YOU?). Secondly, ever fly anywhere? You do realize that a volcano is very bad for an airplane, don't you? I can think of worse things for them to study, that's for sure!
Originally Posted By hopemax These volcano thingys also tend to be on federal land... <--- Heard the Mt. St. Helens eruption, even though she lived 275 miles away. Aunt's house was blanketed by ash even though she lived in a different state.
Originally Posted By markymouse I've only watched part of the GOP response, but I was as unimpressed as everyone else. I think he was trying for folksy, but he definitely came across wrong. The allusions to someone speaking to children come closest to getting it. There was certainly a Southern folksy element that he probably picked up from the same "so you want to be President" shop that John Edwards frequents. Too bad Bill Clinton and George W. had already milked that one for all it was worth, and then some. I liked the staircase. I'm guessing it was meant to suggest the Louisiana Governor's mansion. But I bet they have a rule against the facility being used for blatantly partisan activities, and its probably in some McMansion built back when gas was $4 a gallon and Louisiana was swimming in it.
Originally Posted By Hans Reinhardt "If they want to do Volcano Monitoring then have the states where there are volcanoes pay for it. We don't have volcanoes here, why should I pay for that. I wouldn't expect someone in Florida to pay for Snow Monitoring up here." You can't be serious.
Originally Posted By markymouse I don't eat peanut butter, so my tax dollars shouldn't go to inspecting peanut butter. I don't have breast cancer, so my tax dollars shouldn't go to curing breast cancer. My house isn't on fire, so my tax dollars shouldn't go to putting out fires. Some arguments aren't worth having.
Originally Posted By SingleParkPassholder "If they want to do Volcano Monitoring then have the states where there are volcanoes pay for it. We don't have volcanoes here, why should I pay for that. I wouldn't expect someone in Florida to pay for Snow Monitoring up here." If, for some reason, you ever move to an area that has volcanoes, make sure to volunteer to live near one so someone that has paid for it can get the hell out if need be.
Originally Posted By SingleParkPassholder But really DAR, all for one and one for all and all that, right? We are a union, after all. For example, a lotta guys that got drafted for Vietnam didn't believe in that war, but they went and unfortunately aren't here any more to tell us about it. I have no kids but I still pay taxes that go towards schools. Many people don't believe in welfare of any type yet their taxes pay for Octomom. Lotta people have never been to Wisconsin but they still pay taxes that have fix the interstates there. Get the idea?
Originally Posted By Inspector 57 <<Government control of private companies is not a core OP value is it?>> Does "OP" refer to me, this thread's Original Poster? In case that's what you meant, I'll answer the question. Is governmental control of private companies a core value of mine? Yes, it is. Absolutely. I LOVE governmental control of private companies in the US. It's part of what makes us The Greatest Country In The World. When I go to the grocery store and pick up a pack of hot dogs, I can feel confident -- because I'm an American -- that eating them will not make me sick. Thank you, USDA and GOVERNMENT CONTROL. When I cash in a prescription for a generic drug, I know that it will work as well as the private brand that costs five times as much. Thank you, FDA and GOVERNMENT CONTROL. If I were to apply for a lease at an apartment complex in my city, I'm pretty sure the corporate owners would not dare to discriminate against me because I'm gay. Thank you, Fair Housing Laws and GOVERNMENTAL CONTROL. When I buy gasoline, I feel comfortable that the pump reflects the actual octane and quantity dispensed. When I book a plane ticket, I know that the aircraft will go through numerous safety checks before I board. When I want to know the fabric quality of a garment here in the USA, I only have to look at its label. vbdad55, would you eliminate the "governmental control of private companies" cited in the above examples? If not, would you admit that the Republican Party is a little disingenious to demonize all "government control"?
Originally Posted By Inspector 57 Governor Jindal was sworn in as Governor of Louisiana in early 2008. Has the state of Louisiana accepted any federal aid since that time? Certainly it has. That says all I need to know about the integrity of his Republican Response.
Originally Posted By gadzuux I'm surprised no one's mentioned this - Jindal specifically mentioned a "high-speed mag-lev" train between las vegas and disneyland". It's just not true. And it's not the first time it's been brought up by some GOP hack. It was refuted before, and they know it isn't true, yet they continue to use this for political mileage - especially in such a high profile primetime speech. It was also delivered in the snarky tone that K2M mentioned - designed to induce rolling eyeballs at those wacky democrats. But it's not an oversight - they're deliberately using known lies to ridicule the majority party, and they don't care. It's just like during the election campaign, when Palin continually claimed that she opposed the "bridge to nowhere" even after it had been shown to be patently untrue. Yet there was no stopping her, and she continued to repeat it at every campaign stop. It was appalling and ridiculous at the same time. But it demonstrated that actual facts don't matter to republicans. If they think they can smear with it, they'll do it, even after they've been publicly rebuked for claiming it before. Chutzbah.
Originally Posted By gadzuux <a href="http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5hvI1CJJAftYDlkzZCzpxkIl-30SQD96GNGP00" target="_blank">http://www.google.com/hostedne...96GNGP00</a> >> WASHINGTON (AP) — The Republicans attacking President Barack Obama's economic stimulus package point to a project they dub the "Sin Express" — a high speed rail link between Anaheim, Calif., site of Disneyland, and Las Vegas. Not so fast. In fact, competition for the $8 billion in mass transit construction is just beginning. Backers of numerous other planned high-speed rail corridors around the country are making their case for the money. << >> "Billions of dollars for a sin express train from Los Angeles to Las Vegas. Necessary? I don't think so," said Rep. Mike Simpson, R-Idaho. "Tell me how spending $8 billion in this bill to have a high-speed rail line between Los Angeles and Las Vegas is going to help the construction worker in my district," said House Republican leader John Boehner, whose district is just north of Cincinnati. <<
Originally Posted By DAR <<But really DAR, all for one and one for all and all that, right? We are a union, after all. For example, a lotta guys that got drafted for Vietnam didn't believe in that war, but they went and unfortunately aren't here any more to tell us about it. I have no kids but I still pay taxes that go towards schools. Many people don't believe in welfare of any type yet their taxes pay for Octomom. Lotta people have never been to Wisconsin but they still pay taxes that have fix the interstates there. Get the idea?>> Things like schools and fixing are interstates are essential. Paying for crazy people like the Octomom and having a bunch a geologists look at a volcano are not essential to everyday Americans.
Originally Posted By Inspector 57 Great catch, gadzuux. So the Republican mind works something like this, huh?... "If federal spending puts money in my district, it is money wisely spent for a noble and deserving cause. If a federal expenditure does not benefit me DIRECTLY, it is obviously egregious porkbarrel waste." Nice. That's not the level of maturity that I want my government's leaders to have.
Originally Posted By hopemax So federal money, spent on making sure something on federal lands isn't going to kill Americans is bad use of tax payer money?
Originally Posted By gadzuux On that note, let's remember the hundreds of billions of taxpayer dollars - $175 billion, so far - that has poured into Louisiana after hurricane katrina. So it's more than a little late for the governor to now turn up his nose at federal dollars for his state as if it's all too unseemly for him.
Originally Posted By SingleParkPassholder "Things like schools and fixing are interstates are essential. Paying for crazy people like the Octomom and having a bunch a geologists look at a volcano are not essential to everyday Americans." I would suggest that it is.
Originally Posted By vbdad55 <Yes, because it creates jobs. And by predicting eruptions in populated areas, it will save untold lives and dollars in the long run.< okay -- let's be honest how many jobs compared to putting that kind of money to use for infrstructre repairs that will put average people back to work ? and how many lives have we lost to earthquakes in our entire lifetime ? I don't dismiss the work as Jindal did as unimportant, but int he scheme of a countrywide financial crisis - it is very low on the totem pole
