59 Comments

1. Chris C. on February 24, 2011 at 9:03 pm

   I first read this yesterday on Drudgereport. But it’s certainly appropriate here.

   Like you said, we’re out of money. There’s no way to get it without borrowing (printing) more. Oh, and oil’s going up, assuring a repeat of 2008 when we had a series of stock market crashes because once oil hits the $150 range the broader economy can’t bear that level of burden as the cost or producing everything goes up.

   Hyperinflation is guaranteed.

2. admin on February 24, 2011 at 9:17 pm

   I keep hearing about this… Drudge…. who or what is a Drudge?!

   🙂

3. European American on February 24, 2011 at 9:23 pm

   It’s a rather bias news reporting website.

   I’ll let you decide on the bias.

   http://drudgereport.com/

4. michelle on February 24, 2011 at 9:26 pm

   watch for this happening all over the place – schools are closing and teachers have to be notified by law before it happens, so the “just in case” pink slips will only really apply to the teachers that have to be let go.  This just saves them the trouble of deciding who gets fired now…

   Too bad but not for me since we home school.  Everyone should get their minds around the possibility that next school year there may be no “public” schools.  If so, then private schools will be a good business to be in!!

5. PO'dpatriot on February 24, 2011 at 9:30 pm

   I keep holding my breath in my daughter’s case as she is an elementary teacher with just three years in and working on her masters. Iv’e tried talking with her about the economy and how she needs to hold on to her money but it doesn’t take. Guess she’ll have to learn the hard way.

6. Anonymous on February 24, 2011 at 9:35 pm

   I’ve been thinking about getting a home school curriculum together that would cover a minimum of three years beginning in 2012.  I live in California and I’ll be surprised if our school district is up and running in 2013.

7. mushroom on February 24, 2011 at 9:50 pm

   * “the people that own this country don’t want informed well educated citizens.”

   * george carlin (rip), san diego ca, july 1990….

8. laura m. on February 24, 2011 at 9:53 pm

   If everyone in the country to incl all gov. workers (state and federal) went  on the 401k system when it started out in the late 70’s, then workers would be responsible for their own retirement with some employers matching it (up to the employer),  and tax deferred IRA’s for self employed workers. Then  these states would never be in this mess over pensions, which are more likely to fail over the long term.  Most every worker pays health care (part of it paid by employer). These workers in Wisc, Ohio, etc want freebies most workers never have, incl my state and many others, where state, fed.  employees to incl union men,  pay part of their health ins. to incl. insurance increases.  Wisc. gov. is right, these workers must compromise.    The pension system fails eventually, whereas the worker controlled 401k like we have, doesn’t.

9. European American on February 24, 2011 at 10:02 pm

   @ michelle

   Everyone should “get their minds around” home schooling their child. It’s like have your own organic garden. You can control what goes in. And what comes out is the real deal.

   If I had a child I would never subject he or she to the brainwashing/propaganda presently corrupting a large (not all) segment of the public school system.

10. Paul Revere on February 24, 2011 at 10:08 pm

    Good riddance, most teachers are Leftists anyways.  

    Can we shitcan Owebama too?

11. shoemaker on February 24, 2011 at 10:09 pm

    There will be schools next year. 

    In my state, I am expecting teacher layoffs, but they can only cut down to the basic ed law of 49 per thousand kids in K-3, and 46 per thousand in 4-12.  School districts are in better financial condition (meaning they keep enough in the treasury to pay another 2 weeks of bills) than the state government, so the state wants to pass on as many costs as possible to the districts.  In fact, when the recent Ed Jobs bill money came from the federal government to save teacher jobs, the state “took it”, by reducing its regular payments to the districts. 

    The state is now talking about freezing teachers on their experience step, and education step, and shortening the school year by 3 days.  The state will likely redefine what basic education is so that it can meet its budget. 

    The unions are very powerful.  While the schools in Providence made a gutsy move, don’t expect to see that everywhere.  Out of the districts I know, none are planning to do anything drastic.  Probably notices will go out to less than 5% of the staff, with actual layoffs being even less.  On the other hand, I don’t know any that are hiring, unless they have to replace a certain position.

12. Siamslim on February 24, 2011 at 11:23 pm

    Why do we spend so much on education, when plenty of other countries around the world are spending 1/4 of what we do and are graduating more quality students…..

    It seems American kids are more interested in Video games, MTV, Music, Drugs/Booze, reality TV, MMA/UFC….the list goes on and on…

    No one seems to want to work hard for anything these days….we live in a society witha “Fast Food Mentality”….

    I don’t see a silver lining….

13. pappy on February 24, 2011 at 11:42 pm

    What’s a “European American”??

14. BJ on February 25, 2011 at 12:00 am

    Here in hell, I mean Michigan, i think I read yesterday on Drudge, that Detroit was shutting down HALF it’s schools………but Michigan is in far worse shape than almost all other states with the exception of maybe Cali

15. Plane Guy on February 25, 2011 at 12:31 am

    Laura- your belief in the 401K as a preserver of wealth is very misguided, indeed. After the currency collapses (by end of 2012) these plans will be WORTHLESS. Everyone laughed at me at work when I steadfastly refused to put any of my money into our company’s 401K options, but you should see thier shocked faces when they read the articles I send them about CONgress planning on confiscating the 401K’s (several European countries have already done this). I knew these plans were a scam from the beginning- after all, the IRS wrote the rules (and Wall Street pushed them- another red flag). Another favorite saying of mine is “If it’s YOUR money, then why can’t you take it out without the IRS & penalties getting 1/2 of it?”

    PO’dpatriot- I know how it is with kids, it’s hard to “reprogram” them with the actual version of reality that confronts us. Mine are slowly starting to come around as the mainstream media verifies nightly what I’ve been warning them about for a couple of years now…

    European American- It’s OK to have your children in the public school system (especially in my “conservative” locale), just make sure you spend time enough to “debrief” them from the fallacies crammed into thier heads. They actually DO listen to you…

16. Anonymous on February 25, 2011 at 12:54 am

    Plane Guy, can you give us the links to the articles about CONgress planning the confiscation of 401K’s?  I’ve spoken to my family about this and none of them believe me.  I know it has already happened in Argentina.

17. admin on February 25, 2011 at 1:12 am

    @Anon:

    Here’s a report I put together on this in October of 2010:

    https://www.shtfplan.com/headline-news/senate-hearing-seizure-of-401k-accounts-may-be-reality-soon_10112010

    When things get bad enough and the US dollar either collapses or is about to collapse, then the government will have to fund operations somehow… They will appropriate private retirement accounts, as they’ve alluded to before (remember the Democrats were actually talking about this as a campaign issue several years back!!), and likely flip them over into some sort of government investment program — essentially forcing people to buy US government debt like Bonds/Tbills…

    This is already happening in several European countries RIGHT NOW.

18. boone on February 25, 2011 at 1:18 am

    Comments…..We the people of af america don’t appreciate what we have and we all feel every thing is an entitlement ,including fast service,like right now!
    this very instant,hey just fax it to me threw my 3d imager.

    The shit thats going on in this country isnt just happening by coicnedence
    and i can’t believe how sheaple you all are, I mean they are.

    all the piece’s of the puzzel are falling into place one by one!
    just take a look around !!!

    Just the other day a man came into my place of buisness (in the n.w.) and was looking for a part for his generator,he asked me some odd questiions (i noticed his plates wer’e from Pennsylvania) and he said he basically said when the
    the SHIT HITS THE FAN he didn’t want to be surounded by thirty million people.

    Then it dawned on me (like the dum shit i am)I’m not the only one that scared shitless!!!

    So when I got home I cleaned my guns, polished my brass,got down on my
    knees and kissed the ground that I call home and said a prayer
    for the suckers out there that can’t see past their big fat nose

    Good fortune and a good day

    Boone

19. BJ on February 25, 2011 at 1:28 am

    @MAC,
    your link takes you to a page that says “oops”
    and then has a bunch of other links

20. Mariposa de Oro on February 25, 2011 at 1:28 am

    Drudge Report biased?  Only if you considered posting links to sites that discuss issues that the Obama-boot-licking- media refuse to discuss.  Sheeesh.

21. Bea on February 25, 2011 at 8:44 am

    Laura M….did you stop listening to the news about a week ago?  WI workers are willing to make the financial concessions requested.  They are not willing to give up their right to be a union.  That seems fair to me.
    You know the WI bill in question also gives the governor the right to sell or lease WI’s power plants on no bid contracts and takes the power away from the legislator to decide what Medicaid pays for.  All this after he gave taxes breaks to corporations.  We are being screwed….period…the end.
    I want to, and have been prepping more now that before.

22. RamRod on February 25, 2011 at 10:42 am

    It’s all good, nothing is going to happen. The Fed will print more money and hand it out to every state and everyone can just go back and watch American Idol, listen to Justin Bieber and update there Twitter/Facebook accounts. The U.S. is immune to unrest and turmoil, don’t you worry.

23. laura m. on February 25, 2011 at 10:52 am

    Plane guy:   401k’s lesser of two evils, but worker has control over their investments, can check on line and move money to different index funds or play it safer in US Treas.  The guv’ment  better keep hands off (I have read this too) or people will raise hell for sure.  We did fine with it as all ours is in us treas, unless gov collapses.  Gov better butt out of this and the light bulb issue; we must have choices in planning retirement and what types bulbs to use in our lamps.  Gov educ. is a brainwashing agenda for the NWO, agenda 21,  and gay lifestyles, etc.  Get kids out of these schools asap!  You don’t want your kids brainwashed zombies.

24. manos on February 25, 2011 at 11:18 am

    Mac,

    To verify, yes the Greek government has done this already within the austerity measures legislation.
    All pentioners experienced a monthly reduction of a 20% to 30% since June of 2010.
    That money though, was not the government’s. It actually belonged to the people who gave that money to the social services for their pention programms.
    My opinion is that the storm is approaching quickly. They don’t see it or they want to cause it; i don’t know which applies.

    Best wishes to all

    Manos

25. ? on February 25, 2011 at 11:29 am

    so when do we take the tax dollars paid for public schools off our taxes? if they will not be providing this service, Im shure as hell not going to be funding it and also spending money on a private school also. And wheres all this Lottery money that was supposed to be funneled into the school or education system? Corrupt much? I think we just found another very very corrupt end of our government folks, money filters ..with huge fuckin holes in them
    it seems to me that my taxes have done nothing but go up and up and up, and im recieving less and less for it..
    They are closing a school near me, in my district..but, they are just closing the building. All the staff and teachers are just getting moved around, so No “real” cost savings if you ask me..or at least very small.

    I think its time we boycott paying any taxes until we see where every red cent is going and accounted for. the american workers are funding a cartel, and a corrupt government, and we are getting the screws put to us with out being kissed, or truthfully informed of where this money is going and what its for.

    I think it is high time we collaps this government, with out us and our money, there is no them….they need us way more than we need them, at least as far as im concerned

26. Dennis on February 25, 2011 at 11:38 am

    Mac, the (Matt) Drudge Report is a very good resource for more alternative (read: true) headlines out there. And like Mariposa said, it leaves out the Obama-praising pieces. He distributes a pretty fair swath of views, and even highlights some good UFO info when it arises.

    But more importantly, his hit count i8s extraordinary. Something like a billion a month or something. There’s value in that point, as it demonstrates how many of the population are at least SEEING something that contradicts the media bias we have today.

    And it updates constantly throughout the day. Good site.

27. Chris C. on February 25, 2011 at 11:44 am

    Voltaire said it is dangerous to be right when the government is wrong.

    That is why I fully believe drudgereport will be one of the first sites shut down when the time comes for censorship.

    This site will follow some time later, depending on its popularity.

28. Chris C. on February 25, 2011 at 11:49 am

    To ?, you are absolutely correct. The best and fastest way to end this corrupt system and reclaim our sovereignty is to stop paying the taxes that is the very lifeblood our our vampiric government.

    The problem only becomes a democratic one – everyone needs to be in on it or the strategy fails.

    Let’s start a movement right here, right now. What are we paying for? More and more for less and less? Millions are losing their homes and jobs – how can we continue to play by the rules when they don’t?

    Stop paying all taxes. For ever.

29. Patriot One on February 25, 2011 at 12:04 pm

    As a former Teamster in a Right to work State the Union did nothing for me but cost me money. All they did was spread hate at contract time and forgive my french but protected the shitbird that would not do his job.

    I can see no reason for public employee unions what so ever except to milk the Citizens. Even before public employee unions it was almost impossible to fire a government employee. Before unions government employees had great benefits and pensions. In fact if you calculate that government employee pensions are inflationary they are getting 5 times what the average private pension provides.

    Here are a few facts.

    Active Military can retire as early as age 37 if they enlisted at 17 with 20 years of service.
    The average Federal / State employee retires at 55 with 20 years service.
    The average Private sector employee retires at age 65 with 30 to 40 years of service.  

    Next time a public union employee says its not fair, ask them if they are willing to work 10 or 20 more years for a smaller pension.

    As I wrote in my Hidden in Plain Sight article abolish the NEA and public unions. Screw them all. When was the last time you got good service or anything from a public sector union employee besides a hard time? 

30. Secunda on February 25, 2011 at 12:38 pm

    Patriot One never spent a day in a union. If he did he would know that the principle of collective bargaining is at the heart of unions it’s not about protecting one slacker. If one person approaches management with a request for a salary increase he will be laughed out of the office. If all the employees ask for a raise, management will be forced to do one of two things: Negotiate or fire them all. How productive will the company be while they train replacement workers?

    As for his comment about military able to retire after twenty years I would challenge him to do the physically demanding work required of a serviceman: Break track on a tank, clean the bilges of a destroyer, secure a 500 bomb onto a weapons rack of an F-16.

    The comment from Patriot One just highlights how self centered and uncivil we have become as a nation. We are a collection of embittered crybabies who do not have the capacity to work together to accomplish anything; and the comments the likes of Patriot One’s are a marker of how rotten we’ve become just as soft and sour as an over ripened peach.

31. Jazzn on February 25, 2011 at 12:52 pm

    Yes, I grew up down in Little Rhodey, also known as the “mobsters and lobsters” state. An amazing amount of corruption for such a small land mass really.
    Anyway, I spoke to a relative down that way and was told the most extreme idea being kicked around by Providence was: close all the schools for a year and halve the Public Works, Police and Fire to balance the budget. I’m thinking the bored school kids will loot and burn the city down at that rate, but that’s just my opinion.
    This problem will continue to emerge in more and more places…Fed cuts budget, States lose funding. States cut budget, towns lose funding. Trickle down economic mess.

    As for unions, I’m not a big fan. I appreciate them in a historical value but I think people need to realize they need to tighten their belts no matter what they do or where they work. Anything less is a pipe dream.

    Home schooling…not something I figured on needing to do unless SHTF big time, but now it may happen even if the country doesn’t tank totally. Guess I need to buy the little ones some good textbooks in the near future.

32. laura m. on February 25, 2011 at 12:58 pm

    Bea;  glad they have agreed like you said; I have been so focused on the middle east updates lately, and oil crisis, economy..  Some of these unions like one husband was in, (IBEW) made compromises too.   I’m not anti union but some of them have gone too far over the years.   For ex:  GM and Chrysler (UAW) was partly the problem, (auto bankruptcy) along with shoddy crappy vehicles made, people were buying Japanese, Korean cars.

33. VRF on February 25, 2011 at 1:27 pm

    The government doesnt produce anything..they take, take , take..

    if we cut them off…they wont survive, but we will..we are feeding them..

    The Aerican workers and citizens are the producers and the back bone of this country..its high time they find out who owns them,

    we produce the GDP..not them..we produce the tax monies for them to corrupt..

    without us,, there is no them..

    time to deliver

34. BJ on February 25, 2011 at 2:24 pm

    @Chris C.,
    Google already is implimenting something that takes news farms out of search results. This means when someone google searches something, the Drudge Report will never come up.

35. BJ on February 25, 2011 at 2:34 pm

    @PATRIOT ONE,
    I have been in 4 unions in Alaska (food), Florida (carpenters) Iowa (rubber, steel)
    They were all a joke, and full of idiots that couldnt agree on anything and worried about stupid stuff…like…he’s being mean to me.
    I noticed the same thing, instead of protecting me who shows up on time everyday and does my job…no they protect “butter” the guy who is always late and sleeps on the clock. When I went into leadership roles as team leader I had a fine line to walk that I tried my best to do and have a good conscious that I did well seeing how I prayed about it every single day before entering work. But I was still villified by the zombie union workers. When I realized just how much the unions were involved in politics (mid 90’s I was in my mid 20’s and starting to wake up to politics) adn where my dues were going and what the union philosophy and attitude was….I asked to get out of the union. They told me I couldnt!!!!!!!!! They kept taking my money every week until I wrote 3 certified and notarized letters explaining to some stranger on why I want to keep my own money and want out of the union

36. Chuckles on February 25, 2011 at 2:44 pm

    I have only been in one union in my life and that was one to many. I worked for Kroger in the mid 80’s and was in the United Food and Commercial workers union. I made a whopping .10 more an hour than minimum wage and since I was a part time employee, I actually lost money paying union dues.

    Power to the people indeed!!!

37. Patriot One on February 25, 2011 at 3:22 pm

    BJ, I agree. It is very difficult to manage or supervise union employees. As a member, shop stewart, supervisor, then management the unions don’t like to see progress from their ranks.

    Once I went to management and knew all their dirty tricks to keep management at bay they didn’t like it one bit. I was lucky, I built a good district with good people once I documented the bad apples out of the business or out of my district.

    As usual when the truth be known, the shitbirds attack with no knoweledge of who I am or what I do.

    And Secunda; by the way unless you are talking about the Navy’s Adversary/Aggressor Squadron for training. I’m pretty sure the Army and Navy didn’t use F-16’s and the Air Force doesn’t have Tanks & Ships. So, where did you serve?

38. Ham Sandwich on February 25, 2011 at 4:20 pm

      I am constantly amazed at how many people hate unions and will constantly bite the hand that feeds them. Even if you have never belonged to a union who do you thank when you have to punch in for only 8-9 hours a day for work? Are you happy that you are only required to work 5 days a week? I bet you never sit down to thank anyone for worker safety or child labor laws either but realize that every bit of workers rights that you have inherited from your forfathers was gained not because management wanted to be nice to you but from the blood, sweat, and tears or organized labor.

      Everyone attacks the public employee pension system becasue of jealosy but do you really think that the pension system is an invention of public unions? Fifty years ago the private sector had a very stable and generous pension system but where did it all go? It went to line the pockets of rich corporate players and shareholders. No one sees that this is a war across the world between the haves and the have nots because no one wants to admit to themselves that they are a have not. Everyone wants to pretend that they are rich or have an “opportunity” to become rich when in reality the truly rich are the top 1% of our global population and guess what- they don’t want to share with you and me.

      I don’t care how hard you work or what kind of straight up “conservative” God fearing law abiding citizen you are- if you aren’t in that top 1% of income earners you are a nobody as far as they are concerned. And the true irony is they couldnt do it without you. They need to divide us with stupid political debates with they are laughing all the way to the bank.

      Wake up and realize that with every law enacted against worker rights, every devaluation of the dollar they are dipping into your pockets and you are all masochists for welcoming them.

39. shoemaker on February 25, 2011 at 8:34 pm

    Ham Sandwich – I don’t think anyone here doesn’t appreciate the better working conditions.  It is more a matter of realizing the balance of power has shifted, and unions are pandered to by policians.  They have become corrupt.  Further, we see a willingness by the unions to pull the country down to ruin just so they can increase compensation & benefits for members.  At some point, you have to admit, a balance of decent conditions vs. sustainability has been met.  If we can’t afford their demands, it is unsustainable.

40. Bill on February 25, 2011 at 10:01 pm

    We, mostly my wife, homeschooled our two children.  Best thing we could have ever done.   Government schools are a joke.

41. Anonymous on February 26, 2011 at 4:00 am

    Balance of power shifted? You’re joking right? Unions comprise only 36% of the public sector workforce and only 7% of private industry. I would dare say that management has become more powerful than any time in the last 75 years.

    I stand by my main premise: when inflation skyrockets and your dollar buys much less than it used to you will then realize this has become a war between the haves and have nots. Unions may be too powerful and even shady but I have news for you- moneyed interests and corporations are also powerful and shady in a big way.

    When the unions are gone and there are no longer any big blocks ov voters to fund and negate the power of the corporation and moneyed interests then you will be wishing for the good old days. As it is I fear that it was our fathers who experienced the golden age of labor when one income was enough to sustain a middle class family and now most families need to income earners to barely make the ends meet.

    But go on- there will always be more iPods available on the store shelves to drown out your tears.

42. Ham Sandwich on February 26, 2011 at 4:03 am

    Balance of power shifted? You’re joking right? Unions comprise only 36% of the public sector workforce and only 7% of private industry. I would dare say that management has become more powerful than at any other time in the last 75 years.

    I stand by my main premise: when inflation skyrockets and your dollar buys much less than it used to you will then realize this has become a war between the haves and have nots. Unions may be too powerful and even shady but I have news for you- moneyed interests and corporations are also powerful and shady in a big way.

    When the unions are gone and there are no longer any big blocks of voters to fund and negate the power of the corporation and moneyed interests then you will be wishing for the good old days. As it is I fear that it was our fathers who experienced the golden age of labor when one income was enough to sustain a middle class family and now most families need to income earners to barely make the ends meet.

    But go on- there will always be more iPods available on the store shelves to drown out your tears.

43. BJ on February 26, 2011 at 9:18 am

    Bottomline is unions got stupid, screwed themselves and in doing so screwed everyone else

44. shoemaker on February 26, 2011 at 1:33 pm

    “I have news for you- moneyed interests and corporations are also powerful and shady in a big way”
    This is not news.  Obviously, there are big businesses in bed with government.  It is a separate matter though.  I would not advocate using unions as a balance of power for that.  After, they haven’t negated the power of businesses like GE or Goldman Sachs who were deep in bed with the left.  And what about the sweet deal UAW got when Obama took over GM, screwing GM bondholders in the process!

    I do not fall for the misconception that big business is right wing.  How are unions negating the power of businesses who are also supporting the left?  They are both on the same side.

    Also, I am not in favor of large blocks of voters exchanging all of our freedoms for a sweet pension deal that I have to pay for. 

    Your main premise I agree with.  Class warfare will instensify during inflation.  However, it is the unions who are organized enough to go out and hold the big protests.  It will be the ultimate opportunity for the workers of the world to unite, overthrow the bourgeoise, and usher in the tyranny that gives us all what they want.  Obama is salivating over this opportunity for change.  When it happens, say goodbye to freedom.  This is a crisis that cannot go to waste.

45. Durango Kidd on February 26, 2011 at 9:52 pm

    This is a GREAT opportunity for America! Once the state government employees are cut to the bone, like the teachers, they will no longer want to support their “brothers” and “sisters” at the federal level with taxes they cannot afford to pay, and WE can take this US against the PTB fight to the next level and demand that the federal bureacrcy be halved!!!

    Let’s kick some ASS!

46. Ham Sandwich on February 27, 2011 at 8:48 am

    You never heard me once refer to Right Wing or liberals. I won’t argue that point because to me it is meaningless just as you suggest. My point is that most people don’t see the forest for the trees and they are happy bashing unions as much as some others like to bash the Right Wing. It’s all a ploy to divide us and confuse us on the real issues as it has to do with how much of the pie should we as a working class get.

    I would fully extpect unions to be corrupt at a certain level because after all we are talking about money, right? But be careful what you wish for because big business would much prefer to go down this road without having to face any united fronts.

    I’m not sure I understand your point about overthrowing the bourgeoise and ushering tyranny- it needs further elaboration. I think quite the opposite is happening: Big business has known for several years what we will be faced with in the not too distant future and look what they have given us as presents- “Patriot Act”, TSA, speed cameras on every street corner, FEMA camps, urban warefare planning, etc. All in an effort to heard us like sheeple when the SHTF.

    You are right- this crisis can’t go to waste but I think that most people don’t have a cohesive plan because they don’t quite understand themselves or the issues properly.

47. Jack C on February 27, 2011 at 10:02 am

    I think that most of the people on this site are pretty smart and do think for themselves.  That said, we all must realize that we have nobody to blame but ourselves.  We have elected our the people we rail on every day.  If our respective constituencies got ‘what they wanted’ we all were happy and would re-elect those same representatives.  Now, to begin with, this assumes that our representatives care about us, which they don’t.  They only care about getting re-elected.  To get re-elected our ‘representatives’ have consistently let all sides have what they want, read that; great benefits, military spending, tax ‘cuts’ or whatever (fill-in the blank).  We must realize these both have the same effect on a budget and instead of making tough choices our reps have financed the party.  It does not matter which side of the fence you are on, the facts are that nobody ever wants to tell the people the truth, because they will not get elected.  One case in point is extending the Bush tax cuts.  If these cuts were so great; why the hell was the economy in such bad shape when he left office?  It is all about the elected officials getting re-elected and buttering their own collective bread.  These guys have known for decades that they are kicking the proverbial ‘can’ down the road.  Neither one, stimulus-spend or tax cuts create real jobs, but if we do both then the representatives get what they want for their respective ‘bases’ and everyone is happy, right?  In the long run we end up screwed.  A society with wealth in the hands of a few, history shows, does not work.  At the same time, people cannot buy $25,000 cars and $1000 washing machines on wages that Walmart (the company that single handedly took the country down) and Target pay.  Finally, we need a paradigm-shift, which is going to be painful and it is coming at an incredibly fast pace.  We all must hold-on!!!

48. Jack C on February 27, 2011 at 10:33 am

    CORRECTED RE-POST

    I think that most of the people on this site are pretty smart and do think for themselves.  That said, we all must realize that we have nobody to blame but ourselves.  We have elected our representatives, the people we rail on every day.  If our respective constituencies got ‘what they wanted’ we all were happy and would re-elect those same representatives.  Now, to begin with, this assumes that our representatives care about us, which they don’t.  They only care about getting re-elected.  To get re-elected our ‘representatives’ have consistently let all sides have what they want, read that; great benefits, military spending, tax ‘cuts’ or whatever (fill-in the blank).  We must realize these both have the same effect on a budget and instead of making tough choices our reps have financed the party.  It does not matter which side of the fence you are on, the facts are that nobody ever wants to tell the people the truth, because they will not get elected.  One case in point is extending the Bush tax cuts.  If these cuts were so great; why the hell was the economy in such bad shape when he left office?  It is all about the elected officials getting re-elected and buttering their own collective bread.  These guys have known for decades that they are kicking the proverbial ‘can’ down the road.  Neither one, stimulus-spending or tax cuts create real jobs, but if we do both then the representatives get what they want for their respective ‘bases’ and everyone is happy, right?  In the long run we end up screwed.  A society with wealth in the hands of a few, history shows, does not work.  At the same time, people cannot buy $25,000 cars and $1000 washing machines on wages that Walmart (the company that single handedly took the country down) and Target pay.  Finally, we need a paradigm-shift, which is going to be painful and it is coming at an incredibly fast pace.  We all must hold-on!!!

49. Anonymous on February 27, 2011 at 5:06 pm

    to Jack C
    One term, thats it. from now on, one term to execute your version of the American dream. no more.

50. Arnie on February 27, 2011 at 5:09 pm

    To jackC: one term. thats all anyone elected leader should get. that would solve the majority of our problems after this country either defaults on its obligations or there is some kind of global economic jubilee enforced by the UN leftist/globalists. of course, there will be strings attached to that jubilee…

51. GrayFoxGreen on February 27, 2011 at 10:56 pm

    Times are getting alot harder…..W/O going into the “unions are the problem” argument,I am willing to suggest that the overbearing weight of the top 2%’s wealth on our country is going to cause the whole system to finally come crashing down.REPOCRATES(both halves and parties of Congress) are bought and paid for by the Uber-Rich and their pet corporations all around the country.BOA (amongst many others) pay NOTHING in taxes due to the Repocrates’ slavish law changing to favor them(Uber-Rich) against the rest of us.Massive(read the quantities  that could lavishly feed and house everyone who has ever visited this site for generations to come) amounts of money continues to get the deed done.Unfortunately,this imbalance leads to a time of Chaos,Suffering and a different kind of Government usually called FASCISM(no doubt using some new, cute,”people-friendly” term)Hitler,a fun loving,worldly-wise,abstemious little fellow, used a “new age” Indian symbol reversed as his party emblem.
    As for Mr. Patriot One,PLEASE get your facts FULLY collected(unless you’re trying to mislead the rest of us as a shill).A FEDERAL employee who retires at age 55 with 20 years of service gets 18%(20% less the 2% claw-back required) of their high” 3 three” average  salary.At the stellar amount of about 45k,that amounts to less than $9,000.THAT’S before taxes,health insurance,lessened(but higher cost) life insurance.Let’s call it $650.00 per month,once a month.Period.Sounds like a super-sweet to me.To get the 80% level it takes 42 years!I know VERY,VERY few who made that far.But I digress.My money is on the Uber-Rich creating the very conditions for people to WANT the security(in exchange for current freedoms) they offer.The Uber-Rich did it in Germany in the 1920-30’s because they thought they could control HITLER(see above).Just wait for the unemployment/welfare to run out in about 13-16 months(as the current President’s deal cut with the Repocrats reads).Don’t think even foodstuff reserves ,or even backwood cabins will weather the perfect storm coming.That storm WILL include the folks in China as well,if it’s any comfort.
    Hope the best for all(including Patriot One,my dear man)
    LTR,
    GFG

52. Patriot One on February 28, 2011 at 11:38 am

    GFG

    I don’t try to mislead anyone. Under the CSRS defined benefit, I believe I’m correct. I believe your are talking about FERS. Many Federal employees who I know, DOD, combine the federal pension. Double Dip and Triple Dip.

    Second, I did not get into detail on the percents they draw, just years of service and age. I just love how you read between the lines and then say I’m misleading the folks. 

    Last of all GFG, the CSRS retirement system was a defined benefit system. The FERS retirement system is a defined contribution system and those are facts not subject to interpation or reading between the lines.

    If I get something wrong, by all means let me know. I make a lot of mistakes. But if all you want to do is split hairs, correct my grammer or spelling then I think you missed the point of being here in the first place. I for one am here to find some real information or learn something I don’t know.  

53. GrayFoxGreen on February 28, 2011 at 1:08 pm

    Dear Patriot One,
    We all make errors in judgment,including yours truly(if you don’t believe me ask my wife! ).All above being said,word is out that FOXY REDNEWS Vultures(along with so-called Business “think tanks” groups) are paying “Shills” to spread disinformation all around the Web about Unions,SSI and Public Schools and the part they played in the causes of our current crises All the while refusing to admit to the Corporate Greed still happening.Your comments sounded somewhat like them.No doubt just a coincidence of phrases.Check out Blacklisted News and the article on “Mob Robbery”and the video’s by ThePatriotNurseOne as for what’s really useful news we can all benefit from.As a after thought read the article:Goldman Sachs Got Billions From Taxpayers Thru AIG For Its OWN Account, Crisis Panel Finds; Contradicting SWORN Testimony From Execs. at BLN as well.
    
    Best to All!
    GFG

54. BJ on February 28, 2011 at 3:41 pm

    GFG,
    Where can I sign up, I need to make some money. I can always go back after being paid and tell them the truth  🙂

55. Patriot One on February 28, 2011 at 5:23 pm

    I find its best to comment on the story and not the other peoples comments. though I do at times. I’m pretty mellow, but when someone assumes I’m something I’m not, I will return fire with the facts.

56. shoemaker on March 1, 2011 at 2:03 am

    Hi Ham Sandwich,

    “You never heard me once refer to Right Wing or liberals. I won’t argue that point because to me it is meaningless just as you suggest.”  I thought you were referring to how unions being a large voting block to keep businesses in check, were voting a certain way.  Since they tend to vote for the left, I thought you were saying the left keeps business in check.  

    “I’m not sure I understand your point about overthrowing the bourgeoise and ushering tyranny- it needs further elaboration.”  What I was referring to was what some are seeing as a new movement in which workers of the world are to unite.  Essentially, it is Marxism where the working class overthrows the wealthy and ushers in a new system.  It is community organizing on a global scale…in which seemingly unrelated groups of people:  Islamists, unions, La Roza, etc. are organized for a common purpose.  In the end, these groups will each be grasping for ultimate control of the end result.  No matter which one wins, it will be their agenda that supersedes our freedom (Communism, Islam Sharia Law).  This is a theory, but one that could potentially come to pass.  There are leaders trying to bring it about.

    You mentioned that you believed business was involved in various tyranny activities such as the Patriot Act.  Were there particular businesses involved in this?  I was under the impression that businesses, in general, disaproved of the Act.

57. clark on March 1, 2011 at 12:30 pm

    Some People just lump things together too much.

    Ham Sandwich, up there saying, “every bit of workers rights that you have inherited from your forfathers was gained not because management wanted to be nice to you but from the blood, sweat, and tears or organized labor.”

    That’s simply Not true, have a look at Henry Ford and the five-dollar workday – before there were unions – this was the real golden age of labor:

    “Ford was a pioneer of “welfare capitalism”, designed to improve the lot of his workers… set a new, reduced workweek, although the details vary in different accounts. Ford and Crowther in 1922 described it as six 8-hour days, giving a 48-hour week,… he believed that smart managers had an incentive to do right by their workers, because doing so would maximize their own profits.” – Wikipedia

58. Anonymous on March 1, 2011 at 1:00 pm

    Ok, let’s fire all teachers & school employees.  Tell parents they are required to educate their own children.  Parents will have to quit their jobs, opening positions for unemployed workers, making them become employed, getting them off unemployment or welfare, saving government money while at the same time making getting a job easier because fewer people will be in the job market. 

59. BJ on March 2, 2011 at 2:04 am

    We plan on home schooling Anonymous….but how many parents do you really think would have ot quit their jobs? How many households do you know that have both parents working….I live in Muskegon, MI….I know of NONE that have two parents working….but many with NONE working at all.