COL Gene

Reply to What is wrong with the American Voter? in Politics JoeUser Forums

You are correct. But Kerry can not spend what congress does not pass. If Bush and the GOP make the tax cuts permenent, the deficit will not be cut in half. The impact of making the tax cuts perminant is to cut three times more revenue from the Fed then during the first ten years. That is becaure the tax cuts were phased in and in the second ten years (if the GOP makes it permenent) will knock the lid goes off the tax revenue. WE have $7.5 Trillion i

Reply to What is wrong with the American Voter? in Politics JoeUser Forums

I too am not sure Kerry will be great. The reason I will vote for a Democrat is as follows: The policies we are following are in the long term distructive. The GOP has been taken over by the conservatives and the supply side BS. If Bush and the Republicans continue to control congress and the White House, they will make all the tax cuts permanent which we can not afford. By splitting the power, the GOP can not do that and Kerry can not pass

Reply to What is wrong with the American Voter? in Politics JoeUser Forums

The unemployment rate is low only because millions of unemployed have not been counted. Many people have been unemployed for so long they are not included in the unemployment rate calculation. You will tell me that the we had other unemployed in the 90's that were not counted but it is the number which are much larger today. Given the 5 million new workers for which the economy has not produced jobs plus the net 800,000 less jobs than in 2001, we can

Reply to What is wrong with the American Voter? in Politics JoeUser Forums

The economy is good for whom? Not the poor, not most of the middle income people, not the unemployed. It is good for everyone at the top. When interest rates return to historic norms, as they will, see how everyone likes to pay the interest that will be required beacuse of the Bush deficit. It will grow and grow and grow and give us NOTHING in return! How will you like sending $200 billion of your tax dollars EVERY YEAR out of America like our jobs?<

Reply to What is wrong with the American Voter? in Politics JoeUser Forums

If Jesus tells me to vote for George, I will. If I do not hear from him, I will vote for Kerry as a Moderate Republican of over v40 years. I am not sure Kerry has the answers, but I KNOW GEORGE W. does not have them! The Hell with party loyalty. How about what is best of the majority of Americans long term!

What is wrong with the American Voter? in Politics JoeUser Forums

As we move closer to Novemner 2, the polls continue to show a 50/50 split in America. If one were able to step back and look at the facts without the spin both sides use, it would seem to me Kerry should be far ahead. Polls show that 60% want major changes in our policies and 89 % want some changes. Part of the 50% that are supporting Bush must be part of t

Reply to 5 ways to help the economy in the United States in Business JoeUser Forums

The jobs number for september 2004 show that the tax economic and tax policies Bush is following are not producing the economic growth needed to create enough new jobs to keep up with our population growth. Our economic system needs to produce about 125,000 new jobs per month to just stay even with the added workers. Our economy should have created over 5 million new jobs since Bush took office to enable the new Americans that enetered the work force

Reply to Where are the Jobs, Mr. President in Politics JoeUser Forums

Again the job growth in Sept is below the number needed to accomodate population growrh. The messege is clear, the Bush economic and tax policies are not stimulating economic growth to create the number of jobs required to keep up with our population growth!

Reply to 5 ways to help the economy in the United States in Business JoeUser Forums

We need to return the tax rates on the top 5% to the Clinton rates. The reason is simple, we are paying for the tax cuts by borrowing money. There is no surplus to retuurn and the wealthy do not spent tha majority of the added money they receive from the tax cuts - marginal propensity to consume is the term economists give to this behavior. Take the revenue from restoring the tax rates on the top 5% and do the following: Help ba

Reply to The rest of the story on Cheney and Halliburton in Politics JoeUser Forums

The real issue for the American Taxpayer is not Dick Cheney's deferred comp or the % of profit to Halliburton but the fact that the actual cost of the services compared with providing that service with military personnel is the issue. Some of the services Halliburton provides are things like laundry, food preperation, supply and transport. When I served in the Army the military provided thoes services as either combat support or combat service suppo

Reply to Three Strikes and you are OUT, Mr. Bush in Politics JoeUser Forums

The issue is how best do we protect this country. Attacking a non danger is not the right way given all the more urgent dangers that face us. Do you realize, Bush has tied up most of the Active Army and about 40% of our reserve forces in a war where the country we attacked did not present a danger to us. If George W. had been president on December 8, 1941, he would have asked Congress to declare War aginst Mexico!

Reply to Three Strikes and you are OUT, Mr. Bush in Politics JoeUser Forums

At the time Bush went to war, there was NO CHANCE of Saddam doing anything. It would have taken years AFTER we took the preasure off which we would not have done. We should not have gone to war and events every day show how big an error Bush made. We diverted our resourses to fight someone that was NO danger to America. There are a lot more urgent issues like Iran, North Korea and the Terrorists operating in about 60 countries.

Reply to Three Strikes and you are OUT, Mr. Bush in Politics JoeUser Forums

We have limited resources and may places that require funding - defense and non-defense. The retirement of the Baby Boomers will add to the need for more resources. At the same time, our policy is to cut taxes (federal revenue) while we increase spending. This is what we did in the 1980's and drove the national debt from less than $1 Trillion to $4 Trillion. We are now at $7.5 Trillion heading to $10 Trillion per the Bush budget projection (See OMB web

Reply to Three Strikes and you are OUT, Mr. Bush in Politics JoeUser Forums

First, both military and civilian experts told Bush he needed more troops. The results on the ground prove they were right and Bush was wrong! Sorry , am a moderate Republican for over 40 years and served on the local Republican Committee in Pennsylvania in the mid 70's. Yes, Saddam was a very evil dictator. Where Bush made his first error is when he choose to employ the U S Military to remove him. Saddam should have been eliminated

Three Strikes and you are OUT, Mr. Bush in Politics JoeUser Forums

This week has produced three revelations about the Iraq War. The first strike came from Amb. L. Paul Bremer who admitted we did not have enough troops in Iraq. He also told the American People that he pleaded with George W. Bush for more troops to prevent the carnage that is taking place every day in Iraq. Bush turned a deaf ear to his chief official in Iraq and now c

Reply to The VP Debate: Too Bad Dick Cheney's Best Line Was A Lie in Politics JoeUser Forums

If God himself came down and said George W. Bush lied or made a error, the Bush supporters would tell God he was wrong. Open your eyes- Look at lack of jobs, look at the deficit, trade, healthcare, gas prices, the way the Iraq War is going, No WMD etc etc etc.

Reply to The VP Debate: Too Bad Dick Cheney's Best Line Was A Lie in Politics JoeUser Forums

No matter who says anything about Bush that can be thought of as negative, some how it is Bush Bashing, or the source is not telling the truth, or they are old or they are Democrats , etc, etc, etc. If God himself declared that George W. Bush lied or made a error, the Bush supporters would tell God he was wrong!!!!! Wake up Look at the lack of jobs, the deficit, the trade deficit, Gas prices, health care costs and our lack on an energy po

Reply to The VP Debate: Too Bad Dick Cheney's Best Line Was A Lie in Politics JoeUser Forums

Compared with other lies we have been told, Cheney's," I never met him" is nothing. It is interesting that George W. in 2000 had fewer achievements and less intel and foreign policy experience when he ran the first time for President than Edwards has running for VP. Some how Bush, not having any real experience was OK but the Republicans want to comment on the experience of Edwards. I will admit the job Bush has done does reflect his total lack of ex

Reply to Watching the veep debate in Politics JoeUser Forums

To Sheep We need to make changes in Social Security which is the other funding problem from the Baby Boomers. Increase the retirement age, and means test the benefits. If that is not enough, tax all earnerd income for Social Security like the Medicare tax. For Medicare we need to do more to help lower the rate if increase in health care costs. We can not extend benefits to non US Citizens. We will also need general fund money and the way to

Reply to Bremer told Bush more troops needed for Iraq in Politics JoeUser Forums

Bush maintained that Amb. Bremer was doing just fine. The bottom line is we do not have control and things get worse daily. There is no end in sight and we do not know what the new Iraq governmnet will be like. This was a fools War that has NOT made us safer and only God knows how many more young men and women will die because of the choice Bush made to start this War!

Reply to Watching the veep debate in Politics JoeUser Forums

Drmiler On the tax and economy side, election of Kerry will stop making the tax cuts for the upper income permanent. We ca not afford this and that is the bottom line. Since the Republican control of Congress will not allow Kerry to spend the money we do not give to the wealthy on new programs, we can help balance the budget. The next time we get ready to attack someone we will have a president that will look at the advice of his mli

Reply to Bremer told Bush more troops needed for Iraq in Politics JoeUser Forums

Reply to blogic You are 100% correct. Our Military did a great job to bring down Saddam and his army. We did not have the resources to stop terrorists from comming intro Iraq over their boarders; we did not have forces to protect the oil , water and electrical systems; we could not secure the Ammo Dumps and we could not control the populated areas including the cities we by passed during phase one of the war. This is what Bush and Rumsfeld ig

Reply to Bremer told Bush more troops needed for Iraq in Politics JoeUser Forums

Reply to draginol No Bremer reported to Bush and it was Bush to whom he went for more troops. Since General Franks wanted several hundred thousand when he planned the war, it does not seem there is a disagrement between Franks and Bremer. The problem has been and is President Bush! Bush likes that saying: Rule 1. The Boss is always right. Rule 2. When the Boss is wrong, re-read rule 1.

Reply to Bremer told Bush more troops needed for Iraq in Politics JoeUser Forums

drmiler - By your lodgic, Bush should have allowed the Army CoS to set the troop levels required during the early planning stage. Who better than the head of the Army should know what is need in a ground war. Now as to GEN Franks, if you read, "Plan of Attack", by Bob Woodward, you will see that during the specific planning stages for the war in Iraq, General Franks did say that numbers in the 400,000 - 300,000 range were needed. Take a look at

Reply to Watching the veep debate in Politics JoeUser Forums

drmiler - I will try again. For the past 3 3/4 years Bush has been following policies, economic and foreign, that follow the wishes of a segment of our population - the conservatives. They represent, at best, 25-30% of the American People. The moderates and the liberals do not agree with most of the positions held by the conservatives. What has been taking place since Bush became president is that the positions and desires of the vast majoritry,