New KJ, I have some questions

[wiseguy]

So what's it like to do karaoke where there are no smokers at all...because if you had any and paid attention even slightly you would notice them going outside at least every 30 minutes. I stand by my observations and statististics.

This guy is and idiot...he has pipe dreams probably from smoking crack...free this and free that....doesn't have a plan to pay back 17 trillion in debt...but we can afford to give everyone free college education... If he went to college he FLUNKED math...

http://finance.yahoo.com/news/5-ways-mo ... 10876.html

You can stand behind your observations and invented statistics til the cows come home and they still will not be factual unless they are derived via scientific method. Even if your numbers were spot on there are still several other variables that must be entered into the equation before your assertion of doing a show in a smoking bar is like smoking three packs of cigarettes has any merit. Common sense alone would suggest that in order for you to inhale the smoke equivalent to three packs of cigarettes in a time frame of 4 to 5 hours would necessitate a possibly intolerable concentration of cigarette smoke filling the area. In fact, you being a non-smoker without the resistance to nicotine that a heavy smoker has, the amount of nicotine laced smoke you would inhale to equal 3 packs of cigarettes in a 4 to 5 hour span would almost certainly make you very ill or worse. You may want to rethink your exaggeration.

Sanders if far from an idiot. He has a solid plan to pay for the programs he proposes. It involves reigning in the billions of dollars of corporate welfare handed out every year, closing loopholes that allow billionaires to hide their money in other countries to avoid paying taxes, and raising the taxes on the richest Americans. How do you feel about the fact that 1/10 of 1% of Americans possess more wealth than the bottom 90% combines? That has to change. That is why the economy is in the condition that it's in. That is a direct result of failed conservative economic policies.

[The Lone Ranger]

I just saw some of the figures of what Sanders tax plan would mean to person's whose income is more the 10 million a year, their effective tax rate would be 71%. I don't know if I could live on only 3 million a year. Of course this is still better than when that Socialist/Communist President Eisenhower was in office and the effective tax rate was 91%. Of course we all know how bad the economy was then, we built the National Highway System and had the economic expansion of the 1950's. Funny we could build a whole transportation system then and we can't even repair that system today, make you wonder how far we have fallen.

[wiseguy]

As far as my social security....I paid into mine every payday...who is getting FREE social security... And who stole all the money from all of our accounts?

If Walmart is complaining about dropping sales and they have to close 250 stores...the economy is doing fantastic... That's a good economic indicator...I know my paycheck is getting smaller every year... Soon we will be at pre 1980 wages and slipping farther back every month...
Thousands of people have BIG O health care now but can't afford to use it because the deductibles are so high.... So how did that help anyone? The monthly payments are like being forced to buy a new car every year for the rest of your life but not being able to pay for gasoline for it.

Can't wait to see what's next... From the demo commies..

You pay into all social programs in one way or another. Nothing is free. You could actually draw more out of SS then you pay in if you live long enough. I have no idea what you're talking about with the stolen money allegation.

You're like Fox news in the way you tell just enough of a story to support a point because the whole story would invalidate it. Walmart is not closing the stores because of a failing economy. They are closing a certain type of Walmart store (Walmart Express) that were launched as a test program in 2011. These stores make up less than 1% of their global revenue. And the reason they are closing them is because of increased competition from other store chains and online stores like Amazon. This type of competition thrives in a strong economy... not a weak one.

If conservatives had their way you would certainly see wages decrease significantly. They would love to do away with the minimum wage altogether and force people to work for 5$ an hour. But don't worry... brighter minds will prevail. There will still be a progressive in the White House after the next election.

How did Obamacare help anybody? For starters over 17 million people now have health insurance that didn't before. This will account for thousands of lives being saved. Any decent person would think that's helpful. People can now get covered for per-existing conditions and parents can keep their kids on their insurance for years longer. I think these things help. And of course we can always count on you to exaggerate the costs just like you exaggerate everything else.

[The Lone Ranger]

I think it was President Hoover who said "A dollar a day is enough for any working man."

[wiseguy]

I think it was President Hoover who said "A dollar a day is enough for any working man."

I believe that was Warren G. Harding.

[The Lone Ranger]

Whoever said it never had to live on a dollar a day that is for sure.

[The Lone Ranger]

You pay into all social programs in one way or another. Nothing is free. You could actually draw more out of SS then you pay in if you live long enough. I have no idea what you're talking about with the stolen money allegation.

Actually wiseguy the money wasn't stolen in was borrowed by Republican Presidents Regan and Bush I. The money was used to cook the Federal books to make the Trillion dollars deficits they ran up more acceptable. They took the trust fund money and they replaced it with what is in effect Government I.O.U's. This totally destroyed the concept of the money being held in trust. If they would have not performed this accounting slight of hand, the Social Security system would be solvent today. That is why the Democratic Speaker of the House and Regan reached a compromise and reformed Social Security so at least the pension pay out part would be solvent until 2050. Unfortunately changing demographics brought the date down to 2035. The disability insurance Trust Fund of Social Security will be paying out more than it is taking in this year. That is why if it is not fixed people on disability will see a 20% reduction in their benefits. In an election year that could upset a lot of political apple carts. The proposed fix is more slight of hand instead of raising taxes, the current proposal is to take money from the solvent trust fund to shore up the insolvent disability trust fund. This of course would further erode the solvent fund and cause it to run a deficit even sooner. Like it or not the Republicans and the Demos are going to have to man up and solve this problem or be faced with seniors in revolt.

Bigdog since it's inception Social Security has been under attack by the elite of this country. It was seen as Socialism and it would undermine the character of the American worker. What it really does is keep workers that have labored their whole lives from living in total poverty. Remember that at least 50% of the people who retire don't have even a $1,000.00 in savings. That is why Colonial Penn is able to peddle their insurance policies, to the elderly, the fear that old retirees will leave their families with huge bills to pay, that is why reverse mortgages are advertised as well.

[The Lone Ranger]

Little bit of an update the Social Security Pension Trust Fund will start running at a deficit in 2034, by a revised estimate. The Republicans have passed an act that will not let the Disability Trust Fund to be shored up by the Pension Trust Fund. This sets the stage for an interesting situation in an election year. Will the folks in Washington fail to do something about the Disability Trust Fund and have millions of voters get a 20% cut in their benefits?

[Bigdog]

For 2 days after working in the smoking bar I coughed out crap.... My throat got raspy during the working hours.... Smoking bars suck. Over 90% of the people were chain smoking...

For the record...I AM NOT in favor of providing health care and welfare and food stamps to 14 million illegal aliens.. Who by the fact that they entered the country illegally have committed a crime..which makes everyone of them criminals....see what you get if you enter mexico illegally if you ever see daylight again... They don't mess around why should we.. America was not built by or for FREELOADERS...and criminals.

So did you read the websters dictionary definition of socialist? I linked it earlier.

[wiseguy]

For 2 days after working in the smoking bar I coughed out crap.... My throat got raspy during the working hours.... Smoking bars suck. Over 90% of the people were chain smoking...

For the record...I AM NOT in favor of providing health care and welfare and food stamps to 14 million illegal aliens.. Who by the fact that they entered the country illegally have committed a crime..which makes everyone of them criminals....see what you get if you enter mexico illegally if you ever see daylight again... They don't mess around why should we.. America was not built by or for FREELOADERS...and criminals.

So did you read the websters dictionary definition of socialist? I linked it earlier.

Nobody is denying that second hand smoke is bad for you. I just called you out on your ridiculous exaggeration of how much smoke you actually inhale during a show.

I know you're a conservative, and therefore facts don't really matter to you, but here are some anyway. The unauthorized immigrant population in the U.S. is about 11.4 million... not 14 million. Only about half of these are from Mexico. Unauthorized immigrants are not eligible for welfare, food stamps, or medicaid. They also are not freeloaders and they are not criminals. They come here to work to make a better life for their families. These people pay taxes and pay into social security with very little chance that they will be able to claim any benefits.

People like you get on my last f#cking nerve. You are exactly kind of under educated and willfully ignorant American that falls for the lies and joins in on the hatred and bigotry of a Donald Trump. You reside in the ranks of the fools who repeatedly vote against their own best interest blaming the ills of the economy on the poor instead of the billionaire class where it belongs. It's not welfare for the needy that's taxing this nation... it's corporate welfare. And you will continue to vote for the party that allows the billionaires to hide their money to avoid paying taxes while raking in billions of tax dollars in subsidies.

I did not need to read your dictionary definition of socialism. I'm an educated person. I know there are various versions of socialism and more democratic socialism is just what this country needs. And since I'm pretty sure that you don't know what democratic socialism means... it means that the government should work for ALL Americans and not just the billionaires.

[Bigdog]

Liberals are always In denial. People that enter our country illegally have committed a crime...that makes them criminals that are hiding from prosecution for their crime. What part of that isn't understood? Criminal fugitives... That do indeed get free healthcare.... Hospitals can not turn away people without healthcare...they won't treat me or you for free.. And you would try to make me believe everyone of them has a job and doesn't commit any criminal activity. We have enough homegrown criminals without ignoring the ones coming in illegally. And 11 million is too many.... 1 million is too many..

Any government big enough to give everyone everything for free...is big enough to take it all away...just like drug dealers get people hooked on dope...the government is getting people hooked on free stuff...what happens when they take it all away... People they turned into dependants then turn into slaves...without food... They will bow down to any demand the government makes in order to eat... So you're ok with a country full of slaves dependant on the government for everything... You feel no need to provide for yourself and your family... You know what ruined Mexico... Mexicans...it wasn't me or any other American... They are leaving because of their own making... So what went wrong...

Countries need free enterprise..and people willing to work for their needs.... What happens when nobody has a job...who feeds everyone? There is nothing free in this world... We didn't get to be the biggest and best country in the world from loafers and free loaders ...and criminals. If you are unwilling to pull your own weight...out of laziness who needs you... I'm not willing to help lazy people when I had to work for the little bit I have.. And we all had the same opportunity growing up...we all had to make good or bad decisions...we all know right from wrong...if you blew your chance to become somebody because of stupidity....it's not my fault or my responsibility..

[The Lone Ranger]

Liberals are always In denial. People that enter our country illegally have committed a crime...that makes them criminals that are hiding from prosecution for their crime. What part of that isn't understood? Criminal fugitives... That do indeed get free healthcare.... Hospitals can not turn away people without healthcare...they won't treat me or you for free.. And you would try to make me believe everyone of them has a job and doesn't commit any criminal activity. We have enough homegrown criminals without ignoring the ones coming in illegally. And 11 million is too many.... 1 million is too many..

Any government big enough to give everyone everything for free...is big enough to take it all away...just like drug dealers get people hooked on dope...the government is getting people hooked on free stuff...what happens when they take it all away... People they turned into dependants then turn into slaves...without food... They will bow down to any demand the government makes in order to eat... So you're ok with a country full of slaves dependant on the government for everything... You feel no need to provide for yourself and your family... You know what ruined Mexico... Mexicans...it wasn't me or any other American... They are leaving because of their own making... So what went wrong...

Countries need free enterprise..and people willing to work for their needs.... What happens when nobody has a job...who feeds everyone? There is nothing free in this world... We didn't get to be the biggest and best country in the world from loafers and free loaders ...and criminals. If you are unwilling to pull your own weight...out of laziness who needs you... I'm not willing to help lazy people when I had to work for the little bit I have.. And we all had the same opportunity growing up...we all had to make good or bad decisions...we all know right from wrong...if you blew your chance to become somebody because of stupidity....it's not my fault or my responsibility..

Depends on your definition of free loader. To me the real free loaders are the rich and the large corporations, they enjoy all of the benefits of this country and when it comes time for them to pay their fair share, what do they do? Park their money in overseas banks and refuse to bring it home, where they made their profits in the first place. They have no loyalty to this country only to their own greedy selves. They would rather see poor minorities in Flint drink poison water, in order to save a few bucks and get more tax breaks.

For all the reasons you have stated is is even more important to get all illegal immigrants counted and vetted and then we could make an honest assessment of who should stay here and who needs to be deported as undesirables. We need to secure the border and too get a count of all, that means we need to overhaul our immigration system and get as many as we can paying into the the system, which many of them already are with no hope of every drawing a dime.

Don't be fooled by that old line about being slaves of the State. What is the State in this country? It is made up of an Oligarchy of special interests who purchase our elected officials with their election support dollars. Legislators no longer spend most of their time doing their jobs, but rather trying to raise money so they can get elected again and have to repeat the same process. Everyone thinks the middle is so great, think about it, when we vote for the middle it means you are voting for more of the same. In this election cycle voters are fed up with more of the same, they want change. Personally I would like to go back to the days of Eisenhower with an effective tax rate on the wealthy of 91%. Maybe then they would not have the extra cash to buy our government. What you don't understand is that you are already a slave of big business, that rewrites the rules the way they want them played. You have to dance to their tune, since they can buy everything they want whenever they want. You are right it is time to stop being slaves and to start voting and getting our country back from the upper crust, who don't give a damn about any of us serfs.

[wiseguy]

Liberals are always In denial. People that enter our country illegally have committed a crime...that makes them criminals that are hiding from prosecution for their crime. What part of that isn't understood? Criminal fugitives... That do indeed get free healthcare.... Hospitals can not turn away people without healthcare...they won't treat me or you for free.. And you would try to make me believe everyone of them has a job and doesn't commit any criminal activity. We have enough homegrown criminals without ignoring the ones coming in illegally. And 11 million is too many.... 1 million is too many..

Any government big enough to give everyone everything for free...is big enough to take it all away...just like drug dealers get people hooked on dope...the government is getting people hooked on free stuff...what happens when they take it all away... People they turned into dependants then turn into slaves...without food... They will bow down to any demand the government makes in order to eat... So you're ok with a country full of slaves dependant on the government for everything... You feel no need to provide for yourself and your family... You know what ruined Mexico... Mexicans...it wasn't me or any other American... They are leaving because of their own making... So what went wrong...

Countries need free enterprise..and people willing to work for their needs.... What happens when nobody has a job...who feeds everyone? There is nothing free in this world... We didn't get to be the biggest and best country in the world from loafers and free loaders ...and criminals. If you are unwilling to pull your own weight...out of laziness who needs you... I'm not willing to help lazy people when I had to work for the little bit I have.. And we all had the same opportunity growing up...we all had to make good or bad decisions...we all know right from wrong...if you blew your chance to become somebody because of stupidity....it's not my fault or my responsibility..

There's no denial. Liberals simply pay attention to facts... a.k.a the truth. This is how we don't fall for the misinformation and fear mongering spread by conservatives. Entering the U.S. illegally is a misdemeanor punishable by a $250 fine. You have almost certainly been guilty of a misdemeanor at some time in your life (speeding ticket, parking violation, etc.) so congratulations... you are also a "criminal". Yes, they can get "emergency" health care from hospitals, and yes... so can you and I. Of course some undocumented immigrants are going to commit crimes. But not at a scale any higher than American citizens. To label them all "criminals" you might as well label all Americans as criminals. And of course not every single undocumented immigrant has a job... but it's not because they're not trying. They're here doing jobs that Americans are to lazy to do.

The government is not getting people hooked on free stuff. That's another conservative lie. The elderly and disabled make up a large portion of those receiving government benefits. A very large percentage of people eligible for government benefits are working full time, and often multiple jobs because employers limit hours to avoid paying benefits. What do you think about the FACT that five members of one family possess more wealth that the bottom 40% of all Americans combined but pay their employees so little that they qualify for public assistance? Tax payers are picking up the tab for the billionaires and you vote for the party that promotes this.

People ARE working. The unemployment rate is very low. They are just not being paid enough to live on. The rich elite are hoarding all the wealth. They are hiding their money to avoid paying taxes. They are shipping jobs overseas because they can get slave labor there where they can't here. Yes indeed... you have been thoroughly duped into believing exactly what the 1% want you to believe. Blame it on the poor so you don't realize who is actually stealing your tax dollars. Annual corporate welfare (government subsidies) is almost double the amount of all social welfare combined while the corporations are raking in billions in profits. You're not living in denial... you're living in ignorance.

[The Lone Ranger]

There's no denial. Liberals simply pay attention to facts... a.k.a the truth. This is how we don't fall for the misinformation and fear mongering spread by conservatives. Entering the U.S. illegally is a misdemeanor punishable by a $250 fine. You have almost certainly been guilty of a misdemeanor at some time in your life (speeding ticket, parking violation, etc.) so congratulations... you are also a "criminal". Yes, they can get "emergency" health care from hospitals, and yes... so can you and I. Of course some undocumented immigrants are going to commit crimes. But not at a scale any higher than American citizens. To label them all "criminals" you might as well label all Americans as criminals. And of course not every single undocumented immigrant has a job... but it's not because they're not trying. They're here doing jobs that Americans are to lazy to do.

The government is not getting people hooked on free stuff. That's another conservative lie. The elderly and disabled make up a large portion of those receiving government benefits. A very large percentage of people eligible for government benefits are working full time, and often multiple jobs because employers limit hours to avoid paying benefits. What do you think about the FACT that five members of one family possess more wealth that the bottom 40% of all Americans combined but pay their employees so little that they qualify for public assistance? Tax payers are picking up the tab for the billionaires and you vote for the party that promotes this.

People ARE working. The unemployment rate is very low. They are just not being paid enough to live on. The rich elite are hoarding all the wealth. They are hiding their money to avoid paying taxes. They are shipping jobs overseas because they can get slave labor there where they can't here. Yes indeed... you have been thoroughly duped into believing exactly what the 1% want you to believe. Blame it on the poor so you don't realize who is actually stealing your tax dollars. Annual corporate welfare (government subsidies) is almost double the amount of all social welfare combined while the corporations are raking in billions in profits. You're not living in denial... you're living in ignorance.

There is a reason why entering the U.S. illegally is a misdemeanor with a low fine. Like it or not this country could not function like it now does without this undocumented labor force. There aren't to many citizens that want to work in the fields anymore 10 hours a day harvesting the very food we all eat. The reason the whole situation has not changed for so long is both parties benefit from the current situation. Conservative businessmen want a cheap source of labor, that they don't have to pay any benefits to, and can dump that cost on the the Big Government, the Liberals see these new arrivals as future new voters. Also these new workers pay into the system and help to support our growing Baby Boomer retirement population. If you really want to stop illegal immigration all you have to do is have a card that must be carried by workers that aren't citizens, require that they have to register in order to get the card, then we can start counting and accounting for these workers. Right now is is not known exactly how many there are in this country only guesstimates. Also you need to step up the penalties and enforce the laws already on the books for employers that hire these workers without the proper documentation.

It's not free stuff, if you have worked and paid into the system you get a specified amount when you qualify. The government makes it hard to get these benefits and you have go through screening process, that takes many months especially for disability claims. The programs are necessary to keep large segments of our population from becoming homeless and destabilizing our country even more than it is now. You don't see this problem with other Western democracies because the have a certain floor of programs that take care of citizens basic needs such as health care for all. Just like now I think like in Germany and France we should have free colleges since higher education is required now for good high paying jobs.

[The Lone Ranger]

Well we are off to the races, both Bernie and Trump won, now we might have a real choice Democratic Socialism v.s. Conservative Nationalism. They both want single payer health care maybe we will finally catch up to the rest of the modern world, you can only hope.