The Respectfully Republican Conversation

You know, Amy posted to Benita a pretty good list of what happened.  I am going to post it here because some of you don't read over there.  I am going to highlight the ones I think are strong reasons but one she forgot is that dang war --- lots of money out and ZERO RETURN.

1) Energy Dependence- The price per barrel of oil went up, for a variety of reasons including India and China having more cars and using more of the world supply. Simple supply and demand.

2) Mortgage/Bank issues- The government wanted more people to own homes and made it easier. That wasn't so much the problem as predatory lending and people taking out more loans than they could pay. There were also mortgages and loans that had very small payments in the beginning, sometimes just paying the interest and not the principle. These mortgages ballooned up after several years to where the lendee was then paying both principle and interest, which made the loans too expensive. The idea of these loans in ideal theory is that people take out such a loan and then their income continues to grow so when they are forced to pay more money, they can afford it. These people who cannot pay, do not have any equity in their homes, so the people are out, the lending places are out money and this makes the companies at times insolvent and bankrupt. Additionally, rather than banks and mortgage companies owning their own debt, they debt was sold and resold and resold to a questionable brokerage outlets, so that part of one's debt could be owned by multiple companies.

3) The Dow Jones has been deregulated to where megacheating and incompetent mismanagemant were allowed to develop without oversight.

4) We've been importing more than exporting and things that used to be made in the USA is now made overseas, which leads to job loss, less taxes coming in to cities and the country etc higher unemployment numbers means more people on welfare and foodstamps, which costs the gov. money.

5) People have lost confidence in the stock market, so they aren't investing and have pulled some of their money out of the market, which leads to drops in the dow which leads to people being less confident.

6) What happens financially in the USA financially and on the dow effects other countries, which effects out country like a viscious circle.

7) We've borrowed as a country out the wazoo, we owe china, japan, india and who knows what other country a TON of money, all with interest.

and again:  WAR -- SPENDING money on behalf of countries who hate us and want our heads chopped off.

I am sure that many Iraqi's don't hate us, especially the women .. . but I am a huge proponent of fixing your house before you fix someone else's.

I do have a personal/moral problem ... I don't think we should praise the celebrities and rich people like we do and teach our children to reach out for that kind of wealth.  I think that we all want to have a decent life .. a good life ... most of us are not reaching for opulence.  I think that the super rich or the Uber-rich should not be looked up to so much.  We have children in the USA, children in Mexico, children in African countries ... many who won't live to be 5.  How do we as a nation say it's really not ok for us to have 3 tv's, 4 cars, 2 homes, new shoes in boxes still when others are dying from lack of food and water?

Things are not going to change by me deciding to change my lifestyle.

So, I was thinking about those shows .. Extreme Makeover ... you know how they go into a deserving family and change their falling apart house into a palace?  Why into a palace?  Why not into a decent home that at the same time will "reward" this giving family for their hard work? If they lowered the opulence, they could help more ... like maybe a whole block of houses in Harlem? Or a whole small town?  I mean, rather than give to one, give to many?  Why are tv shows and magazines still pushing opulence and extremeness ? 

I think if you saw the movie stars living less like royalty and more like us, we'd look up to them more.  But I can't see that Tom Hanks or George Clooney is a hero? They are just rich.

I was talking to my dad and thought that if a whole town got together and lowered their standards and did "missions" to needy areas, now that would be a good movie!   We are never going to get our borders under control until people feel that its ok to stay home. 

How come our celebrities and uber-rich are not spit upon like people who wear fur? If we made just our continent a desireable continent, then Mexico, Nicaraugua, El Salvador, etc would be desireable.

Right now, we don't have an incentive to be selfless ...

It's official...blah, blah, blahgo is no longer our Gov.  What a disgrace! He still has to face federal charges.

Kel - I feel the same way about the lottery. Instead of having a 5 million $ pot... They should break it down to smaller amounts so that more can win/benefit. I think there was a 50 million $ pot at one time! That's REALLY ridiculous.

Half million people early voted today in Iraq,   An expected 70 to 80% turn out in vote.

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Well, if Obama is going to bring in Socialism, the first thing I'd want to see is having 5 weeks of vacation just like they do in France and Italy!!

Concerning the contraceptives, I know so many in poverty start out with babies very young. I teach 8th grade, every year it is alarming how many of the girls are pregnant their freshman year, the fathers are still boys, the babies hardly have a chance at success in our world under these circumstances. It seems the girls in poverty keep the babies and then there goes finishing even high school for many. I don't think they should be out making babies, but so many just think this is what is normal and are so boy crazy. Would contraceptives be less costly than welfare until age 18? Also, we find school attendance is an issue. I think welfare should be contingent upon getting your kids to school and having them show some effort while they are there. I talk to kids everyday about the importance of at least finishing high school. The girl today wouldn't even respond to me when I asked her to try to improve her attendance.

sue-blue...totally agree. If you are on the system it should be mandatory your kids become educated and hold a decent grade average with perfect attendance. Make the parent/s responsible.

You just can't trust the government. My state of California is having major financial issues, so they decided to have employees to take a day off every other week. Well it sounds like it would  save some money. Then a guy called into our local radio station and said that while this was being done, they approved overtime for the contractors to cover for the employees.

Words fail me

When I was teaching health,  I would tell all the girls about the 10cent contraceptive that is widely available: if you can keep a dime between you knees, you won't get pregnant!

credit Ann Landers for that one!

What a show Blago put on today. I almost felt sorry for the crook. But then I remembered how he won his first election. He had the big bucks(from the guys who now turned on him, and all those shakedowns), to start running smear campaigns against the GOP. Well the outgoing Gov. deserved it. He was a crook too, though not as big as Blago. Every day we were blasted with Blago adds condemning Jim Ryan, his opponent. Jim was a very fine and ethical man. Both he and his daughter were cancer survivors and he had no part in the outgoing Govs scandal. But Blago kept at it, and by the time the GOP were able to launch a campaign, the damage had been done. They just did not have the payola to play. It is ironic that Blago came in saying he was going to end corruption and he got sucked right into it. The truth is, you cannot get anywhere in Illinois if you do not play this game. That is why I think it is laughable that people actually believe that Obama got where he is without playing the same dirty game. He is every bit a crook as Blago. Eventually the truth will come out. Remember he has no real friends in Chicago, just political aquaintances. Just as Blago found out, one false move, and the rats will turn around an eat their own.

Hey Laura, I heard they are not wasting time taking Blago's name off the tollway entrances. I wonder if they are going to put his mug shot up there with a sign "Another one bites the dust". It is a new beginning for the GOP in Illinois!

I am pages behind..I'm on 224.  I've been so busy.   

Paulette, I just watched the N.Y. Times video.  Very good.  It will take time for the women to achieve their goals.  Look how long it took us here in the U. S.   And if one rapes a woman and if he marries her he is not charge for THAT crime.  Now, that's stupid.  However, you can see the mindset of this culture.  But it can be chiseled away.  And President Bush and our military has given them that HOPE and CHANGE and YES THEY CAN! 

I'm now on page 225.

IBC, belly jiggling with laughter.  I especially love the "Kennedy" one.  I needed a big laugh!  I'm passing those cartoons on.  LMBO!  or LMBO..one's laughing my BUTT off and the other one's laughing my BELLY off!

I've got some cartoons too, but not as funny as yours.  STILL LAUGHING!

Shirley

Talking about what happened to our economy---------------------------------------------------------------

MUST I POST THE SAME OLE VIDEOS AGAIN OF WATERS RUNNING HER STUPID MOUTH AND SOME OF BARNEY BEING AN IDIOT..OH THERE'S A GOOD ONE WHERE O'RIELLY AND HE GOT INTO IT....AND OTHER DEMS WHO SAID ALL IS FINE...FANNIE AND FREDDIE ARE FINE...IT'S YOU, MR. REGULATOR...WHO'S NUTS AND BEING UNFAIR? 

MUST I POST IT AGAIN?  I'D BE HAPPY TO!

I'm passionate about those idiots that keep blaming everything on President Bush.  Yeah, the republicans should have stomped their feet, thrown a temper tantrum, and kicked arse and should have taken this to the floor to vote...but noooooo....again they'd be accused of being OBSTRUCTIONIST!