Thats All I Can Stands...

[SDF2BUF2MCO]

The problems you allude to are cultural, not political. No one in government can make the changes that are needed in society today.

That may be true but both parties are more than willing to pimp off the "cultural" problem. Also think the guberment started the "cultural" problem. Don't see either one advocating for less government.
It is interesting that Bush is wanting to make it easier for our Mexican friends to stay in the US. Think part of it is a political ploy to pimp off the Hispanic vote, think the other part is to mix up our culture so much that we lose our identity as Americans. Speculate a lot of people come here not to be an American but to see what they can get from this country. Doubt if you'll see too many of these folks willing to defend our country.
I still am amazed the number of conservatives who think GWB is great. He gives the appearance of being a better man than Clinton but that is about all I see.
Too big for me to fight.

 

[bart]

Bush's first mistake was to give everybody their money back in 2001...

That was THE ONLY THING he has done right with respect to domestic policy.


If artists can't peddle their wares, why force me to buy it?

Why not support it through private sector initiatives?

Do we really need a play about a homosexual cannibal?

Where in the Constitution does it say it is the job of Federal Govt to sieze money from citizens to pay starving artists?

I will bet that you cannot provide one articulate answer to any of the above questions...

 

[JohnDoe]

All the above, plus do we really need $441 million for mad-cow disease research??

And the list continues to grow.....and grow.......

 

[likeitis]

We wouldn't have mad cow if it wasn't for big business greed. Did anyone ever think that feeding beef to cows might not be right? Couldn't just dispose of the dead cattle right, they had to feed it to their healthy cattle. Did anyone think that the dead cattle was dead for a reason? Like the kids from southpark said "that's pretty f*cked up right there."

 

[Dan CFI/CFII]

The thing is, and this is true for most all politicians:

They can't really care about Joe Sixpack's problems. Bush has never had to worry about getting his next paycheck, or been forced to work through Christmas, or any of that sutff. gore has never spent his days turning wrenches, burning himself with the exhaust from a Chainsaw, all while getting paid very close to nothing.

Politicians in our country only know rich folk. Bush and Gore simply don't really know anybody else. Thier best friends aren't average workers, so where do they get information about how politics really affect our lives?

Basically, they take guesses as to just how much they need to do to get my vote. It's not that they are trying to screw us over (at least, not always), it's that the way they try to help us is at times a bit skewed by lobbyists. If you want to know how to improve the economy, you're going to listen to a lot of input. But see, I can't affort to lobby my congressman, I have to work this week. But if I own, say, an airline, I can most certainly afford to pay someone to go chat my position up with those in charge.

Bush's economic policy so far has been awful for me and the other blue collar workers of the country. Last year, when I made less than 10,000 (as a full time CFI and A&P--averaging 65 billed hours a week)--I didn't even get tax money back! The owner of the company, however, got a HUGE tax cut and purchased a Jaguar and a 45' sailboat. There is no argument you can make to convince me that that was a "good" economic policy. Sure, the Republican line is that they were giving money to the "creators of job," but just how much of that has happened? Jobless recovery? That's just making the same employees work harder.

On the other side of the coin, the Democrats tend to start up government programs to try to provide jobs--the thing is, they are starting up jobs that cost far too much to be considered efficient, and are thus squandering some of the jobs that would otherwise have been helping more people.

I really do think that the taxes on rich folk should have, if anything increased (it's not like they are going to buy a house or anything if they save a few thousand a year--they already have a house). And the taxes for low paid people should have dropped (if I would have gotten an extra 1,000 dollars last year--I would have spent every last cent of it--and thus would have paid for someone's job--even if it is a grocery store clerk).

Solution? Good question, I don't have time to fix anything, for the first time in my life, I have almost enough money saved up to buy a (sorely needed) new engine for my truck. I've got to work this week, and the next. I don't have time to lobby my congresspeople.

Just my .02. But of the Candidates that I've been around this week (and they've pretty much all been using our hangar as a base here for the caucuses), I think I like Clark the best. But they're all just politicians. What we need is for my friend Harold the truck mechanic to be president, at least he'd get womenfolk off the roads

Dan

 

[Sphincter Boy]

Last year, when I made less than 10,000 (as a full time CFI and A&P--averaging 65 billed hours a week)--I didn't even get tax money back!

You made less than $10 grand and expect somehting back? You didn't pay anything in **CENSORED****CENSORED****CENSORED****CENSORED** taxes. Thats the problem with you people. I haven't checked the IRS website lately, but I would think that you are in a group of taxpayers that pay less than 1% of the into the federal treasury.

 

[FlyFlyFly]

Last year, when I made less than 10,000 (as a full time CFI and A&P--averaging 65 billed hours a week)--

You need to reexamine how you bill. You are only averaging $2.95 per hour!

If you really worked 3,380 hours last year, and you really only made $10,000, then you have problems that require professional attention, and there is probably no government policy or program I can imagine that would help you.

 

[Astra Guy]

Believe me guys, I am not in anyone's corner. I do tend to think independently. I know there are many problems in this country but what are the choices?

Let's think about this a little bit. What percentage of the world's population is American? What percentage of the world's total economic benefits come back to Americans?

While each of us had no input into the gene pool we came from we are <1% of the world's population and reap >50% of the economic rewards. Why does this matter? Spend some time in England, France, Germany, Italy, Russia or any other country of your choice, work amongst the local populace, reaping their rewards, living in the home that you could afford and come back and complain about your situation. I think you would not. You would be so happy to come home again and get your lousy paying job back you would swim the Atlantic or Pacific to make it back. But then again you might find that pretty little French thing that could change your mind!

It is a lousy choice sometimes, in our land, to put people in office that are not in touch with us little people. Relatively speaking, it is, in most cases, much better than the alternatives. Does that mean we can't bitch about it? Heck no.....but at the same time realize we are very, very fortunate.

 

[Dan CFI/CFII]

I'll quicly defend my statement above: I quit that job, in large part because of pay. My billing was fine ($35 an hour CFI, $65 for A&P), the problem was a snake of an owner who somehow translated that into me taking home the measley number I posted. For the record: I've "chatted" with the local Dept. of Labor about the situation.

I still think I deserved to get a similar percentage of what I did pay in taxes (and have paid in taxes since I was old enough to work). I got no percentage back--and that just didn't strike me as right. I didn't think I would get thousands of dollars back (even though it was through taking an excessive amount of my paycheck for taxes that led to part of the problem above), but once percent or so would have helped.

There's more to meets the eye here guys, but my experience still stands. I got screwed, while the guy who screwed me got a car and a boat (and had money left over).

For some of our country, poverty level is a goal. These are the folks who need help, not just people who pay the most in taxes.

Dan

 

[bart]

I am sorry you did not get a refund. Perhaps if you paid more in taxes, you would have. In the meantime, you are welcome. I am glad you enjoyed living in this country while somone else paid your fair share.

Then when they got a break, you bitched about why they didn't pay you out of their refund. When you are paying $10,000 a year in taxes, let me know. Then I will take your complaint seriously.