Gov. Shutdown?

[quasarvs]

I was listening to Sean Hannity this afternoon, and he mentioned that pretty much it is not a question of 'IF' we will turn out like Greece did in their deep depression, but rather a question of "When?"

However, on a positive note, he did mention that if we can solve these problems of putting the debt ceiling off and not making a budget and having a President and Congress throw away the integrity of their offices until they get their way, we can look for solutions that make a difference.

Midland Texas

Midland Texas, Sean said (if I remember correctly), is the only town in Texas or possibly in the U.S. that has a ZERO unemployment rate!!!!
Why is that?

That is because it is an oil town! They drill for oil and are very successful.

Sean discussed that it's right beneath our feet!! ENERGY. He said energy is what is needed for any successful forward moving society/economy.

At any rate, Not to keep paraphrasing him, but his program was rather encouraging today. There are answers! We just have to be willing to be unselfish, and productive to take them.

Congress and the President need to be worried about listening to the people, and the people need to be concerned about being HEARD! But it takes sacrifices of pay perhaps and time and popularity to do both of those things.

What are your thoughts?

[UptonSinclair]

Sorry, you lost me at, "I was listening to Sean Hannity."

[JBtesc]

What are your thoughts?

What UptonSinclair said.


Always consider the source.

[ironheadjack]

What UptonSinclair said.


Always consider the source.

What is the problem with the source? That he is a conservative?

[Prloko]

What is the problem with the source? That he is a conservative?

Not that he is conservative, but that he is a political pundit and is neither an economist or a an expert in finance. His qualifications as a radio personality does not make him a subject matter expert.

[Jonathan Whatley]

I was listening to Sean Hannity this afternoon, and he mentioned that pretty much it is not a question of 'IF' we will turn out like Greece did in their deep depression, but rather a question of "When?"

That's exactly what a paid spokesman for a gold bullion company would say.

TUNE IN TO GLENN BECK'S Fox News show or his syndicated radio program, and you'll soon learn about the precarious state of the US dollar, a currency on the verge of collapse due to runaway government spending, a ballooning national debt, and imminent Zimbabwe-style hyperinflation. To defend yourself against the coming financial holocaust, Beck explained on his radio show last November, you need to "think like a German Jew in 1934, maybe 1931." And that means thinking about buying some gold.

Conveniently, Beck made that suggestion as he was in the midst of interviewing his own "gold guy," Mark Albarian, the president and CEO of Goldline International, a Santa Monica, California-based precious metals company that is a major sponsor of Beck's radio and cable shows. […]

Cashing in on all this is a raft of entrepreneurs who have tapped into financial insecurity and fever dreams of impending tyranny. Nearly every major conservative radio host, including Rush Limbaugh, Sean Hannity, Michael Savage, and Dr. Laura Schlessinger has advertised gold.

Glenn Beck's Gold Gurus Charged With Fraud (Stephanie Mencimer, Mother Jones, May 19, 2010 with subsequent updates)

However, on a positive note, he did mention that if we can solve these problems of putting the debt ceiling off and not making a budget and having a President and Congress throw away the integrity of their offices until they get their way, we can look for solutions that make a difference.

Well, Congress seems to be failing in its basic responsibility to fund the government. Congress seems to be putting the President in a difficult position, forget politically, perhaps Constitutionally.

Midland Texas, Sean said (if I remember correctly), is the only town in Texas or possibly in the U.S. that has a ZERO unemployment rate!!!!
Why is that?

That is because it is an oil town! They drill for oil and are very successful.

Close! In recent rankings Midland has been the U.S. city included with the lowest unemployment rate. The unemployment rate in Midland, not seasonally adjusted and not including labor force non-participants (including those who could work but stopped looking), is currently 3.4%.

Sean discussed that it's right beneath our feet!! ENERGY. He said energy is what is needed for any successful forward moving society/economy.

Correct: Midland is a oil and gas town during an oil and gas boom. Is its current unemployment rate scaleable across the country? Can we expect it to last forever in Midland? The unemployment rate in Midland was 6.4% at a peak in 2009, 8.3% at peaks in 1992 and 1999. Midland's unemployment rates aren't even quite scaleable to Odessa, Midland's adjacent twin city, where unemployment rates are higher sometimes by several points.

Midland, TX and Odessa, TX Unemployment Rates (Not seasonally adjusted. Via Google Public Data; data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics)

There are answers! We just have to be willing to be unselfish, and productive to take them.

Congress and the President need to be worried about listening to the people, and the people need to be concerned about being HEARD! But it takes sacrifices of pay perhaps and time and popularity to do both of those things.

I think we'd disagree on all sorts of specifics. But I agree with these sentiments absolutely.

[Tedium]

There are answers! We just have to be willing to be unselfish, and productive to take them.

Congress and the President need to be worried about listening to the people, and the people need to be concerned about being HEARD! But it takes sacrifices of pay perhaps and time and popularity to do both of those things.

What are your thoughts?

Just to be clear, the tantrum that conservatives are throwing is in no way unselfish, anymore than any of the political stunts the liberals pull. The thought of any of these politicians messing with people's lives just to score points on their political CV makes me sick. These politicians aren't exercising the will of the people, they are trying to fulfill their delusions of grandeur and an infantile desire for attention. It's sad that one of the greatest countries that has ever existed is petering out into obscurity because some idiots are too blinded by ideology to actually affect some worthwhile change.

And once again, I am referring to any and all parties involved.

[sanantone]

If the U.S. defaults, it'll be a total embarrassment because, unlike other countries, the U.S. will be choosing to default. Other countries have defaulted because they actually ran out of money and borrowing ability.

[sklineho]

What is the problem with the source? That he is a conservative?

Let's not dive into hyperbole here.

Sean Hannity is a conservative on paper but his top priority is as an entertainer. Don't' ever forget that. Hannity's job isn't to inform you, it's to entertain you, similar to Bill Maher, John Stewart, or Rush Limbaugh. These people aren't in the business of information, they're in the business of affirmation. People tune in to be told what they want to hear.

[sklineho]

As to the thread itself:

This shutdown I he result of a dysfunction that goes back at least a decade. You have a Democratic party that has gotten so emboldened and arrogant that it feels it can do as it pleases. Likewise you have a GOP that feels that it too can do what it wants because they're still convinced they have the moral high ground. Ask a member of either party why they do what they do and their reply will always be "well the <insert other party> does it too."

That right there should tell you that neither group has anything relevant to say. The ACA was a cluster%^$# of a bill rushed through by an arrogant majority. But the GOP response has been no better. The biggest problem I have though is this: The ACA WAS passed, legitimately (even if you don't agree with it, no rules were broken). It was upheld by the Supreme Court. Now a minority in Congress decided that the democratic process shouldn't matter. That's not a good thing. Do we really want a system where, no matter how much support something has and no matter if it was passed democratically, that any one person can simply say "well we don't like it"? That's not democracy, that's how things work in China. Further, the GOP had chances to do other things to stop it but instead waited until the day before Obamacare was implemented to do this. That tells me this is nothing more than a show. And again, for those who support Mr. Cruz and his bypassing of our system of government, you might like this idea now, but will you like it next year when say, Nancy Pelosi shuts the government down because she doesn't like a Republican supported bill?

I doubt it.

If you hate the ACA, blame the GOP. They're the ones who threw away not one but TWO elections, including one AFTER ACA's passing. Now we have a broken government being controlled by despots who think that they're way is the only way and to hell with everyone else. We've got the Democrats ruining healthcare with a half-assed bill and Republicans exploiting the people (this business with exploiting all of these veterans for political points is disgusting). And both parties have their respective media mouthpieces (Dems have MSNBC, GOP has Fox) spinning it for them.

And that's another thing: the media shouldn't support parties. Again, that's how things work in China or Iran. This is America.