Are you seriously denying that deregulation played a major part in the financial crisis? I don't really feel like lecturing an American on how the Americans screwed the whole world, but in a nutshell the crisis was fallout from the bursting of the housing bubble, which probably would never have happened in the first place if the whole thing was properly regulated. Once you start regulating, you set in place controls and other measures which prevent people from hurting themselves. A good example of this would be the food that you eat at in restaurants. Although restaurants are generally free to serve whatever they want, you still have health inspectors roaming around to check the quality of food these establishments serve. You don't leave it to the market and say "Oh well, these restaurants will make sure to keep their food clean because if they don't, consumers who get food poisoning won't come anymore". Instead you have guys roaming around checking that these restaurants make sure that these restaurant owners adhere to the minimum standards that the government set. You guys do it to restaurants that affect just the surrounding area around them, why won't you do it to banks that affect the entire world? The "free market" is a myth, simply because perfect flow of information is not possible in real life. The result is you have majority of the "market" composed of ignorant people, all of whom are ripe for picking for predators. Of course the caveat here is that regulation must be done properly, and I suppose while good in theory realistically speaking "proper regulation" is just as hard to obtain as "free market". However how bad can regulation be? You already have the Goldman Sachs CEO earning crazy money already anyway.
Bill O'Reilly spoke to the topic of this thread during his "Talking Points Memo" to open his show last night. He was right on the money. Here is the video: <object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/MXBfmShFusU&hl=en_US&fs=1&"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/MXBfmShFusU&hl=en_US&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object> The poll is BS. O'Reilly is exactly right on this one.
Was that the episode where Jon Stewart handed O'Reilly his ass to him on his own show? that was funny
So, just to clarify: - The polls is fraud, because Bill O'Reilly says so. Never mind the fact that the research company that actually conducted the poll (i.e. - NOT KOS) is highly respected and regarded in the industry. It's a fraud because Bill says it is. Got it. If that's not what you're saying, then give me one very good reason this poll is a "fraud". - Bill DOESN'T think Obama should be impeached. _ Bill DOESN'T think Obama is a socialist. - Bill DOES think Obama was born in the USA. - Bill DOESN'T think Obama hates white people. Just want to get the record straight, because if (more like when) he says anything that goes against these opinions, I expect him to recant his denouncement of this poll (yeah, right).
No, the poll was a fraud regardless of whether O'Reilly chose to speak to the topic or not. I was calling it out as nonsense yesterday long before he said anything about it. As far as the other points you noted, the contrary of which Batman Jones has been ranting about ad nauseum throughout this thread, your previous understanding (and that of Batman Jones) is just flatly wrong. These ideas that you guys promote, which were ridiculed by Bill O'Reilly in the video above, are just left-wing BS. But these sorts of ridiculous ideas are apparently so central to the leftist world view that you guys so tightly embrace, that you seem unwilling to part with them, however false they happen to be. This kind of talk has become so silly to most people on the right that we generally do not even consider it worthwhile to try and correct you guys on these points anymore. But since you have posted these points in reply to me directly, I am making an exception. The one point above that most conservatives probably would broadly agree with is that Obama appears to be some sort of a socialist. Maybe not in the most rigid sense of the academic usage of the term, but his political instincts and values do come across as strongly inclined towards what appears to be a socialist direction. So, for lack of a better term, "socialist" works pretty effectively, and communicates the essence of what people on the right generally perceive that Obama truly believes, his statements to the contrary notwithstanding.
translation: Doesn't matter what the facts are, we're going to act like idiots and believe what we want to believe and nothing you can say will change our minds no matter how crazy the belief it.
They both took jabs at each other, I don't think either one of them left the interview assless. Second half of the interview is tonight.
Or the no crowd so long as you use the language "yes or maybe" or "no or maybe" just as BJ did. That is the thing about maybe (and not sure for that matter), it is neither yes or no and can be lumped into either category so long as you use the appropriate language.
Another poll showing the idiocy of republicans -- Poll: Republians Prefer Having A Deficit With Tax Cuts, Over A Balanced Budget And Higher Taxes A new Rasmussen poll supplies a very interesting data point in the ongoing debate about the budget deficit: As it turns out, Republican voters would prefer having a deficit if it meant they can get more tax cuts, instead of raising taxes in order to balance the budget. The national poll of likely voters asked: "Would you rather see a balanced budget with higher taxes or a budget deficit with tax cuts?" A 41% plurality would rather have budget deficit with tax cuts, with 36% calling for higher taxes and a balanced budget. The internals of the poll show Republicans favoring deficits and tax cuts.
Can we also throw in the Democratic majority opinions circa 2004. Do you believe Bush and Cheney are the masterminds behind 9/11? Do you believe Bush is a racist who hates the black people of New Orleans? Do you believe Bush is the Anti-Christ? Do you believe the Wars in Afganistan and Iraq are about opium and oil? Do you believe Bush should be impeached? I wonder how the democratic intelligencia would score on this poll? Asking one dimensonal loaded questions is really the way to go when conducting a poll.
Another flawed/hypothetical poll. You may as well poll for opinions if pigs can fly. Fact. Balanced budget can happen whether your lower, sustain or raise taxes. If you can't balance the budget with the current taxes, what makes me believe the government will balance the budget with higher taxes. It hasn't been done in 10 years and it doesn't look like it will happen for a long time. So yes, count me in as one who wants tax cuts.
Are you really arguing a real poll with a fake hypothetical poll you just thought up? Really?! Hey, I'm an Obama-supporting independent who hated Bush and my responses are: Do you believe Bush and Cheney are the masterminds behind 9/11? No Do you believe Bush is a racist who hates the black people of New Orleans? No Do you believe Bush is the Anti-Christ? No Do you believe the Wars in Afganistan and Iraq are about opium and oil? No Do you believe Bush should be impeached? No Fact is, there are people who believe filth. They will believe both liberal and conservative filth. Currently, the conservative filth is more prevalent than the liberal filth so polls such as the one mentioned in the OP come to the fore-front.
I would like to poll both parties the following: Close your eyes Give me your hand Do you feel my heart beating? Do you understand? Do you feel the same? Or am I only dreaming? Or is this burning? An eternal flame?
