I'd like to focus on actual legislation and legislative proposals whenever possible. The time for campaign rhetoric is over... We need to know the specifics that relate to achieving the stated policy goals. Just listing the goals is a good start, but there needs to be substance now. Democrats may very well name a bill the "Stabilize Economy Act" but its not the title I'm interested in, I want to hear the actual plan, with all its details.
That spending is not going away... Once government starts spending money, whether we have it or not, government doesn't stop spending that money... they find other places to spend it... and people just like yourself have no problem with deficit spending so long as its for a "good" cause.
Even if we actually left Iraq - which we will not do - that money would be spent somewhere else. For example, Obama wants the World Poverty Act, which would spend more in 5 years in Africa (800 Billion) than we have spent in 5 years in Iraq (750 Billion). Talk about a built in replacement expense!
Just out of curiosity... exactly what jobs can government create that do not require continual funding? Like if government spent 1 trillion dollars to "create jobs", what jobs would they be and where would the money come from to keep those people in jobs after the start up capital was gone?
If you find Micheal Moore to be an honest and reliable source of information... I can see why you honestly believe people like myself are mis/ill/un-informed morons.
If you want to know about the Patriot Act, I suggest you start by actually reading the legislation... Not take someone else's word for whats in there.
http://thomas.loc.gov The original bill is H.R.3162
For example:
SEC. 412. MANDATORY DETENTION OF SUSPECTED TERRORISTS; HABEAS CORPUS; JUDICIAL REVIEW.
That title looks ominous but it clearly states in the text that the suspension of Habeas Corpus applies only to "Aliens" and not US Citizens.
If you take the time to go through and look for yourself, you will likely find, as I did, that the information you are getting second hand has been twisted.
I suggest you also look at
Darpa -
Information Awareness Office -
ECHELON
The aforementioned programs and departments were violating the rights of US citizens long before the Patriot Act... Only difference is,
you didn't know about it.
Compared to the Federal Government, yes, yes they are... Also, Wal-Mart doesn't get to write the regulations and set the tax codes etc. for their competition... our government would be doing just that to the Healthcare Companies and Insurance Providers.
Taxpayer subsidized healthcare, the kind that competes with for profit providers, is a recipe for disaster. As people jump ship from private providers to get on the Government Provided bandwagon, the cost of the private will go up... causing more people to jump ship... causing the cost to go up... and while both sectors have astronomical rises in costs, the only thing keeping government healthcare "affordable" will be the fact that its subsidized on the backs of generations not yet born. We're already living on credit, have been for decades... where will you draw the line?
I can buy private coverage now and it will follow me to any job... forcing employers to offer healthcare insurance is part of why the costs are so enormous... which is a big reason why big business, and small, are so interested in Taxpayer subsidized insurance from the Government, saves them a great deal of money. If they weren't forced to provide insurance, but it was their option as it used to be, the costs would come down as more people began sifting through competing providers to get the best balance of price and coverage.
Do you know how much it costs to create a new drug? Did you know the drug companies offer their medications to people for free, or reduced cost?
Yes... And its quite simple and extensive - as opposed to being massive and expensive.
Some of it did seem off... I'm quite sure it comes down to a difference of where and how we get our information, and from whom. If we start looking at information that we can agree is good, we will find ourselves agreeing on all kinds of things from that point on.