Romney and Paul kahoots?

RLENT

Veteran Expediter
Well after the Romney event, there was a little Q&A, he was asked about the tax system and changing it. I don't remember his exact words but it came down to the comment that he wants just to change the tax rates and not the system. Lost my vote with that comment.
Yeah, that's kinda a non-starter .....

I'm a more of a Rep. Bill Archer (former chairman of the House Ways and Means) kinda guy myself:

".... pull the tax code out by its roots ...."
 

RLENT

Veteran Expediter
That's my sense as well - out of the three, Romney may pose the least danger of continuing the insanity of foreign meddling and the overseas wars which are bankrupting us ..... just due to personal temperament .....
OTOH there is this:

23 of Romney’s foreign policy advisers served under George W Bush

..... which is why I said: "just due to personal temperament" ......

The "stay out the Bushes" premise is probably highly advisable ....

(Photo for the MSU rally updated in post above)
 
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RLENT

Veteran Expediter
More Frothy Goodness .... this guy must have an unlimited supply of stupid pills:

Lansing, Michigan (CNN) - Rick Santorum argued Monday that it was high gas prices, not dubious lending practices or complex Wall Street trades, which torpedoed the housing market in 2008 and brought on the current prolonged economic slump.


Santorum: High gas prices caused the recession
 

muttly

Veteran Expediter
Retired Expediter
The high gas prices have a lot to do with it. Spending too much money for fuel causes a ripple throughout the economy. Plus the higher costs are passed on through the chain of doing business and affects consumer goods. So in essence people are paying more to fuel their cars and also paying more for goods and services. That leaves fewer dollars for other necessaties and fewer dollars to purchase from businesses.
 

Turtle

Administrator
Staff member
Retired Expediter
That's a good point. The additional money to fuel a car isn't all that much. Someone getting 20 MPG and drives 20,000 miles a year will spent an additional $1000 a year in fuel. That' like $20 a week, which isn't much, and certainly not enough to cause a collapse in housing and have everyone lose their mortgage. But when you tack on another 5-20% ripple for goods and services, now you're talking serious money that has more of an effect than people realize.
 

layoutshooter

Veteran Expediter
Retired Expediter
High fuel costs also have a great effect on industries that depend on travel for their earnings. Like the tourist industry. In many States tourism is a huge part of their income and in some areas their ONLY income. High fuel prices can devastate rural America.
 

aristotle

Veteran Expediter
Surging fuel prices rattle consumer psychology like nothing else. It's real, it's tangible and it's in our face 24/7 as we pass billboards advertising the cost of fuel. Tens of millions of individual choices not to spend are being made.
 

RLENT

Veteran Expediter
The high gas prices have a lot to do with it. Spending too much money for fuel causes a ripple throughout the economy. Plus the higher costs are passed on through the chain of doing business and affects consumer goods. So in essence people are paying more to fuel their cars and also paying more for goods and services. That leaves fewer dollars for other necessaties and fewer dollars to purchase from businesses.
Mutt,

It depends on whether you are reading the headline (written by the media, in the link,) .... or looking at what Santorum actually said originally (before he backtracked and qualified it after he made the remarks)

My comments were directed at the latter:

".... it was high gas prices, not dubious lending practices or complex Wall Street trades, which torpedoed the housing market in 2008 and brought on the current prolonged economic slump."


Gas prices ran up from 2001 to 2005 and then spiked multiple times before 2008 ..... and it had no apparent effect on the housing market.

While gas prices no doubt played a part in the health of the overall economy (since much of the economy is tied to the cost of transportation), I'd say that there were many, many factors that "torpedoed the housing market" - including, but not limited to: low teaser mortgage rates, over-valuations, excessive personal debt, and bad lending practices loaning money to unqualified buyers that had a lot to do with it as well.

The point really is, that to say that it was only high gas prices (as Santorum originally claimed), is infinitely stupid - because it seeks to (falsely) simplify a complex situation that had many factors driving it.

That's why Santorum "clarified" his original remarks when he was called on it .... if he hadn't, he would have been eaten alive.
 

RLENT

Veteran Expediter
Apparently Newt and the Limburger have had a revelation on Afghanistan and realized it is time to leave (long past actually)

They have now seen the wisdom of the one man running who, as he typically does in many things, saw the writing on that wall long ago.

Both are to be commended, despite their tardiness.
 

layoutshooter

Veteran Expediter
Retired Expediter
Apparently Newt and the Limburger have had a revelation on Afghanistan and realized it is time to leave (long past actually)

They have now seen the wisdom of the one man running who, as he typically does in many things, saw the writing on that wall long ago.

Both are to be commended, despite their tardiness.


We will pull out, only so Obama can have bragging rights. It will make NO difference in what goes on over there. The internal situation in that country will get FAR worse. BUT, that is good. As long as we are not there, nothing matters. After all, it is none of our business.

I don't want to here ONE WORD when the Taliban picks up where it left off.

Reminds me of..................... OH, never mind.
 

layoutshooter

Veteran Expediter
Retired Expediter
Hate to say this but if we do pull out, he won't be bragging.

Yes, he will. He will do so ONLY to play to his socialist/fascist base. He could care LESS about what happens over there, or to our troops. His ONLY dream is ONE MORE WIN. THEN, he can complete the dreams of those who control him.
 

greg334

Veteran Expediter
I think he will not brag about it, it isn't Iraq and we are losing more than we can afford to lose, mainly credibility. Regardless, the next president - either in 2012 or 2016 - will have to deal with the fall out of bush/obama's mistakes and may end up doing a Ron Paul to save the country. Reading what Israel said about Iran, that puts more light into how he and we for that matter are looked down upon because of our failures.
 

layoutshooter

Veteran Expediter
Retired Expediter
I think he will not brag about it, it isn't Iraq and we are losing more than we can afford to lose, mainly credibility. Regardless, the next president - either in 2012 or 2016 - will have to deal with the fall out of bush/obama's mistakes and may end up doing a Ron Paul to save the country. Reading what Israel said about Iran, that puts more light into how he and we for that matter are looked down upon because of our failures.

Ron Paul cannot 'save the country'. NO one man/woman/it can.
 

greg334

Veteran Expediter
Pulling troops out of places where they are not fighting a war, a declared war, is a step that may end up saving the troops and the country.
 

layoutshooter

Veteran Expediter
Retired Expediter
Pulling troops out of places where they are not fighting a war, a declared war, is a step that may end up saving the troops and the country.

Only short term. If only it were that simple. BUT, I don't care. I won't fight the next one, neither will my son. I am worried that my nephew and his wife will. Nothing I can do about it, no matter which idiot I vote for. We are too far down the path.
 
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