DOGE (1 Viewer)

[The_Doc_Man]

Like I said innumeracy, thank you for proving my point. I may have issues with spelling, but I don't have issues with magnitudes. The most powerful conservative brainwashing tool is the misrepresentation of magnitudes.
It is the basis for nearly all of the great lies conservative drink in their cool aid glasses..

You DARE accuse me of innumeracy? As a chemist I worked with micrograms and with Avogadro's number of molecules. I understand numerical scales of magnitude. The REAL issue is that if you want to ignore the "little" stuff, multiply it by the number of cracks through which that little stuff has fallen. THEN call it a misrepresentation of magnitudes.

When you take that attitude, you become insufferable. As a moderator, I have no grounds to throttle your posts. I can't put you on ignore because that doesn't work for moderators - we HAVE to be able to see the annoying people on the forum. Which means that all I have left to do is watch to be sure you don't cross the abuse line.

"A billion here, a billion there, and pretty soon you're talking about real money."

Regarding the "billions" comment, the late Sen. Dirksen reputedly made that comment during a session of Congress as sarcasm, a slap in the face of folks who were complaining about government spending. But you would appreciate at least one of Dirksen's quotes: "The oil can is mightier than the sword." OK, if you do a fact-check, the "billion here, a billion there" quote was not entirely his - but when he was misquoted, he didn't repudiate the misquote because he rather liked it. Here are a couple more quotes of someone trying to be fiscally responsible:

"We are becoming so accustomed to millions and billions of dollars that 'thousands' has almost passed out of the dictionary."

"But the basic difficulty still remains: It is the expansion of Federal power, about which I wish to express my alarm. How easily we embrace such business"

 

[Thales750]

Maybe he should just give up? Oh wait, this guy can re-land Rocketships.

View attachment 118498

It wasn't "this guy" it was a bunch of guys, many of them from NASA.

 

[Thales750]

You DARE accuse me of innumeracy?

I dare accuse you of cool aid drinking, if you can actually grasp the difference between a trillion, and a million, then you should be as outraged as I am about the misuse of magnitude in a message.

Any time someone is using millions, billions, and trillions, in the same paragraph, they are lying. DOGE is an excuse to rid the country of social justice.

Taking out ASAID is going to hurt US relations, and help China's relations around the world. Sadly, most of these cuts are going to have a deleterious effect on the economy. The exact opposite of what we need to be doing.

When the economy shrinks and inflation comes back, who are you going to blame?

Stagflation will be the operative word that historians use to describe this neo fascist rich man's club administration.

 

[AccessBlaster]

It wasn't "this guy" it was a bunch of guys, many of them from NASA.

You guys are hilarious

 

[The_Doc_Man]

DOGE is an excuse to rid the country of social justice.

Define social justice in a way that won't make me puke. "Social justice" these days seems to be based on letting folks think that black is white and men are women and illiteracy can be countered with DEI policies. That is not social justice. That is national suicide.

you should be as outraged as I am about the misuse of magnitude in a message.

I am outraged at the Biden administration's redirection of the country's treatment of criminal activity - and faux criminal activity - and blatant irresponsibility. If you want to talk about innumeracy then let's talk about forgiving loans to people too stupid to understand that "loan" implies "pay back with interest i.e. more money back than you originally got." Let's talk about putting pressure on Ukraine to fire a prosecutor who was about to catch Hunter Biden for his irregularities with Burisma. If you want to talk about outrage, how about the outrage of letting roiters slide if they were Antifa or BLM but cracking down on the Jan. 6 crowd who did far less damage and for whom the predominant offense was trespassing.

I am outraged about many things, but when we are talking dollar amounts in the tens or hundreds of millions, that's more money than I'll ever see in my lifetime. That's an awful lot of cans kicked down the road - mostly by Liberal Democrats though I acknowledge that Republicans aren't immune to that "overspending" disease.

 

[Thales750]

I am outraged about many things, but when we are talking dollar amounts in the tens or hundreds of millions, that's more money than I'll ever see in my lifetime. That's an awful lot of cans kicked down the road - mostly by Liberal Democrats though I acknowledge that Republicans aren't immune to that "overspending" disease.

It's not mostly liberal Democrats, it's mostly all of them.
They know something that you don't get. Federal Government spending is 1/4 of our GDP. Spending that mostly is ends up in middle class family's pay checks.

Like yours for your entire life.

 

[Thales750]

Define social justice in a way that won't make me puke. "Social justice"

In the case of USAID social justice is investing money that returns good will around the world. The kind of good will that kept the shipping lanes open for 80 years.

Mostly though, making the middle class stronger should be the only job of Government.

In all your ranting and raving, you have never once uttered that we should raise taxes on the highest concentrations of wealth. Even when the most egregious change in the US is the growing division of wealth between a very few people, and everyone else.


Blah blah blah on all that anti-WOKE indignation. It's whats for dinner.

 

[The_Doc_Man]

you have never once uttered that we should raise taxes on the highest concentrations of wealth.

The top 1% of the wealthy people on the wealth bell curve pay 40% of the taxes in this country. And you want to soak them more? That is wealth redistribution, a nasty form of socialism. And it is antithetical to free enterprise. Screw that.

 

[Steve R.]

In all your ranting and raving, you have never once uttered that we should raise taxes on the highest concentrations of wealth.

A misleading statement that displays a severe lack of understanding. According to recent analyses, approximately 40% of U.S. households paid no federal income tax in 2022. Furthermore, some of those who don't pay income tax, actually receive a negative income tax, better known as welfare. So it is quite laughable when some people sanctimoniously assert that all proposed tax cuts only help the rich when a significant portion of the working public doesn't even pay federal income tax! A bit difficult to cut the tax burden of people who don't even pay federal income taxes. Furthermore, those who receive welfare are getting a forced transfer of wealth from the rich to the poor. Some would say that is stealing.

 

[AccessBlaster]

It’s classic Bernie Sanders demonizing the 1%, making billionaires the villains, while ignoring wasteful spending on both sides of the aisle.

 

[AngelSpeaks]

In the case of USAID social justice is investing money that returns good will around the world. The kind of good will that kept the shipping lanes open for 80 years.

Mostly though, making the middle class stronger should be the only job of Government.

In all your ranting and raving, you have never once uttered that we should raise taxes on the highest concentrations of wealth. Even when the most egregious change in the US is the growing division of wealth between a very few people, and everyone else.


Blah blah blah on all that anti-WOKE indignation. It's whats for dinner.

I've just retired from preparing taxes. It's bullsh!t that the rich don't pay taxes. The number of people who receive refunds in the thousands for below the line tax credits is outrageous. They pay zero taxes and get thousands back. Unmarried couples who live together with children, split the children up, one claims head of household and they both get thousands back. They can cheat on the advanced premium tax credit and not have to pay it back. The higher income people have their credits phased out. Some are subject to AMT which reduces their itemized deductions. And when they government gives rebates, they don't get it or it's phased out.

Rich who don't pay taxes? Read their returns. You'll find that they've paid other taxes on that income like foreign tax credit which is a valid tax credit.

 

[Thales750]

A misleading statement that displays a severe lack of understanding. According to recent analyses, approximately 40% of U.S. households paid no federal income tax in 2022.

The reason is because all the wealth is now concentrated at the top.

Because of trickle down brainwashing, I know the conservatives here won't be open to considering this part. In the 1960s the highest tax rate was 92%. During that time we had balanced budgets, a thriving middle class, and growth in domestic industry.

Now days if anyone mentions raising the taxes on the ultrarich they are labeled as communist from the brainwashed right.

This is the area that keeps me from being a Republican. Keeping taxes low for the wealthy is the sole objective of the entire republican platform. And brainwashing is the tool of the ultrarich, the same ultra rich that own almost all of the media in the world.

 

[Thales750]

The top 1% of the wealthy people on the wealth bell curve pay 40% of the taxes in this country. And you want to soak them more? That is wealth redistribution, a nasty form of socialism. And it is antithetical to free enterprise. Screw that.

You should take that PHD educated brain of yours and study the history of the effects of taxation on the economy over the last 125 years. It won't be easy, because it will alter your belief system.

 

[Thales750]

I've just retired from preparing taxes. It's bullsh!t that the rich don't pay taxes. The number of people who receive refunds in the thousands for below the line tax credits is outrageous. They pay zero taxes and get thousands back. Unmarried couples who live together with children, split the children up, one claims head of household and they both get thousands back. They can cheat on the advanced premium tax credit and not have to pay it back. The higher income people have their credits phased out. Some are subject to AMT which reduces their itemized deductions. And when they government gives rebates, they don't get it or it's phased out.

Rich who don't pay taxes? Read their returns. You'll find that they've paid other taxes on that income like foreign tax credit which is a valid tax credit.

I never said they don't pay taxes, I'm saying that the entire tax system is controlled by the ultrarich. Have you done the taxes for very many ultrarich financial institutions, corporations or the super rich people?
I'm guessing problem not.

You, of all people, should be aware of the tax rates in the 50s, 60s and 70s. You should also be aware that the middle class started to erode during the lowering of taxes on the wealthy. It is not necessarily a correlation, but it should initiate curiosity from any thinking person.

I suggested the we should consider raising the taxes on the ultrarich and look at the responses. Emotionally guided repeating the party line, or in your case, making my statement out to be unequivocable. You are the one that made an unequivocable statement, and you don't even realize it.

 

[Thales750]

It’s classic Bernie Sanders demonizing the 1%, making billionaires the villains, while ignoring wasteful spending on both sides of the aisle.

I didn't demonize anyone. You are simply parroting the party line that has been the main objective of the Republican brainwashing campaign since Nixon was in office.

Making government more efficient is certainly a worthy cause, but as usual with fanatics, any statement inviting a multi phase remedy is met with a standard party line. Inevitably designed to make the person offering up a some multi-phasic solutions as the fanatic.

We have finally gotten to the point where you guys are offering up evidence of your mono-ideological beliefs. Study the tax rates from the 20th century and then try to explain them to me.

 

[AccessBlaster]

I've just retired from preparing taxes.

Congratulations that's awesome!

 

[AngelSpeaks]

I never said they don't pay taxes, I'm saying that the entire tax system is controlled by the ultrarich. Have you done the taxes for very many ultrarich financial institutions, corporations or the super rich people?
I'm guessing problem not.

You, of all people, should be aware of the tax rates in the 50s, 60s and 70s. You should also be aware that the middle class started to erode during the lowering of taxes on the wealthy. It is not necessarily a correlation, but it should initiate curiosity from any thinking person.

I suggested the we should consider raising the taxes on the ultrarich and look at the responses. Emotionally guided repeating the party line, or in your case, making my statement out to be unequivocable. You are the one that made an unequivocable statement, and you don't even realize it.

And how many tax returns have you prepared? Any 1120, 1041, 1065s?

 

[The_Doc_Man]

The reason is because all the wealth is now concentrated at the top.

No. The reason is that there is a continual class struggle that ignores a simple idea. Without the potential to gather wealth as an incentive, people wouldn't bother to start up a new business or grow it. Look at Russia before they relaxed economic controls a few decades ago. There are - and probably always will be - the haves and have-nots, and THERE is the nexus of this struggle - because the have-nots don't have the courage to do something for themselves.

In the USA, the have-nots have been brainwashed by those who continually talk about how they will not survive without government assistance - but that assistance goes counter the Analects of Confucius statement: Give a man a fish, feed him for a day. Teach a man to fish, feed him for a lifetime. The government assistance turns out to be subsistence-level support, which never allows a person to take that next step up the Maslow pyramid. And the have-nots have been beaten down by that "Progressive Liberal" negativity to the point that they have lost hope.

Study the works of Abraham Maslow on economic motivation. If you did study Maslow and you STILL hold these beliefs, then read them again, but this time try to stay awake while studying.

 

[Steve R.]

High sounding programs that few can ever argue against when initially created, eventually do become corrupted. It's quite amazing that when this corruption becomes exposed to the public, it still is difficult to cancel programs, such as the Department of Education. In the face on continued failure, a new solution must be investigate. One can't keep endlessly throwing ever more money at a failing program and expect different results. Time to cut the losses and terminate the Department of Education.

PS: There is actually a controversial subtext concerning educational performance success. It appears (unproven) that good educational performance occurs in mono-cultures; that diversity of the student body, is actually a detriment to educational success. This of course goes against the rigid political correct mantra that "diversity" is good. It may be counter intuitive, but "diversity" in the student body appears detrimental to educational success.

 

[AccessBlaster]

They attempt this on every generation.

They promote class envy as a way to divide us. While the leaders of these movements are all millionaires.

You gotta love the classics.