Congress is just out of touch

lwllms – Same everywhere friend. Your debt is trillions where as ours is “only” billions but it still took some
amount of stupidity and greed by our previous gov. and bankers to get us into such a mess.
I would dearly like to see them all rot in jail but it looks like the entrenched interests look after their own.
The sob’s.

-- A family man has photos in his wallet where his money used to be.

My first clue was during 2008 elections in the US. McCain couldn’t recall exactly how many houses he owned. At a time when thousands were facing foreclosure on the only major asset they had – their house – one of the candidates running for president couldn’t recall precisely how many he owned.

Yeah, I think they are ought of touch!

-- "Find out what you cannot do and then go do it!"

um, lwllms, I think you mis-labeled you post, did you mean to say, “The American People are just out of touch”?

Our elected officials didn’t get there by themselves. If they are there we must like them, we put them there.

What is the average voter turn out in the United States? Now compare that to how many people voted on American Idol, or how many people update their Facebook account daily, or how many people spend more time researching their fantasy football league than learning about health care or deficit spending.

Sounds like the US political officials are doing just what they were put in place to do, run amok and take care of special interests. Just the way we like it, apparently.

I completely understand the frustration. But don’t just blame the house of representatives, there is PLENTY of blame to go around.

Last time a Democrat said he was going to raise taxes only on the wealthiest Americans, I ended up having a $1,500.00 tax bill that year, as a college student, working part time as a gas station attendant… Richest Americans my fanny!

-- Manufacturer of fine quality sawdust since 1984. Comments and advice on my shop welcome. Check it out at http://lumberjocks.com/dbhost/workshop. Gladly accepting shop build donations!

My position has always been ….. that nothing significant will EVER change until/unless we get two things:

1) Significant lobbying reform, and

2) Public financing of all Federal campaigns.

In other words … get the $$ out of politics.

I’m not holding my breath.

-- -- Neil

I try to avoid politics on this board, but I will make an exception today.

It bothers me greatly that a sizable number of congressmen appear to think that defaulting on the national debt is “no big deal”. It’s a HUGE deal that would do irreversible harm to this country. Those same people seem to believe that compromise is a dirty word. No – Finding compromises is what governing is all about.

-- Rich, Cedar Rapids, IA - I'm a woodworker. I don't create beauty, I reveal it.

We are (congress is) sending billions of dollars overseas in aid to all the problem countries with little or no strings attached. I say we cut all that out and pay off our debt first, and if there is anything left, help the poor in our own country. We have done too much for all the ungrateful SOBs out there and did we hear of them sending aid to us during our hurricanes, tornadoes and floods? If they want aid, they have got to straighten out/up.

-- Erwin, Jacksonville, FL

everyone if u like politics watch DRINKINGWITHBOB.COM and its not in all caps hes really good and hits the nail on the head everytime

@Bearpie: I’m with you. I hear them(Obamy) talking “your SS checks won’t get sent” “VA benies will stop” I haven’t heard we will not pay countries we are supporting or Michele won’t be taking any vacations to Africa for a while.

-- Don't rollerskate in a buffalo herd

I try to avoid politics on here but this is the non shop section so it is fair game. I’m a skeptic when it comes to believing what comes out a politician’s mouth. I don’t think they run their households like they use OUR money.
There are changes that need to be made but unfortunately , the only way legislation can get introduced is through one of the 535 Royal families and they would never do such a thing to torpedo the good life they have.
That job should not be a life time job, they need to serve and then g back to a regular job and their pay for a service job should end there.
They should have to pay a part of their medical coverage while in office and it should end when they are out of office. Madatory Obamacare for them while we pay for it!
Their retirement should be Social Security at the same rate of payment as all of us- no pay for life even after one term. If they had a stake in the Social Security system, they would have a reason to fix it. We have a big stake and we can’t!

If you have a business and you screw up and take unhealthy risks and fail, you go bankrupt and have to start over if you have the drive to do so. The big banks and car companies should have had to do that too. They learned no lesson. Many banks are pulling shenanigans with the foreclosures and refinancing just like they did when they gave out mortgages with out backing or a means to pay ( which set up the borrower to fail) and we may see more financial trouble as a result. Who is supposed to be looking out for this stuff??

The country is out of control and a few are getting filthy rich at the expense of the rest of the Americans. These rich people buy off the politicians to make favorable legislation for them that puts them further out ahead of the average guy. We need honest politicians in office that represent the people. Lobbyists jobs should be eliminated.

All legislation should have a review date set up when it becomes law to see if it is needed in 3 or 5 years. Some of the things we are paying for are reintroduced in new bills and we are paying twice for the same thing. There is no check and balance. What a way to run a business!!

Neil is right. We need to get the big money out of politics. They pretty much buy the office with the BS advertizing and then it boils down to two rich people we have to choose from. I think all candidates should have an equal amount of air time to explain their position on the issues ( and for maybe 2 months before the election only) and all of them should be on the ballot and let the one with most votes win. We supported that in Iraq. So we have 56 candidates for president. Why not?? Boy would that change things- the Royals would never bite on that one!!

Boy, I’m getting hotter the more I think about our political system so I should quit right here…......

-- Jim Jakosh.....Practical Wood Products...........Learn something new every day!!

Bearpie – the U.S. and many developed countries in the west have contributed aid to the 3rd world that I’m sure is very much appreciated by the starving that we helped to save.
However, the Gov’s of some of these countries seem utterly corrupt and you can’t help wondering
how much aid actually makes it through to where it is needed.
Still, when I see news reports it is very hard not to feel sorry for those poor wretches and give the
charities a bit more.

Just on your other point, would Bush have accepted aid from, say, China, India or Russia during Kathrina?
How would the U.S feel about having to take over-sea’s aid?
Would Bush be diminshed in the eyes of the U.S. people by looking for help i.e admitting weakness.
I’m not in any way trying to make light of an awful tradgedy. I’m just interested in your (and others) opinions.

-- A family man has photos in his wallet where his money used to be.

I(and many more on here) am a Vietnam Vet. Yes it’s very hard to ignore the little kid that’s hungry staring at you while you’re eating. But you have to keep in mind that same little kid could throw a grenade in your bunker
or put out a pistol and shoot you or carry a bomb into a group and blow everyone up. Meanwhile the people in power in this little kids country live a life of luxury.
Could we take overseas aid? Sure why not, China already owns us. Why not let them pay. Japan..we rebuilt their country after they massacred us at Pearl Harbor. Somoila …we keep pouring money down that rat hole…for what? Afganistan,Iraq? why?
Meanwhile,our own politicians,under the guise of “helping the American workingman” are scr%$#^& us silly and doing their best to break our backs.
I’m in favor of term limits for both houses and also voting out all that are in there now. The American people are getting more fed up with this bunch everyday…maybe some of them are right….no more business as usual!

-- Don't rollerskate in a buffalo herd

Jim Jakosh:

Not only do I agree with everything you said, but … I’ll go a step further.

APOLOGIES, in advance.

They’re all robbing us, Folks. I think the worst thing any of us can DO is to be a partisan.

I’m a registered NON-PARTISAN. Have been since I first registered.

I get my info the way I get my nutrition—from a wide variety of sources, and with as LITTLE processing as possible.

Most people listen to what they already agree with. What good is that ?

Most of what I hear on any forum that allows politics is blindly “party over principle.” In other words, pretty much hypocritical BS. It was okay when MY guy did it, but now that YOUR guy is in office, ohhhhhhhh, no. It’s NOT okay.

Which is like 4th graders’ logic.

While they keep us all blindly conservative or blindly liberal … they loot the store.
While they dig up the most DIVISIVE issues they possibly can, to enrage “us” against “them,” they do it SO THAT the angry ones will donate generously to their campaigns.

It’s a very sick system. If you’re blindly partisan, you’re a symptom of that sickness.

Stop going to your favorite news sources. They only tell you what you already believe. Mix it up a little. Mix it up a lot. Turn off your radio, too, while you’re at it.

I have NO interest in being told what to think. I can think pretty well. I want facts. Most of the “news sources” that most people turn to … tell them what to think.

I’d rather have an UN-informed electorate than a MIS-informed electorate, and—watching most peoples’ takes on political stuff—we have a MIS-informed electorate.

We’re all entitled to our own opinions, but NOT our own facts. Get facts. Best you can.

Coffee time :-)

-- -- Neil

I’m just sick of it from all of them. Every one of them should be voted out in the next election cycles—from the White House on down. They have only their interest in mind, not ours. Most of us live within our means, and can’t just raise our personal debt ceiling or increase taxes whenever we want to. How many times my husband and I have joked that we just need somebody that we can levy taxes against!!

I’m sick of the sense of entitlement that lots of citizens have too. It’s just compounding the problem. Those who need help don’t seem to get it, and others just grape the system. If we could just have some common sense spending, some of the problem would be fixed overnight. The government has taken what was meant to be a safety net and perverted it into a multiheaded monster that we can’t seem to tame. We give money to countries who hate us, but people in Joplin, MO are living in TENTS! Where are their FEMA trailers?

I just hope we don’t see all of our retirement plans go into the crapper if the US credit rating drops.

Unfortunately we have people standing up on TV(Cantor for one) that is saying”let it default and see what happens” That #$%^&^% would just say, well I didn’t think it would be like that. Meanwhile his paycheck keeps on coming.
Like someone else said—let them pay into SS and see if they still want to play games with their retirement.
Tell the congress they won’t get paid this month and see how fast the damn budget gets fixed.

Remember all of this the next election. It’s the only thing you have to fight with.

-- Don't rollerskate in a buffalo herd