Scotty

So if something was good in the past, that means it's good in the present? Is that what you're saying?

It's accepted by people who haven't bothered to actually look into it. And none of the people, the so-called experts and politicians, who trumpet our immigration system have EVER presented any evidence that shows its good for our economy. I'd actually be interested in seeing such evidence. I have looked for it. I have looked at the statements of politicians and immigration lobbyists and Immigration Canada. None contain any evidence. But for people willing to accept self-serving statements without evidence, I suppose it's all good.

So it's a cold winter day, and these two gentlemen, let's call them Germany and Sweden, walk into a small office, and address the wealthy owner. They tell him there are children starving, people freezing, and ask him for money. "Are there no prisons!?" he thunders. "Are there no workhouses!?"

Given the Tea Party fruitloops have refused any and all tax increases, that doesn't leave anything but massive, immediate tax cuts. You keep saying that while presenting no evidence to back it up. And weren't you quite happy with massive, continuing deficits when George Bush was in office?

I like how you state something is fact while presenting absolutely no evidence, then demanding proof that it's wrong.

You mean like Bush? :-P

I seem to recall the Republicans fought tooth and nail insisting the tax cuts remain, refusing any compromise, even to those making a million dollars a year.

I'm not sure why you think that somehow everything would be fine if they can pay for those. Think of tens of thousands of private sector companies which do business with the government suddenly unable to pay their suppliers, and _millions_ of people being laid off as the stock market drops a thousand points.

Such as what? Hasn't the big majority of what he's spent been the incentive program George Bush ordered up?

I doubt you want to go there. A big reason for Canada's getting control of its budget was the GST put in place in the Mulroney era. The US clearly needs a similar sales tax. As for the rest, Obama has already said as much.

Cutting half the federal budget overnight is out of the question. Raising taxes is real easy.

This is the kind of mindless Tea Party bullshit which is driving what passes for Republican thought. Get rid of Homeland Security?! Are you mental? There are 22 agencies in homeland security, including the border patrol, INS, and a wide variety of federal protection service. And you say "oh just get rid of it" like none of that stuff needs to be done. Education is responsible for grants to states and schools across America for a wide variety of programs, often dealing with disabled and the poverty stricken, as well as post secondary grants to students. It will allow them to pay the bills next month, which will prevent the tens of thousands or private sector employers who are owed money from being unable to pay their own suppliers, and from laying off their employees. How's that for a start?

There really isn't much a choice. You can't cut spending by 40%, not unless you accept that there'll be people dying in the streets of starvation and disease every day.

Porn was the driver for the VCR. It was all those porn tapes, all those people who wanted to watch porn movies in the privacy of their own homes which helped VCRs take hold in the days when they were so expensive and there was so little out there for them. It was also the great commercialization break-through for the internet. Porn made a ton of money, and others figured, if porn could do it, maybe they could. Right now we have the book revolution. Amazon has admitted that it now sells more ebooks than regular books. And erotica is a huge part of that. Oh sure, the big names are out in front with the biggest sales, but behind them is a tidal wave of erotica, often being written and sold by people no one has ever heard of.

Sure. No reason the oil industry can't be allowed to go about its business entirely free of government regulation. Why, what could happen? It's not like they're going to engage in any unsafe practices which might result in massive explosions and oil or pipelines spills which destroy the environment and other industries - and kill people. They're far too responsible for that. Didn't we already see how great an economic benefit was to be derived by not leaving the financial industry to its own devices and not enforcing any of those nasty old regulations? Because we all know the only people who deserve a university education are those whose parents can afford tens of thousands to fund one. University, heck, why bother trying to educate poor people at all. Waste of time funding all those promise schools, or all those people with disabilities. Why fund black colleges, or those for the blind or hearing impaired? All those grants to states for second language and special education and such are just money down the toilet. Phhaw. Who needs to know anything about history anyway? Why not just sell the Lincoln Memorial, the Washington Monument, and all those silly museums and parks. That stuff doesn't contribute to industry at all! Don't need anyone monitor food quality. Industry can be trusted to make sure no sick animals or bad food gets into the stores. And if people die, well, hell, America has a lot of people anyway. It can afford to lose some. God knows it would certainly make life easier for all those illegals who are, one and all, just trying to work for a living. They don't need those immigration people hassling them! Sure. Surrender. Tell the world America is leaving because it can't afford to support its military any more. Then hold a garage sale to get rid of all those expensive jets and ships. I'm sure that won't cause any undue humiliation to America. And hey, the Chinese and Russians can probably offer decent prices on those Aircraft Carriers. Because the "dem guberment" doesn't do anything that needs doing anyway. It's not like anyone would be hurt by the abrupt cessation of all those programs, grants, monitoring, regulations or whatever. It's not like the states, cities, police departments, etc. need to be funded, or that anyone needs to watch and approve that funding. Department of health? Phshaw! If you're not healthy, just die and decrease the surplus population! And who needs those disease control and monitoring centers anyway! Disease is Gods way of telling you he wants you in heaven! Like, you could stop the billions in agricultural, mining and industrial subsidies? Sell off half the fleet and half the air force and start laying off military people?

Isn't your government just about the smallest, in terms of what it does, the services it provides, its intrusiveness in the daily lives of citizens in the western world?

Hell, they don't even apply American law in America, if you're rich. How many of the thousands and thousands of bankers and investment types responsible for sending the world into recession and virtually bankrupting America went to prison for it? It's just like the savings and loan scandal. A few people wind up getting pushed over the side of the boat, and the rest go merrily on their way robbing people blind because there's so much back-scratching going on between the corrupt politicians and the wealthy elites.

Ie, a foreigner who doesn't pay the proper degree of respect to America's institutional legal mob. Meanwhile, Americans who defraud millions of their life's savings, bankrupt companies and bribe politicians are regarded as capitalist heroes. The mob is willing to go to the barricade to defend their right to make billions while paying no taxes. The mob has the bizarre idea that the rich got there through hard work and brains when most of them just inherited their money or cheated someone out of theirs. The mob also buys into that hoary old myth about class mobility which no longer really exists in the United States, and thinks that just because they're living hand to mouth now that's no reason to believe they won't be millionaires someday too.

You honestly think we're any different in that regard than the rest of the world?

Black makes very coherent arguments about the unreasonableness and self-serving incompetence of America's judicial system. The total amount of 'fraud' he eventually wound up being convicted of, even by odd American rules, was something like $600k, I believe.

Sounds like a recipe for an exploding black market in goods and services.

Rampant corruption and dishonesty, fifty percent of the economy underground, a nation with grandiose social programs where avoiding paying taxes is a national sport. Big surprise they're bankrupt.

I don't think Bruce Springsteen ever had much success in terms of top forty individual hits. Maybe that explains why CHEZ rarely ever plays anything of his.

You won't hear any of them on CHEZ. As far as they're concerned, he has one song, same for George Thorowgood.

I hate Hells Bells so much that when Chez played it for the umpteenth time in the early morning I sent them a nasty letter telling them I didn't need to hear screaming heavy metal first thing in the morning. They wound up talking about, and dismissing that complaint on air. Then some time later, I started hearing this little cartoony voice now and then - you know how they pop up in morning shows, saying "I think I know what people want to listen to in the morning". What I don't listen to in the morning any more is CHEZ.