Mike as usaual has his head in the sand. Ms Angle among many others including those who are against raising taxes on "small businessnes" say they are against it because business will spend their tax savings on boosting the economy. Right now as we speak the word around town is that corporations have made good profits in the last ten months or so, stocks are up, economy is brighter today, but why are not these money cows spending on jobs and creativity. Maybe the only thing that will happen is more mergers and acquistions, consolidations but that will probably result in more layoffs, more money in the pockets of the top 2% etcetera, More Bentley's, Rolls Royces etcetera driving through the slums of America. When the entire countryside is a 90% gated community housing 10% of the people and the remaining 10% of the real estate is housing 90% of the people in slums the likes of Mike may even wake up.

Obama cut taxes last year so that the avg American got $65 bucks more in their pay checks. This Admistration has not raised taxes at all in two years. The Bush tax custs wre passed as a temporary. Now the greedy pigs want to make them permanent while they are responsible substantially for putting the American people into 13 trilion of debt to the likes of China and others. As far as the quote I like it. I spend my mornings in a hot tub staring into the woods. It is the best part of my day.

Damon can you respond to my post about the fact that corporations, at least according to the news, are flush with cash (partly I assume due to laying off labor) but on the other hand governments have little or zero excess cash, but yet the public wants government to create policies that will put money in the hands of corporations so that they will create jobs. What the corporations will probably do is pay large dividends which will accrue to the richest among us and we will go out and buy Bentley's which we will enjoy driving and showing off through the slums of America. Can you dig or explain this? scenario.

Good stuff Mann, real good stuff. Can anyone respond to the issue of American Corporations that are awash in cash, a government that is broke, and a public that asks government to create jobs? Why is it not the free market and rich corporations that should create the jobs? Why is the Tea Party types asking Obama to create jobs if they are conservative free marketers? How much of this hypocrisy can we really take?

Economics was founded by moral philosophers and there is a link between money and morality. Read "Income Distribution to Great to Ignore" in Business Daily. Google and get an education.

As Western civilization moved from feudalism/serfdom to capitalisim and then to state capitalism a more equal distribution of weath and a strong "middle class" ensued. History is full of examples of excess wealth and abhorrent poverty. Friedman and his hatchet man Reagan are the quilty party's in the current state of American affairs where corporations are awash in cash (due to the laying off of employees) the Federal Government is broke to a a lax and insufficient tax regimine, and conservatives cry out for the the broke, debt ridden Federal Government to create jobs. Bottom line Fredman was shallow and Reagan was the worst.

Liberety does not mean freedom from government anymore than it does freedom through govermental action and policy from tyrannical individuals, financila fraudsters, crimianals of all types. Americans have freedom because of our government.

FDR identifed "Peace" on the eve of his 1936 reelection when he said, "We had to struggle with the old enemies of peace-business and financial monopoly, speculation, reckless banking, class antagonism, sectionalism, war profiteering. They had begun to consider the Government of the United States as a mere appe;ndage to their own affairs. We know now that Government by organized money is just as dangerous as Government by organized mob." Peace is somewhere, but where, between the extremes of socialism and capitalism. Lets all agree to keep searching for it. Maybe peace is the death of extemism. ;

I give it a one becuase I am sure that this was true for Max just as peace to a Muslim is the absence of opposition to their belief system. Most folk including I would bet a few on this blog would have a feeling of peace or euphoria if all would accept their politcal belief system. (Intersting comment about the exchane of letters Cal. Did you know that the Pople Pius XII exhanged letters with Jeffeson Davis. That is considered diplomatic recognition by the Vatican, the only politcal power to do so. It would appear that the Vatican would like to see the secular USA fail.)

Duh! The quote is false in that it would appear to create a "chicken or egg" argument. The facts are that laws come after certain cirumscribed or frowned on behaviors are perceived. People perceive or come to desire certain behaviour and law is simply a codification of that. I would suggest that the malefactor or offender pre-existed the law. The law is simply to bring the clown up short.

Those who wish to throw out government programs like social security should consider this and why such a system was started in the first place not only in this but virtually every society in the world.

When Mike use s the term "We The People" he means "Him The People". If the majority of the people think differently than he then he is "We The People" and they are not.

I give thumps down because I have met mucho ignoramusses who read and write and misinterpret history and facts even if though they appear to be knowledgeable. So many folk are twisted up with their prejudices and lack of common sense. Unknowing people may still have common sense.

It is you to prove and take on the State of Hawaii and Obama's many ancestors. His white cousins etc in Kansas or whereever they are could certainly inform you. The point is you and your McCarthite friends will never give it up. You create your own truth and anyone who disagrees with you is suspect including the State of Hawaii. Obama is also the beneficiar of the VIRTUE game by default. The Republican guy running against him for Seante named Ryan had to drop out due to sex scandal (wife cheating) and lies. The Repubs brought in Alan Keyes. Obama won hands down, I trust the American people and virture will triumph in the end but it can be tough wading through the mess sometimes. Obama was born of an American mother while living in Hawaii, if you got evidence to the contray you really should put up or shut up J.

Any business man knows that the only way to make money and increase ones wealth is by the judicious use of "Help". The hiring and management of the human resource is a major part of business success. Jefferson is a little simplistic here.

It is good that states take the lead in legislation etcetera. I have read recently that the first social security systems were started in several states. the one I remember was Montana. The Feds took their ideas partly from that.

Lack of virtue is J Carlton talking about non-citizen presidents. I think he means non American born. Well that is a lie and to lie is not virtuous J. Wise up or virtue up!

Mike it is not I who am standing for election. If I were I assume my virtue could be an issue. Plenty may find fault with it. We are free however to discuss the virtue of folk who are and that is what Madison said. I don't know if she ate the moose, but her father butchered it and her sister was present at its shooting. Teen pregnancy is nothing new, I agree, but is raising children that save themselves until marriage, or at least ones who are intelligent enough to be CAREFUL a sign of a virtuous family or of a virtuous parentage. I think it is.

An interesting essay in which he is basically complaining about the good and bad of societal, governmental or political organization. Of course it took money to get men to wage the Civil, First and Second World War. And it takes men and their taxes to pay for those other men etcetera. He only expresses the dichotomy or dilemma of organized society. The only answer is balance my friends balance.

Not bad per se but what constitution is he referring to here. The US Constitution was not even thought of at this time.. The Revolution and The Articles were not yet even competed.

and so it is in this in the 223 year of our constitutional journey in search of virtuous people we have the likes of Sarah Palin, whose daughter gets pregnant out of wedlock and dances with the stars, who eats the moose she cynically accuses her brother inlaw of killing illegally. We have that O'Donnell girl (is she or is she not a witch), we have Glenn Beck and all that Fox crap about paying Presidential wannabes Huckabee, Palin, Gingrich, with exclusive contracts. We the people in the form of the Tea Pary have totally lost their virtue and so look what we get for politicians.

So glad you came back out of your cave Warren, how is your bud W doing?

All you lovers of Canada should consider they vaunted health care system. I have Canadian friends who say they have never paid a medical or priscription bill. One friend apologized for saying that because he paid for a $35,000 cancer priscription only to later to recoup that amonut form Health Care Canada. Canadian Companies are free of the albatross of employer based health care, yeah that must be a great freedom indeed. I really am sorry but I never think that J, Jim, Mike and Archer have a clue about anyting thing they are writing about.

I give Will a two for he is far to shallow and narrow here. The fact of the US "common market" a continental trading arrangement as well as the wisdom of the men who over the years have gathered on the banks of the Potomac River, in order to purchase land, (Lousiana Purchase et al) create highway systems (the corduroy road and Interstates) go the moon etcetera have certainly had a huge impact on what runs and how they run in this country. Agriculture has been in disarray for example with farmers trying to get rich by outproducing each other only to starve and throw their crops down the drain due to low prices. Other farmers destroyed land and forests due to bad farming practices. So again I think Will should be read for humour not for rectitude.

Yes we are substantially a nation of whiners. Take the deficit and tyhe debt. When Clinton was running surplusses his crazy Repulican friends complained "That surplus is the peoples money" well the debt and the deficit is the people's and we all need to wake up to it and quit being so soft!