[snakeoil]

Found this here:

http://investmentwatchblog.com/the-midd ... -prove-it/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

This one is a shocker:

#59 For the first time ever, more than a million public school students in the United States are homeless.

[snakeoil]

Please note where this comes from. Definately NOT a bleeding heart, liberal website.

[justdoit]

Those are some pretty disturbing facts. I didn't have a clue the middle class has sunk this low. It would be interesting to see these facts on a state by state basis.

[snakeoil]

I believe it would take decades to resolve this disparity even if our leaders had the will. Without a strong middle-class, who is going to buy things to keep the economy rolling>

[BilboBagend]

The Chinese and the Indians. Then, the Africans.

America's middle class is disposable to Amerasian corporations.

[Leroy]

You can't have a workable, viable, society without people at both ends, it's never existed and won't, except in your deluded minds.

[justdoit]

Leroy
Please expand your statement. I for one want to know what in your opinion never existed except in mine and others here deluded minds. I don't want to misinterpret your statement. I think we all know there will be the rich and the poor, but I don't think thats the reason of this post? I think this post is trying to get accross the point that so many, as in millions and millions in this country are getting poorer, losing that battle of what the American dream represents.

[BilboBagend]

Modern history has been the ragged yet consistent path to equity. The key is to create is to create conditions that allow for more equity and the expansion of a prosperous middle class. It benefits everyone. Only the most5 malignant among us speak against equity, liberty, equality.

[Leroy]

Justdoit - the statement was meant to explain that there are and will always be masses and masses of people at both ends as society moves, more so when it moves from being productive to socialist. The more socialist a state is, the more the disparity between wealthy and poor. Socialism breeds poor, making it appear that there are more and more wealthy - the reality is that once people figure they don't have to work as hard, don't have to work, don't have to try, that the government will take care of the, the disparity grows exponentially. The only way back is for the government to be removed/fixed and socialism crushed and the ways of value returned to the people. History is filled with the proof of this.

[justdoit]

So the fact that productitivy in our country is the highest in the industralized world and yet our middle class is losing ground is because of the poor? The poor are bringing us down, its not the fact of sending millions of jobs overseas for higher profits with little intregryof what it (outsourcing) does to our country's economy as a whole? Our govt wants more poor? They are looking foward to a higher national debt, thats what they plan as their club to stay in office?
Not sure I can go along with that postulate.
I have a problem, a big problem with our leaders (or so called leaders) that allow this (outsourcing) to go on, but I don't believe its because their in a rush to be a socialist dictatorship. Are you saying the last administration was aiming for that socialist dictatorship also? I mean the middle class was falling, poor growing, weathly pulling ahead during the greatest recesion in our history. And that didn't just begin during this administration.
Maybe its just me, but I believe a few needed and overdue changes to our tax structure would be of best benifit to our country as a whole instead of just making an over simplified charge or allogation of socialism as the root cause of the poverty we begining to see of our middle class.

[RealJustme]

The poor are bringing us down,

An inconvenient truth is that the for the most part the poor are bringing themselves down. Most not only seak handouts, they vote for those who will give then handouts, rather than jobs. They would rather be fed, than feed themselves. Our culture is rapidly becoming one of narcissistic lazy citizens who feel they are entitled to other people's earned wealth. Respect for others is on the decline, we're seeing that in all the murders and violence against innocents.

So ask again who is bringing the poor down.

[Leroy]

Justdoit - what I'm saying is that the Political system, mostly from the liberal/democrat side, is pushing socialism and that socialism destroys countries - all of history is filled with examples of this.

The Bush Administration was better than the Clinton Administration, but the Obama Administration has been worse than any other in our history. It goes back to the New Deal and the idea that Government is responsible FOR the people, not TO the people.

The Poor ARE bringing this country down - The world's countries, the modern ones, compete on a world state for resources, workers, environmental laws, legal issues, etc... The USA has a class of workers that don't want to work for what the Socialists tell them is a dishonest wage or not enough of a wage, so the businesses, because the PEOPLE VOTED TO ALLOW IT, take their business to a place that gives them more profit - and that's what a For-Profit-Business should do, make something as inexpensively as possible while people still desire to purchase it to maximize profit.

The Obama administration, unlike the Clinton Administration, IS looking to bring the US Economy down, he's outright told you this a number of time, and his actions show that to be 100% true. He wants to bring down the USA to the level of middle world countries so that we have to compete with them, so that THEY have a fair chance.... He doesn't believe in FOR PROFIT companies, unless they are someway related to HIS NEEDS.

The wealthy will increase in numbers without needing to do anything as Socialism grows because the poor are not trying to become the wealthy, at least not the masses of poor - they are "Accepting" their place in life as they are told and as they are comfortable living on the backs of the middle class workers.

Socialism only destroys productivity, gain, drive, resourcefulness, ambition, countries.

[BilboBagend]

"Socialism", "Socialism", the rant of the ignorant and corrupt who have no idea what socialism. Bought and sold by the plutocrats.

[BilboBagend]

I'll give you a hint. You might be ranting against the Soviet ayti9crasy. But then why no rant against the American plutocracy? Neither is about the people nor are they about free market capitsalism or the wealfare of the people.

But, the shallow cheap "socialism" is what is convenient for the dishonest, dishonorable, malevolent of heat and mind.

[justdoit]

Bilbo
I pretty much agree. The Poor being ALL lazy, using, and only looking for govt handouts is overused to the point of, well I think I'm gonna puke. Anyone who feels the majority of poor in this country are that way just because they know how to use the system, well again I think I'm gonna.......
I just wish a few here would walk into an unemployment office after a corp sent their work overseas so they can get their product made for 65 cents an hour, well I would like them walk in that said unemployment office and spout about the lazy, unemployed poor.

[snakeoil]

Justdo it-The cop's phrase "beat viciously about the head and shoulders" flashed through my mind when I read your above post.

[Leroy]

"Socialism", "Socialism", the rant of the ignorant and corrupt who have no idea what socialism. Bought and sold by the plutocrats.

And the rant from the people that support the destruction of the USA is that everyone else is wrong, but they never offer proof, they ignore history, they ignore when their side does something they complain about the others doing, they never apply the same standard to everyone.

You have so marginalized yourself Dildo that you're not even worth of further replies.

[Leroy]

Bilbo
I pretty much agree. The Poor being ALL lazy, using, and only looking for govt handouts is overused to the point of, well I think I'm gonna puke. Anyone who feels the majority of poor in this country are that way just because they know how to use the system, well again I think I'm gonna.......
I just wish a few here would walk into an unemployment office after a corp sent their work overseas so they can get their product made for 65 cents an hour, well I would like them walk in that said unemployment office and spout about the lazy, unemployed poor.

Justdoit - I'm one of those people that survived the Clinton mass tech move to off-shore, and I did it by changing the business model, understanding where jobs/tech was heading, and by understanding the need it was going to leave behind - and I positioned my company and workers accordingly.

Anyone that didn't see this, in any market, heading at them, like a massive steam roller, was purposely blind and willfully ignorant, it started to take great shape under Clinton, he was the one that enabled it to become very easy for business and under his administration the rules/regulations were made favorable for businesses that wanted to off-shore.

Now, about the poor being lazy, well, the fricking majority are - they don't even have to prove they are looking for work, don't have to prove they are available, most don't take training that is free, they get free phones, cable-TV, low-rent apartments, food benefits that can be used for non-food items, etc... They have no reason to work, no reason to put forth effort - they can be lazy because the working class is footing their bill.

How many people have you actually met that were on Unemployment and how long did they stay on it?

Of the hundreds that I know, almost every one of the took UE benefits until they ran out and was able to find a good paying job within 4 weeks, but they didn't actually look for a job the first few weeks, they stopped looking once they adjusted the financial situation to the amount of money that UEB/PA was giving them, and they even stopped paying on their homes (except for Taxes and Utilities) because they knew that the bank would take 2 or more years to kick them out.... Did they save that House Payment money, nope, they went on vacations, bought from QVC, ate dinner out several times a week.... This is what I've seen from almost every person I've known in the last 4 years that has been on UEB/PA, and magically they find a good job right after their benefits expire.

So, go take a look around, see how the POOR are living in comparison to the working class, thanks to our socialist programs it's not enough difference to motivate the poor into improving themselves.

[snakeoil]

How about another "gotcha?"

AMY GOODMAN: You start off with taxes—you know, they’re not for everyone. But explain how that happened, how that evolved, David.

DAVID CAY JOHNSTON: Well, let me give you one example. Twenty years ago, we were told we were going to get something magical called "the information superhighway." And we paid over a half-trillion dollars in rate increases to telephone companies and cable companies to get this high-speed internet with fiber-optic service, where all the books in the Library of Congress and all the images in them, 22 million volumes, in the blink of an eye could literally be moved around the world. Well, we paid for it, but we don’t have it. Verizon is only going to build it out for 16 million people in this country, of 300 million people. AT&T doesn’t actually have that kind of system. Their U-verse, at the end, still uses copper wire, and there are homes that have copper wire in them from the 1800s that people still speak on the telephone with. What they did was take that money, I believe, and use it to build a cellphone system. But they got these rate increases, and we now have gone from inventing the internet to 29th in the world. We’re way behind Moldavia, and it’s damaging our economy. But the more they retard the internet, the more profit Verizon and AT&T make. So their interests are contrary to the interests of the American people.

http://www.democracynow.org/blog/2012/9 ... _you_blind" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[snakeoil]

One more "gotcha."

AMY GOODMAN: Can you talk about America’s coming infrastructure disaster, a piece you just wrote about?

DAVID CAY JOHNSTON: Yes. That was an excerpt that appeared in Newsweek. Our big utility companies are being hollowed out, even as they’re raising prices tremendously. If you live in—half the states restructured their electric industry. Well, the utilities were allowed to pocket tens of billions of dollars of tax money that had already been paid, because nobody paid attention to the accounting on this. And then, Pacific Gas and Electric in Northern California got rate increases so that they could replace their telephone—their electric power poles on a 50-year cycle. They’re actually replacing them on a 750-year cycle. Well, that means eventually we’re going to have a crisis. The government is now giving safety waivers — they call them "special permits" — to high-pressure natural gas lines, saying, "You don’t have to inspect these lines." Some of these lines run underneath and past schools. And school principals get a brochure that, if they don’t read through about how wonderful the natural gas industry is, on the fifth page it says, "You received this notice because your school is in a high-consequence area." It then tells you nothing about what to do. And, by the way, "high-consequence area" is a euphemism for "zone of certain death." We need to be investing in rebuilding these utilities, not stripping them of money so that the current owners can make bigger profits than a market economy would allow.

http://www.democracynow.org/blog/2012/9 ... _you_blind" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[BilboBagend]

If the "Socialism" ranters had any valid argument they would make it. But, they don't, so they rant "Socialism".

[Leroy]

If the "Socialism" ranters had any valid argument they would make it. But, they don't, so they rant "Socialism".

When can always tell when Dildo can't factually dispute something - the makes a BS argument and offers nothing as proof.

[snakeoil]

How about this for a gotcha:

http://blogs.reuters.com/david-cay-john ... unate-400/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[snakeoil]

Socialism is bad? What about corporate socialism?

http://blogs.reuters.com/david-cay-john ... -destroys/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[snakeoil]

Isn't it funny, I post time after time instances of how we get screwed by the horrible tax code and by corporations and the other posts debate gun control, Obama, why a paticular poster is crazy, how a gun-totting criminal gets taken down, etc., etc,. etc. There's no debate of how to fix the mess we are in.

[snakeoil]

The oil and gas shale boom in North America has caused a surge in the supply of hydrocarbons, shifting the balance in the energy markets and attracting substantial investments in the sector. Dubbed the new "revolution" of the 21st century, the oil and natural gas shale developments have substantially boosted energy output, created new jobs, invigorated auxiliary industries, and given the needed impetus to the local and national economies. Moreover, these developments, due to price declines, are in the process of shifting consumption trends toward environmentally clean natural gas. All this is creating opportunities to invest in energy companies that, in the years to come, are likely to grow significantly faster than the U.S. or even global economies. Investors can take advantage of this trend by investing in high-yielding master limited partnerships (MLPs) in the oil and gas (pipeline) transportation segment.

Given the ongoing explosive growth in oil and natural gas outputs, investments in the transportation infrastructure to expand the use of excess supplies by commercial customers is considered the next big thing in the noted shale oil and gas "revolution." Investments to expand North America's transportation infrastructure - the vast pipeline networks - are expected to average $40 billion per year, according to Bloomberg's citing of private-equity firm EnCap Flatrock. (As an indicator of how robust the demand will be in the future, especially for natural gas, Financial Times reports that manufacturing companies are planning to allocate $90 billion in investments to benefit from the higher natural gas use).

According to PIMCO, the pipelines segment of the energy sector is attractive because of "strong asset quality, long-term contracts, noncyclical cash flows and significant growth in pipeline capacity." Indeed, pipeline owners have stable business models that depend more on the volume of transported products than on product prices. That is exactly why, despite the plunge in natural gas prices caused by the surge in the supply, pipeline operators have continued to grow their top and bottom lines. Moreover, margins are not under the pressure, as the competitive pressures are almost absent because pipeline operators usually service different geographical areas. (Still, it should be noted that some pipeline operators may include the gathering and processing operations, which do expose them to short-term fluctuations in commodity prices).

http://seekingalpha.com/article/1070461 ... eline-mlps" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

In the above quote the MLP general partner retains a 2% stake (often without any investment.) He then loads the partnership up with debt, delutes the share value by offering additional stock and, when he can't pay the bills anymore, he declares bankruptcy. The investors are then out of the picture, the debtors are left hanging and the general partner is left with the company.

Now that pipeline that so many were protesting against begins to become much clearer doesn't it.

[snakeoil]

Did you know that you are financing part of that movie that you watched last night. For a list of some of the weird tax breaks in the so-called "Fiscal Cliff Bill" go here:

http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/won ... liff-deal/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[snakeoil]

BTW- Pipeline Master Limited Patrnerships are corporate tax exempt and the profits usually range from 21-45%.

[RealJustme]

What does this all have to do with Obama saying he only wanted to increase taxes on the rich but instead "insisted" more taxes be collected from blue colar workers? The average blue colar worker making 50K is paying $140.00 more a month in taxes starting this month. Obama put those taxes in there, the Republicans tried to stop "all" taxes. Now the Democrats are saying they want more than a trillion in new taxes in the next two months, 80% of those taxes will be coming from those making less than 100K in the form of rising prices as the taxes are passed on. Obama is killing the middle class while passing out tax exemptions of 800 billion to eco/green, financial and automotive businesses...but only those who contribute to him in the form of votes or money.

[snakeoil]

Justme-I'm not as obessed with Obama as you are. I, unlike you, realize that Congress is the one that passes the laws, fix or amend the tax code to give special breaks to special interests, and spend 98% of the their time trying to hoodwink the voters into reelecting them.

My posts have nothing to do with Obama or either party; my posts are trying to call attention to the inequities of our laws that finance the government. You are partly right; both patries are to blame for the boondoggle we are in. It's people like you, who harp on a single politician rather than fight for real change, that are keeping the status quo. Politicians know that many, if not most, of the voters have little idea what goes on in Congress and they have aides whose main job is to keep the electorate befuddled.

My advice to you is to concentrate on the issues, not the politician. I'll bet that my post that pointed out that the NFL earned $11 billion last year but is tax-exempt (thanks to Congress) went right over your head. Or the fact that NASCAR gets huge tax breaks to build new race tracks even though they are highly profitable. Or that Bass Pro Shops and Cabelas get huge subsidies to build new stores. Or that a thorough-bred horse farm in my area gets agricultural subsidies. Or that our infrastructure gets a D- from the Engineers in America. Or that the Hispanic population went from 7 million in 2001 to 12 million today.

My point is that there are plenty of issues to attack other than a single politician.

[Leroy]

Justme-I'm not as obessed with Obama as you are. I, unlike you, realize that Congress is the one that passes the laws, fix or amend the tax code to give special breaks to special interests, and spend 98% of the their time trying to hoodwink the voters into reelecting them.
...
My point is that there are plenty of issues to attack other than a single politician.

But you miss that a single politician IS a driving factor in the corruption and often be the start of that corruption - Obama is the Head of the corruption, the other politicians are the arms/legs of it.

The real issue is that the voters are corrupt and vote self over country.

Obama is doing his best to destroy the country and he's lying to you and others to curry your support, but you're a bunch of hypocrites in that you don't complain about him like you would if he was a republican.

[RealJustme]

But you miss that a single politician IS a driving factor in the corruption and often be the start of that corruption - Obama is the Head of the corruption, the other politicians are the arms/legs of it.

Bingo!

The White House has informed House Budget Committee Chairman Paul Ryan (R-Wis.) that it will miss the legal deadline for sending a budget to Congress.

Acting Budget Director Jeff Zients told Ryan (R-Wis.) in a letter late Friday that the budget will not be delivered by Feb. 4, as required by law.

President Barack Obama demanded on Monday that Congress raise the nation's $16.4 trillion federal debt limit and said if they don't so be it, he would raise the budget himself. He further said he will be taking "executive action" to deal with guns and unilateral action on immigration if he needed to. Obama claimed Congress was hiding behind the Constitution rather than working with him to get the job done.


Read more: http://thehill.com/blogs/on-the-money/b ... z2Hz9J8HrR" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[RealJustme]

Obama claims Congress and the Constitution is keeping him from doing what he wants to do so he will work around both. Dude, we have a tyrant not a President. The very type of person our Constitution was written to prevent from abusing poor.

[snakeoil]

As I said-"Obsessed with Obama."

[RealJustme]

As I said-"Obsessed with Obama."

You were the one that mentioned we should deal with the issues rather talking around what's causing your problems!

[snakeoil]

How about another "gotcha" from the Natural Gas industry?

1. Up to 5% of "missing" natural gas (from the well to the consumer) is allowed. The customer is billed for this.

2. Texas allows up to 30%. The customer is billed for this.

3. The Federal Government refuses to allow citizens know where natural gas passes through high risk areas (school, heavy population, factories, etc.) They say that this is to keep terrorists from blowing up pipelines.

4. Inspections are supposed to be performed regularly but "inspection waivers" are routinly given. The San Bruno pipeline that exploded with a loss of life was never inspected in it's 54 year life and the explosion was caused by easily detectible corrosion.

5. Beween 1984 and 2004 65 people were killed in natural gas pipeline explosions.
http://pstrust.org/about-pipelines/stats/accident.htm" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

6. The main way of finding natural gas pipeline *** is to fly of the area of the pipeline with an airplane to detect vegetation that has died. Natural gas kills vegetation at the roots.

[Leroy]

You're still missing the true cause of the Death of the Middle Class - Politicians elected by the voters.

[RealJustme]

You're still missing the true cause of the Death of the Middle Class - Politicians elected by the voters.

]

Snakeoil is also one of those who claims murders are caused by guns and ignores the problem of the person who pulled the trigger. They can't focus on the real problem which are the leaders spending more money than we have, they want to blaim the people who pay the most taxes :lol:

[snakeoil]

Came across this on "The Lizards of Wall Street." It's pretty funny and true at the same time.

http://www.ritholtz.com/blog/2013/01/th ... ll-street/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[BilboBagend]

Murders ARE the problem. No doubt about that. There are no murders without murderers.

Now that we are past the obvious, necessary, and non-substantive part of the truth we can move on to what empowers murders to be highly effective and capable of mass murder. We can move on to discussions of what would be effective in reducing, not eliminating, mass murder.

Absolutist arguments using non-substantive facts that have no effect on making life better are the hallmark of the corrupt like justupid.

[RealJustme]

Murders ARE the problem. No doubt about that. There are no murders without murderers.

Bilbo you should be a spokesperson for Obama, you got the jive down, smooth very smooth.

[BilboBagend]

justupid, you are doing well as the spokesperson fro radical reactionary extremists and others delusionals. You lack of any respectability, honesty, or aspect of mental health is quite clear.

[Leroy]

justupid, you are doing well as the spokesperson fro radical reactionary extremists and others delusionals. You lack of any respectability, honesty, or aspect of mental health is quite clear.

Based on all of Dildo's replies, I wonder what medications he's stopped taking - I wonder if his psychologist knows he's off his meds again?