These are numbers from 2008, and old, but you will get the point.
Why are we looking to cut domestic programs to get under the debt ceiling and get closer (he he) to a balanced budget? Why are we so quick to cut domestic programs when we pay out all this foreign aid? Are we the world’s martyrs?
Why not simply cut 10% of the US foreign Aid to each country we support? Don’t touch their military aid. We don’t want to hurt their sovereignty. Cut the economic aid. We Americans are tightening our belts, why shouldn’t they share in the tightening?
We simply don’t have the money!
If we cut 10% of our foreign aid (economic aid only), we save $5.9 billion!
Table 1298. U.S. Foreign Economic and Military Aid by Major Recipient Country: 2008
Cutting only Economic Aid. Leaving Military Aid Untouched.
[In millions of dollars (16,836 represents $16,836,000,000). 2008.
Right now the world is pretty tough. Wars. High unemployment. Bad economy. Major government and political decisions (like health care reform) being made behind closed doors which is creating a feeling of helplessness in the US. Promises being broken to the citizens of the US (such as transparency).
How do we escape this madness for a few minutes?
Some of us watch sports.
Turn off CNN. Turn off MSNBC. Turn off Fox News.
Turn on ESPN. Watch a game. Watch SportsCenter.
The problem is Obama and politics are now invading that “arena”.
It’s not the orientation. I agree with him on some topics. I disagree with him on other topics. I resent when he has to stick his nose into sports. He has done it many times. A couple of examples… He inserted himself into a broadcast of a Jets game in September. He fills out an NCAA Hoops bracket. Millions of people do it. Who cares?
Please cut it out. Please, please give us somewhere, a safe-haven, to have a little peace and not think about politics and the economy. Sports was it.
I’m glad I am not taking the SAT’s in the near future because I would have a problem with the definitions of certain words.
<from nypost.com>
During the 2008 presidential campaign, Obama repeatedly told voters that the health care overhaul would take place in a public forum, most notably on C-SPAN …
In a video montage posted on Breitbart.tv, Obama is seen promising voters — on eight different occasions — that the health care debate would be transparent.
During the 2008 presidential campaign, Obama repeatedly told voters that the health care overhaul would take place in a public forum, most notably on C-SPAN, …..
In a video montage posted on Breitbart.tv, Obama is seen promising voters — on eight different occasions — that the health care debate would be transparent…
According to thefreedictionary.com… Transparent –
adj. — frank, open, direct, straight, straightforward, candid, forthright, unequivocal, unambiguous, plain-spoken striving to establish a transparent parliamentary democracy frank
Ant — mysterious, vague, unclear, ambiguous, deceptive, disingenuous
Unless there is a new definition of transparent / transparency, there is no transparency taking place during the health care reform process.
Now The House and The Senate are getting together behind closed doors trying to push through health care reform. C-Span has requested to broadcast the meetings. It appears the administration is denying C-Span the opportunity to broadcast the meetings.
Why the lack of transparency? They already seem to have the votes, so what is the problem?
Hopefully whatever is passed will help the country. Seriously, what is the problem letting us see these meetings? It was promised to us during the campaign on many occasions.
You are making it into a bigger issue (than it is) by denying C-Span the opportunity to broadcast the proceedings.
Take a look at this video summary of the last decade in 7 minutes. A lot has happened in those years… It has been a tough 10 years but a lot of good things also happened. Happy New Year to everyone.
We all know Health Care Reform is a major issue in the United States. The Obama Administration is making it a top priority.
Why can’t we simply try this?
Tort reform – If we get rid of the frivolous lawsuits, everyone wins. Insurers. Doctors. Consumers.
Let health insurers cross states – this will immediately create competition without the government expanding and, in reality, creating unfair competition. How will a private insurer compete with the government? … And the competition will drive rates down!
Easy. Let’s try it. And it can probably be easily implemented within a reasonable amount of time.
People are screaming at each other over health care reform. How can anyone be passionate one way or another without knowing the proposed plan(s)?
Obama, Democrats and Republicans are each campaigning for/against it.
WHAT IS IT?! Where can we find out SPECIFICALLY what is being proposed?
None of these road-shows should be taking place until the multiple bills and proposals are combined into one bill…. then we should all work from there.
It seems that it is still all theory and rumours… Please, someone point us to one place where we can see the specific proposals! Substance! Not theory!
Also, please do not set these random deadlines on a subject that will affect the future of thise country.
Please do not pull the same "crap" of offering a 1000+ page bill, like was done with the stimulus, and expect it to be voted on the next day.
It is a subject that we all agree needs fixing. Let’s do it right. We may not have a second chance.
I am not stating anything brilliant when I write The car industry is important to the United States economy. Jobs. Revenue. Jobs. GDP. Jobs. Etc… The US is giving or lending money to Chrysler and General Motors (GM). (IMHO they are still going about this in the wrong way. Please see my previous post Buy Cars – A message to Washington on the stimulus.)
As the topic of assisting the car manufacturers takes place, without a doubt, the subject of protectionism arises.
But these days, what is a domestic car? What is an import? Does it matter to our economy? Both domestics and imports provide jobs in the United States. They both use varying degrees of US materials. They both use US services like transportation.
As a result, it’s hard to tell what really an American-made car is, and perhaps even why it matters. Car buyers who wish to buy American have a confusing maze of information to navigate: there’s the location of the assembly plant, the percentage of parts content, the ideal of that name on the grille, and, finally, where the pocket is that will take the profit and re-invest it into future cars and products. Each element weighs differently to each person, to be sure, so we have attempted to create a comprehensive guide to understanding what it is that makes a car an American car. Because it’s jobs and investment that matter most, we rank the assembly and parts makeup of a vehicle as most important, followed by the location of the corporate parent and, finally, the name of the brand.
Also from the same article:
The US Government defines domestic vehicles in two basic ways: where they’re assembled and the percentage of parts content comes from an American source. We add the final two criteria to clear the air on confusing issues regarding ownership. For example, you may think that the Dodge Ram is an American vehicle, but it’s really not: Because Dodge is owned by a German company, DaimlerChrysler, and because its parts content does not reach the US threshold of 75 percent, it’s actually an import. We also recognize the value of a brand, and the cultural importance they play in the lives of Americans. For example, Ford is more than just a car company; it’s a family with a historic legacy that covers assembly line production and automobiles. Regardless of recent struggles, the name and brand of Ford, Chevrolet, Cadillac or others resonates with people as a part of their lives.
So, the bottom line is What is a domestic car? We should just be working towards selling cars… period.
The US government determines a domestic vehicle by using a combination of (a) The Assembly Plants and (b) The Parts and Content.
So… did you know the Toyota Camry is considered a domestic vehicle? Did you know the Chevy Tahoe is considered an import?
the stimulus.