"If we don't believe in freedom of expression for people we despise, we don't believe in it at all." – Noam Chomsky
"Other families, even as we speak, are seeing their teenage sons off to wartime boot camp or deployment in a war zone."
We both paused and then said, "Thank G-d" simultaneously.
There is a good reason why I oppose our involvement in Iraq AND Afghanistan. I am unwilling to commit my sons to the risks of combat for these causes; it then follows that I am unwilling to commit your sons. Somebody really ought to give the folks in Washington a heads up. I have yet to see a funeral detail for the son of a U.S. Senator, Congressman, or Military Brass killed in action either of these countries (feel free to correct me). Coincidence? I think not.
I LOVE my country as it is/was Constituted. Its my government that concerns me. Fighting any War For Oil is a fools errand. BTW... I am a 6th generation registered Republican...
(One of the reasons I distrust political Special Interest Groups, even the "good" ones, is that they morph over time into something unrecognizable... Allow me to share some personal family history: My mother's family has lived in New York City for several hundred years with just about every group coming off the immigration boats in New York harbor winding up in my Gene pool. My Maternal Great-Grandmother's family were German Jews that emigrated from Alsace-Lorraine, and she was deeply involved in the suffrage movement, the pre-cursor to the feminist movement of today. She was the first woman to earn the rank of Detective, and worked for Teddy Roosevelt when he was the chief of New York's police. Her portrait hangs in the NYPD museum, her name: Adele Dittwieller. Her husband's family were abolitionists working on the "underground railroad" in 19th century Brooklyn. They must have been pretty serious about racial equality because his mother or grandmother was an escaped slave (He was Dutch/English/Native American/African). They were all REPUBLICANS; it was Republicans that began today's "Liberal" movement and founded papers like "The Nation" (The Nation was founded by Abolitionists, NOT Leftists). From my perspective it appears that people like my mother and grandmother splintered away from these roots over the issue of abortion (my mother was at one time the chairperson of New York's Right to Life party). Not all Republicans are the nose picking morons chronicled in the media, just as not every Democrat is mathematically and economically challenged, either. It just seems that way. It was only 40 odd years ago that the Deep South Segregationists were all DEMOCRATS. No Religious group or political special interest group remains static. They do not necessarily remain true to their founding principals. Somehow I think my ancestors would be appalled at what the Suffrage and Abolitionist movements have morphed into.
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"At some point, the people's ability to pay runs out." N.J. Governor Chris Chrisite
Further, the state budget's are showing/giving the lie to how GDP is calculated. If retail sales are up, why are sales taxes down? Because the folks doing the counting work for the government (and they are here to help...snicker, snicker...).
Even as the U.S. appears to be on the mend -- gross domestic product has climbed three straight quarters -- finances in Arizona, Illinois, New Jersey, New York and other states show few signs of improvement. Forty-six states face budget shortfalls that add up to $112 billion for the fiscal year ending next June, according to the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, a Washington research institution. State spending is 12 percent of U.S. GDP.
Hysterical, right? You can add state debt right onto the U.S. Federal budget deficit.
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The economy hit a wall about 2 months ago. You can argue over what that wall is made of or why it happened or how long it might last. That it DID happen is not up for debate so much. Making money in this environment should take a back seat to capital preservation.