MuchMadness's Comments (2368)

“It is good to see someone advocate Americans owning more of the U.S. national debt. When President Obama inherited the problem of a huge national debt due to the irresponsible tax cutting and war spending of the past nine years, it seemed obvious to me that we would need to encourage U.S. citizens to buy U.S. government bonds so that we can shift the interest payments on the national debt away from China and back to ourselves. That would also give us more leverage in trade negotiations, and it would bode well for moving to a truly progressive, democratic society, a counterweight against the forces of oligarchy in places like Russia, Saudi Arabia, and China.”

“Carter presided over a fiscally responsible government. He had the misfortune to get blindsided by the revolution in Iran, which he was unable to deal with. Reagan, on the other hand was brilliant. He knew just how to restore order in Beirut. Oh wait. Well, at least he knew how to sell arms to the Iranians and ignore the congress's Boland Amendment to send money to the contras in Nicaragua.
Yeah, that worked out well.

On the economic front, Carter had to deal with the energy crisis. There was not much he could do, but at least his policies did not lead to the S&L crisis the way Reagan's policies and Daddy Bush's policies did. And there was not much Reagan could do about the economy either, except wait for the recession to run its course. That's why the economy was lousy during most of Reagan's first term. Time was the only thing that could heal that recession.

Carter was just in office during a bad stretch, and Reagan was lucky.”

“How about Paul Volcker? He was appointed Fed Chairman by President Carter in 1979 and he is now an advisor to President Obama. Some reports say that he favors a return to the old rules of keeping investment banking separate from commercial banking.

If what we need to do is to roll back the many mistakes of three decades of Reaganism and corporatism, maybe returning to Carter's man would send a good message to the rest of the world, a message that America is ready to repent. Volcker might also turn back the Fed's cheap money policies.”

“Johnny's monologues were only OK, but Johnny was very good at the sketches and the interviews. Much better than Leno, Letterman, or Conan. Face it, TV talent has declined over the years.”

“I'm not so sure about that. I tend to think the Reformed theologians may have been onto something with that whole total depravity thing. I mean, what else would explain Fox News?”

“What it shows is how difficult it is to deal with the suspicions from the past. When Huckabee had to review the case, he may have wondered if the guy got a harsh sentence years ago just because he was black. It sounds like the guy has mental problems, which complicates things even more. I don't know what the solution is, but I do know that too many southerners (and northerners, too) have continued to vote for politicians who do very little to promote equality.”

“When will CNN ask Mike Huckabee how he would feel if his wife were a victim of crime? You know, the question that Mike Dukakis was asked in that memorable debate.”

“The power of a state governor or the U.S. president to grant clemency (pardons and commutations) is an unfortunate relic from an era of monarchy. These powers should be removed by amending the U.S. Constitution and the constitutions of the states.

The larger question is whether any southern state can be counted on to administer equal justice under the law. I rather doubt it. There is too much lingering baggage and distrust from the Jim Crow era.”

“Those days could come back. Congress could dictate the rules for lending. Or, in an emergency, the president or the Federal Reserve could issue commandments.”

“Viscous? Man, that's really thick.”

“Levin argued that had the capture taken place, "there would be a good chance we would not have forces or need to have forces [in Afghanista­n]."

What a lot of nonsense. If one extremist leader is captured, another one will rise up. That's why we should bring our troops home, keep our powder dry, develop domestic energy sources (including alternative fuels), reform our tax system to be more progressive, rebuild our infrastructure, control our ports and borders, and tighten our immigration practices. Real security for the U.S., not just feel-good militarism. Let's do the hard, unglamorous work of rebuilding America first.”

“Dowd is right. Our nation has become accustomed to wars that require no up front sacrifice from most of the American people. Of course, the soldiers do sacrifice, and our children will have to live in the lousy nation that our leaders and our apathy are producing.”

“A lot of this could have been avoided if the rules were set up as they were when our parents and grandparents were buying their first homes. Back then there were strict rules for lending, and only one person's income could be considered in making loan decisions. If the husband and his wife both had incomes, only one of those incomes could be used to qualify for a loan. That kept people from qualifying for homes that were too expensive.”

“Most of the wars that America fights are not necessary. But they do serve to enrich some big corporations. As for protecting our nation, not so much. Our nation would be much safer if we beefed up the security at our ports and tightened our immigration policies in sensible ways. Let foreign nations settle their own problems. We also need to put our own nation first when it comes to economic development. We may have to suffer many things, but invading and policing foreign lands with strange political and religious ideas is something that we should avoid.

Let's build a better society here in the U.S. rather than trying to impose reforms on foreign lands.”

“Why should Americans support President Obama's policies if they are just like the Bush-Cheney policies? Endless war but no draft. The economically disadvantaged suffer most while many Americans feel no effect at all from the wars and do not have to sacrifice at all. How will President Obama call us to shared sacrifice? Why does the congress tolerate endless war? Is the congress completely unpatriotic?”

“I'm tired of pragmatism. Pragmatism usually means letting the Republicans get their way or letting phony Democrats sell out to the Republicans and the big corporations. Why not elect someone who will fight for what is right? The corporations will probably win no matter what, but let's at least make it a great big pain for them to do so. Nader can hound them, badger them, and generally make it clear that he knows how wretched they are.”

“There are a lot of very wealthy Americans who could be taxed to pay down the U.S. national debt. Or we could call on their sense of patriotism to encourage them to buy treasury bills so that a greater percentage of U.S. national debt is owed to American citizens. We will need higher taxes and a bond drive to finance the continuing and expanding wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. Reforming societies suffering form the negative effects of false religion can be expensive. The financial burden of maintaining an empire is quite high. Let's start selling war bonds, and let's bring on the rationing of food and gasoline, too. That way we can all sacrifice to make the U.S. less dependent on Chinese purchases of U.S. government bonds. And lets pursue a policy of favoring U.S.manufa­ctured goods and goods from the best democracies over goods from monarchies, theocracies, and communist states that have bad records on human rights and workers' rights.

If China becomes less able to depend on exports to the U.S., that will be a good thing for both nations in the long run. Americans will manufacture more goods for Americans, and Chinese workers will manufacture more goods for Chinese citizens. Economically wasteful and environmentally damaging intercontinental trade will be reduced. There will be an incentive for each nation to bring its manufacturing wages into line with the incomes of its citizens, because the workers will also be the consumers.”

“Actually, the depiction of Lucy's pregnancy was pretty daring for the time. Back then entertainers tended to be more cautious and have more common sense. They had a decent respect for the sensibilities of the public. They knew how to entertain people without pushing the envelope to congratulate themselves on being "cutting edge" as TV writers and producers so often do today. Such preening is not only obnoxious, it is a sure sign of a defective intellect and a lack of talent.”

“Who said that any of that was OK? Everything should be banned. Go back to the way it was in 1960.”

“Your comment unjustly maligns the Puritans, who were good people working for religious reform.”

“What talent?”

“Has anyone considered that the music awards shows have become so obnoxiously flamboyant precisely because popular music no longer has any musical merit? The music is just horrible, and the songwriting is even worse, so the producers have to find something prurient to hold the the audience's attention.

In the 1960's and 1970's you could turn on AM radio and actually hear some good music. Alas, no more. There is still good music being made, but it almost never gets any radio airplay, and it almost never reaches anywhere near the top of the charts. America now celebrates mediocrity and undisciplined behavior. There is no respect for subtlety, nuance, or craftsmanship. Everything is cheap, gaudy, and garish.”

“Indecency should never be accepted. Restore the old standards.”

“The FCC is neglecting its duty. Its duty is to fine the broadcast network so much money that it will be a thousand years before it ever again even considers promoting deviant behavior and perversion.”

“No nation that defends the indefensible can long endure.”