calirighty's Comments (639)

“Only 25% of all sub-prime lending occurred at Community Reinvestment Act covered institutions. There were not nearly enough of these loans made to cause a crisis of this magnitude.

Essentially, investment banks and hedge funds used alternative financial products to synthesize more loans using derivatives as much as 100 times over the amount of total loans outstanding.

1982 - Reagan signed into Law the Garn-St. Germain Depository Institutions Act, which began the process of Banking deregulation.

1999 - Clinton signed into Law the Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act, which repealed part of the Glass-Steagall Act of 1933. Passed by an overwhelming Republican majority.

2004 - Under Bush, the Securities and Exchange Commission relaxed the net capital rule, which enabled investment banks to substantially increase the level of debt vs.assets. Regulators allowed depository banks to move significant amounts of assets and liabilities off-balance sheet into "structured investment vehicles", masking the weakness of the capital base of the firm or degree of leverage and risk.

The volume of CDS outstanding increased 100-fold from 1998 to 2008, with estimates of the debt covered by CDS contracts, as of November 2008, ranging from US$33 to $47 trillion.”

“Bush is responsible for the lack of response AFTER the government requested assistance from the Federal Government. We acted more quickly for the Tsunami that occured the December prior than we did once the New Orleans was under water.

But that is besides the point. Obama is trying to bring the country in the right direction. Geitner should be fired. However, we are forces to deal with the cards that have been dealt to him when Bush left office. What do you think McCain would have done? Nothing, because they had no answers before and still don't. We need to stop bashing the President and actually work with him than against him. He gets enough from the Republicans, tea baggers and the right fringe. Enough with the blame game. Time to suck it up and move forward.”

“Your entire argument is ridiculous. It was never about whether the storm's damage could have been averted. It was always about Bush's response, which was lackadaisical, at best.”

“Exactly. He didnt do anything.”

“A Bush apologist! No shame at all, huh? Amazing.”

“Many who "face hunger" have relatives and friends who are ALSO struggling to survive. All Americans aren't born into families of privilege ("upper middle class" or higher). With half the marriages ending in divorce, most children will live with a single parent at some point during their childhood. In a nation, where two jobs are needed to afford a decent standard of living - a single parent typically cannot "keep up". When that "single parent's" elderly parent falls into poverty - the "child" may not have the resources to care for them. Vice versa - if the "single parent" loses a job, the retired grandparent may be in a nursing home - unable to "take in" the child and grandchild(ren).

It's easy to preach about "responsibility" if you've been given advantages. Imagine where you would be if you had been raised by a poor, single parent who couldn't pay for your schooling...or help you buy a car (or home, etc.)...or take you in when you struggled. Perhaps you don't have children and cannot realize how difficult (and expensive) it is to care for a family in this nation. If that's the case, go to the local pantry and - don't just donate some money, but - sit down and talk to the people. REALLY listen to their stories (without reading into them or drawing your own conclusions). You'll likely hear some very sad and troubling tales that are generational in nature.”

“Your screen name tells us everything we need to know. Most of these people are on Food Stamps, so to say they are hungry is not true,......yet. Let's fast forward to November 2009, when the closing speed of deflation and inflation makes the dollar like the post 1939 German Mark. One loaf of bread: Price Tag: 1 wheel barrow full of dollars. Welcome 3rd World America!
What is amazing is that our readers don't seem to understand the obvious connection between Goldman Sachs, Tiny Tim "G" (God stick us,..... everyone, well except those on God's Payroll doing his work. (their protege and a New York Fed Res Mgr) and Bernanke,...."oooh, it's so hard not to draw an ethnic line here, huh?"”

“People turn to neighbors and churches -- but people, especially children and the elderly, do go hungry in America. I have seen it. I have seen an old man cry -- from hunger. He was white and a vet. I have seen a young woman huddled with her children in a tenement apartment -- all hungry. I have seen rural families -- with no transportation -- far from any food pantry or church. I have two colleagues from Bangladesh, accustomed to seeing poverty and hunger in their third world country, but shocked -- shocked -- to see the levels of poverty in the richest country on earth.

I can assure you that people in America -- children, the elderly -- know what hunger is.

Come out of your suburban home and open your eyes.”

“Yet you are attacked for exposing the truth. That is why I am reading these comments. The same people here are on the Fox threads whining and complaining about the lies, lies and lies that Fox puts out. No child under the age of 18 goes without health care in the this country. I am making sure they are here whining and complaining about lies that the Huffington Post allows on their site. Its clear it aint about lies or the truth, it is solely about ones political agenda.”

“No. Many people make too much money for Medicaid and SCHIP and too little for health insurance. These are precisely the people whom the public option helps.

I suspect you don't have children. You have no idea the extent to which one wants them to live.”

“And there are doctors and hospitals that won't take SCHIP. The states pay it out, and they're running behind on payments. You sometimes have to drive 150 miles to find a doctor who will take it for an office visits.”

“Brilliant! Punish children for their parents' purported ignorance.

I love it.

It's not that all these preventable deaths and bankruptcies aren't happening. It's that people are dumb and therefore deserve to be sick, die or go bankrupt. If they were smarter, they'd hire an attorney to sue to keep the state monopoly health insurer from rescinding a policy or deny a claim. It's the dummy's fault! Now I get it. Let's scapegoat "big government" and "mainstream media" and blame people for their own misfortune at the hands of insurance company death squads.”

“For too many, cradle to grave govenmental hand holding is taking the place of responsible independing living.”

“calirighty,

there is a whole segment of the population that makes just barely too much to qualify for government aid, but who also can't afford private insurance.

I make 35K per year. I am the head of a 2 person household. That puts us in the 250% above federal poverty level. Because we have pensions, and own a house, we do not qualify for a cheap state-offered medical plan with affordable premiums.

My premiums thru work are going up 70% in another month, from a barely affordable 325 per month to 550 per month. I cannot afford this premium based on my salary. We, unlike yourself, live in a part of the country where heating costs are enormous. and we have huge property tax bills in a very depressed area.

I take it from your name, that you are a Republican living in California.

Nothing wrong with that, but you haven't a clue about some segments of the population, and yet you feel it's OK to shoot your mouth off.”

“While you are insulting all the parents, consider many states officials, and medical personnel also are not aware of SCHIP, and are unable to assist or access the program. You should know the situation outside your obviously well informed state before calling anybody ignorant-but then you wouldn't be ...ignorant as well”

“On a different note, have you heard of medical bankrupcies? Our health system is one of the most expensive in the world with relatively mediocre outcomes, except for the aristocracy. No other rich country does not cover everyone. Why should some po' folk get what the artistocracy get in their health package? As you rail against stupid people, thank your lucky stars that you are so brilliant. We are all not so blessed and have to work with what we have to work with.
Joe is crying foul and fillibuster because he is on the take from the health industry. Soon after he leaves office, he will be employed full time as a lobbyist by the health industry. He will be well compensated for his current stance. Joe could care less about deficits or anything else. He would throw anyone under the health care bus for green. He knows how his bread is better now and will be in the future.”

“I missed the Hannity show that you derived this info from. Or was it Beck? Is there a YouTube?”

“Technical correction. We didn't lose anything under Proosition 8 other than the right to call our partnerships marriage. All the previous rights and responsibilities under Domestic Partnerships stayed in place.”

“Kudos Calirighty....so much junk we pay for that we have no clue about!”

“The Federal government already subsidizes abortions in many ways.

YOU are the one without a clue.”

“And I never assumed this: "Roe vs. Wade does not guarantee the woman the right to have someone else pay for her abortion. " I actually said explicitly that Hyde made that illegal so I dont know what you are talking about. I know this is not legal and I support such legislation, I just don't support women not being able to have access to an abortion using their own money through a plan originally set up through government. As I said such a law is not making abortions illegal but rather making them almost wholly inaccessible - to me, a direct violation of roe v wade just like making guns inaccessible would be a direct violation of the second amendment. Please read what I wrote accurately before stating your response this time. I think I layed out my argument very clearly with little room for distortion.”

“I dont have to read and interpret it. I heard from multiple congressman from the house exactly what this amendment implies. And they said that this will not just limit someone who required federal money to fund an abortion meaning money that isn't theirs. As I said in my original post that you conveniently ignored, the hyde amendment ALREADY DOES EXACTLY THAT. So this amendment is extending that law - saying that any money the government pays in any way to help provide citizens with insurance will not be covered at all - thus co-ops, public option with individual plans and so on. These are all set up by the government therefore, they would fall under this amendment because money from the government is being used in the implementation of these. This is exactly what multiple house members said and looking at the hyde amendment it makes zero sense to make a second amendment that says the exact same thing that federal money cannot be used - its already law that fed money cannot be used to pay for an abortion. This is a new and much broader limitation. I cant explain it any clearer than that.”

“Actually there is scientific evidence that does prove it is genetic and NOT a choice. But in the vein of your ignorant response, can you give any scientific proof what-so-ever that heterosexuality is normal? Can you name the heterosexual gene? How old were you when you chose to be straight?”

“I just gave you 9 examples of human and or civil rights which are one in the same. Sorry that is such a difficult problem for your ignorant mind to understand. Get back to me when you have proof that civil rights are not the same as human rights. I know I will be waiting an eternity, but get back to me anyway.”

“1. Healthcare discrimination.
2. Job discrimination.
3. Not allowed to file joint tax returns with the Feds.
4. Banned from adoption.
5. Funeral arrangement discrimination.
6. Urgent Care/Emergency Room discrimination.
7. Hospital Visitation discrimination.
8. Military discrimination - Don't ask. Don't tell.
9. Same Sex Marriage discrimination - Prop 8 - Measure 1 - DOMA..

There you little troll, I've been able to name NINE off the top of my head, and these are just the tip of the iceberg. The things I listed are basic human/civil rights that have been denied the LGBT community.”

“human rights 
–noun
fundamental rights, esp. those believed to belong to an individual and in whose exercise a government may not interfere.

civil rights 
–plural noun (often initial capital letters)
1. rights to personal liberty established by the 13th and 14th Amendments to the U.S. Constitution and certain Congressional acts, esp. as applied to an individual or a minority group.

Amazing to see that these are one in the same, isn't it? And now that you've been schooled...YOU'RE WELCOME!”

“Excuse me, it does say human rights. But really is there that much of a difference between human and civil rights?

An entire group of people are being denied rights that the rest of us take for granted. Call it civil or human rights or whatever you want to.”

“Roe v wade said the government cannot infringe on a women's right to choose whether or not she will have an abortion.

If you compare this to the second amendment, a more appropriate comparison would be instead of banning the right to own a gun, the government passes a law making it nearly impossible to either find a gun shop that is willing to sell you one or hike up gun prices to the point that most people that want a gun can never get one because the price is so prohibitory. So while not directly violating the second amendment, they are indirectly infringing of a person's access to a gun rather than banning guns altogether. Is that not both a violation of the second amendment however? You could buy a gun but you would have to spend a year's salary to own one. How many people would buy a gun? How many people would be outraged at such a law? EXACTLY!”

“Clearly you have no idea what the stupak amendment is.

You are talking about the Hyde amendment - this was passed in 1976 and bans any federal funds to be used to fund any abortion in this country. Exactly what you just said above right?

So why would they attach a new amendment to this current bill that says the exact same thing. The reason is this amendment does not say that - the stupak amendment states that a government-run health insurance plan can not cover abortion and that subsidies may not be used to purchase insurance plans that cover abortion

This is translated as no plan whether public or private that is impacted by the current legislation cover abortions. For example, this legislation creates co-op where private insurance compete for individuals in the same state. Those private plans payed for entirely by the plan holder themselves cannot offer abortion coverage. If someone wants to pay for the option using their own money, they cannot be covered for abortions. Basically, almost every single plan in this country would not cover abortions and it would force women to take out separate private insurance to cover something as unforeseeable as abortion. Thus, an abortion at any time will have to be covered by separate private abortion coverage. THAT IS INSANE! That is like paying for insurance just in case you get hit by a bus or get into a plane crash that isnt covered under any regular plan. Its absolutely ridiculous.”

“Absolutely not. I will vote for someone other than Obama or a ball-less Democrat. It's called a write-in, check into it.

Voting is a duty every American should exercise.”

“Would you want republicans vote in favor of abortion or gay marriage?? EXACTLY because you want a party that represents your own political positions. Why shouldnt the left have representatives that are voting in the same way in which their actual voters would vote. Is that not the whole idea of democracy? The fact that 39 democrats of the house see fit to pretty much ban abortion is appalling. Of course, the opposition party voted completely for such an amendment that would make abortions for those in poverty nearly impossible. That makes sense. The democratic party vote makes zero sense. Its time for people to say that this is not acceptable.”

“What a dumb thing to say. Do you ever think before you write?”

“And the sun has nothing to do with the earth's weather right? The moon has nothing to do with the flow of the ocean's tides? Wings have nothing to do with what makes a bird fly? Eyes have nothing to do with sight? I could do this all day but you're not worth it.”

“calirighty, what a stupid thing to post! Don't you have anything better to do with your time than clutter up this message board with such a patently ridiculous comment?!!!”

“Excuse me? Civil rights has EVERYTHING to do with the gay "movement, as you put it.
In the sixties when African Americans were fighting for their rights we did not call it the "Black Movement". Why not? For one very important reason; if you are in a "movement" you choose to be. African Americans along with all of us, don't choose what color or race they are.
I think that this is the main reason that people are anti-gay, homophobic, etc.
They have the misconception that this is a "movement" or "lifestyle, in other words they think people CHOOSE to be gay.
That is absolutely not true at all.
It's not a gay movement. It is a group of people fighting for their civil rights.”

“Human rights has everything to do with gay rights.

Anti-gay prejudice is not only wrong but it is unAmerican.”

“how would you know?

I doubt you know an LGBT person”