goldgoose's Comments (136)

“California is bankrupt because they do not equitably tax real estate because of their Proposition 13. Real estate is the wealth of California. If business and industry were taxed on the same assessments and residential property, California would not be bankrupt. The year Proposition 13 was passed, California had a revenue surplus. Charlatan business, industry, and wealthy real estate investors "bought" the peoples vote for Proposition 13 and now business, industry, and real estate investors are still paying taxes on 1978 assessments. California is not poor, it is very rich and the wealth is in real estate which is not equitably taxed.”

“My entire life was spent in public education, every level, teaching, administration, research; been retired for 22 years. Biggest problem in public education is that no one listens to me; yes, that’s humorous but true. Public education was always strictly a State function; but when the Feds provided funding for public schools, the Feds took control and the schools became a public football. Suddenly, our last two Presidents became experts on public schools; they do not know diddly. As a result, public schools are worse off than 10 years ago. Public education is a national issue and politicians, not educators, are making the decisions.
Believe it or not, America has opponents to public education; they would like to see the public schools privatized. These opponents of public education have become powerful ion recent years; they tend to be of the extreme right lunatic fringe and got a real foothold in the Bush era. Bush’s educational policy was anti public education; President Bush wanted vouchers for public school kids to attend private schools (there is no empirical evidence that private schools are superior to public schools).
Vouchers hurt public education; charter schools hurt pubic education.
Obama and his Secretary of Education, Arne Duncan, are basically maintaining Bush policy; neither Duncan or Obama know anything about public education.
Bush, Obama, and Duncan all agree teacher accountability can be determined by student standardized test scores; it just isn’t so and that hurts public schools. Politicians and news commentators are destroying public schools.”

“freedomforthemasses I took your dare and watched the video you referenced and want to thank you for it. Frankly, I learned long ago but watched appreciatively. I am an old, old man with a long memory; I remember and I wept.”

“Ask not what your government can do for you if they ain't responsible.
Unemployment is the fault of corporate America, they benefit from unemployment because it produces cheaper labor; corporate America lays off and rehires at a lower salary. Corporate America can hold out for a long time; labor can't because they have to eat. Corporations are just a paper entity and incapable of compassion, respond only to profit, and have not reason to respond to patriotism because corporations have no heart..
There is no way that the Feds can cure unemployment in the private sector.
All the Feds and Obama can do are stimulate local government infrastructure improvement by revising FDR and the Civilian Conservation Corps., CCC, and Works Progress Administration, WPA, and I would recommend the Feds do that instead of doling out stimulus money States for corporations to make more profit; let the private sector compete for labor with the CCC and WPA.
Corporate America is sitting on its A$$ complaining about Obama and letting labor sweat it out. Corporate America chose free trade instead of patriotism; to corporate America, the word America is just a location. They have forgotten all about corporate welfare; corporations have no memory.”

“Reverend covert pot calls kettle black! Big news?”

“Profiles in courage; there is a history.
“It is widely considered inevitable that if Obama began to withdraw our troops from Afghanistan without being able to declare some form of victory, he would be derided in the press and by Republicans as a coward and a quitter.”
There is the ‘Bay of Pigs’ strategy; accept the truth.
"the Afghan president says he believes he is doing nothing different than he has since they put him there in December 2001"
He is right! The "they" that put him there was George W. Bush and America, maintained by Bush's right hand, Blackwater if my memory serves me right, paid for by all American taxpayers.
Karzai is "we", Americans.
Whether America likes it or not, Karzai is what American troops are fighting and dying for; bin Laden has not been in Afghanistan for more than 8 years. America is in denial and it is wake up time.
Afghanistan had nothing to do with 911, it was bin Laden, stupid!
America needs to get out of Afghanistan the same way that America exited from Viet Nam, remember?
The freaking show is OVER! Time for Obama’s profile in courage.”

“ "The issue is whether or not the president views himself and his nation as being subserviant."
Obvioous, the writer would never bow to President Obama because that would make him feel subservient to the President of the USA and he obviously doesn't feel subservient to the Obama; by his comment it is obvious that he feels he is superior to his President.
In all probability, the Emperor of Japan was just glad that President Obama didn't puke on him like President H. W. Bush did on the Prime Minister of Japan to show that Daddy Bush wasn't subservient.
Personally, I observe cultural differences and bow to my Toyota salesman, however, it isn't to show that I think that a Chevy is subservient to a Toyota despite the fact of American sales records.
The issue to me is, does the USA believe every other nation is subservient to the USA? What other superpowers have been at war with two Third World nations for eight years and can't "win"? What other Western Civilized nation doesn't have universal medical care? What other nations have failing banks, gross unemployment, and an annual rise in the number of people living below the poverty level? I love my country (and support the troops) but I don't always consider USA superior to all other nations, and lately have thought the USA could learn a lot from some other sovereign nations.”

“General Casey should be very much concerned, however the army is too late in rectifying the bigotry, sadism, and prejudice of the US Army. For example, the Army and the Bush White House condoned the vicious condemnation of Islam by General Boykin in his speeches to fundamentalist Christian Churches in America. General Boykin continued to serve after his un-American, sadistic, and bigoted behavior was publicized; he continued to serve as assistant to Rumsfeld and ordering Gen. Miller of Guatanamo to Afghanistan and Iraq to promote torture of Muslim prisoners of war in violation of International Law and human rights.
It is possible to honor our courageous dog-face soldiers who simply follow orders and are worthy of our honor and respect, however, Americans need to condemn the behavior of our military leadership that was totally politicized by the Bush Administration. American military leadership has proved too often to be bigoted, sadistic, and aggressive for purposes other than defense of our American democratic Republic. Personally I am ashamed of American generals like Gen.Boykin and his ilk. The US military needs to be depoliticized immediately. It is too bad that the President and Congress feel obligated to be in denial; the US military is currently one of America's greatest problems. The Neocons still control the Army and the problem could blow up overnight. It is time for concern.”

“ It was interesting to hear Sugar's owners whining, ""I've been through hell for the last year and it's caused a lot of hardship," Kenley told the newspaper."
Therefore she laid in wait and caught Rodell; was this by any chance a case of alienation of affection?.”

“As I read the story it was not a case of rape. Sugar was 21 years old, of age, and if Sugar was not consenting I don't think Rodell was capable of forcing Sugar to do anything she didn't want him to do because she outweighed him at least 5 to 1. As for passing on a SRD disease, it was possible that Sugar infected Rodell.”

“Yes, I think the horse was and that was the reason for the pile of dirt in the stall.”

“Yes, you are absolutely right; I neve before realized that Mariah Carey was a famous trio.”

“Vomit, puke, Beck, and Hoffman”

“Who cares anymore?”

“Benedict Arnold, Judas, and Lieberman”

““You are fired”
President Harry Truman to General Douglas McArthur
The American Armed Forces is a rigid chain of command and soldiers take an oath to follow orders, defend the Constitution, and they give up their civil rights as citizens.
The US Constitution, for good reason, makes the President, a civilian, the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces. Presidents from George Washington on never wore a uniform as President of the United States, even if they were military generals before becoming President. There was one exception to the tradition of Presidents not wearing uniforms, President George W. Bush donned full military battle dress to fly to an aircraft carrier to announce “Mission Accomplished” and the end of the Iraq War in 2003.
President George Bush also appointed a military head of the CIA indicating that he not only politicized the military, he militarized the civilian government.
President Obama has a serious problem to resolve, to depoliticize the military and demilitarize the civilian government.”

“Perhaps it wasn't noticed by some,but it was obvious to most that President Bush 'retired' generals who disagreed with him and promoted generals who shared his Project for the New American Century ideology; President George W. Bush had totally politicized the military during his eight year reign. He also, based on evidence, politicized the Justice Department and the courts. Never in all of my years of observing the American democratic Republic have I seen a President politicize the military and the Justice Departments so blatantly as President George W. Bush. Eventually, Obama must depoliticize the military which is much more difficult to depoliticize than the Justice Department. Just before he left office, President George W. Bush also moved his political appointees into Civil Service jobs so they can work against President Obama. It will take President Obama time; he will be criticized as politicizing the army himself if he moves to fast. Bush has got America into deep, deep doo doo!”

“By these thugs, must we assume that you are describing the President of the United States, Barack Obama. You are right in saying that he was a professor of Constitutional Law. Which means that he probably is aware that in the Bill of Rights, citizens have freedom of the Press but it does not mention anything about retaliation; in fact, it has been interpreted to mean that citizens are permitted to retaliate in kind, to accusations made in the press; that seems to be the way that democracy works.
Fox News commentators have been known to call President Obama a Nazi, a Communist, a racists, and, yes, also a thug. It seems to me that the US Constitution and Bill of Rights would also allow the President to retaliate by excluding Fox News from any White House interview that he wanted. Of course, Fox News is free to get their information from ABC.”

“President Obama IS the President of the United States; the President of the United States has justly observed that all of America's unnecessary wars and the senseless spilling of American blood, the violations of the US Constitution and International Law, the illegal spying on American citizens violating their rights, and torturing of other human beings that went on the previous 8 years was NOT his responsibility; he hopes that Americans and others around the world and especially Muslim people notice the difference. Have you never observed another President?
President Obama has not 'acted' any way toward the media; he has ignored Fox News commentators who have called President Obama a Nazi, a Communist, and a Racist among other things. Why should the President honor Fox News with and interview?
Sorry, but President Obama's image is what he is and not what Fox News tells their ignorant listeners what the President's image is.”

“What do today's journalists know about Free Speech? All networks cow-tow to the interests of the huge corporate advertisers and self-censor the news. The media is in business to make a profit not accurately reporting the news. If you want news, go to foreign media; you won't find it on American networks. The American media is disgusting. The press is controlled by corporate America!”

“You got it all wrong. The White House did not try to silence Fox News, they merely said that if Fox insists on distorting the news, then Fox might as well get their information from watching NBC. Listen up.”

“Are you accusing President George Washington of being a Socialist because of his approval of the United States Postal Service and making the Postmaster General a part of his cabinet?
Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhgh!”

“I understand what the First Amendment means and I think Freedom of the Press applies to the President as well as Fox News. The President is not disenfranchised nor excluded from the Bill of Rights because of his race or his office.
Further, I was not expressing logic in my comments; it was concerning the Constitution.
However, I do not understand your logic about the behavior of other networks and ethics.”

“Networks are licensed to use the PUBLIC'S airwaves; the owe us civic service.”

“Fox News and Fox Network are the same Murdoch and the case in point involves Fox Network. All Murdoch media practice the same ideology. They all censor the news; they all are Neocon Republican purveyors of distorted news. Murdoch and Fox New are a bigger threat to American democracy than all the terrorist in the world.”