littleblackcat's Comments (285)

“This not a "charitable gift". There isn't one damned bit of altruistic intent behind it. It is nothing more than a smokescreen to make themselves look as though they are thinking about anyone other than themselves.
I'm an atheist but it is handy to know what is in the bible, and one of the passages that makes sense and that I love throwing in the face of the faux christians (yes, I know Christian should be spelled with a capital "C", but not in this case) is a statement attributed to Christ, which is "When thou givest alms, do not stand on the street corner so that all may see, but do it in such secret that thy left hand does not know what thy right hand is doing."
More of today's "christians" would do well to pay more attention to the book they pretend to know and love so well.”

“Grateful, a very thoughtful comment and I agree with everything you say. I do have one exasperated comment though. I still am a big fan of the President, I voted for him, volunteered for him, etc., but I am out of patience with his selection of Wall Street insiders, all of whom are steeped in "the way things have been done", as advisors and people in decision-making positions. Geithner and Summers are two of the worst mistakes he has made and they need to be corrected. He also needs to get a tighter rein on Rahm Emanuel. Emanuel's personal likes and dislikes should have NO bearing on selecting the best person for a job. Howard Dean can run rings around Emanuel in many areas, and Obama needs to recognize that.”

“nThenwhat, you have some good points, but do not hold your breath for the rich to ever do the "right thing". Those making huge money on Wall Street are so completely subsumed by the disease of greed that no matter how much they have, it is never enough.
Like the greedy individual who owned the goose that laid the golden eggs who thought that if he killed her, he would have all the eggs at once. Having killed her, he found that there were no eggs within. Having killed the United States and its people, where now are the Wall Street tycoons going to look for their bonuses? They have not yet realized where exactly they stand.”

“I'm with you on courtesy toward the cleaning crew. I do think the President had better wake up and quickly, however. Geithner and Summers were the worst mistakes he could have made and they need to be corrected. True change and help for the people would have been paying off the mortgages of everyone making less than $50,000 a year.
The anger and frustration are building and while many people do not think a revolutionary war is possible in this country, it is VERY possible. Obama needs to re-read Franklin Roosevelt's statement in one of his many addresses, the one that speaks of the measure of our success not being how much we add to the abundance of those who already have plenty, but how well we take care of those who do not have enough.
It is a shame, but the inexperience does seem to be a serious problem and he is not being helped by the rethug party, who just want to see him and the country fail so their rich cronies can buy up everything and go back to feudalism. We're practically there now. anyway.”

“BabaLou7, Higher Strategy is not holding up raygun's administration as any kind of example. When he said we needed to go back to the reagan years, he(she) is correct. It was during those years that republican corruption became so blatant and the transfer of wealth to the upper crust was offered to the rank-and-file as a "good thing". We had shoved down our throats that "a rising tide lifts all boats" and other nonsense as one might expect from someone already so far gone into Alzheimer's that he was no longer capable of doing any more than speaking his lines. Those lines were fed to him on cue cards because he was no longer in his mind.
Quite a few of those corrupt people are still very much part of the Washington scene and are still pulling strings. They need to be flushed out.”

“Point of view from an old woman: Neither of you is wholly correct. It IS correct to say that we all must be careful and pay attention to what is being done by our elected "representatives" because 98% of the nation has NOT paid attention to what has been going on for decades. A quiet offer here, a bit of an "exchange" there, a position created for someone's child somewhere, when these things are overlooked as "just a one-time favor" or an "aberration committed once" it becomes easier to do it again, and again, and again. Until it becomes "business as usual" and undermines and demoralizes the very underpinnings of the country.
"We, the people" also have an obligation and that is to let the big shots on the top of the heap know that we are becoming more and more aware that they do NOT represent us, and that resentment of that fact is building. They can be voted out. And we can demonstrate and speak out loudly and insistently.”

“Excellent post, Arianna. Right on the mark. I have been quite disappointed in Obama the President vs. Obama the Candidate. Summers and Geithner were two of the worst picks possible and in the choosing of Summers, more than a few women have put a BIG black check against the President due to Summers' remarks about the "inferiority of women when it comes to math and science." Geithner is pure Wall Street, looking out for his buddies.
I like a lot about Rahm Emanuel but enough is enough. Emanuel is too inclined to let his personal feelings dictate how things are done and in the governance of the nation, you need the best person for the job. It doesn't matter whether YOU like that person on a personal or social basis at all. Rahm hasn't grown up yet.
President Obama needs to get something moving, and quickly, that goes directly to the people without stopping for the shareholders to get their pound of flesh. If he doesn't, he will be a one-term President and I would hate to see that happen. The unceasing obstructionism of the party of NO has made his job much more difficult than it should have been, and no matter what Obama the Politician says, race is playing a HUGE part. If you remember, the current "stronghold" of the repubs is the south, and if anyone forgets for a minute that racial hatred exists there BIG time has never lived there or they're a fool.”

“Not necessarily. There is all too much that has very long tentacles that run for decades within the republican party. That party has hidden behind Lincoln's overblown hype while they have worked to shape this nation into a slave state of a different type, and they have damned near succeeded.
I would love to see the truth about JFK's assassination come out, and also that of Robert Kennedy. The repus needed to have them killed or we would have had a VERY democratic Republic that offered opportunity to anyone willing to work.
Instead we have incompetents at every level, giving themselves huge paychecks while shunting responsibility off on the backs of the average person, starting illegal wars so they can enrich their defense-supply manufacturing cronies, and imperialistic elected officials who declare themselves above the law.”

“It has collapsed. The only things that haven't happened yet are: 1) The full realization by the masses that their dreams have been wiped out along with their retirement funds: and 2) The revolutionary war where those who have lost everything to the greed of those with the say-so take back forcefully what they worked so hard to gain.”

“Where do we all sign up on a gargantuan petition to eliminate this goody that has been enjoyed by the insurance companies all these years?
One good thing that may come out of all this is that the average person might get the picture that if you don't want some yahoo writing the rules for you, you had better pay attention to what is going on in politics, local and national. Speak up or someone else will do your talking for you, or will tell you eventually what you may or may not say.”

“Tongue-in-cheek, I presume?”

“An excellent article, one that should be on the front pages of what passes for our "respectable newspapers'. There is too much waffling on the part of our "lawmakers", too little common sense, and too much concern for covering their own butts. We need new blood.”

“Civilized nations have had national health plans for decades. Their health care trumps ours soundly at a fraction of the cost and the stress that kills is far less than what the American people go through.
We need to grow up and face the fact that we are NOT the be-all and end-all. We do not know everything, we are not "in charge of the world", we do not have the right to dictate to other nations, we do not have the right to attempt to eradicate a thousand years' worth of culture when we refuse to help our own people.
We are the youngsters of the world. The nation is less than 240 years old, thrust into the forefront of the world by dint of our size, courage, and brashness during the second world war and it has gone completely to our heads and never let go.
It is past time we looked to other nations for their wisdom, recognized that they have made their mistakes and learned from them and we should pay heed to a bit of advice: "A wise person learns from the mistakes of others, a fool not even from their own." I don't know who said that or I would give them credit, it's a smart observation.”

“You are incorrect about prostate cancer deaths vs. breast cancer deaths. The numbers are 29,900 prostate deaths in 2004, 40,000 breast cancer deaths.”

“Cyndy dear, alcohol in any form IS TAXED, and very heavily. Depending on where you live, up to 53% of the price is taxes. 40% is nearly universal, and everything in between covers everywhere else. Plus, you don't pour a beer for your three-year-old or mix a Tom Collins for your nine-year-old. Weaning people off soda and sugary drinks would be a great first step in dealing with obesity and tooth decay.”

“My question is: Are the proper authorities doing all they can and in a timely fashion, about this? Any area know to have a "number of hate groups" in its vicinity needs to keep a very close eye on those groups. Perpetrators must be hunted down and severely punished. For that matter, appeals need to be rushed through rather than dragged on for years. Anyone who kills for such a stupid reason needs to be executed themselves.”

“You need to re-check a lot of your "facts" and see exactly WHO was behind them. The shrub occupancy of the White House did NOTHING about the financial fiasco except give huge tax breaks to those who raked in the most money through their unregulated greed.”

“Scarborough, you might just be the only republican that I deign to give a capital letter to their name! I am an independent, leaning toward Democrat since there are only two choices and the repus don't bear thinking about.
The number of jobs that would have materialized had the games been awarded to Chicago would have been astronomical once the ripple effect was factored in. That had to be high in the President's thinking when he made the bid for having them here.
It is a pity that you are still a repu, you probably believe that's the best. The displays put on by that party ever since a man of colour was elected have been nauseating, with still not a word from the mccain/palin camp about the calls from their own rallies for Obama to be killed, for his family to be harmed. I thank you for your kindness regarding the President's effort, but cannot help wondering how a man with your level of intellect can possibly support those puerile hatemongers and liars.”

“Good. Common sense has been in pathetically short supply for nearly 40 years. The will of the people has been dismissed by a handful of wealthy butt-kissers who have become ever more wealthy by setting things up so the corporations and their shareholders get all the meat and all the gravy too.
The majority of the American people actually want single-payer, the same as the civilized nations of the world have, and if that's not going to be on at this time, then a public option is the only way to go. Otherwise, the insurance companies are going to be charging two and three thousand dollars a month for covering people with pre-existing conditions. The mega-companies are determined to grab their pound of flesh so their profits stay as obscene as possible. Once the public option is in place, people will flock to it and the big guys will have to lower the price and accept less in profits or go under. The sooner, the better, because they have been killing people physically, financially, and emotionally for decades.”

“More than a little over the top of the wall, aren't you, Ms. Swain? Bringing an unwanted child into this world is one of the cruelest things anyone can do. I KNOW this very personally. I was an unwanted child. I was battered, abused in many ways, neglected, taken advantage of, and left to do the best I could for myself. Life was, and continues to be, very hard since none of the tools required to get ahead were forthcoming from my "family". I find much beauty in life, I appreciate what I do have, but if I had a choice I would much rather not have been born.
Do not foist YOUR ideas and ideals on others, many different points of view exist and you do not have the ear of God nor have you been commissioned to speak for that entity.”

“Huffington Post and many others of the same incllination need to band together and get messages through to President Obama that Rahm Emanuel is becoming a monkey wrench in the works with his sour-grapes attitude. The mark of a man is being big enough to admit you were wrong, or at the very least less "right" than someone else, and Howard Dean was right. The winning of the election is the proof.
At the present time the nation, and the President, need to find the "punch" to get real reform in place and it needs to be in place and working in a matter of MONTHS, not years.
Howard Dean has the smarts and the nerve to do this, Emanuel has the nerve (as everyone knows) but he doesn't have the feeling for the benefit of the people that Dean does. The President needs to get a leash on Rahm Emanuel and let him know who's boss. The nation must not suffer due to one person's ego.”

“We do need a STRONG overhaul of many things in this nation. The first thing Obama needs to do is grow some spine and tell the rethugs where the bears s#!t in the buckwheat. Several things simply need to be nationalized, even if temporarily. BIG things need to be done for the little people. The best thing the President could have done for this country is pay off the mortgages of every working class citizen making under $85,000 per year and owning a REASONABLY PRICED home.
We have wasted billions of dollars handing greedy pigs money that they gave themselves for fat bonuses. The working people will be paying for this for years and we are losing our jobs WITHOUT the fat cushions of $120,000,000 bonuses. Who is going to do anything for us? Where are those jobs? There is going to be a major civil uprising in this country if many more people fall into the depths of despair. There is NO HOPE left in the nation.”

“It has been long said that when fascism arrives in the United States, it will be carrying a bible and be wrapped in the flag. It has arrived, and it is. The so-called supreme court, until more of the older ones retire and get replaced with sensible INTERPRETERS of the LAW rather than creating law to please the rethugs who appointed them them to their cushy life-long jobs that we have now will see to it that everything gets twisted to give ever more money to the very richest. It is time for that revolutionary war.”

“Fools will vote repu. The under-educated and therefore easily deceived will listen to those with the same drawl that their neighbors have will be bought and convinced that it's in their best interests to do so. Our education system has been un-built for years by the rethugs in order to keep people from thinking for themselves.
As for your reference to "sex scandals", Clinton's was a scandal because the rethugs were rabildly determined to make it one. Seems to me that sanford, foley, craig, and vitter have committed the same or worse than Clinton, yet the fools of the nation stand around with their thumbs up their butts and say "Yeah, well...."
As far as the "czars", this silly name is so over-worked that it has become almost meaningless. We can, with accuracy, call cheney a "torture czar" and bush a "czar of lies" and titles are just tempest in a teacup.”

“DC, the whole piece is written in mockery. Come on now, let's use our head for more than a hatrack.”