Yes i have heard but, you got my point so that was that..


I dont reside in a jungle so i cant speak about the parrots but what i can speak about is the Americans debt to earnings ratio......maybe i should also search the internet for links to prove you that Americans have been living way beyond their means..?


It is not the governments fault that these loans went sour. it is the responsibility of those who have them to finish paying them off on time. Why they went sour right at the end is the question you need to ask those who owned them.

National debt is our debt. There is not an entity between us and our national debt to soften the blow, we own it and the time of reckoning will come, sooner or later.


What taxes have been raised?
People dont spend because they spent their money not on taxes but, on goods and services they didnt need and that they could not afford. It is easy to blame the government for everything and especially now when Democrats are in charge. Government is always at fault it seems but the fact is, that if Americans saved their money we would not be in a situation we find ourselves in today.

Of course you are right, and I was not clear enough. I was referring to the tax hike on the wealthy. Although GMAN's statement that I quoted was in the context of taxes in general on all classes, I was answering in the context of the general argument put forth by Republicans. As we've heard Windy (I THINK) say many times.... the RICH are the ones who create the jobs, and taxing THEM will stifle the economy, not GROW it.

My point was that even tho Clinton raised taxes on the wealthy, the economy improved. Gman said it couldn't happen or never has. I was going to add a few other examples such as the Roman Empire, but settled on Clinton's administration.

If reducing taxes (especially on the rich) is such an engine of economic growth.... HOW did we end up where we were in the last 6 months of the Bush administration?

BTW.... thanks for that link. I LIKE pro-Clinton sites. IMHO, he was the best president in my lifetime.

I looked for the link, briefly, and didn't find it. There was a news article about a year ago that stated people are saving more, and it's hurting the economy. One economist was even quoted as saying; "People aren't saving, they're building financial bomb shelters." If they're saving, they're not going into debt.

Maybe you should start asking around. When was the last "Cost-of-living" raise anyone got. When I've brought that in the recent past, the response I've gotten has often been; "What's that?" Many people have not seen one in the last 12 to 15 years. But the cost of living has continually gone up. Where, 15 years ago, people had enough income to cover their financial commitments, the cost of living out-grew their incomes. You've heard the term, "FIXED INCOME", haven't you? And, to make matters even worse, look at the news today. Wages are not increasing now either. As a matter fact, the ratio of production vs wages says that wages are even going down now. That certainly is not an improvement. It was the American People that NEEDED THE BAILOUT, not the big business. And, still no relief in sight.



Again, how many political candidates have campaigned on "JOBS"? They would have you believe they are able to do something about it. So, let them put their money where their mouths are.

So, when you voted, did you vote for all the spending and raising the national debt to record levels?

with all the spending? Your "rose-colored glasses" tell you taxes won't go up?

Well, let's see...

10 years ago, my electric bill was under $50.
Today, with no more usage, it's over $160.

10 years ago, a gallon of milk was about $2.
Today, it's over $4 in some areas.

10 years ago, I paid $106 every six months for car insurance on 2 cars.
Today, I'm paying $170/month for two cars.

Should I go on???

Here in FL, the power company has more than doubled their monthly charges to their customers in the last 5 years. And, they were going for another increase until the Governor stepped in and told them "ENOUGH IS ENOUGH". But, after a delay, it looks like they're going to get even more.

Are you that dense that you can not see how loans can go bad over time on what amounts to a "FIXED INCOME"? Now, look at all the taxes that we're paying now, that did not exist 10 years ago. Yes, the increase in cigarette tax is a factor as well, whether you smoke or not.

In saying that people spent money beyond their means, you're implying that people don't need to eat. And, how come it's so important to restore power when a storm knocks down the lines? You're implying that people don't need power or heat in their homes either. And, why should they. People existed for thousands of years without natural gas heat or electricity in their dwellings.

And, it has not just been going on for the last 5 or 10 years. It's been going on for 30+ years. There was one company where I worked, in one year (shortly after I started there), I got a $2.00/hr raise in one year. Then, the owner died and another entity took over. After that, "cost-of-living" raises were limited to $0.25/hr for the year. What it did for the vast majority of employees was put them into the next tax bracket so that they actually had LESS TAKE-HOME pay.

Government is entirely capable of passing legislation that would favor business paying employees a fair wage. In talking to various people, that is one of the things they voted for when they elected Obama. Obviously, that is not what they got. And, they did not vote for all the spending. But they are looking at who gets to pay the bill whether they approved of the spending or not.

We condemn the owners of Arrow Trucking for their lavish lifestyle. But who's talking about the money Obama spent taking his wife to NYC for dinner? And, no one has heard if that was paid for by his own money or if it came out of our taxes. If it was paid for by our taxes, what's the difference between the two? There are a whole lot of people that are seeing their tax money being "SQUANDERED", and it gives them a very bitter taste. Not just by this President, but by members of Congress as well.

Remember hearing... "The national unemployment rate went up this month from fifteen and a quarter percent to fifteen and three quarters percent... By the way, Congress just voted themselves another fifteen percent pay hike"? Remember hearing anything like that? I do. And, so do a lot of other people. Another bad taste in their mouths. And, the list goes on. You want to give them a rubber stamp? We don't.

Try "walking" a building permit through city hall in Philadelphia. You get there as soon as the doors open. You sit, watching a receptionist reading a Harlequin Romance Novel for 2 1/2 hours, then she looks up at you and says: "Can I help you?" After looking at what you have, she sends you to another secretary 4 desk down. You sit for another 2 hours while that secretary does her nails. She sends you to another desk. There, the girl is knitting for another hour, takes a break, and when she comes back, informs you that you have to come back tomorrow.

The next day isn't much different. Different faces at different desks, and finally, about 3 PM, you get to see 4 city engineers (3 of which don't even know what their job covers). The fourth one seems to know what he's looking at, and gives you approval. It's two days, and 90% of them spent sitting and waiting. And, then you hear about agencies that complain they do not have the man-power to do the job. TAXES SQUANDERED. (Obviously, if this were a private business, they would not be able to afford to keep their doors open for more than one day.)

Even after we're told about "tax cuts", go to city hall, and it's business as usual. Go to Congress, and it's not a lot different. And, then, we're supposed to believe they are working for us? And, they need more money to do the job?

The AVERAGE COST for EACH mortgage that has been BAILED OUT is $871,000. Now, how much of that is actual "bailout", and how much of it is "ADMINISTRATIVE COSTS". Not the kind of home the average person would even consider to try to afford. TAXES SQUANDERED. And, with all the spending going on from this administration, guess who gets the bill. Mark my words, it's going to come due, and you're not going to like it.

If I recall correctly, GM shut the Saturn division down when they could not sell it to anyone. Too bad. I have known of several people who bought and really liked their Saturn's.

I heard, "no more Hummer, no more Saturn, no more Buick". Also, I have not heard how many people will not be employed as a result of that cut-back.

I'm not sure which of those comments was the funniest and what's worse, that you actually believe them.

:roll:

The day of reckoning is drawing nearer and there are going to be a whole lot of really shocked people when that happens.

GM shut down Oldsmobile a couple of years or so ago. GM is not the company that it was 20 years ago. I have not heard anything about Buick. I am sure that Obama and his highly experienced staff of business managers will have GM turned around and making record profits in no time. :roll:

I don't see much changing for GM until they solve their union problem and get the government out of the picture. Right now they are hamstrung from dealing with the union since the government is so beholden to the union for getting this administration elected.

If I remember hearing correctly, 2010 is the last model year for Pontiacs to be built.

If GM keeps shutting down brands there won't be anything for them to sell. Perhaps they will outsource all manufacturing to India or China and import go carts under the GM label. :confused:

YouTube - Government Motors presents the Chrysler Genericus! :lol: