WHAT first recession?  We were BOOMING under Clinton.  The bursting of the Internet bubble wasn't a RECESSION, it was just the usual market correcting over-inflated BS.  And do you think ANY recent market up and down compares in the slightest to the situation we are in now?

LOANS from the Chinese paid for that tax cut, which sank the value of the US dollar against other currencies, etc.  There is no free money here.  Bush just traded LOANS for votes that have to be paid for by the next two generations of American productivity.

As I said above, PLENTY of blame to go around.  As I have also REPEATEDLY said, Wall Stree lobbyists bought and paid for EVERYBODY.  But, regardless, no one in congress wanted to rock the money boat as long as everyone was profiting. 

You will notice, however, that the Democrats were in the MINORITY throughout the past 12 years, which meant that the REPUBLICANS set the legislative agendas, called the votes, and wielded the presidential VETO that kept only the GOP agenda moving slowly through the halls of government.

I'd suggest you study how those checks and balances work a little better, because you seem to think that just because Barney Frank is the ranking Democrat on the Financial Services Committee during these times that he was the Chairman of the committee (he wasn't the Republicans being the majority chose that).  It just means he was the biggest tuna in the minority pond.

Either way, I've said they ALL deserve our scorn, but, under our system of government, the GOP party that has controlled the White House for 8 years and the congress for 12 bears the brunt of the blame.

In both the Dot-com bubble, and the housing bubble, that was PHANTOM value.  It had no real tangible asset value supporting those numbers.

For example, someone bought their house for $100,000 in 2000.  Then it went up to say $300,000 in 2006 and now has "crashed" back down to $150,000+.   Now, the ignorant would claim that they "lost" $150,000.  But in reality, their house was NEVER worth $300,000 EVER.  It was all phantom, virtual, hype dollars.

If their house appreciated NORMALLY then it's probably worth right around where the housing market has bottomed out, maybe more due to a negative overcorrection.  We won't know for another year or two.

So the whole point is that in these two bubbles, the values were NEVER real and tangible, supported by proper bona fides. 

Neither the Dot-com bubble or this CDS housing bubble wiped out any real value for anyone.  It was all an illusion created out of institutionalized wishful thinking.  And now that REALITY has returned, we're going to take the next year or two to get everything sorted out and back to what their REAL value is.

I'm not asking for anyone to feel guilty.  I was just making the point that he was hauling out the same crap that every generation hears when a new wave of immigrants arrives on our shores.  It's always proven NOT to be true, one wave after another, one generation after another, for over two centuries now.

You also MAKE hundreds of times as much as other Americans.   As a PERCENTAGE you are paying what everyone else pays + a few more percent because of the way our system is tiered.  And because you have truly crappy financial advice. 

He hasn't raised anything yet!  And he certainly isn't planning on raising it any higher than you were already paying under Reagan, Bush Sr., and Clinton, for pete's sake. 

As for me, I think we're ALL going to be paying the price for the Bush bankrupting of this nation for the next few years.  Reduced discretionary spending is already spreading around the world, because this collapse is already rippling.

Good luck with your offshore tax haven research! 

As for me, this country has been so damn good to me that a proposed slight change in the tax code isn't going to run me off.  But I've never been a selfish person by nature.

Just bitter and antagonistic.

Interesting how Rand's ideals of "laissez-faire capitalism" that were so popular through this imaginary boom time have now come crashing down all around us.  I've seen a number of good commentaries recently on how Rand is now thoroughly discredited.

So I guess I'm curious as to why am I the one here giving the right wing conservatives (who presumably espouse "Judeo-Christian" values) today's lesson in "what would Jesus do?" 

Again, the "strategy" from the conservative base here seems to be that they choose to hurl an insult in the hopes that we'll look past the fact that you ignored participating in the argument.  

...or are you just trying to get the post count up? 

it's like thread envy...

I'm buyin!

Didn't know you had inside information.  

We call it truth... but really I could care less about all this now.. I'm just telling you how your coming off to a fair number of folks here.

Thats all.

All you have to do it read his tax plan.  He's ending the Bush tax cut, which means the taxes go back to what they were prior.

Now, regardless, this is all going to go through the ringer in Congress, so who knows what we're actually going to get.  This is just Obama's plan and his intention. 

My expectation is that the taxes will be no higher than they were under Clinton, when our economy was booming and our deficits were shrinking.

It will be interesting to see how it all shakes out.

Another false argument.  The "some people", "most of us", and "fair number" tags are weak debater, rookie mistakes.  State your own opinion for the record and let that opinion, supported by facts, carry the weight of your argument.  It's an easy trap to fall into...as I have from time to time.

As for everyone else, they have the opportunity to speak their minds on an equal footing here and to make their own judgements about which posts are about fear and ignorance, unsupported opinions, smears, and insults, and which are reasoned positions supported by verifiable citations and the weight of the historical record.

haha, my goodness, im not trying to debate you my friend.., your coming off badly, If I say a few other folks think so too it's because its been discussed with me by others, I'm merely pointing it out, if you want to continue looking like you do, go on..It doesn't bother me in the slightest, I have just always called it like I see it and I always will.

If you were my kid tho, I'd put you to bed early.. no supper and a good spankin for not playing nice with others

go on for another 1000 angry, bitter posts, its ALL u baby!