Barack's Speech

[PixelPusher]

i'm not saying republicans didn't spend, spend, spend. not at all. i'm asking do they solely and exclusively hold that blame? if feel if i stole a dollar, but someone steals 100 dollars we are equally guilty. now answer the question...............please.

Well if you want to get all "meta" about it, everyone is to blame because, in spite of the record low dissaproval rating for Congress that everyone brings up ("worse than Bush's") that just measures peoples disapproval of Congress as a whole...ask them about THEIR pork barrel sugar daddy of a Senator or Representative, and they LOVE him, and keep re-electing him(or her) over and over again. So everyone else's pork barrel spending sucks, but they think all the goodies their State/District gets is just groovy.

Everyone else's corruption is bad, but you line up to get yours when the opportunity presents itself.

[ggoose25]

Tax cuts did improve the economy and added for revenue. The war is an expenditure authorized in the consitution. Social spending isn't. I agree too much was spend with earmarks, and not trying to roll back spending, but we are better of than we would be without the tax cuts. Learn about The Laffer Curve.

Now I don't want to hear the lame slogan that includes "record spending." Every year is a record compared to the previous. It's the nature of inflation.

I'm not arguing that tax cuts aren't good for the economy. I'm arguing that regardless of whether the spending is authorized by the cons ution or not, the Congress has the power to control the budget. Republicans who pride themselves on fiscal conservatism wrote the budget for 6 of the past 8 years. If you increase spending on a war, then go ahead and bring in money from somewhere else to fund it. You can't have your cake and eat it too. Tax cuts are beneficial for everyone, but if there isn't money to cut, then don't do it.

[Viva Las Espuelas]

You may both be guilty of theft, but obviously one is a more serious offense and deserving of more punishment.

there's no such thing as almost pregnant. you're either guilty or non guilty.

[ggoose25]

Oh but then again, I forgot. Congress didn't include the majority of the war spending in the regular appropriation bills. I guess it doesn't count against the deficit.

Now I'm stuck paying this off, while you and Xray get to keel over in a few years.

[Viva Las Espuelas]

in regards to people losing their homes because they can't afford them, is he referring to the not-so-above minimum wage citizen, legal or illegal, (again, let's not let facts muddy up the water) living in a $250,000+ home.........with 3+ kids, perhaps?

[Das Texan]

Tax cuts did improve the economy and added for revenue. The war is an expenditure authorized in the consitution. Social spending isn't. I agree too much was spend with earmarks, and not trying to roll back spending, but we are better of than we would be without the tax cuts. Learn about The Laffer Curve.

Now I don't want to hear the lame slogan that includes "record spending." Every year is a record compared to the previous. It's the nature of inflation.

where is the ing declaration of war?

[Das Texan]

Oh and that was a great speech.

Obama addressed every criticism that has been laid at his steps. Obama more than anything else is someone who can bring people together, can unite people for a common cause.

One of the overlying themes tonight was going out into the world and rebuilding the relationships that Bush has ed up in the last 7 years, especially after giving the world the middle finger when going into Iraq. We do that, and things will begin to improve dramatically.

Will Obama accomplish everything he said he would? Not likely.

But if Obama can accomplish just 2 of the major things he said he would, this nation would be a of a lot better off.

Especially the education part.

[T Park]

Yeah keep pouring money into a government sink hole along with doing something thats never worked before in socialized medicine.

I can't wait.

[T Park]

I rewatch the speech and all i can think of with the fireworks and confetti is.

My tax dollars at work

[bobbyjoe]

Yeah keep pouring money into a government sink hole along with doing something thats never worked before in socialized medicine.

I can't wait.

I'm sorry but that's absolute and utter baloney.

http://pressesc.com/01179219349_us_h...east_effective

http://streetlightblog.blogspot.com/...alth-care.html

These are the hard, cold facts about US healthcare today:

-Overall costs for the system (govt, individual, and company spending) are about double to triple that of the majority of the world's industrialized, wealthy nations. The majority of these nations DO employ universal health care based systems.

-In terms of overall quality, American healthcare scores RIDICULOUSLY poorly in every key health metric: life expectancy, infant mortality rate, and % of preventable deaths.

-Please explain to me how US Healthcare is working when it spends 2 to 3 times what other nations do and yet the outcome is very substandard in terms of quality and results.

-Good businesses don't beat their chests and remain in denial when their compe ors are kicking their asses. They investigate why their systems are failing and seek to improve them. Other nations are treating healthcare MUCH MUCH more effectively than America and the statistics bear that out.

Stop repeating tired, fear mongering right wing lines and take a look at actual hard, cold reality.

There is no bigger crisis in the US today than Healthcare. Energy included. Healtcare costs as a % of GDP are absolutely exploding which is a drag on the economy and hurts the abilities of American companies to compete because so much expense has to be devoted to healthcare.

Preventive medicine is very poor in America right now which results in people not getting treatment until treatment is desperately needed and exhorbinantly expensive, which results in much overall costs to the system.

Stating we dont have a serious healtcare problem is serious denial. It's not just a poor system, it's absolutely failed and failed miserably when you look at return on investment of US health care dollars vs. return on investment of other industrialized nations.

Doctor's flat out ripping off patients with unnecessary surgeries based mainly on greed is another very, very serious problem in the US right now and a major reason for the absolute explosion in health care costs. This is one area where the private sector has failed miserably in America.

http://www.commonwealthfund.org/publ...?doc_id=692682

http://health.msn.com/mens-health/ar...ntid=100164538

What cleary ISNT working is the current US Healthcare system.

[timvp]

Good speech. I got tired of his uplifting messages. It was about time he swung back. He made a lot of unrealistic promises ... but then again, that's what politicians do.

I won't vote because McCain will win Texas easily but my mental vote is undecided. I'll have to wait for the debates.

[AFBlue]

It was an absolutely fantastic speech.


Now all he has to do is pull a golden egg out of his ass and get Santa Claus to come down my chimney and I'll actually believe he can pull off everything he promised.


All he did was tell everyone what they wanted to hear.


I'd have preferred a little better grasp of reality. We don't live in Disneyland...and only a fool thinks we ever could.

Lots of fools in that crowd.

Sorry, didn't mean to rain on everyones parade...it's just a sad fact of life that parades really do get rained on from time to time.

After outlining the plan for what he promised, he did state that he had a plan to pay for every cent. Whether it's true or not remains to be seen, but just when I was asking myself the "how?" question, he made the "this is how" general statement.

[AFBlue]

His attacks on McCain's policies were needed in a convention devoid of them.

Acknowledging McCain's personal qualities (courage, patriotism) and even acknowledging his tendency to break from mainstream on issues, while simultanously dismissing him as "4more years of the same" was tough, but I think he pulled it off.

Did he change my vote? Nah, but he made a lot of salient points and gave a concrete speech about his policies and McCain's policy weaknesses.

[JoeChalupa]

He did a great job and although TPark's ignorance shows through again no matter what you may think of Obama you had to give him credit for raising the bar and flying over it last night. It is on.

[101A]

-In terms of overall quality, American healthcare scores RIDICULOUSLY poorly in every key health metric: life expectancy, infant mortality rate, and % of preventable deaths.

Most of your statistics are directly attributable to lifestyle habits and choices; not access to "healthcare".

They won't change, regardless of the funding mechanism for payment of health claims.

Is it pure coincidence that over 50% of new pharmaceuticals are discovered in this country, as are the latest surgical techniques and technologies? Those eventually, of course, spread to the other healthcare systems, but if the U.S. follows those models, do we risk slowing the rate of advance?

What about doctor shortages and pay? In "successful" centralized systems, much of their savings comes directly from price controls on Doctors. Doctors in Canada, for instance, earn 40% of what their peers in the U.S. do - their system (nor Germany's, Japan's, or G. Briitain's) wouldn't work without those controls. Are we going to universally demand doctors take large pay cuts, or are we simply going to continue to let them earn equivalent salaries, but change the funding mechanism?

[101A]

Haven't checked the facts, but Wikipedia states the following about U.S. taxpayers:

the top 5% with gross income of $137,056 or more pay 57.1% (earning 33.4%)

In his speech last night, Barrack repeated his promise to give a tax cut to "95%" of working Americans. That leaves 5% with a tax increase, which he has also promised.

That 5% currently earns 33% of the income, and pays 57% of the taxes. Apparently they can shoulder much more (enough to give the other 95% a tax break).

A serious question: How much is enough? I asked in another thread recently what the top rate should be, and I had a single response; when that response (by a liberal) was shown to be even below MCAIN and Bush's top rate - the thread died.

How much taxation is enough? When has one American taken enough of the tax burden for 9.5 of his fellow citizens? When will the "most fortunate" have paid enough that the rest of us can thank them for their contributions, and not lambast them for their fortunes?

[florige]

Don't get upset because he gives great speeches and can move people.
I mean c'mon, if every politician only said the stuff they COULD do for sure none of them would ever even get a shot in office. The ones saying he can't do this and can't do that should at least know that much about these assholes.... Sheesh.... Lets see what McCain comes up with next week. You know they are planning to talk some bulls*hit too......

[JudynTX]

Fireworks @ the end? WTF? Did he win already? I thought that was a bit much.

[florige]

Fireworks @ the end? WTF? Did he win already? I thought that was a bit much.

True. I had my back to the television when they started and I jumped when I heard it. I thought something had blew up!!

[spurster]

Too many promises, but I like the 10 year energy independence idea. This might be more like 20 or 30 years, but it will be much longer than that unless we get focused on it. McCain seems to have voted against alternative energy whenever he could.

Our health-care system badly needs a fix, but I fear we would get something like prescription Medicare, which allows too many tax and deficit dollars feed the pharmas.

Obama's speeches are much better in person. The broadcast cut out much of the crowd noise, so you couldn't get a good idea of the energy and excitement from the crowd.

[JudynTX]

True. I had my back to the television when they started and I jumped when I heard it. I thought something had blew up!!

I wonder how much that cost?

[Anti.Hero]

Dude fumbled through his teleprompter.

He still is no where close to Bill's speaking abilities. Great speaker? Axelrod, Pen, those speech-writers are getting paid MILLIONS. All Obama has to do is read off 3 diff. screens and extend words in his preacher like fashion.



I loved his gates of quote though. It's about time this fight get bloody.

Let's see if Mcweaksauce will finally take off the gloves.

[Supergirl]

Yeah keep pouring money into a government sink hole along with doing something thats never worked before in socialized medicine.

I can't wait.

When has the U.S. tried socialized medicine? I must have missed that time in history.

The closest things we have is Medicare, for seniors and the disabled, and it sucks because it is underfunded and very few providers accept it, because they reimburse so low. If we had an actual system of universal health care for everyone who does not have insurance through their employers, then things would be a lot more effective.

Massachusetts is actually a decent model to look to in terms of health care: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Massach...th_care_reform
It has a balance of state-funded health care (Known as Mass Health, which in terms of quality is actually BETTER coverage than what many private insurances provide) and also employer-provided health care. THere's also a pretty simple process in place to help people apply for health care and determine what they're eligible for. Commonwealth Care is also really decent insurance that covers people who make too much money (over 35K) for Mass Health but still don't have employer-provided health care, and the premiums are quite reasonable.

[101A]

When has the U.S. tried socialized medicine?

Medicare, Medicaid, TriCare are all funded by the govt.

Half of the people covered in this country are covered through some form of "socialized" medicine.

Also, you DO realize the aging of the boomers, and the corresponding health issues that go along with GETTING OLDER is a large factor in health care price increases, don't you?

[101A]

The closest things we have is Medicare, for seniors and the disabled, and it sucks because it is underfunded and very few providers accept it, because they reimburse so low. If we had an actual system of universal health care for everyone who does not have insurance through their employers, then things would be a lot more effective.

The U.S. govt. screws up one program, so you want to give them MORE?

Do you not see the lack of logic in that?

Most providers accept Medicare because most sick people are old. It's not underfunded; the govt. isn't allowed to not fund it's programs. You could make the argument, however, that its cost is increasing at a much more rapid rate than any of its designers ever admitted it would.

Also, if it "reimburses" so low; and you argue that, for that reason, providers don't accept it, what are those providers going to do when ALL people are covered by a similar plan? Just accept less money for the same, or more work? Or will they just (if able) retire, and give us the same doctor shortages other countries are blessed with?