Lawrence O'Donnell, who lost it on MSNBC the Friday before the election by screaming at Paul O'Neil that he was a liar checked in on the McLaughlin Group with the following quote:
"The big problem the country now has, which is going to produce a serious discussion of secession over the next twenty years, is that the segment on the country that pays for the federal government is now being governed by the people who don't pay for the federal government....Ninety percent of the red states are welfare client states of the federal government. They collect more from the federal government than they send in..."
OK class, let's discuss this. Where do rich people live? Where does John Fonda Kerry live? In a blue state. Howza 'bout Donald Trump? In a blue state. What about the rich celebrities? In a blue state. Teddy Kennedy? Blue state.
Another question: What percentage of taxes are paid by the top 1% of income earners? Would you believe 34%? BTW, they earn 17% of the income.
Why is Larry pissed off? He claims the Republicans want to give tax cuts to those people in the blue states. But they vote for Dimocrats who want to raise their taxes. What's his problem? The people in the blue states want to be taxed. Golly. They must be voting against their own interests.
It just keeps getting better. I can't believe all the material the Dimocrats are giving me for posts. And Cynthia McKinney hasn't even shot off her big mouth yet.
Nobody said much about Cynthia skulking back into congress. I'm suprised that the Blue States didn't call that a note of sanity in an otherwise ignorant voting public.
Okay, Denny--- how long before she uses her mouth to show her ass again?
Posted by: Acidman on November 9, 2004 03:45 PMIf the blue states wanna secede, I think they'll be surprised when it doesn't turn into a war like last time. Fact is, many in the red states would be glad to see them go.
Posted by: daniel on November 9, 2004 04:26 PMWhen they talk about secession, they need to remember the biggest of the "blue" states, California. Exactly how well has it done with its own economics as of late? Yeah, if it's any indicator of the potential for a "Blue America" and a "Red America," I believe a "Red America" would do quite well on its own. Pretty soon afterward, The Peoples Republik of California would come groveling to the United Red States of America looking to be bailed out of its dept.
Oh wait.
They already have.
Posted by: Reiggin on November 9, 2004 04:45 PMWhile I didn't see the O'Donnell/O'Neil episode, these red/blue taxation/spending discrepencies are highlighted at http://taxprof.typepad.com/taxprof_blog/2004/09/red_states_feed.html
Excerpt:
"The Tax Foundation has released a fascinating report showing which states benefit from federal tax and spending policies, and which states foot the bill.
The report shows that of the 32 states (and the District of Columbia) that are "winners" -- receiving more in federal spending than they pay in federal taxes -- 76% are Red States that voted for George Bush in 2000. Indeed, 17 of the 20 (85%) states receiving the most federal spending per dollar of federal taxes paid are Red States."
The South, because of its location, receives disproportionate funds for national defense and for highways. Tell the blue states to get their own armies and quit clogging our roads to get to Disney World and they can keep their money.
Posted by: Woody on November 9, 2004 06:55 PMIt just keeps getting better. I can't believe all the material the Dimocrats are giving me for posts. And Cynthia McKinney hasn't even shot off her big mouth yet.
Didn't have the radio on this afternoon, didja Denny? Crazy Cynthia has gone off already about the electronic voting machines and how they cost the Demwits the election. Didn't hear all of it, but "SHE KNOWS" that fraud took place.
I hate Denise Majette for giving that yucklehead a chance to get back in power.
Denny, John O'Neill.
I wonder if they ever wonder where their food originates. If they were to succeed, all the vaunted lands the Birkenstock crowd genuflects before (Oh! Mother Gaia!) would need to be converted to farmland, even icky cattle farms with the death and the blood and the bolt guns... Then there is the matter of all those manufacturing plants and things like cotton to contend with. Someone has not given this much thought--but what do you expect?
This "pays for federal government" argument is really strange coming from the very people who help establish and, oddly enough, exacerbate, the 'progressive' tax system, thus taxing themselves more.
But what is overwhelmingly obvious is the utter childishness of the Left. When a child is incapable of getting its way, it proverbially "takes its ball and goes home". The Left does not respect or appreciate democracy or our Constitutional Republic. It respects being in power. They don't get their way? Divorce from those fools who don't consider them their intellectual and moral betters.
If you love something, do you publicly postulate to divorce yourself from it or emigrate to foreign lands every time you do not get your way?
If you want to understand the Left, go watch four-year olds at the sandbox. [Digression: Are sandboxes still legal? Has the over-protective Left banned those because children were getting sand in their eyes? See-Saws are gone. Jungle gyms are gone. Tall metal slides (the ones that actually fun) are gone. Dodgeball is on the way out.]
Posted by: addison on November 9, 2004 09:38 PMIf you want to see where the tax dollars go:
Posted by: Poker Player (aka Jim) on November 9, 2004 10:39 PMPresident Bush has betrayed me.
According to my self-appointed intellectual and moral betters, the reason I voted for Bush was because I am an ignorant Christian fanatic (is 'ignorant' modifying 'Christian' superfluous according to the Left?). With that established and my needing the establishment of a Christian theocracy (which would mean...what? Abortion would be illegal? And then what?), why has Bush forsaken me by allowing John Ashcroft to resign? Why, oh, why?
How can we establish a theocracy without Chief Theocrat, John Ashcroft?
All hope is lost, Denny. All hope. [Maybe it is a Rovian plot to make one think the theocracy is on hold... Yes, that is it.]
Posted by: addison on November 10, 2004 01:43 AMRich Democrats in blue states who want to raise taxes are not voting against their interests, because their primary interest might not be to gain more wealth than they already have. Perhaps they would rather see their excess money spent on improving their country, their society and their world.
You might follow up by asking, how can the Democrats care about improving life for the people in red states and then vote against the candidate of choice in those states? This is not a paradox by any means. Perhaps the people in red states don't fully understand the effect that each presidential candidate would have on their lives. Perhaps the people in red states don't accurately foresee how future problems are likely to be dealt with by the different candidates. Perhaps they are relatively clueless about the issues and the respective platforms of the candidates (this is definitely a possibility in light of a recent survey). If the red states can tell New York how to protect itself from another attack, then the blue stats can tell Georgia how to achieve a higher standard of living.
Posted by: Liron on November 10, 2004 01:59 AMTime Out:
USMC: Only branch of the military conceived, created and formed for battle ... in a Bar!
( Tun Tavern -- Philadelphia, PA -- 11/10/1775)
November 2004
USMC Birthday!
When: Wednesday, 11/10/04 - All Day
Where: Everywhere around the Globe!
Description: Happy Birthday to the United States Marine Corps!
November 10, 1775
Tun Tavern, Philadelphia, PA
Tun Tavern and the U.S. Marine Corps
On the 10th of November in 1775, the Continental Congress passed a resolution which said in part:
"...Resolved, that two battalions of Marines be raised, consisting of one colonel, two lieutenant colonels, two majors, and other officers as usual in other regiments; and that they consist of an equal number of privates with other battalions; that particular care be taken, that no persons be appointed to office, or enlisted into said battalions, but such as are good seamen, or so acquainted with maritime affairs as to be able to serve to advantage by sea when required; that they be enlisted and commissioned to serve for and during the present war between Great Britain and the Colonies, unless dismissed by order of Congress; that they be distinguished by the names of the first and second battalions of American Marines..."
With that resolution the Continental Marines were officially born. November 10th is still celebrated around the world today as the Marine Corps Birthday.
Some of you were with me as part of 1st Battalion, 1st Marine Regiment, 1stMarDiv as recently as Viet Nam. 3/1 is under arms as you read this (in Fallujah); 2/1 has the honor of having Lt. Lewis B. Puller Jr. ("Fortunate Son") as one of it's own; 1/1 (and my beloved Charlie Company) was in a place called Hue City in 1968 doing what 1/1 is doing today in Iraq.
Semper Fi! While the term does decidedly NOT mean we will live forever individually, it DOES MEAN that we have lived and died (since 1775!) on the honor of the weakest amongst us as well as the strongest. Such is the Society of MARINES!!!
HAPPY Birthday, Corps!
"The Worst among us is better than the Best can throw against us!"
Yo! Fallujah Marines! From Hue City, Inchon & Guadalcanal!
O, OKAY! The Halls of Montezuma & the shores of Tripoli. :)
SEMPER FI, Marines!
Just on cue, someone repeats the "they're too ignorant to understand the issues" argument while at the same time granting a wonderful altruism on their supposed betters. Stupid and morally inferior, a winning combination.
So original that talking point. I am overwhelmed and nonplused at the erudition and insight it must have taken to deduce it.
Keep it up. Keep losing elections. Really. Keep it up.
Posted by: addison on November 10, 2004 07:24 AMSounds like it just the same old tired argument...It's not fair. Somebody needs to put the microphone at the other end of Larry. I think we would hear more intelligence from those lips.
Posted by: sTEVE on November 10, 2004 08:31 AMThe left must be fresh out of half-witted conspiracy theories to cough up this gem. No thanks to the blue counties, Bush STILL won the election. It's easy to spot where Dimocrats have the greatest constituency: in high population density areas. Those areas typically have a higher absolute number of societal have-nots (albeit maybe not a higher percentage) than the relatively sparsely-populated south and midwest.
For a lefty to claim moral superiority because their [city, county, state, whatever] area pays more in taxes than it receives is disingenuous. Why not break it down to individuals? I pay income taxes which ostensibly benefit me very little. Do I bitch and moan because there are those who pay absolutely NO taxes and receive federal benefits on top of that perk? Of course I do. But, then again, I'm not advocating a change in domicile to some pusillanimous third-world jerkwater such as fwance.
Posted by: skh on November 10, 2004 03:50 PM