House Speaker Paul Ryan won't seek re-election

ataraxia said:

Before we talk about the level of government that you feel comfortable managing social programs, let’s see if we can agree on whether any government help for anything is communism or not. Is, for example, a public school system an example of socialism at the local level and that’s why it’s OK ? Or would it work better if we fully privatize all elementary school education? Maybe that might provide incentive for people to work hard if they knew that there would be no guarantee that their children would not get an education if they did not have a job?

Right now you seem to be conflating two unrelated things, namely what level of government is OK to help people who hit hard times or need help, with economic systems of socialism in general. From what I understand you to be saying right now, socialist policies are OK at the local level, but not the federal. Is that incorrect?

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Reminds me of Groucho Marx as Hammer in The Cocoanuts, faced with a rebellion by his unpaid bellhops: Similarly:
Conservative: Do you want to be dependent on government help to survive?
Poor: No.
Conservative: Of course not. But what makes people dependent on help? Help!

ObamacareFail said:

Is that what you are basing your predicted democrat wave in Congress on? State legislative races? At least the four special elections I brought up are congressional seats.

Sent from my SM-G900V using Tapatalk

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I'm basing my blue wave on special election victories, the HUGE swing in those election numbers, the Dems winning red districts, and the vast numbers of incumbent Republicans choosing to tucking tail and run away.

leekohler2 said:

As for Republican policies hurting me? We'll, I'm gay for starters. Would you like me to list the Republican policies that can and have hurt me in the past and the ones they'd like to use to do the same in the future?

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Whether you are gay or not is irrelevant to me as I don't thrust my sexual activities on you so why do you think it is fine for you to flaunt yours? What part of states' rights prevents gays from being recognized? you are 3% of the population and you want to flaunt being gay do it in a state that supports it. Gay rights is trumped economic and foreign policy failures for without strong economic results and national security you wouldn't have any rights at all. The top issues facing the American people are economic and national security. you want something else take it up with your state!

poweRob said:

I'm basing my blue wave on special election victories, the HUGE swing in those election numbers, the Dems winning red districts, and the vast numbers of incumbent Republicans choosing to tucking tail and run away.

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Better check context instead of the D or R after their name. Think those Democrats winning in Red Districts ran on the Obama record, policies and legacy? Be careful what you wish for because the Democratic Party is changing into something the radical left will never recognize

MTAtech said:

Reminds me of Groucho Marx as Hammer in The Cocoanuts, faced with a rebellion by his unpaid bellhops:

Hammer: Wages? Do you want to be wage slaves? Answer me that!
Bellhops: No.
Hammer: No, of course not. But what makes wage slaves? Wages!
​

Similarly:
Conservative: Do you want to be dependent on government help to survive?
Poor: No.
Conservative: Of course not. But what makes people dependent on help? Help!

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Again, you have no understanding of the taxes you pay or the role of the Federal, State, or Local Governments and thus you have zero credibility. No other country in the world provides the opportunities for "wage slaves" to maximize their own personal wealth than this one. You want equal outcome, NOT equal opportunity and therein lies your problem and why you keep losing elections

Conservative said:

Then you are one that doesn't have a clue as to the governments you have, their role, or the taxes you pay. Every state has an EPA department what do they do? A good civics and history class will teach you that thus I suggest that is where you start. SS and Medicare are funded by Payroll taxes. NOT EVERYONE PARTICIPATES, get it yet? That precious federal govt. that you seem to love put SS and Medicare on budget and into the unified budget created by LBJ in the 60's. Any idea what that did to the SS and Medicare fund? Think for a change and stop buying rhetoric.

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I am 51 years old and am quite aware of what SS and Medicare do, thanks. I have parents in their late 70s. I am also quite well-educated, you're not talking to a teenager. And given the way you write, I'd say you could use a good class in the English language.

One more time, do you want to have a discussion, or do you want to be insulting and condescending? I can do either. Seems that all you want to do is the "insulting and condescending" part.

Conservative said:

Nothing I posted is a personal attack yet as usual liberals are so sensitive and no criticism is acceptable. Yes, I do feel sorry for the homeless but I also know that it is the state and local communities that are going to solve it, not federal bureaucrats. You don't seem to be able to understand that.. As far as knowing where I am going that is a given as I do know that and based upon what I see from you I believe I know where you are going as well.

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Criticism is one thing, insulting people's intelligence is another. And that's all you've been doing.

MTAtech said:

Reminds me of Groucho Marx as Hammer in The Cocoanuts, faced with a rebellion by his unpaid bellhops:

Hammer: Wages? Do you want to be wage slaves? Answer me that!
Bellhops: No.
Hammer: No, of course not. But what makes wage slaves? Wages!
​

Similarly:
Conservative: Do you want to be dependent on government help to survive?
Poor: No.
Conservative: Of course not. But what makes people dependent on help? Help!

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Conservative said:

Again, you have no understanding of the taxes you pay or the role of the Federal, State, or Local Governments and thus you have zero credibility. No other country in the world provides the opportunities for "wage slaves" to maximize their own personal wealth than this one. You want equal outcome, NOT equal opportunity and therein lies your problem and why you keep losing elections

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In my professional, and highly respected, Debate Politics opinion, MTAtech scores a devastating win in this exchange.

Conservative, you are awarded no points, and may god have mercy on your soul.

leekohler2 said:

I am 51 years old and am quite aware of what SS and Medicare do, thanks. I have parents in their late 70s. I am also quite well-educated, you're not talking to a teenager. And given the way you write, I'd say you could use a good class in the English language.

One more time, do you want to have a discussion, or do you want to be insulting and condescending? I can do either. Seems that all you want to do is the "insulting and condescending" part.

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I come bearing the goodness of my condescension to balance the badness of his condescension.

What can I say, I care too much, I'm a giver. I can't help it.

Lerxst said:

In my professional, and highly respected, Debate Politics opinion, MTAtech scores a devastating win in this exchange.

Conservative, you are awarded no points, and may god have mercy on your soul.

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Come on lerxst. Play nice. Give him one of these...

Conservative said:

I am a states' rights person understanding that it is state and local taxes that fund schools thus putting the control at the local level. Is that communism? Of course not, you elect your school board, your property and state taxes fund the schools and if you don't like the way they are operated you change the leadership. Seems many are too lazy to work for change expecting others to do it for them. I don't call states' rights issues socialism because they rest control at the state level, not the federal bureaucrats. Individual counties control the education process and that isn't socialism

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I think you are a little confused. Which particular level of government jurisdiction something is done by does not make that something communism. That's like wanting your neighborhood condo association to pay for your local elementary school rather than the city/county government, and then trying to justify it by saying that the county government is communism, but your condo association is not. What government functions should be done at which level of jurisdiction is always an issue that should be discussed, and that's fine. It should be discussed. But it has nothing to do with communism vs. capitalism.

I am not sure why if a certain function like the public schools is paid for by one level of government, people will want to work less, but if paid for by another, it will want to make them want to work more. I think you are just mixing up various unrelated Fox News talking points and getting yourself a little confused in the process.

Jack Hays said:

I supported his 2016 campaign and I think he would have been a superb President.

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Kasich has a problem he has more support from Democrats than Republicans:
https://www.5dimes.eu/BbGameSelection.asp

2020 US Presidential Election, Republicans

Sun 11/10 101 Donald Trump wins Presidential Election +165
Sun 11/10 107 Mike Pence wins Presidential Election +1300
Sun 11/10 127 Paul Ryan wins Presidential Election +4000
Sun 11/10 151 John Kasich wins Presidential Election +6600

If Kasich intends to run he'll be known as the Republican Harold Stassen

ataraxia said:

I think you are a little confused. Which particular level of government jurisdiction something is done by does not make that something communism. That's like wanting your neighborhood condo association to pay for your local elementary school rather than the city/county government, and then trying to justify it by saying that the county government is communism, but your condo association is not. What government functions should be done at which level of jurisdiction is always an issue that should be discussed, and that's fine. It should be discussed. But it has nothing to do with communism vs. capitalism.

I am not sure why if a certain function like the public schools is paid for by one level of government, people will want to work less, but if paid for by another, it will want to make them want to work more. I think you are just mixing up various unrelated Fox News talking points and getting yourself a little confused in the process.

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You caught that too, huh? I found that post to be extremely wacky too.

leekohler2 said:

I am 51 years old and am quite aware of what SS and Medicare do, thanks. I have parents in their late 70s. I am also quite well-educated, you're not talking to a teenager. And given the way you write, I'd say you could use a good class in the English language.

One more time, do you want to have a discussion, or do you want to be insulting and condescending? I can do either. Seems that all you want to do is the "insulting and condescending" part.

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No, I don't think you have a clue what SS and Medicare are as they were supplements not sole retirement and they were never intended to be put on budget or part of the unified budget but like with most politicians the bureaucrats saw the money coming in and little going out so they used that money first to pay for the Vietnam War then left it there to use as they see fit. You see, federal bureaucrats never are held accountable for spending so now that they are running short they want more taxes no accounting for the improper use.

You are 51? I am 71 and on SS and Medicare as I contributed for 35 years to both as did my employer. Any idea what I would have had I been able to put that money into a non withdrawal 401 savings account? Figure it out and get back to me. Then have your wife do the same thing and see what happens if she dies like mine did at 62. I got a check for $250 so thank you Federal bureaucrats.

I don't mind having a discussion but won't take the radical anti Republican bull**** that you are spouting because it is a lie and nothing more than propaganda given you by radicals. Just look at the cheerleading of your posts as none have posted any data like I have. Spent 35 years in the business world and if the best you can do is criticize my English then stick with your radical friends, always be dependent on someone else, and keep looking for that liberal socialist utopia you will never find. If you don't want to be talked to like a teenager quit acting like one making charges you cannot back up.

Conservative said:

Again, you have no understanding of the taxes you pay or the role of the Federal, State, or Local Governments and thus you have zero credibility. No other country in the world provides the opportunities for "wage slaves" to maximize their own personal wealth than this one. You want equal outcome, NOT equal opportunity and therein lies your problem and why you keep losing elections

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Actually that is incorrect. The US USED to be the country with one of the highest social mobilities in the world. Everyone had opportunities. But that was for only a short time between WWII and Reagan's time, with social and government helped that helped everyone, from the GI bill to Medicare. That was when the middle class was created in this country. But after Reagan policies, the level of social mobility in this country has been decreasing dramatically, as have the growth in extremes of wealth and poverty.

The relationship between father-son earnings is tighter in the United States than in most peer OECD countries, meaning U.S. mobility is among the lowest of major industrialized economies. The relatively low correlations between father-son earnings in Scandinavian countries provide a stark contradiction to the conventional wisdom. An elasticity of 0.47 found in the United States offers much less likelihood of moving up than an elasticity of 0.18 or less, as characterizes Finland, Norway, and Denmark.
https://www.epi.org/publication/usa-lags-peer-countries-mobility/

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"Today there is far more inter-generational social mobility in Europe than in the United States, contrary to the American myth that the United States is still the world’s No. 1 land of opportunity. The Economic Mobility Project of Pew Charitable Trusts has shown that children are far less likely to rise above the socio-economic levels of their parents in the U.S. than are those in Britain, Canada and Australia, as well as Germany, France and the Nordic nations. The American South, with the lowest rates of intergenerational social mobility in the U.S., clearly skews the national statistics, creating an embarrassing and depressing version of American exceptionalism."
https://www.nationalreview.com/corner/economic-mobility-united-states-compared-europe-scandinavia/

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leekohler2 said:

Criticism is one thing, insulting people's intelligence is another. And that's all you've been doing.

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you don't want your intelligence challenged then show you have some. Show that you understand the differences and roles of the various governments you have and the taxes you pay along with their purpose. You are 51 years old and ought to know better than what you are showing here. whether it be SS, Medicare, School funding, homelessness, or poverty you are searching for answers in the wrong place, the Federal Govt.

Lerxst said:

In my professional, and highly respected, Debate Politics opinion, MTAtech scores a devastating win in this exchange.

Conservative, you are awarded no points, and may god have mercy on your soul.

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Do you people go to radical cult school? You obviously have no understanding of debate or debate scoring, maybe will when you take a debate class in high school

ataraxia said:

I think you are a little confused. Which particular level of government jurisdiction something is done by does not make that something communism. That's like wanting your neighborhood condo association to pay for your local elementary school rather than the city/county government, and then trying to justify it by saying that the county government is communism, but your condo association is not. What government functions should be done at which level of jurisdiction is always an issue that should be discussed, and that's fine. It should be discussed. But it has nothing to do with communism vs. capitalism.

I am not sure why if a certain function like the public schools is paid for by one level of government, people will want to work less, but if paid for by another, it will want to make them want to work more. I think you are just mixing up various unrelated Fox News talking points and getting yourself a little confused in the process.

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Communism is the central control so tell me how the thousands of school districts across the country create central control? You really have no idea what taxes you pay, do you or their purpose? Neighborhood Association taxes have no bearing on school funding so again another strike against the liberal education you have received

People choose where to live thus what level of taxes to pay and what school system they want to be part of, something apparently you don't understand which is another strike against the liberal education you seem to have received. Take control of your own govt. and stop blaming someone else for the poor choices or poor leaders you elect.

Conservative said:

Communism is the central control

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That's not communism. If so, then the entire US military is communism.

Try again.

You can't just define things privately. Words have to have a meaning that is commonly agreed to in the language community you are using it in.

ataraxia said:

Actually that is incorrect. The US USED to be the country with one of the highest social mobilities in the world. Everyone had opportunities. But that was for only a short time between WWII and Reagan's time, with social and government helped that helped everyone, from the GI bill to Medicare. That was when the middle class was created in this country. But after Reagan policies, the level of social mobility in this country has been decreasing dramatically, as have the growth in extremes of wealth and poverty.

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OMG, your ignorance of history and economics is staggering. You have no understanding of what creates mobility but it is effort, risk taking, hard work but that is something you don't understand. You think things are better in Europe, move there and see how green the grass truly is. Seems you want equal outcome not equal opportunity. With the attitude you have you better hope for equal outcome because you aren't going to earn it. I grew up in a lower income household, worked hard, took risk, never expected a job for life but had a job for life due to performance and reached the American dream. As many here will tell you and as radicals point out I am not the sharpest tack in the tool box but I made it and probably pay more in charitable giving that most of these radicals make. You seem to want certainty and that isn't what built this country other than the certainty of equal opportunity. tell me you don't have equal opportunity to reach the top 1% and explain why? the pie continues to grow, take your share of it by your own efforts. You want someone to give you something, you are doomed to failure

Conservative said:

Do you people go to radical cult school? You obviously have no understanding of debate or debate scoring, maybe will when you take a debate class in high school

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And this is why no one wants to engage you. Read your own posts. You can't even form a coherent sentence, yet you accuse other people of lacking education.

You're going on ignore. I have no desire to waste my time any further.

ataraxia said:

That's not communism. If so, then the entire US military is communism.

Try again.

You can't just define things privately. Words have to have a meaning that is commonly agreed to in the language community you are using it in.

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Neither is state or local school board control as it is run by the people in that community, not the state bureaucrats and there is equal opportunity but NEVER equal outcome and to me that is a good thing. Based upon what I see from the left here I don't want any of their kind of govt. and the electorate got it which is why we have Trump.

Definition of communism. 1 a : a system in which goods are owned in common and are available to all as needed.

leekohler2 said:

And this is why no one wants to engage you. Read your own posts. You can't even form a coherent sentence, yet you accuse other people of lacking education.

You're going on ignore. I have no desire to waste my time any further.

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Great, glad to hear it. The left always says that then runs when challenged, run, baby run, you don't want the facts, you want someone to tell you what you want to hear and that it is always someone else's fault for your poor financial or social performance. Get over yourself

Bassman said:

And yet you will still not get a Democrat back in the WH after that. Plus the SCOTUS is safely in Conservative hands for generations. Suck on that!

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2020 will see a Democratic win retaking both the White House and the Senate giving them the same control the GOP enjoys today.

Bassman said:

And yet you will still not get a Democrat back in the WH after that. Plus the SCOTUS is safely in Conservative hands for generations. Suck on that!

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People have gone broke and crazy trying to predict the Supreme Court.