• This is a political forum that is non-biased/non-partisan and treats every person's position on topics equally. This debate forum is not aligned to any political party. In today's politics, many ideas are split between and even within all the political parties. Often we find ourselves agreeing on one platform but some topics break our mold. We are here to discuss them in a civil political debate. If this is your first visit to our political forums, be sure to check out the RULES. Registering for debate politics is necessary before posting. Register today to participate - it's free!

Profits soar amid mass layoffs

1. Get rid of at least half of our aircraft carriers, and a similar number of other ships.
2. Get rid of all our strategic bombers.
3. Get rid of the majority of our tanks and heavy combat vehicles.
4. Get rid of all our nuclear bombs and land based ICBM's, and around half of our sea based ones.
5. Kill the Joint Strike Fighter project, and majorly cut the size of our airforce. Phase out the older planes.
6. Cut the size of our army. Increase the size of our special forces to compensate.
7. Get rid of nearly all oversea military bases. Keep a couple in Japan and South Korea, and also in the Middle East.
8. Have a general redesign of weapons to make things more cost effective.

There you go. I just shaved at least half off the military budget, and probably a good deal more.
our seventh fleet could sit outside our borders and NOTHING could get past them. we need to keep our noses out of other country's business and maybe they wouldn't hate us so and we wouldn't need so much military. it's kind of a catch-22.
 
You're right! I can smoke weed if I want, or go to a prostitute, or get married to someone of the same sex, or fly without being hassled by the government, and there's absolutely no danger of my phone conversations being randomly wiretapped.
not to mention now we are going after parents who's kids are over weight so now we are told what and how much to EAT.
 
Absolutely goddamn ****ing right!

If they don't like it, they should just not **** with us and it won't happen.
if we didn't have our noses so far up their business they might not **** with us.
 
Yes it is. Let's review. Why shouldn't you be allowed to smoke weed? It harms no one but yourself. Why shouldn't you be allowed to go to prostitute, after all don't you believe in the free market? Why shouldn't I be able to marry a guy if I want? It's my life. The last two should be so obvious that I shouldn't have to address them. Is it really okay to have your phone tapped by the government?
speaking of prostitution. why is it illegal to give someone an orgasm? i can think of MUCH worse things you can do to someone. in the military you get a medal for dropping bombs on women and children and civilans go to jail for giving someone an orgasm. i don't get it.
 
No it's not, because all those things I listed are illegal in some if not all 50 states. That is the point we are not freest country on earth. As for tapping your phone, the mere possibility that it could happen should raise red flags.
they tapped them we just didn't raise an eyebrow, unlike the brits.
 
Disregard my post above (#207). I tried to edit it, but didn't quite make the timeline. The following is what I wanted to post (I'll ask the mods to clean things up momentarily):

Which, "loopholes", would those be? I personally don't want any of my deductions taken away from me. I can't afford to pay anymore taxes.

I made 40 g's last year. I don't qualify for the earned income credit, because I'm self employed. I had to cough up 7 grand in taxes and now you think I should pay more goddamned taxes? I'll fight tooth-n-nail any regime that thinks that that's not enough. They can kiss my ass, in fact.

As I've said to you before, settle down small business owner. You got tax cuts from the Stimulus (or should have anyway because there were plenty of them for small business owners), and the tax cuts - revenue raisers - the President has proposed would NOT affect you since you're neither a big corporation, investor or hedge fund owner. So, your $40K/annual earnings/profit would NOT be affected. You can settle down now.

That's not true. Obama's been talking about raising the marginal rate since before he got elected.

Yes, for people making +$250K/annually. Since you've stated your annual earnings from your business don't amount to that, this would not apply to you now, would it? NEXT!

Sounds like Obama is just trying to **** the people, however he can.

Is that right? So, tell me then who exactly caused the housing bubble to burst? Was it the President or was it the greed from morgtage companies, investment companies, insurance giants like AIG or commercial banks who made loans they knew people didn't qualify for? Did the so-called erratic and irresponsible spending just suddenly begin on January 20, 2009 or has it been atleast a decade's long odyssey?

Truth is, so many people are against what the President has proposed because they've become convinced that the spending is strictly a Democrat thing and that all this President wants is a "blank check" to do whatever he wants, and that he's afraid to take on entitlement spending or changes in the tax code. But those folks haven't been listening. They hear what they want to hear and much of that "partialled" and highly opinionated news comes from the likes of Hannity, Levin and Limbaugh.

STOP LISTENING TO THE GARBAGE AND START GETTING THE FACTS!

Go to sources outside the mainstream including government sites, such as house.gov or senate.gov, and read the proposed bills yourself, if posted. Or you can go to govtracks.org and search for legislation. Read news articles from both sides of the political divide; I read news from Fox just as much as I do CNN, but I compare what's said to other news sources, i.e., NYTimes, WashtingtonPost/Times, USAToday and others. I also review various blogs just to get a better feel for what's going on outside of the DC :spin: cycle. Above all, I read ALOT as my wife, BamaBrat, can attest to.

I don't base my opinion on one or two snippets from a single source or a select group on one side of the political divide. I get information for a vast assortment of resources. So, when I come here and post, I'd like to believe I'm as well informed on an issue as I'm going to be. I may lean Democrat, but I try very hard to see the other side of the ledger as well. I just think that pure Conservatism is wrong because it omits so many from being able to participate in achieving that American dream...whatever it may mean to them. American history tells us this country was never founded on such rigid ideology.


Stop holding up drilling permits. A recent study said that 230,000+ jobs would be created, if the permitting process wasn't all mucked up by the government.

You do realize that the permitting process was a joke, right? All those oil companies using the same blanket template to prepare their contingency plans using outdated information? If anything, the President has done things to improve the process. The 6-month moritorium was intended to fix that problem. Since being lifted, oil production has increased and oil companies have begun to submit real plans with accurate, up-to-date information. If all you want is a continuation of the wrecklessness that was the BP oil spill, then you keep right on pushing for the same irresponsible practises that caused one of our nation's coastlines to halt their way of life.

Stop over-regulating the coal industry. Obama has already promised to put them out of business.

I asked the question just yesterday what led to the housing bubble crisis and every other deep recession/depression this country has experienced. Unfortunately, nobody dared to answer. So, I'll tell you: DEREGULATION!

The Great Depression - no rules to govern the banks. Once the Glass–Steagall Act was passed in 1933, it kept a lid on improper commercial banking practises for 66 years!

The Savings and Loan crisis of the 80' - deregulation brought on by the Tax Reform Act of 1986.

The housing bubble of 2008 - again, deregulation of Glass-Steagall which removed the blocks that kept mortgage companies, investment companies, insurance companies and commercial banks from conducting such financial practises that one could hardly be distingushed from the other.

Stop trying to turn our food supply into our fuel supply. Ethanol subsidies have driven up the price of corn and thereby, the price of beef, pork and chicken.

Hence, the reason those such subsidies have been removed. NEXT!

Stop with over-regulation by the EPA.

If Congress would act accordingly, this wouldn't be a problem.

Basically, Obama should halt 99% of his agenda. It's what's cocking things up.

No, what's cocking things up is Wall Street now has to adjust to doing things the right way instead of "the greedy way". And just as after the Great Depression began and new regulations were implemented, it's going to take an adjustment period for the markets to catch-up. (It also doesn't help that instead of lending again, banks and large corporate investors are accumulating wealth to pad their financial portfolios at present.)

A little free advice: you can't knowingly kill jobs, then bitch that you're not getting enough tax revenue.

Had big businesses acted with a conscience we wouldn't be in this position!! Think it through, man!

I'm a small business owner.

Yes, we know...

Yes, I work in the oilfield--an oil company shill according to some on this forum. Another hint: If I go out of business, and get a job where I do qualify for the earned income credit, I'll never pay taxes, again. Tell me who wins in that scenario.

That same question is now being asked by the millions of hard working individuals who lost their jobs due to no fault of their own either from the wrecklessness of individuals businesses, irresponsible actions by large investment corporations or politicians (Republican leadership) who believed it best to balance their state budgets on the backs of public employees vice taking the hard hits and cutting spending on unnecessary programs within their respective states. Put simply: It's far easier to cut payroll and work political angles (re: gut public education, retirement and health care plans) than it is to put pressure on businesses to do the right thing or take away worthless programs because states don't want to give up federal dollars.

Ya'll Liberals are always harping about raising taxes and closing, "loopholes", but I seriously doubt any of you have the first damn clue how it will effect real people.

REAL PEOPLE ARE SUFFERRING EVERY DAMN DAY based on the foolishness by Republicans over the last 30 years!!!! I don't live in a bubble. I live in the world same as you. I just take a different point of view because unlike some I do try very hard to stay informed on both sides of the political divide. I don't have a problem with people making money. I do, however, have a problem with people who have money acting irresponsibly.
 
Last edited:
our seventh fleet could sit outside our borders and NOTHING could get past them. we need to keep our noses out of other country's business and maybe they wouldn't hate us so and we wouldn't need so much military. it's kind of a catch-22.

We kept our nose out Europe's business in the 30's. Remember how well that worked for us?
 
where were you during the bush term? remember warrantless wiretaping?

I recall the warrantless wiretapping of calls that originated in foriegn countries. The Patriot act didn't allow for warrantless tapping of calls from domestic station to domestic station.
 
As I've said to you before, settle down small business owner. You got tax cuts from the Stimulus (or should have anyway because there were plenty of them for small business owners), and the tax cuts - revenue raisers - the President has proposed would NOT affect you since you're neither a big corporation, investor or hedge fund owner. So, your $40K/annual earnings/profit would NOT be affected. You can settle down now.

No I didn't! I wish ya'll would stop telling those lies. Those tax breaks--not cuts--only applied to green companies.



Yes, for people making +$250K/annually. Since you've stated your annual earnings from your business don't amount to that, this would not apply to you now, would it? NEXT!

Couples making 250 grand, individuals making 200 grand. I would like for my business to make 200 grand a year, but with the current regime, that will enver happen. Goes back to my comment about creating more tax payers.



Is that right? So, tell me then who exactly caused the housing bubble to burst? Was it the President or was it the greed from morgtage companies, investment companies, insurance giants like AIG or commercial banks who made loans they knew people didn't qualify for? Did the so-called erratic and irresponsible spending just suddenly begin on January 20, 2009 or has it been atleast a decade's long odyssey?

Chris Dodd and Barnie Frank said everything was just fine. Who created the bubble, to begin with? The government, perhaps? It shows what government intrusion into the private sector really can do.

Truth is, so many people are against what the President has proposed because they've become convinced that the spending is strictly a Democrat thing and that all this President wants is a "blank check" to do whatever he wants, and that he's afraid to take on entitlement spending or changes in the tax code. But those folks haven't been listening. They hear what they want to hear and much of that "partialled" and highly opinionated news comes from the likes of Hannity, Levin and Limbaugh.

That's exactly what he wants. It's the whole, "economic justice", thing he's been going on about. Levin, Hannity, nor Limbaugh said it; Obama said it.

STOP LISTENING TO THE GARBAGE AND START GETTING THE FACTS!

You should start listening to what Obama actually says, vice hearing what you want to hear.



I don't base my opinion on one or two snippets from a single source or a select group on one side of the political divide. I get information for a vast assortment of resources. So, when I come here and post, I'd like to believe I'm as well informed on an issue as I'm going to be. I may lean Democrat, but I try very hard to see the other side of the ledger as well. I just think that pure Conservatism is wrong because it omits so many from being able to participate in achieving that American dream...whatever it may mean to them. American history tells us this country was never founded on such rigid ideology.

I look directly at what Obama says he wants to do, then look at the results of him doing it, then I form my own opinion of how ****ed up he really is.




You do realize that the permitting process was a joke, right? All those oil companies using the same blanket template to prepare their contingency plans using outdated information? If anything, the President has done things to improve the process. The 6-month moritorium was intended to fix that problem. Since being lifted, oil production has increased and oil companies have begun to submit real plans with accurate, up-to-date information. If all you want is a continuation of the wrecklessness that was the BP oil spill, then you keep right on pushing for the same irresponsible practises that caused one of our nation's coastlines to halt their way of life.

Not nearly as big-a-joke as Obama unemployment numbers. Don't complain about too few jobs, after your boy has killed even more.

The BP oil spill was nothing more than human error. Get over it.





The Great Depression - no rules to govern the banks. Once the Glass–Steagall Act was passed in 1933, it kept a lid on improper commercial banking practises for 66 years!

Who repealed Glass Steagall?

The Savings and Loan crisis of the 80' - deregulation brought on by the Tax Reform Act of 1986.

Who had the majority in Congress, then?



Had big businesses acted with a conscience we wouldn't be in this position!! Think it through, man!

No, if the government had stayed out of it, it wouldn't have gotten ****ed up.



That same question is now being asked by the millions of hard working individuals who lost their jobs due to no fault of their own either from the wrecklessness of individuals businesses, irresponsible actions by large investment corporations or politicians (Republican leadership) who believed it best to balance their state budgets on the backs of public employees vice taking the hard hits and cutting spending on unnecessary programs within their respective states. Put simply: It's far easier to cut payroll and work political angles (re: gut public education, retirement and health care plans) than it is to put pressure on businesses to do the right thing or take away worthless programs because states don't want to give up federal dollars.

More government intervention in the private sector. How has that worked so far?



REAL PEOPLE ARE SUFFERRING EVERY DAMN DAY based on the foolishness by Republicans over the last 30 years!!!! I don't live in a bubble. I live in the world same as you. I just take a different point of view because unlike some I do try very hard to stay informed on both sides of the political divide. I don't have a problem with people making money. I do, however, have a problem with people who have money acting irresponsibly.

Republican foolishness over the past 30 years? :rofl

Are you fully aware that over the past 30 years, the Democrats have controlled Congress for 18 and for nearly 12 years have run the whole show?
 
Chris Dodd and Barnie Frank said everything was just fine. Who created the bubble, to begin with? The government, perhaps? It shows what government intrusion into the private sector really can do.

I know this doesn't fit into your whole "everything bad is Obama's fault" worldview, but "government intrusion" was supported by many Republicans over the years, including George W. Bush, who was President when the **** started to hit the fan.

I'm not going to say that it's all Bush's fault, but let's be honest about who was President when.
 
I know this doesn't fit into your whole "everything bad is Obama's fault" worldview, but "government intrusion" was supported by many Republicans over the years, including George W. Bush, who was President when the **** started to hit the fan.

I'm not going to say that it's all Bush's fault, but let's be honest about who was President when.

But...it's all Bush's fault. :rofl

Since you can't resist blaming Bush, humor me by telling us which of Bush's policies caused the depression.
 
I recall the warrantless wiretapping of calls that originated in foriegn countries. The Patriot act didn't allow for warrantless tapping of calls from domestic station to domestic station.

Protip: It still happened, and no one was put in jail over it.
 
We kept our nose out Europe's business in the 30's. Remember how well that worked for us?
see post #201 we now spend FAR more than they do for "defense".
 
I know this doesn't fit into your whole "everything bad is Obama's fault" worldview, but "government intrusion" was supported by many Republicans over the years, including George W. Bush, who was President when the **** started to hit the fan.

I'm not going to say that it's all Bush's fault, but let's be honest about who was President when.

Please, let's do be honest and understand that it was the fault of BOTH parties and quit trying to make excuses for one over the other (this applies to everyone).
 
But...it's all Bush's fault. :rofl

Since you can't resist blaming Bush, humor me by telling us which of Bush's policies caused the depression.

1. Reckless spending.
2. A disregard for problems at home because he was so tied up in the wars.

Those are the big two.
 
As dozens of major corporations announced increased second-quarter profits this week, the US working class was hit with a disastrous new round of mass layoffs.
On Monday, book seller Borders announced that it would liquidate all of its stores, laying off 10,700 workers. That same day, Cisco, the telecom equipment maker, said it would cut its workforce by 11,500. Within 24 hours, Lockheed Martin, the aerospace company, announced that it would eliminate 6,500 jobs.
At the same time, Caterpillar, the maker of construction equipment, said its profits were up 44 percent in the second quarter compared to last year. Office equipment maker Xerox saw its profits grow 41 percent in the same time.
General Electric’s profits were up 17 percent, PepsiCo’s were up by 18 percent, and McDonald’s, the fast food company, saw a 19 percent increase, reaching a new record.
The energy and mining companies did even better, benefiting from rising gas prices, which reduced the real incomes of American workers by billions of dollars. Halliburton, the oil contractor, said its profits were up by 53 percent in the second quarter compared to a year earlier, while fellow oil contractor Schlumberger said its profits were up by 64 percent.
Most of the major banks likewise said their profits were up significantly in the second quarter. Goldman Sachs announced $1.09 billion in profits, up 57 percent from last year. But even this huge increase was considered a “disappointment” for traders.
JPMorgan said its second-quarter profit was up by 13 percent, despite setting aside a $1.3 billion charge-off for lawsuits it expects in relation to its trafficking of fraudulent mortgages. Citigroup reported a profit of $3.34 billion, up 24 percent from a year ago.
This renewed growth in profits comes at the same time as the sharpest growth in unemployment since 2009. Between March and June, the unemployment rate grew by 0.4 percentage points, to 9.2 percent. In the same period, the number of unemployed people grew by 545,000.
Read more at: Profits soar amid mass layoffs
Thoughts?
Comments?
Response?

Good points, but I sure hope you're not sitting at work right now, posting here at DP, instead of doing your job. If you are, you deserve to be laid off. Sorry......
 
Regarding Caterpillar :
Caterpillar Profit Falls 65% - NYTimes.com

Caterpillar said its profit last quarter fell 65 percent, to $232 million, or 36 cents a share, from $661 million, or $1.08 a share, a year earlier. Sales fell 39 percent, to $7.9 billion, from $12.92 billion.

This is from Q4, 2009. Of course their profit is going to be up, they got killed in 2008...2009 and 2010 were ok but hardly the strongest in terms of sales.
 
I'd wager there isn't one poster here who would work / live in a Chinese factory or live downstream from one under China's current worker safety and emissions regulatory vacuum. Most just like the cheap goods and don't want to look at the real cost of those goods. Put a conservative (and his children) under Chinese conditions for long enough, and you'd create a union organizer / environmental activist, most likely.
 
I'd wager there isn't one poster here who would work / live in a Chinese factory or live downstream from one under China's current worker safety and emissions regulatory vacuum. Most just like the cheap goods and don't want to look at the real cost of those goods. Put a conservative (and his children) under Chinese conditions for long enough, and you'd create a union organizer / environmental activist, most likely.

You sure you're in the right thread? Because this looks like a false choice statement if you are.

Some info for ya.
PayScale - Caterpillar, Inc. Employer Salary, Average Salaries by Job

Note : this is in Central Illinois so 30k a year is liveable

Caterpillar is a mixed shop now. They have some union and some non union.
 
The response above was addressing some of the comments on page two of this thread. I should have quoted for clarity.
 
Back
Top Bottom