tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21609676.post3378682658446432969..comments2024-02-21T03:20:21.898-08:00Comments on An Inch At A Time: Reflections on the Journey: Wisconsin Republicans Give Up Integrity For LentSUSAN RUSSELLhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01795717638621668638noreply@blogger.comBlogger19125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21609676.post-13569726159471587962011-03-15T16:55:58.490-07:002011-03-15T16:55:58.490-07:00I don't think anyone believes in utopia anymor...I don't think anyone believes in utopia anymore.<br /><br />I don't know. I guess I've been fortunate in my experiences. I have been overwhelmed by the generosity of people & companies in our area. I spend time at the Christian Service Center (which provides meals & clothing to the homeless) and week after week, I can't get over the donations that pour in. Managers Just Mehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12858984705804810792noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21609676.post-22706156105132498992011-03-14T22:15:35.299-07:002011-03-14T22:15:35.299-07:00What you're describing is laissez-faire capita...What you're describing <i>is</i> laissez-faire capitalism - it is, in practice, a type of plutocracy.<br /><br /><br />While I agree that greed is the problem, the difficulty with a libertarian-style perspective is that it is utopian - everyone can be trusted to do right. This is patently not true. Without unions and collective bargaining, we have the historical evidence of the late-19th MarkBrunsonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16971990948866488080noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21609676.post-24634281140545610552011-03-12T08:32:55.093-08:002011-03-12T08:32:55.093-08:00@ Mark,
I really do hear the point you are making ...@ Mark,<br />I really do hear the point you are making and I agree on many levels.<br /><br />The difference is that I don't see greed as limited to a particular group. I see just as much greed in some unions that I see in some corporations. I see just as much greed in some government lendors that I see in some banking lendors.<br /><br />The problem isn't capitalism. The problem, to Just Mehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12858984705804810792noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21609676.post-19772252191971158412011-03-11T20:50:33.987-08:002011-03-11T20:50:33.987-08:00IT,
There is a tyrrany of the minority - the rich...IT,<br /><br />There <i>is</i> a tyrrany of the minority - the rich! That may not be who Paul was thinking of, but it's the reality.<br /><br />They comprise a tiny percentage of our population, yet control and direct the outcomes of government on state and local level. The U. S. has advanced, and we've advanced to the point that it's time to grow beyond the MarkBrunsonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16971990948866488080noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21609676.post-36909668029512514542011-03-11T20:44:44.413-08:002011-03-11T20:44:44.413-08:00But that's the point we're trying to make ...But that's the point <i>we're</i> trying to make here, Just Me - this is a blatant injustice in the face of corporate favoritism.<br /><br />I truly find it unbelievable would believe anyone would profit by union-busting but corporations, or that anyone could honestly believe that ensuring the wealth of a few people will somehow benefit the larger society. <br /><br />I was told by a MarkBrunsonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16971990948866488080noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21609676.post-24811072284536670832011-03-11T13:09:27.355-08:002011-03-11T13:09:27.355-08:00LOL ~ don't even get me started on our tax sys...LOL ~ don't even get me started on our tax system! Not sure my blood pressure could take it ;-)<br /><br />The year before our business succumbed to the depression (which I what I prefer to call it), we didn't pay any taxes through our the company. When we filed the corporate taxes at the end of the year, the company got a $400 refund. A refund?!? Explain to me how you get a refund onJust Mehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12858984705804810792noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21609676.post-70960626898955212572011-03-11T12:34:38.790-08:002011-03-11T12:34:38.790-08:00Sure, @Just ME, but unfortunately, it's not be...Sure, @Just ME, but unfortunately, it's not being "shared". <br /><br />Check out <A HREF='http://andrewsullivan.theatlantic.com/the_daily_dish/2011/03/hart.html">this chart</A> for a dramatic illustration of who benefits. <br /><br />Let's be clear. the tax rates on the wealthy currently are less than they were under Reagan or under Eisenhower. The IThttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09605163506396013904noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21609676.post-21340758211599760902011-03-11T10:44:27.987-08:002011-03-11T10:44:27.987-08:00I think it's unconscionable that almost half o...I think it's unconscionable that almost half of the state had no voice in that vote. Why? Because their elected representatives were AWOL, hiding out of state. <br /><br />What a circus. Depending on the side you take, either the democrats were brilliant and the republicans were underhanded, or the republicans were brilliant and the democrats underhanded. <br /><br />Either way, I think Paul_Bhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06887639749222306477noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21609676.post-87547935931378348632011-03-11T10:42:05.857-08:002011-03-11T10:42:05.857-08:00Aw c'mon: this isn't a republican/democrat...Aw c'mon: this isn't a republican/democrat/liberal/Tea Party problem. It's an American problem. And yes, I do mean every single person is going to have to sacrifice if we have any hope in avoiding collapse. Every one from Wall Street brokers to the Hollywood elites. From the Glenn Becks to the Keith Olbermanns. From the Donald Trumps to the Michael Moores. From the union bosses Just Mehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12858984705804810792noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21609676.post-3515608269295194022011-03-10T22:15:56.087-08:002011-03-10T22:15:56.087-08:00Perhaps, when the middle-class can no longer affor...Perhaps, when the middle-class can no longer afford to pour money into wealthy pockets, the Republicans will fade into non-existence - of course, human nature is such that the U. S., in it's future, may have it's own sort of Bastille Day, in which it remembers the crowd carrying Republican/Tea-Party heads on pikes. <br /><br />There is nothing "grown up" or reasonably sane in MarkBrunsonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16971990948866488080noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21609676.post-40828394606213172172011-03-10T14:42:49.667-08:002011-03-10T14:42:49.667-08:00Well duh, IT.
The Republicans waited for the Demo...Well duh, IT.<br /><br />The Republicans waited for the Democratic Senators to understand that elections have consequences. <i>(I believe President Obama said something like that to the Congressional Republicans.)</i><br /><br />Sorry, but the grownups had to go forward and they found a way. <br /><br />Everyone is welcome to participate in the 2012 election. If Wisconsin is sitting in Bateau Masterhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17641991475361553674noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21609676.post-46389840572097091612011-03-10T13:48:58.080-08:002011-03-10T13:48:58.080-08:00Let us be clear on one thing. The unions gave Gov...Let us be clear on one thing. The unions gave Gov Walker all the financial concessions he wanted. The bill that was passed had nothing to do with money. It had nothing to do with "paying their own way". It was an attack on collective bargaining, pure and simple. <br /><br />As for<br /><i>At this point, every single person in this country is going to have to sacrifice; every single IThttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09605163506396013904noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21609676.post-2013981187168562392011-03-10T09:34:18.759-08:002011-03-10T09:34:18.759-08:00Well at least capitalists contribute towards their...Well at least capitalists contribute towards their benefit packages.<br /><br />The new "law" in Wisconsin isn't all that different than what many other states already have in place so it's not nearly as dramatic as some report.<br /><br />I would like to see people over there start acting like grown-ups for a change. I can't decide what's more embarrassing to America; Just Mehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12858984705804810792noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21609676.post-66089266455312889532011-03-10T07:04:26.862-08:002011-03-10T07:04:26.862-08:00Today, while reading these words of the of the 37t...Today, while reading these words of the of the 37th psalm, I could not help but thinking of Wisconsin's Republican Governor and the members of its state legislature who choose to serve the rich by oppressing the poor and middle-class:<br /><br />The Lord laughs at the wicked, *<br />because he sees that their day will come.<br />The wicked draw their sword and bend their bow<br />to strike Deborahhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06117647676883477338noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21609676.post-73161734934274331442011-03-09T22:42:04.821-08:002011-03-09T22:42:04.821-08:00The hubris going before this GOP fall is going to ...The <i>hubris</i> going before this GOP fall is going to be *epic*...<br /><br /><i>[Unions] have destroyed this country with their greed and demands for [job] security based on [seniority]</i><br /><br />Just some minor corrections here. You meant, I'm sure [B]oss man, "Capitalists" "wealth" and "profits".JCFhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14516376500318551838noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21609676.post-73407133767178934352011-03-09T21:55:20.706-08:002011-03-09T21:55:20.706-08:00This action in Wisconsin was needed. Unions have ...This action in Wisconsin was needed. Unions have destroyed this country with their greed and demands for job security based on seniority (teachers). Congratulations Wisconsin--you are on the path to right the listing ship.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21609676.post-72593261850825824142011-03-09T21:50:22.013-08:002011-03-09T21:50:22.013-08:00I think the best thing Mr. Miller could've sai...I think the best thing Mr. Miller could've said to them was to sing, "Ya say ya want a revoluuuutiooooon . . . "MarkBrunsonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16971990948866488080noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21609676.post-13995988370231468922011-03-09T19:09:10.796-08:002011-03-09T19:09:10.796-08:00Great headline... and sadly, so true!Great headline... and sadly, so true!SCGhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08162762233972733978noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21609676.post-971795734026183832011-03-09T18:39:27.264-08:002011-03-09T18:39:27.264-08:00Imagine what was like conducting a service across ...Imagine what was like conducting a service across from the Capitol while the Republicans were doing their thing: here's a little bit of a description: http://wp.me/pBxZE-pWD. Jonathanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12350169112278591935noreply@blogger.com