Political Roundtable Pulsar of Annihilation part IV

[popper]

Yikes. Avoid the American press in hopes you can ignore important questions. Foreign press not so accommodating this time.


By Matthew Boyle

Interviewers on the Spanish-language television network Univision grilled President Barack Obama about the Operation Fast and Furious scandal plaguing his administration in an interview Thursday.

“You told me during an interview that you and Mr. Holder did not authorize the Fast and Furious operation that allowed 2,000 weapons from the United States into Mexico and they were in the drug trafficking [cartels'] hands,” Univision co-host Jorge Ramos asked Obama, according to a translator, during the interview. “I think that up to 100 Mexicans might have died and also American agent Brian Terry. There’s a report that 14 agents were responsible for the operation but shouldn’t the attorney general, Eric Holder, he should have known about that and if he didn’t, should you fire him?”

Obama responded with similar talking points his administration has used time and again.

“Well, first of all, I think it’s important to understand that the Fast and Furious program was a field-initiated program, begun under the previous administration,” Obama said. “When Eric Holder found out about it, he discontinued it. We assigned an inspector general to do a thorough report that was just issued — confirming that in fact Eric Holder did not know about this, that he took prompt action and that the people who did initiate this were held accountable. But, what I think is most important is recognizing that we’ve got a challenge in terms of weapons flowing south, and the strategy that was pursued out of Arizona, obviously, was completely wrongheaded. Those folks who were responsible have been held accountable. The question now is, how do we move forward with a strategy that will actually work?”

“We are going to have to work with Mexican law enforcement to accomplish this, but I will tell you that Eric Holder has my complete confidence, because he has shown himself to be willing to hold accountable those who took these actions and is passionate about making sure that we’re preventing guns from getting into the wrong hands,” Obama continued.

Ramos followed up in English: “But if you have nothing to hide, then why are you not releasing papers to the –”

Obama responded: “The truth is we’ve released thousands of papers.



Read more: http://dailycaller.com/2012/09/20/obama ... z2741mSbVA

[hands11]

I agree pops.

It pisses me off to no end that the banks, exxon, and other corporate welfare queens don't thank us Americans tax payers for the welfare we give them.

Not sure what to do about this. I say we pull the welfare from them since they have such poor manners. Or maybe we can hold a conference and televise it and roll them out one by one to hear them thank us.

As for the assistance I have received from the gov. There was one short period after I had graduated from college where I was laid off for a mouth. I worked construction while putting myself through school and during the winter, things got slow. And since I had graduated, I was ready to start a new line of work using my degree. So while I was looking, I got some government assistance.

So I got unemployment for a little while. But I had paid into that system. Needless to say, this is long over due.

Thank for hands for helping hands out when he needed it. And thank you hands for putting some in the kiddy so that when hands needed it there was funding there.

Glad I got that off my chest. That had bothered me for a long long time.

[popper]

I agree pops.

It pisses me off to no end that the banks, exxon, and other corporate welfare queens don't thakt us Americans tax payers for the welfare we give them.

Not sure what to do about this. I say we pull the welfare from them since they have such poor manners. Or maybe we can hold a conference and televise it and roll them out one by one to hear them thank us.

As for the assistance I have received from the gov. There was one short period after I had graduated from college where I was laid off for a mouth. I worked construction while putting myself through school and during the winter, things got slow. And since I had graduated, I was ready to start a new line of work using my degree. So while I was looking, I got some government assistance.

So I got unemployment for a little while. But I had paid into that system. Needless to say, this is long over due.

Thank for hands for helping hands out when he needed it. And thank you hands for putting some in the kiddy so that when hands needed it there was funding there.

Glad I got that off my chest. That had bothered me for a long long time.

No need to provide Exxon or any other corp. tax breaks/loopholes. I'm sure you realize that our reps do so in return for campaign cash. The Dems are just as culpable as Repubs. in this regard.

BTW, what's going on with Corzine, the big Obama bundler that stole investor money? I hear he won't be prosecuted. Why hasn't the admin. prosecuted the other Wall Street thieves? The obvious answer is that they are big contributors to the administration.

Many of our reps are corrupt. We should call them out even when it doesn't serve our political interests.

[fishercob]

Politics would be much more fun if all political commercials were presented by vulgar comedians.

NSFW in the slightest:

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ypRW5qoraTw[/youtube]

[fishercob]

The righties may scream that all the social democratic govs like Canada and
western Europe are going bankrupt (I think that's overblown) but the fact remains
that they are delivering health care to their citizens cheaper, and their citizens
are healthier, happier and living longer as a result. Uncovered medical expenses
are one of the single most prevalent causes of personal bankruptcy in this country.
Doing something to address this was necessary. So I would argue that doing nothing
about health care insurance would have been a quicker path to widespread
bankruptcy, unless you're a CEO of a large health insurance company.

They are delivering health care cheaper because the U.S. market is still driving innovation. Without the profit incentive from the U.S. market, there would be very little advancement in health care technology. Canada and Western Europe are getting a free ride from our free market and the associated innovation.

There is also a delay before the consequences of socialized health care has a real impact. At first, you still have all the doctors that went to school under the free market system dreaming of becoming upper middle class. But once the price controls kick in, nobody goes to school to become a doctor anymore because there is no financial incentive. For a few decades, you get by with the existing supply of doctors, plus imports from India, but ultimately you end with a catastrophic supply shortage of health care professionals. Canada and Britain are entering the terminal phase now.

I don't think the underlined passage is quite fair, as it implies that people become doctors just for financial reasons. I don't believe that to be true in many (most?) cases. The same way it applies to teachers, cops, fire fighters etc.

My problem with Obamacare is that it does nothing to address the inputs into the health care system which is the real way to bring health care costs down. It's basically designed to make sure that our ridiculously fat, sedentary, unhealthy populace all get the medical care they need as a result of their lifestyles. How is that not going to be cripplingly expensive?

We have an obesity and juvenile diabetes epidemic in this country that is worsening at an alarming rate. This is a public health crisis. We spend more on health care than any industrialized nation and are one of the sickest. That should tell you something.

We need a cultural shift. People need to be educated about what constitutes proper nutrition. Incentives need to be put in place for contributing to public health by way of offering healthy foods -- even if the opposite is true in the way of strict regulation of Big Agra and Big Food -- Monsanto, PepsiCo, Kraft, etc.

Obama has failed in this regard by appointing the former head of Monstanto to run the FDA. Both parties are bought by these guys. It really saddens and angers me. As long as the food supply is allowed to be corrupted, and the poor's primary access to food is to crap with no nutritional value, and Big Food is allowed unfettered access to kids' impressionable brains via TV ads, schools. etc., Obamacare will be a but a band-aid on a gunshot wound.

[Zonkerbl]

My sister is a pediatrician. She went into the doctor biz because she was really good at biology but hated research. And she likes kids, so, not in it for the money. Plus her student loan bill is bigger than her mortgage.

My friend Orville (not his real name) was diagnosed as LD in HS but discovered his own way to approach studying in college and became a doctor, for the money money money. He plans to retire in his forties.

I don't see anything wrong with being a doctor for the money. Money is society's way of telling us what they would prefer us to spend our time doing. U.S. society really wants not to die.

[nate33]

The righties may scream that all the social democratic govs like Canada and
western Europe are going bankrupt (I think that's overblown) but the fact remains
that they are delivering health care to their citizens cheaper, and their citizens
are healthier, happier and living longer as a result. Uncovered medical expenses
are one of the single most prevalent causes of personal bankruptcy in this country.
Doing something to address this was necessary. So I would argue that doing nothing
about health care insurance would have been a quicker path to widespread
bankruptcy, unless you're a CEO of a large health insurance company.

They are delivering health care cheaper because the U.S. market is still driving innovation. Without the profit incentive from the U.S. market, there would be very little advancement in health care technology. Canada and Western Europe are getting a free ride from our free market and the associated innovation.

There is also a delay before the consequences of socialized health care has a real impact. At first, you still have all the doctors that went to school under the free market system dreaming of becoming upper middle class. But once the price controls kick in, nobody goes to school to become a doctor anymore because there is no financial incentive. For a few decades, you get by with the existing supply of doctors, plus imports from India, but ultimately you end with a catastrophic supply shortage of health care professionals. Canada and Britain are entering the terminal phase now.

So the only reason people become doctors is to get rich ?

Well if the system weed these people out, that might be a good thing.

You can't possibly be this naive. Or course money is a significant factor in becoming a doctor. You have to spend more time in school to be a doctor than nearly any other profession. That school costs money. That time costs money. That opportunity lost (where the aspiring doctor could train to enter a more lucrative field) costs money. It's hard enough to find doctors now. How do you think things will change when we tell all these aspiring doctors that they won't make any more money than an average white collar professional?

[nate33]

I agree pops.

It pisses me off to no end that the banks, exxon, and other corporate welfare queens don't thank us Americans tax payers for the welfare we give them.

What welfare are we giving to Exxon?

Over the past 5 years, Exxon has paid $59B in taxes (while netting just $41B in profits from U.S. based operations).

[DCZards]

^^^^Nate, is that information provided by Exxon, the fed govt or another source?

[nate33]

^^^^Nate, is that information provided by Exxon, the fed govt or another source?

Americans for Tax Reform

http://atr.org/fact-checking-caps-chara ... -tax-a6154

[Wizardspride]

@Popper
http://livewire.talkingpointsmemo.com/e ... -for-fraud

http://www.stopfraud.gov/iso/opa/stopfr ... t-895.html

Former BofA Exec Indicted For Fraud

An indictment filed yesterday in federal court in Charlotte, North Carolina charged the former head of Bank of America’s municipal derivatives desk, Phillip Murphy, with conspiracy to defraud the U.S, wire fraud, and conspiracy to make false entries in bank records. From Bloomberg:

Bank of America, which self-reported the illegal activity, has been cooperating for more than four years with Justice Department prosecutors who say that bankers paid kickbacks to CDR Financial Products to rig bids on investment contracts sold to local governments. Municipalities bought the contracts with money raised through bond sales, which allowed them to earn a return until the funds were needed for schools, roads, and other public works.

http://www.stopfraud.gov/news/news-10132011.html

Hedge Fund Founder Raj Rajaratnam Sentenced in Manhattan Federal Court to 11 Years in Prison for Insider Trading Crimes

http://www.stopfraud.gov/iso/opa/stopfr ... -1071.html

Three Former UBS Executives Convicted for Frauds Involving Contracts Related to the Investment of Municipal Bond Proceeds

http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2012-08-2 ... ct-17.html

Gupta Insider-Trading Sentence Is Re-Set for Oct. 17

http://www.stopfraud.gov/iso/opa/stopfr ... 20601.html

CEO and Head Trader of Bankrupt Sentinel Management Indicted in Chicago in Alleged $500 Million Fraud Scheme Prior to Firm’s 2007 Collapse

http://www.stopfraud.gov/iso/opa/stopfr ... 20521.html

Yahoo! Executive and California Hedge Fund Portfolio Manager Plead Guilty in New York for Insider Trading

I could give you many more examples but that's just a few off the top of my head.

[popper]

@Popper
http://livewire.talkingpointsmemo.com/e ... -for-fraud

http://www.stopfraud.gov/iso/opa/stopfr ... t-895.html

Former BofA Exec Indicted For Fraud

An indictment filed yesterday in federal court in Charlotte, North Carolina charged the former head of Bank of America’s municipal derivatives desk, Phillip Murphy, with conspiracy to defraud the U.S, wire fraud, and conspiracy to make false entries in bank records. From Bloomberg:

Bank of America, which self-reported the illegal activity, has been cooperating for more than four years with Justice Department prosecutors who say that bankers paid kickbacks to CDR Financial Products to rig bids on investment contracts sold to local governments. Municipalities bought the contracts with money raised through bond sales, which allowed them to earn a return until the funds were needed for schools, roads, and other public works.

http://www.stopfraud.gov/news/news-10132011.html

Hedge Fund Founder Raj Rajaratnam Sentenced in Manhattan Federal Court to 11 Years in Prison for Insider Trading Crimes

http://www.stopfraud.gov/iso/opa/stopfr ... -1071.html

Three Former UBS Executives Convicted for Frauds Involving Contracts Related to the Investment of Municipal Bond Proceeds

http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2012-08-2 ... ct-17.html

Gupta Insider-Trading Sentence Is Re-Set for Oct. 17

http://www.stopfraud.gov/iso/opa/stopfr ... 20601.html

CEO and Head Trader of Bankrupt Sentinel Management Indicted in Chicago in Alleged $500 Million Fraud Scheme Prior to Firm’s 2007 Collapse

http://www.stopfraud.gov/iso/opa/stopfr ... 20521.html

Yahoo! Executive and California Hedge Fund Portfolio Manager Plead Guilty in New York for Insider Trading

I could give you many more examples but that's just a few off the top of my head.

Thanks for the info wizardspride. I stand corrected and hereby withdraw my previous accusations.

[dobrojim]

What good are health care innovations if they aren't available to most people?

Does anyone really think that money is the prime motivator for people
to come up with great ideas OR that in a socialized system that we will
so diminish rewards for success that no one will bother working hard?

Right now we have the opposite problems.

Fish, I didn't remember what NSFW was for a moment and clicked on your vid.
I figured it out pretty quick. Too funny.

speaking of NSFW - this is right there for a many of us, but hilarious

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=km4BfW2836Y[/youtube]

[hands11]

Politics would be much more fun if all political commercials were presented by vulgar comedians.

NSFW in the slightest:

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ypRW5qoraTw[/youtube]

Now that is some funny sht. Education through comedy is pretty effective. Specially when it is based on truth.

Probably easy to get a gun permit anyway. No driving test required.

[hands11]

What good are health care innovations if they aren't available to most people?

Does anyone really think that money is the prime motivator for people
to come up with great ideas OR that in a socialized system that we will
so diminish rewards for success that no one will bother working hard?

Right now we have the opposite problems.

Fish, I didn't remember what NSFW was for a moment and clicked on your vid.
I figured it out pretty quick. Too funny.

speaking of NSFW - this is right there for a many of us, but hilarious

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=km4BfW2836Y[/youtube]

Stewart is masterful at how he cuts through their BS misinformation double talk propaganda. Its always kills me to see the Fox News logo spinning in the corner. But I guess that is a good symbol for them. They do spin the crap out of the news better then anyone else. Well, Rush do a pretty good job as well.

[pancakes3]

Gotta agree with nate about doctors. Even if they didn't do it exclusively for the money, money influences. My cousin has a MPH and worked with the Taiwanese government (socialized medical care) and says that one of the biggest problems facing universal coverage is that doctors earn less and the good doctors - regardless of motivation - all go towards "safe" fields like dermitology, radiology or cosmetic surgery.

[Zonkerbl]

You don't just pick health innovations off the bleeding heart tree...

[dandridge 10]

Obama has failed in this regard by appointing the former head of Monstanto to run the FDA. Both parties are bought by these guys. It really saddens and angers me. As long as the food supply is allowed to be corrupted, and the poor's primary access to food is to crap with no nutritional value, and Big Food is allowed unfettered access to kids' impressionable brains via TV ads, schools. etc., Obamacare will be a but a band-aid on a gunshot wound.

Fish, I agree with most of your post about Obamacare and the nutritional problems especially in young people. However, as someone who represents the Big Food industry, I disagree with your comments about Big Food. First, in today's food industry, most food manufacturers provide both nutritional and non-nutritional alternatives to the consuming public. Because of new technologies in food production, food manufacturers can provide a variety of healthful foods at an affordable cost. Indeed, healthful, nutritional meals are probably the fastest growing segment in what my clients offer.

The reason that kids are so frickin' fat today is not because of Big Food companies advertising to young kids (despite what media mongers like Jamie Oliver proclaim), its because the parents of these fat children let them eat anything they want. I have so many friends that let their kids eat any crap they want. It is because they don't want to hear them whining and its easier to give them what they want instead of saying no. In other cases, the parents are fat too and they let the kids eat what they eat, paying no attention to the harm that its causing, EVEN THOUGH THE PROBLEM WITH OBESITY AND ITS HARMFUL EFFECTS IS WELL PUBLISHED AND KNOWN. I personally think that parents should be charged with child abuse if their young children are fat, unless the parents can demonstrate a disease or other disability that can account for their children being fat.

Bottom line, curbing Big Food and how they advertise is, at best, going to have a miniscule effect on how kids eat. The only way kids will develop better eating habits is if their parents teach them.

[montestewart]

^
Don't blame the crack dealer. Teach your kids to "Just say NO!"

[hands11]

Obama has failed in this regard by appointing the former head of Monstanto to run the FDA. Both parties are bought by these guys. It really saddens and angers me. As long as the food supply is allowed to be corrupted, and the poor's primary access to food is to crap with no nutritional value, and Big Food is allowed unfettered access to kids' impressionable brains via TV ads, schools. etc., Obamacare will be a but a band-aid on a gunshot wound.

Fish, I agree with most of your post about Obamacare and the nutritional problems especially in young people. However, as someone who represents the Big Food industry, I disagree with your comments about Big Food. First, in today's food industry, most food manufacturers provide both nutritional and non-nutritional alternatives to the consuming public. Because of new technologies in food production, food manufacturers can provide a variety of healthful foods at an affordable cost. Indeed, healthful, nutritional meals are probably the fastest growing segment in what my clients offer.

The reason that kids are so frickin' fat today is not because of Big Food companies advertising to young kids (despite what media mongers like Jamie Oliver proclaim), its because the parents of these fat children let them eat anything they want. I have so many friends that let their kids eat any crap they want. It is because they don't want to hear them whining and its easier to give them what they want instead of saying no. In other cases, the parents are fat too and they let the kids eat what they eat, paying no attention to the harm that its causing, EVEN THOUGH THE PROBLEM WITH OBESITY AND ITS HARMFUL EFFECTS IS WELL PUBLISHED AND KNOWN. I personally think that parents should be charged with child abuse if their young children are fat, unless the parents can demonstrate a disease or other disability that can account for their children being fat.

Bottom line, curbing Big Food and how they advertise is, at best, going to have a miniscule effect on how kids eat. The only way kids will develop better eating habits is if their parents teach them.

Good points.

But on the other side, schools need to get funded properly or else they sell out to the soda machines and other bad food that gets put on the menu. I don't know first hand, but i have head and read stories that they don't cook meals like they used to. They should also remove the soda and other unhealthy drinks from the machines. But that is on the principle. But if they are getting offered a sweetheart deal that helps fund the school, I understand why they do it.