Artful Dodger:
I'm glad no one else is stereotyping anyone.
I'm certainly pleased the republicans avoid doing so.
Of course there are good employers that care about their employees and pay them according to the work they do. No need to stereotype employers by saying they all do that. It is they who do not that OWS is upset about and the political climate in which policies encourage unfair exploitation of workers and markets.

You've no doubt seen the videos where members of OWS or other 'Occupy' groups spew their hate filled speech at various groups or how, when the right cameras are on they are talking about "love, peace, harmony and everyone getting along and sharing" and all that nonsense. Here's more behind the scenes reality for you.

OWS has a finance committee which has raised more than $500,000 in donations but they aren't sharing. Bryan Smith, an L.A. based TV producer, joined the OWS movement 3 weeks ago. He organized the Comfort Working Group described as a small collective charged with finding out what basic necessities participants need and then raising money to provide those things; like thermal underwear or soap. Bryan said they stood on the street and raised about $2000; he used $650 to buy and distribute necessities and gave the rest to the finance committee. But when it turned out he needed more necessities, finance refused to give him any money. Then he was told he had to fill out some paperwork and his request would be 'considered.' Ha ha! He's not alone in his experience and now a large group of protesters are asking the Feds to jump in and audit the group's books.

Stacy Hessler is a mom of 4 from Florida. She just knew that she had to be part of the OWS movement and is married to a banker but 'knows' the system is broken because of her marriage. She left her 4 kids and said she would stay with the movement to the end, hoping to see her kids around the holidays but if not, no big deal. So who is taking care of her kids? She put out a plea on Facebook to her 'support group' and circle of friends, some of whom she only knows from FB and has never met according to reports; she believes they are taking care of her kids.

From the 'love everyone' rhetoric to the reality; more and more OWS participants are complaining that their stuff is being stolen from their tents. This was supposed to be another one of those "love and trust everyone" moments that proved we can all get along just fine with one another. But more and more OWSers are complaining that their iPhones, iPads, cash, personal property and even some musical instruments. One of the 30 or so 'cooperatives' that have sprung up to give some organization to the group had a problem with the drum circle that had sprung up; protesters began to get tired of the group because they drummed incessantly all day long as one OWS member complained so the Community Board decided to place limits on the circle dictating how long they could play; when they could play and how loud they could play; isn't that in direct conflict with OWS's stated goals of freedom? Now someone has stolen the groups' drums. Man you just can't trust the hippies these days.

It’s a den of thieves!

Occupy Wall Street protesters said yesterday that packs of brazen crooks within their ranks have been robbing their fellow demonstrators blind, making off with pricey cameras, phones and laptops -- and even a hefty bundle of donated cash and food.

“Stealing is our biggest problem at the moment,” said Nan Terrie, 18, a kitchen and legal-team volunteer from Fort Lauderdale.

“I had my Mac stolen -- that was like $5,500. Every night, something else is gone. Last night, our entire [kitchen] budget for the day was stolen, so the first thing I had to do was . . . get the message out to our supporters that we needed food!”

Übergeek 바둑이: They can afford to work on their golf swing. They employ 100s of people who otherwise might not have a job were it not for that rich person who took risks and started a business.

I know people who work for such rich bosses. They make a decent living wage plus benefits. I know at least one multi millionaire who started a trucking business here, and a landscaping business, and a coffee shop. He employs over 50 people. He doesn't golf. He does take frequent trips to Honduras and uses his money to help build churches and homes and wells.

You have stereotyped people with money, lumped them all into the same pot, made a caricature of them, and then made fun of the invention in your small mind.

Dark Prince:

> The idea that the rich are wealthy because of hard work is true, but it's the hard work of the employees that has made them wealthy rather than their own hard work alone.

The rich do work hard at one thing: their golf swing!

Of course, it takes hard to work to keep one's mistresses happy. I am sure marrying playboy bunnies is hard work too.

Artful Dodger:
I have heard no one from OWS state anything of the kind.
If you're paraphrasing, it's blatantly inaccurate.
If anyone thinks that the income disparity is the result of laziness on those who feel they don't have enough, that too is untrue. The idea that the rich are wealthy because of hard work is true, but it's the hard work of the employees that has made them wealthy rather than their own hard work alone.
It isn't unreasonable for workers to want or demand a fair wage for their hard work.

8. @ExJon Nothing funnier than hearing Marxists complain about the state taking their property. #OWS

7. @derekahunter Funny how quickly the #OWS crowd went from "Everything belongs to everyone" to "Hey, that's my stuff!" #OccupyWallStNYC #MicCheck #p2

Artful Dodger: I think you could be right.......

Bernice: I guess he got tired of losing the arguments against me and left.

Italy is broke, as is Greece, and Spain is well on the way, and poor Australia has Obamarama Drama...what a waste of money :(

Artful Dodger: What has happened to your "bestest friend"...?

OWS is fizzling out.

Kraushaar’s boss, Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration J. Russell George, is actually a Bush administration appointee.
Nice try on turning Herman's inappropriate behavior into the result of a democratic conspiracy.

Iamon lyme: Did you know that one of the accusers works for Obama? Yeah, that's just a coincidence.

It's fortunate that the republicans are above mud slinging.
Naturally accusing the democrats of being behind the allegations against Herman does not qualify as republican mud slinging in spite of there being no evidence that the dems are behind it. The evidence that the settlements are near 10 years old, of course, demonstrates the lengths democrats will go to prepare for future battles with potential up and coming republicans.

Iamon lyme: The Dems love mud. And the one thing that seems to be the easiest lie they can put forth is that of sexual misconduct. There are no witnesses. Just a she said (on national TV) and he said.

Some suggest that these women should take a polygraph. Not me. I say waterboard them and when they confess they lied, send them to Iran and drop them off. Kick them out of the country for good. hmmm, maybe Cuba is better.

The parallel between Obama/Cain and Carter/Reagan seems to be holding as well. Cain is shaping up to be as unassailable as Reagan was, when nothing untrue could be made to stick to him. I have a good feeling about Cain, as long as Republicans don't choose the Democrats favorite Republican running for office. There is a good reason for the elephant to be the animal representing the republican party.. elephants have long memories... I hope most republicans haven't forgotten that.

Artful Dodger: Hey Art, does this recent so called sex scandal manufactured by Democrats against Herman Cain remind you of another black republican who had to weather a similar attack before he could be confirmed as a Supreme Court judge? And do you think those same Democrats would be bright enough to sift through the clues I just gave as to who that black republican was (and still is)?

I'm thinking that as incentive for coming forward, the people behind finding these women have perhaps pointed out how the Supreme Court judges accuser was rewarded with a teaching position... teaching law, at the University level. Probably a course in ethics, because that would complete the picture of a world turned completely upside down.

Spiritual Judaism-One People...What an Oxymoron.

the M5 crash near somerset sound terrible.....does anybody know anything more? about numbers dead etc....I believe there were about 27 vehicles involved...worst in living memory.

a great political ad!

http://youtu.be/StbrLkXDJmM

rod03801: I heard about that. The warmers will likely blame it on global warming. A cow farts and thny lobal wa rm ing.lo larming. lol

Artful Dodger: Over 2 feet of snow in NH, at least 2 months earlier than we normally get this sort of stuff.

Bring on Global Warming! LOL

October 30, 2011
How many eco-frauds can dance on a pin?
James Lewis




How many climate modelers can dance on the head of a pin?

As many as the Earth Goddess Gaia will permit, if you're a True Believer. The eye of faith beholdeth miracles.

The latest "scientific proof" of climastrology just blew up, after only a week of mendacious, worldwide propaganda. (Again!)

The world can thank Prof. Judith Curry of Georgia Tech for tossing a Molotov Cocktail into


"...the scientific study that ended the global warming debate once and for all - the research that, in the words of its director, 'proved you should not be a sceptic, at least not any longer'."

The Mail on Sunday (UK) did its basic journalistic duty by telephoning Professor Judith Curry, the coauthor on the study, to ask her if she agreed with the headlines around the world.


"Published last week ahead of a major United Nations climate summit in Durban, South Africa, next month, their work was cited around the world as irrefutable evidence that only the most stringent measures to reduce carbon dioxide emissions can save civilisation as we know it."

And ... guess what?


"... today The Mail on Sunday can reveal that a leading member of Prof Muller's team has accused him of trying to mislead the public by hiding the fact that BEST's research shows global warming has stopped. ...

Prof Judith Curry, who chairs the Department of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences at America's prestigious Georgia Institute of Technology, said that Prof Muller's claim that he has proven global warming sceptics wrong was also a 'huge mistake', with no scientific basis.

Prof Curry is a distinguished climate researcher with more than 30 years experience and the second named co-author of the BEST project's four research papers.

Her comments, in an exclusive interview with The Mail on Sunday, seem certain to ignite a furious academic row. She said this affair had to be compared to the notorious 'Climategate' scandal two years ago."

Somebody's been doing journalism!

So here's a question for you.

What do the 99 percent kids on Wall Street have in common with climate modelers?

Neither of them can count.

And for the SAME SPACE, the Tea Party had to pay over ten thousand dollars in fees. But the Occupiers have paid nothing and they are breaking the law.

So why are they getting a pass? BECAUSE LIBERALS ARE IN CHARGE OF RICHMOND!

Dishonesty runs rampant in the mind of liberals.

(1) Richmond City Code Section 26-390: "It shall be unlawful for any person to camp, tent, encamp or quarter upon any public grounds, parks, playfields, playgrounds or any public property owned or maintained by the city or lie upon any benches located within any such public property."

(2) Richmond City Code Section 26-397(a): "Unless otherwise provided in this section, all public parks, playgrounds and recreation areas in the city shall open at sunrise and shall close at sunset each day of the year." (e): "It shall be unlawful for any person other than a police officer of the city or state, an employee of the department of parks, recreation and community facilities acting in the scope of employment, or any other employee of the city acting in the scope of employment and having authorization from the director of parks, recreation and community facilities to go on, to go into or to occupy a public park, playground or recreation facility or area during hours other than as set out in this section."

(3) The City Code also sets forth fees that must be paid for use of public spaces. It does not matter whether you call it a "rally" or a "protest." You absolutely have a First Amendment right to assemble and to speak your voice and express your opinions. But you don't have a right to violate the law in doing so.

Bernice: We're practicing to be liberal thinkers.

Artful Dodger: hahahaha... you 2 are idiots ROFL...nice ones of course....

Iamon lyme: The liberals just don't get it. they don't live in reality. If a liberal was a fish, it'd be a bottom feeder.

I'll send you the money you ask for. There's no need to tell me what it's for. After all, I need to send you the money to find out what you need it for. And even then you may not tell me. But that's ok. It's not my money anyway. I just worked hard for it and earned it on my own. But I don't feel entitled to it all.

There is one problem, I went to the bank where I keep the money, and they said my account only has $4.89 in savings and $9.98 in checking. It will cost 25.00 to transfer the funds. Can you pay for that? Then I'll send the rest.

;)

Artful Dodger: lol Yeah, the honeymoon is definitely over, and hopefully by next year the marriage as well. Hey AD, if I promise to give you something, will you send me $489,998.00 post haste? The only hitch is I can't tell what you'll get until you send the money... and maybe not even then.

I'm not worried about this proposal sounding stupid, because it's exactly the kind of specious, promise of hoping for something to change that many people fell for. As far as Obama is concerned, it was our responsibility to figure out just what it was we were supposed to be hoping for.

He never specified what we were supposed to hope would change, he never said. Now we know. And now he's got me hoping for some truly radical change, like tort reform and tax reform, and someone who won't just say he will defend and abide by the constitution, but actually do it.

Iamon lyme: Some area police are moving in and moving the losers out. About time too.

BTW, Bill O'Reilly's book is numbrer 4 on Amazon. Obama's is running #220,362.


Bet that drives the libs mad. And you can buy a hardcover of Obama's book for .01. That's too funny. It's not even worth a penny!

Artful Dodger: Let me guess... the alchemists are bringing the refreshments... because they're alchemists?

I don't know if I can stand one more year of this %#*^!!& poop!

Occupy Protester Morons:

I nod yes, looking up at the building. I am asking Franzen about his latest proclamation, that he and the group intend to levitate the Georgia Pacific Building if the Koch brothers in New York do not withdraw their political money from Georgia Politics.

"We've been having a team of alchemists and faith healers and doctors of physics working together to develop a mathematical formula to levitate the building," Franzen said.

October 23, 2011
Gaddafi's haul from 40 years in power; $200 billion
Rick Moran

Awesome corruption. The Libyan dictator put every other thug in the Middle East to shame with his purloining of public monies.

LA Times:

Moammar Kadafi secretly salted away more than $200 billion in bank accounts, real estate and corporate investments around the world before he was killed, about $30,000 for every Libyan citizen and double the amount that Western governments previously had suspected, according to senior Libyan officials.

Bernice: A liberal friend of mine was defending the Wall Street occupiers. I was explaing that someone was stealing food and he replied, "maybe they were hungry"

So I invited a bunch of hungry homeless people over to his house and told them to take all the food they wanted.

he called the cops.

hmmmmm

Artful Dodger: hahahaha

Bernice: Yes he's dead. And he's officially dead and the proof is that he's now a registered voter in Chicago.

needs a wash and get something done about the pimples....there is plenty of medications around to enable that....I would not employ her to work as ANYTHING the way she looks at the moment :(

"White House trying to confirm Qaddafi's status".

Report: he is now registered to vote in Chicago.

Übergeek 바둑이:" The truth is that every American president since WW II has raised the debt ceiling and increased the deficit."

So what? It's still irresponsible. When does it end?

"I think that any president who comes to Washington is very quickly faced with the reality of ever increasing Department of Defense costs."

It is NOT the most cosly thing for the government.

"but the reality is that unless taxes are raised, the USA is never going to get out of its debt. Raising taxes is the most unpopular medicine to the current disease."

Rubbish. Raising taxes just gives the government more money to SPEND MORE! They won't pay down the debt. They are irresponsible dolts.

"Direct government investment and spending in infrastructure was effective in the past, but considering the current deficit any form of spending will be unpopular."

It effective on a limited basis. And amy more spending will NOT revive our economy. The last spending spree did nothing,

"I think that the only way Washington is going to get out of this mess is if both parties make a true effort to work together."

IT will never happen. We need to get rid of all progressives. That's a good start.

Your statement about Reagan's effect on the US economy is nonsense.

The free market will revive the economy. Reagan understood this. That's why under Reagan we experienced an economic boon! Under Reagan, we experienced the largest peacetime economic boon and added over 35 million jobs to the US economy.

Joint Economic Committee, The Great Expansion: How It Was Achieved and How It Can Be Sustained, U.S. House of Representatives and U.S. Senate, 106th Cong., 2nd Sess., April 2000, pp. 4-6.

Dark Prince: Maybe not socialism per se, but I believe we do disagree about the proper role of government. Keeping up roads and bridges is the governments responsibility, since everyone uses (directly and indirectly) roads and bridges. Health care is primarily a personal responsibilty. The argument that people who are not insured but are taken care of anyway has nothing to do with it. Hospitals have often absorbed the cost of saving someones life and not gotten payed for it. I don't want someone from a state agency standing over me to make sure I eat my lima beans, brush my teeth, and not smoke cigarettes. I like lima beans, wear dentures, and have no immediate plans to quit smoking, so I don't need a nanny.. unless she's pretty, then I'll think about it.

Capitalism is already subject to regulation, and for the reasons you just stated. Are you saying that regulation doesn't go far enough? More to the point, how much regulation would you feel is too much?

Artful Dodger:

> More specifically, the idea that the government can stimulate the economy by spending money is a deeply flawed idea. The liberals here think it's a good idea, even though it's been a proven failure. Yet they want to continue to do now and into the future that which has not worked in the past.

The truth is that every American president since WW II has raised the debt ceiling and increased the deficit. The first truly massive increase came during the Regan administration and every president since then has just added more wood to the fire. The only president to not increase the deficit for 1 year was Bill Clinton who finished his last term with a surplus, and that was only 1 year of the 8 years he was in office.

I think that any president who comes to Washington is very quickly faced with the reality of ever increasing Department of Defense costs. It was the War on Terror that did it for George W. Bush. Barrack Obama promised to scale back by bringing the troops back from Iraq, but I think he was unrealistic. Iraq and Afghanistan (and now Lybia) left to their own devices is a recipe for disaster. So the American government is committed to those expenses for decades to come.

At the same time the American government insists on passing irresponsible tax breaks. Every president since WW II has raised taxes on the middle class while giving tax breaks to the super rich. The rich can argue all they want about "creating jobs by paying less taxes" but the reality is that unless taxes are raised, the USA is never going to get out of its debt. Raising taxes is the most unpopular medicine to the current disease.

Direct government investment and spending in infrastructure was effective in the past, but considering the current deficit any form of spending will be unpopular. The Bush administration survived the economic problems by spending a lot of money and employing a lot of people in war. However, that is not a sustainable approach because when the war ends then the companies (defense contractors) involved in the war make a lot less money.

I think that the only way Washington is going to get out of this mess is if both parties make a true effort to work together. Otherwise they will keep blocking each other and accomplishing nothing. After seeing some of Republican debate a couple of days ago I was left with the feeling that none of the candidates has a concrete solution. They all talked on generalities and concentrated more on putting a negative light on their opponents than on giving real answers to real problems.

I was most bothered by Michelle Bachman. She kept talking of the "economic miracle" of the Regan administration. It seems to me that people confuse the popularity of the man with the real track record of the economy in that period. If the candidates are selling Reganomics as a solution then they have to think twice. It was 30 years of Reaganomics that brought the USA (and the rest of the world) to the current mess.

I have said before the what the USa needs to do is get rid of all the current tax breaks, then give tax breaks only to companies that create jobs at home. For every new job created in the USA, a company would get a tax credit. If a company wants to manufacture overseas, then the price is no tax breaks for that company. It would go a long way to creating jobs and levelling the playing field for smaller companies that cannot compete with big companies manufacturing their products cheaply abroad. However, none of the candidates in both parties will talk about that because their big contributors are companies that benefit from the current system.

Dark Prince:
Sorry about fat fingering my last post. I intended this text in it.
Roosevelt had many spending projects to help turn the economy around and there are many more examples of government spending helping the economy.
On the other side, there is no evidence that tax breaks for the rich leads to job creation, but there is plenty of data showing that lack of correlation.

October 19, 2011
'Sharing' Without Asking
Jeannie DeAngelis

The occupiers on Wall Street are busy occupying a street they don't own, demanding benefits they didn't work for, and are determined to pilfer the coffers of the rich to implement what they have determined is an acceptable standard of economic justice.

Yet a group of people who feel comfortable stealing from the rich and redistributing the spoils to those they deem less fortunate seem stunned and disappointed when "brazen crooks within their ranks...[robbed]...fellow demonstrators blind, making off with pricey cameras, phones and laptops - even a hefty bundle of donated cash and food."

Übergeek 바둑이: More specifically, the idea that the government can stimulate the economy by spending money is a deeply flawed idea. The liberals here think it's a good idea, even though it's been a proven failure. Yet they want to continue to do now and into the future that which has not worked in the past.

The current president has increased the nation debt more than all previous presidents combined. And no one is scratching their heads on that fact. Were Bush to have done that, the libs would be all over it. And rightly so. But it's the golden boy and he can do no wrong.

Iamon lyme:
I think you are the one to have brought up socialism.
My point was that it has little to do with what we are talking about. I am not a proponent of socialism and said nothing to indicate otherwise.
Capitalism without regulation leads to unfair exploitation of workers and consumers deceived with unsafe and substandard products and subjected to predatory practices suppressing legitimate competition.