Comment

Comment by Cord Byrd on February 10, 2012 at 1:59pm

FYI, I have my own web show on Big Voices Media.com called ByrdWatch. The first episode is about Obama's recess appointments.  The second, which should be up tomorrow, is about misused constitutional clauses.  I think you can find them on "featured videos" meaning you can watch them for free before having to subscribe.  I would love your feedback!

Comment by Patricia M. McBride on February 10, 2012 at 12:36pm

Cord, I think a couple of the candidates are having the conversation.  I think shuttering the board of education (and several other unconstitutional depts) and turning education (etal) back to the states might be a good beginning............then, maybe we can start teaching young people the things they will need to survive should they choose not to go to college.  Right now, we have high school grads who can't even add 222 and 22 together and come up with an answer without a calculator (saw something pathetic only yesterday where someone said 1 & 1 was 3 and the teacher gave partial credit because it was close to right ??? excuse me.  I think the current president had the same teacher.   As you said, accomodation must be made for young people to get off social security and get their own retirement plan that the government has zero control over, same with health care, same with any kind of social programs.........back to the states or the people.  The government has got to get skinnied up enough that the tax dollars coming in are used to pay down the debt and pay back the money the feds have stolen from ss fund and other places and squandered.  It is a huge job.  I loved the fair tax idea as well and would dearly love to see the IRS shuttered (what are the chances).  This next election is SO important as it could mean the beginning of the process. 

Thank you and thank you to your wife for your service.  My husband was in the Navy for 22 1/2 years and has worked Navigation (he was a nav et in the navy) on subs every since.  He and a group from a think tank up in DC actually designed and did the installations of the navigation systems on the Ohio class submarines, and he still does the testing after maintenance and certifies them safe and ready to go.  I am very proud of him.  Submarines have been his life, and it was and still is his passion.

Comment by amanda choate on February 10, 2012 at 12:28pm

I think if you asked high ranking al Queda officials, especially the third guy in the chain of command, who we were at war with they would say it was them. We are killing off al Queda guys pretty regular, mostly via drone strikes and special forces actions. The problem with these two wars was that we never went in with a defined mission, hence mission creep.

The reason we were able to extract ourselves from Iraq is because of their ability to from somewhat of a defense force. Afghanis are not nearly so motivated. All power has been held tribally for centuries. That power recently has been derived through drug and arms trading. None of that has gone away. There is no other economy ready to step to the fore. The people themselves are just trying to survive in a very brutal part of the world, where they have been subjected to every cruelty known to man. There is some chance for modernization in an area where some mineral wealth has been discovered, but historically, few profit from mineral wealth of a nation.

Comment by Cord Byrd on February 10, 2012 at 8:55am

It took us 100+ years to get into this mess and it will take time to get us out.  I believe that promises made should be kept, e.g. Social Security. But we must begin to have the conversation and start that conversation with, does what the government want to do increase or diminish liberty.  Too often we accept the premise that government should act and then proceed to argue over policy.  It should be, why does the federal government need to do this and is it constitutional. 

As for the wars, my wife and I have both worn the uniform of our country.  I know people who are serving, have served and have paid the ultimate price.  We defeated Nazi Germany and Imperial Japan in 3 years and 8 months.  We are starting a second decade at war because our civilian leadership has lost sight of the mission and lack the will to fight an all out total war.  Hell, when the government refuses to even identify the enemy by name. I am no longer convinced that what we are doing militarily overseas is making us safer at home.  And the longer this goes on the more liberties we sacrifice in our own country. 

Comment by amanda choate on February 10, 2012 at 8:08am

The Social Security Trust is not allowed to be used for the general fund. It 's reserves may be used borrowed against, but money is not allowed to be taken out to balance a budget.

If so it would be empty by now. The IOUs in the Social Security Trust are US Treasury Bills, we are earning interest on them.

Comment by Patricia M. McBride on February 9, 2012 at 9:11pm

Roma, I know it is a mute point, but I had understood we paid the the Vietnam war with it (the debt) which of course enabled them to keep right on spending like the fools they are!

Comment by amanda choate on February 9, 2012 at 6:47pm

Kill social security and medicare today and I will accept my losses. But do ask me to support others for 40 years and then tell me the plan doesn't work. We know it doesn't work but no one wants to solve it. Are we willing to throw seniors out in the streets and deny them treatment?

Comment by Patricia M. McBride on February 9, 2012 at 12:41pm

The board of education should never have been allowed and should go, social security also should never have been allowed to happen but to stop it, it would have to be phased out...........many who currently barely make it on their social security checks could not begin to support themselves if their checks were taken away and since the government took money from them by force, they were not allowed to save that money for their retirement.  Medicare also no, but then, what do you do with the people who are on in and have no recourse?  I would not agree that big brother provides security..........there is no security as long as big brother professes to provide it (only uncertainty that rips us apart as a people and a country).  As far as allegience to a political party...........this may be the wrong group to speak to that issue about.  Are you or do you hold allegiance to a political party?  Certainly, I don't, but I understand we must get Obama out of the white house which may require I do support the other political party.  I think you ask good questions, but as I said to a supporter of one of the candidates running for president............we can't go from far left loon and tyranny to far right loon and anarchy.  There has to be a middle ground that begins the process of reclaiming our country and if you and all those other young people out there work on it, it can be brought back to what it should be...............but it took us a long time to get into this mess, and it isn't going to be fixed over night and leave us in any kind of shape as a culture and a people.  I may be wrong.............your thoughts?

Comment by Patricia M. McBride on February 9, 2012 at 12:33pm

To think the Iraq or Afghanastan would have a republic and democracy like Israel or the United States was flawed thinking to start with, wouldn't you think?  They are different people, and they do not think like we think.  Their culture is different from ours totally, and the United States does not have spooks who think like they do that can tell us what they would or would not do under given circumstances.  Certainly, the current resident in the white house is a poor judge of any and all cultures (except perhaps the wacky way he was taught to think by his family and those he has in the past and present surrounded himself with).  That is the very first thing you have to acknowledge when you speak about setting an example for someone else to follow..............they hate us and very unlikely to emulate our culture or way of life in any way.  We aren't even trying to get people trained to think like they do to help us understand what motivates them and what has the opposite effect.