13 Comments Add your own

• 1. Jason  |  August 3rd, 2008 at 1:47 pm

  your are right on that. They want to tell what you can eat and what you can’t because you might be unhealthy, that is every Americans right to eat where they want. We pay for our own health care so who cares. They want to take away all of are personal rights to choose to do what we want. everything the constitution was there to protect against

• 2. Bob Ham  |  August 3rd, 2008 at 3:29 pm

  Jason is right but he left some other freedoms out of his statement. Uncle now want to tell us what kind of car to buy, what speed limiit drive it at, and what to fuel it with. He also tells us that if he wants the land we are on and/or our house so he can collect higher taxes, he darn well can do it.

  America is becoming less and less a free society thatnks to those darn socialists.

• 3. Don  |  August 3rd, 2008 at 4:36 pm

  Damn Socialists! Give money to the banks to bail them out. Give money for farm subsidies to prop up crop prices, Give money to ExxonMobil. I AM SICK OF ALL THOSE CORPORATION SOCIALISTS GETTING GOVERNMENT HANDOUTS!@!!

• 4. Mr. Baseball  |  August 3rd, 2008 at 5:53 pm

  This guy’s solution actually calls for more government control and regulations, which is essentially, more socialism. This is very tricky stuff and to put ideological labels on every program or action is dangerous. There has to be a balance between government regulation and the free market. In reality, too much of one or the other causes major problems. A lack of government regulation of the financial markets and banking led to the great depression in the 30’s and the collapse of the savings and loan industry in the 80’s. On the other hand, the government’s welfare program and war against drugs have been colossal failures and caused more problems than existed without them.

• 5. Kaus  |  August 3rd, 2008 at 8:06 pm

  My favorite subject Exxon Mobile. Don, you have no clue just like the rest of your socialist friends. My favorite Gas company paid over over 30 billion in taxes last year based on 41 percent tax rate. They pay as much as the bottom 50 percent of taxpayers. Show me the government’s welfare program here?

• 6. Craig Knauss  |  August 4th, 2008 at 8:51 am

  Kaus says, “My favorite Gas company paid over over 30 billion in taxes last year based on 41 percent tax rate. They pay as much as the bottom 50 percent of taxpayers.”

  Really? With all those oil companies paying so much taxes why isn’t the government rolling in dough? When Reagan pushed his tax cuts (for the wealthy) it was because “they were paying 55% of their income in taxes”. Except GAO found out the actual average was only 28% (just a couple percent higher than I was paying on much lower income). And I get tired of this BS of how the oli companies only make XX% rate of return. I am familiar with the GAAP and know how a lot of things can be written off as expenses which dramatically reduce profits. The oil companies aren’t selling a lot more gas. They’re just selling gas for a lot more.

• 7. Kaus  |  August 4th, 2008 at 3:41 pm

  Craig. why don’t you read the auditor report on Exxon. SOX requirements will spell out anything written off as well. My response was to “government handouts’ to Exxon….which was a dumb comment to make by Don. You cannot dispute that Exxon paid more in taxes than 2006. If they paid more in taxes and the profit margin was less than last year…….

  The government isn’t rolling in dough because they spent more than then they receive in taxes…in fact they spent more than 2007. That should not take away from the fact that Exxon is a major income producer for your Socialist US government.

• 8. Craig Knauss  |  August 4th, 2008 at 5:05 pm

  “…for your Socialist US government…” Socialist? I thought they were “Marxist”. Regardless, the Executive Branch is occupied by Republicans. And has been since January 2001. And the IRS is part of the Executive Branch. And the federal budget is prepared by the Executive Branch. And this is the same Republican Party that YOU undoubtedly voted for. The one that turned a $182B surplus into a $500B deficit. Remember? And I’m sure when the time comes, you will NOT refuse your Social Security and Medicare benefits from “my” Socialist US government. Will you?

• 9. kaus  |  August 4th, 2008 at 6:44 pm

  1. Socialism is the bridge to outright marxism.
  2. Republicans, Democrats…..both have problems spending more than they take in. It is irrelevant to my point anyway.
  3. Since we have such a huge deficit, you should be more than happy to accept the massive tax that Exxon pays, in addition to the jobs they add to the economy, the profit they return to shareholders.
  4. Exxon sells to overseas markets and the money they bring back to US soil should be commended.
  5. When the government lowers tax rates on oil companies, prices will come down….fat chance that will ever happen.
  6. Since MY money has paid in its ample share of Social Security, shouldn’t I get some of it back….idiot.

• 10. Craig Knauss  |  August 4th, 2008 at 10:29 pm

  Kaus,

  You constantly bitch about socialism, marxism and whatever. But I don’t really think you’re even remotely smart enough to know what those terms really mean. You just like to repeat some mindless neo-con buzzwords you heard on the radio. Yes, you have a right to collect social security, but I thought a “purist” like yourself would refuse it on your moral grounds. After all, it IS socialism. And if you accept it, you’ll start wearing red. But apparently you can be just as greedy as the next butthole. And Exxon isn’t the only one paying taxes. All those thousands of Americans who are losing their jobs because of the high energy costs pay taxes too. But they don’t count because you’re too busy buying imported crap.

  If you had any concept of global economics, you’d know there’s a lot more to it than just your pocketbook. You’re not smart enough to be calling me, or any one else, an idiot.

• 11. Kaus  |  August 5th, 2008 at 7:07 am

  From a guy that thinks American cars are better than Japanese, I really question your intelligence.

  I haven’t accepted any social security benefits….0……but I think the money I paid in should be given back to me eventually as promised by the US Government. That doesn’t make me socialist.

  Thousands of Americans losing their jobs because of high energy costs? Get a clue. It couldn’t have anything to do with taxes, entitlements, unions?

  Last time I looked, the rate of unemployment was around 5.7 percent nationally….perhaps the slight increase has more to do with raising the minimum wage and the mortgage industry. NOT oil.

  You can say I don’t know what the buzzwords mean…but you can’t argue your point effectively to tell me why socialism is not the bridge to marxism….go to any pro marxist site and you’ll see what I mean.

• 12. Craig Knauss  |  August 5th, 2008 at 9:08 am

  First, I NEVER said the American cars were better than the Japanese cars. Put the lid back on your glue bottle. (And it was that Marxist rag, “Consumer Reports” that claimed the Japanese cars were far superior.) From a guy that thinks the ONLY reason American cars were not sold in Japan is because of “quality”, I truly question YOUR intelligence, if you possess any at all. The American cars weren’t sold in Japan because the Japanese government did everything possible to keep them out. They applied ridiculous tariffs (close to 100%), environmental tests, safety tests, inspection requirements, etc. before the cars were even unloaded. The government claimed they just wanted to protect the Japanese consumers. Why didn’t they let the consumers decide? What were they afraid of if Japanese cars were so much better? After all, we let Datsuns in our country and they were junk for a number of years. That’s why they are called Nissans now. We let Yugos in and we all know what crap they were. But the Japanese government knew “better”. I was particularly amused by the environmental and safety standards, since the U.S. developed most of them and were applying them to our cars. Were you aware that when the Japanese inspected cars, they inspected every single car in a shipment and not one vehicle was released until the ENTIRE shipment was inspected? And that took quite a while. The French caught on to this and did the same thing to the Japanese cars. They sent out two inspectors, a loaf of bread, a bottle of wine, and told then to take their time. The Japanese soon got the hint and expedited the French car inspections. The Reagan administration wouldn’t do that. (Where were you back then? In a cave?)

  And what about the Japanese restricting our beef, rice, etc., into their country? Was theirs that much better? I remember seeing Japanese tourists carrying huge bags of American rice through O’Hare Airport. They were buying it here because it was as good as theirs, and much cheaper. Explain that.

  And Kaus, if you, and your self-absorbed, neo-con, chicken-hawk buddies, are so worried about Marxism, why don’t you move to one of those fascist South American republics? I bet you could get a job as Propaganda Minister. (They probably just “fired” your predecessor.)

• 13. Kaus  |  August 5th, 2008 at 9:30 am

  US Citizens buy Japanese cars today because they are better. Perhaps Mr. Engineer should read his six sigma manual and read up on the impact Japanese process has on zero defects.

  Is there a correlation to Japanese manufacturing in the US not having unions and building high quality cars?

  Restricted trade in Japan for US Cars? Irrelevant. My argument is based on US buyers and the quality of Japanese imports.

  Perhaps you don’t understand fascism (a mis-used word). Try to find me a fascist government in South America these days when socialism and marxist regimes are dominating.

  And yet you support Obama - a believer in Union rule and restricted trade (all though he pandors to both sides…what is he?)

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