The Tea Party is American Fascism.

[Dinner]

The good news is Walmart monitored the EBT transactions so they should be able to catch people who committed fraud. Of course they'll never get their money back but benefits fraud does get people jail time and a life time ban from all welfare programs so at the very least some of these scumbags should get caught and properly punished.

[PLATO]

We are naive?

Most "liberals" and a lot of "conservatives" if the truth were known.

You idiots believe that a complete lack of regulation on guns will lead to optimal results because only a "good guy with a gun" can stop a bad guy.

Hasn't it been shown repeatedly on these forums where lower gun control areas have less gun crime? Is that a consequence of everybody having a gun? Well...probably not. It may have something to do with a lot higher rate of people being taught to respect firearms and how to use them though.

... or that a complete lack of regulation in the market will lead to optimal results because corporations will give us all good jobs out of the kindness of their heart.

I don't know of anyone that wants a complete lack of regulation. However, markets should be allowed to fluctuate and risk needs to be a part of that. With risk being taken out of the model due to over regulation, there is less money going to be available for innovation and growth. Where regulation should come into play is making sure that investors are fully exposed to the level of risk that they are actually taking.

You need look no further than Dodd-Frank to see the consequences that over regulation will have on the markets.

Now...I hope I haven't overwhelmed you with reason. I know that can be an issue for many liberals. It is easy to say "Republicans are stupid! The Government needs to do more!" It is much harder to actually look at what is really going on and the consequences it will actually have.

[PLATO]

The good news is Walmart monitored the EBT transactions so they should be able to catch people who committed fraud. Of course they'll never get their money back but benefits fraud does get people jail time and a life time ban from all welfare programs so at the very least some of these scumbags should get caught and properly punished.

Meanwhile the working Americans will have to pick up the tab for their jail time and suffer the consequences when they are let out and have to turn to more crime to survive because they are banned from assistance. Good solid liberal thinking.

Maybe one day, we can invest in training people on food stamps so that they can have an opportunity to change their circumstances. Just a thought....

[PLATO]

I don't finding it surprising that politicians grand stand on issues which will get them votes especially since the target was such an easy target; namely a really bigoted owner of a crappy fast food company. He put a big target on his forehead and then whined when people took shots at the target he put on himself.

You are against people speaking of their beliefs? So the man is anti-gay and owns a Christian based business. Why does this give him less rights than anyone else? I would think, as a liberal, that you would support someone's right to speak out as they choose.

[Dinner]

Now, you're just making strawman arguments and then failing to knock down your own strawman. Yes, people who commit crimes should be punished and you will always get some small portion of any population who does commit crimes. As for investing in training people to improve their job skills, that's a great idea, one which liberals have been pushing for the last century or so. Care to guess which part of the political spectrum has not supported that idea? Care to guess who always tries to defund education and job training programs? Go ahead, guess.

Next time please use your brain before you babble nonsense about supposed liberal positions which no actual liberal holds.

[Dinner]

You are against people speaking of their beliefs?

When a company puts a giant target on itself by declaring some people shouldn't have equal rights just because a bigot doesn't like them... Well, then don't be surprised when people turn against you. That has nothing to do with free speech, the bigots are perfectly free to babble any garbage they want, just as consumers are free to decide not to support bigoted companies and to demand action from their elected officials. Personally, I think it is dumb what the politicians did but I can see their strategy; they'll lose in court but they'll create such an increase in costs that the company decides to simply change their policies. It worked too because notice how CFA stopped donating millions to groups which attempt to deny gays equal rights?

[Wezil]

I should have been aborted.

FTFY

[PLATO]

Now, you're just making strawman arguments and then failing to knock down your own strawman. Yes, people who commit crimes should be punished and you will always get some small portion of any population who does commit crimes. As for investing in training people to improve their job skills, that's a great idea, one which liberals have been pushing for the last century or so. Care to guess which part of the political spectrum has not supported that idea? Care to guess who always tries to defund education and job training programs? Go ahead, guess.

Next time please use your brain before you babble nonsense about supposed liberal positions which no actual liberal holds.

I don't need to guess...I know. I am a big enough person to recognize some of the faults in the Republican party. Education is a great failing of government at all levels. I do, however, support the idea that secondary education should be managed at the State level and not the Federal level...which is a part of the reason for some of the things you say. Post secondary education should, however, be a national priority. If Obama had come up with The Affordable Education Act, then he and I might be on the same page there.

Yes...my argument was a strawman, but only to make the larger point that you helped me make. Education and training are superior to handouts.

[PLATO]

When a company puts a giant target on itself by declaring some people shouldn't have equal rights just because a bigot doesn't like them... Well, then don't be surprised when people turn against you. That has nothing to do with free speech, the bigots are perfectly free to babble any garbage they want, just as consumers are free to decide not to support bigoted companies and to demand action from their elected officials. Personally, I think it is dumb what the politicians did but I can see their strategy; they'll lose in court but they'll create such an increase in costs that the company decides to simply change their policies. It worked too because notice how CFA stopped donating millions to groups which attempt to deny gays equal rights?

Don't get me wrong...I disagree with CFA's position as well. I just support their right to speak as they will and support the causes they choose. I am glad that I am free to oppose those positions, but I will do whatever I can to support their rights.

[Sava]

some of the faults in the Republican party

"some of the faults"?


Your party has been hijacked by extremists who want to see the total dismantling of society.

[PLATO]

"some of the faults"?


Your party has been hijacked by extremists who want to see the total dismantling of society.

Uhm...no they haven't. Just because Chris Matthews told you that doesn't make it true.

[kentonio]

Have you actually bothered listening to some of these ****ers lately?

[Ben Kenobi]

It's not discribing a race but a social class and a mentality. Thus the fraud and theft. Yes, as TMM pointed out this is a problem but, no, it isn't a black problem

Sounds to me if an avowed white liberal is admitting that it's a black problem that it has something to do with this 'culture' which promotes these values.

[PLATO]

Have you actually bothered listening to some of these ****ers lately?

Yes, but they have not "hijacked" the party. They are simply getting all the press right now. Extremism is popular in the news cycle. Most of the party is still about fiscal responsibility...not fiscal destruction.

[Sava]

Uhm...no they haven't. Just because Chris Matthews told you that doesn't make it true.

Maybe you haven't been keeping up on current events.

You are such a joke.