We Paid our Dues, Where's our Change? by AnthonyT

REAL WORLD EVENT DISCUSSIONS

We Paid our Dues, Where's our Change?

POSTED BY: ANTHONYT
UPDATED: Sunday, April 24, 2011 18:57
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Friday, April 22, 2011 6:41 AM

Freedom is Important because People are Important

http://news.yahoo.com/s/yblog_theticket/20110422/ts_yblog_theticket/pr
esident-obama-heckled-at-s-f-fundraiser

Hello,

Is it still free speech if it costs $5,000?

Well, I'm glad to see this public protest against the president. It doesn't really matter whether you agree with these particular protesters or not.

What matters is that the President gets regular, personal evidence of common people who scrutinize and disagree with his policies.

That's good medicine for any leader.

I hope that the war protests continue to ratchet up, as well. If there aren't hordes of people protesting murder, then I get uncomfortable about the state of the human condition. Even the 'best' wars should have opponents who regularly make us question the need to kill.

--Anthony

_______________________________________________

“If you are not free to choose wrongly and irresponsibly, you are not free at all”

Jacob Hornberger

“Freedom is not worth having if it does not connote freedom to err. It passes my comprehension how human beings, be they ever so experienced and able, can delight in depriving other human beings of that precious right.”

Mahatma Gandhi

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Friday, April 22, 2011 9:14 AM

DREAMTROVE

Quote:
What matters is that the President gets regular, personal evidence of common people who scrutinize and disagree with his policies.

So he can track them down and silence them

Quote:
That's good medicine for any leader.

Works so well on dictators. Jes sayin'

That's what a ship is, you know - it's not just a keel and a hull and a deck and sails, that's what a ship needs.

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Friday, April 22, 2011 12:34 PM

KWICKO

"We'll know our disinformation program is complete when everything the American public believes is false." -- William Casey, Reagan's presidential campaign manager & CIA Director (from first staff meeting in 1981)

They paid good money to bend the President's ear. And since he took the money, he really does need to listen to them. After all, if they'd been big bankers, he'd have been all ears! (pun intended)

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Friday, April 22, 2011 1:27 PM

DREAMTROVE

For some reason I feel the need comment bluntly on the nature of threads. I'm about to post one which isn't that relevant, so first:

Anthony and Mike have pointed out a pretty serious problem. I don't know if it is entirely new, but it's been getting worse.

That's what a ship is, you know - it's not just a keel and a hull and a deck and sails, that's what a ship needs.

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Friday, April 22, 2011 2:09 PM

KWICKO

What's the problem? That you have to pay exorbitant amounts of money to be able to say your piece to the powers that be? That's certainly not new.

"Although it is not true that all conservatives are stupid people, it is true that most stupid people are conservatives." - John Stuart Mill

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Friday, April 22, 2011 3:35 PM

FREMDFIRMA

Not at all, hearkens back to bribing your way into the kings court, sure...

What the damn fools never realize is how that works as an incitement, since the thought *IS* going to occur to those who did say, that if they paid all that money, why stop with words ?

-F

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Saturday, April 23, 2011 2:23 AM

GEEZER

Keep the Shiny side up

Quote:
Originally posted by Fremdfirma:

...that if they paid all that money, why stop with words ?

-F

Three balls for a quarter(million)?

"Keep the Shiny side up"

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Saturday, April 23, 2011 3:01 AM

KWICKO

Quote:
Originally posted by Geezer:
Quote:
Originally posted by Fremdfirma:

...that if they paid all that money, why stop with words ?

-F

Three balls for a quarter(million)?

"Keep the Shiny side up"

Not a bad idea for a fund-raiser, really. Could you imagine the money a politician could rake in by putting himself in a dunking booth at a thousand bucks a throw?

"Although it is not true that all conservatives are stupid people, it is true that most stupid people are conservatives." - John Stuart Mill

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Saturday, April 23, 2011 5:06 AM

SIGNYM

I believe in solving problems, not sharing them.

There is a saying as old as... well, me, at least... it's called "money talks". My version of it, after carefully considering our democracy, is "one dollar, one vote". Not a new problem certainly, but with the recent concentration of wealth a more serious problem.

And yep, praise the women for sticking it to Obama.

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Saturday, April 23, 2011 6:18 AM

DREAMTROVE

Bowling for billions. Here's how it works. You represent a branch of govt, and your proponents and opponents come up with costs of what you are doing, and how much you get depends on the score. You can bowl a strike and do what you want, but if you gutterball, your budget is getting canceled.

It just occurred to me that I seem to recall that bowling is not really the president's sport. But if it's any consolation, Hillary is worse at it.

That's what a ship is, you know - it's not just a keel and a hull and a deck and sails, that's what a ship needs.

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Saturday, April 23, 2011 6:30 AM

ANTHONYT

Freedom is Important because People are Important

Hello,

Such a system of government might have benefitted an earlier president.

But of course, he fairly often got what he wanted anyway.

Perhaps this:

For every billion dollars in the budget (inclusive of all war efforts), one million dollars is subtracted from the collective assets and income of the members of congress, such penalty to be evenly distributed?

--Anthony

_______________________________________________

“If you are not free to choose wrongly and irresponsibly, you are not free at all”

Jacob Hornberger

“Freedom is not worth having if it does not connote freedom to err. It passes my comprehension how human beings, be they ever so experienced and able, can delight in depriving other human beings of that precious right.”

Mahatma Gandhi

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Saturday, April 23, 2011 8:32 AM

FREMDFIRMA

I still like my explosive collars idea.
They work for *US*, not vice versa, and should damn well be reminded of it - often!

When you play carrot and stick, SOMEONE has to bring the stick, you know.

-Frem

I do not serve the Blind God.

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Sunday, April 24, 2011 8:37 AM

NIKI2

Gettin' old, but still a hippie at heart...

Simply put:

Quote:
They paid good money to bend the President's ear. And since he took the money, he really does need to listen to them.

Money talks, as you said, always has and always will, so good for whoever forked out the money for speaking their piece!

Amusing it's SF...it would be!

Quote:
The protesters said they had spent $5,000 donating to Obama. "We'll vote for you in 2012, yes that's true. Look at the Republicans--what else can we do?" they reportedly chanted.

You betcha!

They were protesting to "Free Bradley Manning"--the Army intelligence specialist accused of releasing diplomatic cables to WikiLeaks. Yesterday, it was reported that Manning had been moved to a less restrictive prison following pressure from human rights groups. You go, guys!

I LIKE it:

Quote:
Dear Mr. President we honor you today sir
Each of us brought you $5,000
It takes a lot of Benjamins to run a campaign
I paid my dues, where's our change?
We'll vote for you in 2012, yes that's true
Look at the Republicans - what else can we do
Even though we don't know if we'll retain our liberties
In what you seem content to call a free society
Yes it's true that Terry Jones is legally free
To burn a people's holy book in shameful effigy
But at another location in this country
Alone in a 6x12 cell sits Bradley
23 hours a day is night
The 5th and 8th Amendments say this kind of thing ain't right
We paid our dues, where's our change?

Right on.

Hippie Operative Nikovich Nikita Nicovna Talibani,
Contracted Agent of Veritas Oilspillus, code name “Nike”,
signing off

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Sunday, April 24, 2011 1:29 PM

FREMDFIRMA

Quote:
When some wild-eyed, eight-foot-tall maniac grabs your neck, taps the back of your favorite head up against the barroom wall, and he looks you crooked in the eye and he asks you if ya paid your dues, you just stare that big sucker right back in the eye, and you remember what ol' Jack Burton always says at a time like that: "Have ya paid your dues, Jack?" "Yessir, the check is in the mail."
-Jack Burton

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Sunday, April 24, 2011 6:57 PM

RIONAEIRE

Beir bua agus beannacht

Interesting dunk tank idea, the money should go somewhere reputable though, like to charity.

"A completely coherant River means writers don't deliver" KatTaya

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