Politics And Current Events

[Freddy Rumsen]

Call me crazy but if you worked in a previous Presidential administration I do not think you should be leading a major network's political coverage of a former employer's wife.

[robbiestoupe]

Coming in late to the train discussion, but I wanted to give my two wheat pennies worth:

I've ridden on high speed trains in China, as well as the roads and airplanes. I felt most safe on the train, and felt it was the best way to get around. Now, China has a much different economy/political landscape compared to the US, but I felt insanely jealous that they truly care about their infrastructure there. Not only are they laying new passenger rail everyday, but their road system is also something to envy.

I rode with friends from downtown Shenzhen to the outskirts where the natives mostly live - about an hour and a half drive. I was impressed at the newer roads which burrowed through dozens of tunnels, 4 lanes wide. I kept thinking that it would cost 10's of billions of dollars to build such an expansive system in the US and would never be funded. In China, they just say f it and build it. Same goes for the high speed and medium speed rail.

Driving around in Pittsburgh can be depressing. I lived near DC for 3 years, and every time I came home to visit I was amazed at the lack of money spent on infrastructure in our great city. Our roads are in need of major repair. There's a stretch of route 130 in Trafford that's an absolute mess right now. People drive on the other side of the road to avoid the potholes. It's under construction now, but it's typical Pittsburgh road maintenance.

I'm mostly against paying higher taxes so the government can misspend it at a higher rate, but this is an area I think needs addressed on a major scale.

[Freddy Rumsen]

Coming in late to the train discussion, but I wanted to give my two wheat pennies worth:

I've ridden on high speed trains in China, as well as the roads and airplanes. I felt most safe on the train, and felt it was the best way to get around. Now, China has a much different economy/political landscape compared to the US, but I felt insanely jealous that they truly care about their infrastructure there. Not only are they laying new passenger rail everyday, but their road system is also something to envy.

I rode with friends from downtown Shenzhen to the outskirts where the natives mostly live - about an hour and a half drive. I was impressed at the newer roads which burrowed through dozens of tunnels, 4 lanes wide. I kept thinking that it would cost 10's of billions of dollars to build such an expansive system in the US and would never be funded. In China, they just say f it and build it. Same goes for the high speed and medium speed rail.

Driving around in Pittsburgh can be depressing. I lived near DC for 3 years, and every time I came home to visit I was amazed at the lack of money spent on infrastructure in our great city. Our roads are in need of major repair. There's a stretch of route 130 in Trafford that's an absolute mess right now. People drive on the other side of the road to avoid the potholes. It's under construction now, but it's typical Pittsburgh road maintenance.

I'm mostly against paying higher taxes so the government can misspend it at a higher rate, but this is an area I think needs addressed on a major scale.

It is amazing what one can accomplish without OSHA and labor laws.

[columbia]

Perino is already a known collaborator.

[tifosi77]

http://www.washingtonpost.com/national/ ... 1603461423

The guys a jerk... He has lots of company.

If one were to grab a random person off the street and play word association with them, and the first words you gave them were 'anti-abortion' and 'anti-homosexual', would you be surprised if the response was 'church' or 'religion'?

The guy may be empirically incorrect in asserting that the primary focus of church spending is on 'anti' measures, but it certainly doesn't read that way.

[tifosi77]

Just that if the journalist has a financial relationship with the person being interviewed, it should be disclosed. That's just responsible journalism.

Responsible? Shoot, it might be a legal obligation.

[grunthy]

http://www.washingtonpost.com/national/ ... 1603461423

The guys a jerk... He has lots of company.

If one were to grab a random person off the street and play word association with them, and the first words you gave them were 'anti-abortion' and 'anti-homosexual', would you be surprised if the response was 'church' or 'religion'?

The guy may be empirically incorrect in asserting that the primary focus of church spending is on 'anti' measures, but it certainly doesn't read that way.

Blame the media for that.

[columbia]

I tend to think that people are usually responsible for their own (bad) image.

[grunthy]

The media seems to condemn people and groups over and over again with no facts, often tarnishing images with no reason.

[tifosi77]

Yes, religious opposition to abortion and homosexuals is completely not fact-based. Stupid, stupid media.

[ExPatriatePen]

Philly mayor Michael Nutter is a piece of work.
I can't decide if I respect his no non-sense attitude or if I think he's just an arrogant prick.

[columbia]

Obama Dismisses Wealthy Americans As ‘Society’s Lottery Winners’
http://dailycaller.com/2015/05/12/obama ... ers-video/

[grunthy]

Yes, religious opposition to abortion and homosexuals is completely not fact-based. Stupid, stupid media.

in the basis of the article that we are discussing.

[tifosi77]

Obama Dismisses Wealthy Americans As ‘Society’s Lottery Winners’
http://dailycaller.com/2015/05/12/obama ... ers-video/

[Freddy Rumsen]

Obama Dismisses Wealthy Americans As ‘Society’s Lottery Winners’
http://dailycaller.com/2015/05/12/obama ... ers-video/

Much like his criticism of people who take their kids out of public schools and place them in private ones you wonder if the President has a self-awareness detector.

[count2infinity]

Obama Dismisses Wealthy Americans As ‘Society’s Lottery Winners’
http://dailycaller.com/2015/05/12/obama ... ers-video/

ZOMG!!! CLASS WARFARE! OBAMA HATES THE RICH!

[tifosi77]

Drivers get coffee, leave hearse with veteran's flag-draped coffin in parking lot

[Funeral home owner Jim] Rudolph said he considered suspending the two drivers, one of whom is a funeral director. In the end, though, Rudolph couldn't get past this. He fired the men when they returned to work. He said the men were heartbroken and extremely remorseful.

"They were good employee and didn't want to go out like this," Rudolph said. "In this business, you can't have a redo, if you tarnish someone's memory."

Rudolph said the family, however, was surprisingly forgiving and did not want the men to lose their jobs. They actually praised the men's work at the funeral and said it was "beautiful."

Not sure how I feel about the resolution of this.

[ExPatriatePen]

Obama Dismisses Wealthy Americans As ‘Society’s Lottery Winners’
http://dailycaller.com/2015/05/12/obama ... ers-video/

Oh... He didn't...

Maybe you could make the case for inherited wealth or second/third generation wealth like, for instance, the Kennedys.

But to classify Larry Ellison or, more importantly, so many inner city born entrepreneurs who have worked 80 hour weeks to build something of value, whether that is as an MD or insurance business, or manufacturing, or retail...As "lottery winners", That just shows how out of touch he is.

[tifosi77]

Obama Dismisses Wealthy Americans As ‘Society’s Lottery Winners’
http://dailycaller.com/2015/05/12/obama ... ers-video/

Much like his criticism of people who take their kids out of public schools and place them in private ones you wonder if the President has a self-awareness detector.

Is it or is it not an absurdity that a hedge fund manager pays a lower tax rate than a kindergarten teacher?

[Freddy Rumsen]

Obama Dismisses Wealthy Americans As ‘Society’s Lottery Winners’
http://dailycaller.com/2015/05/12/obama ... ers-video/

Much like his criticism of people who take their kids out of public schools and place them in private ones you wonder if the President has a self-awareness detector.

Is it or is it not an absurdity that a hedge fund manager pays a lower tax rate than a kindergarten teacher?

It is a fallacy for one.

Capital gains tax ≠ Income tax

If a Hedge Fund Manager makes $1.5 Million in income and a kindergarten teacher makes $30,000 in income the Hedge Fund Manager will pay a lot more in taxes at a higher rate.

[shafnutz05]

Obama Dismisses Wealthy Americans As ‘Society’s Lottery Winners’
http://dailycaller.com/2015/05/12/obama ... ers-video/

ZOMG!!! CLASS WARFARE! OBAMA HATES THE RICH!

Your hyperbole outside, the president's rhetoric is truly disturbing to me, and a pretty accurate reflection of his worldview. When he says things like that, you don't think his words are deliberately designed to divide?

For someone that enjoyed the most meteoric rise from a nobody to POTUS, his describing anyone else as "society's lottery winners" is rich. Dude was awarded the White House and the Nobel Peace Prize in the same year, and his resume prior to that was as thin as it gets.

[tifosi77]

Capital gains tax ≠ Income tax

That's kind of the point.

[ExPatriatePen]

Obama Dismisses Wealthy Americans As ‘Society’s Lottery Winners’
http://dailycaller.com/2015/05/12/obama ... ers-video/

ZOMG!!! CLASS WARFARE! OBAMA HATES THE RICH!

Your hyperbole outside, the president's rhetoric is truly disturbing to me, and a pretty accurate reflection of his worldview. When he says things like that, you don't think his words are deliberately designed to divide?

For someone that enjoyed the most meteoric rise from a nobody to POTUS, his describing anyone else as "society's lottery winners" is rich. Dude was awarded the White House and the Nobel Peace Prize in the same year, and his resume prior to that was as thin as it gets.

The point actually could be argued that Obama himself is one of those "lottery winners". He personally did very little, besides deliverIng one impassioned speech, to deserve to be in the position he's now in. Right time, right place.

The hedge fund managers are a special case. Sure, the tax code is unfairly kind to them. Those capital gains are closer to income for hedge fund manager than they are for retirees who live off of their investments. But to use that small subset of Americans as a way to demean thousands of hard working entrepreneurs. It's just an example of how out of touch he is.

Who wrote that tax code if not politicians like yourself Barrack?

[tifosi77]

This is kind of like the kerfuffle about the "you didn't build that". Much ado about absolutely nothing substantive.

[Freddy Rumsen]

Capital gains tax ≠ Income tax

That's kind of the point.

That people who work hard and do well should be punished for it?

Seems odd to me.