Working women should know that every single Republican U.S. senator voted against women getting the same pay as a man doing the same job (Paycheck Fairness Act). Sen. Olympia Snowe and other opponents of the bill said it would place too much of a burden on business.
My question: What about the burden on women?
Also, on the topic of women’s issues, Mitt Romney’s vice presidential running mate, Rep. Paul Ryan, appears to be a young, personable “regular guy.” Actually, he opposes birth control and wants to take away the option of an abortion, even when a child or woman is raped or her life is in danger from the pregnancy. Ryan co-sponsored the Sanctity of Life Act, which says fertilized eggs are human beings.
Both Romney and Ryan want to cut taxes for the wealthy and change Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid drastically. Ryan would like to privatize Social Security to benefit Wall Street and to give Medicare/Medicaid block grants to the states, which then could cut programs completely.
According to a posting on Faith Works by Casey Schoeneberger titled "Catholic Leaders to Rep. Paul Ryan: Stop Distorting Church Teaching to Justify Immoral Budget," a group of about 60 Catholic leaders said of the Ryan plan: “A budget that turns its back on the hungry, the elderly and the sick, while giving more tax breaks to the wealthiest few, can’t be justified in Christian terms.”
Ellen Field, New Gloucester
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If you want a raise....
go ask for it...always seemed to work for the people I know. If your labor is valued by the employer they will pay the higher wage; the higher your skills set the better. Your skills set is directly under your control. Your labor is worth more if their are fewer with your skills competing in the labor market. If not you'd better have a "Plan B." Wage rates don't come out of thin air, they are based on what it costs to produce an item and the desired profit, to allow the continued production that item, based on the marketplace. This was broke in the auto industry and look what happened. We don't need to pass legislation to create "protected classes" of workers, that with all the inevitable reporting to the Department of Labor and other governmental oversight agencies; wasting precious time that could be used on producing something for consumption! To all those who voted to kill it, good on you...you all stayed awake in Econ 101!
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Would you like to respond? Login or create a new account. You'll need to verify your account before you can respond.Claire, Another way to look
Claire,
Another way to look at this issue to assume we don’t worry about debt and continue spending as we do today.
If you are right, then there is no harm to this country except for the lost revenue in debt payments. However, if you are wrong, there is some degree of financial distress, possibly catastrophic.
Now compare that to my approach – zeroing the deficit the debt.
If I am right, we will avoid a financial mishap or at least minimize the effects on the upside. If I am wrong, then the US we will have additional revenue to spend domestically since we will not be spending as my toward interest payments on the downside.
Either way you look at it, my approach is a win-win, your approach however loses on both ends with a potential catastrophic downside.
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Would you like to respond? Login or create a new account. You'll need to verify your account before you can respond.Paying off the debt
In the past, the way we have paid off our debt is through economic development and prosperity. It's sort of how most people get out of debt. You find a way to make more money. Simply cutting spending has never worked before because you are also lessening your ability to thrive. It's like selling your car to pay your bills and not being able to go to work because you no longer have transportation so you end up deeper in the hole than ever. Now more than ever in a global economy we have to stay competitive with development and technology. That will require major investment both private and government. There are only two ways to do it. Go in debt or raise taxes to pay for it and we all know why the second option won't happen.
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Would you like to respond? Login or create a new account. You'll need to verify your account before you can respond.More spending
will bring U.S. to more Prosperity ?? I would love to see your family budget ? As for our family, this makes no sense at all. Please don't sell your car. Try a yard sale of unwanted items instead. Or how about reducing your expenses such as less trips to the market, cutting down on heat/cooling costs.........etc.
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Would you like to respond? Login or create a new account. You'll need to verify your account before you can respond.How is that working? It is
How is that working? It is not. I believe your view of investing is not unlike many of the near bankrupt municipalities in America [1].
One concept in common with your view of investing and most financially distressed municipalities is the concept of what investment is or means.
As a small business owner, I only invest (i.e. grow) when not doing so restricts current revenue growth. The subtle difference between my view and your view of investing is that my investment dollars are chasing revenues, not the other way around. That is hope that revenue will chase the investment.
The former is a calculated risk. The latter is speculation.
Take for example an east/west interstate in Maine.
(Investment) – If existing East/West transportation routes are overcrowded, then maybe investing in an East/West transportation route may pay for itself.
(Speculation) – Fund and build an East/West transportation route hoping that road will spur economic growth.
Many of the country’s municipalities that are on the verge of bankruptcy because they thought like you – build it and they will come; well, they did not come.
In closing, investment is to satisfy a present bottleneck to further growth. Speculation is spending money hoping that will draw more revenue. The former is a calculated risk; the latter is a field of dreams. The former is a receipt for success.
[1] http://www.thepeoplesvoice.org/TPV3/Voices.php/2012/07/19/us-cities-goin...
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Would you like to respond? Login or create a new account. You'll need to verify your account before you can respond.Mr. Gravel,
Our family and friends enjoy reading and appreciate the level of intellect you bring this forum against all these Progressives.
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Would you like to respond? Login or create a new account. You'll need to verify your account before you can respond.Is there any wonder
Is there any wonder government is broke?
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Would you like to respond? Login or create a new account. You'll need to verify your account before you can respond.Cleary you should agree that
Cleary you should agree that we cannot keep borrowing indefinitely. Today the debt is 100% GDP, when will too much be, well, too much.
So there is a limit – right?
The problem is that no one knows how much it too much. Moreover, when a change in direction comes, and it will if we keep deficit spending unabated, it will be shift and unyielding as we saw when the housing bubbled popped.
Once confidence wanes in US debt, it will trigger a flight from US securities. Moreover, the US uses short-term securities to finance the debt. Interest rates will not remain this low forever, once interest rates increase, the US will be forced to refinance the outstanding balance at higher rates which will divert more of our tax dollars away from internal use.
The National debt is in fact is a bill that has to be paid in full. There are no signs that Washington DC is remotely inserted in closing the budget deficit – judged by outcome not promises.
A soft landing requires that the US close its budget deficit, starting today. A hard landing needs nothing but continued behavior.
This debt is not problem thinking is just putting your head in the sand. All that we need to do is to look to Greece, Italy, Spain, ..., etc.
Thinking the US is special and not susceptible to this problem is just plain ignorant. The balance of power is always changing in the world; it will not stop for the US – keep that in mind.
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Would you like to respond? Login or create a new account. You'll need to verify your account before you can respond.“A budget that turns its back
“A budget that turns its back on the hungry, the elderly and the sick, while giving more tax breaks to the wealthiest few, can’t be justified in Christian terms.”
Okay, let us just wait until the country is bankrupt to see what happens to all the hungry, elderly, and sick. This country simply cannot afford the current level of services.
The national debt is $16 Trillion strong and growing, so let us keep our heads in the sand. Even the aggressive Ryan plan projects a balance budget not until 2040. Even the Ryan plan is unacceptable.
Things will change, so ask ourselves do you want a soft landing (if possible) or do you want a hard landing to this mess? Based on what people post in the SJ, put your heads between your legs and brace for the hard landing.
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Would you like to respond? Login or create a new account. You'll need to verify your account before you can respond.The world will end but not tomorrow.
I don't understand why you are so sure there will be a landing hard or soft. The United States has been in debt for a long time. It mostly is money we have lent to ourselves via the sale of bonds and treasuries. As for the rest, it is money global investors are glad to lend us because even in the direst of financial meltdowns we are still a better investment than say Greece or Somalia or even China. That's how we have debt because there are willing lenders The only way this hard landing will come will be if the government stops investing in the future and we start to look like Somalia to lenders. What will keep us a good investment in the eyes of global investors is our superior manufacturing, transportation, educational institutions, infrastructure , consumerism and stable political processes. To view the national debt as a bill that has to be paid in full next week is not historically valid. It is just " The sky is falling" hysteria.
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Would you like to respond? Login or create a new account. You'll need to verify your account before you can respond.See my responses to your
See my responses to your comments above.
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