Image of the day

Captured by
Gary Taylor

M27 - Dumbell Nebula

About Astromart

My Account

New to Astromart?

Register an account...

Need Help?

Posts Made By: Paul Kammueller

August 6, 2007 07:44 PM Forum: Politics

CNN Falls 2 W's Short of A Complete News Story

Posted By Paul Kammueller
The CNN story is earlier than the other. One would expect a story two days after the event to be more complete than one posted the very next day. Details tend to be sketchy at first, and over the course of a day or two many more details typically become available. The article made later then also benefits from the contribution of a local reporter whereas the earlier one is just the AP blurb.

It's just the age old news tug-of-war of quick-scoop vs. completion/details. We need not assume some sort of pro-terrorist bias on CNN editors' part.

August 16, 2007 10:20 PM Forum: Politics

Ending On A Recession

Posted By Paul Kammueller
Part of the problem is that in an atmosphere where all regulation is regarded as "bad" and the market is generally regarded as an infallible judge of what in the debt and credit markets is worth selling, no one was asking, SHOULD this kind of debt be sold, and on such blatantly ill-fated terms?

That said, presidents don't control the economy. Though that won't stop politicians of both parties from taking credit for every boom, and assigning blame to their opponents for every recession. The business cycle always comes 'round, sooner or later.

August 17, 2007 01:26 PM Forum: Politics

Ending On A Recession

Posted By Paul Kammueller
Jim Babcock said:
Bush has been horrible on the spending side, but he has been OK on the tax side. The donkeys want to raise taxes and increase spending.
This is the part that always makes me shake my head. You can't have it both ways. When the spending has increased, as it has, your taxes have been raised. The money has to come from somewhere. You just haven't seen where yet.

A deficit, whether by spending increases, tax cuts, or both, is in the final analysis really a future tax hike. It's perpetuated by our modern buy-now, pay-later, 12 E-Z payments psychology.

August 19, 2007 02:08 PM Forum: Politics

Withrawal from Afghanistan and Iraq

Posted By Paul Kammueller
Lee Spain said:
It seems to me that giving people stuff is not going to change their religious mandate to convert non-muslims to their version of that religion.
That isn't the point. The idea is that it reduces the receptive audience to that mandate. The mandate is what it is, but it has an audience because people hate the U.S. more than ever now. Without an adequate audience, the mandate withers and dies.

If we withdraw, we should admit no refugees, expel all noncitizen muslims, and bomb anything in the region that gives off a human heat signature until there is no life within the region.
It may well be that the neocon Iraq debacle ultimately forces us to abandon the Afghanistan effort, but I fail to see how a genocidal holocaust will improve our standing or our national security. Every nation that embarks upon such a path has foreign armies marching on its capital within a few years.

September 15, 2007 11:01 PM Forum: Politics

Greenspan Blasts Bush Economy

Posted By Paul Kammueller
He was impressed at Clinton's intelligence as he was a quick study of monetary policy and economics under Greenspan -- but he was greatly disappointed by his character failing as well and its impact on his effectiveness in the public eye (i.e. Monica etc.). He also regarded Nixon as highly intelligent, though again was disturbed by his character as well.

The problem he had with Bush Jr's economic policy was it wasn't based on sound economics but rather was 100% politically-motivated, handing out tax-cut candy to the kiddies today with no regard for the long-term impact it would have on the national debt and the dollar and so on. Borrowing from our children to buy votes today.

September 18, 2007 06:18 PM Forum: Politics

Reason #326 To Curtail Immigration

Posted By Paul Kammueller
Well, I've never felt like I'm responsible for other people gaining weight, immigrant or otherwise, as if that distinction makes weight gain any better or worse. 8)

September 20, 2007 03:38 PM Forum: Politics

Jena 6 Protest

Posted By Paul Kammueller
Lee Spain said:
4) Shoes aren't typically lethal weapons so the prosecutor shouldn't have overcharged for the crime.
Not typically, but it is alarming how often you hear of people getting stomped to death nowadays. Seems to happen fairly often when you get a bunch of people to gang up on one.

The students who hung the nooses definitely should have been charged with some sort of hate crime. But that does not excuse the subsequent behavior. There is some disagreement as to whether the two events are even connected. I realize in the post-9/11 psychology the right to Vengeance is now considered adequate justification for acts of violence, even against unrelated third parties. But the implicit message in the protest of "racism is bad but violence is okay" is worrying. Giving up one moral principle does not strengthen the other in this case.

September 22, 2007 03:04 AM Forum: Politics

It seems so familiar ...

Posted By Paul Kammueller
This is no surprise. Bush has stated aloud in speeches much the same thing; basically they believe the problem with the Vietnam War was that it just wasn't long enough.

Which is also a convenient position. The longer you can make wars last, the more money it will make for your various defense, weapons, oil and reconstruction contractor buddies. That's the reason we had to go into Iraq, there wouldn't be enough lucrative contracts in Afghanistan. Iraq had dollar signs written all over it for too many people. Peace is so elusive because war is so profitable.

September 23, 2007 02:58 AM Forum: Politics

Massive Fraud & Our Blackwater Friends

Posted By Paul Kammueller
Iraq has been a laboratory for a number of neoconservative bad-idea-attacks and the privatization of war functions is just one of these. You allow the profit motive take over in roles where political and strategic motives should be absolutely paramount.

September 24, 2007 04:47 AM Forum: Politics

Pushing for war in Iran

Posted By Paul Kammueller
I'm sorry I honestly don't see the war with Iran happening, no matter how bad Cheney wants it. It just isn't an option right now. We've got two wars going on already, and one of them, Iraq, is consuming virtually all our resources. And Iran is 3 times the size of Iraq and covered with mountains. If Cheney really wants to go to war with Iran he's going to have to run over there with his .45 and fight it himself.

Funding Member

Sponsors


View all sponsors

Search