[Rhodes22-list] Jesusland.

Tue Nov 23 05:29:29 EST 2004

Stan,

You wrote: "religion is the opium of the masses"

The writer was Karl Marx.

Running a deficit during recovery from a recession is
pure Keyensean monetary theory.  Running one during a
war is pure necessity.  Both at the same time?  It
worries me too.  Right now the Chinese are the biggest
buyers of our T-bill issues.  When their economy slows
down, and it will, we'll have to raise interest rates
to attract new buyers.  Good if you own t-bills, bad
if you have a variable rate mortgage.  Which, is the
other side of the problem. Low interest rates and real
estate have been two big factors that fueled the
economy after 9/11.  Many homebuyers and consumers are
maxed out on credit.  When rates rise, consumption
slows and the cycle starts over again. So if your an
optimist, it works like this, the economy continues to
grow, tax revenue rises, the deficit gets paid down.
If your a pessimist, the economy slows, revenue falls,
either massive cuts in government have to be made or
taxes raised, which further slows the economy.

I vote to make the massive cuts in government spending
now.  We have so much pork built into the Federal
government its pathetic.  My little hamlet of 30,000
souls lacks for nothing but they just got a grant from
the Federal government for a DUI task force.  If we
needed such a thing we have more than enough local
money to pay for it.  Multiply this by the tens of
thousands nationwide and you're talking real money.
Throw in farm subsidies, tobacco price supports, oh
yeah, loans to sick airlines that are going to fail
anyway, it all adds up.  

The only way anyone can balance their budget is to
raise revenue or cut expenses.  We need to cut
expenses bigtime.  Ok Stan, I know you will mention
the cost of Iraq so I'll address it in advance.  We
were already spending billions in aid in the Muslim
world and it bought us nothing.  Iraq has more than
enough money to take care of itself once the shooting
stops.

Expect to hear lots of screaming from the floor of
Congress in the next few months over whose sacred cows
get gored.  If it were up to me, I'd use a process we
use in aviation, "measure it with a micrometer, mark
it with a grease pencil, cut it with an ax".

Brad

--- stan <stan at rhodes22.com> wrote:

> SS:
> 
> I think the figures are on your side.  The liberals
> have a better family 
> record than the republicans (when was the last time
> you were divorced or 
> came home drunk or beat your wife or kids etc. etc.
> - quite common among the 
> republicans here)  and what government do you see
> out there that is religion 
> based that is not in turmoil ?
> 
> religion is not an act of god - it is an invention
> of the power hungry that 
> has proven so successful that the republicans were
> forced to turn to it as a 
> radar system to divert the electorate when they were
> getting too close to 
> the issues. - I don't recall the prophet who said it
> but alas, it seems to 
> still be true today:  religion is the opium of the
> masses.
> 
> stan/EC
> 
> ----- Original Message ----- 
> From: "Stephen Staum" <staum at earthlink.net>
> To: "Hank" <hnw555 at gmail.com>; "The Rhodes 22 mail
> list" 
> <rhodes22-list at rhodes22.org>
> Sent: Monday, November 22, 2004 6:55 AM
> Subject: Re: [Rhodes22-list] Jesusland.
> 
> 
> >I have to weigh in with Robert on this one.  I
> cannot stand all the "family
> > values" crap dispursed by the Republicans.  It is
> as if Democrats,
> > Independants and (God forbid we mention) Liberals
> did not care about their
> > families.
> >
> > Religion (including prayer in school) has no place
> in government.  SS
> > ----- Original Message -----
> > From: "Hank" <hnw555 at gmail.com>
> > To: "The Rhodes 22 mail list"
> <rhodes22-list at rhodes22.org>
> > Sent: Monday, November 22, 2004 5:53 AM
> > Subject: Re: [Rhodes22-list] Jesusland.
> >
> >
> >> I have to disagree on your definition of morals
> and ethics.  In most,
> >> if not all, dictionaries, morals and ethics are
> synonymous terms and
> >> are often used to define one another.  Nether one
> implies a Deity.
> >> They both are based upon acting out of a sense of
> right or wrong, good
> >> or evil.
> >>
> >> Hank
> >>
> >>
> >> On Sun, 21 Nov 2004 18:13:36 -0500, Robert
> Skinner
> >> <robert at squirrelhaven.com> wrote:
> >> > Rummy -
> >> >
> >> > Couldn't agree more about the problems that
> come
> >> > up when we combine religion with politics.
> >> >
> >> > Part of the background of our current "family
> values"
> >> > vs. secular considerations may come from our
> failure
> >> > to distinguish between moral issues and ethical
> ones.
> >> >
> >> > Morals are a product of a person's dialogue
> with his
> >> > deity of choice - and there is more than one
> such
> >> > acknowledged in this country.
> >> >
> >> > Ethics are shared in a society without regard
> to
> >> > religion - or the society falls apart.  When
> the
> >> > society decides to enforce morals, it becomes a
> >> > theocracy, and people's rights are submerged in
> the
> >> > regulations laid down by the priest class,
> specially
> >> > when it is indistinguishable from the ruling
> class.
> >> >
> >> > I believe that the "family values" issues
> raised in
> >> > the last election are totally irrelevant to our
> >> > government, and were used in the most
> unscrupulous
> >> > way to obscure the real issues confronting our
> >> > government.
> >> >
> >> > /Robert Skinner
> >> > -----------------------------------------------
> >> >
> >> >
> >> > R22RumRunner at aol.com wrote:
> >> > >
> >> > > In a message dated 11/21/2004 2:06:47 PM
> Eastern Standard Time,
> >> > > flybrad at yahoo.com writes:
> >> > >
> >> > >
> >
>
http://realclearpolitics.com/Presidential_04/2004_County_Results_Final.html
> >> > > I get it now, those people that didn't vote
> for Bush, according to 
> >> > > the
> > red
> >> > > and blue map, are less religious than those
> that did.
> >> > > This country is in a sad state of affairs.
> What happens to the people
> > that
> >> > > are either in the red or blue, voted for
> their candidate, but aren't
> > religious?
> >> > >  Where do we fit in? Personally, I don't
> think religion has any place
> > in
> >> > > politics. Something about the separation of
> church and state. Our
> > founding
> >> > > father's were very smart in writing this into
> our constitution.
> > Putting the two
> >> > > together only muddies the waters even more
> than they already are.
> > Religion or
> >> > > actions taken in the name of religion have
> done more harm to the
> > planet than
> >> > > any  other "just" cause. Let the priests,
> rabbi's, mullah's(sp) and
> > ministers
> >> > > tend their flocks, but leave the rest of us
> alone.
> >> > >
> >> > > Rummy
> >> >
> __________________________________________________
> >> > Use Rhodes22-list at rhodes22.org, Help?
> www.rhodes22.org/list
> >> >
> >>
> __________________________________________________
> >> Use Rhodes22-list at rhodes22.org, Help?
> www.rhodes22.org/list
> >>
> >
> >
> > __________________________________________________
> > Use Rhodes22-list at rhodes22.org, Help?
> www.rhodes22.org/list
> > 
> 
> __________________________________________________
> Use Rhodes22-list at rhodes22.org, Help?
> www.rhodes22.org/list
> 

__________________________________ 
Do you Yahoo!? 
Meet the all-new My Yahoo! - Try it today! 
http://my.yahoo.com 