Obama Vs. Jindal

[Xiahou]

Everybody paints him as a crazy

Was this a deliberate attempt by worried rivals or was the message just too different for Americans ?

I'm afraid he is crazy. He may have some interesting ideas (and some dumb ones), but the guy comes off as a total nut case.

[Yoyoma1910]

And I did. Everybody paints him as a crazy, but we wouldn't be blowing trillions of dollars on bailouts if he was in charge.

No, we'd be paying someone off to insure that our road got paved and that our house got water.


Do you really want to have basic services privatized? You can lower your little stars and stripes and raise your haliburton logo.

[drone]

No, we'd be paying someone off to insure that our road got paved and that our house got water.


Do you really want to have basic services privatized? You can lower your little stars and stripes and raise your haliburton logo.

Basic services are not the responsibility of the federal government.

[Yoyoma1910]

Basic services are not the responsibility of the federal government.

No, but they give money to the local and state governments for these purposes.

[drone]

Local and state governments should tax their citizens for basic services. They shouldn't rely on federal handouts to perform them. The national tax rate should be lowered, and local/state taxes raised. As it stands now, the federal government has taken all the power through higher tax, and the states are incapable of balancing their budgets. So they essentially pawn their responsibility off onto the federal government, and wait for the pork to come back.

The high rate of federal income tax is essentially an end run around the 10th amendment. Money is power.

[Yoyoma1910]

So you're suggesting the Yolk of the Federal government be replaced by the Yolk of the State and Local Government?

[Seamus Fermanagh]

So you're suggesting the Yolk of the Federal government be replaced by the Yolk of the State and Local Government?

Regardless, everyone ends up with egg on their faces.



Sorry, couldn't resist.

[drone]

So you're suggesting the Yolk of the Federal government be replaced by the Yolk of the State and Local Government?

I'd rather be ruled by someone 100 miles away from me than 1000 miles (this is an example, in my specific case the feds that rule me are only 25 miles away). It's easier to move to another state than it is to move to another country.

It's my belief that money is better spent locally. Sending all your tax dollars to DC and hoping for some of it back is folly. The federal government should do what it is supposed to do, and let the states do the rest. Just like the forgotten amendment says. Otherwise, we may as well just abolish the states and remove the second tier of wasteful bureaucracy.

[Yoyoma1910]

I'd rather be ruled by someone 100 miles away from me than 1000 miles (this is an example, in my specific case the feds that rule me are only 25 miles away). It's easier to move to another state than it is to move to another country.

It's my belief that money is better spent locally. Sending all your tax dollars to DC and hoping for some of it back is folly. The federal government should do what it is supposed to do, and let the states do the rest. Just like the forgotten amendment says. Otherwise, we may as well just abolish the states and remove the second tier of wasteful bureaucracy.

So are you suggesting we adopt a system similar to either the EU or say France?

[drone]

So are you suggesting we adopt a system similar to either the EU or say France?

Not sure what you are saying there.

[Yoyoma1910]

Not sure what you are saying there.

Union vs. Unitary.

[drone]

The US is too big and varied to try Unitary, but that's the way we are heading. I wouldn't wish the EU system on anyone.

[Yoyoma1910]

The US is too big and varied to try Unitary, but that's the way we are heading. I wouldn't wish the EU system on anyone.

So then do we have to keep the states, and need a reasonably powerful central government?

[drone]

So then do we have to keep the states, and need a reasonably powerful central government?

Define "reasonably powerful". The powers of the federal government are fully defined and limited by the Constitution. The problem is that no one calls them on it when they exceed those powers and step on states' rights. Hard to do when the feds control the cash and can blackmail the states. Reverse the financial relationship and we are back to the way it should be.

[Seamus Fermanagh]

This thread has begun to wander. With no dearth of Obama topics open, this one will now be closed as superfluous. Thanks for all of the thoughtful contributions. BTW folks, centralized versus localized government deserves its own thread. SF