How to Fix the Federal Budget: Dimes for Deficits

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John Aloysius Farrell sounds like an expert on bores, good for him!

Occasional U.S.News Reader of FL 7:30PM November 28, 2010

"Matt Taibbi sums up where we are, and just who our political leaders are emulating in the first chapter of Griftopia:
These leaders are like the drug lords who ruled America's ghettos in the crack age, men (and some women) interested in just two things: staying in power and hoovering up enough of what's left of the cash on their blocks to drive around in an Escalade or a 633i for however long they have left. Our leaders know we're turning into a giant ghetto and they are taking every last hubcap they can get their hands on before the rest of us wake up and realize what's happened.
SNIP
If American politics made any sense at all, we wouldn't have two giant political parties of roughly equal size perpetually fighting over the same 5-10 percent swatch of undecided voters, blues versus reds. Instead the parties should be broken down into haves and have-nots - a couple of obnoxious bankers on the Upper East Side running for office against 280 million pissed-off credit card and mortgage customers.
If only.... Of course the bankers wouldn't bother to run, when they can afford to hire people to do that kind of messy work for them.
Now this isn't to say the rest of the country has quite awakened yet to the fact that our political parties are about as relevant in the face of this vast wealth transfer as the battle between Coke and Pepsi is to living a full and rewarding life. Think about the big stories in the last few months - at least as far as the media is concerned - and what do we get? Ground Zero Mosque. Gate Rape at the Airports by the TSA. Dancing With The Stars Tea Party Edition. Mid Term election attack ads warning of the female Anti-Christ Nancy Pelosi leading illegal aliens in an attempt to make our kids gay. Hopeful/desperate news stories that Americans will Christmas shop the country back to prosperity....
The question isn't how much longer this can go on. The question is: when it will all finally collapse from its own internal contradictions, like all the other bubbles and Ponzi schemes out there - and what will we do when it does?"
//www.dailykos.com/storyonly/2010/11/27/923678/
-Pack-It-In-AmericaYoure-Done

angellight of PA 9:19AM November 28, 2010

My household budget is balanced , it's not the "goofy citizenry" as you call us that's pissing away our money , it's Washington . I've had tons of fun watching the goverment grow , misspend my tax dollars , bailout the unions and car companies , tell me what to eat and so on . I'm not sure I want the fun to stop .
Take your dimes and stuff them in your turkey .

Hunter of WI 7:53AM November 25, 2010

Maybe we should follow John Aloysius Farrell example. He makes fun of Sarah's daughter.
We can see John Aloysius Farrell has such C L A S S. When I grow up I want to be like John Aloysius Farrell.
Bring up barry’s daughters, Billy Carter, and Amy Clinton too. Surely John Aloysius Farrell would say is only F A I R.
John Aloysius Farrell is a C L A S S A C T after all.
Let me begin, barry’s children are young. Should I say more John Aloysius Farrell ? You lead by E X A M P L E. Have, for long time. Time to join you.
Real class act John Aloysius Farrell, for this site…

Bill Hedges of MD 2:39AM November 25, 2010

A few days ago I commented the following on Brad Bannon's Blog, "Think Globally - Act Locally" . More than just dimes in them lawns, John.
"Casting aside the mythological bogeyman of anthropogenic global warming and its evil cohort CO2 - let me say that I think lawns are environmentally damaging and the most expensive waste of time and energy ever devised by man.
Lawns consume more than 60% of urban and suburban water supplies. It would be hard to invent a more efficient apparatus for water waste and evaporation.
Lawn pesticides, fungicides, herbicides and fertilizers are a significant source of pollution in urban runoff.
While leave blowers, weed-wackers and mowers use minimal amounts of fuel - averaging less than 2 gallons a year per household (about the same amount of CO2 produced by China or India every 5 minutes) - they are, nevertheless, irritating sources of noise pollution.
In view of the aforementioned water wasting and polluting aspects of lawn care, I suggest a one dollar per square foot tax on all lawns nationwide. This tax would generate thousands of dollars a year from AL Gore alone. And, what about those 18 acres of grass at the White House? Heck that's $792,000 bucks! With this tax we could balance the budget and save the planet .
Those Dads who spread gravel or bark would then have time to take their kids fishing or hunting more often. Seems to me a "win-win" all around."

R.L. Schaefer of CA 1:09PM November 24, 2010