Privatized social security

[thesightless]

if anything, those with a basic understanding of the financial markets, regulation, and US accounting and reporting policies sohuld realize a few things.

1. bush inherited the market dip. it started b4 he even won the presidency the first time.
2. it was primarily due to the clinton admin(not the man himself) and thier policies of allowing extremely overstated financial statements and loose stock/bond offerings regulations.(see enron)
3. thank whatever god you worship that it happened when it did b/c if the market had gotten any more over inflated, history tells us a even larger panic could have ensued and lead to a much larger recession.
4. the policies instituted by the SEC/FASB/AICPA (particularly down the line with Sarbanes Oxley act's future adjustments) have made the market a lot more concrete by leaps and bounds. you now have more reliable research and ALOT more accountablilty to those who prepare and supply the materials for said financials.

and in regards to the social security policies. IMO, you'd be stupid to oppose this. at least this enables you to hold your future in your own hands. most people think that it means putting cash into risky stocks. dont. want proof? go out and buy the same governmental inssued bonds, and you actually make more money because you avoid the tax on SS down the line due to the fact that federal bonds are 100% tax free. the tax on SS(up to 66k in NY) can range from 7%-32% bepending on the income of your spouse. also, you are entitled to go out and buy a risky stock, for instance, google which opened at 85 and as of right now is 198.46. you doubled your investment in 2 months with that. its all about the options and locking yourself to YOUR money. if you dont get these locked in accounts, you dont stand a chance of seeing the money after 2020.

[fishingnut]

1. bush inherited the market dip. it started b4 he even won the presidency the first time.
2. it was primarily due to the clinton admin(not the man himself) and thier policies of allowing extremely overstated financial statements and loose stock/bond offerings regulations.(see enron)
3

nice someone finally got this right

[asdf_admin]

btw. Jesus does not vote, he never did, and never will. hesh.

[thesightless]

good call ASdf,

too many assholes assume that becasue an area called the bible belt voted for bush that it has to do with jesus. they didnt follow the pope, im sure he doesnt agree with bush at all.

FUCK, boston has the largest per capita population of roman catholics and other christian religious groups. it voted for kerry. also, the most contested state from the initial election was florida, largely populated by latin groups. which, are indeed a very religious group. and that state was near 50/50. the spanish and african american contingents in america are also very much christian in terms of religion. they tend to vote democrat.

and one more thing. joe leiberman is probably the most devout politician in america, so is teddy kennedy. they both attend thier respective services every week. but its ok, they hate bush.

get over yourselves people. seriously. its pathetic you cant just move on and live life. whoever is in charge is gonna piss off someone. use your heads and realize that MOST of what they do is for the benifit of the country. do you think that the "no child left behind" is a bad idea? i dont, it forces people to get an education. however, ill admit the banning of gay marriage is wrong. while i belive marriage is a sacrement of the jewish and christian faiths, the rights granted by it shouldnt be denied to everyone.

[Sinisterbeatz]

good call ASdf,

too many assholes assume that becasue an area called the bible belt voted for bush that it has to do with jesus. they didnt follow the pope, im sure he doesnt agree with bush at all.

FUCK, boston has the largest per capita population of roman catholics and other christian religious groups. it voted for kerry. also, the most contested state from the initial election was florida, largely populated by latin groups. which, are indeed a very religious group. and that state was near 50/50. the spanish and african american contingents in america are also very much christian in terms of religion. they tend to vote democrat.

and one more thing. joe leiberman is probably the most devout politician in america, so is teddy kennedy. they both attend thier respective services every week. but its ok, they hate bush.

get over yourselves people. seriously. its pathetic you cant just move on and live life. whoever is in charge is gonna piss off someone. use your heads and realize that MOST of what they do is for the benifit of the country. do you think that the "no child left behind" is a bad idea? i dont, it forces people to get an education. however, ill admit the banning of gay marriage is wrong. while i belive marriage is a sacrement of the jewish and christian faiths, the rights granted by it shouldnt be denied to everyone.

First of all, dont call me pathetic douche...

Secondly, I use this signature as joke. The republican party has hi-jacked religion and christainity and if you dont think so you should really stop hitting the pipe.......My sig is a shot at people like Fawell, Robertson, and Dobson that use Jesus's name to push intolerence and their conservative agenda... Yes most people in the south voted for Bush because of his close personal realationship with jesus...because every good christain knows tha jesus values such things as: Big Buisness, War, and Intolerence...

And on No Child Left Behind...

It was underfunded you stupid cocksucker...

Prepared by:
Committee on Education and the Workforce
U.S. House of Representatives
INTRODUCTION

In an effort to ensure that public schools educate all children, Congress passed in 2001 and President Bush signed into law in 2002 the bipartisan No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB). The goal of the law is simple: to eliminate the academic achievement gap among different groups of students so that all children have the opportunity to succeed in school. Despite the bi-partisan consensus and goodwill that was achieved through this historic legislation, one of the two fundamental promises made to America?s families was broken immediately after the bill was signed into law. Since 2002, the Bush Administration and Congressional Republicans have refused to fund the law at the levels they originally agreed to, hampering the ability of teachers and schools to fully realize the goals established in this law.

NCLB promised two things: tough reforms to hold schools accountable for the education of their students, and adequate resources to help them uphold the higher standards they were expected to meet. The reforms are being put in place. All of the money that was promised, however, is not.

The success America?s public education system is closely linked to our commitment to ensure that all children have access to resources that promote academic achievement. Essential academic resources include quality early childhood education, effective after school programs, adequate services for students participating in special education, appropriate English-language instruction for speakers of other languages, and highly qualified teachers.

While NCLB holds great promise, the Bush Administration and Congressional Republicans have consistently failed to allocate authorized resources. To date, nearly $27 billion has been withheld from America?s public education system. This means that major education programs, such as Title I for disadvantaged students and special education, continue to be significantly under-funded. The President and Congress have turned their backs on our schools, leaving them without the resources they desperately need to ensure the highest quality education for every child in every school.

Democrats in Congress are fighting for full funding and fair implementation of NCLB:


Full funding for NCLB. Democrats introduced H.R. 4473, to provide full funding for NCLB. Republicans have blocked the bill.

Extra funding for Title I schools. Over half of Title I schools ? schools that serve the most disadvantaged students ? will lose funding next year. It?s not fair to ask these schools to do more while giving them less. Democrats introduced H.R. 4769 to ensure sure no Title I school will lose money next year. The Republican leadership refuses to bring it up.

Fair implementation of NCLB. Some schools were recorded as not meeting one of the key measurements under NCLB, known as Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP), that shouldn?t have because they had to calculate it before the Department of Education provided information on how to count certain children. It?s not fair to punish schools just because the Administration was slow in providing information. Democrats introduced H.R. 4605, to allow schools to recalculate AYP using the new, fairer criteria. Republicans oppose our bill.
Alabama did not get $147 million in public school funding last year promised by Congress and the President, including $90 million for extra academic support for low-income students, $11 million for critical after-school programs, and $6 million to raise teacher quality.

Alaska did not get $37 million in public school funding last year promised by Congress and the President, including $19 million for extra academic support for low-income students, $4 million for critical after-school programs, and $2 million to raise teacher quality.

Arizona did not get $182 million in public school funding last year promised by Congress and the President, including $104 million for extra academic support for low-income students, $13 million for critical after-school programs, and $6 million to raise teacher quality.

Arkansas did not get $84 million in public school funding last year promised by Congress and the President, including $52 million for extra academic support for low-income students, $7 million for critical after-school programs, and $3 million to raise teacher quality.

California did not get $1.3 billion in public school funding last year promised by Congress and the President, including $898 million for extra academic support for low-income students, $103 million for critical after-school programs, and $47 million to raise teacher quality.

Colorado did not get $96 million in public school funding last year promised by Congress and the President, including $54 million for extra academic support for low-income students, $7 million for critical after-school programs, and $4 million to raise teacher quality.

Connecticut did not get $80 million in public school funding last year promised by Congress and the President, including $47 million for extra academic support for low-income students, $6 million for critical after-school programs, and $3 million to raise teacher quality.

District of Columbia did not get $44 million in public school funding last year promised by Congress and the President, including $28 million for extra academic support for low-income students, $4 million for critical after-school programs, and $2 million to raise teacher quality.

Delaware did not get $32 million in public school funding last year promised by Congress and the President, including $19 million for extra academic support for low-income students, $4 million for critical after-school programs, and $2 million to raise teacher quality.

Florida did not get $500 million in public school funding last year promised by Congress and the President, including $313 million for extra academic support for low-income students, $35 million for critical after-school programs, and $17 million to raise teacher quality.

Georgia did not get $283 million in public school funding last year promised by Congress and the President, including $180 million for extra academic support for low-income students, $22 million for critical after-school programs, and $10 million to raise teacher quality.

Hawaii did not get $47 million in public school funding last year promised by Congress and the President, including $22 million for extra academic support for low-income students, $4 million for critical after-school programs, and $2 million to raise teacher quality.

Idaho did not get $38 million in public school funding last year promised by Congress and the President, including $22 million for extra academic support for low-income students, $4 million for critical after-school programs, and $2 million to raise teacher quality.

Illinois did not get $409 million in public school funding last year promised by Congress and the President, including $265 million for extra academic support for low-income students, $31 million for critical after-school programs, and $13 million to raise teacher quality.

Indiana did not get $131 million in public school funding last year promised by Congress and the President, including $80 million for extra academic support for low-income students, $10 million for critical after-school programs, and $5 million to raise teacher quality.

Iowa did not get $51 million in public school funding last year promised by Congress and the President, including $29 million for extra academic support for low-income students, $4 million for critical after-school programs, and $2 million to raise teacher quality.

Kansas did not get $66 million in public school funding last year promised by Congress and the President, including $39 million for extra academic support for low-income students, $5 million for critical after-school programs, and $3 million to raise teacher quality.

Kentucky did not get $123 million in public school funding last year promised by Congress and the President, including $81 million for extra academic support for low-income students, $10 million for critical after-school programs, and $5 million to raise teacher quality.

Louisiana did not get $200 million in public school funding last year promised by Congress and the President, including $137 million for extra academic support for low-income students, $16 million for critical after-school programs, and $8 million to raise teacher quality.

Maine did not get $24 million in public school funding last year promised by Congress and the President, including $24 million for extra academic support for low-income students, $4 million for critical after-school programs, and $2 million to raise teacher quality.

Maryland did not get $161 million in public school funding last year promised by Congress and the President, including $83 million for extra academic support for low-income students, $10 million for critical after-school programs, and $5 million to raise teacher quality.

Massachusetts did not get $171 million in public school funding last year promised by Congress and the President, including $110 million for extra academic support for low-income students, $13 million for critical after-school programs, and $6 million to raise teacher quality.

Michigan did not get $299 million in public school funding last year promised by Congress and the President, including $197 million for extra academic support for low-income students, $23 million for critical after-school programs, and $10 million to raise teacher quality.

Minnesota did not get $91 million in public school funding last year promised by Congress and the President, including $49 million for extra academic support for low-income students, $6 million for critical after-school programs, and $4 million to raise teacher quality.

Mississippi did not get $116 million in public school funding last year promised by Congress and the President, including $75 million for extra academic support for low-income students, $9 million for critical after-school programs, and $5 million to raise teacher quality.

Missouri did not get $140 million in public school funding last year promised by Congress and the President, including $87 million for extra academic support for low-income students, $11 million for critical after-school programs, and $6 million to raise teacher quality.

Montana did not get $38 million in public school funding last year promised by Congress and the President, including $21 million for extra academic support for low-income students, $4 million for critical after-school programs, and $2 million to raise teacher quality.

Nebraska did not get $43 million in public school funding last year promised by Congress and the President, including $24 million for extra academic support for low-income students, $4 million for critical after-school programs, and $2 million to raise teacher quality.

Nevada did not get $61 million in public school funding last year promised by Congress and the President, including $33 million for extra academic support for low-income students, $4 million for critical after-school programs, and $2 million to raise teacher quality.

New Hampshire did not get $31 million in public school funding last year promised by Congress and the President, including $17 million for extra academic support for low-income students, $4 million for critical after-school programs, and $2 million to raise teacher quality.

New Jersey did not get $209 million in public school funding last year promised by Congress and the President, including $122 million for extra academic support for low-income students, $15 million for critical after-school programs, and $7 million to raise teacher quality.

New Mexico did not get $98 million in public school funding last year promised by Congress and the President, including $57 million for extra academic support for low-income students, $7 million for critical after-school programs, and $3 million to raise teacher quality.

New York did not get $966 million in public school funding last year promised by Congress and the President, including $664 million for extra academic support for low-income students, $73 million for critical after-school programs, and $24 million to raise teacher quality.

North Carolina did not get $230 million in public school funding last year promised by Congress and the President, including $137 million for extra academic support for low-income students, $17 million for critical after-school programs, and $9 million to raise teacher quality.

North Dakota did not get $17 million in public school funding last year promised by Congress and the President, including $17 million for extra academic support for low-income students, $4 million for critical after-school programs, and $2 million to raise teacher quality.

Ohio did not get $310 million in public school funding last year promised by Congress and the President, including $196 million for extra academic support for low-income students, $23 million for critical after-school programs, and $12 million to raise teacher quality.

Oklahoma did not get $129 million in public school funding last year promised by Congress and the President, including $64 million for extra academic support for low-income students, $8 million for critical after-school programs, and $4 million to raise teacher quality.

Oregon did not get $98 million in public school funding last year promised by Congress and the President, including $62 million for extra academic support for low-income students, $8 million for critical after-school programs, and $3 million to raise teacher quality.

Pennsylvania did not get $337 million in public school funding last year promised by Congress and the President, including $217 million for extra academic support for low-income students, $25 million for critical after-school programs, and $12 million to raise teacher quality..

Rhode Island did not get $23 million in public school funding last year promised by Congress and the President, including $23 million for extra academic support for low-income students, $4 million for critical after-school programs, and $2 million to raise teacher quality.

South Carolina did not get $80 million in public school funding last year promised by Congress and the President, including $81 million for extra academic support for low-income students, $10 million for critical after-school programs, and $5 million to raise teacher quality.

South Dakota did not get $34 million in public school funding last year promised by Congress and the President, including $21 million for extra academic support for low-income students, $4 million for critical after-school programs, and $2 million to raise teacher quality.

Tennessee did not get $160 million in public school funding last year promised by Congress and the President, including $97 million for extra academic support for low-income students, $12 million for critical after-school programs, and $6 million to raise teacher quality.

Texas did not get $843 million in public school funding last year promised by Congress and the President, including $548 million for extra academic support for low-income students, $66 million for critical after-school programs, and $30 million to raise teacher quality.

Utah did not get $53 million in public school funding last year promised by Congress and the President, including $24 million for extra academic support for low-income students, $4 million for critical after-school programs, and $2 million to raise teacher quality.

Vermont did not get $27 million in public school funding last year promised by Congress and the President, including $16 million for extra academic support for low-income students, $4 million for critical after-school programs, and $2 million to raise teacher quality.

Virginia did not get $195 million in public school funding last year promised by Congress and the President, including $88 million for extra academic support for low-income students, $12 million for critical after-school programs, and $6 million to raise teacher quality.

Washington did not get $147 million in public school funding last year promised by Congress and the President, including $79 million for extra academic support for low-income students, $10 million for critical after-school programs, and $6 million to raise teacher quality.

West Virginia did not get $66 million in public school funding last year promised by Congress and the President, including $46 million for extra academic support for low-income students, $6 million for critical after-school programs, and $2 million to raise teacher quality.

Wisconsin did not get $128 million in public school funding last year promised by Congress and the President, including $78 million for extra academic support for low-income students, $9 million for critical after-school programs, and $5 million to raise teacher quality.

Wyoming did not get $31 million in public school funding last year promised by Congress and the President, including $17 million for extra academic support for low-income students, $4 million for critical after-school programs, and $2 million to raise teacher quality.

[thesightless]

YO, i wasnt taking a shot at you, so fuck you. i was saying that b/c so many people use the fact that bush is a worshipping christian and a lot of the red states have majority of chrisitian voters as an excuse for hating middle america. there are plenty of democratic reps that are just as devout. and anoyne with an idea of fairness in thier mind knows that gerry fallwell is a complete moron. he uses his influence over the less educated people as a weapon to get his beliefs into gov't. do you think that the jewish population has people who went out of thier way to vote democrat b/c of leiberman 2 elections ago? sure there were. did a lot of the country vote for JFK b/c he was the first catholic president, yes... its just that you dont like bush you get to trash a group of people to your liking. what about someone like me who is a catholic from NY, pretty centered, voted kerry this past time? am i now a war monger b/c i used to go to mass when i was young and will be married in a church?

and i completely agree with your statements on the schooling bill. its WAY underfunded. try teaching in harlem for 30k a year when your students are threatening your life. they need to fund it ALOT more.

its just too bad you group up all christian people with bush. do the catholics of ireland and england and italy vote for bush? do you think all muslims are terrorists as well? or all jewish people are to blame for the middle east crisis? dont generalize a religion with a guy who came in with an agenda to go after a dictator who killed thousands. yeah he was wrong, but no need to assume that Jesus/yahweh,budda,mohammed had anything to do with it.

and one more thing, rather than hate every person who values thier religion, why dont you work harder to push your gov't to do the right thing? go and vote. vote your way, if you lose, at least you tried. if you win. good for you. but if you lose no need to go trashing the ppl who won. :?

[toasty]

too many assholes assume that becasue an area called the bible belt voted for bush that it has to do with jesus. they didnt follow the pope, im sure he doesnt agree with bush at all.

FUCK, boston has the largest per capita population of roman catholics and other christian religious groups. it voted for kerry. also, the most contested state from the initial election was florida, largely populated by latin groups. which, are indeed a very religious group. and that state was near 50/50. the spanish and african american contingents in america are also very much christian in terms of religion. they tend to vote democrat.

and one more thing. joe leiberman is probably the most devout politician in america, so is teddy kennedy. they both attend thier respective services every week. but its ok, they hate bush.

As a resident of a bible belt state, I have to chime in here. There is a difference between being religious and being religious the way people are in the bible belt. We're not talking about going to church regularly -- we're talking about billboards on the interstate that read "JESUS" and "PORN KILLS FAMILIES" in 20 foot letters, and a brand of zealotry that transcends the norm by a wide margin.

Your garden-variety citizen that maintains religious beliefs cannot hold a candle to rural Missouri and Arkansas. They're not even on the same playing field.

[thesightless]

but again, is it OK to hate them b/c they are truly religoius??

if it is, then should we hate jews who follow kosher?

muslims who do daily prayers?

:?

its a fucked up world that needs a lot more acceptance rather than infighting between people. sooner or later we might realize that we are stuck here together.

[toasty]

I'm going to wait until I see how, in fact, the plan will be structured before I pass judgment on it.

I still believe this. With that said, Bush's most recent explanation isn't filling me with hope. Actually, it isn't filling me with anything but confusion :

"Because the -- all which is on the table begins to address the big cost drivers. For example, how benefits are calculate [sic], for example, is on the table; whether or not benefits rise based upon wage increases or price increases. There's a series of parts of the formula that are being considered. And when you couple that, those different cost drivers, affecting those -- changing those with personal accounts, the idea is to get what has been promised more likely to be -- or closer delivered to what has been promised.

"Does that make any sense to you? It's kind of muddled. Look, there's a series of things that cause the -- like, for example, benefits are calculated based upon the increase of wages, as opposed to the increase of prices. Some have suggested that we calculate -- the benefits will rise based upon inflation, as opposed to wage increases. There is a reform that would help solve the red if that were put into effect. In other words, how fast benefits grow, how fast the promised benefits grow, if those -- if that growth is affected, it will help on the red.

"Okay, better? I'll keep working on it."

Classic W...

[toasty]

but again, is it OK to hate them b/c they are truly religoius??

if it is, then should we hate jews who follow kosher?

muslims who do daily prayers?

I never said anything about hating anyone. I'm just saying that bible belt religious folks are a different breed of voter than religious people in general -- they'll pretty much always vote republican because of the perception that republicans embody "traditional family values," putting these values above all other issues.

St. Louis, my hometown, is extremely catholic -- it is also heavily democratic in composition -- so I don't see a correlation between being religious in a general sense and party affiliation. When you look at certain highly fundamentalist religious factions like you see in rural Missouri, however, it would be shortsighted to ignore the obvious connection between their fervent reliance upon strict fundamentalism and the religious right, who always vote repulbican.

[thesightless]

i think we are saying the same thing, but coming from the opposite sides. there should be no correlation between christians and jesus and the republican party. JFK was a catholic and a democrat does that mean in 1960 and 61 jesus voted democrat>

[Sinisterbeatz]

i think we are saying the same thing, but coming from the opposite sides. there should be no correlation between christians and jesus and the republican party. JFK was a catholic and a democrat does that mean in 1960 and 61 jesus voted democrat>

You dont get the joke...

[timkell]

Re: Privatized social security

It's not religious vs. non-religious.

It's evangelical christian vs. non-evangelical christian.

There was a great Frontline a while back that had a lot of insiders on the Bush team from the Gore/Bush election.

At that time, Karl Rove and team realized Bush could very nearly win the electoral college with ONLY the evangelical vote. They needed to motivate those voters and get them out, but if they did, that would nearly clinch the election.

That's essentially why he's courted them so strongly. Not to mention the fact he feels that way anyway. But that's why he has basically not had to compromise.

And it's also why Democrats lose. There are plenty of Evangelicals, I bet, who have a problem with Iraq, etc. But they also have a problem with gay marriage, abortion, and other things. They'll give Bush a flyer on Iraq and his spending because of those other issues they feel strongly about.

Democrats, on the other hand, completely ignore these people. And that's why they lose. I think Democrats have to turn environment, social programs, and education into issues of social justice.

The only way to swing Evangelicals is to convince them that those issues are far more morally important than gay rights, etc. I think they are, and careful analysis by many people would show that ruining the environment for profit hurts a lot more people than two guys having sex. There's an argument to be made there, if only the Dems had the balls to do it.

[asdf_admin]

it's about Morals ... that is what won the Bush Admin into another 4 years. Look at the exit polls ... they never lie.

[toasty]

Look at the exit polls ... they never lie.

Uh, are these the same exit polls that called a win for Kerry?

:wink: