- Joined
- Aug 27, 2005
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- 43,602
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- Location
- Houston, TX
- Gender
- Male
- Political Leaning
- Conservative
If you have read my postings in this forum, you have known that, while I am a Conservative, my wife is an unabashed Liberal. Yes, she and I argue politics almost every day but, sometimes, Conservatives and Liberals can find common ground, even in the political climate that exists today.
My wife and I watched Real Time with Bill Maher, and out of that, found something that we both agree on. Republican Darrell Issa, who was on the show, made a statement that my wife and I both agreed with. This had to do with unemployment.
On the show Real Time, with Bill Maher, Darrell Issa, a Republican winner in California, who will now be the new Chairman of the Oversight and Reform Committee, brought up a point about unemployment insurance, and Social Security. He is not in favor of abolishing either one, but believes that means testing can save the taxpayers quite a lot of money, and help reduce the deficit. And let's be frank about this issue - The deficit is completely out of control. Like it or not, steps to reign in Government spending MUST be taken or else. In the opinion of both my wife and myself, means testing, as suggested by Issa, is an excellent idea. If someone makes more than 100k per year, unemployment insurance should not be an option.
Yes, yes - I will agree that this might not be fair. People have paid into Social Security and Unemployment Compensation for many years, who would now not have access to them, should something like this pass. But we need to be realistic. The Government is not living within its means, and the result is economic hardship for each and every one of us. If we are going to attack the deficit responsibly, then everything should be on the table. Deep cuts in the budget need to be made, especially if a compromise that allows the Bush tax cuts to continue for a period of time is reached.
Both Conservatives and Liberals talk a good game of patriotism, but here is an acid test of walking the walk. Is either side willing to embrace Issa's proposal, which I believe will be put before Congress soon, or is finger pointing going to rule the day? It is one thing to attack the other side, and it is another thing to do what is right. I stronglly believe that Issa's proposal is a good one. It may not save that much money, but it is a start. Will Liberals and Conservatives embrace this kind of a compromise, and take a small first step towards balancing the budget, or will they continue the BS finger pointing at each other? If my wife, and unabashed Liberal, and myself, and unabashed Conservative, can both agree with a Republican on an issue, then this must be a good issue, right? And this is the very first Republican my wife has ever said that she would vote for, if she lived in his district. What this means is that we have a Republican who is reaching out and attempting to do what is in the best interest of the nation, instead of putting party first. Kudos to him, and I will also give kudos to any Republican or Democrat who looks for solutions first, instead of attempting to make a political football out of any issue that can restore America to common sense.
So, on this issue, brought up by a Republican, are Democrats willing to jump on board? You had better. This kind of common sense is what voters are demanding. If you don't believe that, then you don't believe what is right in front of your own eyes, which was demonstrated in spades at the ballot box last Tuesday, and you will quickly become irrelevant as a political party. If this proposal by Issa was good enough for my wife, who is an ardent Liberal, but can see the truth in the obvious, then yes, this is a proposal that can bridge the gap between Liberals and Conservatives, and begin to restore American to a sane footing.
Like it or not, and no matter which party you belong to, the idea of fiscal responsibility, and finding ways to balance the budget, while appealing to Conservatives and Liberals alike, is going to be the main issue in 2012. Those who don't see that, and I am talking about Conservatives as well as Liberals, are doomed to lose.
Now answer the poll.
My wife and I watched Real Time with Bill Maher, and out of that, found something that we both agree on. Republican Darrell Issa, who was on the show, made a statement that my wife and I both agreed with. This had to do with unemployment.
On the show Real Time, with Bill Maher, Darrell Issa, a Republican winner in California, who will now be the new Chairman of the Oversight and Reform Committee, brought up a point about unemployment insurance, and Social Security. He is not in favor of abolishing either one, but believes that means testing can save the taxpayers quite a lot of money, and help reduce the deficit. And let's be frank about this issue - The deficit is completely out of control. Like it or not, steps to reign in Government spending MUST be taken or else. In the opinion of both my wife and myself, means testing, as suggested by Issa, is an excellent idea. If someone makes more than 100k per year, unemployment insurance should not be an option.
Yes, yes - I will agree that this might not be fair. People have paid into Social Security and Unemployment Compensation for many years, who would now not have access to them, should something like this pass. But we need to be realistic. The Government is not living within its means, and the result is economic hardship for each and every one of us. If we are going to attack the deficit responsibly, then everything should be on the table. Deep cuts in the budget need to be made, especially if a compromise that allows the Bush tax cuts to continue for a period of time is reached.
Both Conservatives and Liberals talk a good game of patriotism, but here is an acid test of walking the walk. Is either side willing to embrace Issa's proposal, which I believe will be put before Congress soon, or is finger pointing going to rule the day? It is one thing to attack the other side, and it is another thing to do what is right. I stronglly believe that Issa's proposal is a good one. It may not save that much money, but it is a start. Will Liberals and Conservatives embrace this kind of a compromise, and take a small first step towards balancing the budget, or will they continue the BS finger pointing at each other? If my wife, and unabashed Liberal, and myself, and unabashed Conservative, can both agree with a Republican on an issue, then this must be a good issue, right? And this is the very first Republican my wife has ever said that she would vote for, if she lived in his district. What this means is that we have a Republican who is reaching out and attempting to do what is in the best interest of the nation, instead of putting party first. Kudos to him, and I will also give kudos to any Republican or Democrat who looks for solutions first, instead of attempting to make a political football out of any issue that can restore America to common sense.
So, on this issue, brought up by a Republican, are Democrats willing to jump on board? You had better. This kind of common sense is what voters are demanding. If you don't believe that, then you don't believe what is right in front of your own eyes, which was demonstrated in spades at the ballot box last Tuesday, and you will quickly become irrelevant as a political party. If this proposal by Issa was good enough for my wife, who is an ardent Liberal, but can see the truth in the obvious, then yes, this is a proposal that can bridge the gap between Liberals and Conservatives, and begin to restore American to a sane footing.
Like it or not, and no matter which party you belong to, the idea of fiscal responsibility, and finding ways to balance the budget, while appealing to Conservatives and Liberals alike, is going to be the main issue in 2012. Those who don't see that, and I am talking about Conservatives as well as Liberals, are doomed to lose.
Now answer the poll.
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