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Are we ready for another Contract with America?

That one only applies to conservatives and libertarians.

Except when it comes to the 1st Amendment. Or the 4th Amendment. Or the 8th Amendment. Or the 10th Amendment. Or the 14th Amendment. Or the 16th Amendment. Or the 17th Amendment.
 
You're exactly right but the catch is that lobbying is applied to the rights of free speech, assembly, and redress and it would be extremely tricky to do any meaningful reform that also happens to be constitutional.
My opinion is that to successfully reign in lobbying it will take a majority in congress with the fortitude and desire to word a lobby reform bill that would give the people at large control back and stand up to court scrutiny. What I think would have to happen is that professional lobbying would have to be designated as a commercial venture and therefore less protected than political speech freedoms than people gathering to speak to politicians independently.

That isn't so difficult. Require congressmen and Senators to give equal time to citizens drawn at random from their constituency. For every minute that a lobbyist gets in front of a congressman, a private citizen gets a minute. If anything, that would be expanding free speech in the US. And it seems to me that if professional lobbyists pay business taxes (and take the attendent deductions) it should be fairly easy to show that they are commercial enterprises.
 
why are you baffled? i think that's normal. you don't see multi millionaries out there marching with the tea partiers......wonder why that is?

They hire professional lobbyists. :mrgreen:
 

Might want to watch your sources, Gill...

Not so fast...

GE plays down report that chief Jeffrey Immelt is 'worried about China' and President Obama

...In a statement, GE said: "The comments attributed to Jeff Immelt by the FT were taken out of context and, in some instances, inaccurately reported. Mr Immelt's comments at a private dinner focused on the relationship between business and government in general and did not single out President Obama. Mr Immelt also discussed the attractiveness and importance of China as a market for GE."

The problem business has with Obama is that he isn't leading. He's seeing which way the poitical winds are going to blow so that he can massage a message before it comes out. He has to be VERY circumspect about everything because the minute he opens his mouth there is a slew of far lafties screaming that it isn't liberal enough, and a horde of conservatives screaming "COMMIE" and shouting him down without even doing him the courtesy of hearing him out. Businesses are sitting on the sidelines for the same reason consumers aren't out spending: anyone with a single brain cell in their head can see that NOTHING is happening in DC because congress can't find their ass with both hands and a roadmap, which means that Obama can't do anything either.
 
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If that's your best retort Ms "business owner", then you are finished.


The White House Against The World - IBD - Investors.com

Adios. :2wave:

worsethancarter-300x204.jpg

Now wait a minute, Gill...

You're taking an editorial from Investor's Business Daily - an OPINION PIECE - and extrapolating that

many business leaders are saying that this is the most business unfriendly administration since Carter.

That is inaccurate. From the evidence presented, you cannot say that many business leaders are saying that, only that the editorial board of IBD is saying that.

Hola.:2wave:
 
Might want to watch your sources, Gill...

Not so fast...



The problem business has with Obama is that he isn't leading. He's seeing which way the poitical winds are going to blow so that he can massage a message before it comes out. He has to be VERY circumspect about everything because the minute he opens his mouth there is a slew of far lafties screaming that it isn't liberal enough, and a horde of conservatives screaming "COMMIE" and shouting him down without even doing him the courtesy of hearing him out. Businesses are sitting on the sidelines for the same reason consumers aren't out spending: anyone with a single brain cell in their head can see that NOTHING is happening in DC because congress can't find their ass with both hands and a roadmap, which means that Obama can't do anything either.

I never said that was GE's position did I ?? I simply said it was the opinion of a lot of business leaders.
 
Are you kidding? Smooth talking professional politicians would cut them to pieces.

ricksfolly

I think you're greatly overestimating professional politicians.

Of course, they wouldn't have to listen, not unless the speaker was waving wads of money around.
 
Are you kidding? Smooth talking professional politicians would cut them to pieces.

ricksfolly

I don't know...I have a pretty advanced bulls**t detector, as do most politically active people I know.
 
You used the FT story linked as support of your statement that "business leaders" (which Jeffery Immelt is one) are tired of Obama. GE released a statement saying that Mr. Immelt did NOT say that. So on eof the sources you used in support of your argument has been contradicted by the subject of the mis-quote. One out of four sources does not diminish (or increase) the actual accuracy of your statement, but it does diminish the perceived veracity.
 
You used the FT story linked as support of your statement that "business leaders" (which Jeffery Immelt is one) are tired of Obama. GE released a statement saying that Mr. Immelt did NOT say that. So on eof the sources you used in support of your argument has been contradicted by the subject of the mis-quote. One out of four sources does not diminish (or increase) the actual accuracy of your statement, but it does diminish the perceived veracity.

Mr. Immelt was quoted in the story you linked to. GE can claim he was taken out of context, but without a quote differing from the one in the story, their claims are moot. Show me where Immelt claims he was misquoted, along with a copy of his actual comments and you might have a point.

As of now, you don't.
 
I've got a better idea for a contract with America:
  • Whenever publicly discussing any kind of tax increase, or expansion of government authority, the Congress-critter so discussing must be absolutely naked.
  • All Congress-critters must, at all other times, wear a clown suit complete with the shoes.
  • Constituents may at any time express their displeasure with their Congress-critters by honking their rubber nose.
  • Constituents may hold a no-confidence referendum at any time; if the vote is one of no confidence, a delegate will be sent to D.C. to publicly beat the Congress-critter in question with a rubber chicken.
  • The penalty for failing to obey any of these rules is to be stripped naked, coated in honey, sprinkled with ants, then thrown in stocks in front of the capitol building, where the offender will then have their ass paddled by Justin Bieber.
Ta-da!
 
Funny how the "contract with America" doesn't have a place for John Q. Public to sign....
Any new contracts should be written by the public.
 
Here's the latest version I've seen on what the Republicans are offering to America.

That's very clever, saying that not taking people's money is a COST to the government. Typical lib mindset.
 
Funny how the "contract with America" doesn't have a place for John Q. Public to sign....
Any new contracts should be written by the public.

actually it was. the contract from America was posted online and then people were invited to come vote on the issues they thought should be in it. after a set amount of time (a couple of months i think??? but that's a guess), the votes were tallied and ta-da, there you have the Contract From America
 
I've got a better idea for a contract with America:
  • Whenever publicly discussing any kind of tax increase, or expansion of government authority, the Congress-critter so discussing must be absolutely naked.
  • All Congress-critters must, at all other times, wear a clown suit complete with the shoes.
  • Constituents may at any time express their displeasure with their Congress-critters by honking their rubber nose.
  • Constituents may hold a no-confidence referendum at any time; if the vote is one of no confidence, a delegate will be sent to D.C. to publicly beat the Congress-critter in question with a rubber chicken.
  • The penalty for failing to obey any of these rules is to be stripped naked, coated in honey, sprinkled with ants, then thrown in stocks in front of the capitol building, where the offender will then have their ass paddled by Justin Bieber.
Ta-da!

i would also like to see some pentalties for congresscritters who knowingly disobey the Constitution's strictures on limited government. maybe not necessarily death or even jail, but at least exile.
 
actually it was. the contract from America was posted online and then people were invited to come vote on the issues they thought should be in it. after a set amount of time (a couple of months i think??? but that's a guess), the votes were tallied and ta-da, there you have the Contract From America

Asking for input on the Internet is hardly the same as a public referendum.
 
i would also like to see some pentalties for congresscritters who knowingly disobey the Constitution's strictures on limited government. maybe not necessarily death or even jail, but at least exile.

Good luck proving "knowingly."

Also, what would you do with the critters who build on or invoke existing law which violates the Constitution?

For that matter, who gets to decide what constitutes disobedience?
 
Before we get a new contract, we should first evaluate the results of the old one...
 
You used the FT story linked as support of your statement that "business leaders" (which Jeffery Immelt is one) are tired of Obama. GE released a statement saying that Mr. Immelt did NOT say that. So on eof the sources you used in support of your argument has been contradicted by the subject of the mis-quote. One out of four sources does not diminish (or increase) the actual accuracy of your statement, but it does diminish the perceived veracity.

GE/MSNBC/NBC/OBAMA Are all in bed together.
 
GE/MSNBC/NBC/OBAMA Are all in bed together.
Is that porn with a little horror, or horror with a little porn?
I have doubts that the business world cares who is in charge, DEM or REP, as long as Wall Street isn't too badly affected by it.
I also have doubts that our congress and house care what the business world does TO the public, as long as they aren't too blatant about it, and none of the poop spills on the politicians.
IOW, it doesn't matter who is president, which party controls congress, etc. Long term, all that matters is that we can only do the best we can with the money that they let us keep....
 
Here's the latest version I've seen on what the Republicans are offering to America.

Uh, sorry, Skippy. That was written by Democrats to MOCK Republicans.

:lamo :lamo
 
What ever happened to the original contract, I think we called it the U.S. Constitution. Why the hell do we need to keep coming up with new contracts, promises etc. this B/S is getting old. These government hacks...all of them have forgotten why they are in government it seems to me.
 
They are in government because they continue to hoodwink their electorate, and because the state parties continue to deny voters the ability to do more than choose between the lesser of two evils.

I don't think any of them have forgotten that. :lol:
 
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