Bush Buys Land in Northern Paraguay (1 Viewer)

[danarhea]

Under the radar is the possible intention of President Bush to move to Paraguay after he leaves office. He has just bought land there, and the Latin American News Agency quotes a memo by Luis D Elia, undersecretary for the Social Habitat in the Argentine Federal Planning Ministry, that Bush plans to settle down at his new ranch in Paraguay.

"America - Love it or leave it" has always been one of my favorite quotes.

Article is here.

 

[Gibberish]

Maybe he realizes he won't be being offered many speaking engagements and that he has a low chance of living peacefully in Crawford.

I don't think I have ever heard him give a new idea in a speech or even make a speech that was not intended as a response to some form of attack that occurred.

Unless we need to be reminded that there are people out there that want to kill Americans, that we need to stay some course and/or wait it out, or that the media harms national security I don't think we will be seeing much of him.

 

[Mr.Clover]

Unless presidents are not people like us normal citizens and are not allowed to buy land freely like everyone else, I don't see why this is such news. I have land in Ireland and Germany and I plan to buy a bunch of property in Russia. Is it because I plan to move there? no, I just want to own the property and die a wealthy land owner. (And my numerous relatives need homes too, but forget that) Anyway, I hardly think this is "Breaking News".

 

[Real Korimyr #9]

Ain't a bad idea, to my thinking. I'm wishing I could afford a patch of land somewhere outside of the country myself-- in case things get ugly here.

 

[Mr.Clover]

Hell, I'm only a lowely gas station chain manager, once I retire I'm going to spend the rest of my life back home in Ireland and enjoy the scenery.

Imagine what a president must feel like after 8 years of working a weeks worth in a day.

 

[Navy Seal Patriot]

Bush of a 98,842-acre farm in northern Paraguay, between Brazil and Bolivia.

Money that could've gone to troops who need the money--very sad. Support the Troops???

"it is a bad signal that the Bush family is doing business with natural resources linked to the future of MERCOSUR."

 

[Mr.Clover]

Money that could've gone to troops who need the money--very sad. Support the Troops???

What troops need money? I'm assuming you mean Iraq and afganistan, hmmm, considering the fact that it has been the most successful mission in U.S. History, why do they need more money?

 

[CurrentAffairs]

Unless presidents are not people like us normal citizens and are not allowed to buy land freely like everyone else, I don't see why this is such news.

Ditto. What's your point, danarea?

 

[Real Korimyr #9]

Money that could've gone to troops who need the money--very sad. Support the Troops???

What, the man's supposed to spend his own money to supplement our budget? He pays his taxes, just like the rest of us-- and the cost of one hundred thousand acres in Paraguay (by the way, wow) would hardly make a difference in the war.

 

[Patrickt]

"D Elia considered this Bush step counterproductive for the regional power expressed by Presidents Nestor Kirchner, Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, Evo Morales, Hugo Chavez and Fidel Castro."

Not only that but it might cause, "a hypothetical conflict."

Sorry, I think this article is some sort of joke.

 

[Trajan Octavian Titus]

Under the radar is the possible intention of President Bush to move to Paraguay after he leaves office. He has just bought land there, and the Latin American News Agency quotes a memo by Luis D Elia, undersecretary for the Social Habitat in the Argentine Federal Planning Ministry, that Bush plans to settle down at his new ranch in Paraguay.

"America - Love it or leave it" has always been one of my favorite quotes.

Article is here.

Good maybe he's not going to be the consemit dick and try to interfere in the current Presidents affairs, bowing out gracefully like Reagan did not like Clinton and Carter who think that they're still the President.

 

[faithful_servant]

"D Elia considered this Bush step counterproductive for the regional power expressed by Presidents Nestor Kirchner, Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, Evo Morales, Hugo Chavez and Fidel Castro."

Not only that but it might cause, "a hypothetical conflict."

Sorry, I think this article is some sort of joke.

It's straight out of Cuba and Argentina, how much credibility do you think it has?

 

[shuamort]

Good maybe he's not going to be the consemit dick and try to interfere in the current Presidents affairs, bowing out gracefully like Reagan did not like Clinton and Carter who think that they're still the President.

I think Reagan's illness prevented him from doing such. And if you think that HW Bush didn't bash Clinton while he was sitting president, you're completely wrong.

From the September 21 edition of Fox News' Special Report with Brit Hume:

HUME: Two nights ago on this program, we said that, in attacking President Bush on Iraq, Hurricane Katrina, and the budget, former president Clinton did something that Bush's father did not do, and that is to criticize his successor. That was incorrect. While the first President Bush did so rarely, he did criticize President Clinton and his administration several times, including on his Haiti and Somalia policies. We stand corrected and regret the error.

 

[Captain America]

Good job Shuey!! :2wave:

 

[jujuman13]

quote
(What troops need money? I'm assuming you mean Iraq and Afghanistan, hmmm, considering the fact that it has been the most successful mission in U.S. History, why do they need more money?)

Partial quote
(I'm assuming you mean Iraq and Afghanistan, hmmm, considering the fact that it has been the most successful mission in U.S. History,)

First of all, these are 2 that is TWO separate missions.

Successful, well not really, Afghanistan is rapidly being once again taken over by the Taliban, simply because the US led forces did not fulfill the promises to the Afghanistan people that they would improve their lives.
Having seen which way the wind is blowing, the US command in Afghanistan has now been handed over to a NATO Commander.
Presumably NATO will subsequently be blamed for any future loss of territory within Afghanistan.

Iraq cannot possibly be seen as a success, militarily at first, yes it was an undoubted success.
With the much harder job of instilling the idea of Democracy into a bunch of ragheads, a complete and abject failure.

By your comments I would assume that you counted Vietnam as a resounding success.

Be honest in Vietnam, Iraq (Post war), Afghanistan (Post war) we have got our asses kicked.
We will eventually HAVE to pull out of Iraq as we cannot hope to win any semblance of peace.
What the American body politic needs to realize is that bombastic speech will never win a Democratic peace.
I blame it on our abysmal education system.

 

[Navy Seal Patriot]

Clover:

What troops need money? ....... ............considering the fact that it has been the most successful mission in U.S. History, why do they need more money?

Let me educate you on the subject of troops/units needing money, as for the most successful mission in U.S History Clover theory vs. WW2, or the Revolution--I will consider that a funny remark.

Frontline battle troops, most of whom have been in the military for about a year, earn less than $16,000 a year -- which puts them at about the level of theater ushers and Wal-Mart clerks. Even second lieutenants, at a starting salary of $26,000 a year, earn less than pest control workers and shoe repairers...........................
About 25,000 families of servicemen and women are eligible, and this may be an underestimate, since the most recent Defense Department report on the financial condition of the armed forces -- from 1999 -- found that 40 percent of lower-ranking soldiers face "substantial financial difficulties." .....................The poverty of the mightiest military machine on Earth is no secret to the many charities that have sprung up to help families on U.S. military bases, like the church-based Feed the Children, which delivers free food and personal items to families at twelve bases. Before 9/11, trucks bearing free food from a variety of food pantries used to be able to drive right on to the bases. Now they have to stop outside the gates, making the spectacle of military poverty visible to any passerby.

The 2003 Bush tax cut for the rich, for example, failed to extend a child tax credit to nearly 200,000 military personnel.

Well, they get all kinds of special benefits, don't they, like free housing and medical care? Yes, and that's a powerful attraction to the young men and women of America's working poor. But no one should confuse the U.S. military with a Swedish-style welfare state. The mother of a Marine reports that her son had to charge nearly $1,000 on her Visa card for items not issued by the military, like camouflage paint and socks. In 2003, Defense Department overseas schools for the children of military personnel closed a week early due to a lack of funds. full article: http://www.alternet.org/story/18313

http://www.debatepolitics.com/war-iraq/14346-pro-war-time-give-soldiers-due.html will give you a list of the many military charities and contributions you can make to help more body armor, Humvee armor and other equipment many of our Guard and Reserve units need. I recall also a payback program that a soldier could get reimbursed for items one needs--that should've been provided before deployment; many aren't getting reimbursed at all.

Let's continue the education:

The Bush Administration's 2004 budget proposed gutting Veterans Administration (VA) services, including health care funding. Proposed cuts included: denying at least 360,000 veterans access to health care; $250 annual premiums; increased pharmacy co-payments; a 30 percent increased primary care co-payments; and increased waiting time for a first medical appointment.

An army of veterans twice the size of that involved in Operation Iraqi Freedom has lost health insurance benefits since Bush took office. As many as half a million vets are homeless. Seven VA hospitals are being closed as part of an effort to "restructure" the Department of Veterans Affairs. Meanwhile, veterans of the Iraq campaign can fall in line with over 250,000 veterans who are already waiting at least six months to see a doctor...............Disabled American Veterans (DAV), an organization that since 1920 has helped U.S. combat casualties learn about the benefits they have earned and how to apply for them, has been obstructed in its efforts by Bush.

The Pentagon has been severely limiting DAV access to wounded veterans on grounds of "security" and protecting "privacy." The Pentagon protects the veterans' privacy by not allowing them to speak with DAV representatives "unmonitored."
full article: http://www.usavanguard.com/vnews/display.v/ART/2004/01/28/401970abb42d7

Clover and Koriymer the Rat I gave you enough info for the reality of troops in the field and the vets. I'm not mad, but if you don't care, don't want to learn about it--then you will tell this vet you really don't care--because this trigger finger has done more to kill off the insurgency than all DP Pro-Bushite posters combined--your word vs. my walk.
It's Time for the Rat and you to $tart understanding and really giving to the troops--all else is just propaganda, hey do you actually know any troops or is it just a kinda WWW connection thing?Nope nothing like this is on CNN or FOX--time to wakeup to the hard cold reality or just signup and see for yourself, why again cannot you enlist?

 

[Real Korimyr #9]

Clover and Koriymer the Rat I gave you enough info for the reality of troops in the field and the vets. I'm not mad, but if you don't care, don't want to learn about it

This is all information I am aware of. And though I can't claim to be as disgusted by it as you are-- because you've lived it-- I can assure you that I am disgusted by it, and I want it to be corrected.

But your information is based on the President's bad tax and budget policies. Rich as the man is, he's not rich enough to be capable of making up for his bad policies by private donations. So, no... I cannot blame him for spending his own money on his own interests, instead of spending it on any part of the nation's budget.

Give me a thread about how the President's policies don't "support the troops" and tell us about how his fiscal decisions are hurting troops in the field and keeping recruitment down-- and I will gladly join you in howling curses at him.

It's Time for the Rat and you to $tart understanding and really giving to the troops...

I make about a thousand dollars more per year than the frontline battle troops whose wages you quoted-- and I don't get any of the military benefits. It's a *******ed shame what we expect our soldiers to live off of, but I'm in no position to be helping them any.

Give me a candidate who wants to help fix this, and I'll vote for him. Ain't much else I can do.

... time to wakeup to the hard cold reality or just signup and see for yourself, why again cannot you enlist?

I can't enlist because I am disabled by inflammatory arthritis of the spine. I'm only now getting to the point that I can walk unassisted and work a six-hour shift without sitting down for the majority of it. I'll never be well enough to be a proper soldier-- a fact that grates on me constantly.

And I will thank you now, for rubbing my inability to serve my country in my face once again.

 

[Navy Seal Patriot]

Korimyr the Rat, good responses, your honest and I believe you.

 

[Trajan Octavian Titus]

Korimyr the Rat, good responses, your honest.

To bad you're not:

Funding for Veterans up 27%, But Democrats Call It A Cut
Money for Veterans goes up faster under Bush than under Clinton, yet Kerry accuses Bush of an unpatriotic breach of faith.

February 18, 2004
Modified: February 18, 2004



Summary


In the Feb. 15 Democratic debate, Kerry suggested that Bush was being unpatriotic: “He’s cut the VA (Veterans Administration) budget and not kept faith with veterans across this country. And one of the first definitions of patriotism is keeping faith with those who wore the uniform of our country.”

It is true that Bush is not seeking as big an increase for next year as the Secretary of Veterans Affairs wanted. It is also true that the administration has tried to slow the growth of spending for veterans by not giving new benefits to some middle-income vets.

Yet even so, funding for veterans is going up twice as fast under Bush as it did under Clinton. And the number of veterans getting health benefits is going up 25% under Bush's budgets. That's hardly a cut.


Analysis



Funding for veterans benefits has accelerated in the Bush administration, as seen in the following table.

In Bush’s first three years funding for the Veterans Administration increased 27%. And if Bush's 2005 budget is approved, funding for his full four-year term will amount to an increase of 37.6%.

In the eight years of the Clinton administration the increase was 31.7%

In the eight years of the Clinton administration the increase was 31.7%

Those figures include mandatory spending for such things as payments to veterans for service-connected disabilities, over which Congress and presidents have little control. But Bush has increased the discretionary portion of veterans funding even more than the mandatory portion has increased. Discretionary funding under Bush is up 30.2%.

By any measure, veterans funding is going up faster under Bush than under Clinton.

One reason: the number of veterans getting benefits is increasing rapidly as middle-income veterans turn for health care to the expanding network of VA clinics and its generous prescription drug benefit.

According to the VA, the number of veterans signed up to get health benefits increased by 1.1 million, or 18%, during the first two fiscal years for which Bush signed the VA appropriations bills. And the numbers continue to grow. By the end of the current fiscal year on Sept. 30, the VA estimates that the total increase under Bush's budgets will reach nearly 1.6 million veterans, an increase of 25.6 percent.

And according to the VA, the number of community health clinics has increased 40% during Bush's three years, with accompanying increases in the numbers of outpatient visits (to 51 million last year) and prescriptions filled (to 108 million).


http://www.factcheck.org/article144.html

 

[ProudAmerican]

I can't enlist because I am disabled by inflammatory arthritis of the spine. I'm only now getting to the point that I can walk unassisted and work a six-hour shift without sitting down for the majority of it. I'll never be well enough to be a proper soldier-- a fact that grates on me constantly.

IMO, you dont owe him , or anyone else an excuse, or reason why you havent enlisted.

the idea that someone must enlist in order to be for the war is B.S. nonsense.

the only reason he needs to know why we dont enlist is because we dont have to. we dont have to because in this great country, there are plenty of men and women that do volunteer so the rest of us can stay home. thats why I have so much respect for all of them....even the ones that are so misguided or disgruntled as to be against freeing a nation from tyrany.

I can also tell you his attitude is not the norm. I hang out with several special forces guys, including SEALs, and other special forces from around the globe.

I have never heard one of them say the things this guy says. as a matter of fact, this past tuesday night at dinner one of them said he figures he could get called back up if things get out of hand with NK, and he is more than willing to go wherever he is asked to go.

I can also tell you none of them has ever told me that I should enlist if im such a war hawk.

the VAST MAJORITY of military people apreciate the support of the civilians at home and do not think we should only have the right to support the effort if we sign up.

 

[Caine]

To bad you're not:

Yes, the spending has gone up.

But, has it been funded on par with the ever increasing demand is the important question.

I applied for VA Educational benefits back in May. Im still waiting to receive them.......
A guy I work with applied for VA Disability benefits back in March. He is still waiting to receive them........
A guy I served with and still keep in contact with Applied for VA Educational Benefits last August and it took 10 months for them to catch up to him.....

So, increased spending don't mean **** if it isn't keeping up with the demand.

 

[ProudAmerican]

So, increased spending don't mean **** if it isn't keeping up with the demand.

I agree....but lets be honest......has it EVER kept up with demand?

 

[danarhea]

I agree....but lets be honest......has it EVER kept up with demand?

Not really. the Bush administration treats vets like crap, but to be fair, this all began under Clinton.

 

[Caine]

I agree....but lets be honest......has it EVER kept up with demand?

So... are you saying that you disagree that large operations like Iraq and its sidekick of Afganistan do not cause the demand to increase?

If you look at that little graph you will see that the money increased every year (even if by a VERY small amount one year under Clinton). Yes, I agree that the amount contributed increased by a larger amount under the Bush Administration. But by comparison I would have to opine that it did not increase nearly enough to meet the increased needs for benefits caused by the war.

 

[Real Korimyr #9]

IMO, you dont owe him , or anyone else an excuse, or reason why you havent enlisted.

I am encouraging other men to go catch bullets for me. I do believe that this does require some explanation as to why I am not putting myself in the position I would put them-- because unlike the men actually giving the orders, I am not obviously disqualified on account of my age or necessary civilian position.

Yeah, they're volunteers-- and their greater honor is based on the fact that they have chosen to go into warzones when they could have declined. But there is still some shame in not joining them; the fact that so many people can endorse a war without even considering fighting in it themselves disturbs me on a very deep and visceral level.