The evidence that the voters gave last November is that the government has gone too far. It is too big. It costs too much and they are tired of paying for it.

If you can't pay for the employees and services you already offer and nobody wants to pay for a rate increase, what do you do?

Last year the answer was, "Let's increase the size and scope of government through nationalizing the health care industry and pay for it by increasing the national debt." In November the voters pretty uniformly across the country said, "No thanks."

Now what?

Indeed. And pretty tired of the blame game, trying to make the other side to be the bad guy just to win the next election.

Like that little trick they played with withholding rates - to make everyone think they got a tax cut, but still stuck with the same taxes due at the end of the year. For 30 years, Single/Zero netted me a refund or at least dead even - now for the last two years, I get hit with owing over a grand at the end of the year - because the withholding rate got changed to less than 13%, even though I'm in a 28% tax bracket.

They even played the same game with my military retirement - 2 years ago, they dropped the monthly federal withholding by 40%. Myself and several other military retirees I've talked with tried several times to submt a change and have additional money withheld - and each time, DFAS would cancel out our changes and put us right back at that 40% reduction level. Then, back in March, suddenly we get notified that the federal withholding amount was immediately getting jacked back up to the previous levels.

I'm just sick and tired of the effin games.

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Just say "NO" to Ethanol - Drive Diesel

Mitchell Oates
Mooresville, NC
'87 300D 212K miles
'87 300D 151K miles - R.I.P. 12/08
'05 Jeep Liberty CRD 67K miles
Grumpy Old Diesel Owners Club

If the repub plan is DOA, where is the democrat alternative?
Its easy to take shots at something someone else has proposed; its far more difficult to put up an alternative for others to criticize.

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1982 300SD " Wotan" ..On the road as of Jan 8, 2007 with Historic Tags

why cant we have a balanced budget?

The Dems did offer a plan. The Republicans refused to consider it.

Since Repubs hold a majority in the House, which is where all money bills must come from, the Republs can dismiss out of hand any Dem suggestions and insist that only their proposals be considered.

This is not governing. This is trying to force through law that has been rejected.

I remember the last time the gov shut down. The public saw the Republicans as trying to push through things no one wanted and not doing the job they were elected to do.

The Republicans have not come up with a budget. They have come up with a list of programs cuts and nothing else.

The question was raised, "If nobody wants a tax increase what do you do?"

Well, you could start with asking the voters if they want a tax increase.

Just because a majority of the US voters voted for Republicans there is no mandate to not raise taxes. A majority of voters voted for Democrats in California last time, so are they saying that taxes in California should be raised?

If the CA Republicans have their way about it no one will ever know. But I can see why the Republicans are terrified of CA raising taxes. Their big fear is: What if it works?

It would mean the end of 30 years of supply side economics and very likely the end of the Republican Party itself.

No wonder they don't want voters to have a say in it!

"Elections have consequences", Barack Obama!

I guess the 2012 campaigns have officially begun. We are in for another year and a half of listening to these idiots argue, wonderful.

Sounds exactly like obamacare and cap and trade. BTW- the so called plan the dems offered was not considered for a damn good reason. Even the Republican plan is a joke. What part of BROKE do you not understand?

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1984 300TD 1981 240D

You have been drinking way too much koolaid! While it is true that more Californians voted for democrats (although most of them are from out of state and moved here for the gay friendly climate of San Fransicko then spread their disease around the state) both parties voted against ANY new taxes in November. California has been raising taxes and it is NOT working! I used to respect your views as you seemed to be reasonable and honest, but if you truly believe that rising taxes in California have been good for the state, and more taxes would be even better, I have to question your sanity. Last November not one tax increase, that we were able to vote on, passed despite the percentage of bleeding heart liberals in my once great birthplace.

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1984 300TD 1981 240D

Interesting, what we have are two groups of scumbags trying to defund each other's agendas by scaring the clueless voters. Fun to watch the show if you can avoid believing anything that they say.

The budget is small potatoes . . . it's the debt ceiling that will be the killer. Will the US, for the first time in history default on Treasurys?

Welcome back Billy. How was your time in the naughty room ?

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Grumpy Old Diesel Owners Club group

I no longer question authority, I annoy authority. More effect, less effort....

1967 230-6 auto parts car. rust bucket.
1980 300D now parts car 800k miles
1984 300D 500k miles
1987 250td 160k miles English import
2001 jeep turbo diesel 130k miles
1998 jeep tdi ~ followed me home. Needs a turbo.
1968 Ford F750 truck. 6-354 diesel conversion.
Other toys ~J.D.,Cat & GM ~ mainly earth moving

Just thought I'd preserve this. I had no idea sexuality was a part of this conversation but I stand corrected.

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TC
Current stable:
- 2004 Mazda RALLYWANKEL
- 2007 Saturn sky redline
- 2004 Explorer...under surgery.

Past: 135i, GTI, 300E, 300SD, 300SD, Stealth

Some folks appear to be obsessed with the subject.... not that there's anything wrong with that.