True enough and well said. A very important statement/question, when looking at Armageddon in the face - do nothing? How can this be? This would be a great new thread.

"Debt!"
Yes. We refuse to deal with it. Everyone knows it's a problem and at some point it will come to a head, but we are determined to wait until it comes to a head rather than dealing with it now.

The definition of raid is approaching semantics. Consider this:

For those taxpaying hard working citizens, a certain percentage of their income has gone to fund Social Security and Medicare. Each of these programs holds massive trust funds that are supposed to pay out to beneficiaries, present and future. The trust funds are required by law to buy US government debt in the form of bonds from the Treasury. Given that every single US taxpayer is an ultimate beneficiary of these trust funds, they are the biggest holders of US debt. The US Government is bankrupt, kaput! - with the only measure of bailout being these trust funds. Debt! Let alone deficit or an illusionary balanced budget.

You bet, one always gains with dialogue!

From your first link: "Here's how the raid works: The surplus payroll tax dollars go into the Social Security Trust Fund, which in turn uses them to buy special issue bonds from the U.S. Treasury. "
US Treasuries are the benchmark of low-risk investment in the investing world. So taking the money and putting in Treasuries is not raiding it.

I know some people think deficit spending will eventually lead to a monetary crisis, which will cause Treasuries to lose significant value, in real terms. But that hasn't happened yet. Treasury holders are doing very well lately in this insanely falling interest rate environment, which we know has to end at some point. I reject they are not a bona fide investment.

Hello kathywiso,
The lack of informed voters and the apathy displayed by so many of our youth is something we must overcome.
First we must demand that future voters know some history and civics. I heard today that in my State one of our State representatives is pushing a bill that requires that one "pass' a civics class before graduating. To date one only need take one; passing it is not required.
Sad: http://insider.foxnews.com/2015/01/26/wa...

Regards,
O.A.

Hello winterwind,
There is wisdom in what you say.
"The journey of a thousand miles begins with one step." - Lao Tzu
We have taken to the path. We need to recruit others.
Regards,
O.A.

Thanks for the banter! ;-)

OK, I'll reconsider my evaluation of Newt. I have liked him as an historian and commentator, but was disappointed as a politician. Like I said there was such high hopes there in the 90's that headway could be made and it really came to naught. It kinda comes under the heading of a long slow death versus bring it all on and get this waiting over with.

It's good to see your optimism. I haven't thrown in the towel that things will work out no matter how dark it gets, but I did pass the Rubicon back there in the belief that the two party system and any shining knights to be seen as crusaders is an illusion. The leaders are in our own mirrors.

K & OA - unfortunately, people don't want character or integrity, or values either. I think there are may be 2 groups" [those who divide people into 2 groups, and those who don't...] There are the ones who are frightened, don't know what to do, and let themselves be influces by the media, their friends and families and ads. They know they have to do something, but they don't have any idea of what that something is, let alone how to go about accessing it.

A few groups don't count, because they can't be influenced: the power brokers and other slime; the "I always vote the straight Democratic ticket!" and the people who don't think at all - these last either vote or don't.

The other group to be considered is the one that CAN be influenced, DO want change and everything better that goes with it. These, we can get to - but imagining things as being different as they are is one of the hardest thinking tasks there is. We have to get to them individually and in small groups, and begin where they are, and not overwhelm them with true things which are too much for them to take in all at once - pace them, I guess I would say. It is a slow and tiring and sometimes dispiriting process. I hope to see positive results; I've seen the negative ones - the infighting, the dumbing-down, the unwillingness to do the whole job - the people who want to get elected but don't want to do the whole job, like raising money and making appearances on their wife's birthday;] and the people who attach themselves to a "winning" party, just to get elected.

You've gotta believe in tomorrow -----------

Agreed OA, I would LOVE to see someone just Tell the Damn Truth...this lying through your teeth in every situation makes me crazy. Stand up and say, "This is what we are dealing with, This is Freedom and That is Communism, explaining the DEFINITION of each with actual examples, because you know the public school system has made the one look so much better, which do you want !!" When all the votes are counted, you will know how soon the lights go out..

We are a two party system, so the 'battle' never ends. Every 'victory' only hardens us for the next obstacle.

The Contract gained us precious political ground, and it would be frightening to contemplate just where we could be today, if we had simply conceded that 'ground' out of hand.

Newt did well for our side...don't dismiss him for not eliminating all liberals from our political landscape...!

Perry is a cronyist conservative with hair and an empty suit. To me, he's just the opposite side of an 'Obama coin' who would ignore, or sell, your natural rights when expediency intersected his agenda.

...the opinion of a lifetime Texan.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Governorshi...

Indeed. One would think that after what we have suffered in recent years, they would wake up and see that character matters. However, I was quite astounded and disturbed by a recent poll that put O's approval rating back up to 50%... Really? The explanation given by one of the talking heads was that he was given credit for an improved economy due largely to falling energy prices... I suspect/hope it was a fluke; otherwise boy are the ignorant masses ignorant... One can only hope that this particular poll was an outlier, taken by a limited number of respondents... The midterm election is the only poll that matters and obviously the numbers polled ... I am trying to put my "faith" there and hope it is an awakening of sorts.

Actually I did read the 10 "promises" in the Heritage Contract summary, just now before posting and to refresh my memory of when I read the whole book back in 94. We had such hopes with the Republican Revolution back then. By 2005, I concluded to myself that it is official: The American people have lost control of their government.

Notice that the Heritage article repeats several times that the origins of the modern conservative movement goes back about 30 years from 1994 to the Goldwater Campaign era. That is the birth era of the William Buckley inspired neoconservative movement that replaced the "old guard" that were strict constitutionalists.

So, I would repeat the question: Where did the Contract With America get us?

Well OA, I hope you 're right. and I wonder and hope that people with integrity have the character to stand up for their values and challenge others on theirs. I think strong character is worth a whole heap of "experience "

Hello khalling,
We could do worse and my oh my have we!
Ted Cruz is not perfect, but we don't need perfect. We need someone with integrity, a strict adherence to the Constitution and respect for individual rights. We have had far too much of the collectivist mantra (for the public good, fair share... detritus...). We don't need another establishment type or another elitist royal family plutocrat (e.g., Bush, Clinton).
“The true test of a man’s character is what he does when no one is watching.”
― John Wooden
The problem today is that character and integrity seem to be dis-qualifiers... I hope this has changed.
Regards,
O.A.

"The ten items in the Contract were all acted upon in the first 100 days of the new Congress, which is what the signatories had pledged. Nine of the ten items in the Contract passed the House: Only the constitutional amendment on term limits (which required a two-thirds vote) was defeated. Out of a total of 302 roll call votes on issues related to the Contract With America, the conservatives prevailed on 299 of them. A balanced budget amendment passed in the House by a 300-123 margin but was subsequently defeated as it fell one vote short of the two-thirds needed for passage in the U.S. Senate. The overall margin by which the items in the Contract were passed averaged about 70 percent despite the fact that the Republicans only held a 12-seat margin over the Democrats (52-48 percent, the smallest House majority margin in 40 years). Given the notorious lack of party discipline in the American Congress, the passage by a large majority of nearly all of the items in the Contract was a remarkable achievement."

http://www.heritage.org/research/lecture...

The tutorial goes on to address every one of the 10 promises in the Contract, and their lasting effects on our government. Take a moment from building straw men, and learn the truth.

P.S. I would rather "abuse" a quote (which I didn't)...then abuse history.

Hear, hear!

Without abusing a famous quote from a famous hero, I would just pose the question of how does the state of the federal leviathan today compare with that of 1994? Bigger, badder, more in debt, more intrusive, more out of control and on and on. How well did Gingrich's Congress pan out in this light? The Contract with America is basically a Neocon Manifesto.

Apparently there are those that would disagree. I recall it being an issue with Clinton and Congress in the late '90's, but hardly unique. And not the only factor in balancing the budget.

https://answers.yahoo.com/question/index...

http://judymorrisreport.blogspot.com/201...

It's possible that the Gulch might spring up quickly. My parents are probably both in their last year of life. If they don't use up a large part of their life savings on companion care, then my wife and I will inherit enough money to go from well off on our own earnings to financially ready to retire with their inheritance. For those planning to retire here rather than in Atlantis, get home care covered under your long term care insurance; my parents got nursing care and assisted living covered, but not companion care in their own "unassisted" living. While waiting for a place in secure assisted living to open up, we are paying $500/DAY in companion care expenses. That adds up really fast.

I would like to make an amendment to my comment. I would like to see Congressman Trey Gowdy winning the election of 2016. Nough said!!

Since 2010 I`ve had the opportunity to meet and observe Both Cruz and Paul on several occasions over a couple years in private, as well as public environments.
When the camera isn`t on them, or they are at a private function and are not "on" is a great time to make character assessments.
Cruz has my vote, he is Constitutionally intelligent, speaks directly without "lawyer speak" and has a deep, real, respect and love for our Nation. According to several folks, including his father, he is "fearless" - I believe they are right. I watched, at a private event,(no TV camera`s) as he treated the servers with the same attitude and attention as he did some extreme VIP`s that were at the event - that speaks volumes as to character.

ah, rocky. so glad you're back. missed you :)