dagblog - Comments for "How NOT to negotiate"

"I mean you destroyed our

The Decider — Thu, 18 Apr 2013 19:17:23 +0000

In reply to This entire screed? has

"I mean you destroyed our military, our military prisons, our economy...and my peace of mind."

But not your since of humor, Dick. I never could put a dent in that!

--W

As you said, infrastructure

Aaron Carine — Fri, 12 Apr 2013 21:19:53 +0000

In reply to This does very little for

As you said, infrastructure spending has "many virtues", so we should keep it up. The money spent on federal assistance to the poor does benefit people at the center of the income bell curve, which is why Republicans want to do away with it. Whatever else you say about Obama, he is for it.

Traditionally, a lot of these

Anonymous PP — Fri, 12 Apr 2013 17:14:15 +0000

In reply to Wait..wut???? This is a super

Traditionally, a lot of these infrastructure projects are full of under-the-table payoffs and other corruption. The Japanese spent a decade pouring concrete on useless roads to nowhere that didn't help their economy or their infrastructure. I think Stephens in his Alaskan bridge-to-nowhere tried to emulate (even though his trial was a shameful farce). I'm always suspicious of work projects where 90% of the expense is in raw materials & energy, especially where shovel to dirt is the start of a 3 year process, vs. high tech projects that can be completed in weeks or months, where profits vs. expenses might be 10:1, yadda yadda.

I think we've been talking about savings from digital medical records for about 15-20 years, but doesn't seem like patient intake or care has advanced that much. Aside from our switch from PCs to mobile phones, what's greatly changed in living conditions & support systems over the decades?

Of course decider. I have no

ocean-kat — Fri, 12 Apr 2013 17:01:07 +0000

In reply to Alcohol and drugs have always

Of course decider. I have no doubt your cheerleading at Yale was much more exciting and energetic with the coke snorting.

Or were you not snorting at that time? You've never really been clear when you were a cokehead. Now would be a good time to come clean. Nothing to be ashamed of, you're not the only US president to snort coke as a young man.

Both you and Obama sure are lucky you didn't get caught back then, kicked out of school, served jail time, police record following you around for life like so many of your peers and classmates. You both really dodged a bullet there and went on to become president.

Wait..wut???? This is a super

tmccarthy0 — Fri, 12 Apr 2013 16:00:02 +0000

In reply to This does very little for

Wait..wut????

This is a super weird argument, because those infrastructure jobs are some of the best jobs, they more often than not require skilled workers who make much more than minimum wage because they are either union jobs or professional positions. Those jobs are extremely necessary to people who work at places like Walmart, and I think you know why.

Senator Warren is reportedly

Bruce Levine — Fri, 12 Apr 2013 15:56:23 +0000

In reply to How NOT to negotiate

Senator Warren is reportedly "shocked" by the president's CPI proposal:

According to the Huffington Post she is, well frankly, astonished:

Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) made it clear Wednesday in an email to supporters that not only would she oppose President Barack Obama's plan to cut Social Security benefits through a cost-of-living adjustment known as chained CPI, but that she was "shocked to hear" it was included in the White House's budget proposal at all.

Warren said her brother David lives on the $13,200 per year he receives in Social Security benefits. "I can almost guarantee that you know someone -- a family member, friend, or neighbor -- who counts on Social Security checks to get by," she wrote.

An excerpt from her e-mail to her followers reads:

That's why I was shocked to hear that the President's newest budget proposal would cut $100 billion in Social Security benefits. Our Social Security system is critical to protecting middle class families, and we cannot allow it to be dismantled inch by inch.

The President's policy proposal, known as "chained CPI," would re-calculate the cost of living for Social Security beneficiaries. That new number won't keep up with inflation on things like food and health care -- the basics that we need to live.

In short, "chained CPI" is just a fancy way to say "cut benefits for seniors, the permanently disabled, and orphans."

Rex Nutting at Marketwatch on

NCD — Fri, 12 Apr 2013 15:29:59 +0000

In reply to How NOT to negotiate

Rex Nutting at Marketwatch on Obama's Budget "Failure of Will and Imagination':

.....Here is where Obama failed to engage his imagination. His budget plan isn’t going to pass, so why not use the opportunity to spell out how he would use the government to make this a more prosperous, more just and more equal union?.....Instead of highlighting his beliefs and emphasizing the differences between Democrats and Republicans, Obama’s budget obscures the choices we must make.

And, by compromising so readily, Obama can’t even make a strong case for the things he like to accomplish. He’s given up before he even gets started.

For instance, Obama thinks every child in America should have access to high-quality pre-school. But his budget only funds about two-thirds of the $100 billion it would cost for the first 10 years. Why not ask for more?

Obama is dissatisfied with the pace of job growth and with the poor state of American roads, bridges, ports and other infrastructure. The needs — both in terms of job creation and physical infrastructure — are massive.

Yet his budget only funds $40 billion for immediate repairs, compared with the $3.6 trillion that engineers say is needed. By contrast, the Congressional Progressive Caucus budget recommends spending $2.9 trillion on job creation and public investment. Their budget isn’t going to pass either, but at least it stands for something.

Obama says climate change is a grave long-term threat, but his budget doesn’t include such sensible policies as a carbon tax or a market mechanism to discourage the burning of fossil fuels.

I could go on, but you get the point. The Obama budget fails as a starting point for serious negotiations and as a blueprint for Obama’s vision.

Then we will await 2015 with

The Decider — Fri, 12 Apr 2013 15:26:31 +0000

In reply to Well to be fair, W, you had a

Then we will await 2015 with baited breath. Everything will be good then. You know, I got a lot done without needing Congress. I didn't even ask their permission to attack Sadaam. Through it all, I managed to take care of my guys. "You dance with the one who brung you."

Oh, but you are wrong, Dick.

The Decider — Fri, 12 Apr 2013 15:17:08 +0000

In reply to This entire screed? has

Oh, but you are wrong, Dick. I mean, I know that I'm not trotting around the globe trying to solve poverty and such, but what I have done to bring hope to the world is priceless. I proved that a good ol' boy of average intelligence who has lost money in business through his hole life can achieve the highest office in the land. That brings hope to millions of Americans!

Alcohol and drugs have always

The Decider — Fri, 12 Apr 2013 15:14:03 +0000

In reply to I try not to critique an

Alcohol and drugs have always been important in art. While I am an artist in my soul, I imagine the quality of my work would go up if I were drinking or snorting.