There can be no federally funding used for abortion.

So I don't think your suggestion would work.

It is up to State and Federal law enforcement to protect all citizens from threats and intimidation and to protect legal activity!!

How, in America, can we tolerate the harassment and outright barrage of tyranny against our citizens while they are practicing a necessary and legal service to women? Does the 1st amendment allow this? Where are the attorneys who will sue these harassers? Why do state officials allow this illegal practice to continue if they are not challenged as often as the harassers are harassing?

Are some states so autonomous that they think they are beyond federal reach?

I just don't understand this situation continuing in the 21st century.

Thank our Goddess for Rachel Maddow, if not for her, who is calling out for justice for women?

I have to agree. Obama and his buddy Geithner have really helped Wall Street feel "secure", but left the rest of us in a lurch. Wall Street bankers are now getting massive salaries while we still have an unemployment rate of 7.8%.

What ever happened to Jobs, Jobs, Jobs?

What is Obama doing about Citizens United?

What is Obama doing for the economy of ANY of us on Main Street?

It is time we started holding Obama's feet to the fire and tell him that WE voted for him, not his rich corporate buddies!!

I looked at my IRAs - they look OK.

"If Mom's not happy ain't nobody happy"

If the banks and financial institutions aren't happy, then nobody is happy.

However, extending the thought a bit:

Just because banks and financial institutions are happy, this does NOT mean everybody is happy.

-------------------

Remember the American Jobs Act? How did that go? Who blocked that effort?

We need to raise the debt ceiling for 2 years or whatever and then focus on JOBS, JOBS, JOBS.

Jobs and living wages are what are needed to reduce the deficit / debt.

+1 on that. You guys surely know the Fed/Treas are printing a trillion this year. Just one more could get every household $10,000. It would be a life changing event for a lot of people.

Re: #5.3

It is always "cheaper" to just give a man a fish, than to teach him how to fish. (or something like that).

Have you ever looked at the budget data? Do you even know why we have a budget deficit?

Try this link:

http://www.cbo.gov/publication/42911

or these:

http://www.fms.treas.gov/annualreport/index.html

http://www.fms.treas.gov/annualreport/cs2012/receipt.pdf

http://www.fms.treas.gov/annualreport/cs2012/outlay.pdf

Summary:

Receipts in 2012 vs 2011 = increased 6.4%

Outlays in 2012 vs 2011 = decreased 1.7%

Question:

What exactly is your problem the issue want to discuss?

These are lovely links and I hope the results stand up to scrutiny, but what does that have to do with finally giving something to the population rather than the banks?

Re: #5.5

Yes they are "lovely links" because they link to just data - so I am confident they will "stand up to scrutiny" - because they are just - you know - data.

You brought up the deficit - "the Fed/Treas are printing a trillion this year". The links are to data regarding why we have the deficit.

Do you really think we should finally give "... something to the population rather than the banks?" Isn't that just giving people "free stuff"? I thought your side didn't like that.

In case you don't have time to look at the links, Outlays increased dramatically because spending on things like unemployment and food stamps increased dramatically (Mandatory spending - by law, when people qualify they get the $$). These increased because people lost their jobs - so revenue decreased. So, essentially, we have already given $$$ to the population - to those who needed it the most. I think we can agree that this is not sustainable. The solution to the deficit is to get people back to work - increase revenue, decrease the outlays.

So how do we get this done?

So far as I can tell from what I read, the $10,000 to every household would be the only thing Democrats would support.

Jobs come from business, it's the only institution that actually creates economic wealth, and that economic wealth fuels jobs and tax revenue. But sadly, the fear somebody will make a profit leads the left (not yourself as I recall) to hate business.

As long as that paradox continues, the less likely jobs will remain in the states.

Re: #5.7

"So far as I can tell from what I read, the $10,000 to every household would be the only thing Democrats would support."

Well - look again and read different stuff. I'm a Democrat and what is there about what I have posted gives you that idea? I have spent quite a while this morning arguing against this idea.

"But sadly, the fear somebody will make a profit leads the left (not yourself as I recall) to hate business."

This is a generalization that comes, perhaps, from what you have heard and read. Again, read and listen to different opinions.

I think my opinions are pretty main-stream Democratic ones.

Regarding your last comment:

"As long as that paradox continues, the less likely jobs will remain in the states."

The trend for jobs to come BACK to the states is an interesting one. Off-shore workers are figuring out that they don't want to work for slave wages.

Have you got a cite for that last bit about jobs repatriating? That would be very interesting and good news.

I have been hearing this every once in a while for the last several years.

For Non-farm Private Manufacturing Jobs data:

http://research.stlouisfed.org/fred2/graph/?id=NPPMNF

Data only goes back to 2001. Number of jobs decreased until March 2010 then started to tick up. In last few months, started to drop. But over all had increase of 309,000 since March 2010. [pretty anemic but an increase]

A quick google found these:

http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2012-03-21/ge-s-new-u-s-jobs-seen-in-political-light-on-immelt-obama-role.html

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052702304587704577333482423070376.html

http://www.wired.com/business/2012/12/apple-insourcing/

http://www.forbes.com/sites/stevedenning/2012/12/07/why-apple-and-ge-are-bringing-manufacturing-back/

Here is a quote from the last link:

The most short-sighted business decision in history: out-sourcing

Changes in relative economics are part of the reasons for the change. Oil prices are three times what they were in 2000. Natural gas in the US is a quarter of what it is in Asia. Chinese wages are five times what they were in 2000 and are expected to keep rising rapidly. And labor is a steadily decreasing percentage of the cost of manufacturing.

But even more important than these shifts in prices is the growing realization that the massive international outsourcing that took place over the past few decades didn’t make sense in the first place.

“Just five years ago, not to mention 10 or 20 years ago,” writes Fishman, “the unchallenged logic of the global economy was that you couldn’t manufacture much besides a fast-food hamburger in the United States… There was no reason design and marketing could not take place in one country while production, from the start, happened half a world away.”

I know one thing. If the left thought and acted as those on the right portray us, there would be no Progressive Movement.

Those that put out a red herring and claim to be supportive of the changes we ultimately want but paint a picture of ineptness or lack of resolve, need to ST_U.

Republicans today are a blight on society. They represent the fascist nature of big business, not our people and our needs. Those individuals who are fooled into thinking Republicans are behind their goals, need a steady dose of education that contain facts that point out that their interests are at the bottom of Republican agendas, if at all.

Wake UP. Do not get lazy. The next election cycle will be here before we know it and more Republicans will join school boards, and water districts, and wherever else they can get a tenuous hold that impels them further into higher offices while we sit back and not get involved.

DO SOMETHING POSITIVE instead of just complaining and being critical which does not help in the long run. What Republicans do in the long run does work, but in actual governing, in that they fail to represent what they promise. They simply want back into our pocketbooks and rid our nation of any public services so that they can profit from every part of our daily lives turning this country into just another third world country of haves and have nots.

Re: #6

You have a point - there are many stories that should be covered that aren't.

I went to the web-site at the bottom of your comment to find out more about the story you talked about. And found nothing. If this story is so compelling and important, where is it? You are complaining that it is not covered - and then you didn't cover it!!

The most recent post was January 2, 2013.

I read the "Author' Note" on the side bar. If you want to be taken seriously, I suggest you clean up your language. And change the title, too.