Your opinion: Forum’s ‘poster boy’ bashes Bush, offers no real solutions

[RC]

Your opinion: Forum’s ‘poster boy’ bashes Bush, offers no real solutions

In a recent commentary, Sen. Kent Conrad, D-N.D., The Forum’s poster boy, discussed his views on the federal deficit and Social Security, as usual blaming President Bush. The most revealing part of the article is what he did not say.

He claims the federal deficit is a sign of a weak economy but neglects to tell readers that in terms of percentage of GNP, the current deficit is lower than on many previous occasions. He glosses over the fact the Congressional Budget Office has a very poor track record in predicting deficits. Economists agree the current deficit is much less than estimated three years ago.

One way to decrease the deficit is to have a robust economy, which increases tax revenues. The other is for the Senate, which controls the purse strings, to decrease spending – something Conrad and other senators shun like the plague.

<SNIP>
Manesis lives in Fargo. E-mail [e-mail]


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http://www.in-forum.com/Opinion/articles/139565

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Nothing about how bu$h has bankrupted the nation treasury with his needless war on Innocent people... errr terror. I think he need to be enlightened as to reality.

[EST]

1. Dishonesty comes in so many forms.

In criticizing Conrad for not stating all the terms of the discussion, such as the clowns' talking points, the author also fails to state that gnp and gdp are not calculated as they were thirty years ago.

The mere fact that money changing hands does not represent any sort of "product" is routinely ignored by the criminal cabal. Swapping huge chunks of change in pursuit of riches in the stock market does not contribute to any real product. Product, fifty years ago, meant that which came out of the ground, was created on the farm, or value added in the creation of products from labor. "Product" meant producing something.

The actual production of real material substance only represents approximately one third that which it represented then, leading to my own calculation that any percentage of gdp is actually three times their claims.

Figures may not lie but liars sure can figure.

[luckyleftyme2]

2. THE REAL TEST

TO PROVE CONRAD RIGHT AND RC WRONG: AMERICANS HAVE LESS MONEY IN BANK,GREATER DEBT LOAD,LESS LESIURE TIME OR INCOME THEN IN 2000.POOR HEALTH CARE,HIGH PREMIUMS FOR HEALTH INSURANCE.
TRIPPLE COST OF GASOLINE AND HEATING FUEL,A WAR WITH NO END IN SITE,CORPORATE CORRUPTION
ESPECIALLY IN MILLITARY CONTRACTS. BUT MOST OF ALL OUR INFASTRUCTURE IS FALLING APART AND WE CAN'T AFFORD TO FIX IT BECAUSE OF THE WAR THAT NEVER SHOULD HAVE BEEN!

[HereSince1628]

3. The republican way to lower the deficit seems to be cooking the books

at least according to the GAO. The R's have been using accouting practices that would put corporate CFO's and their bosses in jail for fraud.

[karynnj]

4. The dishonesty in their budget is amazing - I wonder why they didn't

eliminate the deficit all together.

Here's an excerpt from a 2005 editorial Kerry wrote for a Massachusetts paper:

"When considering the budget of the United States, honesty at minimum means actually counting every dollar we plan to spend. It sounds simple -- it's what every American does -- but this budget doesn't do it.

Ongoing military operations in Iraq and Afghanistan will cost at least $400 billion over 10 years. That's not in the budget. The president's Social Security scheme will cost another $750 billion over 10 years. That's not in the budget. The budget ignores interest on the debt, which not even the most creative accountant would leave out.

This budget is like an Enron budget -- smoke the numbers, cook the books, hide the truth and hope no one finds out. When Enron went bust, stockholders were the losers. When this budget goes bust, the American taxpayer will be the loser. They'll lose because this budget does exactly what Enron did: It makes irresponsible choices the administration does not want you to know about. "

They haven't become more honest since Kerry wrote this.







http://kerry.senate.gov/v3/cfm/record.cfm?id=234788