Senator-Elect Kelly Ayotte Delivers GOP Weekly Address

"No country can be great if its citizens are unwilling to pay for it."

http://bit.ly/etnSD0

I sorry I did not hear anything but spin.
I am alos for Motherhood & apple pie. I would like to hear from someone with info on what and how they are going to get anything done.

The Idea that you can pay the govt to be great country is an incurable defect.....stupid.
right ON Kelley

I agree with the principles she espouses (reduce govt size, debt and create good paying jobs) but I still don't understand how giving the top 2% an $800B 'gift' to start with falls into that logic. It's tough to get behind a party that won't agree to doing anything for the American people until that happened. 40% of Americans, roughly 1.2M people own less than 1% of the wealth. The middle class is disappearing and we are giving BILLIONS to the top 2%? This was a major REPUBLICAN issue. Can anyone explain this to me? (And please don't tell me these are the 'job creators'. And if you do back it up with some data please....

Guy walks up to you with a gun "How much do you make?" "$20,000" "Oh okay, see you later". Walks up to another guy "how much do you make?" $391,000" "Okay, give me 40% of it". Substitute the government with the Guy With Gun, and you get the picture. IT ISN'T THE GOVERNMENT"S MONEY! Nobody is giving anything to anyone. Taxation is theft. It at least should be equal theft.

Guy walks up to you with a gun "How much do you make?" "$20,000" "Oh okay, see you later". Walks up to another guy "how much do you make?" $391,000" "Okay, give me 40% of it". Substitute the government with the Guy With Gun, and you get the picture. IT ISN'T THE GOVERNMENT"S MONEY! Nobody is giving anything to anyone. Taxation is theft. It at least should be equal theft.

If the 87 "freshmen" believed that they were put into office to change business as usual there is no way they could vote for John Boehner to be speaker

When did this "Help around the House" website become a political one? And why would you, Tim Carter, assume that all your devotees would be Republican? Additionally, I am so tired of the wailing of the Repubs who participated so eagerly in the deficit creation of our nation -- and now equally as eagerly are trying to spin this situation into some form of hyper-fiction!

I am disappointed in you, Tim, for using your site as a soap box -- and equally disappointed in your egocentric view that all your subscribers would walk with you on your march to the destruction of our nation.

COMMENT BY Tim Carter:

James,

This website is different from my AsktheBuilder.com website. You got that email today because of a computer glitch.

You and I seem to be on opposite sides of the fence. History will eventually tell us who picked the winner.

The things that Kelley says in this video are what I as a conservative believe in. I do keep hearing about the good jobs that we need. I certainly can't dissagee. I keep wondering were they will be found? The numbers of manufacturing jobs has declined by thousands since the 1990's. This country must remove the road blocks that cost so much to get started in most businesses. As I have said before, a country can't survive withought a sound manufacturing base. I also agree with Tim that we must keep this next congress in line to the conservative leliefs, if we are ever to straighten out this country. I also have said before that if we all wait for the other guy to keep in touch with our legislators than we could loose what is most dear to most of us.

I didn't know we had an international guard. It is our small business' and families that are paying for the "break" we continue to give the very wealthy and large corporations and she wants congratulations for not putting the screws to them even worse? We've tried the republicans' idea of small government, that's one of the reasons we are in such a bad financial state right now. Deregulation hurts the families. It allows the financial institutions to defraud them,the food producers to poison them, and their employers to injure therm without recompense.Oh yeah, lets hold her to her word. We can all go down together.

Brad what's up with you I haven't met a Dem who understands what a hammer is anyway. Remember republicans build roads. Dem's just use them

The facts are simple and common knowledge to the wealthy who create jobs by taking risks and growing their wealth. Those who create jobs do so in the pursuit of their happiness, jobs and other peoples happiness is just a natural extension of building wealth. Those who argue that statistics show that the rich save their money as opposed to the general population who spend every dime they can get their hands on have tripped over one of most important secrets to wealth, saving money.

How many people go out of business every year attempting to go on their own because they do not have the staying power to succeed. The staying power to succeed comes from personal wealth which most Americans do not have because they do not save money. If our government takes more of these personal wealth "saving", they are also taking away the confidence and ability for the rich to put their money to work to grow their wealth. Instead you find them in sophisticated financial and structural instruments to try and keep from loosing their wealth. The more you preoccupy the rish with such things the less incentives they have to grow wealth, you see they already know that to stay wealthy they have to keep what they already have. In other words it is easier to keep a fortune than to make another one.

Give them confidence that they will not be bullied and vilified for engaging in legitimate business and risk taking and that their current wealth is not at risk of being confiscated and you will once again have a thriving growing economy instead of the current prevailing sentiment among the wealthy.

God bless America!

So, John Russell thinks that letting someone keep their own money is a GIFT???? WTF?

This country "ain't a goin nowhere" as long as these class warriors keep spouting garbage like that.

I am a long way from being rich, but I don't think success should be PUNISHED and I don't like the idea that the rich pay extra for their American birthright.

If they have to PAY a larger share of their income to be a good American then they should GET more for their money.

Republicans sit on one wing, and Democrats sit on the other wing of a Kamakazi bird nose-diving the cement.

Go to infowars.com and gain a TRUE veiw of political and many other issues from the panoramic crystal clear view that orbit provides!

I can distinguish between the Home Builder site and a political blogs. Your thicker and denser than a 4 x 4 teak timber subscribers on the left evidently cannot. Your sending this out was an honest mistake. So be it.

One poster here stated, "The middle class is disappearing and we are giving BILLIONS to the top 2%?"

One problem with that statement: The money already belongs to them.

So what the poster is really saying is that the money that these people have earned is really the government's, and the government should not let them keep their own money.

Is that the kind of a country we want to live in? Where the government owns what you have earned, and then decides how much you should be allowed to keep?

Try this: Name inventions or innovative products that have come out of Russia or Cuba, that weren't copies of products produced in the free countries. Can't name any? That's because people in communist countries are not incentivized to be productive. They receive the same government allocation, regardless of their productivity. Therefore, they see no need to strive to excel.

I wish her every success in her efforts to revitalize the "grass roots" entrepreneurial dynamic. Her words however, bespeak of her own naivete'. I am looking forward to see how she and her other neophyte republican associates, can possibly change the corporate serving cadre of old guard republican prevaricators and pettifoggers, that are currently ruining and running the real conservative movement in the U.S. I think she has discounted her and her new associates inability to overthrow this corporate power in Washington and in the supreme court? The words are nice but her naivete' is astounding! Just another rookie politician that will do as she is told by Boehner et al when the time comes!! That is to vote for the corporate lobbyists platforms and screw the little guy and his little entrepreneurial ideas!

We've tried the republicans' idea of small government, that's one of the reasons we are in such a bad financial state right now.

Hey, Tery, when did we try this idea? We've heard about it, sure, but who tried it? Theodore Rooselvelt?

Tim, Will you join or even lead our group of contractors, home builders and owners in persuading voters in New Hampshire to be the first in America to truly live free by abolishing all building code requirements and government regulation of the housing industry? Yes, true freedom. Each guy builds his own and lives or dies by his own work. No more inspectors checking to see if all that framing is correct or if it has insulation or firestops or whatever. After all, what business is it of theirs? They don't own it or live in it. Abolishing all regulations and letting each person do what he wants with his own property would show that conservatives really do believe in freedom. Do conservatives really stand for small government? This is the place to start. And Americans would follow. Few understand financial regulations, but they do understand how building codes cost money and give power to the government. Will you endorse our movement and help us make New Hampshire the first code free state in America?

COMMENT BY Tim Carter:

Robert,

I can't go that far. Why? Because of the secondary effects.

First, the building code is a set of minimum standards. It's easy to build to code.

Second, the code is there to protect homeowners from very poor quality. Believe me, because of the 55,000 visitors I get each day to my AsktheBuilder.com site, I KNOW there is huge pain out there.

With no code in place, the housing nightmares would become epidemic.

I'm very curious to know why you're upset with code officials. Have you had problems? Why? Sure, there are tin-god inspectors out there on power trips. I had to deal with them. But they're easy to overcome when you have a written copy of the code on the job site. You do have a copy on hand all the time, don't you?

I am posting a link to a piece that is a "retrospective" written before the Nov midterms in the U.S. As a "foreigner"( which I have been reminded of by some herein, in a rather negative way), I do however offer this with all due respect, as an outsiders view to hopefully add to the intellectual pursuit of practical reality and to add more substance to the process.

http://www.jamesconvey.com/uploads/3/3/8/3/3383644/usascene_conservativeconundrum.pdf

One quick comment:
The government, by taxation & other tools, has the ability to create classes within our society or eliminate, increae or decrease the size of those classes. Presently, the labor laws & tax laws favor the upper classes. Also, by helping companies relocste

Smaller government and less spending coming from a Republican sounds great, but under past three presidents that is EXACTLY what they did not do. . how quickly memory fades. I think people have to start looking past party lines and get the message out that we are sinking fast. As for the tax brackets of the very weathly, a little research will show you that class had to pay on average 70% in the years since income tax kicked in and it was 90% in the 50s during the height of anti-socialist McCarthyism. I'm all for the argument of letting everyone keep the money they make but I think that boat sailed long ago.

Sorry to hear your answer to one of your fans of your web site about "we will see about picking a winner". I am also disapointed to your hear your onesided answers to problems facing our country. That has seems to be the problem with the political sustem these days. The Preisdent was elected by a majority of Americans, that's how it works. Remember, the Republicans were in power for years, and did that work out for you. I will unsubscribe to your web after this post, how can you take my problems with my house seriously since you might not agree with me....sorry Tim, I listen to everybody, we are allowed to have a different opinions, it doesn't make us bad or wrong.

One quick comment:
The government, by taxation & other tools, has the ability to create classes within our society or eliminate, increae or decrease the size of those classes. Presently, the labor laws & tax laws favor the upper classes. Also, by helping companies relocate outside our borders has drained blue collar jobs & helped push the high unemployment levels, thus driving more Americans into poverty. The Robber Barons are alive and well. Comglomerate international companies are making huge profits while workers are being squeezed in their salaries and benefits.

Tim, I am heartbroken. You are not a true conservative. You are not willing to stand up for freedom. This is how government gets bigger, one step at a time. If you won't give up small regulations, how can you ever give up the big ones?

Tim, You just don't get it. The peice on throwing out the building codes represent the republicans "Small" goverment. It removes any safegaurds for the american people. It will lead to caos. Unfortunately, the republicans do believe in welfare, but it is welfare for the rich. Give me subsidy's for my business so I can profit and live the good life but let's make every one else pay. give me roads to transport my goods. Pay for your own education, so I can reap the benifits of having well educated employees that don't cost me a dime. oh by the way, I'll keep complaining that they are not smart enough so let me hire foringners, whose goverments provided free (socialised) education. The biggest problem I have with most republicans is the want it all but don't want to pay for it, or willing to put it on the charge card and have future generations pay for it.

I agree that Job #! is to stop wasteful Government spending. In Iraq and Afghanistan, and in many other countries overseas, we are spending billions of dollars trying to fix multifaceted problems with an Army. That's the Law of the Hammer. Our huge military machine is the greatest waste ever. I agree, Republicans, stop building bombs and start repairing our bridges. Our tax dollars should go to problems that business is not interested in fixing.

I got just one thing to say about the people that says that they give rich people money,1-The money is theirs and please tell me why any one would want to give more of anybodies money too be thrown away mostly too the detrimate of the U.S.The Congress has created this mess to start with sirs Dem and Rep.

Tim, you realy started a firestorm with that slip of the mouse. I'm standing with you.

To bad the repub. didn't take that 700billion and build road instead of giving it to the 2% to eat caviar and drink imported wine. Don't they think they should pay their fair share? Like L. Helmsley said , taxes are for the poor people. Thats what your repub.leaders think. BS

Always amazed when I read people who believe someone who makes more than them owes everyone else something for their good fortune. I'm far from wealthy, but feel everyone should pay equally and that means those who don't pay anything (the majority) need to pay and those with the "earned income tax credit" should not receive it. Amazing to forgive taxes and actually pay people just because they work. What about the rest of us who work and pay ALL the taxes? Get a life with logic and knowledge, or get a new country---maybe mexico is more to your liking.

Just a comment on the fallacy that the very poor pay no taxes. .perhaps income tax, but the what they pay in other taxes is much greater. sales, gas, property etc. This is precisely why cutting taxes to the lower 98% stimulate the economy because that money is spend and other tax revenues are generated in many other ways. Trickle down Reagan economics was proven false, and what we hear about today is only that once again regurgitated. Never before has the US engaged in war without raises taxes to fund it and the two wars we now own ard the crux of the problem thanks to the GOP poster boy. . GW.

I am saddened by many of the comments that have been posted here. Corporations and the "wealthy" are not inherently evil, although the Left has done the best they can to demonize them and call on the darker side of human nature. Many of those posting here seem to have swallowed this propaganda hook, line and sinker.
Real world example: When Al Gore was running for the Presidency, I listened to him constantly bemoaning corporations for "taking jobs out of America." At the time I was working closely with Agilent Technologies, formerly a part of HP. Agilent was moving many well paying jobs out of Colorado, where I live, to Malaysia. Why? Well, there is no corporate tax whatsoever in Malaysia but America has the highest corporate tax rate in the world. If taxing corporations is the way to go, why do so many states attempt to lure businesses into relocating by giving them breaks on taxes?
California and NYC would seem to be ideal places for those commenting herein who believe in punitive taxation and over regulation for the wealthy and for corporations. They are tragic examples of the foolishness of such policies.
PS: Agilent later found that the work ethic overseas didn't match that of the Americans they had terminated.

And once again the pendulum starts its inevitable swing to the right since the collective We The People allowed it to move way too far left. First off protecting and enforcing the Rule of Law costs money; so there will be taxes as long as there is a Constitution and America. And I for one hope they will reign forever. But, I am growing increasingly weary of hearing the same rhetoric spewed from the mouths of the few (relatively speaking) political extremists that inhabit opposite vectors on the skirt of the same Liberty bell (curve). It is only so much noise now, as are the lame results of their ineffectual attempts at guiding the growth of the American Oak in concert with the intent (DNA) hard coded in its seed; the Acorn otherwise known as the Constitution.

When Senator Kelly Ayotte is sworn in this week, she will be expected to toe the line as directed by the Republican leadership. But if she is as concerned about changing how Washington works as she says she is, next week she will have a chance to cast her vote on changing an arcane Senate rule that allows single senators to hold up nominations or legislation by threatening a fillibuster without having to actually to fillibuster.

A fillibuster is a time-honored and valuable Senate rule that I support, but which was changed during a past senate session to allow a senator to threaten to fillibuster and then secretly sneak off without actually speaking.

My state's Senator Tom Udall is leading a fight to reform this arcane process. Here's a letter I got from him today. Disclosure: Tom Udall is a Democrat and so am I, so if you are closed minded you might want to stop reading right now.

But you may also want to read on.

"Dear Robert H.

As we look forward to what the New Year brings, my resolution is to try and make the United States Senate work better for you.

In this last Congress, we've seen unprecedented obstruction. While there were major legislative accomplishments, the Senate failed on many of its responsibilities to the American people.

But there is hope.

We have an opportunity on January 5 to make the Senate work again, and I need your support.

Together with Senator Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.) and thousands of grassroots activists from Daily Kos, we're calling in one, loud voice for Senate rules reform.

Add your voice to the more than 20,000 people who have already signed our Daily Kos petition.

Today in the Senate, it's easy to obstruct. A senator can gum up the works with a "secret hold" or threaten a filibuster and then head home for the day.

We believe that if a senator wants to block a bill or nomination, YOU should know about it.

Our solution: Make the filibuster real. If a senator wants to filibuster, they need to stand before the American people and make their case, rather than hiding behind arcane procedural loopholes.

It's only a few days until the first day of the 112th Congress, when I will push the Senate to make these important changes. So sign our petition today!

by clicking here.
http://salsa.wiredforchange.com/dia/track.jsp?v=2&c=C68ADpznzoLveDzfM7odO+Ee4mkpQ+Ai

Cheers and Happy New Year!
Tom Udall"

As you can see by the comments, it doesn't matter whether you're a Repub or Dem, you're not conservative or liberal enough for either. Just one question - when a Politician runs for office, whose special interest will he/she represent? Yours or "Big Money"? That's the problem in the Country - too many gullible people believe their interests will be served.

Tim, I still do not believe you are dodging this one. The point is not whether codes have some purpose, prevent chaos or whatever, but whether they are right. You did not ask whether the estate tax has collateral benefits, but whether it is right to take someone's money. Same here. The principal is what matters. Mandatory codes violate each individual's right to build his own house as he chooses. Of course there will be adjustments to abolishing codes; that is called adjusting to the market.
Those closest to the building industry have a duty to speak loudly for freedom; if they will not defend our rights in their own business, who will?

I’m glad you (accidently) sent me this nonsense stuff… In response to your coment to James Tim. I would like to say that most folks, you included, just don’t get it and never will I’m afraid…
There is NO us and them! It’s all us…
We all win or we all lose…

Whoa on Boehner as Speaker. Let the new House start fresh with a new face. Business-as-usual Boehner does not represent a TEA Party agenda.
As for taxes, we should drop the Federal Income Tax structure for a flat tax. That system would be fare for everyone. Additionally, revenue would also come from those visiting our great country and spending. Thanks for accidently sending me this email on purpose!

Tim, I must admit I liked you a lot more before this "mistake" with the political agenda email. I should have realized there was a hidden madness to your method. Good bye.

COMMENT BY Tim Carter:

Lorin,

Sorry to see you go. What a shame that you would close your mind to other ideas and home-improvement tips that will save you tens of thousands of dollars. If you ask me, that's one of the reasons we're in this mess. You and others with closed minds don't want to even entertain the possibility there could be a better way.

Just so you know you're in a terribly small minority. I received about 20-25 comments and emails like yours. Somewhere north of 1,126 people have sent me emails thanking me for making the mistake. They were happy to see where I am politically.

If you had heartburn on the morning of November 3, 2010, you're going to be violently ill the morning after election day 2012. You're in the middle of a massive revolution and might not even realize it.

I do, because I get to see all the emails and comments.

I truly hope you fare well. And never forget what you said to me in this message the day you lose your job, or any other thing you value because of a person that has a zero-tolerance policy about mistakes and life as you do.

Remember, the mills of the gods grind slowly but thoroughly. The millstone will crush you at some point.

Wow! There sure is a lot of vitriol coming from the liberal side! "GEE TIM, I REALLY LIKED YOU UNTIL I FOUND OUT YOU WERE REPUBLICAN!"

Well, Tim, I like you even better, now!

Jon: What kind of data are you looking for? Please answer this question for me. . . How many poor people have ever given you a job?

Robert: I don't know if you really listened to what Senator Ayotte said, but there is nothing "Them - or- US" about reducing the size of our government. It IS all US, and if we don't reduce the size of our massive government, you are right, we ALL lose.

COMMENT BY Tim Carter:

Jim,

Yes, I got about 20 of those emails from people that immediately shut me out of their lives because all of a sudden they discover I don't feel the way they do about politics. Can you believe that someone would stop the influx of money-saving ideas about their homes, ideas that might save them tens of thousands of dollars, all because they can't agree to disagree? It's insane.

But so you know, for the 20 emails I've received so far like that, I've gotten over 1,100 that are positive. What's that tell you statistically about how people really feel about what's going on?

What happened on November 2, 2010 was the tip of the iceberg. Wait until 2012.

Well, Jon Russell..how do you figure the gov't is giving a 800B "gift" to the rich? See that's where you are wrong to begin with...That's their money..they EARNED it. It WAS NEVER the gov'ts' money! I say NO to the nanny-state which the liberals want to instill. I want gov't out of my life. As I keep telling my liberal friends...you can always write an EXTRA check to the IRS, they will be glad to accept it!
So, you go right ahead, but let the others do with their money what THEY want. Bring on the FLAT tax and let everyone help out! Also, enough with the farce of global warming and "green energy." The only thing green coming out of that is the "green" dollars Gore, Pelosi, Harry and Obama will line their own pockets with.

Spending is the problem and the democrats have run up record deficits on their watch. All the propaganda about "inheriting deficits" has buried the truth. Budgets do not come from the White House.They come from Congress and the party that controlled Congress since January 2007 is the Democratic Party. If the Democrats inherited any deficit, it was the FY 2007 deficit, the last of the Republican budgets. That deficit was the lowest in five years.

WOW! Amasing how many morons there are here still desparately clinging to their partisan views.

The globalists are OFF SHORE, they have ZERO interest in the fate of America, or anywhere else for that matter. BOTH Goverment AND Large corporations are controlled BY THEM for their benifit. WE are ALL their slaves unless we wake up throw off all this dogmatic nonsence and look to the bill of rights and the founding father's intention; that Government should be very small and the real power lie within the states keeping it as close to the people as possible. Centralised power ALWAYS leads to TYRANNY. Period.

Join the (non partisan)revolution go to:

http://www.prisonplanet.com/
or
http://www.infowars.com/

or one of the 'we are change' sites and pull your G*D D*amn heads out of the sand!

Wow nothing I hate more than the truth as it brings us down. That is, truth the American way, that so called truth from our Government. That truth that tells us we can make a change, I call that lies, That truth that says your vote counts, I call that lies. The day we can get rid of the ones who represent us when caught in a lie or do not do what they said they would do when we voted them in, until that day we the voter CAN'T win and we are not part of government. Kelly how would you have voted on the Health Bill? I guess we will find out soon.
Good Job Tim I also like you better now.
GOD BLESS AMERICA

Tim, No problem from me on your mailing list mishap. Sad more people who show signs of intelligence lack severely when it comes to what politico's and government having been getting away with for far too long. To be clear thats BOTH political parties. With the dem's taking us so far left of center our system currently (look what happen to Christine O'Donnell) allows us really no other choice but to rely on the Republican party to bring us back. And to note , it's their last chance. Get it wrong ..... well then the door is finally open for a new party to emerge.

Best,
BillB

"Wow! There sure is a lot of vitriol coming from the liberal side! "GEE TIM, I REALLY LIKED YOU UNTIL I FOUND OUT YOU WERE REPUBLICAN!"

For the record I am not a Liberal or a Democrat and I NEVER said that Tim being a Republican was the reason I disagreed with him. You can't draw a line in the sand with a stick and assume everybody will be on one side or the other. I vote for who I want and for the reasons I believe in , it's that simple. Opinions are always accepted , even if they are not solicited or unbiased.

I have only skimmed the comments above but a few points: 1."Your thicker and denser than a 4 x 4 teak timber subscribers on the left evidently cannot. Your sending this out was an honest mistake. So be it."

I am liberal left and proud of it. I am invited to this website and I am insulted repeatedly. Why should a Liberal Dem/Independent stay as a subscriber? I was "accidentally" invited in - but I shouldn’t take offense at any of the insults! What would you do in this situation? Will I be receiving another apology for the insults to my political position? I did not request to be included in this blog - I was directed to it from AskTheBuilder guy. Tim of course is not responsible for any mistakes that he makes (sarcasm implied), and if anyone is insulted by being called dense, then that just shows that they can't take constructive criticism! Buck up - it was an honest mistake!!

# # # COMMENT INCLUSION by Tim Carter:

Stephanie,

I didn't sell or mis-use your email address. I simply sent a message to all my AsktheBuilder.com subscribers that had the wrong content. The email you received from me could have just as easily had a message that said:

Hello,

The fishing report on Lake Winnisquam is great today. Everyone is catching 30-pound lake trout after drilling holes in the ice.

What's so amazing is that you're so deeply offended. Let's hope that the people you deal with each day don't have a near-zero-tolerance policy that you seem to harbor. God help you if your boss develops it. Or your husband, or your friends.

I make one honest mistake that happens to expose my political beliefs and you go ballistic. I'm quite sure that many who will read this manifesto of yours will be thinking.

END of Tim Carter Inclusion # # #

Gee, is it possible that Tim wanted to find more followers for his political blog? No, of course not! Tim wouldn't do that; he is a nice guy trying to make a living. Hmm, his political views match those who think name-calling and insulting people are de rigueur behavior. He hasn’t admonished anyone for being rude and he has thrown in an insult too - "close minded" for someone who wanted out.

BTW, IMHO, it is an privilege and an honor to pay taxes - the reason behind taxes is to pay for things like roads, schools, military, Medicare, SS, etc. If you don't want to pay for medical insurance than, DO NOT SHOW UP AT AN ER when you get sick or hurt. The cost of your care is moved to people who do pay insurance. Most states mandate car insurance - even the "good" drivers. If you don't want to buy medical insurance, then don't expect to get care unless you show up with thousands of dollars. Now this is a fundamental component of "the conservative" point of view - people are responsible for themselves. The funny thing, is that this idea is not just "conservative thinking"; I am a liberal and I believe the same thing - that you are responsible for yourself - so BUY SOME MEDICAL INSURANCE. A neighbor I grew up with in Mass married a conservative NH type and they moved to NH because of the low taxes – because he could save $10,000 a year in taxes! He bought minimal medical insurance and then had a massive stroke. He and his wife spent most of the money they had from the recent sale of their home - they were in the process of buying one when the stroke happened.

He then moved back to MASS because medical coverage was better and they could keep the little amount of money they had left. She kept her job in NH and is paying Mass taxes on her income because the benefits are better than what she would pay out of pocket. They are renting and they could easily rent in Hudson NH (where her job is) than Chelmsford MA. He is now collecting SSI and he was in his mid 40s when this happened. Social Security was not originally designed to take care of people like this – why should he get this kind of income now? I won’t be able to get it until I am 69 because I am healthy? He paid into the system 20 plus years, and he probably won’t see 69, so, isn’t it fair that he gets something from SSI now? (These are the types of costs that are causing our SS, Medicare, etc. to go sky-high. SS was based on age 65 when the life expectancy was less than 65. Germany started SS in the late 1800s, using 65 as the age to receive benefits and then the average life expectancy was 45. Understanding how and why we are in this position is key to coming up with ways to improve the system and be as fair as possible to all of us.)

The taxes, rent is higher in Mass, but in her case because she has a very ill husband, Mass is the better state to live in. Funny how when THIS conservative (who use to rail at the taxes he had to pay) got sick - he moved to Mass as quick as he could. People look at their bottom line and don't seem to realize that their present circumstances could change on a dime. People on Medicare pay around $105 a month. I would love to buy medical insurance for $200 a month. Why can't I join Medicare? I will pay double the going rate! Hey, they will make money off of me. Why is Medicare just for disabled, over 65? Because that is how the Dems got it passed in the mid 60s. How can the Repubs refuse the elderly? Who happen to be a large, very well informed voting block.

Why did Bush add to the Medicare program with part D - the insurance plan? Same reason - everyone wants a piece of the pie (the bigger the better), and the AARP is a very strong political organization. The AARP is stealing from our youth - they think they deserve a large portion of the pie at the expense of other groups, but then their focus is the memebers of the AARP. Also, please, if you don’t want to pay taxes, then stay off of the roads; please negotiate with every person on route to wherever you are going to drive on their land beside the road. People seem to think that taxes are bad - they are a good thing. You aren't taking money away from people - people are paying for services that the larger organization, i.e. government, medical insurance companies, coast guard, etc. can provide. Deciding what portion everyone should pay is the problem.

"Dems spend more money than Republicans" - lets really analyze the numbers and you will find that is not correct. They are both equal opportunity spenders - the Repubs have been in power in the house since 1994 except for the last two years - and the Dems caused the entire problem in those two years? How much did the two wars cost this country? Who wanted the war? I didn't - from Day one, I didn't. I said that we are at the top of the hill but on the down side - this will just put a banana peel under our feet - does anyone know what caused the Roman Empire to fall? How about the impact of the debts of WWII to Britain - that is a bit more recent. Blaming the other party for the financial mess we are in is simplistic thinking and passing the buck. Not me, not my group, NIMBY all over.

Getting back to this issue - "Just so you know you're in a terribly small minority. I received about 20-25 comments and emails like yours. Somewhere north of 1,126 people have sent me emails thanking me for making the mistake. They were happy to see where I am politically."

Well you can add those 1126 to your political blog email list and remove my name from both lists. I was going to give you the benefit of the doubt and say it was an accident but reading your responses to today's comments, methinks you protest too much - that it wasn't an accident. Perhaps a good defense is a strong offense. But either way, it doesn't matter. If it was an accident - your response wasn’t reassuring. If we took offense and wanted to be removed from your list, we are close-minded. Wow – we can’t win. Or, I guess only if we agree with everything you say?

No, "I am sorry for the insults", etc. Instead, those who depart are “close minded”. Perhaps, I am tired of being insulted, or that I am tired of trying to educate those who espouse that the "liberal left" are dense, big spenders, close-minded people. My day has now started on a very bad note thanks to you. You can exalt in finding 1126 plus like-minded people and be dismissive of the 20-25, well, now 21-26. I am sure that those numbers are proportional to the population as a whole. Or, perhaps liberals are wussy know-nothings who don't do the work themselves - they probably just hire the work out.

I haven't saved thousands from your emails - they haven't been that useful to us. This gave me the push to get off of your list. So, I think that I shouldn’t get the label “close minded”. I wonder what names I will be given J

Tim - have fun with the new people on your political blog. Are you going to ask them if they want to get a daily reminder of your political blog as well? You should make hay while the sun shines! What course of action will you take where it concerns this fortuitous mistake? After all, it was an honest mistake, and there is no harm in capitalizing on an honest mistake...right? You said that you would not sell or share your mailing lists to anyone when I joined. You violated our contract.

# # # COMMENT INCLUSION by Tim Carter:

Stephanie,

I didn't sell or mis-use your email address. I covered that above already. No harm no foul.

As for the outcome of the error, I was able to make lemonade out of a bunch of lemons. It turns out that you're in a very tiny minority. I received perhaps 20-25 emails and comments like yours. But I've received well over 1,000 responses and thank you's for the error. It's running about 50 to 1 people who share a quite different political stance than you on my AsktheBuilder.com list. Isn't that fascinating?

Remember, it was an honest mistake. And as for name calling, the same pretty much goes for sarcasm. You're calling me and others here names with the tone of your message.

Oh, and one final thing. Does your keyboard have a Delete key? You could have just deleted the errant email I sent and not gotten your knickers in a knot.

Why didn't you do that, as you immediately realized the email had nothing to do with home improvement?

END of Tim Carter Inclusion # # #

Perhaps people don’t like to be taken advantage of. Perhaps they left because you failed to uphold your part of the contract and then they get insulted to boot when they want out. Oh, you didn't sell my email address; you just accidentally used it for your own political purposes. I get the distinction - but you don't seem to.

Lastly, name-calling is very rarely useful in any sort of discourse.

Good day,
Stephanie

Senator Ayotte is a progressive republican (McCain, Brown, Snowe, Collins, Grahman). Please proceed with caution!!!

Tim makes an important point in his remarks. It's critical that we stay in touch with our elected officials to advise them of our wishes. Much of the situation we're in is due to apathy on the part of the citizens. Elected officals got the idea that they could vote for what they liked vs. for the wishes of the people that elected them. Thus the need to constantly communicate our wishes to our elected officials.

Dear Tim,

"Oh, and one final thing. Does your keyboard have a Delete key? You could have just deleted the errant email I sent and not gotten your knickers in a knot."

I use to delete all the time, but sometimes I think it is important to try to point out the other side. Yes, you say it was an accident but I didn't get the fishing one - I got "liberals are dense". You making an honest mistake is not a problem at all. Your handling of the problem and your tacit approval of other contributor's comments made a possible maybe even probable honest mistake questionable.

Lets assume it was an honest mistake and people are entitled to think what they want. Why the comments about those who want to leave? Can you see that it is okay for others to think something different than what you say?

"No harm, no foul" - hmm, not from my perspective.

I am not deeply offended at all. Did I say I was offended? No, I said I am tired of being insulted and I am tired of having to point out that liberals are not dense, are not big money spenders, etc. I am a liberal and I am a fiscal conservative - when Bush tax cuts happend and they didn't make the corresponding service cuts - that was irresponsible. Was there enough job growth since 2000 to offset the lost taxes? Doubt it. What portion of the debt that we have to service is caused by the Bush era tax cuts?

Your knickers comment is a very disparaging comment. Are your knickers in a knot too? You seem to devote a lot of time to your political blog? What is that - a concerned citizen? Me - my comments are "knickers in a knot". Do you say that to men as well? You say that it was purely accidental but now you are going to turn lemons into lemonade. How fortunate for you that it went that way.

And "fascinating" - what do you think - that 99.98% of the people on your ASKTHISBUILDER agree with your ideas? I have no problem with your ideas (not that I agree with them - I read some of your site). I have a problem with getting insulted by you and other contributors to your blog. You can say it was an "honest mistake" and people can say, “gee, really”? They have the right to think otherwise and to remove themselves for whatever reason. I would have given you the benefit of the doubt as I said in my first response, but you seem to make fun of those who want out. Instead of just saying, I am sorry that an unfortunate mistake caused me to lose some followers, you denigrate them. Don't you see that?

I don't care if you think SS, Medicare, Military complex should be dismantled. I care that you think it is okay for people to call other people names and that you call someone close-minded because they want off your mailing list. I was sarcastic because what a coincidence - the sarcasm was part of the message - how people might just think differently than what you say. Fine, I got your political views (not fishing or building tips). I have friends with similar views and if they act or talk disparaging to me, I point this out. Then, they have a decision to make – talk more respectfully, or lose the friendship. I don’t hang around to be the brunt of insults, rude comments, etc. What purpose does it serve? Who knows what position is the most correct. As you point out, who knows what history will say. Perfection is reserved for God.

Please try to show some respect for my position and stop calling me names. I have removed myself from other lists because of a lack of good manners. I am sure this won't be the last. As I said, even it was an honest mistake; you didn't handle the ones who wanted to depart, well at all. Do they all have zero tolerance type personalities? Can't speak for others, but I am tired of the insults and I am sorry if I don't believe EVERYTHING you tell me. Is that okay?

Do I have to believe everything you tell me? Do you really want people who disagree with you to just delete you? Isn't that just preaching to the choir? Don't you want your ideas to be scrutinized and have them stand on their worth? I worked in engineering for years and believe me - you need to defend your position on the merits, not by calling anyone who disagreed with you names.

Enjoy the fishing and the lemonade.
Au revoir
Stephanie

COMMENT BY Tim Carter:

Stephanie,

Based on your complimentary close, you may not come back to answer this.

Let's get a few things straight.

1. I didn't call you or anyone else any names. Can you show me where I've called you a name? Help me. I'm afraid you're misreading comments and who is the author. I'm not a fan of how this software attributes the authors of a comment. The name of the author is at the bottom of the comment, not the top.

2. Where am I making comments about those who want to leave? Are you confusing me with someone else?

3. Knickers in a knot - go to a dictionary - it's a phrase that's defined as "become upset or angry" But you, being a woman get insulted. If not, why in the heck did you bring it up. And yes, I would say it to a man. In fact, a woman employee of mine used to say it to me all the time.

4. It's okay for you to disagree. Why do you think it's not? Is it because of my Tolerance post? The fact that you're in a minority? I don't censor comments here at the Fire Pit. Nor do I have the time to respond to all the comments. I do pick and choose.

Stephanie, I believe the Court of Public Opinion is going to make a judgement on your comments. My money is on them ruling that you're a teensy-weensy hypersensitive. Stop back and see.

Well said Stephanie,I applaud you . As for Mr. Carter "Remember, the mills of the gods grind slowly but thoroughly. The millstone will crush you at some point."

Dear Tim,

I think my access has been turned off by your comment: “Based on your complimentary close, you may not come back to answer this”. But then you ask me some questions. I will do one more response :) and you can have the last word – okay?

First, I want to give you a few definitions and source of the phrase, “knickers in a knot”. It is Australian in origin and knickers are woman’s panties. Here are the four definitions of the phrase from a quick google with the website.

1. To become overwrought or unnecessarily upset over a trivial matter (wikidictionary.org)
2. become agitated, flustered, bothered (about something) (slang-dictionary.org)
3. to become very upset about something, usually something that is not important (idioms.freedictionary.com)
4. Becoming uptight over trivial things (onlineslangdictionary.com)

This phrase is not respectful of a person’s feeling on a subject – you are saying that "I am uptight over trivial things, I am overwrought", etc. I am none of these things. I don’t give a rats a* about this website. I am trying to explain to you that when someone wants to leave your website after you accidentally include them on your political blog site, that it is not appropriate for you to call them names and trivialize their issue. You strenuously object to this and put the onus back on the ones who want to exit. You told me “to use the delete key”. Lorin was using the delete key – telling you to remove him from your mailing list and this is how you responded:

"Lorin,

Sorry to see you go. What a shame that you would close your mind to other ideas and home-improvement tips that will save you tens of thousands of dollars. If you ask me, that’s one of the reasons we’re in this mess. You and other with closed minds don’t want to even entertain the possibility there could be a better way.

Just so you know you’re in a terribly small minority. I received about 20-25 comments and emails like yours. Somewhere north of 1,126 people have sent me emails thanking me for making the mistake. They were happy to see where I am politically.

If you had heartburn on the morning of November 3, 2010, you’re going to be violently ill the morning after election day 2012. You’re in the middle of a massive revolution and might not even realize it.

I do, because I get to see all the emails and comments.

I truly hope you fare well. And never forget what you said to me in this message the day you lose your job, or any other thing you value because of a person that has zero-tolerance policy about mistakes and life as you do.

Remember the mills of the gods grind slowly but thoroughly. The millstone will crush you at some point."

This is one of the responses that got me thinking, perhaps it wasn't an accident – he certainly is getting nasty about it. A bit heavy – don’t you think? Lorin just wants to leave your building site becuase he was turned off by your political position – he didn’t sign up for it but he got it and by saying something, he is the bad guy? Or, “but you being a woman get insulted?” Wow, that is really amazing. I should have written Stephen Phipps – I keep on forgetting that I get judged on a different scale because I am a woman.

Metallic Mike said: “your thicker and denser than a 4x4 teak – subscribers on the left…. Your sending this out was an honest mistake. So be it.” Does this guy know you so well that he knows with such conviction that it was a mistake? I don’t have that privilege. Take a look at to whom you respond – only the ones who disagree with your point of view. Did you make any comment to the “denser than teak” comment – no. The comment from timakaguy, (though he was addressing the wrong person),

“Brad what’s up with you I haven’t met a Dem who understands what a hammer is for anyway. Remember republicans build roads. Dems just use them”.

He should have responded to James Dunne – not Brad. Most sites put the person name at the end of their comment. He should meet my husband who is very good with a hammer and a registered Democrat. And of course Dems just use roads. Do you think he really thinks this? Is he aware of all the roads and bridges done by the WPA and CCC under FDR – part of the effort to shake off the depression? Didn’t Rt 495 get built during the 60s – while the Dems were in office and in the house? He is clearly slamming democrats – is there any other connotation that you can take from this? So, if you are Dem, is it okay to want to exit stage right? Or, Dems are just chickens - we need to stand up and express our POVs - hmm, I did and I got "don't get your knickers in knot".

As I said before, I am not angry at your mistake or being called dense – I am not offended at all. I usually don’t take offense at people on the internet. If I did, I would be in a constant state of offense :). I am very tired of it and the mode of conversation. You can’t seem to see that you are insulting or disparaging.

Tell me, how could I remove myself from your list without getting a comment that I was close-minded? Or a warning that it is because of people like us (the ones who want to leave your website) that we are in this mess. That “close minded people don’t even entertain the possibility there could be a better way”. Gee, we are terrible people. What other explanation is there? We are close-minded, we have zero tolerance, we are dense, we don’t know our way around a hammer, we are unaware of a massive revolution, we get overwrought at trivial matters, we drive on roads but don't build them, etc. We signed up for an “askthebuilder” website and it turns into this?

I have been writing emails for almost 30 years – starting in the early ‘80s when only a small fraction of the population knew about email. I learned very early that when you write, you need to take it down a notch. It is very easy to cause misunderstandings because the facial or physical clues that exist in a person-to-person conversation do not exist in this forum.

I will stop now because this has taken way too much of my day off. I will give up trying to explain my position. Please remove me from your mailing list – it wasn’t that useful.

Good bye,
Stephanie

COMMENT BY Tim Carter:

Heavy Sigh ........

Good bye Stephanie. May the wind always be at your back.

P.S. I think somewhere in the morass of your previous comments you seem to have forgotten this is my blog where I get to publish my *opinions*. No one says you have to agree. I get to set the rules of engagement. If you don't like the rules or what you see here, then you can spend your time elsewhere. That's pretty much a common-sense reality.

P.P.S Since you're such a fluent writer and have such great skills being online way before most of us, perhaps you might start your own blog. Google lets you do it for free at www.blogger.com.

P.P.P.S. I thought we went over several times about what caused you to vent. I sent you an email just as you signed up for, but it had the wrong content in it. The AsktheBuilder.com site is still about home improvement. This is a separate website. The AsktheBuilder.com newsletter still just talks about home improvement. But you'll not be able to see that because you've been removed from that list.

Way to go Stephanie! The comments on this blog are beside the pale. Who is to say what party will get it right? We are either going to go FORWARD TOGETHER in this country, or we are going to go BACKWARD TOGETHER in this country. We are one country, one society regardless of socio-economic status. Those who have so much do owe it to our society, as it is this great society that has allowed them to prosper. And the government is a means to effectively implement policies that will maintain our great society that protects all its citizens and ensures that they all receive basic services and decency. The Bush tax cuts took away from the ability to provide essential services. Now states and cities and towns have unfunded mandates and services will be cut! Not to mention the budget deficit which pays for, you guessed it, services. We are currently fighting two wars, only one of which was necessary. It is times like this where yes, if you have more, you should be supporting our country with more. You can't pick and choose on line items according to an agenda in a time like this! It takes too long for these things to work themselves out.

Dear TiM,

Ignore the half-whits (a half-whit is someone who thinks they understand and are well informed **usually by absorbing corporate media PROGRAMMING**, but in reality they possess just enough knowledge and intelligence to filibuster and blur the real issues and generally scr*w things up) They are often well educated and meaning, also well spoken and presented BUT they are closed minded and blinkered. just like a race horse is; an impressive creature yes, but you wouldn't have it do your tax returns...

GLOBALIST CRIMINALS through lobbying and financial AND BRUTE force run things especially where there are big globs of cash to skim off. (you don't find these creaturs in POOR countries) They play it like a gambler, and just like a gambler they can never stop until YOU are totally broke. That is why waving BLUE or RED fags is MORONIC ! The real power lies so far above 'parties', and all the flags are printed in CHINA anyhow.

The ONLY hope of saving America lies with independents who honour THE SPIRIT as well as the text of the BILL of RIGHTS. ANYONE else is AN ENEMY OF THE PEOPLE PERIOD.

Tim, I for one don't have my knickers in a knot over getting a mistakenly sent e-mail..... S*** happens. I have sent e-mails to the wrong recipient more times than I should have. And you apologised for it right away..... No big deal.

And I am sure you haven't sold or broadcast your reader's confidential information to anyone. So no harm done.

Add me to the long list of people not getting their knickers in a knot, regardless of their political persuasion.

Previous US governments of all persuasions have messed up the US economy big time. Both sides have contributed. Both sides seem equally incapable of doing much about it. Both sides seem as dysfunctional as each other.

While I probably disagree with Tim on some things, I think we both agree on this.......

Just like giving a heroin addict more heroin is not the cure for the addiction, taking on more trillions of dollars in deby by printing money out of thin air is no way to fix an economy brought to its knees by stratospheric sovereign debt.

Whisky is not the cure for alcoholism!!!! More debt is not the cure for sovereign insolvency!!

From my far away viewpoint in summertime Australia, it is quite farcical the way the two sides of US politics squabble. (Our mob aren't much better though!!!!!!!!!!!)

Whoever wins the next election, if they continue to carry on like kindergarten kids fighting over a bag of lollies, there won't be any major change.

And unfortunately, not only America, but the rest of the world is at dire risk of being sucked down the same gurgler as America. But we don't get any say in it. ........ I can't vote!!!!

So for those who can, please, PLEASE, try to find someone who will actually say what they mean, and mean what they say to elect.

Make them accountable for what they say and do!! The more grass roots people insist on this, the more change will happen.

Senator elect Kelly Ayotte sounds good, but I could only hear platitudes. If she is "fair dinkum" to use the Australian expression, she will only be able to do anything if her electorate make damned sure she knows what they expect of her!!!! Otherwise she, and her fellow newly elected politicians will just dissapear into the dysfunction morass of the current political landscape. Please give her and her political colleagues the compass they need to actually work for the good of the people who elected her, and not just aimlessly support the status quo.

For what its worth, my comments from Australia.

Keep up the good work Tim.

Russell Morris, Australia.

COMMENT BY Tim Carter:

Russell,

Thanks for your insight. You really hit the nail on the head.

There are numerous posts here of mine where I clearly say that I'm upset with 90+ percent of the elected officials. I'm a fiscal conservative. That's my label - not *Republican*.

Bottom line is that we have to stop spending money we don't have. We scale back programs that are NOT mission-critical to the nation's survival.

I subscribe to a newsletter written by an Australian. He always has news in it about what's happening in your country. If he's correct in what he says, you've got issues similar to ours here in the USA.

Thanks again for stopping by and taking the time to share your thoughts. It's always fascinating to hear from other folks around the globe!

So Tim, What well regulated militia are you a part of, that is pretty clear as well.

COMMENT BY Tim Carter:

Great question! I'm part of the NH Second Regiment Fiscal Conservative Band of Patriots, or maybe it was the NH Second Smith & Wesson Remington 700 Regiment

I believe that's the name. :->>>

Liked the idea by the NH contractor, who wanted to abolish building code and inspections. If that was accomplished then who would protect all the "do it yourselfers" and jake-leg contractors from themselves and crooks. Another downside that would occur is that the All Mighty Insurance industry would love the profits, since they would not be required to cover any damages incurred or caused by the shoddy work.
As for our "new" members of the House and Senate and the return of the Republican "cronnies", do trust that the Government that the Koch brothers has bought will do right by our Constitution and look out for the best interests and security of the United States. That is why, I guess, that the Chinese investments own a third of the drilling operations here in South Texas. As Senator Graham of South Carolina commented on Sunday,"Don't be surprised if we are going to have $4.00 a gallon fuel real soon", or words to that effect. Wow, greed is Great!

Regardless of our political leanings, can't we all agree that government should be as small, efficient, and non-intrusive in our lives as possible, while still performing the tasks necessary for our safety and security?

Can we agree that the SEC, for example, did not properly regulate the abuses in the housing market, including the packaging and selling of subpar mortgage securities, even though they were paid to do so and had the manpower? And that the answer is not to give the SEC more money, but to reform the agency and ensure accountability?

Republicans aren't saying that there should be no regulations, so let's stop saying that that's what they want.

Democrats aren't saying that they want a socialist state where everyone lives off the government, so let's stop saying that's what they want.

In short, let's stop exaggerating what the other side wants.

And let's stop finding the worst examples of Democrats or Republicans and then trying to paint the entire party with one broad brush.

Can we agree on that at least?

I like building codes.

I am currently working in Mainland China. They do not have building codes.
I have lived in 2 different apartments. My associates have the same comments. Both of my apartments where constructed on the surface with expensive components, ie faucets, granite countertops, bath tiles, etc.. The People in China have no concept of plumbing / electrical codes. My 3 bedroom 2 bath apartment is really a 1 bath because the other bath has sewer smell that is unbearalbe. The bath that doesn't smell has a 240 outlet above the showerhead. No GFI.
I like building codes.

Dear Tim,

I am not writing about the topic that we have gone back and forth on. I was hoping you wouldn't mind giving my contact information to two of the people who have written recently - Skippy and Lorin? I know I am asking you to violate the contract but this is not solicitation for a blog, etc; and you already did it this week accidentally. I would like to thank them privately for their support. It can be difficult at times to be in the minority - in this case going by your figures the real minority of .02%. However, I live in Mass and there are a lot of us crazy blue girls and boys down here. Btw - I am moving to southern NH summer 2012 – am a bit worried about the move but I decided to give it a shot.

I have considered blogging but I am so middle of the road - good manners, we are all in this together, should CEOs make 500 - 1000 times the lowest paid person, understand the other side, forgiveness, greed is not good, be nice, given human nature – should people be trusted with millions of dollars without some sort of regulation or oversight, do we want to pay $3 for a Chinese made T-shirt of $6 for an American made T-shirt, do we (society) want to help the person who is paranoid schizophrenic or should we leave it to the family or the streets?, etc. that I doubt if I would get any followers - reasonable/nice doesn't sell like extreme.

I am no expert in history, but I do love the subject (particularly WWII), and I read extensively; it seems to me that in difficult times, people look for a person or an idea to fix all the problems. The Weimar Republic was not fixing the issues from Versailles Treaty of 1919 - the Germans were feeling pretty bad about themselves. This is what made them believe/follow Mr. Hitler – he promised them redemption. Not that we have anyone like Mr. Hitler on our political scene. I am not implying that at all. But, when people feel battered, they look for a way to get uplifted and going to war is certainly patriotic. Sorry, I am going astray.

Anyway, if you would send the two aforementioned gentlemen an email with my email address in it, I would greatly appreciate it. If they don't want to hear from me privately, they won't respond.

Lastly, I hope you don’t mind if I share two stories from my life – you can hit delete key if you are not interested in the forces that shape this liberal :). As a child, I was told repeatedly; if you have nothing nice to say, don't say anything at all. I have learned that sometimes you do have to say things that aren't "nice", but one should do it as nicely as possible. IMHO, I don’t think that you should tell people that they are as stupid as dirt (even if they are). I have met people who, in my opinion, are dumber than dumb – we all have – but then there are people (some, right here) who have said similar things about me. I remember my 7th grade teacher – Mrs. Pare, who said, “Where you drop off, someone else picks up”. I remember the sudden realization- "wow, she is right"! It certainly checked my ego. So - a person can be dumb to one person and not to another - amazing how that works. I'd like to think that you do understand what I have been trying to say, but maybe not. If you don't, then I didn't communicate well enough.

The other key lesson I learned was watching the Nuremberg Trails at my maternal grandparent’s house – we had no TV growing up because “it was bad for our minds”. I remember asking Grampy, “Why did the Germans do those things?” He said, because they were told to. I said, “Aren’t you suppose to do what you are told” (I was 7 at the time) and he said, “Not always – you need to figure out what is the right thing and do that”. He was a Swedish immigrant (early 1900s) who thought FDR was the best president we ever had. My father was a Republican (his family had been here since the early 1600s), who thought FDR was a crook and the worse president we ever had. But, my father loved that SS check for the last 15 years of his life and he got a lot more than he put into the system even if he had beaten the market over his working life (which he claimed he would have).

I have had one foot in each side of the Republican/Democrat camps all my life – I am neither but lately I have been voting more Democrat – the Republicans just seem mean a lot of the times. Have you noticed that at all?

Good luck with your business.

Thank you very much.
Stephanie

PS. If you don't want to forward my information, I completely understand.

COMMENT BY Tim Carter:

Stephanie, I'm not a contract violator. I wasn't on Saturday, and I will not email the two other visitors here. I don't have their permission. If I was to email them or you out of the blue, that would be Spam. I'm not a spammer.

Mr. Neveux, she said "AIR National Guard", not "International Guard".

Tim:

Has history not already told us the "truth" on the policies of the Republican party. I am a Vietnam Veteran -- and once a Republican and now an independent. My view is that neither party has a lock on the correct policies. Deficits skyrocketed under Republicans in the first decade. We went to war and were told not to worry -- no sacrifice was necessary to pay for it. Let's cut taxes. Absolutely hypocritical and grossly irresponsible. Deregulation was another mantra where all laws, rules and regulation should be dismantled ... and look at the result of those policies. Do you have the intellectual honesty to acknowledge these facts?

Nice comments by Stephanie, Skippy, Mike, and a few others. I had ignored this particular thread until now, but I see there were some very interesting comments from several people, as well as the amusing and ridiculous ones from the usual cadre.

Stephanie, Skippy, Mike, we should get each other's email addresses, or somehow connect with each other in order to continue to share what seems to be our commonsense dialog on politics. I prefer not to list my email address publically here though. Are you folks on Facebook?

Stephanie, I have gotten "into it" with Tim several times in previous threads on his blog. Most (though not all) of the older threads usually have some comments from me, so you can see where I am coming from. Skippy and I have also gotten into some interesting conversations on what at the moment is the most current thread - named "Tolerance".

You stated to someone else - "You and I seem to be on opposite sides of the fence. History will eventually tell us who picked the winner." The sad part is, in the end the Hard Working Americans end up the losers. The rich get richer and the divide grows wider.