Crisis Wasted: Serious Wall Street Reform Unlikely, With or Without Dodd

[ayabe]

I'm in agreement for the Presidency. It's a whole different type of office, with a dominant role over the country that creates a different set of tradeoffs, and a different election process.

Henry Waxman has been in Congress for decades. He's partof the solution, not part of the problem and his experience is *essential* to his effectively performng oversight of the government. Newbies can't.



I don't have much opinion on that, but ranked voting would provide third party viability, and other changes are available, that might be a less major change to the system.



Your argument is like legalizing hand grenades and saying the solution to the explosions is to kill the hand grenade dealers.

The issue is the set of rules for money in politics, period. When they allow it, you get lobbyists. Without it, you pretty much don't.

Is the first post I ever find use of the phrase hate the game, not the playa?

Oh I'm sure I could find some dirt on Waxman if I wanted to, there isn't a single member of either house who is a paragon, not even Russ Feingold.

Lobbying and lobbyists have no redeeming qualities - when is the last time anything good has come of it? By good I mean something that did more harm than good for the general populace? I think you'll be hard pressed to find anything in the last 30 years.

Joe the Voter doesn't have time to lobby, he's too busy working, taking care of his kids, or watching So You Think You Can Dance - lobbying without money isn't lobbying and won't get you anywhere.

Even causes I support like NORML, they're lobbying by dangling tax revenues(money) in front of the PTB, that's the only thing that matters to these people. Money and politics have been inseparable since the dawn of man, and it's a pipe dream to believe that money can be removed from the equation.

 

[Craig234]

Too much of anything is bad, progressives included.

Ask CA, they're 'progressing' themselves into oblivion.

No, we're not. Just as progressives in Congress are losing the votes to the Republican-corporatist Dem members, progressives in CA are losing to the 1.3 Republican veto on budget and the Rep governor.

For example, the progressives in CA passed legal gay marriage. Arnold vetoedit. The progressives vote for a good budget; extremist Republicans can block it with only 1/3 od the vote and do so.

The other day, I learned that oen of my pet issues, the repeal of the Republicans "no price negotiation" in Medicare Part D I've been upset at Democrats for not passing, HAS been passed by the Democratic House, led by the progressives. It got blocked by the 60-votes-needed Senate, with Republicans and corporatist Dems.

Again and again.

You are full of crap, frankly,

 

[Craig234]

Oh I'm sure I could find some dirt on Waxman if I wanted to, there isn't a single member of either house who is a paragon, not even Russ Feingold.

Lobbying and lobbyists have no redeeming qualities - when is the last time anything good has come of it? By good I mean something that did more harm than good for the general populace? I think you'll be hard pressed to find anything in the last 30 years.

Joe the Voter doesn't have time to lobby, he's too busy working, taking care of his kids, or watching So You Think You Can Dance - lobbying without money isn't lobbying and won't get you anywhere.

Even causes I support like NORML, they're lobbying by dangling tax revenues(money) in front of the PTB, that's the only thing that matters to these people. Money and politics have been inseparable since the dawn of man, and it's a pipe dream to believe that money can be removed from the equation.

First, what's your problem? If I give you a Congressman who is outstanding and you can find some tiny flaw, you have won an argument yuou think, and this justifies you replacing him with a crappy one?

You're arging like an idiot here. No sense of proportion.

But what the heck, I'd like to see your critique of Waxman you claim you can find - the summary of the good he does versus the flas you find. Put up.

The rest of your post isn't arguing against what I said, that appears to be your misunderstanding my posts.

Of course money can't be takwen out of the issue - policies are about issues with trillions involved.

What CAN be taken out is the people who stand to make billions investing millions in the political system.

Politicians' votes will still determine what happenes to billions but they wo't owe their office to the money from one side on the issue,

 

[Patranus]

I'd say Bush's greatest failure, among his many notable ones, was the Iraq war.

Because freedom and Democracy are such bad things.
Just ask the protestors in Iran.

 

[heyheybooboo]

I kinda like where some of the proposed banking bills are heading --- and the biggest obstruction will most likely be Richard Shelby of Alabama (no surprise).

1) better consumer protections;
2) new regulations on the trading of exotic financial instruments;
3) greater oversight and less risk (and leverage!) from the financial sector;
4) less power concentrated at the Fed and SEC; and
5) how to identify and dismantle 'too big too fail' institutions without taxpayer bailouts.


'Dood' not seeking re-election may actually be a good thing if he sucks it up for the American people instead of the Looters and Special Interests.




--

 

[woolfe9999]

No, we're not. Just as progressives in Congress are losing the votes to the Republican-corporatist Dem members, progressives in CA are losing to the 1.3 Republican veto on budget and the Rep governor.

For example, the progressives in CA passed legal gay marriage. Arnold vetoedit. The progressives vote for a good budget; extremist Republicans can block it with only 1/3 od the vote and do so.

The other day, I learned that oen of my pet issues, the repeal of the Republicans "no price negotiation" in Medicare Part D I've been upset at Democrats for not passing, HAS been passed by the Democratic House, led by the progressives. It got blocked by the 60-votes-needed Senate, with Republicans and corporatist Dems.

Again and again.

You are full of crap, frankly,

You might also point out that Prop 13, a conservative initiative, has totally raped the public school system here. Went from one of the best in the country to the bottom quartile within a few years after its passage. It has also caused us to have higher income and sales tax, and made it very difficult for us to weather economic downturns without further tax increases and/or large cuts to education and other services.

- wolf

 

[StageLeft]

Because freedom and Democracy are such bad things.
Just ask the protestors in Iran.

strawman ftl

 

[0roo0roo]

reform woulda missed the boat anyways.
you always fail to see the next real problem,its just how it is.

 

[BoberFett]

The only practical solution to change this: more progressives elected.

Do you or do you not remember that Democrats almost universally backed the bailouts in late 2008 even when the money came with no strings or requirements attached?

Where were progressives then?

 

[Arkaign]

Because freedom and Democracy are such bad things.
Just ask the protestors in Iran.

After we leave (we can't stay there forever), it's gonna be another strongman dictatorship OR a hopelessly partisan system with the various factions steadily blowing each other to bits rather than working things out in the confines of an established political order.

Where's the upside? Freedom and Democracy have to be earned, wanted, and sacrificed for BY the people of a nation. It's not something you can go over and give to someone, unless you're liberating a country occupied by a foreign power.

 

[Robor]

Because freedom and Democracy are such bad things.
Just ask the protestors in Iran.

I thought the Iraq war was about national security - you know, WMD's and ties to 9/11?

 

[Craig234]

Do you or do you not remember that Democrats almost universally backed the bailouts in late 2008 even when the money came with no strings or requirements attached?

Where were progressives then?

That's like saying the guy who kept warning the Titanic's captan's about icebergs and was ignored was equally guilty for helping to load the lifeboats.

They got one vote, 'this bailout designed by Goldman Sachs yes or no'.

Virtually everyone agreed the bailout was needed to prevent a global crash of the system.

But here you are to convict them for being the cause.

 

[alphatarget1]

Progressives = idiots

 

[Craig234]

Progressives = idiots

Irony of the week.

 

[alphatarget1]

Irony of the week.

Electing more "progressives" as you put it will just ruin the country. I'm not saying we're in good shape, but you people are just so far out there.

Progressives are usually liberal arts majors who think they know everything and never had to do any productive things to contribute to society. They look down on less educated people, blue collar work, and most likely have a fucking trust fund. They are nothing but a bunch of elitists and idiots.

 

[Craig234]

Ayabe, I'm still waiting for the info on Waxman you said y ou can get.

 

[Craig234]

Q: Why aren't more of the one group who cares about the public interest first, who has been right on major issue after major issue when all others are wrong, who are not beholden to the corpotocracy, elected?

A:

Electing more "progressives" as you put it will just ruin the country. I'm not saying we're in good shape, but you people are just so far out there.

Progressives are usually liberal arts majors who think they know everything and never had to do any productive things to contribute to society. They look down on less educated people, blue collar work, and most likely have a fucking trust fund. They are nothing but a bunch of elitists and idiots.

 

[alphatarget1]

Q: Why aren't more of the one group who cares about the public interest first, who has been right on major issue after major issue when all others are wrong, who are not beholden to the corpotocracy, elected?

You mean Obama's "hope and change". LOL.

On a more serious note, "right" and "public interest" are very subjective things. I believe that people should work hard for a living, and not be living off of the government (unless they really can't take care of themselves). This goes for welfare leechers and corporate bankers alike.

Progressive policies in the 60s and 70s created the mess in education and political correctness of today. All of these feel good bullshit and zero tolerance crap in schools are direct results of the realization of progressive ideals. You think you are changing the country/world for the better without considering all consequences.

Enough thread derailing. Who is surprised that a congress run by bank lobbyists will not enact reforms that will be against their interest.

 

[Craig234]

You mean Obama's "hope and change". LOL.

I'll let anyone who has actually read my posts answer.

 

[alphatarget1]

I'll let anyone who has actually read my posts answer.

You have a Democratic WH, Senate and House. What more do you want?

I wouldn't want Berkeley liberals (the progressives you refer to) to start "equalizing" things and start cutting science classes in the name of equality. LOL.