Disqus - Latest Comments for Jim_Satterfield

Re: An Abortion Carried Too Far

Jim_Satterfield — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 13:19:15 -0000

JD, I cannot find a reference to the rescue of abandoned children in Roman times and their rescue except on Christian web sites. Do you know of a more general historical reference?

Re: An Abortion Carried Too Far

Jim_Satterfield — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 22:16:21 -0000

Do you really think they won't think of a way to target PP even more than they do now, JD? The Republicans of Missouri have been working really hard to make certain that no family planning money from the state can go to them under any circumstances.

Re: What Does the Lord Require of Republicans?

ProfElwood — Sun, 08 Nov 2009 21:59:05 -0000

I can see some of your points, Jim, but there's still some large issues that seem to get swept under the rug. The biggest problem that I have with public programs (aside from the constitutionality issues) are with control issues: how do you fix them when they go wrong. AFDC was never meant to be a multi-generational excuse to avoid marriage and work, since it was passed in the aftermath of WW2 when there were large numbers of widowed mothers. Farm subsidies were meant (or at least sold) as a means to preserve family farms, but they have been twisted to help corporate farmers against the family farmers. Social Security was never meant to be a forced savings plan, but as a way to stop the county poor house. It has succeeded in ending the poor house, but it now pays the comfortably retired with money taxed from minimum wage earners. There are countless programs that have good intentions behind them, but it seems impossible to fix or kill them when they go wrong. Obama just found out how hard when he suggested a few minor cuts in completely useless, expired programs which congress just recently snubbed. The freedom to live should include some freedom in saying where my money goes, and a vote for a few, unpredictable candidates every two years is entirely ineffective in doing that.

Re: Droid Eris by HTC with Google

JWindish — Sun, 08 Nov 2009 21:45:15 -0000

I agree Jim. It's my hope that the iPhone does come to Verizon and broader adoption means falling prices on those data plans!

Re: What Does the Lord Require of Republicans?

adelinesdad — Sun, 08 Nov 2009 21:27:50 -0000

Jim,

The Senate Republicans just voted unanimously to extend unemployment benefits. Clearly Republicans, and most conservatives, do support helping the poor to some degree. How much the government should help is a matter of debate, and as I mentioned before moral arguments are a part of that debate, as are economic ones of course. What I objected to was the use of a religious argument to imply that any Christian who doesn't reflexively support any legislation that intends to help the poor is a hypocrite.

Re: Droid Eris by HTC with Google

Jim_Satterfield — Sun, 08 Nov 2009 20:41:45 -0000

The real problem with what Topolsky was saying about how people will move to the smartphones in that interview is that I think he underestimates how much those expensive data plans will limit adoption.

Re: What Does the Lord Require of Republicans?

Jim_Satterfield — Sun, 08 Nov 2009 15:33:56 -0000

Several postings here show the problem. They attempt to say that how things are done now must be the same way they have always been done. It doesn't matter if those ways are no longer effective. ginnymac says that those who do not work shouldn't eat, or at least shouldn't have our help doing so. But is not working the same as not being able to find a job? This is one of my greatest problems with conservatives/Republicans. They blame the people who can't find work for not working, refusing completely to recognize that there are factors in the real world that are beyond the control of individuals. We are in the middle of the worst economic downturn since World War II. The official unemployment rate is 10.2% while the real number (Officially unemployed + discouraged workers + underemployed) is 17.5%. Yet the refrain continues. Government programs are bad. All charity should be private charity and that is good enough. Tell that to the food pantries whose shelves are empty because of the huge demand and the fall off in donations. If the conservatives did get their way and those evil social programs were wiped out do they really think that things would be just fine for the poor, working or not? Are they that far out of touch with reality because of their demonization of government programs?

I tend to think that the constant accusations of taxation being theft support my view, frankly.

Re: Media Wakes Up About the Obama Administration’s Middle East Failure (Guest Voice)

Jim_Satterfield — Sun, 08 Nov 2009 15:08:02 -0000

The Rubin piece is a very bad joke. The Israelis have been anything but flexible.

Re: Nothing Stops Political Demonization In America

vey9 — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 21:49:37 -0000

"the speculation of other news outlets."

Correction: one news outlet. That one news outlet being Fox News. Singular, not plural.
Would you hang your reputation on a single news outlet like Fox? An editor of TMV did.

Re: Nothing Stops Political Demonization In America

Jim_Satterfield — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 21:20:36 -0000

Pushed it as a terrorism story? I think someone missed something. The post's title was "Possible Terrorist Attack at Ft. Hood". It was posted just as the story was breaking and that was the speculation of other news outlets.

Re: Quote of the Day: Rebirth of a Republican Moderate Path?

Jim_Satterfield — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 10:05:37 -0000

From what I've read of the Virginia governor-elect, it's more of a case of hiding what he really is and running like a moderate when he is anything but that. The proof will be in the governing.

Re: “V” for Villification: Liberal Paradise, Obama Nightmare (Guest Voice)

Jim_Satterfield — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 22:09:52 -0000

Could it be that some who see Obama in this show never saw the original mini-series and TV series? Just maybe.

Re: Going Rogue in Upstate New York

Jim_Satterfield — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 11:49:56 -0000

No, Shannon, you're not the only person who thinks that.

Re: Political Compass

JeffersonDavis — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 00:56:17 -0000

Oh, okay. I didn't realize you were talking economics. I get your point now.
IMHO..... Supply side AND Demand side economics both are unrealistic.

And I absolutely stand against "unfettered" capitalism. Regulation is needed as long as greed exists. Case in point: Railroads, coal companies, sweat shops, in the 19th and 20th centuries.

Re: Political Compass

Jim_Satterfield — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 21:05:17 -0000

Actually, JD, the 18th century solutions I refer to are those of the conservative's bastardized version of Adam Smith's writings and the beliefs of David Ricardo. The modern conservative acts as though all of the changes the world has gone through cannot change those economist's theories no matter how much it changes the environment economics operate in. What does comparative advantage mean when production and labor, whether that of manufacturing or many services can be moved anywhere in the world? Why does the writing of Adam Smith that praises laissez faire seem to be the only part that conservatives listen to while ignoring his warnings about how it can go wrong? Constitutionalism seems to go hand in hand with worship of the free market and refusal to recognize its flaws and the place that government is going to have to have unless we choose to ignore the fact that private charity no longer has the resources to ameliorate suffering caused by massive economic dislocations inherent in unfettered capitalism.

Re: Political Compass

JeffersonDavis — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 03:05:16 -0000

Jim,

The 18th century solutions you alluded to are the framework for solutions - not the solutions themselves. The founding fathers new political science and philosphy very very well. They know the general tendancies of governments, and that of unchecked power. That's why they attempted to put the power with the people - the first time in history for such an endeavor. And against their warnings, portions of our government turned away from the Constitution year after year, and hoarded for themselves a bit more power and money. That's the general tendancy of government when the Constitution is NOT followed.

18th Century framework - the PEOPLE should provide the solutions not the government. Just let the government be the referee.

Re: So Much for Tort Reform

Jim_Satterfield — Sun, 01 Nov 2009 23:46:51 -0000

Do you really think that the current crop of Republicans would support those regulations, JD? Seriously? There are certainly some Democrats who join in on this foolish belief that corporations can be trusted to not repeat their previous mistakes or even create new stupidities such as computer programs based on mathematical models that have as their base unwarranted assumptions about home values and mortgages.

As far as tort reform, conservatives limit themselves (So far as I know.) to the idea of limiting awards. That's not enough. We need an entire new structure when it comes to anything that has to do with technical and scientific issues, including medicine. Techies want to tear their hair out sometimes because of software patents and patent trolls. No more jurisdiction shopping. No more competing paid experts. A pool of experts in various fields that are treated like someone drawn for jury selection. Then a second panel of "technical judges" would review the decision to see if they catch something that the first crew didn't. Don't limit awards since you've already taken major steps to eliminate the worst abuses of the current system. There needs to be a real threat of meaningful penalties in this field to avoid "cost benefit analyses" that lead to rationalizations of unacceptable risk. Purely partisan? I judge the Republican Party as I see the people with power in it act.

Re: Political Compass

Jim_Satterfield — Sun, 01 Nov 2009 21:57:56 -0000

Communism is even more foolish than libertarianism. I try to think outside of simplistic labels. I also recognize that we are heading towards problems that won't be solved by people who let themselves be trapped in those simplistic concepts. Conservatives, by their nature, don't have a clue when it comes to solutions to modern problems because they insist that 18th century solutions should work just fine for everything.

Re: Political Compass

AustinRoth — Sun, 01 Nov 2009 21:22:03 -0000

Of course my reasoning for some of my economic views is a bit different from most, I think.

You are Communist? :-)

Re: White House: NY 23 Shows GOP Becoming More Extreme

Jim_Satterfield — Sun, 01 Nov 2009 14:30:33 -0000

Interesting. The twitter page that his name links to no longer exists.

Re: White House: NY 23 Shows GOP Becoming More Extreme

Jim_Satterfield — Sun, 01 Nov 2009 14:30:04 -0000

I wonder if this is the same Pat who showed up on Dispatches from the Culture Wars a while back. Though his language was even stronger.

Re: Political Compass

Jim_Satterfield — Sun, 01 Nov 2009 14:12:49 -0000

Economic Left/Right: -6.12
Social Libertarian/Authoritarian: -4.41

Make of it what you will. Of course my reasoning for some of my economic views is a bit different from most, I think.

Re: So Much for Tort Reform

JeffersonDavis — Sat, 31 Oct 2009 23:55:04 -0000

Jim....

You really are the most partisan person I read on here. "Hatred that republicans have for actually reforming anything?" Come on, bro!

Since this is the Moderate Voice, don't you think a moderate approach is warranted?
Regulate the crap out of every industry that has a hand in health care - and that includes Tort Reform and the blood-sucking Trial Lawyers.

Healthcare COULD have been reformed in that manner. Instead, both Democrats and Repbulicans fought for their respective corporate interests that continue to line their pockets with cash. If you think for one second this has something to do with providing the poor with health benefits, go follow the money, become a bit less naive, and then come back and praise your party.

Re: So Much for Tort Reform

Jim_Satterfield — Sat, 31 Oct 2009 19:36:23 -0000

Actually, Jazz, the foaming at the mouth hatred that Republicans and you have for actually reforming anything is what really knows no bounds. Have the "conservatives" ever proposed any real reforms to the system? No. Simply capping awards is not reform. Their proposals for what they consider reform of the rest of the system are designed to have loopholes so big that the Oasis of the Seas could sail through with a blind man at the helm. They would in do nothing to improve things in the real world. Only in the Republican fantasy land of what America is like.

Re: So Much for Tort Reform

Jim_Satterfield — Sat, 31 Oct 2009 11:47:47 -0000

jpe1 beat me to it. Not one of the upset conservatives here actually understood what they were reading. The entire section was about alternatives to the standard system of going to the courts. In other words, the so-called reform laws that you are defending have nothing to do with this section of the law. Did you really not recognize that? Any of you? Especially Jazz.