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filthy
SFN Die Hard
USA
14408 Posts |
 Posted - 02/03/2005 : 04:07:05
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The font is so small in this article that I had to cut and past it into a word document. It was worth the effort.
This is your brain on propaganda, a Republican speciality. quote:
President Bush's State of the Union Addresses
American Progress Takes a Look Back at Bush's 2002, 2003 and 2004 speeches
January 31, 2005
State of the Union 2004: Claims, Promises and Proposals
CLAIM: "If we failed to act in Iraq the dictator's weapons of mass destruction programs would continue to this day."
STATUS: "The 1991 Persian Gulf War and subsequent U.N. inspections destroyed Iraq's illicit weapons capability and, for the most part, Saddam Hussein did not try to rebuild it, according to an extensive report by the chief U.S. weapons inspector in Iraq," Charles Duelfer. [Washington Post, 10/7/04]
STATUS: The hunt for biological, chemical and nuclear weapons in Iraq has come to an end nearly two years after President Bush ordered U.S. troops to disarm Saddam Hussein. A senior intelligence official said Duelfer's findings will stand as the Iraq Survey Group's final conclusions and will be published this spring. [Washington Post, 1/12/05]
CLAIM: "America is committed to keep dangerous weapons from dangerous regimes."
STATUS: Under Bush's watch, North Korea's nuclear arsenal is thought to have quadrupled. Charles Pritchard, formerly Colin Powell's top official dealing with North Korea, has warned for months that "the White House lacks an effective strategy to dissuade North Korea from building up its nuclear arms." And, according to Pritchard, the situation has deteriorated because "the administration has neither offered much of a carrot nor wielded a stick." [New York Times, 5/7/04]
STATUS: According to a recent Harvard University report titled "Securing the Bomb: An Agenda for Action," "less fissile materials were secured in the two years after Sept. 11 than in the two years before." [Harvard Report, 5/04]
It continues on into an appalling example of incompentence and outright knavery.
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"What luck for rulers that men do not think." -- Adolf Hitler (1889 - 1945)
"If only we could impeach on the basis of criminal stupidity, 90% of the Rethuglicans and half of the Democrats would be thrown out of office." ~~ P.Z. Myres
"The default position of human nature is to punch the other guy in the face and take his stuff." ~~ Dude
Brother Boot Knife of Warm Humanitarianism,
and Crypto-Communist! 
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BigPapaSmurf
SFN Die Hard
3192 Posts |
 Posted - 02/03/2005 : 06:49:44 [Permalink]
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| Knavery? Man your gonna have to dumb it down it you want to convert bush supporters. |
"...things I have neither seen nor experienced nor heard tell of from anybody else; things, what is more, that do not in fact exist and could not ever exist at all. So my readers must not believe a word I say." -Lucian on his book True History
"...They accept such things on faith alone, without any evidence. So if a fraudulent and cunning person who knows how to take advantage of a situation comes among them, he can make himself rich in a short time." -Lucian critical of early Christians c.166 AD From his book, De Morte Peregrini |
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filthy
SFN Die Hard
USA
14408 Posts |
Posted - 02/03/2005 : 06:57:50 [Permalink]
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quote:
Originally posted by BigPapaSmurf
Knavery? Man your gonna have to dumb it down it you want to convert bush supporters.
Well Papa, I thought about that. But then I remembered that the average Bush supporter, such as those hanging out at Free Republic, have to be reminded to breath, so whatever word might be used would blow by them, anyway. 
Interesting list, huh? I'm sure it will be added to considerably as the term passes.
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"What luck for rulers that men do not think." -- Adolf Hitler (1889 - 1945)
"If only we could impeach on the basis of criminal stupidity, 90% of the Rethuglicans and half of the Democrats would be thrown out of office." ~~ P.Z. Myres
"The default position of human nature is to punch the other guy in the face and take his stuff." ~~ Dude
Brother Boot Knife of Warm Humanitarianism,
and Crypto-Communist!
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Cuneiformist
The Imperfectionist
USA
4955 Posts |
Posted - 02/03/2005 : 07:24:05 [Permalink]
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The most disturbing thing for me is how this whole Social Security discussion has started with the premise that it's "broken." However, as Paul Krugman has shown numerous times, it's not entirely clear that Bush's claims about social Security are even true! Indeed, given this administrations past history regarding the truth, we should all be skeptical of their claims regarding Social Security.
Tragically, however, most politicians and media outlets feel content to simply parrot Bush lines without actually questioning the validity of such statements.
Anyone interested should read some of the recent article from Krugman linked above, and should also read this article. |
| Edited by - Cuneiformist on 02/04/2005 06:55:08 |
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beskeptigal
SFN Die Hard
USA
3834 Posts |
Posted - 02/03/2005 : 14:44:22 [Permalink]
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The social security issue, IMAO, (in my authoritative opinion  ), is a smoke screen, pure and simple. When I get more time to post later tonight, I'll have more to say on our 'taking propaganda to a new level' government. |
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Cuneiformist
The Imperfectionist
USA
4955 Posts |
Posted - 02/04/2005 : 07:00:16 [Permalink]
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Not to sound too much like a broken record, but Krugman again brings up serious questions about Bush's Social Security plan in today's New York Times. I won't quote the entire article here, but you can go to some of the links I listed above to find it (or go here if you have registered...). But here are his concluding remarks:quote:
Do you believe that we should replace America's most successful government program with a system in which workers engage in speculation that no financial adviser would recommend? Do you believe that we should do this even though it will do nothing to improve the program's finances? If so, George Bush has a deal for you.
This whole thing has me freaked out. If you are as concerned as I am, I urge you to write your Congressional delegtion now to let them know how you feel. |
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Cuneiformist
The Imperfectionist
USA
4955 Posts |
Posted - 02/04/2005 : 14:09:12 [Permalink]
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As already observed in today's Daily Howler, our press corps suck ass. And along the way, they're helping this administration push their Social Security lies with minimal debate.
Bush routinely talks about how "broke" the program is going to be in the near future. He's also convinced that the best way to save the system is by scrapping it in favor of private accounts. This, despite that fact that respectable economists have argued that his plan is sure to end up as a disaster.
Worse now is Bush's refusal to accept raising taxes as an option. Yet, in today's New York Times, this article notes that quote:
Some Republicans have even gone so far as to suggest the one approach Mr. Bush did not mention in his speech, raising the ceiling on income subject to payroll taxes, which is now about $90,000 a year. The idea appeals to some politicians because only about 6 percent of Americans earn more than $90,000 a year. Imposing Social Security taxes on incomes of up to $200,000 would come close to eliminating the entire deficit.
Alreay, the payroll taxes are the most regressive. By simply making the super-rich pay a bit more, the whole system would be fine. But since Bush and his cronies are some of the richest people on earth, of course he won't do that... |
| Edited by - Cuneiformist on 02/04/2005 14:10:09 |
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Siberia
SFN Addict
Brazil
2322 Posts |
Posted - 02/04/2005 : 15:23:01 [Permalink]
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Sorry Cune, but I'm quite... away
Well, Mr. Bush's doing it so to screw us all. Yay. |
"Why are you afraid of something you're not even sure exists?"
- The Kovenant, Via Negativa
"People who don't like their beliefs being laughed at shouldn't have such funny beliefs."
-- unknown
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Dude
SFN Die Hard
USA
6891 Posts |
Posted - 02/04/2005 : 19:57:38 [Permalink]
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quote:
Indeed, given this administrations past history regarding the truth, we should all be skeptical of their claims regarding Social Security.
The social security trust fund will, in the current system, continue to run a large surplus for a long time.
The "economic model" that Bush is using to predict that social security will be "broke" in 2042 is a mid-growth model. It doesn't take into account that for the last 40 years the US growth has been much higher than the model W is using.
The outright lie: In 2042, even by Bush's crappy model, social security will STILL be able to pay it's bills, it just won't have the surplus.
If the current trend in economic growth continues, then the trust fund will also continue to have a surplus. Again. If the current rate of economic growth continues as is, the social security will continue to have a surplus.
My conclusion: The whole thing is the "big distraction" for this term. Bush and company will occupy the public discourse with this, distract people, and continue to do other things on their agenda without any real opposition.
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Ignorance is preferable to error; and he is less remote from the truth who believes nothing, than he who believes what is wrong.
-- Thomas Jefferson
"god :: the last refuge of a man with no answers and no argument." - G. Carlin
Hope, n.
The handmaiden of desperation; the opiate of despair; the illegible signpost on the road to perdition. ~~ da filth |
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beskeptigal
SFN Die Hard
USA
3834 Posts |
Posted - 02/04/2005 : 22:59:15 [Permalink]
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After hearing more about this little SSI scheme, I've decided to suspect a tad more than smokescreen. It seems our Bush baby wants to put some of our taxes into the stocks and bonds markets.
Instead of direct government investment, Bush seems to want us to believe we are doing the investing.
I'm going to half to look into this a little more carefully.
But in the meantime, it sure is smoky in here. Anyone see where I left the Iraq report? |
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