Unless you’ve been to Iraq yourself, you have absolutely no proof whatsoever. Being for this war isn’t evidence that you’re not a coward unless it’s your ass on the line. Likewise, being against this war isn’t evidence that you are a coward if your ass isn’t on the line anyway. So I wish we could cut out all this dumb “you’re a coward” bullshit.

But…

“The statement about wages going up for years is quite accurate, at least from my view point. My own have doubled in the last 10 years. And no, that doesn’t mean from $1.00 to $2.00, nor does it mean it’s doubled from $50.00 to $100.00. It means what was reasonable to what is reasonable based on factors which I included in my calculations. “

Did you not read the article I linked to in my comment? To state that wages have “gone up” when all indicators say buying power has gone DOWN is to make an empty statement. I earn more than I did ten years ago, but I can’t buy as much security as I used to. The cost of living is a lot more expensive.

Insurance is a lot more expensive — and that isn’t because of lawsuits. That’s a bogeyman. I don’t believe there are any more frivolous lawsuits today than there were ten years ago (a Google search hasn’t turned up any articles about an increase in such suits), so why have my mother’s rates (and my own) quadrupled since 2001 - coincidentally when we started having a one-party government that’s friendly toward insurance companies?

Incidentally, I couldn’t find anything about an incision 3 inches too long causing a lawsuit, or about anyone suing McDonald’s for making them fat (I found a mention of someone trying and the case getting thrown out before ever going to court). Sure, there are frivolous lawsuits, but it’s not anywhere close to the epidemic some people make it out to be and it’s not the reason our rates keep going up and up and up.

Let me tell you what I see, here. Just for the heck of it, now. The poet is apparently expressing his distrust of the DFL agenda expressed vs. the probable agenda.

The statement about wages going up for years is quite accurate, at least from my view point. My own have doubled in the last 10 years. And no, that doesn’t mean from $1.00 to $2.00, nor does it mean it’s doubled from $50.00 to $100.00. It means what was reasonable to what is reasonable based on factors which I included in my calculations.

You state that health care has gone up dramatically. That was apparently not denied. The malpractice insurance has gone up largely due to unscrupulous lawyers and folks who want to steal from the system with malpractice suits that are unreasonable. WHY should a half-inch too long incision be cause for a 3 million lawsuit? Keep the costs down by keeping a lid on the unreasonable lawsuits!

Socialized medicine is going to drive doctors out of business, cutting the quality of health care, increasing patient load to those who remain. Those doctors will burn-out, or drop out. It is a vicious circle, I am so sorry you are in it that you cannot see the facts. But it’s the way it is.

Hey, go sue Mickey D for the 55 pounds you gained recently, eh? The people who watch their weight don’t need to. Those who don’t have a scapegoat!

For example, back in Feb. I weighed in at 210. I could have gone to sue BK, McD, or Subway for the weight gain. I didn’t. Today, I have weighed in at 165, and although my asthma still acts up, I feel better. Sure, I could have sued, and won a fortune I suppose. I could have used it. But it wasn’t right!

Finally, as for the Iraq action: I don’t hear much from anyone except the cowards. Sorry, it’s an observation of my own, what proof do I have except my own word?

Hey, it looks like Pelosi is going to have more difficulty than she thought, even in her own party. Two years, when the people have tired of the whining– Well, we will see.

Enough for now. Off the soapbox.

Real wages haven’t “been going up for years.” Check this out: http://tinyurl.com/ho7ya

And according to the NY Times, poverty, not wages, has increased under Bush: “It was the first time on record that household incomes failed to increase for five straight years.”
http://tinyurl.com/yywegg

Health insurance? Let’s see. According to the Boston Globe, “Since 2000, workers’ health insurance premiums have risen 84 percent, while their wages have increased 20 percent and inflation has risen 18 percent.”
http://tinyurl.com/y3seke

But the Incredibly Rhyming Numbskull here would rather blame Carter for what’s happened on Bush’s watch. I bet he’s one of the guys who mocked the Clintons for trying to get us universal health insurance, and he doesn’t even realize that it’s hypocritical to point out insurance rates rose during Clinton’s tenure. Yeah they rose, because people like you shot down his attempt to tackle the problem. Never mind that Bush hasn’t done a single thing to tackle the problem his entire term, let’s blame Carter. Hell, let’s blame JFK!

And these people are never going to stop lying about that vote in 2002 where Democrats gave Bush the power to go after terrorists involved in 9/11. They never voted to give him power to invade a country that DIDN’T have anything to do with 9/11, which is what he ended up doing. Sorry, your party is solely to blame for Iraq, whether you like it or not, Denial Boy.

Oh look, I couldn’t take my own advice. I just wasted my time responding to this guy. Damn.

Sky-high insurance? Let’s see, those costs have been on the rise since who knows when. They’ve more than quadrupled since JFK. A good portion of that was in 1977-1981 (Carter’s term). Hmmm. No, I don’t think you can blame me for that, either.

The war, hmmm? As I recall, there were only a few congressional members who voted against the support. Hmmm. I don’t think the GOP can shoulder the full blame there, either.

Methinks your facts are goofed up.

As for THE PETE…Be snide all you like– I’ll have the last laugh.

Can we blame you for the lower wages, huge deficit, sky-high health insurance fees, and the war we were lied into which the government itself says has made us LESS safe? Can we blame you for that?

–Wesley– written 11-11-06

As of yet, I have not seen a single complaint from any GOP member who lost, even if by a narrow margin. These calls that the person received about voting in places further and further away… It does happen. There are bad apples in every barrel! To deny that would be stupid. But this same type of thing has occurred for years. In this state, just 6 years ago, some of us received an Email saying that the GOP was supposed to vote on Wednesday, the DFL on Tuesday. It seems it went out to both sides, both sides getting blamed for someone’s idea of a sick joke.

Now that it’s all over for a couple of years, I just want to say–I did not vote the entire party line. Why? I have my reasons, of course. But I will say, as well– when your taxes rise, and they will you see: Don’t blame this fella: I’m G.O.P.!