Posted Fri, Aug 6, 7:09 p.m.

Richard, If Chris Dodd were a repub, you'd be shouting from the rooftops about how deep he was in bed with big business. The reform bill is anything but. It doesn't stop taxpayer bailouts of wall street. It gives the government the ability to effectively seize businesses. It forces banks ...

Posted Fri, Aug 6, 7:09 p.m.

Richard, If Chris Dodd were a repub, you'd be shouting from the rooftops about how deep he was in bed with big business. The reform bill is anything but. It doesn't stop taxpayer bailouts of wall street. It gives the government the ability to effectively seize businesses. It forces banks ...

Posted Mon, Aug 2, 10:18 p.m.

Bella, If you think not much will change, then what would be the point of having such a bill? I think you are underestimating the government control this puts over on the healtchare industry in general, and the cost impact of such a piece of legislation, as legislation generally impacts ...

Posted Mon, Aug 2, 5:11 p.m.

btw - I've never, throughout this thread, suggested I agreed with George Bush, nor have I defended him. I've made comments to point out the the Dems controlled Congress during the last 2 years of his presidency, and I've made comments because I'm sick and tired of him being blamed ...

Posted Mon, Aug 2, 4:36 p.m.

Richard, The DEMOCRATIC PARTY-controlled congress extended the Patriot Act for another year in a vote in February of this year. Do you want to blame the repubs for this too? Are your blinders on so tight that you haven't seen this? http://www.nytimes.com/2010/02/25/us/politics/25brfs-PATRIOTACTEL_BRF.html Have you actually ever read The Constitution? It ...

Posted Mon, Aug 2, 9:09 a.m.

Richard, The following is a link to a youtube video, where Rep. Pete Stark (D-Ca) in an exchange during a townhall meeting says: "I think that there are very few constitutional limits that would prevent the federal government from rules that could affect your private life. The basis for that ...

Posted Sun, Aug 1, 8:19 p.m.

I think we shouldn't have millionaires or billionaires in office at all. They aren't the majority of the people. That said, our system allows any citizen to run.

Posted Sun, Aug 1, 6:17 p.m.

btw Richard, I agree with you that corporate donations should not be allowed for election campaigns. However, I also believe NO SPECIAL INTEREST donations should be allowed, including Unions, Not-for-Profit Organizations, church groups, book clubs, no one, none, zero, zip. I think that candidates running should get their campaign funds ...

Posted Sun, Aug 1, 5:20 p.m.

Actually, Bella, I apologize, you are correct. Other states I have lived in actually do make this a requirement, and Washington law is close to that... and after further reviewing, there is no requirement for that. The state Budget and Accounting Act says the governor must PROPOSE a balanced budget. ...

Posted Sun, Aug 1, 10:48 a.m.

Sorry - ran out of space: 6) I don't understand how energy costs are an indicator of the health of the economy, but I do agree that they can have a significant impact on the economy. Obviously, when energy costs are higher, then cost of doing business increases, as well ...

Posted Sun, Aug 1, 10:35 a.m.

commonsense1 - my family actually voted for me to not run for office (something I was considering) because they didn't want to have to be a politician's family. Richard, I have repeatedly throughout this discussion said that BOTH parties are corrupt, and I don't believe I have anywhere suggested there ...

Posted Fri, Jul 30, 11:47 p.m.

Richard, btw - here is another interesting article that shows why I suggest the dems are as in bed with big biz as the repubs: "Obama Nominee got $900,000 after Citigroup bailout". http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2010/jul/28/omb-nominee-got-900000-after-citigroup-bailout/

Posted Fri, Jul 30, 11:32 p.m.

Well Richard, First of all, what happened to the jobs the stimulus bill was to create, and how it was to help small businesses. http://www.sba.gov/recovery/ You mean it didn't work? The filibuster on this bill was because they wanted to include the provisions I mentioned in my post on tax ...

Posted Fri, Jul 30, 8:52 a.m.

That's great and a fortunate circumstance for your friend. That said, it doesn't excuse that person here illegally from breaking our laws. We are (or at least were founded as) a nation of laws. Either we are going to follow them, or not. We can't have a society where we, ...

Posted Thu, Jul 29, 10:58 p.m.

I haven't, however, my best friend, who lives in Tucson, Arizona was. He was robbed at knifepoint by a man who was in the country illegally when my friend was out shopping around 9:30 one evening in May. My friend fortunately was unhurt, and the police captured the individual who ...

Posted Thu, Jul 29, 10:39 p.m.

Richard, Perhaps you also might want to review this article in the Seattle Times from July 5, 2010, titled "Lobbyists are Sen. Murray's biggest donors". http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2012287293_murray06m.html

Posted Thu, Jul 29, 10:33 p.m.

By the way, Chris Dodd (D-CT) was #4, Michael Bennet (D-Co) was #5, Harry Reid (D-NV) #3, Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY) #2, and Chuck Schumer (D-NY) #1 in the Huffington Post article.

Posted Thu, Jul 29, 10:28 p.m.

Richard, According to the Huffington Poist - as of Nov. 2009, 11 of the top 15 recipients of campaign donations from Wall Street were Democrats. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/11/17/the-15-biggest-congressio_n_360514.html Chris Dodd (D) added an amendment to the Stimulus Bill (ARRA) that protected $900 million in Wall Street executive bonuses in the Stimulus bill. ...

Posted Thu, Jul 29, 9:23 p.m.

With all due respect, why is this necessarily obstructionism? They are asking to include amendments on a number of things - including estate taxes, extending the Bush Tax cuts and on border security. They are looking to lower our tax burden, which seems to me would be a huge boost ...

Posted Wed, Jul 28, 9:30 a.m.

Harris, I don't know if you are still reading this thread, but if you are, I have a couple of questions for you. From one of your posts, you have indicated you have been a reporter in the healthcare space for some time. You and I appear to have differing ...

Posted Tue, Jul 27, 10:54 a.m.

Richard, I've picked these two timeframes because they were times of strong economic growth within the nation. At those times, government spending was approximately 20% of Gross Domestic Product, basically economic output. In your example, as you have identified, there is a cost to the government to fill the pothole, ...

Posted Tue, Jul 27, 7:41 a.m.

Richard, A few posts back you asked me what I thought should be the size of government and why. Obviously, that's a pretty complex question, and size of government is a relative term. However, I'd suggest to you is I'd like to see size of government similar to that of ...

Posted Mon, Jul 26, 11:18 p.m.

Bella - CRA, while it didn't force bad loans, forced looser lending standards. Let me offer another, deeper discussion document for you to review. This actually does a much better job of explaining it than I ever could, though is much longer: http://www.aei.org/outlook/29015

Posted Mon, Jul 26, 5:01 p.m.

Harris, Or as an alternative, legislation could be significantly simpler, by focusing solely on the purpose of the legislation. Perhaps legislation would no longer have exemption after exemption, which generally makes it longer and more confusing. Or could eliminate the tangentials or elements (read these as pork, or other incentives ...

Posted Mon, Jul 26, 4:30 p.m.

You are right that there are a number of variables, though the core of this collapse was the CRA. The fact is, CRA required banking institutions to create lending vehicles that enabled all income borrowers to get loans. While the legislation itself did not force bad loans, efforts by advocacy ...

Posted Mon, Jul 26, 1:58 p.m.

Harris, My point on Dr. Berwick is specific to the fact that he has been appointed bypassing the checks and balances we have in place. Personally, I find many of his comments and background such that I'd like to see him vetted publically by BOTH sides of the aisle. I ...

Posted Mon, Jul 26, 12:05 p.m.

Harris, Not so fast. 1) Economists generally credit the TARP legislation, passed in October 2008, of helping to stabilize a fragile economic system. We can very much argue what was done with that $700B (for instance, as we see today, Goldman Sachs used $4B+ of the $12B it received for ...

Posted Mon, Jul 26, 9:16 a.m.

Richard, You are missing my point. I want smaller, more effective, efficient government, something that we have not had for a long time, and that has grown worse in the last 18 months. We cannot afford big government, because it cannot be funded in the long term unless we ALL ...

Posted Sun, Jul 25, 9:21 p.m.

sorry - weighed the facts? She doesn't even read the legislation she votes on.

Posted Sun, Jul 25, 9:20 p.m.

btw - ways the facts? She doesn't even read the legislation she votes on.

Posted Sun, Jul 25, 9:16 p.m.

I want a senator who has the resolve and courage to say "No" to spending my money, taking away my money through more taxes, and saying "No" to her party. Senator Murray is not that person.

Posted Sun, Jul 25, 9:14 p.m.

Bella and Richard Borkowski, the economy, stock market and home values cratered with a Republican President, and a Democrat controlled House and Senate in 2008. What planet are you two living on? The housing market crashed as a result of the Community Reinvestment Act, which was passed in 1977, under ...

Posted Sun, Jul 25, 8:57 p.m.

A few other things for you 2cents, In your note, you suggest that the reason to keep the party in power there is because they gave us healthcare reform, as well as financial reform. I didn't want Healthcare reform, especially when they focussed on that instead of the economy that ...

Posted Sun, Jul 25, 5:08 p.m.

2cents, While I believe we have given you very good reasons why Sen. Murray should not be sent back to DC as our Senator, I'll be very happy to answer your simple question. Because the idiots who got us into this mess are in office. Earlier, you accused me of ...

Posted Sun, Jul 25, 2:51 p.m.

2cents - while you are at it, why don't you explain why there is NO budget that Congress has put forth for this fiscal year - the majority party you are so excited about is in charge and could have put one forward. My guess why they haven't - because ...

Posted Sun, Jul 25, 10:30 a.m.

2cents and others - the Repubs have offered nothing? Please refer to their healthcare proposal published during the healthcare debacle: http://rules-republicans.house.gov/Media/PDF/RepublicanAlternative3962_9.pdf The Dems (for which I have historically voted for), have chosen, with their majorities in both houses of Congress, to ram bad legislation through, with limited debate and in ...

Posted Sat, Jul 24, 2:15 p.m.

2cents, try actually reading the garbage your "solid" senator has sold you out to with her votes. Also, you might try to not simply spout talking points. In the hyper-partisan world that is DC today, the Repubs were kept out of the room when these disastrous bills were written. You ...

Posted Sat, Jul 24, 9:09 a.m.

A politician who has voted for all of this bad policy, without the actual regulations having been written, without having even done the diligence of reading the regulation she has voted for can point to all the pork she wants. It doesn't change the facts - she has had a ...