Republican Front Runner

[buzzbee]

The GOP primary is a sham.  Anyone can vote in the GOP primaries if they go to the poles and ask for the Republican ballot.  Now think about it.  Don't you suppose their are more than a few Democrats casting votes for Romney?  It's stupid.  I have lost all faith in our political system.  The thought that we actually have a choice about the candidate selected is absurd.  

In Pa you have to vote in the party you are registered in.In the primary that is.
 I am actually hoping this does drag on a bit. usually we don't even really have a chance to vote for anyone but the chosen one as all the rest have been forced out by the time elections are held here.Some of the better candidates may have been forced out I'm afraid.

[buzzbee]

I do like the ideas Rand Paul has in a balanced budget he is submitting. It will have to be balanced during current elected officials time in office,not putting it off 15 to 20 years down the road. We know that only perpetuates the madness. They say we can not afford to cut anything now,we'll do it later.
 We had balanced budgets before,but that does not reduce the deficit. You still need to cut the spending and reduce fraud and duplication of government programs.
 I think if Rand would have run,his prospects would be better than his fathers.But there is no one on the ticket that gets me over excited. I am probably casting an anti Obama vote this year. But I am optimistic of changing one of our Senate seats.We did mange to get rid of a very liberal Republican last time around.
 

[BlueBee]

Who has come close to a balance budget?  Only one I can remember is Bill Clinton.  The republicans have had more than ample opportunity in the past 30 years, but they just say NO.  No, no, no,  while spending, spending, spending.

I haven’t read Rand Paul’s proposal, but how does one overcome the obstructionism of the Republicans?  They only work for themselves, not the country.  We saw in the last budget battle they will not compromise on anything.  How do you deal with that attitude?

[buzzbee]

If you remember it was the House of Representatives under Newt Gingrich that crafted the balanced budget. The Republican Congress(first one after 40 years of Democrat control) and the Contract with America pushed the Clinton administration to the center.
After Clinton was in office for two years, he handed them the largest ever Republican victory in Congress.
 No  matter who balanced it,nothing really went to paying down the debt.The Congress under the first two years of Obama could not spend money fast enough,acquiring more debt in two years than all previous Congress' before combined.
It makes it hard to get excited about letting anyone in charge of the purse strings.Especially when the current deficit leaves every man woman and child responsible for 49600 dollars.
 It may be time for states to cut the apron strings to the federal government.The states have willy nilly handed over their responsibilities to their citizens and handed the power over to the Feds. The states should take back the powers not granted to the federal government and be more responsible to their own people.
We may have to start with electing people to our state legislatures that have the guts to say enough is enough and reel in the behemoth of the US government.

[BlueBee]

I tend to agree with you Buzz.  I do agree the Feds are spending too much money, obviously!  I certainly support cutting across the board and I believe that is what Obama proposed the last time they met.  However the Republicans always have their pet peeve programs that can’t be cut under any circumstances and they will NEVER compromise to raise taxes no matter how detrimental to the national security of the nation.

In the not too distant future, the interest payments on our 15 trillion of debt is going to balloon to the size of our defense budget, or bigger.  Is it really in the best interest of the country to send China (the holder of a ton of our bonds) hundreds of billions of extra dollars they can then dump into their military?  Is that better for the USA than biting the tax bullet NOW and starting to pay down all this debt?

[kathyp]

I certainly support cutting across the board and I believe that is what Obama proposed the last time they met.

no he did not.  what he mentioned was cutting the rate of growth in spending.  since the dems refuse to do a budget, we are not even sure what that rate is, or what we are spending.  can you imagine trying to keep a household or business without some kind of budget?

th

ey will NEVER compromise to raise taxes no matter how detrimental to the national security of the nation

why would you give a government which refuses to budget or cut spending, more money?  perhaps we need more solar power or electric cars?

Is that better for the USA than biting the tax bullet NOW and starting to pay down all this debt?

what actions have been taken that make you believe that if they got more money, they'd apply it to the debt?

[SEEYA]

Meanwhile back to the front runner:

How ya liken our ETCH-A-SKETCH wanta-be?
Tell the truth; how does it feel to be disposable?