House GOP Plans Death Panel for Elmo

[droski]

proof positive gibbs has never watched bbc prime time programming.

 

[sjt18]

The real bottom line here is if you are a family or business going broke and have only made more than you spent in 2 of the last 30 or 40 years... you don't go to the movies, theatre, museum, or any other entertainment regardless of the cost. Those things are luxuries... as are cable/sat TV, TV period, cell phones, Sunday drives, new cars when the old ones work, new anything when the old one works, etc, etc, etc. You economize necessities as much as possible and eliminate the luxuries. Gov't has a RESPONSIBILITY to do the same thing REGARDLESS of how relatively small a part of the problem something is.

Nancy should fly coach and so should Boehner. Gov't should have more economical vehicles across the board and travel less in gov't resources. Lights should be turned off at places like the Pentagon unless necessary for security. At work we talk about picking up nickels. In your life you are unlikely to find a $100 bill on the ground... but you more than likely will have the opportunity to pick up change worth $100 or more. You have to go after the little things to save money. As a composite, they are more than the big things.

We as a country cannot afford and should not be paying for NPR, PBS, endowments for music or the arts, and so on. Vehicle exchange policies should be looked at and terms extended. As difficult as it may be, entitlements should be frozen along with public sector pay.

We either find and cut the fat or we just reduce the gov't overall. There are no other ways to balance the books. SPENDING is the problem. Taking a greater percentage of GDP for public use will just create a more regressive situation.

 

[utgibbs]

Why? What is it that naturally leads to this lack of quality?

Were the Discovery channels previously government supported then not and suddenly programming slid? Could it be that across the Discovery network the quality is the same if you take the best from multiple channels? How do you account for the hours of crap programming on PBS? Is every hour a golden nugget?

Do you believe HBO churns out poor quality? They have consistently produced high quality programming. Why aren't they subject to this magic failure of non-governmental support?

My guess it lies in your discipline, volinbham. I think you might have the real insight.

HBO has churned out some good programming over the years. But it's not the same business model either. I haven't had it in a long time; I'm assuming it still doesn't have standard network advertising. Having said that, although HBO original programming is solid, it's core model (I'm assuming it still shows movies) is broadcasting some pretty ridiculous Hollywood schlock. So, being able to deliver two quality shows per season (although, I would say, probably superior to the network fare) on average is still Meh, although excellent in relative terms.

 

[utgibbs]

The real bottom line here is if you are a family or business going broke and have only made more than you spent in 2 of the last 30 or 40 years... you don't go to the movies, theatre, museum, or any other entertainment regardless of the cost. Those things are luxuries... as are cable/sat TV, TV period, cell phones, Sunday drives, new cars when the old ones work, new anything when the old one works, etc, etc, etc. You economize necessities as much as possible and eliminate the luxuries. Gov't has a RESPONSIBILITY to do the same thing REGARDLESS of how relatively small a part of the problem something is.

Nancy should fly coach and so should Boehner. Gov't should have more economical vehicles across the board and travel less in gov't resources. Lights should be turned off at places like the Pentagon unless necessary for security. At work we talk about picking up nickels. In your life you are unlikely to find a $100 bill on the ground... but you more than likely will have the opportunity to pick up change worth $100 or more. You have to go after the little things to save money. As a composite, they are more than the big things.

We as a country cannot afford and should not be paying for NPR, PBS, endowments for music or the arts, and so on. Vehicle exchange policies should be looked at and terms extended. As difficult as it may be, entitlements should be frozen along with public sector pay.

We either find and cut the fat or we just reduce the gov't overall. There are no other ways to balance the books. SPENDING is the problem. Taking a greater percentage of GDP for public use will just create a more regressive situation.

Unless you are talking about spending a lot less on that Pentagon, it is just not a serious conversation.

I like the efficiency argument, but it's about bang for buck too. NPR and PBS are things the government is just good at (as discussed throughout thread). The Pentagon, Prison budgets are nowhere as efficient.

 

[MG1968]

Unless you are talking about spending a lot less on that Pentagon, it is just not a serious conversation.

I like the efficiency argument, but it's about bang for buck too. NPR and PBS are things the government is just good at (as discussed throughout thread). The Pentagon, Prison budgets are nowhere as efficient.

so, does that mean you're for privatizing defense and prisons?

you're growing :birgits_giggle:

 

[sjt18]

Unless you are talking about spending a lot less on that Pentagon, it is just not a serious conversation.

I like the efficiency argument, but it's about bang for buck too. NPR and PBS are things the government is just good at (as discussed throughout thread). The Pentagon, Prison budgets are nowhere as efficient.

Not the point. NPR and PBS are NOT necessary functions of the US gov't. MOST people do not want much less need them... so they should not be made to pay for them.

If you are going broke and have an inefficient furnace... do you keep cable and toss the furnace simply because your cable works more like it should? No. You get rid of unnecessary expense.

And again, it does not matter how small or seemingly insignificant an individual line item might be. If you can do without it, you cut it. PERIOD.

 

[sjt18]

so, does that mean you're for privatizing defense and prisons?

you're growing :birgits_giggle:

Private prisons aren't that much more efficient... the gov't has so many regulations they can't be.... regulations that do not always apply to state run prisons.

 

[droski]

prison guard union is out of control in california.

 

[CSVol]

Thats what we called em in school.

They got hit hard with the Harpeth. Ashland City got hit hard with the Cumberland. Hard to imagine both of those getting that high.

My brother works for the Army Corps of Engineers in Nashville. After the waters receded they had to survey and re-draw the 500 year flood lines. Incredible and sad.

 

[NEO]

My brother works for the Army Corps of Engineers in Nashville. After the waters receded they had to survey and re-draw the 500 year flood lines. Incredible and sad.

This isn't a joke. I'm not trying to be funny.

I handle flood insurance and oddly it has only become a little easier to sell since the flood.

But have you seen the new middle TN flood maps?

Holy Crap they basically just started in Gallatin and drew a big wide blsck line everywhere east and south of it down to Columbia.

 

[CSVol]

This isn't a joke. I'm not trying to be funny.

I handle flood insurance and oddly it has only become a little easier to sell since the flood.

But have you seen the new middle TN flood maps?

Holy Crap they basically just started in Gallatin and drew a big wide blsck line everywhere east and south of it down to Columbia.

I get ya. Do mortgage lenders still go by 100 yr. lines? Places like Belle Meade that got swamped probably wouldn't qualify if so. I grew up in Franklin and the Harpeth would get out 1-2 times a year. In 19 yrs. I never saw anything like the big one. The new lines must reflect the update but like you I can't believe it would change the 100 yr. lines so much.