Your statement is so open-ended that it would imply you don't actually know what your statement even means.

Who's view are you referring to?

Thomas Jefferson?

Alexander Hamilton?

John Adams?

James Madison?

Benjamin Franklin?

OR maybe someone more obscure?

Anyway, the picture is of the Continental Congress, not the "Founders", who's idea of what the roll of government is/should be varied greatly.

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1. Open your mind

2. Get off of your ass and be part of the solution

3. Stop trolling other peoples comments, there is a ban-hammer for a reason

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That is a fairly vague statement concerning Franklin, but, you're probably pretty upset about all the money being taken from education, science, technology, innovation, etc..? You're probably very happy with Obama's call for volunteerism, to fulfill one's civic duty, so to speak?

Debate and opposition to ones comments is not "trolling", I'll admit a couple of comments were just one liner throw away remarks, but who doesn't do that from time to time? The vast majority of my comments here are from an informed position with a real opposing view point. Did you accuse of Robotvampire of trolling as well? He has posted as many comments in disagreement, with a commenter, or with the specific post as I have.

1) Open my mind? To what? We're not talking about new types of music, or art -- it's politics, and at some point facts and figures, hard number, data, history all need to be looked at. Unfortunately, you have people posting meaningless questions under the guise of some greater understanding.

2) I'm very involved in local politics, I campaigned heavily for Obama (and prior to that Edwards, oh well) I call my Reps and Senators, I attend county meetings when there are issues of importance to me. What makes you think I'm somehow disengaged from real action?

3) Using the term "ban-hammer" should actually get you banned.

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Go comment on the freerepublic site if you don't like it.

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The problem is that the government's purpose is not just to increase economic growth. They have to worry about the environment, social rights, and all that intangible stuff.

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They are well-run companies, though. Particularly Walmart - possibly the best distribution system in the world.

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That basically means the government spent a shitload of money on rockets. It doesn't make the economy better. Government money has to come from somewhere, i.e. taxes or borrowing from other countries. So, to have a huge space program, they would have had to make everyone poorer through taxes, or increase the national debt through borrowing.

There is also the "crowding out effect" to consider. Spending money on NASA increases capital costs, which decreases private investment. So chances are, government spending on NASA decreased growth in other industries.

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Yeah, millions spent HERE ON EARTH on engineers, technicians, assistants, contractors, materials, buildings, parts, and so on doesn't help the economy.

None of those people buy houses, cars, clothes, food, send their kids to school, pay taxes...

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I think there has always been an understanding, from the Democratic side, that there is a time and place to spend money, where are Republicans seem to be possessed by the dishonest ghost of Reagan anytime spending money on the people is requested.

The Dem s Rep debate is a false debate anyway, it's corporatist vs populists. I personally am not the CEO of any company, so I'm partial to any politician that will pass legislation and spend money on what I see as an investment in the people -- an investment for greater good.

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So, no matter what was cut, you were going to hate the Republicans either way, non?

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Well, duh...

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And how many children do you have? How long has it been since you went to school, and where?

I went to public school in a fairly well-to-do area ten years ago, and I can't recall a single healthy thing on the menu outside of the salad bar. My niece will be going to school in a few years. I shudder at the thought of her eating the same pizza and cheeseburgers my cafeteria served me.

I had friends who were on the free meal plan because their family was incredibly low-income. These children do not get food at school because their parents are lazy, but because the school lunch saves their family money.

But maybe we just shouldn't educate the poor, right? It would be easier to find cheap unskilled labor that way...

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Sure, they can pay for it with food stamps.

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Besides, you're waiting a generation to do anything at all about it.

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Simple cause and effect is not rocket science.

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$50 million for the National Endowment for the Arts
$380 million in the Senate bill for the Women, Infants and Children program
$300 million for grants to combat violence against women
$15 billion for boosting Pell Grant college scholarships
$1 billion for community-development block grants
$4.2 billion for "neighborhood stabilization activities"
$650 million for digital-TV coupons; $90 million to educate "vulnerable populations"

All nice ideas but none will stimulate the economy.

P.S. if you want to advance scientific research put the money in defense. Those guys come up with wicked stuff.

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Even with the generic description you gae each program, i can't believe you would poopoo the "$15 billion for boosting Pell Grant college scholarships:.

The idea that helping kids go to school wouldn't be of benefit to the overall health of the economy is fucking insane.

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Nearly everything that was cut would have sent thousands of out of work laborers back to work, strengthening the economy.

I think that's why it was gutted, it would have helped out to many people as it was, and the GOP couldn't have that. So they call the programs pork and their sheeple constituents eat it up, while they wait in line for their food stamps because they haven't worked in 8 months.

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Well then... lets go to war! Push the button Obama... nuke the fuck out of Afghanistan... and maybe Iraq! Blow the Mother Fuckers to kingdom come!

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You are so fucking stupid.

Apparently:

Jobs: Liberal agenda

Education: Liberal agenda

Affordable Medicine: Liberal agenda

Infrastructure: Liberal agenda

Funding for scientific advancement: Liberal agenda

There seems to be this underlying idea that all of theses things that make up our economy; trade, outsourcing, education, debt, labor, taxes -- in greater terms -- the overall economic health of our country, are all separate, disconnected things that have no relation to one another, an idea that they don't have any broader impact on any other facet of our economy. It's bizarre to me that people can't see why open border unregulated, tariff free, lazie faire trade with other countries is destroying this countries financial stability. What happened to the isolationist mind set of the conservative and at the same time populist movements? Our trade deals, as they are written now benefit two groups: foreign countries and big business who moves their workforce, production and offices there.

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Civics 101; take it.

"WW2 got us out of the depression", it wasn't the war itself but the demand for labor, the demand for goods, the demand for services, the push for innovation and, at the end of the day, the massive spending by the government to fund all of this.

So, take the same concept of demand, innovation and apply it domestically.

Thanks wonkette:

So, here are some specific things the GOP will not condone, in this bill they're not going to vote for, anyway:

* A billion dollars extra for the 2010 U.S. Census, which is going to pay good money to many jobless people in every American town - and shore up Lockheed-Martin, which is getting $500 million to build the data systems and run the machinery.

* $75 million for FBI employee salaries, because why would you want to pay America's top cops to do law enforcement and investigations, in America?

* $500 million for Mississippi River flood control projects, which would employ thousands of laborers and keep dozens of construction companies in business, because nothing makes Republicans happier than seeing a Katrina repeat on the teevee every other hurricane season.

* $200 million for green vehicles on U.S.

military bases and $600 million to replace the federal fleet of cars with hybrids, because only a gay communist could see the economic benefits of $800 million in sales for U.S. auto manufacturers while simultaneously cutting the government's gasoline bill by bajillions per year.

* $1.

4 billion for rural garbage-disposal and recycling programs, because who but an Islamo-Fascist would want to provide much-needed jobs for the Red State countryside while keeping toxic garbage out of those people's drinking water?

* $125 million to rebuild the broken, rotten, third-world sewer system of our Nation's Capital. You give the blacks this, and who knows what they'll want next! And by "give," we mean "pay a decent wage to laborers in D.C., to rebuild their sewers.

"

* $6 billion to pay dozens of big regional contractors, hundreds of local businesses and tens of thousands of American workers to retrofit federal buildings so that they'll be energy efficient.

* $200 million for computer centers at community colleges, because if poor unskilled workers want to "learn the computer," they should just go to Stanford instead of complaining!

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