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Old 2012-04-12, 11:20 PM   [Ignore Me] #59
Shanesan
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Re: Santorum Drops Out


Originally Posted by Figment View Post
Department of Commerce
The long and short of it, the Department of Commerce, introduced in 1913, has one specific purpose: promote economic growth. At a little over $9 billion a year, it uses most of it as handouts to companies. Even Obama cut this department.

Department of Commerce business subsidies should be abolished, including technology subsidies, handouts to fishermen, and minority business aid. The private sector does not need government help to prosper, it just needs the government to provide a stable environment with low inflation, modest taxation, and limited regulation. Companies become stressed and concerned when the government flip-flops over what tax handouts there are this year, and what the tax hike will be next year.

Get rid of the whole thing and ensure stability in taxes. That's all that's needed.

Originally Posted by Figment View Post
Department of Education
Pick a teacher. If you talk to almost any teacher who has been around for over 10 years, you will most likely hear from them that the biggest hurdle they have for teaching is the unfunded liabilities that the Federal government has forced them to perform.

A big example of this is the No Child Left Behind program. With the additional tests that the DoE requires, it has proven, with their own devices, that the attempt to control education from the top has not fulfilled it's intended purpose - to raise grades. Grades have remained the same as they have since the DoE began, but upped the cost per student by approximately 375% in inflated dollars. Please note that the DoE doesn't fund for school lunches and other things like that, so it is really easy to cut the $70 billion/year department and replace it with the already running but currently worthless state-controlled Departments of Education, as the closer you are to the students, the better off you can cater to their individual needs or try new ideas. There was a TED talk not too long ago discussing the importance of visual learning that the DoE currently doesn't support and schools do not have the time to try because of Federal mandates.


Originally Posted by Goku View Post
Exactly Vash. Nothing Obama has done is close to socialism IMO.
More along the lines of totalitarian policies, in my opinion.

Obama backed off on closing Guantanamo.
Obama backed off of his promise to keep lobbyists out of his administration.
Obama protected the Bush administration from prosecution for torture.
Obama authorized the assassination of U.S. citizens abroad.
Obama rescinded on his promise to not prosecute marijuana users in states where it is legal, and pushed for a 5 year prison term for a California-legal medical marijuana dispensary operaton.
Obama prosecuted child-soldier Omar Khadr using evidence gained through torture.
Obama granted 27 waivers to oil companies drilling in the weeks following the Deepwater Horizon disaster.
Obama fought for, and won, the right to deny habeas corpus to detainees.
He blocked UN human rights investigations at Guantanamo.
He dropped charges against the CIA for destroying videotapes documenting torture of detainees.
He continued rendition of alleged terrorists to countries where they could be tortured.
He continued indefinitely detaining alleged terrorists, WITHOUT TRIAL.
He extended the PATRIOT Act, with no reforms.
He dramatically increased government secrecy, denying more Freedom of Information Act requests in 2009 than Bush did in 2008.
He cut a secret deal to kill the public option, while still campaigning on its behalf...
He defended Don't Ask Don't Tell from legal challenges and then "celebrated" its repeal.
He reaffirmed his opposition to same-sex marriage though he campaigns as if he supports it.
He granted waivers to 30 companies, including McDonalds, exempting them from health care reform.
He announced the single largest arms deal in history, of $60bil worth of arms, to Saudi Arabian dictatorship.
He gave permits to BP and other oil companies, exempting them from environmental protection laws.
He appointed Monsanto executive Michael Taylor to the FDA.
He appointed a former Monsanto lobbyist as Chief Agriculture Negotiator.
He appointed Timothy Geithner as Secretary of the Treasury.
He increased the use of combat drones in Pakistan.
He passed a massive Wall Street bailout at the expense of the taxpayers.
He played down the importance of the WikiLeaks documents.
He pushed for mandatory DNA testing for those arrested for crimes, even if they have not been convicted.
He undercuts whistleblowers.
He promised $30bil in military aid to Israel over the next decade.
He gives $250,000 to Chevrolet every time they make a Volt.

I have links for all those.

Last edited by Shanesan; 2012-04-12 at 11:21 PM.
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