Quote :

"With a net worth between $59,000 and $366,000"

If Joe Biden is that poor, I don't want him anywhere near being in control of government spending.

How much do Senators make a year? And they get stipends when in session for lodging and food/gas. And his net worth is that low? That is scary mismanagement of money, or a completely bogus networth (more likely). My net worth greater than that and I am way less that half his age.

10/1/2008 6:31:06 PM

Quote :

"If Joe Biden is that poor, I don't want him anywhere near being in control of government spending. "

i know you're making a bigger point, but this does highlight a huge paradox we impose on our politicians. On the one hand, if they're rich, then they don't know what it's like for the "every man". But if they're as poor as Joe Six Pack, then we wonder why they're not more successful - i mean, if they can't make themselves rich, how can we expect them to make us rich?

Concerning Biden, though, his supposed net worth is curious.... Although, i think the Senate does have a hefty lifetime pension, so, you know, he can just rely on the government for the rest of his life anyway (like all Liberals, right?)

10/1/2008 8:01:46 PM

has anybody ever asked him directly about it?

I read somewhere he said it's because he started in the Senate pretty young, but I wasn't really sure how that results in such a low net worth.

10/1/2008 8:08:08 PM

the citation on the wiki article is to here
http://politicalticker.blogs.cnn.com/2008/09/12/biden-tax-returns-revealed/

Quote :

"At least half the nation’s senators are millionaires. But Biden and his wife Jill earned a relatively small $320,000 in 2006, paying about $66,000 in taxes. Over the last 10 years Biden and his wife earned just shy of $2.5 million — an average income of roughly $245,000 per year."

Quote :

"The Bidens' returns do not specify the various sources of the income, but the Delaware Democrat earns $165,000 per year as a senator and draws roughly $20,000 annually from his visiting law professorship at Widener University. Jill Biden is a teacher in Delaware and draws a salary of about $66,000. The 2007 tax returns also indicate Biden earned $71,000 in royalties for his book "Promises to Keep." Biden, who does not hold a second residence in Washington and commutes back to Delaware daily via Amtrak train, often jokes about his relatively poor financial standing on the campaign trail. His modes net worth is also touted by the Obama campaign as a sign Biden has not become a creature of Washington or a fixture on its cocktail circuit. "I make a good salary, although I am listed as the second-poorest man in this Congress," Biden said in Missouri last week. "I’m not proud of it. I’m not proud of it. But that’s what happens when you get elected when you’re 29 years old.""

10/1/2008 8:23:50 PM

That is just fishy as hell, you are pulling in ~250k a year with your wife, and you networth is somewhere near your yearly income? At his age?

He has been a Senator since '73(4), while Senators don't make ridiculous bank, they make fairly well. So 35 years of making at least upper-middle class to lower rich income, you should easily be worth several million, at the minimum with even modest savings and investments. Hell, if he purchased a nice house in Delaware in the mid 70's, then that alone should be worth a cool million. Just doesn't compute, or either he has a nasty gambling habit.

10/1/2008 10:11:57 PM

"If I was a dictator, which I always aspire to be..."

WTF

Found it on youtube


[Edited on October 1, 2008 at 11:24 PM. Reason : pwned by link tags again.]

10/1/2008 11:14:06 PM

well that's just kind of weird....

I think even the most vocal Bush critic forgave Bush when he said "things would be a lot easier if this was a dictatorship. .... just so long as I'm the dictator", because he obviously said it with a smirk and was joking.

but that's just strange how McCain weaved it into the middle of a sentence without even pausing or without a hint of irony or humor

[Edited on October 1, 2008 at 11:33 PM. Reason : . ]

10/1/2008 11:20:24 PM

^^"video not loading"

10/1/2008 11:23:53 PM

10/1/2008 11:33:18 PM

A dry joke, perhaps?

10/1/2008 11:35:38 PM

http://blogs.cqpolitics.com/beyond/2008/10/obama-makes-mccain-very-uncomf.html

Quote :

"Let the record reflect that Barack Obama made the approach to John McCain tonight. As the two shared the Senate floor tonight for the first time since they won their party nominations, Obama stood chatting with Democrats on his side of the aisle, and McCain stood on the Republican side of the aisle. So Obama crossed over into enemy territory. He walked over to where McCain was chatting with Republican Sen. Mel Martinez of Florida and Independent Sen. Joseph I. Lieberman of Connecticut. And he stretched out his arm and offered his hand to McCain. McCain shook it, but with a “go away” look that no one could miss. He tried his best not to even look at Obama. Finally, with a tight smile, McCain managed a greeting: “Good to see you.” Obama got the message. He shook hands with Martinez and Lieberman — both of whom greeted him more warmly — and quickly beat a retreat back to the Democratic side. "

Why is McCain such a cantankerous old fart and hate Obama so much?

10/1/2008 11:52:03 PM

I'm a big fan of Hobbes Leviathan concept. I think a benevolent dictatorship is probably the best form of government. By benevolent I don't mean he gives away kittens and ice cream every thursday, I mean that he would function only when needed and would otherwise be inactive and distant. I don't think that government should serve any purpose other than to enforce a couple of very basic laws.

10/1/2008 11:54:40 PM

^^ at that age, I imagine it must be pretty disheartening to lose a job interview to someone younger and less experienced.

I guess maybe McCain was hoping to go out with a bang (and if it wasn't for Obama, he likely would have won, I think), and now he just has to settle for being married to an attractive, multimillionaire wife.

10/1/2008 11:57:14 PM

Quote :

"Why is McCain such a cantankerous old fart and hate Obama so much?"

Yeah, because I'm sure Obama didn't know the cameras were on him and I'm sure he didn't do it for a political stunt so those in the media ready to go down on him would comment on how McCain responded.










































































































































































[/sarcasm]

[Edited on October 2, 2008 at 1:21 AM. Reason : yes]

10/2/2008 1:21:10 AM

http://www.boston.com/news/politics/2008/articles/2008/10/01/biden_gaffes_leave_democrats_with_mixed_emotions/?p1=Well_MostPop_Emailed6

Reading this article about how Biden is gaffe-y kind of gave me a sense of release for some reason.

10/2/2008 2:08:59 AM

^^McCain is already doing a good job of looking like a cantankerous old geezer without Obama's help. He has no need to pull stunts.

^Biden should be a good source of material for Jon Stewart and the like if Obama is elected, taking the pressure off them to make fun of Obama. He seems mostly harmless despite his occasional awkwardness.

10/2/2008 2:18:11 AM

^aside from Biden being the biggest RIAA tool to ever lay eyes upon Capitol Hill, have you even heard of Biden Law, which erodes the Bill of Rights only a tiny bit more than the Patriot act?

But seriously? Your vote hinges on which VP will be a better source of material for the daily show, and you picked Biden? Seriously?

[Edited on October 2, 2008 at 3:02 AM. Reason : linked]

10/2/2008 3:00:33 AM

Who said anything about his vote hinging on that one point?

10/2/2008 7:12:22 AM

^^

If I ever run into Biden at a rally, I'll learn him about the RIAA issue.

10/2/2008 8:28:07 AM

McCain seems like he's on the verge of a meltdown.

There's an article out now how he's talking about how life for him is not fair. I don't think that's going to go over very well with the voters.

10/2/2008 11:27:22 AM

I listened to obama yesterday in the senate. He wants ANOTHER stim handout? in addition to the 700B bailout?

btw, this election is pretty much a lock at this point for obama. sadly enough.

10/2/2008 11:29:31 AM

Quote :

"btw, this election is pretty much a lock at this point for obama. sadly enough."

How do you figure?

Most people were happy with the stimulus check thing before (I personally thought it was a bad idea), so if Obama is supporting another one, it can't hurt him.

10/2/2008 11:31:56 AM

lol far from a lock

10/2/2008 11:35:08 AM

Just looking at the trends esp with the electoral college. Obama is too smart to really Fup one of these debates. As long as he smiles and continues to present himself well, his message or topics wont be enough for mccain to catch him. Its just my opinion fellas.

The stim check was/is a bad idea. We have to cut spending ( I know you guys are SO sick of hearing that from me) another one is just buying votes and moving in the wrong direction. No it wont hurt his chances of being elected, just the fiscal solvency of the country. imo

10/2/2008 11:47:02 AM

A stimulus plan would be a better idea than the bailout.

10/2/2008 11:50:33 AM

Quote :

"We have to cut spending ( I know you guys are SO sick of hearing that from me) another one is just buying votes and moving in the wrong direction."

Let's start with the war

10/2/2008 11:51:01 AM

good news, the war will end one day. The entitlements are the iceberg dead ahead, which noone wants to talk about. Hell, O is promising a new one.

So all this talk of war and earmarks are nice.. but no one wants to address the main problem.

10/2/2008 11:56:57 AM

We need a functioning safety net. Not a safety hammock, but a safety net -- but a hammock over no net.

We don't need a war of any type.

10/2/2008 12:04:54 PM

Quote :

"We don't need a war of any type."

I really hope you are joking. You french?

10/2/2008 12:06:18 PM

nice. the French argument.

Because the idiots that the French are decided to not get involved in the Iraq war. Their fucking loss, I say, right?

10/2/2008 12:08:01 PM

Hurfy durfy.

We need wars of self-defense. What we don't need is the Bush Doctrine (in any of its incarnations).

Al Qaeda just needs to move their flag further east and we chase, wasting resources, lives, credibility, dignity, and money.

10/2/2008 12:08:45 PM

http://my.barackobama.com/page/content/iphone

10/2/2008 12:35:51 PM

Quote :

"I listened to obama yesterday in the senate. He wants ANOTHER stim handout? in addition to the 700B bailout? "

unless it has changed recently, they are both in favor of another stimulus check

10/2/2008 12:38:12 PM

Quote :

"The stim check was/is a bad idea. We have to cut spending ( I know you guys are SO sick of hearing that from me) another one is just buying votes and moving in the wrong direction. No it wont hurt his chances of being elected, just the fiscal solvency of the country. imo"

Cutting spending AND cutting taxes won't do anything to help fiscal solvency. It works out about the same to raising taxes and keeping spending the same.

If fiscal solvency is your issue, you really can't vote for anyone.

10/2/2008 12:40:19 PM

That iPhone app is pretty cool by the way, really well thought out and put together. Campaign money well spent!

http://www.fivethirtyeight.com/2008/10/obama-projects-269-electoral-votes-even.html

Quote :

"When we last updated 538’s battleground states, we were in the midst of John McCain’s post-convention, post-Palin bloom-on-the-rose period. At that time, McCain’s projected win would be 274-264. Today, Barack Obama has 269 electoral votes outside the battleground zone. That is, if you only give Obama the states he is projected to win by more than five points, that is enough to get him an Electoral College tie, which is essentially the same as a win."

[Edited on October 2, 2008 at 12:58 PM. Reason : :]

10/2/2008 12:57:38 PM

Can we please stop calling it fiscal solvency or fiscal crisis? This is not a fiscal crisis. This is a financial crisis. Similar words, but completely different.

10/2/2008 1:04:00 PM

moron, you do realize that the cuts in taxes actually led to greater govt revenues right?

We need to cut spending before we talk of doing anything with taxes, imo.

10/2/2008 1:12:24 PM

nutsmackr

Quote :

"fiscal: of or relating to financial matters"

When a company talks about their "fiscal year" do you think they are talking about the federal government's tax receipts?

[Edited on October 2, 2008 at 1:13 PM. Reason : ``]

[Edited on October 2, 2008 at 1:14 PM. Reason : ``]

10/2/2008 1:13:18 PM

Government revenue will increase year to year, except for years of fiscal crunch. That talkingpoint is a useless one that ignores all the variables.

Quote :

"When a company talks about their "fiscal year" do you think they are talking about the federal government's tax receipts?"

They are talking about their budget. This isn't a budget crisis. This is a financial crisis. Calling it a fiscal issue belies ignorance.

[Edited on October 2, 2008 at 1:14 PM. Reason : .]

10/2/2008 1:13:21 PM

^ kinda like that damn ignorant New York Times Business Section, huh?
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/09/20/business/20crisis.html

Fiscal means relating to financial matters, my friend. Like it or lump it.

[Edited on October 2, 2008 at 1:17 PM. Reason : ``]

10/2/2008 1:17:18 PM

10/2/2008 1:19:43 PM

Yes, whomever wrote the headline is wrong. After all, headline writers aren't the article writers. It should be noted, that throughout that entire article, they did not use the word fiscal once, instead they used the word financial and down in the corrections they refer to it as a financial crisis, not a fiscal crisis.


this is a crisis of the financial system, not the fiscal system. It's me being pedantic, but I'm sick of people calling it a fiscal crisis. that's not what it is.

[Edited on October 2, 2008 at 1:22 PM. Reason : .]

10/2/2008 1:20:36 PM

^ yah, you're probably right. NCSU history major corrects NYT and Westers Dictionay in amazing development. hahaha

it's amazing the hoops you're willing to go through just insult John McCain.

10/2/2008 1:23:20 PM

nuts, again you are focused on the short term, Im talking about hte long term solvency of this country. But you all keep argueing over definitions.

10/2/2008 1:24:32 PM

I wasn't attacking John McCain with my post. if you read my post and then read to posts above, you'll see that I directly used the words fiscal solvency.

Furthermore, a fiscal crisis is of a much bigger scale than a financial crisis. If we don't fix the financial crisis, we'll end up with a fiscal crisis. Two completely different things.

Quote :

"nuts, again you are focused on the short term, Im talking about hte long term solvency of this country. But you all keep argueing over definitions."

What makes you think I was directing anything at you?

[Edited on October 2, 2008 at 1:26 PM. Reason : .]

10/2/2008 1:25:31 PM

Quote :

"NCSU history major corrects NYT and Websters Dictionary in amazing development."

10/2/2008 1:28:06 PM

socks`` is so blinded by the supposed criticism that he can't see the end of his nose.

I'll put it another way so you might be able to understand

fiscal crisis = revenue crisis

financial crisis = crisis of the financial systems

[Edited on October 2, 2008 at 1:31 PM. Reason : .]

10/2/2008 1:29:09 PM

Socks is having a complete meltdown in the soap box.

10/2/2008 1:33:53 PM

^ he seems to have a lot invested in his candidate.

10/2/2008 1:57:52 PM

^ meet the kettle.

10/2/2008 2:33:28 PM