I, for one, think freezing federal salaries is a good thing

[MannyGoldstein]

I think that the Republicans will finally see that we are a partner that they can work with.

My only concern is that the co-chairs of the deficit commission called for a three-year freeze, not two years, so that's one thing Obama could have done better. I hope that the other co-chair's other recommendations are fully implemented, or else the Republicans might not trust us as much.

[mediaman007]

1. That's the one thing we should aspire to be...

accepted by Republicans.

[de novo]

2. I see what you did there.

The problem with that approach, though, is that you can't out-republican a republican. The parties will just keep lurching to the right, and we will all be worse off because of it.

[BrklynLiberal]

10. George Lakoff,anyone?

from JULY 08,2010..prescient, or what??

http://www.truth-out.org/disaster-messaging61170

Democrats are constantly resorting to disaster messaging. Here's a description of the typical situation:

* The Republicans out-message the Democrats. The Democrats, having no effective response, face disaster: They lose politically, either in electoral support or failure on crucial legislation.

* The Democrats then take polls and do focus groups. The pollsters discover that extremist Republicans control the most common ("mainstream") way of thinking and talking about the given issue.

* The pollsters recommend that Democrats move to the right: adopt conservative Republican language and a less extreme version of conservative policy, along with weakened versions of some Democratic ideas.

* The Democrats believe that, if they follow this advice, they can gain enough independent and Republican support to pass legislation that, at least, will be some improvement on the extreme Republican position.

* Otherwise, the pollsters warn, Democrats will lose popular support - and elections - to the Republicans, because mainstream thought and language resides with the Republicans.

* Believing the pollsters, the Democrats change their policy and their messaging and move to the right.

* The Republicans demand even more and refuse to support the Democrats.

We have seen this on issues like health care, immigration, global warming, finance reform, and so on. We are seeing it again on the Death Gusher in the Gulf. It happens even with a Democratic president and a Democratic majority in both houses of Congress.

<snip>

[geckosfeet]

3. Please - the sarcasm is a bit subtle - add a smiley to prevent head explosions

[MannyGoldstein]

5. If I do that, it won't have the same effect

People should think a little about what the President's strategy is here.

[CanonRay]

8. Personally, I no longer think he has a strategy

he just reacts to what the Rethugs want.

[Mimosa]

26. I think here, Obama knows what he's doing.

I support him.

[Billy Burnett]

4. Yes. We can all partner with the push downward.

Roll Back the Reagan Tax Cuts
Monday 22 November 2010
by: Thom Hartmann, Berrett-Koehler Publishers | Book Excerpt

This is the third installment of Tom Hartmann's groundbreaking book, "Rebooting the American Dream: 11 Ways to Rebuild Our Country."
http://www.truth-out.org/roll-back-reagan-tax-cuts65332

[xchrom]

6. ...

:spray:

[BrklynLiberal]

7. Does this include the Congressional salaries, and that of their staff as well?

[MannyGoldstein]

9. No, it does not include Congress

Separation of powers between the Executive and Legislative branches.

[BrklynLiberal]

11. How do the tbaggers justify that??? Aren't all salaries part of the budget and therefore

contributory to the problem? No doubt, Congress will give itself a nice raise in the next couple of years..

[Liberal_Stalwart71]

12. I'm a federal employee and I agree. In talking with my colleagues about this issue, we all agreed

that while it's a good idea to place the freeze, we believe that the president used us as a scapegoat. Federal employees are an easy target. The Republicans keep pushing this lie that we get paid more than our private industry counterparts. (Note that this is the same lie that is being peddled at the state level against state employees and unions.)

The president used federal employees to make a political point. That's what we have a problem with. Don't use us as fodder.

[obxhead]

13. Sure. Hurt the civil service worker.

I notice how a freeze in wage increases won't stop Congress from getting their wage hikes as planned.

This freeze would save 50 billion in 10 years. That's 2 months of the war in Afghanistan if you wanted a comparable.

Disclaimer:
I'm not a civil service worker and nobody in my family is either.

[Township75]

14. There could finally be some bipartisianship in DC.

And Obama is doing his role. HOpefully, the repubs do their role in this matter.

It could be a new day...a new dawn...a new America!

[sallyseven]

17. There will never be bipartisanship in DC.

The repuks want sole control over us and will stop at nothing to get it. They lie cheat and bear false witness against anything that will prevent them from turning this country over to the corporations. I hate every one of them. Watch the little twerps that the repuks are sending out to the talk shows. They are so brain washed that they look like zombies.

[Township75]

18. "I hate every one of them. "

well there won't be with that attitude.

[TheCowsCameHome]

15. How about everyone in govt., from Obama right down the line

Why single out just one group? That isn't fair.

[namahage]

16. The President's salary has been frozen since 2001. n/t

[TheCowsCameHome]

22. He must be the only one. I want congress and the cabinet to do the same.

[Dr.Phool]

19. Furlough the Catfood Commission.

Bi-partisan cutbacks at their finest.

[MadMaddie]

20. You almost got me!!

[bvar22]

21. The Obama De-Stimulus.

I agree, Manny.
The LAST thing this economy needs is Money in the hands of Working Class people that will SPEND it.

[displacedvermoter]

23. That 100-year old lady working at WalMart

clearly illustrates that people are working longer, and therefore raising the retirement to the same age as Simpson is a good idea!

[annabanana]

31. She may be one of those "uniquely American" folks that has SEVERAL

jobs.

[Phx_Dem]

24. So do I. The Fed government has a huge deficit. When private

companies don't do well, employees don't get raises or bonuses. I have personally experienced pay freezes in the private sector on more than one occassion. Why would Fed employees be emempt for this type of action?

I work for a large private company who has cut salary increases to 2 percent across the company for the last few years.

[MannyGoldstein]

25. Yes, although I think we both agree that the executives should be exempt

Because it's a market reality that top executives will work somewhere else if they are not compensated really, really well.

[Dr.Phool]

27. Sure they do just look at Wall Street.

The bigger the fuck-up, the bigger the bonus.

Then to top it off, taxpayers give them money that could be used to pay government salaries. Not to mention that the government has purposely cut their revenue stream with tax cuts. My wife works for a government entity in Floriduh. After Jebthro Bush cut out the intangibles tax, a tax on wealth (only 0.25%) on holders of stocks and bonds of over $500k, my wife has had raises the last 3 years of 0%, 0.25%, and 0.75%. And her high paying government job paid a whopping $22k last year.

You guys remind me of the old Dylan song, "It's all right Ma". He ain't interested in getting any higher, just dragging you down in the same ditch he's in.


Get us a primary candidate Please!

[Hello_Kitty]

28. LOL.

:rofl:

Well played.

[joshcryer]

29. This will not extend to the tens of millions of federal contractors who are in bed with the GOP.

The GOP loves to spend federal monies on their projects, but they're sure that those projects are not government employees on paper.

[jzodda]

30. But this is NOT a traditional Dem position.

Even if it is a good idea, as I believe helping the unemployed is far far more important. The point is that this being more of a repuker position we gave it away without getting anything in return.