Sounds like there was a monumental ass kicking in Denver last night

[MyGodWearsAHoodie]

The only other country that I can think of that pays for TV stations is Cuba.

What a shelter life you live if you have never heard of the BBC.   

A partial list of countries besides the UK, USA and Cuba. 

Canada
Hong Kong
Israel
India
Japan 
South Korea
Malasia
Napal
Pakistan
Czech
Denmark
France
Germany
Iceland
Ireland
Italy
Netherland
Poland
Spain
Canada
Australia
New Zeland
Argentia
Chile
Venezuela
Costa Rica

AND MANY others.  Granted most of those countries also provide heath care for their citizens thus viewed by you as Marxist. 

[Fau Teixeira]

The only other country that I can think of that pays for TV stations is Cuba. LOL Govt. has no business supporting PBS or any other TV station. PBS makes millions on merchandise sales. those

this is really the problem with so called "conservatives"  .. it's a mixture of ignorance and gullibility. If hannity or rush says something it's believed, if facts are available and presented they're disregarded. I promised my wife i'd work on being less judgmental. I guess i'm not doing that good of a job at it. Just apply some logic to what you're saying please ...

[Fins4ever]

this is really the problem with so called "conservatives"  .. it's a mixture of ignorance and gullibility. If hannity or rush says something it's believed, if facts are available and presented they're disregarded. I promised my wife i'd work on being less judgmental. I guess i'm not doing that good of a job at it. Just apply some logic to what you're saying please ...

The facts are this country is running at an unsustainable debt and the present administration has added 6 trillion to it in less than 4 yrs. and something needs to change. There will be some very difficult decisions ahead on what to cut and what not to cut.

I really have nothing against supporting PBS or another station.....just as soon as the budget is balanced and the debt is addressed. Fair? 

[MyGodWearsAHoodie]

The facts are this country is running at an unsustainable debt and the present administration has added 6 trillion to it in less than 4 yrs. and something needs to change. There will be some very difficult decisions ahead on what to cut and what not to cut.

I really have nothing against supporting PBS or another station.....just as soon as the budget is balanced and the debt is addressed. Fair? 

I think the FACT Fau was refering to was you stated that only two countries, the US and Cuba had publicly funded broadcasting when that is totally false.

As for your new claims.  The 6 trillion is higher that reality, it is a bit less than 5 trillion.  Also of that most can NOT be attributed to the policies of Obama.  Athough about 1 trillion of it can be.  About 4 trillion can be attributed to the policies under the Bush adminstration which came into office with a balanced budget due to the policies under the Clinton administration.

As for whether that debt is susptainable is actually an opinion not a fact.  What is a fact is out debt was considerably higher than that as a % of GDP in the late 1940's which saw a huge economic boom.

I do agree we need to lower the debt.  Firing Big Bird won't solve the problem however. 

[Fau Teixeira]

Public debt is an accounting construct. As long as people want to buy treasury notes, our debt could be 100x higher.

[Fins4ever]

I do agree we need to lower the debt.  Firing Big Bird won't solve the problem however. 

Balancing the budget and eventually lowering the debt are issues that hopefully we can all agree on. There is no single expenditure that will act as the "golden bullet". It will take cuts from many areas.

I hear the GOP say taxing the rich more will only do "this much" and the Dems say cutting funding to PBS will only do "this much." So? Do it. Would love to see a flat tax, say 18-20% after the first 25-30K (something like that). That would end a lot of debate.

I had been a Dem all my life and voted for Obama. I changed affliation 1 1/2 yrs. ago after it was obvious I had been lied to. I honestly believe Obama is a Socialist muslim and putting the blame on Bush for him running up the debt is really getting F ing old.

Romney was right, he should have let GM go through bankruptcy and get union concessions in able to become competitive again. It is only a matter of time until GM has their hand out again, and Joe Taxpayer now own millions of stock only a moron would buy.    

[Buddhagirl]

My dog wouldn't even vote for Romney...

Bottom line...Until I can look at a Republican candidate without thinking "This elitist piece of shit wants the rich to get richer and the Church to dictate how I live my life," I cannot consider voting for them.  Intolerance of others and adherence to an antique work of fiction holds no appeal to me.

Le sigh....swooning here, Sunstroke.

[Buddhagirl]

Balancing the budget and eventually lowering the debt are issues that hopefully we can all agree on. There is no single expenditure that will act as the "golden bullet". It will take cuts from many areas.

I hear the GOP say taxing the rich more will only do "this much" and the Dems say cutting funding to PBS will only do "this much." So? Do it. Would love to see a flat tax, say 18-20% after the first 25-30K (something like that). That would end a lot of debate.

I had been a Dem all my life and voted for Obama. I changed affliation 1 1/2 yrs. ago after it was obvious I had been lied to. I honestly believe Obama is a Socialist muslim and putting the blame on Bush for him running up the debt is really getting F ing old.

Romney was right, he should have let GM go through bankruptcy and get union concessions in able to become competitive again. It is only a matter of time until GM has their hand out again, and Joe Taxpayer now own millions of stock only a moron would buy.    

Ok, dude. I'm not going to get nasty here. BUT can you please, for the fuck of shit, explain why you think Obama is a Muslim.
WARNING: If I smell any sort of xenophobic, racist fuckery I will call you out on it.

Ok...GO!

[badger6]

Romney was right, he should have let GM go through bankruptcy and get union concessions in able to become competitive again. It is only a matter of time until GM has their hand out again, and Joe Taxpayer now own millions of stock only a moron would buy.    

With GM losing a declining average of $49K per vehicle, it's business as usual in Detroit. Given time, GM will be in the same situation they were a few years ago. The government should have let them all sink....

[Spider-Dan]

Balancing the budget and eventually lowering the debt are issues that hopefully we can all agree on.

I am unwilling to accept deficit reduction as a serious political issue until the right is willing to accept substantial tax increases as part of the solution.

I would be happy to accept a deal that had $1 in tax increases for every $1 in spending cuts.  If you're serious about the deficit, prove it.

[badger6]

I am unwilling to accept deficit reduction as a serious political issue until the right is willing to accept substantial tax increases as part of the solution.

I would be happy to accept a deal that had $1 in tax increases for every $1 in spending cuts.  If you're serious about the deficit, prove it.

Well, I am unwilling to accept a tax increase. Why don't all the people who are for tax increases start sending their own money to the government and see how many actually do it, ha ha. I suspect the people who want tax increases are the ones who don't really pay any taxes and receive shit from the government in one form or the other. Give you own money away, not other peoples.....

[Spider-Dan]

With GM losing a declining average of $49K per vehicle, it's business as usual in Detroit.

Please provide evidence to back up your claim that GM is losing "$49K per vehicle."

You are misstating the (also false) claim that GM loses $49K per Chevrolet Volt.  It costs GM $20k-32k to build each Volt, and the car retails for $40k.  So how did they arrive at a $49k loss?  Well, the development program for the Voltec powertrain (which is also being used in other cars) cost GM around $1.2 billion, and GM had sold ~21,500 Volts, so therefore, if you add the R&D costs to the ACTUAL costs, GM "loses" $37k-49k per car sold.

The problem with that idiot math is that by this logic, GM lost OVER ONE BILLION DOLLARS on the first Volt sold, and lost ONE HUNDRED MILLION DOLLARS EACH on the first 10 Volts sold, and lost TEN MILLION DOLLARS EACH on the first 100 sold.  Only a complete moron would use this kind of gorilla accounting.

I sure would like to know how much Apple "lost" on the first 100 iPhones!

[Guru-In-Vegas]

Please provide evidence to back up your claim that GM is losing "$49K per vehicle."

You are misstating the (also false) claim that GM loses $49K per Chevrolet Volt.  It costs GM $20k-32k to build each Volt, and the car retails for $40k.  So how did they arrive at a $49k loss?  Well, the development program for the Voltec powertrain (which is also being used in other cars) cost GM around $1.2 billion, and GM had sold ~21,500 Volts, so therefore, if you add the R&D costs to the ACTUAL costs, GM "loses" $37k-49k per car sold.

The problem with that idiot math is that by this logic, GM lost OVER ONE BILLION DOLLARS on the first Volt sold, and lost ONE HUNDRED MILLION DOLLARS EACH on the first 10 Volts sold, and lost TEN MILLION DOLLARS EACH on the first 100 sold.  Only a complete moron would use this kind of gorilla accounting.

I sure would like to know how much Apple "lost" on the first 100 iPhones!

  <---- that is all

[Sunstroke]

The problem with that idiot math is that by this logic, GM lost OVER ONE BILLION DOLLARS on the first Volt sold, and lost ONE HUNDRED MILLION DOLLARS EACH on the first 10 Volts sold, and lost TEN MILLION DOLLARS EACH on the first 100 sold.  Only a complete moron would use this kind of gorilla accounting.

My favorite quote on statistics... “People commonly use statistics like a drunk uses a lamp post; for support rather than illumination.” 

Personally, I think that anyone who accepts a partisan number without reviewing the equation behind it deserves to play the fool.  Unfortunately, those fools are allowed to vote.

Le sigh....swooning here, Sunstroke.

Ah, Buddha-babe... You and I have always had very similar opinions in regards to rights, freedoms, and how one human being should treat another human being.  Along with your naturally smokin' hot perkiness (The judges love it when you're perky), it is the part of you I appreciate the most.

[badger6]

Please provide evidence to back up your claim that GM is losing "$49K per vehicle."

You are misstating the (also false) claim that GM loses $49K per Chevrolet Volt.  It costs GM $20k-32k to build each Volt, and the car retails for $40k.  So how did they arrive at a $49k loss?  Well, the development program for the Voltec powertrain (which is also being used in other cars) cost GM around $1.2 billion, and GM had sold ~21,500 Volts, so therefore, if you add the R&D costs to the ACTUAL costs, GM "loses" $37k-49k per car sold.

The problem with that idiot math is that by this logic, GM lost OVER ONE BILLION DOLLARS on the first Volt sold, and lost ONE HUNDRED MILLION DOLLARS EACH on the first 10 Volts sold, and lost TEN MILLION DOLLARS EACH on the first 100 sold.  Only a complete moron would use this kind of gorilla accounting.

I sure would like to know how much Apple "lost" on the first 100 iPhones!

That's exactly why I used "declining average" when describing the situation with the failed volt. The sales are nowhere near what they expected to sell. R&D is a cost associated with producing the vehicle and until it is recovered GM has not made one cent of profit on these silly vehicles. Given the low profit margin on these vehicles and all the idiot math on the internet. You tell me how many volts they will have to sell in order to recoup the entire cost or R&D and production on these pieces of shit. You are assuming that they will eventually sell enough in the future to recoup all of the taxpayers investments on the volt, they may well do that. Then again, they may not. AS OF TODAY, the volt is a loser. Only a moron would compare Apple and GM. Furthermore, if Apple iPhones were selling as slow as the volt then they may well have cut their losses and moved to their next endeavor.