So, oil subsidies are "gifts," right?

[Squinch]

And agribusiness subsidies? And pork stuffed no-bid military contracts? Are they "gifts" or "free stuff?"

How about a bailout of a financial company after it has contributed to the tanking of the economy. The economy of the whole world. Is that a gift, or is it free stuff?

How about huge tax deductions and tax deferments available to the wealthy, and a 15% tax rate on income from investments when the rest of us pay far more on our income? I'm thinking that is a gift.

And pharmaceutical companies getting lots and lots of grants for research so that they can develop drugs so that they can sell it back to the taxpayers who funded the research that led to their discoveries. Gift?

How about that Iraq war thingy, and all the billions that disappeared into private companies there. Gift or free stuff?

When large businesses like Walmart carefully maintain low hours and low pay so their employees don't make a living wage, and then Walmart walks them through the process of getting government assistance to make up the difference, the taxpayer ends up subsidizing Walmart's profits. We pay the living expenses of many of their employees. That should be a cost of doing business for Walmart, or Papa Johns or dozens of other companies, but instead it is picked up by the taxpayer. Is that a gift, or free stuff?

Mitt's statements about "gifts", and Rush's about "free stuff", and the statements of all the other slug brains out there are, of course, idiotic. Yes. We want policies from our government that benefit us. We are tired of seeing all the policies of our government aimed at redistributing wealth from the poor and middle class to the already wealthy. We are tired of the historic and steep trajectory of that redistribution of wealth to the top. And we are afraid of developments like Citizens United which threaten to turn our democracy into an oligarchy. Yes, Mitt. We want stuff. We want a government that stops this bleed of wealth to only the very top. We want the fruits of our labor to come to us, and we want it to go to those who have little and need help. We don't want it to go to AIG, or Boeing, or Bain, or Bechtell, or Walmart. We want it to come to us.

[mucifer]

1. no they earned it.

no way are oil subsidies gifts.

Do I really have to put a sarcasm thing in my post?

Anyway, K and R!

[Initech]

2. The makers vs. the takers. Hmm... which one is really the takers?

It's the über wealthy - they get the wars for profit, the loopholes, the tax breaks, the toys, the big houses, the 22 car garages, and no regulations so they can continue the taking. And then they get it all gift wrapped with a big shiny bow called "Citizens United" that will ensure they can continue buying all the politicians they need to keep the dough coming. Gifts? That's a gift!

[louslobbs]

3. No, those are payback to oil companies for "donating" to election campaigns of people who

then have obligated their corrupt asses to paying them back. It's like the oil companies invest in Congressional and Senate candidates, and this is the dividend on their investments from the government officials that they invested in to get elected or re-elected.......these investments are more commonly known as campaign donations.......I guess you could call them gifts......you give the oil companies a gift of subsidies, and then they gift you campaign donations in return and the cycle repeats itself over and over again, as draconian cuts to programs for those in need occur to make up the difference. Just another way to give more to the rich and powerful, while continuing to take from the poor and middleclass.........damn I despise these lowlifes.
Lou

[Squinch]

4. The same goes for every other lobby out there. It's ridiculous.

But the idea that we pay oil companies so they will drill for oil on American soil, and then make obscene profits on the oil they drill, and then buy up the government is particularly disgusting to me.

[louslobbs]

5. Exactly, disgusted is how I feel about it as well.

Lou