Conservatives don't have good ideas for the middle class

[SunsetSue]

College is increasingly more expensive, and people increasingly need more than just an undergraduate degree to advance in life.

So. I think your claim that the middle class is still available for those who have the skills may need to be tempered by the realization that for more and more Americans, that is getting to be out of reach.

It depends on what your degree is, and how willing you are to work after you graduate. Your way of thinking about college education is becoming out of date.

[songfourone]

The best vulcan mind trick the republicans have ever had is when they convinced working class republicans to be really concerned about the well being of wealthy folks, at the expense of the middle class.

The republicans beat the drum about death taxes. The number of Americans who pay any death taxes is likely less than one percent. I would gladly pay death taxes an inheritance, seeing that the first million is tax free.

The other GOP trick in when they coined the phrase class envy. Translation, you should not be concerned when mega rich CEOs get massive salaries. If you think that CEOs are massively over paid compared to their employees, you are practicing class envy according to the GOP.

You hear it every day on this forum, posters complain about 'high' taxes and at the same time protest the end of the tax cuts for the wealthy, then you realize that they have been Fox News Zombies, so that is where they are getting their information.

[flyboy56]

True conservatives believe in a small limited government and more private businesses. As for education expense maybe educators need to rethink their salaries. As for jobs skills training consider a technical college. We are moving away from a manufacturing country to a servicing country so if you know how to repair something you will have a valuable skill for years to come. And as you gain experience many companies offer educational opportunities in the way of money to help you advance.

[gonzoliberal]

We must distinguish between small "c" conservatives, those thoughtful Americans favoring smaller, more fiscally responsible gommint, and the big "C" conservatives inspired by the TeaWaggers who seem to favor pulling the country back to a mixture of 1954 and the Middle Ages.

Those in between, usually incapable of experiencing the "larger picture" of any given subject, blow back and forth with the wind. Often posting here, these souls hew to simplistic slogans and even simpler ideas of politics, spirituality and humanity. "Too much spending", "'might as well take all my money" and even "God exists, formed the USA and runs the Supreme Court" are memes one will trip over in the hollowness in insufficient education and undisciplined thought.

Thus, dear hst, it becomes rather futile to make such broad-brush statements such as yours in the opening post. Those that call themselves "conservative" are as varied and yes, diverse as those of us using the label "liberal".

Perhaps, to make your point, a finer brush is required.

[flyboy56]

We must distinguish between small "c" conservatives, those thoughtful Americans favoring smaller, more fiscally responsible gommint, and the big "C" conservatives inspired by the TeaWaggers who seem to favor pulling the country back to a mixture of 1954 and the Middle Ages.

Those in between, usually incapable of experiencing the "larger picture" of any given subject, blow back and forth with the wind. Often posting here, these souls hew to simplistic slogans and even simpler ideas of politics, spirituality and humanity. "Too much spending", "'might as well take all my money" and even "God exists, formed the USA and runs the Supreme Court" are memes one will trip over in the hollowness in insufficient education and undisciplined thought.

Thus, dear hst, it becomes rather futile to make such broad-brush statements such as yours in the opening post. Those that call themselves "conservative" are as varied and yes, diverse as those of us using the label "liberal".

Perhaps, to make your point, a finer brush is required.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tea_Party_movement

What Tea Party Organizations Want

Identify constitutionality of every new law: Require each bill to identify the specific provision of the Constitution that gives Congress the power to do what the bill does (82.03%).
Reject emissions trading: Stop the "cap and trade" administrative approach used to control pollution by providing economic incentives for achieving reductions in the emissions of pollutants. (72.20%).
Demand a balanced federal budget: Begin the Constitutional amendment process to require a balanced budget with a two-thirds majority needed for any tax modification. (69.69%)
Simplify the tax system: Adopt a simple and fair single-rate tax system by scrapping the internal revenue code and replacing it with one that is no longer than 4,543 words – the length of the original Constitution. (64.9%).
Audit federal government agencies for constitutionality: Create a Blue Ribbon taskforce that engages in an audit of federal agencies and programs, assessing their Constitutionality, and identifying duplication, waste, ineffectiveness, and agencies and programs better left for the states or local authorities. (63.37%).
Limit annual growth in federal spending: Impose a statutory cap limiting the annual growth in total federal spending to the sum of the inflation rate plus the percentage of population growth. (56.57%).
Repeal the health care legislation passed on March 23, 2010: De-fund, repeal, and replace the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act. (56.39%).
Pass an "all-of-the-above" energy policy: Authorize the exploration of additional energy reserves to reduce American dependence on foreign energy sources and reduce regulatory barriers to all other forms of energy creation. (55.5%).
Reduce earmarks: Place a moratorium on all earmarks until the budget is balanced, and then require a two-thirds majority to pass any earmark. (55.47%).
Reduce taxes: Permanently repeal all recent tax increases, and extend permanently the George W. Bush temporary reductions in income tax, capital gains tax, and estate taxes, currently scheduled to end in 2011. (53.38%).

[hst2]

It depends on what your degree is, and how willing you are to work after you graduate.

And Santa Claus is coming to town.

[flyboy56]

It depends on what your degree is, and how willing you are to work after you graduate. Your way of thinking about college education is becoming out of date.

Just change "degree'" to "skill", hard work and be ready for the politics that goes on in every workplace. People who are good at office politics can get away from working hard. If you suck at office politics, be expected to work hard and be very good at your job. And avoid stepping on people's toes as much as possible.

[jessup270]

Just change "degree'" to "skill", hard work and be ready for the politics that goes on in every workplace. People who are good at office politics can get away from working hard. If you suck at office politics, be expected to work hard and be very good at your job. And avoid stepping on people's toes as much as possible.

Unfortunately, office politics are a way of life in most jobs.

That is why I disagree with raises for employees based on merit.

Every company has a list of people who suck up to the boss. Of course this group gets their "merit" increases early and often.

[dsummoner]

Yes. They prepare AAs for the racism they will encounter in White dominated institutions.

Those degrees do prepare them for expressing racism beyond all racism that has ever existed... in a plane, a train or in any institution in which they should appear.

[dsummoner]

Needless to say, I am all for conservative politicians articulating this point of view on the campaign trail.

Convincing the majority of the members of the 'merican dullard populace to be individually responsible is a lost cause. They will, however, learn and it will not be pretty for them.