Time magazine veteran Margaret Carlson, now with Bloomberg News and The Week magazine, used the Minnesota bridge collapse tragedy as a fresh excuse to tout how the public really wants a tax hike while she regretted the lack of political “will” to raise taxes and that the government can't find more money for infrastructure but can afford “$4,000 a minute on the Iraq war.” Citing a poll conducted a decade ago when Democrat Ed Rendell was Mayor of Philadelphia, on Friday's Inside Washington aired on the DC PBS station, WETA-TV channel 26, Carlson claimed that “nearly 70 percent of people polled would pay more in taxes to actually know that they could cross the 14th Street bridge safely,” a reference to a bridge between Washington, DC and Virginia. “But,” she fretted, “you can't get the will to do it. I mean, we certainly had the wake-up call in Katrina, everyone knows the situation, but can you really get it done when there's, by the way, very little money left?”
A couple of quotes from Carlson on the August 3 Inside Washington, a show produced at Washington, DC's ABC affiliate, which airs it Sunday morning after it runs Friday night on the PBS station and Saturday night on NewsChannel 8, a DC cable news channel owned by the ABC affiliate:
The heart for fixing bridges, eh, not so much. Building a bridge, politicians like that. Mayor Ed Rendell, when he was mayor of Philadelphia, was chair of a group called Rebuild America, and found that 70 percent, nearly 70 percent of people polled would pay more in taxes to actually know that they could cross the 14th Street bridge safely. But, you know, you can't get the will to do it. I mean, we certainly had the wake-up call in Katrina, everyone knows the situation, but can you really get it done when there's, by the way, very little money left, as you [moderator Gordon Peterson] say?...But, Charles [Krauthammer], as time goes on, the [infrastructure] problem gets worse. And we're coming up against it at the time when we're spending, what, $4,000 a minute on the Iraq war.
—Brent Baker is Vice President for Research and Publications at the Media Research Center
Editor at Large
Comments Policy
Beyond being one of the
August 4, 2007 - 01:08 ET by fitzfongBeyond being one of the dumbest and most partisan journalists ever to grace the small screen, Margaret Carlson bears a frightening resemblance to Marcie from Peanuts ("Yes, sir, are you going to talk to Chuck, sir"). Just an observation.
Yes, sir
August 4, 2007 - 01:30 ET by BarkerVery astute observation. Talk about a doppelganger:
http://www.snoopy.co...
People like her wear those
August 4, 2007 - 05:43 ET by USA4freedomPeople like her wear those glasses to look smart..It didn’t
work.
These are the boys of Pointe du Hoc.
Ronald Reagan- 40th Anniversary of D-Day
That's a mean thing to say
August 4, 2007 - 07:51 ET by TinianMargaret is teh hottie!
entitlements rate 25-50% 2.9 trillion=13- 27 million BUCKS /min
August 4, 2007 - 01:36 ET by upcountrywaterENTITLEMENT OVER INFRASTRUCTURE EVERY SINGLE TIME
August 3, 2007 - 01:34 ET — upcountrywater
Running water? in 100 million homes/ez
super highways in the 60's no traffic, one tenth the tax load.
IRANIAN URANIMUN, 220 lbs and counting. Little boy = 60 lbs. or 3.666 atomic bombs. 9-11 improper landing of 4 jets.. humm 2,4 6 8 who do we appreciate?
Taxing Stupidity
August 4, 2007 - 01:46 ET by BarkerI propose raising taxes, but only on the willing. You know, those idiots who want to pay higher taxes, aka liberals.
I second the motion. But
August 4, 2007 - 02:08 ET by fitzfongI second the motion. But keep in mind, these idiots don't want to pay higher taxes themselves. They want everyone else to pay higher taxes...their accountants can find the sheltering loopholes so that they're immune from any tax consequences.
Every time I hear these
August 4, 2007 - 02:18 ET by USA4freedomEvery time I hear these brilliant minds going on about tax
increases, a few things hit me.
#1. It is proven that when you want more.. money in the
government coffers (so they can take from you and give to..who ever) you
cut..taxes not raise them and let
the growth of the economy out run the expenses.
#2. I wish just for once, that they would treat the tax
money like the rest of us do our budget if you run short, YOU SPEND LESS. I
don’t get to go to my “boss” and demand more money because I spent the last batch
so badly.
#3. Its like some gigantic judgment in a marriage
settlement. Where the wife gets more money then you make..and some how you are
to provide it (because “the judge” read congressmen) decided that they need it,
if you cant provide it well that’s just tuff. (yes I’m a little bitter,.. I work 10 hr days, she finds
boyfriend, does not want our kids and I have to pay alimony/ and half of the
possessions including my parents house..) sorry, got sidetracked..
#4. FREE HEALTH CARE IS NOT FREE!!! Its like asking for your
neighbor to pay for your kids new sneakers. Then they say..well its for the
children. The government does not MAKE ANY MONEY it just redistributes our
money.
The Republicans should pound this over and over. Oh.. that’s
right our party seems to try to out spend the tax and spend party.
These are the boys of Pointe du Hoc.
Ronald Reagan- 40th Anniversary of D-Day
your are right she does
August 4, 2007 - 02:21 ET by USA4freedomyour are right she does look like Marcie from Peanuts.
Now if we can put Cindy Sheehand next to her playing Pepperment Paty.. we could have a show, need a name, dumb and dumber has been used..
These are the boys of Pointe du Hoc.
Ronald Reagan- 40th Anniversary of D-Day
You're absolutely right. If
August 4, 2007 - 02:30 ET by fitzfongYou're absolutely right. If only the Republicans running for national office would stand up and articulate their positions on taxation. It's a winning issue. We'd clobber the Dems if we just had candidates who addressed the "3 Ts"...terrorism, taxes and tort reform properly. Out here in California, there's a State Senator by the name of Tom McClintock who's just brilliant at it. If only our high profile candidates could speak on such issues half as well as he does...
I agree, Tort
August 4, 2007 - 05:40 ET by USA4freedomI agree,
Tort reform, don’t get me started. I owned a bar for 15
years. I cant tell you how many times I was sued. Twice by the same woman for
tripping on my side walk.(Insurance settled..$8000, and 10,000) My rates went
up. Once by a woman who dropped a beer bottle on the floor and the glass cut
the end of her big toe! (won that one, only cost me $800 in lawyer fees) Taken
to small clams court for “loosing someone coat” I do not have a coat check, as
well as she could not even prove that she had the coat. (won that one-no lawyer fees, had to do it my
self)and the Granddaddy of them all: man had a few drinks at my place,
somewhere around 1-3 pm, ate, went to a bar and had a all you could drink for 3
hours and did Cocaine, got into an accident, was killed, I was sued, as well as
the last bar. The other bar had to pay $10,000-no insurance, I paid 150,000
because I did. As I was walking out the two lawers were talking:we have to get
together and play some golf.. Its one big boys club and we pay the dues! My
rates went through the roof, to some where around $1500-$1800 a mth.
The average person does not know just how much money goes to
the lawers in evey day business. How the price for example a ladder goes up
because the ladder company gets sued by someone who falls off the top. Or our
meds, or..anything. I hate them!
These are the boys of Pointe du Hoc.
Ronald Reagan- 40th Anniversary of D-Day
The Edward's camp is out
August 4, 2007 - 05:45 ET by Andrew H.The Edward's camp is out there and you have dealt with some of them. Great to read you won some--normally (as you know) it is legal extortion for the Edward's camp--hoping for a settlement over nothing... free money to them. Higher rates for you.
Carlson suffers unwittingly of an intelligence void--there are fuel taxes (big time), sales taxes, income taxes and a host of other fees and taxes--much of which is already supposed to be used for highway maintenance. But of course it's not.
Liberalism is a convenient lie.
If you think about it, every
August 4, 2007 - 13:02 ET by fitzfongIf you think about it, every year there are more lawyers in the United States. Each fall, a whole new class of parasites passes the various state bar exams (except Villaraigosa, a four-time failure). No doubt the new class outnumbers those who have died, retired, quit or (God forbid) been disbarred. This means we always have more lawyers every year. No more legitimate law to cover, but more John Edwards. Most of these scumbags are carrying a ton of student loan debt. Many have expensive tastes and use that cliched justification of "to be successful, you have to look the part" to make cost-prohibitive car, clothing and residence purchases...and plunge further into debt. So they have to find some method of catching up to their spiralling debts. "I know, why not shake down some legitimate businesses using bogus career plaintiffs? I can 'try out' dubious new arguments using tortured logic to convince a stupid jury or a corrupt judge of my position...and even if I don't win, I win. I can get together with the other attorney and collude with him to make sure we run up the hours (double billing as often as possible) so that both plaintiff and respondent reach a settlement before we ever have to test our contemptible theories in court. If I can keep this scam going, I can have all the fancy cars and cocaine I can possibly dream of. What a country!"
lawyers, who needs 'em!
August 4, 2007 - 05:47 ET by DontFeedTheTrollsThe average person does not know just how much money goes to
the lawyers in evey day business.
Yep, and just look where our Presidential candidate poverty queen Edwards made his multiple millions, class action lawsuit against doctors. And people wonder why it costs so much for health care.
D
I don't support our liberals or their mission.
When Edwards did that
August 4, 2007 - 06:22 ET by USA4freedomWhen Edwards did that “the dead is speaking through him
act” it remined me of the case that cost me $150,000.
The other lawer placed on a tripod a picture of this mans
child (who was 6, and he has seen him a total of 3 times in his life, according
to his ex girlfriend) the blown up picture was about 3 ft by4 ft. The lawer
started this: if little Jonnie (I forgot his name) were old enough to
understand what is going on here he would ask to remember he has a lot of
growing up to do with out his dad.. (maybe his dad.. should not drink/ do
drugs, and drive.)
My lawer turned to me and said: its lucky he was killed
if not we would be sued for a lot more!!
After the trial, I walked over to the parents and told
them I am sorry for their loss, but I had nothing to do with it. They said, we
know, it was his own fault. I walked away thinking “then why the hell am I
paying for it”. Just a pack of
money hungry ass holes.
These are the boys of Pointe du Hoc.
Ronald Reagan- 40th Anniversary of D-Day
USA, Wow, that is well
August 4, 2007 - 08:06 ET by BlondeUSA,
Wow, that is well and truly screwed up. No wonder you despise lawyers.
The fact that John Edwards can open his mouth about poverty, while keeping a straight face in light of his profession as an ambulance chasing trial lawyer, is proof positive that he's a hypocrite of the first order.
USA-
August 4, 2007 - 10:01 ET by drillanwrMy doctor was sued a couple years ago ... and he never even saw the patient this day! He was out of town and another doc was covering for him on hospital calls for the weekend. Not sure what the problem ended up being, but the patient saw the other doc at the hospital, something wasn't done right, and he/she sued the hospital and that doctor ... and my doctor. The patient did not want to sue my doctor, but the lawyer said "We're suing EVERYBODY, or nobody!" My doctor didn't have the money to spend fighting it and his insurance company told him to just settle ... so he did.
So now my doctor refuses hospital calls.
A few years before that my sister, who is a podiatrist, did foot surgery on some woman patient of hers. The woman completely refused to follow ANY of the post-op instructions about care for the surgical area, activity, and proper footwear while healing. Well, she obviously resulted in problems with the end result ... even AFTER repeated preaching by my sister to her at every visit to listen and follow directions ... So, the woman sued my sister. She even brought in some professional witness who was a non-practicing doctor/surgeon who wasn't even a podiatrist who said he never would have done the surgery (NO, DUH!?!) ... Anyhow, in a nut shell, against the insurance company's advice to settle my sister fought back. Took a couple years, but she won! She told the insurance company "I did NOTHING wrong, and I'll be damned if you'll pay out, and my rep as a doctor and surgeon has a black mark on it because of this idiot."
BTW, it came out that the woman had major mental/emotional problems that were NOT divulged to my sister in her recorded medical history. Upon reflection, post-court, my sister said had she known the truth about the woman she wouldn't have touched her ... "Her foot could have fallen off, for all I care."
You should see the papers
August 4, 2007 - 15:00 ET by USA4freedomYou should see the papers when they serve you. It has John
Doe#1 (fictitious name.) and then John Doe #2 fictitious name, some times up to
10 or 15 names like that so they don’t miss anyone when you are served the
papers. They name the land lord, bartenders, the insurance company, even the
city in a few of the cases. They tell you to bring all the information on
various people so they can put them on the list to sue. They have told me to
list who was on duty that day. My wife changes the TV when one of these lawyer
adds come on promising “justice for the injured” because I’m yelling at it.
I was sued by the woman that owned a donut shop next to me
because she tripped on a brick that was out of place after the city planted new
trees on the street. She also sued the city.
She had the same trees and bricks in front of her place. I
told her I some how should trip on her walk and sue her right back. People that
do not own their own business have no idea how much we get sued.
I once had a woman come in Sunday telling me that she might
sue the bar because she went home with a man that she normally would not have
gone home with but she had too much to drink. (thankfully I never heard
anything from that.
People think (I will get rich), and you know what..they do.
These are the boys of Pointe du Hoc.
Ronald Reagan- 40th Anniversary of D-Day
Seriously, there are people
August 5, 2007 - 00:16 ET by fitzfongSeriously, there are people out there whose careers amount to being plaintiffs in frivolous "slip and fall" lawsuits. Under occupation on their tax returns, they should mark a box saying "useless parasite".
That’s so
August 5, 2007 - 01:45 ET by USA4freedomThat’s so true.
Before I
recognized that one woman has sued me before, my insurance man called back into
his office. He told me hang on because this name looked familiar. He went into
his files and came up with the same name and same trip and fall. The hell of it all is, that the
insurance people settled!!! They told me its cheaper. I told them if they add
the two together it not. Its just one big giant game and we are the people who
pay for the lawyers / insurance companies to play. No one realizes every one
pays. From something as simple as a hammer with the label on it that says don’t
smash your sisters face with this, to the baby carriage that has the label not
to be used on the interstate.
Get this one, I suspected one of my bartenders of stealing.
I had her spotted. (having someone watched professionally, usually a cop or
detective). He spotted her stealing from me, giving drinks away. Giving 2, $23
bottles of wine to her husband. Stealing patrons money while they were in the
bathroom and leaving their money next to their drink. Short-changing the
spotter. Closing up “after”.. regular drinking hours. Knowing her sister was a
lawyer (never made that mistake again) I had her spotted a total of 3 times,
every night the same. So after I fired her, she sues me for pregnanticy
discrimination as well as going to the E.O.C. ! I won in court but it still
cost me thousands to defend my self not to mention all the sleepless
nights.
These are the boys of Pointe du Hoc.
Ronald Reagan- 40th Anniversary of D-Day
Now that you mention it...
August 5, 2007 - 16:04 ET by drillanwrNot certain, but rings a bell that the woman who tried to sue my doc sister had sued others before too.
I'll have to ask my sister about that.
I find it amazing
August 4, 2007 - 09:42 ET by drillanwrThis woman leaves her hair dresser looking like this?? I hope she's not paying the person 1/10 of 1% Edwards is paying.
This tsunami of the left shouting for higher taxes this week at the expense of a disaster is very telling in this premature ejaculation of a political season. They are telegraphing (as per usual) the agenda and intent of the dems running for the nomination ... "Raising taxes"! This way the dem candidates don't have to take the heat for suggesting it, and they use the MSM mantra of it as proof the people are willing to endure higher and new taxes, because the MSM speaks for the people.
Infrastructure taxes would, for one, come in the form of yet another tax added to the price of gas. Folks are already bitching about a gallon wavering around $3/gal. (+/-). Imagine a non-fluctuating additional charge on a gallon that takes it to $4 (+/-)?? Yeah, the people want higher taxes. These sh!+$ jump on horrific situations such as the bridge collapse and play on the heart-strings of the puppy-loving public. Just as in Katrina / N.O.. They are confident a large percent of Bush-Hating primed viewers will take the view that money spent in A-stan and Iraq is wasted (so, national security is a waste?), and that more and more should be thrown at neglected problems within our country (See: public schools). It always floors me how people who work hard for every penny in their paychecks constantly bitch about how much of a bite the assorted governments take out of it, yet, jump right into the water with the blood-thirsty tax sharks (dems) and all their "We're gonna give you ... We're gonna do for you" ideas at election time ... As if there is some magical hidden treasure tree they will harvest from to give the people all this crap. HEY! PEOPLE, THEY PICK FROM NO TREE! THEY PICK YOUR POCKETS! And they never divert from one group (the federal funds for the arts, or useless museums) to divert to another area (infrastructure) ... It's ALWAYS another bite of your paycheck.
You know how you can tell when a leftist/liberal idea won't work? When they scream Throw more money at it!!, instead of demanding (as in the N.O. levees) Where the hell did ALL the money we sent you in the first place go??
This dhimmi lead Congress is so fond of investigations that are nothing more than "gottcha!" set-up traps for witnesses ... Well, if they have an itch to demand answers perhaps they need to open a can of worms on the history of federal funds to N.O., La. and for any that was sent to Minni. for bridge repairs ... NOT HOLDING MY BREATH!
PS Are she and Tucker Carlson related? Never was clear on that ...
$4,000 a minute works out
August 4, 2007 - 09:43 ET by dscott$4,000 a minute works out to $2.1 billion a year. We spend way more on roads than that just on the Federal contribution of 25%. This is just another cover up of someone else's incompetence just like Ray Nagin not evacuating the poor people of N.O. when he had the buses to do so, but who got blamed? Bush. Here again we have bridge inspectors who didn't properly recognize the condition of the bridge, MN DOT employees or their contractor. But what's the standard lib Dem BDS response, blame Bush or something else Bush related. These people are lame. I hope the general public is smart enough to see through the BDS propaganda to recognize the opportunistic hatred of the Dems and that they have nothing to offer but their bitterness of not being in charge.
The object of life is not to be on the side of the majority but to escape finding oneself in the ranks of the insane. Marcus Aurelius
dscott
August 4, 2007 - 10:03 ET by drillanwrYEP! Somehow, I gotta believe, people are rolling their eyes at the "It's Bush's fault" reasoning, and getting well sick and tired of it.
$$$ Per Minute
August 8, 2007 - 20:45 ET by Junk Science SkepticBringing the$4000/minute war cost and the need for tort reform into one neat little package, I read the somewhere the other day that we blow $4700/minute of frivolous lawsuits. How about we spend some of that money on the bridges?
Thompson/Giuliani 2008
seems to me:
August 4, 2007 - 10:12 ET by PKit seems to me that these people are beating a dead horse.
they went through the infrastructure scream about twenty years ago and allocated some money to fix it.
here in california they (the legislature and local politicians) have a problem with funds missappropriation.
they campaign for a nickel raise in gas taxes for road repair.
then they grab that for some kind of inner city social need, possibly to pay the hospitals for undocumented alien emergency room fees.
then they have a heavy brush fire season and pass another nickel on the gasoline for fire suppression but grab that for something else.
then the fireboys start screaming so they pass another nickel on gas taxes for roads but give it to the firemen.
the libs just can't understand why california is reluctant to raise taxes.
they will do bonds though, which is even dumber.
C
PK -
August 4, 2007 - 10:25 ET by drillanwrYep, it's that way everywhere, I suspect (not to mention how much is lining people's pockets, eh?), and I think folks are finally figuring that all out. Hopefully, anyway.
Two Ohio jokes:
1) Ohio has two seasons ... Winter and orange barrels
2) State Bird of Ohio? Orange Barrel.
Or the other scam that
August 4, 2007 - 12:43 ET by fitzfongOr the other scam that Governor Shriver tried to pull where he labelled a tax a "fee". This served two purposes: 1) creating a false impression with taxpayers that he wasn't raising taxes and, 2)circumventing the 2/3 provision required to raise taxes...only simple majorities needed on "fee increases".
Here's a little newsflash
August 4, 2007 - 10:42 ET by ckc1227Here's a little newsflash for you: Minnesota(and most other states) has been running billion dollar SURPLUSES for the past several years, not to mention the $776 million in taxpayer dollars they spent on a new baseball stadium that should have been paid for by the baseball team owner.
They already have the money needed for infrastructure. They just choose to spend it on other more important things, like spinach museums.
There was a report the
August 4, 2007 - 17:40 ET by JerThere was a report the former chairman of the House Transportation Committee noted he had sought $375 billion in the last 6-year transportation bill, but "Congress had too settle for $90 billion because of opposition from the Bush administration."
"I don't do this often when I say 'I told you so,' said
Young, suggesting that Congress pass a tax to help
rebuild bridges so that people don't face a 'potential
death threat'."
"Yes, fund the problem with a tax," he said. "May
the sky not fall on me."
Just an example of the puddin'headed drivel from another looney liber...oops, Don Young is a conservative Republican! Never mind.
Bush does not write or vote
August 5, 2007 - 10:15 ET by dscottBush does not write or vote on legislation in Congress, Civics 101! It is the responsibility of Congress to allocate funds, not the POTUS! Since someone has obviously forgotten Bush's record on vetos, he hadn't done one until the Dems took control this year.
By the way, if anyone is to blame then you need to finger the States, because the States are responsible to maintain the infrastructure. The Federal government gives the States money to "BUILD" the roads, NOT maintain them. If Congress provided $90 or $900 billion dollars, not one dollar would go to MAINTENANCE. Hence, characterizing Bush's opposition to a massive road building program is disengenous and deceptive.
The object of life is not to be on the side of the majority but to escape finding oneself in the ranks of the insane. Marcus Aurelius
The government has wasted
August 6, 2007 - 07:23 ET by dscottThe government has wasted $50 billion dollars of tax payer money on AGW hoax research over 20 years, money that should have been spent on the roads, bridges and dams or curing a KNOWN disease. That's $4,756 a minute folks. They had no right to divert that kind of money from known problems. Our new motto needs to be: Gore LIED and people DIED.
The object of life is not to be on the side of the majority but to escape finding oneself in the ranks of the insane. Marcus Aurelius