MSNBC Disses Boy Scout, 66% of Americans Who Want Federal Govt. to Live Within Its Means
By Ken Shepherd | July 21, 2011 | 17:12
Halfway through the July 21 edition of "NewsNation," MSNBC anchor Tamron Hall brought on Time magazine assistant managing editor Rana Foroohar to diss a Boy Scout cited by John Thune (R-S.D.) on the Senate floor.
After Hall aired a clip of Thune reading the Boy Scout's letter admonishing senators to spend only what the government can afford, she and Foroohar set about to dismiss his concern as quaint but ill-informed:
HALL: Rana, this is all interesting. CNN just released a poll a short time ago that shows 66% of Americans support the House Republicans' Cut, Cap and Balance Bill, but you look at the reality of a family budget versus the government and I'm sure that little Boy Scout is a cutie but if he was a member of Congress, that might not be the advice he would give.
FOROOHAR: Yeah, absolutely. I mean, I think that one of the things that's tough to counter about these folksy bits of wisdom -- you know, we all have to balance our own personal budgets so the government should have to do that too -- is that it has an emotional appeal, it sounds sensible. The problem is the federal government's budget is not the same as a family budget. There are important differences, it's much more complex and you really can't equate the two.
Of course family budgets and government budgets are not perfectly analogous, but deficit spending can only work for so long. In the long term, uncorrected, it comes back to bite you, just ask Greece or Portugal.
Presently for every dollar of U.S. government spending, borrowed money accounts for 43 cents of it, compared to about 5 cents in 2007.
Foroohar -- who was on NewsNation to plug a column she wrote for Time on the topic -- acknowledged that a similar situation would be alarming for an average household, but suggested that unbridled spending by the federal government is necessary to win wars and ease economic dislocation:
So if you take this idea that the federal government's budget is like a family budget, then you would look at the federal government and see I'm making about $55,000 a year but I'm spending $41,000 more. So yeah, at that point if you're a family, it's time to sit down and, you know, fix things.
But the federal government has to do a lot of things. It has to pay unemployment benefits. It sometimes has to go to war. You know, we couldn't have won World War II if we'd had a Cap, Cut and Balance proposal on the table then.
Of course when government overspends it ultimately has to ratchet up taxes on individuals to fix the mess it made, passing the buck on to responsible private citizens. For her part, however, Foroohar failed to consider how the little guy gets hurt over the long-term when government perpetually refuses to get its finances in order.
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Comments
SOP
Submitted by locomotivebreath1901 on Thu, 07/21/2011 - 5:20pm.
MSNBC: racing toward the bottom.
But it makes their 13 regular viewers happy.
Say it isn't true
Submitted by BuffNBone on Thu, 07/21/2011 - 5:40pm.
Has Thune fled his home state of South Dakota for the one below it?
The Ninth Point of the Scout Law . . .
Submitted by Galvanic on Thu, 07/21/2011 - 5:46pm.
. . . A Scout is thrifty.
The Scout cited by Thune was merely evoking one of Scouting's values. At one time, it used to be an American value. It's apparently not a Democratic value. It's a shame that our government doesn't see practice it.
As a Former Scout, and as the Father of an Eagle Scout...
Submitted by OldJarhead77 on Thu, 07/21/2011 - 8:10pm.
As I read this it was hard NOT to be a bit angry but one has to remember what we believe.
I would like to remind everyone else just what WE Scouts Believe:
A SCOUT is................
TRUSTWORTHY: His word means something he is a man of his word.
LOYAL: To his God, his Country, His family, and his Troop members.
HELPFUL: Always willing to lend a hand when needed, WITHOUT thought of reward!
FRIENDLY: He will be the one to greet you with a smile wave or a warm handshake just when you need it.
COURTEOUS: it might be opening a door treating you like your not a problem even if your trying hard to be one!
KIND: cruelty is not in a SCOUTS vocabulary he is kind to the highest and lowest on earth.
OBEDIENT: He obeys the law, His parents and His leaders because its the RIGHT THING to do
CHEERFUL: Even in the face of adversity, he can smile and see the bright light at the end of the Tunnel.
THRIFTY: he knows the value of a dollar. and isn't one to waste money just because he has it.
BRAVE: I have seen SCOUTS fight a grassfire with water bottles, jackets, and even their bare hands to protect a Eagle nesting area, with no thought to the danger they might be in.
CLEAN: in thought, body, and in deed.
REVERENT: TO God (NO matter what NAME you call him) to nature and that there is something out there much bigger than yourself.
I know many of you know these for those that don't you can see that this woman was way off base you see that scout has somethings that those two reporters lack, CHARACTER and MORALS, that scout could have been 12-18 and even at 12 that scout has more knowledge than these two talking heads.
A Scout is Thrifty
Submitted by TheHistorian on Thu, 07/21/2011 - 8:27pm.
Obama, Reid, and Pelosi are spendthrifty.
Dennis Prager
What is even funnier is why Thune got the letter
Submitted by TheHistorian on Thu, 07/21/2011 - 8:46pm.
The Citizenship in the Nation merit badge (required to become an Eagle Scout) requirement 8 states:
8. Name your two senators and the member of Congress from your congressional district. Write a letter about a national issue and send it to one of these elected officials, sharing your view with him or her. Show your letter and any response you receive to your counselor.
Of course, these vapid media talking fools could not and would not look this up. Just for the fun of it, here are the rest of the requirements. Would LOVE to see how these people score on this.
Summary from Scouting.org: Citizenship in the Nation
As Scouts fulfill the requirements for this merit badge, they will learn how to become active citizens are aware of and grateful for their liberties and rights, to participate in their governments and protect their freedom, helping to defend their country and standing up for individual rights on behalf of all its citizens.
Requirements
Explain what citizenship in the nation means and what it takes to be a good citizen of this country. Discuss the rights, duties, and obligations of a responsible and active American citizen.
Do TWO of the following:
Visit a place that is listed as a National Historic Landmark or that is on the National Register of Historic Places. Tell your counselor what you learned about the landmark or site and what you found interesting about it.
Tour your state capitol building or the U.S. Capitol. Tell your counselor what you learned about the capitol, its function, and the history.
Tour a federal facility. Explain to your counselor what you saw there and what you learned about its function in the local community and how it serves this nation.
Choose a national monument that interests you. Using books, brochures, the Internet (with your parent's permission), and other resources, find out more about the monument. Tell your counselor what you learned, and explain why the monument is important to this country's citizens.
Watch the national evening news five days in a row OR read the front page of a major daily newspaper five days in a row. Discuss the national issues you learned about with your counselor. Choose one of the issues and explain how it affects you and your family.
Discuss each of the following documents with your counselor. Tell your counselor how you feel life in the United States might be different without each one.
Declaration of Independence
Preamble to the Constitution
The Constitution
Bill of Rights
Amendments to the Constitution
List the six functions of government as noted in the preamble to the Constitution. Discuss with your counselor how these functions affect your family and local community.
With your counselor's approval, choose a speech of national historical importance. Find out about the author, and tell your counselor about the person who gave the speech. Explain the importance of the speech at the time it was given, and tell how it applies to American citizens today. Choose a sentence or two from the speech that has significant meaning to you, and tell your counselor why.
Name the three branches of our federal government and explain to your counselor their functions. Explain how citizens are involved in each branch. For each branch of government, explain the importance of the system of checks and balances.
Dennis Prager
D'oh! Corrected it. Thanks
Submitted by Ken Shepherd on Thu, 07/21/2011 - 6:17pm.
D'oh! Corrected it. Thanks for the heads up.
Much better now
Submitted by BuffNBone on Thu, 07/21/2011 - 6:28pm.
You're welcome.
FOROOHAR is FUBAR
Submitted by Galvanic on Thu, 07/21/2011 - 5:43pm.
FOROOHAR: Yeah, absolutely. I mean, I think that one of the things that's tough to counter about these folksy bits of wisdom -- you know, we all have to balance our own personal budgets so the government should have to do that too -- is that it has an emotional appeal, it sounds sensible.
Well, think of all the cherished social safety net we could buy if we (a) weren't paying interest on the money we've already borrowed and spent, and (b) weren't arguing about borrowing more money to pay the interest on the money we borrowed.
As for emotional appeals, how about the person testifying before Congress about defaulting on the ARM loan he really shouldn't have taken out in the first place, and losing his home? The Congress will borrow more money to postpone the inevitable default on the mortgage, but they won't listen to balancing the budget.
FOROOHAR: The problem is the federal government's budget is not the same as a family budget. There are important differences, it's much more complex and you really can't equate the two.
In a sense you can't, because no family could accrue such enormoous debt and still qualify for more loans. The family is accountable for their debt; the Federal government apparently isn't. Washington has deliberately made the budget more complex so its pigs can keep feeding at the trough.
A family's job is to prepare for the future
Submitted by TheHistorian on Thu, 07/21/2011 - 8:30pm.
That is what has not been done with no budget in two years, etc. The analogy is that the family is broke, but Dad brings ice cream every night.
Dennis Prager
Locomotive breath 1901 is right......
Submitted by Herbster on Thu, 07/21/2011 - 5:45pm.
We can depend on Tampon Hall to make a fool of herself, but, now she had a partner today, Rana Foroohar - whatever that is.
I guess the family of Rana Foroohar tuned in to the show......which brought the viewing audience up to 13 viewers. Wow! Maybe they'll break the 15 ceiling someday.
however....
Submitted by MidAmerica on Thu, 07/21/2011 - 5:47pm.
The democrats have a way of avoiding complying with a balanced budget amendment, they don't submit or use budgets.
Fubar is worried about an emotional appeal?
Submitted by drsamherman on Thu, 07/21/2011 - 5:49pm.
Why hasn't the hack denounced Obama's fear-mongering of Social Security recipients?
Fubar is just another hypocrite.
MSNBC voilates every principle of the scout law
Submitted by Slyrr on Thu, 07/21/2011 - 5:52pm.
Part of the scout law is to be: Trustworthy, Loyal, Helpful, Friendly, Courteous, Kind, Obedient, Cheerful, Thrifty,
Brave, Clean and Reverent.
MSNBC is a pest hole of perverts, liars and thugs who break about every principle of the scout law and then some. They are liars, backstabbers, ingrates, obnoxious, mean, rebellious, angry, hedonistic, cowards, filthy and loud. It's no wonder then that they sneer and spit at the true and solid advice of this young boy.
It's no use to try and reason with them because they're Obama's paid media whores. But for what it's worth....
'Well sure if you're a FAMILY you'd sit down and cut spending!' they said. 'But this is the GOVERNMENT! They have to pay unemployment to the dropouts, the lazy, the wastrels and the drug addicts so they can keep boozing it up!'
I remind you MSNBC troglodytes that if you hadn't gotten these losers hooked on the crack of government payouts, they might have jobs and you wouldn't 'need' to pay them. Take these people off unemployment and put them to WORK - yes, even at jobs they feel are 'beneath their dignity'. They might surprise you.
A weaning baby will scream up a storm, but eventually it has to get off the bottle.
So the whimsy comparison of a
Submitted by danbo on Thu, 07/21/2011 - 6:34pm.
So the whimsy comparison of a home budget and the government's budget is wrong? Difference being the federal government has a printing press. But I can get a whole lot of blank checks for next to nothing. So it's ok to write worthless checks. That should help me buy a lot of things. And the heck with the limit on my credit cards. After all some day I'll die. And who cares about the bill?
I think the scout is smarter than media cretin. And more honerable. But I'm just an uninformed person.
It's time to take away Washingtoons blank checks and credit cards.
"You lie!" Rep. Joe Wilson R-(SC)
Its simple, spend less and
Submitted by Dan The Man 2 on Thu, 07/21/2011 - 6:40pm.
Its simple, spend less and live within your means. States and Cities seem to do this ... so why cant the Feds. Well some states and most cities do. The ones who have higher taxes see business and citizens leave and we as a country will see more of the same.
"Excuse me, do you have a
Submitted by ex buff e-dub on Thu, 07/21/2011 - 6:41pm.
"Excuse me, do you have a degree in economics,,,?" "Yes ma'am, highest honors..."
Apparently, this boy scout is
Submitted by Martin2717 on Thu, 07/21/2011 - 7:13pm.
Apparently, this boy scout is a lot smarter than these two bimbos put together.
The psychological basis of Rana Foroohar's animosity.
Submitted by big.league.slider on Thu, 07/21/2011 - 9:18pm.
Rana Foroohar obviously has a deep-seated bitterness towards Boy Scouts due to her own inability to tie a square knot or start a fire.
But...
Submitted by Rukus on Fri, 07/22/2011 - 8:02am.
She sure should get a badge for slinging mud!
They think this kid is cute
Submitted by MrSnuggles on Thu, 07/21/2011 - 9:56pm.
They think this kid is cute and quaint, but the kid who "understood" gay marriage was just so amazing!
Proof they left will use anything, including children, SO LONG as they say things they approve of.
Self-Disenfranchisement
Submitted by HardRightTurn on Thu, 07/21/2011 - 10:02pm.
You might have a right to, but you have no business voting on how to spend other people's money if you do not pay federal income tax. Do the decent thing and just don't go to the polls.
______________________________________________________________________________
To more fully comprehend the Left, one must read “Leftism As Psychopathy” by John Ray, M.A., Ph.D. Caution, it might scare you a little bit.
http://jonjayray.tripod.com/psycho.html
Just another incident
Submitted by Mutantone on Fri, 07/22/2011 - 12:30am.
Where the People are to stupid to know what is really involved, "it is nothing like a family budget"
maybe yours. But it is a lot like mine. I get my check for disability from the VA. I spend it to pay for where I Live, what I eat, utilities and if I am fortunate enough to have anything extra I can rent a movie, if not I just wait till next month, If I really want to see a movie I cut back on something else, if my electric bill goes up I have to cut back on what I eat, or sit int he dark a few night to save. But the government, especially the democrats, just think well print more money and spend it!
And they wonder why we
Submitted by ChicagoSteve on Fri, 07/22/2011 - 12:00pm.
And they wonder why we believe they're ditzy!?