You are one of the most idiotic people that I've ever come in contact with.

The title says impact on our fiscal policy. The text makes it clear the issue is the shift in wealth.Did you read the Blog?

Doctor Miller, I have to agree with Col. Gene; moreover, your obstinacy is wearing thin; admit that you are wrong and move on, man. If getting a grip is possible for you. BTW, I told you that I was right about Mr. Jackson.

That does not alter the fact that the wealth under Bush has shifted to the wealthy. It has moved from the poor and middle income to the wealthy. The bottom line is that the economy is not growing at a rate that generates the federal revenue needed to balance the budget. Nothing you can say dmiler will alter that truth!

Your theories have once again been proven wrong by facts. Can't you just admit that? You have not proven one thing, except that you will do anything to blame Bush.

yall should perhaps be a lil less hasty in dismissing the col's assertions. it took me less than a minute to locate the following (first hit at the top of the page in google...with plenty more reports to the same effect available there) which seems to support his point.

unlike a lotta the raving nonsense from worldweeklynewsdotnut that some of yall seem unable to resist posting, this was published by a fairly reputable news organization and the story even hadda by-line.

btw,a lot of retailers came to the same conclusion as col gene after last year's holiday season when high end stores did very well while those which generally serve a lower-income clientele reported much lower sales than usual.

(i excerpted these paragraphs rather than copy and paste in the whole article. there's a link if you wanna check the story in its entirety.)

Retail sales inch upward
March's 4.1% increase credited to early Easter
Pia Sarkar, Chronicle Staff Writer

Friday, April 8, 2005 Link

Sales at stores open at least a year -- known as same-store sales -- grew 4.1 percent in March, less than the 7 percent increase in the same period last year, according to the International Council of Shopping Centers, which compiled figures from 71 retail chains. Same-store sales rose 4.7 percent in February.

With Easter arriving early this year, March sales got an extra lift, but Michael Niemira, chief economist and director of research for the ICSC, said he expects April sales to soften.

Cold weather kept customers away from shopping, but high gas prices also influenced consumer spending habits, with lower-income households feeling the pressure more than higher-income households.

A survey of 1,020 adults conducted by the ICSC last week showed that 54 percent of those with a household income of less than $25,000 were driving less, and 57 percent of them had cut back on discretionary spending because of gas prices.

But for people in households with an income of $75,000 or more, 32 percent were driving less and 31 percent had reduced discretionary spending.

That might explain why March sales at discount chain Wal-Mart, where the average income for a shopper is $35,000, did not fare as well as Target, where the average shopper's income is $50,000, Niemira said.

Wal-Mart's same-store sales climbed 4.8 percent, compared with Target's 8. 2 percent increase.

Well, I can tell you this personally I am not bringing sales down at Wal-Mart, Best Buy, Amazon, etc. as I continue to buy products as my wants require me too.
Like today I picked up the 21 Best Songs of Three Dog Night CD and Chuck Berry's His Best Vol. 1 at Best Buy. I have ordered the complete series of Lexx (season 1-4), bought more Reverend Horton Heat, Cave Catt Sammy, etc. from Amazon along with Alec Empire's Intelligence and Sacrifice, I have purchased shaving items and other misc. stuff from Wal-Mart.

So retail sales should not be down in my book after all I am doing my best to fuel the economy, seek happiness and save/invest money as well.

- GX

21 Best Songs of Three Dog Night

someone's lyin bout at least 20 of those.

Reverend Horton Heat

shoulda said somethin...i coulda sent you that one.

Chuck Berry's His Best Vol. 1

if it dont include at least 3 of these: 'down the road apiece', 'you cant catch me', 'nadine', 'carol' and or 'promisedland', keep exchangin it til you get the volume that does.

swing low sweet chariot, come down easy
taxi to the terminal zone,
cut your engines n cool your wings,
lemme make it to the telephone.

los angeles...
gimme no'folk virginia
tidewater 4-10 oh 9
tell the folks back home itsa promised land callin'
and the po boy's on the line.

When you mentioned that I looked online at Amazon and ordered His Best Vol.2, which contains those songs but I also like Chuck's early stuff as well.
Such as:
Maybellene
Roll Over Beethoven
School Day
Rock and Roll Music
Johnny B. Goode

The other musicians I will probably pick up sometime in the future are Carl Perkins, Gene Vincent, Jerry Lee Lewis, Muddy Waters, Little Richard, Fats Domino, Buddy Holly and more likely than not the Big Bopper. What can I say I am into Rockabilly or should I say rockabilly (past and present) has grabbed my musical soul and will not let it go!!

You know I also like Elvis's rendition of Promised Land and it figures that Chuck Berry was the man who came up with such an awesome song.

Goodness gracious great balls of later!!
- GX

between the two (i just checked out the tracklist for both), you've got just about all of his best known work worth having...and my ding-a-ling as well...and you're ready to start tryin to find the not-so-well known stuff.

Carl Perkins, Gene Vincent, Jerry Lee Lewis, Muddy Waters, Little Richard, Fats Domino, Buddy Holly and more likely than not the Big Bopper.

vincent was the rockabilly king as far as i'm concerned (not to diminish any of the others) altho i've always been more partial to the blues side of the equation.

(berry was a disappointment every time i saw him perform; rather than fielding a band on the road, he'd call the union and have em send over three guys who worked for less than scale and were also the only three musicians in any city who apparently never heard one of his songs. not to be outdone, ive seen lewis threaten to kick a sideman's ass on stage on several different occasions...and little richard (once even on the same bill as lewis) throw a shirt made of pieces of mirror into the audience, none of whom were killed by some bizarre accident of chance.)

yall should perhaps be a lil less hasty in dismissing the col's assertions. it took me less than a minute to locate the following (first hit at the top of the page in google...with plenty more reports to the same effect available there) which seems to support his point. unlike a lotta the raving nonsense from worldweeklynewsdotnut that some of yall seem unable to resist posting, this was published by a fairly reputable news organization and the story even hadda by-line. btw,a lot of retailers came to the same conclusion as col gene after last year's holiday season when high end stores did very well while those which generally serve a lower-income clientele reported much lower sales than usual. (i excerpted these paragraphs rather than copy and paste in the whole article. there's a link if you wanna check the story in its entirety.) Retail sales inch upward March's 4.1% increase credited to early Easter Pia Sarkar, Chronicle Staff Writer Friday, April 8, 2005 Link Sales at stores open at least a year -- known as same-store sales -- grew 4.1 percent in March, less than the 7 percent increase in the same period last year, according to the International Council of Shopping Centers, which compiled figures from 71 retail chains. Same-store sales rose 4.7 percent in February. With Easter arriving early this year, March sales got an extra lift, but Michael Niemira, chief economist and director of research for the ICSC, said he expects April sales to soften. Cold weather kept customers away from shopping, but high gas prices also influenced consumer spending habits, with lower-income households feeling the pressure more than higher-income households. A survey of 1,020 adults conducted by the ICSC last week showed that 54 percent of those with a household income of less than $25,000 were driving less, and 57 percent of them had cut back on discretionary spending because of gas prices. But for people in households with an income of $75,000 or more, 32 percent were driving less and 31 percent had reduced discretionary spending. That might explain why March sales at discount chain Wal-Mart, where the average income for a shopper is $35,000, did not fare as well as Target, where the average shopper's income is $50,000, Niemira said. Wal-Mart's same-store sales climbed 4.8 percent, compared with Target's 8. 2 percent increase.

I don't know about anybody else but kingbee's post looks to me like it's the exact opposite from what the COL posted.

Gas prices can be blamed more for a drop in sales than anything else right now. Gas prices hit us in the pocketbook at more places than the pump. Gas prices influence the cost of shipping goods across the country to retail outlets, forcing outlets to raise prices to maintain profit levels (note I say to maintain, not to elevate). Airlines are looking to put on a fuel fee again to offset costs. This will have a drastic impact on the cost of flying and will then obviously price it out of the range of lower income people. Is this a Bush policy fault? Not really, it's an issue of the oil market and rising prices.

Not all economic shifts are due to nefarious plots to reallocate wealth to the wealthy. The wealthy have more money, that's an obvious fact, so when prices go up on products for any reason, be it policy, shortages, whatever, of course they will continue to be able to purchase while poorer people will not.

Do not let the evil fiend Dr. Miller deceive you; he coined the phrase the rich get richer and the poor get poorer.


"Rich get richer

IRS says growing wealth for 400 top taxpayers outstripped increases in their tax burdens.
June 26, 2003: 12:43 PM EDT



NEW YORK (CNN/Money) - The rich got richer in 2000, according to a study by the Internal Revenue Service released Wednesday night."

drmiler and island Dog

Data from many sources confirms the shift in the tax burden and the impact of the Bush fiscal and tax policies. For example, almost half of the tax cuts go to less then 5% of the population. The last tax cut to take place, the Estate tax which ends in 2010, impacts 6/10 of 1 % of the population. Wages for the middle income workers have for the most part not increased during the past four years after inflation,. Only the top %5 have shown a after inflation/tax increase in their income. The average benefit from the tax cuts is about $427 per year ($1.25 day). The percent of tax revenue from income taxes has shifted to a greater share comming from the middle income tax payer and a lesser amount from the top 5%. That was the intent of the Bush tax cuts which was to shift the after trax wealth from the middle to the top income American. Thus, Bush has shown by his tax policies that he is Robin Hood for the Rich. (Took from the middle income and gave to the top income Americans). At the same time he is making the rich richer, the federal deficit increases. We are in effect borrowing money to give people who do not need more money a tax cut! WHO WILL REPAY THAT ADDED DEBT AND WHO WILL PA Y THE ADDED INTEREST ON THIS CONTINUED BORROWING? You can go to Google and look at the debt clock that shows how we borrow more and more every second of every day under the policies of Bush! Bush NEVER shows that increase in the debt ends! This added intetest will take the money needed for EVERYTHING else in the future!

The conservative circle jerk at Joeuser just cannot accept that they are no more than cogs in the rich man's money-machine. How is it that you swallow hook line and sinker the capitalist-pig’s propaganda in which man is depicted as if he were a robot? I am a women, I am made out of flesh and bone, not stone or wood. I am an emotional creature; a human being empowered by an animalistic instinct that has facilitated the survival of the species long before the pigs came up with their bogus theories that rational economic contemplation governs the actions of man. Tell that nonsense to the poet, the hermit, the actor/political activist, such as that stud, Alex Baldwin, an etc.

The the real irony may be that unless all of the Bush supporters on Joeuser are wealthy, they are in essence supporting policies that are against their own best interests. I would argue that even the wealthy in the future could find that these policies that they strongly support ,will be aginst their best interests. If we get to a true financial crisis by ignoring things like Medicare, Medicaid, the growing interest and job loss, the reaction by the middle and low income voter may be to throw out the conservative Republican politicians and elect people who will solve the fiscal crisis by huge increases in the tax burden to the wealthy. No one whether there are wealthy, middle income or poor have a bright future if the country's economic strength is destroyed and we experience a fiscal crisis.