Is there a way to argue against this?

I am in another discussion on 1up.com with a person I mentioned in an earlier thread, who posted this in response to the comments of myself and one other person:

Mulletlicious = I’ve already answered that question by highlighting several factors of the gasoline price equation. Part of the problem is you’re a “spoiled American”. Now that we’re paying closer to the equivalent of what they’ve been paying in Europe for years you’re moaning about it. Gas prices around the world



And before you ask why we pay more than some of those countries remember that many don’t legislate as actively for environmental concerns.





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ohJTBehaaave wrote:


My point basically is that New Orleans and that whole poor area is Democratic. The Mayor is a Dem... the LA Govornor is a Dem. Miss and Alababma Have Red Neck Rep Governors... but there are plenty of Dems also in their Govt. figure it out. The Dems run the poor cities and the Rep run the better off areas.

And I'm still trying to figure out how Bush scammed his way back into office. So you can throw that Map picture out the window. I'm happy to say I'm from a BLUE State... that has some fucking brains... and didn't just vote according to one's religious beliefs.

The bottom line is the Levee's in LA needed to be upgraded and Bush said no. Stop trying to deflect the ineptness to others when Bush is the one that gets the final call on EVERYTHING. Bush is the head cheese... "THe Buck stops here".

Has he been dealt a few brutal hands (9/11 and Katrina) to deal with during his 2 terms... Yes... but he's a terrible bluffer for one... and he just is not capable or Intelligent enough to foresee what needs to be done to run this Country/War properly.

He's more concerned about his Religious agendas,

his OIL and his Nature Trail at the Texas Ranch.



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I don’t suppose you could have made the effort to come up with some evidence to support your position like this map of results by county….

Or like this cartogram of county-level elections resized by population

why bother when it’s much easier to insinuate that those who do not agree with you are stupid, right? Never mind, I’ll just toss my map picture out the window on your say so.



“Bush is the one that gets the final call on EVERYTHING”



Well, I suppose so. Although, to be accurate it’s Congress who approves the spending of money (budget) which is not to say that the President doesn’t have veto power, but you’re not saying that is what happened are you?



http://www.editorandpublisher.com/eandp/news/article_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1001051313



“….The 2004 hurricane season was the worst in decades. In spite of that, the federal government came back this spring with the steepest reduction in hurricane and flood-control funding for New Orleans in history. Because of the proposed cuts, the Corps office there imposed a hiring freeze. Officials said that money targeted for the SELA project -- $10.4 million, down from $36.5 million -- was not enough to start any new jobs.

There was, at the same time (in 2004), a growing recognition that more research was needed to see what New Orleans must do to protect itself from a Category 4 or 5 hurricane. But once again, the money was not there. As the Times-Picayune reported last Sept. 22:

"That second study would take about four years to complete (until 2008) and would cost about $4 million, said Army Corps of Engineers project manager Al Naomi.”

* * *

So let’s say the money was there with no cuts, they would not have started the construction to upgrade the levees to protect against a cat 4 or 5 until the study was concluded let alone completed the construction. Don’t let these trivial little details affect your position though. You guys have it all figured out, huh?



Also, whoever spews the “war for oil” BS is a hypocrite. You are an oil AND OIL BY-PRODUCT HOG. Just like anything else if there wasn’t a demand people wouldn’t go to the trouble of insuring a supply was available. Make use of any roads do you? Gee, I wonder what you need to pave them with asphalt? Make use of any motorized vehicles? Let’s just set that aside and talk about plastic. WHAT, plastic? Yep, you’ve got thousands of items in your home made from it. I wonder how plastic is made? I guess it’s safe to say you own a computer, right? Keyboard, mouse, and trackball? You have a T.V.? How about a cable box, DVD, VCR? Hmmmmmm, I wonder if you own a Playstation, Xbox, or Game Cube? Buy games do you, or maybe CD’s? Wow, those cases are made of plastic too! You got a phone, remote controls, radio, coffee maker, can opener, Tupperware, plastic tubs, or cooking utensils? I bet you’ve got a toothbrush or use shampoo, right? I wonder what that bottle’s made of? Let’s see, is any part of your medicine cabinet plastic, razor, soap dispenser/dish, mouthwash bottle, or any part of that toilet you park your ass on? Have you thought about kid’s toys and cups, milk jugs, or medical equipment that saves lives everyday? Ever had an MRI, or gone to the dentist? How much plastic do you think you can find at a school, doctor’s office, or any office for that matter? Did you know that there is an average of 300 lbs of plastic in an automobile? The list goes on and on. Did I mention some rubber products?



It all adds up and contributes to the demand for oil, but certainly don’t pay any attention to what I say. After all, since I disagree with you I lack your intellectual acumen, right?




In a section I didn't include, he actually wrote "you have your scapegoat" because of my criticisms of President Bush's performance. If my fellow DUers can think of anything, I would appreciate the help.

http://boards.1up.com/zd/board/message?board.id=opmngr&message.id=101835&page=5

Here's the thread, if you want to check it out.

That's the place with socialized medicine and all kinds of programs to protect their citizens. Right?

Comparing the US to Europe is like comparing rotten apples to organic oranges.

less sprawl.

benefits. We prefer to drive by ourselves in huge trucks 40 or 50 miles to work.

Now we are experiencing Shrinking pains.

they have to stop and think "do I really need to make this trip to the mall" they have lost EVERYTHING!

He took a $500BB surplus and made it a $500BB deficit in 4 years. Yes, we had a slowdown in the late 90s, but if Gore was elected, he'd have used the surplus to reinvest in our infrastructure as a buffer to out job loss hits in our economy. Bush choose to reward the 2% with taxcuts, though.

Bush spent $300BB fighting a delusional "War on Terror". He went long on war and short on domestic infrastructure....those no free lunch. New Orleans paid the bill.

Wasn't Bush going to deliver us low oil prices because he was an oilman (A failed one, but...). Instead it went from $28/bbl under Clinton to $70.00/bbl today. So we spent $300BB to see our costs triple. Hmmm.

Ask him bout Republican Pork. What happened to Republican fiscal discipline and "needs testing" on domestic infrasturcture? In 2004, the U.S. Senate proposed its own $318 billion version of George W. Bush's $256 billion six-year transportation bill. Though it was stalled by the threat of a Bush veto, the so-called Safe, Accountable, Flexible and Efficient Transportation Equity Act (SAFETEA) had many supporters, among them House Transportation and Infrastructure chairman, Don Young (R-Alaska), whose state would receive $200 million for a mile-long bridge linking Ketchikan, Alaska with its airport, a five-minute ferry ride from town. Ketchikan's population at the time? 7,845.

That $200MM might have saved 7845 lives in New Orleans