Is making Social Security more fiscally sound "impossible"?

Jeff Rigby wrote:
It is as long as it's being made a political football.


Agreed, to a large extent.

Is an energy-independent America "impossible"

Yes unless we go from 25% nuclear to at least 75% nuclear.

That's hilarious... I guess decentralized solar & fuel-cell power won't
return enough money to the big corporations, and they're the ones that
make big political contribution$... so yeah, we won't be seeing any of
that for a long long time... do some research on "off-grid powered
housing." I used to call 'em 'survivalists' but it's a different attitude.



Would it have been impossible to put together a *real* coalition to invade
Iraq, like say for example the one that President George Bush Sr put
together?

YES, remember the bribes that FRENCH and RUSSIAN polititions were getting.

Oh yeah, park that fantasy right next to NOBBY's ongoing daydreams about
Iraqi WMDs getting shipped to Syria.

Did you know that American pals of Cheneys were getting more money from
the oil-for-food scams than the Russians and the French put together?

Like I said, if it was impossible then how come Bush's daddy managed it?


Is it "impossible" to increase manufacturing jobs?

When we have restrictions on our companys that foreign countrys don't, yes.

Gee, let's get rid of all pollution laws and let's start hiring subteens
and chaining them factory benches. Heck with that, let's just force
prisoners to work for free... BTW remember that parking ticket you got
years ago...



Is it "impossible" to gain the respect of, and cooperation with, other
nations?

All countries act in their own short term interest.

Agreed. OTOH if we don't insult & trample other countries needlessly,
they might be more cooperative on the anti-terror thing.

After Sept 11th the whole world was on our side... except for the very
few Muslim radicals who openly sided with Al-Queda.

The Bush Administration has squandered that good will and lost the
chance to forge a meaningful alliance against terrorism.



Is influencing North Korea to not build "nookular" weapons totally
impossible, when it had been done for years before President Bush Jr took
office?

see below

Is it "impossible" to protect the environment?

No, just difficult.


Clinton made an effort to do all of the above but you need a good faith
effort on the part of all involved before anything is accomplished. From
the failures that Clinton had with both N Korea and the Palestinians, Bush
had learned that they DON'T act in good faith. The N. Koreans took the
money we gave them for fuel oil and invested it in nuclear breeder reactors
and gas diffusion enriching equipment so we took the hard line with them.

Really? We sold them that stuff long before... and the Koreans knew more
than you did about Clinton's planning to raid their nuclear facilities
if they didn't dance right. The pros at the State Dept managed the show
under Clinton, not the suck-up right-wing whackos that the Bushies have
put in charge.

The Clinton Administration... or at least, the pros at State... offered
the N Koreans a carrot & a stick, and had credible intelligence about
what was going on. The Bush Administration offers no carrot, threatens
with a stick it doesn't have, and believes it's own daydreams.

The results speak for themselves.



Bush refused to meet with the Palestinians until they had new management and
Arafat their leader suddenly died, new management.


Are you insinuating that perhaps Arafat had a little 'accident?'

I resent our leaders giving money away when they KNOW that all they get is
some positive world press because we tried while the people we are trying to
help laugh at our system of government. "Look we got 20 million dollars
from the stupid Americans. We know how to play the game now too."


Yep, that's why President Bush has had such a marvelous success in
foreign policy, I guess.

DSK