Betzee said...

Betzee at 08:24 AM JST - 21st April

Anyone serious about the issue wouldn't be calling the protesters by the juvenile name you use.

Had they been explicit about what they wanted cut from the budget, I wouldn't have needed to make the post. All I heard was a lot of generalized whining about the government from people…

Posted in Anti-Obama 'tea party' protests mark U.S. tax day at 08:24 AM JST - 21st April
Betzee at 03:45 AM JST - 21st April

In the end I am more inclined to believe supreme court rulings, then you, as they are some of the most learned people when it comes to constitutional matters, vested interests or not.

A wise approach. Nisegaijin accused the moderators of violating his first amendment rights to free speech by…

Posted in Anti-Obama 'tea party' protests mark U.S. tax day at 03:45 AM JST - 21st April
Betzee at 12:50 AM JST - 21st April

When GWB introduced his tax cuts, he didn't use the equity argument advanced above. Rather he claimed cutting the tax rates of those at the top would enable them to invest and create jobs, in the process stimulating the economy. In this era of globalization, however, those jobs may well…

Posted in Anti-Obama 'tea party' protests mark U.S. tax day at 12:50 AM JST - 21st April
Betzee at 10:05 PM JST - 20th April

I think that some government officials also get dealt with pretty harshly when they go too far. And lets face it, even in our so-called democracies law makers are often not held accountable for certain infractions.

Of course some of them have. But the system of accountability in China relies…

Posted in Jackie Chan's China comments prompt backlash at 10:05 PM JST - 20th April
Betzee at 10:00 PM JST - 20th April

I saw Seiji Ozawa conduct the Boston Symphony in 1980. He was younger then and, of course, so was I.

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Betzee at 09:54 PM JST - 20th April

The problem is tea baggers want it both ways. They tout economic growth under GWB while ignoring the fact it was facilitated not by productivity gains but ever greater balances on plastic. In other words, an explosion of personal debt kept the cash registers humming. Now the bubble has burst,…

Posted in Anti-Obama 'tea party' protests mark U.S. tax day at 09:54 PM JST - 20th April
Betzee at 11:45 AM JST - 20th April

actually, i think he's right. chinese tend not to follow the rule of law unless there are sever penalties that are vigorously enforced.

The problem is without democracy there's no way to hold government officials accountable when they break the law by soliciting bribes or lining up sweet-heart deals with…

Posted in Jackie Chan's China comments prompt backlash at 11:45 AM JST - 20th April
Betzee at 11:14 AM JST - 20th April

I can't resist posting this, it's so funny:

*Well, let's see, tea-baggers, I guess none of you drove to your April 15 protests on roads, none of you had protest permits provided by city services, none of you was protected by police, none of you needed medical attention during your…

Posted in Anti-Obama 'tea party' protests mark U.S. tax day at 11:14 AM JST - 20th April
Betzee at 10:30 AM JST - 20th April

The problem here is that while the Chinese Communist Party does not want to disband the current system, the reasons they offer are different. In short, they emphasize the positive aspects of subordination of the individual to the group which enhances stability and strengthens national solidarity. Jackie Chan, by contrast,…

Posted in Jackie Chan's China comments prompt backlash at 10:30 AM JST - 20th April
Betzee at 10:14 AM JST - 20th April

Jackie Chan of course lives in Hong Kong where residents enjoy much more freedom than in China.

Taiwanese legislator Huang Wei-che said the movie star has himself "reaped the economic benefits of capitalism [but] has yet to grasp the true meaning of freedom and democracy."

*Chan's comments were widely reported…

Posted in Jackie Chan's China comments prompt backlash at 10:14 AM JST - 20th April