At the time of the Revolution, liberals were for liberty, and freedom from tyranny. They believed in the right to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness on your own terms. Liberals today are about collectivism and progressivism. The only right they believe in is the imaginary right of the government to run our lives. Our founders would be horrified at what passes a "liberal" today.

He is running from a direct confrontation with the Nuns and the truth, who he really is
already. Just proves he has price and is willing to accept the compromise of his faith for a dollare and fame... he has already made him failed

Elizabeth, you wrote: "Our founders would be horrified at what passes a "liberal" today."

While I agree our founders would be horrified, I think the larger cause of their horror would be the corporate takeover of our political and governmental systems.

True.
But, it doesn't devalue the validity of her statement.
That's not the end of the list of things they would be offended by either.

ALL THAT I BELIEVE & TRUST IS JESUS, THE ONE WHO DIED FOR MY SINS & SAVED ME FROM THIS RIDICULOUS WORLD!!! SO, JESUS ALREADY WON THE VICTORY!!! WHY IS PEOPLE SO SCARED & FEARFUL OVER, WHAT'S HAPPENING??? THE ONLY THING PEOPLE NEED TO BE CONCERNED ABOUT IS BEING SAVED FROM JESUS, INSTEAD OF BEING OF THIS WORLD!!! FREEDOM, Hmmmm......... THAT'S A VERY INTERESTING...... THERE'S NO FREEDOM IN THIS WORLD, THAT WE LIVE IN!!!! THE ONLY FREEDOM, WE'RE EVER GOING TO SEE, IS IN HEAVEN WITH JESUS!!!

I agree with Andy, moderates in both parties and independents may decide Obama is the lesser of the two evils.

Andy, Any 30 or 40 year old young working man today believes there will be NO social security or medicare available when they retire. (that's our current system)
You know what---They are correct.
If what we have is not going to be there when you retire, do you suggest this country simply ignore it?.

So I would ask you a question.
Do you know how many people are in the top 1%?
Do you know how much more money those people could pay into taxes?
Only about 8 days of USA expenses.
The President should be telling this country how he intends to fix soc sec.
He won't, because he would rather hide that news.
Ryan will appeal to any American who wants to get USA out of debt.
It has nothing to do with Moderate or Liberal.
This election will be decided by "Informed" voters, not those who simply take the line of the day and run with it as "fact"
F/Y/I every tax break given to an employer, can save your job.
That is better than taxing him and spending it on welfare and jist giving it for "favored bailouts".
If you trust the Obama regime to spend that money wisely, than I suggest you really come up with his record up to now.
All the decisions made have been made with "borrowed funds". Obama has NO money to promise , but pretends that saying it is good enough.
Even if he taxed 100% rate to every 1%, that would only support this country for 8 days.
These will cost you dearly, in the future.

I would not want to take all the money from the top 1%. I believe we all have an obligation to contribute, but I believe that we should have a progressive tax code. The tax code is now more regressive than at any time since the 1950s. We also need to make some changes to Social Security to make it sustainable, like adjusting the retirement age to reflect increased life spans and quality of life. I am not ready to tell Americans under 55, "Oops, sorry. We know you have been paying in to Social Security, perhaps for up to three decades, but you won't get anything because we have an ideological aversion to Social Security because we believe our forefathers had been duped into embracing an evil communist plot." By the way, the top 1% is about 3.2 million people. Today, the top 1% possesses about 35% of the wealth in America, more than double what it was in 1959. The top 5% owns 62% of the wealth. The top 20% owns 85% of the wealth.

If privatizing Social Security and Medicare as "W" wanted to do, neither would exist today, because the Depression of 2008, caused by the same guy, would have killed the new private investments in both!

Steve Stegan: you should know that investing is over 30 40 years.
Just investing you social security check into a company like Ameren, or Anheuser or Colgate, or Kellogg would make you a millionairre+ after 35years of work.
That is after the crashes of 70's or 80's or 2001 and 2008.
Ask any Teacher in Missouri. They do not put their money into Social security.
They are on a Private system. Go ahead ask--They get $100,000 pensions when they retire. They actually hate the soc security system.
Ryan's plan has the potential to make millionairre pensions, if invested in great companies.
Compare that to the measly $13,000 now offered by this great soc security plan today.
All of you skeptics should know how great you all can do opting out of this current soc security system. I did , and it has been rewarding.

Barney:No need for name calling.
Here is some inform to spread.
The REAL BENEFIT OF PRIVATIZING SOCIAL SECURITY.
you should know that investing is over 30 to 40 years.
Just investing your social security check into a company like Ameren, or Anheuser or Colgate, or Kellogg would make you a millionairre+ after 35years of work.
That is after the crashes of 70's or 80's or 2001 and 2008.
Ask any Teacher in Missouri. They do not put their money into Social security.
They are on a Private system. Go ahead ask--They get $100,000 pensions when they retire. They actually hate the soc security system.
Ryan's plan has the potential to make millionairre pensions, if invested in great companies. If it's good enough for our Teachers, it should be good enough for the rest of America.
Compare that to the measly $13,000 now offered by this great soc security plan today.
All of you skeptics should know how great you all can do opting out of this current soc security system. I did , and it has been rewarding.

Hey Arsh:
Do you know who Paul Ryan is?
Do you know what a "teabagger" is?
Shame on you.

You must never have worked a day in your life.

You ask-"what's going to happen if they cut govrnment"----
Answr--Time to accept any job listed in the paper. There is a job for everyone, not on the govt take.

Finally, If guns are unnecessary ,
then why do you drive a car that goes over 100 MPH.
That can kill, that is unnecessary. Are you for banning all automobiles exceeding 65MPH?

Gary:
Do you know who the middle class is?
Another question?
Is it possible to be 'middle class" and have accumulated over a miilion dollars in savings?

Are Public school administration , officials, principals, and superintendents Millionairres? Answer ____?

You would be amazed if you take the time to find the answers to these questions.

Hey, the rich have had the "big tax breaks" for the past ten years, Where's the jobs? By the way, Democrats are the middle class. Unless you're earning a million bucks, you shouldn't be anything but a Democrat. Otherwise, you're cutting your own throat.

Furthermore, there are plenty of working poor out there with 2 or more jobs who can't find "cheap" health insurance. Its not on THIS planet.

Steve:
Teachers and firemen and union bosses and every Wall street executive ARE DEMOCRATS. Go google and discover that There are double Democratic Millionairres
vs Republican millionairres in this country.

Bain Capital is ALL DEMOCRATIC Executives.
The reason why Democratic millionairres don't complain about tax increases is because they get it BACK in business or payoffs.

Have you not seen it happen with GM?
Come on, the only Rich who suffer on tax increases are those who do not get it back in favors and payoffs.
It's always been that way.

No, but it sure seems like the perfect thing to tell someone who won't think for themselves.
Just to clarify some of the basic differences in philosophy:
Republicans believe in the system that has worked better than any in history & think we should return to it.
Democrats believe that making government bigger & controlling everything to provide for everyone is not only necessary (when it isn't) but possible (which it also isn't). They believe in that idea, even though it's proven ONLY to fail throughout the entire history of the world.
Democrats believe everyone is accountable to a government that isn't & that everything that belongs to you is theirs to distribute. Anything you have, you only got because they allowed you to get it. And if they get their way, it'll be true.
Democrats want you to believe that your money is theirs, Republicans want to remind you it's the other way around.
Republicans believe that what you make is yours & know that an economy only comes around when the people spend & business thrives.
Democrats believe that everything gets better, the more of your money they take/spend & that we are too stupid to decide how to spend our own money ourself.
Democrats praise themselves for providing a fish, then tell you that building ponds instead, is just an attempt to take away that fish.

"If you're under 30 & a Conservative, you have no heart. If you're over 30 & a Liberal, you have no brain." - Winston Churchill

Compare the resumes. Anybody can regurgitate Wayne & Garth too.

I'm going with Biden. Can't we get this guy some better ointment? I think he's got chronic hoof-in-mouth.

PS - When I look back through history, I can easily find more governments that put people in chains than I can businesses. Is there a different history I'm missing? Maybe those guys in the 30's, you know, the only people allowed to have guns, the guys with the red, white, & black arm-bands, maybe he's right, they may have just been businessmen. Entreprenuers, maybe?. No, it was businessmen, the wealthy, that they were vilifying & hauling away, and telling the goose-stepping people that they owed their wealth to their country. Like Biden. Geez.

"Those who don't learn from history, are doomed to repeat it."
- Edmund Burke

Hey RD:
I wonder if your boss is on social security?
I wonder if you might be the first he lays-off as the 2014 is the year ALL of Obama's
medical TAXES go into affect.
Taking the candy one piece at a time will lead you to the "got-you" crowd of no return. Your future will be dictated by Govt.
So , if you hate Rich people because they are Rich, then eliminating them will make you Rich ----RIGHT?
Here is a rule to remember---Taxing a Rich person more to live in this country, just to give out to those who don't work will increase the cost of everything that Rich person Produces. That means you. Remember, that car you buy was built by the Government, not some Rich engineer who developed the gasoline engines of today.
Pure and simple and true!!!!!!!!

Hey Peter. You have no idea of my personal financial and employment situation, so you quit the foolish inferences.

I do not hate rich people. They probably have good and bad in same proportions as other people. However, it is obvious they have power in this country well beyond their singlular votes.

Let me ask you some questions Peter - why do you think wealthy people are donating exhorbinant amounts of money to campaigns of both major parties and lobbying efforts? Do you think it is out of the goodness of their hearts?
This research shows a 220 times return on investment for lobbying.
http://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=1375082
Naive.

When the tax rates on wealthy and investment income were much higher - businesspeople still did OK.

Melissa, I'm an Independent that has voted for both parties many times over my voting life, but I'm afraid that there isn't any conceivable way that I would vote Republican this election. My own opinion is the GOP has been taken over by ideologues and corporate interests. I'm not particular fond of the Democratic party right now, but they have not fallen completely off their rockers like the GOP has.

Personally, I don't think informed and objective citizen who understands the issues and candidates could vote Republican this election.

Mellissa Well Said:
Read some of my other posts and keep smiling.

Larry:
I am very well informed and "conservative".
What issues do you understand?
What candidates do you understand?
Do you realize that every dollar spent these past 3 years has been borrowed?
It has all been given to people who bough a home, Cars, $60Bil to GM's union to support their Pensions and health plans. ( They lost all their pensions in the stock crash of 2008) maybe you lost money in your 401k. Yet this President took out loans to BUY VOTES. He has borrowed more than$5bil to keep money going to HIS Friends and Democratic voters. He has exempted thousands of HIS democratic voters from the enormous Health TAX coming in yr2014.

DO YOU KNOW WHAT HAS HAPPENED UNDER OBAMA WATCH.
Well I informed and objective. We have an Amatuer in the White house. He has never accomplished a thing in his life. NAME ONE Accomplishment as a citizen Obama. Every job he had has been a Govt check. That is why he will never understand criticism. Private employees take criticism.
So I certainly do understand every issue and personality
I WILL PROUDLY VOTE OUT THE INCOMPETENCE RUNNING THIS COUNTRY.
If you really want to be informed, note that the Democratic Party took control of this country in 2006 NOT 2008. It was the Pelosi-Reid team that intentionally held back the right moves to create a Bush defeat. Obama inherited the greatest Military and claims "HE" caught OBL. Every President inherits a mess. Whining does not make a good leader.

Then an explanation of why government should get bigger & more into our personal lives, or where in the world it's ever worked, ever, or how continuing to spend $41,000+/sec they don't have, with zero interest in passing a budget, is better, should be simple.

Margaret:
Let's say you hire a plumber to fix a leaking pipe that is flooding your basement.
He works on it for 3 days and the water is now 1 foot deep.
Would you listen to any excuses? How long would you give him to fix the mess?
One week--one year?
Well this President promised he would fix this economy. Can you name one fix he has done that will stop the debt from rising? Do you even know how much $Trillions are? Do you know that $20Trillion will be our debt within 6 months?
That is a flood that ZERO fix has been done.
It's over 10 feet in Debt and getting worse.
Yet, You still would allow MORE TIME TO KEEP THE FLOODING going on.
Must be because you are a Democrat. Certainly willing to see Gasoline prices go over $5 per Gallon as he will not even drill to ease prices.
Certainly willing to take a chance your employer might layoff "YOU" as Obama's Health TAX becomes in full swing in yr2014. Sure, our children insured to age 26 and no refusals for pre-existing conditions all are great----BUT NO-ONE talks about the COST. We all are going to pay dearly, as every thing This President has done is FOR VOTES. It's voters like you, who do not know when it's time to change "plumbers" to get the leaking pipes fixed.

How much would you pay someone who tries to mop up the mess before fixing the leak? Or listen to the guy who thinks drilling another hole in the hull will let out the water?

Way to back-up those claims Margaret. Which policies exactly? Which mess? Housing? Unemployment? Tax Burdens? Oil maybe? Solyndra? Spending $41,120 per second he doesn't have? Which indicate intelligence?

"Far right" ideology? Like a smaller, more efficient government? Like making an effort to make changes to the albatross known as medicare so that it isn't a money pit and can actually function? Like freeing up working capital and getting rid of unnecessary regulations that do nothing but restrict the entrepreneur? Like doing away with corporate welfare and leveling playing field for all instead of the chosen few with deep pockets and political connections? Yeah, that's some crazy, far right stuff, eh?

Larry Lazar, I've seen your comments across many different articles of various subjects. If you're an independent....I'm the Queen of England.

Hi Elizabeth and thank you for your response.
Yes, Ryan is an admited follower of Ayn Rand and Austrian Economics. He readily admits that his budget plan is his attempt to implement those ideas into US policy.
This is what makes his plan "far right and ideological".

While I'm sure there are some ideas in his plan that are actually good ones, it's the plans that puts the burden of balancing the budget on the shoulders of those that can least afford it, while cutting taxes for those that can afford it, will not carry well with the electorate.

Again, I think this was a big mistake by Romney.

Yes, I am a centrist on most issues and have voted Republican many times in the past, however the "left-right" continuum has shifted far to the right over the past few decades and what has historically been considered centrist, may now actually be left of center.

No Larry,
It actually puts the burden back on the shoulders of those who created it, and who can most EASILY afford it, the government. How is it that the government is playing the poor victim here? This is their problem, the burden should be on them.
Again, buying the rhetoric that "if the rich don't pay for our screw-ups, who will?" - Ryan's reply is simply "those responsible should be accountable, and make the sacrifices to fix it, not the rich, not the poor, the government."
Rich people didn't spend you into debt, poor people didn't spend you into debt, and neither are responsible for paying for it, this falls back on the government.

It always comes back to that same misdirection.

Look: The government broke this. NOT the people, regardless of how much money they have. It ain't about rich & poor, it's about allowing them to divide us that way.

United We Stand, Divided We Fall
Divide & Conquer

Don't be a part of dividing us.

Thanks for your reply Melissa.
I agree our country is going broke and I share your concern about our fiscal situation.

It's my understanding that Ryan voted for the unfunded Iraq war, expansion of Medicare part D (prescription drug plan) as well as a tax cut for the richest Americans at a period of time where their share of US wealth was growing far faster than the middle class.

While I am disappointed in how the Solyndra affair turned out, the cost of that mistake is a drop in the bucket to the massive ongoing costs of policies from the Bush administration - policies that Ryan voted for.

While this post is about Romneys' choice of Paul Ryan as VP, I can not understand how anyone can say that Romney has a plan to fix our current problems. So far, he has yet to produce any specific plans - which is likely one of reasons he chose Ryan as VP.
re my political position, I will always vote for the best candidate available regardless of party, so no, I am not a "Democrat".
This election, however, I will be voting for Obama. I don't really have a viable alternative.

Re my source for poltical information, while I do not watch any TV, I generally seek information from a wide variety of sources, including sources that many would consider conservative. Generally, I try to find objective, intellligent and fact based sources.
Like you, I make up my own mind and avoid those sources that use fear bating language to make emotional appeals

I used to watch Fox also Steve and I was a regular listener to conservative radio programming. One day I actually decided to look at a few issues myself, objectively and deeply. I chose health care and global warming,

It was through that learning process that I realized that conservative media is all propanganda.

I also felt compelled to write a blog series on human caused climate change. If anyone is interested, it is available below.

http://eureka-wildwood.patch.com/blog_posts/global-warmingclimate-change-post-6-of-13-on-our-watch

Larry, Healthcare & Global Warming? Very objective.
Carbon Footprint is the propaganda. I know it's close to your heart, and you've spent a lot of time studying it. I believe what you've studied, you know. But as always, there's too much left out: HAARP, it's uses, effects & capabilities (that are extraordinary) or how many there are in use around the world, the 1977 treaty between 60 (now 72) nations banning weather manipulation as a weapon except on one's own country (allowed & capable in '77), the lack of success of the "alternative" energy sources (as some of us remember from the 70's) or the Chinese studies concerning them, the amount of CO2 released from even the mildest volcano, the role of Maurice Strong (his goals, agendas, backers, & conflicts of interests), the Hara Corporations of the world (goals & investors), the source of grants & funding for the 'science', that governments across the world know that the ionosphere has free, clean & abundant energy for the whole planet & how to access it (HAARP), that the technology's inventor was removed from textbooks around the time Strong began this carbon-seizure, the amount of money (trillions & trillions per year) involved in the Green movement, who makes that money, the government revenue (cost for us) from the additional regs & lobbies... Just a beginning of the nearly endless list of factors conveniently left out of all of the research. A lot, even for those drinking from a "World's Greatest Scientist" coffee cup.

totally agree with ya Frank

I agree that there is no media source that is truly objective. I generally find that seeking information from a wide variety of souces, from conservative to liberal generally provides the most honest overall perspective.

Again, from my perspective, intelligence has nothing to do with being conservative or liberal as there are intelligent and ignorant people at all points on the political ideological spectrum.

Great point Larry,
It's also hard to find a balance. AND you have to shed interpretations, like with the Freeh report. Unfortunately, that's an example where NONE of our media outlets even bothered to do simple research, and read the report. That's the issue, they all had access to the actual report, but again, NONE read it. Irresponsible, Mob Mentality Media is we have today on both sides. Ratings & Evoking Emotional Responses. That's the what "Journalism" has become, and it's a shame.

"I vote for the candidate I like, Democrat or Republican."
I agree with this if I can change one word - "like" would be replaced with "respect".

I really don't care if I like the candidate or not - it's whether thay have the intelligence and ability to do the job that gets my vote.

Yes--You are correct. It was gushing Before Obama was elected on 2008.

BUT!
Look up year 2006. That is the year congress was changed to 100% Democratic control.
Also look up the unemployment rate in 2005.
Look up the gas prices in 2005.
Look up the US debt in 2005.

RESULT?-------The Leaking pipe was created and started (in 2006) under Democratic Control. The congress did Zero to fix-it. They wanted the leak to continue to get people like you and I to change the "Plumber".
I can live with that as I also fell for the plan.
Margaret --We are heading for the most horrific "Debt flood in history"
I cannot believe you want to stay with this Amateur in the White house.
I don't.

If you took ALL of the money from the 1% it wouldn't put a dent in the debt. And please explain to me how carrying a larger percentage of the tax burden is a "fair share"? If you truly want "fair", you would support a flat tax rate for all. You don't want "fair", you want someone else to cover the lion's share. That way you can keep whining about how life isn't fair and they don't deserve what they had and they should be made to solve all the problems, yada yada yada. If the wealthy paid all the taxes you would still want more. You'd want them to buy you a nicer house, or provide you will a better car or a bigger tv. The top 15% already pay 80% of the taxes. Tell me. At what point have they given their "fair share"?

Hey Sonny, the stimulus didn't work. Ryan didn't vote for it because he didn't think it would work. Turns out he was right. Also, Harry Reid lies & you eat it up. Zero? Lie. Plus, again working from the premise that the government somehow needs their money when they can't or won't manage what they have. Hey, have they hit a budget? Oh, right, they won't pass one. Ryan would.

PS- How is it you don't hate the big businesses that took (your) stimulus money, but hate people who think it was a bad idea to pay them their executive bonuses?
Seems pretty selective.

Or the people who created the need for a stimulus in the first place? Curiouser & Curiouser.

Btw, 13% of $200M is $2.6 million JUST in income taxes. That sounds like a lot. How much more does an irresponsible, wasteful, government need. Hold them accountable. Why is it you refuse to do that? Why do you think it's wise to worry more about what they do with THEIR money, when you support the blantant wasting of YOURS & my money?
You been successfully distracted.

When asked why he will be voting for Obama and Biden, he said:
LOIZZO: I think the biggest thing is education for me. When Representative Ryan would come and talk about issues in class, I would bring up something about education. Of course, his response and logical one, would be that that is a local matter. I would come back with, it's a local matter but when you say you are going to pay for the special education mandates at 60 percent and you only give 15, it really puts a crimp on the local people with the budget.

Education is important to a man like this because it was his career. A agree with him that education of rich and poor is needed to get the best result for America's future.

He could be even nicer than speaking to your kids, he could change the tax laws to remove every loophole that Romney is currently using and pass part of the new revenue to recruit more teachers like you.