How have you suffered???

General General Discussion
1

I know that I make the mods and staff panic when I start political threads, but here goes.

I have been watching a lot of the DNC and one of the things that keeps being said is how bad we as Americans have it under the 8yrs of Bush. I know that my life and my business has never been better. G&R Tactical is doing the best it has EVER done! So I asked my friends and family how they were doing and they are all doing real well. No one I know is complaining about the economy, their salary, or anything else. A lot of people don’t like the high gas prices, but I don’t think they are all that bad (then again I walk to work). :smiley:

So let’s hear it, how bad has your life been for the last 8yrs. Give me some horror stories about your life under Bush’s Presidency!

C4

2

I see our current economic “crisis” as just desserts for speculators and fools.

3

In 2001 I got a good job. About 4 years later I got an even better one. I bought a house in Los Angeles County (okay- on THAT count I guess I DO suffer). I’ve made it overseas on vacation. I’ve had 2 very pretty little girls born- the younger one is destined to be the first female to skipper an ODA*. I’ve managed to put my wife through grad school, and started a decent little (maybe too little, but that’s another story!:D) nest egg.

I’ve suffered terribly, huh?:rolleyes:

I know exactly what you mean, Grant. Sometimes I think that the left literally lives in a parallel universe. In any event, I am not about to let little things like the economy or the occupant of the White House effect my concept of personal success. I reckon most of the folks here feel the same way.

*my 3 year old is a firebreather. when she tearasses around and falls down, she’ll pop back up and, I shit you not, shout “Airborne!” and resume her asshauling. This is very upsetting to her 4 year old sister, who under similar circumstances will get up, dust herself off, and holler “Marine Corps!”. I live in a house divided!:wink:

4

My life has been pretty good the last eight years. My wallet is kind of thin because of the trips to G&R. Stupid libs are making me buy more guns!

5

I am not American, but in the last 8 years I can honestly say that I have had been subjected to some of the stupidest and nonsensical export restrictions ever come about to the gun industry.

I am fully aware that us Canadians are being penalized by the US Gov’t for our Gov’t’s stance on the war in Iraq, but it is seeming every week that the State Dept is applying another former US AWB policy to their exports as if it was still in effect in the US. ie no telestocks, then no flash hiders. give me a break already. Then to piss me off more, we do not require permits to import, but State does…so our gov’t invented import permits…talk to a country in Europe and they say what do you mean permits? give me a break:mad:

In terms of Gas prices…ours are directly connected to yours…I wish I could do what you do Grant…walking to work would be nice…currently I drive 64km one way to work…then again I wouldn’t want to be patrolling where I live…would hate to have to arrest an neighbor. given our proximity, it would be nice to genuinely have free trade between us…I am tired of paying the BOHICA tax on Canadian purchases. Ya I know I could move, but I can’t move my extended family and that is a deal breaker.

Boltgun

6

I think you give Bush a little too much credit to think that he could even have that effect. But since it seems your talking economics, where in the Constitution does it give the president any responsibility over the economy? You can make a weak case that Congress should have any responsibility. So are you saying that your success these past 8 years is courtesy of the democratically controlled congress? :stuck_out_tongue:

7

My industry (automotive) is doing horribly, though I don’t blame the Presidential administration. Particularly in the last 18 months, many companies have declared chapter 11, chapter 7, or are very close to one or the other. Customers go out of business while owing you money, suppliers go out of business while owing you parts, production schedules at the manufacturers are cut and cut again, then cut again.

I heard a statistic for Michigan the other day that I hadn’t heard before - the statewide commercial real estate vacancy rate is about 22%. I get a feeling that in metro Detroit it’s higher than that. The “for lease” signs are fading from months and months in the weather. Forget trying to sell your house around here. Average time on market is now approaching a year and in my neighborhood there are several that are coming up on two.

My company just announced voluntary layoffs at our US manufacturing plant today. You know what comes after that… I’m probably ok for a while due to the nature of my job. Even if we were to close the doors, I’d be one of the guys closing them. I hope it doesn’t come to that, but it could. So while I personally am making more money than I ever have before, the outlook for the future isn’t clear right now.

8

Good point. If you look at when things started to nose-dive as far as the economy, housing market and higher fuel prices it was shortly after the Democrats took control of Congress. Hum…

9

If you are in a personal recession in this market, you have made some serious vocational errors. Thats not a product of our current President. If you are blaming Bush for current barrel prices, you must be too young to remember what the Clinton administration did to US oil manufacturers and private enterprise.

Free enterprise and rapid market adjustments cull the weak. The strong just pay more for their handmade cigars, and pass the costs on.

10

Life was great until the Dems took over Congress…

11

Suffering…watching the American sheep nominate someone who refused to wear an American Flag on his lapel, still refuses to place his hand over his heard during the pledge, repainted the democratic party airframe to cover the flag on the tailwing, and his wife who has never before been proud to be an American UNTIL she thought she could be the first lady.

I served my country, and still defend the flag. I suffer to watch kids and ADULTS disrespect the flag by not standing, not removing a hat for the pledge and show DISRESPECT for our symbol of freedom. That is now being displayed and will now be deemed “OK” because he does it.

My grandfather’s spirits were raised and “troop moral was unable to be measured” as the flag was raised on Mount Suribachi.
The flag, old glory, the standard, stars and stripes…disrespected (in my eyes) by the elected democratic nominee.

I feel suffering watching his disrespectful actions towards what I have sworn to defend.

Maybe a pointless rant to some, but Grant, you asked :wink:

12

If you were in financial distress, got sick and lost your job
or got a divorce…Oh…bought or built an expensive
new home and maxed out your credit…
You may have been hurting during the Bush years…but because of Bush???.
The News Media wants (and will) blame Bush for the war and he will
go down in history for it…they have already printed it.
But the News Media also says everyone wants those good Clinton years back with Obamo,
I say NO WAY!!!

Check out these facts
Taxes under Clinton 1999…Taxes under Bush 2008
Single making 30K - tax $8,400…Single making 30K - tax $4,500
Single making 50K - tax $14,000…Single making 50K - tax $12,500
Single making 75K - tax $23,250…Single making 75K - tax $18,750
Married making 60K - tax $16,800…Married making 60K- tax $9,000
Married making 75K - tax $21,000…Married making 75K - tax $18,750
Married making 125K - tax $38,750…Married making 125K - tax $31,250

Heres the link to more
www.taxfoundation.org/publications/show/151.html

13

amazing to me how most people cant see this. amazing.

14

I work in food sales for a major nationwide broadline distributor. In the last couple of years I have seen my out of pocket fuel costs more than double. I got a new to me car in Feb and since have put 20K unreimbursed miles on it. I have to write my mileage off at the end of the year. Couple that with the increases in fuel prices to bring product in and distribute to our customers, the increases in corn, flour, oil, etc. and the corresponding effect they have on the price of other items, like beef, pork, poultry, eggs, dairy, and corn sweeteners, and we have seen increases of 20-30% in a weeks time on some items. Now these are commodities and rise and fall, but the trend is definitely up, up , UP!

Our bread and butter customers, the mid-priced family style casual dining restaurant, has taken a big hit with families having less and less discretionary income. With the natural competition in the marketplace and a customer base actively searching for the best price, margins are down and the corresponding commissions. I sell more and make the same or less. We, like other industries, have had to introduce a fuel surcharge on deliveries to our customers. Diesel has climbed so fast that it out paced our long term projections within a year and we had to re-figure our matrix. I make a living off of foodservice and we can’t hardly afford to eat out.

Now I don’t think any of this is the result of the Bush administration. More like a dependency on foreign energy sources, natural disasters, and price gouging by those who can.

It has definitely put a pinch on what I can spend with you, reduced the # of rounds I can put down range, and prevented me from taking any classes this year.

Hopefully I’ll get a hell of a mileage refund from the feds next year!:rolleyes:

-RD62

P.S. Glad your business is doing so well!

15

Let’s see, since 2000, just before Bush took office, I’ve:
2000-2004: Completed college with a real degree (BSME)
2001: Met my lovely wife
2003: Married my wife
2004: AWB expired, (yay)
2004: Found a good job straight out of college
2006: Beautiful daughter was born
2008: Sold my home, for a (small) profit
2008: Got a new job, big raise, better benefits
1982-Present: Did not get blown up islamofascists (thanks to those who have kept that from happening despite defeatist whining!)

Yeah, life’s really brought the suck under old Bushitler :rolleyes:

To hell with the whiners. They live and breathe defeat, not because they are oppressed, or restricted, but because they choose it, love it, desire it. Whining is all they know. They’re parasites, they exist in a world where they only have time to bitch because they’re kept free, clothed, fed, and cared for by better men and women around them who are busy quietly keeping the world from falling to pieces. They’re disgusting sacks of garbage, who, lacking any valuable contribution to the world, only want to drag everyone else into misery with them.

It all went to shit when they let the hippies breed. Now the white ponytail crowd is our society’s “elders” and their poorly raised, undisicplined, brainwashed, misguided children is running the show. Then those poor bastards have raised a whole new generation of uselessness to inherit their mess.

Bush may not be the greatest leader we’ve had, but many of the problems faced under his administration have been fallout from the degraded moral, social, and political state of things under his precedessor. But people thought Ol’ Willy was good for their pocketbooks, so they didn’t care if he fiddled while Rome was burning.

Eff’em.

16

I have so much political rage pent up right now concerning a HOST of things. I would fully use up this forums bandwidth if I went into it all.

Bush has had the hardest 2 presidential terms in history. I don’t think anyone can argue that. The ease and rate at which the mob inhales the putrid trash the media puts out and then re-reports on the same stupid mob’s feelings and beliefs, which were based on the garbage THEY (the media) reported, THEN SPINS IT AS A MAJORITY VIEW is frankly impressive.

For those who have missed the last 4-6 months of TV let me summarize it for you. Obama obama obama obama obama obama obama obama obama obama obama obama obama obama clin-obama obama obama clinton obama obama clinton obama oil obama olympics obama oil obama obama mccain is old obama obama dancing with the stars obama obama oil obama.

Anyone think I’m wrong?

I take solace in this. The best candidate I feel wins out more often than not regardless of the media coverage. Locally we had an election for sheriff. The incumbent signs and support were visually very minimal. The opposition was EVERYWHERE. Out in full 100% force. From an outsiders opinion you would think the entire county was for this guy. On the corners with signs, stickers everywhere, commericals ETC. The incumbent (the right choice) won by a landslide.

The intelligent people are the ones you don’t see on TV making the most noise. Those people are the majority, and those people are the ones that vote correctly. McCain v. Obama, to me, is a lesser of 2 evils choice. McCain’s service record deserves absolutely nothing but the uppermost respect, reverence, and gratitude. He truly is an American hero and patriot. However, I feel that record nor his political record make him the best candidate to lead our country. And obama… well… I don’t think I need to get into the reasons why his finger doesn’t belong on the button. It’s all been said on here and many other places before. I will say this: I feel the “he doesn’t deserve to be president because he didn’t wear the flag pin or stand for the national anthem” arguments needs to stop. There are SO MANY MORE… MUCH MUCH MUCH MORE important reasons why he should not be president. To use the few times you have between now and November to attempt to prove your case to others, bringing up truly trivial (in the light of many much more important issues) is a complete waste. Thats like getting in a fight and bypassing the jugular or chin shot and instead flicking them in an ear…

Blaming Bush for things like the economy and Katrina is nothing more than a way to sell more commercials and newspapers. I don’t believe many people who can name the 50 states, know the first 10 amendments, speaks english fluently, knows who our vice president is, and understands the true meaning of responsibility truly believes any of the garbage that is on TV right now. I believe these people to be the majority and surely hope they come and vote.

I have experienced the best 8 years of my life. Financially and personally. I believe I am responsible for that. Not Bush or greenspan, or bernake, or oil, or mortgage lenders, or bond insurers, or speculators, or anything else. The free market is what it is and I made the best I could out of it. Had I failed, what would the reason be that it was any of the above’s fault? If you ever challenge the opinions of those who give them without you asking, I promise you will get nothing but stammering and excuses. At best you might get regurgitated BS from O’reilly, olberman or any of the other cancers on American TV right now.

If left in the hands of the MAJORITY I believe America will strive and grow. The more power that is taken out of our, the people’s, hands the worse our country has become. That’s empirical. We could take a lesson from the Swiss and their direct democracy policy of letting the PEOPLE challenge the laws they disagree with. Furthermore… why does any political office have more than a 1 year term??? Four years is a joke. Nothing gets done typically. Give them one year before another election and watch the influx of progress happen. Someone let me know I not alone on that!!!

I’ve hit just about every bumper in this pinball response but it felt good to get at least 5% of my anger off my chest. Thanks for putting up with me. :cool:

17

This is not directly related to the Government and State Department as it is to international agreements in the traffic of small arms. So you have to thank YOUR government as well as the US and most all the other governments out there for coming up with these international agreements.

In the US, ITAR is the implementation of the agreements that governs this and it prohibits the export of almost all gun parts without an export license from the US State Department. Small shipments under $100 wholesale are exempted from this requirements but you still have to report them. In order to get the licenses, or access to the reporting system to report the small less than $100 wholesale ones, you have to be a registered arms exporter. If you get accepted to that, it costs $1750 a year (or did when I last checked, it could be more). If I were registered, I could send you in Canada a tele stock as long as the wholesale cost were less than $100 and I would not need an export license. But I cannot afford to get registered so I cannot, as these shipments still need to be reported in some sort of export control system.

18

Chad,

you are absolutely correct on many points. The Canadian Gov’t signed onto ITAR and has bought into the idea of Global Gun Control. The US Gov’t has ridiculous fees for exporters and idiotic maximums that require permits. Bsically they want a permit for almost everything.

The point I was making is that the things that are being DENIED permits, change with the winds. Aside from the permits being a pain in the ass, I understand (don’t agree with but understand regardless) the need to have permits for M203’s, Full AR’s, Certain AR Parts, et al. I have an issue with the stupidity that ensues though. Here are some recent examples:

-Telestocks were fair game until the AWB ended. Then no permits were granted for them - matter of fact I was speaking with one of the permit officers in State and he reiterated that Civilians should not have telestocks as theymade the rifle concealable. PARDON??!! Even if I went to a licenced exporter and applied for a permit it would be denied.

  • Remington 700P’s not being exportable due to them being weapons of war…gimme a freeking break!! it’s the same bloody gun as a 700 SPS with a different finish.
  • FH equipped barrels were GTG till the AWB then they are a nono…AWB guns are OK now

Basically, if our laws don’t prohibit the ownership of an item (Ie: High-Cap magazines - another story there) AND a US citizen is able to own it, then why should they be changing the rules weekly? Issue the damn permit already!! How is a KAC SR-25 in a Canuck’s hands different form a Yank’s? :wink:

Well the only thing I can come up with is the politics game of “you’re not playing war with us to the level that we want so we are going to hold out on you”. If I am wrong then smack me and I will stay in my lane.

Boltgun

19

Fiscal conservatives should be ticked off, as very little has been done to encourage fiscal responsibility amongst our legislators.

We’ve narrowly escaped recession twice by dropping interest rates to insanely low levels…which is directly responsible for the falling dollar. Is that GWB’s fault? Not really, it’s the fault of the central bank and congress.

Not to give Clinton a pass…he couldn’t spend what he wanted thanks to the Republican congress, but they lost their way when they had one of their own in the white house.

GWB’s fault? NO.

Are there a metric butt load of very serious economic problems that haven’t been addressed? Absolutely, in fact I challenge you to find credible economists who say otherwise. The question is what impact could he have had on those issues?

Directly he couldn’t have done much at all…other than veto spending bills(which he should have done more of.)

http://www.concordcoalition.org/

20

Nothing inherently wrong with “price gouging,” it’s the market responding to increased demand. If people need it, and it’s too expensive, the market will provide solutions. The alternative would be price fixing. Leave price fixing to Hugo Chavez.