[Kosh]

*Except if you're middle class in which case you're screwed

(Reuters) - The Senate on Thursday blocked a Republican plan to extend the payroll tax cut for workers for one year.

By a vote of 78-20, the Senate defeated the Republican legislation. Earlier, the Senate killed a Democratic version of the payroll tax cut extension.

Senate leaders are expected to begin negotiating a compromise. Under current law, the payroll tax cut for workers is scheduled to expire on December 31.

The House of Representatives has not yet come up with its version of a payroll tax cut extension but is expected to do so now that Speaker John Boehner has signaled his support.

So they defeat the democrat's plan to keep the payroll tax cut, and then half of them turn around and defeat their own party's plan to keep the payroll tax cut. Just wow.

[Scotty]

What, exactly, is your surprise coming from?

The fact that the GOP Senators and Representatives voted consistently along policy lines rather than party lines?  While that's certainly surprising for Congress, that doesn't seem to be why you're posting this.

[FlamingCobra]

Please avoid topics like this.

I say this for the sake of everyone else here on Hard Light Productions.

It makes me upset or angry, and no one on this forum likes it when I go on an emotionally-charged rant about how the middle class always gets screwed.

Everyone here knows exactly how that ends.

[SypheDMar]

FlamingCobra: Nobody cares what you think.

I'm a bit more pleased that the Republicans are (somewhat) divided among themselves again, but I worry that it's for no reason other than to blame the Democrats during the compromised bill.

[Kosh]

What, exactly, is your surprise coming from?

The fact that the GOP Senators and Representatives voted consistently along policy lines rather than party lines?  While that's certainly surprising for Congress, that doesn't seem to be why you're posting this.

Actually yes, that is why I'm posting this. Some users here are Americans and if this doesnt go through their taxes will go up at the end of the year. Historically the GOP wasn't this blatantly anti-middle class, and that is a trend worth watching.

[BloodEagle]

Please avoid topics like this.

[NGTM-1R]

FlamingCobra is probably right. Kosh posts such threads as this to share his utterly useless righteous indignation with us in the hope we will approve of it and reinforce him by sharing it. He responds to rejection poorly, and the threads contribute significantly to hostility in GenDisc and on the site.

It's tired. It's boring. It's old. We know about this **** already. Lay off.

[Mikes]

It's tired. It's boring. It's old. We know about this **** already. Lay off.

Mhhh... but no matter what the actual topic (as long as it's not a direct rules violation) gen disc is there to discuss it, as long as people want to discuss it...
If it's not worth discussing then one can just refrain from posting and things will take care of itself, right?

In any case, telling people to "Lay off" likely will directly produce the hostility you say you want to avoid.

[Turambar]

It's the US.  Our liberals are conservative, our conservatives are fascists and theocrats.  It's annoying but i have no idea how to fix it.

[Fineus]

Having had a fairly long day of it already I'm feeling a little less generous with regards to behaviour around here. So in the order that you posted rather than any order of seriousness of transgression:

FlamingCobra: If you don't like the thread then avoid it. I'm sorry but you can't expect the whole forums posting habits to revolve around whether you will or won't get wound up about the chosen topic. If it's an issue - rise above and steer clear or use the "report" function if it's a personal attack / spam / etc.

SypheDMar: Saying "nobody cares what you think" is not going to help the situation along. Keep that to yourself thank you.

Kosh: Whilst some users here are American, please realise that some are not. That doesn't mean American politics / actions / whatever cannot be discussed here but just as you'd quickly get tired of seeing thread after thread of German or British or Indian political movements - so it is for those of us who reside in the rest of the world. Feel free to discuss current events but know that HLP is not your personal soap box (which goes for everyone really - don't take this too personally).

BloodEagle: Was that helpful? Did it contribute? I'll say no more.

NGTM-1R: Again, while I agree that it would be nice to keep HLP General "General" and not "American Political Discussion", I'm obliged to say that as with FlamingCobra - if it really gets your blood pumping to read this stuff then try and steer clear of it so long as it's not breaking any forum rules - in which case that's what the report function is for.

Mikes: Whilst I agree that it's not for one person to dictate what is / isn't discussed in the General forum - just use the "report" function next time and I can step in and type this long essay like so.

That's it folks. I'm not going to lock this thread or start chewing people out further but if things continue to go downhill then that's what will happen - unless of course it's obvious that it's just one or two people doing their best to get it locked (and then the ban-stick comes out). I'm not looking for a long discussion on what has been said here - just take it in and move on / go back to the topic / whatever you feel is necessary... otherwise have a good morning/evening/whatever your respective time zones are

[Flipside]

Damn, you beat me to it

If this does continue, I'll look at a split-lock, this thread is no different to any of the others out there and FlamingCobra, of all people, should be aware that as long as it's relevant, it's allowed. After all, using that line of thought I could have locked the Dragonball Z thread because I have no interest in it whatsoever. And if you feel that you cannot retain control of your temper when typing, then my advice would be to go get a drink and do something else for five minutes, there is no built in imperative to reply immediately in a Forum, it's one of the great things about it, so you can take time to come up with a reply that is more contemplative than reactionary

[LordMelvin]

It's the US.  Our liberals are conservative, our conservatives are fascists and theocrats.  It's annoying but i have no idea how to fix it.

Move to Vermont and vote for the socialist Senator? I think Bernie's up again this fall.

*note: I'm using socialist in the factual, rather than the more common hyperbolic sense. Vermont's junior senator is the only US senator to have held an elected office as a member of the socialist party. *

[FlamingCobra]

FlamingCobra: If you don't like the thread then avoid it. I'm sorry but you can't expect the whole forums posting habits to revolve around whether you will or won't get wound up about the chosen topic. If it's an issue - rise above and steer clear or use the "report" function if it's a personal attack / spam / etc.

I'm sorry v.v

Damn, you beat me to it

If this does continue, I'll look at a split-lock, this thread is no different to any of the others out there and FlamingCobra, of all people, should be aware that as long as it's relevant, it's allowed. After all, using that line of thought I could have locked the Dragonball Z thread because I have no interest in it whatsoever. And if you feel that you cannot retain control of your temper when typing, then my advice would be to go get a drink and do something else for five minutes, there is no built in imperative to reply immediately in a Forum, it's one of the great things about it, so you can take time to come up with a reply that is more contemplative than reactionary

I appreciate your advice. I'll try to remember it.
I'd probably better stock up on the Mountain Dew, too.

[BloodEagle]

Flipside sort-of actually put into words what I meant to convey with the image.  I wasn't intending to simply insult someone or degrade the thread at all, but to point out the 'irony' in the statement I quoted.

Apparently it wasn't taken that way, so I'll try to be more careful about that in the future. My bad.

[AtomicClucker]

It's the US.  Our liberals are conservative, our conservatives are fascists and theocrats.  It's annoying but i have no idea how to fix it.

Congress, as Mark Twain put it, "I know of no American criminal class except that of the American congress."

[NGTM-1R]

NGTM-1R: Again, while I agree that it would be nice to keep HLP General "General" and not "American Political Discussion", I'm obliged to say that as with FlamingCobra - if it really gets your blood pumping to read this stuff then try and steer clear of it so long as it's not breaking any forum rules - in which case that's what the report function is for.

I'm sorry, but that more or less completely missed the points I was trying to convey.

Blood pumping? No. It significantly slows it down. I said it was tired. I said it was old. I said it was useless. I meant all these things. I am commentating upon a pattern of behavior that has made our beloved forum a less interesting and less civil place, that has left me tired and bored with it. It has nothing to do with American Politics Discussion and everything to do with the manner of people serving up what they regard as an atrocity and a one-liner in the hopes we'll react.

You might as well rebuke Mars for the Religious Discussion on HLP thread while you're at it if that's your response to my post.

[Aardwolf]

It's the US.  Our liberals are conservative, our conservatives are fascists and theocrats.  It's annoying but i have no idea how to fix it.

Move to Vermont and vote for the socialist Senator? I think Bernie's up again this fall.

*note: I'm using socialist in the factual, rather than the more common hyperbolic sense. Vermont's junior senator is the only US senator to have held an elected office as a member of the socialist party. *

That sounds awesome

[karajorma]

Blood pumping? No. It significantly slows it down. I said it was tired. I said it was old. I said it was useless. I meant all these things. I am commentating upon a pattern of behavior that has made our beloved forum a less interesting and less civil place, that has left me tired and bored with it. It has nothing to do with American Politics Discussion and everything to do with the manner of people serving up what they regard as an atrocity and a one-liner in the hopes we'll react.

1) If there is nothing of interest in the post then the thread will die very quickly. What has kept this thread alive was people telling Kosh to STFU. Ignore it and this sort of topic is more likely to go away.

2) Kosh's habit of serving one liners has however earned him a ban when it crossed over into overt trolling.

[Klaustrophobia]

As much as everyone is yelling at kosh for a thread like this, he is FAR from the only one to do it.  It just so happens that there's a large majority here with similar viewpoints, and you all don't care when you agree.  But it's equally (if not more so) annoying to the rest of us.

[Mars]

It's a fairly good topic with a bunch of people trying to make a big deal out of nothing.


As far as the actual topic at hand goes, I'm wondering if this will bolster the Occupy Movment? How much longer are these policies sustainable?