Lanier: "Almost 90% of Americans believe our government is off course."

I agree. But none of these guys offered any plan that addresses the big government issue. That's what you get from a Dem forum.

--Knight says that we "ignore our own people who are in despair in our streets." Really? That is a load of crap.--

Jason,

How much good do you think the billions of dollars we've wasted in Iraq and Afghanistan would have done to repair our crumbling schools, to help the unemployed and homeless, to help lower taxes and pay down the national debt?

The fact is a lot of Americans need help, be it direct help as in those that are homeless or unemployed, indirect help in people like myself, or even more indirect help by paying down the debt.

But instead of helping Americans, George Bush has invaded two countries, blown billions of dollars, not succeeded in finding the master-mind of 9/11 and lost several thousands brave American lives in his wars.

No plans and they have no answers to big government.
They also have lost perspective on our problems.

I thought the candidates at best, looked very amateurish.

I caught the "despair in the streets" line too. I don't blame him. He was playing to the intelligence level of the people from whom he wants their vote.

How much good do you think the billions of dollars we've wasted in Iraq and Afghanistan would have done to repair our crumbling schools, to help the unemployed and homeless, to help lower taxes and pay down the national debt?

None. You can't pay down the national debt with borrowed money.

Trillions of dollars have been spent to fight poverty, but the poverty level is virtually unchanged since the late 60's.

Schools are a local issue, the feds getting involved have had an adverse effect on our schools.

I remember when you believed these things.

The fact is a lot of Americans need help, be it direct help as in those that are homeless or unemployed, indirect help in people like myself, or even more indirect help by paying down the debt.

Things are not as bad as you and Rand Knight make them out to be.

People suffer sometimes. It is a fact of life.

But instead of helping Americans, George Bush has invaded two countries, blown billions of dollars, not succeeded in finding the master-mind of 9/11 and lost several thousands brave American lives in his wars.

I am not going to defend the war in Iraq, but Afghanistan is another issue. Judging from your comments, it would seem that you are also opposed to the military action in that country after 9/11.

--Trillions of dollars have been spent to fight poverty, but the poverty level is virtually unchanged since the late 60's.--

So we need to come up with better ways of fighting poverty, but we shouldn't just abandon our fellow Americans.

--Schools are a local issue, the feds getting involved have had an adverse effect on our schools.--

Yes, schools are a local issue and should be locally controlled. However; in areas where the local revenue has fallen to such a point where schools are in disrepair, crumbling around the students and materials are out of date, federal funding would be appropriate.

--I remember when you believed these things.--

I remember where I thought all people were genuinely good and at one point humans thought the Earth was flat and the center of the universe. :-)

--Things are not as bad as you and Rand Knight make them out to be. People suffer sometimes. It is a fact of life.--

First they came for the Jews and I did not speak out because I was not a Jew.

Then they came for the Communists and I did not speak out because I was not a Communist.

Then they came for the trade unionists and I did not speak out because I was not a trade unionist.

Then they came for me
and there was no one left
to speak out for me.

--I am not going to defend the war in Iraq, but Afghanistan is another issue. Judging from your comments, it would seem that you are also opposed to the military action in that country after 9/11.--

I strongly supported the invasion of Afghanistan, however; the military mission in Afghanistan is a failure. Did we find Osama bin Laden? Have we brought stability to that country? Things are getting worse again in Afghanistan because instead of finishing the job there, we took our army and invaded Iraq... and to answer my own question, no we did not find Osama bin Laden and we have not brought him to justice for his crimes.

I can't wait until November and I get to vote for hopefully either Jim Martin or Rand Knight to be the new Senator from Georgia.

Trevor,

The government, led by Democrats, have made up many programs in hopes of eliminating poverty. Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid and SCHIP are among the more recognizable, but each of these programs carries with it a huge price tag and trillions upon trillion of dollars in unfunded liabilities and mandates.

A new program, led by the government, is not going to fix poverty and you are defining insanity if you think otherwise. We cannot spend ourselves in debt and we cannot afford to raise taxes, a move that would only hurt the economy.

Spare me the rhetoric. You are not giving me anything of substance. Life can’t be great for everyone. As Herman Cain often says, there is no Department of Happy. Sometimes there will be people who suffer. I am not saying that it’s fair, I am simply saying that it is a fact of life.

We each have the opportunity to pursue our own version of happiness. We need to make the best of it. I am not saying that there shouldn’t be something in place to help those truly in need, but the government has proven that it is not capable of the task. Private charities, however, may be.

The citizens of the United States are some of the most generous in the world, despite high gas and food prices, last year our citizens donated a record $295 billion to charities.

You were putting Iraq and Afghanistan in the same category in your first comment. Soldiers are still dying in Iraq, but like I said earlier, I am not defending that issue. Afghanistan was a commitment that we knew that it may take a several years to ensure stability in the government and fight off the remnants of al-Qaeda.

As far as hunting bin Laden, I don’t necessarily disagree, but we’d still be in Afghanistan today if we caught him after 9/11.

We're never going to "eliminate" poverty. It's impossible. Any person who says they're going to "eliminate" poverty, be they Republican, Democrat or whatever may be very well meaning... but it's not going to happen. I realize this. However; without the government aid and government programs, millions of Americans would be worse off today... and those programs can be improved for the future.

We also will never know what could have been in Afghanistan if we would have made our main goal to catch bin Laden instead of the misguided direction we ultimately took.

You, Bob Barr, George Bush and John McCain have your rhetoric... me, Barack Obama, Hillary Clinton and Ted Kennedy have our rhetoric... neither side will agree with the other so we can disagree until we're blue in the face and in November it'll be up to the American people to choose which side they think will do the best for the next four years.

If I were voting in the Dem primary, I would vote for Knight. Jones is just well, Jones, and Martin is a perenial has-been.

However; without the government aid and government programs, millions of Americans would be worse off today... and those programs can be improved for the future.

That is conjecture and I'm not sure you can back that up. The poverty rate is virtually unchanged since the inception of "Great Society" programs, yet we are stuck with more than $40 trillion in unfunded liabilities.

The only improvement that has been offered is to increase taxes, which only serves to harm our economy.

"However; without the government aid and government programs, millions of Americans would be worse off today... and those programs can be improved for the future."

What is certain, is that without those programs, I would be better off today. I work hard for every penny that I make. Why is it in my best interest for the government to give my money to somebody else? If I want them to have it, I will give it to them.