To those who voted.

[bnwitt]

I wish the ticket was Obama/Clinton so we could get a black guy and a babe in the same vote.

Ok, now I have to throw the penalty flag. It is not acceptable to use the words "Hillary Clinton" and "Babe" in the same sentence unless you are referring to the animal in that pig movie. Old log legs is the antithesis of the word "Babe" and calling her one is an insult to babes across the globe.

[bnwitt]

Let's look at this for a moment... the unemployment rate in Rhode Island is currently 9.1%. That's not an empty meaningless number, that means that (rounding up) nearly 10% of the people in Rhode Island who want jobs are having a hard time finding them. Think about this... what if we abolished welfare (hey, it's socialism!) in Rhode Island and dumped all those people into the labor market? It's supply and demand. What would the unemployment rate then be in Rhode Island?

Uh, gee, is this a trick question? The answer is 9.1% People on welfare don't want jobs. Why would you round up a 0.1 % number instead of rounding it down any way? You guys still have welfare in R.I.? I could have sworn Bill Clinton abolished welfare during his terms.

[Abstract]

About the healthcare thing...

until we get the insurance companys straightened out...healthcare will be too expensive for normal people to afford on their own.

When doctors charge you a different rate depending on if you have insurance or not...the system is broken.


Should we privatize it? Maybe. Should we Nationalize it? Maybe.

But the FIRST thing to do is get insurance honest. They rape doctors, withhold payment from deserving clients, and generally strongarm to keep as much as possible for themselves. Anyone who's been in a car accident that wasn't their fault knows how shitty insurance co.s are to deal with.

The insurance lobby is too strong and gives too much money to political campaigns.

We're back to "Get money out of politics"....would cure sooo many ills.

[Deric]

Ok, now I have to throw the penalty flag. It is not acceptable to use the words "Hillary Clinton" and "Babe" in the same sentence unless you are referring to the animal in that pig movie. Old log legs is the antithesis of the word "Babe" and calling her one is an insult to babes across the globe.

Agreed!!!

That's easily the funniest thing I've heard all day. Thanks!!

[bnwitt]

-My choice for president didn't vote with that regime 90% of the time, did yours?

Your choice for president wasn’t old enough to vote for most of the items on your list. He didn't even get into the State Legislature until 1997 which is the year of the last item on your list. With that logic we should put an infant (or any living soul who hasn't been in government at all prior to running) in the Whitehouse. All of the votes which might have affected our chemical/bio warfare projects were probably tacked onto some clean water act anyway. I doubt there was any nefarious reason to vote for those programs by any senator or congressman. I'm sure it was just earmarking to send money to an industry in someones district. They all do it even your choice for president. You bailed out on your logic at the voting booth. You logic dictates that you should have voted for Nader.

I mean really....what was the point of such a long irrelevant post anyway? It’s Just like I said earlier, vote against every incumbent in every election if you want to weaken the power mongers.

[jimipage]

I wish the ticket was Obama/Clinton so we could get a black guy and a babe in the same vote.

Ok, now I have to throw the penalty flag. It is not acceptable to use the words "Hillary Clinton" and "Babe" in the same sentence unless you are referring to the animal in that pig movie. Old log legs is the antithesis of the word "Babe" and calling her one is an insult to babes across the globe.

you know the difference between Hillary Clinton and a manhole cover?

if you really had to, you could eat the manhole cover

[CaseyJones]

I wish the ticket was Obama/Clinton so we could get a black guy and a babe in the same vote.

Ok, now I have to throw the penalty flag. It is not acceptable to use the words "Hillary Clinton" and "Babe" in the same sentence unless you are referring to the animal in that pig movie. Old log legs is the antithesis of the word "Babe" and calling her one is an insult to babes across the globe.

Yeah, I guess you got me there. I wuz usin' the term more in the generic sense, I suppose she has the correct gear. (shudder!)

As we get older "babe" is more broadly applied (pardon the pun!) and my eyesight ain't what it used to be.

It's a tough call. Hillary doesn't like my Second Ammendment rights, Palin would begrudge me my First Ammendment Rights. I need 'em both, First and Second Ammendments that is. The First Ammendment gives me the right to shoot off my big mouth. The Second Ammendment gives me the right to shoot off my big gun... to get me outta the trouble my big mouth got me into!

Let's look at this for a moment... the unemployment rate in Rhode Island is currently 9.1%. That's not an empty meaningless number, that means that (rounding up) nearly 10% of the people in Rhode Island who want jobs are having a hard time finding them. Think about this... what if we abolished welfare (hey, it's socialism!) in Rhode Island and dumped all those people into the labor market? It's supply and demand. What would the unemployment rate then be in Rhode Island?

Uh, gee, is this a trick question? The answer is 9.1% People on welfare don't want jobs. Why would you round up a 0.1 % number instead of rounding it down any way? You guys still have welfare in R.I.? I could have sworn Bill Clinton abolished welfare during his terms.

It's not a trick question and I don't live in Rhode Island. The way it works in practice is hungry SOBs will walk into my workplace and work cheaper than I will... if they're hungry enough.

Willing to work or not... give them a check and it bolsters the economy. They then spend the check at Mall-Wart, Rent-a-Center, the gas station on the corner... the landlord gets a chunk of it...

It keeps them out of the labor pool so they don't erode my wage.

So... which would you prefer...

Give billions to the banks. The banks buy more banks, they also pay their executives massive bonuses.

Or: how much human misery can you avert with a million dollars? With a billion dollars?

It boggles my little mind but like I said, my mind is easily boggled. Why oh why do people who are already filthy rich need more money?

Tell you what... give me a billion... no, make that a hundred million, I'm not greedy. I'll let you know how it goes.

[bnwitt]

Casey I love ya man. You have an optimistic view of people. You see the problem with giving people money is it dampens them and perpetuates their misery and ours. What we've been doing in this country for too many years now is interfering with Darwinism. We keep finding one way or another to prop up those whose genetic makeup would normally prevent them from surviving and reproducing. As a result, the gene pool isn’t getting any better.

These hungry SOBs you mention aren’t going to be working for cheaper than you will as they have no skills and no motivation to get any. When they get hungry enough they rob a liquor store or break into someone’s house. What would I prefer? I’d prefer to let them starve to death or at least stay hungry enough that their sperm or eggs aren’t viable. You want a check every month, then its temporary sterilization for you until you’ve proven yourself to be self sufficient and can yourself afford the sterilization reversal procedure. I know it sounds cruel, but mankind has made no evolutionary progress in the last 200 years due to this interference. We’re going nowhere fast thanks to our bleeding hearts. We should be spending money to advance civilization not to prop up the worst of our species. Improve food production, energy efficiency, etc, not hand out checks to those that aren’t even help pull the wagon. Yeah, I’m cruel.

Oh, I'm curious, what makes you think Palin begrudges you your right to free speech?

[butwhatif]

I'm pushed to the cliff w/ this--what was wrong with the economy in the 50's, 60's 70's, -replete with welfare checks, unions, handouts for many. Now these same people resort to knock gas stations so they and/or their family can eat once a month. Can't catch 'em all. The bailouts for the rich, that money's gone forever. Whatta country, coulda bought lots of good things with it for all us 'socialists' . Prosperity ain't ever gonna come from the top down, they had their chance to prove it.

[bnwitt]

You won't catch me supporting the bail out. What cracks me up is that there are still two joe sixpack camps here. Lefties spouting bottom up and righties spouting trickle down. You righties are idiots.....You lefties are idiots...

Wake up America! Both sides are as crooked as a dog's hind leg. Neither the Dems or the Reps will ever tell you the truth of do anything for anyone but themselves. Is everyone so naive to still be believing their crap? It's all about controlling and skimming billions off of a multi-trillion dollar federal pot. Vote em all out on the next cycle. Get into local politics yourself and make a change. You'll get no help from the feds either way. The poor folks aren't going to get any dough from BO any more than they have from any other Dem

[Structo]

Yeah, but now we will have trickle up poverty@

[Tubetwang]

Where's your spirit?

Where's your Jesus??

Something is wrong when the richest country on earth denies it's citizens universal free health coverage.

Forget words like Socialism, Democrat, Liberal, for a minute...

Watching tv last night...this documentory on PBS or whatever...this soldier coming back from Irak for the third time...shoots himself in the kitchen...his wife and kids saying that he was agressive, unable to sleep right...dreaming of rape, killings, body parts.

Dude saw his buddies blow up in a convoy.

Dude was seaking psychological help from the Army.
After conselling...psychiatric help was denied...
His wike kept saying that the kids were scared of him, that Duder was full of rage and "different"...

Widow sued Army.

Army gave 10 grand to widow. Case closed..

I say give every citizen free education and free health coverage.
Give yourself a better world!
You deserve it!!
You'll be happier, i promise...

That is coming from a capitalist who ran his own business...
I'm also an atheist who don't believe in religion.
You know what is right and what is wrong, don't you, BOY???

[CaseyJones]

Casey I love ya man. You have an optimistic view of people. You see the problem with giving people money is it dampens them and perpetuates their misery and ours.

Show me da money! Gimme da money!

You're right, money won' t buy me happiness. Still... I'd prefer filthy rich and miserable to bein' dirt poor an miserable... given the choice!

These hungry SOBs you mention aren’t going to be working for cheaper than you will as they have no skills and no motivation to get any. When they get hungry enough they rob a liquor store or break into someone’s house. What would I prefer? I’d prefer to let them starve to death or at least stay hungry enough that their sperm or eggs aren’t viable. You want a check every month, then its temporary sterilization for you until you’ve proven yourself to be self sufficient and can yourself afford the sterilization reversal procedure. I know it sounds cruel, but mankind has made no evolutionary progress in the last 200 years due to this interference. We’re going nowhere fast thanks to our bleeding hearts. We should be spending money to advance civilization not to prop up the worst of our species. Improve food production, energy efficiency, etc, not hand out checks to those that aren’t even help pull the wagon. Yeah, I’m cruel.

We'll go through this for real first and for fun second.

For real: Manufacturers outsource jobs outside the U.S. borders in search of cheaper labor. Given a choice of cheap labor here they'll grab it... if its' cheap enough.

"We" had mutants drag their knuckles across my manufacturing floor because the State subsidizes their wages. It's pretty simple, I want a Union wage for my skilled labor. Unions have been gutted, nutted and discredited but like I said I'm chaotic I mean Quixotic, I'm wavin' the flag for a way of life. So... management hires ex-con "trainees" because Melvin the Mutant costs the company less than $5.00 per hour after the subsidy. Company tells yer Humble Narrator, "train this (douchebag)!" Yeah, great. Now I gotta waste my time training some schlub who ain't got the skill, ain't got the background and ain't got the desire... 'cuz if he works out he'll work cheap! If he works out he might end up doin' a job one of my guys are doin' right now. Sure, odds are it won't work out but I take it as a sign of disrespect. Screw the money, it disrespects me and my skill.

I literally had some corner office dickhead come up to me once and say, "Casey, I need you to write me a report with ten ways we can elimnate your job by the end of the week." Gee... Thanks, Pal!

O.k., now for the fun part. Say just fer the sake of discussion Your Humble Narrator walks into a the ground floor of a bank, stocking over his head and gun in his hand. Yeah I know, dumb move, I'm not gonna do it but bear with me. If I'm lucky I run out the door with a bag of cash but odds are I'm gonna get caught. I'm gonna get caught, I'm gonna get tried, I'm gonna get convicted. I'm gonna get convicted and I might end up as someone's bitch down at the jail 'cuz dammit, I'm just not mean enough to rise to the top of that pecking order.

Now the counterpoint... Joe Pinstripes has a corner office 25 floors up. He's makin' a salary that has you and me bought and paid for, he gets bonuses you and I could run another business each on. He has a house out in the suburbs, he pays more in property taxes than I make in a year. He gets paid to move money back and forth but he never touches the money. He moves an arrow around on the computer screen, he takes two hour three martini lunches. He goes to meetings here and there, the most physical work he does is signing something. He thought credit default swaps were a very cool idea so he signed his bank up for a lot of them. Turns out his bank is leveraged 40:1 which to my mind is very close to theft.

Here's the contrast, I walk in on the ground floor and steal what, tens of thousands? A hundred something thousand on a good day? I'd surely end up in jail and it's an obvious, logical and predictable outcome. Steal and you get caught, get caught and you get tried, get tried and you get convicted, get convicted and you go to jail. O.k., there are gaps in the system so it might not go exactly like that but that's how its supposed to work.

Joe Pinstripes in effect rips his company off for billions and he gets a golden parachute. We can't have Joe Pinstripes live in anything less that the style to which he's become accustomed!

Oh, I'm curious, what makes you think Palin begrudges you your right to free speech?

Nothing. Not much, anyway. It's poetic license. I needed something to make the two "babes" / First Ammendment / Second Ammendment gag work and she was handy.

You lefties are idiots...

Hendrix was lefty...

So's Dick Dale!

[tubetek]

"You're right, money won' t buy me happiness. Still... I'd prefer filthy rich and miserable to bein' dirt poor an miserable... given the choice!"

LOL Reminds me of an old David Lee Roth quote...
"Yes, It's true that money won't buy you happiness BUT...
If you have enough money you can buy a big yacht and sail right up alongside happiness AND look damn good doin' it!" (And, piss off the other "happy" people in the process!!)
Love all you guys AND respect your opinions whether I agree or not.
tomT

[Structo]

Glad you guys keep your sense of humor.
Me too, life is too short.

Let's get back to stuffing components and making noise!

Remember, keep the smoke in and have fun.