ACHTUNG!: Alka-Seltzer recommended

[trbig]

To me, getting mad at a corporation for making money is like getting mad at someone for breathing.

See.... there are some people still going around breathing MY air that I think shouldn't be.... and that pisses me off! lol. Seriously... people that go around in the world solely to mooch off of others and feel like everybody owes them something.... or people that go out of their way to screw up other people's lives... Kill em all and let God sort 'em out.
So.... anybody for that beer and Yammer Hammer talk yet??




Tod

[BLUEJEEPLAB]

Libertarian has looked good for years for several reasons. Only one thing that really bothers me about them is they are isolationists to the tee.

That is the FIRST thing that keeps me from becoming a Libertarian. I work as a Business Analyst and understand that our Market is a WORLD market. Capital grows only when it can be drawn from new sources. If we limit our business to only ourselves, at best, we can only remain static, because the resources are limited to our borders. Economies are not static, they always change, what was once agrarian becomes industrial, what was once industrial becomes technical, what was technical becomes???

The Libertarians have never put forth any "electable" candidates.

Another reason I have continued to vote for Republicans. It's not to say I wouldn't vote for a Dem. but they just don't ever seem to frame my Moral and Economic views.

This eminent domain abuse MUST STOP. one of the founding principles of our nation is individual property rights.

Can I get an AMEN?!!!!! I cannot stop wondering what the HELL local governments are thinking and how they can sleep at night while STEALING the property of their constituents. Even more importantly, how long can we sleep comfortably before every city, town and village decides our property is fodder for a developer with a deeper check book than ours?

No Quote for this one, Reaganomics works. The less a corporation or persons pay in taxes on the odd stuff, the more profit they make. The more profit they make, the more the shareholders make, the more income tax they pay. Also, the less the government takes off the top, the more goes back into our economy. The more that goes back into the economy, the more the economy grows. The more the economy grows, the more jobs are created. The more jobs created, the more income taxes are paid. Get the drift? I know someone will say that the jobs created are minimum wage jobs. Some are, but see my comments about Economies not being static. If you want a better job, get a better education or learn a new skill. The Constitution does not guarantee your jobs skills for life. Look it up. I'm 47 and changed my career focus 3 times to match changing times. Might have to do it once or twice more. (Hi, Welcome to Walmart... )

[MAXIMAN]

Originally posted by xs650mike
Well I happen to live in a state that is pretty much self-sufficient as far as oil goes. The oil companies have actually shut down refineries to keep the gas prices up.

That is not right..

The reason California refineries have been shut down is because the people of the great state of California are on of those..NOT IN MY BACKYARD!!! states.

So the legislature and evironNazis of California have passed utterly absurd envrionment standards to the point that they can no longer opperate those refineries.

If they had to spend the capital to get those refinieries up to the insane standards that the state requires you'd be paying a helluva lot more for gas than you are.

So they move those refining operations offshore (overseas) to keep cost down and profits up.

[MAXIMAN]

BLUE

Brilliant minds think alike ....ok ok so I'm not so brilliant.

But I am sure you ... like me you are not opposed to eminent domain altogether ...just those instances where it is abused. You must well know that eminent domain is allowed for in the Constituion. But it is reserved for cases where seized property will be for "public use". NOT to take it from one private entity and give it to another simply because it will raise tax revenues. It's time for another Boston Tea Party.

Yet that is precisely what the Supreme court wrongly decided a few months ago. There again look at which judges voted in favor and which were against empowering the government to be abusive. Shall I?

I think it was Kennedy, Souter, Ginsberg and (thank God she's gone ) O'Connor.

Thomas and Scalia were two of the dissenters. Hopefully this issue will be revisted upon the court again. I think the wrong may well be righted (pun not intended but it works).

Some will say "O'Connor was a conservative. But she hasn't proved it by me. Just because Reagan appointed her didn't automaticall give her a brain.

[BLUEJEEPLAB]

Hey Tod,

I'm ready for the Beer and Yammer talk. I started Battle Cruiser's transformation from Grey to Blue (Navy Blue Metallic) today. I have him stripped of all paintable body parts, have the ding worked out of the tank and the tank ready for Primer.

The big question is do I replace the XS Eleven Special Side Cover emblems with USN Chief's Anchors and Surface Warfare emblems or not?

No Democrat or Republican partisan replies will be considered.

[BLUEJEEPLAB]

I think I'll start a poll on the matter of CPO emblems vs XS emblems

[MAXIMAN]

Originally posted by BLUEJEEPLAB
I know someone will say that the jobs created are minimum wage jobs.

Hmmm...they may say that but it really makes no sense. More people are buying homes today than ever. Home ownership is way up...across ALL socio-economic and ethnic boundaries.

And anybody with a brain knows you can't qualify to buy a home on minimum wage.

One more thing about minimum wage. $5.50 an hour is a freeking JOKE! If the proponents of minimum wage were serious that would push for a minimum wage that people could actually live on...say $12 or $15 an hour.

Of course they would never do that. That would free those people from having to depend on said politicans and they wouldn't be voting for them anymore. Minimum wage is like the carrot on a stick just beyond the horses mouth.

[xs650mike]

Originally posted by Pat Kelly
The person who put an "S" in the word "lisp" was just mean.

Thay what?

[BLUEJEEPLAB]

Max,

I was just acknowledging that there are pessimists out there. I agree that 5.50 is a joke. You need 10 or better now a days to support a family. Thus my enjoinder to improve skills or education.

Here's a problem I struggle with every day. My religious beliefs call upon me to help the poor. This is not a problem, the problem is that Poor is a condition that seems to perpetuate itself and Poor is misdefined in this country. Poor many times in this country is that you cannot afford to have Tommy Hilfiger's name plastered on your A _ _ or your sneakers aren;t the same ones Kobe wears.

As a Sailor in the USN for over 20 years, I have seen poor. Poor is in Sri Lanka where whole families sleep in doorways. Poor is Somalia where unless you steal or kill, you go hungry.

Yes, there are people in this country that go hungry, and we have to find them and help them. For those getting help from the government, I urge them to get going and find a way to get off the dole. My view is that anything the government is willing to give away is probably not really what I want in the first place.

The second comment is that we are not all going to be rich unless we are going to work for it. I personally am happy to work hard enough to be comfortable, I don't care to be rich (After all, all I need is an XS 1100 and SWMBO, the rest is Gravy), but if you want to get rich in this country, you just have to want to and WORK at it.

So if you ain't rich, but you got food in your belly, a roof over your head and clothes on your back (Not Tommy H necessarilly), don;t look for hand outs and get to work.

[BLUEJEEPLAB]

Mike

Thay what?

Wath tho funny?

[BLUEJEEPLAB]

Maximan

But I am sure you ... like me you are not opposed to eminent domain altogether ...just those instances where it is abused. Y

Absolutely. Build a Hospital, an airport, an extension to a highway to move commerce, great. Pay market price on fair appraisals. That's not wrong.

Call a decent neighborhood blighted because it's waterfront and older in order to let a Condo developer move in and I am PISSED OFF. That is wrong.

[xs650mike]

Originally posted by MAXIMAN
One more thing about minimum wage. $5.50 an hour is a freeking JOKE! If the proponents of minimum wage were serious that would push for a minimum wage that people could actually live on...say $12 or $15 an hour.

Well San Franfreakshow raised their minimum wage up to IIRC $8.50 or $9 an hour (which is probably the equivalent to $5.50 in OK given the cost of living there) and there were all these dire predictions that all these businesses would go belly up and restaurants would close and the exact opposite happened. Restaurant prices went up very slightly but business profits increased across the board since people had more money to spend.

A recent bonehead play by the oh so politically correct SF Board of Stupidvisors was to nix the USS Iowa museum plan on the grounds that it "glorifies war". Of course they ignore the fact that the battleship was built to replace the battleships that the Japanese sunk at Pearl Harbor. That's not glorifiying war, that's remembering history. What a bunch of moroons.

Bluejeeplab...go for the Chief's anchors and Surface Warfare emblems.

[MAXIMAN]

Originally posted by xs650mike
Well San Franfreakshow raised their minimum wage up to IIRC $8.50 or $9 an hour (which is probably the equivalent to $5.50 in OK given the cost of living there) and there were all these dire predictions that all these businesses would go belly up and restaurants would close and the exact opposite happened. Restaurant prices went up very slightly but business profits increased across the board since people had more money to spend.

Interesting. I did not know that. I will try to read up on the specifics. But of course they wouldn't go belly up...they'd just have to alter their business model to accomodate the change. Afterall ... $5.50 to $9 isn't a deal killer. However I would think $5.50 to $15 would be.

There is a limit to what any business can pay their employees. But $5.50 is simply a joke. If we are going to set a minimum then the minimum needs to be something that a guy can live on.

[MAXIMAN]

Here's a problem I struggle with every day. My religious beliefs call upon me to help the poor. This is not a problem, the problem is that Poor is a condition that seems to perpetuate itself and Poor is misdefined in this country. Poor many times in this country is that you cannot afford to have Tommy Hilfiger's name plastered on your A _ _ or your sneakers aren;t the same ones Kobe wears.

Now I'm gonna get up on my PULPIT!

I am in the same predicament. If the truth be known the Church has fallen down on the job. Years ago the church was the primary entity that "fed the poor". It's not today.

As a Sailor in the USN for over 20 years, I have seen poor. Poor is in Sri Lanka where whole families sleep in doorways. Poor is Somalia where unless you steal or kill, you go hungry.

Yes, there are people in this country that go hungry, and we have to find them and help them. For those getting help from the government, I urge them to get going and find a way to get off the dole. My view is that anything the government is willing to give away is probably not really what I want in the first place.

The majority of the "poor" in America live like Kings compared to the rest of the world. I find it somewhat disturbing when I'm standing in line a Wal-mart at 5 pm and a 30 year old woman in front of me pays for cigarettes and beer in cash. Then pays for a couple hundred dollars of food with food stamps. She looks like she just rolled out of bed and she's literally cursing at her 3 kids that are running up and down the aisles as her cell phone rings.

You and I pay for her food. At least ... for now...she's paying for her own cigarettes, beer and cell phone. But don't hold your breath. I'm sure if Ted Kennedy, Alec Baldwin and George LOONEY have their way we'll be forced to pay for that too.

[trbig]

Hey Blue...

I have a couple dings in my tank. How did you work them out? Mine are all from when I was working on my bike.... tank was off... kid knocked my Mt Bike over... handlebar right onto the tank... DING! 2nd one... seat covers it up... but I moved it out of the way so that couldn't happen again... then I was backing up... carrying my extra motor... and steped right on the &@%^#$ thing! I was thinking dry ice and a blow dryer.. (Hot/ cold) and try to get them out, but the stepped on one will probably require some body work and bondo. I'd hate to go drilling holes in it and use a dent puller.
Sorry if I ambushed your political thread guys!

Tod