The Seattle chapter of Drinking Liberally meets tonight (and every Tuesday), 8PM at the Montlake Ale House, 2307 24th Avenue E.
Had a busy holiday visiting with family? Need a drink to recover? Come join us for some hoppy beer and hopped up political schmoozing.
Not in Seattle? Washington liberals will also be drinking tonight in the Tri-Cities, and a full listing of Washington’s 11 Drinking Liberally chapters is available here.
UPDATE:
Oops. Turns out the Montlake Ale House is closed tonight. So no Drinking Liberally tonight. Oh man… I’m getting the DL DT’s.
After my ill-fated sojourn into the realm of drunkenness last night (re: bullet hole in ceiling of my burrow), I think I should stay away from Ye Olde Publick House tonight.
SEE REPUBLICANS EAT EACH OTHER!
“GOP Turns Anger on Campaign Committee
“By DAVID ESPO, AP
“WASHINGTON – Narrowly defeated in his bid for a fourth term, Montana Sen. Conrad Burns turned his anger on the National Republican Senatorial Committee and commercials it had run months before the election.
” … [A]mong Republicans, long-hidden tensions are spilling into view, with numerous critics venting their anger at the GOP Senate campaign committee headed by … Sen. Elizabeth Dole. …
“Numerous Republicans also have displayed anger at Bush for the party’s election losses, in particular his decision to wait until after the election to replace Donald H. Rumsfeld as defense secretary. …
“Numerous Republicans expressed anger that a top aide at the Senate campaign committee, political director Blaise Hazelwood, was allowed to devote some of her time to a business she owns. … ”
Quoted under Fair Use; for complete story and/or copyright info see http://tinyurl.com/y6n25v
Roger Rabbit Commentary: Man ya gotta LOVE it!!! Let the intraparty GOP bickering begin!!! Give ’em baseball bats to hit each other with !!! HAR HAR HAR HAR HAR HAR HAR HAR HAR HAR HAR HAR HAR HAR HAR HAR HAR HAR HAR HAR
May I suggest as a topic for discussion, the one proposed in the previous thread, to wit:
“proud leftist says:
As the end of the year approaches, perhaps the time is right to consider which contributor to this blog should win the cherished Wingnut of the Year award. Criteria include: (1) Least acquaintance with reality; (2) Blindest adherence to rightwing talking points; (3) Greatest hostility to the truth; (4) Least degree of self-insight and corresponding deepest hypocrisy; and (5) A personality that makes you rather piss on the person than have a beer with him/her. Though MTR and JCH have been in hot competition for this award all year long, antiliberal has really come on strong over the last couple weeks. For that reason, antiliberal gets my nomination for Wingnut of the Year. Congratulations, you dimwitted bastard!
12/26/2006 at 1:12 pm “
3 I nominate Kevin Carns in all his disguises.
Congress should repeal the tax exemption of for-profit preachers and make them pay the same taxes as everyone else.
Here’s my nominee for most asinine post of the year, although please note this POS was posted on the squeaky little competing blog, not on HA:
Congratulations Speaker Pelosi, now let the bombs fall where they may. My prediction: terror attack on domestic soil passenger aircraft within the next six months. Casualties in the 2-300 range. And, unfortunately, maybe that’s just what we need. It’s obvious people don’t remember what happened 5 years ago. Posted by FullContactPolitics at November 8, 2006 10:52 AM
http://tinyurl.com/ydlfwu
HA’s peripatetic private eye, Richard Pope, fingered “FullContactPolitics” as erstwhile GOP legislative candidate Mark Griswold. Hard to believe this fucking jihadist got 15% of the vote! What were those Republicans thinking when they voted for this idiot who thinks terror attacks on innocent airline passengers is a good campaign strategy for Republicans?
RR at 2: Yea, it was hilarious reading some of the comments, especially from Conrad Burns. He was incredibly lucky, after all his gaffs, to get as close as he did. And yet he wants to blame the advertising strategy for his loss.
Personally, I think any advertising for Conrad Burns only reminded voters what an idiot he was. Perhaps the best strategy was NOT to advertise.
As for the rest of the Republicans, its been interesting to see them change their tune over the past few weeks. First it was “It was Iraq and Rumsfield”. Then it was “we need to return to core conservative values”. Now it is “Dole had a lousy advertising strategy”. By next month, I expect to hear denials that they lost the elections at all (such as MTR’s comments on the previous thread).
A strong base in reality has never been the Republican strong suit in recent years.
RR at 5: Preachers have to pay income taxes like everybody else. They do, however, get a liberal non-taxed “parsonage allowance”, which reduces their taxable income considerably.
The examples recently cited are simply an abuse of the non-profit corporations which allow tax deductions for contributors. I would suggest that the IRS do a few audits, and if the “perks” are out of line, then non-profit status for the corporation can be revoked. That would pretty much dry up much of their revenue. Of course, I doubt that’s going to happen while Bush is in the White House, as some of these preachers are his most ardent supporters, and they can deliver both votes and money to the Republican cause.
One of the problems is that the preachers like to point out that their compensation is not out of line with that given to CEOs of companies of comparable size (in terms of revenue). Therefore they can claim that their perks are “reasonable”. That gets us back to the round-robin of discussing what are reasonable perks, salries, and bonuses for corporate executives.
Preachers also sometimes justify the aircraft purchases based upon the need for frequent travel, sometimes to third-world countries. But taking into account the considerable operating costs of an aircraft, I don’t see any reason why they would need more than one, under any circumstances.
MTR’s Moonbat Rules for tax reform:
1) Don’t call it a tax. Be sure to call it an “investment”.
2) Be sure to say that the tax structure will be “fair”.
3) Make sure that it’s a blend of both sales tax and income tax that is “revenue neutral.”
4) Give iron clad assurances that the rates will NEVER creep up; that’s it’s only to stablize gummint revenue. Taxes would only be raised in an emergency such as building pro sports stadiums.
5) Make mention of the necessity for the winners of life’s lottery to “give back.”
You should call your organization something like “Citizens for Public Investment Fairness.”
The only true “fair” income tax is a single flat-rate tax. People tend to confuse the word “fair” with “favorable.” A tax is only “fair” (in their minds) if it’s “favorable” to whomever they’re supporting and aligned with.
rhp @ 8
As a preacher’s kid, I remember the annual trauma when the church council would take up the issue of my father’s compensation. Parishioners who never showed for church had no problem weighing in on the issue. Invariably, their opinion was that a “man of God,” to show true fealty to the Gospel, should be prepared to live on the charity of those in his flock–a parsonage, gifts of food, etc. Then, there were those who felt that a person who was always on call and had the equivalent of a Ph.D. should be paid enough to pay his bills. With that background, I find the compensation that some pastors of today receive to be mindboggling and downright wrong. The excessiveness of some pastors’ pay makes a strong case for repealing some of the tax advantages that churches have–for instance, the exemption from real property taxes. Such repeal creates some First Amendment tension, but I’m not sure that it’s not the way to go.
A FRIENDLY REMINDER TO ALL YOU WINGNUTS: MAKE SURE YOUR DRIVE YOUR GAS GUZZLING SUV’S. IT SHOWS WHAT TRAITORS YOU ARE. THE MORE YOU DRIVE THE MORE ENDS UP IN OSAMA’S POCKET SO HE CAN KEEP PLOTTING TO KILL US. WHY HASN’T YOUR DEAR LEADER KILLED HIM OR AL-ZAWAHIRI YET? EASY. THOSE GUYS GET HIM RE-ELECTED SO HE CAN KEEP STEALING FOR HIS BUDDIES AND TAKING YOU ALL FOR FOOLS. THAT’S GOING TO BE THE AGENDA OF THE NEXT DEAR LEADER YOU PUT UP. THE MAJORITY OF PEOPLE THANK GOD CAME TO THEIR SENSES AND STARTING THROWING THE BUMS OUT. THAT’S WHAT NOVEMBER SEVENTH WAS ALL ABOUT. YET YOU BLAME THE MSM OR SOME OTHER BULLSHIT AND THAT’S WHY YOU’RE EATING EACH OTHER AT REPUBLICAN GET TOGETHERS. YOU KEEP PUFFING YOUR CHESTS OUT BRAGGING ABOUT HOW CONSERVATIVE YOU ARE AS IF GOING FURTHER TO RIGHT WOULD HELP YOU.
IT WON’T! THE PEOPLE HAVE STOPPED BUYING YOUR BULLSHIT.
HAPPY NEW YEAR!
Libertarian at 10: I stay away from using “fair” when talking about tax policy. It’s a meaningless term in that context.
The only purpose of taxes are to raise revenue to fund the government. How that is accomplished is a competition between competing interest groups. Currently, those that have the most money are winning that competition, as evidenced by Bush’s tax breaks for those earning the most money. That also explains why wages earned “by the sweat of the brow” are the most highly taxed forms of income.
That’s also why the wingnuts are so off-base when they argue that taxation of estates or corporate dividends is not “fair” because it is “double taxation”. So what? So is the sale tax – the income is taxed when you receive it, and again when you spend it!
So as Roland Hjorth used to say, “Don’t get tangled up trying to make it logical, or fair. Its not. Its the tax code, and it’s designed to raise revenue.”
Now, the wingnuts have a double motive when they attack taxes. First, of course, they want someone else to pay them, not themselves. But also, they want to “starve” the government, so it will be forced to dismantle the safety net created during the last 2/3 of the 20th century. Why they want to do this is open to considerable discussion, of course Roger Rabbit on this forum takes the “cheap labor” position that they want to keep workers desperate and ameniable to their bosses demands.
So, all those things being considered, why should we not collect the greater portion of our taxes from those who are in a better position to pay them? Why should not those who receive the most benefits from our political and economic system give back proportionately a greater share of the funds to keep that system intact?
LIBERTARIAN: A FLAT TAX WILL NEVER WORK. IT’S NOT REVENUE NEUTRAL. IF YOU WANT IT REVENUE NEUTRAL IT’S TOTALLY UNFAIR. YOU’RE TALKING ABOUT TAKING OVER 20 PERCENT OF A MIDDLE CLASS PERSON’S INCOME.
A PROGRESSIVE TAX IS THE FAIREST TAX. THE RICH AND CORPORATIONS HAVE MORE TO DEFEND SO THEY WARRANT A HIGHER RATE. A PROGRESSIVE TAX DIDN’T STOP THE ECONOMIC BOOM AFTER WORLD WAR TWO. YOU DON’T HAVE TO TAX AT NINETY PERCENT. A RATE OF FIFTY PERCENT COMBINED LOCAL, STATE AND FEDERAL IS PROBABLY FAIR ENOUGH FOR THE TOP BRACKET. IF RICH PEOPLE OBJECT TO THE RATE THEN AGITATE FOR MORE EFFICIENT GOVERNMENT. THE DOD CAN’T PASS A GAO AUDIT. THAT’S A SCANDAL.
Proud Leftist at 11: Yes, I was on a church “compensation committee” for several years. It was an interesting experience. Of course, our church wasn’t that big, and our pastor didn’t have more than a modest income.
As I said in the previous topic, most members felt that if the pastor was earning less than they were, he deserved a raise. If he was making more than they were, they felt he was making too much. Of course, this attitude makes some sense, because it indirectly ties the pastor’s income to the revenue of the church, and it directly places the pastor in a similar financial position of his parishoners, so that he can identify with their problems.
But considering that there was a wide variety of incomes represented in the church, this didn’t help us much in determining his pay.
I’m not in favor of revoking the property tax exemption, except that I think we need to be careful to segregate property used for religious purposes from those used for commercial enterprises (even if it benefits the church). I think the most effective control is to threaten to revoke the non-profit status of the church if the compensation or perks taken by the pastor are unreasonable.
WOw.. you guys are good. In just a few posts you got “fair”, “revenue neutral” and “give back”.
Anybody up for “investments”?
MTR – WOW YOU STILL HAVEN’T PAID YOUR GAMBLING DEBT. IT’S BEEN OVER A YEAR. WHAT A FUCKSTICK YOU ARE.
PAY THE FUCKING THING OFF AND LEAVE.
Um… just updated the post. Turns out the Montlake Ale House is closed tonight, so there will be no Seattle Drinking Liberally tonight.
Hey Goldy – How are the donations coming? Into 3 figures yet?
Goldy – Why is it Tim makes a very comfortable living doing what he does, and you’re broke doing what you do?
All you freeloaders out there need to make a generous donation to HA.
http://zme.amazon.com/exec/var.....96-4966357
Roger Rabbit, as the biggest freeloader here at HA, I think you should lead by example with a $1000 donation.
What’s the tally goldy?
If HA donations were amounting to anything, Goldy would be gushing all over himself about how humbled and honored he is that you’d give money to him to continue this noble cause.
But in typical moonbat fashion, none of you put a fucking penny into it. You expect somebody else to do it… just like fucking taxes.
Try this… instead of thinking of it as a “donation”…. tell yourself it’s an “Investment”. Try that… Does that make it any easier…?
EVERY APRIL 15TH IS MTR DEPRESSION DAY, THE HAPPIEST DAY AT HA.ORG AND NOT FOR THE TAXES. NOBODY LIKES PAYING THOSE.
FOR HOW IT MAKES MTR FEEL!
MTR, PAY YOUR FUCKING GAMBLING DEBT.
YOS – It’s worse than that. Shit, in January I gotta start sending money down the rathole of Sosh Security again.
YOS – have you made an “investment” in HA?
Didn’t think so… fucking freeloader…
@9
Points well taken – how true, but the labor’s half done; in all equity:
Wingnut Rules for tax reform:
1) Don’t call it a tax. Be sure to call it a “user fee.”
2) Be sure to say that the tax structure will be “pro-growth.”
3) Make sure that it’s a blend of both sales tax and pixie dust to “eliminate the B&O tax.”
4) Give iron clad assurances that the rates will NEVER creep up; that it’s only to prevent deficits. Taxes would only be raised in an emergency such as building pro sports stadia.
5)Make mention of the necessity for the winners of life’s lottery to “amend the United States Constitution to define marriage as the union between a man and a woman.”
They could call their organization something like “American Families for Liberty Investment Enterprises.”
Hey Redneck,
When I envision the society of your dreams, I picture something like that of the Mad Max movies. Everyone for himself/herself, and fuck those who show any empathy for anyone else. Of course, what we’re talking about in contemporary terms is Somalia. You fail to recognize that taxes are a necessary product of a central government and the rule of law, and that disagreement over what taxes are fair, necessary, or even fundamental is unavoidable. You not only lack any moral compass, but I don’t believe you’ve had a lick of education in history, political theory, or sociology. Those are not just “moonbat” subjects. They provide the clues by which we might figure out how to have a society in which dimwits like you can prosper. You should fall on your knees and thank God that you get to pay taxes so you don’t have to drive your armor-plated Hummer through unpaved streets to try to find refuge somewhere that someone isn’t trying to slice up your sorry ass. Go home to wherever it is you hide and be grateful that government, because of taxes, protects you from having to protect yourself.
Has MTR paid the gambling debt he owes to Goldy?
No?
Thought so.
Roger Rabbit @ 6
And Mark Griswold calls himself a “moderate”. And says that certain Republicans are too extreme to get elected. Sort of like the pot calling the kettle black, to use the tired old expression?
Leftist 27 – First… ALL my degrees are in engineering and business. I got news for ya pal… EVERY fucking thing you have around you was brought to you by an engineer and a businessman. You get more of your daily sustenance from a corporation that you do from a gummint bureaucrat.
I’m a self taught student of history. And from that study I know with 100% certainty that Conservatism ALWAYS works and librulism/communism/socialism/marxism…. ALWAYS fails. Certainly GWB is no fucking conservative so don’t get me wrong. I’m talking Reagan style Conservatism.
In my world, guys like you are fucking ASHAMED to be leftists. SAS not “proud” as you are.
I don’t mind paying taxes to support the few legitmate functions of gummint. But…
What I have a hard time with is gummint stealing my money to give to the second richest man in the world to build a football stadium because it’s a fucking “emergency”.
What I have a hard time with is some little slut who breeds uncontrollably and then hands me the bill and keeps on breeding.
What I have a hard time with is people like Roger Rabbit making a lifetime of bad decisions and then wanting me to pay his fucking medical bills.
What I have a hard time with is people who think they are “entitled” to stick their greedy fucking hand in my wallet because their skin is a different color than mine, or they have a vagina, or they like taking it up the ass.
In my world, the stoopid destructive marxist shit we’ve been talking about today has been properly tossed in the shitcan of history. And anybody who trots it out again is held up in the public square and ridiculed for being a fucking idiot. Like you…
MTR – NOBODY CARES WHAT YOU THINK, WHAT YOU’VE GOT, NOTHING!
JUST PAY YOUR FUCKING GAMBLING DEBT AND LEAVE.
Ah, Mark, your testosterone is showing again. I can only hope you get a really big case of cancer, your kidneys go, and and it metastizes to the brain . . . you use us all your health account, you can’t work and you lose you income, and your kids and wife (as if anyone would even consider becoming your spouse) become homeless.
Yes, I find it very easy to wish that upon a misanthrope like you. You deserve it.
Skagit – Huh? What don’t you like?
C’mon “educator” take me on…
Oh man… I’m getting the DL DT’s
Well, there’s Burien tomorrow.
That’s one for the archive pal. A testament to librul tolerance.
Hey Goldy, if enough liberals show up we can convene tonight’s literary proceedings on a park bench and split a jug of Thunderbird!
You’re in deep shit pal.
Wait til your boss sees how tolerant you are of alternative viewpoints.
Dammit my husband is drinking again! I’m getting out of here before he finds the gun.
WHere are you skagit????
Hey c’mon back…
Take me on… point by point
BUSH’S HAIL MARY PLAY: MERCENARIES?
“Military considers recruiting foreigners
“Expedited citizenship would be an incentive
“By Bryan Bender, Globe Staff | December 26, 2006
“WASHINGTON — The armed forces, … struggling to meet recruiting goals, are considering … proposals to open recruiting stations overseas … according to Pentagon officials.
“Foreign citizens serving in the US military … could expose the Pentagon to criticism that it is … using mercenaries … [and] reflect badly on Americans’ willingness to serve in uniform.
“The idea of signing up foreigners … is gaining traction …. [w]ith severe manpower strains … the Pentagon is under pressure to consider … foreign recruits ….
” … Army officials … are working with Congress and other parts of the government to test the feasibility of going beyond US borders to recruit soldiers and Marines. …
A recent change in US law … gave the Pentagon authority to bring immigrants to the United States if it determines it is vital to national security. … Indeed, some top military thinkers believe the United States should go as far as targeting foreigners in their native countries. …
“T]o some military officials and civil rights groups, relying on large number of foreigners to serve in the military is offensive. The … National Council of La Raza has said the plan sends the wrong message that Americans … are not willing to … defend their country. Officials have also raised concerns that immigrants would be disproportionately sent to the front lines as ‘cannon fodder’ …. Some within the Army privately express concern that a big push to recruit noncitizens would smack of ‘the decline of the American empire,’ as one Army official who asked not to be identified put it. …”
Quoted under Fair Use; for complete story and/or copyright info, see http://tinyurl.com/y4ejeg
Roger Rabbit Commentary: Looks like the American Empire is going into decline because not enough of our home-grown fake patriots are signing up! If Bush has to fight his war of aggression with soldiers of fortune, it will be the fault of wingnuts who talk big but cross the street when they pass a recruiting station.
MTR-
You are a nasty, arrogant, misogynistic creep not worth anyone’s time taking you on point by point.
Enjoy your own brilliance.
HEY ANTI-LIBERAL! There’s a man who wants to talk with you. http://tinyurl.com/yavwvr
(Redneck: This is not for you; even with today’s morality waivers, you don’t qualify. On the other hand, you’re an ideal candidate for debtor’s prison. Pay your fucking gambling debt!)
@7 Makes you wonder when they’ll get around to blaming Bush, who dragged them into this mess.
8 “Preachers also sometimes justify the aircraft purchases based upon the need for frequent travel, sometimes to third-world countries. But taking into account the considerable operating costs of an aircraft, I don’t see any reason why they would need more than one, under any circumstances.”
Those flying chariots are nothing but colossal ego trips. All the corporate CFOs are opting for fractional ownership. Pretty soon the only people who own private jets outright will be high-net-worth individuals with gargantuan egos and holy men with stupid congregations.
Skagit invited me to call him at his place of work when he posted the following:
skagit says:
“…You truly need my help. Call me . . . 253-850-3371
12/24/2006 at 3:30 pm
I googled the phone number and found it was for the Education Station on Kent’s East Hill. http://www.edukstation.com/home.html The owner of the schools is someone named Emilie Bonney. Skagit may be Ms. Bonney or perhaps is an employee.
From the Education Station website,they have this mission statement:
Emilie Bonney’s mission with Education Station is to bring success, ease, and joy to her students. Students of all ages learn effective skills and strategies to apply to their work, school, recreation, and lives. By realizing their gifts and (for some) dissolving their learning and doing blocks, they become increasingly confident and happy.
In response to a post I made, skagit responded:
Ah, Mark, your testosterone is showing again. I can only hope you get a really big case of cancer, your kidneys go, and and it metastizes to the brain . . . you use us all your health account, you can’t work and you lose you income, and your kids and wife (as if anyone would even consider becoming your spouse) become homeless.
Yes, I find it very easy to wish that upon a misanthrope like you. You deserve it.
How many of you think skagit has “effective skills and strategies to apply to his work and life”? Is wishing sickness, death, poverty, and homelessness on others one of those skills?
How many of you think that skagit has a “doing block”?
I need you moonbats to weigh in on this: How many of you would send your kids to the Education Station on Kent’s East hill when one of the staff members there is so narrow minded that he can’t even discuss viewpoints that disagree with his. How many of you would want your kids to be taught be someone who wishes sickness, death, and poverty on those with whom he disagrees.
Are people like skagit who we want teaching our kids?
9 “You should call your organization something like ‘Citizens for Public Investment Fairness.'”
No, dumbass! I’m going to call it “The Native Church of the Rabbit Spirit” so the dumb shits who buy me an airplane can get a tax deduction.
13 I’m one of Hjorth’s victims. You?
As I recall, Bill Gates Sr. hoped his son would go to law school. But Bill Jr. would have made a crappy law student — he was too damned intuitive. In law school, intuition is your enemy, and an affinity for rote memorization of stultifyingly dull material is your friend.
Mark, I teach my kids to be honest and to confront ignorance and stupidity where it exists. Cancers must be surgically removed from society. So, I am advocating that you be surgically removed. What is so offensive about that?
15 I have an idea! I think Fuiten’s church should appoint a compensation committee consisting of the retired ministers Fuiten is trying to kick out of their homes.
16 “investments”
Of course we agree with you that income from investments should be taxed!
19 Mark The Redneck KENNEDY says: Hey Goldy – How are the donations coming? Into 3 figures yet? 12/26/2006 at 5:08 pm
I’m sure that’s an impressive sum to one of your economic stature, given that you can’t pay a debt in the very low three-figures.
21 No, I’m not going to pay your gambling debt (and back interest) for you. You need to learn to take personal responsibility for your bad choices.
24 I have no doubt you’ll be knocking at the rat hole door on your _______ birthday (fill in applicable age) to collect your Social Security.
29 And Mark Griswold calls himself a “moderate”.
I wouldn’t expect someone of his caliber to tell the truth about that, either. Remember, this is a guy who is stupid enough to tell the world he thinks terrorists killing Americans is good for Republicans — and then tell us who he is.
30 Mark The Redneck KENNEDY says: I’m a self taught student of history.
Roger Rabbit replies: It shows.
Tell us, Redneck, when and where has conservatism ever worked? Your kind of conservatism, I mean.
30 Mark The Redneck KENNEDY says: What I have a hard time with is some little slut who breeds uncontrollably and then hands me the bill and keeps on breeding.
Roger Rabbit Commentary: I’ve met guys who hate their exes, but not quite this virulently.
30 (continued) “who breeds uncontrollably and then hands me the bill”
It’s YOUR problem, Redneck. You gotta take responsibility for your bad choices.
32 Wait until Redneck’s job is downsized, his investments are stolen by Wall Street con men, his pension disappears in bankruptcy, and he gets socked with mega-medical bills — he’ll be the first guy in line with his hand out for a gummint gimme.
45 He was referring to an age-appropriate daycare, dumbass.
45 He was referring you to an age-appropriate daycare, dumbass.
Skagit – You are the fucking poster child for what’s wrong with education. You need to be purged from the system.
I will do my utmost to make that happen.
@60: If he is a conservative, you can bet your bottom dollar he already has his hand out.
shouldbefucking ashamed and rodent – lemme splain how adults handle the situation.
My department went through massive “globalization” and “right sizing” a few years ago. I saw what was happening and accurately predicted what was gonna happen.
And I said to myself “Holy shit MTR… at this rate, yer gonna be out on the street. Whacha gonna do?”
And I figured I had two choices: 1) Try to fight the forces of globalization, 2) Embrace the reality and figure out how to adapt.
I picked #2. Went back and got some more letters after my name in the enabling technology and global business. Decided I’d be one of the guys to make the new business model work.
Most of the guys who picked #1 got laid off. Department now consists mostly of guys like me who saw what was going on and adapted.
I’m on top of the world now. Making more money than I ever fucking dreamed. Working on cool stuff that fundamentally changes the dynamnics of the industry. Working with cool people and the latest technology. Working with people on every continent of the world helping them to be successful in the new flat world.
So you guys can sit here and fucking whine. Fuck you. I have no sympathy for you. Here’s the deal: If you want what I’ve got, do what I do. Until then shut the fuck up.
Losers…
Dad, why on earth did you out yourself? These wingnuts are crazy enough to follow through on their threats.
You’re a smart guy. I’m proud of some of the arguments you’ve made here. So why do you blow it by taking lame swipes at people? If you dissed someone in a bar like you do here you’d get your ass kicked.
You aren’t some misfit like Redneck. Is this really how you’d like me to act?
President Ford passed away… Rest in Peace, sir.
So you guys can sit here and fucking whine. Fuck you. I have no sympathy for you. Here’s the deal: If you want what I’ve got, do what I do. Until then shut the fuck up.
Losers…
Geez, you are the biggest jerk on the internet tubes. And we get blessed with you because apparently you have too much time on your hands after work. Ever consider hitting some porn sites instead of hanging out here?
Gerald Ford (1913-2006): The Last Honest Republican
“He was as open and straight-forward as Nixon was tightly controlled and conspiratorial … the presidency of Jerry Ford remained open and plain. Not imperial. Not reclusive … not dishonest.”
http://tinyurl.com/tt2rd
Join the losers dan.
Go fuck yourself.
Another great president is dead.
And we elect an enemy soldier to lead us.
http://www.freep.com/apps/pbcs...../1007/NEWS
Welcome to the new century.
Jerry Ford and George W. Bush are the only two presidents who were never elected to the office.
… And they were both Republicans. They have nothing else in common.
You’re an asshole rabbit. Fucking loser.
Have you put that $1000 into Goldy’s fund yet?
Didn’t think so.
Freeloader…
Why, i am asking why all this happens and happens
Mark, sober up. Don’t drink and post. You can only look more foolish, though, in your case, that would be redundant.
#65, More letters…lol…I imagine..
Mark T. Reddick, P.O.S., D.F.I, L.S.O.S.
Roger Rabbit says:
Jerry Ford and George W. Bush are the only two presidents who were never elected to the office.
12/26/2006 at 10:02 pm
Dont tell that to Nixon. I got by with a little help from friends (mafia). hehehe
I’m on top of the world now. Making more money than I ever fucking dreamed.
AND THIS FUCKING IDIOT BET WELSHER SPENDS HOW MUCH TIME HERE ON HA.ORG?
DON’T EMBARASS YOURSELF ANY FURTHER, MTR. IT’S TOO PAINFUL TO WATCH.
JUST PAY YOUR FUCKING GAMBLING DEBT AND LEAVE.
Roger Rabbit says:
Jerry Ford and George W. Bush are the only two presidents who were never elected to the office.
Of course not. They are republicans. We dems can take a presidency with only 42% of the popular vote whereas a republican has to get 55% to overcome all the voter fraud from democrats.
oh uh ok uh i’m goin’ over to (un)sp now to circle jerk and suck up to stefan the big cheese. i agree with everything he writes, yes indeed.
Redneck, regarding “ALL my degrees are in engineering and business. “ I think I pretty well showed that to be a pack of lies, you do not have an engineering degree. Did you really want me to show that for the lie it is once again? Here is yet another demonstration that you have never been associated with a hard science. Most people in hard sciences dont assume that fact will change back to whatever was convienient overnight if noone notices.
Incidently, if you really did go to ‘private university’ did you accept student loan, or are you a trust fund baby? Come on, you claim to be self made, in your world is ‘self made’ paid for by rich parents or by the government? Did you default on those loans?
regarding “My department went through massive “globalization” and “right sizing” a few years ago.” I find it interesting that you no longer claim to be a business owner (at least you once claimed to own a ‘small engineering consulting firm’). Has it become more politic to identify with ‘white collar working people’ instead of with the ‘small business owner’?
Which do you really work for, Rand, Carlyle, or the King County Republicans? My guess would be county, somehow I think someone from a national organization would show a whole lot less incompetence at tracking their own lies.
what’s your fucking point bill. Do you have one?
I NEVER said I owned a small bidness. Never even implied it. You got me confused with somebody else.
My parents were responsible enough to save money for my first degree. Plus I got a few scholarships. My employer picked up the tab for all the rest of the degrees. What’s amazing about that is how few people take advantage of it, and then how many bitch when they no longer have marketable skills.
Try that again… “prove” I don’t have an engineering degree.
Dumfuckinass…
Umm Bubba, pay attention, Gerald Ford, while one of the most honest presidents of the last half of the last century, was never elected. He was appointed VP by Nixon when Agnew resigned then assumed presidency on Nixons resignation. Hence never elected.
Redneck, you mean last December in “Open thread 12-23-05” when you said: “people from around the world contact me personally for consulation and advice on a variety of complex technical topics. “, you weren’t implying that?
“My parents were responsible enough to save money for my first degree. I got a few scholarships.” so, lets be clear on this, you are not self made, and got your start due to a government handout?
As to your engineering skills, anyone can look back at the “Long term budget deficits due to tax structure, not spending” thread from the 24th.
My point is that you have grossfully misrepresented yourself and are a liar.
Incidently, next time you start complaining about others resorting to cussing and namecalling instead of actually answering a post, you will see that response again.
So, muchadoaboutnothingMark, if you don’t own the business, then you’re cheating your boss out of time . . . right?
So, now you’re a welsher, a liar, a cancer on society, and a slacker on the job.
Sorry, Skag Jr., gotta call it like it is. Besides, I taught you never to walk away from a bully – got it?
And, Mark, you’re no engineer. You might have a Lionel in the basement . . . just sayin’.
Actually, skagit, to be fair to redneck, I don’t think he is cheating his boss out of time, this is part of what he gets paid for and is in his job description. Hence the change in the demographics he is in, they wanted to change their target a little bit.
Well, gee, MTR, my parents were responsible, educated adults. But unfortunately my father died when I was 16, so that pretty much scotched the “college savings plans”. My sister was already in her first year of college, so either she had to quit so I could go to school, or I skipped school.
But fortunately, the FDR “widows and orphans” Social Security program provided me with enough money to get my undergraduate degree. As for my graduate degree, I did go to a public university, accepted federally-insured student loans, and paid the rest out of my own pocket. Considering that neither my father nor my mother lived long enough to collect social security retirement benefits, I don’t have any problem with having accepted those education benefits.
So, I guess in your view, it was either my or my parent’s bad choices to have them die before being able to save enough to pay for a college degree for both myself and my sister?
By the way, if you got a history degree, I would ask for my money back. Your understanding of world history is sophomoric, at best.
bill says: “so, lets be clear on this, you are not self made, and got your start due to a government handout?”
Typical ASS thinking: that the ONLY scholarships available are nanny state handouts.
You need to get out more.
It is usually the guilty who proclaim their innocence the loudest. We’ve got your number, mark. Choo-choo . . .
74 Mark The Redneck KENNEDY says: You’re an asshole rabbit. 12/26/2006 at 10:05 pm
God I hope so!!! The LAST thing I want to do is be nice to thieving welsher like you.
83 Mark The Redneck KENNEDY says: My parents were responsible enough to save money for my first degree.
Lucky you! My parents had too many mouths to feed to save a dime for anything. I WORKED for my first degree — and all subsequent degrees. I did work a Republican asshole like you can’t even imagine doing. I know what WORK really is. To a Republican like you, “work” is just a term you fling around when it’s useful in an argument.
Bubba, give it up. The rightwing myth that JFK “stole” the 1960 election was debunked so long ago, and so many times, that only idiots like you who didn’t get the official memo from Wingnut Central are still trying to peddle that tired old lie.
While the overall popular vote was close, the electoral vote was not; Kennedy won 303 – 219. Even if Mayor Daley gamed the Chicago vote (JFK carried Illinois by only 9,000 votes), that state’s electoral votes were not enough to change the outcome; Nixon also would have had to win Texas or several smaller states.
It’s also a myth that Nixon declined to ask for a recount for the “good of the country” and to “avert a constitutional crisis.” While that was Nixon’s public stance, in true Nixonian fashion, behind the scenes he urged GOP leaders to file challenges and they did in 11 states, which worked their way through the courts into the summer of 1961.
Do Republicans ever tell the truth about anything? No, of course not.
90 It’s true some students benefit from the private charity of others, but why should ANYONE have to depend on charity? If a college education is now necessary to make a middle class living, shouldn’t every student who earns good grades have a right to that education? Isn’t it fundamentally unfair to make a child’s future contingent on accident of birth — or the charity of strangers? Isn’t the Old European system of hereditary access to opportunity, wealth, power, and position exactly what the founders of our country aimed to avoid when they created this nation?
BRING BACK THE PODCAST t!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
USS REAGAN
Seeing it next to the Arizona Memorial really puts its size into perspective……………….ENORMOUS
Please read about the USS Reagan. Also notice the respect that the crew gives the Arizona Memorial when passing it.
This is absolutely beautiful!
BEAUTIFUL!
When the Bridge pipes “Man the Rail” there is a lot of rail to man on this monster: shoulder to shoulder, around 4.5 acres. Her displacement is about 100,000 tons with full complement.
Capability
· Top speed exceeds 30 knots, powered by two nuclear reactors that can operate for more than 20 years without refueling
· Expected to operate in the fleet for about 50 years
· Carries over 80 combat aircraft
· Three arresting cables can stop a 28-ton aircraft going 150 miles per hour in less than 400 feet
Size
· Towers 20 stories above the waterline
· 1092 feet long; nearly as long as the Empire State Building is tall
· Flight deck covers 4.5 acres
· 4 bronze propellers, each 21 feet across, weighing 66,200 pounds
· 2 rudders, each 29 by 22 feet and weighing 50 tons
· 4 high speed aircraft elevators, each over 4,000 square feet
Dates
· Dec 8, 1994 Contract awarded to Newport News Shipbuilding
· Feb 12, 1998 Keel laid
· Oct 1, 2000 Pre-commissioning Unit established
· March 4, 2001 Christened by Mrs. Nancy Reagan
· May 5, 2003 First underway
· July 12, 2003 Commissioned
· July 23, 2004 Arrived at home port in San Diego, CA
Capacity
· Home to about 6,000 Navy personnel
· Carries enough food and supplies to operate for 90 days
· 18,150 meals served daily
· Distillation plants provide 400,000 gallons of fresh water from sea water daily, enough for 2000 homes
· Nearly 30,000 light fixtures and 1,325 miles of cable and wiring 1,400 telephones
· 14,000 pillowcases and 28,000 sheets
· Costs the Navy approximately $250,000 per day for pier side operation
· Costs the Navy approximately $25 million per day for underway operations (Sailor’s salaries included).
****
US Navy welcomes the USS Bill Clinton
Sunday July 2nd ’06 Vancouver, BC, Headed for Seattle, WA.
The US Navy welcomed the latest member of its fleet today.
The USS William Jefferson Clinton (CVS1) set sail today from its home port of Vancouver, BC.
The ship is the first of its kind in the Navy and is a standing legacy to President Bill Clinton “for his foresight in military budget cuts” and his conduct while president. The ship is constructed nearly entirely from recycled aluminum and is completely solar powered with a top speed of 5 knots. It boasts an arsenal comprised of one (unarmed) F14 Tomcat or one (unarmed) F18 Hornet aircraft which although they cannot be launched or captured on the 100 foot flight deck, but form a very menacing presence.
As a standing order there are no firearms allowed on board. The 20 person crew is completely diversifi ed, including members of all races, creeds, sex, and sexual orientation. This crew, like the crew aboard the USS Jimmy Carter, is specially trained to avoid conflicts and appease any and all enemies of the United States at all costs.
An onboard Type O ne DNC Universal Translator can send out messages of apology in any language to anyone who may find America offensive. The number of apologies are limitless and though some may sound hollow and disingenuous, the Navy advises all apologies will sound very sincere.
The ship’s purpose is not defined so much as a unit of national defense, but instead in times of conflict the USS Clinton has orders to seek refuge in Canada. The ship may be positioned near the Democratic National Party Headquarters for photo-ops and can be used extensively for social experimentation and whatever other worthless jobs, the ex-commander-in-chief and his wife can think of.
It is largely rumored that the ship will also be the set for the upcoming season of MTV’s “The Real World.”
The ship was renamed and commissioned USS William J Clinton when someone realized the USS Blowfish was already taken.
Yos Lib Bro,
Why all the capital letters?
In regard to the flat rate tax, you didn’t understand what I was trying to say. A flat rate is fair because it s charges everyone the same rate. I didn’t say is was “favorable” to this group or that one, just a flat rate.
I can meet you half way: what say we base the taxable amount of income on the excess income over a certain figure. Let’s say, for example, that the level for a family of four is $50,000. Any income in excess of $50,000 would be taxed a one flat rate. This figure can be adjusted for inflation and to account for larger or smaller families, whatever. The point is to allow everyone to pay the same rate over some base level. That’s fair, but not favorable to any special interest group of cause.
What is wrong with that? The only ones who I can see complaining are the accountants, tax attorneys, and the tax preparation businesses because it essentially makes their businesses obsolete.
The goal of any tax reform ought first to be to make the tax preparation business obsolete. No more CPAs, attorneys and H&R Block making a living out of the complexity of the tax code. Having those people in the tax prep business is a waste of intellect.
The purpose taxes is to raise funds for the ordinary and necessary functions of government, not to support the cash cow gravy train for the tax preparation business. It’s not a jobs program for college grads with no motivation.