Good AM in advance, folks!
Facebooking:
OT, we may try to get back downtown this coming Saturday, so if you're not in Chicago perhaps you can get out to enjoy the music. We didn't stay long on SA night, and Bob had already been there awhile. Susan and I moved on to Village Tavern (Reynolda) for appetizers and wine for her, Stella for me, then called it a night. If you do go to Chicago, be watchful: the residents are trigger happy.
Susan and I have issued an offer on a house in a development called Sherwood Villas, nice neighborhood, small lots, outlook promising. We had originally planned to buy my parents' Sherwood Forest house, but it needs too much work, and I haven't been comfortable in the place since Dad died. Her house is in Town and Country, and nice, but the SV house is newer and more up to date, and we like the location (the residents do not appear to be trigger happy). Assuming all goes well, I and my cat will move in after closing, then Susan and family and our other cat will follow after we marry.
The landing on Mars is amazing.
OK, let's deal with the news, and be civil to each other. Cordial would be better, but civil will do.
"A make-believe world"
ReplyDeleteAfter seeing letters lately blasting President Obama, many from the same writers time and time again, I am dumbfounded about how many of these people are going by some false reality, or perhaps living in some make-believe world. Let's get the facts straight about Obama:
He became president under gloomy circumstances, when we were losing about 700,000 jobs a month while President Bush was leaving office. Obama has created more than 4 million jobs since taking office. The Dow was down to below 7,000 when Bush was leaving office, and now it is hovering around 13,000, give or take. There have been massive tax cuts for the middle class and for small businesses under Obama, the war that Bush initiated in Iraq has ended, and the other war is on the way to its final days as well. Obama successfully captured and eliminated Osama bin Laden, the man who was on the run for the entire eight years under the prior Republican president. And last but not least, Obama signed the health care law, which will prevent all of us from being denied coverage due to a prior illness and will eventually cut costs for everyone, since everyone will have health insurance.
So I say thanks, but no thanks, to supporting Mitt Romney. Obama is my guy, and rightfully so.
DUSTIN BLACKBURN
Winston-Salem
"Paying for options"
In response to the letter "No lack of options" (Aug. 1), the writer says that her son's family lived in the UK for several years and that when her grandson needed to see a medical specialist, it would be four months before the appointment, whereas here in the U.S. he was seen the next day. She concludes by saying that she "can't imagine any lack of options."
It's not about the lack of options, it's about the lack of funds to pay for the options. Any option is available if you are wealthy or have good health insurance. The issue lies with those who are not wealthy and do not have insurance. What are their options?
I'm sure most, if not all, would jump at the chance to see a doctor when needed, even if it meant making an appointment a few months in advance. Instead, they have to wait until they are so sick that a trip to the emergency room happens, and then, because they have no insurance, the bill gets passed on to those of us who do.
DAVID WEBSTER
Winston-Salem
A fair share
DeleteA common phrase in many current letters is "the rich should pay their fair share" of income tax. None of the writers, however, have defined a "fair share." Who is responsible for determining a "fair share?" Should it be the taxpayers? Almost one-half of taxpayers pay no income tax at all — almost half. A majority of those actually get tax refunds because of the various welfare-type credits, or the intended stimulus credits. Now think about that — they pay no tax but get a tax refund. I do not think these people should define a "fair share." But they do.
Now, a small percentage of taxpayers pay almost 60 percent of the tax paid. The liberals surely don't want this group to determine the "fair share." So it is left up to the Congress, which is also responsible, in the eyes of many, for the success of the economy.
But getting elected to Congress is somewhat affected by the one half of the taxpayers who do not pay income tax. So they are influential in determining the "fair share." (There is another argument in there, somewhere.)
Something is rotten here. Three-fourths of the taxpayers, who pay only one-fifth of the income tax, are complaining that the rich should pay a "fair share." Duh? This is somewhat like complaining that the Heat scored too many goals, or the Phillies are scoring too many runs.
So, liberals, what is a "fair share?"
J. FRANK JOINER
Winston-Salem
"Expressing an opinion"
As Chick-fil-A president Dan Cathy's supporters bleat that he was "just expressing his opinion, and what's wrong with that?" I'd like to take readers a bit beyond that spin to point out:
-His opinion is that he, as a heterosexual, should have more rights than homosexuals have. He was "just expressing an opinion" that is morally repugnant.
-Not only has he "expressed his opinion," but his company has invested millions to keep homosexuals from having those rights. He's not the innocent bystander he's made out to be.
-Though he does have a First Amendment right to express his opinion, the First Amendment doesn't protect him from criticism for expressing his opinion.
-The people criticizing him were also exercising their First Amendment rights.
Now back to our previously scheduled ignorant outrage.
BOBBY FIELDS
Winston-Salem
"More like theirs"
DeleteIt figures that a liberal newspaper like the Journal wouldn't cover this story:
During a speech given at a fundraiser at the King David Hotel in Jerusalem last week, Mitt Romney said, "Do you realize what health care spending is as a percentage of the GDP in Israel? Eight percent. You spend 8 percent of GDP on health care. And you're a pretty healthy nation. We spend 18 percent of our GDP on health care. Ten percentage points more. ... Our gap with Israel is 10 points of GDP. We have to find ways, not just to provide health care to more people, but to find ways to finally manage our health care costs."
Of course, Israel has socialized, national health care that covers everyone, even with pre-existing conditions. It's the kind of care that we conservatives have objected to President Obama forcing down our throats. Once he gets elected, what will stop Romney from making our system more like theirs?
We all know that Mitt Romney's Massachusetts health-care system was the model for President Obama's. If we elect Romney, things will get even worse.
This isn't the first time we conservatives have been betrayed by one of our own. Obama is the more conservative choice this time around, and I'm voting for him.
BETHANY PARE
Winston-Salem
"A matter of culture?"
Mitt Romney recently noted the difference in per capita GDP for Israel and "areas managed by the Palestinian Authority," praising the "accomplishments of the people of this nation [Israel]" and attributing them at least in part to the Jewish culture. Of course he made no mention of severe restrictions placed on the Palestinian Authority by Israeli military control over much of the West Bank, significant restrictions on travel, difficulty in obtaining building permits, and on and on.
But perhaps even more disturbing is the implication that one culture is superior to another because its people have a higher per capita GDP. Is that how we value human life?
ROBERT SAWYER
Winston-Salem
Stab...it sounds like after you two get matrimonied, you will have two houses for sale at one time. Careful.
ReplyDeleteHi WW, just one, Susan's, as I have no house payment. My parents' house is in the hands of the executor, though I oversee its maintenance. One or more of my brothers may want to keep it, but I'll sell my share.
DeleteMr Blackburn belongs in that same "false reality" with those constant posters he objects to.
ReplyDeletePaying for options. Drop the whole healthcare business in government's lap. They do so well with other complex problems that we should have thought of this option long ago.
ReplyDeleteExpressing an opinion. Not chicken again! That poor old narrow face creature managed to run a fowl of the current tolerance industry. It is right to hold the "appropriate" views, but it is crucial to hold them with the proper timing of the views. "Evolving" I think they are calling it now.
ReplyDeleteMore like theirs. Darn right, lets copy them. Israel doesn't have layer after layer of sacred special interest programs to appease every single special and vested interest that has a lobbyist to protect it. Rethink, reform and replan in Washington is taboo. Nothing is to be taken away- only kept and then layered on and on. The deviant subculture that is government is built on democratic institutions owing their survival to special interests. And we are to give this deviant subculture even more say in our lives?
ReplyDeleteA matter of culture. If that "other culture" stops firing missiles into Israel we may see an improvement.
ReplyDeleteWW, this is a chicken or egg situation. If you look at the total history of this conflict, you find that the Israelis were the initial aggressors and have continued to take on that role.
DeleteTheir treatment of the Palestinians has been atrocious...the travel restrictions that they enforce between the scattered Palestinian communities are vicious and have led to many deaths as Palestinian ambulances are not given priority at checkpoints...a quite deliberate matter meant to inflict harm.
Almost everything that we hear from that part of the world is Israeli propaganda...all news dispatches from within Israel are heavily censored...if the reporters don't play along, they are booted out.
It is chicken/egg to some degree based on the politics and perceptions of all envolved. "Palestinians" who are living in Israel seem to flourish pretty well. Those in Judea and Samaria risk certain death if they cross Hamas or the smiley face political version of Hamas--Fatah? Israelis need security but Hamas needs casualties. Those Palestinians will continue to suffer until the missile attacks stop. No end in sight.
DeleteLTE #1 – Every word is true, and more could be added.
ReplyDeleteLTE #2 – As soon as I read the letter referred to in this LTE, I said to myself “Bullshit…made up.”
Classic dunce stuff. Specialists do not see patients the”next day” unless:
1. There is an emergency.
2. The specialist is incompetent, thus has no patients.
If the case had been an emergency, the patient would have been seen right away in Britain.
Ergo…bullshit…something we are seeing more and more of…if you cannot prove something with facts, just make something up…a personal story that is uncheckable, such as much of what the Dunce posts.
LTE #3 – The top tax rate was over 90% throughout the 1950s…both the wealthy and the economy were doing fine. Under LBJ, the rate plunged to 77%, then continued to fall slowly.
The disaster struck. Under Reagan the rate plunged to 50%, then to a ridiculous low of 28%. It rebounded into the high 30s under Clinton, then was beaten back down to 35% by the Bushites.
At all levels, from the 90s to the 30s, the economy has at times flourished and at times struggled. So the nonsense about raising the rate hurting the economy is utter hogwash.
LTE #4 – Enough of CfA. Cathy has a right to say whatever he wants. People have a right to boycott his business. In the long run he and his franchisees will be hurt by his stupidity. Unfortunately for the franchisees, there is nothing that they can do to shut him up.
LTE #5 – Attempted humor…not very successful.
LTE #6 – As I have mentioned before, the Israeli learned well the lessons of their Nazi masters and know how to apply them.
It's obvious to most 'sane' people that Mr. Cathy's actions and opinions have helped Chick-fil-A's franchises in the short term.
DeleteJC Penny is off my list for doing business with because of Ellen Degenerate. I don't want to be thinking about two hairy men going at it while I'm wearing a JC Penny coat down the street.
Hey Rush, are you going to meet with Stab on Saturday, or are you going to tell him the truth that you are locked up?
Delete"As I have mentioned before, the Israeli learned well the lessons of their Nazi masters and know how to apply them."
DeleteRush
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Rush, we'll just aid Jews to the list of the religious people you hate.
The GDP is currently growing at a pathetic 1.3% rate under Obama. During Reagan's presidency the economic recovery grew at 4, 5, and 6%.
DeleteIf you don't use Al Gore's math, Reagan did much better at aiding the U.S. economy by utilizing tax reduction policies.
"If you don't use Al Gore's math, Reagan did much better at aiding the U.S. economy by utilizing tax reduction policies." - Actually, Reagan did much better by having Fed Chairman Paul Volcker reduce the interest rates from ~20% to ~6%. Tax reduction policies had nothing to do with the recovery. It was strictly a Fed induced recession to kill inflation followed by a Fed induced recovery.
DeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
DeleteOT....sorry, I missed the "fair share" LTE. No such thing as fair share. It will take some doing and difficulty, but I am a believer in the flat tax- personal and business.
ReplyDeleteGay Eagle Scout returns his badge.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.cnn.com/video/?hpt=hp_t3#/video/us/2012/08/07/sot-nr-eagle-scouts-boy-scouts-protest.cnn
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You've got to ask yourself, if you were a parent of a Boy Scout, would you want him camping with a gay boy sleeping beside him?
Then, add in, if you were a young heterosexual boy growing up, would you want to be sleeping beside a gay boy that is thinking about more than chopping 'wood' the next day?
I think the Boy Scouts did the right thing by banning gays. There needs to be a limit on what these radical, liberals can force upon people.
If you're a Boy Scout and something goes 'bump' in the night, you kinda hope it's a wild animal, instead of something else.
DeleteGood afternoon folks!
ReplyDeleteLTE 1: Endorsement. Some of the criticism has been fair, but those who send in letters each month saying one bad thing after another about Obama need to get a life and get over the fact that Obama won in 2008.
LTE 2: I was recommended to a specialist about a potential skin cancer when I was in AZ, but the earliest available appointment I could get was 4 months later. No system is perfect, but NHS seems to work for the Brits. I don't understand all of the comparisons to NHS since Affordable Health Care is nothing like NHS. Valid point by Mr. Webster concerning the costs with medical expenses being the number one cause of bankruptcy in this country.
LTE 3: Firstly, cut out the "liberal/conservative" crap. Second, the Constitutional Amendment enabling the income tax left the rate determination to Congress.
The notion of "fair share" when it comes to taxes has been the subject of debate since the federal income tax came into being. The Revenue Act of 1913 excluded the first $3k from being taxed with a top bracket of 7% for income exceeding $500k. According to the IRS, the average annual income in 1913 was $800 which indicates that even in the beginning, less than half of citizens paid all of the taxes. As far as the "paid no tax - still got a refund" BS - everyone who works as an employee has fed taxes withheld. At filing time, everyone who filed for 2011 received a $3700 personal exemption plus $3700 for each dependent. Tack on a $5800 standard deduction and you have at least $9500 in deductions before even throwing in the children. With so many working service jobs that pay barely above minimum, it is quite understandable that so many do see the deductions take their AGI to $0, so that they get everything back.
Lastly, if Mr. Joiner is amongst those who earns enough money to pay income taxes, he should be grateful that he is in that position instead of whining. If you don't want to pay taxes, then quit your job and see how "great" it is to be broke.
LTE 4: Valid points from Mr. Fields. FoS does not mean freedom from criticism. Love his last sentence.
LTE 5: Endorsement wrapped in an attempt at sarcasm.
LTE 6: In the US, human life often is measured in terms of monetary terms. Romney apparently has a long standing friendship with Netanyahu, so his views are going to be skewed towards the Israeli govt. Given a chance, the Palestinians could achieve a more substantial GDP, but it's unlikely they will be given that chance anytime soon.
What's funny about dotnet's comments (LTE4) is they are precisely what I've been saying about the gay community for the longest.
DeleteThey can say what they want (freedom of speech), but that doesn't mean they have 'freedom' from criticism.
That's why I'm here dotnet. Thanks for backing me up!
Military
ReplyDeleteIs the Military Racist?
There is no place for intolerance in our armed forces. And yet Milwaukee shooter and army veteran Wade Page has done his damage
By Rajiv Srinivasan
CNN article.
____________
CNN writers never miss a chance to spread leftist views.
There are thousands upon thousands of good and decent men and women in the armed services. The mere suggestion of such an idea is deplorable.
LTE1: "Obama has created more than 4 million jobs since taking office." Really? What happened to "You didn't build that"? Same thing goes for Presidents.
ReplyDeleteI note the report re the maneuvering and machinations re early voting, and see where the Obama campaign recommended that no sites be set up in Clemmons, Lewisville, or other places with high Republican vote counts. Kinda resembles an effort at vote suppression, doesn't it?
ReplyDeleteThis effort came from the same folks who fuss at the cynical NC R's who seek to limit early voting. Both the Obama campaign and NC R's need a spell behind the woodshed.
Agree...disgusting behavior on both hands.
DeleteThis all reminds me of the time when the state legislature was trying to simplify voter registration and the state senate voted 99-1 in favor. The one nay vote was cast by Senator Ann Bagnal from Winston-Salem. When a reporter asked her why she voted "No" she replied: "I'm just against making it easier to vote."
When I have time, I'll post some more of her idiotic antics.
I wish the reporter had followed up with, "Why?"
Delete"Why" was a pretty tough question for Ann on any subject.
DeleteThink you-know-who.
I wish LaSombra would tell the truth about these voter registration drives where they recruit non-citizens to vote.
DeleteYou can hear them yell in Spanish. 'Come register to vote', and the person will tell them, 'I'm not a citizen', and the person will yell back 'That doesn't matter'. And then you'll the person walk over to the table and start filling out forms.
Actually, early voting is marginally convenient in my area, but I usually go downtown so I can vote as early as possible.
ReplyDeleteAn example of Ann Bagnal's BS...excerpt from a letter to the editor of the Lexington Dispatch, September, 1978, name withheld to protect the stupid:
ReplyDeleteTo the Editor,
...
Ann Bagnal was the speaker and she spoke on the Equal Rights Amendment…I didn't realize that the amendment will abolish all our rights to feminine privacy in public restrooms, there would be no boys or girls toilets in the schools, etc. Everything will be labeled a person room, teenagers being able to get abortions without the consent of their parents, which to me legalizes murder. Now I ask do we ladies in N.C. really know what we are heading for? I am a very private feminine person, and I think most ladies are. I think I would die of heart failure if I were in a public washroom, tending to my personal needs, and in walks a man and there is no where to run. Oh! Lord, don't let this happen…I like being a lady and always want my husband to be the man in our house and the only man in my heart, other than Jesus Christ. He comes first. I must admit that there are times I feel like a hired hand, doing things around the house that a man should do, but only do it with Love, to lift the burden, so my husband won't have to do it when he comes home from a hard day at his work…I hope I can always make my husband feel ten feet tall…
Yes, Ann Bagnal was a lying piece of s--t.
And you can imagine the sort of life that the poor sap who wrote the letter led:
Hubby comes in from a "hard day at his work" and plops down on the couch. The TV is already tuned to his favorite channel. Wifey fetches his pipe and slippers and the sports page of the Twin City Sentinel.
Wifey: Honey, I finished rebuilding the garage today.
Hubby: Um hmm...
Wifey: What would you like me to do tomorrow?
Hubby: That pump in the basement has been out for months. When are you going to fix it?
Wifey: It'll be done by the time you get home tomorrow.
Hubby: About time. Now leave me alone...there's a ball game on.
White supremacy groups actively recruit military personnel. They also encourage their young civilian recruits to join the military, especially the Army and the Marines, to get "training" for the coming race war, when they will "overthrow" the US government.
ReplyDeleteThey deliberately set up centers near all large military bases. By the mid-1980s, this had become a serious problem. So in the late '80s and early 1990s, two Secretaries of Defense, Caspar Weinberger and William Perry made a concerted effort to rid the military of race haters. A 1996 study revealed that they had reduced the numbers of haters to "only" about 15,000 in all branches, around 0.52% of all service personnel, a percentage far larger than that in the overall population.
But the "volunteer" military relies upon sophisticated recruiting to maintain manpower levels. The two Bushite wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, with their constant rotations of both active and reserve forces into and out of combat zones, have placed a heavy burden on force maintenance. Far too many experienced soldiers have had enough and have left the service.
To meet their quotas, recruiters have been forced to lower standards, which includes backsliding on the zero tolerance rules for racists. Recent estimates indicate that the number of white supremacist/Nazi skinhead population in the military has multiplied many fold since 1996.
That is easy to understand, because there is a natural attraction for violence prone racist fools. But the military needs to find a way to again root them out, lest they face a major crisis down the road.
Ut oh!!!!!!!!!!! Rush you better behave, and stay out of Texas for sure.
ReplyDeletehttp://content.usatoday.com/communities/ondeadline/post/2012/08/texas-executes-killer-with-low-iq/1?loc=interstitialskip