mav

I noticed the unions are now demanding back pay if the government shuts down.  What a joke.  Back pay for what, sitting on your ass?   Ya know, I do feel some what sorry for those who may be hurt because of this shutdown.  However, when I hear this kind of nonsense coming from the union-folks, my attitude starts to change.  I become agitated and start making claims like a lot of those public sectors jobs wouldn't exist if it wasn't for the private sector.    Perhaps we should transfer a lot of those public sector jobs to the private sector.  If we did that, the affected public sector employees would no longer have to worry about losing their job due to a government shutdown.

Backbone? We must not be reading the same articles. There is nothing backbone about what the House Republican leadership is doing. Case in point, http://www.nationalreview.com/corner/359829/kevin-mccarthy-house-will-send-third-volley-senate-if-reid-rejects-last-nights-bill Why in the hell are Republicans already saying that they have another option available if Reid rejects their second bill? Honestly, why would Reid even consider the second bill knowing the Republicans will have a third bill that will be more to his liking? What kind of negotiation technique is that? I swear, the Republican leadership is acting like a bunch of wussifed beta males. The only reason the Republican leadership is doing as much as they are doing is because they were forced to because people like Cruz, Lee, and some others stirred up the American people, and they have been hounding their representatives. Here is the Republican leadership when dealing with Reid and Obama.

Politics:  poly = many,  tics = blood sucking pests    Enough said.

  Each day that goes by makes me feel that much better about not voting for Corker last election.  The more he screws up and shows his true colors, it just emboldens me further to say, "Don't look at me.  I didn't vote for that sumbitch."

  This is why I made that statement earlier Dave.  I will comment on it only because it was directed at me.  With all due respect Dave, I do, at times, question your reading comprehension.  On this thread, as well as many others, I have never suggested that we overthrow the government, or that it is even warranted, at this time.  I feel that it is very safe to say the same thing regarding some of the other major contributors in these threads, AR, JayC, Punisher, etc...  I will let them speak for themselves if I am in error, but I don't believe I am.  Granted, there are some that might chime in that armed resistance is what is needed now.  I usually dismiss such talk as frustration without thinking.    I am certain that you despise Obama more than the rest of us; you have stated such numerous times.  That is good, but the problem isn't just Obama.  It is my contention, as well as many others, that Reid, Pelosi, Schumer, McCain, Graham, and many others are just as bad or dangerous as Obama.  I, like yourself, believe the correct course of action is through the voting booth.  By getting more people engaged in the political process we can fix this mess within a few election cycles.  Just look at the success of the Tea Party over the last several years.  We have some really good Republican congressmen, and senators like Cruz, Paul, Lee, and a few others are great.  They are what we have needed for a long time.  If we can get more people like those above elected to office, things might turn around rather quickly.   All that said, if we continue down the same course without any correction, as TMF and I talked about in another thread, we will eventually hit a threshold where we will have no political recourse to counter the rampant infringement of our rights.  At that time, utilization of other methods to secure our rights and liberties may become necessary.  If such a statement makes me a terrorist in your mind, then so be it.    As a side note, I have never been in the military, and I have never experienced the theater of war.  I have never seen firsthand the brutality that always accompanies war.  However, I have read vivid accounts of what occurs in battle, and I also know what it would look like if it ever happened in this country.  Do I believe that armed resistance is the correct course of action at this time?  Do I hope for such action in the future if all other methods fail?  I don't know how I can be more clear than giving a resounding  HELL NO!

  It was awkward, but it was also what made it so funny.  Considering my mother is 78, it was something I would have never expected to come out of her mouth.   Anyway, I am glad it happened.  It is a memory that I will want to keep.  One day when my mom has passed, and I am sitting around with other family members reminiscing, I could see a moment when someone says, "Hey, you remember when mom said..."

I don't care how lousy the service was, I always tip, and it is typically 15% or higher.  I once tipped a guy $20 for wiping off my irons after a round of golf, and I tipped the guy at Autozone $10 for spending a whopping 3 minutes to install a battery in my car because I didn't have any tools with me.  In both cases, I am sure it made their day.  I know I felt good about it.

  I was about to engage in a debate with you on what you stated, but then realized the futility of the exercise.  I will go bang my head against the wall elsewhere.  :)

To preface the story, my elderly mother lives with me, and she was in my car with me this evening.  During our trip, I accidentally cut one.  I couldn't help it, and this was an absolute tear-jerker (the downside to a very high protein diet).  It was so bad that my mother started laughing and claimed that I had died.  After the aroma died several minutes later, I quipped at how embarrassing it would be to do that during an intimate moment.   My mother spoke up, "Speaking of that, this is your house and I don't care what you do in your bedroom.  However, when you have someone over, make sure you do not do it on top of your bed spread.  I had to clean it today."  I had no idea how to respond and felt really embarrassed at first.  Eventually, all I could do was laugh.  It was a good and funny moment to an otherwise crappy day.

  Oh, I agree wholeheartedly.  I honestly think that if it wasn't for Sarah Palin, the Republican party would be dead.  They would be as useful as a poopie-flavored lollipop.

  He only gets two terms, so this will be his last.

  Getting beyond the misunderstandings that often result from different writing styles, I believe your line in the sand is pretty close with the rest of us. I think that most of us, with a few exceptions, view revolution as the very last option, and I believe that most of us hope/pray that it never comes to fruition.  However, as you stated, the balance between producers and consumers is reaching a threshold.  Once we are over that threshold, we could see our rights and liberties stripped from us at an alarming pace with no possible political recourse to stop the infringement of our rights.   If we continue on the same course, this may come rather quickly.  I am still holding out hope, even though it is minute, that more people will become engaged in the political system to help get these bastards out of Washington.  The emergence of the Tea Party, and their continuous battles in the political theater give me a little reassurance that all is not lost, at least not yet.

Welcome

I will be interested to see what my heating bill is this winter.  I have been absolutely stunned at how low my electric bill runs.  The highest my bill has ever been is $119.32, and the lowest was around $82.00.  Not bad for a 3500 square foot house.

I have absolutely no idea what I would do with it considering I am not a military guy nor do I drink beer.  I guess I could make protein shakes in it, or worst case, smash the hell out of someone's face.  So, yeah, I am down for one.

Why make a big deal of it? Someone gave their opinion on someone else's post and said something foolish based on their ignorance of the individual. Ain't the first time, and won't be the last. I think TMF can handle himself and doesn't need moderator intervention.

I agree with your earlier comments, but it seems to me that the above is contradictory to your signature. Putting people in the ground isn't defending those you disagree with. ;) Any talk of armed revolt at this point is nonsensical, and in all cases it is just people talking out their asses.

Thanks for your help Lester. I though the post was obvious what it referenced, but I guess not. :)

  Mitt Romney.  ;)

  I would bet that it was probably a warning, and he wouldn't have been able to sneak in the C-note if he hadn't given it to him.

I don't know on this one.  I will have to wait and see.  HBO did do a great job on the John Adams series.  http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0472027/?ref_=fn_al_tt_1

It is good to read a positive story on LEOs.  Three are some officers who should have never been given a badge, and it is unfortunate that they tend to get the most publicity.  However, there are a lot of officers out there who have a strong sense of community, and really know what it means to protect and serve.

What is one of the tenets of a police state? Massive amounts of surveillance. What is this program if not massive surveillance? I know this might not bother you as you come from the crowd that believes that if you have done nothing wrong, then you should have nothing to hide or fear. Initially this program will be benign. In fact, some good may come of it. However, as government grows, which it incessantly does, and becomes more and more involved in our lives, more than likely this program will expand beyond its original scope. Think of London with all of its video cameras through the city. I do not like the fact that the government will eventually have the capabilities to track everything we do on a day to day basis, just like I don't like the fact that the NSA captures massive amounts of metadata. It is just too much power for the government to have.

Yeah, he stuck his foot in his mouth on that one.  That is always one the risks you run when most of your job consists of running your mouth.  I guess we will see how bad this damages him, if it does at all.  I still think it is very premature to start talking about 2016 considering we still have to make through 2014.

  When I read the thread title, that is what I was thinking, and I was about to call BS.  2000 miles / 45 hours = 44.44 mph.  I know some fast cyclists, but that would be unheard of.   Anyway, sounds like a neat trip.  Hope you have a safe ride.