mav
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Posts posted by mav
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Congratulations sir. Very nice house.
I will be forced to buy my first house this year. I am single and really have no need of one, and I have incredibly cheap rent which has suited me just fine since I am such a tightwad about spending money on certain things. Since I have lived well below my means for years, I have built up a rather sizable amount of cash in my money market and checking accounts. The problem is the money is doing absolutely nothing except losing value and I know interest rates will eventually go back up. So, it looks like I will break down and buy one.
The problem I am running into now is deciding what I want or should do. Buy it outright or finance? Subdivision, rural, or lake. Build or buy pre-existing, and if pre-existing, new or older? I keep flip flopping back and forth on what I should do. I am having a hard time letting go of any money even though I know it is the smart thing to do.
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I think so many people don't understand how our government was initially set up. Senators were never intended to represent the people, that was the function of the House of Representatives. Senators represented state issues. I would be all for repealing the 17th. There is just too many special interests and outside influence at work with the way it is now. More than likely, bills such as Obamacare would have never made it through the Senate if things were back to the way they should be.
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I have a CC that is BOA. It used to be a MBNA card, but was bought out by BOA. I have had it almost 20 years and don't really see a reason to change from it even though I know their stance on guns, etc...
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I think you are doing well asking these questions now while you are young. I wish I had started into a 401-k earlier in life, but unfortunately I wasn't able until I was 28, which is when I was first offered participiation into a plan. I have been contributing the maximum allowable amount ever since.
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I would be shocked if the Senate can get 66 votes to ratify it. I don't think it is going anywhere at this time.
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Sorry for your loss Jonnin.
So sorry for your loss.
Also, though, can't resist asking: what circumstances were involved with falling out of a plane?
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Apparently the plane malfunctioned and went into a nose dive. At that point, the canopy flew open and the man was ejected from the plane.
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I carry them all with the lanyard on with no problems, how does it hinder your knifes Eric?
Oh, it doesn't hinder it in anyway. It is just sort of a nuisance sticking out of my pocket. It is just personal preference not having it on there.
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Here are a couple of questions I posed in another thread on this topic.
For argument's sake, let's assume we have it out with NK. We are bogged down in the middle east, and now we open another front on the war on terror or Bush's axis of evil. What is to stop China from taking advantage of the situation and decide to bring Taiwan back into the fold? If they moved on Taiwan, we are obligated to stop them. Would we or even could we? If we declare war with NK, could NK launch nukes against SK or Japan as a if we are gonna go down we are gonna take you with us response?
While I am pretty sure Kim Jung whatever his name is sabre rattling, he could bring devastation really quick to the world markets. It is a troubling situation, and I sure hope someone has put a muzzle on both McCain and Graham.
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For argument's sake, let's assume we have it out with NK. We are bogged down in the middle east, and now we open another front on the war on terror or Bush's axis of evil. What is to stop China from taking advantage of the situation and decide to bring Taiwan back into the fold? If they moved on Taiwan, we are obligated to stop them. Would we or even could we? If we declare war with NK, could NK launch nukes against SK or Japan as a if we are gonna go down we are gonna take you with us response?
While I am pretty sure Kim Jung whatever his name is sabre rattling, he could bring devastation really quick to the world markets. It is a troubling situation, and I sure hope someone has put a muzzle on both McCain and Graham.
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<----- Thread crapper.
To all CR owners: Do you carry your CR knives with the laynard or without it? I think it sort of gets in the way, so I take mine off.
By the way, nice knife Steve.
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I believe this country has already become somewhat of a police state. No, we don't have secret police kicking down your door to execute you or haul you off to some labor camp because you won't conform to governmental decrees. However, let's look at what we already have:
1. We have increased militarization of police departments throughout the US.
2. We have proposed gun control measures in numerous states and the federal government. Don't think for a minute that the AWB losing political steam is a victory for us. If this was the 2008 House and Senate, Feinstein's bill or something much worse would have passed and would be law.
3. We have more and more people becoming dependent upon the government, which is exactly what they want. Ask yourself, who is easier to control, the man who needs nothing from the government, or a man who requires government assistance (food stamps, welfare, medicare/medicaid, doesn't pay federal income taxes) in order to get by?
4. We have increased surveillance from UAVs, which soon may be armed.
5. We have the first step, i.e. Obamacare, towards instituting a single payer healthcare system. What better way to control people than through healthcare.
6. We have unecessary laws (Patriot Act) and agencies like the DHS and TSA. Who was DHS's number one concern? It wasn't some jihadi just waiting to have his Allah moment; it was homegrown terrorists, especially former military personnel, and right leaning militias.
7. We have less and less anonymity on the internet with businesses and government tracking what you are doing.
8. We have an EPA that is furthering its stranglehold on businesses and individuals.
9. We have an out of control federal government that will not decrease spending, putting you further in debt. Then they steal your money and your children's money only to bailout undeserving individuals and corporations.
10. We are seeing a push to change the demographics via immigration (amnesty) which will eventually ensure a single party rule.
I could go on and on with numerous examples.
Granted, this is what at least 50% of the public wants (or at least they think they do). As long as the average individual has enough money to buy their big screen television, cable, and to go to their favorite restaurant, they will be satiated. I would be willing to wager that if you asked the average Joe which would they rather have, cradle to grave security or complete freedom, they would choose the former.
Anyone who does not think we are becoming a police state is really delusional, or they don't understand what a police state is. Do I think we will go full blown totalitarianism? I have no idea, but I will contend that all of the right components are being (or have been) added. All we need is the right politicians in office and the right catalyst, i.e. financial collapse, domestic terrorism, etc... to set the reaction off, which will quickly turn this nation into something we would have thought improbable.
Just to note, I am not an Alex Jones fan, and I am somewhat allergic to aluminum. However, I do have eyes, and I can see that what is being set up could possibly have disastrous consequences on our civil liberties and personal freedoms given the right set of circumstances. Thankfully we still have a few politicians in Washington like Rand Paul, Ted Cruz, and Mike Lee who see the same thing and are fighting against it. The next couple of elections will decide if this country will be saved or move that much closer to authoritarianism, and eventually crumble like every other empire in history.
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I have never figured out why so many dislike Biden. He is a wellspring of wisdom. If you ever want to know what the correct answer to any problem or situation, just ask Biden. If you do the exact opposite of what Biden tells you, then you will always come out with the correct or favorable outcome.
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I see a lot of people are recommending scales. One thing I would caution against is focusing too much attention on scales and exercises. Just like reading, they are fundamental, but too much can cause burnout.
I gave up the trumpet and picked up the guitar in college. Joe Satriani was by far and away my favorite guitarist, and I wanted to be able to play his music. There were days that I would practice 3 - 5 hours of nothing but scales and exercises trying to build up technique and speed in order to play his music. I eventually got there, and could play lead right along with backing tracks, but what I didn't realize until it was too late was there to more music than just playing other people's stuff. Unfortunately, I ended up quitting altogether.
Thankfully, I didn't get rid of all my guitars (still have three and my half stack). Hopefully I will get the bug and start playing again. One thing I would recommend, if it is possible, is trying to play with other people.
I have a great little book in my library that is put out by the Musicians Institute. It is Guitar Soloing: The Contemporary Guide to Improvisation. I don't know if it is still in print, but it is a great book.
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Perhaps they're not that stupid, they're simply ignorant. Very, very few people make any effort to understand how the banking and governmental finance systems work. I don't think that's entirely their fault. Those systems have evolved over time to be so absurdly complex, they're effectively beyond comprehension. A single input could result in 1000 different outputs based on 1 million variables. Until the systems are simplified to the point that they can be reasonably understood, I think they're all doomed to fail in one way or another.
In addition, the looming bankruptcy is bad news and people neither like to give nor receive bad news. They're very difficult problems with very difficult solutions, o they just ignore and hope it'll go away. It's not a big stretch to say that we'll be in the same position in a decade or two.
I guess you could claim the a lot of the public is willfully ignorant. The same cannot be said of their elected leaders. I used the term willfully ignorant because it should be blatantly obvious that you can't keep spending more than you have without realizing that one day the bill is going to come due.
I will be the first to admit that I do not comprehend all of the complexities of government finance. In fact, I know very few people that do. However, I do understand that individuals, businesses, and governments that borrow and spend money are expected to pay it back. The more debt one acquires, the greater the difficulty in paying it back. As a separate issue, I also understand that the overall OTC derivative exposure being close to $700 trillion, and having some banks leveraged at almost 50:1 is a problem. The slightest ripple could cause a systemic crash.
One of the things I find interesting about the whole scenario is that Cyprus has a debt to GDP ratio of around 75%. Our country is around 107%. In about 4 years, we will be around 130 - 140%. Interesting times await us in the near future.
I guess I am just a little old fashioned in my way of thinking. I was taught to live within in your means, keep an emergency fund, and if you must borrow, that you should never borrow more than what you can pay back even if the worst case scenario should happen. Perhaps if more people returned to those values we would be lot better off, and we would not sabotage our kid's opportunity of future prosperity.
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Let us look at a different angle on this situation. It nows appears that Cypriots are livid with the restrictions banks have made regarding their money. You often hear Cypriots complain that the banks have stolen their money, but you also hear them complain about the austerity measures and cutting back of social programs. What gives? Are they that stupid that they don't understand you can't borrow millions if not billions of dollars for entitlement programs then not be expected to pay the money back? Judging by a lot of Cypriots reactions, I would say yes they are. Another possibility could be that they were hoping Obama would give them some money from his stash.
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Ask him to put you in line for the next shipment, prices are going through the roof on these knives I have seen them selling for over $1000.00 online, I missed the boat on the first ones as well
He can get you any ZT knife it may take a little while on these 777's thoughI have never received my 777 either. Since I don't frequent BF as much as I used to, I thought maybe Kershaw had scrapped the knife since they were having some initial quality issues.
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I don't believe Wilson does anything to the knives. I believe the Starbenza and Startac are the best of the standard Sebenza line. I had two Startacs, but sold one of them to Fred, which I sort of regretted. :) I still carry my Starbenza daily.
I am glad they polished up the lockbar stabilizer on the new Startacs by putting their logo on it. When they first put them on the Startac, it looked absolutely terrible, and in my opinion, ruined the aesthetics of the knife. I made a post on BF suggesting they put their logo on the stabilizer to improve the appearance. CR ended up doing that very thing. I wonder if my post gave them any ideas. ;)
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Yeah, they are pretty good. I ran across them several weeks ago. I will say that Mr. Reeve doesn't lack any confidence, but in fairness, his knives do represent the pinnacle of quality. I would go so far to say that they are indeed the best in the world.
I did find it humorous at his dig at Thomas (who I believe is heading up Kershaw) when he received another Quality Award at Blade.
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I never joined Facebook, MySpace, Twitter, or whatever else is out there. TGO is enough for me, and as far as drama goes, I can get more than my fill here.
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I have always liked Palin, and she was the only reason I could vote for McCain. Is she a cerebral giant? No, but she does have common sense, and that is something that is severely lacking in Washington. I will also add that common sense, in most cases, is good enough. I think too many people often equate academic pedigree with intelligence and/or wisdom. Considering the current financial condition of our country, I believe one can easily deduce that they do not.
I wouldn't mind seeing Sarah head up the RNC.
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Since I am not on the forum as much as I used to be, I wasn't aware of this new rule. I got busted today for using McLame (McCain) and Grahamnesty (Graham). I vehemently disagree with this new rule, and feel that regardless of its intent, that it is nothing more than political correctness run amuck. I will concede that there are numerous cases in which the use of pejoratives is childish and debase the conversation. However, there are times when a pejorative can be used in good taste and is effective communication. It is one of the reasons that they are pretty much used by everybody including those that may be perceived as intellectual elites.
I would also argue that sometimes the intent of a pejorative is to belittle someone or something. Is mocking or sarcasm going to be prohibited as well? I would argue that they all pretty much do the same thing, and can be juvenile at times. Case in point, look at the recent thread concerning citizen control vehicles spotted on trains. Granted, the thread was conspiratorial and not really plausible, but how does the mocking of certain members of this forum and mentioning of green lizard people elevate the conversation? I only responded to that post because I thought some of the members were being childish and acting like jackasses. I am quite certain that others would have came to the same viewpoint as I did on that thread. Will this be policed as well?
I strongly diasgree with your decision, and liken it to using an axe when only a scalpel was required. However, this is your forum, and I respect your right to establish rules regarding its governance. I will do my best to adhere to this new policy.
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The supreme court is not responsible for any of the stuff you listed. It has no influence on who we bomb, how we handle NK, or the rest of it. Their job is to evaluate how much of the constitution we can rape today, and what should be left for tomorrow. So I say no, its not the same. If congress is playing around with stupid crap like gun control or quibbling over pork, that is like nero. So, we are in the nero situation, its just not the fault of the court?
I understand what the SCOTUS is responsible for. I should have clarified my argument because my rant has nothing to do with the SCOTUS. It is with the media and a lot of our citizen's attention being so focused on this issue. Yes, I understand this is important to some people, but in the grand scheme of things this is really a small problem. Yes, by all means cover what the SCOTUS is doing, but to ignore everything else and focus most of your attention or coverage on this sole issue is exactly like the Nero analogy. I was being rhetorical when I used it.
We had that twit Sebelius actually acknowledge today that Obamacare is raising everyone's premiums. Granted, there is not much we can do with Obama in office and media blocking for him, but in my mind, that acknowledgement is of far more importance than same sex marriage. The Senate just recently passed a ridiculous budget that will do absolutely nothing except put us further in debt. That is also of greater importance. I could go on and on with numerous examples.
So in essence, my thread is really nothing more than a b*tchfest, and I hope I clarified what I was griping about.
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Well... The SCOTUS is currently hearing oral arguments on DOMA (Defense of Marriage Act). I have made opinion known on same sex marriage in numerous other threads. I think the government (federal and state) should get out and stay out of the marriage business. We should have civil unions for everyone, straight and gay.
My intent was not to create another thread on gay marriage. We have had plenty of those, and nobody ever convinces each other that their viewpoint is correct. The reason I posted the thread is because this country is going to $hit, that little fat bastard in NK is on the verge of starting another war, and McCain and Graham keep pushing us to go into Syria, and what is everyone so focused on? ****ing gay marriage. Is this akin to playing the fiddle while Rome burns?
(edit) - took care of my pejoratives :)
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It now appears that savings accounts in other European countries will raid savings accounts to preserve the currency.
Economics question.
in 2A Legislation and Politics
Posted
The current headline on Drudge states that 90 million people are out of the labor force.
http://www.zerohedge.com/news/2013-04-05/people-not-labor-force-soar-663000-90-million-labor-force-participation-rate-1979-le
Question. How do they derive that number? Does that number include those who can't work, such as small children and the elderly? If it is based off the entire population, it is around 29%. If it is based off the adult population, it is over 36%. If you rule out the top 1% who do not have to work, and in this case we will assume they do not, the number based on the adult population is still around 23%.
I know politicians have really screwed things up over the years, but to have around a 63% labor participation rate seems highly questionable to me. I know things are bad out there, but damn, one out of three adults aren't working? If those numbers are indeed accurate, I am shocked that we have not seen a bunch of pitchforks and torches in Washington.