Balta1701

QUOTE (StrangeSox @ Aug 18, 2009 -> 10:51 AM) Montana? Hebgen lake earthquake, Yellowstone, hell of a lot of mice.

QUOTE (southsider2k5 @ Aug 18, 2009 -> 10:44 AM) If you really are trying to make that case, you shouldn't be living in California. It will cost the country a s***ton more in the future because people like you decided to live in a dangerous part of the world. Should I have the freedom to make you leave and live somewhere more safe? Sure it is cheaper today to keep millions of people in dangerous areas of the country (earthquake prone, volcano zones, hurricane prone, etc.) but would you really want the government TELLING you that you HAD to do something because it would be cheaper for you in the long run? Would you care about economic freedom then? A couple points in reply: 1. The government, at the state level in particular, really ought to be smarter about where it allows housing developments to go up. A number of them are just asking for wildfire destruction. Or landslide destruction. 2. The government often mandates things that are done in an effort to insure against those calamities. Building codes against earthquakes, lahar alarms, levee systems, etc. 3. What area of the country isn't subject to potential serious disaster? Especially if you include floods and droughts and tornadoes.

QUOTE (southsider2k5 @ Aug 18, 2009 -> 10:41 AM) They won't exist after the government Wal-Marts them out of existance. Then Obama gets his single payer plan, just like he wanted all along. So basically you're saying that the insurance companies won't ever do anything that allows them to out-compete a public plan, like providing better service or more cost-effective service, and I'm supposed to feel bad about this?

Xenon gas types faster than that Tex.

Very uncharacteristic slowness from me too.

QUOTE (Alpha Dog @ Aug 18, 2009 -> 09:57 AM) it deserve much debate, much discussion, not 1500 pages of legalese ramrodded thru at breakneck speed with no room for dissent. This should not happen over night. Yeah, you know what would be great? If we actually had a full scale national election where each candidate specifically had put forward a plan for healthcare reform and we voted on it.

QUOTE (Alpha Dog @ Aug 18, 2009 -> 09:57 AM) And of a different note, you never answered my question if you refer to left wing group when you post as left wing groups, or you just reserve your snark for right wing groups. Actually, yes I did, it appears you just weren't satisfied with my answer.

QUOTE (BigSqwert @ Aug 18, 2009 -> 09:58 AM) Potential to be one of the biggest threads on Soxtalk. Quitting this thread, I know not how to do it.

QUOTE (Tex @ Aug 18, 2009 -> 09:36 AM) Given a scenario that a health care bill is passed and that most/all Americans will now have their health coverage independent from their jobs. What happens from there? I am believing that once employees are freed from the need to work for companies that offer health insurance, many employees will opt to work for smaller, more innovative companies, who are less likely to outsource to foreign companies. I see a real surge in mom and pop and middle sized business. All in all, I see this as a boom for American business. Amongst the many bits of data I've posted in threads recently was this one...that the American Small Business sector, supposedly the engine of job growth in this country, is comparatively much smaller than the small business sectors of all but 1 of the other countries in the OECD. Health care costs almost certainly play in to this. They are a huge impediment to being able to start your own business; without the negotiating power of being in a large employer pool, the costs of health care are much higher.

Nope.

QUOTE (DBAHO @ Aug 18, 2009 -> 09:18 AM) What would you be satisfied with out of Freddy tonight? If he could go at least 5 innings, and not give up more than 4 runs, well that at least gives us a chance. 6/4 would be nice. We still have Contreras tomorrow right? We need our long man for tomorrow.

QUOTE (flavum @ Aug 18, 2009 -> 09:16 AM) That's why I think Thome has little chance of returning next year. AJ will DH half the time, and mentor Flowers. It's a smart move. We're not using our backup catcher as a DH unless we're carrying 3 catchers.

QUOTE (Alpha Dog @ Aug 18, 2009 -> 06:42 AM) Video of Representative Eric Massa (D-NY) telling people that he will vote against the wished of the very people who elected him because he knows better than they do. What arrogance. He may not have phrased it very artfully at the time, but frankly, isn't that exactly the point of our system where we have a "representative democracy" rather than a direct democracy? Our system is built on the concept that you can't really expect every single person to be fully informed on every issue. Thus, you're supposed to select a person who's judgement you trust and who you agree with on a number of issues and then trust/convince that person to vote the way you want him to in Congress. If you wind up disliking how he's voted, then you remove him by voting against him the next time. He's supposed to understand these issues better than many others; that's the whole point of having a limited number of representatives. If you really believed that every person out there should be well enough informed to make their own decisions on every topic, then a direct democracy would be the way to go.

QUOTE (NorthSideSox72 @ Aug 18, 2009 -> 07:59 AM) Yeah, that's pretty much it. Hell I am one of those people who hates crowds because I am constantly watching everyone else for the one jackass anyway, this would just make it worse. USSS has said its no biggie to them, these people were not allowed inside their perimeter. So from a Presidential protection point of view, probably not a big issue. The question is more about public safety. But they are allowed, so, there it is. Yeah, the Secret Service isn't stupid enough to let any of these guys get close to a clear shot. But the crowds on both sides...there's some serious emotion flowing in a legit rally...it's only going to be via luck that no one pulls the trigger if a dozen people keep showing up at every event for the next year carrying loaded weapons.

QUOTE (southsider2k5 @ Aug 18, 2009 -> 08:58 AM) The proposal is that you are fined if you do not opt for care of some kind, and you will be paying into the system. Tell me again how that isn't being proposed. Can you make the case in any way aside from repeating "Economic freedom" for why people should be able to be uninsured? It costs a lot more in both the short and long term, it removes some healthy people from the system, and it creates this disastrous incentive for insurance companies to move their expensive customers in to the uninsured ranks rather than paying for them.

QUOTE (DBAHO @ Aug 18, 2009 -> 09:07 AM) But I feel sorry for Rosenfals and Jackson. They deserve better than this. Do they really? Jackson maybe, he had some solid games down the stretch last year, but isn't he hurt? We're not talking about forcing out guys who have been winning super bowls here

Show us you've got something left in that old arm, big guy.

Love the platoonage we've got going on right now.

QUOTE (Tex @ Aug 18, 2009 -> 05:25 AM) So Boras got his client 50% more than the previous record. And some people would not want him representing them in negotiations. GMs love you guys. Factor in inflation and get back to us before you laugh.

Yay, more linebrink! Edit: never mind, Gameday lied.

Wow.

Christ linebrink

QUOTE (TitoMB345 @ Aug 17, 2009 -> 06:38 PM) Bannister has a 12+ ERA in his last two starts. I expect AT LEAST 8 runs before he exits the game, or else this is considered a fail on the offense. 7 ok?