BigSqwert

50%??? Wow that's amazing. Maybe we should put Dubya's face on Mt Rushmore now. Why wait?

QUOTE(kapkomet @ Dec 22, 2005 -> 07:18 PM) So now it's Walmart's job to give everyone health insurance. Not everyone. Just their FT employees. And yes...looks like they are finally responding after...how many years?

Reason #673 to hate on Wal-Mart. http://www.cnn.com/2005/LAW/12/22/walmart....h.ap/index.html Quote from the article: The company added lower-cost health insurance this year after an internal memo surfaced that showed 46 percent of Wal-Mart employees' children were on Medicaid or uninsured. Guess who pays for that Medicaid? We do as taxpayers.

QUOTE(southsider2k5 @ Dec 22, 2005 -> 01:56 PM) Hey Henry, any idea if Mr West Looper himself, Ilk is going to be back for the bash? I thought he was in NY.

Hey Henry! Didn't know you posted on this board. Get tired of the nazi's across the way?

QUOTE(Controlled Chaos @ Dec 22, 2005 -> 12:16 PM) Keep rooting for us to fail.... No need to root. This administration seems to screw up just about anything it touches, whether I root or not.

Wow. Now we are paying British newspapers to print positive stories?

QUOTE(southsider2k5 @ Dec 22, 2005 -> 11:29 AM) Some rebuttals for traditional arguements... http://www.washingtontimes.com/commentary/...91756-3971r.htm I'm just sick of dependance on oil in general. Emissions from vehicles are destroying the air we breath and accelerating global warming. It's the entire environment I am worried about, not just Alaska's. EDIT: And before anyone points their finger at me and calls me a hyprocrite, I sold my car earlier this year and ride my bike to work or take the bus/train. Also a member of the NRDC.

QUOTE(southsider2k5 @ Dec 22, 2005 -> 10:47 AM) This is one thing that bugs me. The ultimate motivation of America is self determination. People are supposed to be able to get as much of what they want, or as little of what they want to the best of their ability. Corporate America was never intended to be any different than anything else. Corporate America AND the federal government where never intended to be our babysitters. Corporations do give back to their employees, its called a paycheck. The great majority of them go way beyond that and give their employees benefits. Last I read the average price of the benefits ends up costing the company about another yearly salary of that particular employee. This was never intended to be a socialist society where you work the same government job until your retirement age, and then you live off of a fat government pension. Basically everyone has the choices that they can make to improve their lifestyle. They can move, they can go back to school, they can stay in school, they can train for a higher position, they can not have as many kids etc. They don't have to work for Wal-Mart or anywhere else, nor do they have to shop there. Be a leader....turn down all of your benefits and pay for everything out of your own pockets. Everyone will follow.

QUOTE(Konerko4mvp @ Dec 22, 2005 -> 11:10 AM) THAT IS WHAT SUCKS..by the time it goes to public there wont be tix available...

QUOTE(southsideirish71 @ Dec 21, 2005 -> 11:05 PM) I have no patience for the "well if you only understood that they live in a remote area with no opportunity". Oddly my father just after I was born, packed up the family with barely nothing in his pocket moved from Ireland to the US with pretty much no money, joined the Army, got out and worked a few jobs while he went to school at night, then made sure that all of his kids got their educations and went to college. Nothing that a lot of hard work, and some vision cannot fix. You can blame the walmarts of the world, or you can better yourself and your situation. People can get their degrees or learn a trade. If you dont want to go to college, become a carpenter, electrician, pipe fitter, or something. But dont get the job at walmart and then b**** because they are not paying you enough. I will let you slide on this one since you are a liberal. Because republicans have "moral values" right? And if you have moral values you care about people less fortunate and try to help when you can, not criticize them. Only a liberal would bash the unfortunate.

QUOTE(Texsox @ Dec 22, 2005 -> 08:53 AM) I've heard that complaint before and I don't understand it. We have government programs to help the jobless and the working poor. Working poor use those programs. Are all those employers bad? Is the complaint about those programs, the workers, or the companies? If it is a good program, why complain about the working poor using them? If it is the workers, why criticize them for using a program they qualify for? I just find it ironic that a company of this size (bigger than any oil company) is making bilions and billions of dollars and so many of their employees need government assistance. Perhaps they can take some of their record breaking profits and give back to the people who got them there. Provide some affordable health care at least.

QUOTE(ThomeOnTheRange @ Dec 21, 2005 -> 06:03 PM) Oh well, now that all my good shows on FX is over for now, I'm just gonna post. The Shield starts in a couple weeks or so. Still the best in class for F/X dramas.

QUOTE(southsideirish71 @ Dec 21, 2005 -> 10:59 PM) But as long as the Waltons cut a check to Unicef then they will be okay in your book. No. I just provided one example out of many of why they make me ill.

QUOTE(EvilMonkey @ Dec 21, 2005 -> 09:54 PM) Nobody is holding a gun to their heads and making them work at WalMart. If they need more money, get a different job. Unfortunately that is easier said than done in a lot of small communities where Wal-Mart wiped away a bunch of small businesses. Easy to say in the Chicagoland area but not the same in a small town in Montana.

QUOTE(kapkomet @ Dec 21, 2005 -> 07:12 PM) f*** yea! Let's increase taxes so you poor f***s can have some more government handouts! Stop making fun of Wal-Mart employees.

You all can think what you want but I refuse to support a company which has 5 of the richest 10 people in the world yet contribute virtually nothing to charity. On the other hand, Bill Gates contributed over 50% of his personal income to charity in 2004 alone. The Walton family represents the ultimate in greed and it makes me sick. f*** them and their greed. I'll buy my milk elsewhere.

QUOTE(kapkomet @ Dec 21, 2005 -> 07:49 PM) Once a Walmart hourly minimum wage employee, always a walmart hourly minimum wage employee. Hey, whatchoo talkin about sucka? I work at K-Mart!

QUOTE(southsideirish71 @ Dec 21, 2005 -> 06:16 PM) As long as I can get my gallon of milk for $1.98 at Walmart instead of shelling out 4 bucks at Jewel, they can keep that model going. Sure get your $1.98 gallon of milk. Oh by the way your also helping shell out to subsidize all the millions of dollars being spent on Wal-Mart employees who are on welfare, getting food stamps and getting all sorts of state and federal aid because their greedy company doesn't pay them enough and provide them with benefits. Maybe you are exempt from helping pay for that welfare but I'm pretty sure my taxes help pay for that.

QUOTE(southsider2k5 @ Dec 21, 2005 -> 04:08 PM) After campaigning against Wal-Mart and other corporations, you would think that a consumate politician would think it might be a good idea to tell your trust to avoid conflicts of interest, especially with disclosures the way they are now a days. I am now shaking with anger.

QUOTE(Cknolls @ Dec 21, 2005 -> 04:08 PM) God forbid we limit the rate of the increase in spending on entitlements. Yeah...who cares about medicare and the like? We need to keep tax breaks for the rich during a time of war.

QUOTE(Controlled Chaos @ Dec 21, 2005 -> 03:29 PM) At the local Wal-Mart where I shop (contrary to Bolton, I do not believe that shopping at Wal-Mart violates the Holy Scriptures), I have noticed that many employees have stayed with that company for a long time, and there does not seem to be much turnover there. Furthermore, from what I can tell, they seem like normal people, not the oppressed slaves that the critics claim fill the ranks of Wal-Mart workers. Wow! Impressive study done by this guy. He noticed things about the 1 Wal-Mart he visited and provided us with some excellent results. I guess we can close the case on this issue seeing that he actually verified that most of the employees at this 1 location have worked there for several years and there is very little turnover. QUOTE(Controlled Chaos @ Dec 21, 2005 -> 03:29 PM) Second, while the owner of the smaller store has suffered a loss of income, everyone else has gained. Exactly what does that mean? A little vague here if you ask me. How does everyone else gain? Gain what? QUOTE(Controlled Chaos @ Dec 21, 2005 -> 03:29 PM) Third, if the employees of the smaller store go to work at the new chain store, it is almost guaranteed that their pay will be higher than before and they will enjoy new benefits that most likely had not been available to them previously. Almost guaranteed? Based on what? Where is the evidence? Is this based on his opinion?

QUOTE(NUKE_CLEVELAND @ Dec 21, 2005 -> 12:14 PM) I strongly doubt this is true but even if it is does anyone really give a s***? I thought we were in Iraq to set up a democracy. Democracy isn't about beating and torturing prisoners of war (which I am not claiming happened in this case). So if it's cool for us to do things like this then we seem like hypocrites in Iraq where we expect them to set up a civilized democracy. You claim to be anti-communist (in your avatar) but you are all for Communist tactics.

QUOTE(NUKE_CLEVELAND @ Dec 21, 2005 -> 12:08 PM) You mentioned Bush post-9-11. Who can forget the image of him standing on a pile of rubble with a bullhorn telling the firefighters that we're gonna get the bastards who did this. That was a timeless moment right there. About the only good moment of his regarding 9/11.

QUOTE(NorthSideSox72 @ Dec 21, 2005 -> 02:20 PM) Maybe we could actually spend the development money in getting some alternative energy methods further along in their maturation processes. Amen to that. You telling me we can put a man on the moon, create robots that mimic humans, make laser-guided missiles and nanomachines but we can't make a vehicle that doesn't rely on fossil fuels?