NorthSideSox72

QUOTE(southsider2k5 @ Oct 25, 2007 -> 02:35 PM) It depends on what exactly he is talking about... Is he talking about giving more to teachers, police, firefighters, social workers etc? How about professions like medicine which require a whole lot more college years, and leave the students with a huge pile of debt when they are done? If that is the case, what is so bad about that? With the low pays that lots of societitally beneficial positions have, there are chronic shortages in those areas (think teachers and nurses for example) what would be wrong with encouraging those nobel fields? Now if he has another set of standards to base this stuff on, my reaction would be different, but I don't see what is so stupid about a plan like this on the surface. To be honest, it sounds like something that would usually come from the Democratic side of the aisle. That's exactly what I am talking about. Making this a partisan issue has the potential to be devastating. If states independently want to do things because of shortages, for example, of nurses or cops or teachers, then I might be OK with that, under certain circumstances. I just think the Feds saying which degrees are important "to society" is dangerous.

QUOTE(Alpha Dog @ Oct 25, 2007 -> 02:31 PM) Left leg in 3 places, 3 bones in my left foot, 3 bones in my right foot, every finger once, 2 of them twice, one thumb and my nose. The left foot bones were all broken at the same time, the right ones were broken at the same time, but the fingers were mostly one at a time for various reason. Sports related injuries, fights, drunken escapades, etc. Thankfully those were a long time ago, the most recent being the right foot in 2000. Now I just tear things, like the rotator cuff and ACL. I think you win.

QUOTE(StrangeSox @ Oct 25, 2007 -> 02:17 PM) Romney wants to set federal student aid based on how useful your degree is to society. http://www.bostonherald.com/news/national/...ticleid=1038792 Seems like the worst idea, by far, from any of the candidates, and a lot of dumb s*** has been floated already. It would just result in colleges pumping out corporate drones and nothing more. I'd have to agree. Not because of having corporate drones, but for a simpler reason - "useful to society" is 100% subjective. And thus, you'd end up with a CONSTANT battle among Congress and the President in perpetuity, where the among of grant aid would fluctuate wildly from year to year, thus guaranteeing that some students in ALL disciplines would not be able to afford school. This idea is the definition of short-sighted.

QUOTE(Felix @ Oct 25, 2007 -> 02:10 PM) I fractured a bone in my finger, but thats the closest I've been to breaking a bone. So technically, I've never broken a bone. fracture = break, at least according to the medical texts they gave us back in EMT school. The terms are interchangeable. You mean you had like a hairline fracture or something?

QUOTE(Balta1701 @ Oct 25, 2007 -> 01:51 PM) And on a different topic...this one is one I really like. One of the things that really annoys me about our healthcare system is that the priorities of the drug companies are completely screwed up. The biggest profit for them can be had in making a drug which doesn't cure people, but which people take to treat a symptom. In other words, if you actually were to produce a vaccine that killed the AIDS virus, it would eat into your profits significantly compared with having people need to take drugs for the rest of their life to manage the disease, and therefore, the for-profit structure drives research dollars away from many of the drugs that would be most useful to society, and on top of that, companies spend billions of other research dollars trying to develop slightly newer versions of older drugs that do nothing except allow the company to get around the generic drug competition. And then beyond that, companies spend tens of billions more on advertising trying to get you to take a drug that is to some extent optional (like Viagra), because if you don't take the drug the profit margin goes down. This bill, if it's structured right, could go a long way towards fixing that problem. Bernie Sanders of VT has put forward a bill that would establish basically a government sponsored, $80 billion/year fund through which companies that develop drugs would be reimbursed if they produce a drug useful to society. So, if you wanted to get the biggest profit in the drug industry, you wouldn't waste tens of billions on advertising and on sneaking around the generic drug laws, you'd get the biggest profit by developing actual new drugs that cure things. A system like this has the potential to dramatically improve the way the drug industry behaves, by putting all of the profit in the drug industry exactly where it should be; developing new drugs that help people. Bravo indeed. And it took the 1 independant in Congress to get it moving. I hope it passes.

So, since this was a popular topic in the I've Never thread... how many broken bones have you had in your lifetime (that you can recall)? I am actually not 100% sure about myself, but I believe... 6 2 fingers, 2 toes, 1 ankle, 1 arm

QUOTE(ChiSox_Sonix @ Oct 25, 2007 -> 12:35 PM) I've never been east of Cleveland or south of Charlotte I assume you meant West of Cleveland. Since, you know, you are from New York, and Charlotte is east of Cleveland. ... I've never eaten sushi. I've never listened to or watched Britney Spears intentionally. I've never referred to professional wrestling as a "sport" ...And none of those three things will ever change.

QUOTE(southsider2k5 @ Oct 25, 2007 -> 12:53 PM) So how does this account for the drop in civilian casualties and the drop in violent attacks? It doesn't, or only partially does. This is a product of a semi-organized waiting tactic of the mid-level militant leaders, as has been reported in a few media outlets (though not a peep from the major networks), and that I have highlighted here a few times. In a month or two, one of two things will happen. Either we'll see some positive movement in the political arena, giving more control and involvement to regional leaders, or... the violence will go right back to levels from the summer. Let's hope its not the latter.

QUOTE(Texsox @ Oct 25, 2007 -> 11:40 AM) Perhaps I should have said, I can't believe he is polling ahead of . . . ahead of . . . well anyone in that field. Also, look at what is really going on in those polls. In national polls, Giuliani continues to have a big lead, which is greatly because of name recognition (9/11). On the other hand, look at IA and NH, where there is actual campaigning going on. Giuliani is 2nd or 3rd in those states, and his numbers are trending down as time goes on. In other words, when Giuliani actually starts campaigning and spending money in a place, he declines. What does that tell you? It tells me that Rudy is trading mostly on his name, and that once people get to know him, he will fall out of the pack. Add to this also that, as previously stated here by other posters, the big relgious right money is still in a holding pattern. And Giuliani is probably well below Romney, Thompson and Huckabee on the lists of those people for where money will go. Unless he turns things around, Giuliani will lose.

QUOTE(Texsox @ Oct 25, 2007 -> 11:40 AM) Perhaps I should have said, I can't believe he is polling ahead of . . . ahead of . . . well anyone in that field. Did I mention 9/11?

QUOTE(Texsox @ Oct 25, 2007 -> 11:11 AM) I just can't believe the family values party is embracing him. He seems like Slick Willie II and I thought we had put that behind us. The party ISN'T embracing him. The Republican voting base wants someone who they think can beat Hillary, and they think he's it. Plus, again, 9/11.

QUOTE(Texsox @ Oct 25, 2007 -> 09:05 AM) I have Stats for Psychology Majors and the damn class is only offered during the day, and with the damn lab, it is impossible for me to take. Of course it is required for my major My wife taught stats for undergrad psych students, which she was getting her PhD. She claims her students actually liked her. I don't believe it.

QUOTE(BigSqwert @ Oct 25, 2007 -> 09:55 AM) I just signed up for a canvassing trip to Iowa for the Obama campaign. Looking forward to it. Where in Iowa? I know some towns pretty well, and could give you some recommended places to eat/drink/stay. Oh and by the way, good on you for volunteering to help out someone you support, no matter who it is.

QUOTE(Texsox @ Oct 25, 2007 -> 09:36 AM) I am still trying to understand how Rudy G is doing so well. Two words... nine eleven The fact that he screwed the firefighters and site workers after the fact is irrelevant, because its not part of the national perception of his background. Yet. That is starting to change though, and I still feel like he is likely to fall down.

QUOTE(DBAH0 @ Oct 25, 2007 -> 12:17 AM) Portland makes the most sense for mine. It would allow for the Athletics to stay in the AL West, and they would develop a pretty good rivalry with Seattle. Someone suggested Salt Lake City, that's not a bad idea, but it'd also be playing in Coors Field all over again, so they'd need to have a humidor to keep the runs down. I think they'd get pretty good support in Portland, they were pretty devoted to the Blazers in the 90's, until they became the "Jail Blazers". Interesting. Approximate altitudes of the cities mentioned... Reference: Denver: 5300' ASL (and typically fairly dry and variable in temp) SLC: 4200' (and typically very dry and hot) Portland: 600' (and typically somewhat humid and moderate in temp) San Antonio: 1000' (and moderately humid and hot) Albuquerque: 5000' (and typically very dry and somewhat hot) Charlotte: 700' (and typically somewhat humid and somewhat hot) Vegas: 2200' (and typically very dry and very hot) Nashville: 500' (and typically somewhat humid and somewhat hot) Altitude and dry air are issues at SLC and ABQ, and Vegas and Portland would probably need an indoor or retractable roof stadium. So those are issues at those locations.

Why anyone is listening or caring about what Durbin or Tancredo have to say about anything is beyond me. Two of the most shrill, useless voices in politics.

QUOTE(Rex Kicka** @ Oct 24, 2007 -> 06:40 PM) We have moved most of our presence out of Germany. But if we relocate, where can we go? We can't go further east due to agreements with Russia about NATO from 1989. In fact US troops aren't allowed bases in the Eastern part of Germany. France kicked the US out in the 1950's, and there is no real geographic benefit of being anywhere other than Germany these days. We still have a heavy presence in Italy, and the UK. Those are pretty much the only western European options left for countries that seem willing to accept a US military presence.

QUOTE(Balta1701 @ Oct 24, 2007 -> 04:02 PM) The social security shortfall is so tiny and so far out that virtually any change that doesn't cost the system money (i.e. private accounts) fixes the problem on the infinite horizon. Raising the cap on what income level counts towards SSI taxes does the same thing, as does having a slightly higher growth rate than the conservative estimate predicted by the Social Security trustees. And I'd be open to discussion on the cap, but I sure as heck wouldn't want to see any sort of friendly re-estimation relied upon.

QUOTE(BigSqwert @ Oct 24, 2007 -> 01:48 PM) From this article. Very nice.

QUOTE(YASNY @ Oct 24, 2007 -> 01:09 PM) For the same reason we shouldn't give immunity to illegal aliens that have broken the law. *applause*

QUOTE(southsider2k5 @ Oct 24, 2007 -> 12:57 PM) Fred Thompson's social security plan is out as well, and it also interesting. Essentially he wants to unpeg benefit COLAs from wage inflation, to price inflation. The difference would supposedly make a tax hike unnecesary, and while some call it a "cut" in benefits, it still would be a true cost of living adjustment every year. http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/TheNote/sto...6350&page=1 Well that certainly sounds like a fabulous idea, if his math is right that the spread would cover the short. I'll be waiting to see (after some folks like Concord actually crunch the numbers) if its the real deal. If it can do it, than no question in my mind this is the best idea yet suggested.

QUOTE(southsider2k5 @ Oct 24, 2007 -> 01:58 PM) Yeah I can't imagine why people would get the idea that some people would exploit the global warming debate for their own gains and profits... http://www.drudgereport.com/flash6.htm For the record, I am not at all surprised that a media organization would use a disaster to further its agenda. That's what they all do. Why all the sarcasm? Has anyone ever said that CNN or other MSM outlets wouldn't do this at every chance they could?

QUOTE(southsider2k5 @ Oct 24, 2007 -> 10:04 AM) Wow. They have totally given the finger to the small budget fan. Soxfest used to be the one event that you didn't have to be rich to attend and have a chance at interacting with the players. It seems like even as a charity event, they are pricing the ordinary fans out of it. Yup. Of course, the team's payroll has been huge for years now (compared to previously), and all these luxury add-ons are one of the reasons why its possible. Catch 22. By the way, one great way to get closer to the players for cheap is going to Spring Training games. Only problem is having to fly out there. Hmmm... Figure if you go cheaper on Southwest or something, you can get to Tucson for $200 or less RT. Add in two inexpensive hotel nights, that's another $150. Maybe even with the airfare and hotel its actually cheaper to do Spring Training.

QUOTE(kapkomet @ Oct 24, 2007 -> 09:45 AM) It's a LOT different. The father-son thing is totally different then the same exact people running the country again. I actually thought he meant Bush I having been VP for 8 years, then Prez.

QUOTE(Texsox @ Oct 24, 2007 -> 09:37 AM) Interesting. Link, scoll to bottom past the Ozzieball stuff. It wasn't a harsh thing or anything, just reality (don't want to make it seem like they were upset with him or something).