Rex Kickass

As long as you washed your hands and didn't stick them in your mouth first, you're fine.

That is the funniest thing I've read in a long long time.

Too bad she can't introduce articles of impeachment. She'd have to find a Congressperson capable of doing that in the House. By the way there were Wingnut Congressmen (two of them I believe) that had tried to introduce articles of impeachment against Clinton as early as 1994 or 95.

I remember riding my bike four miles to my friend's with record albums under my arm that we would borrow from each other constantly. And I had a rotary phone as a kid. It sounded better than my parents cordless does now. The one they have in the bedroom still does. I used to play on my Commodore Vic 20 and screw Sim City, I had lego. I was one of those kids that hung out in the library after school til my Mom got home from work to pick me up.

QUOTE(southsider2k5 @ Dec 20, 2005 -> 11:29 AM) Hey you leave Rex out of this You, sir, are worse than Hitler.

I like Izzo and Crew's chances this year. But I think its the Big Ten that will be the power basketball division this year between MSU, Illinois, Indiana and a strong Michigan....

Actually, no it can't happen in the house. There is no filibuster and the parliamentary tactics that the opposition has in the House is not the same.

If they take the stories that his site actually authors, I think it would move much further in one direction.

What would end up happening is they would filibuster, table the filibuster and introduce a new version without the ANWR provision that would pass. Under the scenario I've seen.

Random silliness from Iraq regarding the Dick Cheney visit http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/national/252583_cheney19.html It just made me laugh.

I don't know that warrants are necessary to "keep tabs" on. Doesn't mean that they are being wiretapped (needs a warrant) or being searched (ditto.) The secret wiretaps - I have a hunch are aimed at reporters who may be reporting on Al-Qaeda. Something that I think a FISA court WOULD throw out.

So who is being spied on? Quakers apparently. http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/10454316/print...splaymode/1098/ And the gays. From Sirius Radio News

I've been thinking about that episode ever since this story broke. The Senate may filibuster this bill. BTW.

Economics.

The Line Item Veto was used fairly sparingly, but the Supreme Court did throw it out.

By the way previous to 2001, the FISSA courts had rejected a grand total of 4 wiretap requests.

This is 25 years of resentment bubbling up and over, and its not just the conductors and subway/bus workers pissed. 30% of taxi drivers aren't reporting to work today in sympathy because the city is asking them to break the strike by acting like busses. The Metro North Railroad division of the TWU is seriously considering walking off as well because of similar issues they're having. From what I'm reading about this strike, the sticking point that led to it is the MTA insisting that pension negotiating points with the state be a part of the contract. That's illegal under the same law.

Jonathan Alter alleges that Bush met with NYT executive editors two weeks ago to attempt to suppress the story. http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/10536559/site/newsweek/

QUOTE(southsider2k5 @ Dec 20, 2005 -> 09:47 AM) Join the rest of the world... I haven't seen more than a 3% raise since 2000. At the sametime my insurance costs have tripled. In terms of real dollars, not including inflation even, it took me until this job I just started to be making more than I was in 2000. From what I read the big sticking point with pensions was raising the age that you could collect them from 55 to 62. Also it doesn't sound like that surplus will last very long from what I was reading FWIW. The MTA has agreed to leave pension age alone as of their last offer at about midnight last night. The sticking point is regarding pension contributions. The MTA wants that tripled. The TWU doesn't. I understand that a lot of people have it worse with regard to raises, but there are reasons why people unionize, one of which is to increase their bargaining power. If they weren't union, they wouldn't have a contract at all. A conductor starting on the MTA gets approximately 42K a year if I remember correctly. Although that may seem great for a lot of people, keep in mind that its hard to find a studio apartment anywhere in NYC for under 1000 dollars a month. I live in suburban New Jersey, and find it impossible to get by on my own at under 35K a year. My rent is 900 a month for a one bedroom. And that was a great deal and took four full weeks of searching to find.

It's only lower Manhattan below 100th or so I believe and that's just for rush hours. There's an inspection point on the West Side Hwy.

I think you could still put a line item veto in, it just had to be worded differently if I remember correctly. But by the time that got thrown out, the new GOP congress had already gotten fat and sassy enough that they felt no need to retake the issue. It's a shame because it was one of the only points of the Contract on America that was both responsible and kept.

The MTA is also offering a raise that would entirely be eaten up by increased pension contributions. The main sticking points appears to be pensions - and my guess is that the MTA caves by Thursday. The MTA wanted to give 3% pay increases over 2 years, the TWU wanted 24% over 3 years (8% a year). They settled on about 10% over three years. The TWU also had some very specific concerns regarding employee facilities in the Subway system, and concerns regarding security - and was faced with an MTA plan to reduce the number of conductors and move toward one employee operation of subway trains. They also are eliminating conductor booths and cutting station staff - despite specific terrorism concerns which are addressed by having employees milling around the stations. Apparently all of those concerns were met and now the entire deal is hinging on pension contributions. By law, the MTA can not insist on pension agreements to complete a contract (the same law which makes the strike illegal). Since the pension stuff is governed by the state legislature, all the MTA and TWU can do is request the legislature to make these changes to the program. The MTA is apparently asking the TWU to make requests to the legislature regarding future pension payments as a condition for the contract. The TWU is saying no. Apparently, that's the big sticking point. All this while the MTA is trying to decide what to do with a billion dollar surplus.

There was a line item veto. It was thrown out by the courts.

Oh please, if he said something to the press then you'd be all over his s*** for revealing confidential information for political advantage. It looks to me that he did what he could. Protesting to specific channels about a confidential matter. But I'm sure he didn't do that for any other reason than political gain and decided to wait a whole year after it could have been used to get the President out of office and 11 months from the nearest election for the best possible effect? Yeah that sounds like somebody waiting to use it for political opportunity.

Go Union!