Damen

For four years, Bush has been telling us Iraq has been getting better while things have gotten steadily worse. How do you propose a reporter describe the obvious disconnect between what President Bush is telling the American people about Iraq, and what is actually happening in Iraq, without being biased?

QUOTE(kapkomet @ Dec 8, 2006 -> 07:13 AM) And I bet 9/11 was an inside job all at the same time from our bumbling idiot of a president. What are you betting?

QUOTE(kapkomet @ Dec 7, 2006 -> 04:52 PM) And we also don't live in a monarchy state: you all tend to paint GWB as something he's not, because you don't like the fact that he actually does something to protect us from people who want to kill us. But now, of course, I'll be a islamo-phobe for even pointing this out. You're right. He's the decider. The very mature, intelligent, and rational decider. How could anyone suggest he acts childish? Just because he can't form a sentence, refer to anyone by their real name, do anything correctly, or eat pretzels doesn't mean those angry liberals have a right to pretend he's something he's not!

QUOTE(southsider2k5 @ Dec 7, 2006 -> 01:44 PM) Its ironic that those two posts were made back to back. Would be if they contradicted each other. We don't live in a monarchy where you need to bend down and kiss the ring of the King. Bush has acted like a petulant child, governing for 6 years believing he is above all laws. Had he not shown that level of sophistication, you wouldn't be seeing this show. In other words, the idea of this show only works because it is a direct response to Bush's actions. That's got nothing to do with blaming democrats for FEMA, because, well, because.

QUOTE(NorthSideSox72 @ Dec 7, 2006 -> 01:21 PM) "The Democrats" do not run Louisiana or New Orleans. Blanco and Nagin, two people who bring nothing positive to their offices, do. The fact that they are Democrats is not relevant to their lack of leadership in this sort of thing. Good point.

QUOTE(YASNY @ Dec 6, 2006 -> 02:54 PM) Disgusting. Totally disgusting. Even if you don't like the man, show some respect for damn office. When he shows some respect for the damn constitution, he'll merit respect for the office he's disrespected.

QUOTE(YASNY @ Dec 7, 2006 -> 12:55 PM) Imagine that. Who is it that runs that state (and city) again? Democrats do, but that has little to nothing to do with this very specific problem with FEMA. Why can't people just accept something for what it is without running to some pointless and false equivolent in an attempt to evade dealing with the problem at hand?

QUOTE(Gregory Pratt @ Dec 6, 2006 -> 02:57 PM) Let's hope the Democratic candidate in 2008 doesn't mention Dick Cheney's lesbian daughter's daughter in the debates. Good one.

QUOTE(Jenksismyb**** @ Dec 5, 2006 -> 12:48 PM) I'll try to find some studies though when I have time. Man, I took about 15 minutes finding all these studies and linking to them in a nice long post, only to have it deleted when i tried to post it. I haven't had the heart to find them since.

QUOTE(Jenksismyb**** @ Dec 5, 2006 -> 12:48 PM) Your original qoute said: I would think that having sufficient knowledge in our own health care, first-hand knowledge at that, would refute your claim that we haven't increased the quality of care. You make no reference to another country so why would I need to bring evidence of that in? If you are saying that COMPARED to other countries our system has not increased in quality, I'd like for YOU to prove to me, with empirical evidence, that our system is on par with that of other similiar countries in all respects of medicine, including technological advancement. I still think context is important. Different countries stress different health care needs. For instance I doubt our quality of care in bird flu medicines would outweigh that of China, but that's not because we lack the requisite skill or knowledge. Conversely I would imagine our skill and knowledge of diseases like AIDS or diabetes would be higher comparatevily. As would things like sports medicine or even obesity now that it's so prevalent. I'll try to find some studies though when I have time. What I meant by that was our convergence of public and private health care.

QUOTE(Jenksismyb**** @ Dec 5, 2006 -> 11:44 AM) I get this from my mother who's been a nurse practitioner/nurse for over 30 years and my sister who's been a doctor for close to 10 years. We get into these discussions all the time and they are always speaking of how their jobs have changed because of new technologies. Be it procedures that are now more readily available or more efficient, to old in-patient care now being performed in out-patient care, speed of recovery, etc etc. Again, I think you have to look at it in context. The health care industry is probably vastly different than the rest of the world. Think about things like Viagra. While other countries are more worried about death, we're spending money talking with a urologist about how to get excited again... Like I said, anecdotal evidence from relatives does nothing for me. But it sure doesn't seem like they have any sufficient knowledge of health care in any country but our own, so I'm not sure what the point is. It doesn't seem to have much to do with what I was saying.

QUOTE(Jenksismyb**** @ Dec 5, 2006 -> 10:53 AM) I think we need to look at this in context. How many times does the average American go to the doctor in a year? How many 'ailments' do Americans suffer from that the rest of the world doesn't (think of all those wonderful drug commercials.....'is your eye leaking too much?') What do you mean by quality? By the technology used? By the results of medical care (i.e. more people being cured)? I'd say in both contexts you're wrong. I have two family members working for Northwestern Memorial here in Chicago and both would say you're insane to think that the healthcare industry has become stagnant in its technological advancement or quality of care. See my other posts in this thread. Not everyone is deserving IMO. If you can point me to a study that shows the US health care system surpasses the quality of care in other countries, I'd like to read it. I know in certain areas, like breast cancer, we lead the world, but in many others, we are middle of the pack. I've yet to come across anything that shows anything different. And anecdotal evidence from a relative doesn't really count for much.

QUOTE(EvilMonkey @ Dec 5, 2006 -> 09:12 AM) And do you (or Damen) think that those programs are 'efficient'? No, I think in many cases we've got the worst of both worlds right now. I mean seriously, how can you defend a system in which we spend vastly more per capita than anywhere else in the world, while not seeing any increases in quality, while still leaving millions uninsured or underinsured.

QUOTE(YASNY @ Dec 4, 2006 -> 11:21 PM) How can I have 'evidence' on something that has yet to occur? I expressed an opinion. Interestingly enough, we are not the only country in this world. So you have plenty of basis of comparison for what happens when government "gets its hands on it". Typically, it becomes more cost effective and efficient.

QUOTE(YASNY @ Dec 3, 2006 -> 06:08 PM) Soxy, you are right in saying that the health care system in the country sucks. But, it will suck a lot worse when the government gets its hands on it. I don't know if you've got any empirical evidence to back you up on that. Most studies seem to show that, despite spending more than twice as much per capita than any other country in the world, the US is in the middle of the pack in terms of quality of health care for most health issues. That would mean that governments who've gotten their hands on it (more), not only provide health care to all of its citizens, they've done so at a vastly more efficient rate, while still maintianing or beating the quality we have here.

QUOTE(Rex Kicka** @ Nov 27, 2006 -> 11:59 PM) Actually his leadership in helping to quell the Israeli/Hesbollah conflict in Beirut exceeded that of his superiors. He did a much better job than I would have thought given the poor guidance our administration provided in our policy. I missed this earlier, but please explain this further. Condi Rice is widely seen as the diplomat who belatedly took on the initiative to negotiate a ceasefire, just as she saved his ass in the Darfur resolution, where Bolton's feckless antidiplomacy drove us to a stalemate.

QUOTE(kapkomet @ Nov 28, 2006 -> 08:52 PM) OHHHHHHHHHHH... so NOW it was a joke. MMMMMMkay. Are you being serious? No, you're right. I really did think John Bolton was going to be captured on national television soliciting 13 year olds with play-doh.

QUOTE(kapkomet @ Nov 28, 2006 -> 07:16 AM) You just ruined anything you could ever say here in the future with this single post. Now I can just discount anything you say totally. Thanks for clarifying. Not only can you not take a joke, but you refuse to back up your arguments. But please, discount what I have to say, that ought to make things easy on you.

QUOTE(kapkomet @ Nov 26, 2006 -> 09:12 PM) Of course you won't find that... DUH. Although, some without absolute blinders (tsk tsk) on even around here have acknowledged that he has done a fair job at the UN for the most part. Pefect? Far from it, but better then many had hoped. Hmmm...isn't that what you said earlier though. And its awfully presumptious to assume one needs "absolute blinders (tsk tsk)" to believe he has been an embarrasment at the UN when its been Republicans who have killed his nomination each time. Really, I'd like to know what he has done to merit a "fair" report card, because I can go on quite a long list of why I think he's a joke. Although I'll be honest, with that mustache, and with the way Republicans have been lately, I am a little suprised he hasn't been caught bearing Bacardi, condoms, and a jar of play-doh while expecting to meet a 13 year old Thai boy, only to run into Stone Phillips and the Dateline crew. So, if we're going by that standard, then yeah, I guess he has been a little better than expected.

QUOTE(kapkomet @ Nov 20, 2006 -> 11:39 PM) Yea, it's always different, and somehow it always comes back to something caused by Bush. Thanks for making my point for me. I seem to recall that Clinton, Kerry, and others in the Democratic Party voted FOR the war... oh, but Bush lied. /ROLLY They didn't vote for the war, actually, but I'm straining to see how that's even related to the discussion right now. QUOTE(kapkomet @ Nov 21, 2006 -> 07:11 AM) It is different, Rex. Because the Democrats prmoised to LEAD instead of being a roadblock. But they just can't do it. I'm not talking about the judges because I don't know, but I am talking about Bolton. As I said earlier, the Democrats admit (most of them who aren't cowtowing to the hard left) admit that Bolton has proved himself worthy of the job. But they refuse to compromise to get him a vote. Besides that, the key vote on Bolton at the time was Chafee, and he's a Democrat anyway who stayed Republican to get $$$$$ for Rhode Island anyway, which is another hypcritical irony, but that's another thread. The man has done well, even by your accounts, for the most part. But nooooooooo, he can't get a vote all because of prior partisan bickering, and it's baloney. But WAIT! The Democrats are the new party of prinicpals and ideas. They won't play political posturing horses*** games because they're DIFFERENT! Nevermind. No they're not, but according to a lot of you, it's all justified, hence the tag 'it's always different'. I won't dive the thread off again. Back to the 'draft' attention. Seriously? Find me some quotes of any Democrats who think Bolton, who is viewed as a joke by just about everyone in the world outside of the rightwing blogs and the Bush administration, has "proved himself worthy". George Bush has a 31% approval rating. Clearly, America is tired of George Bush's politics and ideas. So the Democrats are only acting on their principals and ideas when they prevent an unstable and ineffective joke of an ambassador from embarrasing us further.

QUOTE(Heads22 @ Sep 19, 2006 -> 12:10 AM) I honestly think he just doesn't like Brian. Ozzie's punishment for this season should be to watch a 2 hour compilation of Mack's CF "highlights", interspersed with quotes of Ozzie talking about how important defense is. Ozzie's a hypocrite and a moron, and he needs someone to drill into his head just how wrong he's been with Anderson. I'm honestly very impressed that BA stayed as consistent as he did from early June on, considering he constantly had to to deal with Ozzie's bulls*** comments to the media, and never being able to get into a rhythym due to Ozzie's benching him even after he posted great games at the plate.

QUOTE(Kalapse @ Sep 18, 2006 -> 11:26 PM) I was close, designating Chris Widger for assignment on July 23rd was the biggest mistake the White Sox Organization ever made. 25-28 record since his DFA, coincidence? f*** NO. You may have a point. Has anyone followed up to see how his softball team ended up this summer? I bet they're in the playoffs.

QUOTE(SoxHawk1980 @ Sep 18, 2006 -> 11:16 PM) It sure as hell will. Detroit isn't going to be this good again, but they'll still be good. The Twins will continue to be good, maybe even better. Cleveland will be considerably better. Even the Royals will be better (not good, but we can count on fewer automatic wins against them). Actually, I'd hope even if the Royals get a little better, we still post at least 3 more wins against them next year than we did this year.

QUOTE(Kalapse @ Mar 16, 2006 -> 12:01 PM) - Widger - .358, 21 HR, 58 RBI, 162 AB Wow. You should have posted under a different name for this thread.

QUOTE(Balta1701 @ Sep 18, 2006 -> 05:41 PM) I still say that having watched this team, if Brian Anderson had gotten up to 500 at bats, and thus Rob Mackowiak hadn't cost us so damn many games in CF with his defense...we'd be right alongside Detroit right now. I can think of at least 5 games in just the 2nd half where Mackowiak starting has cost us key runs on plays that Anderson would have made with > 95% certainty, and another 5 where he's cost runs in games we won (thus taxing the pitcher and bullpen even more) or in games that wound up not being close (sometimes because the big hit was over his head in CF.) Even though I agree Ozzie's bastardization of our defense has been terrible, I just can't see this team making the playoffs even if we did have a competent manager. We've just collapsed on too many levels. This has ended up being a complete team failure in the second half.