StrangeSox

There's still something that doesn't seem right about a Republican attacking Obama for caving in to Republican demands.

Our extant infrastructure is on the verge of crumbling and collapse. It's not so much that new expansion and new roads will drive economic expansion, it's that if we don't fix what we have right now, it'll have serious consequences down the road when we can't move anything anywhere.

Yeah I'm pretty sure it's set up to automatically reinvest the dividends.

My Vanguard Total Market ETF has been doing pretty well for the last several years and pays out some dividends as well.

QUOTE (iamshack @ Feb 25, 2011 -> 08:46 PM) Someone will figure out a way around this...and when they do, I'll be sold. Well, if you were to get someone from out of state to sign up for you using their credit card but pay them....

Politifact has since replied, pointing out that she edited the clip and removed the context. They maintain that their criticism still stands.

QUOTE (Jenksismyb**** @ Feb 25, 2011 -> 04:41 PM) I thought only Fox News twisted facts to best fit their message? I think I'm pretty harsh in general on how crappy 24 hour news is. And there's no excuse for her sloppy research. She (and others) have fumbled a similar claim in the last two days about "7 of the top 10 doners donated to Republicans," when it's really the opposite. What she's referring to is that 7 out of 10 of the top outside spending efforts went to Republicans, led by the CoC. Again, no excuse for that sort of sloppiness. But Fox very clearly has a narrative they push and goes much, much farther than any of the other networks. They actively work to present a conservative-friendly narrative across the network. Documents have been leaked multiple times from Fox that clearly state this. They even edited video footage recently to attack Ron Paul since he doesn't fit their narrative.

QUOTE (Jenksismyb**** @ Feb 25, 2011 -> 04:38 PM) You get the occasional WCIU, WGN or FOX game. Hopefully ESPN will stream some of the games through xbox live like they do college bball and the nba. But yeah, I rely a lot on the radio or we head to a bar to watch a game. Or I'm there in person. Sports is the huge drawback obviously. If MLB didn't have its stupid rules, you'd be able to stream mlb.tv through a Roku box to your TV. http://www.roku.com/mlb-partner

Interesting article in Forbes: http://blogs.forbes.com/rickungar/2011/02/...loyee-pensions/

This is worth pointing out: http://politifact.com/truth-o-meter/articl...-rachel-maddow/ There is a real budget shortfall projected for Wisconsin, and it is not the result of Walker's tax cuts for the budget in question.

QUOTE (Iwritecode @ Feb 25, 2011 -> 12:42 PM) It wouldn't be so bad if I could at least take a vacation day or a personal day and still get paid, but I don't get those anymore. What kind of terrible company do you work for that won't pay for jury duty and doesn't give days off?

QUOTE (iamshack @ Feb 25, 2011 -> 01:06 PM) Very interested in this endeavor. Keep us posted. What does a decent HDTV antenna cost? I spend a fortune on DirecTV, and while I do watch quite a bit of tv, whether it be sports, or stuff on my DVR, I am very interested in going an alternative route. Would love to hear what your observations ultimately end up being. Our Clear reception has been pretty bad despite being only 1/2 mile from the nearest tower. 1-2 bars (out of 5) most of the time, lowest or second-lowest Netflix quality. I'll probably be calling Comcast this weekend since they're the only real option in town. My brother, on the other hand, has Clear in Joliet. He's on the 4th floor, and he gets 4-5 bars consistently and pretty good speeds. We're still going to try streaming and OTA HDTV, though. A decent amplified indoor antenna is about $40. You can get traditional rabbit ears looking antennas for $10. And, of course, there's larger attic antennas or outdoor mast antennas from $80-$200 or more. Given that I'm pretty close to Chicago, I'm thinking the indoor amp'd antenna will work well enough. There's a website that will do some fancy math based on your location and tell you approximate signal strengths and directions for channels in your area and what equipment you would need to get reliable signals. If I find it again I'll post it here, but I think I came across it on avsforum's Chicago OTA HDTV thread.

Anyway, Republicans in other states seem to be willing to at least listen to what Democrats and the public workers have to say. http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/conte...1022402083.html

I'm wondering why the LIEBRAL MEDIA isn't covering Walker's admission of considering using Agent Provocateurs to disrupt a peaceful assembly petitioning the government for a redress of grievances.

Let's be honest about how negotiations work. There's only one thing to "bargain" over now. There's nothing to give or take from other parts. It destroys the ability to bargain. And that doesn't count the rules about dues collections, having yearly votes and having pay raises subject to general votes. The bill is designed to neuter unions, period.

QUOTE (Jenksismyb**** @ Feb 24, 2011 -> 01:20 PM) I think there is yes, and I do think it's a problem. But it's not a black and white situation. If you're comparing the top earners versus the average, then yeah. If you're talking about a guy making 250k compared to the average, then no. The problem isn't looking at a single individual and saying "$250k is too much money for you." It's about the number of people making $250k, and really, much much more than that, in the superwealthy 1% or 0.1% range that are controlling over half of the income and wealth.

QUOTE (Jenksismyb**** @ Feb 24, 2011 -> 10:34 AM) Why? Because if there are words in a book somewhere that says you can't that's going to stop someone hell bent on killing people? Nope, and that's not the argument. Having a bunch of armed college students increases the potential for an accidental discharge. It increases the potential for a confrontation to escalate beyond a shoving match or a fist fight.

QUOTE (Jenksismyb**** @ Feb 24, 2011 -> 10:31 AM) On this scale? No, and I've never thought that. I was absolutely fine with not extending the Bush tax cuts for the rich. I'm confused. Do you or do you not think that there is a rather large income and wealth inequality in this country? Do you or do you not think that that is a problem?

QUOTE (BigSqwert @ Feb 24, 2011 -> 10:25 AM) Did you just skim the article? But that doesn't mesh with his table then. He admits other factors influence dental structure, but then omits it from his conclusion. Sloppy.

I'm pretty sure that's not a very well supported position and it starts with a strawman. Humans aren't classified based on modern anecdotal observations with the use of scare quotes. As far back as archeology can trace modern humans, we find evidence of meat-eating. As far back as agriculture goes, we find domestication of animals for slaughter. Also, when he compares things like teeth, jaw shape and size and the amount of chewing required, he's ignoring thousands of years of technology that no other animal has: cooking. Cooked foods, both plants and meat, are easier to chew and it's widely held that it led to reduction of mastication muscles and structures and the changes in our dental anatomy. Same goes for the way our hands and nails are. It places all modern anatomy with the only variable being diet, neglecting a hell of a lot of other factors. Seems like an opinion piece by an MD, not a well-researched article with thorough citation by an expert in relevant fields. edit: also, for teeth, gorillas are vegetarians, yet they have much larger canines than us. Seems to be a clear contradiction.

But I still don't see how the incredibly rare potential benefits of having guns on campus (someone *Might* be able to stop the crazy shooter that happens once or twice a decade) versus the potential drawbacks of having armed 18-22 year olds.

11 charts that explain everything wrong with America

Random googling: http://www.muninetguide.com/articles/michi...ial-woe-344.php Municipal Bankruptcy: Not in Michigan Unlike California and other states, struggling Michigan municipalities do not simply enter receivership and declare bankruptcy. Instead, if a local unit continues to falter, it eventually comes under PA 72, under which the governor declares a financial emergency. An emergency financial manager may be appointed who has broad authority, including the right to renegotiate contracts. “Several municipalities in Michigan have emerged from PA 72 and moved forward, including Flint and Hamtramck,” said Washington. The Village of Three Oaks will soon join them. A local unit financial emergency can only proceed to Chapter 9, municipal bankruptcy, after a financial plan has been in place for at least 180 days, and the emergency financial manager has determined that there is no way to remedy the emergency in a timely manner. In addition, the emergency financial manager must petition the Emergency Financial Assistance Loan Board who must not disapprove the request. To date, Michigan municipalities have always avoided Chapter 9. PA 72 if you care to read it

Mich. Republicans passed some pretty awesome anti-union bills today: http://www.detnews.com/article/20110223/PO...ancial-managers

It was the local police that were doing some seriously terrible things in the wake of Katrina, not soldiers or security contractors.