Jenksismyhero

QUOTE (BigSqwert @ Jan 16, 2013 -> 04:59 PM) Yes, like North Dakota. Jenks, please move to North Dakota. Unfortunately I'm not licensed there and I doubt it's a "sister" state to Illinois.

QUOTE (Balta1701 @ Jan 16, 2013 -> 04:51 PM) Name for me some legit "safety net", anti-poverty programs of the sort you're talking about that aren't temporary. Public Housing Healthcare for children and the poor Food stamps Pretty much the big three are not at all temporary. The only one that's "temporary" is unemployment benefits, which is funded by employers.

QUOTE (Alpha Dog @ Jan 16, 2013 -> 04:27 PM) A safety net would be fine. What you have is social dependency. It's generational and never ending.

QUOTE (StrangeSox @ Jan 16, 2013 -> 04:32 PM) Texas provides very few services for those in poverty as well. Far fewer services for a whopping 4% difference in rates. Again, clearly just spending more/providing more is the problem.

QUOTE (Jake @ Jan 16, 2013 -> 04:17 PM) The only correct answer to introspection is cutting taxes. It doesn't have to be all about cutting taxes.

QUOTE (BigSqwert @ Jan 16, 2013 -> 04:11 PM) Define no one. I mean no one - not anyone on this board, not anyone in the media, not anyone in government, etc. When it's conservative policy that is failing (tea party government cutbacks) everyone jumps up and down and says "see how dumb this is? It doesn't work!" When it's liberal policy, no one says a damn thing but "well we actually need to do MORE." Education, jobs, poverty, etc. etc. It's never the liberal belief of "don't worry, we'll just spend our way out of this and give people s***" that's the problem. It's that the government just doesn't have the funds to be able to provide enough! A third of people in this state are poor. A third! How is that acceptable? Why do the same crooked and corrupt democrats get elected to office on the same platforms? Guess whose income tax is going to go up another 2-4% in the coming years? Guess how they're going to pay for the massive pension problem. And yes, SS, I would gladly move to a different state. The wife and I have already talked about moving even if the commute does suck.

The point being that for the "investment" we as taxpayers make to this s***hole of a state, we surely don't see much return. And yet no one questions it - on the state or local level.

Indeed. Also, we should become more liberal with our social policies. Clearly they are working.

This made me cringe: http://www.hitfix.com/whats-alan-watching/...ng-for-season-3

And let's keep in mind what political affiliation has been in control in this state, and particularly the biggest county/city in the state.

http://www.myfoxchicago.com/story/20601722...ty-level-report

QUOTE (Balta1701 @ Jan 16, 2013 -> 01:08 PM) Public desire is also what gave us constitutional amendments like women's suffrage, lowering the voting age to 18, etc. True, but those are more about expanding constitutional rights, not restricting them.

QUOTE (StrangeSox @ Jan 16, 2013 -> 09:42 AM) So there's the answer to your question, I guess. Why not? Because there doesn't appear to be a need or public desire to do so! Not so with guns, though the absolutionist RKBA position has been dead for almost a century now, maybe longer. I don't see how someone can justify a RKBA objection to the AWB without also rejecting the NFA. So unless you're wanting to repeal 80 years worth of gun control, you're already living with an updated understanding of the 2nd. Just yesterday Balta wanted someone who posted a youtube video arrested for terrorism. I could make an easy argument that free speech rights need to be curtailed and people arrested in order to prevent .0000001% of crime just like this gun restriction crap. And we should ignore "public desire" as a justification for changing constitutional rights. That's when we get dumb laws like the alien and sedition acts or prohibition. Edit: well, i dunno that that the alien and sedition acts were from public desire, but still. we get a lot of dumb laws or proposed laws based on public desire.

That's a great game. One of the best of this generation of consoles.

QUOTE (StrangeSox @ Jan 16, 2013 -> 09:26 AM) they're coming to get you. all of you. Same with all the crazies with guns. Everyone will be killed in the crossfire.

QUOTE (StrangeSox @ Jan 15, 2013 -> 11:56 AM) Regardless of where you were hiding, your possession of a gun made zero difference in your scenario. I don't oppose possession of guns in the home for self-defense pursuant to certain safe-storage requirements. But I also don't accept the argument that the police are useless and that everyone without a gun is defenseless. Nope, sometimes they're the problem: http://www.suntimes.com/17574642-761/city-...crime-area.html

This is pretty f***ed up: http://espn.go.com/new-york/nba/story/_/id...y-chicago-bulls Even if Dolan gets some dirt, so what? Is he going to tattle on players to the league?

QUOTE (witesoxfan @ Jan 15, 2013 -> 11:07 AM) This is what always gets me. I'm in week 3 of quitting tobacco, and while it's difficult, it gets easier every day. But people wonder why or how you do it, and while I have my coping mechanisms (primarily nicotine gum and lozenges), the fact of the matter is I wanted to stop doing it so I have stopped doing it. You want to stop being fat? Then stop being fat. Eat better and work out. (oh, and Jenks, I wouldn't necessarily qualify 6' 235 as obese. You'd like to be lighter but that's a hell of a lot better than half the country, and you are cognizant of your situation). You want a better job? Then get a better job. Start working harder at your current job, start networking within the department or location where you'd like to work, and put yourself out there. You want to live longer? Then live longer. Take care of yourself. You want to look better? Then look better. Ask people's opinions, dress nicer. You want to get more involved? Then get more involved. The problem is, America has become a country where you can always pass the buck off to someone else, so a lot of people hold someone else accountable for the mistakes they made. If you want something done, get it done; don't pass it onto John or Jane Doe because they won't do it how you want it to be done. If you screw up, take responsbility; don't pass it off on John or Jane Doe because they had nothing to do with it. I've tried to hold myself to this higher standard for about a year now. I'm not even there yet, but I'm getting there. You feel a lot better about yourself, even when you mess up. EDIT: This is all way easier said than done, but taking personal responsibility for your own actions is a huge start and sets you up to step out of your comfort zone to try and do something that might actually, you know, improve your way of life. It's weird how that works. The government standards says normal is 150-175 for a 6 foot male. 175-220ish is "overweight" and anything about that is obese (based on a BMI scale). If I was anything under about 205 i'd look sickly on my wide frame.

QUOTE (kev211 @ Jan 14, 2013 -> 08:21 PM) So I went out and bought a super slim ps3 to replace my dead ps3 and I like the look and size of it a lot but I had how cheap the disc loader feels. Also I must say the my team mode in nba 2k13 might be the coolest game mode in a sports video game ever. Where did you go to get yours? And what kind of deal did you get? I'm still debating whether to pick up a new one or just wait. The cheapest I can find is 269.99 with uncharted 3...a game i already have. Picked up Far Cry 3 for the PC this weekend. I've played about an hour the last two nights and so far so good. It's basically Assassins Creed meets Just Cause 2.

QUOTE (Steve9347 @ Jan 14, 2013 -> 01:42 PM) Everyone has their own opinions. I would personally say he's my least favorite character, and the wife agrees. The dude's is just a big b****. Yeah, to each his own. I would think Mary would be the worst by far, followed closely by Matthew. But yeah, I can see where you're coming from. Bates could have manned up and he wouldn't be where he's at right now.

Turbo Tax for me, expecting a boatload back with the new baby and the ridiculous childcare expenses we've shelled out in the last 6 months.

I don't torrent or any of that stuff (ethical obligation of lawyers!) so i'm not really worried about it. That, and it's not a show i'm dying to see week to week like Steve said. I am a little worried about reading spoilers. I already know of a major event in the show, I just don't know which character it involves. That kinda sucks because I watch the show a little differently. Steve why the hate for Bates? He was the best character for the first season and a half.

Downton was kinda meh last night. Edith and Ms. Hughes had the only good storylines, the rest were pretty boring and/or retreads. The show needs more Bates.

QUOTE (iamshack @ Jan 14, 2013 -> 11:13 AM) If you start eating better, caring for an infant will literally be your exercise. Yeah, especially when this little monster starts to walk.

QUOTE (Steve9347 @ Jan 14, 2013 -> 10:10 AM) And we're back to my points from page 1 - very good post. People are lazy and make excuses. Losing weight is so f***ing easy, you just have to put down the fried chicken and get your ass to the gym for an hour a day. (or put down the cake, or the mcd's and jog in place at your home or go up and down some steps or go for a run out side or do pushups). There's so many ways to exercise; the excuses are just for the fat and lazy. I agree with this generally, though I will say that having an infant really f***s up your ability to exercise properly. I get my exercise during the day, walking to/from the train station to my work and to/from my work to the courthouse downtown, and really I need to exercise more as I'm definitely in the "obese" category (6 foot, 235lbs). But while I have a little free time to exercise at night, the reality is I don't have the energy. I'm up at 6am with the kid, helping my wife get him fed, clothed and ready for daycare (and getting myself ready) and then when I get home it's the same routine to get him to bed by 8. My "free time" during the day is from about 8-10, but even then there's usually dinner to make or the house to pick up or my basement remodel to work on. I don't have an hour a day to exercise. That's got nothing to do with me being lazy, it's literally not having the time in the day to do it. I have no excuse for not eating right. But the exercise part is a little more difficult.