Jenksismyhero

QUOTE (Balta1701 @ Sep 19, 2012 -> 01:12 PM) I'm content with that, can we apply the same "No special treatment" line to Christianity as well? When has Jesus ever been protected like Muhammad?

QUOTE (Balta1701 @ Sep 19, 2012 -> 01:06 PM) The amazing reality winds up being...so few people actually are in the "Moocher" group that everyone complains about...that the best way to make the money run out is to keep kicking people out into the streets, because then they wind up arrested and put in hospitals or prisons. People don't want to live in public housing. People don't want to have to worry about whether they/their children can eat. Some people will take advantage of anything you do, yes. But the person you knew, or Governor Romney, or Craig T. Nelson (Link)...that's the reality. People get in trouble and sometimes even take years to get themselves out...but when they do, it's a benefit to everyone. That not only helps that person, but it helps society, the economy as a whole, and future generations as well. (And government spending has stayed flat/decreased over the last several years, once again worth pointing out just to beat that dead horse). This is the bulls*** mentality right here that I just cannot stand. At some point this HAS to change. The government cannot continue to prop up 10-20% or whatever the figure is of the population on the justification that "well, we'll be doing it one way or the other." At least if they're in hospitals or prisons they're not creating the next generation of "moochers." I 100% agree that the system itself is a good one in that we want to help and assist those people that have fallen on hard times. But at least in the City of Chicago that kind of assistance is generational. They're not getting any better. And simply propping them up does nothing. Go use that money to fix communities, not just maintain the status quo.

QUOTE (southsider2k5 @ Sep 19, 2012 -> 01:22 PM) And not any of the Feds QE spending... And assuming that the past levels of government spending were proper.

Anyone else think that given the 1 billion dollar deficit in the CPS budget that Rahm would just close the entire system and start up charter schools instead? Rehire the same teachers sans union, and then have complete control over everything. Probably would be best long term for the City.

QUOTE (KyYlE23 @ Sep 19, 2012 -> 09:42 AM) Looking forward to the next season of The Walking Dead, otherwise known as Jenksismyb****hatesthisshowbutwatchesitreligiously Ha, yeah. I'm not the only one though. There's a lot of hate watching with that show. From the panels at ComicCon it sounds like the writers are fully aware that the 2nd season sucked and there was too much talking/not doing anything. We get new characters and new sets in season 3, so i'm sure it'll be better. Lori Grimes is still around though. She might be the worst character in the history of television.

QUOTE (Jake @ Sep 19, 2012 -> 10:48 AM) Can't we require that these people seek work? We can't even agree to drug test people that accept free government money, and you think making them work for it would fly? I'd be in favor of this plan, the City needs a lot of cleaning up, but you can guess how that system will end up - they'll want to be paid in addition to their housing, they'll want benefits, they'll want shorter hours, etc. Edit: and then they'll unionize!

QUOTE (BigSqwert @ Sep 19, 2012 -> 10:33 AM) So when you triple the amount of homeless in the country you'll finally be happy. I think if you forced people to find their own housing you'd be surprised that they'll find it, either on their own or with other family members. I'm not sure why it ever became societies responsibility to take care of someone for life. Your self and your family should be one and two on that list, and there are a number of charitable organizations out there too. In either case, something needs to be done. Phase it out if you must, but this nanny state mentality which is growing and growing is simply not sustainable. I'm sure in the next decade taxes will be raised and the economy will continue to be stagnant and more and more people will stop becoming self-sufficient and instead rely on the government. Nearly 50% of people in this country think that way. That's f***ing sad.

QUOTE (BigSqwert @ Sep 19, 2012 -> 09:58 AM) So what's your solution? Throw them all on the street? After so many years, yep. I'd say from this day forward anyone that goes into public housing understand that it's for a set period of time. After that, you're out. I really don't think 4-5 years is that harsh.

QUOTE (Balta1701 @ Sep 19, 2012 -> 09:44 AM) As long as we have the objective standard of "the ones I know are doing it right, they must be because they're the good guys and I know them" then, we can clearly feel ok about offering "Several years" of assistance to those families, and then kick the others out on the streets. Who's creating this standard exactly? I haven't said anything about it. If people in public housing are in there for less than 5 years as they're attempting to get work, that's fine. If they're in their for longer, then it's not. How does that have anything to do with people I know/people I don't know?

QUOTE (Balta1701 @ Sep 19, 2012 -> 09:25 AM) And by that standard, a person who took "A couple of years" to get their lives together and pull their family out of poverty would be "abusing the system". When it's someone you know, "it's always different". Couple of years =/= a lifetime.

QUOTE (NorthSideSox72 @ Sep 19, 2012 -> 09:17 AM) I assume he meant this in reference to taxation and fairness - that the money in those tax shelters may not be taxed as fully as other monies for most people in the states. I don't think he meant that the US was simply entitled to his money. The same principle applies to taxation. We can tax the rich at 100% and still not fix the underlying problems with our system. I mean, i'm all about taxing the rich a little more, especially in lieu of taxing the middle class. But there's a sense that rich people owe their good fortune to the rest of society, and that's a bunch of bologna. As SS2k5 pointed out, we've gone how many decades now throwing money at problems and it rarely, if ever, works. The hand just stays open asking for more. Paying teachers more and hiring more teachers in a s***ty school system with kids that don't care about school isn't going to magically transform those kids into Rhode Scholars. We need to blow the system up and start over.

QUOTE (Balta1701 @ Sep 19, 2012 -> 09:15 AM) This is really a stellar example. It's always those unnamed others who are abusing the system. It's those unnamed others who are getting the government benefits, not the good people like me/the ones I know. It's the ones in public housing, they're the ones taking advantage of the program, if you go through there you wouldn't find anyone hard working trying to come up with a better life After all, I'm paying my taxes, I'm working hard, but deep down I know that someone must be taking advantage of the system. Are you denying that there aren't people abusing the system? That we're setting up a nanny state for a large number of people? And it's not unnamed others, it's people in the public housing system right now. Go knock on a door and there's an example. I had an entire law class devoted to public housing and the Chicago Housing Authority. It's not a "oh, so you don't become homeless here's a place to stay for a couple months/year." It's "here's a house for life. Oh, and on page 5 of this form here's where you can b**** about having to pay 12 dollars for your electricity bill."

QUOTE (Balta1701 @ Sep 19, 2012 -> 09:05 AM) You're right. Modern politicians did foster that situation by imagining that they actually exist. Your friend, btw, if he was on welfare for "quite a few years", would likely run into the lifetime TANF limit and be tossed off the program. And, since they stayed on it for "quite a few years", they're clearly welfare queens. Get a job and get off welfare! I'm sure that's the point though. His friend DID eventually get off the system because he needed TEMPORARY help. It didn't become generational like a lot of people in this country (see: Public Housing)

QUOTE (StrangeSox @ Sep 18, 2012 -> 09:28 PM) Money sitting in offshore Cayman Island and Swiss bank accounts could help solve a lot of funding issues. Why should that money be yours or mine? I just don't understand this liberal mentality you share with Obama - "it's your responsibility" to pay for everyone else. f*** that nonsense.

QUOTE (Brian @ Sep 19, 2012 -> 08:34 AM) I guess the smaller parts annoyed me. I didn't hate the pilot and will keep watching. I would have saved that last scene for later in the season after characters are developed more. I'd give the premier a "C." I don't understand the nastiness towards it, but I can see why people don't like it. Having teenagers as your lead characters is a problem. Developing the world in less than 15 minutes is a problem (should have done an hour long episode pre-outage, and a 2nd hour of what we saw in the premiere). I liked the idea, but obviously the better show would have been the outage and the immediate aftermath. Not some lame 15 years later story. I dunno, I think the main thing is people have gotten spoiled watching cable shows. The bar is so much higher nowadays. At least they're not turning this into a procedural like Terra Nova/Alcatraz, etc. As soon as this becomes "tune in next week when Charlie and her uncle fight off the Aurora militia" i'm OUT.

Ugh: "Racial Diversity - Board must promote racial diversity in hiring." In other words, "Stop looking at white candidates and hire more black and hispanic teachers." If you're going to be all reverse racist about it, just f***ing be honest. God I hate that crap.

QUOTE (Balta1701 @ Sep 18, 2012 -> 04:27 PM) But its easy to gloss over those and blame the teachers instead. Just like it's easy to say "throw more money at the problem" despite the fact that doing that does nothing. Let's all face reality here. There's a subculture in this city that doesn't value education at all, that doesn't value parenting at all. Giving the school more money, paying the teachers more and all that means nothing when those kids show up to school simply to get 2 free meals. Yes, that's related to an economic/wealth disparity problem, but that's a HUGE part of why the CPS is generally a terrible system. The participants don't care because the parents don't care. I mean, how sad is it that people used the "well if they're not in school they'll be on the streets committing crime" argument as a justification to open school doors? That is f***ing pathetic.

QUOTE (southsider2k5 @ Sep 18, 2012 -> 12:54 PM) Here's my problem with that being a part of the debate. If those are really the issues, why not forgo the raises to specifically take care of problems such as classsize, supplies, classroom conditions, etc? If it isn't about money, don't take the money that could be used to address the "real" problems, and put it in your pocket. I really wish someone would ask this moronic Lewis lady how the CPS is expected to fill the 750 million-1 billion dollar budget gap next year if they're putting raises in place and restricting CPS' ability to fire teachers/close schools.

QUOTE (ZoomSlowik @ Sep 18, 2012 -> 01:14 PM) Any other PS3 people pick up/plan on picking up Borderlands 2? I'd love to find some other people that aren't going to take EVERY piece of loot that drops. I put in a little over an hour last night after picking it up at midnight, really early impression but it's really good. The first one was fine, but I think i'm skipping 2. I got my loot-grab fix out from Diablo. I picked up Madden and the Witcher 2 recently. Madden is still an average and disappointing experience. I totally got suckered into buying it even though I knew it wouldn't be worth the price of admission. The new physics engine, while cool sometimes, is so buggy. I dunno how many times i've seen a breakaway and amazingly when the defender tackles the offensive player from behind he's not thrust forward, but backward. Apparently the physics engine wasn't built with inertia/momentum in mind. That and there's nothing more infuriating than seeing an open hole for your RB, but you're JUST too close to an offensive lineman and you get thrown backwards/to the side. The game demands a little too much precision in the running game, but maybe that can be improved over time. The Witcher 2 on the other hand is pretty fantastic. Great graphics, a decent story, and I love the game mechanics (on the PC). Highly recommended for anyone looking for a $30 action role-playing game.

QUOTE (Y2HH @ Sep 18, 2012 -> 11:15 AM) Yet another nonsensical statement from you. How about putting it in the pocket of a NON-union middle class guy who runs his own handyman business, who woud do the SAME quality of work for 1/10th the cost? Oh, no, we couldn't have that...not from a union loving goon like yourself. Or that too.

QUOTE (StrangeSox @ Sep 18, 2012 -> 11:13 AM) Read some literature on modern life in Appalachia. not everyone has the opportunities and advantages we did growing up. Better in an electricians pocket, supporting the middle class and circulating back t through the economy than in some rich guys offshore tax haven. You mean back into the hands of the union and union bosses/lobbyist to fund their offshore tax haven?

QUOTE (StrangeSox @ Sep 18, 2012 -> 10:46 AM) And who is more likely to be able to stand up for their rights? An individual worker or a collective group? And what about fighting for better wages and conditions beyond the bare legal minimum? For many people, though, there aren't alternatives in coal (or timber or factory etc) Towns. You work in the mines or *maybe* in some local store that can only exist because of the mining presence. Until the mine closes and the town is left to decay. Every state, as far as I know, has a workers compensation system. Every state, as far as I know, has a state's attorneys office that takes complaints of issues with businesses. There are a myriad of state and federal laws covering work conditions. People have a number of options to be covered under the law. Whether or not they like their wage is no different than every other person in this country. If you don't like it, move. Get a different job. Go back to school and get a degree in something different. I know, I know. Crab mentality, right? You also have to address the other extreme with unions, which is on full display in a union town like Chicago. At some point unions are TOO good at what they do and they start to hurt everyone else. (Anecdotal observation alert!) My law firm moved offices last year. Guess what, gotta hire a union moving company! We wanted to install a door lock. Guess what, gotta hire a union electrician! And you know what? They were all CRAZY f***ing expensive because the unions have negotiated so well. Paying 4k for 3 union electricians to sit around and install a simple electronic door lock is f***ing asinine, but that's reality downtown. But what can you do about it? Can't disband the union. Can't possibly reduce rates or benefits. Can't cut them out of certain jobs. You're stuck paying the inflated price.

QUOTE (StrangeSox @ Sep 18, 2012 -> 10:35 AM) I can give you examples of hundreds of mine safety violations, worker deaths,a roaring comeback of black lung, environmental destruction and pollution of local water and food sources and continued poverty while mining companies make huge profits. All of which have specific labor law and compensation legislation. s***ty job conditions =/= no rights or alternatives.

QUOTE (Balta1701 @ Sep 18, 2012 -> 09:45 AM) But 10 posts up I was just told that all the other issues other than the pay raise were distractions and the union really didn't care about them. THat's what I challenged in the first place. Well yeah, he's wrong on that, unless he's throwing in "easier job" (less students, shorter school day, more guarantees that a s***ty school won't be closed) as a "benefit."

QUOTE (Balta1701 @ Sep 18, 2012 -> 09:43 AM) Yeah, please give me an example of where a company literally owns a town (the bar, grocery store, etc) and employs 90% of the population. Please give me an example of anything close to that in the last 30 years.