Jenksismyhero

QUOTE (Rex Kicka** @ Feb 17, 2011 -> 01:55 PM) The bill puts an end to collective bargaining, if I understand it correctly. It essentially makes a union pointless, because it prohibits workers from having a seat at the table when it comes to dictating the terms of their work. Pretty sure that would violate a number of Federal labor laws, so I'm doubting that's the case.

QUOTE (BigSqwert @ Feb 15, 2011 -> 12:14 PM) Decent write up of Chicago Code in the AV Club. “Is he a fan of the great game of baseball, or is he a Cubbie-lover?” That's 2 or 3 digs at the Cubs in 2 episodes. Gotta love that. I think it's been pretty fantastic after 2 episodes. People need to remember this is on Fox, not FX or HBO. The writing is really good (save for the "jaghole" talk) and they clearly did their homework on Chicago. Simple things like the look of the home of the dead cop were spot on. My only complaint so far is that they've basically written the alderman character as the mayor of the city. If he's the alderman of the downtown area why's he going to that cops funeral in a different part of the city?

lol, great seal by Moore. Literally was grabbing Richardson's shorts. Ridiculous.

Illinois trying to throw this game away

QUOTE (fathom @ Feb 13, 2011 -> 01:23 PM) What does he have, 3 techs and an intentional foul this year? He's just so immature on the court. Meh. He averages 8 pts and 5 rebounds in like 20 min. I'll take the once every 6 game stupid technical if he performs like that.

QUOTE (fathom @ Feb 13, 2011 -> 12:54 PM) Richmond continues to be just about the most unlikeable college basketball player I can remember. Brandon Paul looking great...he really needs to be the go-to guy for Illinois. pretty sure every good team has a guy like him. he just talks, which is fine unless he fails to back it up. normally he does.

Here's how: To me that commercial is the perfect example of "middle class" America these days. Debt, debt, debt to keep up. Screw the future, get it now.

hit some FT's and run home with a win

QUOTE (Buehrle>Wood @ Feb 10, 2011 -> 09:25 PM) The latter is on Weber. However, he does not change the gameplan with a lead, at least not in the last two seasons. Agreed. I'm not sure why he can't come up with some plays to get open shots. He runs the motion until there's 30 seconds left and they're down 6. But it's still on the players to hit shots/not throw the ball away, which has been 90% of the problem this year. As much as I'd like to s*** on him for this waste of a season, I just can't.

love the phantom and one call. god i hate big ten officials

QUOTE (hitlesswonder @ Feb 10, 2011 -> 08:43 PM) That matches the shooting by Paul and Richardson. Streaky doesn't do justice to them. I blame Weber. Ok troll. Move along now.

Both of these teams are terrible. This is like watching a JV game.

QUOTE (Jordan4life @ Feb 10, 2011 -> 02:54 PM) The losing to Michael excuse was cool, I don't know, 8 years ago. But you don't get to play that card for eternity. Over a decade ago. Time to move on at some point. Over time does that fact cease to exist? Pretty sure in 100 years the Bulls had Jordan and the Jazz did not, hence they lost.

QUOTE (pittshoganerkoff @ Feb 10, 2011 -> 01:47 PM) I think sometimes they try to hard to involve a storyline with them. There have been a few good ones, but when they stay on them too long it gets a bit trying. You're right about Claire and Phil being best part of the show. Them and their kids. I told my wife last night that for some reason they get the "serious" story lines about their relationship, leaving Kam's funny reactions as the only real comedic relief. Phil is easily the funniest on the show.

Hmm.... http://sports.yahoo.com/nba/news;_ylt=AmRk...nretiring021011 edit: dang, beat me by 2 minutes.

QUOTE (StrangeSox @ Feb 9, 2011 -> 04:36 PM) There's no single cause of the massive amount of foreclosures over the past several years, but this certainly didn't help. Mounting medical bills didn't help. Confusing, complex lending practices and banks lacking any financial or ethical lending guidelines in pursuit of more profit didn't help. Complex but ultimately garbage financial instruments that caused trillions of dollars to evaporate and the economy to crash didn't help. And, yes, people borrowing more money than they could ever reasonably expect to repay certainly didn't help. However, laying the blame on stupid, dumb people who can't manage money ignores the root causes of the problem. Like ever-rising medical bills, stagnant or shrinking real wages, job off-shoring, unethical lending, heavily marketed credit and loans and a real lack of any decent financial education for most people.

I'm not denying there aren't outliers and that there are some people who did everything right and still got screwed. But I also don't buy that the cause of the foreclosures was Bush closing a credit card debt loophole and insurance companies screwing people over.

QUOTE (Balta1701 @ Feb 9, 2011 -> 03:48 PM) Adding some additional data, as of 2009, somewhere in the neighborhood of 62.1% of bankruptcies were caused directly by medical bills. Of that population, 78% had insurance at the time, but were still bankrupted because of unexpected expenses/copays. Presumably, although its' not catalogued there, a large additional number of bankruptcies were caused by job losses. Therefore, the problem of compounded interest not being understood and causing bankruptcy is of course, much less important than the problem of Health Insurers that don't provide health care. Awful mortgages plus piss poor money management was the cause moreso than an increase in medical bills. Probably made things worse for people, but it wasn't THE cause.

Man, f*** the government for holding people accountable for their actions! Those assholes. Seriously, how people ignore the first step in this - that a ton of people were stupid, not understanding how money, debt and compounding interest works -is beyond me. This article makes no sense to me, other than to blame Bush yet again.

QUOTE (Balta1701 @ Feb 9, 2011 -> 01:20 PM) Please note the difference in the scenario Tex described to the scenario in this case; in the case Tex described, the person who had moved overseas had clearly established residency. If you're working anywhere else in the Western World and you suffer a debilitating injury, their health care system will take care of you. In the case of an illegal immigrant, they might be treated much as they are here. For emergency care, all that is typically required is a date of birth or something like that; they will treat you regardless. For admission and long-term care, they would go through the state-run insurance provider. Whether a hospital could specifically on their own deport a patient without going through the authorities, I doubt they could but I could be proven wrong on that issue. I guess I just don't see this as him being deported. He was sent back to his home after the hospital provided all the care it could. They did so out of their own pocket. They could have kicked him off their property and said "good luck," but they didn't. They spent the time/energy/money of getting this guy home to his family, after searching for a facility to send him to. I'm just shocked that this guy, and others, would say that wasn't enough. The guy is lucky he hurt himself here or he'd be dead without any care. Instead he basically won the lotto and got enough medical attention to remain alive with the hope of a better future.

QUOTE (Balta1701 @ Feb 9, 2011 -> 12:59 PM) If the country he moved to were anywhere else in the developed world, that country (or at worst his government subsidized private insurance) would pay for his health care and it wouldn't be a question. Yep, cuz the American system clearly failed him. If only our doctors and hospitals had hearts and souls, they would have provided him at least SOME medical treatment. Instead, this crappy system we have kicked him to the curb to die soon after his accident.

QUOTE (Tex @ Feb 9, 2011 -> 12:39 PM) Just wondering, using the example of an American who decided to leave the US and move to another country. He becomes injured working there and needs a lifetime of care at considerable expense would you . . . Say screw him, he left the US, it is his problem, he likes that country so much he should stay there or Since he is an American citizen he is our responsibility from cradle to grave and the US taxpayer should pay for his injuries and lifetime treatment. The key difference of course is that in one case you're talking about LEGAL citizens, and here we're talking about someone who broke the law, was saved by a gracious system, and is now complaining that the free handout of 650k in medical care paid for by the US is not enough.

One of the sadder stories I've read in a while: http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/playoffs/201...tory?id=6091766

QUOTE (BigSqwert @ Feb 8, 2011 -> 10:45 AM) His ratings were not that far off from his direct competition in his time slot. I thought he was crushed by everyone at Fox and was still behind people at CNN?

He couldn't manage a huge audience on a bigger network, dunno why it'll be any different at a smaller network.