Texsox

QUOTE(southsider2k5 @ Feb 13, 2008 -> 02:28 PM) She agreed to the figures, at least implicitly when she signed the paperwork verifying her personal information. Even if it was just because she didn't review the information put down, she is still considered an accessory to the crime. I didn't read the article that way. We don't know what she knew and when. I don't like the conclusion that someone is not responsible, but then I think of retirees being bilked out of their life savings and see some similarities to this. If we say, she's an idiot and should have known better, should we not also say that old person should have known her furnace would not fail three times in three weeks requiring $10,000 in repairs each time? IIRC banks and lenders have restrictions from making questionable loans, who is that designed to protect?

QUOTE(kapkomet @ Feb 13, 2008 -> 02:25 PM) Or the first sentance, even. I believe it was lifted from the Mission Statement

This is all b.s. the biggest challenge facing the next President is getting himself reelected and more representatives from his party elected during the mid term elections. That's been the same for 200 years. Everything else gets used to achieve that end.

I would have thought that starting pitchers would be the last to be users.

QUOTE(southsider2k5 @ Feb 13, 2008 -> 01:59 PM) Yeah at that point "going big" means front row seats to the Wiggles concert. And loving it! I love my kids being mini adults, but I miss those ages as well.

QUOTE(southsider2k5 @ Feb 13, 2008 -> 01:29 PM) Its not. And I would be willing to bet that you would see probably Kap ripping Mitt in the GOP thread over that same speech. And most of the people here. Overall, the regular posters here are pretty fair bunch and call both sides out with equal zeal.

I don't like the conclusion this leads to, but my thinking has changed in this particular case. The car dealer committed fraud to get this woman a loan. Phrased another way, the result of their crime was a lender lent money to someone who should not have received the loan ~and~ a woman was given a loan she could not afford. If the car dealer does not commit fraud, she does not get the loan and lose her life savings. Is this much different then an unethical contractor who takes someone's life savings in costly and unnecessary repairs? Again, in case you forgot, I don't like the conclusion this leads to. And perhaps if she was just greedy and not stupid, she got what she deserves. But we do have laws to protect stupid people, and we know she should have known, but it seems the dealer had a greater responsibility.

QUOTE(Controlled Chaos @ Feb 13, 2008 -> 01:34 PM) I don't know...but if you didn't see who was talking and only heard it...you could identify which party was talking just by their questions and comments. Sounds like they had a strategy before going in, which may be common to avoid overlapping, it may even have been coordinated between the aprties, but that seems really far fetched. From a philosophy point of view that may make sense, by siding with Clemens they are siding with MLB and by siding with McN they are siding with ?? Ideas anyone?

QUOTE(StrangeSox @ Feb 13, 2008 -> 01:25 PM) I really don't understand how this ended up breaking down party lines. That seems strange. Could it be just a coincidence?

QUOTE(StrangeSox @ Feb 13, 2008 -> 12:57 PM) This happened a lot with the mortgages, too, and is why the lenders are under investigation. Still, this woman is not a victim, but a moron. She has a fixed income of $2500. She knew the payments would be $1300. That doesn't even include the insurance on a $100,000 car with 500 HP, which I can only imagine are through the roof. She took out her life savings as a down payment on a LEASE, so she won't ever see that money again. Yes, the delaer fudged the numbers to get the loan approved, but she knew what her payments were. This isn't even like an ARM where they adjusted suddenly. I agree, she's a moron. But I imagine what the dealer did was criminal, or should be.

QUOTE(santo=dorf @ Feb 13, 2008 -> 12:52 PM) The Coins will have to go to the grinder, but that would be a time waster as few people really look at their coins as much as their bills. People like to show of the 9/11 WTC attack on a $20 bill and "Tits of Erica" than do a silly coin trick. ..and since I do alot of my payments by plastic and debit cards, I have the same $20 bills sitting in my wallet for up to weeks at a time. Get yourself a Dremel tool. this is important. So marking those bills do not have too much effect. Maybe you could try an additional approach.

In additional to the ladies mistakes, isn't there some fraud on the part of the dealership? They submitted incorrect information. Seems like that is where the lender was duped, not by offering credit to someone whose correct information would not have qualified them, or at least I hope would not.

QUOTE(santo=dorf @ Feb 13, 2008 -> 12:43 PM) Go back and read my original post as I've indicated which color sharpie I use. I'm not paying for the sharpies, I'm not the only one doing it, and it takes me all of 5 seconds to do. That's a considerable less amount of time than having to wake up early and spend an hour at church every Sunday in one of my previous "hobbies." Are you taking a file to the coins also? What a giant waste of time, but if it makes you feel better. 5 seconds, guess you don't have many bills.

QUOTE(Athomeboy_2000 @ Feb 13, 2008 -> 12:36 PM) Caption this Photo: He has one finger in my ear and the other in my . . .

QUOTE(santo=dorf @ Feb 13, 2008 -> 12:33 PM) wheresgeorge.com Would you have a problem if they released an "In Allah we Trust" version for our Muslim citizens? Since you can continue to use the bill, what you, and wheresgeorge.com is doing is legal. Keep buying them sharpies and crossing that out. Do you use different colors or stick to a nice black? Nice hobby

QUOTE(kapkomet @ Feb 13, 2008 -> 12:33 PM) We're just a bunch of communistic bastards with nothing better to do. (note, I have no idea even what you're talking about... )

QUOTE(santo=dorf @ Feb 13, 2008 -> 11:56 AM) 'In God we Trust" on our currency, swearing on a Bible, and "one nation under God" in the Pledge of Allegience are mistakes based on the core of our constitution yet people like you use it as an example how we should incorporated God into our daily lives and Governments. I'll have you know I finally started taking a black sharpie to "God" on the back of each of my dollar bills and I don't respect "God Bless America" like I do with the National Anthem. No, I was using it as an example to show that the Bible is different then Seventeen Magazine. All that work? And you comment on religious people? Keep marking them bills.

QUOTE(Steff @ Feb 13, 2008 -> 12:11 PM) In 12 years I have never, ever seen that happen. If I were you I would have it looked over before submitting them to ensure no delay in processing your refund, if it's correct. I've seen it with people with children and the earned income credit.

QUOTE(kapkomet @ Feb 13, 2008 -> 12:09 PM) But it isn't. Obama doesn't say that. I just wonder if that's why he's actually winning, because he doesn't say that s***? Of course, Kerry is for him. I think if you are in the industry you have different politiocal discussions then people who are not. I also think the as a country we talk less about Bush then we did Clinton, but CLinton gave us more stuff to talk about. I also think the we talk about candidates and what ifs more than we talk about what is. And finally industry insiders have a warped sense about what Americans are talking about.

QUOTE(kapkomet @ Feb 13, 2008 -> 12:04 PM) F*CK you, John Kerry. That is just f***ing stupid. Yea, we all sit around at night and do nothing but b**** about "George W Bush". And then you all wonder why I hate these f***ers. Like we need that rhetoric right now. Shop talk when you are in the industry.

QUOTE(Balta1701 @ Feb 13, 2008 -> 11:56 AM) If he didn't want to risk his reputation...he could simply have kept the needles out of his ass. Not to mix metaphors, but that needle is a double edged sword. Perhaps, it may have enhanced his reputation as well.

Dear James, With eight consecutive victories, and a momentum for change that is rolling across the nation -- in caucuses and primaries, East Coast and West Coast, the South and the Midwest, Barack Obama is on the move, smashing the old stereotypes into a million different pieces. This blew me away: in Barack’s victory in Virginia last night, he won 142,000 more votes than all of the Republicans combined, and his victory margin over Senator Clinton was larger than John McCain’s entire vote total. All of this, in what the Old Guard liked to pretend was "red state" Virginia. When Barack and I rode together in the motorcade in Charleston, South Carolina on the day I gave him my endorsement, we talked about the three-million-member-strong johnkerry.com community. We both agreed that this email list was a community of supporters, not an ATM machine. And so these last weeks, as I’ve talked with you, as Barack introduced himself to you, as Ted Kennedy talked about Barack’s commitment to health care for all, and Gov. Tim Kaine talked about Barack’s ability to unite our country -- we haven’t asked you to dig into your pockets. We’ve asked you to get to know Barack, to study his positions, to make phone calls to your neighbors, to go door to door -- to get involved. But today, I ask you to consider making a contribution as the campaign enters a new phase. Wisconsin, Texas, Ohio, Pennsylvania -- the next big contests in this campaign are big media market states, huge states that are expensive to build statewide field organizations in, and Barack has a lot of ground to make up. To win, Barack can use all of our help. Click here to donate what you can. So there it is. I know not everyone here is an Obama supporter, and diversity of opinion is a strength, not a weakness of our community -- but you’ve "had my back" in so many fights these last years, I knew I could ask you to consider signing up for another mission. I have to tell you, this campaign has me excited. Excited, because I have seen so much hope out there as I’ve traveled the country for Barack. Excited, because as frustrated as I’ve been that the three words "George W. Bush" silenced any conversation at dinner tables around the country the last eight years, I think we’ve found three words that will open a conversation across the old divides, regardless of race, religion, gender, or income level -- and those three words are "President Barack Obama". So please, click here to contribute what you can for Barack's campaign. I care about making this happen. I care about seeing Barack Obama win against John McCain in a way that will break the Republican Roadblock in the Senate and grow our progressive majority in the Congress. Please dig deep -- I know we can do this. This feels like the moment that got me and my generation to care about politics -- and I want it to be the moment that millions more start to care for the first time, or to care again, the way that you and I do now. Thank you, John Kerry

I think his momentum has a lot of people looking at him who did not six months ago. What is the buzz? Why are other people liking him? Seems normal to me.

BTW, Hillary is in town today. Big rally. I assume Cantu has another bundle for her.

All this is just too sad. It makes me sick thinking about what the next generation of baseball fans are growing up with. But my generation grew up with free agency and rent a player and we survived. I guess these kids will also.