Texsox

The loan I was in on seems to continue to receive regular repayments. He is scheduled to repay $50 per month for one year.

Spears' Attorney "Hey honey, order that new car, Brittney is in a standoff with police ha ha ha"

QUOTE(Alpha Dog @ Dec 26, 2007 -> 08:21 AM) Tex, every time an immigration post comes up, you throw this same stuff out. I, along with just about everyone else who has posted about immigration, is in favor of some sort of a guest worker program. Just because we don't genuflect to it every time we mention that we want the lawbreakers to go home doesn't mean in some small part we aren't on the same page. Yes, the government needs to get its head out of its ass and find a way to make a workable program for workers to fill those jobs. However the 'other' jobs that illegals do, like meat packing plants, warehouse jobs, etc, there are plenty of Americans who can, and will, do those jobs if available. I seem to recall when the Swift plants were raided and 30%+ of their workforce was arrested or disappeared, there was a huge line of people waiting to take those jobs, who were not from Mexico. As for sending you our unemployed IT professionals, etc, how about I trade you the Mexican working the drive thru at my local McDonalds who can barely seem to understand "I would like 1 large vanilla shake please", and I will have the unemployed IT guy work the drive thru for the $8 per hour they are paying. yes, the same posts always come up. Is the IT guy really going to work at $8 per hour instead of finding a job in his field? You know how expensive turnover is. And how expensive having employees who do not want to be there. But I keep posting because we keep missing the bigger issues in this debate. We have to protect the ag industry. We can live longer without oil than food.

That's where a couple experts can really pay off. Concentrating on the one that went well, they brought in a sucession mediator and in turn the mediator brought in a couple experts on the various investements and properties. This was a wide spread ranching operation with land here and there, large and small tracts. They also had various natural resource issues. By the time they finished, there was four neet little bundles waiting to be picked. With very small trading, I always liked that area, how about we swap this for that, the deal was done. A couple experts will really earn their money and hopefully keep the family peace.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/22493399/ This guy is an idiot.

Best of luck with this and from a situation I witnesses a dozen or so years ago, there will not be any easy answers. An attorney and his staff will spend a lot of time on painstakingly researched ever transaction that may or may not have implications. They may have to track down every interested party. Then a couple more attorneys will get involved who are representing one or a few of the parties. All this will result in legal fees, and I will be the first to say, they earn every cent. Then after each point is litigated, the profits that some people hoped to gain will be lost. Couple possible solutions. If the majority can buy the minorities land, do so. And even offering sub market may be fair, based on the above. The minority may find someone willing to buy a share. You may be able to subdivide, and those that wish to sell could sell the land they received in the subdivide. The subdivide will be hell. Prime frontage land is worth more than an interior. Land with water or water access may be more valuable. So one acre there may not equal one acre over there. Good luck. My only suggestion is starting with a licensed mediator who has done this sort of estate planning. I watched as a huge South Texas ranch was divided up for the kids and it went fairly well. I also watched as a small Wisconsin farm, worth one tenth, was sold and it took years and years, families not speaking to each other, and just a shame.

I'll take major league starter ready for two prospects in a heart beat, three is a stretch, but in this case it doesn't look that bad to me. One gem that caught my eye Let's not toss out the baby with the bathwater in that article.

Cooking away. Sorry Soxy, but that huge hunk of beef going in the oven looks yummy

The "problem" is we need temporary workers, and our immigration system has not officially recognized and made provisions for it. The "solution" for 100 years has been to ignore the illegals pouring across the border each spring. Now that politicians smell votes, we have some action. Unfortunately, so far, none of the solutions fixes the root problem that faces American businesses. Alpha, would you rather have employees who are eager and willing to work, or someone who is working because their unemployment benefits ran out and they are now forced to take a job? Or someone who is interviewing every night trying to find a job in their field? Would you rather welcome back for three months a family that has been working for you for 30 years or each year have a new crop of unemployed who are willing to work? I'd rather we spend money to figure out how to get third generation unemployed productive then stop third generation workers from working. The biggest difference is for most of you here, "illegals" are mythical people you read about. I know several personally. I know many of their kids and grandkids. All they wanted to do was follow the crops and make enough to survive through the winter and build a better life. They work for 6 months and return to Mexico. They didn't expect anything they didn't work for. Then people started showing up and "helping" them. At first it seemed like heaven sent. Now, it appears those same people wanting to help, have hurt, but offering services that others don't think are deserved. I'm all for locking up those that have committed violent crimes, who have stole, driven drunk, and a myriad of other skills. Send back those that can not support themselves. But those that have been earning their pay, not bothering anyone, let's find a way to keep them here. I've asked this ten times and no one has an answer, the citrus industry needs close to 5,000 workers here for the next 3 months. Then there are no jobs until next December. Who will arrive to work these jobs? Should we pay unemployment the other 9 months? Ever since John Shary first cultivated citrus here in the Rio Grande Valley, we've employed temporary laborers from across the river. Some of these illegals live close enough to sleep in their own beds each night, others traveled hundreds of miles. Send us your unemployed middle manager, your IT professional, your school teachers, they can earn $8 per bushel picking. Have your children skip out on school. How many golf courses need maintenance workers from April to November, where do those workers go in the winter? Most Americans do not want those jobs, but we have a very willing work force, who have demonstrated they can do the job. Let's find a way to make them legal. To tie immigration to jobs. To offer limited benefits.

Christmas Day on the East Coast

QUOTE(sircaffey @ Dec 24, 2007 -> 06:37 PM) Agreed. Skiles' tough "his way or the highway" type style was going to wear on the players at some point or another. For some reason the Bulls always start horribly every season, and I think it's due to Skiles' rough coaching style. I would welcome in a more players' coach for a change. We no longer have a team filled with a bunch of rookies or second year players. We have a somewhat veteran team who knows what the NBA is all about. I've been away from Chicago and the details of the Bulls schedule for ten years. The slow starts were blamed on the long road trips every fall when Disney on Ice and The Ringling Brothers and Barnum and Baily Circus came to the Stadium. The "Texas Triangle" and West Coast swings would always kick them in the ass.

Doug Collins

Well, today's players is who he was hired to coach, he has to make them play, not the other way around. Sucks and probably is not fair, but that's why they pay coaches the big bucks, and players the biggest bucks. You can not fire the entire team, but you can fire the coach. Again, sucks and probably unfair, but that's why they say coaches are hired to be fired.

Wow. I've only read reports and knew the team was struggling, but I didn't see this coming. I wonder if there is a college gig or something and he asked to be let go? Of course he's under a contract and I'll bet he's getting more than two weeks severence.

crazy. Great avatar

QUOTE(shipps @ Dec 24, 2007 -> 10:54 AM) At work.Why cant hospitals close on Christmas?Let baby Jesus heal the sick today he is fully capable. But who would send the bill?

My boss made me take my two weeks vacation, so I have been off since the middle of the month.

You always hear the usual stories of pennies on the sidewalk being good luck, gifts from angels, etc. This is the first time I've ever heard this twist on the story. Gives you something to think about. Several years ago, a friend of mine and her husband were invited to spend the weekend at the husband's employer's home. My friend, Arlene, was nervous about the weekend. The boss was very wealthy, with a fine home on the waterway, and cars costing more than her house. The first day and evening went well, and Arlene was delighted to have this rare glimpse into how the very wealthy liv e. The husband's employer was quite generous as a host, and took them to the finest restaurants. Arlene knew she would never have the opportunity to indulge in this kind of extravagance again, so she was enjoying herself immensely! As the three of them were about to enter an exclusive restaurant that evening, the boss was walking slightly ahead of Arlene and her husband. He stopped suddenly, looking down on the pavement for a long, silent moment. Arlene wondered if she was supposed to pass him. There was nothing on the ground except a single darkened penny that someone had dropped, and a few cigarette butts. Still silent, the man reached down and picked up the penny. He held it up and smiled, then put it in his pocket as if he had found a great treasure. How absurd! What need did this man have for a single penny? Why would he even take the time to stop and pick it up? Throughout dinner, the entire scene nagged at her. Finally, she could s tand it no longer! She casuall y ment ioned that her daughter once had a coin collection, and asked if the penny he had found had been of some value. A smile crept across the man's face as he reached into his pocket for the penny and held it out for her to see. She had seen many pennies before! What was the point of this? "Look at it." He said. "Read what it says." She read the words " United States of America" "No, not that; read further." "One cent?" "No, keep reading." "In God we Trust?" "Yes!" "And?" "And if I trust in God, the name of God is holy, even on a coin. Whenever I find a coin I see that inscription It is written on every single United States coin, but we never seem to notice it! God drops a message right in front of me telling me to trust Him? Who am I to pass it by? When I see a coin, I pray, I stop to see if my trust IS still in God at that moment. I pick the coin up as a response to God; that I do tr ust in Him. For a short time, at least, I cherish it as if it were gold. I think it is God's way of starting a conversation with me. Lucky for me, God is patient and pennies are plentiful! When I was out shopping today, I found a penny on the sidewalk. I stopped and picked it up, and realized that I had been worrying and fretting in my mind about things I cannot change. I read the words, "In God We Trust," and had to laugh. Yes, God, I get the message. It seems that I have been finding an inordinate number of pennies in the last few months, but then, pennies are plentiful! And, God is patient... Have a blessed day!!

QUOTE(southsider2k5 @ Dec 24, 2007 -> 08:42 AM) Just remember this in April. I can see US Celluar Field from my office. I do miss springtime in Chicago.

QUOTE(Heads22 @ Dec 24, 2007 -> 01:41 AM) Hillary, as she would then be supplying a miner, and her campaign would take a serious hit. I thought you were a college student? Or did you mean minor? QUOTE(southsideirish71 @ Dec 24, 2007 -> 02:07 AM) Kucinich definitely. Back in Ireland if you catch one, they usually have to tell you were their pot of gold is. One beer = rich. nicely played.

QUOTE(Alpha Dog @ Dec 24, 2007 -> 09:58 AM) I am not saying there should be a law against poor people f***ing and having kids, but morally, if you can barely feed yourself, what kind of a parent are you to bring another mouth to feed into this world? Your job as a parent is to protect and provide for that child until they can become a functoning adult with whatever skills and tools you can give them to survive. How can you do that if you have no idea where your next meal is coming from? Having children when you are too poor to even care for yourself is cruel to the children. I agree 100%, and I would hope that individuals would make that choice. I don't believe I mentioned any laws. But making a blanket statement that someone should not reproduce makes me uncomfortable. Basically it means that poor people should not reproduce. And as soon as we start making statements about who should, and who should not, reproduce, I get an uneasy feeling.

QUOTE(Alpha Dog @ Dec 24, 2007 -> 09:54 AM) However, the AMERICANS who would now be filling these jobs are ALREADY getting the benefits because they are poor, unemployed, etc. So any income they make is a positive. If we had high unemployment, I would agree. But it isn't that simple. First off, many of these jobs are seasonal and finding Americans wiling to "follow the crops" has proven almost impossible. Many of the unemployed are skilled professionals, a computer programmer taking a job for two months packing oranges or shrimping, when they could be finding a "real" job, doesn't make sense. If you were an employer would you rather have experienced, willing employees, or someone working until they could find something better or forced to work there? IN the ag industry the unemployed person would have to move to the job. Think about an unemployed guy in Chicago, do you think he will move to Idaho to work on a corporate farm? I'm guessing he would have to be forced, and that is not good for the company paying the man's wages. I just find it hard to believe there are 5 million unemployed Americans that can't find jobs as yardmen and dishwashers. I see ads all the time in my newspaper for these jobs. We have the employees here. We need a guest worker program that works.

QUOTE(NorthSideSox72 @ Dec 24, 2007 -> 09:29 AM) Wall = hundreds of billions of dollars and probably decades to build, further damages our international image, and still won't keep many of them out. Virtual wall combined with demand-side measures and enforcement of existing laws = fraction of the cost, and more effective. Pretty simple, really. I would only expand on the demand side and mention all immigration has to be tied to jobs. No means of support, no immigration. I would even be interested in seeing some staged benefit approach. You qualify for this right away (many health benefits for one) and others after some period of time (college Pell grants maybe?) We also need some government clearing house where once an employer receives word that this employee is legal to work, they can't be charged later with hiring illegals.

QUOTE(NorthSideSox72 @ Dec 24, 2007 -> 09:27 AM) 1. If they come here illegally, they are criminals - a.k.a. "bad people". 2. Some of them undoubtedly are hard-working people who are desperate to get by. JUST LIKE A FEW BILLION OTHER PEOPLE IN THE WORLD. And we cannot just let them all come in and work without some controls. The result would be devastating to this country. 3. Part of the blame here does indeed fall on the government's inability to properly gauge immigration levels with economic need. Obviously, the jobs are there - so why aren't there more people being allowed in LEGALLY? On this part of the picture, I agree with you. Some of these illegals should have the chance to be accomodated legally. But that is NOT an excuse for breaking the law. I for one am happy to see this result. Dealing with the demand side of the equation is key here. The wall is a money pit that would cost hundreds of billions of dollars, and thankfully, will never be built. There are a dozen different things that could be done that would as a group be far more effective than a wall, and cost a fraction as much. This type of thing in the article is one of them. All great points. Starting in January, there will be about 5,000 temporary jobs available here in the citrus industry. There are not enough people here to work these jobs. What group of Americans will be available? Who will move here for two to three months? Last summer shrimp boats went out of business because we stopped the temporary workers from Mexico. Despite ads all over the US looking for workers, not enough traveled here to take these jobs. These businesses had workers, willing, able, trained, and eager to take these jobs. We need to make them legal, not add all the normal benefits, and keep America rolling. I could give a rip if the employees at Kemper have to move their own lawns, or golf course green fees doubled, but losing our agriculture industry has national security implications.