Texsox

I wonder how/why he wound up in Denmark

QUOTE(FlaSoxxJim @ Nov 21, 2005 -> 10:02 AM) You mean you bothered to read that? Steff always has good links, I almost never miss one.

QUOTE(Chisoxfn @ Nov 21, 2005 -> 05:01 PM) Well if its any consolation, the schools here year in year out demand more money from the taxpayers and everyyear it gets voted down with ease. None of them want to give the schools here any more funding. To be honest, I don't blame them, I think in a lot of instances people think throwing money at the school systems solves things, but quite frankly I think its how you spend the money and I think a lot of school systems could use some help with that. And that is the problem as I see it. One one end in Texas you have Highland Park, TX where they required a PhD to teach science; at the south end there is Progresso school district, that just last year, could afford new Social Science books that show the break up of the Soviet Union. Same state. Which student will get the better education?

If it's the only time all year they would be invited to dinner, no expectation should be implied. If they are regular visitors, I'd feel compelled. If they have nothing nice to say about anyone, they can sit next to me.

QUOTE(NUKE_CLEVELAND @ Nov 21, 2005 -> 04:57 PM) LOL! That would take them from a dying breed to a completely DEAD breed. Then you would be very pissed, I'd have to run on a GOP ticket based on litmus test issues like abortion, national debt, gun laws, school vouchers . . .

IMNSHO, neither party really care about issues for issue sake, they only wish to score debate points and get elected. So if being pro-ABC and anti-123 achieves that goal, then that's their platform. Statesmen are a dying breed.

QUOTE(jasonxctf @ Nov 18, 2005 -> 02:26 PM) anybody that knows anything about politics would be bright enough to realize that the parties have done a polar opposite switch over the past 150 years. The ideals of the old Democratic party would allign themselves closer to the Republican Party of today (and visa versa) But... nice try. And I'm guessing at some point they will switch again.

QUOTE(NUKE_CLEVELAND @ Nov 21, 2005 -> 04:40 PM) I bet you we end up there before the end of 2006. Realistically, how many Iraqi soldiers would it take to replace 100 US soldiers? I honestly think 200-250. I base this on training, equipment, tradition, corruption, and a few other factors.

QUOTE(kapkomet @ Nov 21, 2005 -> 04:31 PM) And I think they are too... just not with some magical date that you all want. I'd like to see some timetable that involved milestones, not dates on the calendar. Reduce one American for every 2 Iraqi soldiers trained, for example. And I think 2 Iraqi to one Nuke may be an understatement Maybe 3:1?

Interesting you mentioned schools, I agree that is a key concept. I believe financing schools is the single biggest problem in our education system. Higher property values assure better schools in the neighborhoods that have the resources to send their kids to private schools and hurt the poorer community and schools that need public education the most.

I pray there are more men like him out there. At 15 he was more a man than most guys in their 20s when it comes to taking responsibility. All too many would have cut and run.

^^^^^^^^^^^^ what Jim said.

The more I think about Kap's comment about the US wanting to use Iraq as a Middle East base, I think we will drag our heels for a long time, and keep many troops. Possible 20,000? Possibly more. That may prove to be a good thing. I imagine we should be setting up a nice base and getting comfy.

QUOTE(Chisoxfn @ Nov 21, 2005 -> 04:16 PM) Well than, lets not forget that a local election does not have parties involved. But since I'm from the area where two of those cities are listed (regardless of whether they supported or not) I can tell you that by and large they are republican cities located in a heavily republican county. Which confirms my original assumption that all those cities would be largely GOP, with a well financed city budget for police patrols, most homes having security systems, fences, gates, perhaps some private gated communities. Last I looked the GOP held an adge with higher income families. How about spinning this off the politcs? What factors should be present to make a community safe? Does the local government play a role? Wealth of the city?

QUOTE(kapkomet @ Nov 21, 2005 -> 03:04 PM) Are you smoking something good, there Tex? LOL, nope. I was also thinking what's his name doing sassy in that SNL skit. She's Soxy

Good point about state vs. local. One would have to look at mayoral races. But I ask again, what discussion is there that wouldn't be considered political? The police chief is generally picked by the mayor, sheriffs are elected officials. We look to our government for crime prevention and we know the government is political.

QUOTE(southsider2k5 @ Nov 21, 2005 -> 02:54 PM) Ah yes the gun control arguements. It just amazes me that one side can see a slipperly slope arguement with gun control, but doesn't want to admit the samething when it comes to abortion. I'm not so sure I understand what you are implying. GOP = no abortions, ever -and- no more gun controls than we already have. DEM = abortion on demand -and- more gun controls. I guess I'm one of the twin siders. I believe there should be some restrictions on abortions and some restrictions on guns.

QUOTE(Steff @ Nov 21, 2005 -> 03:54 PM) Not surprising. What other discussion regarding crime would there be that wasn't political in some nature?

thisclosetogether? The Brian Wilson comments inspired me to post this topic. It seems that many people or genius in their fields are also almost insane.

Good point about inspiring other shows.

QUOTE(NUKE_CLEVELAND @ Nov 21, 2005 -> 09:40 AM) I guess the best way to say it is to talk about the total cost of doing business. Exactly. And how America can balance that and pay a wage that allows the individual to live in some decent housing and have a decent standard of living when 2/3 rds of the world population does not have running water in their homes and would see $2 per hour as a huge step up.

Star Spangled Banner God Bless America America the Beautiful Brandy

QUOTE(NUKE_CLEVELAND @ Nov 21, 2005 -> 09:35 AM) Thats why I prefer to look at violent crime when determining how safe a community is. People shoplifting a handbag from Nordstrom doesn't really affect me personally at all. Exactly. Sneak in my back yard and steal my trampoline a dozen times, but don't point a gun at me once.

QUOTE(NUKE_CLEVELAND @ Nov 21, 2005 -> 09:31 AM) Thats another thing that makes me laugh about people who complain the most about American jobs leaving and the employment practices of certain countries. They are all high and mighty about railing about corporations moving jobs overseas but if you bring all the jobs back here and jack up the price of a standard TV set to 800 bucks and make a DVD player cost 5-600 we'll see how long that lasts. You can't have cheap goods without cheap labor and the sooner people realize its a give and take proposition the better. That is partially correct, but if you go through a modern manufacturing plant, you will see fewer and fewer people. The cost of labor is a much smaller percentage than generations ago. What drives some companies over seas are lax labor laws, easier environmental regulations, toe hold in other markets, looser intellectual property rights, and yes, people willing to work cheaper.

QUOTE(Rex Kickass @ Nov 21, 2005 -> 09:27 AM) And there's nothing there. There are no cultural places in Brick Township. It's a bunch of houses connected to three commercial streets. Brick NJ is a bedroom community of 85,000. Most of the towns in the top 10 are too. Sounds like a great place for breaking and entering . . . BTW, I remember looking at crime stats for McAllen before moving here and being aghast at the number of petty thefts. Then I compared it to cities I lived and found out Vernon Hills had an even higher rate of theft. Schaumburg was equally huge. Northbrook? Same thing. Theft rates off the charts. Then I figured out it was shop lifting at the malls. So it's almost always the information behind the stats and the methodology that determines what the study really tells us. Not some chart and brief synopsis from a reporter.