Texsox

My hot button issues are immigration, a balanced budget, health access for everyone, engaging in wars as a last and final resort, I prefer money be in the hands of the middle class, if someone should be allowed to kill another human, I prefer a woman killing her fetus to the government killing an adult. (I pray neither happens). I think we can always do better by going forward not returning to the 1950s.

QUOTE (YASNY @ Dec 10, 2012 -> 01:20 PM) There have been a lot of good stories here. It's fun and lighthearted reading. Great thread idea.

I know we're talking the team as a whole, but with all the Frank talk I want to add this, In my lifetime, no one could quiet a crowd like Frank at bat. Even if you weren't into baseball, you knew who Frank was. If you were at a bar, it seemed like time would freeze as everyone watched his at bat. Frank had to be Frank, but if he had MB's smile and outward love of the game, his endorsements would equal Jordan's.

The South Side Hit Men solidified it for me. Growing up in the north burbs I guess being a Sox fan connected with my contrarian side. Then there was fun at the ballpark. Nancy Faust, Bill Veeck, exploding scoreboards, roof top shots, it was a secret world so different than what I saw around me in Des Plaines. I would attend at least a game a week, sometimes more if I could get a customer to go. I loved the dumb ass windy 40 degree games when no body would be there or the 30 games out end of the season, again when Comiskey would be empty. I could go to a Cubs game and have a good time. But it was too corporare, too antiseptic for me. Today, hell if it's good enough for the President of the United States of America, well paint me red, white, and blue, it's good enough for me!

QUOTE (Cknolls @ Dec 10, 2012 -> 11:18 AM) Baseline budgeting is the problem. Fix that and we can start to have honest budgets in this country. Calling a cut in the rate of change in spending as an actual cut in spending is ludicrous. But these guys in Washington are clowns, so I expect nothing less from them. While I understand slowing growth could be considered a win, you are right. The other thing I dislike are announcing $100 bazillion dollars in cuts spread over 20 years

QUOTE (Pods70Rowand33 @ Dec 9, 2012 -> 03:57 PM) Yep, definitely ready for a vacation. I'm a grad student as well, and this semester has been crazy. I have a few labs to grade, and then get through this week (9 days until my two week vacation). It sounds like you are also doing a TA/GA thing. If I add anything my second year it may be a return to coaching, but just two Lit classes about killed me. Next semester it is The History of English Renaissance Women Poets and a class on Literary Theories. Both are reduced seat time, but my last two reduced seat time met all but two weeks.

I love tapatalk

QUOTE (HickoryHuskers @ Dec 9, 2012 -> 09:02 AM) That's a bad sign for the Big 12 when a coach leaves for the Big East. Have you ever been to west Texas?

QUOTE (StrangeSox @ Dec 9, 2012 -> 10:57 AM) Tex, everyone needs to make sacrifices to fix the deficit! And by everyone, I mean the most vulnerable members of society who depend on Medicaid and Medicare to survive. Every Republican has told me that raising taxes is bad and revenue doesn't even matter, we need to CUT! CUT! CUT! I truly hope we find a compromise. The past 30 years have been spend and don't tax. The worse of both parties. I have an area we can cut, prisons. Overhaul our nation's drug laws and immigration laws to keep people out of prison and use those savings.

So if we pay zero taxes life is great? We have to pay for the government. That involves paying taxes. We keep talking about taxes separate from expenses. If you are going to spend more, then you have to tax more. It is a simple concept. But we continue to have both parties wanting to spend on what they believe is important and neither side really wants to tax anyone. You can't tax the poor, they have no money as it is. You can't tax the middle class, too many voters, and the rich donate to too many campaigns. But this idea we are raising taxes is misleading. We have to ask, raising from where? We've been CUTTING taxes for decades. The GOP said the Bush era cuts would be temporary. Then we ran a 6.1 trillion dollar deficit during Bush's terms. When are we going to pay for those deficits? There has to be revenue increases and spending cuts. I keep hearing the Bush deficits were to pay for two wars. Yet, we don't want to cut military spending to closer to the pre-war levels?

No matter what, baseball games, casinos, movies, etc. you invest two things, time and money. The investment of time and money has to be less than the benefit of doing something or you will stop doing it. "Bang for the buck" and "time well spent". Traffic become an issue when for a suburban fan they are investing upwards of seven hours attending a game. I'm basing this on two hour travel time each way and a three hour game. I disagree with the poster that suggested the team can't do anything about the traffic. They can, and have. They have entertainment before the games for early arriving fans. They have fireworks shows and such for people after the game. They have also worked with the city to improve traffic flow and public transportation. The after game stuff staggers when people are hitting the exits and helps with a smoother traffic flow. They have to continue making efforts in this area because it is a big factor for a lot of people. Survey after survey have pointed that out. The Cubs benefit from their surroundings and people not minding chillin' after the game in the neighborhood, the Bears too although that is weather dependent. The neighborhoods around the Cell and the Stadium just doesn't have that same charm. Side note, after attending games for 30 years my girlfriend insisted we take public trans to a game a couple summer's ago. I loved it. We just needed a better place to park the car than the nearly emptied parking garage in Skokie.

And Alpha, while you are in search of Democrat hypocrisy, let us look at political backers and their views on taxes and how they relate to what they do. Bill Gates and Warren Buffet http://www.forbes.com/sites/clareoconnor/2...pay-more-taxes/ The nice thing about this is all of the conservative billionaires who avoid paying taxes by keeping profits out of the US are also doing what they believe is best. Helping the world's economy while keeping dollars out of the US treasury. Romney followed his beliefs by not paying any US taxes for years. His top backer is making a killing building casinos in China. God Bless America! To be fair and balance I was trying to find a Chinese flag for Alpha, but since everything seems to be outsourced to China by US companies, the above US flag was probably made there.

Happy Birthday!!

Now I'm offended you didn't read my post Basically I said they all do it but only the Dems are reported on in the media because they always protect the Republican

QUOTE (Y2HH @ Dec 7, 2012 -> 12:41 PM) I'm not really sure an apology (real or fake) is necessary...I just don't get it when I hear people say things like that. If a Republican was caught evading taxes, I'm MORE than positive it would be all over the news...so, why do people try to pretend otherwise? The same applies to a Democrat caught for something similar. This is like hearing people say things like, "the major media is republican biased", when it's obviously not (MSNBC), or having to listen to Fox news followers claim how fair and balanced their "centrist" reporting is, when it's glaringly Republican skewed. No, the major media is not "Republican biased", and no, Fox news is not "fair and balanced"...regardless, I hear people say things like this all the time and I just don't get it. I responded to a post that called out Dems, and especially Obama Dems, for loving to tax while evading personal taxes. The OP has posted probably 100 times that Dems receive free passes from the media. I didn't bother to reply in any meaningful way, I just made a fast and sarcastic post. QUOTE (Alpha Dog @ Dec 6, 2012 -> 09:09 PM) Why do Democrats, especially ones that like to raise taxes and work for the Obama admin, LOVE to cheat on or forget to pay their taxes? Guess they don't hold the responsibility of paying taxes as highly as others... The poster is well known for taking any and all shots at Obama and defending all Republicans by screaming media bias. I really shouldn't have even responded.

Maybe he wants the Marlin's job

QUOTE (Y2HH @ Dec 7, 2012 -> 09:19 AM) The first part I agree with...the second part...are you kidding me with this? Any politician that does something like this eventually gets reported on for doing it, regardless of their party affiliation. The media merely has to catch wind of it, and I guarantee it gets reported. Edit: This is why it's so hard to have political discussions on this forum with many of you -- it's like trying to have a discussion with a bunch of Ostriches that stick their heads in the sand after they make an obviously biased statement like this one. A statement that I'm positive they know is a total fabrication of reality, but they make it anyway, because it sounds good or something. Sorry for my post. It was in the same mold as the post that started it all. I should have elevated the conversation instead of lowering myself to that level.

QUOTE (Alpha Dog @ Dec 6, 2012 -> 09:09 PM) Why do Democrats, especially ones that like to raise taxes and work for the Obama admin, LOVE to cheat on or forget to pay their taxes? Guess they don't hold the responsibility of paying taxes as highly as others... Because there isn't much different between Dems and Reps in the real world. Of course the media only seems to report when it is a Dem who does that.

QUOTE (southsider2k5 @ Dec 7, 2012 -> 07:59 AM) If he really wanted to leave the Twins, he would have done so a LONG time ago. You are probably correct, my idea was a bit of a long shot. Or it could be the rebuilding is taking longer than he originally thought. Family things. Almost anything. Sometimes you get in a situation you can't quite figure out how to get out of.

Maybe he wants out but would never come out and say it. He would be unemployed about as long as it would take to review the offers and pick one.

Dropped off the seminar paper, we will be meeting for drinks next week to receive our papers.

I wish I didn't see that.

Unless they said lead-off hitter who can play 3rd, they lost me.