Texsox

QUOTE (StrangeSox @ Mar 25, 2010 -> 06:25 PM) Why? It'd just be another sales tax item and regulation would fall under something like the ATF. There would certainly be orders of magnitude less people required to enforce basic taxation versus what we do now. I can grow my own food at home. I can make beer at home. I can make wine at home. I can do all sorts of things at home, but I, like most other people, still go to the store and purchase it instead. Even with taxes added on. If you have a $10 a week habit that will now cost you $20 a week, will you continue to buy from your regular place or go buy the new legal stuff? And the beer you brew or the wine you make, will probably not be as good as commercial stuff. Also, there isn't a widespread, convenient, source for illegal beer and wine. And for the tax to work there will have to be someone busting people to check for tax stamps or whatever. Those will not be ATF agents, they would have to be local police. Are we really going to keep that level of police action up?

QUOTE (kapkomet @ Mar 25, 2010 -> 08:06 PM) Yep. All those teabaggers are crazy muthaf***as. ALL of them. As individuals they are as sane as you or I, but when they get their group think happening, then yeah, they are crazy muthaf***ers.

QUOTE (BigSqwert @ Mar 25, 2010 -> 03:08 PM) What exactly is the concern? Imagine if this was auto insurance. Oops! I got in an accident, I better buy some insurance. Or, damn someone broke into my home and stole everything, I better buy some insurance, I can always cancel next month. To be insured for something that has already happened, and you know about it, seems unreasonable.

I would support a period of time where a new disease would not be covered unless you already have insurance. It is easily the area I have the most concern about.

QUOTE (Balta1701 @ Mar 25, 2010 -> 02:32 PM) But...is growing it at a reasonable quality at home a cheap thing or an expensive thing? Good point, I don't know. But will the home growers cover worker's comp insurance? Product liability insurance? It is fairly easy to grow from self collected seeds. I just am not confident of this as a major revenue stream. I believe the bulk of the monetary gains will come in the reduction of arresting, prosecuting, and even sending people to prison.

QUOTE (BigSqwert @ Mar 25, 2010 -> 01:00 PM) Like they do now with illegal cigarettes and liquor? There is a huge difference in quality between most homemade brew and liquor and the commercial product. The difference between commercially grown pot and home grown will not be that different. Growing tobacco is almost impossible for most of the country. Finally, there just isn't the distribution channels developed for illegal liquor and cigarettes as there is for pot.

Can parents kick a 15 year old out of the house and stop being responsibile for the 15 year olds actions? Last I heard a parent can be fined and jailed if the child is truant.

It may save money, but I don't see it generating that much. If they tax it too high, people will just continue to buy illegally. You will also have to hire more people to inforce the tax laws for it to generate the taxes. remember, this can be grown at home. Perhaps the revenue will coem in from the lazy people who would rather buy prerolled joints than grow your own. Plus, how much will commercial growers have to add for liability insurance and other hiden costs that your local supplier doesn't deal with?

If I understand the 2:00 rule, it doesn't mean they cannot work in their offices and actually be available to their big donors constituents. I believe there is a difference in an isolated instance versus a series of events. I believe there is a difference between being asked by the FBI to make a statementand and doing it without being asked. I feel bad for the hardcore Republican fans who are trying to defend the GOP not making the statement. I know that is what y'all would have done and what you wish your team had done.

QUOTE (southsider2k5 @ Mar 24, 2010 -> 11:58 AM) Its a ridiculous thing that this is allowed to exist the way that it does. If the kid were taking a tylenol, or going on a field trip to the park, they would need parental permission for both, but because it was an abortion, they get a free pass for both a medical procedure and leaving campus. Amazing. QUOTE (StrangeSox @ Mar 24, 2010 -> 12:23 PM) The mom signed a consent form for medical care. There should be limits. I would think an operation would be one. And I wonder who paid for the abortion?

People have posted that guys should play for the love of the game or for the competition. Fact of the matter is, it's a job. And one he's done for a long time. It is a lot of time on the road and away from family and friends. It's living in nice hotel rooms, but hotel rooms. I can see him passing on a nice 75% pay cut. For many people here, playing in MLB is a dream. Well it is a dream he's already lived. Perhaps he'll turn up as a mid year pick up.

he's the Rush Limbaugh of sports. Says s*** just to be outrageous.

I really believe the 401k, not social security, killed the employer pension plans.

http://articles.moneycentral.msn.com/learn...a-comeback.aspx

QUOTE (southsider2k5 @ Mar 23, 2010 -> 09:08 PM) Think of it this way... How many companies offer a pension? It died when the government stepped in with social security. History tells me that the same thing will happen here. How many companies offer 401Ks and even offer matching? I believe it was self directed 401ks that killed pensions. Especially those pensions tied to the fortunes of one company.

QUOTE (lostfan @ Mar 23, 2010 -> 07:32 PM) If Company A offers me, say, $50k, and Company B offers me the same job and same salary but with insurance benefits, well guess where I'm going? Exactly what I was thinking. But suddenly, tons of businesses will all stop. It seems to me that will piss off their employees quite a bit. And I'm not certain if tons of businesses will do that. Perhaps all of the GOP owned ones will.

Everyone has different resources and will give a different amount. I applaud ChiSoxFn for not going the route of doodads and gizmos for a premium membership like some sites do.

Why are companies offering health insurance benefits to begin with?

QUOTE (kapkomet @ Mar 23, 2010 -> 06:43 PM) Um, sure, because they are just going to let the government take care of it. Ultimately, it's "cheaper" that way. And, remember: no raises to make up for that lost benefit. Besides, why would they offer a plan that's now going to get the s*** taxed out of it? The government plan won't tax, but almost all of the plans that exist out there today that's being paid will be taxed to the individual, unless you're union or goverment workers. That will be interesting. I wonder how that will affect employee moral. And you say tons of companies are already planning this. Where have you heard that?

http://www.corporatepredators.org/top100.html Not trying to be sarcastic. I just find the scale of the fine to be outrageous for a company that cooperated and turned themselves in. Here is a link to corporate criminals and their fines. $144 million would have been the 5th highest fine. Most of these are antitrust, environmental, etc. with presumably more damages than what one person in a small office could do.

QUOTE (kapkomet @ Mar 23, 2010 -> 06:34 PM) There's a TON of businesses that are already planning on dropping coverage and just paying the "taxes", er I mean "fine". Which means the curve goes nowhere but up, but I'm sure that 'tis all good cause Barackus the Great, Nancy, and Harry told us so. Really? Companies are going to eliminate a popular benefit? Where did you pick up that information?

QUOTE (bmags @ Mar 23, 2010 -> 04:25 PM) Acorn should change their name to the n-word so when it's shouted out we all know what they mean. They should change their name to Blackwater

QUOTE (Chisoxfn @ Mar 23, 2010 -> 03:22 PM) The sites cost about $1500 a year to run between Server Costs, domain costs, and random software fees. So 150 members at $10 each would work. Or 300 at $5. Seems really doable. Then we can fire your lazy ass.

QUOTE (Y2HH @ Mar 23, 2010 -> 04:16 PM) I'm not sure it was in the news -- we are a privately held company, so I'm not sure if the media latched onto it or not. It was about 10 years ago or so... And I stand corrected, it was over 144M$ in fines. This is all I could find on it, but it's not a full story, as I guess you have to be a member? http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1G1-21091555.html It sure is a messed up industry when doing business the right way results in $144 mil in fines. That was really just one person in one office? Amazing.

QUOTE (whitesoxfan101 @ Mar 23, 2010 -> 04:08 PM) You are right that the NIT used to be the big tourney, but this post still cracks me up. I haven't watched a single minute of this tournament yet btw, including Illinois. I actually forgot they played last night until I heard the final on the radio this morning. Pretty much all the NCAA has to do is add one more full round and it will kill the NIT. The proposal comes up every few years.