Texsox

QUOTE (StrangeSox @ Feb 4, 2010 -> 08:32 PM) That's the crux of the argument, though: the expense of a college degree vs. potential increased earnings. It needs to be examined on a degree-by-degree basis as well, because a CS/EE degree will pay a lot more than a sociology degree. Actually I will reject that argument (wow, what a surprise) Some careers pay less, some more. Some people are happy working any job as long as it pays well. Others want to follow their passion. So sure, you should pick a major based on cost/benefit, others should not.

QUOTE (mmmmmbeeer @ Feb 4, 2010 -> 10:25 PM) Heard an interesting stat last night......in 2009 the filibuster was used more often than it was used in the 1950's and 1960's....combined. To quote the anchor, the republicans fit 20 years of obstructionism into 1. Pretty impressive. It is a tool that is allowed in our government. I really have no problem with the GOPs using it.

QUOTE (southsider2k5 @ Feb 4, 2010 -> 08:42 PM) Well, she is now qualified to be in the Obama administration! It is a big tent!

QUOTE (Rex Kicka** @ Feb 5, 2010 -> 12:03 AM) All I'm saying is that if my governor went to my political event and said things supportive of what I support... and used extreme language to do it, and then the next day said - oh I didn't mean it, I'd feel pretty personally insulted. Sorta like when my state senator decided to vote against marriage equality and then introduced a resolution a month later encouraging a DADT repeal because lots of folks in her district that would have voted for her are looking to primary her ass. I'm not certain anyone at that event supported secession. If any did, they were in the extreme minority. The tax stuff, the anti-Washington stuff, that was all real and pretty accurate. Did he use an extreme example to discuss that Texas pays way to much in Federal taxes? Sure. I guess I seriously under-counted the numbers of people who felt that Perry was calling Texas to secede from the Union. I thought only some real goofballs would have thought he meant to literally secede. I'm surprised, since it was so easy to take him seriously, then that none of his opponents, Rep or Dem, have called him out on this.

QUOTE (iamshack @ Feb 4, 2010 -> 10:43 PM) What was he getting before? C-? I was kidding, he was an A student before.

Kap, lefty? This must have something to do with the Thread of the Year

QUOTE (southsider2k5 @ Feb 4, 2010 -> 06:58 PM) LaHood is a Daley guy. Gotcha.

QUOTE (StrangeSox @ Feb 4, 2010 -> 08:14 PM) It is funny that you mention History and English because those are the experiences I'm drawing from. One of my friends graduated from Lewis with a History degree. Her student loan payments are more than my mortgage + car payment. She works as a sales rep. assistant (order processing, customer calls, etc.) making close to your example salary. She works at the Route 66 museum in Joliet on weekends just to have something in the field she enjoys. But, realistically, how many options are there for a History major in that field vs. the potentially massive educational costs? My fiance was lucky to land a job as an editorial assistant with her English degree but many of her classmates were not. Again, what are the odds of even being able to work at the job you're passionate about? Also, I'd like to revise your example salaries. Another couple of my friends are in the trades (electrician, plumber). They're both just shy of becoming journeymen and are holding off because the $40/ hr pay rate will mean less jobs in the current economy. They were making more than your $45,000 salary example since a year or two after highschool while the rest of us were racking up debt. Sticking with it, they can expect to make a very decent living; certainly just as much as many college grads could. I guess I should preface that while I am saying college degree, an apprentice program or additional training beyond high school would count as well. We were comparing someone with just a high school diploma. No doubt, the trades are still a decent way to make a nice living. If that is what you enjoy doing, go for it. But if you don't like working outside, or doing physical labor, it just might not be worth it.

Both pitchers will have 32 possibly 33 starts if they stay healthy. Mark is a team leader, especially with the pitchers. You want to set a tone, I believe Mark sends a very nice tone.

QUOTE (kapkomet @ Feb 4, 2010 -> 08:11 PM) College is mandatory - I mean, we have to keep indoctrinating the liberal bias. You better go back for your PhD

QUOTE (Rex Kicka** @ Feb 4, 2010 -> 05:16 PM) He didn't take any action, unless you count the states rights resolution in the spring of 2009. But plenty of people took these comments seriously, a quick google search would make it easy for me to show you how many people took it serious. http://governor.state.tx.us/news/press-release/12227/ http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2009/04/15...-probably-wont/ http://www.rasmussenreports.com/public_con..._75_opt_to_stay http://www.rasmussenreports.com/public_con...tter_not_secede So yeah, a number of people took it serious. So, here's the question - which is it? Was the governor making a joke at the expense of all those tea baggers who support him? Or was he being serious about states rights and the right to secede from the union? Because I gotta say, if he isn't doing one of these, he sure as hell looks like he's doing the other. Rex, you are far smarter than this. OK, you take him seriously.

QUOTE (StrangeSox @ Feb 4, 2010 -> 08:04 PM) You're mis-stating the position. The premise is that some people can be better off without a college degree. For many degrees, there is not enough additional compensation to make up for the cost of the degree. Those estimates of "One million more!" include guys like the founders of Google who are billionaires. It isn't necessarily a realistic expectation. It also includes Bill Gates who dropped out. Ok I will agree with some. In fact, now that I think about it, I will agree most. Especially in this economy. I have two kids graduating in a few years and the more kids I can discourage from going to college, the better for them

QUOTE (StrangeSox @ Feb 4, 2010 -> 05:55 PM) No, I didn't state my point clearly. The college grad has a ton of debt and can't afford to take that job opening for $10. The HS grad, who has a significantly smaller debt load, can. Economics forces the debt-laden college grads to look for higher paying jobs or be unable to pay their bills. The idea that college grads typically earn more isn't a bad one, but it isn't a hard-and-fast rule, either. It is heavily dependent on the degree you choose. Finance or software/ computer engineering? Yeah, you can make a good buck. Journalism? History? English? You could be stuck with a sales rep or sales assistant job making less than $30k very easily. Go into the trades and you can be making good money for years while your friends are racking up debt. I'm by no means downplaying the importance of education or even education for knowledge's sake. However, I think its unfortunate that so many kids have it drilled into them that "no college=failure". I agree with all that. And as I mentioned earlier, if the only thing you are looking for in a job is money, than perhaps working is a better way. But if you have a passion for History or English, there are careers that you can get that are more rewarding for that person than trades. I would argue that if you are going into the trades, an apprentice program would be valuable. But if you decide to become an auto mechanic because you can make $45,000 a year but you love English. You just might be happier in the long run working at a book publisher for $30,000 a year.

QUOTE (StrangeSox @ Feb 4, 2010 -> 05:57 PM) You've never heard of anyone being turned away because they were over-qualified? A seriously over-qualified candidate will want more money and more opportunity down the road, making them more likely to either be unhappy with their position or leave at the first opportunity. Sure I have. But that usually is more their experience than education. We seem to be talking entry level. The premise was, people would be better off without a college degree, that the degree will not earn them enough additional compensation to make up for the cost of the degree. So why should high school diploma holders work these lesser paying jobs? Why aren't they going after higher paying jobs?

QUOTE (BigSqwert @ Feb 4, 2010 -> 01:01 PM) Well then I hope you feel great inside when some women in similar circumstances decide to follow Pam Tebow's lead by ignoring sound medical advice and wind up dead. Would the sound medical advice be you have a 4% chance of dying if you carry this child to term? At what percentage would you say it is ok to carry? 3%? 2%? 1%? 0%

QUOTE (BigSqwert @ Feb 4, 2010 -> 01:01 PM) Well then I hope you feel great inside when some women in similar circumstances decide to follow Pam Tebow's lead by ignoring sound medical advice and wind up dead. Nothing in life is 100% certain. You have to make your own decisions. The mother made that choice, knowing the risk, she has to live, or die with that decision. I won't feel great inside if she should die, anymore than you will fell great inside when she aborts. Well maybe you would, I don't know. I would, without hesitation, give up my life for my son or daughter. You may think that is crazy, but that is how I choose to live my life. When I read, see, or hear stories about parents who make that choice, I understand. You don't understand. You probably do not have kids.

QUOTE (southsider2k5 @ Feb 3, 2010 -> 06:11 PM) Wow. I guess the guys out of the Chicago Machine aren't used to being reported on. is this some local angle I'm not understanding? I heard a report this morning that the CTS facility in Elkhart is worried because CTS ? Canda built many of the systems in question and if CTS is in trouble, it could trickle to them.

QUOTE (iamshack @ Feb 4, 2010 -> 04:40 PM) That is simply not true. Sometimes they do not want to allocate the money in their budget for a college graduate, so they simply do not respond to college graduates who apply. I cannot tell you how many positions I applied for after graduating with a law degree, only to be told, "you are vastly over-qualified, sorry." They are afraid to offer the job to you even if you accept a lower salary to start because these things usually have a habit of coming back up again when it is time for raises or promotions. Why would someone with just a high school diploma work for less money than someone with a college degree? And what position was it that they refused to look at college grads?

QUOTE (Rex Kicka** @ Feb 4, 2010 -> 01:08 PM) Yes, I would. Everybody did at the time, in fact. No, not everyone. Not even close. So what did people do to try and stop him? Show me where someone took him serious and proposed how he should be stopped from doing that? Rex, you're making a paper tiger here.

QUOTE (bmags @ Feb 4, 2010 -> 01:44 PM) Exactly, one thing that pissed me off to no end was I had to take 3 extra hours of ANYTHING (meaning 1000 level courses) because I had taken too many journalism classes. I was a journalism major. It was the stupidest s*** I've ever seen. Seems like an editor would like you to know something about the story you are covering. So if, for example, the story was on a bio science, having a reporter who took a biology class would be kind of useful.

QUOTE (StrangeSox @ Feb 4, 2010 -> 01:39 PM) If it means the HS degree will do the same work for less money... If they did get the HS grad to work for less, that means they offered it to a college grad first who turned it down. I'd still rather have the offer and turn it down, then not get an offer. And I believe that proves 2K5's point, you make more with the college degree.

QUOTE (southsider2k5 @ Feb 4, 2010 -> 01:33 PM) I'll bet is isn't venison jerky though... no, but one of my barely passing student, who is now getting a high A, brought in some venison back strap from a deer he harvested. Awesome.

I love living in Texas. The band is selling jerkey and beef sticks as a fund rasier.

QUOTE (Balta1701 @ Feb 4, 2010 -> 07:57 AM) That's not what I asked Tex. I asked what careers are still out there where you can get a good job WITH a college degree. All of them. Name one where a college degree excludes you? I can't think of a scenario where the people with the college degree will be lined up behind someone without one.

QUOTE (Rex Kicka** @ Feb 4, 2010 -> 09:35 AM) Rick Perry at a Teabagger event, in response to a reporter's question on April 15. That reads like some Seinfeldesque material there! More sarcasm and satire to me. Do you really take those comments seriously?