Texsox

QUOTE (southsider2k5 @ Jan 14, 2009 -> 10:33 AM) Never stick around when Gage starts talking about his penis. It's a short story

We can split hairs and call marijuana legal because it is for a small population. You could call alcohol illegal because it is for some groups. But most people will consider alcohol legal because adults can buy it at a store. Most adults will consider marijuana illegal because most adults cannot but it at a legal store. OK, so cigarettes are the new gateway drug. What does that change? What keeps marijuana illegal is very complex and based on much more than image.

QUOTE (southsider2k5 @ Jan 14, 2009 -> 10:27 AM) They are charging a sitting governor with this, amongst other things. If we say it is illegal in Rod Blago's case, why isn't it illegal when the future Secretary of State does it? Sorry, I wasn't clear. Clearly there is a point where it crosses the line. Perhaps they both crossed the line. Separate thought. Where should the line be drawn? I would be considered a pro immigration candidate. Wouldn't my campaign attract individuals and businesses that are also pro-immigration? If I then work to pass, or by executive decree, support pro-immigration policies, is it fair to look at my donor list and make a pay to play accusation?

Yep, we kill them early and often, well everyone except middle class or above white people with decent lawyers. Which is why Texas has such a low murder rate. The death penalty is such a deterrent.

QUOTE (southsider2k5 @ Jan 14, 2009 -> 10:17 AM) With Hillary, these types of allegations have been floating around for a very long time. They finally got their records released and there was a direct link with certian companies receiving favorable actions after giving money to Bill's fund. That is pretty much the definition of pay for play. Which has always troubled me. Wouldn't you want to do business with those people that share your ideals? The same people that would naturally support you? Basically we want the GOP to support Dem businesses and vice versa, Doesn't make sense. If you are an ag business, needing guest workers, would you donate to me, or one of our pro-border wall types? Now once I am elected, wouldn't I also support a guest worker program, as I have stated here forever? The someone looks back and sees someone donated and then received favorable actions and believes it was pay to play? I understand the dangers, but this area is always less cut and dried than first glance.

QUOTE (Soxbadger @ Jan 14, 2009 -> 09:52 AM) Alcohol consumption is illegal under the age of 21. Generally the first legal to illegal gate that children pass through is either cigarettes or alcohol. In my experience I have not met a marijuana user who did not attempt alcohol or cigarettes first. As to the black market for alcohol, look into moonshine and the like. The US govt just cracks down on it and stills are some what easier to find in the Appalachian Mountains than marijuana plants. The substance itself is legal. I find it amusing how many people are so concerned about pot's image.That if we somehow label it differently it will suddenly be available at the corner supermarket.

QUOTE (FlaSoxxJim @ Jan 13, 2009 -> 07:06 PM) True, but I hated the dirt prices the bookstores wanted to give you for the used books when you tried to sell them back at the end of the semester. I ended up keeping 95% of my textbooks because I was absolutely insulted at the buyback prices. (Now, of course, when I want a college text I can request a complementary instructor review copy, so I goy that going for me). The person blow me doesn't give a rats arse about any of the remaining NFL postseason teams. True. (who pays campus crookstore prices?) The person below me has pretended not to see someone.

QUOTE (lostfan @ Jan 14, 2009 -> 09:03 AM) You say that like it's a universal thing though. There is no such requirement where I work. I verify my eligibility to work in the U.S. when I got hired (like everyone does). After that, that's it, they don't ask again. Sorry, I should have added more detail. It depends on the documents that you used to establish your right to work. If it was your Social Security card and Driver's license, that established your right to work for an indefinite time. If you present any documents that establish a temporary right to work, then the employer is required to follow up when your status is scheduled to change.

QUOTE (Balta1701 @ Jan 13, 2009 -> 09:00 PM) So, on both issues, it turns out it's actually quite a bit more complicated than presented here. On the immigrant housekeeper, when she started working for him, she was a legal immigrant. She had the appropriate immigration documents. Those documents expired for a period of 3 months, probably due to her simply not handling the documentation application request properly. She left after those 3 months to have a baby. In other words, the only way for him to know that she had an immigration issue would be to repeatedly conduct immigration sweeps of everyone he meets or to take down all of the details from her identification documents upon hiring her so that he knows whether or not her papers are expiring and constantly keep tabs on that (something that no business in the country wants to be doing - does your business know whether or not your drivers's license is expired after you've been officially hired?) Secondly, the mistake he made - failing to pay the Social Security and Medicare taxes, is a common mistake made by employees of some organizations like the IMF, because the IMF pays your federal taxes through standard withholding but does not withhold social security and medicare taxes, and as such, the employee is expected to calculate and pay them on his or her own. The "Immigrant" problem is bunk and shouldn't be a knock on him. He did his due diligence. The tax problem I could see being an issue...in the sense that I don't like my SecTreas making careless mistakes...but it's at least a complicated one. My employer asks for my insurance and driver's license every year. It is a condition of employment. If you are driving for the company, you can bet they check on a regular basis. Salespeople, delivery drivers, truckers, etc. It is routine. It is required of employers to track the legal status of their employees. They have to have a system in place to know when Visas and work permits expire. When you hire someone you are required to have copies of their employment documentation. Usually Social Security card and driver's license. It's the law and again routine. I am required to do it for the summer staff I hire for 4 weeks out of the year.

QUOTE (santo=dorf @ Jan 13, 2009 -> 04:55 PM) If Bearsox felt that way, that would mean his viewpoint on pot would completely change if it was legalized. I highly doubt many people who call pot a gateway drug would be willing to change their mind if it was legal. Do you honestly think they would just wake up the next morning and say "Coke is the gateway drug of choice!" The argument is: Pot shouldn't be made legal because it is a gateway drug. Subbing in your definition: Pot shouldn't be made legal because it is an illegal drug. Not everything that is illegal is completely harmful, and everything that is legal isn't safe. I think we as human adult should be able to decide for ourselves, with proper knowledge (school education, FDA, EPA, etc..) to decide what we want to do with ourselves provided we do not directly harm others with our decisions. Again, it depends on what "gate" we are passing through. My position is the gate is from legal to illegal behavior. Based on that definition, a legal drug would not be considered a "gateway" because the gate was removed. If we are discussing chemically altering our bodies, the gateway could be stretched all the way back to the first sugar buzz, etc. Would attitudes change overnight? I doubt it. Would they change over time? Absolutely. Think alcohol during and post prohibition. If I was to make any argument regarding keeping pot illegal is that there is no personal upsides to increasing marijuana usage. While I agree it is probably less harmful than alcohol, it has limited positive benefits, and those are in a very limited medical area. I do not see any value in having more stoned people around. The value becomes a financial one to society. The vast amount of resources we have placed to stop marijuana is silly. QUOTE (StrangeSox @ Jan 13, 2009 -> 06:44 PM) Where's the black market for alcohol? All along the border. Cheaper prices and no taxes, but it is smuggling, you are suppose to declare and pay the taxes upon returning to the US.

QUOTE (witesoxfan @ Jan 13, 2009 -> 11:14 PM) I do think it would be funny if Henderson came back and played in the big leagues after getting inducted. If anyone would do it, it'd be him. That would be awesome.

QUOTE (mr_genius @ Jan 13, 2009 -> 04:49 PM) Oh, I'm sure you do know some. But I am very open minded and listen to all sides, you are from a closed minded state like Texas and this may be a foreign concept to you. Remember, the 'Evil Bush Regime' is from Texas. I don't know anyone who believed Bush was worse than Hitler or who blindly supported Iran. Where do you meet people like that?

QUOTE (mr_genius @ Jan 13, 2009 -> 04:38 PM) Unfortunately, it's not even much of an exaggeration (as a hyperbole would suggest). Literally, any entity that was against GW Bush was blindly supported by certain liberal groups. It was fairly sad. Really? So the Conservatives who lost faith in him and were agianst him, then supported certain liberal groups? Which ones? At one point his approval ratings were around 25%, does that mean people went from supporting Bush to blindly supporting liberal groups? Seems like you would jave to then blindly support Bush to stay on the right side.

QUOTE (mr_genius @ Jan 13, 2009 -> 04:29 PM) The truth is I did see blind support for Iran, there was nothing Iran could do wrong as long as the evil Bush regime was opposed to Iranian policies. State sponsered calls for the destruction of Israel? Fine. State sponsored holocaust denial convention? Fine State sponsored anti-Semitic cartoon festival? Fine Supply arms to terrorists killing US soldiers? Fine Burn picture of Obama? BAD! See, the issue of blind support was that of my enemies enemy is my friend. Any entity that opposed the 'Evil Bush Regime' was blindly supported, as it MUST be better than ' Bush Evil Satan Regime'. These people whom blindly supported Iran were indeed very ignorant. edit: Also, if you are going to change your replies on the fly like that please use an edit tag. I am certain there were some people who found it fine. I do not know of anyone, they seem to always be people you know. I guess we have different circles of friends. This area is about 85% Dem by most elections, and I know no one. You are a conservative GOP follower, and you know many. That is funny.

Each country there has felt, and does feel, their very existence is threatened by their neighbors. This isn't a boundary dispute where like where to draw the US-Mexico border, each side wants the other off the map. Serious stuff.

QUOTE (lostfan @ Dec 31, 2008 -> 12:31 PM) Yeah, I've heard about this guy before. I don't know about the breakup of the U.S. but I'll say this much, our ridiculous federal deficit and borrowing silly amounts of money from China really concerns me, and there are no mainstream politicians that appear to be taking that seriously. QUOTE (NorthSideSox72 @ Dec 31, 2008 -> 02:48 PM) I strongly disagree. People feel that government spending has to go up now because the danger of that debt is something that hasn't come home to roost yet. The risk you take on is big, people just don't see it in front of them. But if you look at the projections for CURRENT spending levels, in 10 years the interest on our debt is going to be a pretty big chunk of the budget. That is a dangerous spiral that you cannot easily escape, and I fear that spiral more than I fear the current economy going into depression. Ironically, you need less debt now to give you the flexibility to take on more in situations like this one. We just can't at this point without huge risk. I guess this all depends on whether or not you feel we've reached the point of too much debt risk yet. I feel we have, especially when you look at other financial and energy risks hanging over us. Others may not feel that way. Waste is an interesting concept. What happens when the government wastes money? A supplier makes a higher profit and hires more people? The government hires more people thereby lowering unemployment? While I wish the government would make the fullest use of every dollar we spend, I think I agree with Balta, it isn't that crucial if you believe the government needs to be racking up debt and spending, spending, spending.

QUOTE (GREEDY @ Jan 13, 2009 -> 03:57 PM) It should, it is 50% of the game. I think the percentage is more position dependent. You can hide a bad glove in the corners, not up the middle. You can put a less than cannon arm in left, it is more a liability in right. A player can have a career as a great hitting, poor fielding first baseman better than a great hitting, poor fielding shortstop.

QUOTE (mr_genius @ Jan 13, 2009 -> 03:53 PM) It's amazing how the tune changes from 'reasonable dissent' into 'ignorant creeps' once a picture of Obama has been burned. But this was the entire point of my original post. Thanks for the backup, Texsox. Anyone who blindly supports a country is ignorant. So I find it possible that someone could support Iran and not do it out of ignorance but from understanding the region and the problems. You seem to equate reasonable dissent with blind support. Those are two different things in my mind. I believe it is possible to support Iran based not on blind, ignorant support. You seem to think any support of Iran must be blind.

QUOTE (kjshoe04 @ Jan 13, 2009 -> 03:38 PM) Defense plays almost zero part in judging a first basemans credentials. Had Frank been a first baseman, that would be true. But Frank was a DH, and that is where the debate will come in. I think Frank is a HoF player.

QUOTE (mr_genius @ Jan 13, 2009 -> 03:44 PM) 8% of the Democrat party sounds about right. I have met plenty of people that totally supported Iran and thought GW Bush was worse than Hitler. I'm staying with 5 million. Well you certainly hang out with some ignorant creeps. I'd get a new set of friends.

QUOTE (southsider2k5 @ Jan 13, 2009 -> 07:59 AM) They care only about existing. That right there is the simplest and most profound statement I have read on this subject. And it could be said for everyone in that region.

QUOTE (mr_genius @ Jan 13, 2009 -> 03:31 PM) i don't know. maybe 5 million total in the country (maybe more). probably around the same number of far right crazies. how many do you think there is? I think far less than 5,000,000 blindly support Iran. But out of 300,000,000 people, I guess it is possible, but I doubt it. There are about 72,000,000 Dems in the US. If 8% of the party blindly supported Iran, at least a few people here would share that view. I honestly have never met anyone that blindly supported Iran. So my guess would be more along the lines of less than 1%, which would be less than 700,000.

QUOTE (FlaSoxxJim @ Jan 13, 2009 -> 02:03 PM) False. Nor have I taken a mittenful of the deadly yellow snow crystals and rubbed it all into the beady little eyes of any fur trappers with a vigorous circular motion hitherto unknown to the people of this area. The person below me has never done anything destined to take the place of the Mud Shark in our mythology. True. I have done nothing. The person below me hordes change

QUOTE (kjshoe04 @ Jan 13, 2009 -> 03:25 PM) I honestly don't see that up for debate. He is in every way a first ballot Hall of Famer. Not in every way. How would you rate his defense?