lostfan

QUOTE (Y2HH @ Jun 15, 2009 -> 09:18 PM) It's empty because they won't do anything about it. Again, I'm not a lawyer nor a judge, but anyone with half a brain can see the problems with frivolous lawsuits in this country, especially those medically related. And this isn't a republican nor a democrat problem, it's an everyone problem, so let's not go there. I'm not sure who "they" is (and it's not Democrats or Republicans, but Republicans tend to be the one to push this specific point), but if "they" is the current administration, they've said they're willing to put limits on malpractice lawsuits into the reform package. Frankly it's a non-issue and I don't see why someone who'd want to overhaul healthcare would be deadset on not going ahead with it.

The arguments lead nowhere when one person tends to be condescending to others and insist they're all sheep for not immediately agreeing with what they have to say.

QUOTE (Y2HH @ Jun 15, 2009 -> 08:15 PM) So the people it is going too -- just lay them all off, too? And don't tell me it's just going to the insurance companies and other gluttonous properties, either. That's probably a few hundred thousand jobs we're talking about now. Bottom line is, no matter what happens, that lost money won't suddenly appear in the average Americans pocket...the government simply wants it for themselves, after all, they're gonna need a multitude of ways to pay for this. The government hasn't found a way to purchase simple items like computers for schools without blowing millions upon millions per school -- hell, forget computers, they can't buy anything without massive waste/overhead, but I'm sure they'll know how to make health care affordable! I don't mean to sound like a jag when I talk about this, but there is a lot more too it than they're letting on. If they want to seriously make heath care more affordable without messing up the current system even more, put massive legislation and changes the laws when it comes to the COUNTLESS frivolous lawsuits brought up against doctors/surgeons on a daily basis, also, crack down on insurance fraud from people collecting benefits when they aren't really hurt/sick, as this is a RAMPANT problem in the insurance industry, yet the laws the government put fourth does almost nothing but helps these types. I heard a few things earlier today about making the lawsuits harder -- and the fact that they realize this is/has been going on yet have done nothing about it should show you how interested the government is in saving you money on free healthcare. The bolded part is an empty talking point. Amusingly, Obama asked Congressional GOP leaders a few weeks back what they'd offer in return for him adding this into a hypothetical bill and they got quiet.

QUOTE (Balta1701 @ Jun 15, 2009 -> 06:02 PM) Without a 1st rounder I can't see what the Bears have to give up that would remotely interest Denver. Yeah, but think of it like this. If you're a GM you've got a lot of leverage to drive the price down. First off behavior issues, secondly injury concerns (kind of what this whole thing is centered around), thirdly the Broncos' motivation is only that they have to dump him, fourth you can point to Cutler and say that was a big reason he had those 100-catch seasons. Whether all of this is true or not is irrelevant, but the Broncos are not in a position of strength and they have to sit back and hope someone blows them away in a bidding war like Angelo and Snyder did.

Marshall wants a new contract - the Bears have plenty of cap space... just saying. Having said that, Marshall is a f***ing idiot.

QUOTE (chw42 @ Jun 15, 2009 -> 11:01 AM) And then Octavio Dotel blew it. Ugh, I almost managed to purge it from my memory. Dotel was an epic fail that outing, about the worst you could possibly do.

QUOTE (He_Gawn @ Jun 15, 2009 -> 05:24 PM) ******** just ripped Ozzie for this on ATH. He stated Ozzie's act of saying this every year is getting "stale". The host asked him if he was going to say that to Ozzie's face and ******** said yes, if Ozzie would come pay him a visit. I hope Ozzie does just that. A general request to anyone who is reading this post - please don't mention that guy's name on here ever again, if at all possible. Please?

Man, what an awesome couple of starts for Jose.

QUOTE (Y2HH @ Jun 15, 2009 -> 03:13 PM) You seriously need to green some of that text. You don't know Nixon that well - sometimes he is joking, sometimes he isn't, sometimes it's easy to tell, sometimes it isn't.

How do you boo Ozzie and KW? Seriously? How is that possible?

QUOTE (Balta1701 @ Jun 15, 2009 -> 02:58 PM) The question is...are the numbers of Soriano and Lee due to them getting old or is it due to their technique? Are Soto's numbers due to, um, hell I'm not even going to say it, or is it due to technique? Aside from Soto, there's not a whole heck of a ton of prime-aged talent in that lineup right now. Aramis Ramirez yes, but he's hurt. Theriot and Fontenot are their young guys and while they can be solid pieces and occasionally get hot, it's silly to expect them to carry an offense. Their problem is that their big money, big pop guys aren't producing. But 2 of their big money, big pop guys are approaching their mid 30's. That's kind of re-wording what I just said. Their guys are not producing because they are injured and/or s***ty (i.e., old). Honestly I doubt if it's their technique all of a sudden. This whole lineup was doing great last year.

I guess this means I won't be visiting the Tribune sports section for fear of accidentally giving his articles undeserved traffic, like I did with the Sun-Times. I started reading the Sun-Times after he was fired.

QUOTE (Markbilliards @ Jun 15, 2009 -> 12:40 PM) Did you know that Billy Ligue got a government job after getting out of jail? Ridiculous. I guess his son cleaned up his act a lot, but Billy deals coke and heroin and is still a dickhead. Awesome. lol. How old is his son now? About 21?

It wasn't Perry's fault that the Cubs have a bunch of injured and s***ty hitters. Just screams "making a move for the sake of making a move." Maybe now with a new hitting coach (a year removed from having one of the best offenses in baseball) the Cubs' hitters will become healthy and non-s***ty.

QUOTE (Princess Dye @ Jun 15, 2009 -> 12:10 PM) But doesnt Alexei take a lot of big wallop swings? Just to consider an extreme transition: if AR wanted to become a slap hitter, I dont know if he'd be able. Other guys could make that transition easier. I could be wrong. He's a slender guy that tries to generate power with the type of swing he's taking. That's AR. Yeah, but that's because of poor pitch recognition (which he seems to be getting better at). That's something that falls under plate discipline. His actual swing and contact ability is fine.

QUOTE (Marty34 @ Jun 15, 2009 -> 12:15 PM) In Wise's defense they need somebody on the bench who can pinch-run. Can't use Nix/Getz as that guy because you don't want to lose your middle-infielder as a pinch-runner. I don't have a problem with him playing if Dye is out, after all, Quentin is hurt and we need to play who's available. But not batting 5th. Wise should never be hitting higher than 7th. Even in the NL.

QUOTE (Balta1701 @ Jun 15, 2009 -> 12:11 PM) I think he's got the major issues right and it seems like we're actually agreeing with him there...but I think he's totally wrong on the fixes. Basically, his thinking is entirely based around "If people have to pay more for the more expensive treatments they're likely to spend less on health care" which is true, but which neglects the fact that a lot of necessary health care is damned expensive, and no matter what happens or what changes you make, your average consumer is going to find making educated decisions about health care almost impossible. They go with what their doctors or their health care providers recommend. IMO, better efficiency is a bigger priority than providing coverage for everyone. The first kills many birds with one stone. The second just increases the amount of money we need to spend.

http://www.cnn.com/2009/POLITICS/06/15/mir...osts/index.html Great article here that gets to the root of the whole issue (lack of incentives to be efficient, encouraging everyone to choose the best available, most expensive options because they are currently subsidized and don't have to pay for the quality).

QUOTE (NorthSideSox72 @ Jun 15, 2009 -> 11:49 AM) Practicality and efficiency. Anything government or official being in just one language makes government cheaper to run, and it encourages people to have one language they all know so that business can be conducted in a reasonable fashion. The only danger I see with it is, make sure it doesn't restrict someone's ability to continue speaking or knowing other languages. It should only serve to say, this is the language that government business will be conducted in domestically - if you don't know it, it is at your own peril. It kind of already is that way. You have to learn English to be in the military for example. That said, I have no issues with making illegal immigrants learn basic English as part of a path to legal citizenship.

QUOTE (Princess Dye @ Jun 15, 2009 -> 11:23 AM) I dont know if it's subjective to say CQ has better bat control than Alexei. We have plenty of evidence that Alexei is a free swinger. I just think AR is perfect for lower in the order. He'll see more fastballs, instead of depending on Pods being on base to get him fastballs. Based on Pods' OBP, that argument indicates Alexei will get a fastball heavy at-bat only when Pods or the 8 or 9 hitters happen to be on base. I say get him up there following the bashers. Sounds like you're referring to plate discipline. When I think "bat control" I think contact ability. There is no question that CQ has better plate discipline than Alexei, but there is also no question that Alexei has pretty good bat control, too.

Please don't take this as me being snarky or anything because it's an honest question - what would the point of it be? We've never had an "official" anything for our whole existence. I can't think of any reasons outside of nationalism.

QUOTE (kapkomet @ Jun 15, 2009 -> 11:32 AM) Quit making sense, you jackass. If I didn't like having pointless arguments with you, baiting you, or chasing you in circles, I wouldn't do it.

Rigged a little better this time, of course.

QUOTE (Rex Kicka** @ Jun 15, 2009 -> 09:48 AM) So watching his Republic spiral out of control, Khamenei has apparently ordered a vote probe. Also documents appear to have leaked out of the interior ministry showing that Achmadenijad finished third, not first. Really? Link?

I wouldn't say that Wise failed in 2008. At the role of bench player, he did just fine. The problem was that he was being used way too much and got exposed, which wasn't his fault. But "not failing" is not the same thing as "being good." For some reason it seems to count with Wise.