To the people in the magazine section of Barnes & Noble yesterday, the chairs by the window are there so that you can sit and sample the magazines before you buy. They are not there for you to sit down, read the magazines cover-to-cover, and then leave without buying anything.
To the people in the same Barnes & Noble's cafe, if you are not going to purchase that book, please don't take it with you when you go to get a coffee and oversized cookie. Inevitably, you will get coffee or chocolate or some other food/liquid on the book. And then, since you will inevitably leave without buying that book, neither will anyone else want to buy it, because now it is stained.
If you want to read something with your coffee, first, find a book you will buy, then purchase it, then take it to the cafe. If you want a place to read magazines for free, while sitting in a nice, comfortable chair, try your local LIBRARY; the librarians will be happier to see you than I.
--Statler, moderator
9.05.2011
9.03.2011
GAY PEOPLE = ALCOHOLICS?
According to Rick Perry, yes.
I want to thank David Weigel of Slate.com for reminding us why we shouldn't forget about everything but jobs and the economy as we enter the heat of the presidential primary season.
In Rick Perry's 2008 book, On My Honor, he wrote this about homosexuals:
I can sympathize with those who believe sexual preference is genetic. It may be so, but it remains unproven. Even if it were, this does not mean we are ultimately not responsible for the active choices we make. Even if an alcoholic is powerless over the alcohol once it enters his body, he still makes a choice to drink. And, even if someone is attracted to a person of the same sex, he or she still makes a choice to engage in sexual activity with someone of the same gender.
I don't even know how to begin to address his argument, honestly - it's a new one on me - except to say that it is hard to fathom how one can say that refraining from loving and being loved by another human being is the same as refraining from overindulgence in alcohol, which may lead to liver disease, drunk driving, and the subsequent death of you or another, or both. I wasn't aware that being gay can lead to liver disease, drunk driving, and death.
Regardless of how you may feel about the gay community, this quote should serve as a reminder that when we elect a president in November 2012, be they Barack Obama or another candidate, we aren't simply electing a job-creating machine (or at least the possibility of one). We're electing someone who has ideas about how to change not only the economy, but healthcare, Social Security, Medicaid and Medicare, abortion, civil rights of any kind, and education, both K-12 and beyond.
Beware the tunnel vision when you choose our next president.
--Penn, contributor
Penn also co-authors Toasted Filberts.
I want to thank David Weigel of Slate.com for reminding us why we shouldn't forget about everything but jobs and the economy as we enter the heat of the presidential primary season.
In Rick Perry's 2008 book, On My Honor, he wrote this about homosexuals:
I can sympathize with those who believe sexual preference is genetic. It may be so, but it remains unproven. Even if it were, this does not mean we are ultimately not responsible for the active choices we make. Even if an alcoholic is powerless over the alcohol once it enters his body, he still makes a choice to drink. And, even if someone is attracted to a person of the same sex, he or she still makes a choice to engage in sexual activity with someone of the same gender.
I don't even know how to begin to address his argument, honestly - it's a new one on me - except to say that it is hard to fathom how one can say that refraining from loving and being loved by another human being is the same as refraining from overindulgence in alcohol, which may lead to liver disease, drunk driving, and the subsequent death of you or another, or both. I wasn't aware that being gay can lead to liver disease, drunk driving, and death.
Regardless of how you may feel about the gay community, this quote should serve as a reminder that when we elect a president in November 2012, be they Barack Obama or another candidate, we aren't simply electing a job-creating machine (or at least the possibility of one). We're electing someone who has ideas about how to change not only the economy, but healthcare, Social Security, Medicaid and Medicare, abortion, civil rights of any kind, and education, both K-12 and beyond.
Beware the tunnel vision when you choose our next president.
--Penn, contributor
Penn also co-authors Toasted Filberts.
9.02.2011
ERIC CANTOR TO DISASTER VICTIMS: SUCKS TO BE YOU
You aren't getting anything. Unless Eric gets something first.
The victims of the tornados earlier in the year will still get FEMA's help, and so will many of the victims of Hurricane Irene. But, victims of any additional natural disasters that may occur post-Irene? Those people will be out of luck, if Eric Cantor has any say in the matter.
Even though the GOP happily voted "yes" to any emergency funding for disaster relief in previous years, now that we're entering primary season, they've decided that the purse strings are going to be secured with a Master lock. Unless, of course, additional spending cuts are made to the federal budget.
Who says to the public, unless there are cuts to education or unemployment benefits, or even an extension of the Bush tax cuts (because you know that's exactly where this conversation will be going), we're not going to fund disaster relief? Who thinks that that's a moral thing to decide?
I wonder if Eric Cantor also enjoys setting ants on fire as well, or maybe pulling the wings off butterflies?
--Statler, moderator
The victims of the tornados earlier in the year will still get FEMA's help, and so will many of the victims of Hurricane Irene. But, victims of any additional natural disasters that may occur post-Irene? Those people will be out of luck, if Eric Cantor has any say in the matter.
Even though the GOP happily voted "yes" to any emergency funding for disaster relief in previous years, now that we're entering primary season, they've decided that the purse strings are going to be secured with a Master lock. Unless, of course, additional spending cuts are made to the federal budget.
Who says to the public, unless there are cuts to education or unemployment benefits, or even an extension of the Bush tax cuts (because you know that's exactly where this conversation will be going), we're not going to fund disaster relief? Who thinks that that's a moral thing to decide?
I wonder if Eric Cantor also enjoys setting ants on fire as well, or maybe pulling the wings off butterflies?
--Statler, moderator
MR. SCARY WANTS TO GO TO WASHINGTON
The word I hear most often to describe Rick Perry is "scary". The fact that he is currently being hailed as the frontrunner in the Republican primary cannot make those people feel comforted.
I thought this was a wonderful opportunity for us to discuss the facts of Rick Perry, governor of the state of Texas, so that potential supporters can really think about whether they want him running the country for a minimum of four years.
Rick Perry is not George W. Bush, but that's not a good thing.
Paul Burka, writer for Texas Monthly, described Perry as a "hard man" in his piece "Dear Yankee". He went on to say, "He is the kind of politician who would rather be feared than loved -- or respected." Perry will do whatever he wants to do, once he's in office, regardless of what anyone else thinks of what he's doing. Take for example his failed mandate that all female children in the state of Texas be given the HPV vaccine. Rest assured, Bush never would have suggested such a thing to parents.
Rick Perry doesn't think the federal government should help anyone.
In 2003, George W. Bush said, "We have a responsibility that when somebody hurts, government has got to move."
Rick Perry doesn't think so. When the state was facing a budget deficit, Perry balanced the budget with a combination of money from the federal government and a $4 billion dollar cut to money for K-12 education. Meaning, Perry doesn't care if your child or any other gets a good education, and no one should suggest he raise taxes on the wealthy or corporations instead. He prefers giving corporations as many tax cuts as he can find to give them, claiming that free reign for corporations is how jobs are created. Except, that's also how the Great Recession started.
Under Rick Perry, Texas created more jobs than any other state.
This is true, and if you enjoy being underemployed or employed in a service-oriented job - fast food service, janitorial work, and other minimum wage pursuits - consider moving to Texas to find your new job.
However, the unemployment rate is higher in Texas than both New York, where all taxes of any kind are high, and Massachusetts, which just happens to have a statewide healthcare plan, with an individual mandate to boot (click here to read more about the MA plan). So, before you pack your bags for Texas - where the heat seems to have melted the brains of a majority of voters - consider New York state or Massachusetts.
Rick Perry doesn't like "social" programs.
Perry has called both Social Security and Medicare unconstitutional. To balance Texas's budget, in November of last year, he considered opting out of the Medicaid program. This was to meet a $25 billion shortfall, which frankly, probably would have been remedied if the state had an income tax. But, who wants tax payers to help fund the government, right? He has also called Social Security a "Ponzi" scheme on more than one occasion.
Rick Perry would delight in seeing Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid dismantled under his authority. He thinks that the states would be better off creating similar safety net programs. The states that are all running a deficit and keep laying people off. Of course, if the states run their own programs, that also means they're free to not offer any safety net programs at all.
So, take all of these facts and decide for yourself, do you want Rick Perry running your country?
-- Statler, moderator
Our sources for this post:
The Texas Unmiracle
In Texas, Perry Rides Energy Boom
5 Myths About Rick Perry (written by a fellow Texan)
The sad facts behind Rick Perry's Texas miracle
The Rick Perry that Texans Know
Rick Perry distances himself from George W. Bush in GOP presidential race
I thought this was a wonderful opportunity for us to discuss the facts of Rick Perry, governor of the state of Texas, so that potential supporters can really think about whether they want him running the country for a minimum of four years.
Rick Perry is not George W. Bush, but that's not a good thing.
Paul Burka, writer for Texas Monthly, described Perry as a "hard man" in his piece "Dear Yankee". He went on to say, "He is the kind of politician who would rather be feared than loved -- or respected." Perry will do whatever he wants to do, once he's in office, regardless of what anyone else thinks of what he's doing. Take for example his failed mandate that all female children in the state of Texas be given the HPV vaccine. Rest assured, Bush never would have suggested such a thing to parents.
Rick Perry doesn't think the federal government should help anyone.
In 2003, George W. Bush said, "We have a responsibility that when somebody hurts, government has got to move."
Rick Perry doesn't think so. When the state was facing a budget deficit, Perry balanced the budget with a combination of money from the federal government and a $4 billion dollar cut to money for K-12 education. Meaning, Perry doesn't care if your child or any other gets a good education, and no one should suggest he raise taxes on the wealthy or corporations instead. He prefers giving corporations as many tax cuts as he can find to give them, claiming that free reign for corporations is how jobs are created. Except, that's also how the Great Recession started.
Under Rick Perry, Texas created more jobs than any other state.
This is true, and if you enjoy being underemployed or employed in a service-oriented job - fast food service, janitorial work, and other minimum wage pursuits - consider moving to Texas to find your new job.
However, the unemployment rate is higher in Texas than both New York, where all taxes of any kind are high, and Massachusetts, which just happens to have a statewide healthcare plan, with an individual mandate to boot (click here to read more about the MA plan). So, before you pack your bags for Texas - where the heat seems to have melted the brains of a majority of voters - consider New York state or Massachusetts.
Rick Perry doesn't like "social" programs.
Perry has called both Social Security and Medicare unconstitutional. To balance Texas's budget, in November of last year, he considered opting out of the Medicaid program. This was to meet a $25 billion shortfall, which frankly, probably would have been remedied if the state had an income tax. But, who wants tax payers to help fund the government, right? He has also called Social Security a "Ponzi" scheme on more than one occasion.
Rick Perry would delight in seeing Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid dismantled under his authority. He thinks that the states would be better off creating similar safety net programs. The states that are all running a deficit and keep laying people off. Of course, if the states run their own programs, that also means they're free to not offer any safety net programs at all.
So, take all of these facts and decide for yourself, do you want Rick Perry running your country?
-- Statler, moderator
Our sources for this post:
The Texas Unmiracle
In Texas, Perry Rides Energy Boom
5 Myths About Rick Perry (written by a fellow Texan)
The sad facts behind Rick Perry's Texas miracle
The Rick Perry that Texans Know
Rick Perry distances himself from George W. Bush in GOP presidential race
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