August 05, 2013
— Monty
Trust our government to create an artificial shortage of the second most common element in the entire universe.
If you can't get the hicks in the sticks to vote your way, the obvious solution is to move the hicks into the cities where they'll be more reliant on government "help", and thus more liable to vote as the Democrats wish them to.
Millennials, let me rephrase this in words you hip kids can understand: You're going to be made to pay for Grandma's new hip and Grand-dad's boner pills, whether you want to or not. ObamaCare isn't meant for you devil-may-care kids; it's meant for the geezers and chronic sickies. But you're young and strong and can be squeezed like tender young oranges, and still naive enough to think that Uncle Sugar is doing it all on your behalf. The irony? Uncle Sugar is going to make you pay for this monstrous new program even though you're probably still living with your parents and working a part-time job to pay off your student-loan debt. I'll bet that this isn't what you were expecting when you pulled the lever for Obama back in the heady days of 2012, huh? Suckers.
I just hope the Millennials who voted for Obama remember this little maxim: a government powerful enough to give you everything you want is also powerful enough to take everything away from you. And it will, sooner or later.
The political left likes to speak of government-funded entitlements as "rights", but of course they're not. Governments cannot grant "rights" to their citizens; they do not have that power. What rights you have, you are born with. All a government can do is protect those basic rights. (Or not, as the case may be.) Health care is not a "right". It is a privilege we have come to take for granted. Even the poorest Americans have access to healthcare that kings of old could not have dreamed of. We all -- rich and poor alike -- marinate in wealth and luxury unthinkable even a couple of generations ago. Yet somehow this unparalleled wealth and freedom is not enough. We begrudge the time and effort it took to build and maintain the world we have now. We demand our "right" to receive things we have not earned, right now, simply on the basis that we are alive and drawing air. Besides being immoral, this notion has a more basic flaw: it is completely unsustainable. There is no such thing as a perpetual motion machine. You cannot draw more energy out of a system than what goes in. Sooner or later, the battery will run down.
Coleman Young: the man who killed Detroit. His Majesty the King Barack Hussein Obama is bringing the same game and attitude to the White House, and with pretty much the same results. (This article might be paywalled; if so, just type the article's headline into Google and that should take you to a readable copy.)
I guess we can call this the "new normal": a piddling 1.7% rise in GDP is now considered "brisk". Yet reality bites our ever-psychotic business press as jobs numbers "disappoint". Maybe we can say that the economy is "briskly disappointing".
Chicago joins L.A. as finalist in the "Who Goes Broke Next?" Loyal Order of the Terminally Boned (LOTB) sweepstakes.
John Bury at Burypensions wonders when the NYT will find someone competent to do financial reporting. Dude, the NYT is not about accurate reporting; it's about giving Democrats political cover. This was pretty hilarious, though:
DetroitÂ’s bankruptcy and the problems facing its pension funds offer two important lessons to other communities. One is that state and local governments need to do a much better job managing retirement funds. The other is that they should not pre-emptively reduce hard-earned benefits at the first sign of trouble.Apparently bankruptcy after a 50-year collapse is "the first sign of trouble".
No more Social Security at 62? This might bother me more if I expected to receive any SS benefits at all. Or if I thought I'd actually be able to retire before I drop dead. (At least I'll have that much in common with rich people.) Some day we'll be reminiscing to the young 'uns that there was actually a time when people stopped working and just took it easy for the next twenty or thirty years. It was a time of miracles and wonders.
This is something that is true of both religious and non-religious charity: it sometimes does more harm than good. Charity can be an enabler of bad behavior on the part of the recipient -- that's why charity bereft of a moral component (as that provided by NGO's and government aid programs) is often ineffective. Just look at the untold billions of dollars of "charity" pumped into places like Haiti and sub-Saharan Africa over the decades -- it's hard to divine any long-lasting good coming from it. It boils down to incentives. It's hard to convince a poor person to plant and harvest their own rice or grain when they can just wait and be handed free bags of the stuff by foreign aid workers.
This is just too hilarious for words. Given that most of the victims were probably Obama voters, I can only give a Nelson Muntz-style HA HA!
Civilization is more than economics, to be sure. But a civilization cannot thrive without a healthy economy, and economic success -- individually and collectively -- hinges on a certain set of values and behaviors. We shorthand these values as "bourgeois", but ultimately it's more about a sense of personal responsibility, a sense of being the master of one's own fate. We are in dire peril of losing sight of these values and behaviors.
Perhaps our next big step toward being even more civilized – a step that has yet to be taken by a minimally sufficient number of people – will be when we come to regard those who lust to hold political power as being ethically indistinguishable from pickpockets, shoplifters, and card sharks. Our civilization will leap forward if and when it finally comes to pass that the young person who announces to his or her family a desire to enter politics is regarded by his or her family in the same way that mom, dad, Aunt Dolly, and Uncle Jimmy today would regard a young person who announces his or her ambition to become a successful house burglar.Like I said, economics isn't everything, and there's more to civilization than wealth. But wealth is a sine qua non of great civilizations; without it, a civilization will die or be toppled.
UPDATE: Via Andy, noted NYT economist and Nobel-prize winner Paul Krugman discovers that math is hard. Krugman corrects, noting humbly that "I confused x and 1/x", and then blames the error on the distortion field created by his hatred for Republicans.
Posted by: Monty at
04:12 AM
| Comments (195)
Post contains 1159 words, total size 9 kb.
Hooray for Doom.
Also, in case the Morons missed it, check out the "why the GOP is broken" link in the sidebar if you think the Republicans give a shit about anything conservatives do.
Posted by: @JohnTant at August 05, 2013 04:17 AM (tVWQB)
Posted by: BCochran1981 at August 05, 2013 04:17 AM (da5Wo)
Posted by: Anna Puma (+SmuD) at August 05, 2013 04:21 AM (0WdQr)
Posted by: Oldsailors Poet at August 05, 2013 04:25 AM (XIxXP)
Posted by: Circa (Insert Year Here) at August 05, 2013 04:26 AM (659DL)
Good thing its not the most common element - stupidium.
And that stupid Helium program was the only program I can ever recall them shutting down.
Love that kitteh, just got me a new one to replace my 19 year old that finally went to kitteh heaven in the sky.
Posted by: Vic at August 05, 2013 04:27 AM (lZvxr)
Posted by: EC at August 05, 2013 04:27 AM (GQ8sn)
Posted by: Oldsailors Poet at August 05, 2013 04:28 AM (XIxXP)
That has actually been proposed!
Posted by: Vic at August 05, 2013 04:29 AM (lZvxr)
Posted by: Anna Puma (+SmuD) at August 05, 2013 04:29 AM (0WdQr)
Posted by: Oldsailors Poet at August 05, 2013 08:18 AM (XIxXP)
======
And the way things are going she'll be able to use that pile of greenbacks for kitty litter soon!
Posted by: Nighthawk at August 05, 2013 04:29 AM (OtQXp)
Posted by: Anna Puma
Racist
Posted by: Jean at August 05, 2013 04:30 AM (CMlD4)
...........
Ahhh, but that's a feature of ACA!
You forget about the "subsidies".. everyone gets benefits under Obamacare! Just make sure your reported income is low enough (i.e. under $80k - <<-- WTF???)
Posted by: Chi-Town Jerry at August 05, 2013 04:30 AM (UTq/I)
Posted by: Anna Puma (+SmuD) at August 05, 2013 04:30 AM (0WdQr)
Posted by: Vic at August 05, 2013 04:30 AM (lZvxr)
Posted by: phoenixgirl @phxazgrl at August 05, 2013 04:31 AM (8JJ6O)
Posted by: Anna Puma (+SmuD) at August 05, 2013 04:31 AM (0WdQr)
Posted by: Case at August 05, 2013 04:32 AM (wf3Kt)
Posted by: herbork at August 05, 2013 04:33 AM (t1s5e)
Posted by: DangerGirl, getting angrier by the day at August 05, 2013 04:34 AM (4+PCd)
Posted by: EC at August 05, 2013 04:34 AM (GQ8sn)
I finally started collecting it myself and had no choice in the matter. My retirement plan called for me to reduce my company retirement by half and which was the expected amount from SS and make up for it there.
And lo and behold got a notice in May that they were cutting my retirement by half.
And guess what on ANY new plans to "save" SS. It has been saved twice before. With both withholding increases and age increases. The socialists in Washington simply spent the withholding + some.
But what is really bankrupting SS now is fraudulent SSDI.
Posted by: Vic at August 05, 2013 04:35 AM (lZvxr)
Morning all!
The political left likes to speak of government-funded entitlements as "rights", but of course they're not.
This is why we should STOP referring to them as "entitlements." When someone feels they are entitled to something it means they feel that something is theirs by right. Words mean things, and even the mouthbreathing idiots of the LIV FSA absorb that shit over time.
This is again why I say we need to stop referring to these things as entitlement programs and instead refer to them as liability programs. Because that is what they are.
Posted by: MWR, Proud Tea(rrorist) Party Assault Hobbit [/s][/b][/u][/i] at August 05, 2013 04:35 AM (4df7R)
Posted by: phoenixgirl @phxazgrl at August 05, 2013 04:35 AM (8JJ6O)
They're just going to inflate it away -- must keep the proles off the streets.
Posted by: Jean at August 05, 2013 04:36 AM (CMlD4)
Posted by: Case at August 05, 2013 08:32 AM (wf3Kt)
========
One way is by a "commuter tax". NYC, for example, taxes the income of anybody who works there regardless of where they live.
I'm sure TFG is considering even more "egalitarian" measures.
Posted by: Nighthawk at August 05, 2013 04:36 AM (OtQXp)
Posted by: MWR, Proud Tea(rrorist) Party Assault Hobbit [/s][/b][/u][/i] at August 05, 2013 04:36 AM (4df7R)
Posted by: Anna Puma (+SmuD) at August 05, 2013 08:29 AM (0WdQr)
I have not posted in the ONT??? As for the Bengal kittehs I am sure they will find homes. Those things were going for $500/pop last time I saw any at a pet store.
Posted by: Vic at August 05, 2013 04:37 AM (lZvxr)
Posted by: Lincolntf at August 05, 2013 04:38 AM (ZshNr)
Posted by: DangerGirl, getting angrier by the day at August 05, 2013 04:39 AM (4+PCd)
'Vic, I posted in the ONT'
MWR here is some stompy boots.
http://tinyurl.com/n5frk77
Posted by: Anna Puma (+SmuD) at August 05, 2013 04:39 AM (0WdQr)
Posted by: BCochran1981 at August 05, 2013 08:17 AM (da5Wo)
---
Heh..... that made my Monday Morning. I thought I was the only one who did that....
Posted by: fixerupper at August 05, 2013 04:41 AM (nELVU)
Posted by: zsasz at August 05, 2013 04:41 AM (MMC8r)
The big city can tax the 'burbs? How can one city tax another city? These Donks are going to keep this up and the only thing left in the big cities will be rats and roaches.
Posted by: Case at August 05, 2013 08:32 AM (wf3Kt)
Nighthawk mentioned the commuter tax, but there's also the commuter TOLLS. Put a tollbooth on the most heavily-trafficked thoroughfares to enter any major city, make sure your police force patrols the less used backroads and isn't afraid to hand out tickets, and you can make plenty of bank from people driving in to work every day.
Posted by: MWR, Proud Tea(rrorist) Party Assault Hobbit [/s][/b][/u][/i] at August 05, 2013 04:41 AM (4df7R)
Posted by: Case at August 05, 2013 04:42 AM (wf3Kt)
http://tinyurl.com/n5frk77
Posted by: Anna Puma (+SmuD) at August 05, 2013 08:39 AM (0WdQr)
*POUT* I cannae see the link here at wuk, Cap'n!
Posted by: MWR, Proud Tea(rrorist) Party Assault Hobbit [/s][/b][/u][/i] at August 05, 2013 04:43 AM (4df7R)
Posted by: fluffy at August 05, 2013 04:43 AM (z9HTb)
Inre commuter taxes, I wonder how long that will happen before cries of "taxation without representation" start up.
Sadly, I think it will be a very very long time.
Posted by: @JohnTant at August 05, 2013 04:43 AM (tVWQB)
Posted by: Lincolntf at August 05, 2013 04:44 AM (ZshNr)
Posted by: Anna Puma (+SmuD) at August 05, 2013 04:45 AM (0WdQr)
Posted by: fluffy at August 05, 2013 04:47 AM (z9HTb)
Posted by: Nevergiveup at August 05, 2013 04:47 AM (9Xc5j)
Posted by: Oldsailors Poet at August 05, 2013 04:47 AM (XIxXP)
Posted by: Tami[/i][/b][/u][/s] at August 05, 2013 04:48 AM (X6akg)
Posted by: BCochran1981 at August 05, 2013 04:48 AM (da5Wo)
Posted by: Anna Puma (+SmuD) at August 05, 2013 04:48 AM (0WdQr)
Posted by: Oldsailors Poet at August 05, 2013 04:49 AM (XIxXP)
Hi! Pleased to meet you. One word: forced annexation.
Posted by: Agenda 21 at August 05, 2013 04:49 AM (OevbG)
Sadly, I think it will be a very very long time.
Posted by: @JohnTant at August 05, 2013 08:43 AM (tVWQB)
==========
Well NYC has had that tax for at least the last 40 years, so I agree with that.
Posted by: Nighthawk at August 05, 2013 04:49 AM (OtQXp)
Posted by: Anna Puma (+SmuD) at August 05, 2013 04:50 AM (0WdQr)
Posted by: Nevergiveup at August 05, 2013 04:50 AM (9Xc5j)
Posted by: Oldsailors Poet at August 05, 2013 04:50 AM (XIxXP)
Because he actually understands capitalism? Sell (himself) high, buy low.
Posted by: Ian S. at August 05, 2013 04:50 AM (OevbG)
Posted by: Deety at August 05, 2013 04:51 AM (UaCt0)
Posted by: Tami at August 05, 2013 08:48 AM (X6akg)
My little brother told me that today is the first day of School in GA as well. They will be starting here soon.
When I was a Kid we got out the first week in June and didn't have to go back until the first week in September.
Posted by: Vic at August 05, 2013 04:51 AM (lZvxr)
Posted by: Lincolntf at August 05, 2013 04:51 AM (ZshNr)
Had a nightmare recently. I was in some place with a some strange people who were hell bent on having a good time. It was a nebulous, somewhat tropical, touristy type spot. Unfortunately, it was also volcanic. The quakes began, but my companions weren't fazed. For some reason I couldn't split their company and was dependent on their vehicle. We were going from bar to pollside to the beach. Ear splitting explosions didn't worry them. I suggested that we flee. No dice, there was more fun to be had. We reached a spot that was really nowhere when the fireballs started falling and ash clouds turned everything to night. I said that even if we could snare a boat, it would be too late to get out now. It turned to blackness. I was totally. fucked. Hijacked by fucking idiots with no common sense.
I stared into the abyss. The shit abyss.
Doom.
Doom.
Posted by: otho at August 05, 2013 04:52 AM (9gNQd)
Posted by: Agenda 21 at August 05, 2013 08:49 AM (OevbG)
The intent of this shit was to do it without annexation.
Posted by: Vic at August 05, 2013 04:52 AM (lZvxr)
Posted by: steveegg at August 05, 2013 04:54 AM (o44nj)
Posted by: Deety at August 05, 2013 08:51 AM (UaCt0)
Brown Bag bony sandwiches and curse Obamanomics. According to weasels on FoxB the dollar has dropped 40% value since Obama became president. I think it has dropped more.
Posted by: Vic at August 05, 2013 04:54 AM (lZvxr)
Posted by: Anna Puma (+SmuD) at August 05, 2013 04:55 AM (0WdQr)
Posted by: EC at August 05, 2013 04:56 AM (GQ8sn)
No more Social Security at 62?
It actually makes sense. The early retirement age was set when normal retirement age was 65. Now that NRA is headed up to 67, why should the ERA stay at 62?
Of course, the plan to not collect FICA on those between 62 and 67 should be a non-starter. Old folks' employment is at an all-time high right now.
Posted by: steveegg at August 05, 2013 04:57 AM (o44nj)
Posted by: Nevergiveup at August 05, 2013 04:57 AM (9Xc5j)
Posted by: Tami[/i][/b][/u][/s] at August 05, 2013 04:58 AM (X6akg)
...and Ben-Hur.
Posted by: Anna Puma (+SmuD) at August 05, 2013 08:55 AM (0WdQr)
Battle speed, hortator.
Attack speed.
RAMMING SPEED!
Posted by: Arrius at August 05, 2013 04:59 AM (o44nj)
Posted by: BCochran1981 at August 05, 2013 04:59 AM (da5Wo)
Posted by: Anna Puma (+SmuD) at August 05, 2013 05:00 AM (0WdQr)
Posted by: Lincolntf at August 05, 2013 05:01 AM (ZshNr)
Posted by: Anna Puma (+SmuD) at August 05, 2013 05:01 AM (0WdQr)
Find a Catholic Church and ask about their food pantry. They should have a Samaritans service set up to help with food. They also help with rent checks and some utilities on occasion. DONT BE EMBARRASED!
You are who they are there for and the people who work them will be happy to see someone who is clearly not gaming the system.
God Bless you and your Dad.
Posted by: typo dynamofo at August 05, 2013 05:01 AM (OT+H4)
That is Quintus Arrius you plebe!
Posted by: Anna Puma (+SmuD) at August 05, 2013 09:00 AM (0WdQr)
My left pinky was taken off by the whips in the galley.
Posted by: steveegg at August 05, 2013 05:02 AM (o44nj)
Posted by: backhoe at August 05, 2013 05:02 AM (ULH4o)
Posted by: Deety at August 05, 2013 08:51 AM (UaCt0)
====
Check with a local church to see if there is a food pantry in your area.
My prayers are with you and your Dad.
Posted by: Nighthawk at August 05, 2013 05:03 AM (OtQXp)
Posted by: Nevergiveup at August 05, 2013 05:03 AM (9Xc5j)
Posted by: EC at August 05, 2013 05:03 AM (GQ8sn)
Posted by: Deety at August 05, 2013 05:05 AM (UaCt0)
Posted by: Case at August 05, 2013 08:32 AM (wf3Kt)
-
Taxation without representation anyone? Of course, what we have on the federal level now is representation without taxation.
Posted by: Vashta Nerada at August 05, 2013 05:05 AM (vOq2q)
Unfortunetaly it appears Bud Selig has lost his balls and will only try to suspend A-Rod under the drug laws for the rest of this season and next season. And he will NOT use his powers under the " Best interests of Baseball" to force A-Rod to sit out while he appeals. So while that putz appeals, he will be able to play starting tonight. I hope he fails miserably and the fans boo him so loud they hear it on the moon.
Posted by: Nevergiveup at August 05, 2013 09:03 AM (9Xc5j)
To be fair to Pope Bud I, the last couple of times a commissioner tried to use the "best interests of Baseball" clause, the arbitrator overturned it post-haste.
Posted by: steveegg at August 05, 2013 05:05 AM (o44nj)
When does school let out for summer in your neck of the woods?
I always sympathized with my European cousins, who only got 4 weeks in the summer. Of course they had other weeks off sprinkled liberally throughout the rest of the school year, so that the total time off was about the same.
Posted by: Waterhouse at August 05, 2013 05:05 AM (uYaYO)
Posted by: Lincolntf at August 05, 2013 05:06 AM (ZshNr)
>>first day of school here
Whoa, I didn't think anybody started earlier than around here. Thursday is the first day for us.
I'm really not ready, but we're going to start off slow for the first couple weeks. Frogs into not boiling water or something...
Posted by: Mama AJ at August 05, 2013 05:07 AM (SUKHu)
Good news everyone!
Russian meteor may have gangmates in tow
Orbital estimates pinpoint 20 asteroids on similar paths to rock that exploded near Chelyabinsk.
The 11,000-tonne rock that exploded spectacularly in the skies near Chelyabinsk, Russia, in February may have been a member of a gang of asteroids that still poses a threat to Earth, a new study says.
Nature
Posted by: Laurie David's Cervix at August 05, 2013 05:07 AM (kdS6q)
Posted by: phoenixgirl @phxazgrl at August 05, 2013 05:09 AM (8JJ6O)
Posted by: Laurie David's Cervix at August 05, 2013 09:07 AM (kdS6q)
Paging AtC. SMOD is coming to take us all out...er...away.
Posted by: steveegg at August 05, 2013 05:09 AM (o44nj)
Posted by: Gran at August 05, 2013 05:09 AM (mw0FO)
Posted by: UWP at August 05, 2013 05:10 AM (r98SZ)
Posted by: rickb223 at August 05, 2013 05:10 AM (cUARf)
Posted by: alexthechick - Welcome mighty SMODlets! at August 05, 2013 05:10 AM (VtjlW)
Posted by: rickb223 at August 05, 2013 05:11 AM (cUARf)
Posted by: CarolT at August 05, 2013 05:13 AM (z4WKX)
Posted by: Nevergiveup at August 05, 2013 05:14 AM (9Xc5j)
-- Hey it could happen with her.
Posted by: Anna Puma (+SmuD) at August 05, 2013 05:14 AM (0WdQr)
Posted by: EC at August 05, 2013 05:15 AM (GQ8sn)
Posted by: Sherry McEvil, Stiletto Corsettes C'est Magnifique at August 05, 2013 05:15 AM (jS9Ak)
Posted by: alexthechick - Welcome mighty SMODlets! at August 05, 2013 09:10 AM (VtjlW)
-
That is an all-too-common belief. People are very generous with other people's money, but will simultaneously hold the belief that it is ok to bend the rules for themselves.
Posted by: Vashta Nerada at August 05, 2013 05:15 AM (vOq2q)
"Dude, you're blood is thin enough."
Finally ambulance arrives.....Posted by: Tami[/i][/b][/u][/s] at August 05, 2013 05:15 AM (X6akg)
Posted by: Nevergiveup at August 05, 2013 05:15 AM (9Xc5j)
Posted by: EC at August 05, 2013 05:16 AM (GQ8sn)
Posted by: Anna Puma (+SmuD) at August 05, 2013 05:16 AM (0WdQr)
Posted by: UWP at August 05, 2013 05:17 AM (r98SZ)
Posted by: Deety at August 05, 2013 05:17 AM (UaCt0)
Posted by: backhoe at August 05, 2013 05:18 AM (ULH4o)
Posted by: Deety at August 05, 2013 09:17 AM (UaCt0)
Have you checked to see if you qualify for food stamps?
Posted by: Vic at August 05, 2013 05:18 AM (lZvxr)
Posted by: EC at August 05, 2013 05:18 AM (GQ8sn)
>>the artisan bread is AMAZING, if a bit short lived)he comes home with some great fresh produce like...a pineapple.
Oh man.
Hang in there, Deety.
Posted by: Mama AJ, Team SMOD gang at August 05, 2013 05:18 AM (SUKHu)
Posted by: Lincolntf at August 05, 2013 05:19 AM (ZshNr)
Posted by: Waterhouse at August 05, 2013 05:19 AM (uYaYO)
-- Hey it could happen with her.
Posted by: Anna Puma (+SmuD) at August 05, 2013 09:14 AM (0WdQr)
======
Now there's yet another Major Award waiting for some ambitious young journalist. Call her office and ask her what she thinks about the threat posed by the Asteroid Gang.
Whatever she says will be comedy gold and will certainly blame Whitey for the whole problem.
Posted by: Nighthawk at August 05, 2013 05:20 AM (OtQXp)
It won't make any difference. Double the price of health insurance, people won't pay.
RE: regionalism and densification
It could work. Gopherit, let us see what happens.
RE: Full time faculty vs part time
You really think the full time faculty cares about the part timers? They don't, they won't, and they will continue to believe that when the crocodile comes for them, they can dodge, somehow.
and finally, the NYTimes is not a credible source.
Posted by: Here, let me get out of your way at August 05, 2013 05:20 AM (jnByE)
Posted by: EC at August 05, 2013 05:20 AM (GQ8sn)
Posted by: backhoe at August 05, 2013 09:18 AM (ULH4o)
I'm OK for that as long as it is done in the correct manner. However, the rest of the country should not be forced to pay for 60 years of Democrat control and corruption in Detroit. I still say that if there is to be a bailout it should come from the Democrat Party coffers and retired Detroit politicians.
Posted by: Vic at August 05, 2013 05:20 AM (lZvxr)
>>Sharks or Jets?
They don't have that much imagination.
"Rocks"
"Stones"
"Flying hunks of rocks and stones"
Posted by: Mama AJ, Team SMOD gang at August 05, 2013 05:21 AM (SUKHu)
I recommend calling the St. Vincent de Paul Society (any Catholic Church can give you the number) and the Salvation Army. Both groups usually have emergency food pantries and help with one-time rent or utility bill help like it sounds like you need.
Posted by: Miss Marple at August 05, 2013 05:21 AM (GoIUi)
Posted by: Vic at August 05, 2013 08:30 AM (lZvxr)
AND due to the fact that they revised the previous quarter's GDP growth down. If they hadn't done that, the best the GDP could have hoped for would be to break even.
Posted by: MWR, Proud Tea(rrorist) Party Assault Hobbit [/s][/b][/u][/i] at August 05, 2013 05:22 AM (4df7R)
When was that? And in this case they seem to have plenty of evidence
Posted by: Nevergiveup at August 05, 2013 09:14 AM (9Xc5j)
The Steve Howe lifetime ban for drugs (after 7 suspensions) and Ferguson Jenkins (indefinite suspension after being caught by Canadian customs with a bunch of drugs) were both overturned by an independent arbitrator. Howe's "lifetime ban" lasted half a season, and Jenkins' "indefinite suspension" lasted 2 weeks before the Shayman Das' of the day got their mitts on the cases.
Posted by: steveegg at August 05, 2013 05:22 AM (o44nj)
Posted by: BCochran1981 at August 05, 2013 05:22 AM (da5Wo)
Howe's "lifetime suspension" lasted from July 1992 until November 1992, and Jenkins' "indefinite suspension" lasted 2 weeks in September 1980.
They were the last 2 active players to be either indefinitely suspended or banned from baseball for life.
Posted by: steveegg at August 05, 2013 05:24 AM (o44nj)
[iSure it does. He is a fuckin idiot and immature to boot and where the fuck have his parents been anyway
Posted by: Nevergiveup at August 05, 2013 08:47 AM (9Xc5j)
I kind of feel sorry for the kid. Imagine how hard it would be to keep perspective when the fickle adulation of sport is being rained down upon you.
Posted by: Oldsailors Poet at August 05, 2013 08:49 AM (XIxXP) [/i]
I feel sorry for him only to the extent that he's an idiot 20-something, and it's a given you're going to make stupid mistakes at that age. But the autograph thing is beyond stupid. It's basically rule #1 in college sports: YOU DON'T SELL YOUR STUFF. You don't sell your jersey, your gear, your hair clippings, and sure as hell not your autograph. If he did it then he's even stupider than your average stupid 20-something.
Posted by: MWR, Proud Tea(rrorist) Party Assault Hobbit [/s][/b][/u][/i] at August 05, 2013 05:25 AM (4df7R)
Posted by: Deety at August 05, 2013 05:26 AM (UaCt0)
Posted by: Nevergiveup at August 05, 2013 09:03 AM (9Xc5j)
I think you can count on that. And I'll be booing in my living room!
Posted by: CharlieBrown'sDildo at August 05, 2013 05:27 AM (gqgiP)
-- Hey it could happen with her.
Posted by: Anna Puma (+SmuD) at August 05, 2013 09:14 AM (0WdQr)
-----
Control? No. We needs us some space basketball.
Posted by: RioBravo at August 05, 2013 05:27 AM (eEfYn)
Posted by: Stephen Maturin at August 05, 2013 05:28 AM (B5y+v)
Posted by: Lincolntf at August 05, 2013 05:29 AM (ZshNr)
Posted by: Monty at August 05, 2013 05:29 AM (G8OwX)
[Control? No. We needs us some [b]midnight space basketball.
Posted by: RioBravo at August 05, 2013 09:27 AM (eEfYn)
After all, we can't expect those little asteroids to play basketball during the day.
Posted by: Rep. Jackson-Lee at August 05, 2013 05:30 AM (o44nj)
Ya, well, when do we start seeing news stories about university faculty "going Amy Bishop"?
Posted by: Here, let me get out of your way at August 05, 2013 05:30 AM (gSeF+)
Posted by: UWP at August 05, 2013 05:30 AM (r98SZ)
Posted by: Stephen Maturin at August 05, 2013 05:30 AM (B5y+v)
Posted by: BarakaTarkata at August 05, 2013 05:30 AM (si4cu)
The schools across the street from me started last Wednesday.
Yes. July 31. Fucked up.
Posted by: HeatherRadish works blue at August 05, 2013 05:31 AM (/kI1Q)
Posted by: Sherry McEvil, Stiletto Corsettes C'est Magnifique at August 05, 2013 05:31 AM (jS9Ak)
I hope he fails miserably and the fans boo him so loud they hear it on the moon.
Posted by: Nevergiveup at August 05, 2013 09:03 AM (9Xc5j)
Suggestions for the White Sox (dammit; I can't use my preferred term today) fans:
- Every time A-Rod comes up to the plate, "JUUUUUUUUICE!"
- Every time A-Rod gets an out or boots a ball in the field, "LOOOOOOOOOW-TEEEEEEE!"
It's what I'm doing to Braun next year.
Posted by: steveegg at August 05, 2013 05:32 AM (o44nj)
He honest to God believes that public union workers are making not just less but substantially less than private sector employees. Nothing I could say would dissuade him that. Mind you, he considers himself himself a very well informed voter.
With all due respect, AtC, are you sure your Boy BFF is not dumb as a post? Because he sounds it if he really believes that.
As a public employee, we are owed nothing more than what the taxpayers are willing to pay for us. Full stop. If someday that turns out to be "jack shit," then oh well, poor me, that's what I get for working in a moribund, worthless bureaucracy. Anyone who expects the taxpayers to shoulder the burden of a hefty pension as thanks for thirty years of shitty service at the DMV is either a cretin or a dangerous putz.
Posted by: MWR, Proud Tea(rrorist) Party Assault Hobbit [/s][/b][/u][/i] at August 05, 2013 05:33 AM (4df7R)
I don't think you have to have kids in most States. Especially if your dad qualifies as a dependent. It is worth checking into and you can usually do that from the internet.
Posted by: Vic at August 05, 2013 05:33 AM (lZvxr)
Posted by: EC at August 05, 2013 05:33 AM (GQ8sn)
Whoa, I didn't think anybody started earlier than around here. Thursday is the first day for us.
The schools across the street from me started last Wednesday.
Yes. July 31. Fucked up.
Posted by: HeatherRadish works blue at August 05, 2013 09:31 AM (/kI1Q)
As fucked up as starting in September and not ending until mid-June (or later if there's snow days)?
Posted by: steveegg at August 05, 2013 05:34 AM (o44nj)
Big to do on the "shhh" part of the internet this weekend. Irish based Tor accessed hidden services host Freedom Hosting was taken down by shamrock authorities. Admin awaiting transfer to the US custody.
For extra fun, it appears someone *cough NSA* used a Firefox vun to inject malicious javascript code on systems accessing the hosted sites, probably to ping back who was viewing these naughty sites.
So, so much for that whole Tor thing. Zathras tried to warn you, but no one ever listens to Zathras.
https://tinyurl.com/mg4r5xu
Posted by: Laurie David's Cervix at August 05, 2013 05:35 AM (kdS6q)
You're supposed to start in September.
Posted by: HeatherRadish works blue at August 05, 2013 05:36 AM (/kI1Q)
Posted by: Mr. Feverhead at August 05, 2013 05:38 AM (SzAZ7)
"a sense of being the master of one's own fate." as an essential value in an vital society is something I have to disagree with. The Puritans and Huguenots were extremely (even notoriously) successful, despite having predestination as a core belief.
Posted by: Luke at August 05, 2013 05:39 AM (sl1S5)
Posted by: rickb223 at August 05, 2013 05:40 AM (cUARf)
Posted by: Deety at August 05, 2013 05:41 AM (UaCt0)
You WILL purchase the only policy for sale at the Obamacare Policy Store (aka Exchange) Comrade, you WILL appreciate and BE happy with your purchase. To demonstrate your JOY, you will attend the Obama rally to sing his praises and dance into the night.
The alternative, purchase Insurance for Catastrophic illness, pay for your own condoms, bandaids and cough syrup. When you get really sick, ask a member of your Family, or one of the less than 100 people who give a rats ass about your welfare, to drive you to your Doctors office. Maybe, you can have your Doctor spin by on his way home to make a house call.
Posted by: Steven Tyler at August 05, 2013 05:41 AM (Zjqxs)
Posted by: Lincolntf at August 05, 2013 09:29 AM (ZshNr)
That would be a great name for the new Red Sox/Boston Globe Conglomerate.
.....would make for excellent new unis
Posted by: ontherocks at August 05, 2013 05:43 AM (c6Szn)
Posted by: Lauren at August 05, 2013 05:45 AM (ELdpj)
There was a link posted here on HQ mumble days ago that pointed to tor.com about some SyFi ebooks.
Related?
Posted by: Here, let me get out of your way at August 05, 2013 05:45 AM (gSeF+)
Posted by: nothinglefttolose at August 05, 2013 05:45 AM (RYVE/)
Posted by: what infinite monkeys eternally poking at keyboards actually do at August 05, 2013 05:48 AM (ktPHV)
----------
Not related.
Tor Books is a sci-fi publisher.
TOR is a network anonymizer and routing protocol.
-Monty
Posted by: Monty at August 05, 2013 05:48 AM (G8OwX)
You're supposed to start in September.
Posted by: HeatherRadish works blue at August 05, 2013 09:36 AM (/kI1Q)
Which explains why, back in my day, we started the last week of August (and finished up the first week of June). Of course, also back in my day, Oak Creek-Franklin Joint School District was the least likely to declare a snow day (it is now one of the front-runners).
Posted by: steveegg at August 05, 2013 05:50 AM (o44nj)
Posted by: JPS at August 05, 2013 05:54 AM (aY76I)
"Smurfs 2" Bombs
Deadline,com
Oh God, we're smurfed! Smurfed in the smurf!
Posted by: Hollywood Exec Smurf
Posted by: Laurie David's Cervix at August 05, 2013 05:59 AM (kdS6q)
Posted by: Fritz at August 05, 2013 06:08 AM (UzPAd)
The monthly payout when you start drawing SS at 62 is significantly less than if you wait for full retirement age. The two options were supposed to be actuarially equivalent (average person got the same total payout regardless when they start getting payments).
Posted by: JPS at August 05, 2013 09:54 AM (aY76I)
There's also a third option - waiting a couple of years (to 70 if memory serves) to maximize the monthly payment.
Of course, the actuarial split is all fucked up - the last time anybody ran the numbers, one gets the most money by going on at 62 and the least by going on at 70.
Posted by: steveegg at August 05, 2013 06:09 AM (o44nj)
Posted by: t-bird at August 05, 2013 06:14 AM (FcR7P)
I look forward to the day when we can read episodes of Salvation!, although I fear my heart might explode out of my chest.
Posted by: t-bird at August 05, 2013 10:14 AM (FcR7P)
Hope you're in your teens because that's not happening any time soon.
Posted by: steveegg at August 05, 2013 06:16 AM (o44nj)
Posted by: t-bird at August 05, 2013 06:29 AM (FcR7P)
Posted by: t-bird at August 05, 2013 10:29 AM (FcR7P)
You're getting Renewed long before then.
Posted by: Death Panel at August 05, 2013 06:30 AM (o44nj)
Posted by: BarakaTarkata at August 05, 2013 06:41 AM (si4cu)
"If you can't get the hicks in the sticks to vote your way, the obvious solution is to move the hicks into the cities where they'll be more reliant on government "help", and thus more liable to vote as the Democrats wish them to."
Even if they do not become more reliant on gov't help, by forcing them into the cities their votes will be diluted by those who are reliant on gov't, thereby effectively diminishing their gov't representation.
Posted by: NewEnglandDevil at August 05, 2013 06:42 AM (73P68)
Posted by: Morris at August 05, 2013 06:49 AM (oEq2J)
Posted by: John Bury at August 05, 2013 07:40 AM (MBJ7V)
Maybe the millennials will finally get a cause of their own and revolt against the Age of the Boomers.
First though they would have to get up off the couch, then give up their music and clothes and dopey political values.
Posted by: PJ at August 05, 2013 07:55 AM (ZWaLo)
With that last Cafe-Hayek snippet, it makes me feel better about begging my husband to choose crack-whore over running for office. I'd rather be married to someone who offers a legitimate trade for goods and services than a politician. He's committed to it, though. I'm duty-bound to support him.
Posted by: Feynmangroupie at August 05, 2013 08:04 AM (Kw0EL)
Posted by: NYC Parent at August 05, 2013 08:10 AM (HEo6y)
"Of course, the actuarial split is all fucked up - the last time anybody ran the numbers, one gets the most money by going on at 62 and the least by going on at 70."
This depends on the individual; if you survive past your mid-80's (or your spouse does -- married people need to consider joint lifespan since women outlive men) you definitely come out ahead by delaying SS. Of course no individual knows for sure when they will die so the decision is a gamble. Financial planners often view the decision to delay starting SS as equivalent to purchasing longevity insurance; the several years of payments you forgo are the "cost" of the insurance, the benefit is the extra money received later on. On the other side is the "bird in the hand" argument.
The current discussion of eliminating the option to take SS at 62 indicates that perhaps the overall actuarial picture of SS claimants for the entire U.S. population has changed, but I haven't seen any data on this.
Posted by: JPS at August 05, 2013 08:10 AM (zyKbJ)
Posted by: Woody at August 05, 2013 08:42 AM (07RHD)
Posted by: Max Entropy at August 05, 2013 08:58 AM (YT0hu)
The Yankees are playing the White Sox at the Cell. Given that the Sox suck now, I'd expect maybe 10K fans tonight, if they're lucky. The beer vendors will be louder than the crowd.
Posted by: Brown Line at August 05, 2013 09:22 AM (VrNoa)
Please include cautions in the future.
Posted by: George LeS at August 05, 2013 11:00 AM (XBcJN)
FIVE PERCENT. That's all that gets through to the starving.
95% is grabbed off by the African kleptocrats, warlords, dictators.
So food aid is just keeping all the Monsters, Inc., in business.
This 5% figure I got from a Lefty who works at the United Nations. Was he outraged? Er, no: he thought it was funny -- a cosmic joke on the "donor nations" (that's us, the UK, and Scandinavia, mostly).
Hell, it's hilarious.
/sarc
Posted by: Beverly at August 05, 2013 09:31 PM (osZqT)
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Posted by: Ancient Egyptian Brick Makers at August 05, 2013 04:17 AM (da5Wo)