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07-20-2008
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Did you include this guy on your list just for me? Even Obama would look at his name and say, "Oh, come on! " It's not that he is SSOOOO liberal. He is liberal and completely incompetent. He sponsored a bill in the NY Legislature that would require cops to "shoot to wound", but never to kill, and it was NOT a campaign issue. Rode Spitzer's coattails to Lt Governor position, only to be "crowned" governor when Spitzer's incredible luck ran out, never asked a single question by a lapdog, pro-democrat NY press, not just in NYC but throughout the state.
The funny thing is that there is no outcry, even by democrats, regarding the sudden ascension of an unknown, insignificant, socialist democrat to the governor's office in what was once a large influential state but which is quickly becoming a welfare Mecca, boasting the highest state taxes, the highest utility rates and the slowest economy of the 50 states, and bound to get much, much worse.
No, he might not get the nod from Obama.
EschewObfuscation (61)
(3 voted this helpful, 0 funny and 0 agree)
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07-19-2008
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As it is currently being fought, no. People seem to learn nothing from history. What happened when the government outlawed the sale of alcohol? It created organized crime, large organizations that smuggled alcohol into this country and set up wholesale retail distribution of it. Gang wars became commonplace as different groups fought for turf and distribution rights. The same anti-drug rhetoric we hear today was used during Prohibition. Enormous government bureaucracies were established to enforce Prohibition, but many times those agencies were rife with corruption. Many engaged in profiteering off bootlegging. Public outrage from those crimes and the hypocrisy of the government's policies eventually lead to the repeal of Prohibition. Today's situation with the drug war is similar; enforcement is scatter shot and ineffective and dealers and associated businesses are making big money.
There are really two solutions to the problem: one alternative is to crack down hard on drug users and levy severe penalties on them. The present policy of giving users a slap on the wrist, especially if they are celebrities or well connected, just creates a market for more drug sales. No amount of law enforcement will keep drugs out of the hands of customers desperate for drugs. Cocaine, marijuana, and heroin are all dirt cheap to produce. Drug flows into the market. Therefore, eliminate the market and the flow of drugs will cease.
A second solution is to legalize and regulate drugs. Since these drugs are so cheap to produce, they can be sold much more cheaply in a legitimate market than if they were illegal. The whole illegal drug business would go bust. If addicts could buy their drugs at a cheap price from a non-criminal enterprise, you would eliminate the need for drug users to have to commit a crime to feed their habit. The government and non-profits can also prove for education and treatment in a non-criminalized environment. We would be eliminating a lot of corruption while reducing the prison population.
Either way, the current policies are not clearly working.
abichara (60)
(3 voted this helpful, 0 funny and 0 agree)
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07-19-2008
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The big story here is not just the price of gas going up; rather it is the looming specter of inflation. The price of food, petroleum and other basic necessities are on the rise. I firmly believe that this is just the beginning of large events that will eventually shake the very core of our economic system. Simply put, the path which this country has been on for the past 40 years, possibly longer has been unsustainable. America has had a great tradition of free markets and property rights which has allowed us to lead the way towards prosperity. But at some point, we lost our way; instead of embracing the principles which made America great: liberty, self-reliance, hard work and frugality, we have embraced, essentially, empire building, financed through inflation and debt. This is certainly nothing new; from the Romans to the British, nations have used such a financial strategy to hold power.
Not only do we face $4 gas, we also have to deal with skyrocketing education and medical care costs, the collapse of the housing bubble, stock markets plunging, unemployment rising, massive underemployment, excessive government debt, and unmanageable personal debt as well. Stagflation, the infamous combination of economic stagnation and inflation, looms. The big question now becomes when will the stagflation become a full fledged inflationary recession? These problems are global in nature--the problem actually originates with our system of "fiat money" that has been in place since the early 1970's.
The world monetary system has a very fundamental flaw: because the world accepted US dollars as if it was gold, all what central bankers had to do was print more money (inflate the currency), spend the money overseas (thus pushing American jobs overseas too). The prosperity which came about was literally unearned. Foreigners who took our dollars and gave us goods and services have only been too anxious to loan those dollars back to us. Now the dollar is no longer worth as much as it used to be. Such a setup allowed us to export our inflation and delay the consequences, which is happening now. We have accumulated a huge foreign debt, which must either be paid or liquidated. Another problem is that our entitlements are coming due just as the world has become more reluctant to hold dollars as their currency of use. The consequence of this lack of demand for the dollar internationally has been increased price inflation here at home. That is what we are witnessing today. In fact, price inflation overseas is worse because bankers in Europe and Asia have also been more than willing to monetarize our debt. The strategy of inflating the monetary supply which became commonplace during the Greenspan era is catching up to us. Notice that Alan Greenspan is no longer viewed as a hero in the media.
As for gas prices, the solution to the problem isn't simply demand. That's part of the problem, but the real problem is monetary in nature--that's why prices for other consumer goods, in addition to gas are way up. This price bubble is different and bigger. The Fed can no longer paper over our economic problems by simply printing more currency and expecting that more people or foreign governments will follow those dollars. The mistakes made with excessive credit at artificially low interest rates are huge, and the markets are demanding a correction. The problems are associated with excessive debt, bad investments, over investments and other problems caused by monetary over-inflation. Wars, welfare payments, and entitlement promises totaling in the trillions might all be coming to an end. We hear in the news about the escalating costs of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, rising pension costs, and rising health care costs associated with Medicare Part-B and other programs and I wonder how are we going to pay for this? We don't have the money or the wealth creating capacity to catch up and care for all these needs. The economic problems which are coming to a heads are so large that it is difficult to get your hands around it. The status quo won't get us out of this problem. Economic central planning on the part of the public sector, which many in Washington are beginning to embrace as a way to get us out of this problem, won't work. Bailing out companies that have underperformed due to bad investments won't solve the problem; it will only paper over them. I am of the opinion that we need to clean house. Let the market remove those bad performers out of the system and allow for the rise of newer, more efficient organizations. So far, the government only seeks to do more of the same. If this does happen, expect a longer and deeper recession in the next few years.
abichara (60)
(6 voted this helpful, 0 funny and 0 agree)
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07-19-2008
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This is becoming common trend throughout much of corporate America. Europeans, Asians, and even Middle Easterners are coming in and buying up our assets (ports, banks, factories, beer companies). The weak dollar makes any investment in the US worthwhile, despite a weakening economy here. Incredible that it would come to this!
abichara (60)
(1 voted this helpful, 0 funny and 0 agree)
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07-19-2008
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This is a five star place if you can get the private back room, four stars if not. There's live music while you dine, and a nice square copper topped bar in the middle.
The food is great - the halibut and steak were both awesome, and the portions are small, which I'm starting to appreciate.
I wouldn't get the "date with chocolate desert" - it's pretty nasty.
One minor irritant was towards the end of the night, my group asked for a round of drinks and the bartender decided to go outside and smoke and hang out with his friends first, after acting like he would do me a favor and get me a drink after he had a smoke. It's not a favor. Do your job.
magellan (153)
(4 voted this helpful, 0 funny and 1 agree)
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07-19-2008
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The conservative movement will miss him, he was able to articulate conservative viewpoints without the partisan rancor so many default into. Fifty three is a little too young to be dying of cancer. (Chill)
EschewObfuscation (61)
(1 voted this helpful, 0 funny and 0 agree)
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07-18-2008
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For years I've been bitching about the lack of a good deli in the inner Mission. The only option (that I knew about) was to go stand in the line with the hipsters at overpriced and overcrowded BuyRite.
Well, I'm a fool. The Sandwich Place is about 80 yards from where I live, but I had never made it in.
Why? Because it's on a really sketchy, unpleasant block (though not quite as bad as the other side of the street).
This is a full on deli. There's not seating inside - it's pretty much take out or nothing. They have hot sandwiches, cold sandwiches, good bread - all made to order. The large turkey and avocado was massive - two meals for me, for $8 or so.
It's definitely worth braving the block for.
magellan (153)
(2 voted this helpful, 0 funny and 0 agree)
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07-17-2008
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I"m not a fan.
magellan (153)
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07-17-2008
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This is a great blog.
magellan (153)
(0 voted this helpful, 0 funny and 0 agree)
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07-17-2008
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These have to be the most rugged shoes in the business. I don't know how Timberland stays in business because their shoes never wear out. I have a pair of black shoes that I've worn just about every day for two years and they're still going strong. I also have a pair of Timberland work boots that I got while working construction in high school that are still wearable.
magellan (153)
(3 voted this helpful, 0 funny and 0 agree)
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