Isn't it time for a new election thread?!

[the carlos]

There is a saying among the single men of these churches, "I'm a bachelor for the rapture."

I would love to hear Gary say that.

[Analogman]

Today in Scranton another McPalin supporter yelled out Kill Him at themention of Obama's name. Palin was not in the house at the time. But the speaker made no effort to rebuke the guy. Probably a Schrute.

 

Last night, on PBS, they showed The American Experience episode about the re-election of President Nixon.

 

Palin: Obama must

[lost highway]

I am always amused (maybe pretentiously so) that as someone who wouldn't claim to be a Christian, I can shut down a fundamentalist with simple bible study. If your going to use the bible to make big desicions and judgments you should study the book a little bit more.

[John Smith]

Christian scholars are not preaching the Book of Revelations, but plenty of evangelical churches are. And holding hugely successful conferences on the same.

 

Most of us are fairly insulated from this, but I assure you it exists with a much larger percentage of the population than you might imagine. And many of those folks are convinced of the veracity of Obama being the anti-Christ.

 

 

Yes. They use Revelation to scare the shit out of people and coax them into giving them money.

 

Preachers in the US have been preaching the end of times for 150 years at least. It keeps the coffers full, gets the masses riled/interested and many of the believers has gone to their grave fully well thinking that the end of times was days away.

 

I think I told this one before but my father in law had this guy at work who was an end of times rapture type of person. One day this left behind reader was discussing the rapture and what my in law needed to do once he (the friend) was swept up to heaven in the rapture. My in law just looked at him and said, what if it already happened? The guy got a confused look and did not talk to my in law any more.

 

By the way, I wodner what exactly the Obama campaign has to do with ACORN? Don't they register republicans/democrats and others? So might this registration (not voter) fraud also be fraud crossing in the other direction? It's only voter fraud if they actually try to vote.

[mfwahl]

Re: ACORN

 

I don't see the big deal with ACORN's problems; in Florida they're really strict with ID's when you vote anyway. But this application they turned in for Mickey Mouse is hilarious:

[M. (hristine]

I would love to hear Gary say that.

[ikol]

4. There is no clear connection between income and merit or effort. Likewise there is no inverse connection. It is an irrelevant and subjective point.

 

Really? I could agree with no 100% connection, as in hard work does not guarantee success and lousy work does not guarantee failure, but no connection at all? I guess I can stop studying. I'll just float through the rest of med school and any success or failure I have will be completely determined by luck.

 

And just to correct a couple misconceptions floating around: Obama is cutting taxes for 81.3% of households, not 95%. And the tax rates for those making over $250,000 are in the 30's, so Obama is not raising taxes to 25-26%.

[Winston Legthigh]

interesting opinions can be found here:

 

http://www.catholicvote.com/

[caliber66]

How much effort does a guy picking watermelons for 12 hours a day @ 10/hour put into his day? Does a lawyer billing $100/hour work ten times as hard?

[lost highway]

Really? I could agree with no 100% connection, as in hard work does not guarantee success and lousy work does not guarantee failure, but no connection at all? I guess I can stop studying. I'll just float through the rest of med school and any success or failure I have will be completely determined by luck.

 

But I didn't say that it will be determined by luck. I said the connection doesn't hold up. Most people work pretty hard. If you think you work way harder than people making a lot less than you, you're being unrealistic. Try pouring concrete, teaching in an inner city school, running a small (and not necessarily successful) business, try picking oranges. Some people can't go to medical school, it's not an option for them. That said, to be in medical school you're obviously working your ass off.

[ikol]

How much effort does a guy picking watermelons for 12 hours a day @ 10/hour put into his day? Does a lawyer billing $100/hour work ten times as hard?

 

Obviously, the watermelon picker works harder, which is why I said the connection isn't 100%. Other factors go into it, such as supply and demand of skills. A much larger % of the population has the necessary skills and training for watermelon picking than for lawyering, and since no one likes watermelons (instead favoring the much superior cantaloupe) and everyone likes to sue or be sued, there's a greater demand for lawyers. That doesn't mean there's absolutely no connection between amount of work and success. If you compared amount of work and pay amongst lawyers, you would probably find that the harder-working lawyers are more successful, all other things being equal.

[bjorn_skurj]

I am going to vote my interests, and since I do not make more than $250,000, I guess that means I vote for Obama.

[ikol]

I am going to vote my interests, and since I do not make more than $250,000, I guess that means I vote for Obama.

 

That makes you a selfish bastard, and selfish bastards vote Republican.

[bjorn_skurj]

Well, if a bale of money falls from the sky at my feet before Nov. 4, I'll go GOP all the way!

[Tweedling]

How much effort does a guy picking watermelons for 12 hours a day @ 10/hour put into his day? Does a lawyer billing $100/hour work ten times as hard?

Yes. With mind bullets.

[lost highway]

Obviously, the watermelon picker works harder, which is why I said the connection isn't 100%. Other factors go into it, such as supply and demand of skills. A much larger % of the population has the necessary skills and training for watermelon picking than for lawyering, and since no one likes watermelons (instead favoring the much superior cantaloupe) and everyone likes to sue or be sued, there's a greater demand for lawyers.

 

Funny but you bring up the crux of socioeconomic class. Skills are not universally and equally attainable, hence the need for social programs.

[Guest Jules]

How much effort does a guy picking watermelons for 12 hours a day @ 10/hour put into his day? Does a lawyer billing $100/hour work ten times as hard?

Different kind of work. The watermelon picker likely goes home and doesn't think about his job, until he shows up the next day. Sure, he might be more physically exhausted, but that's not all there is to hard work. The lawyer probably has more personal investment, stress and mental exhaustion.

 

I tend to beat myself up for not working hard enough, even if I do put in a lot of hours. But then I realize that this job is much more of a personal, pride and family thing, and that I think about it all the time. People are dependent on me, etc. etc., and it could all be gone tomorrow with a couple bad decisions. Do you know where I'm coming from?

[ikol]

Well, if a bale of money falls from the sky at my feet before Nov. 4, I'll go GOP all the way!

 

Actually, I think that's the federal reserve's next tactic.

 

Funny but you bring up the crux of socioeconomic class. Skills are not universally and equally attainable, hence the need for social programs.

 

All I said was that not all skills are equally valued.

[viatroy]

I also believe that, like the Ayers issue, people who are (or are not) voting for McCain specifically based on his choice of running mate have already made up their minds on that. I still think there's a small pool of undecided voters, looking at the top spots on the tickets, who can be swayed by the Keating issue.

 

It's entirely possible that I'm wrong, but we're talking about pretty small subsets of undecided voters at this point.

 

 

Let's not forget McCain's good buddy and psychotic G. Gordon Liddy

 

 

 

John McCain has had a field day with Barack Obama's tenuous associations with Bill Ayers, a former member of the Weather Underground who is now a Chicago professor. Obama has said repeatedly that Ayers' radical past (he was involved in a handful of bombings in the 1960s) occurred when Barack was just a child, and he repudiates those actions. Nevertheless, McCain wants more. He claimed recently:

 

"I think not only a repudiation but an apology for ever having anything to do with an unrepentant terrorist is due the American people."

 

Now, however, the Chicago Tribune is pointing out McCain's own radical associations with G. Gordon Liddy: How close are McCain and Liddy? At least as close as Obama and Ayers appear to be. In 1998, Liddy's home was the site of a McCain fundraiser. Over the years, he has made at least four contributions totaling $5,000 to the senator's campaigns--including $1,000 this year.

 

 

Last November, McCain went on his radio show. Liddy greeted him as "an old friend," and McCain sounded like one. "I'm proud of you, I'm proud of your family," he gushed. "It's always a pleasure for me to come on your program, Gordon, and congratulations on your continued success and adherence to the principles and philosophies that keep our nation great."

 

For those who are unaware, Liddy helped plan the Watergate break-in that would cost Nixon his presidency and landed Liddy a four-year jail sentence. But Liddy's career of inflammatory statements and actions exceed his Watergate actions.

 

Liddy, on Vietnam:

 

"I wanted to bomb the Red River dykes [sic]. It would have drowned half the country and starved the other half. There would have been no way the Viet Cong could have operated if we had the will-power to do that."

 

Liddy, advising Branch Davidians how to defend themselves from ATF agents during a radio show:

 

"If the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms insists upon a firefight, give them a firefight. Just remember, they're wearing flak jackets and you're better off shooting for the head."

 

Liddy, on the impact Adolf Hitler had on him as a child:

 

When he listened to Hitler on the radio, it "made me feel a strength inside I had never known before," he explains. "Hitler's sheer animal confidence and power of will [entranced me]. He sent an electric current through my body."

 

[ikol]

McCain calls everyone his friend.

[bjorn_skurj]

McCain calls everyone his friend.

And Obama wants health care for the ENTIRE UNIVERSE!!!

[fatheadfred]

Really? I could agree with no 100% connection, as in hard work does not guarantee success and lousy work does not guarantee failure, but no connection at all? I guess I can stop studying. I'll just float through the rest of med school and any success or failure I have will be completely determined by luck.

 

And just to correct a couple misconceptions floating around: Obama is cutting taxes for 81.3% of households, not 95%. And the tax rates for those making over $250,000 are in the 30's, so Obama is not raising taxes to 25-26%.

 

Hey, you're in med school? Medical or Psy? What is your take on the effect that insurance companies have on medical pricing? What actually effects the cost of medical care and drugs? I am aware, well from 3 or so years ago, that liability or malpractice insurance was stifling the physicians to a point they were moving around the US to find the best deal.

[ikol]

Hey, you're in med school? Medical or Psy? What is your take on the effect that insurance companies have on medical pricing? What actually effects the cost of medical care and drugs? I am aware, well from 3 or so years ago, that liability or malpractice insurance was stifling the physicians to a point they were moving around the US to find the best deal.

 

Medical, though psychiatrists also go to the same medical school, they just do a residency in psychiatry after they graduate. I don't have a lot of experience with pricing so far, but I think there are many factors. The newer the treatments and drugs are more expensive because they haven't reached a large enough scale to be produced cheaply and because there aren't generics. Malpractice insurance and the lack of tort reform is definitely a factor. It encourages doctors to order unnecessary tests in an attempt to be thorough and avoid lawsuits and higher premiums also probably increase costs. That kind of varies from specialty to specialty, with OB-GYN probably being the worst. I haven't yet had much experience in practicing economical medicine as I've mostly been at the VA where everything's already paid for -- which means we order a buttload of unnecessary tests with no regard for cost.

[fatheadfred]

Medical, though psychiatrists also go to the same medical school, they just do a residency in psychiatry after they graduate. I don't have a lot of experience with pricing so far, but I think there are many factors. The newer the treatments and drugs are more expensive because they haven't reached a large enough scale to be produced cheaply and because there aren't generics. Malpractice insurance and the lack of tort reform is definitely a factor. It encourages doctors to order unnecessary tests in an attempt to be thorough and avoid lawsuits and higher premiums also probably increase costs. That kind of varies from specialty to specialty, with OB-GYN probably being the worst. I haven't yet had much experience in practicing economical medicine as I've mostly been at the VA where everything's already paid for -- which means we order a buttload of unnecessary tests with no regard for cost.

That's sucky. Why OB so high, wan kanobi? I always wonder what effect insurance companies have. I guess I'll look it up on the google when I get a chance.

[John Smith]

How much effort does a guy picking watermelons for 12 hours a day @ 10/hour put into his day? Does a lawyer billing $100/hour work ten times as hard?

 

 

Where can you get a lwyer for$100? Try more like $500 - $1,000 depending ont he specialty. It's all relative though. The $1,000/hr lawyer can possibly dispense advice saving ten times his hourly rate, where as a watermelon picker can earn you the profit margin of his melon times the number of melons picked, which will obviusly not be as much as an LLM might earn you. Are both jobs needed and provide value? Of course, one is more physical and in reality more fungible, while the other is more specialized.