Viewing details of messages, sorted by time of creation ("sticky messages" first)
Sticky Message
Old goats, hard heads, lefties, righties...
Whomever.
If you want to argue, no holds barred?
Come on in.
Must follow eons TOU, otherwise, you're on your own.
If you want to argue, no holds barred?
Come on in.
Must follow eons TOU, otherwise, you're on your own.
Sticky Message
Legislature E-Mail Addresses
This is the link to the Legislature e-mail addresses.
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Let's get busy...
Say NO to paying for the attorney fees for Fannie and Freddies fiasco.
Veggie - Would you sticky note this to the top for future reference?
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Let's get busy...
Say NO to paying for the attorney fees for Fannie and Freddies fiasco.
Veggie - Would you sticky note this to the top for future reference?
Sticky Message
The "F" Word
I just got a timeout from one of my groups for using it. One week in solitary. This is Eons for Chrissakes, don't we all know these words exist by now? Fuck it!
Well how about that!
D.C. Council approves same-sex marriage 11-2
In a second and final vote on the measure, the D.C. Council officially passed a bill that would legalize same-sex marriage on Tuesday afternoon. The bill awaits Mayor Adrian M. Fenty's signature -- which is expected before Christmas -- and then will go through a congressional review period. If the bill passes that hurdle, same-sex marriages could begin as early as spring 2010.
To block the legislation, the Democratic-controlled House and Senate and President Obama all would have to sign off on a disapproval resolution within 30 legislative days, which advocates say is not likely
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Baby Steps.
In a second and final vote on the measure, the D.C. Council officially passed a bill that would legalize same-sex marriage on Tuesday afternoon. The bill awaits Mayor Adrian M. Fenty's signature -- which is expected before Christmas -- and then will go through a congressional review period. If the bill passes that hurdle, same-sex marriages could begin as early as spring 2010.
To block the legislation, the Democratic-controlled House and Senate and President Obama all would have to sign off on a disapproval resolution within 30 legislative days, which advocates say is not likely
view link
Baby Steps.
Another view on business costs
I was just reading an article about stores charging "restocking fees" for returned items. This practice, which is becoming more and more common on items such as consumer electronics, deducts part of the purchase price, often up to 15% if the item's box has been opened before being returned. For high-ticket items such as computers, this can be a significant sum.
A spokesman for the Retailers Association of Massachusetts defended the practice. It's actually "proconsumer", he explained. Merchants cannot resell the items at full value, so if stores did not charge these fees, they would have to recover the costs by charging higher prices to everybody.
This is the same argument that we hear whenever there's a high-visibility issue that has potential impact on the profit margin of businesses. Impose taxes on businesses and they're just going to have to pass them on to consumers in the form of higher prices. Benefits for workers? It'll just mean higher prices for consumers. You want regulations to protect the environment? Be prepared for price tags to go up.
Now, I'm not one of those who thinks that "Big Business" is the enemy and we can bleed and regulate companies incessantly without ill effect. As a worker I've suffered enough from layoffs and business closings to know that business do have to retrench and sometimes fail.
But I get weary of the business-centric view. I don't think it's any less fair to respond to absurd restocking fees by saying that they are anti-business, because by having these fees in place retailers may drive away marginal purchasers, reducing demand.
Reduce workers' benefits? That's anti-business, because workers will just demand higher wages to compensate.
For every "this will drive up costs for consumers" platitude, there's an equal and opposite "drive up consumer cost and it will cut your volume of sales".
The law of supply and demand cuts both ways. To imply anything else is just manipulative rhetoric.
A spokesman for the Retailers Association of Massachusetts defended the practice. It's actually "proconsumer", he explained. Merchants cannot resell the items at full value, so if stores did not charge these fees, they would have to recover the costs by charging higher prices to everybody.
This is the same argument that we hear whenever there's a high-visibility issue that has potential impact on the profit margin of businesses. Impose taxes on businesses and they're just going to have to pass them on to consumers in the form of higher prices. Benefits for workers? It'll just mean higher prices for consumers. You want regulations to protect the environment? Be prepared for price tags to go up.
Now, I'm not one of those who thinks that "Big Business" is the enemy and we can bleed and regulate companies incessantly without ill effect. As a worker I've suffered enough from layoffs and business closings to know that business do have to retrench and sometimes fail.
But I get weary of the business-centric view. I don't think it's any less fair to respond to absurd restocking fees by saying that they are anti-business, because by having these fees in place retailers may drive away marginal purchasers, reducing demand.
Reduce workers' benefits? That's anti-business, because workers will just demand higher wages to compensate.
For every "this will drive up costs for consumers" platitude, there's an equal and opposite "drive up consumer cost and it will cut your volume of sales".
The law of supply and demand cuts both ways. To imply anything else is just manipulative rhetoric.
Boxer's opponents capitalize on 'ma'am' exchange
Boxer's opponents capitalize on 'ma'am' exchange
AP
By KEVIN FREKING, Associated Press Writer Kevin Freking, Associated Press Writer – Mon Dec 14, 9:01 am ET
WASHINGTON – The widely played video clip of U.S. Sen. Barbara Boxer reprimanding a general for calling her "ma'am" is the gift that keeps on giving for the two Republicans hoping to challenge her next year.
Republicans Carly Fiorina and Chuck DeVore are trying to capitalize on the exchange by making it a key ingredient of their fundraising efforts and attempts to recruit grassroots support. Both campaigns say the video revs up a GOP base that already has long-standing animosity toward Boxer, among the most liberal members of the Senate.
Whether it will have currency beyond next June's Republican primary, when the winner will have to appeal to a much larger and more diverse audience, is an open question.
During a hearing last June, Boxer interrupted Brig. Gen. Michael Walsh of the Army Corps of Engineers in mid-sentence: "Do me a favor?" she said. "Could you say 'senator' instead of 'ma'am?' It's just a thing. I worked so hard to get that title, so I'd appreciate it. Yes, thank you."
Boxer said the general was not offended by her remarks, but many in the GOP clearly were, including the two Republican challengers.
Former Hewlett-Packard chief executive Carly Fiorina thought the exchange was so memorable that it prompted her to create a Web site titled CallMeBarbara.com, which she uses to raise money and keep in touch with supporters.
Campaign aides said they could not quantify the site's appeal, except to say it has received thousands of hits and led to thousands of dollars in donations.
The campaign of state Assemblyman Chuck DeVore juxtaposed the Boxer clip with an Austin Powers movie frame showing the Dr. Evil character upbraiding those who dare refer to him as "Mr. Evil." The 30-second video has generated more than 108,000 clicks on YouTube. It's been one of the campaign's most popular tools for reaching out to potential supporters.
Barbara O'Connor, professor of communications at Sacramento State University, said the use of Boxer's comments from the hearing will no doubt fire up the GOP base during the primary campaign but probably will not hurt the third-term senator in the general election. Jobs, health care and other bread-and-butter issues are expected to take precedence.
"It's not the kind of thing that plays well in California," O'Connor said, referring to the type of criticism Fiorina and DeVore are leveling at the Boxer video. "I think the economy is the sole issue that people are thinking about."
Registered Republicans represent less than a third of California's electorate. Women, who vote in greater numbers than men in California, may well see Boxer's statement as a demand for equal treatment.
"I think many California women resonate to the request to acknowledge their accomplishments," O'Connor said. "How you address someone is often a window to how much credibility you feel they have."
Leisa Brug Kline, the campaign manager for DeVore, expects that the Boxer video will be useful after the primary election because it illustrates the senator's regard for others. The popularity of the Dr. Evil video proves that people were upset by the exchange, she said.
"I don't know if it will be a huge issue, but it will be one because it boils down to demeanor and respect," Brug Kline said.
She said it's not easy to quantify the video's effect for the DeVore campaign: "It is more subtle than that. People view it, share it, sign up to our e-mail list, and eventually contribute. A large number of activists have seen the video, and they view it as a measure of our campaign's effectiveness."
Fiorina's campaign is focusing on the exchange because it exemplifies the tone voters have come to expect from Boxer, said Julie Soderlund, a spokeswoman for Fiorina.
"A member of the military calling somebody ma'am or sir certainly isn't something that's unusual," Soderlund said. "Most people who see the video recognize that and recognize the level of arrogance that Senator Boxer brought to the situation."
The Department of Defense has no official policy dictating how service members should address members of Congress, said Cmdr. Darryn James, a Pentagon spokesman.
Boxer said her opponents' focus on the exchange says more about them than it does about her. She's not about to apologize.
"Once in 17 years that I've been a senator, I asked a witness to call me senator, because we were having a back and forth and I kept saying 'general' and he kept saying 'ma'am', and it went general, ma'am, general, ma'am. And I thought, you know what, this is one of those times we ought to call each other by our titles," she said in an interview.
Boxer's strategy for dealing with the fallout is simple: Let her opponents talk about the exchange while she focuses on talking about jobs and other priorities. It's her way of conveying to voters that she is focused on the issues they care about while her opponents are focused on petty issues.
"If this is what she thinks is the most important issue as people are struggling to get jobs, and housing, and health care, it's fine," Boxer said in reference to Fiorina.
so if she had called him mister she would have been criticized for that, and senator is her title just as much as general is his....why the bitching?
AP
By KEVIN FREKING, Associated Press Writer Kevin Freking, Associated Press Writer – Mon Dec 14, 9:01 am ET
WASHINGTON – The widely played video clip of U.S. Sen. Barbara Boxer reprimanding a general for calling her "ma'am" is the gift that keeps on giving for the two Republicans hoping to challenge her next year.
Republicans Carly Fiorina and Chuck DeVore are trying to capitalize on the exchange by making it a key ingredient of their fundraising efforts and attempts to recruit grassroots support. Both campaigns say the video revs up a GOP base that already has long-standing animosity toward Boxer, among the most liberal members of the Senate.
Whether it will have currency beyond next June's Republican primary, when the winner will have to appeal to a much larger and more diverse audience, is an open question.
During a hearing last June, Boxer interrupted Brig. Gen. Michael Walsh of the Army Corps of Engineers in mid-sentence: "Do me a favor?" she said. "Could you say 'senator' instead of 'ma'am?' It's just a thing. I worked so hard to get that title, so I'd appreciate it. Yes, thank you."
Boxer said the general was not offended by her remarks, but many in the GOP clearly were, including the two Republican challengers.
Former Hewlett-Packard chief executive Carly Fiorina thought the exchange was so memorable that it prompted her to create a Web site titled CallMeBarbara.com, which she uses to raise money and keep in touch with supporters.
Campaign aides said they could not quantify the site's appeal, except to say it has received thousands of hits and led to thousands of dollars in donations.
The campaign of state Assemblyman Chuck DeVore juxtaposed the Boxer clip with an Austin Powers movie frame showing the Dr. Evil character upbraiding those who dare refer to him as "Mr. Evil." The 30-second video has generated more than 108,000 clicks on YouTube. It's been one of the campaign's most popular tools for reaching out to potential supporters.
Barbara O'Connor, professor of communications at Sacramento State University, said the use of Boxer's comments from the hearing will no doubt fire up the GOP base during the primary campaign but probably will not hurt the third-term senator in the general election. Jobs, health care and other bread-and-butter issues are expected to take precedence.
"It's not the kind of thing that plays well in California," O'Connor said, referring to the type of criticism Fiorina and DeVore are leveling at the Boxer video. "I think the economy is the sole issue that people are thinking about."
Registered Republicans represent less than a third of California's electorate. Women, who vote in greater numbers than men in California, may well see Boxer's statement as a demand for equal treatment.
"I think many California women resonate to the request to acknowledge their accomplishments," O'Connor said. "How you address someone is often a window to how much credibility you feel they have."
Leisa Brug Kline, the campaign manager for DeVore, expects that the Boxer video will be useful after the primary election because it illustrates the senator's regard for others. The popularity of the Dr. Evil video proves that people were upset by the exchange, she said.
"I don't know if it will be a huge issue, but it will be one because it boils down to demeanor and respect," Brug Kline said.
She said it's not easy to quantify the video's effect for the DeVore campaign: "It is more subtle than that. People view it, share it, sign up to our e-mail list, and eventually contribute. A large number of activists have seen the video, and they view it as a measure of our campaign's effectiveness."
Fiorina's campaign is focusing on the exchange because it exemplifies the tone voters have come to expect from Boxer, said Julie Soderlund, a spokeswoman for Fiorina.
"A member of the military calling somebody ma'am or sir certainly isn't something that's unusual," Soderlund said. "Most people who see the video recognize that and recognize the level of arrogance that Senator Boxer brought to the situation."
The Department of Defense has no official policy dictating how service members should address members of Congress, said Cmdr. Darryn James, a Pentagon spokesman.
Boxer said her opponents' focus on the exchange says more about them than it does about her. She's not about to apologize.
"Once in 17 years that I've been a senator, I asked a witness to call me senator, because we were having a back and forth and I kept saying 'general' and he kept saying 'ma'am', and it went general, ma'am, general, ma'am. And I thought, you know what, this is one of those times we ought to call each other by our titles," she said in an interview.
Boxer's strategy for dealing with the fallout is simple: Let her opponents talk about the exchange while she focuses on talking about jobs and other priorities. It's her way of conveying to voters that she is focused on the issues they care about while her opponents are focused on petty issues.
"If this is what she thinks is the most important issue as people are struggling to get jobs, and housing, and health care, it's fine," Boxer said in reference to Fiorina.
so if she had called him mister she would have been criticized for that, and senator is her title just as much as general is his....why the bitching?
HAVE YOU BEEN FOLLOWING THIS TRIAL?
I SPEND FOUR YEARS IN EUROPE..AND THIS IS THE TRIAL OF AMANDA KNOX, WHO IS AMERICAN AND WAS JUST SENTENCED TO 26 YRS FOR MURDER ON ALL CIRCUMSTANTIAL EVIDENCE...I DO NOT THINK SHE DID IT..IF ANYONE ELSE HAS BEEN FOLLOWING THIS TRIAL WHAT IS YOUR THOUGHTS? ANYONE SPEND ANY TIME IN EUROPE? THEIR JUDICIAL SYSTEM IS NOTHING LIKE OURS THAT IS FOR SURE...SEE LINK AND READ..I WILL BE ANXIOUS TO HEAR WHAT THE GROUP THINKS...
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TAKE CARE...LL
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TAKE CARE...LL
Fixing The Budget
As everyone knows , the USA is running massive budget deficits and the fools in power project that we will continue to do so , even if the economy recovers to 2006 levels , which ain't gonna happen .I have a proposal that will could save us hundreds of billions of dollars in wasteful government spending .
