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Topic: What's Going on in the Americas? (Read 260179 times)

Re: What's Going on in the Americas?

Reply #100 –
Quote from: rjhowie on
Must say that Smiley does have a very good point in the usual patter dished out that everything is Bush's fault.

Except the patter is Republicans saying Democrats say everything is Bush's fault. That outnumbers Democrats blaming Bush for everything by at least four to one. But in the beginning it, in fact was Bush policies that trashed the economy, drove the deficit skyhigh. A month in the Obama administration, Republicans were blaming Obama for the near economic collapse that began with Bush and were screaming "Bush blame!" when someone pointed out the obvious. Now the economy improving (4.2 percent second quarter 2014) and deficit shrinking in no way can be blamed on Bush.

Re: What's Going on in the Americas?

Reply #101 –
Quote from: Sanguinemoon on
.......Now the economy improving (4.2 percent second quarter 2014) and deficit shrinking in no way can be blamed on Bush.


No, the only ones to blame for a rising economy are the American People.

We will spend ourselves out of grief, regardless all the roadblocks the HNIC * puts in our way.





* Head Nitwit In Charge

JFYI........ That's old data, but can you actually guess (without peakin')
                       which ones have gotten better↑, gotten worse↓, or stayed about the same ↔?

Re: What's Going on in the Americas?

Reply #102 –
US Debt Clock -If you wanna peek. I killed almost 15mins watching this thing, lol.

Tennessee's actually wasn't as bad as I'd imagined.
& World Debt tab, for funsies.

Re: What's Going on in the Americas?

Reply #103 –
Those figures are way

out of date.  The region with the worst unemployment rate is the west at 6.6%, so much for claiming the national unemployment rate is 9.1%, well below inauguration day.



The last Bush deficit was 1.413 trillion in fiscal year 2009 (still a Bush deficit because that was his budget) And he cooked the books by keep items off the deficit that was in fact deficit spending.  2015 was a bit over a third of that at 564 billion. 

The basic cause of the recession was in the banking sector. A major contributor was deregulation of the banks, legalizing financial instruments that were made illegal because they all but caused the crash of 1929. Funny and ironic about those that call themselves "conservative" that it's those folks that refuse to learn from history (economic and otherwise.) There's a correct amount of deregulation, removing unnecessary red tape for business, but not opening the door wide for practices that wreck havoc on the economy every time.  My frustration with modern Republicans is they've made themselves a parody of conservatism and have devolved into neo-cons but in any real way aren't conservative anymore. Don't like Obama? Blame the Republicans seemed to be trying to outdo each other with ass-clownery instead of producing a candidate that could beat him in 2008 and 2012. That's right, the GOP is just as responsible for the Obama presidency as the Democrats were.

Now in this election year, Republicans have everything going for them: Obama's unpopularity combined with mostly Republican states voting for Senators and Representatives. But a new patronizing GOP ad already compares voting for a Republican candidate with a lonely woman breaking up with her boyfriend (Obama.) You can watch the idiocy here . Again, the GOP seems intent on snatching defeat from the jaws of victory. Nate Silver predicated GOP victories this year, but it seems he didn't count on Republicans shooting themselves in the foot yet again.

Re: What's Going on in the Americas?

Reply #104 –
Quote from: Sanguinemoon on
Those figures are way out of date........


As I openly stated in my prior post, & the figures for unemployment are getting better........due to the American People, & not by any activity --- on or off the golf course --- of the present failed presidency.

When will the democrats admit that their "experimental presidency" has failed miserably -- or is more smoke & mirrors the call?

(can't wait to hear the demonrat spin here, saying how wonderfully successful the Obama Experiment was -- saving America, along with the Western World, & Mom's Apple Pie)




Re: What's Going on in the Americas?

Reply #105 –
Since SF and 'Cooney have brought up their political bits, I might as well too, and it is a gripe.

It is my sincere wish that the entire corrupt US healthcare system falls and burns. The Republicrats and Demoteas have failed.

Damned optometrists are the most corrupt of all, as "you have to have an eye exam before we can give you your contacts". WTAF is that shite? My damned prescription hasn't changed any, and just because I now don't have health insurance, that lot want's me to pony up $166.75 for just the stupid-arse "examination" (once again, my sight hasn't changed) and then an additional $66.58 per bloody box for both of my contacts?

Well, excuse by god me, but fawk you optometrists!!!  :bomb:  I mean Jeebus, I live in the most poor state in the union. I shudder to think what my other fellow Americans pay for contacts and that BS mandatory exam, especially those who share my plight of being uninsured.

I'll spare you all from my rant about the $28 other prescription I had to get for my health, when the generic $4 was sitting right beside it, but I couldn't get that "because Dr. Carter didn't mark the generic box and explicitly says to get this type". ---> To hell with the damn doctors and pharmacists too, they might just be as corrupt as the optometrists.   :furious:




Apologies for the rant, but we don't seem to now have a "State of the Corrupt American Healthcare System" thread going, and if the previous two are going to opine about political stuff, count me in too!

Re: What's Going on in the Americas?

Reply #106 –
Colonel, I just knew there was a reason I've been using cheap dime-store "cheater" glasses since 1995. I'll have to get a real eye exam and real glasses one day, but for now the 2.75 magnification cheaters I'm using are getting the job done.
What would happen if a large asteroid slammed into the Earth?
According to several tests involving a watermelon and a large hammer, it would be really bad!

Re: What's Going on in the Americas?

Reply #107 –
Quote from: Colonel Rebel on

It is my sincere wish that the entire corrupt US healthcare system falls and burns. The Republicrats and Demoteas have failed.

The latter for not even trying to go anywhere near far enough. Then again, the republicans are still busy freaking the fuck out over romneycare ( because fuck that black guy :rolleyes: )

Re: What's Going on in the Americas?

Reply #108 –
Quote from: SmileyFaze on
As I openly stated in my prior post, & the figures for unemployment are getting better........due to the American People, & not by any activity --- on or off the golf course --- of the present failed presidency.
But how so?  Investors and whatnot? The same "American People (tm) " that followed the Bush deregulation to the brink of economic collapse? What Republicans fail to understand is that Obama followed the same playbook all presidents do when faced with an economic crises 1) Lower the prime rate 2) Cut taxes and extend pre-existing tax cuts and offer tax incentives 3) Increase federal spending. If Bush could have had a third term, on dealing with recession I guarantee his actions would have been at least 75% the same (in fact, you'll be surprised much policy is carried over from one president to the next and crosses party lines. In fact, even the bailout of the auto industry was carried over from Bush. If McCain had won and fulfilled his promise of not bailing it out, the recession would have been far worst. Losing an entire industry to a recession is always great for the economy in both the short and long term....:p)  There was nothing experimental about it.

Now what is this silliness of Obama and golf? Apparently Boehner plays more in one year than Obama did his entire presidency in fact, considerably better presidents than Obama played far more golf . Is this golf thing yet another death rattle of a GOP intent on self-destruction?

Re: What's Going on in the Americas?

Reply #109 –
Quote from: Colonel Rebel on
Damned optometrists are the most corrupt of all, as "you have to have an eye exam before we can give you your contacts". WTAF is that shite? My damned prescription hasn't changed any, and just because I now don't have health insurance, that lot want's me to pony up $166.75 for just the stupid-arse "examination" (once again, my sight hasn't changed) and then an additional $66.58 per bloody box for both of my contacts?

Mine wasn't so bad. I paid 73 (including the 10 dollar co-pay for the exam. I probably could paid only the ten bucks if I didn't choose from the most expensive frames they had.

Re: What's Going on in the Americas?

Reply #110 –
Quote from: Macallan on
The latter for not even trying to go anywhere near far enough. Then again, the republicans are still busy freaking the fuck out over romneycare ( because fuck that black guy  :rolleyes:  )

If a Republican bucks the trend towards political suicide and becomes the next president, suddenly it will become a great idea with origins in the "great thinktank" Heritage Foundation again. The speed and ease in which the Republicans turned on their own idea was truly astounding. Of course, it /was/ thought of before the Obama administration and the do have difficulty remembering a damn thing before 2008. Perhaps this is linked the low IQ of conservatives

Re: What's Going on in the Americas?

Reply #111 –
Quote from: Colonel Rebel on
Damned optometrists are the most corrupt of all, as "you have to have an eye exam before we can give you your contacts". WTAF is that shite? My damned prescription hasn't changed any, and just because I now don't have health insurance, that lot want's me to pony up $166.75 for just the stupid-arse "examination" (once again, my sight hasn't changed) and then an additional $66.58 per bloody box for both of my contacts?

That shite it's called America.
Here, such an "examination" it's offered for free included in the price of your glasses or contact lenses regardless health-care system or insurances. Optometrists are mere shop attendants raised to the class of technicians by way of stupefying and stupefied societies that calls "cleaning technicians" to mere house cleaning women.

Around 60 or 70 dollars it will be the cost of contact lenses around here, I suppose. 160 dollars for "examination"?? less than that you'll pay for a private ophthalmologist, a true doctor, not a farce. One hundred euros is the average price for a specialist doctor consult outside any healthcare system.
A matter of attitude.

Re: What's Going on in the Americas?

Reply #113 –
Quote from: Colonel Rebel on
.....My damned prescription hasn't changed any.......... (once again, my sight hasn't changed) ..............


Well, may I suggest, if you know your prescription, you click the pic & check out   

There are many other online Contact Lens distributors too, & many offer free shipping like 1800Contacts do.....seek & ye shall find.

Not into online distributors?? Check out Walmart too. I think you can walk in, & hand them your hand written (in your handwriting) lens prescription, & then check-out.......simples, no?


Re: What's Going on in the Americas?

Reply #114 –
Quote from: Belfrager on
Here, such an "examination" it's offered for free included in the price of your glasses or contact lenses regardless health-care system or insurances. Optometrists are mere shop attendants raised to the class of technicians by way of stupefying and stupefied societies that calls "cleaning technicians" to mere house cleaning women.

Around 60 or 70 dollars it will be the cost of contact lenses around here, I suppose. 160 dollars for "examination"?? less than that you'll pay for a private ophthalmologist, a true doctor, not a farce. One hundred euros is the average price for a specialist doctor consult outside any healthcare system.

By remarkable coincidence, he and I seemed to have the eye exams within a few days of each other. How it worked for me is that I had some sort of exam by one of those shop attendants, who asked me to push a button when I saw a dots of light of varying levels of clarity. Then a more through exam by an Optometrists, who also checked for other diseases to my eyes. I also had the option of going for contacts, but the price wouldn't have been anywhere near what he paid. But putting those in seemed akin to poking myself in the eyes every day :p

Re: What's Going on in the Americas?

Reply #115 –
Quote from: SmileyFaze on

Quote from: Colonel Rebel on
.....My damned prescription hasn't changed any.......... (once again, my sight hasn't changed) ..............


Well, may I suggest, if you know your prescription, you click the pic & check out   

There are many other online Contact Lens distributors too, & many offer free shipping like 1800Contacts do.....seek & ye shall find.

Not into online distributors?? Check out Walmart too. I think you can walk in, & hand them your hand written (in your handwriting) lens prescription, & then check-out.......simples, no?



1. Online distributors are fine. It's interesting that you post about the Evil Empire (tm) (Wal-Mart), as they are where I went immediately after I was told what my usual optometrist wanted. The Evil Empire required that my optometrist fax in my prescription to them. When I had that done, the Evil Empire refused to sell me my contacts because "your prescription is out of date". I explained to them my situation. They refused to budge. Apparently Bush the Lesser's Congress of 2004 had a law made that  you are required to get an eye exam and up-to-date-prescription before anyone can sell you contacts.  (Note that a Republican Congress passed this Nanny State shite)

2. Yes, but as mentioned, they too require an up-to-date prescription.

3. As mentioned in #'s 1&2, the prescription continues to dog me. From what I have seen in r/frugal of Reddit, the 1-800 ppl are particularly vociferous about having proper prescriptions.

ETA: From their website on commonly asked questions:

Do I need a prescription to place an order?

-  "Yes. We require a valid prescription for every order. If you don’t have a copy of your prescription, you can still order contact lenses from us. You’ll be able to select your eye doctor from our expansive database. All you will need is your eye doctor’s name (or clinic name), city, and state. After you submit your order we will act on your behalf to quickly verify or obtain your prescription information. We are required by law to verify your prescription with your doctor. This helps to ensure that we provide you with the correct contact lenses in your order."

4. As I have tried to indicate, $166 just to have someone blow air into my eye from a machine, and tell me my eyes haven't changed in the past year simply isn't going to happen for two reasons; 1) That is not within my budget, and I remain unemployed at the moment (living off savings), although I am and have been on the search for a job. 2) While I could handle one or the other ( $166 for  the exam, or $66 per box (you have to have two boxes, as common sense indicates), I simply cannot handle both at the same time.




Meanwhile, we continue to give piles of cash to worthless welfare states such as Israel, Pakistan, Egypt, etc. That shite pisses me off so much. A citizen of this country can't afford his medical needs (I've had some medical changes that I haven't posted about, and that too is taking a hit on my wallet), but let's just blow piles upon piles of cash to these worthless degenerate states.

Re: What's Going on in the Americas?

Reply #116 –
Quote from: Sanguinemoon on

If a Republican bucks the trend towards political suicide and becomes the next president

I'm sure you remember what happened to the token sane candidate last time around :right:

Re: What's Going on in the Americas?

Reply #117 –
Quote from: Sanguinemoon on

By remarkable coincidence, he and I seemed to have the eye exams within a few days of each other.

I had to have an eye exam as one of the many hoops to jump through for my US visa ( why on earth do they insist on using the plural form for singular? :left: ) - cost me nothing.

Re: What's Going on in the Americas?

Reply #118 –
Quote from: Sanguinemoon on
Perhaps this is linked the low IQ of conservatives

Perhaps, now since you can see reasonably well, you'll read the article you linked to…? :) (Nah! Some things never change.)
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"Humor is emotional chaos remembered in tranquility." - James Thurber
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Re: What's Going on in the Americas?

Reply #119 –
Quote from: OakdaleFTL on
Perhaps, now since you can see reasonably well, you'll read the article you linked to…?  :)  (Nah! Some things never change.)

Of course I did.That's why I know the article criticizes the studies' definition of conservative as being coarse and cites Paul Wolfowitz as an example. If I remember right, the studies do point that it applies to one type of conservationism and therefore that criticism isn't actually valid.  See, a problem with your reading is you pick up details great, but miss things such the author's "tone of voice." For instance, you didn't understand that my "tone of voice" wasn't entirely serious.
 

Re: What's Going on in the Americas?

Reply #120 –
The state representative race in my district is heating up.

The Democrat incumbent's campaign literature is getting increasingly strident, warning that if the Republican challenger wins her Tea Party cohorts will summarily throw old people out into the streets and see to it that wives are beaten by their husbands, children become homeless, plagues of locusts swarm up even in Winter-- which will be more harsh and brutal by the way-- and the Chicago Cubs won't win the pennant again this year. That last looks to actually happen by the way, seems the Cubs just can't catch a break.

The challenger's campaign literature promises that if she is elected-- even in spite of all that bad stuff she's supposedly going to do-- she will help get rid of cronyism and lifetime political service in Springfield... or something like that. They all promise stuff like that before the election, then once they're elected they always seem to be as adept at stuffing their pockets with taxpayer dollars as the person they replaced was. So--- we'll see.

I'm waiting for the mud-wrestling tournament. Pay-per-view as these two women square off against each other. Well, we can always dream, can't we?

The next election cycle for this office is in two years. Maybe I should run. Campaign on the usual platforms of dealing with corruption in Springfield, politicians that serve for life or until retirement whichever comes first, and the way tax dollars are just wasted in state government. I can run on demanding my fair share of the fraud and corruption.

I wonder if I'd get elected--- or arrested. Might be interesting to see, eh?
What would happen if a large asteroid slammed into the Earth?
According to several tests involving a watermelon and a large hammer, it would be really bad!

Re: What's Going on in the Americas?

Reply #121 –
Quote from: mjmsprt40 on
The next election cycle for this office is in two years. Maybe I should run.

Office of what? Doesn't matter, run anyway.
You'll be the only one that can say he has international support on all five continents. :)
A matter of attitude.

Re: What's Going on in the Americas?

Reply #122 –
Run! There must be some way I could vote for you. I was in Chicago in 1949. Would that make me eligible?

Re: What's Going on in the Americas?

Reply #123 –
Quote from: Belfrager on

Quote from: mjmsprt40 on
The next election cycle for this office is in two years. Maybe I should run.

Office of what? Doesn't matter, run anyway.
You'll be the only one that can say he has international support on all five continents. :)


The office is state representative, from my district in Illinois.

The Illinois legislature is separated into two houses, just like the Federal legislature. The state representatives function much as the members of the House of Representatives do, just that state representatives never leave Illinois--- they do their dirty-work in Springfield rather than heading to Washington.
What would happen if a large asteroid slammed into the Earth?
According to several tests involving a watermelon and a large hammer, it would be really bad!

Re: What's Going on in the Americas?

Reply #124 –
Real news story: Yesterday, there was a fire at the Chicago Air Traffic Control Center, located in Aurora, Illinois. It caused massive problems that still are being worked out as I write this.

The problem was caused by a disgruntled employee who set the fire and cut several cables, shutting down operations at the control center.

Would you like to know why he was disgruntled? Well, it seems he was being transferred. To Hawaii.

Wait, what? I thought Hawaii was practically a dream job, plenty to do, plenty to see, who wouldn't want to go live there? Well, I guess it takes all kinds.

http://wgntv.com/2014/09/26/breaking-faa-facility-employee-that-started-fire-was-upset-over-transfer-to-hawaii/
What would happen if a large asteroid slammed into the Earth?
According to several tests involving a watermelon and a large hammer, it would be really bad!