Usa Thread

[Steve]

What Romney did years ago in school is only relevant IF there was recent proof he hasn't changed. Students do stupid sh*t. We have all done stuff or thought a certain way, ways that in retrospect is wrong. Its called being human and growing as a person. No way in hell I'd be in favor of gay marriage when I was in college. I've banged and dogged out a few girls back in the old days and some could use that to say I am a mysogynist. (okay, I am but that's not the point :-)

 

Obama has shown that he has changed. He has a checkered past as well.

 

There is more than enough on the issues NOT to vote for Romney.

[Steve]

Willard claims the Middle East is unsafe because of Obama.

 

I guess he wants to go over there and kick

Iran's arse first and then kick all the other arses.

 

Even GWB didn't think that big.

Really? What a joke.

[Flashermac]

What Romney did years ago in school is only relevant IF there was recent proof he hasn't changed. Students do stupid sh*t. We have all done stuff or thought a certain way, ways that in retrospect is wrong. Its called being human and growing as a person. No way in hell I'd be in favor of gay marriage when I was in college. I've banged and dogged out a few girls back in the old days and some could use that to say I am a mysogynist. (okay, I am but that's not the point :-)

 

Obama has shown that he has changed. He has a checkered past as well.

 

There is more than enough on the issues NOT to vote for Romney.

 

 

 

I can't remember any other election where the presidential candidates' high school days were brought up. WTF is wrong with the US these days?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Flashermac]

Franchisors warn Obamacare will halve profits

 

 

The International Franchise Association held a convention in Washington this week where most of the Radio Shack, Dunkin Donuts, Curves and other franchisers were grumbling about new federal regulations, especially the impact of Obamacare.

 

Most, said Atlanta Taco Bell and Kentucky Fried Chicken franchiser David Barr, presumed that the reports about how hard Obamacare will hit them were overblown. "They had their head in the sand," he told Secrets.

 

That is until he pulled out his powerpoint showing how funding Obamacare will cut his--and likely their--profits in half overnight. With simple math the small business folks understood, he spelled out that their only choice is to slash employee hours so they aren't eligible for company-paid health care or stop offering insurance and pay the $2,000 per employee fine.

 

Barr has 23 stores with 421 employees, 109 of whom are full-time. Of those, he provides 30 with health insurance. Barr said he pays 81 percent of their Blue Cross Blue Shield policy, or $4,073 of $5,028 for individuals, more for families, for a total bill of $129,000 a year. Employees pay $995.

 

Under Obamacare, however, he will have to provide health insurance for all 109 full-time workers, a cost of $444,000, or two and half times more than his current costs. That $315,000 increase is equal to just over half his annual profit, after expenses, or 1.5 percent of sales. As a result, he said, "I'm not paying $444,000."

 

Providing no insurance would result in a federal fine of $158,000, $29,000 more than he now spends but the lowest cost possible under the Obamacare law. So he now views that as his cap and he'll either cut worker hours or replace them with machines to get his costs down or dump them on the public health exchange and pay the fine. "Every business has a way to eliminate jobs," he said, "but that's not good for them or me."

 

But that's not all. His experience tells him that most low-wage workers he would have to cover under Obamacare won't take it because their $995 share is too high, meaning those the program was set up for won't see any benefit. And those who do will because they have major health issues, likely resulting in higher premiums to him.

 

My link

[Hugh_Hoy]

What Romney did years ago in school is only relevant IF there was recent proof he hasn't changed. Students do stupid sh*t. We have all done stuff or thought a certain way, ways that in retrospect is wrong. Its called being human and growing as a person. No way in hell I'd be in favor of gay marriage when I was in college. I've banged and dogged out a few girls back in the old days and some could use that to say I am a mysogynist. (okay, I am but that's not the point :-)

 

Obama has shown that he has changed. He has a checkered past as well.

 

There is more than enough on the issues NOT to vote for Romney.

 

 

I don't disagree with what you say, Steve. But I think it is "fascinating" that a major newpaper would print something like that and seemingly not mention Barry's criminal behavior. I think the Post story is old news, BTW. Been published some time ago.

 

Anyway, what do you think about Barry and the latest Muslim attacks in Libya and Egypt? Think that his brand of diplomacy in that region is working? Think he's a "secret" Muslim? Gotta check his schedule and see if he has a Friday prayer session in his mosque...I mean, uh, the White House.

 

HH

[kamui]

I don't disagree with what you say, Steve. But I think it is "fascinating" that a major newpaper would print something like that and seemingly not mention Barry's criminal behavior. I think the Post story is old news, BTW. Been published some time ago.

 

Anyway, what do you think about Barry and the latest Muslim attacks in Libya and Egypt? Think that his brand of diplomacy in that region is working? Think he's a "secret" Muslim? Gotta check his schedule and see if he has a Friday prayer session in his mosque...I mean, uh, the White House.

 

HH

 

Media are only interested in 'scoops'. Obama did publish the negative stuff himself before he became president, therefore no scoop. IF he wouldn't have and the media would have found out about the cocaine it would have been like Christmas and 4th of July in one day for right wing media: a black president taking coke = almost probably a gang member in Compton.

 

Anyway, generally US media don't respect the privacy of politicians at all - and US politicians make politics with their private, especially family life. Just look at Romney's wife having MS and five sons. And Obama being a devoted family man, e.g.. Both politicians are working hard to create an image of their personal life which pleases the masses.

 

In Germany for example there is an unwritten agreement not to talk about the private lives of politicians (what the kids do, love affairs e.g.), AS LONG as the politicians don't use it for political gain. This keeps elections much closer to the topics. 99% of the policitians stick to it - and those few who didn't first flew high and later crashed down to earth when for example the marriage failed. They became fodder for the yellow press. BTW The latest rumor is, that the wife of the former president of Germany (not the chancellor) had worked as an escort some years ago.

 

Also religion doesn't play a big role in German politics, if, where and how often a politician goes to church is his private business.

[unit731]

Probably everyone reading here or posting here has done something in their youth that was inappropriate.

Whether stealing a candy bar, underage alchohol consumption, smoking cigarettes, or fighting with their siblings.

 

Bullying raises the bar. Bullying is a serious problem in schools back then and now. There are too many cases today where a student who was bullied commited sucide.

 

The problem is so serious today that all schools now have implemented programs to prevent bullying.

 

Romney has denied all knowledge of this incident. Romney has appologized for the bullying. Romney appologized for this incident but denies any knowledge of said incident.

 

All reflects on the character of Romney.

 

People can make up their own minds whether one bully incident affects their opinion of Romney.

 

One's character and reputation is the summation of all that they have said and done during their lifetime.

[unit731]

Most or all of these Middle East countries have no history of democracy.

Freedome of speech is alien to most.

Many in these countries do not have much of an education.

In some of these countries the religious clerics are in charge of any education.

 

Here we have an Egyptian Coptic Christian making a homemade movie. The script does not show the plot of said film. Nor were the actors told correctly about the plot. Words were later changed and dubbed in.

 

This was never a movie for movie theaters.

 

Freedom of speech is an alien concept to most in these Middle East countries.

 

Embassies are supposed to be protected by the host country and host government.

 

Interesting what the state run media of Egypt stated.

 

Interesting how long it took the Egyptian security forces to protect the US Embassy. A slight time delay?

 

If the masses are protesting big bad America, they are not protesting internal problems that require time, money, and leadership.

[Steve]

Bullying is traumatic. There are whole genres of movies about a person who comes back to their HS reunion, sometimes as long as 25 years after to exact revenge or confront demons. I'm not belittling the impact. I've seen it, once or twice been bullied and I still remember vividly.

 

We have a snapshot of people from HS and if we don't follow them, at our reunions we look at our classmates and think of them the exact way we left them.

 

The fact is that people change and when I've re-connected with HS classmates its amazing how different they are. I had a teammate on my track team who was an atheist. He thought how silly of me to believe in God. I found out he changed his major in college and studied eastern religions and became a bonafide Shaman and holds designations in various beliefs. Shocker for me. There was this one guy who was picked on relentlessly, felt so sorry for him. The guy is now a local radio show host. Seemingly well adjusted. One guy is a politician or at least ran for public office in his district. Never would have pegged him as the type. Great guy though, when I went to HS in the 'burbs he would invite me over for dinner. Lovely family but didn't peg him as the politician type. HS bullies often get theirs. If they go to college they are often small fish in a big pond and someone decks them for that kind of behavior. Also, 'life' happens. Often something tragic and it makes them change their ways.

One girl from my neighborhood who I used to make out with became a minister. Malcolm X was a drug dealer and pimp. He eventually changed from the racist ideology of the Nation of Islam to one where he accepted all people after he saw blond blue eyed moslems on his pilgrimage to Mecca. I would be interested in Romney's personal journey since those days. He doesn't strike me as a bully or having bullying ways now from the way he seems in public. could be an act or he masks it well.

Until I hear otherwise, I'll leave his actions in the past. I won't judge him on it.

[Steve]

http://now.msn.com/ervin-mckinness-tweets-yolo-before-dying-in-car-crash

 

What a dumbass! Sorry, I have no sympathy for idiots like this and I'm gonna get myself in trouble for saying this but the downside of the social media phenom with Twitter, Youtube, Facebook and the like is that the ghetto/trailer types and I mean that in terms of some people in their mentality not in terms of their income level, because I was in that same income level in my family growing up but the mentality of some of them.

They do the most stupid things and say the the most stupid shit on Youtube, etc. It goes viral and seeing the complete moronic things they do and say it really makes you wonder if mankind has not reached our peak and we are on a decline.

 

The ghetto folks and the traier park folks (the mentality of some) are two sides of the same friggin' coin. This stuff follows us forever. There is a permanent electronic record of your acts. These folks don't realize it. Anyway, tragic event but I am not feeling sympathetic.