Usa Thread

[cavanami]

...and one more...

 

In Texas there is a town called New Braunfels , where there is a large German-speaking population.

 

One day, a local rancher driving down a country road noticed a man using his hand to drink water from the rancher's stock pond.

 

The rancher rolled down the window and shouted: "Sehr angenehm! Trink das Wasser nicht. Die kuehe haben darein geschissen."

 

Which means: "Glad to meet you! Don't drink the water. The cows have shit in it."

 

The man shouted back: "I'm from New York and just down here campaigning for Obama. I can't understand you. Please speak in English."

 

The rancher replied: "Use both hands".

[Bangkoktraveler]

Steve...not sure where you got your info, but it is wrong. Plenty of protections now for those who owe money. Coincidently, an article addressing this subject was printed today in the Sacramento Bee. Both FEDERAL and STATE statutes provide penalties for abuse. http://www.sacbee.com/2012/04/22/4432940/debtors-seethe-sue-over-collector.html

 

HH

 

 

State and Federal laws are worthless as far as enforcing illegal and unethical debt practices.

Both governments are powerless to go after the shits who violate Federal and State laws regarding debt collection.

 

Another enity that is not worth heir salt is the various State Attorney Generals.

[Steve]

Steve...not sure where you got your info, but it is wrong. Plenty of protections now for those who owe money. Coincidently, an article addressing this subject was printed today in the Sacramento Bee. Both FEDERAL and STATE statutes provide penalties for abuse. http://www.sacbee.com/2012/04/22/4432940/debtors-seethe-sue-over-collector.html

 

HH

 

I hear ya but the reason why there are new laws is because of abuse that goes on still.

 

Part of the problem is people don't know their rights and don't know what is abuse and what isn't.

 

You're behind on your bills and you feel badly about it and people by nature take a certain amount of abuse out of guilt. The collectors know this.

 

They will lie. They will ask questions they aren't supposed to. The California Franchise Tax board does. Very unscrupulous. I recall someone I know who had reduced hours and was now part-time and proved with new pay stubs. The tax guy illegally asked why he is now part time. Not his business. It could be a very personal one. Maybe he's ill or whatever. I told my friend this and he told the guy 'Why do you have to tell you why?' The tax guy says 'Its for a better picture' (I was on the other line) and told him to tell the bastard (If you know I don't have to answer that then why are you asking questions you don't have a right to?).

 

There are dead beats out there and if you're owed, I can certanly understand anger over that. However, there are limits.

 

Oh, and complaints just get filed. The only way anything is done about it is if the press hears about it and/or there are so many reported cases they have to take action. There are 10 people who didn't file a complaint for every one who does.

[Steve]

http://readersupportednews.org/opinion2/282-98/11066-the-tsas-mission-creep-is-making-the-us-a-police-state

The TSA's Mission Creep Is Making the US a Police State

In November 2010, with the groping policy only a few weeks old, Napolitano dismissed complaints by saying "people [who] want to travel by some other means" have that right. (In other words: if you don't like it, don't fly.)

But now TSA is invading travel by other means, too. No surprise, really: as soon as she established groping in airports, Napolitano expressed her desire to expand TSA jurisdiction over all forms of mass transit. In the past year, TSA's snakelike VIPR (Visual Intermodal Prevention and Response) teams have been slithering into more and more bus and train stations - and even running checkpoints on highways - never in response to actual threats, but apparently more in an attempt to live up to the inspirational motto displayed at the TSA's air marshal training center since the agency's inception: "Dominate. Intimidate. Control."

Anyone who rode the bus in Houston, Texas during the 2-10pm shift last Friday faced random bag checks and sweeps by both drug-sniffing dogs and bomb-sniffing dogs (the latter being only canines necessary if "preventing terrorism" were the actual intent of these raids), all courtesy of a joint effort between TSA VIPR nests and three different local and county-level police departments. The new Napolitano doctrine, then: "Show us your papers, show us everything you've got, justify yourself or you're not allowed to go about your everyday business."

and

 

Earlier this month, the VIPRs came out again in Virginia and infested the Hampton Roads Bridge-Tunnel, also known as the stretch of Interstate 64 connecting the cities of Hampton and Norfolk. Spokesmen admitted again that the exercise was a "routine sweep", not a response to any specific threat.

[Flashermac]

So which party wants to get rid of the fascist pig TSA? Ron Paul maybe ... but not many Republicans. 

[Bangkoktraveler]

http://readersupportednews.org/opinion2/282-98/11066-the-tsas-mission-creep-is-making-the-us-a-police-state

The TSA's Mission Creep Is Making the US a Police State

In November 2010, with the groping policy only a few weeks old, Napolitano dismissed complaints by saying "people [who] want to travel by some other means" have that right. (In other words: if you don't like it, don't fly.)

But now TSA is invading travel by other means, too. No surprise, really: as soon as she established groping in airports, Napolitano expressed her desire to expand TSA jurisdiction over all forms of mass transit. In the past year, TSA's snakelike VIPR (Visual Intermodal Prevention and Response) teams have been slithering into more and more bus and train stations - and even running checkpoints on highways - never in response to actual threats, but apparently more in an attempt to live up to the inspirational motto displayed at the TSA's air marshal training center since the agency's inception: "Dominate. Intimidate. Control."

Anyone who rode the bus in Houston, Texas during the 2-10pm shift last Friday faced random bag checks and sweeps by both drug-sniffing dogs and bomb-sniffing dogs (the latter being only canines necessary if "preventing terrorism" were the actual intent of these raids), all courtesy of a joint effort between TSA VIPR nests and three different local and county-level police departments. The new Napolitano doctrine, then: "Show us your papers, show us everything you've got, justify yourself or you're not allowed to go about your everyday business."

and

 

Earlier this month, the VIPRs came out again in Virginia and infested the Hampton Roads Bridge-Tunnel, also known as the stretch of Interstate 64 connecting the cities of Hampton and Norfolk. Spokesmen admitted again that the exercise was a "routine sweep", not a response to any specific threat.

 

 

A Republican bill wants to put border Federal Parks and Forests under the control of Homeland Security.

 

Can you imagine going to the damn park and Homeland Security

wants to see forms of ID?

[Steve]

Problem is neither party seems like they want to and I'm surprised (and disappointed) Obama hasn't reigned them in. Seems a no brainer but he's acted a bit right of center with regards to things of this issue. Very disappointed in him on matters such as these. If I was offered a better alternative I'd gladly take him but the fact is that the Repubicans would be worse.

 

I'm not a big fan of Obama but frankly, a Republican controlled government (as we had for 6 years) scares the hell out of me when you throw in the social ramifications.

[Bangkoktraveler]

Problem is neither party seems like they want to and I'm surprised (and disappointed) Obama hasn't reigned them in. Seems a no brainer but he's acted a bit right of center with regards to things of this issue. Very disappointed in him on matters such as these. If I was offered a better alternative I'd gladly take him but the fact is that the Repubicans would be worse.

 

I'm not a big fan of Obama but frankly, a Republican controlled government (as we had for 6 years) scares the hell out of me when you throw in the social ramifications.

 

 

Is Romney going to run on the Democrat and Republican ticket?

[Steve]

Funny thing BK is that I don't think Romney is that bad. He's a moderate Republican. He's not liked by the base for the right reasons just as Obama is disappointing to the base of the Dems for the right reasons.

 

I think Romney would actually govern as a moderate but he has to satisfy the base and the doubters of his conseravtism by doing some conservative things such as social conservatism and economic conservatism in the form of giving wealthy people and corporations more. I'm all for making it easy for people to make money. No problem whatsoever. My problem is to conservatives that means an uneven playing field slanted to the wealthy and companies.

 

Anyway, its Obama's to lose. I have a fear though that the Martin/Zimmerman case could muddy the waters a bit because race is so much a part of it and it hurts Obama who may suffer because of the anger on the Zimmerman side of things. No matter the verdict I see the repurcussions. I hope we have a verdict AFTER the elections.

[dean]

The first indictment/arrest in the BP oil spill occurred today with the arrest of a former engineer with BP who is charged with deleting evidence from his twitter account. The evidence centered on BP's knowledge that the mud packing was not working, while telling U.S. officials that it was working. As usual, it was not the oil mess that concerns the Justice department. It is the cover-up of the mess. A good example of this is the re-trial of Roger Clemens. I wouldn't even hazard a guess on what those two trials have/will cost the government. And for what? To give some ambitious prosecutor a notch on his/her belt? Getting back to the BP arrest, I hope that prosecutors show more interest in the laws that were broke leading up to the explosion and not just the laws broke in covering it up. .