US Members

[AntiPasta]

Bush?? War Crimes??? DId he kill 6 million jews?? He's giving orders to kill people who want nothing more than all Americans killed.

Guess how that came to be... due to your arrogant attitude. America needs to stop with their "if you're not with us, you're against us" bullshit, stop giving billions to Israel (I can think of a 100 countries in more need of it), stop blocking any anti-Israel propositions in the UN, etc - invading Iraq inflamed the Arab world even more, that's about the worst thing you could've done.

In the 1950's, even the Arab world idolized America because of their anti-colonial views. Now all that support has been squandered. Likewise, the people of Europe, Japan, Australia etc. used to suppord the US - even more after 9/11 - but now a far greater portion of the Western world hates America as well.

How is protecting your country a war-crime? Oh I see, we didn't suck UN's cock to ask if we can protect our country so that makes it a war crime.

Like I said, attacking Iraq was about the stupidest thing the US could've done to protect their country.

the thing with Iraq was inevitable. Now everycountry, (imposing, facist country) wants to make sure a democratic country in the middle east doesn't happen because that will mean the death of them. And any country that benefitted from those facist countries like France and Germany , don't want that to happen too. This isn't just about freedom for us, but freedom for people who have been oppressed by tyranical governments for the past 3 centuries. Let the people choose for once.

Again, that kind of attitude makes people hate America. Apart from that, it is downright WRONG - I think there is more democracy in the governments of those two countries than in your country.

[einbebop44]

Anyone up for coffee?

[Tachikoma]

Anyone up for coffee?

Mocha?

[Greatsaintlouis]

Mocha, triple shot, with whipped cream. Please.
And I'm still waiting on that bagel.

Just out of curiousity, I hear a lot of people mentioning stem cell research, and I'm wondering which kind you're talking about - the unnessicary and awful embryonic/fetal stem cell research, or the non-fatal adult stem cell research that they've recently discovered works the same.

I'm obviously against the former and for the latter. :smt023

[kstyle25]

Tachikoma: I appreciate the help of your country, I do...but bailed us out??? Please...it's great that another countrys leaders realize what needs to be done but I would hardly call it bailing us out.. :smt042

[Funk Buddy]

Give me a f'n break! I graduated almost 20 years ago from high school and couldn't afford college then. Shit's gone up and will keep going up that's the way it is. It doesn't matter who's in office regarding that stuff. Yes, I do think college is over priced just to be clear and schooling will help you get a higher paying job, but it's not necessary.
I know several people who went to UW and when they graduated they couldn't find a job either, is that Bush's fault too even though it was 10 years ago?

Ah, my bad, sorry to let my real-life experiences get in the way of your opinions. All I've been seeing for the last four years of college is costs rising as programs are cut because there is not enough federal - and in turn, state - funding for schools to keep a lot of programs.

I took what you said

Wonderful. I didn't really want to be able to afford college or get a secure job when I graduate anyways. It's not all that important.

to mean you hadn't started college. Also the first part of my statement is not opinion, it's fact.

My parents and younger brother are going to have to move, possibly to another state, because the No Child Left Behind act has essentially destroyed my old high school - with no imbellishment, imagine 2 teachers instructing about 60 students grades 7-12, with more funding being cut for next year. And did I mention that the school is the only reason why an entire town of 350 people exists in a remote part of Oregon, and without the school, the town would soon become deserted? I'm talking about families settled in the area for generations and fought off droughts and snowstorms, leaving because their kids aren't being educated, all thanks to No Child Left Behind.

That really sucks. I lived in Washington for most of my life and know how the small towns suffer there too, just because the cost of living is so high and people don't get paid shit. I don't have children, but understand why alot of people choose home schooling because the schools are so bad.

And maybe it's not as noticeable in larger areas, but here, you can definately tell the economy's really, REALLY depressed. Stores closing, businesses cutting workers and not hiring, and from everyone, the same complaint: there's no money. It's me fighting for jobs each summer so I can pay off my increasingly expensive education, and being told by countless businesses, "Yeah, we'd love to hire you, but with the economy down, we don't have any money." I'm not one to look at the past through rose-colored glasses, but as far as both economy and education go, we've come a long way down since Clinton. :smt009

It's no where near as noticeable as in a small town. My parents live in a smaller town and it's very hard to start a business there and keep it open. When they moved here from Washington and retired to this town, finding a job was difficult. There age was the biggest hurdle, then the fact (good) jobs are hard to come by without driving 60 miles to the city. To go from making $50000+ a year to $8 an hour is a real shock. Thank god the prices here are way less than where we lived in WA.

I'm in a family business and we lost several big accounts this year. That means we had to cut our staff in half without much notice at all! We are trying to rebuilt that portion if it, but it's slow going. I am low man on the totem pole so the loss effects me different than the owners. While they lost bottom line, I lost time since I am on salary. I make less money here than in WA and work twice as many hours. I am just thankful for a job at this point. :-D I can buy a house here if I wanted, but never could have in WA unless I was married.

I'm not a Bush fan. Yes, he's spent way too much on bad (war) and unnecessary things. I just did not feel good about Kerry and Edwards. This is selfish, but no matter who has been President, it really has never effected me (that I can tell). This country needs to close up shop around the globe for a while and take care of business here. I know we need other countries to survive, but our own back yard needs more attention at the moment. The billions pumped in to other countries like Africa should go to help our own people first, then to others as needed.

That's enough of my ramblings for now... can't keep my train of thought too long today.

[madhatter256]

Hey Anti, I wasn't calling France and Germany Facist countries. I was saying they benefitted from those facist countries in the Middle East, mainly Iraq.

[Greatsaintlouis]

Yeah, should have clairified - I'm currently in my fourth year of college right now, and it gets harder and harder each year - in part because the federal government deems me not worthy of financial aid - let's hear it for making the decisions based on how much you/your parents make BEFORE taxes, instead of after. :angry

It's tough to make a lot of accurate "What-if" predictions, but like I said (I think I said), we've seen four years of Bush, and I'd have liked to have seen if someone else could have done better - tho in my opinion, they'd have to try hard not to, but that's just me.

[madhatter256]

YOu live on your own GSL, you should get a healthy amount of money from the Federal Pell Grant, I'm getting $5k/year (would be more if I attended a University, I'm attending a Community College now) from them and I'm living with my mom who doesn't make more than $25k/year currently and has 4 children (including me) to support. I have a friend who gets $11k/year, he lives by himself with room mates in an apartment and has a $6/hour part time job.

[Greatsaintlouis]

I'm not sure what you're under for Pell Grants, but it doesn't work like that here - I can't claim to be totally independent on the federal FAFSA form (which I take to be applicable nation-wide) unless I am 25, married, a war veteran, or some other silly constraint designed to make me ineligable for grants for the duration of my college stay. I'm not sure what my parents make, as they believe it's not really my business (which I agree with) but apparently it's quite a difference before and after taxes, plus with my sister now enrolled in a $30,000 a year college which is only paying for about 1/3 of the cost, things are down from what the government claims they should have on the FAFSA.

[Calpis]

Please explain everyone what was wrong with Kerry/Edwards?

[madhatter256]

Then its your state government thats holding you back. Also, find out what your parents make, it is a factor regardless if it isnt non of your business, and it sorta is because it could be what's holding you back.

[madhatter256]

Please explain everyone what was wrong with Kerry/Edwards?

I don't like standing in line for 3 hours at the DMV, so if we had public healthcare, I'd have to wait in line 3 hours or more or less but still wait long, just to get emergency surgery. Oh but wait, I will then have to fill out 5 pages worth of forms and turns out I'm not elligible for this doctor, so I'll have to go somewhere else and wait just as long and even longer. On top of that, we would get taxed out the ass to pay for public healthcare which like I said won't be effective.

Besides. There sorta already is public healthcare, medicare but even if you don't have that you can still get AAA class healthcare and not pay a dime. You just walk out of the hospital after they are done with you. The hospitals bill the taxpayer but there isn't an increase in taxes and no waiting in lines.

I had a friend who's brother was shot by his girlfriend. He went to the hospital, he didn't have money to pay for the surgery. They still did it, then they let him go, no questions asked, and he didn't have to pay.

[Greatsaintlouis]

I'm not really sure how you can truthfully list wild conjectures as a reason for not supporting a candidate. It's not my business nor my place to tell you who you should vote for and who not, but I sure hope you base your decisions on something more concrete than the imagined inaccessability of the health care program.

[madhatter256]

I'm not really sure how you can truthfully list wild conjectures as a reason for not supporting a candidate. It's not my business nor my place to tell you who you should vote for and who not, but I sure hope you base your decisions on something more concrete than the imagined inaccessability of the health care program.

But you keep forgetting that I didn't vote this time :smt043

[Tachikoma]

Tachikoma: I appreciate the help of your country, I do...but bailed us out??? Please...it's great that another countrys leaders realize what needs to be done but I would hardly call it bailing us out.. :smt042

So what would you call committing troops so that your guy's are free'd up for other fighting? If you have not got enough troops to go around, then us supplying you with enough troops for you to do your work is, whether you like it or not, bailing you out. This isn't an anti-american thing, it's showing just how bad the military strategists have planned it.

[Funk Buddy]

Yeah, should have clairified - I'm currently in my fourth year of college right now, and it gets harder and harder each year - in part because the federal government deems me not worthy of financial aid - let's hear it for making the decisions based on how much you/your parents make BEFORE taxes, instead of after. :angry

Back then, I couldn't get any financial aid because even with three kids in the college age bracket my parents made to much money. I'm sure I could have gotten some type, but not the regular stuff most folks go for. Glad to see nothings changed since the late 80's.

[A. Snow]

Mocha, triple shot, with whipped cream. Please.
And I'm still waiting on that bagel.

Just out of curiosity, I hear a lot of people mentioning stem cell research, and I'm wondering which kind you're talking about - the unnecessary and awful embryonic/fetal stem cell research, or the non-fatal adult stem cell research that they've recently discovered works the same.

I'm obviously against the former and for the latter. :smt023

I'd normally be against embryonic/fetal stem cell research except that there are thousands of left over embryos that are sitting in cold storage that are never going to be used and will be destroyed anyways. They might as well go to a worthy cause. I would feel different if the embryos were created only for research but that's not the case.

[einbebop44]

Mocha, triple shot, with whipped cream. Please.
And I'm still waiting on that bagel.

Just out of curiosity, I hear a lot of people mentioning stem cell research, and I'm wondering which kind you're talking about - the unnecessary and awful embryonic/fetal stem cell research, or the non-fatal adult stem cell research that they've recently discovered works the same.

I'm obviously against the former and for the latter. :smt023

I'd normally be against embryonic/fetal stem cell research except that there are thousands of left over embryos that are sitting in cold storage that are never going to be used and will be destroyed anyways. They might as well go to a worthy cause. I would feel different if the embryos were created only for research but that's not the case.

Exactly how I feel. As long as you're not just farming embryos, I say go for it.

[madhatter256]

So farming super soldiers is out of the question :smt043