Flame Issues in This Election Year

[Gene Scarborough]

MOre on same-sex marriage in NC:



I still think TERM LIMITS is a far more worthy issue for public vote!!!!

[Ed Pettibone]

[Gene Scarborough]

Ed---

In a nation which advocates separation of church and state, why can we make laws favoring the Judeo-Christian side?

[Ed Pettibone]

[Gene Scarborough]

Constitutionally, the same sex marriage thing is about civil rights and advocating against descrimination.

Religiously, the issue is over what Judeo-Christian ethics says vs. other cultures of the day which were accepting of it.

That is the crux and Ed---I think you can figure it out!

[Gene Scarborough]

Does history repeat itself?

I saw the most interesting program yesterday on the History 2 Channel dealing with the Presidents. It is entirely possible they will run the same today with "President's Day."

The year was 1800 and Jefferson and Burr tied for the Presidential election. The un-precedented event threw it to Congress and even their votes could not resolve it quickly. Finally Jefferson was voted in and made an interesting change in his outlook.

He had advocated lofty ideals of Federalism---whereby the powers of the Federal Government were supposed to be minimal. Once he took office, Jefferson assumed a somewhat dictatorial activity level. He individually did the Lousiana Purchase through Executive Order without consulting Congress.

His hidden relationship to his slave, Sally Hemmings, in addition to having a wife was spread far and wide with little political effect. He had 3 sons and a daughter with her. They were all classified as slaves, but one was given her freedom while 3 were listed officially as "runaways" in the end.

For a great Founding Father, he ended his public service at age 65 and went to Montecello and ran it as he pleased. He lived on the financial edge with a kindly heart for destitute friends. After death he owed some $2M in today's money and ultimately the house, land, slaves were sold to resolve it.

A good summary:

In sum, it was one of the most turbulent times in American history as the French were enlisted to help us against the British. The public was greatly divided over loyalty to the Colonies vs. British official ownership of them. People were reflecting the hatered and political posturing of their leaders and their animus was used as a political tool for election. Once elected, Jefferson did about the opposite of what he preached at a Founding Father.

Is this mess of today akin to that of another pivotal time of change in America?

[Gene Scarborough]

[Tim Bonney]

[Dave Roberts]

[Tim Bonney]

[Dave Roberts]

What bothers me is that religious institutions take the money but then scream when the strings are tugged.

[Neil Heath]

[Hal Eaton]

Late, as usual -- ET, on Feb. 11, wrote, "Price controls do not work. Never have. Never will. Should you can (sic) to do so, you can go back as far as 2000+ years to find that out."

He obviously did not experience price controls, rental controls, all kinds of such conrols during and after WWII. The failures of the practice were due to the finaglers who bent the rules, cheated their neighbors, and bragged about their wisdom.

Beyond that, ET is evidently not aware of the tremendous price controls now being carried on by the US government.

There are approximately 3,290,000 military retirees in the country today. They, and their dependents, are curently receiving medical care through "TriCare" and Medicare. When a medical practitioner performs a procedure on one of these millions, he/she labels the act with one of a lengthy series of government-devised codes which describes the process and tells how much can be charged for same. There is an "allowed charge" for every one of the thousands of codes. The doctor can charge more, but can receive only the approved amount.

I have previously detailed on this forum how we have been charged $100,000 for our care, but the government has allowed only $38,000 to be paid. I have about 8 inches of file space for the paperwork (one sheet per procedure) covering the past 40 years of my retirement, and for my wife as well.

I have acquired over five feet of surgical scars, and currently take 13 medications daily, plus two shots, and am in good physical condition, for which I am grateful.

That's price control, and it works wonderfully well, despite the opinions expressed herein . . .

Single payer, anyone?

[Gene Scarborough]

Hal---

Sorry to hear of your "rigors" with the VA. I am not surprised though. We applaude men and women for protecting our freedom and then imprison them as quick as they get sick with excuses and red tape. As a carrier of the draft card during Viet Nam, I am saddened with the excuses over Agent Orange.

What you say about price controls rings more true than the pulpit ET inhabits.

Simple natural competition is the best solution to anything. It is the way of nature and it eliminates the inferior and sick parts of nature as the more healthy and adapted animals eat the sick and inferior ones.

This brings me to another flame issue: SOCIALISM!

That term is being flung far and wide these days. It is as if Collusion and Price Gouging and Violating the Rules of the SEC are the way to go under the umbrella of CAPITALISM.

During the Reagan Administration and ever since the concept of "Trickle Down Economics" has been touted. It has resulted in the very Great Recession we now have. Greed led to it on the part of investors and firms in which they invested. The Stocks and Bonds offered along with Real Estate were based on lying accounting figures. The desire to "get rich quick" led investors to put big money into the lies. Rating Agencies further lied to call Derivatives AAA investments when they are XXX in reality.

Almost all the retirees I know have lost about 40% of the value of their portfolio and now are scared should inflation eat up the rest. As a small business owner I am earning about 30% of what I made pre-recession. In other words, I have an average 70% loss to my portfolio of work equity requiring 60-80 hour work weeks building this business of Tree Surgery since 1999.

Right now we DEFINITELY need some Price controls on Oil . The glimmer of recovery is quickly being put out with a great water bucket of rising fuel prices and gouging over diesel---the fuel of the working man and producer.