BIGUN

Congratulations. I don't know that Lisa knows that DZ.com has resurfaced as Skydive Forums.

Let's talk about this. Elimination - no. Since Katrina, Wilma, Ike, etc. The static budget for FEMA grew to an approximate 80 Billion. It should only take 20 Billion to run FEMA with supplemental appropriations during major catastophic events. As with any federal empire; it's based on budget. So, once they started getting a static budget for the empire - they tried to hang on to it. That empire is too bloated. In my opinion, the insurance companies are trying to offload their responsibilities and dump on FEMA. On that note, I think that Homeland security, FEMA and several other agencies that overlap in mission and budget should be re-engineered.

Follow the money. Conmen are manipulators. Conmen have no discernible skills other than words. Conmen getting conned. Conmen think they are the greatest conmen on the planet, so much so that they can't even recognize when they are being conned, even when someone points it out.

I think they were on for minutes when the news came in. Wonder what back door threats to their judgeships were made.

Probably something to do with contractual free trade agreements with 20 countries. Whoda thunk it. Guess the rule of law does matter. Now get your ass in front of congress and work out a bipartisan budget.

Great. Now, I've got add chicken tacos on skydiver night.

The Yang model would be $1,000/month to each adult + basic health care. His contention was that it was not enough to live on and people should supplement that UBI. Unfortunately, his plan would have cost the government 2.8 trillion a year and his solution for that burden was to establish a VAT and other taxes, but the backfill was 50% of the cost. For me, it sounds good, but the real solution is to create more jobs, and get folks education for those jobs.

You really don't think the 1.1T budget for DoD was for naught, do ya?

"If ever a time should come, when vain and aspiring men shall possess the highest seats in Government, our country will stand in need of its experienced patriots to prevent its ruin." ~Samuel Adams

Bombas socks created a social impact wherein this generation now does business with those (social enterprises) who invest back into the commmunity. True statement. Average anywhere else. US business owners will tell you, "they want the money, but they don't want the work."

Not really. If you can save twenty-five cents per hour for 5,000 call center employees, that $2,500,000 towards your EBIT.

Most of the time, if you call them and let them know your desire, they'll accomodate you.

You can have prostate cancer and not know it. The cancer cells grow so slowly that they never really release from the gland, then it suddenly spreads to distant sites, and quickly poses a serious risk to health and longevity.

We as a nation, we as a world. Social media and the need to make noise permeates our lives . . . To wish our Presidents get killed, our former President die a horrible death. Not a kind word from anyone, anymore.

We have lost any sense of common decency.

The first time - we were wrong. There was no second time.

I grew up listening to Mario Lanza and other tenors. In 1993, this untrained singer takes the stage with Zucchero and the opera world is buzzing. Bocelli comes out with "Romanza" in 1997. I am in shock. In my mind, no one could present as powerful a rendition of Nessun Dorma than Mario and I was wrong. There is no better evening than a firepit, glass of wine and putting my staggered playlist of both of them on and watching a sunset. All this to say, I finally get to see him in person next month.

Admittedly, he and I thought someone outside the political circle would be good. It was about change, We were wrong. Except for my being a swiftie.

We need to talk about what you think gives us pleasure. That was just fookin painful. But, in more important news, he doesn't think Taylor Swift is hot. smh

Aaaaaand . . . back on ignore.

Welcome to the Independent Party. Over the past ten/fifteen years, I have seen a greater division between the left and right. No willingness to compromise, find middle ground, each side giving a little. It got so bad that I was up nights - angry. I have numerous friends, fellow veterans that were born and raised conservative Democrat. We'd go hunting, fishing, etc. and discuss political tactics. They were a bit different, but the Venn diagram intersection was much bigger than it is today. Today it's either all left or all right with no intersection. Almost all of them didn't even vote this time (in part, because Oklahoma has a red electoral college) and in part because they too, didn’t feel like they had a choice. They didn't get to vote for the choice in the primaries. Meanwhile, my town of Tulsa elected a democratic mayor for the first time in 35 years. I voted for his democratic counterpart because I've known her for about 30 years and she is passionate about what is best for the city, not her party. The only way to spit myself out of the nastiness was to take a more neutral position. From now on; I vote for whom I think is the person most likely to do more for their constituents, their community and the best for our nation.

Far right, Far left. Same. Same.

Cations

All good points. I sometimes wonder if the recreational pilot certification was a detriment.

Understand and agree. "We" as Americans have got to STOP with the party alignment and work from the middle outwards TOGETHER for what's best for our nation.