TomAiello

Yes, but because some people called their marriage of government and business "free market" the free market now has a bad name in the US, and will probably need to be renamed before people are willing to try to understand it. -- Tom Aiello Tom@SnakeRiverBASE.com SnakeRiverBASE.com

Sounds good to me. Except maybe the taxation of vices. -- Tom Aiello Tom@SnakeRiverBASE.com SnakeRiverBASE.com

Sounds good to me. I'll quit working immediately, relax and let someone else pay for the things I need. -- Tom Aiello Tom@SnakeRiverBASE.com SnakeRiverBASE.com

Yes, the government is here to help you. There's never any abuse of power. Hey, I've got an idea--let's put those guys in charge of healthcare, too! They're doing such a great job with what they have, why not let put them in charge of more? -- Tom Aiello Tom@SnakeRiverBASE.com SnakeRiverBASE.com

That's supposed to make us want a Canadian style system? People there have poor enough care that they go to another country to seek care if they are able to. If that's not an indictment of the Canadian system, I don't know what is. -- Tom Aiello Tom@SnakeRiverBASE.com SnakeRiverBASE.com

So hang on, which is it? Is it bullshit, or do you agree with Andy? Andy said "he was talking about the 18 year old" MNeal said "he didn't even know which one he was talking about" They're not agreeing with each other. -- Tom Aiello Tom@SnakeRiverBASE.com SnakeRiverBASE.com

+1...or rather +10 -- Tom Aiello Tom@SnakeRiverBASE.com SnakeRiverBASE.com

Honestly, I know zero about Imus either before or since that incident. Just the things I read in the press coverage of that actual incident. -- Tom Aiello Tom@SnakeRiverBASE.com SnakeRiverBASE.com

Your statement that he was speaking from the "political world." I assumed that meant that he was adjusting his views for public consumption, because he was a politician, and hence afraid to tell it the way he really saw it. Apologies if that wasn't what you had meant. -- Tom Aiello Tom@SnakeRiverBASE.com SnakeRiverBASE.com

In DC, he'd be arrested for that. -- Tom Aiello Tom@SnakeRiverBASE.com SnakeRiverBASE.com

If they want you to carry a gun, they should give you a vest. Hmm, if you want to climb poles for a living you bring your own equipment. When it needs replacing, company pays it. Not saying you are wrong but, there are different ways to look at it. Who provided the gun? If he lived in DC, you can bet it wasn't his. Remember what Heller does for a living? -- Tom Aiello Tom@SnakeRiverBASE.com SnakeRiverBASE.com

Bush Sr (who was, IMO, probably the most underrated president of modern times) is politically bulletproof. He's never running for office again. He's retired. He's a former president with virtually no stake in the game. He doesn't have to be "political." Hell, even when he was POTUS, he was probably the least likely President to equivocate. Remember what he said when a reporter asked him to comment on covert action in Central America? "If I told you, it wouldn't be covert, would it?" That's cool. We all have that right. It doesn't mean he doesn't believe what he says. -- Tom Aiello Tom@SnakeRiverBASE.com SnakeRiverBASE.com

How recently? "Nappy Headed Hos" ? -- Tom Aiello Tom@SnakeRiverBASE.com SnakeRiverBASE.com

I'm pretty sure that last he heard he was from Chicago. In general, I think that where someone is "from" is where they have lived and worked for the last several years (or decades), rather than a place they were born in and shortly left. As an example, where do you think Sarah Palin is from? I think she's from Alaska, even though she was born in Idaho. Illinois is not a wealthy state? I said that candidates did not have to be from large or wealthy states to be considered "qualified." You responded that you had voted for Obama, who was not from a large, wealthy state. But, if you really mean he wasn't personally wealthy, I think he'd disagree with you. As I recall, Obama defines "wealthy" as a person making over $250,000 per year, which is about a quarter of Obama's income from last year. Why is it that you focus so immediately on her gender? Personally, I think she was chosen because she was (a) young, (b) attractive (those two qualities were intended to help in the campaign against the young, attractive Barack Obama) and (c) an evangelical christian (which quality was intended to motivate a part of the Republican base that McCain doesn't appeal to, but which he knew was critical to Bush's electoral success). Was there another young, attractive, evangelical christian potential candidate? I think the only other Republican who could have fit that bill even marginally was Bobby Jindal, and, let's face it, he's not nearly so attractive as Sarah Palin, and catholics aren't exactly evangelical. -- Tom Aiello Tom@SnakeRiverBASE.com SnakeRiverBASE.com

I saw a huge amount of posting and debate in the thread about Tiller. Some of it even from pro-life folks. -- Tom Aiello Tom@SnakeRiverBASE.com SnakeRiverBASE.com

That is your (political) opinion. Fortunately, we live in a democracy, and the qualifications for holding office are well documented. Whether or not you, individually, feel that someone is good enough to be elected isn't relevant. The electorate still gets to speak, even if they don't know what's good for them. I voted for Obama. He's none of that. He's not from a large, wealthy and left leaning state? Where is Chicago, anyway? Idaho? And while we're at it, how exactly is being a third of the way into your first term as a senator any less "obscure" than being a governor? -- Tom Aiello Tom@SnakeRiverBASE.com SnakeRiverBASE.com

Without looking at your profile, I'm going to guess you live on one of the coasts, probably in a major city. Do you think that only people from those types of areas are high profile enough to run for national office? Sarah Palin was far from obscure to voters in Alaska. In fact, people in lots of other non-Alaska places had heard of her too. It's just that those places are generally regarded as "obscure" or "fly over country" as well. The idea that one must hail from a large, "important," wealthy, and (statistically, unless we're talking about Texas) left-leaning state to be qualified for national office is both erroneous and fantastically arrogant. -- Tom Aiello Tom@SnakeRiverBASE.com SnakeRiverBASE.com

One of my favorite shows The quote is also pretty appropriate if you happen to be someone who makes illegal BASE jumps. -- Tom Aiello Tom@SnakeRiverBASE.com SnakeRiverBASE.com

The Soviets really did hold a number of prisoners well past the wars end. Regardless, "it happened before" is poor justification for it to happen again. -- Tom Aiello Tom@SnakeRiverBASE.com SnakeRiverBASE.com

"I won" means never having to say you're sorry. -- Tom Aiello Tom@SnakeRiverBASE.com SnakeRiverBASE.com

The fact that things happened does not make them right. Some people really did do terrible things, and deserved punishment. But some probably got scapegoated by the victors, which was pretty unfair. -- Tom Aiello Tom@SnakeRiverBASE.com SnakeRiverBASE.com

There is a huge difference between being forced to help and deciding to. -- Tom Aiello Tom@SnakeRiverBASE.com SnakeRiverBASE.com

Two words: "I won" -- Tom Aiello Tom@SnakeRiverBASE.com SnakeRiverBASE.com

But don't the mullahs get to pick who is and who is not an "appropriate" candidate to run in the election? Yes. But the definitions of "appropriate" are broad enough to include people who disagree with them. -- Tom Aiello Tom@SnakeRiverBASE.com SnakeRiverBASE.com

"Hey, it's not me--it's just the voices in my head." -- Tom Aiello Tom@SnakeRiverBASE.com SnakeRiverBASE.com