We need more sensibile advertisements like this one.
Note that it never attacks a group of people or says "the other side is stupid." It is nothing but common sense FACTS, spoken by a non-politician who has a ton of experience with the exact topic being spoken about.
THIS is what civil debate is all about.
From the web site rethinkreform.com.
Here's 1,000 words for ya...
...and here's another 1,000 words...
O ... M ... G !!!
By the way, here's how the greetings SHOULD be done:
From today's Chicago Tribune.
"V" starts tonight on ABC at 8:00 Eastern (7:00 Central).
'V' aims at Obamamania
By Glenn Garvin McClatchy/Tribune News
November 3, 2009
Imagine this. At a time of political turmoil, a charismatic, telegenic new leader arrives virtually out of nowhere. He offers a message of hope and reconciliation based on compromise and promises to marshal technology for a better future that will include universal health care.
The news media swoons in admiration — one simpering anchorman even shouts at a reporter who asks a tough question: "Why don't you show some respect?!" The public is likewise smitten, except for a few nut cases who circulate batty rumors on the Internet about the leader's origins and intentions. The leader, undismayed, offers assurances that are soothing, if also just a tiny bit condescending: "Embracing change is never easy."
So, does that sound like anyone you know? Oh, wait — did I mention the leader is secretly a totalitarian space lizard who's come here to eat us?
Welcome to ABC's "V," the most fascinating and bound to be the most controversial new show of the fall television season. Nominally a rousing sci-fi space opera about alien invaders bent on the conquest (and digestion) of all humanity, it's also a barbed commentary on Obamamania that will infuriate the president's supporters and delight his detractors.
"We're all so quick to jump on the bandwagon," observes one character. "A ride on the bandwagon, it sounds like fun. But before we get on, let us at least make sure it is sturdy."
The bandwagon in this case is conspicuously saucer-shaped. "V" starts with the arrival of a couple of dozen ships from outer space, piloted by creatures who look like humans except a lot prettier. "Don't be frightened," says their luminously beautiful leader Anna (Morena Baccarin, "Serenity"). "We mean no harm."
The aliens — who become known as V's, for visitors — quickly enthrall their wide-eyed human hosts.
A handful of dissidents hold out against the rapturous reception given the V's. Some are simply uneasy, such as the youthful priest Father Jack (Joel Gretsch, "The 4400"), who sharply criticizes the Vatican's embrace of the V's as divine creations: "Rattlesnakes are God's creatures too."
With or without the political sheen, "V" is sweeping television storytelling at its best. Whether you choose to view it as a blood-and-guts war story, a spy thriller (unlike the original show, these V's are perfect replicas of humans, so you never really know who might be sitting beside you at the bar), a high-stakes family drama (as households divide over the intentions of the V's), a religious allegory (the V's make a crippled man walk, filling up churches again) or just a sci-fi throwback to the days of "Earth vs. the Flying Saucers" and "The Thing," "V" is irresistible. This bandwagon is definitely worth jumping on.
http://www.chicagotribune.com/entertainment/chi-tc-tvcolumn-v-1102-1103nov03,0,7062976.story
The article posted by Konane in July actually understates Michelle Obama's apparent need to raise an army in the White House.
The Canada Free Press apparently posted a follow-up article that raises the size of Michelle Obama's army of staff/servants to 26.
Why in the world would any first lady need 26 people? This is ludicrous. Why are the Obamas going around saying how they are concerned with government spending when the first lady alone has more employees than most small businesses? It's a crock, and everyone knows it — even if they won't admit it.
This is angering. Here's the article.
First Lady Now Requires 26 Servants
"In my own life, in my own small way, I have tried to give back to this country that has given me so much," she said. "See, that's why I left a job at a big law firm for a career in public service,"— Michelle Obama.
We were wrong.
Michelle Obama, as we reported on July 7, is not served by twenty-two attendants who stand by to cater to her every whim.
She is served by twenty-six attendants, including a hair dresser and make-up artist.
The annual cost to taxpayers for such unprecedented attention is approximately $1,750,000 without taking into account the expense of the lavish benefit packages afforded to every attendant.
Little did American voters realize the call for "change" would result in the establishment of an Obama oligarchy.
The discovery of the additional attendants was made by D'Angelo Gore of factcheck.org and by calls to Katie McCormick Lelyyeld, Michelle Obama's press secretary.
Mr. Gore launched his investigation of the First Lady's staff in the wake of an article that appeared on thelastcrusade.org and Canada Free Press on July 7.
The article, which became a chain letter viewed by millions of Americans, reported that Michelle Obama requires more than twenty attendants — more than any First Lady in U.S. History. It provided the following list of White House staff members assigned to the First Lady:
Readers throughout the country expressed outrage that Mrs. Obama would hire an unprecedented number of staffers in the midst of the Great Recession.
Sample comments from the hundreds of letters that poured into Canada Free Press are as follows:
Alan from Utah:
"The sad part is that after billions spent "stimulating" the economy, the list of new staffers for the wife of our pretend president represents the only new jobs that have been created. We're screwed."
Laurie from Texas:
"....and not a one of those attendants can help her find something decent to wear...pathetic waste of taxpayer money....."
Terry from Colorado:
"This is from the family that supports a government run health care system. If they can't control the spending inside the White House, how can we believe they can save money elsewhere?"
Lanette from California:
"This is OBAMANABLY!!!! I've been laid off....wonder if she will hire me?"
Bobby from Shanksville:
"I didn't see anyone listed who wipes her ####."
Lyle from Ilinois:
"This is a crime. I am sure not one of those aides comes close to earning what they are paid. How could they? What is there for them to do? I can't believe Michelle will end up being a great first lady regardless how many aides she has. How will she ever survive at the end of his four-year term when she has to go back to being a civilian again. No way will the government pay for all these lackies for a civilian, no matter how hard she may try to make it happen. I recall a high school English teacher saying "like begets like" and it sure shows up with the Obama couple. They're both in it for as much as they can get for themselves."
Michelle from Michigan:
How can my nephew, who has been out of work for almost a year, get a job on Michelle's staff? The pay is better than anything available here and he is colleged educated.
Betty from Pennsylvania:
My husband and I have worked hard all our lives. We are people of integrity. And yet when I read of spending like this my blood boils. How dare she use my hard-earned money like this. How dare she take advantage of her position. She did not earn her position because of who she is or how hard she has worked. I don't know how she can sleep at night. Somehow, we need to get this President out of office before we lose all our rights.
The allegations within the July 7 article seemed so outrageous that many readers questioned their accuracy.
Does Mrs. Obama have an unprecedented number of staffers in a time when 34 million Americans — a record number — rely on food stamps to feed their families?
The answer, as D'Angelo Gore of factcheck.org discovered, is yes.
When questioned by Mr. Gore, Katie McCormick Lelyveld, Michelle Obama's press secretary, said that the First Lady does retain a staff of more than twenty who remain at her beck and call. But the actual number is 24, not 22, as the article reported.
Mrs. Lelyyeld failed to provide the names of the two additional attendants to Mrs. Obama. But she did confirm that six staffers who do not have "first lady" in their title but are a part of the First Lady's office staff, such as Desiree Rogers, who bears the title "Special Assistant to the President and White House Social Secretary," and Natalie Bookey, who is listed as a "staff assistant."
What's more, even a list of 24 would be incomplete since it would fail to include the names of makeup artist Ingrid Grimes-Miles, 49, and "First Hairstylist" Johnny Wright, 31, both of whom travel aboard Air Force One and provide Mrs. Obama with daily attention.
This adds up to a whopping $1,600,700.00 and the amount doesn't include the elite benefit packages granted to the White House staff and their significant others (include same-sex partners). Nor does the figure take into account the salaries for the two additional full-time staff members mentioned by Mrs. Obama's Press Secretary nor the full time hair-dresser and makeup artist assigned to her. A guesstimate of the total salaries for Mrs. Obama's attendants is $1,750,00.00 plus the additional benefits.
For comparison, let's remember that poor Bess Truman and Mamie Eisenhower had to shell out the salaries for 5 of their personal secretaries from their own pocketbooks. Stephen Plotkin, reference archivist for the John F. Kennedy Presidential Library, says that Jacqueline Kennedy's office was "headed" by one person who supervised a staff of approximately nine full and part time workers (including the White House cooks and chambermaids).
Kim Coryat, an archives technician at the William J. Clinton Presidential Library, says that it is difficult to nail down a precise count of staff because "White House staffing for all offices ebbs and flows with time." But she points out that a White House telephone directory indicates that Hillary Clinton had a staff of thirteen in 1993 — this is telling since Mrs. Clinton intended to serve as a co-executive in the Oval Office by spearheading a health care reform program.
Laura Bush was far from a fiscal conservative during her time in the White House and, like her husband, served to bloat the White House budget. A list of Mrs. Bush's staff attendants is as follows:
This amounts to a total of $1,083,700.00. Laura was no piker when it came to spending. But she pales in comparison with Miz Michelle, who requires eight to ten additional attendants at an extra cost to taxpayers of $700,000 and change — the only change American taxpayers can believe in.
Windows 7 will be officially released in a couple weeks, so lots of articles and books are starting to get published.
One of the best such articles I have ready is 77 Windows 7 Tips. It contains lots of tips aimed at users who are comfortable with technology, but also has tips for anyone, regardless of proficiency level.
I have been using Windows 7 since July, and I must say it's an absolutely wonderful operating system. It has been rock-solid stable, and I love the various changes they have made to Vista.
This arrived in e-mail today. It's a wonderful little story that describes in clear terms how we got to where we are today.
An Easily Understandable Explanation of Derivative Markets
(OR: How We Got Here)
Heidi is the proprietor of a bar in the city. She realizes that virtually all of her customers are unemployed alcoholics and, as such, can no longer afford to patronize her bar. To solve this problem, she comes up with a new marketing plan that allows her customers to drink now, but pay later.
She keeps track of the drinks consumed on a ledger (thereby granting the customers loans). Word gets around about Heidi's "drink now, pay later" marketing strategy and, as a result, increasing numbers of customers flood into Heidi's bar. Soon she has the largest sales volume for any bar in the city.
By providing her customers freedom from immediate payment demands, Heidi gets no resistance when, at regular intervals, she substantially increases her prices for wine and beer, the most consumed beverages. Consequently, Heidi's gross sales volume increases massively.
A young and dynamic vice-president at the local bank recognizes that these customer debts constitute valuable future assets and increases Heidi's borrowing limit. He sees no reason for any undue concern, since he has the debts of the unemployed alcoholics as collateral.
At the bank's corporate headquarters, expert traders transform these customer loans into DRINKBONDS, ALKIBONDS, and PUKEBONDS. These securities are then bundled and traded on international security markets. Naive investors don't really understand that the securities being sold to them as AAA-secured bonds are really the debts of unemployed alcoholics.
Nevertheless, the bond prices continuously climb, and the securities soon become the hottest-selling items for some of the nation's leading brokerage houses.
One day, even though the bond prices are still climbing, a risk manager at the original local bank decides that the time has come to demand payment on the debts incurred by the drinkers at Heidi's bar. He so informs Heidi.
Heidi then demands payment from her alcoholic patrons, but being unemployed alcoholics, they cannot pay back their drinking debts. Since Heidi cannot fulfill her loan obligations, she is forced into bankruptcy. The bar closes and the eleven employees lose their jobs.
Overnight, DRINKBONDS, ALKIBONDS, and PUKEBONDS drop in price by 90%. The collapsed bond asset value destroys the bank's liquidity and prevents it from issuing new loans, thus freezing credit and economic activity in the community.
The suppliers of Heidi's bar had granted her generous payment extensions and had invested their firms' pension funds in the various BOND securities. They find they are now faced with having to write off her bad debt and with losing over 90% of the presumed value of the bonds.
Her wine supplier also claims bankruptcy, closing the doors on a family business that had endured for three generations. Her beer supplier is taken over by a competitor, who immediately closes the local plant and lays off 150 workers.
Fortunately though, the bank, the brokerage houses, and their respective executives are saved and bailed out by a multi-billion, no-strings-attached cash infusion from the Government. The funds required for this bailout are obtained by new taxes levied on employed, middle-class, non-drinkers.
Now, instead of "unemployed alcoholics", think "people who were allowed to get mortgages even though they couldn't afford to pay them" and you've got it.
Ramblings of the Lottery Post Webmaster
