Search found 4706 matches

by Ragorn
Fri May 13, 2011 10:58 pm
Forum: Current Events & Politics
Topic: lol, did we learn nothing from the subprime mortgage crisis?
Replies: 27
Views: 6760

Re: lol, did we learn nothing from the subprime mortgage cri

are banks in up town saying sorry we don't serve customers from downtown? Quit being retarded. They can pick up the phone and call an uptown bank, they can take the bus up there. whatever, Yoshinoya not opening up a restauarant in whitesvill, MT doesn't make it discrimination. It makse it a busines...
by Ragorn
Fri May 13, 2011 10:56 pm
Forum: Current Events & Politics
Topic: Oh those special interests.
Replies: 127
Views: 20414

Re: Oh those special interests.

Actually, I think lifeguards should unionize and seek higher wages. I posted a link above to a job listing at a CA State Beach that pays a salary of $4000 for lifeguards. At least ONE lifeguard is making $4000 per year, which is UNACCEPTABLE. I propose we have the government step in and evaluate com...
by Ragorn
Fri May 13, 2011 7:22 pm
Forum: Current Events & Politics
Topic: Oh those special interests.
Replies: 127
Views: 20414

Re: Oh those special interests.

Even 1 lifeguard pulling $211k is unacceptable to the tune of $80,000 of taxpayer cash money that could have hired an additional full-time teacher. Kiryan's post already made the citation for: "More than half the city's 14 full-time lifeguards collected more than $150,000 in total compensation...
by Ragorn
Fri May 13, 2011 7:05 pm
Forum: Current Events & Politics
Topic: Oh those special interests.
Replies: 127
Views: 20414

Re: Oh those special interests.

Still, you haven't refuted that there aren't any lifeguards that aren't pulling 200k in compensation. At all. The link to the park's recruitment website is fine, but that is by no means all of the lifeguards. I am not required to refute that claim. This is a thread expressing outrage that "lif...
by Ragorn
Fri May 13, 2011 5:07 pm
Forum: Current Events & Politics
Topic: Oh those special interests.
Replies: 127
Views: 20414

Re: Oh those special interests.

You linked to a blog, not an article. And what a surprise, it's some right-wing fuckhead bitching about the government with nary a source or citation in sight. Let me be perfectly clear in my response -- I believe the blog entry you linked is ass-clenchingly cherrypicked at best , and most likely is...
by Ragorn
Fri May 13, 2011 2:50 pm
Forum: Current Events & Politics
Topic: lol, did we learn nothing from the subprime mortgage crisis?
Replies: 27
Views: 6760

Re: lol, did we learn nothing from the subprime mortgage cri

fair criticisms... especially about being objective. but on the other hand, geographic areas should be able to be redlined and can be "too risky" to lend in even if there is no question on whether the borrower can afford it. Blight spreads and the quality of the asset could be diminished ...
by Ragorn
Fri May 13, 2011 2:36 pm
Forum: Current Events & Politics
Topic: Oh those special interests.
Replies: 127
Views: 20414

Re: Oh those special interests.

The claim that lifeguards make an annual salary $200,000 is so far removed from reality that no rational person would even be willing to enter it into the realm of statements which could concievably be considered factual. There is no need for me or anyone else to "refute" this claim, as a ...
by Ragorn
Thu May 12, 2011 2:24 pm
Forum: Current Events & Politics
Topic: damnit now they are shutting down the coffee shops I go to
Replies: 3
Views: 1297

Re: damnit now they are shutting down the coffee shops I go

Thou shalt not covet thy neighbor's wife.
by Ragorn
Thu May 12, 2011 2:23 pm
Forum: Current Events & Politics
Topic: Oh those special interests.
Replies: 127
Views: 20414

Re: Oh those special interests.

Yeah, damn Ragorn for being able to Google effectively enough to call kiryan out on bullshit he made up. Also, I'll add lifeguards to the list of people you hate. I think so far we have doctors, fire fighters, dialysis patients, meterologists, lifeguards, and teachers. Did I miss anyone? All those d...
by Ragorn
Thu May 12, 2011 2:19 pm
Forum: Current Events & Politics
Topic: lol, did we learn nothing from the subprime mortgage crisis?
Replies: 27
Views: 6760

Re: lol, did we learn nothing from the subprime mortgage cri

So you're not familiar with the concept of redlining, then? Redlining is a system banks use to generalize people who live in different areas. To save themselves the time and expense of doing comprehensive credit/background checks on everyone who applies for a loan, financial institutions will often ...
by Ragorn
Wed May 11, 2011 7:03 pm
Forum: Current Events & Politics
Topic: Oh those special interests.
Replies: 127
Views: 20414

Re: Oh those special interests.

Except state and municipal employees are exempt from the overtime allowances. Including lifeguards at municipal pools.

I guess if a private-sector corporation set up a pool and hired lifeguards, then paid them hourly, they'd be bound by that ruling.
by Ragorn
Wed May 11, 2011 5:08 pm
Forum: Current Events & Politics
Topic: Oh those special interests.
Replies: 127
Views: 20414

Re: Oh those special interests.

Overtime laws work off of hours per week, not hours per day.
by Ragorn
Tue May 10, 2011 7:44 pm
Forum: Current Events & Politics
Topic: Damn Bush and Gas Prices
Replies: 42
Views: 8519

Re: Damn Bush and Gas Prices

http://blogs.forbes.com/johntharvey/2011/04/26/why-you-are-paying-so-much-for-gas/ Decent opinion piece, attempts to explore the idea that gas prices are driven by the supply of oil and the demand for gasoline. The article's author concludes that the high price of gas is not primarily driven by trad...
by Ragorn
Mon May 09, 2011 1:46 pm
Forum: Current Events & Politics
Topic: the ultimate in regulation retardation.
Replies: 42
Views: 10065

Re: the ultimate in regulation retardation.

Also, news media outlets love to report that incidence of disease is "on the rise." It makes for sensational news reporting. I tend to believe that the autism rate is probably stable.
by Ragorn
Mon May 09, 2011 1:45 pm
Forum: Current Events & Politics
Topic: Food Stamps
Replies: 37
Views: 7399

Re: Food Stamps

Neither WIC nor food stamps allow people to buy soda, candy, or cigarettes. What happens is, when you use food stamps, change under a dollar is refunded in cash. So you will regularly see people come to the register with five small cans of baby formula, each of which costs 99 cents plus tax. They'll...
by Ragorn
Fri May 06, 2011 7:27 pm
Forum: Current Events & Politics
Topic: Food Stamps
Replies: 37
Views: 7399

Re: Food Stamps

It's both. Metabolism is adaptive but partly genetic. Eating habits are learned.
by Ragorn
Thu May 05, 2011 7:23 pm
Forum: Current Events & Politics
Topic: Food Stamps
Replies: 37
Views: 7399

Re: Food Stamps

Only a Republican thinks that people on food stamps should just get a damn job already :)
by Ragorn
Thu May 05, 2011 7:22 pm
Forum: Current Events & Politics
Topic: Criticism of the OBL raid?
Replies: 20
Views: 5176

Re: Criticism of the OBL raid?

Yes, lots of armchair presidenting this week. To be expected really, and I'm not particularly bothered by it. People who tune into Hannity or Beck do so because they want to hear the President blasted for everything he says and everything he does. These guys are just giving their viewers/listeners w...
by Ragorn
Thu May 05, 2011 1:46 pm
Forum: Current Events & Politics
Topic: Food Stamps
Replies: 37
Views: 7399

Re: Food Stamps

Only a Republican would think that removing the minimum wage would help more people get off food stamps.
by Ragorn
Wed May 04, 2011 8:15 pm
Forum: Current Events & Politics
Topic: Food Stamps
Replies: 37
Views: 7399

Re: Food Stamps

I don't expect to be taken seriously, because this is not a serious thread. So 1 in 7 Americans are on food stamps, so what? The bottom 14% of American households have an annual income of $20,000. Shock, awe, those people are on government assistance. They are the people that government assistance i...
by Ragorn
Wed May 04, 2011 6:27 pm
Forum: Current Events & Politics
Topic: Food Stamps
Replies: 37
Views: 7399

Re: Food Stamps

Yeah, income disparity in a serious problem in America. It's utterly ridiculous how many people have to live below the poverty line to support the salaries of CEOs and athletes.

Also, this is why we have a minimum wage. Because if we didn't, that number would be a lot higher.
by Ragorn
Tue May 03, 2011 7:40 pm
Forum: Current Events & Politics
Topic: Le stock market
Replies: 6
Views: 1218

Re: Le stock market

Yeah. Sometimes it's fun to watch the mental gymnastics you have to go through in order to blame everything on Obama and give Bush all the credit.
by Ragorn
Tue May 03, 2011 7:22 pm
Forum: Current Events & Politics
Topic: Le stock market
Replies: 6
Views: 1218

Le stock market

Image

Discuss.
by Ragorn
Tue May 03, 2011 5:26 pm
Forum: Current Events & Politics
Topic: Oh those special interests.
Replies: 127
Views: 20414

Re: Oh those special interests.

No, not at all Ragorn. I think the higher you pay, the better pool of applicants to choose from. You will absolutely be able to choose more qualified people if you offer higher compensation. But the goal isn't perfection. Otherwise we would be paying teachers $500,000 per year so the best and the b...
by Ragorn
Tue May 03, 2011 2:55 pm
Forum: Current Events & Politics
Topic: Oh those special interests.
Replies: 127
Views: 20414

Re: Oh those special interests.

Also - there are a lot more people that can do the job of a teacher or police officer well, than people who can play shortstop and hit 30 home runs at the major league level. So you're ok with MLB differentiating on quality and paying to attract higher-quality players, but not with teacher or firef...
by Ragorn
Tue May 03, 2011 1:51 pm
Forum: Current Events & Politics
Topic: Oh those special interests.
Replies: 127
Views: 20414

Re: Oh those special interests.

No, I facepalmed because I asked you a simple question and you half-answered it and threw some other shit in your answer.
by Ragorn
Tue May 03, 2011 1:08 pm
Forum: Current Events & Politics
Topic: Oh those special interests.
Replies: 127
Views: 20414

Re: Oh those special interests.

Like with any position, compensation level is dictated by the quality of applicant the employer is looking for. If a school system wants experienced, educated teachers, they need to offer appropriate compensation. And a high volume of applicants doesn't necessarily mean the position is overpaid. Aga...
by Ragorn
Mon May 02, 2011 8:08 pm
Forum: Current Events & Politics
Topic: They Got Bin Laden
Replies: 30
Views: 6420

Re: They Got Bin Laden

== kudos to Obama for apparently taking unilateral action in a soverign foreign nation.. something I think many of us had doubts he was willing to do. I'm glad we didn't find a way to screw this up or let him get away. Actually, when he was campaigning, he said he'd absolutely go nuts on Pakistan i...
by Ragorn
Mon May 02, 2011 8:07 pm
Forum: Current Events & Politics
Topic: the ultimate in regulation retardation.
Replies: 42
Views: 10065

Re: the ultimate in regulation retardation.

Just like we regulate, to a degree, what foods can and cannot be sold by private individuals. We done here?
by Ragorn
Mon May 02, 2011 4:45 pm
Forum: Current Events & Politics
Topic: the ultimate in regulation retardation.
Replies: 42
Views: 10065

Re: the ultimate in regulation retardation.

I agree. We should ban smoking in public and drunk driving, and we should impose regulations on emissions from cars.

Oh wait.

We do.
by Ragorn
Mon May 02, 2011 2:50 pm
Forum: Current Events & Politics
Topic: Oh those special interests.
Replies: 127
Views: 20414

Re: Oh those special interests.

I agree with Corthpalm.
by Ragorn
Mon May 02, 2011 2:26 pm
Forum: Current Events & Politics
Topic: Oh those special interests.
Replies: 127
Views: 20414

Re: Oh those special interests.

Can you agree on the following two premises: 1. Higher compensation will usually generate more applicants. 2. There are multiple factors which affect the rate of application. Sometimes, my head hurts reading this forum. Obviously, paying people more will convince more people to apply. But obviously,...
by Ragorn
Mon May 02, 2011 1:53 pm
Forum: Current Events & Politics
Topic: They Got Bin Laden
Replies: 30
Views: 6420

Re: They Got Bin Laden

I'm gonna go ahead and celebrate the victory. It's not a Republican victory, or a Democratic victory. It's not the End of All Terrorism. But it's something worth celebrating, as Americans, without bickering too much about circumstances.

I think we can give it a rest for a day.
by Ragorn
Sat Apr 30, 2011 10:11 pm
Forum: Current Events & Politics
Topic: liar in chief
Replies: 10
Views: 1337

Re: liar in chief

kiryan wrote:Its an opinion piece, and not really a lie, but close enough.

So I guess the title of your thread is more a lie than anything Obama did. So, Republican politics as usual.

Thread over.
by Ragorn
Fri Apr 29, 2011 6:06 pm
Forum: Current Events & Politics
Topic: Oh those special interests.
Replies: 127
Views: 20414

Re: Oh those special interests.

Yeah, my dad is foaming at the mouth over the Boeing thing, since he lives in SC. Simple fact is, the IAWAW registered a complaint because Boeing violated the Labor Act of 2009. The NLRB investigated, determined that there is probable cause to begin litigation, and filed suit. Either Boeing operate...
by Ragorn
Fri Apr 29, 2011 4:36 pm
Forum: Current Events & Politics
Topic: Oh those special interests.
Replies: 127
Views: 20414

Re: Oh those special interests.

Yeah, my dad is foaming at the mouth over the Boeing thing, since he lives in SC. Simple fact is, the IAWAW registered a complaint because Boeing violated the Labor Act of 2009. The NLRB investigated, determined that there is probable cause to begin litigation, and filed suit. Either Boeing operated...
by Ragorn
Wed Apr 27, 2011 4:56 pm
Forum: Current Events & Politics
Topic: Oh those special interests.
Replies: 127
Views: 20414

Re: Oh those special interests.

You are the only person I have ever met who believes that teachers and firefighters are grossly overpaid. But pretty much everything you say and think is the opposite of the truth, so I guess I shouldn't be surprised.
by Ragorn
Wed Apr 27, 2011 4:53 pm
Forum: Current Events & Politics
Topic: More CPS bad behavior
Replies: 26
Views: 5064

Re: More CPS bad behavior

Kiryan: Tough on teachers. No time for firefighters. Opposed to child protection services.

Your posterboy for Montana militia.
by Ragorn
Wed Apr 27, 2011 4:51 pm
Forum: Current Events & Politics
Topic: The great European socialist myth
Replies: 1
Views: 798

Re: The great European socialist myth

This is why we need to raise taxes on the wealthy. But Republicans say we take in too much revenue already!

We cannot sustain Republican economics any longer.
by Ragorn
Wed Apr 27, 2011 4:50 pm
Forum: Current Events & Politics
Topic: soda tax
Replies: 5
Views: 1123

Re: soda tax

Okay.
by Ragorn
Wed Apr 27, 2011 4:50 pm
Forum: Current Events & Politics
Topic: Republicans, form an orderly queue to apologize
Replies: 18
Views: 2552

Re: Republicans, form an orderly queue to apologize

I love the squirming :) It's very enjoyable to watch Republicans engage in serious cognitive dissonance today. They WANT SO BADLY to cling to the idea that Obama isn't a natural born citizen, but it's impossible for the rational mind to entertain such an idea. So begins the gnashing and twisting... ...
by Ragorn
Wed Apr 27, 2011 4:18 pm
Forum: Current Events & Politics
Topic: Republicans, form an orderly queue to apologize
Replies: 18
Views: 2552

Re: Republicans, form an orderly queue to apologize

Your tears are delicious. Keep crying them.

Speaking of crying, Fox News is absolutely shitting the bed today.
by Ragorn
Wed Apr 27, 2011 2:28 pm
Forum: Current Events & Politics
Topic: Who's legislating morality now?
Replies: 10
Views: 1530

Re: Who's legislating morality now?

To be fair, I'm in the pro-circumcision camp, but more because it's a societal norm than for any medical or religious reason. It's kind of a weird issue for me. I support it mostly because other people support it. Regardless of my thoughts on circumcision itself, I don't think they're going to get m...
by Ragorn
Wed Apr 27, 2011 2:06 pm
Forum: Current Events & Politics
Topic: Oh those special interests.
Replies: 127
Views: 20414

Re: Oh those special interests.

kiryan wrote:I have always been critical of pay and benefits for fire fighters.

You really are one of the most evil people I know.
by Ragorn
Wed Apr 27, 2011 2:05 pm
Forum: Current Events & Politics
Topic: Republicans, form an orderly queue to apologize
Replies: 18
Views: 2552

Republicans, form an orderly queue to apologize

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB1000142 ... 82824.html

I imagine Fox News will be an avalanche of heartfelt apologies today, as their anchors and pundits express their deep regret over challenging the birthplace of the President of the United States of America.
by Ragorn
Wed Apr 27, 2011 2:04 pm
Forum: Current Events & Politics
Topic: Who's legislating morality now?
Replies: 10
Views: 1530

Re: Who's legislating morality now?

Kinda torn on this one. On the one hand, it's performing a permanent procedure on a child too young to give consent. On the other hand, it's a practiced based in religion, and legislating to ban religious practices is something we need to be careful about. Also, fetuses aren't babies, so the abortio...
by Ragorn
Tue Apr 26, 2011 7:59 pm
Forum: Current Events & Politics
Topic: Oh those special interests.
Replies: 127
Views: 20414

Re: Oh those special interests.

Remember when Republicans thought it was sacrilege to disparage firefighters? From about September 12th, 2001 riiiiiiiiiiight up until about November 4th, 2008? Now I guess we have to whine about how much these "national heroes" make, because that's what's fashionable on the red side of th...
by Ragorn
Mon Apr 25, 2011 2:58 pm
Forum: Current Events & Politics
Topic: Another lesson in bad parenting or do we need more laws?
Replies: 17
Views: 3643

Re: Another lesson in bad parenting or do we need more laws?

Slippery slope is a logical fallacy. The fact that you want to spend a page trying to prove that it's a legitimate argument is proof that there is no point in arguing with you.
by Ragorn
Thu Apr 21, 2011 7:47 pm
Forum: Current Events & Politics
Topic: By the people, for the people
Replies: 21
Views: 3923

Re: By the people, for the people

Does that include, say, General Electric? :)
by Ragorn
Thu Apr 21, 2011 7:24 pm
Forum: Current Events & Politics
Topic: Another lesson in bad parenting or do we need more laws?
Replies: 17
Views: 3643

Re: Another lesson in bad parenting or do we need more laws?

You realize that "slippery slope" is actually, literally, a logical fallacy right?

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