posted
I don't think tire studs or tire chains are legal up here in at least Ontario either. Weird to hear that you guys are still having trouble with people using them.
Posts: 7593 | Registered: Sep 2006
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posted
From the Detroit area, Ontario is "down there." A number of years ago, somebody got a good laugh by posing as a weatherman in Windsor, and referring to a "Cold arctic air mass moving in from the United States."
Posts: 3742 | Registered: Dec 2001
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posted
I'm in Seattle. We had a bit of a snowstorm in December and people had no idea what they were doing. I'm still hearing people driving around with the damn things on.
There are potholes everywhere.
Posts: 2907 | Registered: Nov 2005
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quote:Originally posted by Ron Lambert: From the Detroit area, Ontario is "down there." A number of years ago, somebody got a good laugh by posing as a weatherman in Windsor, and referring to a "Cold arctic air mass moving in from the United States."
I think of Ontario as "over there."
Posts: 21898 | Registered: Nov 2004
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posted
Artemisia, Ontario is a province, comparable to a state. Windsor, Hamilton, Toronto, and Ottawa are examples of cities in Ontario. Windsor is just across the Detroit River from Detroit. Toronto, where the Blue Jays baseball team have their home, is the closest to being like an east coast city. It has a population of 2,503,281, according to a recent census. But I think the folks in Toronto would probably take exception to being lumped together with New Yorkers and Bostonians.
Posts: 3742 | Registered: Dec 2001
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New Hampshire's Democratic governor has promised to name a Republican successor to Gregg, which was Gregg's only condition before accepting the position. The successor, like Gregg would have had to, will need to run for reelection in 2010 when the term will expire.
Posts: 21898 | Registered: Nov 2004
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quote: Daschle, a former senate majority leader, is President Barack Obama's nominee to oversee the Health and Human Services Department
quote: Those questions will focus on tax issues, such as the $128,203 in back taxes and $11,964 in interest that he paid last month, said the aide. Daschle will also be questioned about the potential conflicts of interests he would face because he accepted speaking fees from health care interests, said the aide, who asked not to be identified because the aide was not authorized to speak publicly on the matter.
Daschle also provided advice to health insurers and hospitals through his work at a law firm.
posted
You know, one thing I can't really figure out is why all these Congressional leaders seem to have so much trouble paying their taxes. I mean, they always wind up getting caught, so it seems like a bad long-term investment to not just hire an accountant in the first place.
If you have a high-profile job and are required to publicly disclose your income, pay your taxes correctly or hire someone to do it for you. Duh.
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posted
Ron, if you can't see Denver by standing on the hood of your car, you are on the East Coast somewhere. Boston, St. Louis, Detroit,Toronto, Atlanta they are all back East somewhere.
Posts: 1167 | Registered: Oct 2005
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posted
Well, now Daschle has bowed out. This is the third Obama nominee who has had to bow out because of tax problems. In view of the corrupt political environment in Chicago and Illinois where he established his political career, at what point does all this begin to stain Obama? Is it all somebody else's fault?
In view of some of his other miscues, like ordering the immediately shutdown of Guantanamo, only to learn that he couldn't do that, he has to allow a year for it to wind down (and even with that extension, 50% of Americans oppose the shutdown to 44% in favor according to a recent Gallop poll), ordering that U.S. tax dollars be sent to fund overseas abortions (which 58% of Americans say they disappove of in the same Gallup poll)--not to mention the diplomatic corners he has painted himself into--at what point does Obama become branded as a doofus?
It is dangerous for him to make himself be seen in the world as a laughing stock, because this will encourage those who wish to test him with provocative political and maybe even military moves to be especially daring, and even sooner.
Those of you who voted for Obama need to re-examine whether you really voted for him for the right reasons, and were right to dismiss the efforts to vet him which revealed very disturbing things about his past associations, and were right to ignore the arguments that he is an inexperienced political lightweight. You are getting what you voted for.
You do see that, don't you?
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posted
*laugh* Oh, Ron, I only hope that some day you'll look back on these posts and see the same kind of humor in them that we do.
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posted
Laughing doesn't prove anything about your wisdom or intelligence. What will be more telling is seeing who has the last laugh.
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Blayne Bradley
unregistered
posted
my laugh when all of you are brought up against the wall and shot for opposing my path to world domination.
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quote: Under executive orders issued by Obama recently, the CIA still has authority to carry out what are known as renditions, secret abductions and transfers of prisoners to countries that cooperate with the United States.
Current and former U.S. intelligence officials said that the rendition program might be poised to play an expanded role going forward because it was the main remaining mechanism -- aside from Predator missile strikes -- for taking suspected terrorists off the street.
posted
Daschle leaving will make my dad happy. My dad is almost, almost approving of Obama in general, but was unhappy about how the "change" administration was putting in Tom Daschle for ANYTHING. That he is old guard AND has sketchy taxes was quite upsetting.
So, good for Obama. I'm glad.
Posts: 26077 | Registered: Mar 2000
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posted
"The CIA shall close as expeditiously as possible any detention facilities that it currently operates and shall not operate any such detention facility in the future."
"to study and evaluate the practices of transferring individuals to other nations in order to ensure that such practices comply with the domestic laws, international obligations, and policies of the United States and do not result in the transfer of individuals to other nations to face torture or otherwise for the purpose, or with the effect, of undermining or circumventing the commitments or obligations of the United States to ensure the humane treatment of individuals in its custody or control."
"to study and evaluate the practices of transferring individuals to other nations in order to ensure that such practices comply with the domestic laws, international obligations, and policies of the United States and do not result in the transfer of individuals to other nations to face torture or otherwise for the purpose, or with the effect, of undermining or circumventing the commitments or obligations of the United States to ensure the humane treatment of individuals in its custody or control."
While the CIA still has authority to carry out renditions, the LA times article is somewhat misleading.
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posted
Does anyone know of a good source for the evolution of Obama's stimulus bill over time? IIRC, the original proposal from the white house was $785 billion. Then, a version passed the House that was $825 billion. I just saw the Senate is now amending a version that is $885 billion. Is there some explication of the growth?
Personally, I feel significant sympathy with the position that the bill is trying to do two different things. On one hand, there's immediate stimulus of the economy. On the other, there is a lot of institutional spending increase for established programs. I appreciate the efficiency of killing two birds with one stone, but I see these two goals as poorly aligned.
The sort of government spending I had envisioned from a stimulus package was large, one shot public works projects (TVA, but with broadband instead of electricity, for example) that could be administratively isolated from current spending. Instead, much of the spending is incremental increases in support for various already funded activities, like schools, roads and more. It seems like a de facto bump up in the federal budget, rather than a one time stimulus package, and I'll be surprised if that's not how those agencies view it. Just like with Bush's tax cuts, it's hard to revoke that kind of spending once you introduce it.
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posted
Man, I suck... I tried to copy paste a third section and apparently didn't re-copy. The third bit basically says "conclusions within 180 days."
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quote:Originally posted by Ron Lambert: Well, now Daschle has bowed out. This is the third Obama nominee who has had to bow out because of tax problems. In view of the corrupt political environment in Chicago and Illinois where he established his political career, at what point does all this begin to stain Obama? Is it all somebody else's fault?
Ron, Obama is the Chosen One. You'd better watch out, or someone is liable to report you.
Oh, did you hear about the classroom where the children are being made to pledge allegience to a 4 foot tall projection of Obama against a background of 6 US flags, instead of towards a regular flag?
Posts: 12266 | Registered: Jul 2005
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posted
I think Obama is going to have to have another meet on the Hill when the two houses go to conference out the bill.
Mel Martinez's version isn't going to pass, and I think Republicans will round up a filibuster minority, and for once I actually hope it succeeds. There ARE a lot of billion dollar problems in the stimulus bill, and I'd like for Obama to not sit in the background and say "hey I didn't write it!" Well no you didn't, but you can still get in there and make suggestions and be a broker between the two sides. The Senate will probably pass something by the end of the week, and then next week they're going to have to figure this thing out.
I think they should do a combined payroll tax cut and spending bill, but I'm worried about how useless a lot of the spending might be.
Posts: 21898 | Registered: Nov 2004
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quote:Originally posted by Ron Lambert: Well, now Daschle has bowed out. This is the third Obama nominee who has had to bow out because of tax problems. In view of the corrupt political environment in Chicago and Illinois where he established his political career, at what point does all this begin to stain Obama? Is it all somebody else's fault?
In view of some of his other miscues, like ordering the immediately shutdown of Guantanamo, only to learn that he couldn't do that, he has to allow a year for it to wind down (and even with that extension, 50% of Americans oppose the shutdown to 44% in favor according to a recent Gallop poll), ordering that U.S. tax dollars be sent to fund overseas abortions (which 58% of Americans say they disappove of in the same Gallup poll)--not to mention the diplomatic corners he has painted himself into--at what point does Obama become branded as a doofus?
It is dangerous for him to make himself be seen in the world as a laughing stock, because this will encourage those who wish to test him with provocative political and maybe even military moves to be especially daring, and even sooner.
Those of you who voted for Obama need to re-examine whether you really voted for him for the right reasons, and were right to dismiss the efforts to vet him which revealed very disturbing things about his past associations, and were right to ignore the arguments that he is an inexperienced political lightweight. You are getting what you voted for.
You do see that, don't you?
Psssst. Ron, we are all in on the plot. Shhhh.
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quote:Originally posted by lobo: Will this thread die after the 100 days?
Probably not. Happily, you can avoid having to deal with the thread using a new technology called "not clicking on it".
Posts: 16059 | Registered: Aug 2000
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quote:Originally posted by Ron Lambert: Well, now Daschle has bowed out. This is the third Obama nominee who has had to bow out because of tax problems. In view of the corrupt political environment in Chicago and Illinois where he established his political career, at what point does all this begin to stain Obama? Is it all somebody else's fault?
Ron, Obama is the Chosen One. You'd better watch out, or someone is liable to report you.
Oh, did you hear about the classroom where the children are being made to pledge allegience to a 4 foot tall projection of Obama against a background of 6 US flags, instead of towards a regular flag?
Funnily enough, the only people who I've ever heard call Obama "chosen one" or "messianic" have been people archly dismissing his supporters as being blind, mindless drones. As far as I can tell, this "Obama is God and Democrats his worshippers" meme is little more than a conservative talking point, and has gotten more than a little tiresome. Shades of Rudy "Noun, verb, 9/11" Giuliani - repetition of a phrase or idea that adds nothing to the discussion at hand, but allows the speaker to feel self-righteous and superior.
Anyway, back on topic - I'm glad to see Daschle go. He never struck me as particularly qualified for the HHS position anyway, and the tax evasion should have put the nail in his coffin the moment it came out. Here's hoping Obama appoints Howard Dean in his place. He's got experience in virtually every relevant area, including the most important - he's an M.D. and worked as a practicing doctor for years before entering politics.
Posts: 1321 | Registered: Sep 1999
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quote:Originally posted by Lisa: Search "Nevada Obama Pledge Image" or something like that.
I googled those terms and here's the first link: Military pledge for Obama a hoax None of the other results matched up remotely to what you're alledging.
quote:Other incidents have come up with Nation of Islam chief Louis Farrakhan said about Obama: "The Messiah is absolutely speaking," and when an artist in Iowa created an inaugural parade with Obama riding on a donkey, complete with waving palm fronds.
Notice the mention in the above to Louis Farrakhan explicitly calling Obama the Messiah. He said this well before the election, and has been widely reported. To my knowledge, no liberal anywhere has objected to this.
WorldNetDaily also cites a pledge a number of celebrities have made "to be the change," which includes this line: "I pledge to be a servant to our president and all mankind."
The following is a report on WorldNetDaily regarding the report of the Nevada school projecting Obama's image backed by U.S. flags during the pledge of allegiance:
quote:The report on a forum called TheTreeofLiberty said teachers in a Nevada school district were having students stand and face a projected image of Obama – instead of the flag – at the beginning of class while the Pledge of Allegiance was recited.
The report's authenticity was questioned because no school, no city, no names were cited.
The forum participant followed up with:
"Since publishing this story, I am receiving e-mails and phone calls calling it a hoax because the story didn't detail the names of the people, teachers, principal or school. Unfortunately, they just want to shoot the messenger and instead of seeing this as a situation that was amicably resolved, it is seen as an attack on Obama, which it never was, and an attack on the flag, which it never was.
"Here is my answer – and it will have to stay this way until the school or district want to release some information. My guess is that eventually, some of it will get out – but I'm not going to do it without permission.
"It is a true story. The reason for the scant detail is to protect the school and the parents and children and I realize it could be seen that way but I am committed to their privacy and to not opening the school, principal, teachers, parents or kids to ridicule.
"The problem now is that this can get really messy if nothing more is released, so I hope the school district or school will admit this happened and give my story a second reference before this goes off into direction we don't want it to," the forum participant said.
Following was a brief statement that the issue was resolved.
"[The principal] said that in the morning that she would get with their audio/video tech and have him turn it off in my son's classroom. I asked her about the rest of the school and she said that she will make it for the whole school!"
quote:Originally posted by Lyrhawn: I think Obama is going to have to have another meet on the Hill when the two houses go to conference out the bill.
Mel Martinez's version isn't going to pass, and I think Republicans will round up a filibuster minority, and for once I actually hope it succeeds. There ARE a lot of billion dollar problems in the stimulus bill, and I'd like for Obama to not sit in the background and say "hey I didn't write it!" Well no you didn't, but you can still get in there and make suggestions and be a broker between the two sides. The Senate will probably pass something by the end of the week, and then next week they're going to have to figure this thing out.
I think they should do a combined payroll tax cut and spending bill, but I'm worried about how useless a lot of the spending might be.
Wht about Jon Stewarts idea of government buying all consumer debt which people would pay back banks with returning their equity? Trickle up economics?
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quote:Anyway, back on topic - I'm glad to see Daschle go. He never struck me as particularly qualified for the HHS position anyway, and the tax evasion should have put the nail in his coffin the moment it came out. Here's hoping Obama appoints Howard Dean in his place. He's got experience in virtually every relevant area, including the most important - he's an M.D. and worked as a practicing doctor for years before entering politics.
I haven't liked Dean since the primaries, and would NOT like to see him in the cabinet. I'm sure there are a lot of well qualified doctors that know enough about healthcare to be SecHHS. Most of them are probably former lobbyists though, so, they'll likely be disqualified. But I'm sure the right candidate is out there. If not for his own health problems, I think Teddy Kennedy would actually be a halfway decent candidate.
My question on Daschle is whether or not he's going to retain his position as pointperson for healthcare reform in the administration.
Posts: 21898 | Registered: Nov 2004
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quote:Originally posted by Tarrsk: Funnily enough, the only people who I've ever heard call Obama "chosen one" or "messianic" have been people archly dismissing his supporters as being blind, mindless drones. As far as I can tell, this "Obama is God and Democrats his worshippers" meme is little more than a conservative talking point, and has gotten more than a little tiresome.
Hillary Clinton had a speech about Obama's Messianic image during the primary; but maybe she had a "road to Damascus" moment along the way. Obama feeds this impression, both with his lofty rhetoric, and his extensive use of inspirational symbolism.
Personally, I don't mind Obama's attempt to turn "the President" back into a virtuous hero figure; too many people have disrespected the office for too long, IMO. We could do with a generation that views the President as a hero rather than a punchline.
Posts: 2926 | Registered: Sep 2005
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quote:Originally posted by Lisa: Search "Nevada Obama Pledge Image" or something like that.
I googled those terms and here's the first link: Military pledge for Obama a hoax None of the other results matched up remotely to what you're alledging.
Yeah, I read that too. It wasn't a hoax, it was a satire. And then people who didn't notice that it was a satire started spreading it around. But that's not what I was talking about.
Posts: 12266 | Registered: Jul 2005
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posted
I noticed the hoax/satire thing too, but just quoted the headline as is. But Ron found a link to the one that you were talking about (or so I assume, it sounds like what you were talking about).
quote:Originally posted by Tarrsk: Funnily enough, the only people who I've ever heard call Obama "chosen one" or "messianic" have been people archly dismissing his supporters as being blind, mindless drones. As far as I can tell, this "Obama is God and Democrats his worshippers" meme is little more than a conservative talking point, and has gotten more than a little tiresome.
Hillary Clinton had a speech about Obama's Messianic image during the primary; but maybe she had a "road to Damascus" moment along the way. Obama feeds this impression, both with his lofty rhetoric, and his extensive use of inspirational symbolism.
That was back when she was his primary opponent, when she was trying to turn Obama's popularity among young voters against him in exactly the same way Republicans are doing so now. It didn't work then, and it's not working today. The only people who place serious credence in the idea are those who have a frantic need to believe that Obama only won because of his cult of personality.
quote:Personally, I don't mind Obama's attempt to turn "the President" back into a virtuous hero figure; too many people have disrespected the office for too long, IMO. We could do with a generation that views the President as a hero rather than a punchline. [/QB]
I don't disagree with your last sentence, there, but Obama isn't making any such "attempt." If you actually watch interviews with the guy, he seems more embarrassed than anything else at the portrayal of him as a flawless visionary who will Save America. His inaugural address made his disapproval of this quite clear: he noted repeatedly that the road ahead is going to be incredibly difficult, and that he is under no illusions that his administration will be somehow able to solve all problems for all people.
As I've mentioned elsewhere, the defining attribute of Obama the man is almost a diametric opposite to his popular caricature. Although it's true that he gives a good speech, his underlying philosophy has never been about blind idealism or armies of sheeple marching in lockstep with his leftist agenda. He is, first and foremost, a pragmatist (hence "government that works" rather than government that is big or small) who values measurable results over ideology and consensus over partisanship. The one ideological position Obama seems absolutely married to is governmental transparency, which given the past eight years, is the thing this country most desperately needs anyway.
Posts: 1321 | Registered: Sep 1999
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quote:Other incidents have come up with Nation of Islam chief Louis Farrakhan said about Obama: "The Messiah is absolutely speaking," and when an artist in Iowa created an inaugural parade with Obama riding on a donkey, complete with waving palm fronds.
Notice the mention in the above to Louis Farrakhan explicitly calling Obama the Messiah." blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah"[The principal] said that in the morning that she would get with their audio/video tech and have him turn it off in my son's classroom. I asked her about the rest of the school and she said that she will make it for the whole school!"
[/QUOTE]
Ron! I went to the website you posted which begins with a child who doesn't want to go to school because the president’s photo is next to the flag... *sigh* You and I came to very different conclusions my friend. I don't ask in anger 'why is Obama's photo next to the flag', I ask, how is that child being raised in such a way that a teacher is ostracized for hanging the President's photo next to the flag? What if the Photo were of FDR, Washington, or Eisenhower? Shouldn't we have the current president's photo up somewhere in a school? Is it wrong to be patriotic? I also find the articles comparison of China's Chairman Mao Zedong's picture more than a stretch and an insult. Also, I question the way you mention "Nation of Islam chief Louis Farrakhan". Is it to continue to spread fear and hate propaganda against Obama? I ask because when I received farce emails during the election telling me that Our President to be is in league with Islamic terrorist bent on the destruction of Israel, I simply replied back with this link which talks about Obama trip to Israel. Also there are some good news videos of Obama and McCain talking to Israeli citizens in 2008. I hate scare tactics and I wish people would stop using it. http://www.barackobama.com/pdf/IsraelFactSheet.pdfPosts: 10 | Registered: Feb 2009
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quote:Funnily enough, the only people who I've ever heard call Obama "chosen one" or "messianic" have been people archly dismissing his supporters as being blind, mindless drones. As far as I can tell, this "Obama is God and Democrats his worshippers" meme is little more than a conservative talking point
For this and a few other reasons, harping on Obama support with the 'obama messiah' line is a very effectual way to say "wahhhhhhhh, obama winning put sand in my shorts"
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quote:Originally posted by Aaron Rosenstein: Ron! I went to the website you posted which begins with a child who doesn't want to go to school because the president’s photo is next to the flag...
Wrong, Aaron. The teacher turned on a projector each day which projected a full body image of Obama standing in front of 6 flags onto the wall. The kids were told to face that, rather than the flag. Read more carefully.
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quote:Other incidents have come up with Nation of Islam chief Louis Farrakhan said about Obama: "The Messiah is absolutely speaking," and when an artist in Iowa created an inaugural parade with Obama riding on a donkey, complete with waving palm fronds.
Notice the mention in the above to Louis Farrakhan explicitly calling Obama the Messiah." blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah"[The principal] said that in the morning that she would get with their audio/video tech and have him turn it off in my son's classroom. I asked her about the rest of the school and she said that she will make it for the whole school!"
Ron! I went to the website you posted which begins with a child who doesn't want to go to school because the president’s photo is next to the flag... *sigh* You and I came to very different conclusions my friend. I don't ask in anger 'why is Obama's photo next to the flag', I ask, how is that child being raised in such a way that a teacher is ostracized for hanging the President's photo next to the flag? What if the Photo were of FDR, Washington, or Eisenhower? Shouldn't we have the current president's photo up somewhere in a school? Is it wrong to be patriotic? I also find the articles comparison of China's Chairman Mao Zedong's picture more than a stretch and an insult. Also, I question the way you mention "Nation of Islam chief Louis Farrakhan". Is it to continue to spread fear and hate propaganda against Obama? I ask because when I received farce emails during the election telling me that Our President to be is in league with Islamic terrorist bent on the destruction of Israel, I simply replied back with this link which talks about Obama trip to Israel. Also there are some good news videos of Obama and McCain talking to Israeli citizens in 2008. I hate scare tactics and I wish people would stop using it. http://www.barackobama.com/pdf/IsraelFactSheet.pdf [/QUOTE]
Actually, it is pretty peculiar. They didn't put up a picture of the guy in the classroom (which I think would be a good idea), they put up a projection of him during the pledge of allegiance and turned it off immediately afterward. That sends an entirely different message and I would be uncomfortable with it if my kids were in the school.
Posts: 2392 | Registered: Sep 2005
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quote: The cost of President Barack Obama's economic recovery plan is now above $900 billion after the Senate added money for medical research and tax breaks for car purchases.
quote: In an interview on CNN, Obama signaled a willingness to drop items that "may not really stimulate the economy right now." He also signaled he'll try to remove "buy American" provisions in the legislation to avoid a possible trade war.
In a victory for auto manufacturers and dealers, Sen. Barbara Mikulski, D-Md., won a 71-26 vote to allow most car buyers to claim an income tax deduction for sales taxes paid on new autos and interest payments on car loans. The break would cost $11 billion over the coming decade but could mean savings of $1,500 on a $25,000 car.
posted
Why does Obama's team stress that Daschle withdrew on his own? Wouldn't it be a stronger message if they "fired" him?
Posts: 571 | Registered: Mar 2001
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