Bern

And so, it starts After Losses, Pensions Ask For a Change http://www.nytimes.com/2008/11/20/business...ml?ref=business

Probably. When I worked in a school we were given a computer which I really used to our benefit. One kid who was very bored and had psychological issues was terminally flunking out. However, he was really very intelligent. He hung around the computer lab, so I taught him programming and he was a genius at that and with the computers operating system. He wasn't good in his other classes so we changed his curriculum to "major" in computers. He was running the lab and some other things when he finally got out. It worked out very well for him. He's worked in industry and is now worth about 3 to 5 million (maybe less with this market). A highly productive citizen. Better than dropping out. I did architect and manage a security access control system for a governmental agency which at the time secured some of our governmental facilities. My testing and design peers were Air Force colonels and majors. And dummies they were not. The system worked very well. It had very innovative and advanced concepts (at that time), no bugs and happily every one was happy with it. Many a night was spent at two in the morning running through many facilities - testing anti-passback controls and logic, testing cut alarms, testing modules in stand alone mode, trying to figure out why at some places we get two swipes instead of one access swipe and so forth. To their credit some of the senior officers did their two in the morning time with me. They often came up with good ideas and helped a lot with handling the locals. We also had good times at many a bar. I'm not sure how significant that was. Security requires multi-layered solutions. It was one cog in a vast system but any system will fail if one wants to subvert it or is careless. I was awarded a commendation certificate, a plaque and a flag with a certificate stating it flew over the White House for a whole day from President Ronald Reagan. He didn't know me from a hole in the wall but my peers and their superiors put me in as a going away present. The time we spent at bars helped. However, does all that really matter? Since when are opinions only valid if you have done something significant. Does simply being in the military mean your did something significant or your opinion should mean more? Many miltiary men I know simply consider it a job. You get in, you try to do a good job and then you get out.

We now adjust reality to meet the needs of the flag worshippers: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/americas/7738342.stm http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/shared/spl/hi/pop_...3024/html/1.stm

For sure. And no one can accuse them of bring unpatriotic. Notice the photograph of this momentous event (from the above link). No flags and standing around citing a pledge. They just got things done.

One could argue that our country was healthier, more united, grew faster before the pledge.

Well, that's certainly a great recommendation for the town, bringing up this litany of bad news. That can do wonders for property values. Is there no happy news?

You could make up for the lack of saluting. Form a salute brigade to make up for all those radicals who don't salute. Everytime you pass the national flag, in a mall, a government building, a store, anywhere, you and your brigade members can stop and salute. Have your members record their salutes on their cell phones and whne they report back give them commendation stars: 10 salutes - yellow star 50 salutes - purple star 100 salues - red star 500 salutes - white star 1000 salues - blue star Schoolchildren belonging to schools that perform this rite can automatically earn one salute per school day. How much fun you will all have at your monthly salute brigade meetings when you compare stars.

Sorry about that then. Maybe you should register so they can't hijack your name.

The people in Europe are laughing at us because there are too many in this country who think like you and make dopey comments, like you just did.

Besides decrying the lack of posts about Kearny, do you actually have anything to post about the town?

Of course there will be some from the Clinton adminstration. Clinton had some good people and you pick what's good. Why should he pick losers such as Brownie the Clownie from New Orleans fame? And so what if the Obama admin (which it won't) becomes an exact copy of the Clinton admin. We had it good under the Clinton admin.

You do that often. If you're an adult, I suggest you seek professional help.

Not to worry. I expect here will be less incompetent cronies in the Federal Government (Remember Brownie the clownie of New Orleans fame?) and the politicization of the justice department may be reduced. The ineffectual and useless such Madame Rice will be replaced. If you think about it, what did she ever do? However, Obama's appointment of Emanuel Rahm shows us that not much will change. Rahm is a wall street boy who is very supportive of Bush's preemptive foreign policy initiatives with respect to the Middle East. I suspect we'll be in Iraq and Afghanistan a long time (which I'm sure you're happy about). And you don't have to worry about him weakening the patriot act or stopping the enhanced wire tapping done under the current administration. Obama did vote for both. And if he says he'll close Guantanamo, believe it when you see it. After all, he did say he was against the patriot act before he voted for it. As far as progressive social programs, you'll find that Obama can be conservative. Many California residents are upset because the constitutional amendment to ban gay marriage referendum passed. They're wailing that California we elected a "progressive" president yet the gay marriage ban passed. Wondering how can that be. Haven't they figured out that Obama is against gay marriage? Actually, Obama's primary constituency, the black folk, voted for the ban by 70%. I think you will find that Obama is lot more conservative than you have been lead to believe. Looking at the above you can see that it not as bad as you think.

Why don't you give us concreate examples of what he promised us? And what you think he'll be trying to get out of. That is, if you know of any examples besides the tax cut.

Don't count on the Patriot act and wiretapping to be stopped. Both parties signed on and approved. Both parties passed the legislation immunizing the large telecoms after they were caught doing illegal wiretapping at the behest of the administration. I suspect most of this will be kept for use by the Obama administration. Just like we will keep the very inefficient and cumbersome Homeland Security bureaucracy. We'll see how quickly Obama closes Guantanamo. Will the prisoners then be released, tried or moved to another facility and still be held without real trials?

Do you have any idea at all what Obama promised us? Why not let us know what YOU think he promised.

I really worry when we can't even focus and get a consensus on something so obviously needed. Since the 70's we've had one energy crisis after the other and with energy costs its also become turned into an economic crisis. Yet, all we do is talk, talk, talk.

If they did nothing we would have been better off. Instead they've been pushing our country into the gutter with their weird trickle down economic policies, doubling of the national debt, this war, the incompetent response to the New Orleans disaster, the Terri Schiavo silliness and many other things.

Sixty will help but I'm not so sure if the Democrats will really need 60. Even if the Democrats get 57 to 59, the Republicans will need just about every member to sucessfully filibuster. It will be much harder getting the troops in line because the White House will no longer be cheerleading them. Their filibustering and obstruction has obviously ruined their election chances. Even though they are stupid, they must have figured out by now that continuing their obstruction will cause them to lose more elections, as they lost in the last two elections. I think many Republican senators will slither under their rocks. They'll not be making too many waves.

Bush alone managed to increase our national debt from 5 to 10 trillion. That means during the last seven years he put every American in hock for and additional 17,000 dollars. And with interest, the 17,000 debt he saddled us and our children with will at least double. A family of four had their Federal debt burden increased by 68,000. And we, the taxpayers will have to pay it back. Look at it like a taxpayer mortgage to our government - involuntarily imposed by Bush. Except you didn't get a house. A minuscule tax cut is really nothing compared to the burden Bush has imposed on us.

Funny. I replied before I read your post and you basically said the same thing I did.

After listening to the whole call, it was obvious he was an impersonator. It seems, by Palin's tone of voice (excited drooling), she was completely overwhelmed because she was privileged to get a phone call from the "President of France". She really sounded like some backwoods hick visiting the big city. That doesn't bode well if she meets real leaders in conference.

Correct.

It ties in that anyone can play these ridiculous games of character assassination.

I don't think you got the point of what I was saying. Read it again.