Nothing like sliding down the ole' slippery slope!
 

This is just a pathetic excuse to avoid the question

The trade barriers we put up against the third world are not there to punish the third world. They are there to protect our markets.

When has the lowering of trade barriers put up by the US ever harmed anyone outside the US? Or hurt someone outside the US through unintended consquences?


These kids are taking the jobs because without the jobs they would have no money and their families would starve. You put up a barrier and their family starves. How is that helping?

Child labor exists in countrys that are extremely poor. If they get wealthier they will have less child labour, and access to our markets helps them get wealthier. The best way to insure that the kids keep getting low wages or keep starving is to close our markets to their country.

Nothing like sliding down the ole' slippery slope!
 

Is the issue with child labor that it's children? Or that it's labor at very low rates? Because plenty of farms in the United States, which formed a principal part of our economy for the first 150 years of the U.S.' existence, were farmed by children.

Nothing like sliding down the ole' slippery slope!
 

You have my proxy for all discussions with Spanky.

I'm ready for a break.

Nothing like sliding down the ole' slippery slope!
 

Spanky, you're right!

Nothing like sliding down the ole' slippery slope!
 

As I read it, Spank is concerned child labor could reduce his dating pool.

Romney, you ignorant slut
 

The GOP Front-Runner, Theology Wing: Mitt Romney.

• Romney was less charitable to McCain, who on Sunday told ABC News: “I believe that the issue of gay marriage should be decided by the states.” McCain also said, “I believe that gay marriage should not be legal.”
  
  Romney seized on the remarks.
  
  “That’s his position, and in my opinion, it’s disingenuous,” he said. “Look, if somebody says they’re in favor of gay marriage, I respect that view. If someone says — like I do — that I oppose same–sex marriage, I respect that view. But those who try and pretend to have it both ways, I find it to be disingenuous.”

It's not disingenuous, you drooling idiot.

Last I checked, you were an actual governor of a state, which means you likely had at least a surface understanding of what the concept of federalism means, and it's almost inconceivable that you don't know that marriage laws are a creature of the state, not the federal, government. I know you have to pander to the evangelical voters in your party, but it's embarassing to watch this display. If you ever choose to speak admiringly of the Reagan wing of the Republican party, I hope you remember moments like these when you sacrificed Reagan's professed federalist principles upon the altar of your moral authoritarianism, and that your audience buries you in a mountain of thrown bibles.

Gattigap

Romney, you ignorant slut
 

Particularly assjack, given he's pushing to have a vote in the Mass. legislature to get rid of gay marriage there.

I wonder how many years of D majorities in Congress are required to get the R's to turn back to "states rights".

Romney, you ignorant slut
 

The Rs gave up federalism when they pushed through the Defense of Marriage Act, lo these many years ago. I think Clinton signed it, too. Marriage was one of the only* things left pretty much solely to the states, too.

*I don't know this for a fact, but it seems like it's right. Maybe what system of water rights are used? And/or some other real estate-type crap?

Romney, you ignorant slut
 

DOMA went only to recognition of marriage under federal law. But they gave up federalism when they obtained a majority in Congress, such that the rhetorical argument of leaving it to the states was no longer necessary to defend against D efforts to federalize law.

Your fact is wrong. For example, violence against women is left to the states. By solely, do you mean to omit things like most criminal law, tort law, contract law, property law, much health and safety regulation, etc.?

Romney, you ignorant slut
 

*sniff* The regulation of sex toys is left to the states.

Romney, you ignorant slut
 

You think even 5 would have been allowed in the current* Congress?


*by current, I mean outgoing.

Romney, you ignorant slut
 

OK. I'm wrong. I thought that DOMA also provided that State A did not have to recognize marriages legal in State B, unless the marriage was between one man and one woman? I can't remember what that concept is, and maybe the whole making State A recognize the actions/laws of State B as legitimate is anti-federalist. I guess it depends which state's (A or B) right you are trying to protect.

Do states have to extradite to each other? Even if the person who did X, which is a crime in State A, is now in State B, in which X is not a crime?

Romney, you ignorant slut
 

I was hoping that this was the sort of thing to be determined by an entirely different branch of government. They pussied out.

Romney, you ignorant slut
 

You're right. However, that arguably is already part of the Constitution, under the full faith and credit clause, which has a judicially created "public policy" exception. So, one could look at DOMA simply as a statutory version of that. What's more, one could take DOMA to be a strengthening of state sovereignty, in that they would not be compelled to honor the actions of another state.

Rummy, you ignorant slut
 

So this was a legitimate "public policy" exception?

I think I made the second point with the "anti-federalist" or whatever.

Is it Wednesday yet?

Nothing like sliding down the ole' slippery slope!
 

Why do you think GGG gave you his proxy? Has he conceded "fair trade" is a bunch of hooey?

Moderate Republicans Rock.........
 

A mayor with too much candor to be president

By George Will
— On Election Day voters said something that might have moved a less sensible billionaire to succumb to the siren song of those urging him to spend, say, $500 million of his money on an independent presidential candidacy. But over lunch three days later, Mayor Michael Bloomberg, who does not do coyness, dismissed the idea as a "pipe dream." Sometimes nothing so validates a politician's wisdom as his ability to circumscribe, or to recognize that circumstances circumscribe, his ambitions.


Bloomberg has demonstrated, in both the public and private sectors, what the electorate cried out for on Election Day: "Competence, please." His business acumen has given him a net worth of $5.3 billion, making him No. 44 on Forbes magazine's list of richest Americans. After five years as mayor — which began after eight years of dramatic improvement of the city under Rudy Giuliani — Bloomberg's successes include:


The unemployment rate (4.1 percent) is the lowest on record, and the city's credit rating is at the highest level ever. With crime down 20 percent since Bloomberg took office — after a 57 percent reduction during the Giuliani years — the FBI rates this as the nation's safest large city, which is one reason for the sharp increase in applications to Columbia University and New York University. Welfare caseloads, which totaled 1.1 million a decade ago, are under 400,000. In 2005 the percentage of high school students graduating on time was the highest since the city began keeping that statistic in 1986. Bloomberg credits his crusade against smoking with the decline in heart attacks that has helped make the life expectancy of city residents higher than that of the rest of the nation.


He talks about public policy with an agreeable lack of interest in being agreeable. About schools' accountability under the No Child Left Behind law: "It's pass-fail, and they dumb down the standards." About there being no correlation in schools between financial inputs and cognitive outputs: "It's worse than that" — unlike in business, government increases investments in failures, so there is no incentive to do well. About Republicans' recent misadventures: "The country is not as stupid as they think," with their grandstandings about flag burnings and Terri Schiavo. About crime: "Eighty-five percent of all murder victims have criminal records." Exaggerating, slightly, he adds: "If you're not a drug dealer, you won't get murdered." About illegal immigration: Citizens should have Social Security cards with their fingerprints; when employers are afraid to hire illegal immigrants, the problem will abate. Finally: "I am a supporter of the U.N. — and of John Bolton."


Bloomberg was sufficiently serious about a presidential run to ask his lawyers about the states' ballot access laws. But he has decided not to run. He probably knows that third-party candidates who win electoral votes usually have three attributes: a burning issue, a vivid personality and a regional base. Strom Thurmond in 1948 and George Wallace in 1968 had all three and won 39 and 46 electoral votes, respectively. In 1992 Ross Perot had a vivid (to put it politely) personality, and the budget deficit was a burning issue because it incorporated all discontents with Washington. He lacked, however, a regional base, so his 18.9 percent of the popular votes earned him no electoral votes.


Bloomberg would have had no regional base, unless a New York state of mind counts as a region. This city's intelligentsia, one of America's most parochial cohorts, is despondent about the city's, the state's and its own diminished political weight. Time was, the state was an incubator of presidents: In 1868 New York had a higher percentage of the nation's electoral votes than California has today, and in the 80-year span of 1868-1948, New Yorkers appeared on more than half of the two major parties' presidential tickets and served as president five times.


But in 2010 Florida may supplant New York as the nation's third most populous state. Furthermore, it has been 46 years since the nation elected a Northeastern president, John Kennedy. Before John Kerry, the last Northeasterner nominated for president was Michael Dukakis in 1988, which was not fun. Still, three New Yorkers — Giuliani, Hillary Clinton and Gov. George Pataki — today have presidential yearnings of widely different degrees of plausibility. Bloomberg, who made his billions in data systems, might share with those three this datum: None of the last three national tickets that included New Yorkers — vice presidential candidates William Miller (1964), Geraldine Ferraro (1984) and Jack Kemp (1996) — carried the state.

http://media.salemwebnetwork.com/Tow...b/PN110906.jpg

http://media.salemwebnetwork.com/Tow...b/PN111506.jpg

Romney, you ignorant slut
 

That depends. Are pages considered sex toys?

Romney, you ignorant slut
 

RT, things are looking good with the Dems in power!

Romney, you ignorant slut
 

Objection. Nonresponsive.

Gerry the Studd
 

What decade are we in?

Gerry the Studd
 

"we?" Wonk is in his 50s.

Gerry the Studd
 

Referring to someone as being older than they are is not really effective as either humor or as insult:

(i) on the internet, where people are generally anonymous; or

(ii) when they have no hang-up or insecurity about their age.

I debated whether or not I wanted to offer this criticism, Hank. Your work here has been slipping considerably of late, and, quite frankly, I am fairly convinced you've outgrown your potential. I have been in favor of suggesting you take some time to find a new forum for some time now.

However, some of the other partners seem to think that you are simply going through a "slump." Is there some sort of external concern that is adding pressure? Are things okay at home? If you aren't comfortable discussing these matters with me, see RT or any member of the Management Committee. If need be, we can assign you a mentor, perhaps Thurgreed would be willing.

In any event, Hank, I would encouraage you to take this little talk as a spur to action, as it were. You showed great promise as a young partner. There are those here who would rather see you return to those halcyon days of glory.

Try not to let us down any more, eh, old chap?

Gerry the Studd
 

Slave saw the relevance.

Gerry the Studd
 

That's hardly an argument in your favor. Especially since my post was not really partisan. But whatever, this is the season of goodwill and harmony.

Happy Thanksgiving, Burger.

Gerry the Studd
 

that's pretty realistic looking. it must be fucked to get a letter like that. how many different versions did you have to cull from?

Gerry the Studd
 

I'm glad you were impressed. Happy Thanksgiving to you and yours.

Gerry the Studd
 

thanks. here's a holiday story to warm your heart.

Imagine you've frequently taken your children to visit your University since they were kids. On several trips you took them for lunch at your favorite pizza place- Bell's Greek Pizza- and they hate the pizza. think it's too greasy.

Now imagine your oldest, a daughter, has started school at your university this fall, and comes home for Thanksgiving. Think of your reaction when she says "Dad, I've finally figured out Bell's pizza. It is great, but only at 4AM when I'm really drunk."

What would your reaction be? mine? "Damn, she's right. I forgot about that part."

Anyway, everyone enjoy your Holidays. Someone wish Ty a good Holiday for me.

Gerry the Studd
 

Gerry the Studd
 

I would say that you're not on ignore, but clearly the joke is that you're ignoring me. Ha.

Thanksgiving
 

This year, let's all give thanks that we haven't turned over the keys to the country to the muslims....yet

A way to world peace?
 

A way to world peace?
 

Blow Me For World Peace!

Gerry the Studd
 

Classic.

The Winding-Down of Sekula-Gibb's Brief Congressional Career
 

From Wonkette:

• [F]rom the Houston Press comes this bit of Sekulania: a brief list of just some of the names accepted as write-in votes for Shelley by the Fort Bend County elections office.
  
  
  Quote:

  Voters cast their write-in ballots for, among others: Kelly Segula Gibbs, Snelly Gibbr, Schikulla Gibbs, Sheila Gibbs, Shelly Schulla Gibbs, Shelly Gibkula and, by someone who obviously never wanted the joy of using the machine to end, ShelleySkulaGibbsssss.

  The absolute best one — perhaps the best political name of all time — was (we are not lying) “Shelly DraculaCunt Gibs.” It counted. And we will say it over and over again until the end of DraculaCunt’s all-too-brief term.

Gerry the Studd
 

I used to help freshmen move into dorms in college. Nothing was cuter than seeing those girls putting up their posters on the wall above their beds while dad watched. Remember those? The Absolut ads or those black and white shots of some buff dude holding a baby in his arms or those Monet prints... I'd get a tip from dad for helping lug her mini-fridge up a few flights of stairs. I always wondered if he pictured what would be going on just below those posters in the coming year.

There are a lot worse places she could be at 4 am. Count your blessings.

Gerry the Studd
 

Brilliant strategy, I must say. Far more effective than stealing the freshman meat book.