beowulf

So yet another system of "let everybody else cover my ass?" Gee. Think stuff is expensive now, just wait until it's free. Yeah, Free isn't actually free of cost!! Not sure who said this but "There is no free lunch".

It's difficult to prove no life after death, just as its impossible to prove that there is life after death. Would make an interesting court case. There is the thought that if there is no evidence to support a claim then there is no reason to believe it. The burden of proof is on those making the claim. Correct. So I would think that would mean that no need to even try to prove that there is no life after death. That would make it a purely one sided court case. Those making the claim would need to provide sufficient evidence supporting their claim.

http://youtu.be/iuBbLeqZbPA Here is a recording of her talking about why she carries a concealed handgun.

It's difficult to prove no life after death, just as its impossible to prove that there is life after death. Would make an interesting court case. There is the thought that if there is no evidence to support a claim then there is no reason to believe it. The burden of proof is on those making the claim.

How is it any more a criminal organization then any other religion? They all make promises they can't keep and promote false hope.

Indeed. The true fiscal cliff is out there in the future. We’re not even talking about it. We think the deficits are bad now? Continuing as we are will give the US government unfunded liabilities of anywhere between $60 trillion and $120 trillion by the middle of this century. That is “UNFUNDED” – no way to pay for them. How big? Projections are that Medicare, Medicaid and Social Security spending will themselves take up to 35% of the GDP by 2070. So if there is, for example, $20 trillion GDP in 2070, $7 trillion will be spent just on those three things. (Imagine doubling our current budget and then using it just for Medicare, Medicaid and SS and nothing else). Yeah I don't see any good way out of this and the politicians won't come up with anything realistic other then try and kick the can down the road. Eventually the bond market is going to throw up and then things will get very interesting. The US has no hope of ever paying down this debt to a manageable level or even really slowing down it's increase (deficits). I am very interested to see what happens with Japan. I think the US Gov is following a similar path.

So are bonds held by anyone who buys them, whether China or US citizens. Still not relevant to the fiscal cliff. You are right and this has been a tangent. I never said it had anything to do with the Fiscal Cliff.

The Fiscal Cliff is more of a political bullshit smoke and mirror distraction. Even if they do come to an agreement it does nothing to solve the debt or deficit problem.

Just because the accountant's find ways to make it look like it's not a part of the debt doesn't mean it isn't. Those treasury bonds still need to be paid and that is a part of the obligations of the Gov which means in reality it is part of the debt.

Are you saying that they aren't spending all the money on Special Treasury Bonds??? http://ssa-custhelp.ssa.gov/app/answers/detail/a_id/404/kw/special%20treasury%20bonds No, but not relevant to the issue. SS has its own budget and is not in debt. Yeah right, it has a bunch of essentially IOU's from the Gov. Which are generating very little interest, which the Gov can't afford.

Are you saying that they aren't spending all the money on Special Treasury Bonds??? I never said this is related to the Fiscal Cliff. It does relate directly to the deficits and the debt. http://ssa-custhelp.ssa.gov/app/answers/detail/a_id/404/kw/special%20treasury%20bonds

They seem to think there is some sort of bank account with money in it reserved for SS. There isn't! Look it up on the SS website. All funds are by law required to be spent immediately on "Special Treasury Bonds". If I remember right it says that in their FAQ page. So they have no money. They have to sell the bonds to pay out the SS checks and the Gov has to continue to borrow money to pay all of it's bills including the "Special Treasury Bonds". So the Gov is broke and is about to hit the "debt ceiling" which will be extended so that they can continue to borrow more and more money. We are on a fiscal train wreck and I think it's politically unfixable. No politician will every propose what is needed to be done to fix it because they would not be supported or reelected. Their job isn't to do the right thing it's to get reelected.

How will cutting SS change the federal deficit? Well what I said was it needed to be reformed and cut. That doesn't mean it should be cut immediately. There are lots of other programs that should be cut first. Unfortunately there are lots of people that are dependent on SS. I think that is a problem. I don't think that is a role the Gov should play. We need to wean people off of the Gov SS teat. So SS needs to be reformed and then eventually cut. That would take one burden off of the Gov and reduce the budget. SSN, Medicare and Medicaid are all things that the Gov should not be involved in. They just screw it up and cause more problems then they solve. Also they are fiscally unsustainable.

Look more closely at SS, there is no money there. All the money for SS is immediately spent on special treasury bonds. The money is then pissed away by the gov. That is the realistic picture.

Unfortunately that wouldn't even come close to balancing the budget. More cuts can be made and are needed. Between SSN, Medicare, Medicaid and the interest on the debt the total amount of money brought in by the US Gov has been exceeded. Beside cutting military spending and other unnecessary spending these entitlements need to be reformed and cut. We can't afford them. They are promises that can't be kept.

Gun registration is just a step towards confiscation. It doesn't help solve crimes nor does it stop any crimes from happening. I don't see any useful purpose other then to facilitate future confiscation.

There are schools in Texas that already have armed teachers. Do a search and you will find the news stories.

http://www.whitehouse.gov/share-your-thoughts-reducing-gun-violence?utm_source=wethepeople&utm_medium=response&utm_campaign=safety From the horses mouth.

The House bill on taxes is clearly a non starter as it just retains the damage done by the Bush tax cuts and has NO revenue increases. Irresponsible in the extreme. Boehner needs to get his Tea Partiers in line and pass something that has a chance of success. Irresponsible!!! HA! Irresponsible would be not realizing the real problem is spending too much and not that the Gov doesn't tax enough. The Gov spending is out of control. It would be irresponsible to give the Gov more money to waste. The US Gov is about to reach the debt limit again!!! It should not be raised. They need to cut spending not raise taxes. There is so much that can be cut.

And yet the answer to keep kids safe is more guns, not more education. (and no this post is not directed at anybody in particault, just a general observation) Just like the answer to alcoholism is more alcohol. Banning alcohol sure worked out well. Your analogy doesn't work no matter how you put it. When a mad man is running around trying to kill people you call guys with guns to deal with it, no matter what the mad man is armed with.

http://austin.iflyworld.com/ It's not open yet, but construction is very close to being done!

For what? Even non-US citizens have first amendment rights on US soil. The people who want to petition have a right to do so, but thinking it will get him deported shows a lack of knowledge almost beyond belief. I thought it was funny, not realistic.

Just for the comedic value, I would like to see him deported!!

The really good news for you is that Austin has a new wind tunnel opening in January!!!!

While I can agree with what you propose I don't think it's enough. In addition there needs to be some type armed security at all schools. What form that take will be up to each school. It could be hired armed security guards or volunteer LEO or allowing teachers and other staff to get a state issued CHL and carry on campus. The measures you advocate are good but they are not proactive enough and can be circumvented.