Hardnosed political discussion . . .

[volinasheville]

If you have money you can drink and drive, wreck the car, kill a woman, then have a son who does all the above except kill someone and both of you get off without even a warning.

 

[GAVol]

Yep . . . The influence of money is nonpartisan.

 

[OWB]

If you have money you can drink and drive, wreck the car, kill a woman, then have a son who does all the above except kill someone and both of you get off without even a warning.

If you mention that you took a "legal" drug made and distributed by a pharmaceutical company that makes campaign contributions you get off without a warning.

 

[GAVol]

Forget the politics that will inevitably slip into this . . . The fact that a guy can nearly hit a cop, drive in an erratic manner and then run into a barrier and not even receive so much as a field sobriety test is absolutely ludicrous.

 

[OWB]

Forget the politics that will inevitably slip into this . . . The fact that a guy can nearly hit a cop, drive in an erratic manner and then run into a barrier and not even receive so much as a field sobriety test is absolutely ludicrous.

I'm not saying it's not ludicrous. He should have been arrested like every citizen would have. Even if you read the labels on the medicine bottles, it says don't operate heavy machinery.

I'll bet you anything he was drunk though, but if he was drinking and taking Ambien, that's really dangerous.

Politicians will almost always get special treatment, especially if you're a Kennedy.

 

[volinbham]

Watching the coverage of this sucked. I hate that every thing is over analyzed and politicized.

We have nearly 300 million people in this country. This happens everyday somewhere (not condoning it). Whatever it was ---- prescription drugs, alcohol, ambien, a trance, bad karma, aliens, etc. He got away with one that most wouldn't.

 

[OrangeEmpire]

Ok, let’s talk about war. I am sure that we can all agree that Iraq is not an ideal situation.

What about other U.S. wars?

What is your opinion.....?

I guess I should post some sort of key, justifiable or unjustifiable, plus your opinion.

Revolutionary War-Did we have the right to vie for Independence?

War of 1812-Did we have the right to defend ourselves?

Mexican American War-Just or unjust, does it have a part in our immigration problems today? Was it just a military land grab?

The Civil War-Did the Confederacy have a legitimate constitutional right to secede? What are the consequences of a strong central government over state/local rights?

The Spanish-American War-Were we justified in attacking the Spanish or is this another case of securing material/land grab by military means? What role did the media have in this war?

World War I-Did we have any business interfering with the affairs of Europe?

World War II-Were we justified defending ourselves against Japan? Should we have declared war on Germany?
Should we have allied with Russia?

Korean War-Should we have fought to keep Korea free from communist’s expansion?

Vietnam-Again, should we have fought to keep Vietnam free from communist’s expansion?

Desert Storm-We fought Iraq to liberate Kuwait, should we have done this? Would we do that for another country if they did not have oil reserves?

Operation Enduring Freedom-Should we have troops in Afghanistan moving to force the Taliban’s who have supported Al Queda out of power.

Iraqi Freedom-Causes, future plans......

 

[smokedog#3]

the only one out of the last 4 i agree with is enduring freedom. if kuwait didn't have oil senior would have cared less, the same second time around. vietnam was a mistake to begin with. yes the confederacy had the right to secede, to me this was the end of the constitution as it was meant to be. the rise of big government and corruption.

 

[OrangeEmpire]

To continue on the war on terror theme I will pose the theory that in the next year to two years Israel will use a tactical nuclear weapon against Iran.

This will occur with the blessing of the United States, why?

Iran is using their oil reserves to manipulate the world market. The effect Iran's government wants is to shrink the power of the U.S. dollar. Of course Iran needs some partners.

The benefactor of shrinking the dollar, how about Europe and the euro?

Furthermore Russia and China would have a great interest in seeing the power of the dollar shrink.

Global Search
Iran Expert
VHeadline
Oil Empire
Information Clearing House
Jeff Vail

 

[smokedog#3]

To continue on the war on terror theme I will pose the theory that in the next year to two years Israel will use a tactical nuclear weapon against Iran.

This will occur with the blessing of the United States, why?

Iran is using their oil reserves to manipulate the world market. The effect Iran's government wants is to shrink the power of the U.S. dollar. Of course Iran needs some partners.

The benefactor of shrinking the dollar, how about Europe and the euro?

Furthermore Russia and China would have a great interest in seeing the power of the dollar shrink.

Global Search
Iran Expert
VHeadline
Oil Empire
Information Clearing House
Jeff Vail

i could see this happening. the canadian dollar by then will have passed the ameican greenback.

 

[Lexvol]

This will occur with the blessing of the United States, why?

I would be surprised if any one in the West or one of its allies uses any kind of nuclear weapon preemptively. I wouldn't be surprised if an act of sabatoge occurs in the next 3 years, and that Israel is the culprit, but a tactical nuclear strike is not inevitable.

 

[therealUT]

Ok, let’s talk about war. I am sure that we can all agree that Iraq is not an ideal situation.

What about other U.S. wars?

What is your opinion.....?

I guess I should post some sort of key, justifiable or unjustifiable, plus your opinion.

Revolutionary War-Did we have the right to vie for Independence?
From the British standpoint, our actions were not justified. Of all the British Colonies, the Americas received the greatest treatment from the Brits. After fighting a long and costly war with the French, the Brits raised taxes across all their colonies (and the Isle of Brittain) in order to pay for the war. The colonists in America objected to being taxed without representation in Parlaiment. However, even if we did have a voting representative in the British House of Commons, the tax still would have been levied, as the vote of overwhelming in favor of this much needed tax.

However, from the Colonists point of view, our actions were justified. The King of England, Mad King George, wanted to maintain centralized control over his colonies. The colonists wanted a more decentralized governmental body, in which decisions could be made quicker and in perspective. The beginning of the Revolutionary era had its start in wanting to reform the British system for governing America, not breaking away from Brittain.

War of 1812-Did we have the right to defend ourselves?
We always have that right.

Mexican American War-Just or unjust, does it have a part in our immigration problems today? Was it just a military land grab?
Unjust. Based on the theory of Manifest Destiny, or that our conquest was guided by Divine Power. Basically, it is saying that "Our God" is greater than the gods of the Native Americans and the Mexicans.

The Civil War-Did the Confederacy have a legitimate constitutional right to secede? What are the consequences of a strong central government over state/local rights?
The Confederacy had every right to secede. However, the Union had every right to at the very least take all the weapons and armaments from their Forts and return with them to the North. However, when Federal Troops approached Sumter, the South Carolina militia opened fire on them. At that point, officials in Washington had every right to declare South Carolina an enemy state along with any and all states who stood with them.

The Spanish-American War-Were we justified in attacking the Spanish or is this another case of securing material/land grab by military means? What role did the media have in this war?
All I have to say is the following: Teddy sure loved to fight.

World War I-Did we have any business interfering with the affairs of Europe?
We should have stayed out of that mess. The ramifications would have been, no France and the Soviet Union would have never become the power it is. However, we might not have become the power that we are today either...

World War II-Were we justified defending ourselves against Japan? Should we have declared war on Germany?
Should we have allied with Russia?
Yes. Yes. Yes. People always state that we were unaware of the Holocaust until we liberated Germany, I say go watch Casablanca (filmed in 1941.) We were very aware that the Jews as a people in Germany were being killed and/or being forced out of Germany.

Korean War-Should we have fought to keep Korea free from communist’s expansion?
Vietnam-Again, should we have fought to keep Vietnam free from communist’s expansion?
People nowadays do not understand the threat that communist expansion was at the time. So, I will lay the following out of when these countries turned to communism:
Soviet Union-1922
Korea-1945
China-1949
Vietnam-1954
Cuba-1959
Laos-1975
In just 27 years, half of the world's population had become communist. Since our withdrawal from Vietnam, no other country has fallen into communism.

Also, communists understand that their societies cannot thrive so long as the rest of the world is not communist. Therefore, unlike capitalism (which can survive anywhere,) communists regimes will always feel the need to conquer.

Desert Storm-We fought Iraq to liberate Kuwait, should we have done this? Would we do that for another country if they did not have oil reserves?
Yes, we did it in Bosnia and Kosovo, not the most oil affluent nations in this world.

Operation Enduring Freedom-Should we have troops in Afghanistan moving to force the Taliban’s who have supported Al Queda out of power.
This is a simple and clear cut example of us defending ourselves. Also, for those who say that we have lost focus in Afghanistan, it is simply not true. THE MEDIA HAS LOST FOCUS IN AFGHANISTAN. However, ask any soldier of the 10th Mountain Light Infantry Division or the 25th Light Infantry Division about Afghanistan. These two highly skilled Army Divisions are fighting in Afghanistan 24 hours a day, and doing a darn good job.

Iraqi Freedom-Causes, future plans......
If you've been, you know that what were are doing is more than justified. If you haven't been, you will never know.

 

[therealUT]

i could see this happening. the canadian dollar by then will have passed the ameican greenback.

Right, because the Canadians are paying so much less for gasoline. That is the only logical answer since George W. Bush is the man behind the curtain at Exxon (which apparently sets the price of crude oil now,) and Bush is not the President in Canada.

Oh, and, Canada is paying $3.45/gallon (on average) while we are paying $2.90/gallon.

 

[OrangeEmpire]

I would be surprised if any one in the West or one of its allies uses any kind of nuclear weapon preemptively. I wouldn't be surprised if an act of sabatoge occurs in the next 3 years, and that Israel is the culprit, but a tactical nuclear strike is not inevitable.

From Jerome Corsi...........

According to Corsi, an oil market in euros would present a "serious problem" for the United States, as it would likely destroy the value of the dollar. He believes this could lead the U.S. into war with Iran. Corsi also predicted Israel would launch an attack, possibly nuclear, against Iran to prevent the country from developing its own nuclear arsenal.

Cumberland House
Media Matters
Wikipedia
Atomic Iran Amazon.com

 

[smokedog#3]

what the hell. i didn't say anything about gas. i said by then the canadian dollar will have passed the american greenback. i swear it seems like you are just trying to argue with someone. what your trying to tell me that the canadian dollar is not catching the american. well if you are, you are wrong. next month by the way i will tell you how much canadian gas is going for, i have to go to windsor. by the way realut, almost everything is cheaper in canada. i mean everything so if i don't get upset because there gas is alittle higher, excuse me. half the people in detroit shop in canada and that is a fact.

 

[therealUT]

The US Dollar has actually remained fairly stable this past week:

COUNTRY UNIT May. 1 May. 2 May. 3 May. 4 May. 5

*AUSTRALIA DOLLAR 0.7607 0.7631 0.7711 0.7726 0.7707
BRAZIL REAL 2.0785 2.0680 2.0685 2.0635 2.0549
CANADA DOLLAR 1.1130 1.1069 1.1072 1.1066 1.1071
CHINA, P.R. YUAN 8.0165 8.0165 8.0100 8.0114 8.0114
DENMARK KRONE 5.9140 5.8973 5.8993 5.8786 5.8550
*EMU MEMBERS EURO 1.2607 1.2644 1.2639 1.2684 1.2733
HONG KONG DOLLAR 7.7527 7.7536 7.7526 7.7521 7.7518
INDIA RUPEE 44.77 44.82 44.81 44.81 44.85
JAPAN YEN 113.06 113.26 113.44 113.46 112.45
MALAYSIA RINGGIT 3.6255 3.6148 3.6080 3.6140 3.6050
MEXICO PESO 11.053 11.012 10.964 10.971 10.949
*NEW ZEALAND DOLLAR 0.6377 0.6410 0.6425 0.6427 0.6413
NORWAY KRONE 6.1642 6.1455 6.1265 6.1180 6.1182
SINGAPORE DOLLAR 1.5787 1.5780 1.5720 1.5764 1.5710
SOUTH AFRICA RAND 5.9985 6.0375 6.0470 6.0410 6.0457
SOUTH KOREA WON 942.70 939.60 934.00 939.40 939.30
SRI LANKA RUPEE 102.810 102.790 102.800 102.820 102.830
SWEDEN KRONA 7.3610 7.3929 7.3632 7.3434 7.3156
SWITZERLAND FRANC 1.2386 1.2345 1.2351 1.2297 1.2257
TAIWAN DOLLAR 31.900 31.720 31.570 31.630 31.600
THAILAND BAHT 37.400 37.550 37.690 37.710 37.620
*UNITED KINGDOM POUND 1.8286 1.8397 1.8446 1.8485 1.8588
VENEZUELA BOLIVAR 2144.60 2144.60 2144.60 2144.60 2144.60

And Smoke, people who live close to the Canadian border choose to shop in Canada because they earn 10 cents on every dollar through the exchange rate. People from Canada do not shop in northern US states because they lose that amount on every Canadian dollar.

 

[smokedog#3]

So what realut is trying to say folks is it is cheaper. :biggrin2:

 

[therealUT]

what the hell. i didn't say anything about gas. i said by then the canadian dollar will have passed the american greenback. i swear it seems like you are just trying to argue with someone. what your trying to tell me that the canadian dollar is not catching the american. well if you are, you are wrong. next month by the way i will tell you how much canadian gas is going for, i have to go to windsor. by the way realut, almost everything is cheaper in canada. i mean everything so if i don't get upset because there gas is alittle higher, excuse me. half the people in detroit shop in canada and that is a fact.

People who live close to the Canadian border choose to shop in Canada because they earn 10 cents on every dollar through the exchange rate. People from Canada do not shop in northern US states because they lose that amount on every Canadian dollar.

So what realut is trying to say folks is it is cheaper.

No, what I am saying, not trying to say, is that goods in Canada are cheaper only for Americans. They are not cheaper for Canadians. There is a huge disparity between goods being cheaper overall and goods being cheaper for a specific group.

 

[smokedog#3]

have you been to canada realut. you can buy jeans for 12 dollars american. do the math even after 10 cents more on the dollar levi's are still cheaper than they are in the USA. a bottle of crown royal 10 dollars. everything except gas is cheaper that is the reason you are only allowed to bring so much stuff back into the united states. show me where you can get a bottle of crown royal or jack daniels in the USA for 11 dollars after the 10 cents. i know when i go next month i will stack up on all they have to offer. even there food at resturants is cheaper in toronto than it is in detroit, even after you add the 10 cents on the dollar. i recommend you take a trip you can tell me i'm right.

 

[therealUT]

have you been to canada realut. you can buy jeans for 12 dollars american. do the math even after 10 cents more on the dollar levi's are still cheaper than they are in the USA. a bottle of crown royal 10 dollars. everything except gas is cheaper that is the reason you are only allowed to bring so much stuff back into the united states. show me where you can get a bottle of crown royal or jack daniels in the USA for 11 dollars after the 10 cents. i know when i go next month i will stack up on all they have to offer. even there food at resturants is cheaper in toronto than it is in detroit, even after you add the 10 cents on the dollar. i recommend you take a trip you can tell me i'm right.

And, how does this relate back to your original statement that the American dollar will be worth less than the Canadian dollar?

Are you going to tell me that the Peso is going to catch the dollar because you can buy things dirt cheap in Mexico?

I have never been to Canada, and I never plan on it. However, my assessment that Canadian goods are still cheaper for Americans and not Canadians still holds true, because their government subsidizes almost all private business in Canada. So, the Canadian taxpayer pays the difference, as they pay not only income taxes but also taxes on all capital gains and dividends, along with a national sales tax. Therefore, goods in Canada: cheaper for non Canadians, that is it.

 

[jdsa]

The US Dollar has actually remained fairly stable this past week:

Pull up the five year chart on the Canadian dollar,your frame of reference is too short.

Our monster trade deficit and national debt are what's causing the decline. Foreign investors aren't as willing to hold dollars or dollar denominated securities when the nation's carrying as much debt as it is.

 

[smokedog#3]

5 years ago i was getting 30 cents for every dollar now it is only 10. you must not watch much news it has been all over it. canadians don't have to pay healthcare costs either that is another benefit. when their dollar meets ours in the next 2 years, if they don't raise their prices i will still go there and shop. it is cheaper, for them and us. only thing that sucks if you buy to much our great country taxes you as you come back across. god bless america.

 

[therealUT]

5 years ago i was getting 30 cents for every dollar now it is only 10. you must not watch much news it has been all over it. canadians don't have to pay healthcare costs either that is another benefit. when their dollar meets ours in the next 2 years, if they don't raise their prices i will still go there and shop. it is cheaper, for them and us. only thing that sucks if you buy to much our great country taxes you as you come back across. god bless america.

Where do you think their government gets the money for their healthcare system??? It is called taxes, i.e. they do pay healthcare costs.

 

[therealUT]

Pull up the five year chart on the Canadian dollar,your frame of reference is too short.

Our monster trade deficit and national debt are what's causing the decline. Foreign investors aren't as willing to hold dollars or dollar denominated securities when the nation's carrying as much debt as it is.

I will agree with that, but Smoke was using the current 'oil crisis' situation in demonstating that the US dollar is weakening against the Canadian dollar. However, the trading price of oil is not in any way related to the trading price of US currency.

 

[GAVol]

I don't have anything concrete to back this up, but the last figures I saw placed the average Canadian's tax burden at about 30% higher than that of an average American.