pettie4sox

QUOTE (caulfield12 @ Feb 17, 2016 -> 04:11 PM) What Republican other than Rand Paul would sign off on that after all the Obama criticism for softness and not projecting power around the globe effectively? Not enough bombing runs in Syria, etc. I suppose Trump will make some proclamation our enemies will pay for the increases, or we'll use the seized oil assets. Still, more likely to see military budget increases, if anything. I get why the US spends astronomical amounts of dough on the military but in my opinion, there in lies the problem. We are too quick to use our new toys to intimidate instead of being leaders. If you're a big guy in the room that can already take on everyone, why do you need a machine gun too? People say it's weak to cut military spending but do they realize that we spend more than many countries combined! That is just unacceptable if you ask me.

QUOTE (Jenksismyb**** @ Feb 17, 2016 -> 11:58 AM) In fairness, those were for circuit court positions. A bit different from the SC. But still, they should at least consider the name before coming out and saying they'll reject anyone. They just need to vet the guy which is their job. I hope the voters make these clowns pay for their obstructionism if they continuously block for no reason other than, "Obama".

QUOTE (illinilaw08 @ Feb 17, 2016 -> 12:31 PM) Agreed. I see high speed rail as having a ton of value regionally - in the Northeast and the Midwest in particular. Just need somebody to bite bullet and invest in the very high start-up costs. Divert some of that bloated military budget to this. How many times over has the US outspent the world in military spending and for how many years?

QUOTE (SoxFan562004 @ Feb 17, 2016 -> 10:37 AM) Just going through the worst type of break-up for me, the one where you have strong feelings for each other, but it's just so clear that we're two different people and it won't work. I feel you on this man. Sometimes, it's just a personality conflict and nothing more. What happened exactly if you're in the sharing mood.

QUOTE (bigruss22 @ Feb 17, 2016 -> 10:30 AM) Is knowing a foreign language as important as personal finances? It's a zero sum game, you only have so many hours in a day for classes. I would probably land on personal finances as being more important, at least in this country. While knowing a foreign language is great, English is pretty well accepted around the world. Then I'm making arts and literature classes electives. Learning a foreign language is an investment in a sense. English might be accepted but that doesn't mean we should be complacent. The world is too big for the egocentric attitudes most Americans exhibit.

Why would the Kings do this?

QUOTE (ChiSox_Sonix @ Feb 17, 2016 -> 07:20 AM) I agree that some form of financial planning/responsibility class as well as other real life prep classes should be offered (if not mandatory) in high school. I do disagree with cutting things like language. As someone who's lived and traveled through Europe, it's kind of embarrassing that Americans are so culturally ignorant and inept compared to most Europeans, who often speak 2, 3 or even more languages. As for the JSF program and any other military program, well I don't think people realize how many people these programs keep employed. My company will supply around $20M of product in support of this program this year. But we're not supplying it to Lockheed Martin. We're supplying it to an integrator, who will then go to another subcontractor who then supplies to Lockheed Martin. At the other end, we will need to buy a sizable amount of product to help us from our own contractors this year. The military budget funds so many jobs. I don't think people comprehend that. I know I didn't before I worked in the military aerospace industry. When even one large government contract gets cancelled or program gets de-funded, the result is thousands of lost jobs. And usually good paying jobs at that. Do you mean more than it is currently? College is already offered to veterans for free. I'd support something similar for Americorps type organizations, but I don't know what making these mandatory for any sort of financial at all would accomplish. I think a foreign language was required for you to graduate from my high school. I do think that requirement should remain in tact. The world's economy is global and the more people we have that can communicate with various people, the better. The curriculum of high school should be geared toward what people can expect in life. The more educated kids are, the less mistakes you hope they make when it comes to finances, life choices, and etc. I know military contracts produce jobs. I just find the money spent on top notch planes, weaponry, and ships are not be beneficial to the American people (financially for some people yes). What good is a new weapon for the average American? The illusion of protection? I rather see that money spent on the infrastructure. Amtrak is a bottom feeding rail service compared to other industrialized nations. That in itself is a good investment that will produce tons of jobs. Look at the bridges and roads! They are a heartbeat away from a tragedy that could be prevented. America touts as being the greatest nation on the planet yet they lack basic fundamental services. At some point we have to look at the s*** we've got ourselves in and say, "WE CAN DO BETTER!"

QUOTE (NorthSideSox72 @ Feb 16, 2016 -> 04:43 PM) I've been harping on this forever. It amazes me, of all the requirements we have (federal, state, local, district, school) for what classes are required to complete high school, how is basic financial education NOT a universal part of it? It's just so basic to me. I think every high school should have mandatory financial regiment you have to pass to graduate. It includes a course on credit cards, the credit system, student loans for college, and the kitchen sink to boot. How many 18 year old get credit cards with extraordinary limits just to f*** it up. Yeah, it's quite shameful it's learn as you go with this s*** right now. Yeah, yeah, it's your parent's responsibility to teach your kids... well some parents are quite unaware themselves.

Damn, I sorta feel this thread got derailed but the admins aren't saying anything yet. I don't think college should be free but it should be very affordable! If you're paying off debt for 30 years after you graduate, that's just a huge problem. I agree with the increase in trade schools as well for those who do not want to want the traditional college route. I'm all for paying taxes to invest in this country's future and infrastructure. Now this on the other hand... http://www.cnn.com/2015/07/16/politics/f-3...rational-costs/ We always have money for the biggest baddest bomb, plane, and war on the planet... but we can never fix our s***ty infrastructure and reform our schools. Enough is bloody enough.

QUOTE (AustinIllini @ Feb 16, 2016 -> 11:31 AM) Your point on Thibs and star players is emphasized by the fact that Thibs has yet to get another coaching job. Everyone is so afraid he'll go to Cleveland. He should go run what's left of LeBron into the ground. He is getting paid by the Bulls still, so why the f*** would he need to rush into a coaching job?

QUOTE (ChiSox_Sonix @ Feb 16, 2016 -> 07:46 AM) Isn't that kind of her fault though? I'm not going to argue that college costs are out of control, because they are. But I personally graduated with about $20K in loans, and I needed 5 years. I spent 2 years at a community college which allowed me to live at home and work 20-30 hours a week. I then transferred to a state school (in NY, which is not a cheap state) for 3 years and worked about 10-15 hours per week, so not a ton. I wanted to go to UConn. I got in. They were my dream school. They had my degree that I wanted (actuarial science) and were only a couple hours from home. For an out of state resident it would have been between 20-25K per year. I chose not go 100K in debt. Again, I'm not defending the ridiculous prices and fees that universities have, but there are ways to mitigate the costs associated with your education and future debt. I've been pretty consistent throughout this thread in stating if you sign on the dotted line, then it's your responsibility. So yes, it is her fault, that being said, she wanted to go to a top school for forensic science and it happen to be a private school. Society to some extent has engrained in people that unless you go to a top school, you will be hard pressed to find employment. I escaped with very little debt and I paid it off sports betting. The moral of the story is, not everyone has the same resources, therefore the government should do its best to make sure there is a level playing field for those who want to go to college! I want future kids to have the opportunity for college that doesn't potentially bankrupt them when they finish. How many bright kids missed out because they couldn't afford school or had the resources to prepare them to go to graduate school? And these rich sniveling f***ers who got in with their parents resources and coast... These people scare me the most.

QUOTE (Chisoxfn @ Feb 15, 2016 -> 04:26 PM) Honestly, I see no problem / issues with kids living with there parents after there first professional job. To be frank, it is the financially savy thing to do. I also think having to create something from scratch, builds character and defines you and ensures you appreciate things, but there is a fine line between that and the vast majority starting out in massive debt. I thought it was smart for them to live at home too. That being said, I didn't have that luxury. The funny thing is, if my student loan payments weren't equivalent to my f***ing rent payments every month, I would have been alright not even working overtime. Back to the original point, and that is I took the money and signed so it's my fault for doing so. The good thing that came out of this is, I am going to make sure, if I have kids, that they are taken care of for school. There is a girl in my program that is almost 100K in school debt for a bloody bachelor's degree. STEM discipline as well.

QUOTE (greg775 @ Feb 15, 2016 -> 03:38 PM) Caulfield writes all the reasons Hillary is a lousy choice and still crickets from "most" Hillary supporters. That long post that defended Hillary was nice to read and educational and I respect that post too. As far as that article ... I wish people would take the time to read it. Evidence is out there that she is a sham regarding her helping African Americans. Will anybody read it in African American communities? Does anybody care to end the perception Hillary is best friend to African Americans' prosperity? greg... chill bro. Caulfield is one man with his opinion. It's your right to dislike Hillary as much as you do just like it's the right of others to believe she is the right person for the job as President. That's what makes America great. You should volunteer at a campaign of the candidate you like and try to influence people that way if you are really passionate about it.

QUOTE (Chisoxfn @ Feb 15, 2016 -> 03:17 PM) Why do you have an issue with a democratic socialist being labeled a socialist by some of us. Slippery slope. I've said all along, one thing I give Bernie credit for, is I genuinely believe he has the best interest in this country at heart. II do have a hard time disagreeing with the general concept of free education and everyone having health care. Just think about how our society has changed over the past 30 years, it used to be the majority stopped at or during high school...now maybe the bachelors degree should be just a continued portion of your education? How you pay for it, hard to say, but what if this debate was going on before school...would republicans have just argued that school isn't a right and only those who can pay for it, get loans to pay for it, etc, should go? I feel as I get older, I've actually moved more to the left than the right, but honestly, the argument well I had to pay for it is weak. I've long said I love the fact that Kasich broke party lines for health care. Whether the current form is in its best form, probably not, but the idea that people can't / shouldn't have coverage is just f***ing unbelievable. The whole college system needs reform. School should not cause people to go into severe debt. When I first graduated, I barely held my head above water with rent, utilities, groceries, and student loans. I had to work overtime just to survive and I didn't have any "disposable" income. I took the money so I am obligated to pay it back. That being said, I have paid a lot of them back already but it took me a few years working to actually get a job that paid me a decent wage. A lot of kids that just graduated from school lived with their f***ing parents working a professional job. That's quite damning if you ask me. A lot of these colleges run their campuses like big business. They are always adding fees upon fees upon fees to the point that college is practically unaffordable to poor people unless they go into a lot of debt. Is it worth the cost of getting a degree if you're going to be drowning in debt? So you say no to college and now try to find work for a decent wage. Yeah... that's not happening either unless you're lucky with connections for a nice union gig. One is sort of trapped in this country that is full of opportunities and such and I use that term sarcastically. I am back in school now but I received a fellowship that pays for everything for me. It pays to be black, smart, and studying a STEM discipline that's for sure. Although I don't pay anything, I see my tuition bills are like 8K a semester. It's a state school that charges that extraordinary amount for tuition. Mind blown! If I didn't get a fellowship, how the hell would I be able to afford to go back to school even working a professional job as long as I did? As for the socialist comment. I feel that word has slight pejorative meaning and it is clearly meant to be a boogie man statement. Maybe the people on the forum don't necessarily mean in that way but socialism in it's purest form is not a doable form of government for the US. I believe democratic socialism isn't all that bad and I'm not some freeloader, non tax payer, hippy boy.

QUOTE (Jenksismyb**** @ Feb 15, 2016 -> 02:45 PM) He's as close to a socialist as you're going to find in 2015 America. Whether its democratic or not, it's still "the state will provide." The state already provides a bunch of services as is. America as it is today, will not survive on the path it's set on. America should invest in America and not on giving out welfare to corporations.

He's clearly stated he is a democratic socialist. I'll admit, every voter base has their complete buffoons. Bernie's are no different. I do think it's disingenuous to say he's a socialist as a boogie man scare tactic though.

See the D and R just don't matter. They are all playing for one team and trying to pull the wool over people's eyes. It's quite laughable.

Damn Jenks. You are setting yourself up there.

Obamacare pushed the coverage ages from 23 to 26. That's a lot of people it helped, myself included.

I support Sanders and probably Kasich next. I really don't think we should be putting families in power of a country for decades. That would be a huge mistake.

QUOTE (Tony @ Feb 14, 2016 -> 01:59 AM) You're using the word "contribute" pretty fast and loose there. That's going right over his head haha

QUOTE (Y2JImmy0 @ Feb 14, 2016 -> 10:59 AM) Nobody that makes all of his decisions based on religion has "it". Kasich is the only chance that the Republicans have at winning the general in my opinion. I have been parroting this notion for months.

QUOTE (Y2JImmy0 @ Feb 14, 2016 -> 11:05 AM) Justice Wainwright ‏@JusticeBlaine 15h15 hours ago Antonin #Scalia requested cremation in his will, but millions of women will meet tomorrow to discuss if that's really best for his body. Be offended if you'd like, but I think that's a quality tweet . Mmmmmm sweet.

Scalia was a hateful, racist, and misogynistic son of a b****; that being said he followed his own moral compass and that's what makes freedom wonderful. I disagreed with the guy on almost everything but my heart does go out to his family and loved ones.

I think Kasich is the way republicans should go if they want a shot.