Elections 2012: You must choose the lesser of two weevils

[Kepler]

Re: Elections 2012: You must choose the lesser of two weevils

And there are a LOT of forms of diversity that are overlooked because they aren't as sexy as the initiatives to hire women, blacks, and native americans to name a few. We'll all be better off when people can be individuals again.

I agree with most of this (I don't think a lot of wa-hoo injuns have been abusing the system). Affirmative action separated from means testing is a bad idea -- I don't want society to subsidize some rich guy's daughter.

Wealth inequality is America's killer problem. Means test everything. If some Appalacian derp-a-derp freakishly spawns a gap-toothed genius son, that kid should get preferential admission to Harvard over Alan Keyes' son or Dick Cheney's daughter.

 

[FreshFish]

Re: Elections 2012: You must choose the lesser of two weevils

weird, I thought I linked to the John Cassidy article in the New Yorker that provides a more centrist, "reasonable" critique of Romney's Bain Capital experience....

That sets up a nice electoral dynamic.

Romney: Obama's a nice guy who's in over his head.

Obama: Romney's a good businessman but he doesn't have what it takes to be President.

Here is BHO as quoted by Cassidy:

My view of private equity is that it is, it is set up to maximize profits and that is a healthy part of the free market, of course. That’s part of the role of a lot of business people. That is not unique to private equity. My representatives have said repeatedly and I will say today, I think there are folks who do good work in that area and there are times where they identify the capacity for the economy to create new jobs or new industries. But understand their priority is to maximize profits, and that is not always going to be good for communities or businesses or workers.

And the reason this is relevant to the campaign is that because my opponent, Governor Romney, the main calling card for why he should be President is his business experience. He is not going out there touting his experience in Massachusetts, he is saying, “I am a business guy and I know how to fix it,” and this is his business.

And when you are President as opposed to the head of a private-equity firm, then your job is not simply to maximize profits. Your job is to figure out how everybody in the country has a fair shot

.



Read more http://www.newyorker.com/online/blo...ubles-down-on-bain-attacks.html#ixzz1vdUNHk1t

 

[Old Pio]

Re: Elections 2012: You must choose the lesser of two weevils

I agree with most of this (I don't think a lot of wa-hoo injuns have been abusing the system). Affirmative action separated from means testing is a bad idea -- I don't want society to subsidize some rich guy's daughter.

Wealth inequality is America's killer problem. Means test everything. If some Appalacian derp-a-derp freakishly spawns a gap-toothed genius son, that kid should get preferential admission to Harvard over Alan Keyes' son or Dick Cheney's daughter.

By far the most disproportionate beneficiaries of "minoiry contracting" and the other scams, are women. Women who are allegedly in charge of companies getting contractural preferences when in fact it's the husbands calling the shots. I think we can agree here that if you've got a system designed to help people who have been historically discriminated against, let's make sure the people raking in the big bucks can lay legitimate claims to being part of those groups. And in the case at hand, Liz Warren certainly can't. Not to mention the absence of anything remotely like "discrimination" in her life.

It's like the ridiculous notion of "reparations." As I've posted before, very prominent Civil War historian E. B. Long once told me that as of the outbreak of the war, there were over a thousand blacks who owned slaves. This is obviously not an argument in favor of slavery. But if we ever decide to give black folks reparations, are the descendants of those thousand going to get the money or pay the money?

 

[LynahFan]

Re: Elections 2012: You must choose the lesser of two weevils

And when you are President as opposed to the head of a private-equity firm, then your job is not simply to maximize profits. Your job is to figure out how everybody in the country has a fair shot.

Sigh. No, Mr. President. Your job is "to support and defend the Constitution of the United States," not to play hall monitor writ large. Remember those words? I think you may have uttered them at some point.

(and yes, I would equally call out any Commander-in-Derp who said anything foolish like his job was to protect America's Christian roots, etc)

 

[FreshFish]

Re: Elections 2012: You must choose the lesser of two weevils

Sigh. No, Mr. President. Your job is "to support and defend the Constitution of the United States," not to play hall monitor writ large. Remember those words? I think you may have uttered them at some point.

I think if you look real closely you'll see that his fingers were crossed when he said that....

 

[joecct]

Re: Elections 2012: You must choose the lesser of two weevils

Fun in South Carolina - http://news.yahoo.com/blogs/lookout...video-c-union-leader-attacking-220855645.html

 

[Old Pio]

Re: Elections 2012: You must choose the lesser of two weevils

Fun in South Carolina - http://news.yahoo.com/blogs/lookout...video-c-union-leader-attacking-220855645.html

"UMW spokesman Jock Yablonski was unavailable for comment."

 

[mookie1995]

Re: Elections 2012: You must choose the lesser of two weevils

i see on yahoo that there is a story 'stuck with joe - why obama won't pick hillary'

is that really an option? do people still hate her (and bubba) so much that it could fire up the righties? i have to admit, i read that and was like, "oh yeah, hillary...". certainly outta-sight, outta-mind. but the righties did have a hard on for her. wonder how that would play out....

 

[Old Pio]

Re: Elections 2012: You must choose the lesser of two weevils

i see on yahoo that there is a story 'stuck with joe - why obama won't pick hillary'

is that really an option? do people still hate her (and bubba) so much that it could fire up the righties? i have to admit, i read that and was like, "oh yeah, hillary...". certainly outta-sight, outta-mind. but the righties did have a hard on for her. wonder how that would play out....

Well, Bush I stayed with Quayle. The conventional wisdom is nobody votes for VP. I think that's probably true. Biden has been the Washington version of Aunt Blabby all right, but not dangerous or likely to hurt the union even if he were to become president.

My take would be discussions of replacing him on the ticket, or actually considering it or doing it would be a reflection of something approaching panic. Conservatives don't like her, of course, but His Panderness' biggest problem now appears to be an enthusiasm gap in his own party. And reaching out to "womyn" by picking Hillary might be helpful.

Joe Biden isn't crazy or stupid, he's just a guy who's always shot from the hip, generally going for a laugh or to emphasize a point. He's not evil. And he's not dangerous. He just needs to be a little more disciplined.

I think dumping Joe would hurt far more than it would help.

 

[Farce Poobah]

Re: Elections 2012: You must choose the lesser of two weevils

So we are 9:20 on election evening and the AP has called Arkansas Republican primary, where Mitt is currently drawing 70% of the vote.

However, they haven't yet called the Democratic primary for president, where Obama is leading with 59% of the vote, but "J. Wolfe" is drawing 41%.

http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/files/...dent_0522.html?SITE=ARLIDELN&SECTION=POLITICS

Meanwhile in Kentucky, "Uncommitted" is drawing over 40% of the Democratic vote vs. Obama.

http://cincinnati.com/blogs/nkypolitics/2012/05/22/kentucky-primary-election-results-2012/

The next couple days should be interesting.

 

[Priceless]

Re: Elections 2012: You must choose the lesser of two weevils

Sigh. No, Mr. President. Your job is "to support and defend the Constitution of the United States," not to play hall monitor writ large. Remember those words? I think you may have uttered them at some point.

(and yes, I would equally call out any Commander-in-Derp who said anything foolish like his job was to protect America's Christian roots, etc)

If he was born in America he'd understand that!

 

[Old Pio]

Re: Elections 2012: You must choose the lesser of two weevils

If he was born in America he'd understand that!

Or if he'd claimed American citizenship to all the universities he applied to.

 

[Old Pio]

Re: Elections 2012: You must choose the lesser of two weevils

So we are 9:20 on election evening and the AP has called Arkansas Republican primary, where Mitt is currently drawing 70% of the vote.

However, they haven't yet called the Democratic primary for president, where Obama is leading with 59% of the vote, but "J. Wolfe" is drawing 41%.

http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/files/...dent_0522.html?SITE=ARLIDELN&SECTION=POLITICS

Meanwhile in Kentucky, "Uncommitted" is drawing over 40% of the Democratic vote vs. Obama.

http://cincinnati.com/blogs/nkypolitics/2012/05/22/kentucky-primary-election-results-2012/

The next couple days should be interesting.

J. Wolfe? Wasn't he the lead singer of the J. Geils Band? You know, the one who married Faye Dunaway?

 

[Farce Poobah]

Re: Elections 2012: You must choose the lesser of two weevils

J. Wolfe? Wasn't he the lead singer of the J. Geils Band? You know, the one who married Faye Dunaway?

Peter ... but it was a long time ago and things were kinda hazy if you know what I mean.

I think the closed primary results in Kentucky are more interesting than Arkansas', which is an open primary. Not that either state will be contested at the top of the ticket, but results down the ballet ... another story.

 

[Old Pio]

Re: Elections 2012: You must choose the lesser of two weevils

Peter ... but it was a long time ago and things were kinda hazy if you know what I mean.

I think the closed primary results in Kentucky are more interesting than Arkansas', which is an open primary. Not that either state will be contested at the top of the ticket, but results down the ballet ... another story.

I was just funnin' I do recall when they were married and she was up for the Oscar for Network, they had a hard time framing the shot of her to keep him and his beard and his shades and his southside shuffle hat from getting on the air. Evidently, she was a major groupie for the band. And at the time, she was the biggest actress in the world.

"Pack fair and square, baby don't try to give me no air."

 

[Slap Shot]

Re: Elections 2012: You must choose the lesser of two weevils

I wonder what percentage of teachers whiling away the days at taxpayer expense are the victim of false allegations by students and what percentage are simply too stupid to be allowed in the same room with impressionable kids.

I doubt you wonder anything about it.

I've posted before about how at least once a year in grammar school my mother would invite my homeroom teacher for lunch on a school day. She was sending the unambiguous message that "the adults are in this together," so don't even go there with that b.s. that Miss Metcalf "doesn't like kids." You can imagine how much I looked forward to sitting there with my mother and teacher while I tried to remember to keep my elbows off the table. I later realized an unintended consequence of these little get togethers is I began to see my teachers as people and not just prison guards.

When I was a kid (and presumably today) many non-Catholic parents in Chicagoland sent their kids to parochial schools knowing the kids would get a better quality of instruction and that they would be seen as something more than just sheep to provide the annual allotment of wool. On our block several families shared a lovely, hard working African American woman who did weekly house keeping and occasional baby sitting and other duties. We all loved her. And my parents and all the people she worked for established a fund to enable her to send her kids to Catholic schools. I realize that sounds hopelessly outdated today. And some would call it racist. But it isn't and it wasn't.

So it really does take a village?

 

[duper]

Re: Elections 2012: You must choose the lesser of two weevils

Poor, misunderstood teachers' unions.

What did the bulk of my post have to do with unions? Nothing.
I personally know two teachers who nearly lost their career (remember, it's not a job you lose, it's your career. You get fired, you get your license pulled, and no one will ever hire you again) because of frivolous sexual harassment claims by students. I know one who DID lose his career over a frivolous physical abuse claim by his ex-stepson (who was not a student in the school where he taught). You want to tell me the unions are more bad than good? F that! It's total bulls h i t!

So no, not poor union. You are awesome at intentionally misrepresenting what people say, but this one time, you don't have a ****ing clue what you're talking about. You may be Walter Kronkite lite, and know everyone and have inside info on everything, but this time, your head is so far up your arse you can't see daylight.

And with that, I am done with this particular topic.

Hmmm, isn't asserting Indian heritage "based on family lore" how that great intellectual Ward Churchill got a job as an underqualified department head at a state university? And shouldn't a person under consideration for a faculty position at America's "most prestigious" law school apply a slightly higher standard than "family lore?" And if that's the standard she's using, shouldn't she have explained it? And being the exceptionally bright person we all agree she is, shouldn't she have noticed Harvard's "error" in calling her a "minority " faculty member, and endeavored to straighten out the "misunderstanding?"

It's possible she didn't know that Harvard was bragging about her "ethnicity." In the same way it's possible His Panderness didn't know Rev. Wright was a racist wingnut after sitting in the pews for only 20 years.

Ward Churchill has NO BEARING on this debate. If someone you disagree with used an argument this fallacious you would call bulspit faster than I can say Jack Robinson. So here's me, calling it.

free education, a share of casino loot, and no bag limits on netting lake trout and whitefish? I'd be out beating a tom tom in my loin cloth if I was you.

there aren't too many places where you get a free education. One of the Ivies. Fort Lewis. I'm sure there are a couple of others, but not too many.
Edit: There are apparently more than I realized, but the fact remains that at most colleges, Native Americans only go "free" if they get enough financial aid. Yes, there is a fair amount of financial aid available exclusively to Native Americans, but I think you'll find many Native American college graduates would find your assertion of free education to be fascinating news, indeed.

Edit II: Crap. I've been on the rag all day today. I should have stayed the hell off the boards!

 

[Old Pio]

Re: Elections 2012: You must choose the lesser of two weevils

I doubt you wonder anything about it.





So it really does take a village?

 

[Old Pio]

Re: Elections 2012: You must choose the lesser of two weevils

What did the bulk of my post have to do with unions? Nothing.
I personally know two teachers who nearly lost their career (remember, it's not a job you lose, it's your career. You get fired, you get your license pulled, and no one will ever hire you again) because of frivolous sexual harassment claims by students. I know one who DID lose his career over a frivolous physical abuse claim by his ex-stepson (who was not a student in the school where he taught). You want to tell me the unions are more bad than good? F that! It's total bulls h i t!

So no, not poor union. You are awesome at intentionally misrepresenting what people say, but this one time, you don't have a ****ing clue what you're talking about. You may be Walter Kronkite lite, and know everyone and have inside info on everything, but this time, your head is so far up your arse you can't see daylight.

And with that, I am done with this particular topic.
Ward Churchill has NO BEARING on this debate. If someone you disagree with used an argument this fallacious you would call bulspit faster than I can say Jack Robinson. So here's me, calling it.
there aren't too many places where you get a free education. One of the Ivies. Fort Lewis. I'm sure there are a couple of others, but not too many.
Edit: There are apparently more than I realized, but the fact remains that at most colleges, Native Americans only go "free" if they get enough financial aid. Yes, there is a fair amount of financial aid available exclusively to Native Americans, but I think you'll find many Native American college graduates would find your assertion of free education to be fascinating news, indeed.

Edit II: Crap. I've been on the rag all day today. I should have stayed the hell off the boards!

Hypoglycemia? How did we ever educate generations of American kids without the assistance of teachers' unions--which generally don't give a crap whether kids learn anything or not (and I previously posted comments from the NEA's former chief counsel in which he said essentially that).

As to Ward Churchill, his situation is similar to Fauxcahontas in that he, too, claimed Indian heritage based on "family lore." I believe I can quote him reasonably accurately: "I've always thought of myself as a Native American." He was made a department chairman at CU because of that and not his academic credentials, which weren't up to standard. He had no PhD. Only a Masters in an unrelated field.

And the alternative to me "intentionally misrepresenting" what you posted is me not quite getting it. And that appears to be the case here. I've reread your post, which came in the middle of a discussion of "rubber rooms" in NYC. And the full throated defense of those union drones and the various strained theories as to why they're in the "rubber rooms" in the first place.

Once again, Occam's Razor would suggest that most of them are in those rooms because they fall woefully short of the minimal standards required for the job. As opposed to convoluted speculation about being held accountable for having sex with students over 18 and all the rest. However, as in any situation involving huge numbers of people, there can certainly be some who've been railroaded, as you described. This is not a phenomenon related to unions per se, although unions would obviously rush to the defense of any members against whom false charges of sexual improprieties were lodged. The problem is, they would also rush to the defense of members who can't count to 10.

So, to the extent I evidently misunderstood your post, I apologize.

Unfortunately that does not change the fact that teachers unions ARE more bad than good. Here's a piece from City Journal where the writer points out that the California Teachers Association is the largest special interest in the state. With annual dues approaching 200 million dollars (every penny of which they can spend on politics without any input from members). During the last decade in LA, with over 30K teachers, only four have been fired. What's the bell curve probability on that?

http://www.city-journal.org/2012/22_2_california-teachers-association.html

 

[Kepler]

Re: Elections 2012: You must choose the lesser of two weevils

i see on yahoo that there is a story 'stuck with joe - why obama won't pick hillary'

is that really an option?

No, it's a tactic to try and kick up dirt. There are probably sincere Hillary Supporters still out there. Certainly her tenure as SOS hasn't hurt her, she's been solid. But this is just an Operation Chaos play. It's concern trolling by people who want to knock out Obama, that's all.