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Tuesday Open Thread

By Jeralyn, Section Blog Related
Posted on Tue Dec 13, 2005 at 08:57:04 AM EST
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What are you thinking about today? If you feel like talking about it, here's some space.

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    Tuesday Open Thread | 44 comments (44 topical)
    Re: Tuesday Open Thread (none / 0) (#1)
    by Talkleft Visitor on Sat Dec 17, 2005 at 01:06:58 PM EST
    Over at DARE Generation Diary, we're talking about Steven Steiner, an anti-drug activist who takes money from Big Pharma. After his son died of an oxycontin overdose, he went nuts and now primarily works to stop medical marijuana bills from being enacted, much to the delight of his money-hungry pharma donors.

    Re: Tuesday Open Thread (none / 0) (#2)
    by Talkleft Visitor on Sat Dec 17, 2005 at 01:06:58 PM EST
    The topic of discussion at Sui Generis-A New York Law Blog, is an unusual lawsuit by Minority leaders in the NY Senate and Assembly against Gov. Pataki, the Majority leader of the NY Senate and the NY Speaker of the Assembly.

    Re: Tuesday Open Thread (none / 0) (#3)
    by jen on Sat Dec 17, 2005 at 01:06:58 PM EST
    Here's a guy that just keeps getting more and more popular around here. [WaPo link deleted, links must be in html format or they skew the site. Instructions are in comment box.]
    A Prince George's judge who has been temporarily removed from the bench amid controversy over a domestic violence case and other issues has exhibited "clear bias" against non-English-speaking women seeking protective orders, even prohibiting one woman from using a translator except with his explicit permission, according to a petition filed yesterday with the Maryland commission that investigates allegations of judicial misconduct. District Court Judge Richard A. Palumbo told the woman's attorney she could take up the matter with an appellate court, according to the complaint by the House of Ruth Domestic Violence Legal Clinic. The House of Ruth is a 30-year-old organization that advocates for the victims of domestic violence in Maryland.
    boy did he ever come under scrutiny!
    The allegations are the latest to be leveled at Palumbo, who came under scrutiny following reports that he dismissed a protective order obtained by a woman against her estranged husband, who, three weeks later, allegedly doused her with gasoline and set her on fire. Through his attorney, Palumbo has said the dismissal of the protective order was a clerical error, but the chief administrative district court judge in Prince George's has disagreed. On Oct. 26, the state's chief district court judge temporarily removed Palumbo from the bench and reassigned him to administrative duties.
    Re: Tuesday Open Thread (none / 0) (#4)
    by jen on Sat Dec 17, 2005 at 01:06:58 PM EST
    oops, the last two paragraphs should have been in the quoteblock too

    Re: Tuesday Open Thread (none / 0) (#5)
    by Kitt on Sat Dec 17, 2005 at 01:06:58 PM EST
    Now tell me this isn't about money.
    "I intend to finish TRIA (the Terrorism Risk Insurance Act) before we leave" for the holidays, said Frist, a Tennessee Republican. Senators would "work through" differences between the bill they passed and the House version even if there are not formal House-Senate negotiations, Frist said. The 2002 act was passed after the September 11, 2001, attacks, when insurers were wary of extending terrorism insurance, saying they could not judge the chance of another attack.
    It requires insurers to make terrorism coverage available. In return, the U.S. government guarantees it will bear a large percentage of future losses.
    My personal favorite paragraph:
    The White House complains the House bill would expand the program to cover damages from attacks by domestic terrorists like the 1995 Oklahoma City bombing.
    Anything to keep us safe from the pseudobogeys. And why would we need insurance if our troops are over there so we don't have to fight 'em here?

    Re: Tuesday Open Thread (none / 0) (#6)
    by Lww on Sat Dec 17, 2005 at 01:06:58 PM EST
    "Pseudobogeys?" Keep going with that fantasy. The poor six yr. old crushed by the plane at Midway wasn't cold in the ground before the lawyers started feeding on his carcass. Unreal.

    Re: Tuesday Open Thread (none / 0) (#7)
    by Dadler on Sat Dec 17, 2005 at 01:06:58 PM EST
    LWW, Who SHOULD bear the cost? Should corporate America, who receive the most preferential treatment in this capitalist nation, not bear a burden commensurate with the overwhelmingly huge financial breaks they get as compared to an average worker?

    Re: Tuesday Open Thread (none / 0) (#8)
    by BigTex on Sat Dec 17, 2005 at 01:06:58 PM EST
    In a completly different vein from above, and rather gorss... Was eating at Subway. A homeless person walked in, which I have no problem with. The person apparantly knew one or both of the employees on duty. They take the person to the back. From the back comes... Employee: Oh he's so cute! Where did you buy him. Answer: Petsmart. Lo and behold, a few moments later a @#$%^&ing RAT rat comes surrying out from the back. The RAT's owner and the employees do nothing to try to corral the RAT. Calling Subway HQ was of no help. I called after normal business hours, and received a option tree that says if you request a callback press 1. I did so and received a message saying to please state which Subway you were at, your name and callback #, and why you are calling. No return call yet, and it has been a week.

    Re: Tuesday Open Thread (none / 0) (#9)
    by Lww on Sat Dec 17, 2005 at 01:06:58 PM EST
    Dadler, to be honest I don't know. What I do know is that lawyers who see dollar signs in every tragedy are not good for society. Very simple. It's a redistribution of wealth that inevitably comes out of the pockets of every American. If the corporations pay it WE pay it, thru higher prices. This is simple.

    Re: Tuesday Open Thread (none / 0) (#10)
    by Lww on Sat Dec 17, 2005 at 01:06:58 PM EST
    "A homeless person walked in, which I have no problem with." Real white of ya Tex.

    Re: Tuesday Open Thread (none / 0) (#11)
    by Dadler on Sat Dec 17, 2005 at 01:06:58 PM EST
    LWW, You accept things as so inevitable. It only costs US because our legislators give away so much to big business. If we want to create a more equitable society, it's certainly within our grasp. If it isn't, then "free" America isn't worth a dime.

    Re: Tuesday Open Thread (none / 0) (#12)
    by Dadler on Sat Dec 17, 2005 at 01:06:58 PM EST
    Add LWW, And by Big Business, of course, we are only talking about HUMAN BEINGS. They may have more power, status, whatever, but they don't have the public support that, well, the public itself has. So I think getting corporate America to pay their fair share is only a matter of will and imagination. We should have lots of both commodities here in the USA. But on the political level, sadly, we seem to have none.

    Re: Tuesday Open Thread (none / 0) (#13)
    by BigTex on Sat Dec 17, 2005 at 01:06:58 PM EST
    Real white of ya Tex.
    Damned if I do and damned if I don't. Had the qualifier not been added there would have been grounds for criticism about thinking that I'm superior because of noting it was an apparant homeless person. This was an attmept to not display any supeority feelings, which I have none. There, but for the Grace of God, am I. The only reason the nature of the rat owner was mentioned because it is a specific detail, which adds credibility to the story. Sometimes things need to slide LWW.

    Re: Tuesday Open Thread (none / 0) (#14)
    by Kitt on Sat Dec 17, 2005 at 01:06:58 PM EST
    What the ....!? Talk about taking something out of context:
    The poor six yr. old crushed by the plane at Midway wasn't cold in the ground before the lawyers started feeding on his carcass. Unreal.
    My post was about insurance against acts of terrorism, which I tend to think of as pseudobogeys - someone is out there somewhere waiting to get us sometime. Southwest skidding off the runway and striking that 6 year-old's car had nothing to do with terrorism, domestic or otherwise...and how the brunt of cost will be borne by the taxpayers.

    Re: Tuesday Open Thread (none / 0) (#15)
    by Lww on Sat Dec 17, 2005 at 01:06:58 PM EST
    Welcome to OUR world... I see no solution as long as we have a solid two party system. The old DOORS line "they've got the guns but we've got the numbers" isn't true. We've got the guns and we've got the numbers; we just need the money and the media.

    Re: Tuesday Open Thread (none / 0) (#16)
    by cpinva on Sat Dec 17, 2005 at 01:06:58 PM EST
    i'm thinking.................. richard cohen is an idiot. katie couric is a brainless ball of fluff. the more information comes out about how we were lied to and misled into iraq, the more i believe there are sufficient grounds to impeach bush and cheney, for high crimes and misdemeanors. that sen. lieberman has been a republican, masquerading as a democrat, for years, how come everyone else is just starting to notice this? the death penalty, as practiced in this country, is too damn expensive, and clearly not equally applied. it should be scrapped, the dry tortugas re-opened for business, and all those scumbags sent there for the rest of their lives. it's the only way to be sure. i'll have a drink. it's 5 o'clock somewhere in the world!

    Re: Tuesday Open Thread (none / 0) (#17)
    by BigTex on Sat Dec 17, 2005 at 01:06:58 PM EST
    Dadler - the insurance companies should bear the cost. That's why they charge premiums. If corporate intenties have to raise prices, so be it. However, this isn't to sat that insurance companies should get a free pass... they should be heavily regulated. The last few "crisis" in insurance came when the stock market tumbled. It's not that the insurance companies didn't have money, it's that they made bad investments. They are a business just like everyone else, and should be held accountable for their poor business decisions. They shouldn't be able to raise rates simply because there is a self induced crisis.

    Re: Tuesday Open Thread (none / 0) (#18)
    by roy on Sat Dec 17, 2005 at 01:06:58 PM EST
    Dadler,
    So I think getting corporate America to pay their fair share is only a matter of will and imagination.
    What constitutes "fair share", anyway? Favored whipping-company Exxon, for instance, paid six billion dollars in income tax last quarter. Not counting taxes on employees' or executives' incomes. Or gasoline taxes collected at the pump. Or taxes paid by suppliers who make a profit selling to Exxon. Or by resellers who make a profit selling what they buy from Exxon. The feds spend about 530 billion dollars per quarter. So Exxon is paying 1.1% of the federal government's expenses. Do you think they're recieving more than 1.1% of the benefit from government spending? (Fuzzy math alert. I wasn't sure how to figure in the federal defecit spending, or any state taxes and expenditures. I have a hunch those problems are small. Also, the six billion figure is unusually large since it was a record-profit quarter. And the $530B figure for the feds is an estimate based on the 2006 budget.)

    Re: Tuesday Open Thread (none / 0) (#19)
    by jen on Sat Dec 17, 2005 at 01:06:58 PM EST
    BigTex, I just hope they were referring to the rat.

    Re: Tuesday Open Thread (none / 0) (#20)
    by Edger on Sat Dec 17, 2005 at 01:06:58 PM EST
    Now for some good news for a change, there is something going on on New Mexico that is not getting much media attention, but is pretty cool nonetheless:
    Sir Richard Branson’s Virgin Galactic space travel company has ironed out an agreement to utilize a futuristic spaceport to be built in New Mexico, with first flights of a suborbital spaceliner now planned in late 2008, early 2009. Details of the agreement were discussed today in a press event called by Virgin Galactic and held at The Science Museum’s Alien Exhibition hall in London, England. According to an Associated Press (AP) account of today’s press event, Branson has worked a deal with New Mexico that involves a 20-year lease on the spaceport, a facility that is price tagged at $225 million to build. Mark Bonner, Creative Director at GBH Design Ltd, added: “Our aim is not just to create something that represents the opportunity for an ordinary person to travel into space and to look back at the planet where we all live, but also to represent the incredible spirit of human endeavor that continues to push us all forward”. ----- On the off chance anyone wondered what I'd like for Christmas this year... well... now you know. ;-)

    Re: Tuesday Open Thread (none / 0) (#21)
    by desertswine on Sat Dec 17, 2005 at 01:06:58 PM EST
    “Our aim is not just to create something that represents the opportunity for an ordinary person to travel into space and to look back at the planet where we all live, but also to represent the incredible spirit of human endeavor that continues to push us all forward”.
    To the Moon, Alice, to the Moon!

    Re: Tuesday Open Thread (none / 0) (#22)
    by kdog on Sat Dec 17, 2005 at 01:06:59 PM EST
    roy..If exxon paid 6 billion in taxes last quarter...imagine how much profit they made. I, for one, think corporations should pay a higher tax rate on their earnings than living breathing human beings. Corporatons don't need food or heat. That is cool edger, and even cooler that they are building in the US. Big businesses that that build in the US, and manufacture in the US, deserve praise. I work with a US manufacturer who am I am sure has been tempted to move to China or Mexico to cut costs and increase profits. But they haven't. They still employ blue collar, unionized Americans, paying good wages w/ good benefits. They remain profitable while doing the right, patriotic thing. I am proud to work in conjunction with such a company. As opposed to another manufacturer I work with who has moved their manufacturing from the Carolinas to Malaysia so a few greedy executives can get third and fourth homes. Kudos to Branson for choosing New Mexico.

    Re: Tuesday Open Thread (none / 0) (#23)
    by Sailor on Sat Dec 17, 2005 at 01:06:59 PM EST
    Branson ... Branson, gee I thought the launch pad was in Missouri;-) Seriously folks, I'm a bit perplexed about Sir Richard's decision. The closer you are to the equator the easier it is to launch orbital flights.

    Re: Tuesday Open Thread (none / 0) (#24)
    by Lww on Sat Dec 17, 2005 at 01:06:59 PM EST
    SIR Branson to you Kdog. What do tickets cost? We're all goin I guess? How much tax money will be pissed away on this little adventure?

    Re: Tuesday Open Thread (none / 0) (#25)
    by jimakaPPJ on Sat Dec 17, 2005 at 01:06:59 PM EST
    et al - Exxon didn't pay a penny in taxes. Every nickel came from their customers.

    Re: Tuesday Open Thread (none / 0) (#26)
    by Edger on Sat Dec 17, 2005 at 01:06:59 PM EST
    kdog: That is cool edger, and even cooler that they are building in the US. It's not politics, and it's not crime, but I do think pretty cool anyway ;-) The simple fact that there are people with real visions to actually try to build something that will move the human race forward, rather than the backward destructive lurching around the globe that we've become so used to reading and talking and arguing about. NASA should have been doing this since Tranquility Base IMO. Sailor, I gather from the article that the main reason Branson is doing it in N.M. is that:
    Earlier this year, Branson joined forces with aerospace designer, Burt Rutan, to create The Spaceship Company. The joint venture has been formed to build a commercial suborbital craft patterned after SpaceShipOne and to be constructed by Rutan and his team at Scaled Composites in Mojave, California. It was SpaceShipOne that repeatedly flew to the edge of space last year, snagging the $10 million Ansari X Prize in the process. Along with a SpaceShipTwo, a huge carrier craft to haul the rocket plane to high altitude is also being fabricated. Virgin Galactic has placed an order for five of the spaceships, expected to be delivered sometime within the next couple of years.
    Rutans design does not use a rocket, so no need for equatorial boost assistance. It's a two stage affair. The module that goes into space piggy backs on a reusable custom airplane that gets it high enough to separate and boost to orbit. Way cool. Anyone think BushCo or PNAC could ever have this kind of vision? Heh!

    Re: Tuesday Open Thread (none / 0) (#27)
    by Edger on Sat Dec 17, 2005 at 01:06:59 PM EST
    LWW: How much tax money will be pissed away on this little adventure? It is 100% profit driven private enterprise.

    Re: Tuesday Open Thread (none / 0) (#28)
    by Edger on Sat Dec 17, 2005 at 01:06:59 PM EST
    It's 8:00PM here on the west coast. It's dark and the sky is clear. I was just outside smoking a cigarette. The moon is bright and nearly full, and the bright red star a bit to the west of the moon is Mars. In a universe populated by people like Branson and Rutan the possibilities are endless, not the end like in BushCo's universe. Happy Holid...ack... I mean "merry Christmas!", all.

    Re: Tuesday Open Thread (none / 0) (#30)
    by Sailor on Sat Dec 17, 2005 at 01:07:00 PM EST
    "Rutans design does not use a rocket, so no need for equatorial boost assistance." If you're going to orbit you need the boost, doesn't matter how you get there.

    Re: Tuesday Open Thread (none / 0) (#31)
    by Edger on Sat Dec 17, 2005 at 01:07:00 PM EST
    Not sure Sailor. It works though. There are photos and videos on the linked site.

    Re: Tuesday Open Thread (none / 0) (#32)
    by jimakaPPJ on Sat Dec 17, 2005 at 01:07:00 PM EST
    Dark Avenger - The comparison doesn't work for individuals because you can't arbitrarily raise your wages to cover the cost of the FIT. And yes, I’ll give you that there are limits to what costs can be built into a price, that’s why corporations relocate to low tax locations. And why they go broke when costs make their price too high. I.e. when gasoline gets to “X” dollars a gallon, technology will change the whole gasoline/diesel use and distribution market. Do some reading of what BP claims they are going to do. But my main point remains. Corporations do not pay taxes because their only source of income is from the customer. No customer, no sales, no profits no taxes. And no employees who pay taxes on their salaries which are paid for by the profits from sales to the customer.

    Re: Tuesday Open Thread (none / 0) (#33)
    by soccerdad on Sat Dec 17, 2005 at 01:07:00 PM EST
    But my main point remains. Corporations do not pay taxes because their only source of income is from the customer.
    No the corporations do not pay taxes because the politicians are in the pockets of the corporations and the US is moving towards a corporate oligarchy form of government much as existed during the time of the robber barons. Here's another point whizzy, no profits = no taxes, so only successful corps would pay taxes, and lets not get into corportae welfare. PPJ has bought into the entire scam. My my thats a lot of kool aid. As your buddy Mussolini used to say (paraphrasing) it should not be called Facism, it should be called Corporatism

    Re: Tuesday Open Thread (none / 0) (#35)
    by Talkleft Visitor on Sat Dec 17, 2005 at 01:07:00 PM EST
    edger... On the off chance anyone wondered what I'd like for Christmas this year I'm with you. Only problem is that I might be too old by the time they get this together...! (I applied for a ride on the Shuttle in the early 80's) Kdog.... I work with a US manufacturer who am I am sure has been tempted to move to China or Mexico to cut costs and increase profits I too work for a munufacturer who just recently moved it's production to Mexico! None of us were too happy for various reasons... not the least of which was being able to say we were (American) local Chicago made! But....the sorry fact of the matter is... all my customers constantly complained that my product was more expensive than the other guys. So, the ONLY way to get my price low was to do what they did & move off shore. I know it sucks...but that's the nature of business. So now when my customer complains of 'shoddy' workmanship... my come back is... this is what you wanted!

    Re: Tuesday Open Thread (none / 0) (#36)
    by Edger on Sat Dec 17, 2005 at 01:07:00 PM EST
    BB: Only problem is that I might be too old by the time they get this together I don't know about that, BB. How old was John Glenn the second time around? I'd go in a heartbeat, give up my job, house, pretty much everything for a couple of orbits or a walk on the moon. Hell, I've started over from zero 7 times in my life...I know how to do it quickly now... It would be a good trade. One rule though If we're both on the same ride we don't talk politics while we're up there. Fair?

    Re: Tuesday Open Thread (none / 0) (#37)
    by kdog on Sat Dec 17, 2005 at 01:07:01 PM EST
    BB...I wonder why we don't hold foreign govt.'s to our labor standards in order to do business with the US. If Mexico or China had to abide by minimum wage laws and safe workplace standards, their costs would be the similar to ours. Or, what if American companies were required to abide by US labor standards regardless of where they employ. You are spot on about the workmanship, IMO. Customers have been complaining about defects in the Malaysian produced material. We didn't get nearly as many complaints when they manufactured in the Carolinas.

    Re: Tuesday Open Thread (none / 0) (#38)
    by kdog on Sat Dec 17, 2005 at 01:07:01 PM EST
    And speaking of unions...I am 100% behind the NYC MTA workers if they decide to strike this Friday. The man says it's against the law for them to strike. I say the law doesn't pay the rent or heat the house. If the only way to get a raise comparable to the increases in the cost of living is to strike, I say it is your obligation to do so. Hopefully, the MTA (home of the billion dollar surplus)comes to their senses before Friday.

    Re: Tuesday Open Thread (none / 0) (#39)
    by Talkleft Visitor on Sat Dec 17, 2005 at 01:07:01 PM EST
    edger... If we're both on the same ride we don't talk politics while we're up there. Fair? OK.... Kdog... I am 100% behind the NYC MTA workers if they decide to strike this Friday. Agree... Jeez.. I must be getting the Christmas spirit?

    Re: Tuesday Open Thread (none / 0) (#40)
    by kdog on Sat Dec 17, 2005 at 01:07:01 PM EST
    Fellas, there is a reason every pub in the nation has the same ground rules...No religion, No politics.

    Re: Tuesday Open Thread (none / 0) (#41)
    by Che's Lounge on Sat Dec 17, 2005 at 01:07:01 PM EST
    Rosa Parks broke the law and they want to put a statue of her in the capitol.

    Re: Tuesday Open Thread (none / 0) (#42)
    by Edger on Sat Dec 17, 2005 at 01:07:01 PM EST
    BB:
    Jeez.. I must be getting the Christmas spirit?
    You're a good man BB! I don't care what your ex-wife says! Or your friends either. ;-) Merry Christmas!

    Re: Tuesday Open Thread (none / 0) (#43)
    by Edger on Sat Dec 17, 2005 at 01:07:01 PM EST
    Whatever happened to Squeaky?

    Re: Tuesday Open Thread (none / 0) (#44)
    by kdog on Sat Dec 17, 2005 at 01:07:01 PM EST
    On that note Che...I will share one of my father's old adages... "If you've never been arrested, you were never really free."

    Re: Tuesday Open Thread (none / 0) (#45)
    by Talkleft Visitor on Sat Dec 17, 2005 at 01:07:02 PM EST
    edger.. I don't care what your ex-wife says! You can't believe her... that's why she's my 'ex' wife! ;-) Merry Christmas! kdog... there is a reason every pub in the nation has the same ground rules...No religion, No politics. Well tell that to my sis! All she does is talk politics at her place. She is firmly on the right while my other sis as an 'elected' Dem official in my town. Makes for interesting family gatherings! LOL ;-) Merry Christmas!

    Re: Tuesday Open Thread (none / 0) (#46)
    by Talkleft Visitor on Mon Sep 11, 2006 at 04:25:37 PM EST
    Great site! well done and informative. Keep up the good work.

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    Tuesday Open Thread | 44 comments (44 topical)