stutefish

Reply to General Moters to cut 9% of its workers and close plants in Politics JoeUser Forums

Totally. Our unemployment is hovering around 5.5%, which is pretty awsome. Especially considering Katrina and all. The leading economic indicators for the next period are positive, and predict a continuation of the ongoing positive trend. Quite frankly, a struggling company laying off 30k workers is barely a blip in the unemployment figures. And if it means the company stops struggling so much, it's a net win for the economy. I also like

Reply to General Moters to cut 9% of its workers and close plants in Politics JoeUser Forums

GM is wasting valuable resources building things nobody wants to buy. So they stop consuming those resources. And somehow this is a bad thing? Like creating more overpriced, underperforming automobiles, in a world that wants such things less and less, would somehow be a better use of 30,000 people? That it would somehow be a better use of those plants, that real estate, the raw materials? Tell me how GM continuing to employ peop

Reply to ADAM AND LILITH in Religion JoeUser Forums

I dunno, but the sources on Lilith seem a lot weaker than the sources used by the interdenominational team of experts who put together the NIV. I'm gonna go with the NIV team on this one.

Reply to Torture is wrong!...except when the CIA does it in Politics JoeUser Forums

So, um you do know that torture is illegal in the U.S., that no regulations or government policies condone it, and that when it's discovered the perpetrators are tried and--if found guilty--punished, right? I mean, the Army was investigating the crimes at Abu Ghraib months before the media got wind of it and turned it into a big scandal. And note that the McCain legislation does not actually prohibit putting severe mental and physical

Reply to France Surrenders - No joke! in International JoeUser Forums

Whatever you say about the White Flag, the fact is, the White Flag is not by any stretch of the imagination the Flag Of Stepping Up And Solving Problems. It's not the British Union Jack, flag of Benevolent Imperialism. It's not the American Flag of "Liberty and Justice for All" It's not even the French flag of "Liberty, Equality, and Brotherhood". It's not even the Rainbow Flag of Tolerance and Community.

Reply to Aliens & Turtles in GalCiv Journals JoeUser Forums

What, no Alien that would stop the car, get out, pick up the turtle and return it to its starting point?

Reply to A JU Opinion Poll... in Humor JoeUser Forums

Ironically gay.

Reply to Netflix sucks in Entertainment JoeUser Forums

Yeah, Netflix has never done me wrong. If I stacked my queue with nothing but wait-flagged movies, I could see having to wait, and having my wait times fluctuate a bit. But I don't do that, and I've never had complaints. Not when I was doing 12 movies a month, and not when I was doing 3 DVDs a month.

Reply to The Truth Is… in Politics JoeUser Forums

So if public schools are so awsome, how come they seem to suck so much at covering the basics of education?

Reply to BUSH IGNORED ANY INTEL THAT SAID SADDAM DID NOT HAVE WMD in Politics JoeUser Forums

Additionally, the House and Senate have their own Intelligence Committees, with their own independent intel channels guaranteed by law, outside the jurisdiction of the Executive Branch. The President does not actually have the authority to control Congress' access to intel. That's the whole point of having a tricameral government: so that if one branch misses a vital piece of info (whether it be through corruption, incompetence, or ju

Reply to Am I broadcasting the wrong signal or what? in Misc JoeUser Forums

Yes, but are you a Furry?

Reply to The French riots - of a better class than New Orleans? in Politics JoeUser Forums

Say what you like about the French, the fact is that while the property damage was pretty huge, the loss of life was incredibly small--especially compared to the typical American week-long riot. I'm adopting a "wait and see" policy on this. Maybe the French actually handled a bad situation well. On the other hand, the next few years may reveal that a harsh police crackdown and greater casualty numbers were the only way to prevent even worse a

Reply to GOP Tells Disable Vets To Take A Hike in US Domestic JoeUser Forums

davad , you should seriously consider posting both sides of the story. Where are the quotes from the people who put a stop to this practice, giving them the opportunity to explain their reasoning to us? Or do you simply intend to stir up mindless hatred?

More Info On U.S. Chemical Weapons Attacks in Fallujah in War on Terror JoeUser Forums

For those of you wondering if there's anything more to the story than Phoenixboi's Italian video footage , I recommend the following jumping-off points for additional information: Ablution Exclusiv

Reply to Do Schools Want to Crank Out Little Monochromatic Robots? in Misc JoeUser Forums

I'm all for people being empowered and expressing their individuality... AFTER they've fully internalized all of the responsibilities and obligations that living in community with other people entail. That is, "children" should be taught responsibility first. Exercising individual power is for adults who have learned how to use it responsibly. Show me that you understand the value of rules, and that you have learned the self-discip

Reply to Religious JU'sians: Would you ever renounce your faith? in Religion JoeUser Forums

Sure. If a better one came along. Would you ever renounce yoru faith in doing your best, persevering no matter what, etc.?

Reply to Could Jesus hang? in Religion JoeUser Forums

Like I said, all the evidence points to yes, he could hang.

Reply to Could Jesus hang? in Religion JoeUser Forums

By all accounts, Jesus spent a lot of time "hanging out" with his Disciples. Long walks, boat rides, dinner... For three years these guys hiked up and down Judea, talking, arguing, preaching... They developed friendships, told stories, discussed issues. Jesus even gave nicknames to some of his friends. And don't forget the time he showed up to a party and turned water into wine. Yeah, I'd say the man could hang. Would John and James "Son

Reply to My Consensual Reality is Better Than Yours? in Gaming JoeUser Forums

I'll allow as how Thomas is a very successful janitor, and I'll congratulate him on his ability to find a job that pays for his hobbies. But beyond that... enh.

Reply to Bush's Approval Rating Shows America is Waking Up... in Politics JoeUser Forums

Gene, I understand that you don't hate the man; you hate his manner of solving certain economic problems. That's fine with me, really. I do think your hatred is unfounded, though. I have trouble seeing this disaster you predict. Since Bush came into office, the fact is that the economy has improved steadily each quarter, and unemployment has dropped to just over 5%--which is almost ideal. I believe that the Bush tax cuts have help

Reply to Bush's Approval Rating Shows America is Waking Up... in Politics JoeUser Forums

Given that the economy has been improving steadily, quarter after qaurter, since Bush first came into office, I'm willing to bet that he has found some other way besides raising taxes to take care of the deficit. I mean, give me a break. The deficit comes and goes, from decade to decade. Presidents come and go, some good and some bad. But the nation is still here, still strong, still healthy. I'm content to wait a few more years, to

Reply to Bush's Approval Rating Shows America is Waking Up... in Politics JoeUser Forums

A couple, off the top of my head... Social Security: Bush tried to make some excellent improvements to this program, but was violently opposed by the Democrats and the media. Medicare/Medicaid/health care: didn't he roll out a whole new entitlement, plus the new drug benefit? Job Loss: Unemployment has dropped steadily while he's been in office. It's currently about as low as it can safely get, and is much lower than the unem

Reply to Bush's Approval Rating Shows America is Waking Up... in Politics JoeUser Forums

On the other hand, since a beleagured minority of us firmly believe that the alleged "vast majority of Americans and most everyone else on Earth" (including you, Gene) are completly wrong about everything, we're quite happy that he'll remain in power and act on his principles instead of misguided public opinion for a few more years before the asshats finally get around to putting their own in power for a while.

Reply to Overheard in Misc JoeUser Forums

Hey! I'm trying to be tolerant here, and you're making fun of me. How very... conservative of you

Reply to Overheard in Misc JoeUser Forums

Heh. That's just your narrative, Dr. Guy. Not that there's anything wrong with that. I just don't want our resident Liberals to feel like the have to agree with you about that.