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78 Responses to “Tuesday Open Comments”Search
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Defending Identity: Its Indispensable Role in Protecting Democracy
by Natan Sharansky -
Fear No Evil
by Natan Sharansky -
The Case For Democracy: The Power of Freedom to Overcome Tyranny and Terror
by Anatoly Shcharansky -
The Jewish State: The Struggle for Israel's Soul
by Yoram Hazony -
Bobos in Paradise: The New Upper Class and How They Got There
by David Brooks -
Snobbery: The American Version
by Joseph Epstein -
A Conflict of Visions: Idealogical Origins of Political Struggles
by Thomas Sowell
Another typical day in Baghdad. Get used to it….
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/15710584/
“Up to 150 kidnapped from Baghdad institute”
“Iraq universities shut after largest abduction since start of U.S. occupation”
Good morning, all
It’s always a good day when you can wake up and breathe the air surrounding you.
However, one wonders if God is wondering what is happening to the country that was built upon his name? and how much longer to let us continue heading is a purely secularist direction before letting us know of his disappointment with us.
Allah was wondering the same thing…Bin Laden
I don’t understand your current poll. Who/what is to blame….for what?
Bluto did it.
#2 flygal:
There’s only ONE who knows the answer to that question. With 85% (or so) of Americans that SAY they believe in GOD, there is a large percentage of them who do NOT act or vote like it.
I got my tax bill from the Klein School District today. The tax rate went from $1.70. to $1.58 or a reduction 12 cents per $100.00 valuation.
Reading Problem:
1. If my property were valued at $100,000.00 and the value is increased by 10 percent a year, How many years will pass before my property tax savings disappear?
2. Can the students in todays public schools answer question number 1.
3. Can they answer in English.
trl3: I think Rick Perry should figure it out!
As for the photo: Democrats in Power!
#4 rideuponthewind, That would be the Republicans loss of the House and Senate.
#2 Flygal,
Agreed, this awesome picture surely signifies heavenly displeasure on Mt. Olympus and locales at higher altitudes.
Hope the pain of your nephew’s loss is easing some.
Well, it looks like Rudy Giuliani is well on his way to running in ‘08. That would not be good for the Republican party whether he wins or loses IMHO. Nor would McCain. I’ll try to stay optimistic and hope that someone more along the lines of Newt or Mike Pence gets into the mix.
Here’s a scary quote from Rudy Giuliani in 1998:
God doesn’t have to wonder. We’re the ones that wonder.
The Dude
#10, 11
Giuliani is exactly the opposite of what the Pubbies need right now. They did not vote so that the Democrats could win. They voted to get rid off the Rinos and to force the others to move to the right. No way are they going to elect another Rino as POTUS. Bring on Newt, Tancredo, Pence or Romney. We need true conservatives in ‘08.
10
That’s the scariest quote I ever saw.
Pray hard america is in trouble
I thought the photo was of the US after we became mexicanized.
I saw Rudy described as a “Libertarian nightmare”. I don’t think that’s too far off the mark. I’m going to start sending as many letters/emails as possible to try to make sure that type of person doesn’t become our next president. Congress needs to be purged of that type of thought also. At least there, the purging has already started… painful though it may be.
#10 That is a very scary quote. 180 degrees from what the Constitution says.
Giuliani can’t make it through the primaries.
#6
what if your rate was 1.70 and your appraisal still went up?
I’ll be optimistic and agree with you there. The thing that makes me nervous is the emotional resonance he carries with voters in post-9/11 America. I think people can vote with their brains instead of their emotions though, so that’s why I agree with you.
There must be a candidate more appealing than Hillary or she will make it to the top spot.
#18
Gov. Hairspray promise was that the new business tax would reduce the tax bills of homeowners by $2,000.00. Not only will it fail in that respect, any savings will dissappear due to rising appraisals. What the Gov. did was institute a new tax without having to give up the old one all the while claiming he was making home ownership affordable again.
I think Giuliani has a place in national government, but not as POTUS or VP. Maybe a cabinet position?
It’s going to be Hillary guys. Sorry if you wish otherwise. Remember how many people aren’t paying taxes because they are so poor (probably cause they dropped out of school and didn’t get an education). There are alot of them that believe the government (that would be us paying taxpayers)
owe them meds,food stamps,etc. They will be voting for Hillary-Obama come 2008. It won’t matter who the Pubbies run.
#23 With that attitude you may as well sign over your bank account now. I would prefer to fight.
You can’t educate a dumbocrat.
I’m with you, SC.
Whose quotes are these?
The broad masses of a population are more amenable to the appeal of rhetoric than to any other force.
The great masses of the people will more easily fall victims to a big lie than to a small one.
What good fortune for governments that the people do not think.
When an opponent declares, “I will not come over to your side,” I calmly say, “Your child belongs to us already… What are you? You will pass on. Your descendants, however, now stand in the new camp. In a short time they will know nothing else but this new community.”
Words build bridges into unexplored regions.
Sounds like a typical elitist politician? Hillary, Kerry, Kennedy, Pelosi?
Hint: has a funny little moustache, hails from Austria and is very thankfully dead.
There’re here;…Raising taxes in a housing slump isn’t the smartest policy.
http://www.opinionjournal.com/editorial/feature.html?id=110009243
I feel like I’m in Sophie’s Choice: an important decision to be made, so much at stake, no decision IS a decision and either way it sucks.
Give us a candidate we can feel good about! Or have all the decent ones been scared off by the anal probing of the MSM and the culture inside the Beltway?
Hillary will announce she’s not running in ‘08 this spring, and will become the new majority in the Senate. Watch for Bill Richardson and Barak Obama to be on a yet to be determined ticket.
23 dugger,…Ding, Ding, Ding, We have a winner!
I agree, when I found out, a few years ago, that fifty percent of the people paid no income taxes, it floored me. This should never happen; they need to pay something, even if it’s a token amount. Better yet if you don’t pay into the system, you can’t vote. — Dave ducks as he hauls a$$ out of the area for making such racists homophobic WASP comment.
BTW; Who blew up LST? It’s been off line for 20 minutes.
It’s the evil Dem hackers.
Dave, why hide from the truth. I’m proud to be in the taxpaying half of the nation, but tired of paying for the rest who have their hand in my pocket.
#23 is right. The Beast and Obama in 08. We’re all dead. Go off your diets, cash out the IRA, we’re all finished.
The ignorant socialist masses, spoon-fed leftist propoganda by Katie, Charlie, Brian and the rest, think a tax increase on “the rich” is the BEST idea they’ve ever heard. “Yeah, tax the rich,” they say.
So, that means economy will be ruined, and also, with the military torn apart, a nuclear attack on some of our cities…
All thanks to whomever did something to the Beast back in the ’60s….
If Ben Afflack says “I don’t need a tax cut” again I’m going to upchuck all over my Good Will Hunting DVD….
I also get mad at the Dumocraps for telling me that since I’m rich, I shouldn’t mind paying my 50% in total taxes each year. In todays world, a normal, two income family is considered rich by their standards and taxed to death, while we struggle to get by, never mind trying to save a little for the future.
Every time someone mentions his name I think of that irritating duck.
21
The ad never promised 2 thousand dollars a year, second, your local appraisal board and your school board assessed you - not the governor
Your Klein School Board is a snapshot of alot of school boards in nicer areas of texas
Dr Radcliffe is an education consultant and former Asst Superintendent in KISD
George Anne Reitmeyer is a former Educational Consultant
Larry Allen and the newest Board Member (I forget his name) both of their spouses are high paid administrators in KISD
Jerry Courtney’s wife teaches but I know him and he is independent and they are good people
Connie Neeley and Steve Szymczak are the only Taxpayer/Parents on the Board
So 4 out of 7 get monthly checks from the education bureacracy, when on God’s green earth are you thinking that a board like that is
a: going to accept an appraisal cap from the governor without going to the courts
b: going to reduce spending
#36 I was SHOCKED when Clintoon declared me rich in the 90s. Now I find myself in a virtual slum surrounded by taco carts.
#38 EricPJohnson You said;
The ad never promised 2 thousand dollars a year, second, your local appraisal board and your school board assessed you - not the governor
That is exactly the problem! This system was started a long time ago so that the bureaucrats didn’t have to raise taxes, just wait on the appraisal to go up and point fingers at the other guy.
DaveD
without getting into a discussion that only goes down hill
There is a huge separation between school boards and the state
to pretend to summarize it in a blog would be foolish for me to do.
If, lets use Klein for example, elected people like you, trl3 and Squawk, what would the odds of palacial highschools being built and laptops for dropouts being paid for by 25 year loans?
I mean with someone like you on the board, you would hardly be against education, but you would not be a rubber stamp for every pied piper consultant that appeared infront of the administration too.
Without affecting teacher and classroom support, you could make at least, at least 15% cuts that would be a 25 cent rate drop and not really even scratch the surface
When I hear Thomas Petrek (Kleins CFO)tell the board they have to spend more money so they might not lose the state match
I go ballistic…..
We need a board that can say no, more than once every six years
Multiply that times 1000 and your appraisal cap problem is solved without the courts intervening
Look out, Saddam’s on the loose!
38 Eric
Quoting Perry from the ad:
This picture reminds me of a joke my father told me years ago:
Once upon a time, there was a wheat farmer who was married to a beautiful wife, had two wonderful children, and was blessed with a bountiful crop. “Things are great!” he thought. Then things began going downhill: his wife left him for the milkman, his children joined a commune, and his paid-for house burned to the ground. Alone and forlorn, the farmer stood in the middle of his wheat field, surrounded by stalks swollen with wheat. “If I can just bring in this crop,” he thought, “I can start over. I can rebuild my house and try to rebuild my life. I just need to bring in this crop.” Suddenly, a wild wind came from nowhere, dark clouds gathered over the farmer, and massive hailstorm began. The farmer, caught out in the open, was still there when the storm finally began to calm. There he stood, battered, bruised, and bleeding, his clothes in tatters. He raised his eyes to the still-dark heavens above him, raised his arms in supplication, and pleaded, “Why, O Lord? Why me? Why now? Why? WHY?”
The winds grew calm, and a small shaft of sunlight broke through the clouds and shone upon the poor wheat farmer. As the ray of sunshine warmed the farmer’s cheeks, he heard a loud, thundering voice say, “I don’t know, son, just something about you just pi$$es me off!”
/and the Republicans see the significance
From the “I’m really bright, if I say so” department:
Today it has been reported that Iran has announced that it will have nuclear weapons within a few months.
While today it is “breaking news” on Fox that the IAEA has discovered unexplained plutonium and enriched uranium traces in Iran. http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,229360,00.html
DUHHHH!!!!
Boy, am I ever so glad that we have a bunch of educated global socialists to protect us when we need it. (Yes, sarcasm is intended.)
#45
And Iran should care what we think?
All they have to do is look at last weeks vote and they will know they can do anything they want and the U.S. will not do anything about it.
#45 -
I don’t think they mentioned nuclear weapons, only that the enrichment program will provide all the nuclear fuel for their power needs. We don’t know how far away from detonating their first bomb they are, primarily because Pakistan will not let us directly question AQ Khan. And he will soon take that most incredibly important information to the grave with him.
“A Q Khan in critical condition: PML-N”
“Islamabad, Nov 10: Former Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif’’s party PML-N has claimed that disgraced nuclear scientist Abdul Qadeer Khan is in a critical condition and accused the government of “endangering” his life.”
http://www.zeenews.com/znnew/articles.asp?aid=334763&sid=SAS
Meanwhile, in that nation - the only nuclear armed Islamic nation in the world - fundamentalist Islam marches forward.
“Pakistan Govt could challenge Taliban-style NWFP Bill in court”
“Islamabad, Nov 14: Pakistan Government could challenge in Supreme Court a controversial Bill passed by the North West Frontier Province Assembly to impose Taliban-style religious rules.”
http://www.zeenews.com/znnew/articles.asp?aid=335602&sid=SAS
#43, shannon, but you missed the “over the next 3 years” that was in the fine print of the add. The problem was Perry’s 2k in savings is blown out of the water in 4 years if your house appraisal goes up 10% each year
Look at the numbers that I ran back when Perry was bragging about our savings.
http://texas-common-sense.blogspot.com/2006/06/rick-perry-big-tax-and-spend-rino.html
The only people that would see the 2k in 3 years were those whose homes had a value of over $175k which is about 25k over the AVERAGE value of a home in the state of Texas.
Eric, yes there is a big gap between the School Boards that we elect and the Governor when it comes to School Taxes, but the Governor does have the ability to limit the arbritray GROWTH of government through reductions in the appraisal cap, or even changing it so that your taxable value is static. But you see that would force the local taxing entities to actually be honest in their accounting and tax rates and that cannot happen.
Parse all you want, Eric. I am aware of the details of the fine print and also how he came up with the numbers for the ad.
The quotes I gave are directly from the ad.
If you want to stand there and say that Rick Perry didn’t mean to run on a $2000 tax cut for the average homeowner in Texas…….AND that he didn’t pull the ads when called on it….rock on, baby.
BWeldon
#49
Excellent article.
#51, thanks neo.
Rick Perry intends to collect the new business tax every year. Perry said the business tax would be offset by our property tax savings. Why should we not expect the property tax savings to be there every year?
#49 Tell me if I am way out there, but it seems to me that the taxation issue on the state level can be tied to the illegal immigration issue. It appears to me that the government spending is tied largely to two areas: education and health care. As such, our increased taxes appear to be, at least in significant part, a subsidy to employers that employ illegal aliens.
Such employers usually do not provide health care, leaving it to the State–and thus us taxpayers to pay. When the illegal aliens come here for jobs, populations increase and thus more schools, with all commensurate costs including construction, is needed. Also, many if not most of the illegal alien employees and their children do not speak english or do not speak english well, we need bi-lingual or native language classes further increasing costs.
If we better policed the employers and made those employers found to employ illegal aliens pay into a designated pool the costs to the state for providing health care and education to such illegal aliens employees, then 1) they would stop employing illegal aliens, or 2) pay there share for the load being carried by the taxpayers. We could even have some of the money from such employers found a bounty program to pay for turning in employers that employ illegal aliens.
#54, you are correct to a point, however the point I always try to make is that any entity that depends upon property taxes as their revenue have been able to get up to a 10% raise every year with out coming to the people to ask for it.
If Harris County, or Katy ISD or Houston ISD, need more tax money to do their job it needs to be brought before the public for approval or at the least in an open to the public meeting. Right now any property owner in the state of Texas can have their taxes raised 10% with out recourse until AFTER the fact. That is what makes the appraisal caps wrong, the government has been living high on our increased appraisal values for in some places as many as 10 years all the time telling the big lie “We didn’t raise your taxes” BULL SHIT. Your revenue has increased by 38% over 6 years any you say have not raised taxes.
The only way to force these groups to become accountable to the public is to turn off the free raises from the appraisal districts. Make them come to the public when they are going to increase tax rates to collect more money…
#55 B. Weldon:
You are absolutely right. I have frequently expressed the need to ABOLITION all indirect mechanisms the politicians have put in place to avoid accountability. By indirect mechanisms, I mean tax appraisal districts, toll road authorities, sports authorities, tirz boards, etc., etc., etc. These mechanisms exist solely to tax us and pay for stuff we don’t really need, and have the politicians avoid being associated with such taxation. If these indirect mechanisms were doing anything good, the politicians would be standing out front of them, taking credit for the great things they were doing.
Down with insular, unaccountable bureaucracies!!
#56, willsin,
a perfect example the Harris County Sports Authority.. Annual Budget $3,000,000.00 think about it that is about what that could do to both the debt involved on the stadiums as well as other expenses.
#57 Oh, but now we have a champion soccer team. we need a new stadium for them asap. Geeeez, here it comes.
Abolish the whole mess.
#58, let them play at the Cy Fair IDS stadium complex…
#8 - thanks. Can’t we chose all of the above? LOL
It looks like the good guys win one: Professor Disciplined
What?
Where’s Matt and his beads!?
From BigJolly’s Link in #61:
Ah yes, the Stalinization of American universities, courtesy of the American Left. It will take two generations, minimum, to reverse what the bastards have done to higher education. Freedom of thought—another quaint relic.
My posting was removed by HAL.
Let’s try again.
From bigjolly’s link in #61.
Ah yes, the Stalinization of American universities, proudly brought to you by the American Left. It will takes generations to reverse what these bastidges have done.
Freedom of thought—another quaint relic.
I wasn’t aware the common word for the child of a unmarried couple was not allowed.
Give me a break HAL.
#59 bw, you think Cy-Fair can handle the rioting hoards that come with professional soccer? Leave it in Europe and South America as far as I’m concerned.
SC
I’m with you! Please don’t bring hordes of hispanics to my doorstep! Besides, it would never work anyway — it is far to far for them to travel!
#67 You kidding? Look how far they traveled already.
SC
Ya gotta point there! touche (add little thingy over the e)
This possible sceneario freaks me out. If it happens, we are in a world of hurt. I wonder if the B-52s would be directed to take out Iran and a few more Islam Fasciest countrys?
http://www.therant.us/staff/kraft/10242006.htm
Dig shelter-Buy ammo-Buy MREs-Convert to gold-Buy canned goods.
Shannon
It wasn’t in the fine print, no one in Texas ever believed IMO that the cut was 2,000 dollars per year
BWeldon,
My point is a 5% cap really doesn’t do anything. Appraisals in Klein grow according to the district about 5.3% a year. Katy 5.45%, Cy-Fair 5.62%
Also, the governor has NO authority to limit the growth of spending by the local municipalities - that lies with the legislature who even though asked, failed to pass the 5% cap twice in the Senate - blocked by the Democrats.
At one point they even fled the state.
Also, the courts spoke in the Burnt Orange School district Case that the school boards have “Suffered” enough under the 10% cap
Cutting spending within the boards seems to be more effective and acheive greater results than begging the legislature.
Let’s see, we went into Iraq and did not finish the job. Hmmm, we could have stayed out of Iraq and let Iraq and Iran go at it again and then we could have picked up the pieces. Now, since we refuse to finish the job in Iraq, we can’t go into Iran either. What a fine mess! Republicrat or Demican, does not matter any more. Neither stand on principles. Time for a new party!
I asked my mama the other day, why people since the beginning of time, have always picked on Israel? She gave me a video to watch. Took me 3 days to get through it, but the video is “Crisis in the Middle East” by Dr. John F. Ankerberg. There were 6 different programs in it.
What I found very interesting is that Dr. Renald Showers explains this whole middle east crisis (I think program 5). Holy crap! This is making total sense now! Dr. Jimmy DeYoung who has lived in the middle east for quite a while put is 2 cents worth in as well. Interesting~
“Persing’s lawyer said his client was not feeling well when he placed his head on his companion’s lap…” (Must have been something he ate)
http://www.breitbart.com/news/2006/11/14/061114235323.5hvb8xln.html
GoodjobTim: yesterday’s open comments: Free Dial-up at home, but when I got to work today….giggle, giggle! Good Job Tim! Still wonder what it tastes like! Keep ‘em coming!
ST
Fitting for your #140 from yesterday.
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=6007209015224846839&q=bird+for+christmas+dinner&hl=en
I am super busy these days,(aww, heck, every day) but I want to thank EACH and EVERYONE here at LST for your imput. (And I mean all of you!) I try and keep up with everything here, and some of you hold a bigger part of my heart. We may not seem eye to eye on everything, but have openend my eyes a lot wider. Smackie, I still need you to be our cheerleader! (even though it might be: Rah, Rah, REE…kick ‘em in the knee! Rah, Rah, rass…Kick ‘em in the other knee!..cheer from my daddy!) Muahhh, to all of you!/mushy-ness turned off…..
ST You are doing just fine. (Take it from the bonafide mushy-ness queen…)
What a GREAT idea!
Fun with the ACLU…… Wanna have some fun this CHRISTMAS? Send the ACLU a CHRISTMAS CARD this year.
As they are working so very hard to get rid of the CHRISTMAS part of this holiday, we should all send them a nice, CHRISTIAN, card to brighten up their dark, sad, little world.
Make sure it says “Merry Christmas” on it
Here’s the Address, just don’t be rude or crude. (It’s Not the Christian Way, you know!)
ACLU
125 Broad Street
18th Floor New York, NY 10004
Two tons of Christmas cards would freeze their operations because they wouldn’t know if any were regular mail containing contributions. So spend 39 cents and tell the ACLU to leave Christmas alone. Also tell them that there is no such thing as a “Holiday Tree”. . . . It’s a Christmas Tree even in the fields!!
And pass this on to your email lists. We really want to
communicate with the ACLU! They really DESERVE us!!