tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3846643.comments2023-10-11T02:20:44.299-07:00Rene's RamblingsRenehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07829877394126714875noreply@blogger.comBlogger368125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3846643.post-27620190206615703252017-01-23T10:10:21.672-08:002017-01-23T10:10:21.672-08:00Went through same experience and thankfully found ...Went through same experience and thankfully found your blog... I am 1st day home..wrong side of 60 ... I was convinced last night I had made a big mistake begging the docs to let me go home.. I lay on my bed in pain ... but I hadn't slept for 4 nights.I needed to be in my bed, but after a good sleep I'd perked and was ready to go forward. One thing I so need to know..what should I be eating, I don't have any appetite but I know I need to,, I do have a bit of a runny time and I so want to stop this. Thank you for your blog. I'm not alone xx Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11604114914158501372noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3846643.post-44956864941510072132017-01-23T10:09:03.320-08:002017-01-23T10:09:03.320-08:00Went through same experience and thankfully found ...Went through same experience and thankfully found your blog... I am 1st day home..wrong side of 60 ... I was convinced last night I had made a big mistake begging the docs to let me go home.. I lay on my bed in pain ... but I hadn't slept for 4 nights.I needed to be in my bed, but after a good sleep I'd perked and was ready to go forward. One thing I so need to know..what should I be eating, I don't have any appetite but I know I need to,, I do have a bit of a runny time and I so want to stop this. Thank you for your blog. I'm not alone xx Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11604114914158501372noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3846643.post-31809646668019375002016-11-22T23:17:35.079-08:002016-11-22T23:17:35.079-08:00With Trump's blatant display of bigotry, there...With Trump's blatant display of bigotry, there should never be any ambiguity in a major media like the Washington Post. We are counting on them to be our voice of conscience. I definitely fall into your group 1 and group 3, leaning towards the latter group. Election is ideally about voting for what you believe in but sometimes, equally important, for what you reject. This is one of those that the second case applies. Judging from this editorial choice and the election result, we have lost our moral compass as a society.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3846643.post-54026620810840712752016-11-16T11:26:24.125-08:002016-11-16T11:26:24.125-08:00Clearly there is and was a major difference of opi...Clearly there is and was a major difference of opinion among the voters and among the political commentators. In the end, there are probably five category of voters and political pundits:<br />1. Pro-Clinton <br />2. Pro-Trump<br />3. Reluctant Clinton because they are #NeverTrump<br />4. Reluctant Trump because they are #NeverClinton<br />5. #NeverTrump #NeverClinton<br /><br />If I am hearing you correctly, you would be in either group 1 or group 3 and I respect that many share that perspective.<br /><br />At the major media outlets, I think view 5 was probably least represented. I appreciated that George Will at Washington Post and David Brooks at New York Times have provided some of that voice. <br /><br />Thanks for sharing your thoughts. You may have the last word if you wish.Renehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07829877394126714875noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3846643.post-56279319343650642222016-11-11T23:58:58.108-08:002016-11-11T23:58:58.108-08:00George Will's column implies there is a moral ...George Will's column implies there is a moral equivalence between the two candidates and that people in the #NeverTrump #NeverClinton camp should feel justifiably ambivalent about the two. This should not be the case. There should only be unequivocal rejection of Trump's candidacy for the bigotry, racism, sexism and deceit that he undeniably showed during the campaign. Journalists, like George, do their readers a disservice by drawing an equivalence where little exists. To put it in a historical analogy, if Trump is a Hitler, Clinton is no where near a Stalin. Clinton, in the worst case, will put policies in place that annoy the right. Trump, in the worst case, could plunge us into a civil war.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3846643.post-29779155281835215522016-05-18T07:54:37.224-07:002016-05-18T07:54:37.224-07:00Liverpool will meet Sevilla in today's game pl...Liverpool will meet Sevilla in today's game played at St. Jakob-Park Stadium. I wonder if Klopp's team prepared us with a surprise for today. Based on the past results of the two teams, I would expect for Liverpool to perform well during this meeting and win this game. It should be interesting to see if Firmino will score during this match as he has a good average in terms of goals scored / match. Liverpool versus Sevilla Finalhttp://www.soccerstats247.com/matches/noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3846643.post-25770729495234042522016-03-13T01:39:28.112-08:002016-03-13T01:39:28.112-08:00I think alot of people are voting for Trump becaus...I think alot of people are voting for Trump because of the success he already has attained as an entrepreneur. I haven't heard him talk about facts or political views. Mostly trash talking the competition. Hilary better be on her p's and q's or Trump will win. I think that Hilary is the best candidate to compete with Donald Trump. I think this race is based more on popularity and not the facts.<a href="http://www.goppolls.net/" rel="nofollow">www.goppolls.net</a> GOP POLLShttp://www.goppolls.netnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3846643.post-85534347861020734482015-11-15T14:52:40.746-08:002015-11-15T14:52:40.746-08:00Late to the party as usual, but since the mid 70&#...Late to the party as usual, but since the mid 70's in California when I noticed that the propositions seemed to do the opposite of what they were said to do, I vote no unless I understand how it will work and to what effect. Windy Wilsonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01951254236693386401noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3846643.post-68682060740174228652015-09-08T03:02:48.869-07:002015-09-08T03:02:48.869-07:00This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3846643.post-61741580190017439972015-09-08T03:02:25.350-07:002015-09-08T03:02:25.350-07:00This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3846643.post-30284441065194164172015-06-10T04:48:51.863-07:002015-06-10T04:48:51.863-07:00This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09392862856745152007noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3846643.post-61992966388737477532012-10-12T13:39:33.664-07:002012-10-12T13:39:33.664-07:00Thanks for the comments!
The web page cited by to...Thanks for the comments!<br /><br />The web page cited by toto is http://www.nationalpopularvote.com/. <br /><br />The topic of the electoral college comes up every four years but largely in political circles. The closeness of the 2000 and 2004 election brought it more into the popular consciousness. <br /><br />A google search with the terms "in defense of the electoral college" turns up some interesting items. <br /><br />I would encourage readers who have stumbled onto this blog post to check out the "other side" of this issue and decide for themselves if the electoral college system has some merit. <br />Renehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07829877394126714875noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3846643.post-11592299522910389102012-10-12T11:55:16.117-07:002012-10-12T11:55:16.117-07:00The precariousness of the current state-by-state w...The precariousness of the current state-by-state winner-take-all system of awarding electoral votes is highlighted by the fact that a shift of a few thousand voters in one or two states would have elected the second-place candidate in 4 of the 13 presidential elections since World War II. Near misses are now frequently common. There have been 6 consecutive non-landslide presidential elections (1988, 1992, 1996, 2000, 2004, and 2008). 537 popular votes won Florida and the White House for Bush in 2000 despite Gore's lead of 537,179 (1,000 times more) popular votes nationwide. A shift of 60,000 voters in Ohio in 2004 would have defeated President Bush despite his nationwide lead of over 3 million votes. totohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12247335901450384827noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3846643.post-70139302363294814542012-10-12T11:53:39.915-07:002012-10-12T11:53:39.915-07:00With the current state-by-state winner-take-all sy...With the current state-by-state winner-take-all system of awarding electoral votes, it could only take winning a bare plurality of popular votes in the 11 most populous states, containing 56% of the population of the United States, for a candidate to win the Presidency with a mere 26% of the nation's votes!<br /><br />But the political reality is that the 11 largest states rarely agree on any political question. In terms of recent presidential elections, the 11 largest states include five "red states (Texas, Florida, Ohio, North Carolina, and Georgia) and six "blue" states (California, New York, Illinois, Pennsylvania, Michigan, and New Jersey). The fact is that the big states are just about as closely divided as the rest of the country. For example, among the four largest states, the two largest Republican states (Texas and Florida) generated a total margin of 2.1 million votes for Bush, while the two largest Democratic states generated a total margin of 2.1 million votes for Kerry. <br /> <br />Among the 11 most populous states in 2004, the highest levels of popular support, hardly overwhelming, were found in the following seven non-battleground states:<br />* Texas (62% Republican), <br />* New York (59% Democratic), <br />* Georgia (58% Republican), <br />* North Carolina (56% Republican), <br />* Illinois (55% Democratic), <br />* California (55% Democratic), and <br />* New Jersey (53% Democratic). <br /><br />In addition, the margins generated by the nation's largest states are hardly overwhelming in relation to the 122,000,000 votes cast nationally. Among the 11 most populous states, the highest margins were the following seven non-battleground states: <br />* Texas -- 1,691,267 Republican <br />* New York -- 1,192,436 Democratic <br />* Georgia -- 544,634 Republican <br />* North Carolina -- 426,778 Republican <br />* Illinois -- 513,342 Democratic <br />* California -- 1,023,560 Democratic <br />* New Jersey -- 211,826 Democratic <br /><br />To put these numbers in perspective, Oklahoma (7 electoral votes) alone generated a margin of 455,000 "wasted" votes for Bush in 2004 -- larger than the margin generated by the 9th and 10th largest states, namely New Jersey and North Carolina (each with 15 electoral votes). Utah (5 electoral votes) alone generated a margin of 385,000 "wasted" votes for Bush in 2004. 8 small western states, with less than a third of California’s population, provided Bush with a bigger margin (1,283,076) than California provided Kerry (1,235,659).<br />totohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12247335901450384827noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3846643.post-28219555136923442122012-10-12T11:52:19.336-07:002012-10-12T11:52:19.336-07:00Most Americans don't care whether their presid...Most Americans don't care whether their presidential candidate wins or loses in their state. . . they care whether he/she wins the White House. Voters want to know, that even if they were on the losing side, their vote actually was directly and equally counted and mattered to their candidate. Most Americans think it's wrong for the candidate with the most popular votes to lose. We don't allow this in any other election in our representative republic.<br /><br />The National Popular Vote bill would guarantee the Presidency to the candidate who receives the most popular votes in all 50 states (and DC).<br /><br />Every vote, everywhere, would be politically relevant and equal in presidential elections. No more distorting and divisive red and blue state maps. There would no longer be a handful of 'battleground' states where voters and policies are more important than those of the voters in 80% of the states that now are just 'spectators' and ignored after the conventions.<br /> <br />When the bill is enacted by states possessing a majority of the electoral votes– enough electoral votes to elect a President (270 of 538), all the electoral votes from the enacting states would be awarded to the presidential candidate who receives the most popular votes in all 50 states and DC.<br /> <br />The presidential election system that we have today was not designed, anticipated, or favored by the Founding Fathers but, instead, is the product of decades of evolutionary change precipitated by the emergence of political parties and enactment by 48 states of winner-take-all laws, not mentioned, much less endorsed, in the Constitution.<br /><br />The bill uses the power given to each state by the Founding Fathers in the Constitution to change how they award their electoral votes for President. Historically, virtually all of the major changes in the method of electing the President, including ending the requirement that only men who owned substantial property could vote and 48 current state-by-state winner-take-all laws, have come about by state legislative action.<br /> <br />In Gallup polls since 1944, only about 20% of the public has supported the current system of awarding all of a state's electoral votes to the presidential candidate who receives the most votes in each separate state (with about 70% opposed and about 10% undecided). Support for a national popular vote is strong among Republicans, Democrats, and Independent voters, as well as every demographic group in virtually every state surveyed in recent polls in recent closely divided Battleground states: CO – 68%, FL – 78%, IA 75%, MI – 73%, MO – 70%, NH – 69%, NV – 72%, NM– 76%, NC – 74%, OH – 70%, PA – 78%, VA – 74%, and WI – 71%; in Small states (3 to 5 electoral votes): AK – 70%, DC – 76%, DE – 75%, ID – 77%, ME – 77%, MT – 72%, NE 74%, NH – 69%, NV – 72%, NM – 76%, OK – 81%, RI – 74%, SD – 71%, UT – 70%, VT – 75%, WV – 81%, and WY – 69%; in Southern and Border states: AR – 80%, KY- 80%, MS – 77%, MO – 70%, NC – 74%, OK – 81%, SC – 71%, TN – 83%, VA – 74%, and WV – 81%; and in other states polled: AZ – 67%, CA – 70%, CT – 74%, MA – 73%, MN – 75%, NY – 79%, OR – 76%, and WA – 77%. Americans believe that the candidate who receives the most votes should win.<br /> <br />The bill has passed 31 state legislative chambers in 21 states. The bill has been enacted by 9 jurisdictions possessing 132 electoral votes - 49% of the 270 necessary to go into effect.<br /><br />NationalPopularVote <br />Follow National Popular Vote on Facebook via NationalPopularVoteInc<br />totohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12247335901450384827noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3846643.post-6341473143009794362012-10-09T04:03:12.828-07:002012-10-09T04:03:12.828-07:00A MEN, AMEN, AMEN & AMEN. ONE OF MY FAVORITES ...A MEN, AMEN, AMEN & AMEN. ONE OF MY FAVORITES SCRIPTURES THIS ONE IS. iT'S LIKE GOD STOOD UP AND SAID LOOK AT WHAT I HAVE DONE, YOUR GOD. THIS IS AN AWESOME PASSAGE OF SCRIPTURE AND ALWAYS REMINDS ME OF WHO AND WHO'S I AM. GOD IS SOOOO AWESOME!!!!Lady Ghttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14621398800289900050noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3846643.post-47623993273508896692012-01-25T11:49:08.132-08:002012-01-25T11:49:08.132-08:00I don't think the President echoed the Occupy ...I don't think the President echoed the Occupy message per se. More like he is addressing what he interprets is the source of their frustration. Indeed, he also acknowledges frustration from the Tea Party as well, in this and other speeches. He is merely responding to the people which I think is a good thing.<br /><br />As to your question of how much government we should have, may be we can use this guideline from the President's SOTU speech?<br /><br />"That Government should do for people only what they cannot do better by themselves, and no more."Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3846643.post-1820344218095828912012-01-21T14:01:58.360-08:002012-01-21T14:01:58.360-08:00Yeah you are correct, the left doesn't dislike...Yeah you are correct, the left doesn't dislike all 1%, just the ones who aren't on the left! 8-)<br /><br />Certainly concerns about opportunity in society is valid and it is an issue that resonates with Democrat, Independents and Republicans.<br /><br />But the 99% vs 1% rhetoric I see in the evening news comes across as a bit too much for my taste.<br /> <br />When the President gave his Kansas speech last year, I thought he seemed to echo the Occupy people and one writer at the LAT agreed.<br /><br />http://articles.latimes.com/2011/dec/07/news/la-pn-obama-occupy-kansas-20111207<br /><br />Rhetoric aside. I want to hear numbers.<br /><br />The numbers I'd like to hear from BOTH sides are these: <br /><br />All told how much of the GDP should be "occupied" by the Federal government? <br /><br />This gets at the question of the size of government footprint in our economy.<br /><br />And what percent should be allocated to the different aspects of the Federal budget?<br /><br />http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:U.S._Federal_Spending_-_FY_2007.png<br /><br />This gets at the question of the priorities of the government.Renehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07829877394126714875noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3846643.post-31634232023135099602012-01-20T23:24:01.658-08:002012-01-20T23:24:01.658-08:00Is the right that dumb or are they always trying t...Is the right that dumb or are they always trying to distort the message?<br /><br />Anyone reasonable knows the concern over income inequality is nothing about anger towards the rich and everything about unequal availability of opportunity in our society.<br /><br />Warren Buffet is unarguably the primo 1% and yet his view lies with the left. Do you think the 99% or the President really hates him?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3846643.post-90511532945567448402011-12-25T20:52:08.824-08:002011-12-25T20:52:08.824-08:00Thank you so much for choosing Hope For The Warrio...Thank you so much for choosing Hope For The Warriors as your nonprofit for the month of November. We stand firm to our mission that no sacrifice is forgotten, nor need unmet.<br /><br />Merry Christmas!Hope For The Warriors® Staffhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09434696789147405145noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3846643.post-50682573443330185832011-12-01T21:45:17.654-08:002011-12-01T21:45:17.654-08:00This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.drstevenfeldmanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14100846630758321969noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3846643.post-72361668647376567682011-11-09T11:51:02.182-08:002011-11-09T11:51:02.182-08:00I think most people missed the point: his acts tow...I think most people missed the point: his acts towards these women alone are not what necessarily disqualified him as a presidential candidate. It was his handling of the allegations if they are true, which most of us assume are given the multiple accusers and settlements. He could have quieted the criticism by just admitting to and apologizing for them. Something like saying "I was young and foolish and I apologize for my inappropriate actions" would have been sufficient.<br /><br />The broader problem with most of the Republican presidential candidates, at least for the frontrunners now, is that they do not stand up to scrutiny. We are not looking for a perfect president but one with integrity.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3846643.post-23004675141221686662011-08-09T13:13:25.589-07:002011-08-09T13:13:25.589-07:00http://www.answering-islam.org/
is well worth a vi...http://www.answering-islam.org/<br />is well worth a visit on almost any subject of Muslim-Christian interaction. Free download of books by many authors. <br /><br />Muslims are ashamed that there is not one Muslim country that they can point to as having government according to the Qur'an. Sharia law with Islamic leaders ruling the country. The closest Suni example would be the Taliban in Afghanistan a few years back. Muslim supporters would say that the Taliban made some mistakes but they were all Muslim men with a Quran and a beard.(they could have also added an AK47)<br /><br />Nowhere else in the Sunni world do Quranic scholars rule the country and have the freedom to declare a Jihad (Holy war) on another country to spread Islam.<br /><br />Now radical Imams teach their students, that since there is no Islamic country capable of declaring a Jihad, this responsibility must fall on the individual Muslim, (not according to the Quran) as a 6th pillar. Who strap on a Bomb belt and get all the sure rewards of Paradise? (normally there is no assurance of Paradise.)G. Hardienoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3846643.post-76891840750511098202011-07-26T14:42:42.681-07:002011-07-26T14:42:42.681-07:00Indeed, you are correct, the CBO projections indic...Indeed, you are correct, the CBO projections indicate the size of government growth is driven by the health care obligations.<br /><br />All the other components don't actually grow very much relative to the size of the economy.<br /><br />Social Security could be fixed with some politically difficult but relatively minor adjustments.<br /><br />Discretionary spending is also relatively stable as well and probably could use a few trims but the real big $$$ is in the health programs.<br /><br />If the CBO projections are correct, taxes will need to rise to 30% of GDP to cover those obligations. However, historically, taxes have hovered around 18% GDP which is in the other graph.<br /><br />Thus, the questions before Democrats and Republicans and Independents are these:<br /><br />(1) If we want these health benefits from the Federal Government, will we accept higher taxes to truly pay for them?<br /><br />These taxes will eventually reach 67% higher (18 --> 30% GDP). These are levels of taxation the public has not experienced before (taxes peaked about 21% GDP in the 90s boom) and maybe politically unsustainable. <br /> <br />(2) If we are not willing to accept those levels of taxation then in what manner are we willing to redesign those health programs?<br /><br />The saying is true, there is no free lunch. Promising these health benefits without a means of paying for them is a recipe for fiscal problems. Thus, the public must accept adjustments to these promised benefits to be in line with the public's willingness to pay for them. These adjustments done properly need not lead to abandoning the poor and the senior citizens.<br /><br />Unfortunately, neither party addresses these issues.Renehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07829877394126714875noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3846643.post-60568414257590465882011-07-26T11:32:53.734-07:002011-07-26T11:32:53.734-07:00The GOP plan boils down to drastically cutting dow...The GOP plan boils down to drastically cutting down on Medicare before the baby boomers start claiming the benefit to avoid raising taxes (many are tax cuts from Bush). If you look at the graphs you posted previously, Medicare related expense will grow to 20% of GDP from 10%. The combined social security and other expenses remain at 10%. The Cut, Cap and Balance Act requires the total spending to be capped at about 20%.<br /><br />The question is "Is abandoning our senior citizens in the future what we want?".Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com