To all the anti-union "free marketplace" posters. The unions were not responsible for the destruction of the US auto industry. The "unions" had absolutely nothing to do with designing cars that didn't work or the industry's failure to embrace new technology. Inept senior management, poorly engineered vehicles, and diversification into industries that had nothing to do with cars is what destroyed Detroit. It is not the union airline pilots that are destroying US commercial air travel. It is the inane flying experience that is destroying travel. Unions didn't decide to deregulate the airline industry and create the "hub" network which now guarantees every passenger "can't get there from here" regardless of where they want to go. Again, this was senior management. It is not unions that are destroying corporations across the country. It is a continual belief from wall-street and management that employees are an expendable commodity and success can only be measured in quarterly profits and not by actually "producing" something. It was corporate decisions in the '80's that decreed full-time employees could be replaced with freelance/contract workers with the accompanying short-term profits. Now those same corporations bemoan their inability to retain skilled talent. Certainly there are problems with unions just as there are problems in every aspect of business. But to claim the downfall of our country is their responsibility is nothing short of moronic. Posters like Duckels, JLM and seeuski (only one of which is even worth listening to as he stands behind his statements with a name; the rest of you aren't worth the electrons it takes to produce your blogs) continually blame the people with the least amount of control over the situation. In blogs regarding military mistakes, they blame the privates and lieutenants; never the top brass. In business they blame the workers, never the corporate parasites, and, according to them, government is ALWAYS the problem (although in an ironic turn, JLM seems to be in love with the amount of "regulation" the government has supposedly imposed on employers thus rendering unions unnecessary). Their definition of free market is a market which is only "free" through narrowly defined parameters which solely appeals to them and no one else. They live in a fantasy world believing this is an issue between a small "entrepreneur business owner" and his lazy employees ignoring the obvious fact that none of these companies are "small" and the majority of them have long since abandoned anyone at the corporate level who possessed any vision on how to truly make a company profitable in any way other than by cooking the books. To the workers at Safeway and City Market, I hope it doesn't come to a strike but, you won't see me crossing the picket lines if it does.
Thanks a lot Mac ranch! I've only needed you folks twice (once at the old store and once here) but both times you were the best computer support folks I've ever dealt with. Northwest Data (in reference to the above post) may do a good job as well but, your quality & customer service guarantees I'll continue to do business with you. You've been professional, efficient, and accurate in the past. Most importantly, on both occasions, you did what you said you were going to do in the time frame you told me you would do it in; a rarity it seems in today's business practices. Price is not the only driving motivator. Quality is important too. Thanks Dave and Elissa!
JLM may have, for once, stated so briefly the fundamental flaw in this debate. If you believe the right to life and medical care should be a corporate "for profit" enterprise then, by all means, continue preventing any rational discussion on health care reform from taking place. If you believe certain aspects of human existence need to be addressed by methods other than Wall Street quarterly reports, then help our elected officials create a program which guarantees all Americans have access to a reasonable standard of healthcare. (Note, bringing your assault rifle to the Town Hall meeting and shouting at your Representative that he is a Nazi IS NOT considered "helping".)
Rationing exists already. That "lifetime maximum benefit" amount on your insurance policy IS RATIONING. "Denial of coverage" for treatment an insurance carrier deems "experimental" but your physician feels is necessary, IS RATIONING. There already ARE long waits to see a doctor. Unless it's emergent, even here in "utopia Steamboat", getting in to see a doctor or specialist can take 2 - 4 weeks.
Your current health care options ALREADY ARE being determined by organizations and industries much more powerful but with less medical knowledge than your physician. Stop denying these realities of our current system.
Personally, I do find a fundamental flaw in a health care system which is controlled by for-profit ventures whose ultimate goal is not the long-term health of the populace but the short term monetary gains of its shareholders.
Nice work Rob. I bet your kids love you at Christmas too. ("Santa's not bringing you anything!"). Apart from a small handful of over-the-top folks, most of us have pretty realistic expectations. Namely, as JustSomJoe stated: "...A clear reason that Obama was elected is that a majority of the country believes he's a step in a better direction than John McCain could offer."
The election wasn't won or lost because of oversimplified talking points as Rob Douglas, Bill O'Reilly, and Ann Coulter still cling to. Obama didn't win because he was black. He didn't win solely because McCain's running mate was a hard-core right wing politician.
There hasn't been a single speech where Obama hasn't stressed the success of this country is EVERYONE's responsibility. That while we may disagree on issues, the only way to move forward is to find some sort of common ground. In essence, Obama has always asked "WE" rise to the occasion and make use of that strange gray-matter located between our earlobes which the Republican party seems to think should be exorcised from the collective population.
I have grown tired of useless statements such as, "The fundamentals of our economy our strong.", "You're either with us or against us", "core family values"l, or "real america". They neither provide any useful information nor move the accompanying issue forward. Even former congressman Mickey Edwards (R) commented the Republican party needs to re-examine its obsession to demigod education and intellectualism.
To the editor of the Pilot. Perhaps it is time to put Mr. Douglas out to pasture. Not because I disagree with his political beliefs but because his commentaries aren't based on rationalism. If the Pilot feels such emotion-driven rhetoric is valuable at least give me someone who focuses their attention at the local level and leaves the national issues to national columnists eminently more qualified. PS. JLM- I still stand by my example regarding the steak issue. Sorry.
If you don't want to bother reading it all, just read paragraph 3 and the one I pulled from the tail-end of the article.
"....Reconciliation of moderate Taliban insurgents who are willing to ally with the Afghan government is emerging as one main thrust of Petraeus's approach, according to officials and experts who have discussed it with him recently.
"In Afghanistan, or in any country where society is dominated by tribes, reconciliation really needs to be a focus," said a senior Central Command official."
..medium rare is fine but I'd rather have an 8oz tenderloin if that's ok.
The nicest thing to come out of the past few weeks is for the country to finally realize exactly how wrong people like JLM are. Slowly this country is waking up to the fact the RNC just makes up weird stuff and passes it off as the truth. To once again clarify, point by point.
1- McCain IS a bad pilot. His five crashes were all for "reckless" behavior. This is what the military investigations called it- not some democrat. 2- McCain=honest. How do you explain his attack ads? He approved every one of the messages including the ones even Karl Rove called "stretching". 3-The election is not binary. It is not base 2. 4-If you consider freedom a principle given to you by military might, this would explain the fundamental flaw in your intelligence. Freedom is a god (or evolution or whatever you want) reality of existence. Lack of freedom can only be achieved by some form of force- militarily, economically, politically, choose whatever you like. 5-Your view of the middle east, oil, rant is so flawed it needs to just be re-written. 6-Obama's tax plan which is what I am assuming you're referring to in the "increase taxes" portion will NOT increase taxes on small businesses. 90% of small businesses will NOT be affected by his proposals. 7-Your hatred to talk to your enemies goes against all logic- even the arguments our own military are using. Obama and McCain are saying the same thing here. Talks between countries need to occur. Sadly, McCain (going back to the truth comment) continually tries to enflame his nut-case base by implying Obama would just give Iran a phone call one Sunday morning. Even the Bush administration is conceding talking to N. Korea and the Taliban might be a good idea! 8- Your vague reference to SBS is good. Lets continue on that though... The City gives to developers and massive corporations plenty of concessions and subsidies. Look how it's benefited them in these lean times.... Let the "fat cats" do whatever they want and then ask the working man to come bail them out when their method of operation proves a failure. Hhhm- worked great here and worked great on a national level!!! 9-No one is penalizing success. Shuffling money around in get rick quick schemes (the fundamental cause of our economic crisis) is a direct result of de-regulation and poor oversight. ("Let the markets govern themselves!" says the Right) It is not a legitimate or honorable way of doing business. It is a leech on the truly productive workers of this nation.
Yes JLM- we do have a grip on reality. We are all living in the world the leadership of the past 8 years has created and we wish that reality to change.
JLM- You do it time and again- You throw out some holier-than-thou statement like "don't buy into phony talking points" then, in less than a paragraph you are guilty of doing just that.
1- What do you call the domestic terrorism anthrax attacks following 9/11? We have had terrorist attacks since 9/11. Stop glossing over reality.
2-The President has veto power over legislation. Don't make a blanket untrue statement. Either be accurate or keep your trap shut.
3- Obama does believe the bottom 95% of society should not pay all the taxes. He believes in a more balanced tax rate. Yes, someone making $200,000 a year will ultimately pay more dollars in tax than someone making $20,000 annually (basic math percentages prove that. But I forgot, you're a Republican and are unable to do basic math) but the goal of his tax plan is to balance the system. The majority of "small businesses" (95% actually) according to non-partisan measurements earn less than $200,000 annually. Obama's plan would not increase their taxes. He has not voted to raise taxes 94 times. This is a Rebulican smear. Also, please explain how Hedge Fund Managers are the most productive members of society. The era of the Rockefellers is long gone. Check your facts
4- Do you honestly believe going to war and exploding our military budget will actually eliminate 19 pissed off people from committing terrorism? Jees JLM- Dump words like "evil". They do nothing to support your claim and only add to your ignorance. Yes the actions are/were horrific but mocking the fringe section of a religion doesn't help anything. Remember, this country is full of people who believe in a talking snake and see no problem with shooting abortion doctors. The only difference between the two is bin Laden was more efficient. Wake up to reality.
5- We are in 2 wars because of the current administration. Things ARE going better in Iraq after 7 1/2 years (not less than 6 months). This Administration screwed up the war, screwed up the occupation and now is doing what they should have done from day one- listen to the military leaders not their "hawks". I will not give them credit for fixing something THEY screwed up.
6- Perhaps if we put an intelligent individual into Office just once we could get out of your mantra of "Times are just too trying for us to entrust our country with anyone else...."
Local grocery workers could strike
To all the anti-union "free marketplace" posters. The unions were not responsible for the destruction of the US auto industry. The "unions" had absolutely nothing to do with designing cars that didn't work or the industry's failure to embrace new technology. Inept senior management, poorly engineered vehicles, and diversification into industries that had nothing to do with cars is what destroyed Detroit. It is not the union airline pilots that are destroying US commercial air travel. It is the inane flying experience that is destroying travel. Unions didn't decide to deregulate the airline industry and create the "hub" network which now guarantees every passenger "can't get there from here" regardless of where they want to go. Again, this was senior management. It is not unions that are destroying corporations across the country. It is a continual belief from wall-street and management that employees are an expendable commodity and success can only be measured in quarterly profits and not by actually "producing" something. It was corporate decisions in the '80's that decreed full-time employees could be replaced with freelance/contract workers with the accompanying short-term profits. Now those same corporations bemoan their inability to retain skilled talent.
Certainly there are problems with unions just as there are problems in every aspect of business. But to claim the downfall of our country is their responsibility is nothing short of moronic. Posters like Duckels, JLM and seeuski (only one of which is even worth listening to as he stands behind his statements with a name; the rest of you aren't worth the electrons it takes to produce your blogs) continually blame the people with the least amount of control over the situation. In blogs regarding military mistakes, they blame the privates and lieutenants; never the top brass. In business they blame the workers, never the corporate parasites, and, according to them, government is ALWAYS the problem (although in an ironic turn, JLM seems to be in love with the amount of "regulation" the government has supposedly imposed on employers thus rendering unions unnecessary). Their definition of free market is a market which is only "free" through narrowly defined parameters which solely appeals to them and no one else. They live in a fantasy world believing this is an issue between a small "entrepreneur business owner" and his lazy employees ignoring the obvious fact that none of these companies are "small" and the majority of them have long since abandoned anyone at the corporate level who possessed any vision on how to truly make a company profitable in any way other than by cooking the books.
To the workers at Safeway and City Market, I hope it doesn't come to a strike but, you won't see me crossing the picket lines if it does.
October 25, 2009 at 4:20 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
Mac Ranch offers computer classes, gadgets in new store
Thanks a lot Mac ranch! I've only needed you folks twice (once at the old store and once here) but both times you were the best computer support folks I've ever dealt with. Northwest Data (in reference to the above post) may do a good job as well but, your quality & customer service guarantees I'll continue to do business with you. You've been professional, efficient, and accurate in the past. Most importantly, on both occasions, you did what you said you were going to do in the time frame you told me you would do it in; a rarity it seems in today's business practices. Price is not the only driving motivator. Quality is important too. Thanks Dave and Elissa!
September 6, 2009 at 3:47 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
John Salazar talks about health care debate
JLM may have, for once, stated so briefly the fundamental flaw in this debate. If you believe the right to life and medical care should be a corporate "for profit" enterprise then, by all means, continue preventing any rational discussion on health care reform from taking place. If you believe certain aspects of human existence need to be addressed by methods other than Wall Street quarterly reports, then help our elected officials create a program which guarantees all Americans have access to a reasonable standard of healthcare. (Note, bringing your assault rifle to the Town Hall meeting and shouting at your Representative that he is a Nazi IS NOT considered "helping".)
Rationing exists already. That "lifetime maximum benefit" amount on your insurance policy IS RATIONING. "Denial of coverage" for treatment an insurance carrier deems "experimental" but your physician feels is necessary, IS RATIONING. There already ARE long waits to see a doctor. Unless it's emergent, even here in "utopia Steamboat", getting in to see a doctor or specialist can take 2 - 4 weeks.
Your current health care options ALREADY ARE being determined by organizations and industries much more powerful but with less medical knowledge than your physician. Stop denying these realities of our current system.
Personally, I do find a fundamental flaw in a health care system which is controlled by for-profit ventures whose ultimate goal is not the long-term health of the populace but the short term monetary gains of its shareholders.
August 21, 2009 at 11:23 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
Rob Douglas: It's time to temper Obama expectations
Nice work Rob. I bet your kids love you at Christmas too. ("Santa's not bringing you anything!"). Apart from a small handful of over-the-top folks, most of us have pretty realistic expectations. Namely, as JustSomJoe stated: "...A clear reason that Obama was elected is that a majority of the country believes he's a step in a better direction than John McCain could offer."
The election wasn't won or lost because of oversimplified talking points as Rob Douglas, Bill O'Reilly, and Ann Coulter still cling to. Obama didn't win because he was black. He didn't win solely because McCain's running mate was a hard-core right wing politician.
There hasn't been a single speech where Obama hasn't stressed the success of this country is EVERYONE's responsibility. That while we may disagree on issues, the only way to move forward is to find some sort of common ground. In essence, Obama has always asked "WE" rise to the occasion and make use of that strange gray-matter located between our earlobes which the Republican party seems to think should be exorcised from the collective population.
I have grown tired of useless statements such as, "The fundamentals of our economy our strong.", "You're either with us or against us", "core family values"l, or "real america". They neither provide any useful information nor move the accompanying issue forward. Even former congressman Mickey Edwards (R) commented the Republican party needs to re-examine its obsession to demigod education and intellectualism.
To the editor of the Pilot. Perhaps it is time to put Mr. Douglas out to pasture. Not because I disagree with his political beliefs but because his commentaries aren't based on rationalism. If the Pilot feels such emotion-driven rhetoric is valuable at least give me someone who focuses their attention at the local level and leaves the national issues to national columnists eminently more qualified.
PS. JLM- I still stand by my example regarding the steak issue. Sorry.
November 7, 2008 at 12:23 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
Local Democrats celebrate Obama win, voter turnout
Thank you JLM. We've disagreed often in the past and I thank you for being true to your word and previous postings.
November 6, 2008 at 3:39 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
Scott Ford: If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is
JLM-
Here's your evidence of talks with the Taliban:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/...
If you don't want to bother reading it all, just read paragraph 3 and the one I pulled from the tail-end of the article.
"....Reconciliation of moderate Taliban insurgents who are willing to ally with the Afghan government is emerging as one main thrust of Petraeus's approach, according to officials and experts who have discussed it with him recently.
"In Afghanistan, or in any country where society is dominated by tribes, reconciliation really needs to be a focus," said a senior Central Command official."
..medium rare is fine but I'd rather have an 8oz tenderloin if that's ok.
October 16, 2008 at 8:21 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
Scott Ford: If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is
The nicest thing to come out of the past few weeks is for the country to finally realize exactly how wrong people like JLM are. Slowly this country is waking up to the fact the RNC just makes up weird stuff and passes it off as the truth. To once again clarify, point by point.
1- McCain IS a bad pilot. His five crashes were all for "reckless" behavior. This is what the military investigations called it- not some democrat.
2- McCain=honest. How do you explain his attack ads? He approved every one of the messages including the ones even Karl Rove called "stretching".
3-The election is not binary. It is not base 2.
4-If you consider freedom a principle given to you by military might, this would explain the fundamental flaw in your intelligence. Freedom is a god (or evolution or whatever you want) reality of existence. Lack of freedom can only be achieved by some form of force- militarily, economically, politically, choose whatever you like.
5-Your view of the middle east, oil, rant is so flawed it needs to just be re-written.
6-Obama's tax plan which is what I am assuming you're referring to in the "increase taxes" portion will NOT increase taxes on small businesses. 90% of small businesses will NOT be affected by his proposals.
7-Your hatred to talk to your enemies goes against all logic- even the arguments our own military are using. Obama and McCain are saying the same thing here. Talks between countries need to occur. Sadly, McCain (going back to the truth comment) continually tries to enflame his nut-case base by implying Obama would just give Iran a phone call one Sunday morning. Even the Bush administration is conceding talking to N. Korea and the Taliban might be a good idea!
8- Your vague reference to SBS is good. Lets continue on that though... The City gives to developers and massive corporations plenty of concessions and subsidies. Look how it's benefited them in these lean times.... Let the "fat cats" do whatever they want and then ask the working man to come bail them out when their method of operation proves a failure. Hhhm- worked great here and worked great on a national level!!!
9-No one is penalizing success. Shuffling money around in get rick quick schemes (the fundamental cause of our economic crisis) is a direct result of de-regulation and poor oversight. ("Let the markets govern themselves!" says the Right) It is not a legitimate or honorable way of doing business. It is a leech on the truly productive workers of this nation.
Yes JLM- we do have a grip on reality. We are all living in the world the leadership of the past 8 years has created and we wish that reality to change.
October 15, 2008 at 5:19 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
Dems gather at Sunpie's Bistro to watch VP debate
In January I'll say this to the President: "Don't let the door hit you on the way out."
October 6, 2008 at 9:17 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
Dems gather at Sunpie's Bistro to watch VP debate
JLM- You do it time and again- You throw out some holier-than-thou statement like "don't buy into phony talking points" then, in less than a paragraph you are guilty of doing just that.
1- What do you call the domestic terrorism anthrax attacks following 9/11? We have had terrorist attacks since 9/11. Stop glossing over reality.
2-The President has veto power over legislation. Don't make a blanket untrue statement. Either be accurate or keep your trap shut.
3- Obama does believe the bottom 95% of society should not pay all the taxes. He believes in a more balanced tax rate. Yes, someone making $200,000 a year will ultimately pay more dollars in tax than someone making $20,000 annually (basic math percentages prove that. But I forgot, you're a Republican and are unable to do basic math) but the goal of his tax plan is to balance the system. The majority of "small businesses" (95% actually) according to non-partisan measurements earn less than $200,000 annually. Obama's plan would not increase their taxes. He has not voted to raise taxes 94 times. This is a Rebulican smear. Also, please explain how Hedge Fund Managers are the most productive members of society. The era of the Rockefellers is long gone. Check your facts
4- Do you honestly believe going to war and exploding our military budget will actually eliminate 19 pissed off people from committing terrorism? Jees JLM- Dump words like "evil". They do nothing to support your claim and only add to your ignorance. Yes the actions are/were horrific but mocking the fringe section of a religion doesn't help anything. Remember, this country is full of people who believe in a talking snake and see no problem with shooting abortion doctors. The only difference between the two is bin Laden was more efficient. Wake up to reality.
5- We are in 2 wars because of the current administration. Things ARE going better in Iraq after 7 1/2 years (not less than 6 months). This Administration screwed up the war, screwed up the occupation and now is doing what they should have done from day one- listen to the military leaders not their "hawks". I will not give them credit for fixing something THEY screwed up.
6- Perhaps if we put an intelligent individual into Office just once we could get out of your mantra of "Times are just too trying for us to entrust our country with anyone else...."
7- It is just you.
October 6, 2008 at 5:16 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
Republicans praise Palin at Storm Mountain Ranch
oops- I meant pigeons- not chickens.
October 5, 2008 at 11 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )