In Florida, chilling testimony against guns on campus
From The St. Petersburg Times:
Sen. Greg Evers this morning postponed discussion of a controversial gun bill (SB 234) that, among other things, would allow people to carry weapons onto college campuses after the father of a killed Florida State University student showed up to oppose the bill at a Senate committee hearing.
Ashley Cowie, a 20-year-old sophomore studying interior design, was killed January 9, 2011 at a fraternity party when another student accidentally discharged a rifle, according to police. Dr. Robert Cowie described the incident during emotional testimony, telling the Senate Criminal Justice Committee that a bullet from an AK-74 went through his daughter’s chest and struck a second student. He held back tears as he said how Ashley’s identical twin sister Amy tried to perform CPR at the party to keep her alive. Amy was “looking at the whole in her sister’s chest with blood gushing from her mouth and she knew she was already dead,” Cowie said. “But she felt compelled to do something.”
Alcohol was found in the system of the shooter, 20-year-old Evan Wilhelm, police said.
“Allowing guns in an atmosphere of college parties puts everyone involved at increased and undue risk,” Cowie told senators. “Would you feel more or less at risk today if I were carrying a gun?”
Guns on college campuses — where combinations of young people, drugs and alcohol are common — are a bad idea. As Dr. Cowie notes:
“Allowing guns in an atmosphere of college parties puts everyone involved at increased and undue risk. Each young man in that fraternity that knew that weapons were present and had been brandished in the past will have to live with the guilt that they could have prevented this tragedy.”
Cowie’s testimony succeeded in delaying, but probably not preventing, passage of the bill. However, if you want evidence of the overwhelming power of the National Rifle Association, it’s hard to beat this one, also out of Florida:
“A controversial gun bill, strongly backed by the National Rifle Association and strongly opposed by doctors, passed through the Senate Criminal Justice Committee Tuesday morning.
SB 432 would not allow doctors to ask patients whether they own a gun. An offending doctor would be charged $10,000 for the first offense, at least $25,000 for the second offense, and a minimum of $100,000 for the third offense. Psychologists and psychiatrists dealing with emergency psychotic episodes would be exempt.
The bill, sponsored by Sen. Greg Evers, R-Baker, passed 4-1. Sen. Paula Dockery, R-Lakeland was absent, but Sen. Andy Gardiner, R-Orlando voted as an ex-officio member. Sen. Gwen Margolis, D-Sunny Isles cast the lone dissenting vote.
Doctors turned out in force to oppose the measure, saying it hampers their ability to evaluate patient safety…
But Marian Hammer, a National Rifle Association lobbyist and former national president, said doctors are pushing an anti-gun agenda on their patients and intruding on their Second Amendment rights.
“A growing political agenda is being carried out in examination rooms,” Hammer said. “It has become about the politics of some medical doctors, and it has to stop.”
Doctors can’t even ask about gun ownership? A $10,000 fine for simply daring to raise the question?
Really now.
– Jay Bookman
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774 comments Add your comment
Harry Callahan
February 24th, 2011
4:00 pm
I’m pretty sure Obama can solve the supposed gun control crisis with a nice tax increase on the rich.
Doggone/GA
February 24th, 2011
4:00 pm
“I bet I know how”
Jay – you ought to start picking up these bets. You’d make a FORTUNE!
jm
February 24th, 2011
4:00 pm
Real Scooter – as I said earlier. 4 actually relevant issues (education, infrastructure, tax policy, gov’t spending) the rest is a side show.
The Price is Right
February 24th, 2011
4:01 pm
but somehow I never got to the part where you help yourself to other people’s money.
Where did I say anything about helping myself to other people’s money. That must be yet another of your fantasies.
jm
February 24th, 2011
4:01 pm
Obama: Destroyer of Capitalism and Wealth
Harry Callahan
February 24th, 2011
4:02 pm
“That sounds awful Homophobic there, Poke…
What happened to DIVERSITY and ACCEPTANCE???”
It’s the same as when they call people “tea_baggers”…seems leftists are always quickest to start ridiculing the LGBT community…
The Leg Lamp is a "major award".....
February 24th, 2011
4:02 pm
Jay
February 24th, 2011
3:57 pm
“… he got searched. Why was that, if guns make things safer?”
It’s just a precaution to try and catch muslims with bombs attached to them.
USMC dawg
February 24th, 2011
4:04 pm
Number of Solidly Democratic States Cut in Half From ‘08 to ‘10:
http://www.gallup.com/poll/146234/Number-Solidly-Democratic-States-Cut-Half.aspx?utm_source=alert&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=syndication&utm_content=plaintextlink&utm_term=Politics
Harry Callahan
February 24th, 2011
4:04 pm
“Where did I say anything about helping myself to other people’s money. That must be yet another of your fantasies.”
So you are opposed to government-enforced transfers of wealth?
0311/0317 - 1811/1801
February 24th, 2011
4:04 pm
Always be Ready @ 2:30
Thank you.
0311/0317 - 1811/1801
February 24th, 2011
4:05 pm
Bosch:
Thanks for your honesty.
Harry Callahan
February 24th, 2011
4:06 pm
“I bet I know how”
Jay – you ought to start picking up these bets. You’d make a FORTUNE!”
Hey Doggone…belly on up to the bar and put YOUR money where your mouth is, big guy.
Real Scooter
February 24th, 2011
4:06 pm
Jay
February 24th, 2011
3:57 pm
You are right Jay. I mean correct.
The Leg Lamp is a "major award".....
February 24th, 2011
4:07 pm
Harry Callahan
February 24th, 2011
4:06 pm
Doggone is a she. Just sayin’.
carlosgvv
February 24th, 2011
4:08 pm
Most of us know money is the main engine of American politics and the NRA is a major financial contributor to the Republicans. Since getting elected and re-elected means more to these politicans than human lives, they push for more and more guns to be allowed in our society since this means more and more money for gun manufacturers. As long as money runs politics, this sorry state of affairs will not change.
Harry Callahan
February 24th, 2011
4:09 pm
Besides, Jay still owes me for our bet on whether or not Clinton ever ran a budget surplus. Sure wish I had saved the emials from that exchange between Jay and I. It was pre-Nov2008, Jay had posted another column slamming George W. Bush for running huge deficits, and Jay was telling me how he sure trusted Democrats more with our money and fiscal responsibility than Republcans.
Dusty
February 24th, 2011
4:09 pm
Doggone,
“What I aim for, I hit.” And you want to know what was hit.
OK, confess up. Who did YOU hit with that snowball? Come on. Was it the mailman?
And just whom did you hit with that messy school spitball? Don’t act innocent now. Confession is good for the soul.
I’m all for getting some answers around here.
“
Southern Comfort (aka The Man)
February 24th, 2011
4:09 pm
Just got in from the range today, so this is quite an interesting topic to come across. While I agree with the right to bear arms, I question the sanity of bringing them into the classroom. For example, the officers that were at the range today were all excellent shooters. When we ran training exercises that upped the stress levels quite a bit, the shooting was not quite as good as the static shooting. If an untrained student is armed in an active shooter incident, there’s no guarantee that he would even pull his gun to attempt to stop the threat. If he does pull the gun, stress might have him assist in upping the body count instead of taking out the threat. It’s far too complicated to just say that since someone has a gun, they can stop somebody shooting others around them. Training has far more to do with the outcome as opposed to just carrying a gun.
If someone wants to put a bill like that into law, then there should be mandatory training from certified instructors for situations like that. At least that’s my opinion.
The Leg Lamp is a "major award".....
February 24th, 2011
4:10 pm
Doggone/GA
February 24th, 2011
4:00 pm
Encouraging Jay to participate in illegal betting? Just another example of the left only supporting those laws and constitutional amendments that support their personal beliefs.
jm
February 24th, 2011
4:10 pm
This is like investors getting burned on drilling oil wells in the M.E. The government keeps taking the wells over and over again after the private companies drill them. Eventually, people learn, and stop offering their services….
Maybe the government should just nationalize all the banks and stop the charade. Then Obama can just hand out cash exactly how he pleases.
The Leg Lamp is a "major award".....
February 24th, 2011
4:11 pm
carlosgvv
February 24th, 2011
4:08 pm
I would LOVE to see a comparison of the money the NRA gives to the GOP versus the money unions give to the Democrats. A financial landslide for the left.
Real Scooter
February 24th, 2011
4:12 pm
I think you have a point….. but too much pointless banter of your wrong, no your wrong, kinda makes me get bitter feelings.
Sorry you feel that way thomas.I find it comical most of the time.
Harry Callahan
February 24th, 2011
4:13 pm
“Doggone is a she. Just sayin’.”
That explains a lot. Thanks for the heads-up.
The Price is Right
February 24th, 2011
4:13 pm
Harry Callahan
February 24th, 2011
3:37 pm
Uh, Mr.Proice is right, excuse me, but I’m 48 years old and I estimate that I have paid $180K into social security in my life time, which my employer has matched. I can also perform simple mathematics, which is how I know I could invest the same money into private securities and earn at least 5 times more than social security will ever pay me. I attend Sunday School too, and learned about voluntary giving, but somehow I never got to the part where you help yourself to other people’s money.
Harry, if you paid the max of 6.2% into social security on earnings of $106,800 per year for 27 years, you would have reached that estimate of $180,000 paid into social security in total. So, you went to work at 21 making at least $106,800 annually and you have made at least that much every year for 27 years. That’s very impressive, Harry. Good for you. You should insist on getting your social security when you get older.
Dusty
February 24th, 2011
4:14 pm
Awww. women can’t “belly up” to the bar? Now that’s downright discrimination.
0311/0317 - 1811/1801
February 24th, 2011
4:16 pm
“The notion that an armed civilian on the scene in Arizona …………………… would have been able to intervene before Loughner got off 30 rounds is extremely realistic to the point of romanticism.
The notion that an armed police officer patroling the campus in Arizona would have been able to intervene before Loughner got off 30 rounds is extremely unrealistic to the point of romaticism.
jm
February 24th, 2011
4:17 pm
Question: Since I know pay medicare tax on my investment income, do my stocks start to be eligible for Medicare when –
A) the corporation is over 65 years old
B) I’ve held the stock for over 65 years
??
Inquiring minds want to know.
The Price is Right
February 24th, 2011
4:18 pm
Obama:
DestroyerRestorer of Capitalism and WealthPoor jm. He gets everything right but nothing correct.
Common Sense
February 24th, 2011
4:19 pm
So because of the hypocrisy of the State in regards to it’s own buildings, students across the land should be denied the right to self protection?
If we have to fix all of the double standards that we face every day with government before moving forward, we won’t ever go anywhere.
Real Scooter
February 24th, 2011
4:19 pm
Southern Comfort (aka The Man)
February 24th, 2011
4:09 pm
I was wondering where you were. AMEN to your post!
The Leg Lamp is a "major award".....
February 24th, 2011
4:20 pm
The Price is Right
February 24th, 2011
4:13 pm
Under previous administrations that form of wealth was possible.
Under Obama, not so much.
Harry Callahan
February 24th, 2011
4:20 pm
“Harry, if you paid the max of 6.2% into social security on earnings of $106,800 per year for 27 years, you would have reached that estimate of $180,000 paid into social security in total. So, you went to work at 21 making at least $106,800 annually and you have made at least that much every year for 27 years. That’s very impressive, Harry. Good for you. You should insist on getting your social security when you get older.”
My bad. I estimated $50,000 average annual income over 30 years, at 12% (my contribution plus employer match) so that’s where I got $180K. It was therefore redundant to say my employer put in another $180K. All the rest of it is true…I could earn about 5 times more investing on my own.
I am glad you returned to the blog though, just in time to answer my question above…so you’re opposed to government-enforced transfer of wealth?
Harry Callahan
February 24th, 2011
4:22 pm
“Obama: Restorer of Capitalism and Wealth”
Are liberals really dumb enough to believe that, or are they just hoping conservatives are dumb enough to believe it?
The Leg Lamp is a "major award".....
February 24th, 2011
4:23 pm
The Price is Right
February 24th, 2011
4:18 pm
Obama: Restorer of Anti-Capitalism and Redistribution of Wealth
No need to thank me for the correction.
jm
February 24th, 2011
4:24 pm
Hey, when is that Government Motors, destroyed by Unions, resurrected by government fiat to bail out the unions, going to repay the Taxpayer in full? Answer, not anytime soon since the stock is 50% below repayment value, and that assumes government could offload its huge share without pushing the price down, an impossibility.
The USofA really has become a bit of a socialist state…. buy Ford, not GM.
Southern Comfort (aka The Man)
February 24th, 2011
4:24 pm
Real Scooter
Not only do I work hard, but I believe in training hard too!! I don’t look at owning/carrying a gun in the same manner as owning/carrying other things. We have the right to do it, but when we exercise that right, we should always strive to do it responsibly.
I would LOVE to see a comparison of the money the NRA gives to the GOP versus the money unions give to the Democrats. A financial landslide for the left.
Wouldn’t be a fair comparison to just compare them one on one. There’s only one NRA, while there are numerous unions. A fairer comparison would be to compare the per capita donations based on either membership totals or candidates funded.
Dusty
February 24th, 2011
4:24 pm
aWWW shoot! Ready! Aim! Fire!
HARRY, now you’ve done it. So…. realizing that Doggone is a woman makes you say “That explains a lot.”
You’d better explain a lot, Harry, or it’s in the doghouse for you. Being a MCP is strictly against rules here. I just said so. So humbly beg forgiveness before I stick another pin in my voodoo doll named Harry.
Harry Callahan
February 24th, 2011
4:26 pm
If I stopped working right now, at 7% annual return, my $180K would grow to $412,000 by the time I reach age 65, in 17 years. And that assumes no interest earned on the $180K my employer and I have invested over the last 30 years.
Quick question for you, Price is Right…would you rather have $412,000, or a $1,500 monthly check from the government?
jm
February 24th, 2011
4:27 pm
Obama is out to kill the big banks, he just doesn’t have the balls to say so. Rather than kill them, he should break them up into smaller operations, but he’s a spineless pansy.
Harry Callahan
February 24th, 2011
4:28 pm
“HARRY, now you’ve done it. So…. realizing that Doggone is a woman makes you say “That explains a lot.”
You’d better explain a lot, Harry, or it’s in the doghouse for you. Being a MCP is strictly against rules here. I just said so. So humbly beg forgiveness before I stick another pin in my voodoo doll named Harry.”
Liberals tend to be either female, or effeminate men.
PJ
February 24th, 2011
4:28 pm
Real Scooter @3:14 pm
Your maturity matches your smarts. You have accomplished one thing though, I have finally, whole heartly believe you are good case for a 2nd Admendment remedy.
Harry Callahan
February 24th, 2011
4:29 pm
That was intended as a joke, by the way
The Leg Lamp is a "major award".....
February 24th, 2011
4:30 pm
Southern Comfort (aka The Man)
February 24th, 2011
4:24 pm
Since you’re splitting hairs, let’s consider this.
Joining the NRA is voluntary.
In many cases, joining the local union is not.
Now, the money paid to the NRA by it’s members is used in a variety of ways. If one disapproves of how that money is spent, one can discontinue paying the dues.
Unions, on the other hand, extort money to be used for whatever purpose it intends, and in many, if not most, cases, the members have no means of influencing where the money is directed. The difference is they cannot remove themselves from the union fees.
Please include this when micro-manipulating your scenario.
jm
February 24th, 2011
4:30 pm
Obama the liar.
Caught between their boss’ anti-lobbyist rhetoric and the reality of governing, President Barack Obama’s aides often steer meetings with lobbyists to a complex just off the White House grounds — and several of the lobbyists involved say they believe the choice of venue is no accident.
It allows the Obama administration to keep these lobbyist meetings shielded from public view — and out of Secret Service logs kept on visitors to the White House and later released to the public.
Read more: http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0211/50081.html#ixzz1Euk5KCTo
Pogo
February 24th, 2011
4:30 pm
Yea, Jim. Obama isn’t a socialist (at least when it comes to companies such as GE). For those “private sector” companies like GE that are fortunate enough to be considered one of his “favorites” (i.e, his political supporters) he is definitely a bigtime capitalist with only one big distinction; he doesn’t believe that they need to operate on a free and open market and have to provide a quality product. Oh no, he repays them by giving them access to taxpayer dollars so these companies are guaranteed a certain government funded contribution to their balance sheets each year even if what they are providing wouldn’t cut it in the normal realm of supply and demand. Kind of like General Motors, only bigger.
GE controls NBC so Obama gets both money and media support from them and for this he has ensured that they have access to American taxpayers dollars. He is using his EPA to enact environmental laws that will open doors for companies like GE, who stand to make billions off of taxpayer dollars through “the renewable green energy” subsidy programs. GE makes wind turbines and solar panels and these fall squarely into the Obama “Green” scheme. Funny how that works, isn’t it? GE is also going to be contracted to create the patient tracking Data Base for Obamacare.
One thing I am pleased with though, GE has not signed one contract for its nuclear reactor design in the US even though nuclear power has received some government loan guarantees and new ones are being built. That’s because their reactor design (boiling water reactors) suck and they are a dying breed. Believe me, I know. I guess that is why GE is now so into “green” energy nowadays because they aren’t going to sell any new nuclear reactors in this country. All new reactors in the US will be Westinghouse and Obama has no connection to them (that I know of). Westinghouse designed reactors are much better. Fortunately for all of us, the decision on what type of reactor to build to supply our energy needs for the future is still in the hand of private industry, not Obama’s. Otherwise, the utilities would be forced into building the antiquated GE BWR design because of Obama’s political allegiance to Immelt and GE. Obama is corrupt. No-one should be surprised by this seeings how he came from a city built upon political corruption.
carlosgvv
February 24th, 2011
4:30 pm
Leg Lamp
The money unions give to the democrats is not used to bribe politicans to enact laws that continue to flood our country with guns. NRA money is blood money, plain and simple.
jm
February 24th, 2011
4:31 pm
That old adage about “when is a politician lying? when his lips are moving” is as true as ever.
0311/0317 - 1811/1801
February 24th, 2011
4:31 pm
Jay:
I get so tired of this ………. but, I will not look the other way ……… never !
Jay @ 3:57
EXHIBIT A : “In 2009, according to the FBI, there were 9,146 murders using a firearm.
The same year, there were 215 justifiable homicides by civilians using firearms.”
JAY !!!
1) How many justifiable woundings by civilians using firearms?
2) How many justifiable shots fired but missed (and the bad guy fled) by civilians using firearms?
3) How many justifiable pointing of a weapon (and the bad guy fled) by civilians using firearms?
4) How many justifiable showing of a weapon (and the bad guy fled) by civilians using firearms?
5) How many bad guys changed their mind because they “thought” a civilian might use a firearm?
You have lost all credibility on your above statement when you do not include the above.
Now I know these statistics are not kept but you at least could copy my list and use it next time.
EXHIBIT B: “I don’t propose to ban firearms. I don’t want to abolish pistols.”
Good because the SCOTUS has already ruled on that.
EXHIBIT C: “I do think reasonable gun laws can reduce the carnage”
There are more than enough on the books. The problem is enforcement and the judicial system.
EXHIBIT D: “continuing a ban on firearms on college campuses is one of those laws.”
Disagree as noted in my previous posts.
EXHIBIT E: “More guns would make college campuses safer.”
I think you misspoke on that statement.
EXHIBIT H: “As Cowrie pointed out in his testimony, when he entered the Florida state capitol that morning, he got searched. Why was that, if guns make things safer?”
Because criminals carrying guns into the state capitol make it less safe.
If every student, teacher, visitor and employee at a university had to do the same thing (searched or magnetometer) there would be no need for this thread.
Since that is impossible …………. the debate continues.
jm
February 24th, 2011
4:33 pm
“No-one should be surprised by this seeings how he came from a city built upon political corruption.”
Fair enough.
The Price is Right
February 24th, 2011
4:34 pm
I could earn about 5 times more investing on my own.
You could also earn less or even lose everything and if you lost everything, you could be grateful for social security. That word, could, has some magical qualities about it.
jm
February 24th, 2011
4:34 pm
BTW, not to revisit Iraq history (again), but I found the Stewart-Rumsfeld interview last night faaaaaaascinating.
http://www.thedailyshow.com/
The Leg Lamp is a "major award".....
February 24th, 2011
4:35 pm
carlosgvv
February 24th, 2011
4:30 pm
So the unions don’t fund (aka bribe) politicians?
………………..
…………………
……………………
……………………..
BAAAAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!
jm
February 24th, 2011
4:35 pm
The Price is Right
February 24th, 2011
4:34 pm
You have no idea how wrong you are….
Dusty
February 24th, 2011
4:35 pm
aH SoCo,
Always a sensible thought. But remember that old line: Fist, they took’.em away from the universities and nobody objected. Then they took ‘em away from the AIRPORTS, and nobody objected. Then everyone was afraid to fly!. (There must be a moral somewhee in that story…)
thomas
February 24th, 2011
4:36 pm
carlosgvv
February 24th, 2011
4:30 pm
What percentage of crimes are committed by those with valid permits to carry the weapon that was used in commission of the crime?
If it ain’t a very high percentage, what makes you think there would not be guns flooding into our country?
The Leg Lamp is a "major award".....
February 24th, 2011
4:38 pm
The Price is Right
February 24th, 2011
4:34 pm
Obama “could” lose the next election.
Obamacare “could” be overturned.
Democrats “could” try to do what’s best for the country.
Hey, you’re right. The word “could” DOES have some magical qualities about it.
Real Scooter
February 24th, 2011
4:40 pm
PJ
February 24th, 2011
4:28 pm
I wish I could deny that PJ but we all can’t be the sharpest knife in the drawer. So,I have educated myself on both sides of the gun issue. Have you?
The Price is Right
February 24th, 2011
4:40 pm
Quick question for you, Price is Right…would you rather have $412,000, or a $1,500 monthly check from the government?
Quick answer. Neither.
My monthly pension check is bigger than that and my investment accounts are bigger than that. I’m just waiting until I’m old enough to draw my social security check and even it will be bigger than that monthly amount. Dude. Think bigger.
Dave R.
February 24th, 2011
4:40 pm
“NRA money is Constitutional money, plain and simple.”
Fixed your typo, carlos. No thanks needed.
jm
February 24th, 2011
4:40 pm
Jay, from no less than Joe Klein
But there are some very good reasons governors of both parties are trying to limit the power of public employees’ unions. “I’ve spent years pleading for modest concessions from the unions,” says Bob Ziegelbauer, a Wisconsin state representative and the chief executive of Manitowoc County. “The reaction is, ‘You can’t make me.” Ziegelbauer used to be a Democrat and now calls himself an independent, but he caucuses with the state Republicans. He says when he was able to negotiate a settlement with local union representatives, their leaders often would veto it. “There’s a ruthlessness in attitude at the union headquarters. The leaders would rather take layoffs than make concessions.” Sometimes the union intransigence is downright ridiculous. “We spend $650,000 a year to keep our county juvenile-detention facility open. In recent years, we’ve had as few as one or two juveniles incarcerated there at a time,” Ziegelbauer tells me. “I wanted to close down the place and use the facility in a neighboring county. But the union blocked it on the grounds that it was outside contracting.”
Read more: http://www.time.com/time/nation/article/0,8599,2053510,00.html#ixzz1Eump2bOq
Southern Comfort (aka The Man)
February 24th, 2011
4:41 pm
Leg Lamp
When trying to denigrate public unions, please do not spew lies to a public union member. Local and/or state unions are generally part of the larger affiliations. I belong to a federal union, and by law, our dues can not be used for political purposes. By law, we can not engage in anything political while on property, in uniform, or on the clock. Read for yourself here:
http://www.osc.gov/hatchact.htm
Or, if it won’t burn your eyes or brain to look at a union website, here’s our PAC, which relies on voluntary contributions:
http://www.nteu.org/tepac.aspx
Now, if you compare that to the NRA, here’s what they say about their dues vs political activity:
The Institute receives some funding from NRA member dues, but its main source of revenue is derived from member contributions designated for legislative activity. ILA is not associated with any firearms or ammunition manufacturers.
Now, if the NRA and Republicans are afraid of unions and their funding when unions have more restrictions on their $$$, that’s pathetic or even downright hilarious depending on which way you look at it. I guess that’s why conservatives are so happy about the Citizens United ruling. Just beware of what you ask for though, because in the end, it might just bite you in the ass…..
The Price is Right
February 24th, 2011
4:42 pm
Leg Lamp,
You ARE a dreamer. There’s nothing wrong with that though. Carry on.
jm
February 24th, 2011
4:43 pm
F the unions.
This is a major advantage that public employees’ unions have: unlike construction workers and miners, they can vote their bosses in or out. Their unions make political contributions, mount advertising campaigns and run phone banks. Public employees tend to be ferocious campaigners and assiduous voters, the sort of constituents politicians find panderworthy. And this power has enabled them to distort the system, especially when it comes to work rules, health benefits and pensions — concessions politicians are more likely to grant, since they are future promises that, until recently, have had little immediate impact on the bottom line.
Read more: http://www.time.com/time/nation/article/0,8599,2053510,00.html#ixzz1EunYMP90
The Price is Right
February 24th, 2011
4:44 pm
You have no idea how wrong you are….
I have a real good idea how wrong you are.
BADA BING
February 24th, 2011
4:45 pm
The solution to the Sikh dagger is so simplistic that a child could figure it out. Since the knife has to be sewn in and cannot be removed, just sew in a handle without a blade. It would look exactly the same, and present no danger.
Dusty
February 24th, 2011
4:45 pm
Harry, (back a ways) in the doghouse…
You step from one mess into another!! I guess we will have to take your Bookman Big Boy Top Gun ring away from you even though you sent in the correct number of cereal coupons. Sorry, fellow. Life is tough!.
Dave R.
February 24th, 2011
4:47 pm
Imagine, if you will, the morning of September 11, 2001.
A couple of reasonably trained and competent passengers on four different flights.
18 hijackers dead. Four flights land safely.
Doesn’t matter any failure of the intelligence community. You libs enabled that tragic day with your paranoia about Constitutionally-protected self-defense.
The Leg Lamp is a "major award".....
February 24th, 2011
4:47 pm
Southern Comfort (aka The Man)
February 24th, 2011
4:41 pm
Yes, the term “union” covers a broad spectrum. But if you’re trying to convince us that ALL unions do not engage in politics, then you’ve lost your argument right out of the block.
By the way, I was union member in college at a grocery story (was STRONGLY encouraged by the store’s ranking union member), and my dad was a shop steward at a manufacturing plant. Not criticizing everything union. However, the glorified talk of how noble all unions are just doesn’t set well on my stomach.
josef nix
February 24th, 2011
4:48 pm
Harry
“Liberals tend to be either female, or effeminate men”
Not sure what you mean by effeminate men (gay folks call ‘em nellie), but one thing I learned a long time ago, those are the ones who’ll kick your a33 to West Texas and never break a nail!
Dusty
February 24th, 2011
4:48 pm
BADA BING,…”.the knife has to be sewn in….”
Did you take Home Ec in high school, Bada? I bet you sew a mean stitch.
jm
February 24th, 2011
4:48 pm
Hey Price. I’ve put the same amount in my 401k as my social security contributions between employer and my taxes would be. I now have 9 years of savings at the social security payout rate, not counting income I could pay. And I’m under 40. By the time I’m 65, I’ll have 320 years worth of savings at the max SS payout rate, even if I never save another dime.
Social Security is a rip off. Go learn some math.
Southern Comfort (aka The Man)
February 24th, 2011
4:49 pm
Dusty
There’s a time and place to carry firearms. If anyone feels that they need a gun to go take a dump, then their issues go far and beyond personal safety in my honest opinion. I think some public places, such as airports, should be off limits for concealed carry. My opinion is to leave those places like that to professional, trained armed police/security. When gunshots start popping off, stress levels go way up. I don’t want to be standing anywhere near a person who’s trying to play hero without training to return fire under stress. I have seen videos (Scout probably has too) where even trained officers have frozen up or done something else wrong and ended up being a victim. I would hope and suggest that anyone who chooses to carry concealed at least take some training classes to deal with action/reaction and refresh those skills on a regular basis.
TnGelding
February 24th, 2011
4:50 pm
The NRA has way too much influence for an organization of a million. I wasn’t raised in a gun owning home so have no use for them, but I understand the culture. Let’s shoot things with cameras, not guns.
The Leg Lamp is a "major award".....
February 24th, 2011
4:52 pm
TnGelding
February 24th, 2011
4:50 pm
But if you shoot a cop with a camera while he/she is making an arrest, you could be hauled to court, fined and/or jailed.
jm
February 24th, 2011
4:52 pm
ah yes. the pension crisis is just a manufactured crisis ginned up by evil cold hearted republicans. yeah right
For the most part, the political backlash against public unions is happening in the states. That’s where employee benefits are creating long-term budget problems. Total unfunded pension and healthcare liabilities could be as much as $3.5 trillion.
http://blogs.reuters.com/james-pethokoukis/2011/02/24/civil-war-2-0-may-turn-governors-into-presidents/
TnGelding
February 24th, 2011
4:53 pm
I’ll be glad when your testosterone level bottoms out, Josef!
Give the little ones a hug from us!
Keep up the good fight!
February 24th, 2011
4:53 pm
Scout Zero @ 4….when are you going to learn to tell the truth and not post your phobias, delusions and distortions get the best of you.
Let me again state that your particular interpretation of the 2d Amendment is not sacred. the Supreme Court in 2010 agrees that the 2d amendment is may be limited. The Alito opinion with 3 other justices in the 5-4 decision clearly states:
It is important to keep in mind that Heller, while striking down a law that prohibited the possession of handguns in the home, recog-nized that the right to keep and bear arms is not “a right to keep and carry any weapon whatsoever in any manner whatsoever and for whatever purpose.” 554 U. S., at ___ (slip op., at 54). We made it clear in Heller that our holding did not cast doubt on such longstanding regulatorymeasures as “prohibitions on the possession of firearms by felons and the mentally ill,” “laws forbidding the carrying of firearms in sensitive places such as schools and gov-ernment buildings, or laws imposing conditions and quali-fications on the commercial sale of arms.” Id., at ___–___ (slip op., at 54–55). We repeat those assurances here.
So the SCOTUS does agree with me when I stated that “There is NO valid argument that the US Constitutions precludes any and all Federal or State Governments restrictions on gun.” SCOTUS confirms that under the Constitution, there may be conditions and qualifications imposed by government.
As for your claims regarding technical violations happening quite often under the 4th, 5th and 6th Amendment, The number of years you claim to have been in law enforcement does not mean that your statement is correct. Your personal experiences are limited. The court decisions are public. You can continue to whine “because I said so” or you can cite evidence to support your proposition.
The US Constitution is not sacred. You are not worshipping a false god are you? Its a manmade document. Historically is it important and it is the basis of our government and country. It may be amended and has been. It has never been perfect. I hold it in high esteem but I realize what it is and I work with it almost daily.
Dave R.
February 24th, 2011
4:53 pm
“The NRA has way too much influence for an organization of a million.”
Numbers never trump principle, Gelding. Doesn’t matter of you’re a force of one when you have the Constitution behind you.
BADA BING
February 24th, 2011
4:54 pm
Pick the choices that make sense to you and explain your work.
Ban guns from colleges
Ban alcohol from colleges.
Ban Fraternities from colleges.
Ban boys from colleges.
Any of these choices would have prevented her death.
jm
February 24th, 2011
4:54 pm
The teachers, especially, became a reactionary force when it came to school reform — opposing charter schools (in Detroit, the union blocked a $125 million private contribution to build five new charter schools) and merit pay; they lashed themselves to strict seniority rules more appropriate to assembly-line workers than would-be professionals. New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg has been trying to negotiate a deal whereby layoffs, if necessary, would not be made on a last-hired, first-fired basis. “So you’d rather have them lay off the more experienced teachers?” a Wisconsin teacher asked me. No: teachers should be hired and fired and paid according to their ability. “But who judges that?” the teacher asked. Their employers do, I replied. The teacher scoffed; the idea that school principals should be able to decide who should be part of their workforce seems incomprehensible to most teachers — and yet that sort of accountability is at the heart of any system that aspires to excellence.
Read more: http://www.time.com/time/nation/article/0,8599,2053510,00.html#ixzz1EuqQGGNX
Dusty
February 24th, 2011
4:55 pm
JOSEF,
Harry is already in the doghouse. Maybe you could tell us some good “kick your a33 to West Texas” stories to enliven the place. A bit boring this afternoon with the ol’ OK Corral stuff on & on…
BADA BING
February 24th, 2011
4:57 pm
Dusty….Real Men didn’t take Home Ec, we took Woodshop and Metal Shop. You must be thinking of San Francisco High Schools.
Southern Comfort (aka The Man)
February 24th, 2011
4:59 pm
Leg Lamp
I’m not trying to make them all look like knights, just as I think those opposed to unions should not try to paint them all as nefarious. I would not try to paint all businesses in the same manner, even if I had been shafted by one. I’m man enough to know that all things are not alike. You had a bad experience, as others here have attested to. I grew up with a steelworker grandfather and uncles who were rubberworkers. My personal experience with unions have been pretty bland. It has been neither, groundbreaking exciting nor has it been earth shattering evil.
jm
February 24th, 2011
5:00 pm
West Texas sounds nice….. so does Montana, Wyoming, or just about any civilized foreign country.
PJ
February 24th, 2011
5:00 pm
Real Scooter @4:40 pm
Again I ask “Mr. Never Mind”, what is your point? Ask me specific question then we can debate it. Speaking in platitudes and flippant remarks only strengthen my fears and belief that all you have is an attitude and opinions but no argument with fact to match to back them up.
josef nix
February 24th, 2011
5:00 pm
Dusty
Can’t. Gelding is worried about my testosterone level…hmmmm….
Seriously, though, it always tickles me whenever somebody comes in on that effeminate thing…I’ll tangle with six marines on a drunken spree before one mad drag queen on a tear…
AmVet
February 24th, 2011
5:02 pm
If the bed wetters ever pass a law to ban guns…
And when Elvis comes back leading the aliens, we’ll discuss it OK, Night Train?
And for your elucidation read below…
It is the neo-cons who want to get their filthy hands all over the most sacred document ever written, the United States Constitution. Not the libs. Your worries about the Second Amendment are baseless.
A bill to make it harder to buy handgun ammunition, including so-called “cop-killer” bullets capable of piercing body armor, was endorsed Thursday by local law enforcement.
Sen. Kevin de Leon (D-Los Angeles) said Senate Bill 124, which he introduced this week in the state Legislature, is designed to counteract a judge’s decision Monday that struck down another pending state law that would have restricted sales of handgun ammunition.
The federal ban on pistol armor-piercing ammunition uses only the composition of the bullet’s core to determine legality. However, many states have legislation restricting various kinds of coating materials. For example, South Carolina state law specifically bans “ammunition or shells that are coated with polytetrafluoroethylene (Teflon)”
Good luck to you NJ. And check in from time to time…
The Leg Lamp is a "major award".....
February 24th, 2011
5:03 pm
BADA BING
February 24th, 2011
4:57 pm
No, no, no, not San Francisco High Schools. He’s a southern boy. Key West maybe.
josef nix
February 24th, 2011
5:04 pm
BADA
When I was in school, we all had to take home-ec as well as woodshop and metal shop
jm
I kinda like West Texas…
Southern Comfort (aka The Man)
February 24th, 2011
5:04 pm
jm
To try to lump all those financial woes on unions is political dishonesty. The final legislation is not voted on by the unions. All the politicians have to do is say NO. Instead, we allow a governing culture that reveres money more than actually governing. It doesn’t matter if it’s unions contributing to Democratic legislators for things that favor them or corporates donating money to Republican legislators for things that favor them. If you truly want to reform government and reign in budget issues, remove the source or ignition point for all the crappy legislation, which is campaign funds…..
Real Scooter
February 24th, 2011
5:06 pm
Southern Comfort (aka The Man)
February 24th, 2011
4:49 pm
I have never carried a gun and feel no need to.Although I am a NRA member I do think people should get training if they want to carry. IMHO
jm
February 24th, 2011
5:06 pm
jonix 5:04 – me too.
jm
February 24th, 2011
5:07 pm
SoCo 5:04 – from Reuters
That’s where employee benefits are creating long-term budget problems. Total unfunded pension and healthcare liabilities could be as much as $3.5 trillion.
Keep up the good fight!
February 24th, 2011
5:07 pm
Scout Zero…You may want to check out this video of the President of the NRA. It also confirms that I am correct. No one is coming for your guns and SCOTUS says they can be regulated (but not banned for home protection).
Dave R.
February 24th, 2011
5:07 pm
“It is the neo-cons who want to get their filthy hands all over the most sacred document ever written, the United States Constitution. Not the libs.”
That’s because you libs have most of the judges in your pockets.
jm
February 24th, 2011
5:07 pm
“remove the source or ignition point for all the crappy legislation, which is campaign funds…..”
ergo – union busting.
BADA BING
February 24th, 2011
5:08 pm
“Using a gun and other tools”
When I need to nail something, I use my hammer, I don’t kill anyone with it.
When I need to cut something, I use my knife, I don’t kill anyone with it.
When I need to hit a baseball, I use my baseball bat, I don’t kill anyone with it.
When I need to dispose of a pesky varmit, or target shoot, or defend myself, I use my gun, I don’t kill anyone that isn’t trying to kill me.
These are the ways that normal people use TOOLS. If anyone uses these tools to kill people, THEY need to be removed from society, not the TOOL.
N-GA
February 24th, 2011
5:08 pm
I wonder if any cadets/middies can carry loaded guns on military academy campuses? I suspect not.
jm
February 24th, 2011
5:09 pm
Goolsbee, Geithner, and our president, are idiots.
Treasury Secretary Tim Geithner isn’t worried:
“The economy is in a much stronger position to handle” rising oil prices, Geithner said today during a Bloomberg Breakfast in Washington. “Central banks have a lot of experience in managing these things.”
But he probably should be:
Analysts at Morgan Stanley say sharp increases in oil prices pose the biggest threat to growth because consumers suffer a sudden hit to purchasing power. They note a 85 percent to 90 percent increase in the price of oil over a year was followed by U.S. recessions in 1975, 1980, 1990, 2000 and 2008.
0311/0317 - 1811/1801
February 24th, 2011
5:09 pm
Keep Up the Good Fight!:
“Scout Zero @ 4….when are you going to learn to tell the truth and not post your phobias, delusions and distortions get the best of you.”
You know where I grew up, I would tell you to your face that you had a “mouth” and if you “felt froggie to jump”. And then let the games begin …………………
I’m really getting a little weary of your personal attacks.
Can’t you find it in yourself to just debate or is that an impossibility?