Take It Back to The Rule of the Law

The_AnonymusProfit 4 months ago

Very well articulated and very true, the author of the uncertainty article should read this.

dustyrhoades 4 months ago

When General Motors and health care were nationalized

Not true. The government owns a 33% share of GM, down from 61%. It's publicly traded on the New York Stock Exchange.

Health care is still in the hands of private insurers.

Neither have been "nationalized" under any honest definition of that word.

The war on oil production doubled the price at the pump, and war on the airwaves and the Internet are shaping up to silence government opposition.

Not true. There is no "war on oil production".

U.S. oil production in areas including West Texas' Permian Basin, South Texas' Eagle Ford shale, and North Dakota's Bakken shale will record a rise of a little over 2 million barrels per day from 2010 to 2016, according to data compiled by Bentek Energy, a Colorado firm that tracks energy infrastructure and production projects. Canadian crude production is expected to grow by 971,000 barrels per day during the same period, with much of the oil headed for the U.S. Combined, the U.S. and Canadian oil output will top 11.5 million barrels per day, which is even more than their combined peak in 1972. Goldman Sachs has estimated the U.S. could move from being the No. 3 oil producer behind Saudi Arabia and Russia to the No. 1 spot by 2017.

http://www.chron.com/business/energy/article/N-American-oil-output-could-top-40-year-old-peak-2193837.php

As for a "war on the airwaves and the Internet"...what in the heck is this person talking about? Is he trying to bring up that old paranoid fantasy about the Fairness Doctrine, which has been abolished for years, and no one's made any move to bring back?

There are times I really pity the people who believe this crap. No wonder they live in anger and fear all the time. But it's all fantasy.

Bigguy 4 months ago

Thank you Dusty for the reply. What nationalized health care? I have BCBS of NC, I pay it out of my pocket. If you are too big of an idiot to realize that what would have happened if GM had gone bankrupt. then there is no bother waisting anytime arqueing with someone like you. To people who are realy progressive President Obama, Speaker Pelosi adn Sen. Reid did not do enough for the base.

dustyrhoades 4 months ago

Thank you Dusty for the reply

You're very welcome.

What nationalized health care?

Wonder how many of the people who'll inevitably show up here bleating about Obama's "socialist" health care plan (which, as noted above, leaves the vast bulk of health care in the hands of private insurers) are gladly accepting benefits from the real government run single payer health care plan in this country, i.e. Medicare? But then, it's not socialism if the money's going to them.

The_AnonymusProfit 4 months ago

dustyrhoades 8 minutes ago When General Motors and health care were nationalized Not true. The government owns a 33% share of GM, down from 61%. It's publicly traded on the New York Stock Exchange.

The government owns a 33% share of GM, this first comment should strike any Capitalist as odd. Why in a Capitalist society would the Government own a Share of a Private Company? GM is not a car company, it is a Health Care Program that on occasion produces a car.

dustyrhoades 8 minutes ago Health care is still in the hands of private insurers. Neither have been "nationalized" under any honest definition of that word.

Health Insurance is mostly in the hands of the private sector at the moment, this is true, however with the total implementation of Obama Care, this will dissapear. If we read Obama Care we see the biggest intrusion into our private lives by the government ever. For the first time the Federal Government will require citizens to purchase something. If this had happened in 1864 the only state's that would not have joined the Confederacy would have been New York and New Hampshire. Yes both GM and the Health Care system as a whole are both Nationalized.

dustyrhoades 8 minutes ago The war on oil production doubled the price at the pump, and war on the airwaves and the Internet are shaping up to silence government opposition. Not true. There is no "war on oil production".

The veto of the Keystone pipeline, the environmental excuses used to stop oil, natural gas, geothermal, and nuclear energy progress, the taxes placed on energy have spiked energy prices and have allowed a climate where our closest ally Canada will sell its oil to our largest enemy China. The only reason that oil booms are happening anywhere is that the oil in these boom states reside on private land and therefore are not subject to the same environmental stipulations that public land is.

Yes there is a war on oil, and nuclear energy, and natural gas, and coal. It is due to an unfortunate side effect of the 60's, hippies in power.

Canadian crude production is expected to grow by 971,000 barrels per day during the same period, with much of the oil headed for the U.S. With the Veto of the Keystone pipeline this oil is now headed for Red China.

The_AnonymusProfit 4 months ago

Goldman Sachs has estimated the U.S. could move from being the No. 3 oil producer behind Saudi Arabia and Russia to the No. 1 spot by 2017. The US is also the largest consumer of oil and currently only produces about half of its daily need. Meaning we must purchase half of what we use every day from terrorist nations, and communist dictators.

dustyrhoades 8 minutes ago As for a "war on the airwaves and the Internet"...what in the heck is this person talking about? Is he trying to bring up that old paranoid fantasy about the Fairness Doctrine, which has been abolished for years, and no one's made any move to bring back? S.O.P.A and P.I.P.A need I say more. Read these laws completely, they overstep boundaries at every turn of the page

dustyrhoades 8 minutes ago There are times I really pity the people who believe this crap. No wonder they live in anger and fear all the time. But it's all fantasy. Dusty has just let us see into his own fantasy world. As Citizens we understand that in certain areas such as energy some moderation is needed. We must always protect our environment, however we have safe ways of transporting oil throughout our country as well as have Nuclear energy which is the safest form of energy on our planet. The problems we face as a nation are great, however until we realize that we must become self sufficient, reduce our dependency on foreign nations for Energy, Industry, Money, and return our production of Food, Steel, Clothing, and other key products to our shores we will continue to suffer. What Liberals will not tell you is if we did all this, we would have so many jobs and so much spare cash that we could give away health care, give away homes, give away jobs, etc et al.

We are not blind, we are mislead.

Yukonjohn 4 months ago

Why does the US Govt. own ANY of ANY company?!? Our govt. has no business in car manufacturing. NONE. And this idea of a company being "too large to fail"....I don't even understand that. If a company is not profitable, it will fail. There is NO company too big to fail.

I have BC/BS, but don't even want to go into Obamacare. Just do not want it in the least.

I live in a state that is almost totally dependent on oil production. We want a gas line in the worst kind of way, seeing how we pay over 4 bucks a gallon for gas and heating oil. If one looks at a picture of American pipelines, the country is FULL of them!! The Keystone pipeline was a fantastic plan. Why would the President talk about wanting jobs, then turn around and shut down this project? Sounds like his environmental lobby got to him!!!

wdd101st 4 months ago

As far as him or his administration being responsible for the economic progress is not real. What did he or his administration do? They passed more rules and regulations that are slowly killing the economy.

Buffett’s Burlington Northern Among Pipeline Winners

By Jim Efstathiou Jr. - Jan 23, 2012 6:26 PM ET

Burlington Northern Santa Fe LLC stands to benefit from the Obama administration’s decision to deny the Keystone XL oil pipeline. Photo: Jonathan Alcorn/Bloomberg

Warren Buffett’s Burlington Northern Santa Fe LLC is among U.S. and Canadian railroads that stand to benefit from the Obama administration’s decision to reject TransCanada Corp. (TRP)’s Keystone XL oil pipeline permit.

With modest expansion, railroads can handle all new oil produced in western Canada through 2030, according to an analysis of the Keystone proposal by the U.S. State Department.

“Whatever people bring to us, we’re ready to haul,” Krista York-Wooley, a spokeswoman for Burlington Northern, a unit of Buffett’s Omaha, Nebraska-based Berkshire Hathaway Inc. (BRK/A), said in an interview. If Keystone XL “doesn’t happen, we’re here to haul.”

http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2012-01-23/buffett-s-burlington-northern-among-winners-in-obama-rejection-of-pipeline.html

dustyrhoades 4 months ago

Oh, I see. You're going to dishonestly overstate ANY government share in a private industry as "nationalization" (it isn't), and ANY pet project that doesn't get rubber stamp approval as a "war on production" (it isn't.)

There's no debating with people who twist the meanings of words in that debate to mean things that they just don't.

Nezumi 4 months ago

I better start brushing up on Das Kapital so I can be ready for the revolution...it sounds like it might just happen any day now.

Yukonjohn 4 months ago

DR, I did not use the term nationalization in my comment. I understand the definition of that word, and this is not the case with GM. What I DO question is why the govt owns ANY part of ANY company? I work for the govt. and we are mandated to not compete with private enterprise in any way. IMHO, the govt. should not own even ANY percentage of a private company!!

And, I do know that pipelines are the safest, most economical way of shipping oil. Why would our President nix a plan that appeared to be very feasible and very safe? Maybe wdd101st has the correct answer. Hopefully that is not the case.

dustyrhoades 4 months ago

These people remind me of someone I once knew who had to dramatically overstate everything. If the door was unlocked, it was "flung wide open!" If she had a cold, she was "coming down with pneumonia" and she was "at death's door!" Etc.

Funny in that context, less so when the hysterical overstatement's about something important.

dustyrhoades 4 months ago

DR, I did not use the term nationalization in my comment. I understand the definition of that word, and this is not the case with GM.

Okay, so you admit the term as used in the original letter was dishonest. Good, we're making progress.

What I DO question is why the govt owns ANY part of ANY company?

They got the shares in exchange for some of the money used to bail them out. I suppose they could have just made it a direct grant the government would have no say in using, but that seems unwise in light of how some TARP outright grants got used.

Now, GM's back on its feet (and, most importantly, employing people), they've paid back the loan portion of the bailout, and the governments share is diminishing, with the plan eventually to get out entirely.

The alternative would have been to let a huge company like GM just die, with an even more disastrous effect on the economy as the failure rippled through the supply chain. Of course, economic disaster on that scale is just what the Republicans want, so long as they can pin it on President Obama. they know they have fatally flawed candidates, but they're depending on things being so bad all the way to November that people will vote for anyone else. That's why they're blocking or attempting to block any further attempt to make things better, even if those attempts mean extending tax cuts you'd think they'd support.

dustyrhoades 4 months ago

And, I do know that pipelines are the safest, most economical way of shipping oil. Why would our President nix a plan that appeared to be very feasible and very safe?

Appeared to who? Certainly not to everyone.

The President extended the deadline for decision on the pipeline till 2013, to give everyone a chance to weigh in on whether it would be in the national interest. The Congress said, in effect, "no, give us an answer now." The White House said, "then the answer is no."

It's like someone trying to sell you a car and saying "you have to give me an answer on this price in the next five minutes or no sale." I think most people's reaction would be "okay, then no sale," and if not, you wanna buy my car?

The_AnonymusProfit 4 months ago

Sane people 4 DR 0

Yukonjohn 4 months ago

Dusty, we just disagree about a company being "too large to fail", but that said, let's talk about Keystone. The TAPS (Trans Alaska Pipeline System) runs less than a mile from where I sit. Has it had spills, sure. Are they a problem, absolutely not! It is incredibly safe, and they have "fail safe redundant systems and procedures" that increase the safety factor to very close to 100%!! I could not feel safer about our pipeline that is not 35 yrs old. Oil production today is safer, more economical than it has ever been in my lifetime. This would have meant jobs for Americans and oil that did not originate in the middle east.

wdd101st 4 months ago

I watched the SOTU until my eyes shot blood. Afterward, I specifically skipped around channels to listen to various opinions. Political pundits on both left and right are the ones that don't understand. They claim Obama just doesn't understand the way the economy works. He should triangulate like Clinton. They have yet to make the leap that in fact, Obama does understand. He knows exactly how the economy works and his policies are working! When you accept that Obama's policies are driving the economy in the direction he wants, then you can see clearly what is ahead. Unemployment, gas prices and food prices are going to rise. Unsustainable debt will crush us. Unrest will ensue. Blame and divisiveness will cause anguish and strife. His policies are working because this is the means to the ends. Bring down the current system under its own weight and replace it with a collective, or communal society which has its roots in redistribution, where the government confiscates our money and provides us with basic services so we're all "equal". In some societies this is called communism or marxism or nationalism. Whatever you call it, it's not capitalism and it's not Constitutional. But that's the point. FROM each according to his ABILITY; TO each according to his NEED. And the government will decide the "from" and "to".

Nezumi 4 months ago

wdd, I think you mean "nationalization" - but I get you.

wdd101st 4 months ago

Thanks, constructive comments are always welcome.

dustyrhoades 4 months ago

Thanks, constructive comments are always welcome.

Hysterical nutball conspiracy theories like yours, not so much. Sad that you spend so much of your time living in fear of a conspiracy to destroy America that exists only in your imagination. But you already demonstrated your hysterical fear of black people with that cock and bull story you posted about black legislators "attacking" and "hemming in" the white lawmaker. You remember...the one you tried to back up and failed miserably when you couldn't get the person involved to confirm it? The one the news article you found refuted? Why don't you just admit it, wdd...you're so scared of African Americans that you see threats from them everywhere.

The TAPS (Trans Alaska Pipeline System) runs less than a mile from where I sit.

TAPS (a much smaller project than Keystone) took years to build and was debated by a lot of different people, not the least of whom were the Native Americans whose land it crossed. Congress attempted to, in the words that the wingnuts are so fond of using, ram Keystone down our throats with an artificially shortened deadline. Why were they so afraid of having the project studied?

""TAPS worked, so we know Keystone will be safe" just doesn't meet any ind of standard of due diligence.

Yukonjohn 4 months ago

""TAPS worked, so we know Keystone will be safe" just doesn't meet any ind of standard of due diligence.

Sure it does Dusty! Technology is 100 times as good today as it was in the mid 70s. I would feel totally comfortable with the Keystone pipeline running through/near my land!! I am no shill for the oil companies either, l would hold their feet to the fire every minute of every day. They have screwed us up here for years, yet, we thrive because of them...it is a delicate relationship.

dustyrhoades 4 months ago

I would feel totally comfortable with the Keystone pipeline running through/near my land!!

All well and good, but you're really not qualified to speak for the millions of other people whose lives would be impacted, some for better, some for worse, by the project. And since Congress handed the Administration an impossible deadline for examining the project, we may never find out.

Yukonjohn 4 months ago

All well and good, but you're really not qualified to speak for the millions of other people whose lives would be impacted, some for better, some for worse, by the project.

That is true. I am but one vote from an American. That also holds true for you.

The real issue here, I think, is that we have a govt. that is totally dysfunctional. Sometimes it really makes me upset, and then I think, maybe it is for the best!!

wdd101st 4 months ago

Mr. Rhoades, why are you such a hater? You keep throwing your self importance around trying to get me to call you names. Unfortunately for you, I don't fall for childish behavior like yours. Now if you wish to bury your head in the sand while this country is destroyed, be my guest but do try to behave in a civil manner. The Pilot had to cover your reputation once recently by deleting your comments. Don't give them reason to do it again. And as for your constant calling me a racist, I have black friends that I party with, work with and play golf with all the time. Your black friends are the ones that you keep out of jail.

skylinefirepest 4 months ago

As I understand it, the Keystone had already been approved! For purely political reasons our "never held a productive job, don't believe in business" POTUS killed the project. Even one of the Dem pols stated that the oil would have to run back uphill to hurt anything. If Dusty and others were not quite so Liberal Suck-ups they would look at what Obammer has done and is doing to harm the country. But they did not bother to check him out prior to his election and now apparently are not willing to admit that they could possibly be wrong and therefore they close their eyes and minds and pretend that Obammer is the Next Coming!! They are so strongly "Progressive" that they can't see the forest for the trees.

dustyrhoades 4 months ago

Mr. Rhoades, why are you such a hater?

I'm not the one who posts fake stories about black people scaring and intimidating white ones.

I have black friends that I party with, work with and play golf with all the time.

You're seriously using that ancient "some of my best friends are black" line? Hilarious.

Your black friends are the ones that you keep out of jail.

Nope, no racism there, no sirree.

dustyrhoades 4 months ago

As I understand it, the Keystone had already been approved!

Then you clearly understand nothing.

wdd101st 4 months ago

"dustyrhoades 4 minutes ago Mr. Rhoades, why are you such a hater?

I'm not the one who posts fake stories about black people scaring and intimidating white ones.

I have black friends that I party with, work with and play golf with all the time.

You're seriously using that ancient "some of my best friends are black" line? Hilarious.

Your black friends are the ones that you keep out of jail.

Nope, no racism there, no sirree."

The story that you keep denying occurred did occur. You are just to pom-pass to accept facts. Heck, you told me you knew all about everything that happened in Raleigh and that no such thing occurred. Rep. Micky Michaux proved you wrong on that one.

Gee, I guess in the liberal world white people can't have black friends. So again I guess your only black friends are clients. Can you show me where I said "best" friends? Don't think I did. Guess you are putting words in peoples mouths again.

dustyrhoades 4 months ago

The story that you keep denying occurred did occur.

Not the way you said it did, according to what you yourself posted.

The readership is invited to click on wdd's username and read the whole story. Rep Michaux's e-mail refuted wdd's version of events, wherein black legislators "attacked" and "hemmed in" a white legislator until he apologized for an allegedly racist remark. "Attacks" and the frightening image of the white man being "hemmed in" by a crowd of black men are purely the product of wdd's racist fearmongering, as is this supposed conspiracy by an African American president to destroy America. It's all part of the same racist , fearful pattern.

jimt 4 months ago

Dusty,

As you well know, you're dealing with people who have decided that the President they all feel is illegitimate uses unconstitutional means to achieve ends whenever he, and Democrates do things of which they do not approve. It's just rhetoric that they pick up from Faux News. But at least Tread Anything But Lightly hasn't partaken in this particular debate so far, otherwise Obama would have also been referred to as the "anti-Christ" and a communist.

Hey did you notice that TAP seems to have actually made some effort to mind his spelling? Maybe my ridicule of him the other day struck a nerve. Oops, now I'm going to be subjected to a thousand word essay again on why spelling doesn't matter if you KNOW you're brilliant, possess unrivaled knowledge about just about everything under the sun, and went to the right, or maybe that should be "far-right" college.

The_AnonymusProfit 4 months ago

by The_AnonymusProfit

wdd101st 4 months ago

Yes, please do read the story and comments from Rep Michaux. Then ask yourself if he would tell people that some of his associates would have forced an apology from some one. Then think to yourself, why would an incident that happened in the 90's have stuck in someones mind if it had not been shown on TV. But for what ever reason, videos of the incident are no longer available. But you can rest assured that I am still looking for one. But why should I have to prove anything, Dusty has no way of disproving it.

I beg to differ with you Dusty, he is not an African American President. He is half white which makes him as much white as black. Strange that people keep forgetting that fact. Now if you are implying that he is more African than American, I can agree with you on that point. But maybe the term white is no longer politically correct. I guess Dusty fills out applications by writing down that he is European American. But me, I just refer to myself as an American.

dustyrhoades 4 months ago

jimt: I have noticed that TAP's spelling and/or coherence tends to vary wildly. That's usually a sign that someone is (a) posting drunk or high; and (b) can't hold their booze. Whether or not that's true in this case will be left to the judgment of the readership, but posting troll pictures and belligerently threatening to post "thousands of others" is another piece of evidence to be considered.

dustyrhoades 4 months ago

But why should I have to prove anything, Dusty has no way of disproving it.

In America, one who makes an accusation has the burden of proof.

why would an incident that happened in the 90's have stuck in someones mind if it had not been shown on TV.

It would if that person was seeing the incident through the lens of his own virulent racism. Here's an analogy...a black guy walks up and asks you what time it is. You tell him. Later, I notice that you're upset. "Did you see that?" you ask me. "He threatened me! He hemmed me in!" Of course, he did no such thing, but that's what you insist happened, because your racism causes you to fear black people. QED.

The_AnonymusProfit 4 months ago

dustyrhoades 3 minutes ago But why should I have to prove anything, Dusty has no way of disproving it. In America, one who makes an accusation has the burden of proof.

This is true, this is something as a lawyer you should understand, yet it is something you have never been able to do.

wdd101st 4 months ago

Dusty, I guess that in your mind any witness against one of your clients is a liar unless they have witnesses and video tapes.

Well let me tell you about a conversation I had with David Crockett one day in court. He rose before the Judge and told him that he needed to have a case continued because the defenses primary witness, Mr. Green, had not appeared. I followed him to the back of the court and asked him WHO was this Mr. Green. At the time of the arrest for DWI, there was no one around. David told me that Mr. Green was lawyer code to tell the judge that the client had not paid him yet. He told me he was going to plead his client guilty, but not before he got paid. So I guess you lawyers have your own code for lying. At least David was honest about it.

Now are you saying that you think TAP is an alcoholic? Are you saying he is a drunk? PROVE IT. By your own standards, if you do not have witnesses, video tape or a BAC, then you are a liar and owe TAP an apology. Also, if you are speaking ill of a disabled person, then double shame on you. Alcoholism is a covered as a disability under the Federal laws protecting disabled people.

The_AnonymusProfit 4 months ago

Ty WDD and just to add some credibility to your post, I will confirm for Dusty the Mr. Green analogy tomorrow when I speak to David, also I am a 6 year clean recovering Addict. Next month I will be 7 years clean.

wdd101st 4 months ago

Now back to your lying about what I said. "It would if that person was seeing the incident through the lens of his own virulent racism. " The incident inside the committee room was reported in one small paper, or at least that is the only article I can google. So why would Rep. Michaux confirm something that occurred outside the committee room? Here is the quoteftom the article. " In an appropriations subcommittee meeting last week, Michaux was grilling a state budget officer about one of Hunt's proposals. Rep Zeno Edwards, R-Beaufort, who has embarassed himself before with stupid remarks, called across the room, "is that calling a spade a spade?" Michaux responded strongly "Watch your language!" But it was unclear from the tone of his voice whether Michaux had taken offense. Questioned after the meeting, Michaiux said he had. "It was a dumb remark. I don't see much humor in it." OK, now show me where he said that he had received an apology??? Yet in his email he said ", "as best I can remember, Rep. Balmer, in describing a project he wanted in Mecklenburg County, used language some of us thought was offensive. The best I can remember, he was approached and told of the offensive nature of his statement and an apology was offered and accepted." HE WAS APPROACHED. Did not say that in the article.. " an apology was offered and accepted." Didn't say that in the article. So Mr. Lawyer, how did I know those details unless they were part of the TV news video report on the incident??? And how often do they do TV news video reports on friendly conversations between legislatures????

OK Dusty, now prove me wrong.

dustyrhoades 4 months ago

Wdd, I was David's law partner for several years, and he was and is the most honest person I've ever met. I can tell you, unequivocally, you are full of crap.

In fact, the Mr. Green line is lifted from Michael Connelly's "The Lincoln Lawyer." The next time you want to lie and slander the name of a man whose shoes you are not fit to shine, you might want to come up with a lie that's not lifted from a book so many people have read and a movie so many have seen.

And read my post again: Whether or not that's true in this case will be left to the judgment of the readership. They can make their own mind up from TAP's erratic behavior.

Thatcher 4 months ago

Yukonjohn-- I agree with you. At least you've never accused folks on this site who disagree with you as being a drunk or alcoholic.http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2012/01/21/while-obama-delays-controversial-keystone-oil-pipeline-vast-network-energy/. There currently exists a gazillion miles of pipeline in this area...with no adverse environmental impact ever reported. Never let facts get in your way.

dustyrhoades 4 months ago

So, Ryan--sorry, TAP...maybe you should ask your mother in law how she'd feel about you dropping F-bombs on this website?

dustyrhoades 4 months ago

I see now why you need the alias. Don't want anyone Googling your real name.

Thatcher 4 months ago

I have known Mr. Crockett for many years. DR is right...he is as honest as the day is long. And a really nice guy. In fact, the nicest guy you could ever meet. You should talk with him someday.

wdd101st 4 months ago

Dusty, you my non friend are so full of crap that I can smell you in Aberdeen. I am not a lawyer and do not lie. Ask David about it as TAP is going to do. Until then you have nothing more to say to me. I have proven you to be a liar time and again.

dustyrhoades 4 months ago

Sure you have, wdd. Sure you have.

Yukonjohn 4 months ago

Thanks Thatcher, While pipelines are not totally free of mishaps, they are a hell of a lot safer than trucking petroleum anywhere!! They want to truck gas here from the north slope. We will have no part of it ...at least so far. We want a pipeline, and it looks like we might get it on the ballot to use the Permanent Fund to pay for it. We need inexpensive fuel here in the interior, and our legislators have been dragging their feet on it. I am advocating that when election time comes up, if a legislator does not "sign on" to getting us a gasline, he/she gets replaced. It is doable up here. When there is such a small population, referendum rule works perfectly!!! If we have a law that we REALLY don't like, we can get it on the ballot and see how the state of Alaska (its people) feel about it. Many times we get our laws changed with this procedure.

The_AnonymusProfit 4 months ago

Dusty is correct for once, David is a very honest man. And to answer your question dusty, probably the same way she would feel about most of the crap that goes on on this blog. I have been reprimanded many times by her for my language.

The_AnonymusProfit 4 months ago

Wasnt there a report somewhere about polar bears or carribu however you spell that, matin under a pipeline because it was warmer?

dustyrhoades 4 months ago

I have been reprimanded many times by her for my language.

I imagine that's not all, young fellow. Frankly, my respect for her and for your wife, both of whom I DO like, is the only thing keeping me from outing you right now as the fraud you are.

Suffice it to say that TAP is NOT, as he claims on his wall, a

Graduate George Washington University Studies Political Science, Political History Understudies European History 1670-1740

Graduate Hillsdale College Masters Political History, US Constitution

Very very far from it, in fact.

Thatcher 4 months ago

wdd-- To be clear. I'm not accusing you or anyone else on this site of being dishonest. In fact, I like your posts and your point of view. Best I can tell, I'm one of the most conservative folks on this site. I am saying that Mr. Crockett is a great guy and an honest guy. Frankly, I'm sorry he got dragged into this conversation.

wdd101st 4 months ago

TAP, I guess you did not read my comment as closely as you think. I did not say he was not honest, as a matter of fact I said, "So I guess you lawyers have your own code for lying. At least David was honest about it. "

The_AnonymusProfit 4 months ago

The Impact on Caribou One particular concern was to protect Alaskan wildlife. Conservationists had feared the worst for caribou herds. They believed the pipeline would disrupt the animals' migration routes. When the engineers designed the pipe, they added 554 elevated sections (ten feet high) so the animals could cross under. The engineers also buried the pipe in 23 locations so the caribou could cross over it. Again, reports of how the caribou fared are different. Oil industry experts say caribou populations have doubled, while some wildlife biologists say this could be due to long term factors like climate change.

here is what i was looking for

dustyrhoades 4 months ago

I don't think there are any caribou along the path of the proposed Keystone pipeline, Ryan.

The_AnonymusProfit 4 months ago

Legacy of Protected Wilderness After the Trans-Alaska pipeline was completed in the late 1970s, there was a frenzy of interest in preserving wilderness areas in Alaska. In particular, conservationists focused on lands set aside for study as part of the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act of 1971. Section 17, clause d(2) of that law allowed the U.S. Secretary of the Interior to set aside land to be considered for national park, wilderness, or national forest status. There were still millions of acres of unreserved land. The crusade to save these wilderness areas became a successful nationwide grassroots campaign. It would take nine years for Congress to pass the Alaska National Interest Lands Conservation Act, but in 1980, 104 million acres of land came under federal protection. The legislation constituted the greatest act of wilderness preservation in American history.

The_AnonymusProfit 4 months ago

The point is Dusty that the pipeline companies take the environment into consideration when making the pipelines

dustyrhoades 4 months ago

Only because the government makes them do it.

The_AnonymusProfit 4 months ago

Wether that is the case or not is not relevent, just as long as these considerations are taken, then there is no reason not to approve said pipelines.

Thatcher 4 months ago

DR-- Since you're "outing" TAP, let me state my qualifications and background: (1984-87) Madonna's personal "handler"; (1987-2002) The Pope; (2002-2003) Hugh Grant; (2003-2005) NFL athlete, and a good one; (2005-2006) Community Organizer, Chicago; (2006) Fired by a guy named Barack; (2006- Present) Dad, husband, friend, sorta (maybe) conservative.

The_AnonymusProfit 4 months ago

DR i recommend a book to you, Ameritopia

dustyrhoades 4 months ago

Thatcher: heh.

What's Guy Ritchie really like?

The_AnonymusProfit 4 months ago

Can I add Male stripper to my list of accolades?

Thatcher 4 months ago

DR-- "What's Guy Ritchie really like?" British.

dustyrhoades 4 months ago

Can I add Male stripper to my list of accolades?

It'd probably be as truthful as any of the other stuff you've claimed about yourself, Ryan.

dustyrhoades 4 months ago

British.

That explains a lot.

Thatcher 4 months ago

DR-- Southern Britain. Near Portugal.

TreadLightly 4 months ago

I thought I saw my name up there somewhere...I was in Raleigh all day. ( Lunch at the hot dog cart by the legislature, and I can bring a note if needed.) This discussion has gotten either too dissonant for me to understand or above my pay grade--don't know which.

jimt 4 months ago

Well, I don't know about you guys, but I want to know more about "handling" Madonna. Is that roughly the same as a masseuse?

Yukonjohn 4 months ago

TAP, our caribou herds are doing marvelous!! The pipeline and associated "intrusion" into their calving grounds have had no negative impact. Actually, if anything, they are MUCH better than they were when I got here over 30 yrs ago. It is pretty amazing!!

JER 4 months ago

Way back about 9 hours ago, wdd101st referred to an article that stated the railroads, with minimal upgrades, could handle all the crude that would have been carried by the pipeline. So what's the problem with that?

JER 4 months ago

So, The AP isn't who he says he is. I think jimt and the rest of our crowd had figured that out quite a while ago. Oh, by the way TAP, I've been drug free for 67 years and counting.

wdd101st 4 months ago

JER, nothing wrong with that except minimal upgrades don't produce a lot of new jobs. But then Obama's buddy will get richer thus allowing him to contribute more to Obama. "Warren Buffett’s Burlington Northern Santa Fe LLC is among U.S. and Canadian railroads that stand to benefit from the Obama administration’s decision to reject TransCanada Corp. (TRP)’s Keystone XL oil pipeline permit." Then too pipelines provide a continuous flow of the product to it's destination. Rail service can be limited by train scheduling, tanker cars and there would be an increased risk of train accidents that could harm the environment.

wdd101st 4 months ago

To add to that:

Warren Buffett cleans up after Keystone XL

The Sage of Omaha is one lucky guy.

by John Hayward 01/24/2012

When President Obama, who is normally a great proponent of “infrastructure” projects, made his bizarre decision to block the Keystone XL pipeline project, I wondered if he might have been induced to create those thousands of American jobs if the oil could be moved by his beloved high-speed rail.

As it turns out, oil is already moved from northern latitudes, such as the booming oil fields of North Dakota, down to the Gulf of Mexico by rail of the old, low-speed variety. Fortunately, as Newt Gingrich pointed out during the Monday night Republican debate in Florida, the oil is on private land, so Obama can’t shut production down.

Shipping the oil with a pipeline would have significantly reduced costs, as an Associated Press report explains:

Billions of dollars of infrastructure improvements have been made in recent years to allow North Dakota's oil shipping capacity to keep pace with the skyrocketing production. North Dakota is the nation's fourth-biggest oil producer and is expected to trail only Texas in crude output within the next year.

Alison Ritter, a spokeswoman for the state Department of Mineral Resources, said the state's so-called takeaway capacity is adequate, though producers and the state were counting on the on the Keystone XL to move North Dakota crude.

Shipping crude by pipeline in North Dakota adds up to $1.50 to its cost, compared to $2 or more a barrel for rail shipments, producers say. (That would have meant cheaper oil)

"Oil that would have moved by the Keystone XL is now going to shift to rail transportation," Ritter said.

Amusingly, a spokesman for the Sierra Club admitted “there is no question that [transporting] oil by rail or truck is much more dangerous than a pipeline,” but that didn’t stop the zero-growth eco-fanatics from calling in their chips with President Downgrade to kill that pipeline.

Those rail shipments are expected to “increase exponentially with increased oil production and the shortage of pipelines,” according to Justin Kringstad, director of the North Dakota Pipeline Authority. That’s going to be quite a windfall for the railroad companies, isn’t it?

As it happens, 75 percent of the oil currently shipped by rail out of North Dakota is handled by Burlington Northern Santa Fe LLC… which just happens to be a unit of Warren Buffett’s company, Berkshire Hathaway Inc. What a coincidence! .....

http://www.humanevents.com/article.php?id=49036

wdd101st 4 months ago

"Warren Buffett's Secretary Likely Makes Between $200,000 And $500,000/Year (Wouldn't that make her part of the 1% that Obama wants to tax at a higher rate?)

Warren Buffet’s secretary, Debbie Bosanek, served as a stage prop for President Obama’s State of the Union speech. She was the President’s chief display of the alleged unfairness of our tax system – a little person paying a higher tax rate than her billionaire boss.

Bosanek’s prominent role in Obama’s “fairness” campaign piqued my curiosity, and I imagine the curiosity of others. How much does her boss pay this downtrodden woman? So far, no one has volunteered this information.

We can get an approximate answer by consulting IRS data on tax rates by adjusted gross income, which would approximate her salary, assuming she does not have significant dividend, interest or capital-gains income (like her boss). I assume Buffet keeps her too busy for her to hold a second job. I also do not know if she is married and filing jointly. If so, it is deceptive for Obama to use her as an example. The higher rate may be due to her husband’s income. So I assume the tax rate Obama refers to is from her own earnings......"

http://www.forbes.com/sites/paulroderickgregory/2012/01/25/warren-buffetts-secretary-likely-makes-between-200000-and-500000year/?commentId=comment_blogAndPostId/blog/comment/1652-248-445

Courseaire 4 months ago

I've heard that in several places along the pipeline, they actually posted pictures of Caribou mating to help them get in the mood. Since we are stating qualifications, here are mine. I'm a 12 handicap, play around 100 rounds a year, do a little fox hunting & enjoy a good book & like to cook.

teufelhunden 4 months ago

Yukon-that's great to hear especially from a native!!!

FightFireWithFire 4 months ago

As much as I enjoy reading everyone's comments in the Pilot, I would actually love to meet some of you in person. You may feel free to join me at my coffee shop (Moore Coffee on McNeill Street) and entertain me with your lively discussions!! ;)

MCNative 4 months ago

In the words of Forrest Gump, or his mama, "Stupid is as stupid does." It is hard to believe that people are actually this ignorant. How can you argue with someone who has no grasp of the fact that the Unites States Constitution is a "living document" and was designed that way by those who envisioned it's future? You people are wasting your time arguing with this individual and those like him.

dustyrhoades 4 months ago

Science proves me right: conservatives are more fearful, and sadly, it may be hard-wired:

...political advisers must understand a psychological phenomenon that researchers have been studying for some time now: conservatives appear to be motivated by fear in a way that liberals are not. An expanding body of research suggests that Republicans and Democrats differ on some fundamental level in how they respond to positive and negative stimuli. A new study, published in the journal Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B, adds even more evidence to the theory that these two groups quite literally see the world differently. Researchers at the University of Nebraska at Lincoln showed people a series of photos — some endearing, some disgusting — and then measured their physiological and cognitive reactions. Conservatives, in keeping with past literature, reacted more strongly to the negative images, and liberals strongly to the positive ones.... conservatives were drawn to the negative images almost twice as fast as the liberals were. And they fixated there longer, too. This suggests that there exists not only a physiological difference, but also a cognitive one in how political partisans react to such pictures.

http://www.miller-mccune.com/politics/fear-motivates-conservatives-more-than-liberals-39283/

dustyrhoades 4 months ago

wdd, there are so many "assumes" and "betweens" and "approximations" in your article that it's worthless. Like most of your posts.

Just one example: "between $200,000 And $500,000/Year". Quite a range there*, and completely pulled out of thin air to begin with.

*Unless you're Lord Mitt, the Earl of Romney, who thinks 300K is "not much."

Courseaire 4 months ago

DR - I agree with your post and reference to the study of Conservatives and Liberals - this was my thinking also. This proves why we respond to each other so. The Liberals respond to the positive Conservatives and the Conservatives respond to the negative Liberals.

Yukonjohn 4 months ago

Just so some folks will understand how safely a pipeline can be built, the TAP has survived being shot, withstanding temps of 70 below zero to 100 above and in 2002, a 7.9 earthquake!! Being in emergency management, we ended up near the epicenter of that quake, and it shifted the road over 30 ft. in some locations, but the pipeline held solid and there was not even an interuption in the flow of oil. When the drunk shot it, shot it 5 times until he got a leak, it only leaked a few thousand gallons, and the cleanup was taken care of immediately. Once in a while they will have a small leak/spill up at Prudoe Bay, but they are miniscule!! Amazing considering how much oil that line has carried. Yet, once one tries to transport oil by other means, it is fraught with disaster. ie: the Exxon Valdez.

jimt 4 months ago

Coursaire,

Re reading books:, Do you have a kindle or a nook? They are fantastic!!!!

Where do you play golf, maybe we can get together for a round. I'll hit mine far left and you'll hit yours far right, I suppose.

Thatcher 4 months ago

Great post Yukonjohn. I suspect many on this site will be suprised to hear it, or will dismiss your comments because they hate anything to do with oil. Just today, Nancy Pelosi introduced a bill prohibiting drunk rednecks from shooting at oil pipelines and requiring the removal of any oil pipeline to prevent drunk rednecks from shooting at them. This is Hope & Change we can believe in. (NOTE TO LIBERALS) Pelosi could not actually introduce this bill today because of a regularly scheduled botox appointment.

wdd101st 4 months ago

OBAMA ELIGIBILITY COURT CASE…BLOW BY BLOW By Craig Andresen on January 26, 2012 at 9:25 am

Given the testimony from today’s court case in Georgia, Obama has a lot of explaining to do. His attorney, Jablonski, was a NO SHOW as of course, was Obama.

The following is a nutshell account of the proceedings.

Promptly at 9am EST, all attorneys involved in the Obama Georgia eligibility case were called to the Judge’s chambers. This was indeed a very interesting beginning to this long awaited and important case.

The case revolved around the Natural Born clause of the Constitution and whether or not Obama qualifies under it to serve. More to the point, if found ineligible, Obama’s name would not appear on the 2012 ballot in Georgia.

With the small courtroom crowded, several in attendance could be seen fanning themselves with pamphlets as they waited for the return of the attorneys and the appearance of the judge.

Read the rest of it... http://www.thenationalpatriot.com/?p=4138

Yukonjohn 4 months ago

LOL, again, Thanks Thatcher!! It just is what it is. Pipelines are danged safe. That poor drunk native just kept shooting till he got a hole in it. The oil immediately shut off, and they repaired it quickly with a minimal spill. They fly it twice a day, the helicopter comes right over our house. I really would not be uncomfortable to live next to the Keystone pipeline. I do not know what the President's motivation was to nix it, but personally, I think it was a horrible mistake on his part.

And just so people know that I am no fan of big oil...Our state gave a Canadian company 500 million to get a pipeline from Prudoe Bay to tidewater, or to the lower 48 states. They kind of crapped on us and took the money, then renigged on building the line. We are not happy. Hopefully we will use some of our savings account to build it ourselves and to heck with the US environmentalist, and the Canadian govt. It would only costs about 1/10th of our account to do it, and we NEED affordable energy!!

wdd101st 4 months ago

Did I see it right that one of the Alaska town actually had to have fuel delivered by a Russian tanker because they had no other way of getting it? Is that due to a lack of state wide pipelines for fuel needed by residence?

Thatcher 4 months ago

Yukonjohn-- "and we NEED affordable energy!!" No. We need Solyndra to show us the energy of the future! Need to charge your cell phone? No problem! Seventeen hours of those solar panels will guarantee you 2 extra bars. Yes, Solyndra received over $500 million from Obama, but only because it produced a product that didn't work and nobody wanted. So it went bankrupt...big deal!! With future taxpayer subsidies, it can emerge from bankruptcy to once again make products that don't work and nobody wants. Let's agree to disagree.

wdd101st 4 months ago

Dusty Rhoades makes between $5.00 and $200,000,000 a year. But since his tax returns, like Warren Buffets secretary's returns, are not public record, people just have to make guesses. And I guess that's what all the commentators and writers are doing. So Dusty if you want to say what I posted earlier (dustyrhoades 8 hours, 26 minutes ago

wdd, there are so many "assumes" and "betweens" and "approximations" in your article (NOT MY ARTICLE DUSTY, SOME BODY ELSE WROTE IT) that it's worthless. Like most of your posts.

Just one example: "between $200,000 And $500,000/Year". Quite a range there*, and completely pulled out of thin air to begin with......... ) is wrong, you'll need to talk to those people.

January 26, 2012 DC Trawler

Warren Buffett’s secretary pays so much in taxes, she can’t afford a third home America has a brand-new sweetheart: Debra Bosanek, Warren Buffett’s executive assistant secretary. She sat next to Michelle at the State of the Union address, so Barry could use her as a prop in his latest lecture on how your taxes aren’t high enough.

Then she went home. But which home?

The Smoking Gun reports:

Despite a heavy tax burden, Warren Buffett’s secretary last year was able to purchase a second home in Arizona, a residence complete with a swimming pool and a “professional PGA putting green,” according to real estate records.

Debra Bosanek, 55, and her husband Gerald bought the 2100-square-foot home in Surprise, a city outside Phoenix. The Bosaneks paid $144,000 for the four-bedroom, two-and-a-half bath property (the purchase was financed, in part, by a $115,200 mortgage).

The principal Bosanek residence is in Bellevue, Nebraska, several miles from Buffett’s corporate headquarters in Omaha. The couple’s 2568-square-foot home, built in 2000, also has four bedrooms and two-and-a-half baths. But the modest property, which Sarpy County assessors last year valued at $217,716, offers no outdoor amenities for swimmers or golfers.

Surprise! And you thought you had it bad? She! Is! The 99%! She! Is! The 99%! (Come on, chant.) She! Is! The 99%! (Why aren’t you chanting?) She! Is… oh, forget it.

P.S. Bosanek: “I just feel like an average citizen. I represent the average citizen who needs a voice.” And a personal putting green.

P.P.S. John Hayward: “Warren Buffett’s secretary, Debra Bosanek, is unquestionably one of the most important people in America, and her paycheck stub is one of the most significant documents in the world… I recommend every free American citizen insist on either seeing some hard, well-documented numbers, or insist that we never hear another word about Debra Bosanek, ever again.”

P.P.P.S. Everybody should pay their fair share in taxes… unless they work in the White House.

Yukonjohn 4 months ago

Good one Thatcher!!

Wdd101st, We did just have a Russian ice-breaking tanker go with a Coast Guard ice-breaker and deliver fuel to Nome. It was a successful mission and took about 3 weeks. They delivered 1.3 million gallons of fuel there. Nome's last fuel barge of the season did not get through before a huge storm hit in November and pushed ice up everywhere and it could not get in. Consequently, they were running out of fuel. A village can, and many are forced to from time to time, fly fuel into the village, but it makes it extremely expensive. Especially when even barge delivered fuel is around 6-9 bucks a gallon!! It was a good deal, and we are thankful to the Russians for their assistance. Once the cold war was over....what's the need to not be neighborly?

Oh, and wdd101st, we have NO pipelines OTHER than the transalaskan pipeline. That is why we want a gas line so bad. We have trillions of cf of gas, and we are paying the highest heating costs in the nation....and on top of that we are looking at 50s below for a few days after all the cold we have already had,. Sorry, got off on a rant...it does tick us off though.

wdd101st 4 months ago

So Yukon, what ideas have been proposed to help make life better for the citizens? Would pipelines help? I know because of the permafrost and terrain would make digging pipeline in very hard. Would running them above ground work ? Would they have to be heated and would that make it cost prohibited.

Yukonjohn 4 months ago

Just as the Alaska Pipeline, one could be run both above and below ground. It is amazing the technology that exist. As l had said before, we saw how the pipeline held up during a 7.9 earthquake that was centered very near it. It moved the ground over 20 ft, and never broke the line. That is how safe they can be made!!

Yukonjohn 4 months ago

And about helping our citizens, in our villages, many live like in a third world country. No sewer, no running water, and in some cases, no electricity. It is mostly because they are very remote, and the folks that live there understand that up front. It sure is different living in the bush though.

wdd101st 4 months ago

Charles Krauthammer Opinion Writer

The president plays small ball

By Charles Krauthammer, Thursday, January 26, 8:13 PM

Once upon a time, small ball was not Barack Obama’s game. Tuesday, it was the essence of his State of the Union address. The visionary of 2008 — purveyor of hope and change, healer of the earth, tamer of the rising seas — offered an hour of little things: tax-code tweaks to encourage this or that kind of behavior (manufacturing being the flavor of the day), little watchdog agencies to round up Wall Street miscreants and Chinese DVD pirates, even a presidential demand “that all students stay in high school until they graduate or turn 18.” Under penalty of what? Jail? The self-proclaimed transformer of America is now playing truant officer?

It sounded like the Clinton years with their presidentially proclaimed initiatives on midnight basketball and school uniforms. These are the marks of a shrunken presidency, thoroughly flummoxed by high unemployment, economic stagnation, crushing debt — and a glaring absence of ideas.

moonchild7 4 months ago

The Keystone pipeline has NOT been permanently axed. Another vote can be taken after 2012 according to the Washington Post. Our environment is being assaulted DAILY with TOXINS so it only makes sense at this time to question ANYTHING and EVERYTHING that might continue to assault it. There are one after the other new "Illnesses/Disease's/Syndromes" showing up thru-out the world. We must be vigilant to make sure our Planet is well taken care of; or else forget about LAWS, HUMANS, or even the ANIMAL KINGDOM because It will all SLOWLY rot out! Warren Buffets secretary no matter how much she earns pays a bigger percentage because her income is EARNED. Those million/billionaires all have that great modern invention created by the investment bank that's UNEARNED and taxed at LOW rates. The FEAR FARMERS have raised their ugly heads again in The Pilot. Sad.

wdd101st 4 months ago

MC7, so you agree that Obama has axed the decision now so that big labor and environmentalist will both dump money into his campaign. If he had approved it, the enviros would have run away. Maybe they would have voted for the Green party.

I guess that you didn't read that they have been getting this permit for over 2 years. That means the government has been checking environmental stuff and all those things. Or maybe you missed the statement by environmentalist saying that the pipeline would over all be safer than putting it into rail tanker cars by the millions and running it across the USA. Oh no, I guess we never have train derailments.

You are of course aware that Obama is worth $7 million? That makes him the 1%. The investment banking thing has been going on for years. Lots of your democrats are multi millionaires because of it.

JER 4 months ago

Somewhere back in time, maybe 125,000 or maybe 400,000 years ago...anyway, a really, really long time ago, early humans used fire to keep warm and to cook their food. Flash forward to the present. Man uses fire to keep warm and cook food. Now that, my friends, is what I call progress. And it really is progress. In order to use your TV or your IPhone or any of your modern electronic wonders, somewhere, somebody still has to set fire to something to make them work. Want to drive your car, set fire to the fuel, need to fly to Miami, set fire to some jet fuel, Evidently, we just have not had enough time to develop viable alternatives to setting fire to stuff. So let us bitch and moan about how trying to get solar power is all a ploy to enrich politicians and their buddies or how using the wind or water to generate power is just plain stupid. It's so much easier to just set fire to a barrel of oil or a lump of coal. We like to think we are so advanced, yet we still do some things just like the cave men did them. And don't even get me started on HOW we transmit the power we get by setting stuff on fire. Look at any picture taken in metropolitan areas 100 years ago and compare them with pictures taken in the current day. Many things have changed but the one thing that has not are the power poles and the transmission lines. But hey, it's more important to have a device that allows you to order a pizza while taking a picture and texting your your BFF, all while driving your car that is having the fuel set on fire. By all means, let's build lots of pipelines so we can continue to live in the past.

JER 4 months ago

I would like the pro-pipeline folks to answer my question I have now asked for the third time: Why does the crude extracted from the Canadian oil sands have to be piped to the Gulf Coast of the US? These oil sand deposits are located in western Canada. Why not transport them to the western coast of Canada or the US for refining? It's a hell of a lot closer to the source. From there the refined products can be shipped to anywhere in the world, just as they could from the Gulf Coast. You say that the oil refineries are located on the Gulf Coast and that's why they have to go there? There are oil refineries on our northwest Pacific coast. If there are not enough, we can build more. Wouldn't that also create jobs? Wouldn't those jobs be more permanent than the one year jobs that would be created by building a 1500 mile pipeline? I'm looking for honest responses that address my questions. Keep your political leanings out of your responses.

wdd101st 4 months ago

JER, do you drive a gas/ electric car, ride a horse or petal a bicycle? Do you have a gas range or electric one. Do you have a micro wave. Do you heat with electricity, fuel oil or natural gas? Do you have a personal wind turban or solar cells on your property?

JER 4 months ago

I do not yet drive a hybrid car but my next one will be one (I have two cars with an average age of 10 years so it probably won't be too much longer). I don't have a horse or a bike at the present time but I have used bike transportation in the past. Yes, I have a microwave, I heat with fuel oil. I do not have a wind turbine or solar cells that power my house but I have a few items that do run off solar power that I use regularly. I have now answered all your questions, which I failed to see the point of, but I answered them anyway. Please be so kind as to answer mine.

wdd101st 4 months ago

Yea, good luck with getting approval to build a bunch of refineries on the west coast. There may be some there now but do you really think the Presidents EPA would approve building more. And how about the west coast environmental groups?? More jobs would be great. Solar and wind would be great (solar companies going bankrupt not with standing). Nuke plants would be good too. How about more hydroelectric plants along the coast using the tide to produce electricity or even damning up a few more rivers for them. That would create even more jobs plus recreational areas for families to go to. That would produce jobs for recreational people.

Now if we could just get more areas to start burning trash. That would free up landfill space. Then of course more recycling. And speak about recycling, how about we think recycling human bodies. Why waste the land for grave yards? You know like in that movie Soylent Green.

We could build millions of wind turbans off the coast all the way around the country (except up there near Martha's Vineyard where all those rich liberals didn't want them because they might spoil the view.)

Yukonjohn 4 months ago

JER, The intended route of the pipeline, to the best of my knowledge, will run down the east slopes of the Rocky Mountains. Having seen the incredible job that was done here in crossing three mountain ranges, it is a marvel of engineering!! I think them staying out of the mountains is a good idea. We do have much of our oil infrastructure on the gulf coast. Building a pipeline across flat ground, with few trees seems to be a perfect route to do it. Maybe I am "out to lunch" but after seeing the TAP, you would agree, this one would be a piece of cake!!

wdd101st 4 months ago

Damn straight Yukon

Hey, just as a point of interest, you have gone panning and found anything?

Yukonjohn 4 months ago

Wdd101st, no, I dont gold mine, but have a bunch of friends that do. They do it differently than just a pan or a small suction dredge. They use D-9 Cats and big track hoes and big shaker plants or trummels (spins the gold out). It is bigger operations just one guy would do. They get alot of gold though, or at least they hope they do. I know some of them are quite wealthy, but you would never know. They wear blue jeans and flannel shirts, drink whiskey out of the bottle, and are rough as sailors!! They are a good group of guys though, pretty honest, and hard working. And if a miner has a brain in his head, he is gone south at this time of year. They say we could be headed for one of the 5 top "Cold January's" since records started in 1904!! Just seems to stay cold. Saying it might be in the low 50s below tomorrow night...only in the 40s below tonight...have a good one.

JER 4 months ago

wdd101st: In other words, you have not expanded your thinking beyond the end of your nose and have nothing to contribute except some smart ass comments meant to belittle someone who is searching for alternatives. I am not opposed to building pipelines that would solve problems and create jobs. I have proposed several times that we should build a nationwide pipeline system from coast to coast and border to border. The system I proposed would create millions of jobs, both in the building and, long term, in the operation of the system as well as jobs that would be created by having the system in place. The pipeline system I propose would help to alleviate one of the biggest and most costly problems we have in this country. What is that problem, you ask? Water. At any given point in time, portions of this country have too much water while other sections have too little. The ability to move water around the country would create jobs, help eliminate damage caused by too much or too little water (flood damage; drought damage), stabilize the production of food and open new areas for development. As an example, desert areas could be made fertile for the production of plant based fuel sources that would end our need to remove oil, gas and coal from the earth, end our reliance on foreign supplies of energy and improve our overall environment . Or we could take your advice and burn our dead. Glad you take our problems so seriously.

JER 4 months ago

Yukonjohn: I appreciate your confidence in our ability to build pipelines. Perhaps you will get behind my proposal outlined above, that would require massive pipeline construction. Also, to help balance the weather reports you issue on a daily (if not hourly) basis, I will, today, begin issuing weather reports from my residence. Yesterday, it was 83 degrees and I was forced to again wear my shorts, flip flops and Hawaiian print shirt. Today, the forecast calls for a few showers with temps in the upper 70's. Have been trying not to run the AC but last night, the wife says she couldn't sleep because she was too warm, so I had to get up, close the windows and turn on the AC. Oh, I don't pan for gold either, but we did find some really good values at the antique and flea markets we visited yesterday.

moonchild7 4 months ago

President Obama is a NEW Millionaire. No OLD money there. He wrote two very popular books and has earned his "reward". He and Michele worked as attorneys, and of course he as an Illinois congressman, a part-time University Professor, a U.S. Senator. and of course PRESIDENT of the U.S. All of those jobs paid quite well and perhaps he and Michele SAVED their money. The big unkown is that it's possible he and or Michele inherited money from ancestors that no one needs to know anything about. Don't any of you ever think of that? Mitt has earned his thru investments etc. I've wondered why he DIDN'T inherit anything from his father. Does anyone know? Wasn't George Romney a successful business man and didn't he work for the Nixon Administration? Taxes are needed to run a country, they just need to be FAIR to all of us. Has Mitt started any new businesses lately? I just read that the Military will be doing some major budget cuts. That's great...finally. President Obama will be getting four more years. Those Republicans are pathetic. GOBAMA!!!

wdd101st 4 months ago

JER 1 hour, 36 minutes ago

wdd101st: In other words, you have not expanded your thinking beyond the end of your nose and have nothing to contribute except some smart ass comments meant to belittle someone who is searching for alternatives. I am not opposed to building pipelines that would solve problems and create jobs. I have proposed several times that we should build a nationwide pipeline system from coast to coast and border to border."

So what part of massive wind turban farms off the coast is located at the end of my nose? What part of tidal electrical plants is at the end of my nose? What part of massive solar panel farms is at the end of my nose?

http://www.theodora.com/pipelines/united_states_pipelines.html

Below are the current pipelines coast to coast, north to south, east to west, crude oil, natural gas, refined gas, etc. and I'm not even sure these are all of them. As for water pipelines, they would be a good idea. I'm surprised that no one else has ever thought of it. This past year we could have used such pipelines to divert flood waters from the Mississippi to the deserts of Nevada and Utah or even Texas where they have been in a drought for years. How big would the pipes have needed to be to transfer that much water? How many pipes would have been needed? Whose land would have the pipes gone through? Who would pay for the pipelines to move water from the Mississippi to the deserts? Would the workers be private business employees or more government workers? If private industry, wouldn't that just make billionaires richer? And most of all, how many centuries would it take to get the EPA and environmental groups to approve such constructions? Oh just one thought, since I maybe over stating your idea. What gives us the right to change deserts into massive industrially owned farms.

http://www.theodora.com/pipelines/north_america_oil_gas_and_products_pipelines.html

http://easygreener.blogspot.com/2012/01/pipelines-across-america.html

http://www.eia.gov/pub/oil_gas/natural_gas/analysis_publications/ngpipeline/ngpipeline_maps.html

http://www.transcanada.com/keystone.html

wdd101st 4 months ago

JER 2 hours ago "As an example, desert areas could be made fertile for the production of plant based fuel sources that would end our need to remove oil, gas and coal from the earth, end our reliance on foreign supplies of energy and improve our overall environment . Or we could take your advice and burn our dead. Glad you take our problems so seriously."

So you never saw the movie Soylent Green? Of course not or else you would have known that they did not BURN the dead. They recycled the bodies for the food value and made more food from them.

The burning was of trash, you know, garbage like you put into your waste can every day. It's not a new idea, but then I guess I'm not looking past the end of my nose.

Now how about turning those desert areas into lush farm land. What would that do to the planets weather patterns. Would that change the flow of weather across the USA? Deserts have a big function in weather. OH but I'm small minded and don't look past the end of my nose.

wdd101st 4 months ago

moonchild7 1 hour, 53 minutes ago

President Obama is a NEW Millionaire. No OLD money there. He wrote two very popular books and has earned his "reward". He and Michele worked as attorneys, and of course he as an Illinois congressman, a part-time University Professor, a U.S. Senator. and of course PRESIDENT of the U.S. All of those jobs paid quite well and perhaps he and Michele SAVED their money."

So according to you, NEW money is OK, but old money is bad. Do I misstate this? Now lets look at this. Bill Gates earned and created his money and millions for his friends. So they are OK. The Kennedy's like Ted and then the Kennedy children and grand kids inherited their millions, so they are bad.

wdd101st 4 months ago

moonchild7 1 hour, 59 minutes ago "Mitt has earned his thru investments etc. I've wondered why he DIDN'T inherit anything from his father. Does anyone know? Wasn't George Romney a successful business man and didn't he work for the Nixon Administration? Taxes are needed to run a country, they just need to be FAIR to all of us. Has Mitt started any new businesses lately? I just read that the Military will be doing some major budget cuts. That's great...finally. President Obama will be getting four more years."

OK, so Mitt earned his money, so that makes him good. Romney earned his money so he is good. So is it Good money if you make it and bad if you give it to your kids? Would that include giving your kids money to go to college?

Taxes are needed to run the country, they just need to be FAIR (just love that word). My children learned at an early age that the world isn't fair. So, if you could set what was fair as far as people being taxed, how much would people that make or have $1,000,000 a year or more pay in taxes?

How much would some one that makes between $500,000 and $999,999 a year pay?

How much would some one who makes $100,000 to $499,999 pay?

How much would some one that makes $50,000 to $99,999 pay?

How much would some one that makes $25,000 to $49,999 pay

How much would some one that makes $20,000 to $24,999 pay. And then I guess we don't make people that make $19,999 or less don't pay anything.

Your answers will be awaited.

Yukonjohn 4 months ago

Hey JER, I think that idea of water pipelines is a great idea. Interestingly enough, I have a friend that lives in Barstow, CA. Such a crappy place!! I was visiting him about 20 yrs ago and he asked "Hey, what do you think of having a pipeline from the glaciers of Alaska or from the southeast Alaska where it rains constantly to the deserts of the southwest US?" I told him that we had heard and discussed the idea up here, but had decided it was not cost effective. He said, don't discount that idea so easily, we are SERIOUS about it!! Maybe we should look at that. It could change the US and probably the world. As for the existing pipeline network, I saw a image the other night about the current pipeline system, it is massive!!

Oh, and for the weather here, it is only 42 below this morning, but I think that is the high for today. It is very close to 60 below just a mere 100 miles to the west of here. It will probably get very close to 60 below tonight. It really sucks!!

golflady 4 months ago

Why were all the comments on the article "Judgment Entered in Theft of Funds by Former Chief's Wife" taken down?

wdd101st 4 months ago

golflady 1 hour, 1 minute ago

Why were all the comments on the article "Judgment Entered in Theft of Funds by Former Chief's Wife" taken down?

Now golflady, that is a good question. You will not get an answer here, we are just readers and bloggers. You'd need to address this to the staff at the Pilot. I can tell you that we have had the same thing happen in other columns. Many different reasons were thought to be the answer but nothing ever said.

moonchild7 4 months ago

wdd101st: Everyone who has EARNED income would pay somewhere between 20%-35% in income taxes, but the less EARNED income a person makes the more DEDUCTIONS they would be allowed to have. ALL of the tax loopholes that the wealthy have managed to pay congress off to legislate for them will be gone. They of course would get some EARNED income deductions but perhaps not as many as those with less income. As far as all of the "FUNNY" money that most of those BIG INVESTORS make, well, it will be taxed at somewhere between 20%-40% depending on the source of the income and HOW THEY CHOOSE to INVEST it". If Mitt is just "rolling in the dough" over and over and not putting any of it to use, as in starting new companies or making sure more people become employed in some of those "investment" companies, then perhaps it will be taxed at even HIGHER rates. He's making $22 Million a year...what's he doing with it? Couldn't he at least start a few HOT DOG STANDS around the country? That will put some people to work. I can only put myself to work since I don't have the funds or business to employ someone else. I wish I could but I never had theat on my "to do" list. Mitt's father put lots of people to work(at least for awhile before they went under). Does the Mormon Church employ a lot of people...who aren't Mormons? I say that because Mormons will always tithe that 10% back to them. What a sham. Anyway, I have nothing against wealth but I do have something against greedy, selfish, arrogant, snobs. So, how much would you want someone with a total yearly income of $19,000 to pay in taxes? How about Mitt, who made $22 Million last yr? I'll await your answer.

Thatcher 4 months ago

MC7-- Is it OK if we let my friend wwd take a rest and let me answer your questions? First, your comments about Mormons titheing 10% is insulting. I'm not Mormon. Many Christians and Jews tithe 10% to their church, and Romney apparently tithes more than that. It's none of your business. Period. Taxing folks with "EARNED" income at "20%-35%"...great (as a theory)! But since 47% of Americans who have "EARNED" income pay no federal income tax, your idea may face some resistance (and before the usual liberal suspects complain that "these are people too poor to pay federal income tax", show us one stat, anywhere, that says 47% of Americans are "poor" or "in poverty"...and until you do, be quiet). Deductions? Like the mortgage interest deduction? Like deducting state/local income taxes already paid? Please, identify 3 deductions that "poor" folks should get that "rich" folks should not. Oh, as you said to wdd, I'll await your answer.

Yukonjohn 4 months ago

MC7 He's making $22 Million a year...what's he doing with it?

I would think, anything he wants to!!! As it should be.

So, how much would you want someone with a total yearly income of $19,000 to pay in taxes? How about Mitt, who made $22 Million last yr? I'll await your answer.

If it were up to me, they would pay the exact same percentage, whatever that was determined to be.

MC7, You say you do not hate wealth, but with everyone of your comments you show that you DO HATE WEALTH!!!

Thatcher 4 months ago

MC7-- Oh, and how much should Mitt pay in taxes? Whatever the law requires. And not a penny more. (If this answer disturbs you, please identify 3 liberals who have voluntarily paid more in taxes than they were obligated to pay...(HINT) Warren Buffett is out...like Romney, Buffett's income is investment income, taxed at 15% (before deductions)...and Buffett is currently in litigation with the IRS about his tax obligations).http://www.newsmax.com/Headline/buffett-irs-back-taxes/2011/09/01/id/409520. Facts are stubborn things.

Thatcher 4 months ago

(Apologies to wwd for answering before him)

Yukonjohn 4 months ago

LOL, Thatcher, as a small business owner, that does give back to the world you live in, you are MORE than qualified to answer these questions!! I am not wealthy, not even close, but I do have a problem with the "Robin Hood's" of our country. Take from the wealthy, give to the poor. As my POOR father said to me many times...."If you took all the wealth in the world and divided it equally, in 6 months, the same people would have all the money again". This is because they know how to amass wealth, and poor people, for whatever reason, do not!! Sorry MC7, in my mind, you are wrong and so is our President.

Thatcher 4 months ago

Thanks Yukonjohn! I'm just one of millions of small business owners who have to listen to this mindless nonsense...we are the folks who the President/liberals everywhere claim are not paying "our fair share." Stupid slogan, invented by idiots. Factually false by any measure. Sadly, some folks believe it.

Thatcher 4 months ago

BTW Yukonjohn-- Let us know when you're coming back to visit Moore County! I'll figure out a way for JER and me to disclose our identities to one another (yes, I am a male underwear model), and the 3 of us will meet for beers, wings, and all things political! Too much fun!!

moonchild7 4 months ago

Thatcher, maybe you should read some of my previous posts so you can better "UNDERSTAND" where I'm coming from in regards to many of my comments. I am NOT a fan of any ORGANIZED RELIGION. Mitt Romney chose to release his Tax Returns and show how much $$$$ he gave to charity including to his MORMON CHURCH. It was HIS BUSINESS and he told ALL of US about it! He gave $4.1 Million to the Mormon Chirch and $7 million to charity overall. That's great even fabulous. He's paying VERY LOW taxes on his income, apparently even LOWER (about 14%) than most other Multi-Millionaires. Isn't that SPECIAL? The "POOR" should get any and all deductions that will make them have more money at the end of the day to use at the grocery store, the gas station, Walmart or the Dollar Store. It would be nice for them to have a little Extra $$$ at the end of the day so they can have a couple of Peanutbutter&Jelly sandwiches for dinner. Poor people usually use up ALL of their $$$ just to get thru to another day. They pay some sort of tax everytime they walk into a store to buy something. Mitt likes to keep some of his millions in the Cayman Islands and Switzerland. Oh my..EUROPE!!!! Throughout most of history the RICH/WEALTHY OWNED the poor and used them for any and all purposes they could imagine. It was America that changed that aspect of World History forever. We should always be thankful and work together to keep it that way, and one of the best ways to make sure it stays that way is for the RICH to pay their FAIR share of taxes.

Thatcher 4 months ago

MC7-- Your "ALL CAPS" words can be somewhat distracting, but I think I get the gist of your post. First, Mitt is not paying "VERY LOW" taxes on his income. He's paying what the law requires on his investment income...the very same ANYONE (!!) in this country is required to pay for investment income. Caymans/Switzerland accounts? So what? He pays the required taxes on that, too. What business is it of yours (or anyone else) to question how and where someone invests the money they earn? You never mentioned specific deductions that the "poor" should receive that the "rich" should not. Talking about shopping at Dollar General is not an answer. Please, list the specific deductions a "poor" person should be able to take that a "rich" person should not.

Thatcher 4 months ago

Lastly MC7, you say you're not a fan of "ORGANIZED RELIGION." I hope one day you can meet some folks from my church. Can't say they are all that ORGANIZED, but they are the best folks in the world. And they would welcome you with open arms. So would I.

Yukonjohn 4 months ago

Thatcher, I would look forward to that. I am going to try and come down this spring. Depends how busy we are at work. Looking at April probably. I would be honored to have a beer and wings or whatever with you and JER. Best Wishes.

moonchild7 4 months ago

Oh, it's not the OPEN arms that are any problem at all but rather the CLOSED minds. No Thanks, there's NO DOUBT your church is completely like most of the others. You see Thatcher, I studied Philosophy and Religion in College and had the "pleasure" of visiting/studying more churches and religions that you could imagine. Even ones that are quite Unimaginable. I was not the one who said Mitt paid low taxes but rather several other reporters who have "studied" the tax system here in America. President Obama had a tax rate of 25% in 2010 and Newt's was 31%. Why the differences, I don't know but it's just crazy. The POOR should never have to pay taxes on FOOD, and if they have children they should be getting double deductions compared to the rich. The Child Deduction and Earned Income Tax credit I received when my son was a child was more than welcome since it put quite a bit more money in my "bank account" that I had to use to spend on him. And I did. It was well spent and he was well raised, I guess borderline Lower Middle to Middle Class. My husband and I were both raised in Upper Middle Class homes. My son just received another raise and is now in the upper 5% of Americans. I asked him how he's going to like having to pay even more in taxes next year. He told me, "No problem". He's happier than he's ever been. People who are fortunate enough to have and/or make a lot of money shouldn't complain about taxes when there's so much more to complain about.

Thatcher 4 months ago

MC7-- I would be quite suprised if anyone from my church had CLOSED minds. Out of curiousity, why is there "NO DOUBT your (my) church is completely like most of the others?" And did you know almost all undergrads are required to take Philosophy and Religion in college? Most folks in my church took the same courses you did. Did they miss something?

Thatcher 4 months ago

Hear that JER? Yukonjohn is comin' down from the mountain in April. We'll need to season the jerkey, cut the lower 40, and...OK. We're meeting for cold beer and hot wings.

Yukonjohn 4 months ago

MC7, how much is the right amount for taxes? Say someone makes 100,000? What about 300,000? I am really curious how much you think is the "right amount".

Yukonjohn 4 months ago

Thatcher, A friend and myself are going to try and make it to the truck race at the Rock. I went to the first race and the last race that they had at the paved track. My Dad used to take me to the old track further down US1. Seen guys like "winding Wayne Andrews" "Big John Sears" and the likes. It was sure a different time. When they opened up the new track, I think he probably spent a weeks wages for us a ticket. We were folks of very meager means back in the 60s.

Thatcher 3 months, 4 weeks ago

Yukonjohn-- When you come down in April, remember that JER spent 20 years as a professional mime (these are the small details the most intelligent liberal on this site, because he is too humble, begs you to ignore). When I order the beer and wings, JER can play "nice" mime...like saving a kitten. When the waitress brings our bill, JER fakes the "convulsive mime", which allows you and me to run to the truck...JER runs out and jumps in while screaming, "ALASKA!" This plan will work. I swear.

Yukonjohn 3 months, 4 weeks ago

Hey Thatcher, l know it gets pretty old, but we are amazed too, well, maybe not amazed, but definately impressed...l just went out to take the dog out to do his business, it is dead on 48 below and dropping like a rock. No telling how far it is going to go. It is enough to almost make one catch his breath when it gets that cold. My area light quits at about 45 below and will not come back on till it hits around zero. It has been off since the 23rd of Dec. Here is a link to the ArcticCam in downtown Fairbanks. We are usually about 8 to 10 degrees colder than the heart of downtown.

http://newsminer.com/pages/arcticcam

The "ice fog" is getting pretty thick, nothing like it will be in the morning!!

Yukonjohn 3 months, 4 weeks ago

LMAO...good one Thatcher!!!

JER 3 months, 4 weeks ago

Thatcher: We'll have to make sure that Yukonjohn arrives in the latter part of April since I won't be back in the area until then. A few beers and some hot (or mild) wings sound good.

Yukonjohn: I agree that the only way for everyone to pay their "fair" share of income tax is with a flat percentage that applies to everyone who has income, regardless of the source. If you earn a dollar or 26 billion of them, you pay the same rate. No exceptions, deductions or loopholes. That provides all the money the federal government gets to operate with. The states need to implement the same system and each can decide what their percentage will be. That will be the money the states get to operate with. County governments get to determine a sales tax rate to provide funds for them to operate with and the individual cities/towns/villages pass their own sales tax to provide for their operation. This system allows all the government entities to know what their operating funds will be and budget accordingly. Government leaders are tasked with the responsibility for preparing proposed budgets and defining what tax rate percentage is required to fund that budget. These budgets would be presented in a format that shows multiple levels. In other words, if you choose this tax rate, we can do this, if you choose that tax rate, we can do that, etc. The voters then choose what level of taxation they favor. This can be done on a annual basis or less often, as agreed to by the voters. These will be all the taxes that will be required to be paid by the citizens.

Take It Back to The Rule of the Law

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