Posts Made By: Jim Johnson

Sounds like you already sampled some of the soon-to-be-legal bud. 8)

The postings in this forum from the very liberal and very conservative follow the great polarization found in the political parties and to some extent the nation. I doubt you guys will refrain from your usual topics and vehemence. Regardless of whether you like or respect the man, he is President Obama - not Obummer or the other names used - at least the office should be respected. Of the conservatives here Costello is the only guy I can remember keeping it respectful. When you post, the liberals (and moderates like me) will respond and the battle begins. I suspect this sentiment of yours will be short-lived.

Jim J

Alan French said:

I think this is both funny and sad.

http://tinyurl.com/bypuvqh

And Australia sounds a lot more civilized than our country.

Clear skies, Alan

Unfortunately Austriala seems to be going down the road to Euro-pansia (as in pansies). It was more like the US than any Empire commonwealth - rugged and rough around the edges. IMO we have half the US yearning towards Euro-pansia with the other half pulling them back though not quite all the way.

Jim J

Rod Kaufman said:

http://money.cnn.com/2012/11/09/news/companies/coal-layoffs-obama/
And he delivers his message in the form of a prayer...

A cheap shot - if Romney had won he would probably have to lay them off also as the Republicans had no quick fix.

Re the war on coal. I have done a little research and the War on Coal is not quite what it is made out to be. Coal is a dirty fuel responsible for many health problems for those living in the vicinity. The law passed by Obama had 2 elements. The first, clean air, does not apply to existing plants or companies with plants in the works (of which there are a good number). This law is needed to comply with basic clean air standards but will not have a great impact. The second part, however, reducing CO2 emissions applies to all existing and planned plants and will indeed impact coal plants. I would like to see that scaled down to soften the blow. However, coal is already being replaced with natural gas for electricity generation due to its abundance, good prices and cleanliness. As your article pointed out, the US does export coal and that market in China, India, etc. is growing. So if we don't use it in power generation we can sell our coal. Create synthetic fuels from it as the Germans did in WWII. Coal is a dirty fuel and I say good riddance.

Jim J

George Blahun said:

How could all the people involved in filming a TV commercial get this so completely wrong?!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WWmhk6PbUDM

Because most people don't give a darn about astronomy and telescopes and to the majority of people a telescope has a lens up front and a human at the back. Only us astro-nerds catch (or care about) these things.

Jim J

Rod Kaufman said:

http://money.cnn.com/2012/11/12/news/economy/us-oil-production-energy/index.html?iid=HP_LN&hpt=hp_t1
Hmm, does this mean our gasoline prices will come down? Kinda doubt it...

Me too. Global economy and a never-ending world demand for oil and oil products. What doesn't sell here can be exported. A oil company recently got permission to export light, sweet crude from the Baaken fields to Canada. It fetches a higher price and they can import cheaper, heavier crudes which most US refineries are set up for. I think this trend will continue.

I would like to see more domestic oil production like the Bakken fields. There is plenty available in the western states if the feds allow drilling. It will benefit the government and provide local jobs even if the oil gets exported. However, more oversight is needed as many companies are not handling the waste brine properly and we cannot afford to contaminate the existing aquifers.

I think energy independence doesn't mean as much as the oil is privately owned and of course the oil companies only care about profit (which is natural for a business).

Jim J

david elosser said:

It's easy to add up the numbers, or at least argue about them. But here's the true cost of Obamacare- the human cost:

Welch Allyn, a company that manufactures medical diagnostic equipment will shrink their work force by 10% to pay for additional Obamacare costs.

Auto parts manufacturing company in Ohio known as Dana Holding Corp, says it must slash $24 million in the next six years to make up for increased U S health care expenses.

Stryker, one of the biggest medical device manufacturers in the world, is closing up shop in New York, and cutting about 1200 positions world wide.

Boston Scientific just announced it will be cutting at least 1200 jobs, and sending their business to... you guessed it... China.

Medical device maker Medtronic (are you starting to see a pattern here???) cut 500 jobs this past summer, and plans to cut another 500 by the end of next year.

And on and on and on...
Smith & Nephew - 770 layoffs
Abbott Labs - 700 layoffs
Covidien - 595 layoffs
Kinetic Concepts - 427 layoffs
St. Jude Medical - 300 layoffs
Hill Rom - 200 layoffs

http://www.washingtontimes.com/blog/watercooler/2012/nov/8/picket-companies-plan-massive-layoffs-obamacare-be/

David E
Obamageddon has arrived.

All of this due to the upcoming taxes? No other reasons? The economy? Excuse me as I am skeptical of every thing you right wingers post. You guys have a habit of dramatics as do many industries who threaten job losses when confronted with regulations, taxes or whatever. Maybe we canget input from others with a more objective viewpoint. BTW I am not for some aspects of Obamacare and if indeed the costs are going to drive companies out of business then it's a shame that we are stuck with it. I thought companies just passed on much of the costs to the customer since the medical device industry has a dependable client base and to decrease production with layoffs seems counterintuitive. Of course, I am an economic illiterate so I am going to have to educate myself on Obamacare.

Jim J

Alan French said:

I thought this was an interesting and thoughtful piece...
http://religion.blogs.cnn.com/2012/11/17/my-take-the-danger-of-calling-behavior-biblical/?hpt=hp_c1

Clear skies, Alan

It's tough when you base your religion on books that span 2000 years and ended before the first century AD while society has changed greatly in that time frame. If you are an Evangelical or Fundamentalist you are stuck with an archaic code that has you believing a 6000 year old universe, a global flood, demons and a devil, hellfire and other such fables. If progressive, you ignore some fundamental principles to accept gays, women as teachers, etc.

Life is so much simpler if you follow Jesus' words as a wise man and ignore the rest of religion.

Jim J

Russ Carroll said:

"U.S. companies are scaling back investment plans at the fastest pace since the recession, signaling more trouble for the economic recovery"

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424127887324595904578123593211825394.html?mod=WSJ_hps_LEFTTopStories


Congrats to the left. You finally killed our economy.

We vote our conscience (I voted a straight Republican ticket) and we accept the people's choice and it becomes OUR government and not just the left v the right where you can cop out because you didn't vote for Obama. As I understand it our government is composed of at least 2 parties and the results are OURS as Americans. We stand behind our government - not to do so is un-patriotic.

Jim J

I signed it but not too hopeful. Their priority is getting re-elected and making sure their constituents get their share of the pork. They keep pushing the mess to the future and it looks like the future is now.

Jim J

david elosser said:

"Students at Terry Elementary School had been invited to attend an upcoming [stage] performance of [A Charlie Brown Christmas] at Agape Church...at least one parent objected to the field trip and contacted the Arkansas Society of Freethinkers [sic], a self-described community of atheists...'The problem is that it’s got religious content and it’s being performed in a religious venue and that doesn’t just blur the line between church and state religion — it oversteps it entirely,' attorney Anne Orsi told Arkansas Matters...the concerned parent did not want to be identified [coward!]...While everyone loves Charlie Brown, the religious content of the program is a problem, as is the trip to a church to see it."

[COLOR="Red"]No, can't have Christianity polluting the minds of our children in our beloved public schools![/COLOR]

http://radio.foxnews.com/toddstarnes/top-stories/critics-target-charlie-brown-christmas.html

David E

Good point - we don't want that pollution.

All it takes is one parent to gum up the works. I agree with separation of church and state but the line is crossed all of the time and with the exception of some crusading atheists - who are as bad as fundamentalists in wanting to force their viewpoint - most atheists don't care. In this case all the parent had to do was indicate their child isn't to go.

Jim J