en-us https://www.intensedebate.com/users/1608937 Comments by Bakagami http://biggovernment.com/rlaurie/2011/02/24/defense-of-marriage-out-phony-constitutional-concern-in/#IDComment130385146 While I agree that this sort of thing SHOULD be dealt with at the state level. But, since it is being argued from an equal rights perspective which is a constitutional issue, it does have to be addressed on the Federal Level. (EG. All the problems going on with Prop8 in California.) That being said, What the president is doing with this is wrong. It is his job (And the attorney general's) to Defend and uphold the law as it is written. It is not his job to interpret and decide which laws are constitutional. The president's only say on what is or is not right is whether he signs a document in to law. In this case a previous president did that, but it is still is duty to uphold that law, whether he agrees with it or not. If he doesnt like it, he has the option to get it declared unconstitutional by a judge, but until then it is his duty to abide by it. Thu, 24 Feb 2011 18:31:44 +0000 http://biggovernment.com/rlaurie/2011/02/24/defense-of-marriage-out-phony-constitutional-concern-in/#IDComment130385146 http://biggovernment.com/capitolconfidential/2011/01/20/whats-next-on-healthcare-now-the-real-work-begins/#IDComment122770875 Another flaw to this argument is that you assume that EVERYONE who doesnt have insurance doesnt pay their bills. By that logic, then Everyone that doesnt pay the bills to their insurance company (For coinsurance or other expenses), all of that gets passed along to everyone else in the universe, The insurance company doesnt try to collect. Both situations are completely false. I have been without insurance for about a year now, and been to the hospital and physical therapy a bit. I dont make a ton of money, but I still paid my bills. And you know the weird thing? When you pay cash, the hospitals tend to knock your bills down a bit because they didnt have to deal with the insurance companies. On top of that, most hospitals have ways to help the poor pay their bills. TONS of people give charity money to hospitals, so they tend to have their own funds. NONE of their bills get passed on to the Fed/State other than what they are forced to pass on by regulation. They are business, and they collect on what they are owed. Fri, 21 Jan 2011 14:25:41 +0000 http://biggovernment.com/capitolconfidential/2011/01/20/whats-next-on-healthcare-now-the-real-work-begins/#IDComment122770875 http://biggovernment.com/jmsimpson/2011/01/17/agenda-21-part-i-a-global-economic-disaster-in-the-making/#IDComment122105531 With plant life, I agree with you entirely. Animal life, not so much. It is true that we are a lot wiser with our choices than we used to be. But we also waste a lot when it comes to our proteins. There is a reason Real sturgeon caviars (Like baluga) are illegal in the US. The demand became so great that the fish were nearly hunted to extinction. We are just barely getting the concept of keeping our hunting of wild game to a -sustainable- level. Is the US obese. Yeah. Are we able to produce a whole lot more agriculturally than we need? Most definitely. Are we able to create wild animals out of thin air? Nope, and that is an argument for sustainable hunting/fishing practices. Dont confuse this as me being for a lot of the sustainable and green crap. But there are aspects of that area I do agree with. I was always raised "Waste not, want not." and in this specific case, thats exactly why I agree with it. Tue, 18 Jan 2011 16:36:57 +0000 http://biggovernment.com/jmsimpson/2011/01/17/agenda-21-part-i-a-global-economic-disaster-in-the-making/#IDComment122105531 http://biggovernment.com/sberry/2011/01/11/mental-health-care-not-political-blame/#IDComment120948640 Not entirely true. According to accounts by the people who knew him He attacked a Person who he felt had slighted him. It just so happened that she was a politician. So, did he attack a politician? Yes. Was it an attack based on politics? Not necessarily. Is it despicable that people are trying to spin this tragedy for political ground? Most definitely. Wed, 12 Jan 2011 22:01:06 +0000 http://biggovernment.com/sberry/2011/01/11/mental-health-care-not-political-blame/#IDComment120948640 http://biggovernment.com/kolson/2010/12/03/gov-christie-to-nj-teachers-union-you-punch-them-i-punch-you/#IDComment113587380 Im going to have to agree primarily with Melvin here. Christie has a much larger fight to deal with. That being said, he could pardon the guy. The question here, though, is should he. Now, before you go and freak out just think this through for a minute. Yes, the guy is in prison on a presumably bogus charge, and we should do everything within our power to prevent that from happening again and get him out of there. The problem is that action should NOT come from Christie (The Governor.) Having -1- man reverse the ruling of a court usurps the power that those courts hold. A Governor giving a pardon like that is the same end result as the President signing an executive order. Yes, it is allowed, but should it be used. When these powers are used, the powers that were deemed separate from that office are put back on to ONE man (Or woman) and we move closer to dictation. So, while it is true that even one man in prison wrongfully is damaging to us all, it is not up to one office or one man to fix it. We should not use powers that were removed from an office to fix a wrong. Those powers were separated for a reason. We should be doing everything within OUR power to fix this wrong, and it should be fixed by the power that allowed it to happen. This is NOT something that should be fixed by the governor, but by the courts. Ok, now resume flaming, Im ready for it. Fri, 3 Dec 2010 19:38:30 +0000 http://biggovernment.com/kolson/2010/12/03/gov-christie-to-nj-teachers-union-you-punch-them-i-punch-you/#IDComment113587380 http://biggovernment.com/publius/2010/10/22/stimulus-failure-48-out-of-50-states-lost-jobs-since-democrats-trillion-dollar-stimulus-plansince/#IDComment105461911 The stimulus didnt work. Period the end. That said, these numbers are kind of a fluff deal. We all know the jobs market sucks, and really that doesnt have a ton to do with the stimulus. It does have more to do with the administrations policies and its stance AGAINST business. Reality is that, even without the stimulus, I think these numbers would have been pretty much the same, and its policy, not economy that is the issue. Fri, 22 Oct 2010 17:50:11 +0000 http://biggovernment.com/publius/2010/10/22/stimulus-failure-48-out-of-50-states-lost-jobs-since-democrats-trillion-dollar-stimulus-plansince/#IDComment105461911 http://biggovernment.com/dbroes/2010/10/22/union-fires-stage-hand-for-wearing-bush-hat-and-shirt/#IDComment105461470 I love that a union can pull this crap. If a business pulled this crap and he was a union worker, you can bet the union would jump down their throats guns a blazing. Fri, 22 Oct 2010 17:46:39 +0000 http://biggovernment.com/dbroes/2010/10/22/union-fires-stage-hand-for-wearing-bush-hat-and-shirt/#IDComment105461470 http://biggovernment.com/amellon/2010/10/21/the-myth-of-paying-ones-fair-share/#IDComment105432685 By your logic, we all owe a monetary debt to whoever first mined gold, or first smelted bronze, since those are concepts and products are still in use today. True, all invention is based on the back of older invention. What makes an invention MINE is when I create a method or new product from one that already exists. -I- had the idea to combine ideas, -I- put in the work, -I- invested the time, -I- took the risk, and -I- Succeeded. As you can see, society would have -NOTHING- to do with my success (Directly) The reason People make money with their ideas is simple. They CHOSE to create rather than sit around and keep them in a notebook. They chose to make something, and if everyone else wants to use it, thats fine, but they deserve to be compensated for their time, effort, & intelligence. The only role society plays in invention and scientific progress is by providing and environment that would foster such breakthroughs. Fri, 22 Oct 2010 14:22:34 +0000 http://biggovernment.com/amellon/2010/10/21/the-myth-of-paying-ones-fair-share/#IDComment105432685 http://biggovernment.com/abreitbart/2010/09/24/which-malik-shabazz-visited-white-house-in-july-2009-mr-president/#IDComment101018628 You have a point. There have been a bunch of bomb shells. My issues with this name on the list: - Its not exactly a common name. Much less common than Andy Stern or Michael Jordan or whatever (Which could and Im sure have caused confusion.) - If its not the same Shabazz, then no biggie. If someone is just using the name Shabazz so they dont appear on the list, then why? What good is the list then? - If it is the same Shabazz, why was he there? I know, that is the presidents business and all, but it concerns me because -I- think he is bat crazy. Honestly, so many people in the world and the limited number of naming combinations that could be used, releasing the list of people visiting the white house isnt entirely as productive as people seem to think it is. There is only so much verification that can be done on whether it was "The" Andy Stern or not, short of releasing his social security number or video of him entering the grounds. Neither of those is going to happen, nor should they happen. I dont like this president. But as much as I hate to say it, he is entitled to his privacy just as much as I am. Sun, 26 Sep 2010 15:06:51 +0000 http://biggovernment.com/abreitbart/2010/09/24/which-malik-shabazz-visited-white-house-in-july-2009-mr-president/#IDComment101018628 http://biggovernment.com/publius/2010/09/22/hey-tea-party-here-is-your-next-target/#IDComment100696873 I actually pretty much agree on this one (Minus the cannibalism part.) She is still the Senior Senator from Alaska. I think Hatch's take on it all is correct. Yes she is a RINO, Yes she deserved to be voted out. But until her "contract" expires, she has Duties, Responsibilities, and Privileges. Someone doesnt loose these just because its been decided their contract will not be renewed. I know Im going to get thumbs downs for it, but that is just the way things work. Yes, there is a chance she will cause problems in a lame duck session, and it sucks, but until she is no longer a senator, those duties shouldnt go anywhere. It should be on HER to listen to her constituents, not on the rest of the senate to listen to her constituents. They have their only people to worry about. And as for Orrin on a whole. I like him. He does whats right, most of the time. Hes not perfect, but he is definitely a whole lot better than many of the other options that have been presented in the past. Fri, 24 Sep 2010 12:56:24 +0000 http://biggovernment.com/publius/2010/09/22/hey-tea-party-here-is-your-next-target/#IDComment100696873 http://biggovernment.com/publius/2010/09/20/the-misunderstood-tea-party-movement/#IDComment99977039 What he fails to understand is that, the land that is being used for the drilling, is state owned land. That means it belongs to the tax payers. Generally, when you use someone else's stuff, you pay a fee of some sort. Thanks to the fund that has been set up, the fee the drilling companies in Alaska pay is being given back to the tax payer. Mon, 20 Sep 2010 20:26:38 +0000 http://biggovernment.com/publius/2010/09/20/the-misunderstood-tea-party-movement/#IDComment99977039 http://biggovernment.com/reasontv/2010/09/17/no-accepted-medical-use-three-perspectives-on-medical-cannabis/#IDComment99818751 Im sorry, but he's right about that. Alcohol (I think it was generally scotch) could be prescribed for various things. But, as for the *MEDICAL* MJ. Not a user, never will be. I dont want my kids raised in a society that says pot is ok to use. At the same time, I do think that some people may actually "need" it because nothing else works. Im not trivializing it others pain, but I know many people use it just for the hell of it. My real concern with legalizing it is that, once that foot is in the door, it is only a matter of time before recreational use is legalized. And like I said, I dont want me kids raised around that. I know, there are a lot of people that abuse it (Alcohol too, along with everything else in the universe.) I just had to fire one of my guys today because he came in to work completely baked. That kind of freaks me out. That guy had to DRIVE here. But work environment presents another problem. Once MJ is legalized, wouldnt firing someone for using it be considered discrimination and leave the company open to a lawsuit (Assuming they had a prescription)? I think it needs to be dealt with on a state level, not a federal one. Of course, Im comfortable with that thought now because I live in an extremely conservative state. We just outlawed "Spice" in some of our cities and its going to the state this fall. Sun, 19 Sep 2010 22:43:14 +0000 http://biggovernment.com/reasontv/2010/09/17/no-accepted-medical-use-three-perspectives-on-medical-cannabis/#IDComment99818751 http://biggovernment.com/publius/2010/09/18/ethics-trials-for-rangel-and-waters-not-likely-before-election/#IDComment99794153 Good call! What would be even more fun, but a whole lot less useful: Stall the hearing until the end of 2011 or the beginning of 2012 to keep the corruption in mind for the term elections Sun, 19 Sep 2010 19:03:06 +0000 http://biggovernment.com/publius/2010/09/18/ethics-trials-for-rangel-and-waters-not-likely-before-election/#IDComment99794153 http://biggovernment.com/publius/2010/09/18/ethics-trials-for-rangel-and-waters-not-likely-before-election/#IDComment99793108 wow, your comment has been up for 22 hours and no one has come in screaming racism since both are black. To preempt those wonderful people. Its not because they are black. Its because they are CORRUPT Sun, 19 Sep 2010 18:53:15 +0000 http://biggovernment.com/publius/2010/09/18/ethics-trials-for-rangel-and-waters-not-likely-before-election/#IDComment99793108 http://biggovernment.com/newledger/2010/09/03/obama-has-no-answer-on-unemployment/#IDComment96786773 Sure he does. "Let me be clear......Bush Did it" Then he will begin flapping his ears, fly off, and join dumbo in that big circus in the sky. Fri, 3 Sep 2010 17:51:58 +0000 http://biggovernment.com/newledger/2010/09/03/obama-has-no-answer-on-unemployment/#IDComment96786773 http://biggovernment.com/reasontv/2010/08/29/what-we-saw-at-the-glenn-beck-rally-in-dc/#IDComment95864026 Ahhhhh....Well, at least learning through south park, you know that Mormonism is the right religion, and all others will go to hell. MUAHAHAHAHAHA lol. Nah, really, You have a good point. Your second paragraph is definitely correct. But I would like to expand that even further: I think, included in what matters is how someone acts and treats others. The Govt shouldnt force anything, but (in terms of salvation) I think being a good person is more important that what religion you are. Most religions help point people in the right direction. So more important that what religion you subscribe to, is having a set of morals and sticking to them. Just my thought on the matter. Sun, 29 Aug 2010 22:22:23 +0000 http://biggovernment.com/reasontv/2010/08/29/what-we-saw-at-the-glenn-beck-rally-in-dc/#IDComment95864026 http://biggovernment.com/reasontv/2010/08/29/what-we-saw-at-the-glenn-beck-rally-in-dc/#IDComment95853496 Once again, ignorant hate is your trademark. You have the market cornered on stupidity Sun, 29 Aug 2010 20:40:42 +0000 http://biggovernment.com/reasontv/2010/08/29/what-we-saw-at-the-glenn-beck-rally-in-dc/#IDComment95853496 http://biggovernment.com/hudlash/2010/08/28/obama-nation-horror-show/#IDComment95847853 Thank you. You put it much better than I could have. I appreciate you clearing up my murky economic understanding ;-) Sun, 29 Aug 2010 19:55:43 +0000 http://biggovernment.com/hudlash/2010/08/28/obama-nation-horror-show/#IDComment95847853 http://biggovernment.com/hudlash/2010/08/28/obama-nation-horror-show/#IDComment95844262 I apologize for not having as deep a grasp of economics and theory as you do. Thank you for clarifying those points. I was simply trying to point out that under "Various Forms of Capitalism" there can be terrible things allowed/acceptable. But at the same time, those things can change and be viewed as inappropriate. That what is acceptable is more reliant on social policy and the people using an economic system than it is upon the system itself. Sun, 29 Aug 2010 19:18:51 +0000 http://biggovernment.com/hudlash/2010/08/28/obama-nation-horror-show/#IDComment95844262 http://biggovernment.com/reasontv/2010/08/29/what-we-saw-at-the-glenn-beck-rally-in-dc/#IDComment95839366 Wow, you are terribly misinformed about what the Mormon church believes. I can say for a fact we dont believe that Joseph Smith was anything more than a man. He was a man that was chosen to be the lords Mouth Piece and Instrument. Our prophets are simply the leaders of our church. He does not grant salvation, simply leads us to it. We do believe that Jesus in the only begotten son of god. The primary reason we arent considered Christian by the rest of the world is that we dont accept the Nicaean Creed. And as for the book of Mormon. Yeah, youve obviously read it. No where in it does it say anything about Missouri. There are some people that speculate that is where it is, but there is no doctrine indicating as much. The book is just as much fairy tale as the Bible or the Koran. You either believe it or you dont. Long post shorter. Dont open your mouth about a religion unless you understand it. Ignorance is your trademark Sun, 29 Aug 2010 18:28:49 +0000 http://biggovernment.com/reasontv/2010/08/29/what-we-saw-at-the-glenn-beck-rally-in-dc/#IDComment95839366