gdp's Comments

Big Government : It's Time to End the War on Drugs

Mon, 16 Jan 2012 20:29:42 +0000

The war on drugs hasn't been a war, it's been an exercise in political domestic, foreign, and financial policy idiocy. You want to shut down the drug cartels, you don't hand a bunch of money to the Mexican or Columbian governments and say "now go stop the drug kingpins in your countries". You cut off foreign aid and acceptance of immigrants from countries that are exporting drugs to our shores. Clean up your mess or you don't get paid. Domestically money has to stop being wasted on the petty folks who get caught with a single joint and it can't be wasted on some police department trying to buy new Camaros to chase drug users. Focus assets on points of entry and clamp it closed. Drug runners should not be returned to their countries of origin when they're caught.

Big Government : It's Time to End the War on Drugs

Mon, 16 Jan 2012 20:29:20 +0000

Personally some grown adult wants to scramble their eggs on dope all day, as long as they don't leave their home and endanger the rest of us, i could care less. BUT, here are some other arguments to consider. 1) Legalizing is not going to put the illicit market out of business. Goverment regulated marijuana will either end up being too expensive with the taxes and state/federal money grabs attached to a new market that the current cartels will probably not have as much trouble underselling as would be believed. Not to mention if you get into the "government regulated pot is X% pure vs this Columbian stuff that's even better". The black market is not going away, it will evolve. 2) Marijuana is a gateway drug. Legalizing proponents want to say over and over that it isn't but bottom line is that statistical data has shown it in repeated studies. Whether it is strictly the pharmacological properties of marijuana or more interelated to the environments and behaviors of drug use societal segments ultimately doesn't matter. http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1046/j.1360...

Big Hollywood : Trailer Talk: 'John Carter' - The Next Big Franchise, or Another 'Prince of Persia?'

Wed, 30 Nov 2011 20:17:42 +0000

Think i'll be pulling out my old paperbacks of this series and starting another read through. :)

Big Government : Leftist Activists Convince Eric Holder's DOJ to Set Violent Marxist Free

Thu, 4 Aug 2011 18:37:48 +0000

Operative word should actually be "she WAS an unrepentant communist organizer". Call it karmic justice, but she died less than a month after release from cancer.

Big Hollywood : Today's Open Thread: #13 'The Greatest American Hero'

Wed, 27 Jul 2011 19:51:44 +0000

I think it has a lot to do with your point of reference. I was a young boy at the time, not even a teen, and I loved the show. What young child wouldnt love to dream about being gifted with a super suit to turn them into a superhero? I watched the series again on Netflix about 5 years ago (i'm 37 now) and as dated as the sets, effects, etc are, i still found myself enjoying the show. But then i could say the same about me re-watching Knight Rider, Buck Rogers, and Battlestar Galactica. ;) Sometimes its more than just what the show was, it was who we were when we first saw it.

Breitbart.com : Obama restates opposition to tax cuts for wealthy

Mon, 20 Sep 2010 22:23:38 +0000

"can't give $700 billion away to some of America's wealthiest people." Um...Mr.President, you aren't GIVING squat, you're TAKING less away from what they EARNED!! How about this Mr.President, we can't afford to give away billions to those who get 100% of their income tax withholdings back as well as get extra they never paid in the form of earned income credits and child tax credits. Take that one to the bank.

Big Journalism : El Paso City Hall Takes Cross-Border Fire, MSM Yawns

Thu, 1 Jul 2010 21:12:36 +0000

they'd probably blame Tea Partiers.......

Big Hollywood : FILM REVIEW: 'Last Airbender' Continues Shyamalan's Losing Streak

Thu, 1 Jul 2010 19:05:51 +0000

Transformers, Xmen, Spiderman, Fantastic Four, and Iron Man, Superman, and Batman, all had animated series before live action movies (even though all had comic books before animated series). I haven't seen the Avatar: The Last Airbender animated series, but thinking i'll be checking it out before seeing the live action.

Big Hollywood : FILM REVIEW: 'Karate Kid' Kicks Butt Onscreen and Off

Mon, 28 Jun 2010 18:50:49 +0000

I can go with the idea a little bit of "The movie should be able to stand on it's own,and a reviewer having not seen the first one might be ideal for that." BUT!!! It does become significant in its' comparison to the original one because while the new generation hasn't seen the original, parents taking families to it probably have. So a reboot for a new generation, that's fine, let's distill it down to whether or not it evokes the same emotions in the viewer as the original? The power of the original Mr. Miyagi wasn't his katate prowess, it was his humor, his humility, strength of character, and his humanity (i.e. when to fight and when not, jokes about his belt being from JC Penny, him being drunk and reliving the pain of losing his wife and child during child birth.). The viewer was emotionally invested in the characters, and their relationships to each other. Either the reboot brings that to the table, or it doesn't. It was not a surprise ending in the first one, folks knew he would win, but we all willingly rode the roller coaster to the end where the climax felt climactic.

Breitbart.com : Jobless aid, tax bill hits Senate roadblock again

Fri, 18 Jun 2010 17:27:11 +0000

Bottom line is that they sold the Healthcare bill as being cheaper than it actually was BECAUSE they were counting savings from making these cuts, and would not add into the price tag, the cost of then undoing the cuts in reimbursements to doctors. So my feeling is "Sorry seniors! Hate for you to suffer, but allowing this administration to hide the reality of what they have done by making little changes here and there to cover it up is unacceptable." When Joe and Sue Liberal has to contend with their elderly parents not having a doctor, then perhaps they will need to reconsider the wisdom of letting the government control so much of healthcare. Find a way to pay for the reimbursements, or let the cuts go forward. Find a way to pay for ongoing eternal entitlement jobless benefits, or let them expire. PERIOD.

Big Government : Actually, Obama Agrees with Helen Thomas

Thu, 10 Jun 2010 18:46:52 +0000

You have to remember that Obama comes from the same school of thought as the nutballs in academia that beat the drum of "Israel stole that land from the Arabs". Oh sure, he may believe that they have a right to exist, just not where they happen to be existing. He can't completely withdraw U.S. aid to Israel because there are too many on the left who can't do without the Jewish vote. What he can do is undercut and isolate Israel, which is what he does by showering Palestinians with gifts, failing to support Israel in the U.N., and failing to defend them in public. If Israel falls, where will we find peace for the U.S. in the Middle East? Our support of Israel is only one of a laundry list of reasons why they hate us, and many have to do with our beliefs and culture. That being said, no amount of Arab butt kissing is going to insure our safety and their goodwill, so failing to support Israel serves no purpose unless it is fulfilling a personal dislike for them.

Big Hollywood : Daily Gut: Too Hot For Work?

Wed, 9 Jun 2010 18:54:21 +0000

For Pelosi though, an Evil Twin would be staring back saying "cut the deficit" and "don't run $100,000 inflight alcohol charges!".....truly frightening stuff.

Big Government : Tired of Big Government Spending? Then YouCut it!

Wed, 12 May 2010 17:57:15 +0000

Actually Jake, i'd rather see them do away with private funding of Presidential campaigns and limit funding to only what is provided through public funding. This puts ALL Presidential candidates on an equal footing. While I hate footing the bill for it, it's better than me having to worry which special interest is ultimately going to screw me when the President pays back favors for their funding.

Big Government : Arizona: Real Anger, But Real Wrong

Thu, 29 Apr 2010 17:08:47 +0000

My father came here from Iran during the 50's, married an American, and I was born here in Houston 20 years later. When my Aunt and Uncle wanted to migrate here from Iran, they had the paperwork to file, fees to pay, and they had to have a sponsor. THAT is why so many jump the line too. They don't have anyone willing to be on the hook in case they become a burden on society, so they sneak through on their own. If you don't have a person or company acting as a sponsor to soak up your costs so i don't have to, then you shouldn't be coming here, PERIOD. That too is never discussed.

Big Government : Arizona: Real Anger, But Real Wrong

Thu, 29 Apr 2010 17:02:46 +0000

Speaking of billions leaving the country, I have long thought it overdue for there to be a 3% surcharge tax on all consumer wire transfers leaving the U.S. Want to send billions home to Mexico? Then we'll take our sip of it on the way out.

Breitbart.com : Napolitano: Ariz. law could stretch fed resources

Tue, 27 Apr 2010 19:00:30 +0000

See, what she means is, "If local police actually start calling us with all the illegals in the country instead of just the pittance that actually get prosecuted, we don't know how we'll keep up!". Sheesh, here's a thought, maybe if you jackasses start committing resources to enforcement instead of BS drug interdiction joint task forces where we basically send $500 million dollars worth of guns and helicopters to Mexico and hope that they actually get used by a few uncorrupted law enforcement people (instead of winding up in the hands of the drug cartels), then maybe we'd have better control of the border. How about we get a politician with some gibletts to stand up the next time Calderone opens his trap and tell him point blank out that we'll be adopting immigration policies that mirrors Mexico's policy on their southern border where violators are shot, beaten, extorted, and so on. I'm tired of the corrupt thugs of the world who are kings of civil right abuses in their own country lecturing us on how to treat their citizens.

Breitbart.com : Job growth may not curb unemployment rate: WHouse

Fri, 12 Feb 2010 14:43:23 +0000

Agreed. If people choose to organize as employees of private sector companies, then I think they should be able to because ultimately shareholders and investors in that company get some say in what negotiations give away. (i.e., a CEO who gives away the farm to a union can be replaced by the shareholders if it is not in line with what they want) but with government employees, the ultimate investor/shareholders are we the people, and we get 0 say in what is traded away. I think if they are going to allow government unions, then all government contracts with those unions should be subject to passage by ballot by the voters.

Breitbart.com : Job growth may not curb unemployment rate: WHouse

Fri, 12 Feb 2010 14:37:48 +0000

The only way to fix that is to address the fundamental reasons for why those jobs are moved overseas to begin with. That directly ties back to a sickening corporate tax rate here (2nd highest in the world) and inflated labor wages due to union "negotiations". If those 2 items were addressed so that true market forces are governing compensation rates, and we were still seeing companies moving jobs out of the country, then I wouldn't oppose tax incentives or penalties for those who are moving jobs out of the country. Ultimately though, the cost of producing goods directly ties back to profit margins, so if it costs Company XYZ an arm and a leg to produce a Widget domestically, that foreign Company ABC is making cheaper abroad, Company XYZ will never be able to sell Widgets because they would have to price them too high to account for higher production costs. This brings us to another facet in all this which is how the government complains about companies taking jobs overseas while at the same time allowing huge trade deficits by allowing other countries to place higher duties on the products we ship them while we don't reciprocate on the products we import.

Big Government : Union Bosses Target 86-Yr Old Volunteer Crossing Guard

Thu, 11 Feb 2010 17:15:53 +0000

That i really agree with!!! I think Unions have the right to organize, but I'll be damned if I ever think state governments should ever have laws that decides who gets to work and to what extent based on membership or lack thereof in a union. It's like my friend in Minn. He can only work part time in a grocery store because full time workers have to be union members. Madness....

Big Government : Union Bosses Target 86-Yr Old Volunteer Crossing Guard

Thu, 11 Feb 2010 17:11:35 +0000

When i worked for the County healthcare system, i was a member of the union (AFL-CIO), but the union's main job was to make sure that the rights and processes detailed by the County's HR policies were strictly and fairly adhered to. I.E., if an employee was disciplined in a way inconsistent with the written policies, then in the course of a grievance hearing, the union would have a representative present to make sure all parts of the process and policies are followed. That union activity I can support. What I didn't like and still dispise to this day is all of the political manipulations and activities that dues are paying for, as well as manipulations in compensation rates that circumvent market forces. A union should not have to be involved in making sure the Engineering department has a career path for their employees. If there is no path, then the employees will be content or go elsewhere. If their skills are in high demand and short supply, the employer will make the changes necessary to retain staff. Shouldn't involve union manipulation and intimidation.