Drunkard

You've made some good points. For it to have any shot of working there would definitely need to be a complete overhaul to the welfare system, even more so than the deal in the 90's between Clinton and Gingrich. I think it would be worth a shot though because the path we're currently on is leading no where. Inflation would definitely occur but not as much as conservatives tend to say. Hell, even when the Papa John's guy was crying poor during the Obamacare roll out he estimated that he would only need to increase the price of each pizza 10 to 14 cents in order to provide his full time employees with healthcare. I'd say that's worth it. https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.forbes.com/sites/calebmelby/2012/11/12/breaking-down-centi-millionaire-papa-john-schnatters-obamacare-math/amp/

Point made. Not nearly as any of their employees are on medicaid as I suspected, but that still doesn't mean we (taxpayers) aren't subsizing them. The article is about health insurance and doesn't include other subsidies sych as welfare, food stamps, wic, hud, or things like heati g oil subsidies. The threshold for an adult to receive medicaid is significantly higher than for a child. How many of those employees have child sponging off the medicaid system because walmart sets their wages so low? I imagine that's significantly higher but the article doesn't say.

No need. I've already been converted. The earth hasn't been getting hotter, Jesus came back from the dead as a rabbit who hides colored eggs, and Santa can bring toys to all the children of the world (at least the Christian ones who are the only ones who matter anyway) in a single night. Exxon Mobil has our collective best interests at heart as well, not a fiduciary duty to make money instead. I have seen the light. Time to find some witches and burn them at the stake.

What a compelling argument. I'm certainly now convinced. How can I join your cult and subscribe to your newsletter? When do I get to take the red pill?

I'd be ok with that for everyone who isn't disabled as long as minimum wage was set to a level that every job paid enough to live without poverty. Hell, I'd even be okay with eliminating corporate taxes altogether if that was the case. What I don't like is allowing companies like Walmart and countless other companies to pay their employees so little that most of their employees (even full time ones) qualify for government assistance. Why should the rest of us have to subsidize their employees when they make billions in profits? If you work 40 hours per week, whether it's from one full time job or multiple part time ones you should make enough money not to need government assistance. I'd like to see Trump negotiate that deal. Raise the minimum wage over the poverty line in exchange for the elimination of all corporate income taxes. Unfortunately it won't happen because too many businesses already have it both ways. They shirk their tax burdens with loop holes while getting the government to subsidize their low wages with welfare, food stamps, heating oil subsidies, and medicaid.

I don't buy into this nonsense because that's the same tactic Evangelicals use to try to put intelligent design on par with evolution and they just aren't equal and no amount of grandstanding and false equivalency on your/their part will ever make it so no matter how much you want it to. Atheism is not a religion (which is what makes it appealing to begin with) and neither is climate change. The climate is changing. 2014 was the hottest year on record, until 2015 surpassed it, and then 2016 surpassed that. The only actual point to argue is how much impact man is contributing to it or whether it's a natural cycle that the earth is going through based on ice core samples, fossil records, and whatever else they use to measure temperatures over millions of years. I certainly don't know but I'd venture to side with the side that says pollution overall isn't good for us or the planet rather than the side that makes money by extracting resources from the earth as fast as humanely possible while not caring what they do about the waste it generates.

The invisible product is salvation, heaven, or whatever you want to call their unproven beliefs. They take advantage of the fear of death by using it to rake in billions of dollars they don't even pay taxes on while pushing their agenda against gays , abortion, science, and whatever else they believe the old book of bad ideas tells them to do. The conversion therapy I was referring to is their practice of sending away gay family memebers to Jesus camps where they pray the gay away, give them electroshock therapy, or whatever other voodoo they think will make that person fit their description of normal. As for the ridiculous demands you can see examples in any of the various laws that tend to get passed in bible belt and areas that pander to evangelical nonsense. Any example where they try to legislate their personal morality onto the rest of us heathens and non believers such as trying to teach kids in public school that the earth is 6,000 years old and was created in 6 days, abstinence only "sex" education, laws that don't let you purchase alcohol on Sundays, dry counties, the various hurdles that try to usurp a woman's right to choose, all this transgender bathroom nonsense, putting references to their faith in courthouses, on the money, and into the pledge of allegience. I'm sure there are money other examples but that should be enough to get my point across. This country would be a whole lot better if religious types could just be content with thinking the rest of us are going to hell rather than trying to subvert the free will their book tells them all of us are supposed to have.

Then we should treat all religions like a pox on society. The solution isn't to cave in to the ridiculous demands of Christianity just because people in this country are more comfortable that way.

The ongoing crusade to overturn Roe v Wade for one thing. Trying to put nonsense like intelligent design on an even playing field with evolution in public schools is another plus the overall fight to dispute scientific consensus in general. That's enough to keep me and many others from ever voting Republican but the fetus funerals and conversion therapy garbage that Mike Pence has pushed for in Indiana is another example.

I'm not a fan of any religion personally because I think it's selling an invisible product and taking complete advantage of peoples' fear of dying. That rabbit hole of Islam doesn't matter as much to me because Muslims don't control this country. We're way more likely to have to deal with the repercussions from people like Ted Cruz, Mike Pence, Mika Huckabee, Ben Carson, or Rick Santorum trying to take us back to the days of Leviticus than we have to worry ahout Sharia Law in this country. Trump did his share of pandering to the Evangelicals as well but I get the sense that he worships at the altar of money above everything else. I'd rather have 8 years of Trump in the White House than 1 day of Pence and his fetus funerals and conversion therapy nonsense.

It feels like they have to me but that may be just because I pay more attention to the news than I used to. The Republicans had like 15 people running in their primary and only a couple of them avoiding pandering to every evangelical they could.

Is it better to let the welfare system subsidize the people who work for an artificially low minimum wage? That's what happens now. The minimum wage should be set at such a level that people who work 40 hours a week earn enough to support themselves and not be eligible for government assistance. The best way to trim welfare budgets is to mke it so the people who work for Walmart, McDonalds, etc earn enough to stay off public assistance. Higher wages would also mean increased tax revenue by widening the tax base.

I've turned more liberal over the years as the Conservatives have gone further and further down the religious rabbit hole.

It's a mixed bag. I was rooting for Trump early on because he was entertaining in a rubbernecking a car crash type of way but I never thought he'd win in the general. I was rooting for Bernie for the Democrats but in the end I held my nose and voted for Hillary. I don't believe she's the devil like it says to in the conservative hand book but I've never cared for her as a candidate. It just felt like she was being forced on us (for decades) and the Russian hacks kind of bring credibility to that notion so even though I voted for her, I'm not really upset that she lost. Trump is a tire fire but apparently that's what the people wanted. He may have been out voted but he won the election based on the long standing rules and I was willing to keep an open mind a see what a businessman could do in the White House. Sure he's a complete !@#$ but at least its entertaining and he's definitely gonna put our system of checks and balances to the test. So basically I'm enjoying the spectacle more than evaluating at this point. If I have to predict how it goes longer term I predict a boost to the economy that predominantly goes to the rich and massive deficits just like under Reagan. I hope he doesn't screw up to the point of impeachment though because I don't want Pence doing anything more than breaking the rare ties in the Senate. I'd rather have a spray tanned narcissist who was born on third base that worships the god of money than a fundamentalist Christian who would prefer to runs things like it's the time of Leviticus.

He's been entertaining, that's for sure. I didn't vote for him but I've tried to give him the benefit of the doubt. I've hated most of his cabinet picks but it has been fun watching everyone's head explode on the left. For him not being a ideologue he seems to be a wet dream for the right wing though with a few exceptions. That being said I'd rather have 8 years of Trump than a single day of Mike Pence so I hope he manages to keep from getting impeached. Way too soon for an actual grade, but too soon to tell wasn't an option.

If they cut Taylor loose this franchise is f'd. I've only actively rooted against the Bills for one season in my life and that was when they cut Flutie in favor of Rob Johnson. If they cut Taylor without a legitimate upgrade then at least I won't have to negotiate with Directv again for Sunday ticket next season.

Thanks for the welcome. 1. BringLevyBack on BBMB, Drunkard here and at the Aud Club 2. Too numerous to list 3. Jacksonville, NC 4. 18 5. Pegula keeping Buffalo sports mired in mediocrity 6. You have to buy me dinner first. 7. Fitz 8. I have no idea what that is 9. I have no idea what that is 10. Dead. RIP. I'm just glad this place has a political subforum.

I'm not a liberal or a conservative but I think it's a great idea since it's voluntary.

I never said that, but it's not like staying there for an even longer period of time is going to fix anything. It'll either be our guys suffering the losses or they'll just wait until we leave in 2 years or however long to get the **** storm restarted. Mean while we'll be spending countless more billions of dollars our government doesn't have.

Pretty much. Republicans wouldn't give Obama credit if he cured cancer single handedly. Then again, the Democrats were the same way with Bush Jr. Personally I hate them both so I try to call things as I see them regardless of which side I happen to be criticizing.

Uh oh, he's been using brand X.

Yeah, but it's too late for that. Time to cut our losses and move on.

What's the alternative? Leave US troops there indefinitely and continue to funnel billions of dollars into a money pit that will never end like the war on drugs?