KRC

Sounds like some former posters on PPP.

I am suprised Petri (Bucks County) made it through. Not only did he take the payraise, but when everyone else was giving it back, he kept it. His reason? He already spent it on improvements to his house.

Same with Brightbill. It was a beautiful thing.

2 Carolina vs 4 Buffalo Buffalo in 7 6 Anaheim vs 8 Edmonton Anaheim in 6

Is it just me, or did McFunBags seem jealous of the attention received by Elliot and Spazz on their trips home? She mentioned that her crowds were not as big as theirs. I did not think that the producers would allow Spazz to win (he does not have the "look"), but it looks like he might just take it. Of the two remaining, he is definitely the best overall performer. McFunBags may have the better voice, but she is still too inconsistent each week. I also think that people are getting a little tired of the "how dare you criticize me" look she gives when hearing the judges opinions after each song. Spazz should win. Whether he actually does is a different story.

I also do not see the viability of a one-issue party. It can make an impact in a handful of races in one election (maybe two), but it does not have longevity. An example in PA would be the Santorum-Casey battle. Toss up a pro-choice candidate and you screw both Santorum and Casey (both are pro-life) and you might even win. Even though Operation Clean Sweep is mainly Libertarians, there are also some from the big two in there. Of course, the Reps and Dems have killed all legislative actions which would make the PA election laws constitutional (there are several which are currently unconsitutional, as determined by federal court rulings). The bills that I wrote and the VCA are all stuck in committee at this point. Hell, Rendell formed the Election Reform Task Force to come up with ways for the political system in PA to be more equitable and fair for caniddates and voters. I took one section of the final report (absentee ballots) and wrote a bill specifically addressing recommendations of the Task Force. I only chose the items which were unanimous among the committee members and then sent the bill to a member of the committee for sponsorship. They refused to sponsor a bill containing the exact recommendations they prescribed in their report. Another perfect example of lip-service to the constituents. "See, we want things to be fair. We just will not support any measure to actually enact these recommendations." The only shot that third parties have is to keep the pay raise issue in the minds of the voters and to get third party candidates on the ballot. The Reps and Dems are doing everything they can, however, to prevent any third party candidates from getting on the ballot.

Any thread that has a number of responses is inherently going to veer off its original course. It is just the nature of the medium. Making each poster a moderator would cause more problems than it solves. If you have a problem with specific posts within a thread (regardless of whether you start the thread or not), report it to the board moderators. They can then determine if any action is required. Just my opinion, but there needs to be more consolidation of posts. When you have everyone starting a new thread to discuss the same things, it prevents people from participating. They see the first two pages flodded with the same topic, they end up glossing over any other topics that might be sprinkled in. This is a complaint I hear over and over again.

Obviously, someone did not learn the lessons of North Korea from 1993/4.

Not in PA. Primary voting is for Dems and Reps only, unless there is a referendum. If there is a referendum, then third party/independents can only vote on the referendum and not for any candidates. Under PA election laws, minor parties use the nomination process (not a primary process) to determine their candidates.

I do not have to worry about that. MrsKRC also refers to her as McFunBags after reading Coli's reviews.

I thought you were a registered libertarian?

The whole payraise debacle from last year cost the two top Republican State Senators their jobs yesterday. Votes are still being tallied, but there is a possibility that close to 15 incumbents could lose their jobs over this one issue. WOOHOO!! Special thanks needs to go to Russ Diamond for organizing Operation Clean Sweep. A former libertarian, he was responsible for raising the public's awareness of the issue and keeping it in the limelight until this election. It had a major impact on getting voters out and voting out the theives that passed this payraise bill in the middle of the night. A message has been sent. This could be the largest incumbent bloodbath in over three decades. November could be interesting.

The Professional Football Researchers Association does that every year around HOF nomination time. People who are very good, but not good enough for the HOF. It is a very interesting exercise. I will see if I can dig up any of their debates.

It doesn't help that they continually push out any moderate POV. You will never will on an extremist platform. If they were to push incremental progress towards their goals, suprisingly, they would win more elections. Cutting Taxes. Cutting the size of government. Reducing the infringements on civil liberties. A majority of te American population could get behind those ideas. Run on this platform: -You can cut waste from government without impacting any of the services currently provided. Cut that waste and use the money to either reduce the deficit or give an across the board tax break of the same percentage for anyone currently paying taxes (or both). -Social Security needs a major overhaul. The Republicans had a plan, but it failed (too extreme for the moderates). The Democrats want the problem to continue so that it will be an eternal campaign hotbutton. I propose the KRC approach: Keep SS and add private accounts. People can choose which they prefer. If they want private accounts, they control their money. If they are uncomfortable with controlling their own money, they can still send it to the government and hope that it is still there when they retire. -Promise (and keep that promise) to only vote for a budget that contains a surplus or is balanced. No new tax increases. If you want a new program, you need to cut an existing program. Spending needs to be controlled and the Reps and Dems have proven time and time again that they are incapable of controlling spending. My thoughts, get your name on their list. If they fail to change the platform/bylaws and push the party into a "less extremist" direction, then they are talking about forming their own party. Edit: Saw that you joined. Great!! The convention is the beginning of July.

I'll post the link again, for those of you interested. New Libertarian Movement There is a good essay by Kristan Overstreet there. Essay Linky Thingy A clip from the essay:

That evil right-wing media will stop at nothing.

It is too bad that the Democrats still offer no reason to vote for them. Absolutely embarassing. Maybe, they should consider actually standing for something. Otherwise, they will see that lead quickly evaporate. Americans want solutions to problems, not whiney little bitches. Since the Democrats have offered nothing in return, they are nothing more than whiney little bitches. If things are so bad under Republican control, it should be easy to offer solutions that will fix the problems. They have offered nothing. Right now, they look like a Monty Python sketch: Democrats: Bush Bad!! Bush Bad!! Republicans: No he isn’t. Democrats: Bush Bad!! Worst President Ever!! Bush Bad!! Republicans: OK, what would you do? Democrats: Bush Ba…Err…what? Republicans: What would you do? Democrats: We’ll get back to you. Bush Bad!! Republicans: You have to have a plan as to what you would do to fix things. Democrats: We’ll get back to you. Bush Bad!! Republicans: Still waiting… Democrats: Almost there. Bush Bad!! Republicans: Anything yet? Democrats: Nope. Not yet. Bush Bad!! Republicans: We are getting close to election season. You might want to come up with something. Democrats: Putting the final touches on it right now. Tom Delay. Focus on Tom Delay. Tom Delay Bad!! Bush Bad!! Republicans: Done yet? Democrats: We have a major announcement. We will discuss the Democratic strategy for National Security. It will be released shortly. Stay tuned. Bush Bad!! Republicans: It’s about damn time. Democrats: Here is our strategy for National Security. Continue doing what Bush is doing, but spend more money doing it. Bush Bad!! Republicans: It took you all that time and that is all you can come up with? Democrats: See, we are tough on National Security. We are not the limp-wristed pansies we have appeared to be for decades. We are tough. Our Plan: Do exactly what the Bush has implemented, but spend more money doing it. Bush Bad!! Republicans: Yeah…OK. What about fixing the Social Security mess? Democrats: No private accounts!! Bush Bad!! Republicans: It is going bankrupt. If you do not want private accounts, then what do you want to do to fix it? Democrats: No private accounts. Bush Bad!! Republicans: So, you have no actual strategy to fix the problem, you are just going to let it get worse? Democrats: Bush Ba...errr...what? Abramoff. Focus on Abramoff. Bush Bad!! …and the vicious cycle continues…

Kids...Stop fighting. Don't make me turn this car around.

Just make sure none of those Arabs run our ports. They are all terrorists, you know.

He failed to even post his AI review last week. Damn Corporate America preventing him from posting AI reviews and updating his blog. (*shakes fist angrily*)

Spazz did the best last night, IMO. He showed diversity in his song selection and did exactly what he was told to do for the second song: no spazzing, just sing. Great job by him. Chris was second. He seems very uncomfortable in his second song, like he was just going through the motions. The first song was ok. He has done better in previous weeks, but he should be safe this week. McFunbags let me down. She has been pretty inconsistent this year. Last night was not a good night for her. The first "medly" was bad. Not her style and she failed to pull it off. The second song had so much potential for her and she failed to deliver. I am willing to overlook the flub in the lyrics, but she should have nailed the song, but came up small. I have not been a fan of Elliot at all this year. His performances have fluctuated from painful to boring. I know people here like him, but I practically fall asleep during his performances (or run for the ear plugs). Last night, he was having trouble keeping things together, especially in the beginnings of the songs. It is a tough call on who should go home. On one hand, there is Elliot. I just do not see what the appeal is with him. IMO, his performances are on a tier below the rest of the contestents. McFunbags has been dropping off and has been way too inconsistent this year. Chris has been up and down recently. It really looks like he is wearing down and struggling more and more each week. Fortunately for him, his talent is still able to shine through. Spazz has been pretty consistent all year. He knows his style and is able to inject his personality into each song. My bets: Elliot and McFunbags as bottom two with Elliot going home. I would not be shocked if Chris was in the bottom two, but McFunbags deserves to be there more than him.

I have never been to the TLA, but I heard it was OK for concerts. You should have a good time. BTW, there are several "establishments" near Delilah's that you can also check out. Plenty of entertainment in the area.

Where are they playing? Grape Street?

That reminds me of a Ron White story:

Tomorrow is National Homebrew Day!! From the American Homebrewers Association: This is a day where homebrewers and homebrew supply shops celebrate this hobby and simultaneously brew. For you Buffalo residents, here is your local Big Brew location: Niagara Tradition Home Beer & Wine Supplies 1296 Sheridan Drive Buffalo, NY USA Others can visit here to see where festivities are happening in their area. If you have ever been interested in homebrewing or if you are interested in knowing how beer is made, stop by. Homebrewers are a friendly bunch and will answer any and all of your questions. You may also score some free beer!!!