VABills

With congress critters like this. You wonder why you get bad info: http://prestoagitato.typepad.com/presto_ag...down_in_vi.html

and More: http://www.goodbyejim.com/1137851717/index_html http://prestoagitato.typepad.com/presto_ag...down_in_vi.html

http://www.boston.com/news/globe/editorial...tion_like_ours/

He wants to charge admission to the Smithsonian: http://www.dailypress.com/news/opinion/dp-...nion-editorials

Moran Said Jews Are Pushing War http://www.washingtonpost.com/ac2/wp-dyn/A...anguage=printer

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/news/725325/posts

LT. GOV. TIM Kaine, Virginia's second-ranking Democrat, has called for a House Ethics Committee investigation of Rep. Jim Moran, who co-sponsored a bill to tighten bankruptcy rules days after accepting a large personal loan from a credit card company the bill would benefit. In a meeting with The Journal, Moran, D-8th District, denied any wrongdoing, saying the storm of controversy over the loan by MBNA Corp. ``blindsided me." ``I think there's big difference between impropriety and the appearance of impropriety," Moran added, pointing out that the 10 1/2 percent interest rate on the mortgage he received from MBNA was several points higher than prevailing rates. But Moran, who admitted he was heavily in debt and considering bankruptcy despite a salary of more than $100,000, then agreed to help Rep. George Gekas, R-Pa., pass a bill making it more difficult for constituents who find themselves in similar financial quicksand to get relief. ``I never would have imagined that it would be considered any kind of favor or quid pro quo," the embattled congressman said, even though MBNA stands to gain enormously if this bankruptcy bill becomes law. The average American household's credit card debt now hovers in the $8,000 range and is growing. Full payoff is virtually impossible when minimum payments are 2 percent and interest is sometimes as high as 21 percent, much higher than the prevailing prime rate. Such usurious interest is defended by the industry because it allows credit cards to be issued to high-risk applicants, such as full-time college students. Yet the bankruptcy ``reform" Moran supports not only makes no provision to rein in imprudent credit, but also makes it much more difficult for people to be relieved of onerous debt by declaring bankruptcy. Moran correctly noted that the bankruptcy law has not changed much over the past century. The protection from creditors it now provides dates back to Colonial times. Lending money has inherent risks. But the credit industry's risk-taking already has been richly rewarded by record profits. Most people pay their debts. But when death, serious illness, divorce, unemployment or even fallout from corporate bankruptcies makes that impossible, current law allows them to escape financial catastrophe and start over. It's not a panacea. Bankruptcy stays on your credit history for seven years. But it does get the monkey off your back. Moran has a lengthy history of questionable loans and personal foibles, of which voters in the 8th District have been uncommonly forgiving. But this time, Moran has compromised himself too much. His wavering decision to ``act consistently with legislation that I supported" in the past gives 8th District residents enough reason to wonder whether his vote to gut bankruptcy protection is a payback for a preferential loan, reportedly the largest MBNA made that year. We agree with Kaine that an Ethics Committee investigation, however long or political, is the only way to clear the lingering suspicion Moran has brought upon himself. http://www.jrnl.com/ffx/mainstory.cfm?snum...=ffx&section=op

Tater there are some folks around who have spent some time in Iraq. Ask them what some of the locals think. In my opinion, while the media does potray things as bad, I do not think they are going as bad as some think. I think if we stay resolved to finish this, get a Iraqi elected government in power and grow their military to have some good field grade officers and non-coms they'll be okay, and it will stablize the region. As a bit of perspective I went to the Fredericksburg battlefield a few weeks back. In that one seige alone, over 100,000 people were killed. I am not undervaluing what the current guys who die in Iraq, but in perspective, war sucks. People get wounded and die. History will decide if it was worth it. 140 years later most in this country will agree that this country became greater after the civil war. Let history decide if Iraq was the right thing. It is hard to judge realtime.

The libs have Moran. The guy went to jail for stealing 50 grand when he was the mayor of Alexandria. The guy has been the subject of many investigations and found guilty in at least one where he took a 0% loan that he never repaid anything on to a local mortgage company, with the proviso that vote a certain way on a certain bill. Of course when that came to light it was changed to a "very low" interest loan and he "wasn't" required to vote a certain way. Congresscritters for sale to highest bidder. Delay is single A ball compared to Moran. The libs just have better marketing since they have all the major media in their hip pockets.

Sorry Bill but I'm not into that whole Spa and cell sharing crap like you are. Not that there is anything wrong with that.

No but cats do? I don't know, never participated in any goat antics, but I heard you have.

Says the midget with cats bigger then most goats who control his life.

It's not just a goat, it is TD's goat with pictures of a certain "owner" and himself in a compromising position.

it wasn't funny, and quoting King also isn't funny. So all around it was very lame.

Yeah way to make sh-- up. That isn't even in the King article at all. Second it's Bennie Anderson. Third, he only had 5 on the whole season. And to further expand. Villereal who played quite a bit less had 3, Peters who really only started about 10 games had 2, Gandy had 2, etc... Now go back to playing with the other kids at daycare and stop making stuff up.

really important breaking news. The Bills have officially announced: The signing of a new gadget website for internet gadget users. Goto www.buffalobills.com/wireless Okay now WTF is that. We need a new Oline, not a gadget. We're Doomed.

They estimate about 400 or so in my local area alone. http://fredericksburg.com/News/FLS/2006/02...02142006/167833 We see them all the time along the Potomac, when riding home on the train. We also have seen a couple gnawing on something one street over on a Saturday morning. Landed right in the street and were picking at whatever it was. Cat maybe (hopefully). A few folks with small dogs and cats have expressed some concern that these guys will snatch fido.

Glad I wasn't the only one to catch that. Thought it was Ed for a second.

Nope: How is the SAT scored? Scoring is a two-step process. First, a raw score is calculated: one point is added for each multiple-choice question answered correctly. Omitted questions receive no points. For multiple-choice questions answered incorrectly, 1/4 point is subtracted. No points are subtracted for incorrect answers to the SAT math questions requiring student-produced responses. Questions in the SAT equating section do not count toward the score. Then, the total points answered wrong are subtracted from the number answered correctly. If the resulting score is a fraction, it is rounded to the nearest whole number -- 1/2 or more is rounded up; less than 1/2 is rounded down. Next, the raw score is converted to the College Board 200-to-800 scaled score by a statistical process called equating. Equating adjusts for slight differences in difficulty between test editions, and ensures that a student's score on one edition of a test reflects the same ability as a score of 450 on another edition of the test and that a student's score does not depend on how well others did on the same edition of the test Actually correction to this: According to wikipedia: Scores on each section range from 200 to 800, with scores always being a multiple of 10. So.... Anyhow, not sure if that is with the newer "adjusted" scores but I still have by score notification inside my secior yearbook at home. I'll have to break it out and see. It was from 1980.

It was something like 1 point off for each question not answered. 2 for a wrong and 5 for a correct answer if I remember correct. They made a point of telling us to not answer rather then answer incorrectly since with 4 possibiities the odds were in your favor to not answer rather than guess. I believe it's changed now to make it better to answer everything.

Yeah except I was pretty much a straight A student and scored a damn 1387 on them. next question dexter. I drank my way through high school. That was a normal weekend night in a small town in WNY. I guess you didn't grow up there in the late 70's / early 80's?

I didn't drive, and I wasn't 18 either. It was also in the very ear;y 80's when the drinking age was only 18 in NYS. Plus I wasn't stupid enough to hang out in hotel bar, making an ass of myself and jeering at the police when they walked in.

Me and three friends stayed out all night drinking. Took the test at Fredonia High School, many moons ago. Did okay, and didn't have to take again.

Oh good point, she was probably staying in the green zone for free, eating our food, and using the water/shower facility.

I understand we are all happy to see Jill Carrroll released by her captors. But why did she get a free cammy jacket. She is taking equipment from our troops in the field. That is my tax payer dollars being wasted. But that's just the tip. We are now spending money and putting military resources at risk to fly her out of the country and back to the US. She should have to go to the airport and but a ticket like anyone else wanting to come or go from there that were not entitled to be there. This is too frequent of an occurrance, and as a tax payer I demand this practice stop right away. Picture of the thief: http://i.a.cnn.net/cnn/2006/WORLD/meast/04....carroll.ap.jpg