IntenseDebate - Ryan

13 years ago @ The Hayride - Jindal Signs HB 1033 I... · 0 replies · +1 points

I'm so glad. I've already commented on the importance of this in other threads, but I haven't mentioned how great it is to see LaTAAP meet its fate. LaTAAP was a joke -- no, it was worse than a joke, because it was a joke that required new teachers to waste a large amount of time going through the motions.

13 years ago @ The Hayride - A bad day to be an inc... · 0 replies · +1 points

Devastating commentary about Blumenthal in Slate (of all places):
http://www.slate.com/id/2254214/pagenum/all/#p2

13 years ago @ The Hayride - Connecticut Senate Sea... · 0 replies · +1 points

The shocking thing to me is that Linda McMahon's campaign did this now. Obviously, voters will make the contrast between Rep. Simmons (a decorated Vietnam vet) and Blumenthal. It also makes her look conniving and mean -- it's not appealing. She was likely heading for a primary win over Simmons, but this gives new momentum to Simmons' campaign and will help his fundraising (McMahon is self-funding) because Blumenthal is now beatable. There is no reason that McMahon shouldn't have waited until after the primary to feed this stuff to the Times.

13 years ago @ The Hayride - Crist Bounce Over, Rub... · 0 replies · +1 points

The very few independent candidates who win usually do so as true outsiders, casting a pox on both parties and claiming the system is broken and can only be fixed by someone from outside it, someone uncorrupted by lobbyists buying favors, etc.

Needless to say, Charlie Crist cannot run that kind of campaign. In fact, it's hard to find any rationale for Crist's campaign at this point. That's ultimately why he will lose -- there is no real reason to vote for him.

But what about Joe Lieberman's victory as an independent, you might ask. Lieberman had the benefit of having no real Republican candidate in the race. He got about half the Democrat vote and all of the Republican vote. Crist won't have the luxury of getting to go head to head with Rubio. Lieberman also lost his party's primary very narrowly, instead of quitting because he was going to get killed.

13 years ago @ The Hayride - Please Don't Get Rid O... · 2 replies · +1 points

Thanks. I thought LaHood at least deserved to be nominated. :)

Gates and Duncan are the only two in the cabinet deserving of any respect whatsoever, and that has to be heavily qualified.

13 years ago @ The Hayride - Please Don't Get Rid O... · 4 replies · +1 points

Holder and Napolitano are worthy nominees for worst current cabinet member, but your list ignored the top contender: Ray LaHood.

“Today,” he wrote on March 15, “I want to announce a sea change. People across America who value bicycling should have a voice when it comes to transportation planning. This is the end of favoring motorized transportation at the expense of non-motorized." That's right, bicycles are the solution to traffic congestion.

On Spirit Airlines' (a budget carrier with very low fares) very reasonable decision to charge fees for carry-on bags: "I think it's a bit outrageous that an airline is going to charge someone to carry on a bag and put it in the overhead. And I've told our people to try and figure out a way to mitigate that. I think it's ridiculous." LaHood adds "we're gonna hold the airline's feet to the fire on this. Because we have an obligation to do it and we have the ability to do it."

His advice for Toyota owners: “stop driving it. Take it to a Toyota dealer because they believe they have a fix for it.” Toyota's stock fell over 5% the next day, which was likely the point.

From a public letter to his "fellow Republicans" urging them to vote for Obamacare: I supported Republican Sen. John McCain. I have always been — and still am — a fiscal conservative, an advocate for a smart, but restrained, government ... If I were still a member of Congress, I would proudly vote for the bill that President Barack Obama is championing and I would urge my colleagues to do the same, not because I don't believe in fiscal discipline, but because I do ...The bill will give families and small business owners greater control over their own health care.

This is before we even get into the horrific mismanagement of the "Cash for Clunkers" wasteful debacle, the insane decision to fine airlines that get stuck waiting on the tarmac (airlines have now said that they will simply cancel the flights, causing more problems), the ridiculous new CAFE standards which will further hurt our domestic auto industry, the stupid "high-speed rail" boondoggles that he's pushing across America, and the thoroughly corrupt promoting of Government Motors lies about "paying back" its "loans."

Scott, how could you possibly leave LaHood off your list of incompetent and ridiculous cabinet members?

13 years ago @ The Hayride - Food (Or Drink) For Th... · 1 reply · +1 points

think I'm going to take the other side in this argument. For one thing, police officers usually cannot immediately measure the BAC of a suspected drunk driver. The BAC is usually measured after the suspect has been arrested and transported to the police station. Because of the time involved, a suspect who is impaired may sober up enough to slide under the .10 threshold. This can especially be true if the suspect is injured and must be transported by ambulance to the hospital. Blood may not be drawn for an hour after the accident.

It's important to remember that police officers don't randomly test drivers' BAC. They need probable cause, and they have better things to do than test people they don't think are drunk and driving impaired.

In short, I think .08 is just fine and I support even lower thresholds (like .04) for commercial drivers.

13 years ago @ The Hayride - Muslim Attack Dogs Sic... · 0 replies · +1 points

I can't draw at all and I'm going to contribute something. In the meantime, read this companion piece:
http://pajamasmedia.com/blog/what-did-you-say-abo...

and follow the links to read about what Zakaria Botros is doing in broadcasting about the life of Muhammad and his teachings -- really amazing stuff.

13 years ago @ The Hayride - Science or Ideology? · 0 replies · +2 points

Great article, Mike.

For any non-scientist who would like to understand the scientific issues involved in the climate debate, this 90-minute lecture is the best place to start. It's really good and easy to understand.
http://www.climate-skeptic.com/phoenix

13 years ago @ The Hayride - Dude, What The Hell? I... · 0 replies · +1 points

Oscar, that's cuz you live in a swamp (or is it a marsh -- I forget?) and you ain't been studying fashion. That dress is haute couture, and them's words is French French, not Cajun French. Don't you know that Michelle O is the new Jackie O, the queen of fashion? You jus' don't get it, do you? I bet you were one of them ignerent fools who looked at that crucifix in the jar of urine and couldn't even figure out that it was high art. Stupid rat.

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