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Posted

I would have enjoyed watching you and my dad (also a product of Catholicism) discuss art and religion. 

 

I'm not a religious person, but when I visited the Vatican two years ago with my family the place exceeded my expectations. The confluence of art and religion there is something one has to see to believe.

Posted

The Vatican made me physically ill to my stomach. All those riches and all that wealth while their "people" all over the world are struggling to feed the empire at 10% a week, and oftentimes can't afford clothes or food. 

Posted

The Vatican made me physically ill to my stomach. All those riches and all that wealth while their "people" all over the world are struggling to feed the empire at 10% a week, and oftentimes can't afford clothes or food. 

 

I purposely left that aspect out of my reply and concentrated only on the art.

Posted

I purposely left that aspect out of my reply and concentrated only on the art.

 

The art was impressive; albeit not my style. Since I'm a liberal (so I'm told), I have to now reveal that I have some secondary education in the arts (so I'm told) and like our friend mentioned earlier, this education was enough to make me dislike a lot of the arts. Most of the Vatican included. The architecture I did enjoy. 

 

To the same end, however, the Hermitage is a very very impressive collection of art. Almost certainly the best Ive ever seen. 

Posted

The art was impressive; albeit not my style. Since I'm a liberal (so I'm told), I have to now reveal that I have some secondary education in the arts (so I'm told) and like our friend mentioned earlier, this education was enough to make me dislike a lot of the arts. Most of the Vatican included. The architecture I did enjoy. 

 

To the same end, however, the Hermitage is a very very impressive collection of art. Almost certainly the best Ive ever seen. 

 

Assuming you meant the one in St. Petersburg and not the one outside of Nashville, I would not give those commies (and Putin) one red cent of my hard earned income.

 

{just teasing, it's on my bucket list}

Posted

John,

 

You still have not explained to me how ACA forces small business off group plans onto the exchanges. Looked and looked and could not find examples that were not clearly fabricated.

 

It is now illegal under the ACA (2015) for states to allow husband-wife combo's to be considered an "insurance group". In the state of Maryland, two makes a group. As you know, "groups" are rated on statistics, such as age (primary) and claims advanced overall, not evaluation of the individual. Major health carriers have wanted this exclusion removed for decades and have lobbied each state individually to this end. Instead, they got a national hand out.

 

Here's the rub. If my wife and I were living in sin, we would still be considered a 2 person "insurance group" in the state of Maryland and would have not lost our health insurance. Similarly, if we divorced and I paid child support to my wife, we (I) would arrive at about 18% less federal and state tax obligation. It is this very attack on marriage, both with taxation and insurance that I find troubling. There is no greater bastion of American small business than the maw-paw shop. Store fronts, seamstresses, tailors, plumbers, lanscapers, etc. Many men work their asses off to make cash, while wives assist by toiling over the books, customer relations and paperwork (or women do the work and the opposite is true).

 

This is also be the case for two gay men in 16 states who are married, who bust their asses (pardon the pun) in a consulting firm or (pardon the second pun) a Florist shop. This is an overt attack on the institution, or as in my case, the sacrement of marriage and a direct route to providing millions of fresh, new warm bdies at the front door of the ACA and frankly, a single payer system. We know this will be a disaster.

 

What did I do? I joined my Cigna cadillac plan offered by my union (Screen Acotrs Guild). As you also know Andy, the administration has exempted large unions, particullary a large, liberal entertainment union like mine, from the ACA and allowed them to still have their low deductible plans. I went from $24k a year with United Health Care in 2015 with $4k-$12k major deductibles under the ACA, to a $2k deductible, a premium under $4k per year, better coverage and the peace of mind in knowing as long as Barrack is President, I'll get a union hand out.

 

So, you see, not all was lost. ;)

Posted

It is now illegal under the ACA (2015) for states to allow husband-wife combo's to be considered an "insurance group". In the state of Maryland, two makes a group. As you know, "groups" are rated on statistics, such as age (primary) and claims advanced overall, not evaluation of the individual. Major health carriers have wanted this exclusion removed for decades and have lobbied each state individually to this end. Instead, they got a national hand out.

 

Here's the rub. If my wife and I were living in sin, we would still be considered a 2 person "insurance group" in the state of Maryland and would have not lost our health insurance. Similarly, if we divorced and I paid child support to my wife, we (I) would arrive at about 18% less federal and state tax obligation. It is this very attack on marriage, both with taxation and insurance that I find troubling. There is no greater bastion of American small business than the maw-paw shop. Store fronts, seamstresses, tailors, plumbers, lanscapers, etc. Many men work their asses off to make cash, while wives assist by toiling over the books and paperwork (or women do the work and the opposite is true).

 

This will also be the case for two gay men in 16 states who are married, who bust their asses (pardon the pun) in a consulting firm or (pardon the second pun) a Flourist shop. This is an overt attack on the institution, or as in my case the sacrement of marriage and a direct route to providing millions of fresh, new warm bdies at the front door of the ACA and frankly, a single payer system. We know this will be a disaster.

 

I see. Did not know that. Busy today, I'll look into this evening.

Posted

The art was impressive; albeit not my style. Since I'm a liberal (so I'm told), I have to now reveal that I have some secondary education in the arts (so I'm told) and like our friend mentioned earlier, this education was enough to make me dislike a lot of the arts. Most of the Vatican included. The architecture I did enjoy. 

 

To the same end, however, the Hermitage is a very very impressive collection of art. Almost certainly the best Ive ever seen.

My father taught art appreciation etc. at the college level for over 30 years. He found beauty in all forms of art. My dad never found "bad art". I am thankful that he educated me to find beauty in all creativity/art.

A crucifix in a jar of urine not withstanding.

Posted

The regressives are at it again.

 

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2015/01/13/regulation-stealth-attack_n_6465900.html

 

 

Please jump in if you believe I am wrong in any of these assumptions, but lets say for argument sake that for the past 40 years we always had a GOP president, House and Senate, would any of the following regulations have been passed?

 

CAFE standards for automobile mileage

Acid rain

Waterway pollution

Unleaded gasoline

Food labelling 

ADA

  • Like 1
Posted

The regressives are at it again.

 

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2015/01/13/regulation-stealth-attack_n_6465900.html

 

 

Please jump in if you believe I am wrong in any of these assumptions, but lets say for argument sake that for the past 40 years we always had a GOP president, House and Senate, would any of the following regulations have been passed?

 

CAFE standards for automobile mileage

Acid rain

Waterway pollution

Unleaded gasoline

Food labelling 

ADA

 

 

Yer Joking, right? This is the political process at work. JD, EPA, DE, HHS.............all rougue and skirting the the democratic process. They can do their jobs, they just have to do it under the guise of oversight. Do you believe executive authority should allow federal agencies to conduct an agenda that is grossly out of step with the American public? Shall I innumerate thier failures and waste beginning with the launch of the ACA?

 

Last 40 years??? I thought you were progressive. PBS aired an expose of the history of the KKK last night. Liberals, claiming to be progressive, but stuck in reversionary tactics to reach for straws. Joke.

Posted

Yer Joking, right? This is the political process at work. JD, EPA, DE, HHS.............all rougue and skirting the the democratic process. They can do their jobs, they just have to do it under the guise of oversight. Do you believe executive authority should allow federal agencies to conduct an agenda that is grossly out of step with the American public? Shall I innumerate thier failures and waste beginning with the launch of the ACA?

 

Last 40 years??? I thought you were progressive. PBS aired an expose of the history of the KKK last night. Liberals, claiming to be progressive, but stuck in reversionary tactics to reach for straws. Joke.

 

 

You didn't answer my question, would we have had those regulations had the GOP been in complete control over the past 40 or so years?

Posted

Well, yes....because the electorate participated in the process, democratic administrations were elected (boy were they) and these things were tended to. Instead of hypotheticals, how about the process......working? Reasonable?

Posted

Well, yes....because the electorate participated in the process, democratic administrations were elected (boy were they) and these things were tended to. Instead of hypotheticals, how about the process......working? Reasonable?

 

Yes reasonable. We don't have the same system of government that we did back then. Remember when all we needed was a simple majority and the "nuclear option" was a term only used by NORAD?

Posted

 

No, neither was this one.

 

http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2014/01/02/wisconsin-father-police-shooting-investigation/3992957/

 

But the kid in St Louis? No dice. He was a thug and the movement it incited has little credibility, only disasterous consequences for our law enforcement and racial harmony. I still can't breathe.

Posted

Sound Bite-You need to get on a jury. So you show one...and someone shows another. That you validate as justified. The point is? 

Holder provided testimony on how we need to use bracelets to fire control weapon's. REALLY? The answer is to collect all the non-wrist control weapon's?

Good Grief.

 

The point is that when these incidents are investigated, the police officers are found to be justified, and I'd be willing to bet the one from Albuquerque will be too.  When we were kids, the cops shot their six shooter when there was a clear danger to himself. What was the danger to the police in the clip where the homeless guy turned around and started to walk up the hill away from the cops? Was the officer right in shooting him eight times with a machine gun containing a laser sight? Guess in your book it was justified since he didn't listen to their orders to hit the ground. He was only a poor homeless man with a history of mental illness, who gives a shit.

 

Here is an uncensored version of the helmet-cam video.

 

  • Like 1
Posted

The point is that when these incidents are investigated, the police officers are found to be justified, and I'd be willing to bet the one from Albuquerque will be too.  When we were kids, the cops shot their six shooter when there was a clear danger to himself. What was the danger to the police in the clip where the homeless guy turned around and started to walk up the hill away from the cops? Was the officer right in shooting him eight times with a machine gun containing a laser sight? Guess in your book it was justified since he didn't listen to their orders to hit the ground. He was only a poor homeless man with a history of mental illness, who gives a shit.

 

Here is an uncensored version of the helmet-cam video.

 

 

Actually, these guys are getting charged with 2nd and 1st degree murder, so there is hope...

Posted

Sound Bite-You need to get on a jury. So you show one...and someone shows another. That you validate as justified. The point is? The Hands up don't shoot is a false narrative. There are many other sites that you can go to and they will be all in with you...Why not go PM Byron and you two can have a group chat on it. Police and guns bad...Got it.

Is there unjustified shootings by law enforecement officers? Yes. Is this a pervasive black issue in the United States? No.

Should American's be unified in their demand that the administation at least identifies that radical Muslim's are a world-wide problem?

Yes.

Speaking fact is NOT discrimination or religious persecution. It is what it is...

Holder provided testimony on how we need to use bracelets to fire control weapon's. REALLY? The answer is to collect all the non-wrist control weapon's?

Good Grief.

 

Replace "black" with "poor" and "shooting" with "excessive force" and then we do have a pervasive problem. 

 

As to BHO not willing to call it radical muslim problem, well, I don't know why. It's not just a radical muslim problem. It's a muslim problem. Look at some social media posts of your run of the mill European muslims, and it's scary. Like I said before, there are christian radicals too, the difference is, they are a tiny minority. In the muslim world, they appear to be a majority. No, the majority are not strapping themselves with suicide vests, but they secretly support it. In an interview with French TV today, local muslims were actually blaming shape shifting jews on the attacks. Not your regular run of the mill jews, mind you, but the shape shifting kind.

  • Like 1
Posted

Replace "black" with "poor" and "shooting" with "excessive force" and then we do have a pervasive problem.

 

 

 

Again, the cop in the video who was charged by a man with a shovel was way justified.

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