GernBlansten

Brent, as long we collect the dead birds and deep fat fry them in solar cookers, its a win/win. You do have the transportation issues to the southern states though. Westerners don't like fried bird like you southerners do.

You aren't going to get an arguement from me John. But turbines are expensive and our grid isn't ready to handle them. They are starting to go up all over eastern Colorado, Nebraska, Wyoming, Iowa. Unfortunately, not enough people live in those areas close enough to consume it. Estimated potential energy Solar 86,000 TW Wind 870 TW GeoTherm 32 TW Hydro 7.2 TW Solar is clearly the winner. And it doesn't look bad or kill birds like wind turbines do.

Current world energy use is about 15 terawatts (TW). Of that 15 TW consumption, about 13 TW is from fossil fuels (oil/gas/coal). 2 TW is from various forms of hydro/nuclear/wind/geothermal sources. In 30 years, demand is estimated to grow to over 35 TW worldwide. If the fossil fuel source is finite, the 20 TW gap is going to have to come from some other source. Every home/business could be a solar power station, feeding back into the grid when it isn't taking out. Geothermal - yes. Every home/business could be heated and cooled with it. Simple tech. Drill a deep hole, pu

Hate to burst your bubble Brent, ok, I admit, I kinda do! VW has been importing diesel cars into America for decades. I used to drive a 1981 Rabbit. And the latest ones meet the most strigent emmission standards. Don't blame the greenies, blame Americans for not buying them.

Tax is such an ugly word. Perhaps "Cost". Or "Deposit". We could have bumper stickers made, "Fueled by The Cost of Freedom", or "Proud to burn my Liberty Deposit". Yeah, 1 cent/month in perpetuity.

I agree Beavah. We should pay the true cost of energy. But marketing is key. Instead of calling it a gas tax, call it a war tax. Its being used to pay for our access to oilfields in unstable areas of our world. Or better yet, call it a Freedom tax. What TeaParty would attack that?

I propose we return to the tax rates under Reagan.

Any liquid fuel stove works for backpacking patrol cooking. I'd avoid fancy propane types like JetBoils. They work great for one/two man cooking but not so good for patrols. I love my JetBoil, but it would be tough to cook for 6-8 guys in it. My wife even bought me the JB pot for Xmas, but to tell you the truth, we never used it. At Philmont, our crew cooked exclusively on a MSR Whisperlite liquid fuel stove. We had a second one for a backup, but never needed it. At Ntiers, we used the old Coleman liquid model. Had two stoves but only used the second one when we couldn't keep the f

I don't care what you call it, as long as its a step in the right direction. Gotta eat an elephant one bite at a time. Raising retirement age? Can't see how you can't. No COLA? That's a bit tough, especially when we face inflation due to our weak dollar. Mortgage deduction elimination? I'm all for it. I hate using the tax code to modify behavior. Maybe it will motivate people to live within their means instead of using their homes as credit cards too. Paid off my mortgage years ago, best thing I ever did financially. I'm glad to see someone addressing the problem.

Two cannibals are sitting down for dinner eating a clown. One says to the other, "does this taste funny to you?"

I won't take him seriously until he quits mid-term. Does he have teenage kids? That helps.

I think the FoxNews info babes are much more attractive than the MSNBC ones.

Remove party affiliation from the ballot. If you don't know which party the candidate is, you haven't done your homework. Choose alphabetically. Watch candidates quickly change their names to Adam Aardvark. Term limits, yes. Pass a law to allow any citizen to leave their job, and return to it without consequence after serving. House 1 term, Senate 1 term. Must leave office for one term before running again. Employers must hold their job so they have a place to come back to. Eliminate career politicians.

Beav, I do admit I have a problem with schadenfreude skewering the Tea Party on their own petard. But I am working on it. Vol, if your hypothetical review panel was made up of ordinary citizens, couldn't that also be called a jury? Or do you want to stack the panel with "experts" to reduce that public influence?

Who would make up the review board of experts, Vol? Would they be the same professionals who the plaintiff would be attempting redress from? Who chooses that board? Will liberals or human advocates be allowed to serve? Is this just another term for death panels? Isn't that the fox watching the hen house? And yes, I use the freedom club just like everyone on the right uses it. Swings both ways.

Gary, I hope you read this before you leave. Look at it from this perspective with this analogy. The two BSA programs (LDS vs non-LDS), is like comparing a helicopter and an airplane. Both are aircraft. Both are useful and serve their purpose for which they are designed. Both are governed by the same agency. But they are different. Yet some helicopter pilots might claim there is no difference. Some airplane pilots might claim they are not even in the same category. Some might claim one is superior to the other. But in reality, they can't be compared except at the highest l

I've heard he's not a witch, he's you. Oh wait, that was the other one.

The VA is highly regarded as delivering high quality care at a reasonable cost. Cosmetic surgery is not healthcare. Neither are tattoos.

It would all be solved with total socialized medicine wouldn't it Beavah? Of course with unlimited immunity granted to the government.

If it sounds as if I am callous, I am not. but I think the perception is that the legal system is going to work 100% of the time, and that is not the case. And some people want to blame someone. Sometimes, clearly frivolous lawsuits prevail and test our faith in the system. But the solution is not for the government to deny our freedom to challenge those who we perceive have harmed us. Especially based on the actions of the few.

So, in order to stop frivolous lawsuits, we have to kill my freedom and liberty. I'm happy to inform you Mrs. Blansten, the operation was a complete success but the patient died.

Thanks for reminding me, I gotta kick EagleSon in the tail feathers and get his NESA application in.

Pro bono work does nothing to help the destitute plaintiff in your loser pays scenario. The loser of the suit pays all legal fees. His own, and the defendants. So, unless the plaintiff can post a bond to cover the expected legal expenses of the defense, how can the suit even be filed?

One could make an arguement for means testing SS payments. Too many retirees collect it that clearly don't need it. Of course that would enforce the fact it is a social program and not an investment. But I've never said it was an investment.

Ok, riddle me this. The plaintiff has no money but has a claim against someone. If he has no means to pay if he loses, is his case heard? Or is justice just for the rich?