Chief Grey Bear

This was in today edition. http://www.joplinglobe.com/homepage/local_...eadpicturestory

I can tell by the pics that it wouldn't have mattered if he out fished you 40-0, you had the best time. I love seeing a kid working it that hard, with that much enthusiasm. It does my heart good to know there is still hope. Looks just like my son Dylan out there. Keep it up!

Nice fish fishin. I was hoping, like Buzz, to get in a little floating this weekend. Doesn't look like that is gonna happen.

Well folks, as you can tell from the above post, trying to debate big bird, jj, jd, and kevin, is like nothing more than dealing with third graders. They refuse to speak to those from the opposite view with any respect or decency. So like Al, MRBUZZIB1, and fishhand, I will joining the ranks of the lurker to the subject of elections. So feel free to say what you will, call me names, whatever it takes to make you feel like men, by all means please pleasure yourselves. Have fun and I look forward to reading what comes next. I am more than confident that it will be of the utmost entertainment. Have a ball fellas!

Look at your first comment and then read the next two. In your last comment there are only a few percentage points that separate the two. Meaning that by your comment, you cannot vote. But in any event your post again proves that we cannot hold any type of discussion due to your lack of interest to be informed. And therefore as far as I am concerned this conversation is over. BTW, I too am on dial up.

Now that is funny. Especially when you think about all the time you spend on just this forum. Oh that is rich!

Well I will tell you JD, that post there proves that you are not listening to anything but what you want to hear. Go back and read all of my post again. You will find a post that tells you why I am going to vote for him. You obviously did not watch the town hall meeting last night with McCcain and Obama. He clearly stated that he wants to increase the Army and Marines. You certainly didn't read the link provided that explained the truth about his tax plan. Actually I can tell by you whole first paragraph that you do nothing more than listen to Rush and hang on his every word. I am sorry that you can't think for yourself JD. All of the research had been done for you. All you had to do was click and read the link. But as you have proved with your Rush like ramblings above, you are refusing to acknowledge the truth.

Thanks for the reply techo. Interesting about that duct tape! I bet it is just a geat, pleasant feeling, peeling that off! Ya know JD, if your guy's fear of him was from facts and not rumors and out right lies, I would be in your camp. But such is not the case. Like Al posted, John was who I wanted from the republican side. Glad he is there. One thing that pushed me towards Obama was once I got to doing a little research on him, it was not what I was hearing from some of the media. I don't intend to change your mind but, if you will, do a little research on him. See if it is anywhere near what you are hearing about him. Listen to what he is saying. Then make a decision.

If you will look through this long list of "Not Voting", for McCain, you will see that he did not even bother to cast a vote for 284: H R 1. http://projects.washingtonpost.com/congress/members/m000303/ John McCain has missed 408 votes (63.8%) during the current Congress. I think you forgot to mention that. But I got it for you.

techo - good post. I like unbiased reporting, good or bad. If I may, I found this letter on the net and am not for sure if it is true. http://www.snopes.com/politics/info/kilkenny.asp Could you ask your connections if it is true that this person wrote it. Here is the link to where I found it. http://www.snopes.com/politics/soapbox/sarahpalin.asp Thanks

The old adage goes; We fear what we don't know. Or something like that anyway. I can tell by your post there Ducky, you must be trembling in your waders.

Then why make such a fuss about it? This is one subject we do agree on though. I don't vote religion. Makes no difference to me. Just don't push you personal religious beliefs onto America. As for the wetting of the pants, you are right, you should vote McCain. It is my understanding that he wears Depends.

You obviously do not pay attention. That is verbiage that even Huckabee said has been used for years. I have to say though, it fit nicely. Don't you agree? Did you not read the link I posted about his religion? Never mind, we already know the answer.

Are you kidding? I have answered them all with FACTS. Certainly not what some biased talk show host thinks. Call me what ever you want but I am not the one getting beat up with facts. BTW, are you back to posting again? You have quit twice.

Soggy, I have done the research for you if you care to spend just a few minutes reading. If any of you would spend half the time researching as you do spreading factless rumors, you may be surprised at what you learn. http://www.snopes.com/politics/obama/muslim.asp

I won't attempt to address the first of you post due to the fact you refuse to accept the fact that he is not muslim. Now as for what I quouted from you, please the following AGAIN and you will find that the fact is that it was not PROJECTED but ACTUAL. "Paying Off the National Debt. In July 2000, the Treasury Department announced that the United States will pay off $221 billion of debt this year -- the largest one-year debt pay down in American history. This will be the third consecutive year of debt reduction, bringing the three-year total to $360 billion." It is beyond comprehension why some here, refuse to accept the truth and continue to spead factless, baseless information. BTW, Bush did not beat Gore, he was appointed by the Supreme Court. It's doubtfull the event would have even taken place had Gore been in office as he was duely elected to be. Redbirdfan - sorry to see you quit again. I'll miss those softballs you have been lobbing.

Would you call Geo. a coward? You support him and his hiding from the conflict is even more blantant.

I did. What little fact there was to it. You still haven't proved that Obama is a muslim.

For what? A couple of years maybe?

That is all you have? At least, as impossible as it may be, try to defend your post.

TF, I Googled your quote " I Loathe the military" and this is what I found. http://msgboard.snopes.com/cgi-bin/ultimat...;f=101;t=000179 I think you may find it of some interest. I know I will be interested in your response.

Well, your "source" appears to be a talk show host from Texas. I am quite positive there will be no biased opinions there. But there are a couple of things he said that peaked my interest: "Pick up the story with newly-sworn-in President Bill Clinton’s first budget, submitted on March 27, 1993. He asked for $263.4 billion—$10 billion less than the final budget under the first President Bush. The budget scrapped most funds for President Ronald Reagan’s Strategic Defense Initiative, called Star Wars by the media." I don't see how the military would have suffered. It appears that a yet to be proven system that may or may not even be needed was scraped. "In 1994, troops were sent to Haiti, Saudi Arabia and Kuwait. Clinton asked for a Defense increase of just $2.8 billion but Congress approved a decrease of $17.1 billion. The shrinking budget caused sharp reductions at the Pentagon. " Wouldn't that have been your republican congress that done that? "At this point, (1996) we are well into the Clinton presidency and the eleventh straight year of declining military budgets." Did you catch what it said here? Clinton was in the fourth year of his Prediency and it was the 11 year in a row for the decline of military budgets. In other words the decline started with Regan in 1985. Now, I did not research this to look for, if any, errors. But I did notice this is not so much a report of facts as it is a somewhat biased opinion. BTW are you claiming that Obama is Muslim? I would like to read your reseach on that. Here is a funny, well I find it funny, little something for ya'll. Muhammad Ali is Muslim and yet nobody hates him.

Do you have sources to confirm your claims?

Do you ever read or just naturally start spouting off? In the very first line of the post it stated TEAM EFFORT. I would think that you would be able to recall that the congress was lead by republicans with a democrat president, there in lies the team effort. Take your bitter blinders off for awhile and take a deep breath.

This is what can be accomplished by TEAM EFFORT. Meaning both Democrats and Republicans. But as you have seen, not only in the state of the Union but, from posters to this thread, its all been talk since 2000. Longest Economic Expansion in U.S. History. In February 2000, the United States entered the 107th consecutive month of economic expansion -- the longest economic expansion in history. [National Bureau of Economic Research and Council of Economic Advisors] Moving From Record Deficits to Record Surplus. In 1992, the Federal budget deficit was $290 billion - the largest dollar deficit in American history. In January 1993, the Congressional Budget Office projected that the deficit would grow to $455 billion by 2000. The Office of Management and Budget is now projecting a surplus of at least $230 billion for 2000 - the third consecutive surplus and the largest surplus ever, even after adjusting for inflation. Compared with original projections, that is over $685 billion less in government drain on the economy and over $685 billion more potentially available for private investment in this one year alone. The 2000 surplus is projected to be 2.4 percent of GDP -- the largest surplus as a share of GDP since 1948. This is the first time we have had three surpluses in a row in more than a half century, and it is the second consecutive surplus excluding Social Security. [Office of Management! and Budget; National Economic Council, 9/27/00] Paying Off the National Debt. In July 2000, the Treasury Department announced that the United States will pay off $221 billion of debt this year -- the largest one-year debt pay down in American history. This will be the third consecutive year of debt reduction, bringing the three-year total to $360 billion. Public debt is on track to be $2.4 trillion lower in 2000 than was projected in 1993. Debt reduction brings real benefits for the American people -- a family with a home mortgage of $100,000 might expect to save roughly $2,000 per year in mortgage payments. Reduced debt also means lower interest rates and reduced payments on car loans and student loans. With the President's plan, we are now on track to eliminate the nation's publicly held debt by at least 2012. [Treasury Department, Office of Economic Policy, From Widening Deficits to Paying Down the Debt: Benefits for the American People, 8/4/99] More Than 22 Million New Jobs. 22.2 million new jobs have been created since 1993, the most jobs ever created under a single Administration -- and more new jobs than Presidents Reagan and Bush created during their three terms. 92 percent (20 million) of the new jobs have been created in the private sector, the highest percentage in 50 years. Under President Clinton and Vice President Gore, the economy has added an average of 248,000 jobs per month, the highest under any President. This compares to 52,000 per month under President Bush and 167,000 per month under President Reagan. [bureau of Labor Statistics] Fastest and Longest Real Wage Growth in Over Three Decades. In the last 12 months, average hourly earnings have increased 3.8 percent -- faster than the rate of inflation. The United States has had five consecutive years of real wage growth -- the longest consecutive increase since the 1960s. Since 1993, real wages are up 6.5 percent, after declining 4.3 percent during the Reagan and Bush years. [National Economic Council, 6/00] Household Income Breaks $40,000 for First Time in History. Income for median households rose $1,072, or 2.7 percent, from $39,744 in 1998 to $40,816, marking an unprecedented fifth year of significant growth in income. In 1999, the median income of African American households increased from $25,911 in 1998 to $27,910 -- an increase of $1,999, or 7.7 percent, which is the largest one-year increase ever recorded. The income of the median Hispanic household, adjusted for inflation, increased from $28,956 in 1998 to $30,735 in 1999 -- an increase of $1,779, or 6.1 percent, which is the largest one-year increase ever recorded. [Census Bureau, Money Income in the United States: 1999, 9/26/00] Unemployment is the Lowest in Over Three Decades. Unemployment is down from 7.5 percent in 1992 to 3.9 percent in September, the lowest in more than three decades. The unemployment rate has fallen for seven years in a row, and has remained below 5 percent for 37 months in a row -- over three full years. Unemployment for African-Americans fell to the lowest level ever recorded, and for Hispanics it remains at historic lows. [bureau of Labor Statistics] Highest Homeownership Rate in History. The homeownership rate reached 67.2 percent in the second quarter of 2000 -- the highest ever recorded. Minority homeownership rates were also the highest ever recorded. In contrast, the homeownership rate fell from 65.6 percent in the first quarter of 1981 to 63.7 percent in the first quarter of 1993. There are almost 9 million more homeowners than in 1993. [bureau of the Census, 7/26/00] Lowest Poverty Rate Since 1979. In 1999, the poverty rate dropped from 12.7 percent to 11.8 percent, the lowest rate in two decades. Since President Clinton and Vice President Gore passed their Economic Plan in 1993, the poverty rate has declined from 15.1 percent in 1993 to 11.8 percent in 1999 - the largest six-year drop in poverty in nearly 30 years (1964-1970). There are now 7 million fewer people in poverty than in 1993, and over 2.2 million, or over 30 percent, of this decline occurred during the past year. [Census Bureau, Poverty in the United States: 1999, 9/26/00] Largest One-Year Drop in Child Poverty in More than Three Decades. Under President Clinton and Vice President Gore child poverty has dropped by 25.6 percent -- from 22.7 percent in 1993 to 16.9 percent in 1999. While this is still too high, it is the lowest child poverty rate since 1979 and includes the largest one-year decline since 1966, which occurred from 1998 to 1999. The African American child poverty rate has fallen 28.2 percent since 1993, and dropped from 36.7 percent in 1998 to 33.1 percent in 1999 -- the largest one-year drop in history and the lowest level on record (data collected since 1959). The Hispanic child poverty rate has fallen by 26 percent since 1993, and dropped from 25.6 percent in 1998 to 22.8 percent in 1999 -- the lowest level since 1979. [Census Bureau, Poverty in the United States: 1999, 9/26/00] Families and Communities: Strengthening America's Working Families Tax Cuts for Working Families. 15 million additional working families received additional tax relief because of the President's expansion of the Earned Income Tax Credit. In 1999, the EITC lifted 4.1 million people out of poverty - nearly double the number lifted out of poverty by the EITC in 1993. This year, the President proposed expanding the EITC to provide tax relief to an additional 6.8 million hard-pressed working families. [Good News for Low Income Families: Expansions in the EITC and Minimum Wage, CEA, 12/98; Census Bureau] Helping Parents Balance Work and Family. The Family and Medical Leave Act allows workers to take up to 12 weeks of unpaid leave to care for seriously ill family members, new born or adoptive children, or their own serious health problems without fear of losing their jobs. Nearly 91 million workers (71% of the labor force) are covered by the Family and Medical Leave Act and millions of workers have benefited from FMLA since its enactment. President Clinton has proposed expanding FMLA to allow workers to take up to 24 unpaid hours off each year for school and early childhood education activities, routine family medical care, and caring for an elderly relative. [Five Years of Success: Report on FMLA, Department of Labor, 8/98 (updated number provided 7/99)] Improved Access to Affordable, Quality Child Care and Early Childhood Programs. Under the Clinton-Gore Administration, federal funding for child care has more than doubled, helping parents pay for the care of about 1.5 million children in 1998, and the1996 welfare reform law increased child care funding by $4 billion over six years to provide child care assistance to families moving from welfare to work. Since 1993, the Clinton-Gore Administration has increased funding for the Head Start program by 90 percent, and in FY 2000, the program will serve approximately 880,000 children - over 160,000 more children than in 1993. Increased the Minimum Wage. The minimum wage has risen from $4.25 to $5.15 per hour, increasing wages for 10 million workers. The President and Vice President have called for an additional increase to $6.15 over two years. [Good News for Low Income Families: Expansions in the EITC and Minimum Wage, CEA, 12/98]