Last Thought On The Mess Were In

[Kenneth B.]

Years age in the POGO comic strip he said " WE HAVE MET THE ENEMEY & HE IS US" For those that get it no explanation is needed. For those that don't none is possable. GOD help this great nation!
KEN

[Bill M.]

Re: Last Thought On The Mess Were In

God gave us our chance over and over. Greedy business men and corrupt politacians are taking us to our end. Get rid of the illegals with their herd of relatives and see how fast we bounce back. in new York or emergency rooms are full of them. Oh wait we own Corvettes so we must be rich.
Bill

[Ridge K.]

Re: Last Thought On The Mess Were In

Ken, I think this comment is exactly on the right track. I listened to a very, very smart historian the other day state that he feels America is getting close to the state of the union in 1860, just prior to the Civil War. No great shock here. We have been a very divided nation for some time now, with roughly half of the country leaning left, and supportive of the democratic party (in general), and the other half leaning right, and supportive of the republican party, As a nation, we have watched partisan bickering permeate most houses of congress, and watched as gridlock paralyzed the strength of the country.
Most would agree that the technical discussion board has seen as much commentary concerning the financial state of America, as technical questions concerning Corvettes. I have stated before, that I salute the moderators for permitting some discussion of this issue that affects all members of the NCRS.

Those who own business that work with union employees (and their rules), likewise are free to pursue other business interests.




May God help us from this internal fight, before we go down the wrong path again, 145 years, after the first. Ridge.

[Henry S.]

Re: Last Thought On The Mess Were In

Ken, I think this comment is exactly on the right track. I listened to a very, very smart historian the other day state that he feels America is getting close to the state of the union in 1860, just prior to the Civil War. No great shock here. We have been a very divided nation for some time now, with roughly half of the country leaning left, and supportive of the democratic party (in general), and the other half leaning right, and supportive of the republican party, As a nation, we have watched partisan bickering permeate most houses of congress, and watched as gridlock paralyzed the strength of the country.
Most would agree that the technical discussion board has seen as much commentary concerning the financial state of America, as technical questions concerning Corvettes. I have stated before, that I salute the moderators for permitting some discussion of this issue that affects all members of the NCRS.

Those who own business that work with union employees (and their rules), likewise are free to pursue other business interests.




May God help us from this internal fight, before we go down the wrong path again, 145 years, after the first. Ridge.

Ridge,
Very appropriate and RIGHT ON! Unfortunately our politicians of the past 25 years have done their very best to divide the country for their own well being. Too many on both sides of the aisle have become career politicians and lost sight of what's good for our country. Personally I think the majority of Americans, the 60-70 per cent in the middle want the same things in life. It's the 10-15% far left or far right that have screwed it up for that 60-70 % in the middle. I fear we are headed down a path our country has never been and may not be able to recover from unless BOTH PARTYS pull their heads out of their butts and pull this country together.

Shooter

[Alan S.]

Re: Last Thought On The Mess Were In

Hi Shooter,
I think you're right on.
The 60-70 percent that you mention carry the load. AND they/we keep their/our mouths shut!
We're in for a very difficult period.
Regards,
Alan

[Bill T.]

Re: Last Thought On The Mess Were In

It is sad that we have raised a society of people that can do very little for themselves and have an entitlement mentality. They have no concept of the sacrifices that were made by our ancestors to give us the life we now live. I hear constant complaints of how rough it is. B.S! We have power 24 hrs. a day, water flows on demand from the tap, stores are stocked with more consumables than we know what to do with. WHY have I not been hearing the cry " Buy American"?

[Rick S.]

Re: Last Thought On The Mess Were In

Ridge,
Being a retired police officer and the V.P. of our union for many years, I am not sure of your comment that the taxpayers pick up these bills. If you mean that they fund the unions, not correct, we were totally self-funded as a union. If you mean that you pay our salary and benefits, sure you do, just as any public employee. I also helped pay for my salary and benefits, as I am a taxpayer. When I started in 1967, I was paid $4200 a year which equates to $2.00 an hour. If I remember correctly that was just above my E4 pay as an MP in the Army from 65-67. There was no union back then or any organized group to bargain for a pay raise. You took what the city "gave" you for a raise. It was about 1969 that we formed a union, which the city fought very hard against, and started to negotiate a contract. There was a new state law then, Act 312, binding arbitration, which mandated that the city negotiate in good faith. Things got better for us and we made great strides in improving our salary and working conditions. Today, the pay is good and the benefits are better than average but remember for the job performed, many in the private sector wouldn't do it for twice the pay.

Rick

[Loren L.]

Re: Last Thought On The Mess Were In

There is one positive to the bowing and curtseing being done to the "campaign to elect Caroline" - not one of these a_____s will ever again be allowed to refer to Palin as "Unqualified"!!!
It almost helps that "The Nanny" has declared herself to be a candidate!
Somebody checking the moving vans from the Deep South - John Edwards should be available by tomorrow afternoon.
You can almost hear Bill's secret phone call to Monica = "But you already live in New York - you'd be a shoo-in....and then we can share cigars again.".

[Ridge K.]

Re: Last Thought On The Mess Were In

Ridge,
Being a retired police officer and the V.P. of our union for many years, I am not sure of your comment that the taxpayers pick up these bills. If you mean that they fund the unions, not correct, we were totally self-funded as a union. If you mean that you pay our salary and benefits, sure you do, just as any public employee. I also helped pay for my salary and benefits, as I am a taxpayer. When I started in 1967, I was paid $4200 a year which equates to $2.00 an hour. If I remember correctly that was just above my E4 pay as an MP in the Army from 65-67. There was no union back then or any organized group to bargain for a pay raise. You took what the city "gave" you for a raise. It was about 1969 that we formed a union, which the city fought very hard against, and started to negotiate a contract. There was a new state law then, Act 312, binding arbitration, which mandated that the city negotiate in good faith. Things got better for us and we made great strides in improving our salary and working conditions. Today, the pay is good and the benefits are better than average but remember for the job performed, many in the private sector wouldn't do it for twice the pay.

Rick

I was hired by the Tulsa Fire Department on January 5th, of 1976, with a starting salary of $625.00 per month, with a 56 hour workweek. You are exactly correct, that the private sector pays quite a bit more than public safety jobs. The first time I cradled a small child inside my bunker coat, and carried her out of her burning apartment, it became clear, I had chosen the right profession, regardless of salary. I was blessed to be able to serve Tulsans, for 29 years.

[Martin T.]

Re: Last Thought On The Mess Were In

I continue to be baffled by the mess our country is in. In my opinion I think we need to continue to be a melding pot. However, all those who come to our nation to call it their own should have to go through the immigration process (as did my father and mother). There is no free ride and no one should feel entitled. By the same token, there should be a more even distribution of wealth. Management and labor should work in cooperation in any job. What you are paid should be a reflection of your efforts and in the words of Dennis Miller " some of these execs should get golden parachutes, real golden parachutes at 10,000 feet."
In most sciences you revert to the simpliest basic premiss to help answer the most complex questions. In this case perhaps: Responsibility for your actions, learn to play(work) together toward a common goal, don't live beyond your means, be willing to help others, be passionate about what you do. We cannot live on the resources of other people or other countries and maintain financial and political strength here at home and we cannot allow the disappearance of the middle class and see the country fall into the haves and have nots. With this said, we also need to be willing to allow for the reward of those who take a risk and benefit themselves and those around them.

[Rick S.]

Re: Last Thought On The Mess Were In

Amen Ridge, Amen.

[Roy B.]

Re: Last Thought On The Mess Were In

Have no fear Obama is here

[Michael L.]

Re: Last Thought On The Mess Were In

Roy, we won't have much to worry about... By the time Obama is in office, our pensions and 401K funds will already be emptied... I have lost all the interest earnings I made in the last 12 years in my 401K, now with the Fed lowering interest rates, my CD accounts will gain little in interest for my retirement and social security will be cut by 25% by the time I can collect. Funny we were told a year ago to start saving for ourselves because our social security was going to run dry and now we can't even get a few points on savings. The government tightened personal bankruptcy laws to benefit lenders just a few years back, Hhhmmm, do you think they saw this coming??? Why did Harrah's and Station Casino's both go private this year, buying all their stock back when it was at a premium? Somebody told them Wall Street was going to tank. If this is the govs idea of free market and trade, we'll all be minions to a bank real soon. Kiss the middle class goodbye. I met a 70 year old guy yesterday who had to go back to driving his 18 wheeler to cover his losses. He never thought at 70 he'd be going back to work to pay the bills.For all the talk about conservatives being fiscally responsible we sure are in a mess. The last 8 years we have seen a surplus turn into the worst debt since the great depression. Rebuplican or Democrat, it does not matter, this country is tanking.

[Terry M.]

[Roy B.]

Re: Last Thought On The Mess Were In

I'm thank full I ran my life not depending on the Government , I own out right everything I have , commercial property,house , cars and have a large equity and some cash . I have always been self employed looking for nothing from the Government . It's just the way I'm thank GOD. I don't see the doom and gloom when I think back to the Carter years. If this country goes down then the whole world goes with use and I just don't see that coming but do see a house cleaning coming (Government).