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I think that is a naive outlook. If someone has a solid support system that can watch your child(ren) for free, yes. When the average cost of daycare is $10 an hour, explain how you can afford to survive when almost all of your paycheck goes to cover it? Especially when you take into account that your benefits are based on your income, so as you work, your benefits decrease. A good work ethic and dedication have nothing to do with straight up not being able to afford it. A single woman who graduates high school with a crap education, gets a manufacturing job at $12 an hour, works 40 hours a week, pays $10 an hour for daycare can not afford to pay for it all, even with assistance. She then gets trapped on the teat, work and not survive, or accept the benefits and survive. College? Not even in the cards If she can't afford day care when she is working, how will she afford it when she doesn't have the hourly income. Take that same woman and give her a support system that she can trust that can watch her child(ren) while she is working, attending class and studying at no cost to her, and she has a much better chance of success. The funny part of this argument is that we then run into the common dead horse of today about the parent(s) not being their to raise the child. How could they? They are working 40 hours a week and taking classes to change their stars. The point is simple, the system is broken. Society has changed. Families do not stay together, it doesn't mean the devil is coming, it means that society has changed from the 50s. The same era that history shows wasn't all peaches and cream either. A man as close to me as a father was raised by a single mother, after his father walked out on seven kids, then went on to have several more. He never helped, was never there. The mother didn't work. She raised a garden and took care of her sons and daughter. This man grew up to be one of the finest men I know, and it took a lot to get him there. I am not saying that I agree with the route society has taken. My wife and I have been together for a long time, we became friends twenty years ago and next month we have our twelfth wedding anniversary. We have one daughter, because at that time in our life, one child is what we could afford. We both work, and we both are involved in our daughter's life. That might have been the norm, and it might be the norm among our circle of friends. But it wasn't how I was raised, and it isn't how my friends as a child were raised. It also isn't how my daughter's peers are being raised. Again, I can stand on a soap box on the corner and rant about it, but that isn't going to change the new norm. Just like this thread of normal discourse discussing Welfare Reform isn't going to cause the whole system to be revamped. I just think that too often we sit in our little world and judge others when we don't understand the struggles they may or may not be facing. I hear every day from folks about how hard it is for them to escape the drugs and poverty. But that is all they know, how they were raised. It is how I was raised, and I know, it was a struggle. It was pure hell. If it weren't for my wife, my daughter and several healthy communities I became a part of, I am not sure I would have made it.

I think it's more of an issue of they believe if the person isn't willing to talk in person, it's more likely to be a scam. People get scammed over email all of the time. Less so over the phone on something like this. I think your When I see "text only" response is the exact same response for many about dealing over email. Many prefer to simply have a call. I know I do. Easier to ask and answer questions quickly on a call vs email or text.

For someone who’s not particularly religious, that message will sure preach.

An unarmed populace has a far greater threat in its government than a lunatic with a gun.

I don't think it's a secret that I partake in the opium of the masses, my particular addiction being Christianity. It is from that perspective I share my story. God created us to do stuff and be active He commands us to do that stuff and those activities to the best of our abilities and with a cheerful heart. Sometimes that stuff and those activities aren't fun or easy. But as obedient servants we should still follow God's commands to be faithful with the opportunities we have. Professionally, you may not have the drive, desire, or passion to do your best, give your best or be your best. And that's where I was Monday. Got to go to work, don't want to. Got to see clients, don't want to. You get paid, get out the door and remember God's command, be faithful with your current opportunity. Choose not to do it, the job I'm paid for that is, how is that any different from stealing? As I'm driving to my first appointment, I hear a preacher on Joy620 on your AM dial, talking about, "when Satan comes to get you" When we're weary, worn out, torn down, at our weakest, the negative thoughts and idleness set in. From a Christian perspective, the doubt of God's promises. The whisper of doubt comes from the father of lies (had to use it, it's a nice turn of phrase) From a non-Christian viewpoint with no concern about a higher power, how much time have you lost with equivalent non productive thoughts? My lesson, show a deeper love for God through being more faithful with the stuff and activities I must do, despite what I may want to do. I also learned by being faithful with the stuff and activities, it reduces those times I could be idle and open to the whispers of Satan. For non-Christians, a lesson in do the right thing all the time and by being active, there ain't much time wasted nor extra time to get into trouble with non productive activities. Keep fighting the good fight, do unto others, and keep your eye on the prize!

Saw in another thread someone talking about a Dan Wesson. This is my pistol pack that I have owned since 1981. I thought I would pull it out of the safe and show it off. It is a model 15-2 in .357. I love this pistol. They are great guns and very accurate.

I went golfing once. I quickly realized it's more fun to shoot the balls with a .22

I remember growing up eating Government cheese, and big tubs of peanut butter. I was real fond of the navy beans in the white cans, and I had to be near starving to eat the green beans. I do not agree with the boxes of food. From a logistical standpoint it is a nightmare, delivery, dietary constraints, etc. What I do agree with is an approved food list just like WIC. Ground beef, milk, blocks of cheese, fresh fruit and vegetables, or canned. I do not agree with soft drinks, candy, junk food etc. It is too easy to (legitimately) spend all of your monthly allotment on Mountain Dew and Doritos at the first of the month. Then you and the children have nothing to eat my the middle of week two. I personally think that mandatory classes on money management (with provided day care,) and job training skills (again with day care) would go a lot farther. I understand that it is hard for folks to find jobs that fit. There are a lot of variables to it all. My wife hates her job. She is underappreciated and overworked. It pays well, but it is demeaning. She wants to leave it. However we have no family and the cost of child care for our daughter is outrageous. Her job allows her a shift that is opposite of mine. Meaning that outside of emergency circumstances, we don't have to put our daughter into daycare. My wife stays at a job she hates because of that. Now, lets take our tax bracket out of the equation, and one of the parents. Hell, let's add a child or two. Now, how is a parent supposed to work at a realistic rate of $15 an hour, pay rent, buy food, keep gas in a car, lights on in a house AND pay for childcare? Much less get an education to better themselves? It is easy to lay the blame on them for poor choices, or society for the new norms. That isn't helping. There needs to be a total revamp of the system. Subsidized child care, hell, that in itself would create jobs, would be a huge boon. With the amount of social programs out there now, training programs would go a long way to fixing what is broke. Accept the fact we are a consumer nation now and not a manufacturing nation. Train for service jobs. Until there is a total overhaul of the welfare and education systems, there will not be a change. College is not the answer for every child, regardless of the cost/ability to afford it. I have a rather high IQ, I did poorly in school because I didn't care. I was lied to and convinced that college was the answer. I carried a 3.75/4.0 GPA with perfect attendance. I was eligible for a $20k a year job upon graduation with well over $40k in debt. I was a lucky one. Right now we offer training programs with my company, two years, at $14+ an hour and $60k a year average upon completion. That means that realistically a 20 year old kid can be debt free, with a solid career, earning $60k a year. We have 500+ in our company. <10 under 25. Something needs to change.

YouTube. Robin Williams golf. Go find it if you don’t have delicate ears as the language is foul so I do not post it here. Glorious story of the history of the silly game.

Armor that is going to stop rifle threats is going to be heavy or expensive. And as far as the vest itself they can be cumbersome and unwieldy unless you actually train with them and practice putting them on. An armored vest would also attract attention in a school setting. I recently remember seeing a backpack that has soft armor built in and while that won't stop a rifle round I will say you can find backpacks with pouches for water bladders that will probably accept a hard armor plate. I bet you could drop a hard plate in the backpack and have a very effective bullet stopper without looking like a bullet stopper. Plenty of places could sew in a pouch to hold the plate if you wanted something that looked commonplace in a school. I've seen Hello Kitty backpacks big enough to stick a 10x12 plate inside. As far as why type of plate I would suggest a ceramic as they tend to be lighter but they are thicker. Steel is thinner but weighs more. They do have ultra lightweight plates capable of stopping rifle rounds but they are very expensive. They even have rifle plates that actually float. Some of the polycarbonate plates are nice as well. I have used all the different types and there are benefits to each but you must weigh those against the detractors. For me, personally, I use steel because they are thinner making getting into and out of vehicles easier. I am not going to be pounding the ground so weight is not a concern if it was I would choose ceramic or one of the newer types that weigh very little. Also, do not forget about "In Conjunction" plates. They are designed to have a soft body armor backer. The plate itself doesn't stop the bullet but causes the bullet to break up as it passes through the plate. The soft armor backing then catches the fragments. These are generally lighter and thinner than level 3 stand alone plates but they generally cannot soak up a lot of rounds either as the ones I have seen were ceramic. Any armor with the letter "A" behind it, Like "3A" or "2A", is generally a soft armor plate and will NOT stop rifle rounds no matter the rating. Armor with only a letter designation, "3" or "4", is a hard plate and is designed to stop rifle rounds, providing the classification is high enough. Both types will stop pistol rounds they are rated for but only hard armor plates will stop rifle rounds. You can also use lower rated rifle plates if pistol calibers are the more serious concern. 5.56 is a very, very hard caliber to defeat at close range. And you generally want a level 4 plate to handle point blank 5.56 rounds. Some level 3 plates are rated to stop 5.56 but those are generally not tested at point blank ranges.

Just go get one. Other’s experiences and even your own with possibly an older one really aren’t that relevant. My experience has been excellent to the point that others have asked if I’m going to bring it out to the range. I will say that now they’ve gotten rid of the billboard on the side they look exactly like a 1911 should.

Layered security at airports, check Layered security at government facilities, check Armed security for elected servants, check Private security for those who can afford it, check Personal security for those who exercise their 2A rights, check Key readers to enter hotel weight room to deter non guest access, check Schools, come on in? And yes, we have to paint the narrative of a troubled and mentally ill young man to maintain the focus on the evil of guns and how easy it is for the wrong people to obtain them. I do include MSM news sites in my daily research, it seems close to an anti-gun feeding frenzy out there...

Yeah... She made it ugly (or at least her lawyer did) and for life of me I couldn't understand why because she's the one who was having an affair and wanted out. But that's history and I'm super blessed with a good wife now (13 years and counting)! Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

I guess it depends on you beliefs. I would rather die on the spot or get the death penalty than spend the rest of my life in prison. My religious beliefs do not allow me to be a party to killing someone that doesn’t meet the requirements for the use of deadly force. So I couldn’t be on a jury where the death penalty was on the table; but I could kill a criminal where the use of deadly force was justified and go eat lunch. The taxpayers can have a bigger bill to defend someone in a death penalty case than the cost to keep them in prison until they die or another inmate kills them. Illinois did away with the death penalty when the Governor was faced with many (25 if I remember correctly) on death where it was proven that they could not have committed the murder. How many innocent people are we willing to execute to kill the ones that are guilty? But that’s just my opinion I don’t care one way or the other if the state executes them as long as I’m not involved.

Yep. It just takes that one great shot to keep you coming back. I don't get to play nearly as much as I'd like. It gets expensive and life gets in the way a lot. My kids show occasional interest so time will tell where that goes. What Hozzie said... get some basic instruction now. There's 100 different ways to do it, the hard part is finding the one that works for you. You'd be surprised how much you can learn with a pitching wedge in your backyard and a putter on the hallway rug. Drive for show, putt for dough. You can't make a birdie with a driver, but you can darn sure make a bogey.

@robtattoo I have an extra set of irons that are just sitting in the closet. You are welcome to them if you want to use them before you buy a set.

That's why I golf at night...

If only they’d let us do that on those pretty golf courses.

I hope you still have that Colt Python! I was taught many many years ago practice practice practice , when you think you have it, practice some more. And with both of my grandad's that wasn't just for guns. LOL

If you seriously want to give it a go, spend a little money and get a lesson to start. It's way easier to start with good habits that will make you play better and make the overall experience much more enjoyable. You shouldn't need more than 2-3 lessons to get the basics down. Start with short irons, not a driver or fairway wood. Start with a PW or 7 iron and work your way up.

I'm not willing to trade in the liberty of an entire nation of people, today or ever, to try to prevent a particular type of heinous crime from occurring which is both statistically incredibly rare and not even remotely related to access to firearms. The assault weapon ban never went away and only got worse where I live, yet there are violent criminals committing violent acts all over the place. Many men on this board probably have similar experiences or can relate similar experiences my father had: As a kid in the 50's/60's he and all his friends owned guns they mail ordered from Sears and Roebuck catalog, worked at a gas station all alone at 14 that sold guns the same way they sold gas, to anyone with money, and learned to shoot from the school principal who was also the Scoutmaster. People weren't killing each other. We've torn our nation and our culture apart which in the end is the cause, not the guns. So we can shred the constitution, disarm the American people and become socialists on the brink of extinction like most of Europe or we can actually address the real issue which is the systematic attack and dismantling of the Home, the Church and the American Way of Life.

Access to firearms has never been more restricted that at the present time. AR15 has been on the civilian market for over 50 years and is one of the most popular firearms in history, probably millions to 10's of millions of them in the US. Obviously, something changed other than access to firearms; if there was a correlation then these incidents would be less likely now, not more. The AR came on the market in 1963, at a time when there were virtually no gun laws other than restrictions on machineguns, 5 years before the 1968 GCA. What has happened in the time period since then, lets reason together: We as a nation have practically destroyed the nuclear family, eviscerated and emasculated the role of the Church in society and replaced chivalry and self-sacrifice with victimhood and narcissism. We abort viable pregnancies due to inconvenience, and promote offing the elderly and ill if we deem their quality of life substandard. We allow our children to play video games that utilize the exact same psychological conditioning used to make our Vietnam Vets more efficient killers (and caused an explosion of PTSD casualties, you all know that more vets have killed themselves since the war than died in it). Instead of mothers and fathers raising their sons and daughters to be ladies and gentlemen, we tell the kids they might be homosexuals or misgendered, and instead of disciplining and training them we put them on Prozac and Ritalin and give them Facebook to experience the insecurities of puberty on a macro scale, all alone on powerful mind altering medications with no morals and no father to smack them and no mother to hug them. Short of a revival (and I do mean the Christian sort), I don't know what can turn this around, we've wasted a generation, maybe two now, and I'm staying armed and vigilant because the last thing that's gonna make anyone safer is taking away the ability to meet these threats head on. I'm sorry to say I don't see this getting better anytime soon, but will continue to pray about it, and do what I can to influence my children and other young people that I can in appositive way...

Aw now don't get upset. I actually do have a regular stock, but its one of those foreign replacements and in bad need of a refinish. Yeah, some may scream BLASPHEMY! But, its certainly no worse than hanging all manner of crap on an AR. Besides, I already have a straight up G.I. version. What I've done here is taken an excellent home defense rifle and made it better. Its smaller, lighter, handles like a champ and shoots great. I've even shot 3 gun matches with it. Ok, I'll grant that its a bit weird, But then so am I.

He was just mentioning existing law, employees can carry on public college property if they jump through certain hoops, the college can't ban it. Can also carry on private college property IF the school allows and implements a policy. They can also carry on private K-12 schools IF the school allows and implements a policy. But same for public K-12 schools not allowed under any circumstance. - OS

Be sure to yell "FORE!" at the top of your lungs as well. We love that.

That’s better than belching at a red right when all the windows are down just like the car full of kids next to you.

From a buffoon, or crass and uncouth standpoint?

Some of you guys need to go back and edit your posts so you aren’t giving that lame azz PB free advertising. The food looks good though….That is all…carry on.

I just read this and offered up prayer for him and your family, they are intended to be ours up till the time that they are to go off and be their own person, we then pray and ask that God continue to bless them and keep them safe. You have done your job! And a fine one I am sure! Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

I've used various magazines. All work well.

Let me add this. Pray for all the sons and daughters in service.

Is that here on TGO? Personally, I won't meet anyone in person before I speak to them on the phone. I can get a much better feel for a person over the phone than I can via text or email. When I was trying to sell my car a few months ago I couldn't get this one person to call me. He kept emailing me. NEXT!

I've used those that came with mine, also my Wilson Combat, and McCormick mags, even some no name ones. All functioned well.

Congratulations. Good shooting. Not bad at all.

More brought to the fore by a far faster media. Such speed doesn't seem to obtain in dealing with the shooter.

I was an absolute mess before I decided to take ownership of my culinary skills. Research and practice make perfect. It took time, but I'm very much an example of being able to cook your way to a high standard.

Listen to Hozzie, that is some good advice. I love to play golf. If you ever pick up the game we have to go out play 9 or 18.

I think this should disprove a lot of the 'this is a recent thing.' School shootings, and mass shootings have always happened. Modern Mass Media makes it seem like a new trend. Yes, the bodycounts are getting higher, but contrary to popular belief, 'the good old days' are just a myth.

If a law fixes the problem, we already have the one that says murder is illegal. Doesn't seem to fix the problem.

I wouldn't want to foul your expectations, or lack of. Of COURSE if you take legal firearms away, the percentage of gun crimes will go down... but never away, as the baddies will always find a way. And since such a step is a major stride towards an authoritarian state, one won't have to worry about the stats anymore. Mass murder, whether by the hand of a terrorist or a lunatic will be with us for a long time. Underestimating the ingenuity of the bloodyhanded, absent firearms, would be folly. An earlier post inquired if making terrorist threats was a crime? Yes, it is. SWC

Looks like Old Stone Fort is out your way. Should have a driving range for a little practice. Not much between you and Spring Hill or I’d meet up and show you a few things. YouTube will help a bunch too.

Well, there was that 10 year Assault Weapon Ban thang, ya know. The "inconvenient truth" is that of course the number of mass shooting casualties would fall if all semi-auto weapons were banned from ownership with no grandfathering. If the average person can't get one, well, duh... It would of course take a while, indeed a whole generation or more to ferret all of them out, but by some point, nobody would be running into a school with an AR or AK. Because you couldn't take Daddy's from the safe, or go out and buy one a week or month or year before you used it (many if not most of the mass shootings from the younger crowd, the gun was acquired relatively close in time to it's use). Because nobody would be making or selling them, and yes, a whole lotta gun manufacturers would go out of biz. Now, don't shoot the messenger, but all you have to do is look at other countries where semi-auto is banned and/or very tightly controlled. Once heavily armed Australia remains a relatively violent country, but it's one on one crime, no longer mass mayhem. Mass murder by firearm no longer really exists in the UK or much of western Europe. (except by the terrorists let into the country, but that's a different issue). Etc etc. Do, I advocate that? Of course not, as I feel the long term last hope for a free country rests on the populace being adequately armed. But the price is high, and I don't kid myself that any of the proposed half-measures will have much affect, even over time. Hell, investigating "suspected loons" has its own inherent risks to freedom overall too and can set some dangerous precedents. Of course, you can still use revolvers, shotguns, bolt/lever action rifles, knives, axes, bombs, arson, whatever, but none of those methods are nearly as safe or convenient to the perp as wading through a captive audience with an AK or AR, or even a 10/22 for that matter, with hundreds of rounds. And that could effectively be removed from the society eventually, speaking in practical and logical terms only. - OS (not expecting this to be a popular response )

I'm more for giving folks a hoe and packets of heirloom seeds.

Some things should be common sense; but they aren’t. I find it laughable that being able to ask for ID when someone is using food stamps is somehow demeaning, but asking them to take a drug test isn’t. Jobs are what will change things. I believe in a hand up; not a handout

Personally I think many of the issues our youth are having are directly related to lack of parenting. Single parent homes particularly where no father is present lack hard boundaries. Nurturing is a wonderful thing but kids NEED rules and consequences too. If they go long enough without them the results are what we see in our society today. Participation trophies, no sense of accomplishment, or how to deal with loss. So many kids are just adrift in the world. They never get prepared for adulthood, and responsibility. The results are terrifying and the public response will largely be to blame anything BUT they perpetrator of this horrible event.

Reproductions is the better term.

Squeeze your gun hand till it hurts and then your tight enough. After a while it becomes second nature how hard you need to squeeze your grip. Time at the range will only help that. Been there and done that..............

First dram since this little guy came into the world. Celebratory pour for sure! I’ve been saving the last 1/4 of this bottle for something special, even before we knew we were having a baby. Nothing more fitting Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

I did about 20lbs of pork BBQ on the smoker last weekend and we've been slowing eating on it over the week. I'll vacuum seal about half of it tonight or tomorrow and freeze it. I'm pretty BBQ'd out right now. That also means it's time to do a full packer brisket soon.

At my age, every time I renew, I think it is probably a lifetime renewal.