quietguy

I have to agree with you there.

While I agree, why should we be beholden to anyone in the international community? If we had responsible political leadership, we should be able to buy and sell any other country in the world. We have squandered our success

We could balance the budget tomorrow, but we don't have the political courage to do it. God forbid you offend a voting block.

I really think that this election is more about who doesn't show up to the polls, than those who do. In my estimation, this helps Romney. Just fact that Gitmo is still open will keep a huge portion of Obama's base from voting. It is my hope that the "one hit wonder, ideologue" voters are just so disappointed that they would rather stay home, smoke their dope, and check the balance on their EBT card.

I am not recommending completely discrediting the Chinese influence on our economy, but am just saying that all of the press reports are extremely exaggerated. If you look at the trends, Japan will actually hold more US debt than China in the next 18-24 months than China.

If you don't pass a budget, what good would it do? That is where we are today, and have been for the last three years. There are a lot easier solutions than a balanced budget amendment. All it would take is a rule change in both houses of congress.

No, but it was the first SC decision that established the 2nd Amendment as an individual right, and opened the door to further litigation.

While I don't always like the outcome, I still assert that if you repealed the 17th Amendment, the current system is by far the fairest. Those who call for the elimination of the Electoral College are democrats (small d), because they do not believe in the system that was setup by our founding fathers. They want a democracy, which is not our political system. Our founding fathers understood the limitations of democracy, republics, and representative democracies. They created a system that, when not significantly altered, works fantastically. The Bill of Rights protects our individual rights, the House represents the People, the Senate represents the States, the Executive Branch handles day to day operations and takes care of emergencies (which is why the EC exists to give preference to the populous, but at the same time ensure that the States have a heavy hand), and the Judicial Branch just sits back and sorts out the conflicts. The several States were designed to be the ultimate authority, which I am much more comfortable with that what we have in place today.

I am with you. I know that most folks here will disagree, but I do see a huge difference between a governor (of what is probably one of the two most philosophically liberal states in the Union) signing a piece of restrictive legislation, as opposed to a view of the Constitution at the Federal level. Keep in mind that he was governor before the Heller decision, and the general consensus was that legally it was up to the several States to determine their own restrictions on firearms prior to that court action. I don't think that Romney will ever be a great proponent of our 2nd Amendment rights, but I also don't believe that he has a secret agenda to suppress them.

I am having a little trouble locating it, but I read an interesting study a few months ago. Its assertion was that while the overall US economy had progressed, the average US household had actually been in a fiscal decline since the early 70's. I am not sure that I completely agree with their conclusion, but the numbers were pretty solid. The focus on the study was real income in relation to CPI.

You do understand that US concerns hold about 7x more of the National Debt than China. They are the largest foreign holder, but it is fairly small portion when you look at the real situation. To use your credit card comparison, China is nothing more than a small service fee. We are also the largest market for their goods, and declining market conditions here would have a much bigger impact on them than if we defaulted on our debt. In fact, all foreign interests are only about half of the "investors" in our debacle. The situation is critical, and getting worse every day. But it is a complex situation, and we have to do our part to educate ourselves about the real facts. We can't take the word of anyone - not the media, not the talking-heads, and not the a$$clowns that we elect to manage these things.

Be vigilant, they are just plotting their revenge

Welcome

While I am not for limiting the right to vote based on gender, race, religious beliefs, etc, I do think that you stumbled upon one of the critical issues behind the decline of our republic (or representative democacy, if that your chosen definition for our system of government). We get all tied up in the right to vote, but what about the responsibility for casting a vote? I am not suggesting that we go back to the days of landholding white males (which is a demographic that I would qualify for), but I do think that we should better define the right to vote, and for whom it applies. Our freedoms aren't free, and our rights don't come without responsibilities. When we expend the right to vote to those who do not understand or appreciate the heavy burden that comes with it, we are destined to fail. Millions of men and women have given their lives to ensure that we have these rights, the least that we can do is take their service and sacrifice seriously. I think that the fairest criteria for which to define a voter would be based on a civics test. When you factor in the fact that we spend tens to hundreds of thousands of dollars per child for a public school education (which historically, the sole purpose of a public education system to prepare students to participate in our republic) I just don't think that it is asking too much for that voter to understand the difference between their state representative and their senators at the federal level. BTW, I know that my capitalization is far from correct. That is intentional.

There is a lot to like about what has come out of Prescott the last couple of years. I might have to pick one of these up when they hit the shelves. Weren't the old 10/22 Magnums marked WMRF?

Good luck. I haven't been to Cumberland City in years, but there are a lot worse places to kill time than Cross Creeks/Cumberland City.

A full mag would have probably helped, an extended mag would probably have been perfect.

I agree, and my post was at lot more terse than intended. Black powder does give you a little extra range during muzzleloader/archery season. The other 50 weeks a year, I am with you.

Hunting from a blind makes perfect sense.

Dude, I was just kidding.

I agree. It is one thing to take advantage of someone, completely different to jump on a good deal. I bought my first two Sigs for similar prices in similar condition, but that was couple of years ago. I paid the price they asked, and we both slept fine.

So you have urges to kiss a dude? Is that a choice, or were you born that way? 100% just kidding.

I haven't owned one, but have played with one at a shop. I love the idea, and I thought it was well made. To me, the only drawback was the balance. It was pretty front-heavy.

Well, they do still have a few "moderates" :stunned:

Well, you are down there amongst those self-important Williamson County residents. They just can't be bothered by the inconvenience of anybody (dead, injured, or otherwise) getting between them and Whole Foods.