Changed his mind since the election

[southpaw]

Subsidies and grant money are two different things.

Through the BCCD (Bedford County Conservation District) and programs such as CREP, EQIP, and the like are monies available to farmers to implement BMP's(Best Management Practice) to protect the environment. No-Till, Stream Bank fencing, MiG, manure handling facilities, and CAFO regulation are all means of preventing erosion, watershed protection, protecting wildlife and fishery habitat, and preserving clean drinking water.

Subsidies are another matter they are annual payments to farmers for the over prodctuion of commodities such as crops, milk, and ethanol (BTW ethanol is a total political canard!)

Don't quote me on this but most grant money for Conservation efforts on farms aren't part of the farm bill.

http://www.bedfordcountyconservation.com

[southpaw]

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB122711567037241219.html

Former senator Tom Daschle as HHS secretary. Anybody regretting voting for Mr. Hope and Change. Where's the change we can believe in?

A parallel what if McCain won and appointed the following....

Tom Delay Chief of Staff......equivalent of Rahmbo!

Rick Santorum HHS......equivalent of Tom Daschle!

Ken Starr AG......equivalent of Eric Holder!

Kay Bailey Hutchison SecState.......equivalent of Hilary Clinton

Do you think the MSM would be praising them?

[southpaw]

http://biz.yahoo.com/ap/081119/wall_street.html?.v=49

There is change you can believe in!

How much has the dow changed in the last two weeks? -25%! No correlation between Obama election and the DOW tanking? I don't think it tanked this bad in the aftermath of 9/11.

[southpaw]

Is that kool-aid a little skunky tasting now?

[deliverance]

Man, what if McCain won? He didn't, so it doesn't really matter.

[southpaw]

Just trying to point out the hypocrisy of the MSM. What about the Dow tanking the last two weeks?

[deliverance]

What about the Dow tanking the past year? Who is that on? What about this country being run into the ground by your very own G. Dub. Bushwacker.

[once a runner]

Southpaw, sorry I'm not keeping up with this thread....sometimes life intervenes. Anyway, here is what I don't like about NCLB. One, we're spending an increasing amount of time testings and consequently less teaching. If the goal is to make kids smarter, we should teach more and test less. Throw in routine tests from the classroom, other standardized tests and more and more PSSA tests each year, we are definitely testing too much. Secondly, the accountability from the student is laughable. There is little, if any motivation for the student to want to do well on these tests. Third, by the time the students are in 11th grade they are all being tested on an academic track. Is it really important for a Vo-tech or business student to be proficient in solving the Pythagorean Theorem? In short, students are not being tested on their career track. For the sake of brevity, I'll stop there.

On a second point, I do believe that man contributes to global warming. I compare it to the smoking controversy back in the 40's and 50's. At one time smoking was considered "good for you". They even had pro athletes endorsing cigarettes at one time. As studies came out and said this wasn't true, the tobacco companies got their own "scientists" to say this was not true. Over time it has been proven that smoking is bad for you and is addictive. When you think about, how can inhaling smoke be good for you in any way? I think the same thing about pollutants and the environment. Those who stand to lose money vehemently fight the man made contribution to global warming. Again, when you think about it, how can dumping waste and pollution be good for the environment? At some point, there is going to be a severe consequence.

Health care...yes, I do believe that everyone should have health care. I also believe that it should not be free and everyone must contribute. However, I also don't think that a person without health care should be forced to choose between going into permanent debt and dying. My problem is that there are people who work several low paying jobs and they do not get benefits. Yet, the jobs don't pay enough to cover health care. Here we have people who are working hard and trying to better themselves and working their way to a job that does offer health care or to a salary where it is affordable and they are taking a risk in hoping that nothing debilitating happens to them before they can be insured. I just don't see what is wrong when a government chooses to help it's people when they need it.

On a different subject, I loved the rules you posted earlier. I have seen them before and agree with them. Correct me if I'm wrong, but you seem to label all liberals the same. We're all bleeding hearts, pro abortion, environmental wackos, in favor of every hand out available. That of course is absolutely not true. As you well know, I'm a liberal, but that does not mean I am against personal accountability. I see nothing wrong with a government looking out for its citizens when they fall on hard times. Yes, there are always some that abuse the system, but that means the system needs fixed, not eliminated.

I've known good people who have used unemployment as a springboard to get back on their feet. I've seen people use disability to be able to pay their bills in the face of a freak accident. Yes, people abuse welfare, but far more people use it for the purpose it was intended. Many senior citizens struggle with the cost of medications, but can you imagine the burden it would be without Medicare? We're all just one freak accident or serious illness away from needing help.

[southpaw]

What about the Dow tanking the past year? Who is that on? What about this country being run into the ground by your very own G. Dub. Bushwacker.

Hey my guy is a lame duck. Obaminator is calling the shots now! We were all told he is the messiah the second coming and he would solve all are problems when he is elected. So what's happened since? -1500 and falling......Where's the hope? Where's the change we can believe in? I want to know! I think the stock market started to tank when Harry and Nancy took over Congress. But like you said its all Bush's fault, right? HaHaHaHa.


http://www.philly.com/philly/wires/ap/b ... d=12713054

[southpaw]

OAR,

I agree with a lot on your NCLB assessment. We end up teaching a whole year to pass a test. But I think public education needs shook to its very foundations. The number one thing I would change is how special education is regulated. We spend and enormous amount of money, time, and resources on these kids to bring up their achievement but in most cases it simply doesn't work. Don't get me wrong these kids need an education but what we do now doesn't work and these kids get a free pass because they are labeled. Just think if we spent the same money, time, and resources on our best and brightest 15% of students. What could they achieve? Also most exchange students I had over the years go to different schools based on their aptitude. We don't do that in the US and its hurting us. Finally we need to get some sort of apprentice program for students ready to enter the work force while they are still in high school. The early work release program doesn't work.

Dumping waste and pollution is not man made global warming. Do you think CO2 is a pollutant? What are plants going to do without CO2? Let me say it again there is no man-made global warming! Its junk science! Natural global warming is tied mainly to the maunder minimum phenomenon. As I said earlier the real problems of erosion and pollution are being shelved in favor of this fascist green revolution agenda that has man-made global warming as its centerpiece! It nothing more than a radical political agenda to take away our freedom in order to save the planet from catastrophe. Its total garbage.

The biggest environmental problem I feel is availability of clean drinking water. Wars will be fought in the future over water rights.

Finally OAR...you didn't explain how Obama is going to make this "green economy" work. Where are the 5 million "green" jobs going to come from the next four years? I'd like to hear that one.