General Discussion 5

[TransWarpDrive]

EDIT: At any rate, this looks more like a tentative proposal that got floated and people pounced on; what with the VA and lawmaker opposition, the idea will either be quietly dropped or be DOA if it somehow makes to Congressional floor deliberations.

I read a report on CNN that stated that this is just something under consideration; and that no decision has been made yet regarding it. However, given the overwhelming opposition to this measure from veterans' groups and Congress, I too get the feeling that this proposal will be dropped quicker than a lump of weapons-grade plutonium. Instead, they'll enact a compromise measure - one more to the liking of the veterans and their friends in the legislature.
Anyway, the thing to do if you don't like this proposal is write to the President, and tell him how you feel about it. Also, write your senators and congressmen/women to express your feelings. That's what democracy's all about - people participating in government by letting their elected representatives know just where they stand on things. As a member of the Aircraft Owners and Pilots' Association for the past 22 years, I can tell you that this sort of grass-roots activism works. Many's the time I've had to write letters to politicians regarding legislature that could adversely affect my hard-earned flying privileges. If enough people write in to oppose a piece of legislation, the politicians will do something about it - especially if they want to get re-elected.
So get out your pens and stationery, and send your letters to Washington. President Obama has expressed a willingness to listen to ideas and suggestions from both his supporters and his opponents. So I recommend that you take him up on his offer and let him know how you feel about this. And if you have any suggestions for alternate measures than the one he suggested, let the President know those too. One can never tell where a good idea - one that can benefit a great many people - will come from.
I went into "lecture mode" again - sorry about that!
I'll get down off my soapbox now....

I didn't realize that! You're a pilot, TWD? Hmmm...............................I might just have a job for you one of these days..................if I ever become rich and famous...........

Thanks, but I need to do some serious catching up before taking a flying job - especially since I haven't flown since April of 1990. Plus, I'll need to get additional ratings; I'm only rated for "Single-Engine, Land" aircraft, under Visual Flight Rules only (VFR). I'd need to get my instrument rating; then get additional ratings in more complex aircraft - variable-pitch props and retractable landing gear; twin-engined piston and turboprop aircraft. Then I could qualify as a commercial pilot.
But hey, the offer sounds tempting....

[Rob]

Thanks, but I need to do some serious catching up before taking a flying job - especially since I haven't flown since April of 1990. Plus, I'll need to get additional ratings; I'm only rated for "Single-Engine, Land" aircraft, under Visual Flight Rules only (VFR). I'd need to get my instrument rating; then get additional ratings in more complex aircraft - variable-pitch props and retractable landing gear; twin-engined piston and turboprop aircraft. Then I could qualify as a commercial pilot.
But hey, the offer sounds tempting....

1990, huh? Well, you've been behind the stick more recently than I have... October of 1985, actually. I wasn't even 11 yet... but I was riding shotgun in that little Cessna with a commercial pilot.


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Out of curiosity, is anybody here running an NCAA tournament bracket? Personally, I'm not doing one, because I'm not obsessed with the tournament. But if you're doing one, whether just for fun or as part of a pool, more power to you.

I find it amusing that ESPN's posted President Obama's bracket, and Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski actually took time to crack on Obama, although that might be due to the President picking UNC to win it all...

[garnetblack]

Thanks, but I need to do some serious catching up before taking a flying job - especially since I haven't flown since April of 1990. Plus, I'll need to get additional ratings; I'm only rated for "Single-Engine, Land" aircraft, under Visual Flight Rules only (VFR). I'd need to get my instrument rating; then get additional ratings in more complex aircraft - variable-pitch props and retractable landing gear; twin-engined piston and turboprop aircraft. Then I could qualify as a commercial pilot.
But hey, the offer sounds tempting....

1990, huh? Well, you've been behind the stick more recently than I have... October of 1985, actually. I wasn't even 11 yet... but I was riding shotgun in that little Cessna with a commercial pilot.


_____________________________________________


Out of curiosity, is anybody here running an NCAA tournament bracket? Personally, I'm not doing one, because I'm not obsessed with the tournament. But if you're doing one, whether just for fun or as part of a pool, more power to you.

I find it amusing that ESPN's posted President Obama's bracket, and Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski actually took time to crack on Obama, although that might be due to the President picking UNC to win it all...

My bracket has suffered little damage...but that's mainly to the overall chalkiness of my picks (meaning I picked mostly higher seeds to win.)

[NinjaNaco]

Read this bleak forecast on what will happen to the US economy if the current bill in Congress passes both houses. Though, hopefully, all may not be lost - if Obama and his administration are smart. But will they?

I dunno. It's sort of personal, for me - I want to one day be able to have a job and live on my own, and that seems unlikely if the economy becomes "post-prosperity" and keeps going down and down and down; and hopefully one day get married and have a family - but I don't want my children (and their children) to be burdened with a massive, unpayable debt...

[Cody MacArthur Fett]

Read this bleak forecast on what will happen to the US economy if the current bill in Congress passes both houses. Though, hopefully, all may not be lost - if Obama and his administration are smart. But will they?

I dunno. It's sort of personal, for me - I want to one day be able to have a job and live on my own, and that seems unlikely if the economy becomes "post-prosperity" and keeps going down and down and down; and hopefully one day get married and have a family - but I don't want my children (and their children) to be burdened with a massive, unpayable debt...

Well if it's any consultation NN our debt has now exceeded the global GDP, so there ain't no way in Heaven, Hell, or Earth that any corporeal being can pay off our debt. Mostly because the Fed just loaned the Fed 1,000,000,000,000 dollars that the Fed just printed out -- last I heard anyway, it could be more now -- so the value of the dollar is basically nothing, the rest of the world just hasn't caught on yet. Apparently they also haven't caught on to the fact that the only reason any Western nation was wealthy was because they were barrowing money from Western nations, so . . . yeah.

Feels good, doesn't it?

[NinjaNaco]

Well, at least it's nice to see you back, Cody.

[lunchmeat]

Read this bleak forecast on what will happen to the US economy if the current bill in Congress passes both houses. Though, hopefully, all may not be lost - if Obama and his administration are smart. But will they?

I dunno. It's sort of personal, for me - I want to one day be able to have a job and live on my own, and that seems unlikely if the economy becomes "post-prosperity" and keeps going down and down and down; and hopefully one day get married and have a family - but I don't want my children (and their children) to be burdened with a massive, unpayable debt...

I, for one, am gratified to be so near to achieving my lifelong dream of getting to pay off the mortgages of people who bought more house than they could possibly afford and furinishing it with cars they couldn't afford and extravegant appliances purchased on credit rather than having a house of my own.

[Cody MacArthur Fett]

Well, at least it's nice to see you back, Cody.

At least for the time being. I always seem to stay here for a couple of months, then I leave for another couple of months after a firebrand comment, then I come back for a few months, etc., etc., etc., you know how it is. :P

I, for one, am gratified to be so near to achieving my lifelong dream of getting to pay off the mortgages of people who bought more house than they could possibly afford and furinishing it with cars they couldn't afford and extravegant appliances purchased on credit rather than having a house of my own.

And I can finally live out my fantasy of being the crazy guy that laughs manically as the world burns around him. (I practiced for it.) So I guess it's a win-win for everyone.

[campy]

Well, after growing up on a steady diet of Great Depression stories from my parents, I feel as prepared as I can be for the future.

[Cody MacArthur Fett]

You know, this is probably going to get filed under those "firebrand comments" I talked about earlier, but I feel I must talk about it. You see, yesterday the President and his Treasury Secretary "Turbo-Tax" Tim Geithner went before the American people and Congress and asked for sweeping powers to nationalize any financial institution that the government deems to be a threat to the economy . . . OK, I'll be honest with you, that's socialism, that's evil. I mean, seriously, when you have Euros criticizing you on your economic policy, you know you've gone too far.

That, combined with the with the facts that he's taking away pilots' guns in favor of administrators to provide oversight of them, stopping the use of the phrase "War on Terror" in favor of the phrase "Overseas Contingency Operation", and attempting to start a government run "volunteer" organization, gives a very dark impression to whole administration. So much so that one begins to wonder who's side Obama's really on.