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Post by Blain20 on Jun 13, 2008 21:17:56 GMT
How is Dr. Teh Pillar doing nowadays?
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Post by Pillar on Jun 15, 2008 3:50:51 GMT
i quit.
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Post by Blain20 on Jun 15, 2008 5:05:10 GMT
Eh? You quit yer job or something else?
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Post by Pillar on Oct 7, 2008 21:33:27 GMT
bump.
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Post by tehlung on Oct 7, 2008 23:23:42 GMT
this was a great thread
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Post by tehlung on Oct 8, 2008 0:06:52 GMT
If i were in charge, here's how i'd fix america. picked up most of these from various conversations/readings/thoughts throughout my life.
1. Voting Rights:
a: You may not vote if you are on any sort of welfare program from the government. Receiving money/vouchers/free shit from the govt gives you a vested interest in who gets elected. Exception: Disabled vets
b: You must have a high school diploma or GED to vote.
c: You must have either a full time job or be enrolled full time in a university or trade school.
d: The current law regarding felons and voting (felons aren't supposed to vote) will actually be enforced.
e: You must speak fluent American English to vote.
f: You must have, in hand, your social security card at the time you vite.
g: You may not be a preacher, priest, shaman, cleric, etc, of any religion and vote. See Religion section.
2. Welfare
a: Welfare will no longer be permanent. You have a window of 3 months in which to be a burden to society before you are placed on a "clean up America" work program, in which you will pick up trash and clean graffiti. You may not stop for the day until you pick up two normal sized trashbags of litter and clean up one item of graffiti. A bus will pick you up and bring you home. Failure to comply will be considered a misdemeanor. After the first conviction, it bumps up to a felony.
b: Welfare will no longer be based on the number of children you have.
3. Religion
a: Any priest, preacher, cleric, shaman, etc abusing his/her/its power at the podium and telling their followers how to vote will be jailed.
b: Extremist, hateful religions shall not be allowed to abuse the right of freedom of speech. ie: That Kansas "church", extremist sects of the major religions
4. Governmental
a: The Senate is forbidden, to my understanding, from passing money using bills. Thus, the practice of earmarking would be forbidden.
b: Reps and Senators no longer will receive salary, health insurance, etc, for life. The same would be true for Supreme Court judges.
c: While in the Senate/House, you and your spouse may receive NO income, property, or benefit in any way from outside sources. You will be paid the median American income from the previous year.
d: Lobbying will be outlawed. It will be considered treason to accept gifts while in office. Attempting to lobby will be a felony.
5. Military
a: Members of the military will continue to receive any medical treatment free of charge for life. In addition, they may pick up to 3 years after leaving the service in which they can receive half the normal salary they earned while serving.
b: Any citizen who serves in the military at any time in their life will receive double the normal standard deduction on their income tax return for life.
6. Judicial(Grommy is really about to hate me)
a: If you press a lawsuit for monetary gain, and lose the lawsuit, you are completely responsible for any and all of the defendant's legal costs. If you are unable to pay, you go on the Clean Up America program and your lawyer will become responsible for one-half of the defendant's costs. (Sorry Grommy!)
7. Eligibility for office
a: You must have been born, received a college degree from, or lived in the state in which you represent for 20 years.
8. Exports
a: We will no longer send any foreign aid (monetary or otherwise) to other nations, outside of natural disaster relief. Sorry guys, we've got to look after ourselves for a little while.
b: The price of a bushel of American grain/wheat/corn/etc will be equal to the global price of a barrel of oil. Good luck!
9. You are a champ if you've made it through this
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Post by Gromlakh on Oct 8, 2008 2:05:38 GMT
Teh Grommy response!
The problem isn't so much that the laws aren't enforced, it's that many states "enforce" them in such a way that many people who aren't felons get secretly purged from the voting rolls and don't find out about it until they try to vote. You'd think with all our fantabulous technology we'd figure out a way to do this correctly.
This disqualifies Tehlung from voting, since he's only fluent in Coonass.
Can we add their followers in there, too?
Make it six months and I'm sold.
Let's just make it so that you have to have a license to procreate. I mean, seriously, you have to have a license to drive, why do we let stupid people breed?
The problem isn't them making money, it's that they don't make ENOUGH money. When you don't pay state officials it results in two things:
1. Only the extremely rich/independently wealthy can afford to do it.
2. Anyone not already ridiculously loaded upon taking office becomes much more susceptible to bribes since they can't otherwise afford to feed their families.
They should all get massive raises.
See above.
Why would I hate that? I'm a prosecutor, not an ambulance chaser! Although, in fairness, it really should be limited to purely frivolous lawsuits and not just ones where someone ends up losing. There are legitimate lawsuits not involving nonsense personal injury cases that may result in the plaintiffs losing.
The ones that really need to be cracked down on are corporations suing each other. You'd be shocked to learn how much money corporations waste on legal bills for the dumbest fucking lawsuits on Earth. I remember one case we read in law school where some laundry detergent company sued another one for false advertising because the second company called their product the best detergent. Seriously, that was the only claim. Legal bills for both sides (including many, many years of motion practice and subsequent appeals) were in the hundreds of millions of dollars.
I object, mainly because I seem to move across the country every couple of years! (and, hopefully, will be again very soon if things work out...*fingers crossed*)
Woohoo! I'm a champ!
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Post by tehlung on Oct 8, 2008 2:59:43 GMT
Ok, i don't know how to do the fancy multi quotes, so i put tehlung response to tehgrommy response in italics! Teh Grommy response! The problem isn't so much that the laws aren't enforced, it's that many states "enforce" them in such a way that many people who aren't felons get secretly purged from the voting rolls and don't find out about it until they try to vote. You'd think with all our fantabulous technology we'd figure out a way to do this correctly. Thats pretty messed up. Sounds like dem trickery similar to registering illegal aliens and the other shenaningans they pull.This disqualifies Tehlung from voting, since he's only fluent in Coonass. Mais yah sha!Can we add their followers in there, too? No. I was born and raised Catholic, and had that shit force fed to me for 18 years. Upon reaching 18 I quit and haven't looked back since. Religion is responsible for more death and suffering than any 10 governments, nations, or institutions combined. HOWEVER, I have my right to believe as I do. You have your right to your own beliefs. If someone gets their peace of mind or satisfaction out of religion, let them do it.Make it six months and I'm sold. DealLet's just make it so that you have to have a license to procreate. I mean, seriously, you have to have a license to drive, why do we let stupid people breed? Ok Hitler. Actually, I'm with you. You should have to show a minimum level of learning and IQ score upon reaching the 7th grade or *snip snip* *chop chop*The problem isn't them making money, it's that they don't make ENOUGH money. When you don't pay state officials it results in two things: 1. Only the extremely rich/independently wealthy can afford to do it. 2. Anyone not already ridiculously loaded upon taking office becomes much more susceptible to bribes since they can't otherwise afford to feed their families. They should all get massive raises. Well, my reasoning is that they will be much more likely to see things from the common man's point of view. The common man is, as you should know, who the politicians are supposed to be representing. I doubt they'd be so eager to fuck over teh middle class when they are the middle class.See above. You too!Why would I hate that? I'm a prosecutor, not an ambulance chaser! Although, in fairness, it really should be limited to purely frivolous lawsuits and not just ones where someone ends up losing. There are legitimate lawsuits not involving nonsense personal injury cases that may result in the plaintiffs losing. The ones that really need to be cracked down on are corporations suing each other. You'd be shocked to learn how much money corporations waste on legal bills for the dumbest fucking lawsuits on Earth. I remember one case we read in law school where some laundry detergent company sued another one for false advertising because the second company called their product the best detergent. Seriously, that was the only claim. Legal bills for both sides (including many, many years of motion practice and subsequent appeals) were in the hundreds of millions of dollars. That is ridiculous. If I remember right from marketing class, that type of false advertising IS legal, correct? I can't recall what the term is, and google isn't helping me. ie: Take The Boot, for example. "Best burgers in New Orleans!" EDIT: Found it! puffery is the termI object, mainly because I seem to move across the country every couple of years! (and, hopefully, will be again very soon if things work out...*fingers crossed*) Woohoo! I'm a champ!
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Post by Gromlakh on Oct 8, 2008 3:26:42 GMT
That is ridiculous. If I remember right from marketing class, that type of false advertising IS legal, correct? I can't recall what the term is, and google isn't helping me. ie: Take The Boot, for example. "Best burgers in New Orleans!" EDIT: Found it! puffery is the term Yes, puffery is allowed, but that is legally defined as something subjective/opinion based. I believe the lawsuit was because the second company said something like that their detergent got your clothes "the whitest", while the first company claimed they could somehow prove that it was not possible for anyone to get clothes "whiter" than their product. Therefore, the second company's claims were factual (and inaccurate/misleading), and not mere "puffery", or so the lawsuit claimed. No seriously, we had to waste HUNDREDS OF MILLIONS OF DOLLARS litigating that. And Das Boot? Claiming to have the "Best Burgers in New Orleans"? Over The Blue Tomato? HERESY!
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Post by Blackened on Oct 13, 2008 21:53:45 GMT
As for raises, I'm in agreement as long as the campaigning is limited. Our current campaign system is vastly flawed. Unfortunately, I am unable to produce any bright ideas at this moment.
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Post by tehlung on Nov 13, 2008 12:37:36 GMT
happy b-day pillar
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Post by CalviN on Nov 13, 2008 16:22:00 GMT
Wowsers...... it IS his birthday!!! Happy Birthday, OLD MAN!!!!! (So happy we figured out that in actual aging, factoring in the wife and gazillion daughters, he's like, decades older than me!!) Hope ya have a good one!
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Post by Pillar on Nov 13, 2008 19:24:04 GMT
i'm still in my 20's, dammit!
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Post by shin00bi on Nov 13, 2008 21:56:26 GMT
Happy B-Day Pillar, (and Valdora, and Poopie).
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Post by Blain20 on Nov 18, 2008 6:20:32 GMT
In your 20s? Damn. I thought you were much older than me.
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