h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Great speech by Nancy Pelosi The Minority Leader
Very specific complaints.
Interesting she took the security issues and Tom Daschle
the domestic issues.

3 million jobs lost
That does not count the persons unemployed at the time he took office.
More white collars jobs are being lost to off shore from IBM.
They discovered white collar jobs cost less elsewhere too.

Interesting that Daschle mentioned money needed to solve domestic problems before exploring. The president did not bring up Mars! Must have thought better of it. I am sure he has not discarded the plan.(?leaks of Daschels speech you think?)

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Steriods were a topicfor Bush? Also the fact that liberal judges will force Bush to create an amendment on what marriage is!

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International topics-
pinr has an amazingly positive report on the middle east situation. More promising than I have seen elsewhere or thought.

They also have a promosing report about South Africa and a negative one about (Russia) Georgia.

They do in depth analysis on Power & Interest News

I got tired watching all three of them talk, talk, talk.

I even accidently caught Kerry mouthing off on another channel.

I wouldn't trust any of them with a sick kitten.

Yea! I like that one! Not my favourite people-Politicians
Smudger.

certainly notnot mine either smudger..ive had a lot of dealings with them ov over the past two years,,,,i wi wonder wy they never seem to keep eep promises...its like an unwritten law..cant do that cos we said we would!!!!xxx

or "let's not and say we did"...

He failed to mention in giving a "new 500 million" now to schooling that he took 700 Million from the Pell Grants (school grants)earlier.
That leaves us short on school money not ahead.

While he made sure that his speech to the voters was also in Spanish the school testing for leaving no child behind is not.

It takes a certain kind of massive ego, and gross overestimation of your own ability, to become a politician in the west today. All we ever get is lies, spin, broken promises and flat out ignorance. What we want is someone with realistic ambitions, and an abiltiy to make the world a better place.

We don't want miracles, all we want is progress.

I got my daily e-mail from the daily mislead, and found that Bush is putting back some of the money he removed from the community education budget last year, and calling it support. Hang on a minute, can the president of the most powerful country possibly have an education problem of his own, or is this just spin? This is announced at the same time as the U.K. government going into publicity overdrive, in an attempt to make us feel that so called 'Top Up Fees' for university students are actually something we want. Oh, I agree we need the money, but for goodness sake surely we as a nation have enough money allready in taxation to support our students more fully rather than wasting it on unnecessary fripperies.

i haveave been fightinhting the local council for three years come july...to keep the council ru run homes for the elderlderly open..it was the labour partys decision to cl close thses homes....(mmr.blablair of course)),,yet when it came to the proposals going tng to council it is the labour councillors who have helped us us all the way..with the conservatives and liberals voting ng FOR the closulosures.there are re far too many homes closing...but they reckon better carecare in the community will bl be provided,with the savings theytheymke.they dont mention the moneythythey underspent three years ago,that should have gone into the runnng and upkeep of the homes.
there were four homes earmarked for closure...we saved two of them..and are waiting the resresults of the fate of the third....which incidentally is whrwhre my mother lives.
it makes me wonder why it always seems to be the che children,and the elderly,that get the roten deadeals........maybeaybe because they cant speal up up for themsemselves!!!politicians.........

Well, there is that reenactment village, y'know, that needs a realistic poor house...


The sick thing about the "State of the Onion" speech is that you have no idea what is actually being done. Words for the camera and the more gullible voters mean nothing.

I read yesterday in National Review that California has a bigger state deficit than all the other states combined. It also has had most of it's tax base go elsewhere: 22 multimillionaires at a 40% tax rate...

Which means Uncle Sammy will be asked for a bailout sometime soon...

Anyone want to buy a state?

In other news, Guatanamo Bay inmates, when threatened with being set up in public housing in Washington, D.C., tell all...

I heard on Radio2 yesterday that the English are kicking up a fuss as here in Scotland the elderly are being given free health and home care!

One good responce that stuck in my mind, was a bloke in England saying the English have been ripping off the Scots for years, and it was time to pay something back

That really got the phone lines jumping
Smudger.

smudger..i dont understand what the bloke meant....my mother worked until she was 64,she paid all he her does and demends,and bought her own home.when she was diagnagnosed with dementia we had no option but tolet het her go into residential care,and we had to sell her house..which fortunately she never realised hd happened.her payments for the first yt year of her ccare were £23,000,.
if she hadntadnt had any pry property,then her care would ld hve been free...in in as much as ,the government would have had to pay for her care.she would have been better off if she had sad styed at home,and not worked al her life with two childreldren to bring up alone.
i arent too well up on pn politics,us,unless i hi have to be involved in something..in which case i hae to learn abot what i'm shouting bout,,,but idont understandand about what the bloke said.xx

Good for you sal for fighting where you can
It is important for yourself and for the life of the whole process to use what means is available.

I cannot believe the elderly are treated the way they are. I am not sure how things are elsewhere, a large generation in the states is reaching their latter half of life, all hope at least they will retain some political clout to help change things for the better. The sick elderly couples need much more consideration. The programs could be much better for home care,transportation, out patient supports and save money in the long run.

I think smaller group homes (family structures - routines)for children and halfway independant (in need of care) elderly would be far better than large institutions. Kids would be better off staying in the same school and home setting than being passed from home to home. The same may be true for those with more severe mental health issues that need daily structure, care and housing,which are increasingly ignored.

Even home jailing has proved to be more worthwhile, productive and cheaper than institutions. It saves tons of money and family heartaches when kids are involved and it is non violent.
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Tone from the same source which does give the links to the original sources
I posted about Cheney and Rummy saying the Mars mission is for the future miltary. That was said in the begining of the space program also. I got a response about being a conspiracy nut in a cave People write off so much to that phrase not even looking or thinking. Most of it is hard to believe but when it comes from the horses mouth you should!

The use of the word conspiracy has gotten out of hand. I am begining to think the word itself was a well placed conspiracy! A turnaround for a great PR person that started pointing & poking with it. It is a PR diss as irritating as the PC ones.

Hi Sal, What it means is that if you have to go into care when you are elderly, they DONT make you sell your house to pay for it, if you live in Scotland, its free!!
That is a giant spep forward, for what has been a discrace for many years

Abbi, I was reading about life styles in different cultures recently, did you know that the elderly are well thought of in Japan, and in fact they are mostly cared for by their children, they have so much more respect for the elderly!! than we seem to show here in the West
Smudger.

There was a special on aging last night.
I have been aware of the added respect afforded age in eastern philosophies and others and think it is only right. Westerners have led the preoccupation with youth and new things needing to replace the old.

The problem is the east is being westernized in negative ways.
They are becoming smoking beef eating workaholics that are not living with their parents as much as in the past. The program interviewd Japanese parents who very much wanted their own space and privacy as they get older.

I wouldn't get too caught up in that misty-eyed view of the east.

Elder abuse is becoming more prevalent.

And I wouldn't complain too much about the Westernization of Japan, since they borrowed practically everything they call culture.

Remember the Ainu?

Elder abuse is rising or at least being talked about more similar to the abuse of children. I doubt things have changed that much because people have not.

Talking is a start hopefully.

Tonemonkey said, 'we don't want miracles, all we want is progress'.

I agree. There can be so much done just to make the state of affairs a bit better. These points I agree with: first of all, education (and general care) of children must be a higher priority, and so too health care, including mental health, and the care of, and respect for, elderly people. I really think a part of the answer would be stabler communities, that are more intimate on the small scale, with a greater degree of sharing of belongings and tasks. Anyways, over here I am speaking with many people about such possibilities. I really hope to be doing my own bit to make the world a bit better that way.

Well said TK! I think its a good idea to have a mixture of younger and elderiy people living together, as the elderly have a life time of experience that could be passed on to the younger ones
The main point I would like to happen, is to see youngsters show respect for the older people, as after all we are all going to be old at some point in our lives
Everybody was young at some time also
Smudger.

I had what could be termed as an unusual home as a child, sheltered accomodation for the elderly. It meant that as I was growing up I learned of the importance of experience, where it was learned through a lifetime. More people would benefit from this kind of experience, at least in my eyes, as the elderly are often marginalised and abused.

It is true that all we want is progress, we need to change the world in small, manageable ways. Big changes are required, but we as a people will resist this coming all at once, so what we must do is break it down into fun size chunks, not too big to swallow. The problem is that we have politicians who call re-labelling the status quo progress, unless we are talking about support for the needy, where our so called leaders will call a retrograde step an advancement.

TR
I always hear how California is the 5th largest economy.
Has to be in the Americas for sure.
Seems they said the world when Arnold was running but that is hard to believe. Is that true?

If it's in need a bailout it is a huge problem in any case. I wonder how much money it costs to fund those the 8,ooo special projects (porkbarrels) in the new budget? Seems California might need that money more.
*grumble,mummble,fumble*