The Liberty Lounge Political Forums http://www.libertylounge.net/forums An active and diverse community which enjoys civil debate of politics, economics, current events, religion, and social issues currently facing the world en Sun, 19 May 2013 16:51:46 GMT vBulletin 60 http://www.libertylounge.net/forums/images/approx2/misc/rss.jpg The Liberty Lounge Political Forums http://www.libertylounge.net/forums NHL Playoffs http://www.libertylounge.net/forums/64165-nhl-playoffs.html Tue, 14 May 2013 04:07:32 GMT I don't know if anyone here follows the NHL or its playoffs, but if so (or if you're interested in epic collapses) you've got to check out the highlights of the Boston Bruins & Toronto Maple Leafs Game 7 tonight in Boston. A brief recap:

Boston won game one, Toronto won game two (both in Boston). Boston then won games three and four (both in Toronto) to take a three games to one lead in the best of seven series. Toronto then won games five (in Boston) and six (in Toronto), both by a 2 to 1 score.

In game seven, Boston jumped to a 1-0 lead to start the game, but Toronto came back to take a 2-1 lead going into the third period. Within six minutes into the third period, Toronto scored two goals, making it 4-1 with fourteen minutes remaining.

Boston then scored with eleven minutes remaining to make it 4-2. It stayed that way until Boston pulled its goaltender for the extra skater and scored with 1:22 left in the game, making it 4-3 Toronto, and then scored again 31 seconds later to tie the game. Then six minutes into overtime, Boston scored the game winning goal in sudden-death overtime to complete the comeback.

It is the only time in NHL history a team has come back from a three goal deficit in the third period to win a game in the playoffs.

Here are the highlights from NHL.com. A fantastic game if you're a fan of the sport (not so much if you're a Toronto fan though, I'd imagine). ]]> The Speakeasy The Esteemed Gentleman http://www.libertylounge.net/forums/64165-nhl-playoffs.html <![CDATA[Michael Bloomberg: Hypocrite & Ass-Extraordinaire]]> http://www.libertylounge.net/forums/64164-michael-bloomberg-hypocrite-ass-extraordinaire.html Thu, 02 May 2013 22:26:06 GMT I'm not sure if this is true or not (but I really, really hope that it is), but it is being reported that Bloomberg was denied a second slice of pizza at a local Brooklyn pizzeria during an informal meeting with the NYC Comptroller.

And then he threw a damn hissy fit.
Quote:
From Article:
New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg was denied a second slice of pizza today at an Italian eatery in Brooklyn.

The owners of Collegno's Pizzeria say they refused to serve him more than one piece to protest Bloomberg's proposed soda ban,which would limit the portions of soda sold in the city.


Bloomberg was having an informal working lunch with city comptroller John Liu at the time and was enraged by the embarrassing prohibition. The owners would not relent, however, and the pair were forced to decamp to another restaurant to finish their meal.


Witnesses say the situation unfolded when as the two were looking over budget documents, they realized they needed more food than originally ordered.


"Hey, could I get another pepperoni over here?" Bloomberg asked owner Antonio Benito.


"I'm sorry sir," he replied, "we can't do that. You've reached your personal slice limit."


Mayor Bloomberg, not accustomed to being challenged, assumed that the owner was joking.


"OK, that's funny," he remarked, "because of the soda thing ... No come on. I'm not kidding. I haven't eaten all morning, just send over another pepperoni."


"I'm sorry sir. We're serious," Benito insisted. "We've decided that eating more than one piece isn't healthy for you, and so we're forbidding you from doing it."


"Look jackass," Bloomberg retorted, his anger boiling, "I fucking skipped breakfast this morning just so I could eat four slices of your pizza. Don't be a schmuck, just get back to the kitchen and bring out some fucking pizza, okay."


"I'm sorry sir, there's nothing I can do," the owner repeated. "Maybe you could go to several restaurants and get one slice at each. At least that way you're walking. You know, burning calories."


Witnesses say a fuming Bloomberg and a bemused Liu did indeed walk down the street to a rival pizzeria , ordered another slice and finished their meeting.
Two things. First, I am not sure about the source (never heard of it before). Second, I can't imagine Bloomberg - a politician's politician if there ever was one - losing total control in a public place like that so easily. (Then again, maybe I can: he's not running for anything, thinks he is god and can do whatever he wants, and he's rich and accustomed to getting his way all the time, so who knows?)

Still, if this is true, good for the pizzeria - I am glad this egomaniac got a taste of his own medicine and found it to be bitter. ]]> The Floor The Esteemed Gentleman http://www.libertylounge.net/forums/64164-michael-bloomberg-hypocrite-ass-extraordinaire.html <![CDATA[Noam Chomsky: Obama's Attack on Civil Liberties Has Gone Way Beyond Imagination]]> http://www.libertylounge.net/forums/64163-noam-chomsky-obamas-attack-civil-liberties.html Sat, 27 Apr 2013 23:53:28 GMT I don't keep up with Chomsky news but I ran across this today. It's a fun and quick read. At the very least, I found it amusing.


Noam Chomsky: Obama's Attack on Civil Liberties Has Gone Way Beyond Imagination | Alternet ]]> The Floor wanna be drummer http://www.libertylounge.net/forums/64163-noam-chomsky-obamas-attack-civil-liberties.html How Our Native Criminal Class Exempts Itself From The Laws It Imposes On The Rest Of Us http://www.libertylounge.net/forums/64162-how-our-native-criminal-class-exempts.html Sat, 27 Apr 2013 15:11:43 GMT For those living in a time machine, or not paying attention, it seems that congress is acutely aware of the high costs of Obamacare on the country,... For those living in a time machine, or not paying attention, it seems that congress is acutely aware of the high costs of Obamacare on the country, including themselves. But being just what they are, they are trying to exempt themselves, as well as their staffers from this Turkey. To hell with everyone else,.......as usual.

But not to be outdone, there are several prognosticators, who are on the job, calling a spade a spade. Constitutional amendment for term limits anyone? Constitutional amendment for requiring congress to have to follow the same rules as the constituents?

Or does anyone really care?

Panic on Capitol Hill

As usual, Dan Mitchell, of CATO, says it best.

Quote:
Should Politicians Be Allowed to Exempt Themselves and their Staff from Obamacare?

April 25, 2013 by Dan Mitchell



I get upset by a lot of what happens in the corridors of power, but two things really irk me.

First, I hate it when the rich and powerful use the coercive power of government to screw ordinary people. That’s one of the reasons I hated the TARP bailout.

Second, I hate the utter hypocrisy of the political elite exempting themselves from the bad policies that get imposed on everyone else. That’s why, for instance, it galls me that the pro-tax bureaucrats at the OECD get tax-free salaries.

Well, now we have a new example of political hypocrisy. Behind closed doors, the crooks in Washington are seeking to exempt themselves from Obamacare.

Here are some of the sordid details reported by Politico.

Quote:
Congressional leaders in both parties are engaged in high-level, confidential talks about exempting lawmakers and Capitol Hill aides from the insurance exchanges they are mandated to join as part of President Barack Obama’s health care overhaul, sources in both parties said. The talks — which involve Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.), House Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio), the Obama administration and other top lawmakers — are extraordinarily sensitive, with both sides acutely aware of the potential for political fallout from giving carve-outs from the hugely controversial law to 535 lawmakers and thousands of their aides. Discussions have stretched out for months, sources said. …if Capitol Hill leaders move forward with the plan, they risk being dubbed hypocrites by their political rivals and the American public. By removing themselves from a key Obamacare component, lawmakers and aides would be held to a different standard than the people who put them in office. …There is concern in some quarters that the provision requiring lawmakers and staffers to join the exchanges, if it isn’t revised, could lead to a “brain drain” on Capitol Hill, as several sources close to the talks put it.
Well, to be thoughtful and analytical, my reaction is boo hoo and cry me a friggin’ river.

Obamacare is a fiscal disaster and a healthcare disaster. Our best bet to get the law repealed is to make sure the politicians and their underlings are subject to all of the law’s bad provisions. Period.
]]> The Floor CharlieK http://www.libertylounge.net/forums/64162-how-our-native-criminal-class-exempts.html CPS kidnaps kids http://www.libertylounge.net/forums/64161-cps-kidnaps-kids.html Sat, 27 Apr 2013 03:12:29 GMT Sacramento couple fights to get their baby boy back from authorities | news10.net... Sacramento couple fights to get their baby boy back from authorities | news10.net

Based on anecdotal evidence, most kids who are taken away by CPS are wrongfully taken away. This needs to stop. I hope the family can sue the city for millions. ]]> The Floor The Great Catpiss http://www.libertylounge.net/forums/64161-cps-kidnaps-kids.html The Underground Economy http://www.libertylounge.net/forums/64160-underground-economy.html Thu, 25 Apr 2013 20:57:25 GMT On the front page of Drudge today is the following: $2 Trillion Underground Economy May Be Recovery's Savior.

Quote:
The growing underground economy may be helping to prevent the real economy from sinking further, according to analysts.

The shadow economy is a system composed of those who can't find a full-time or regular job. Workers turn to anything that pays them under the table, with no income reported and no taxes paid — especially with an uneven job picture.
So I look even further an there is more recently posted:

The $2 trillion shadow economy is the recession’s big winner

And this: The New Underground Economy. But is it really new? And if all this is going under the radar, why aren't we trying to 'fix' what is causing it to begin with?

And why are we punishing investment? Shouldn't we be doing the opposite? And this beings me to the other place I came to on how it proposes to 'fix' the problem: The Underground Economy. I'm not really certain just when the above article was written, but the estimated amounts clearly shows that it is a few years old. Here's what I mean:

Quote:
America has two economies: First, there's the legitimate economy, in which craftsmen are licensed and employers and employees pay taxes. Then there's the fast-growing underground economy, where millions of nannies, construction workers, landscapers and others are paid off the books, their incomes largely untaxed. The best guess as to the size of the output of this shadow economy is about $970 billion, or nearly 9% that of the real economy. It could soon pass $1 trillion.
But if today's underground economy is $2 trillion as claimed by many, we are talking about some serious bucks here. And it is precisely why I supported Herman Cain, and listened to Neal Boortz for so long. Both of these two personalities have been pushing the Fair Tax for years now.

Does anyone here have any serious idea as to how we can correct all this, lower overall taxes, and stimulate the economy, without trying to punish achievement? ]]> The Floor CharlieK http://www.libertylounge.net/forums/64160-underground-economy.html