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Daniel Petry: The Coming Civil War Between the Generations
I was going to write an article on the fourth branch of our government — the bureaucracy — until I was on a flight home and sat next to two young men.
Both were in their late 20s. One already had served three tours in the Middle East; the other was a midlevel sales manager. They didn’t know me, nor did they know each other. And the conversation we had blew me away.
Folks, you and I are walking in an absolutely clueless fog of arrogance. There is a group out there that is going to solve our problems, but it’s not going to go the way we want, nor will it be pretty. I have to agree with them.
Let me say this: If you think that those who comment on Noozhawk are ticked off at one another — or at the government, or at the politicians — well, there’s a generation out there who considers us to be just white noise. We better be watching our back for the haymaker that’s coming our way — and it’s coming fast.
It’s the generation younger than age 30, and they aren’t happy. They are not stupid. They are not a monolithic mass of young Democrats, socialists, right-wingers, Republicans or whatever label you choose to classify people. They may seem flaky, spoiled, self-centered and vacuous. A lot are, but most are not. The two young men on the flight were prime examples of those who are not.
This a generation that is saying to themselves that all these nice entitlements and perks we have voted for ourselves during the past decades will not go on. Not because of some grand scheme in the political arena between two massive parties, led by an aging group of baby boomers who grew up never really wanting for anything, but from a generation that stands up and says: Nope. No more. Enough. Too bad. No more money for you. We will not be spending our lives working our butts off just so you can enjoy the perks that you gave yourselves. You have had your run, and now it’s over. I’m going to get mine and to heck with you.
They laughed when I mockingly said, “But you are going to have Social Security, Medicare and full health insurance.”
“Yeah, right,” they said. “Let’s see. You have some guy who retires in his 50s being paid most of his salary and he has medical coverage? Get real.” Or, you have “some illegal getting Medicare and welfare payments. Give us a break.”
“Here’s the bottom line, Mr. Petry. We are not going to pay for it. Simple as that. You think I’m going to work my butt off so you can retire and get a monthly check from my hard labor? Pardon me, but screw you.”
That’s basically the way the conversation went. And you know something? They are right on target.
I think Gov. Chris Christie, R-N.J., said it best: “A 49-year-old man who retires, state worker, $124,000 he contributed to his pension, and his health benefits over the course of his career. What does he get? $3.3 million of pension payments and $500,000 in health-care costs — $3.8 million on a $124,000 investment. Those numbers don’t add up.”
It is immoral, abhorrent, selfish and unsustainable.
Add in the fact that the average salary for a federal government worker is more than $70,000 (and going up next year) and the working stiffs who are supporting them average $40,000 (and it’s going down)! Can you tell me what’s wrong with that picture?
Then throw in the fact that state pension plans are underfunded to the tune of more than $1 trillion! Where do you think the states are going to go to get those funds? That’s right: You and me. Add in the fact that there is no money in any of these federal and state entitlement programs. In total, federal entitlement programs are unfunded by more than $100 trillion. That’s more than twice the GDP of the entire world!
That’s right: They don’t add up. And those young men know it. So do their brothers and sisters, and they aren’t going to pay it out. It’s going to be a battle of the generations, and we are going to get our butts kicked.
“But,” I said, “didn’t you guys and most of your generation vote for President Barack Obama?”
Without answering my question, the 28-year-old veteran said, “Who cares? They are both the same party. One is going to tax us into oblivion, and is spending like they just won the lottery, and they also voted for the war. The other got us into a war and also spent like they won the lottery. So it didn’t matter who I voted for. It made no difference.”
There’s actually some sense to that.
“My grandparents are doing OK, but we are never going to see a dime,” the sales manager said. “Instead, I’m going to be paying for some old fart that paid in just a small fraction of the amount of money he will be sucking from our veins over the next 30 years. So I’m going to do whatever I can to screw that SOB. My family comes first. They can wait for what’s left over — if any.”
Brutal comment, yes. True? Definitely.
“As far as we are concerned, we are not going to have Social Security. And if you guys screw up heath care as you have screwed up everything else, we won’t have that either. We will not have the kind of money our parents had. But we’ll tell you this. You better learn to fend for yourselves, because we are not going to carry your dead weight.”
The vet just rolled his eyes and said, “Old folks, and you baby boomers, want it all and screw the future generations. Future generations will get screwed regardless.”
Out of the mouths of babes. A warning. A shot across the bow of all of us.
Here is the bottom line. The amount of money needed to pay for the unfunded liabilities that are barreling down on this generation of 20-somethings could never be printed, or generated through taxes. And they know it. They will have the checkbook, and they are not going to open it for us. I’m not saying that they’re going to take to the streets with guns — though they might — but they are going to rapidly become the power base of this nation. Then they will cut off the umbilical cord that seems to be attached to every senior citizen.
There won’t be any money for these grandiose entitlements we are proposing or experiencing. You will not see illegals, let alone Americans getting the largesse they now experience. Tax rates will be astronomical for all Americans, not just the supposed “rich.”
I’m going to call this generation the “Reset Generation,” because they are definitely going to reset the game and start over. We will either come along for the ride or be left behind. I’m going to hitch a ride.
— Santa Barbara resident Daniel Petry is the CEO and founding partner of Petry Direct Inc., a 20-year-old management firm that specializes in content production and marketing management. He attended the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, class of 1976, and received a master’s degree in business administration from the University of Colorado.
Comments
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» on 02.22.10 @ 10:02 PM
The under 30 and the government employee’s are the lazyiest group in America—They want something for nothing—from you and I -entitlement -unions—etc-
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» on 02.22.10 @ 11:22 PM
Look, Petry has nailed it again. This whole debate on healthcare, union card check, unlimited benefits, etc. is not going to fly. There is absolutely no way we can afford this whole socialist agenda that these idiots are trying to shove down our throats. Do you realize that less than 5% of Obama’s staff has ever run a business? They are ideologues and ideologues of the worst type. They are flushing this country down the toilet and I can’t imagine what we will see in the next few years. I have heard the same comments uttered by a number of people under the age of thirty and they are angry.
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» on 02.23.10 @ 04:40 AM
By lumping Social Security in with other “entitlements” , the author strives to foster animosity toward a program that works now and can continue to work . Adjustments of payin rates to offset the anticipated slim boomer years have been made, only to be slammed by raids of the trust fund and the fiscal irresponsibility of recent administrations . Conservatives are hellbent to destroy a viable program and their alternative is to privatise exposing millions of retirees to the whims of the market , not to mention the fat it would create on an already greedy Wall Street .
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» on 02.23.10 @ 08:05 AM
I agree there are huge unfunded liabilities in the pension funds, and that particularly in New Jersey and California, pensions are out of control.
Man, I’ve paid a huge amount of Social Security tax, insurance premiums, taxes that have been pissed away on wars in Iraq, Afghanistan, and of course on that $23.7 trillion given to Wall Street.
I sure feel I’ve paid a heck of a lot too. 30 year olds aren’t the only ones.
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» on 02.23.10 @ 08:08 AM
GeeWillikersWally - you are spending way too much time at the medical marijuana dispenseraries. What world are you living in. You must be over 50 to think that we are going to carry you till you are 85 or so. Get real and stop thinking that life will be great because the government says it will. What a tool.
There is no money left Wally. No money in these programs that you and your baby boomer buddies have built for yourselves. It’s a giant ponzi scheme and you know it. Only in this scheme you don’t go to jail like Madoff…no, in this scheme you bleed your children white just so you can “retire”. Not going to happen man.
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» on 02.23.10 @ 08:48 AM
very negative article
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» on 02.23.10 @ 08:54 AM
“Paying” the corporations, paying for the wars, paying for this political scheme and that political scheme, blah, blah, blah. All talk but neither party has done anything and now we are going to get blasted by taxes. Name one politicain that is not in the pocket of any special interest group. They all accept money from corporations, unions, etc. This is not the point of the article. The point of the article is that my generation is not going to carry yor water. Period.
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» on 02.23.10 @ 09:05 AM
jd, you are right. The truth, and life, can be negative and, beleive it or not - hard. But if you don’t know what is wrong you can’t begin to try to fix it. In this case the system needs to absolutely go bankrupt and as Petry said, be “reset”. I think we will be doing that. Sorry to be so negative but I do have some lolipops for you.
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» on 02.23.10 @ 10:58 AM
Could not agree more, and to put it bluntly, I am going to do everything in my power to make sure I am not paying for the County or City employee who has retired at 50 getting pretty much their whole salary, are now working a second job pulling in 50 60 thousand, not working that hard and are just waiting to get to 65. They can all pack sand, I need to survive now!
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» on 02.23.10 @ 11:12 AM
Awesome article once again Dan - thanks for being real and waking people up to the coming reality. My compliments sir.
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» on 02.23.10 @ 11:17 AM
No matter what Petry writes, no matter how truthful, there will those who are angry because someone took off their rose colored glasses that Obama gave them.
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» on 02.23.10 @ 11:29 AM
Even more ominous and frightening is the intent of those in charge. You think they are just stupid? No, this is deja vu to the older generation, those who lived through world wars and depressions that the young people have forgotten as history is slowly erased and revised from the schools. Entitlements are the intentional foundation for making the masses dependent on government, giving more and more power to them, It is a gradual process that has happened before. Where? Austria in the late 30’s.
Please take the time to read this alarming eyewitness account of the Nazi takeover of Austria, to see where we are being led like sheep to the slaughter by those in the legislative and Executive Branches. Most think that Austria was conquered by rolling tanks across the border. Not true. It was done in the same way it is being done right now to us. If you love freedom, it is worth your while to read this.
In short form, it goes kind of like this:
The formula for tyranny:
Promise people what they want to gain power (equal rights, free soup - whatever is popular).
Create and exploit multiple crises:
“You never want a serious crisis to go to waste,” Rahm Emanuel, Mr. Obama’s new chief of staff
Make the people desperate for salvation, then give them what they need in exchange for their freedom (gradually like a frog in boiling water).
Don’t let freedom slip away!
Essential reading:
http://finance.google.com/group/google.finance.983582/browse_thread/thread/ee47669a023da23d
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» on 02.23.10 @ 11:49 AM
Want a jolt? Look at the graph of per-capita inflation-adjusted military spending…
We’re at an all-time high of $3,500 per person per year. I sure don’t feel any safer, and after 7 years or so in Afghanistan and Iraq, perhaps it is time to conclude we’re not getting what we paid for. Maybe we should limit military funding to $2,500 per person per year (with inflation adjustment) and simply do what we can for that money. No increase, no matter what.
As has been said here often, WE DON’T HAVE THE MONEY, not for the military, either.
Oh, yes… military pensions are now $60 billion/year. Perhaps we should limit that to $40 billion/year, no matter what. Actually, all the other public pension programs always refer to the military pensions when the public ones push for upgrades.
Let’s limit all generals and admirals (public employees all) to $100,000/year, and defer the payment if they take private sector jobs.
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» on 02.23.10 @ 12:51 PM
Social Security?
“a program that works now and can continue to work”?
A viable program, Willy?
It works now only because we are going into debt to support it. It is bankrupt. Keep dreaming, Beav.
Adjustments in pay in rates? You mean tax increases, right, Beav?
Face it, Social Security is just a tax. It is money you will never see gain, kiss it goodbye. We have trusted the government to “put it way for us” and all they did was steal from it. Those in FDR’s generation trusted him and suckered into it. Now there are those that want to trust the government with healthcare?
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» on 02.23.10 @ 12:59 PM
trying again with the graph of inflation-adjusted defense spending per person per year
something everyone of us should know.
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» on 02.23.10 @ 01:40 PM
This article seems about more than social security. I read it to say that a number of self centered generations have decided that they want it all and to heck with their children. I totally believe it. Petry and those guys are right.
Did you know that social security is the largest government program in the world? 23 percent of the federal budget is sucked up by it. It is the largest tax Americans pay. I understand that 80 percent of Americans pay more in Social Security taxes than they do in federal income tax. It was never designed as a retirement program. And yet millions of seniors depend on Social Security for their retirement. Smart for you Wally, and my grandparents, but suicidal for those of us under 30.
We can’t pay it. And you sit there and write that the program is healthy as can be. You are truly (as has been said in previous posts) a Baghdad Bob. It is unsustainable. It can’t pay future benefits without drowning me and my generation in debt and taxes, true slavery. All so you can have a free ride.
The Social Security trust fund contains no actual assets. The government bonds it holds are simply a form of IOU. Those IOU’s say nothing about how your lovely government will get the money to pay back those IOUs. The system owes far more than it can hopefully collect. It now totals $17.5 trillion.
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» on 02.23.10 @ 03:27 PM
Great article Daniel, I had no idea there was a generation that has figured out this massive government ponzi scheme.
Perhaps there is some help on the way to put some sanity back into politics.
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» on 02.23.10 @ 03:40 PM
Mr. Petry’s flight reminds me of my recent flight home from Davos. I had arranged a stop in Paris where I was to have a small colloquium with some students at the Ecole Normale and had invited a few fellow Davos attendees to fly with me.
Given the nature of our recent days the conversation turned back to economics, which afforded me the opportunity to share with my guests the apparent consensus of the Santa Barbara School. To wit: the solution to our present discomfort was so clear as to be self-evident truth: cut taxes, half the so-called civil service, and end stifling government regulation. They were left speechless which was fortunate because I needed to review my notes for the Paris evening which was to consider the question of the inclusion of the Randian Syndrome in the forthcoming DSM-V of May 2013.
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» on 02.23.10 @ 04:40 PM
There must be some light at the end of the tunnel as the aging spoiled brat selfish “ME generation” communal hippies (who replaced the greatest generation) are finally beginning their long hike to eternity (on the dime of future generations). They are being replaced by a new sensible, realistic generation not quite as zoned out on euphoric hallucinogenic drugs and HOPE of a CHANGED unrealistic Utopia. Talkin’ ‘bout my g-g-generation….
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» on 02.23.10 @ 06:37 PM
Amazing. I just had this kind of argument with my stoner uncle the other day. He is 57 and a product of the free love generation. As I have told him repeatedly he is totally clueless about reality. He thinks he is going to be taken care of by the government and that it will not affect me or my brothers. Like I said, clueless.
I was raised by a single parent, my mom. She struggled for years to make sure all her children got the best she could provide. I think she was once a true believer in the same things Wally, my dad, and my uncle currently are trying to sell us. But her reality was putting food on the table, providing clothes, a good home environment – all without that worthless Birkenstock ex-husband of hers; my father is an L.A. County worker bee who is always bitching about what he is not getting even though his retirement package is incredible. He actually thinks that his retirement money is in some lockbox. What a joke.
My mom fought constantly to make sure we got a great education. Which if you have experienced the California schools you will know how much of a fight that has been. All that and I think she has succeeded pretty darn good. One thing she ingrained into us was learning to think for ourselves, never ever depend on anyone other than ourselves and each other and for darn sure don’t count on any government, or politician, or advocate, to run things right.
She was so right. I have an MBA – which I paid for myself. All my student loans are paid back and I’m struggling like everyone else to make a go of it. But I’m not bitching about it like I read so many of are in these posts. What a bunch of cry babies. If you people think that I’m going to sit still and let you tax me to death just so your little social security (which I’ll never see) or welfare program or any other entitlement is paid for. You have another thing coming. You created this problem but we are going to fix it.
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» on 02.23.10 @ 07:42 PM
Hey, you think you can just dump millions of citizens off the dole and nothing is going to happen? Sorry, but your wishful thinking that you are just going to STOP paying for other people’s retirement benefits is just that, wishful thinking. Shut your pie hole and get back to work.
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» on 02.23.10 @ 07:57 PM
Great to hear that Mr. Petry sometimes listens to viewpoints other than his own.
The fact is that with fewer wars (sorry, Daniel), increased longevity, and smaller
family size, the First World nations all face aging, longer-lived populations, with
fewer “young” people coming into the system.
That means that in this next generation, more and more people, living longer and
longer, will be expecting pension and Social Security payments from taxes paid by
fewer and fewer younger workers.
That’s why leaders of both political parties repeatedly indicate that neither Social
Security, nor Medicare, are financially sustainable over the longer (i.e. 10-30 years)
run.
The American “solution” has been to admit more and more young foreign workers,
and encourage them toward eventual citizenship. The European “solution” is to let
in more and more Middle Eastern, Slavic, and north African workers, but not to
encourge them to acculturate, educate, or assume full citizenship.
Both of these informal socio-economic experiments are too early in the process to
provide hints about which - if either - will be more successful in broadening the
future tax base.
Time will tell. It always does.
Of course, if the Climate crisis proves to be real, and Congress does what they do
best - lots of preening, but nothing tangible - it may not really matter which way
our demographics and tax base are trending.
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» on 02.23.10 @ 08:20 PM
“All that and I think she has succeeded pretty darn good.”
Absolutely. She did a great job, it is clear from your post. Please encourage others of your generation, before the government takes everything from you. Elect conservatives to office (that is not the same thing as Republicans).
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» on 02.23.10 @ 08:26 PM
I’m glad you enjoyed your flight, Danny, but your account of it left me with three questions:
1) How long was the flight?
2) You suggest that these two men are representative of a group “... that is going to solve our problems ...”. Great! But notably absent from your article is any mention of solutions. “I’m not gonna pay for you old farts!” is NOT a solution, it’s a gripe. Did you guys talk about actual, real-world solutions?
Look, I agree that unfunded mandates and underfunded entitlement programs have the potential to do serious harm. For the latter, one “solution” might be means testing for example. That said, there is no one solution but a variety of changes need to be implemented. But, again, “I’m not going to pay my taxes! Wah!” is simply immature. Too bad you didn’t state that.
Regarding the “Reset Generation” I have absolutely no idea what you are talking about. Reset what? The Constitution? Voting rights? Free speech laws? Overturning the 2nd amendment…ok, I know THAT is not what you mean. Stating the next generation is going to :“reset the game” is just meaningless word salad.
3) Did you observe to these gentlemen the enormous irony of their statements? For example, the vet said, “Old folks, and you baby boomers, want it all and screw the future generations….” and from the other side of his mouth said, “So I’m going to do whatever I can to screw that SOB.” These guys whined about the selfish boomers while exhibiting such, well, selfishness.
The anger of these gentlemen is horribly misdirected and you seem to have bought into it. For example, welfare is indeed a problem. But it is not illegals or the lazy that are the problem. No, it is HUGE corporate welfare that is contributing to the demise of this country. The amount of welfare given to the financial industry by Bush and Obama dwarfs individual welfare.
So if the “Reset Generation” is going to solve our problems, they better refocus. With their current attitude, they are part of the problem, not part of the solution.
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» on 02.23.10 @ 08:35 PM
LTR, you don’t broaden the tax base simply by adding more people. Those people have to have jobs. In a bad economy all you can do by bringing in more people is add to those dependent on government. That is why LEGAL immigration is helpful, illegal is not. Presumably they are screened to be productive healthy citizens with contributing skills.
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» on 02.23.10 @ 08:37 PM
How many of the above commentators do you think would bother to register or even log in to comment? I hope you have reconsidered requiring registration to comment.
[Noozhawk’s note: Interestingly, most of them already have.]
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» on 02.23.10 @ 08:40 PM
Long Time Resident, you and Wally are a hoot.
“The American “solution” has been to admit more and more young foreign workers”
Christ man an illegal is an illegal and right now 53% of them are on welfare so don’t try to smoke up the water with your typical baby boomer BS. Not only can we not afford these trillion dollar programs, the illegals will be the first to feel the cut off from the teat of hard working American citizens and this hard working citizen is not going to carry them or you for that matter. I hope you don’t think you will be retiring any time soon. Groovy huh dude.
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» on 02.23.10 @ 08:55 PM
SezMe I’m sure that Daniel asked these guys to give him a written paper on their solutions to the problem. Of course properly annotated, with all the colorful graphs and peer reviewed research peope like you so love. It is obvious that he is relating a conversation. Whew! And it is a conversation that a lot of my generation is having with each other. We don’t trust people like you SezMe. You are the problem, you have screwed it up enough already.
As for being selfish, if we are selfish, we learned from the best. Boomers just like you. And I think they did offer a solution. They said they aren’t going to be taxed to death to cover your pie in the sky dreams of “like wow man nivana we gotta like make all the evil go away man.” And I agree.
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» on 02.23.10 @ 09:20 PM
Someone once defined the Boomers as a pig being swallowed by a snake. 75 million Americans born between 1946 and 1964. You boomers have taken the American dream and made it into the American nightmare. And you never come up with any solution that entails any kind of sacrifice on your part. You are going to try to demand that you get the same treatment that your parents have. The problem is that you guys are going to be hanging around longer than our grandparents and you are going to be, based on what we have seen from you so far, demanding more than anyone can give. But that will not bother you at all.
So all you boom babies out there. The baby busters will probably be asking, no telling, you all to go on a five day camping trip with only two days of food, unless you were smart enough to save up for the other three days. For that matter didn’t the boomers in Oregon just enact a euthanasia law? And here you thought you were passing such laws to get rid of your parents. Cool. You are sowing the seeds of your own demise.
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» on 02.23.10 @ 10:14 PM
Well SezMe, Long Time Resident we are not going to become your indentured servants.
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» on 02.24.10 @ 04:46 AM
Strange how realist’s link got included, but not mine.
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» on 02.24.10 @ 07:22 AM
“Most of them already have” (registered)
Let me guess which ones. GeeWillikersWally, publius with a small p, Realist, Long Time Resident, Sezme, Charlene Davis.
Let me rephrase the question then. Can you imagine what these comments would look like if it only the “regulars” were allowed to comment? They wouldn’t have anything to talk about without fresh anonymous input! They would just be at each other’s throats bickering back and forth and attacking each other.
Please give us information. I was not aware that registration was already available.
Is this new?
Will comments still be available for non-members?
If so, what is the point of registering?
If registered, will real names be used in the posts?
You made an announcement, and nothing seems to have changed, and you removed all of our comments on the subject. The idea overall seemed unpopular. What is the plan? Enquiring minds want to know, should I stay or should I go?
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» on 02.24.10 @ 08:25 AM
Those were not rhetorical questions. Answers please?
I see that some new articles do not have a comment section. Is that because I have not registered? Am I being phased out? Does that mean comments cannot even be viewed without being a member? You opened this can of worms, please close it. Please let us know what your new format is.
[Noozhawk’s note. Eventually, the same format for comments will be applied to all stories, and registration will be required to post a comment, but it is a work in progress. And we are working on it. We appreciate your patience.]
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» on 02.24.10 @ 08:45 AM
It’s a corporate plot, publius with a small p. Noozhawk is associated with those evil greedy corporations that run America. How else would they get advertisers. Jeez, were you born yesterday? It’s you against the corporate machine. Didn’t you know that George Bush has taken on the practice of suppressing liberals in his retirement?
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» on 02.24.10 @ 09:01 AM
I guess I’m out of here then. Another website another username and password - no thanks. It will not be worth visiting here anymore. This is going to be very boring watching the predictable rants between the regulars, with no spontaneous fresh input or inside information from those who don’t come in enough to bother to register, or who don’t wish to divulge private information to Noozhawk, for fear of retaliation from vicious stalking hate-filled liberals.
By the way - I frequent many of your advertisers - I have talked to a lot of them. They understand that this means less exposure for their ads, because fewer people will return for comment updates. Who wants to hear the predictable rants of the regulars? This is exactly why I don’t go to the Independent site anymore and moved here.
See everyone at the Daily Sound, the last vestige for free uncontrolled speech in Santa Barbara. Same news generally, no filtering no registering. No screening.
My only wish is that Petry moves there as well.
Good luck though, Noozhawk. I suggest monitoring your reduced hit count.
[Noozhawk’s note: For what it’s worth, our traffic has been way up this week, so we’re confident we’re making the right move here. But we appreciate your feedback.]
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» on 02.24.10 @ 09:43 AM
JT wrote, “Well SezMe, Long Time Resident we are not going to become your indentured servants.”
Damn, who’s gonna clean my bathroom from now on?
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» on 02.24.10 @ 10:19 AM
Don’t be paranoid, they just don’t like you, publius. Nothing personal though I’m sure ;)
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» on 02.24.10 @ 10:23 AM
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» on 02.24.10 @ 11:23 AM
See? That’s how it’s done. Just thought you might enjoy my favorite Climate Change pic as a test.
Not to veer off topic, but do you think the distance from the Sun (controlled by God) could have anything to do with it? Judging by the relative size, I think it’s more likely than one of those teeny tiny cars trapping a little more heat in the atmosphere. Even so, it could probably be remedied by adjusting the Earth a little tiny bit away from that huge fireball. Kind of puts things in perspective doesn’t it?
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» on 02.24.10 @ 11:50 AM
They dont want posting without names—they cant handle the truth—The are the most sensitive weak spine people in the world.—They love to attack anyone who confronts them..Post everyone and keep it open and fun..
The 5% of minority liberals hate anyone who opposes their tax and spend ways, and wants the illegal aliens to obey the law..
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» on 02.24.10 @ 11:54 AM
Back to topic, I am an old guy ok? Well, it’s all relative, I’m average. I have had the pleasure of observing several generations of behaviour.
My generation was post hippie. I looked up to and idolized the hippies like everyone else that had an older sibling. I watched all the hippies blindly follow whatever the Beatles did. Peace, love, exotic religions. I followed right along.
The parents of this generation were generally conservative. We thought they had it all wrong, we were going to change the world. No more capitalism, no more materialism, no more wars, a clean environment, just free love and Utopia..
To achieve this, the natural thing to do was vote Democrat, because that is generally what they promised. But then Clinton came along and I started to realize it was empty promises, and I was being exploited simply to obtain power. The promises were too good to be true - more than we could afford. And I started realizing what we had done, where we were headed - away from freedom headed toward dependence. In my opinion, the Beatles ruined the country.
I realized it was not our fault that we had war, war is inevitable, it has always been and always will be, as long as there are tyrants in the world and enemies of liberty and prosperity. We truly have been the good guys in this battle, because defeating an enemy by any means as horrible as it may be, cannot compare to the horror of living under tyranny or communism. We do what is right to protect and nurture our people, and do what we can to spread the fruits of capitalism to help other countries.
Capitalism is a part of doing what is right and so is national defense. Both are now fading away so gradually that few notice - because we are erasing and revising history in the minds of our youth. We appeal to the desire to get something for nothing, rather than individual responsibility.
As we matured there came a fork in the road. Some of my generation kept going down the left road, toward the very Marxism our parents generation warned us about and fought against. It was the whole reason for Vietnam right or wrong - to protect us from going down the road to communism, via the domino theory toward a political system responsible for the murder and torture of billions. They knew. Now I know.
Others of my generation as we matured, realized where we were headed, what our parents were saying, and turned hard right, myself included.
Back then - old guy = conservative, “square”, stuffy, responsible etc.
Today - old guy = lazy slob drugged out irresponsible disaster socialist with his hand out.
How times change. I pray that this up and coming generation is the next great generation, who as we did, reject the values and morals of their parents - or in this case - lack of them.
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» on 02.24.10 @ 12:09 PM
One more note -
Liberalism is BASED on selfishness. The boomers were spoiled by the post war prosperity of the 50’s. They suffered no hardships like the great depression and two world wars that their parents did. They didn’t want to be “hassled” by hardship.
Thus - the ME generation. It’s all about me and what I want. What I want is no materialism (so I don’t have to work) no hate, just love (so I can just enjoy pleasure), peace (so I don’t have to fight in the war to protect my loved ones) - everything I can get from the government for free - housing, food, social security, medicare (so I don’t have to work and build my own nestegg) legalized drugs (so I can be lazy) - ... just plain selfishness.
And now we are seeing that the next generation gets to pay for it all. Nice.
The only solution to fix the fruits of selfishness and laziness and the destructiveness of liberalism is conservatism. Get to work kids. Thank your lazy parents.
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» on 02.24.10 @ 12:23 PM
SezMe - you can always get a recent graduate from any one of our fine multi-cultural California high schools. They would be qualified. Or you can coninue to use the illegal you currently have.
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» on 02.24.10 @ 12:54 PM
Another good one Daniel! I could not agree more with those two you talked to. I had a similar conversation with my dad before he passed on. Needless to say he was not happy with my suggestion of dissolving Social Security. In the end it all boils down to where the money comes from. Hate to beat a dead horse but you can have all the feel good crap you want when you figure out how to pay for it and, no, paying for it does not include the following:
Welfare (corporate, military/industrial or personal)
Taxes (any taxes)
Most likely your job
Moving money around (whether you call it straight up socialism or the PC version Keynesian)
Paying for it means you sacrifice your work and labor for the benefit or you create wealth through resource extraction, manufacturing or agriculture to pay for it. Bottom line is it ain’t free and stealing it from the wealthy or your offspring, no matter how you rationalize it, is still stealing.
BTW – Noozhawk, have to agree with the commenter on the control issue. I have way to much fun dropping in unannounced and ruining some snot nosed snob’s day with a lot of rubbish. You will ruin that by trying to placate all the cry babies out there who either don’t like being yelled at in print or are some idiot spy for a political party and really want to know who you are (wink, wink). But hey, it’s your rag and you can do what you want. God I love private enterprise!
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» on 02.24.10 @ 02:33 PM
“[Noozhawk’s note: For what it’s worth, our traffic has been way up this week, so we’re confident we’re making the right move here. But we appreciate your feedback.]”
Well, of course you have to say that in case your advertisers are reading, hard to see how traffic could be UP because of this, but then you haven’t fully implemented the change yet either…
Personally I care not anymore - Noozhawk obviously has grown too big for it’s britches - obviously not concerned about its readers anymore. You have developed an attitude, rather Obamacle in nature. Damn the readers full speed ahead!
What I have seen in terms of feedback is that people generally prefer the open forum. Judging by your lack of response to reader feedback (other than removing their comments and we are doing what we want it’s our website who cares what you think) there must be something behind this other than giving a hoot what the readers think. Like - being able to brag about how many registered users you have perhaps?
I will comment as long as you allow, but I expect you will have taken the flavor and fire out of your website. After that - see ya I’m off to find a forum that doesn’t see a need for controlling it’s readers and posters. Free speech forever!
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» on 02.24.10 @ 02:42 PM
OK sorry I see that the comments were removed only temporarily. However, it still looks like most readers are not happy about the changes. The big question is. Do you care, or are you going to be like Obama and push it through regardless of what the majority thinks? We shall see just how much like Wendy McCaw you have become..
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» on 02.24.10 @ 02:48 PM
oh wait! I take it back. Nice trick, Bill - only people who have already registered are allowed to comment on whether or not they like the registration idea. Talk about manipulation! This is turning into just another censored commie rag. Who needs it.
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» on 02.24.10 @ 02:49 PM
Mr. Petry, I have gone back and read a number of the articles that you have written. I have even gone through most of the comments that were in response to your articles. Getting past the flamers that are out there that will scream the loudest because you dare to challenge their way of thinking (I actually think that there are a number out there that would love to see you crushed by a train), I have found that you are earthier than philosopher, more common man than policy wonk. Definitely a believer in a right way and a wrong way. There is no grey with you. It is refreshing. At first I was uncomfortable with the way you were presenting things. Some might say that you were being angry and right wingish (I don’t know if that is a word) but as I read them I began to understand that you didn’t care about all the labels we place on each other. You were just intelligently voicing what reality is. Not looking at it through rose colored glasses.
I know this because my parents have no clue about reality. They voted for Obama and have voted far left liberal for almost all their lives. They have told me that their way was the right way and that they, like most that think like them, are open minded. When I told them that I had read your articles and had eventually agreed with what you were presenting, they showed me that they and those like them are not open minded. Wow, the arguments we got into. BTW thanks for that.
Anyway this article is so true. It is scary how so many of the boomers are going a road that ends in a deep cliff. They are like lemmings thinking that the gravy train is just going to keep on rolling down the tracks. Well it is not. We have absolutely no way to pay fro all these things they want for themselves.
So the next time I vote I’m going with the best candidate out there doesn’t matter if they are republican or democrat or independent. It has to be someone that can lead and someone that is willing to make the really drastic and painful decisions.
Thanks for your article
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» on 02.24.10 @ 03:56 PM
Yeah Ginny! Another convert to common sense! Don’t worry about your parents, if they haven’t grown up yet, they ain’t gonna, all that matters is you are now the adult.
To the Editor, ouch! Your new login system sucks! Probably just bugs (as any new system has), but it sends me off to some other thread when I log in (or maybe you just do that to me cause I drive you nuts). Anyway, I usually stay away from login sites, like the commenter above, because it isn’t convenient and I am lazy. But hell man it’s been a lot of fun while it lasted here. You had the best online daily in town by an order of magnitude! I’ll miss ya but I’m way too frustrated and far too impulsive to do this sign in thingy, besides now that you got Danno writing I don’t have much to add, this guy says it all! Go Daniel! I’ll keep hitting yer non-sign in threads until they’re locked up too, then adios amigo.
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» on 02.24.10 @ 04:47 PM
Didja see that new study out of London? The smarter one is, the more likely they are to be liberal and the less likely they are to be paranoid. Significantly so.
Ya think some cohort of the study came from Santa Barbara?
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» on 02.24.10 @ 05:03 PM
I’m with ya AN50 - where are we going? Looks like Petry has it under control here. I am going to suggest to the Daily Sound that they increase their font size and I’m just as happy over there. We can leave the libs here to a website that is going the way of the Independent - just a group of registered libs blowing off steam.
I will pop back in for one reason only - Petry’s articles. I may even get enraged enough to register to comment on them, but that will be what , once every two weeks? Meanwhile taking note of the advertisers to either boycott them or talk to them about this dumb move that has ruined a good thing. I like my comments raw and uncontrolled thank you. The Libertarian and democratic (small d) way. Since Petry’s articles have broken comment records - typically over 100, it will be interesting to see what the effect of castrating them will be.
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» on 02.24.10 @ 05:13 PM
Just an observation - it’s interesting to see how many apparently new (and young) female commenters that Petry has attracted. Apparently they recognize and appreciate a real man instead of the effeminate woosy “sensitive” Alan Alda type spawned by the liberal 60’s. Take note libs.
Personally, I miss the days when men were men and women were feminine. I like the contrast. Am I allowed to like that these days or does it make me a “bigot”?
You guys are going to miss me.
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» on 02.24.10 @ 06:19 PM
Incidentally - the Independent had the nerve to terminate my registration because they did not like my political views or way of challenging their articles and left leaning columnists. I thought I had found a new home at Noozhawk. Guess not. I suspect they want the same kind of control over who makes comments. One day a commenter who annoys them or embarrasses them will simply disappear. It’s all about control, people.
Enjoy your moderated adulterated controlled commentary from all the usual registered suspects.. *yawn*
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» on 02.24.10 @ 07:09 PM
SezMe/Baghdad Bob,
You must be a comedian - you make me laugh. You keep making up new jokes. “Did ya hear the one about the new study out of London?”
I hope after you register that you will be required by Noozhawk to state your sources instead of just spouting off stuff that pops into your head. It should be part of the new “controlled” forum.
New study out of London? You had to go out of the country to get this whack opinion? Not surprising if it’s true.
On the other hand, maybe Noozhawk will deny your registration.
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» on 02.24.10 @ 09:32 PM
Bad news for you, Realist. I’ve been registered for quite a while.
The whole Bagdad Bob thing is childish…and getting stale. But just to show there are no hard feelings, I’ll be happy to attend your third grade graduation ceremony, but you’ve got to ask me nicey-nice.
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» on 02.24.10 @ 09:52 PM
SezMe, Bagdad Bob is a name that fits you and it has stuck. Deal with it. Think of what Baghdad Bob (Mohammed Saeed al-Sahhaf) was famous for, in the style of previous propagandists with alliterative aliases such as “Hanoi Hannah” and “Seoul City Sue” as well as other propagandists with nicknames like Tokyo Rose. You are right in that mold. Remember, your namesake claimed that there were no American troops in Baghdad, and that the Americans were committing suicide by the hundreds at the city’s gates. At that time, American tanks were patrolling the streets only a few hundred meters from the location where the press conference was held. From now on you are Baghdad Bob.
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» on 02.24.10 @ 09:56 PM
I think caving into the weak thin skin liberals is just wrong—this was fun and you have the right to remove obsene articles.
KO-They hate the truth!
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» on 02.25.10 @ 12:20 AM
MacFadyen has always been a liberal promoter. I’m surprised he tolerated the truth this long. I’ll join the boycott against his advertisers.
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» on 02.25.10 @ 12:59 AM
Realistically, it looks like it is only getting stale with you, SezMe. Too bad you registered, because now it will be harder to change your name, and thus your nickname, Baghdad…it will be interesting to see if all your sock puppets go away with the registration process.
Honestly, I’m gonna miss you though. You were the most fun to pick on. :)
C’mon over to the Sound once in a while, you can make up any name you want still, but I will still recognize you. And…you don’t have to say “OpenSezMe” to get in. Bring your rose colored “yes we can” glasses, it’ll be fun.
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» on 02.25.10 @ 07:27 AM
I lost respect for McFayden as soon as he or whoever is behind the moderator curtain started leaving sarcastic notes for his readers in the comment section. You don’t bite the hands that feed you - even if he doesn’t agree with a readers viewpoint, these are the people that his advertisers are paying to appeal to!
Now he wants to treat us like schoolchildren, trying to make us “get along”, and he doesn’t care what we have to say about the changes. I’m tired of being insulted by the host. Time to leave the party and go to Dennys. Boycott registration.
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» on 02.25.10 @ 09:32 AM
The guy who is publishing Daniel Petry’s columns is somehow suppressing free speech because he loves liberals? If you whiners only had a brain ...
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» on 02.25.10 @ 10:05 AM
Geeze realist you kill me man! I noticed most of those promoting registration are our liberal friends (whoa, you too Dan, yikes!) I don’t have a problem with the registration, just that I’m too lazy and impulsive to use it. I’m more the bathroom wall scrawler type, you, know dash in, conk a liberal or two and dash out. What Noozhawk doesn’t realize is most of us do this crap on our spare time, mostly from work so we don’t want to spend time making nosy weirdoes happy and would rather spend it messing with their heads. But hey, its Bill’s rag he can do what he wants and more power to him. Like you said there’s always the competition, ain’t free enterprise great?
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» on 02.25.10 @ 10:35 AM
The unanimous Declaration of the thirteen united States of America,
When in the Course of human events, it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another, and to assume among the powers of the earth, the separate and equal station to which the Laws of Nature and of Nature’s God entitle them, a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the separation.
We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.—That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed,—That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness. Prudence, indeed, will dictate that Governments long established should not be changed for light and transient causes; and accordingly all experience hath shewn, that mankind are more disposed to suffer, while evils are sufferable, than to right themselves by abolishing the forms to which they are accustomed. But when a long train of abuses and usurpations, pursuing invariably the same Object evinces a design to reduce them under absolute Despotism, it is their right, it is their duty, to throw off such Government, and to provide new Guards for their future security.—Such has been the patient sufferance of these Colonies; and such is now the necessity which constrains them to alter their former Systems of Government. The history of the present King of Great Britain is a history of repeated injuries and usurpations, all having in direct object the establishment of an absolute Tyranny over these States. To prove this, let Facts be submitted to a candid world.
1)
2)
3)
etc ...
The story is the same and we are now working on a new set of FACTS ....
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» on 02.25.10 @ 11:52 AM
I read this and asked my mom to read it. Two entirely different reactions. My moms’ comment was how stupid can you be everyone has to pay their way. Ignoring the relative denseness of her comment my reply is. Right on Petry!! We can’t afford this BS.
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» on 02.25.10 @ 01:25 PM
If they’re comin’ after us codgers (shades of Soylent Green, eh, kids?), they’d better do it on their bellies at night, ‘cause we actually did the fightin’ they think only happened in the movies. Nobody takes ours with a bunch of talk. Nimrod punks. You want to fix the whole thing? Get rid of antibiotics. The smallpox’ll take care of things just like before.
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» on 02.25.10 @ 02:27 PM
A guy that has served three combat tours in Iraq has seen far more combat than some boomer Nam vet believe me. Try 40 months worth of house to house, IED dodging and stand up hand to hand.
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» on 02.25.10 @ 02:34 PM
I don’t think 90% of Americans have actually taken the time to read that parchment. I know that 60% of the Congress have not. I know that Obama has not.
“deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed”
I don’t think the governed have given their consent to this insane healthcare monstrosity, but how cares ! Damn the governed, full steam ahead!
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» on 02.25.10 @ 03:32 PM
My posting is the Preamble of a Document we are all familiar with by name .... The Declaration of Independence.
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» on 02.26.10 @ 04:48 AM
Realist has a problem with telling the truth . His statement that he was banned from commenting at the Indy because of his rightwing views is hogwash . He was banned because he used over the top insults directed at those with opposing viewpoints . He was given warnings about abusive language before he was dropped . We all give each other pokes in the ribs in our comments but realist crossed the line of decency and now wants folks to believe that it was censorship because of his views . Pure hogwash .
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» on 02.26.10 @ 02:49 PM
To those of you opposing the new Noozhawk process. I too had the same reaction that you have all had, the difference I have (lots of “haves” in this sentence) is when I relate it back to my service time. We would often have the ROE (Rules of Engagement) change even in the midst of a fire fight. Really. Think - Jimmy “I want to talk to the commander on the ground even as you guys are landing in the dark to rescue the Iranian hostages” Carter. So we learned to cope and adapt. I’m not saying that you guys should hang because I’ll be fighting a lonely battle, because I will, but because liberals have one common denominator - the need to control.
Control comes in many forms either in absurd laws or road blocks. In this case you’re feeling that this is a road block to wide open free speech. And yes, the uber-left is so thin skinned that if they stand in the sunlight they disappear, a lot like their ideas.
We always adapted and found numerous ways to really piss off those pols in D.C. who would often try to control real time ops. I can’t even imagine what it is like today. But I digress.
I guess I tried to look at it from Noozhawk’s angle where they may have been threatened by a vociferous cadre of verbal terrorists or they might just want the data – or both. In either case I can see their position, to a degree.
AN50 - I certainly love your comment, “He may still get the traffic but will never have that excitement and fervor an open site has, just lots of intellectual narcissists vying for the superior argument.” Man you can turn a phrase.
Here is my suggestion to Noozhawk. I understand you want to have some control on the perceived flaming, but we sometimes need hard core speech since it really does open the senses and offers stark differences from which new readers are challenged to make a choice, or not. I also realize that you want to access to the traffic data .
Perhaps you can simplify/streamline the commenting process while still having an initial login process?
And guys? Hang with me or I’m going to feel like that lone bomber pilot flying over Germany during WWII who had lost all his mates but was still driving on to the target pursued by a bunch of vicious fruit fly’s. Daniel Petry
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» on 02.26.10 @ 06:37 PM
This is entertainment at its finest, from the article to all the comments. It certainly is interesting to see Nostradamus-like predictions based on talking to two dudes on a plane. Not a really representative sample.
And the comments are, well, interesting.
My observation from all of it is that people are starting to disavow ANY political party affiliation and are truly starting to think independently, without regard to traditions, ideologies and eventually laws.
The future will be an interesting ride, of that I’m certain. Regarding the specifics of how it will turn out, I don’t think anyone can do any more than speculate about that.
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» on 02.26.10 @ 09:03 PM
Voice of Reason aren’t you inky or dinky over at the Independent? Anyway AN50 had it right, you are an intellectual narcissist vying for the superior argument. But in this case Mr. Petry was writing about meeting two men in their 20’s. Unfortuunately for you and your generation we really do feel that way. So I guess Petry was relaying an accurate prediction. We are not going to cover the debts you holier than thou selfishness is trying to shove down our throats. We are not going to carry your dead weight.
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» on 02.27.10 @ 04:22 AM
Lets see , my father paid into Social Security for almost 40 years , collected for 6 before he passed . I will have been paying in for 44 years before I become eligible, and may collect for 10+ years based on average lifespan statistics. Yet in “Petrylogic” we ” want it all and screw future generations.” ?!? The money would be there if the tax inequities created by Reagan/Bushes had not been created . Add to that the Bush war of choice bankrupting the country , against the wishes of the majority of Americans . Somehow in ” Petrylogic” this equates with us being “old farts that paid a fraction of what we will be sucking from their veins for 30 years .” You crybabies can thank the likes of Petry and the policies enacted by his “conservative” leaders for the wonderful condition of our country now .
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» on 02.27.10 @ 09:36 AM
Wally, you see that is the point you are missing and all the comments my age group have made in this article. We don’t care about your battle with Petry or your blind hate for everything. Your peer group has never run anything with success, you want something for nothing, believe that the government is designed to take care of you, and you have no solutions other than what is going to pamper your sorry ass. You and everyone of you freaked out boomers can just stay in your little world and ignore reality. You and your Dad have paid nothing towards what you will be sucking from us.
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» on 02.27.10 @ 11:39 AM
Social security is a scam, and was a tax from the start—15% of every dollar feeds the government overpaid unions and rediculous staffing size and wages—We the people are being taxed to death ...What happen to freedom to spend our money, and not be extorted from Government????????
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» on 02.27.10 @ 11:44 AM
Cindy: That would be incorrect. I am not a commenter on the Indy.
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» on 02.27.10 @ 01:23 PM
Petry .... , er , “Randy Thurston” I have one last question for you . Did you attend any publicly funded schools ? If you did I want my money back . Your math skills and analytical shortcomings reflect a major failure somewhere in your educational background . While were at it , since you feel that my forty plus years of paying taxes equates with freeloading, please stay off the roads I paid for . Dont call the fire department I helped build , dont call a cop from the station I helped build and dont take a shower with water that came from a dam I helped build .
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» on 02.27.10 @ 03:10 PM
Wally - Sign of dementia?
It is good that you agree that the public schools can’t teach these days. You should have asked for your money back decades ago. But then again your money definitely did not pay the freight, foreign T-bill buyers did. You just enjoyed it while it lasted and asked for more.
The last time I looked the Dams that support California’s water supply were built before the 30’s? You are 80 years old? Remember you love boat champions rarely support anything that would help us use our resources.
As for freeloading; let’s talk about something you and the generation before you set up. Now dig deep into your books of supreme knowledge and look up: Ponzi Scheme. Find it yet? Ok let me help you.
A Ponzi Scheme is a pyramid scam. It’s really a process for running a scam. The way that it works is that you create some kind of “investment fund” - let’s see…think Social Security Trust Fund, yea that’s a good one. You then promise some kind of great payoff - like let me see…hmm oh yea how about retirement benefits for life, and then force people to pay for it. As you get new forced “investors”, you use their “investments - think hard earned dollars” to pay off the previous people that created the Ponzi Scheme, skimming off a layer from the top for those darn smart boomers. The whole pyramid - the layers of children paying off boomers - is really just a front for what’s really going on -which is the managers of the Ponzi Scheme (those same boomers now in Congress and writing comments about how they have paid for all the roads, dams, airports, food, schools, water, air, my shoes, the food for my dogs, my haircuts, etc.) stealing money from their children. Good job Wally, the free love tie dyed generation strikes again.
Now the following is an assumption but play along with me here. Over 40 years you have maybe paid in a total of $100,000 (and I’m giving you the benefit of actually working during that whole time). You retire at maybe $1500 a month from Social Security? At 65 you now have a chance to live for another 20 years. Now here is where the really tricky math comes into play. $1500 times 12 is $18,000 a year for 20 years. Hmmmm looks like that runs to about $360,000. Gee Wally…where the heck do you boomers think that extra money comes from? Ciao dude.
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» on 02.28.10 @ 09:16 AM
Gee Wally. Petry .... , er , “Randy Thurston” If you are saying that I agree with what he said then yes. But I think you are just trying to be cute. In that case you must be SezMe or Baghdad Bob because there could never be people that agree with Petry, right? You’ve lost your edge and Charlene just took you out.
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» on 02.28.10 @ 02:10 PM
The Petry army of one d.b.a. “Perez” , “Thurston”, “Charlene, yeah you , dude” , etc. speak with a curious unanimity. Factual errors in these postings beg pointing out . Our water delivery systems here are much more recent in their construction and have been financed largely by the vile boomers . Cachuma was finished about 1950. Our state water tie in was about 1997 . The Sheffield reconstruct was just finished a couple of years ago . So yeah , if you took a shower today you can thank one of those awful boomers . Even overopinionated recent translants take showers , dont they ? Re/ Social Security , using a worst case scenario of a 20 year payout on an 85 year old just defies statistical averages . As I suggested in a recent post , there is a analytical debit here .
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» on 02.28.10 @ 02:43 PM
Willie, you and your socialist lovers keep forgetting one thing. All those wonderful government services have to be paid for. Get off your lazy, nanny loving, freeloader, “want my money for nothing and my chicks for free” arse and earn those services like we used to. No it’s not corporate or business America’s job to do it for you. Got it buster? I hear one more of you liberal crack pots mention the “federal highway system”, “law enforcement” or “public education” as a freaking excuse for your progressive agenda I’m gonna scream. Yes government provides services we all know that and we still have to pay for them. You cannot run these programs on credit and that is why our financial system has collapsed. You want your stupid European Arse kissing monument to socialism, Obamacare, then pay for it with your own damned money. You want to help the poor? Get off your lazy elitist arse and go help them! Put a crow bar in your own wallet and do it yourself. Quit heaping all costs of this phony, plastic, fake compassion you libs love to smear around on your damned kids, it’s that simple and as Dan has pointed out that’s what your kids are telling you now, got it? Jeeze!
Sorry Charlene and all the rest of you more civil commenters out there but crimony enough is enough. Oh and I know Bill I’m getting used to it, now that your getting most of the bugs ironed out it ain’t too bad. Thanks for the suggestions Dan. But still…..
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» on 02.28.10 @ 07:54 PM
Willy old man thanks for the compliment. I love how you ignore the fact about how my generation is going to have to cover any funding for your social security money or any other stupid entitlment you will foist on us. You can huff and puff and beat your chest all you want there is no money. There is no money. There is no money. And we are not going to cover you. Period. Not because you will not enact laws to seize our money, you will, but because the system is going to collapse. And we will reset it. Now about the water you seem so in love with, kind of kinky BTW. We get most of our usable water from ground wells, reservoir water is a supplement. The crap you excrete, not the kind you are writing, is flushed by recycled water. Gibraltar Reservoir built in 1922 - where you alive then? Cachuma built with federal dollars through t-bill sales. Mission Tunnel built in 1911. Where you alive then? As for the State Water Project you claim it with pride when it was funded by state bonds not your tax dollars and BTW (that’s by the way to you Wally) your environmental boomers are trying to tie it up in court. Almost all of these plans were created by my great grandfathers generation. And I know what my great grandfather would have told that we don’t owe you squat other than a swift kick in the butt out the door. Man you guys have really screwed things up. And thanks again for the compliment.
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» on 02.28.10 @ 09:59 PM
Randy why are you playing with this guy Willie? He is just another 65 year old child who thinks the world owes him something. These woodstock idiots have destroyed our country with over 100 trillion in debt. And willie, local, long time resident will never contribute anything other than bitching about evil this and evil that. They can’t contribute because they are the problem. This guy will be the first in the door as we are handing out meals and he will be the first bitching about them. I’ll be the first to take it from him and hand him a piece of cardboard so he can beg in the street.
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» on 02.28.10 @ 11:38 PM
The boomers grew up pampered as Spock babies never wanting for everything then they gave illegals free schools, free healthcare, free emergency room services, tried to slip them in as voters, under the table pay, people using services and sending untaxed money out of the country,free food stamps, free medi-cal, funny housing loans yadayadayada…god you ancient hippies make me sick.
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» on 03.01.10 @ 03:59 AM
Yep, these Petry opinion pieces are sure flypaper for the rightwingnuts . If you crazies only knew that I was a registered Repub longer than I have been a Dem . If you crazies only knew that I cross party vote frequently when reason presents itself . If you crazies only knew that I am probably more conservative than you on many issues , including immigration. Just because I saw my party being hijacked by neos and religious hypocrites and decided to bail , now I’m a socialist? Just because I realized that the right wing never enacted a single law to benefit other than the uber rich and wanted no more part of it , now I’m a lazy mooch? Been working for 40 years , 28 at the same place , paying taxes that helped build this country up , and now I’m a leech ? Funny thing is , most Repubs dodge and shelter from taxes , then privately boast about it , not paying their fair share , then bitching about paying too much. Now , that aint patriotic , butit is an example of the hypocrisy that drove me to change partys .
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» on 03.01.10 @ 08:22 AM
US debt repayments could hit 50 per cent of tax revenues within ten years. A trillion a year on debt repayments. Yep I’m just another rightwing nut job that has three girls, a job, and a desire that my babies don’t suffer because of fools like you. And if you think that I am going to chose supporting your gravey train over my family then you are on crack.
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» on 03.01.10 @ 08:32 AM
Willie that is the lamest excuse I‘ve heard yet. You don’t go running to the commie party as a conservative because the mooks in the RNC are no different than the criminals in the DNC. That’s what you are saying, the republicans are hypocrites and unfair so I’m going to run with the other lying, cheating, thieves instead. Yep my friend you are spewing 100% pure BS and I’m calling you on it. Both parties lie, cheat and steal, engage in exaggeration, say they care but don’t, etc… Both parties could care less about you personally Willie so don’t be surprised if the love you found in the DNC is fleeting, just ask any black democrat how well the party served them. No Willie everyone already knows you don’t join a party for its integrity, compassion or fairness, none of those concepts is acknowledged by politics. You join a party because their core belief aligns with your own and you vote for them holding your nose and hoping for the best. The core belief of the DNC is now defacto socialism. So strong is that core belief that many long term democrats have left. You know the ones who describe themselves as more conservative, like you Willie. That socialist streak is now causing some liberals to wonder what happened to their party. The RNC offers little for us true conservatives, but it’s more than any other party so we’re stuck for now. But you telling me you’re a conservative and thus joined the commie party because they are more trustworthy, dude you are smoking loads of crack and it’s time to get help.
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» on 03.02.10 @ 04:29 AM
Nope An50 , I dont do drugs. I have been thinking about trying some though to see if that helps make sense of the pablum you post .
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» on 03.03.10 @ 12:56 PM
Sure Willie. If you can’t think of an answer just give up. Its ok I understand.
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