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    opposing hcr (5.00 / 1) (#3)
    by kidneystones on Thu Mar 04, 2010 at 07:25:18 PM EST
    is the same as opposing the civil rights act.

    One of the biggest farces of Bush Term I was the Trent Lott birthday scandal. After the entire Senate lined up to defend Lott (for as long at that lasted) Bush tried to convince a black audience that the separation of church and state was actually a form of segregation.

    So, now we have Dems telling voters that this signing off on this piece o crap bill is the same as signing the civil rights act. Hint: the only folks who won't sign are....?

    What's that word? Starts with 'r' Where have I heard it before?

    Good catch. By the way, I'm wondering (none / 0) (#5)
    by observed on Thu Mar 04, 2010 at 07:34:21 PM EST
    if there is any vote count which suggests the Senate bill can pass, as is.
    I"m worried that the WH and Dem leadership are flailing about, rather than acting with any plan.


    Parent
    if btd (none / 0) (#8)
    by kidneystones on Thu Mar 04, 2010 at 07:41:37 PM EST
    is right, the plan is to go down fighting. The only systematic effort I've seen from this gang is demonizing opponents.

    Getting re-elected is the plan and they don't care much about the cost. The Hyde Park millionaires are going to come out the other end of the WH pipeline infinitely richer and guaranteed some place in posterity.

    Who else really counts?

    Parent

    That plan is sure to hurt Dems in (none / 0) (#10)
    by observed on Thu Mar 04, 2010 at 07:45:43 PM EST
    Congress.

    Parent
    This has never been (5.00 / 1) (#16)
    by kidneystones on Thu Mar 04, 2010 at 08:20:35 PM EST
    about anything but number one, for too many Dems.

    History will not be kind.

    Parent

    karma (5.00 / 2) (#4)
    by CST on Thu Mar 04, 2010 at 07:29:21 PM EST
    me complaining about "menial tasks" such as cooking and cleaning, while belittling more handy tasks such as fixing things when they break.  Now my drain is clogged and I can't unclog it.  Drain 1, CST 0.  Long hair is over-rated.

    The drain gods... (5.00 / 2) (#6)
    by MileHi Hawkeye on Thu Mar 04, 2010 at 07:36:54 PM EST
    ...can be most unforgiving.  

    Funny thing, the first thing I saw this morning when I logged-on was an article titled "Why you shouldn't be so picky"  I think someone at MSN is a TL reader.

    Parent

    update (5.00 / 1) (#9)
    by CST on Thu Mar 04, 2010 at 07:45:23 PM EST
    apparently sticking a snake down the drain, without actually pulling anything up, is enough to get water flowing again.

    So the gods must like me after all.

    That rant the other day was fun.  I'm not really that angry, it just felt good to vent.  Maybe I am too picky, but for now, I kind of like it that way.  In 20 years when I'm old and lonely I might change my mind.

    Parent

    Well... (5.00 / 1) (#12)
    by MileHi Hawkeye on Thu Mar 04, 2010 at 07:51:16 PM EST
    ...I find myself getting even pickier as the years go by.  

    Or is it too set in my ways.  I get foncused.

    Parent

    or not (5.00 / 1) (#13)
    by CST on Thu Mar 04, 2010 at 07:59:52 PM EST
    update #2 - the basement is flooding... maybe it's draining now because I broke the pipe.  Oh GOD.

    Parent
    Uh oh. (5.00 / 1) (#15)
    by MileHi Hawkeye on Thu Mar 04, 2010 at 08:08:05 PM EST
    Do you know where your shut-off valve is?  That must have been some heavy duty snaking to bust a pipe!

    Good luck!

    Parent

    If you have a wire coat hanger (5.00 / 1) (#21)
    by jondee on Thu Mar 04, 2010 at 08:36:16 PM EST
    undo it and use a pair of pliers to bend about 2" of one of the tips back 180 degrees to make a hook. You can pull a hell of a lot of hair-gunk out of drain with one of those and not have to worry about dickering around with a lot of toxic crap you may not want to deal with. Once you get it a little cleared, let some really hot water run into the drain to break up the stuff down there even more.

    My daughter has really long hair and I have to deal with this scenario every couple of months or so.

    Parent

    Flooding..sheez (none / 0) (#22)
    by jondee on Thu Mar 04, 2010 at 08:39:52 PM EST
    Find the shutoff valve. And good luck!

    Try the coathanger next time.

    Parent

    Drain cure (5.00 / 2) (#31)
    by Molly Pitcher on Thu Mar 04, 2010 at 09:33:45 PM EST
    Cup of salt mixed with a cup of baking soda, stir and dump into the drain. Add a pint of vinegar and allow to sit over night, flush with  hot water in the morning. DON'T PUT YOUR FACE OVER THE DRAIN WHEN YOU ADD THE VINEGAR.

    Works with kitchen drains; got it from the Ask Me Help Desk.

    Parent

    Thanks! (5.00 / 1) (#45)
    by gyrfalcon on Fri Mar 05, 2010 at 12:51:19 AM EST
    I'll give that a try.  The pipes for my bathroom drain were badly put in, so it has a bad sort of bend in the cellar that easily clogs.  I'm going to try to get it redone at some point, but in the meantime, it clogs up constantly, even though I knock myself out to keep anything, like hair, from getting in the sink.  Apparently, just house dust and toothpaste clog this baby up!

    I don't lke putting harsh chemicals in there, and good plumbers have told me not to even bother because it doesn't work well enough to be worth it.  My current plumber has a super-duper, really nasty chemical mix sold only to license plumbers, but it's expensive as hell and has really scary fumes, so I'd sure love to find another way to deal with it.

    Parent

    Believe it or not... (none / 0) (#48)
    by kdog on Fri Mar 05, 2010 at 09:32:15 AM EST
    the drain unclogger thingy thats currently being touted on the info-mercials actually works pretty damn well for common hair-clogs...my local supermarket carries it.

    Parent
    Kdog.. (5.00 / 1) (#14)
    by jimakaPPJ on Thu Mar 04, 2010 at 08:01:16 PM EST
    in your paranoid fantasy you can think of them as Kenyan fascists intent on implementing Sharia law upon us...don't be a killjoy:)

    Do I also get a slimy Commie??

    ;-)

    OK, OK. You win.

    ;-)

    Thats the spirit... (none / 0) (#49)
    by kdog on Fri Mar 05, 2010 at 09:34:17 AM EST
    why cry when you can laugh...eh pal?

    Parent
    Anyone need a place to live? (5.00 / 1) (#23)
    by scribe on Thu Mar 04, 2010 at 08:47:56 PM EST
    Rush Limbaugh's selling his NY pad.

    It's a full floor on 5th Avenue near 86th with park views and exposures in all 4 cardinal directions.  Here's the listing.  4000 some square feet.  

    14 million, plus condo fees and taxes coming in about $14,000 monthly.  Kind of ironic, that it's a condo.  How much you wanna bet he couldn't get past the co-op board and had to settle for a condo?

    And, FWIW, my sources inform me Rush's decorating bill for this place - on the liberal-ridden Upper East Side - was bigger than the bills incurred by the heads of some investment banks for decorating their places.  

    Oh, yeah.  The desk looks like a reproduction, BTW.  But it's still Very French.

    Louis XIV? (5.00 / 1) (#24)
    by squeaky on Thu Mar 04, 2010 at 08:53:18 PM EST
    Hilarious. Maybe Mel Gibson can take it.  

    Parent
    Naw. (none / 0) (#27)
    by scribe on Thu Mar 04, 2010 at 09:07:58 PM EST
    More Empire than XIV.  

    Parent
    Right (none / 0) (#35)
    by squeaky on Thu Mar 04, 2010 at 09:43:28 PM EST
    Louis XIV is not quite as imperial a style. Lords of the Universe..

    Parent
    It's hilariously tacky (5.00 / 1) (#36)
    by andgarden on Thu Mar 04, 2010 at 09:57:30 PM EST
    At least it doesn't have (5.00 / 1) (#38)
    by nycstray on Thu Mar 04, 2010 at 10:20:02 PM EST
    I wonder if it still (none / 0) (#25)
    by jondee on Thu Mar 04, 2010 at 09:00:46 PM EST
    has that tub that Bill Hicks talked about.

    Parent
    In the listings, there is a photo (none / 0) (#28)
    by scribe on Thu Mar 04, 2010 at 09:08:36 PM EST
    of the bathroom.

    Parent
    It has a mystique all it's own (none / 0) (#29)
    by jondee on Thu Mar 04, 2010 at 09:14:18 PM EST
    To quote that great Republican (none / 0) (#30)
    by scribe on Thu Mar 04, 2010 at 09:22:10 PM EST
    Curt Schilling:  "Mystique and Aura are a couple of dancers working in that go-go near the airport."

    Parent
    Has anyone counted the rooms? (none / 0) (#33)
    by BackFromOhio on Thu Mar 04, 2010 at 09:39:03 PM EST
    6 bedrooms, including the maid's room, a den, and a dressing room bigger than most NY studios.  

    Parent
    Obama breaks the sad news to (5.00 / 3) (#34)
    by Anne on Thu Mar 04, 2010 at 09:40:13 PM EST
    House Dems:

    Not enough votes for the public option...

    In a private meeting at the White House this afternoon, Obama told a roomful of House Dems he doesn't think the votes are there to pass the public option, and urged them to take the long view and to support the Senate bill as merely the beginning of reform, Dem Rep Lynn Woolsey tells me.

    Also: Obama thanked the assembled, mostly liberals, for their ongoing insistence from the left over the months that the bill be improved, Woolsey says. "He thanked us," she recalled. "He said the bill wouldn't have been nearly as good as it is if we hadn't advocated."

    Woolsey, the co-chair of the Congressional Progressive Caucus, who was present with around seven or eight other liberals, says Obama compared the health reform fight to the passage of Social Security and Medicare.

    "He was very clear: He thought this was as good as it's going to get," Woolsey said, referring to the plan to pass the Senate bill and fix it via reconciliation.

    "He encouraged us to understand that this is the beginning of health care reform, not the end of it -- and that we will fix it later, as we have with Social Security and Medicare," she continued.

    "He doesn't believe the Senate has 51 votes for the public option," Woolsey said, characterizing Obama's remarks to the assembled.

    But Woolsey says she's now a definite Yes on the Senate bill, provided the reconciliation fix is adequate, even if it lacks a public option.

    I guess Ms. Woolsey has forgotten about the other things Obama was going to fix once he was president.

    Obama thinks the bill has been improved?  Really?  

    And this complete capitulation comes from the co-chair of the Progressive Caucus?  That's just pitiful, really, really pitiful.

    The utter lack of spine is just stunning...apparently, all it takes is a "thank you" from Obama (he thanked them!  he really, really thanked them!) and they fold like a cheap lawn chair.

    Ah, the fightin' dems. (5.00 / 2) (#39)
    by lucky leftie on Thu Mar 04, 2010 at 10:21:13 PM EST
    At least Rahm didn't cuss them out.  I guess the progressives are grateful for that much.  

    Parent
    Yep, Obama put the ol' public option zombie... (none / 0) (#37)
    by lambert on Thu Mar 04, 2010 at 10:09:57 PM EST
    ... through the woodchipper, right out in front of everybody. Progressives react.

    Parent
    the tell? (none / 0) (#40)
    by nycstray on Thu Mar 04, 2010 at 10:28:44 PM EST
    "He was very clear: He thought this was as good as it's going to get," Woolsey said, referring to the plan to pass the Senate bill and fix it via reconciliation.

    He's fine with it, just do it already so he can win.

    and isn't O looking at "fixing" SS and MC?

    I guess I should be happy. Not too long before I'll be mandated to an insurance company that can scr*w me . . .

    Parent

    Theoretically, you can pay the penalty to the IRS (none / 0) (#42)
    by lambert on Thu Mar 04, 2010 at 10:34:10 PM EST
    and rely on the ER, as usual.

    Somehow, however, I think the ERs are going to start cutting back.

    I guess we need the stone right wingers to start tax resistance, eh? Since Obama's given them the perfect opportunity...

    Parent

    Well, since I'm moving to Ca in 2 wks (none / 0) (#43)
    by nycstray on Thu Mar 04, 2010 at 11:01:14 PM EST
    the penalty is prob all I can afford. Lucky, there's a good low cost clinic in walking distance.

    I've been adjusting myself to this situation (with the HIR) since day one, but it's still a punch in the gut.

    Parent

    Beware of learning a foreign language (5.00 / 2) (#41)
    by bridget on Thu Mar 04, 2010 at 10:32:44 PM EST

    and taking flash cards to study on the plane
    lands you in prison

    http://www.aclu.org/national-security/flying-foreign-language

    Today its Arabic, tomorrow its .....

    During WWII (5.00 / 2) (#46)
    by gyrfalcon on Fri Mar 05, 2010 at 12:57:24 AM EST
    my dad barely escaped arrest as a saboteur when he tried to drive into a military base to give a language lesson with a notebook full of transliterations of German into the International Phonetic Alphabet.

    IOW, unfortunately, this is not at all new.

    Parent

    No it is not new (none / 0) (#85)
    by bridget on Fri Mar 05, 2010 at 01:56:22 PM EST
    but that was in WWII
    and anything German was evil and the American public supported the politics re Germany.

    Today Most Americans tend to forget that wars are ongoing and that since 9/11 nothing is the same anymore re personal freedom and privacy. Most Americans don't give it a second thought and think since they do nothing wrong they will be safe and nothing will ever happen to them.

    If people don't wake up soon to the political reality that particular student experienced ... it will be too late.

    Parent

    BTD,, any report card for Hillary? (none / 0) (#1)
    by observed on Thu Mar 04, 2010 at 07:20:04 PM EST
    What do you think of her job as SoS so far?

    Eew, I clicked on the wonkette link (none / 0) (#2)
    by observed on Thu Mar 04, 2010 at 07:22:45 PM EST
    to the right---the one about John Roberts.
    Learn from my mistake and don't click.

    What, the picture of three guys (none / 0) (#19)
    by scribe on Thu Mar 04, 2010 at 08:30:59 PM EST
    and a platter of something?

    And a preternaturally cloying smile?

    Though the comment about Charlie Crist being the guy behind the camera was pretty funny, IMHO.

    Parent

    So I just read that Eric Massa is retiring (none / 0) (#7)
    by tigercourse on Thu Mar 04, 2010 at 07:41:19 PM EST
    after allegations of harassment against a staff member surfaced.

    Hell in a handbasket.

    Did you also read that (5.00 / 1) (#17)
    by Anne on Thu Mar 04, 2010 at 08:25:13 PM EST
    the cancer he almost lost his life to is back?

    UPDATE III: On his conference call, Massa confirms that he has had a recurrence of cancer. He will retire but not resign. And he said on the call that "I will now enter the final phase of my life."

    Massa's statement:

    "This last December, I underwent my third major cancer reoccurrence scare. I was briefly hospitalized and kept it private between myself and my immediate family. It was a very intense and personal experience, especially with my having gone through this before. I'm a very salty guy. I'm a very direct guy, and I run at about 100 mph, and my doctors have made it clear to me that I can no longer do that. It is therefore only fair and right that I announce today that I will not seek re-election to this office, and I'm making this announcement early so that others may consider a run, should they decide to do so.

    "Now, there are blogs who are saying I am leaving because there were charges of harassment against my staff. Do I, or have I ever used salty language when I'm angry, especially in the privacy of my inner office or even at home? Yes, I have, and I have apologized to those where it's appropriate. But those kinds of article, unsubstantiated without fact or backing, are a symptom of what's wrong with this city, and it's why so many have looked at the absolute gridlock in Washington, the intense partisanship without rational thought, and decided, like I, I do not have the life energy to fight all the battles all the time.

    "I will now enter a final phase of my life at a more controlled pace, and I'd like my constituents to know that I remain fully committed to helping the families of the 29th Congressional District. I leave you all as I have always left at press conferences - with my personal wishes of good health and God bless."



    Parent
    Best wishes to Massa (none / 0) (#32)
    by BackFromOhio on Thu Mar 04, 2010 at 09:37:43 PM EST
    From what I know of Massa, his decision to retire sounds grave.  I wish him all the best.

    Parent
    Wow. (none / 0) (#44)
    by shoephone on Thu Mar 04, 2010 at 11:51:02 PM EST
    That's beyond sad.

    And as someone who is known to use "salty language" on a regular basis in my personal life, I'll just say: Massa, I've always thought you were a f*#king great guy.

    Parent

    He's also being investigated (none / 0) (#47)
    by jbindc on Fri Mar 05, 2010 at 07:06:38 AM EST
    If true, that's a big bummer (none / 0) (#11)
    by shoephone on Thu Mar 04, 2010 at 07:50:13 PM EST
    I liked him. Sent him money in 2006.

    Parent
    BREAKING: Good Will Punting: (Bye Bye Wm Delahunt) (none / 0) (#26)
    by Ellie on Thu Mar 04, 2010 at 09:07:00 PM EST
    ... won't hunt new term.

    Delahunt will not seek reelection
    March 4, 2010 07:30 PM
    By Susan Milligan, Boston Globe Staff

    WASHINGTON -- Representative William Delahunt will not seek re-election to Congress, the seven-term Democrat will announce tomorrow, ending a nearly 40-year career in elected office and giving Republicans hope of capturing the seat, which stretches from Cape Cod to the South Shore.
    "It's got nothing to do with politics," the Quincy Democrat said today. "Life is about change. I think it's healthy. It's time."

    The 68-year-old lawmaker said he has been considering leaving the House for several years, but was talked out of it two years ago by the late Senator Edward M. Kennedy, who convinced his friend he should stay and help President Obama with his first-term agenda.

    "He said, 'Come on -- this is a new time. It's a new era. We [will] have a new president. We're all needed," Delahunt recalled Kennedy telling him. Once Kennedy died last year, Delahunt said he grappled with whether to stay and work on the issues Kennedy held dear.

    "Clearly, since his death, there's something missing. There's a void. With the void, you feel the need to be here because there's much to do," Delahunt said wistfully in an exclusive interview.

    But the congressman said he concluded that after nearly four decades in public service, the grueling House schedule was taking its toll on his personal life.

    "I've got a granddaughter," the divorced father of two said. "Given the pace down here, I don't want to miss out on her childhood, her first year."

    The congressman has faced recent questions about the handling of the 1986 Amy Bishop shooting case, which occurred when he was Norfolk County district attorney. [... more ...]



    What's the problem?... (none / 0) (#50)
    by kdog on Fri Mar 05, 2010 at 09:42:54 AM EST
    The side of the car says "protect and serve" right?...the only service she required was someone to deliver some smokes....is that really to much to ask of an employee?...:)

    She got a delivery all right, delivered her arse directly to jail.  Next time order a pizza and ask the delivery guy to do you a favor lady, John Pizza is usually much cooler than John Law.

    Um... (none / 0) (#51)
    by jbindc on Fri Mar 05, 2010 at 09:46:41 AM EST
    you really have a problem with someone getting in trouble for making multiple false 911 calls?

    C'mon brother!  :)

    Parent

    Not really... (none / 0) (#52)
    by kdog on Fri Mar 05, 2010 at 09:50:25 AM EST
    and her shenanigans mighta prevented some other soul from being locked up, so we got that going for us.

    Though it woulda been cheaper for the taxpayer to just deliever a pack of smokes...or just block her from dialing 911...ya know I can't stand how the chains and cages are used to solve every little problem...we need to get creative!

    Parent

    She'll probably get (none / 0) (#53)
    by jbindc on Fri Mar 05, 2010 at 09:56:37 AM EST
    a fine and probation.  Maybe some required alcohol counseling.

    Parent
    Maybe there is a... (none / 0) (#54)
    by MileHi Hawkeye on Fri Mar 05, 2010 at 10:08:01 AM EST
    ...business opportunity in this for you.  Mobile 'cig sales.  Get 'em cheap on the Reservation and sell 'em on the fly...

    Going Mobile

    Parent

    "Watch the police... (none / 0) (#57)
    by kdog on Fri Mar 05, 2010 at 10:14:28 AM EST
    and the taxman miss me, I'm mobile!"

    Not a bad idea Mile, but I don't wanna cut in on the pizza guy's action...they will do it if you ask, at least in my experience, for a fat tip of course...a six-pack, smokes, you name it...and if you're really lucky the pizza is just a front for what he/she is really deliverin':)

    Parent

    Speaking of smokes... (none / 0) (#60)
    by MileHi Hawkeye on Fri Mar 05, 2010 at 10:31:29 AM EST
    Sensible smoking laws?  OMG.

    The parliamentary health committee was left shocked this week when the lower house of
    parliament (Sejm) voted in favour of a much more
    liberal amendment to a bill banning smoking in
    public places.  It now means that owners of pubs and restaurants will be able to decide for themselves if they wish to ban smoking on premises or not.

    "It's necessary to preserve common sense and also
    give a chance to non-smokers who don't want to
    be exposed to passive smoking," said Grzegorz
    Dolniak, deputy head of Civic Platform in the Sejm.



    Parent
    "Preserve common sense..." (none / 0) (#63)
    by kdog on Fri Mar 05, 2010 at 10:53:37 AM EST
    I like this Dolniak guy, boy could we use more like him in this world...common sense ain't so common no mo'.

    Parent
    After Ireland's smoking ban went into effect (none / 0) (#64)
    by shoephone on Fri Mar 05, 2010 at 11:25:05 AM EST
    business and profits for pub owners rose.

    Parent
    Not the best example... (none / 0) (#65)
    by kdog on Fri Mar 05, 2010 at 11:31:20 AM EST
    nothing, no matter how tyrannical, will keep an Irishman outta the pub.

    And since their economy ain't so hot either, that could be the reason for pub business being up. If you get laid off, where else is an Irishman to go?...:)

    Parent

    It's also true for Seattle (none / 0) (#66)
    by shoephone on Fri Mar 05, 2010 at 11:33:17 AM EST
    and all the places bans have been passed in California.

    Parent
    Wouldn't it stand to reason... (none / 0) (#67)
    by kdog on Fri Mar 05, 2010 at 11:40:13 AM EST
    if both smoking and non-smoking pubs were allowed, business would be up even more?  A place for everybody to get their drink on comfortably.

    I mean I can't be the only smoker not visiting the watering hole nearly as much as I used to in the good old days pre-ban.

    Parent

    Here's another one... (none / 0) (#69)
    by MileHi Hawkeye on Fri Mar 05, 2010 at 11:53:13 AM EST
    ...that disputes your opinion.  Along with a question for you...

    In closing, we offer a question to anyone supporting bans. The bar and restaurant business is fiercely competitive, and the people running venues are smart enough to do everything they can to increase their bottom line. If banning smoking really were good for their business, wouldn't they have discovered it by now, and wouldn't that make laws mandating bans unnecessary?

    My own question--have you talked to any of the owners of the bowling alleys in Seattle about the effect of the ban on their business?  Better hurry, there's less and less of them all the time.

    Parent

    Bowling alleys became scare a long (none / 0) (#71)
    by oculus on Fri Mar 05, 2010 at 11:59:56 AM EST
    time before the smoking ban.

    Parent
    You're hip to... (none / 0) (#76)
    by MileHi Hawkeye on Fri Mar 05, 2010 at 12:05:03 PM EST
    ...the bowling scene in Seattle are you?  

    Parent
    Nope. And I don't bowl. Just an (none / 0) (#77)
    by oculus on Fri Mar 05, 2010 at 12:11:01 PM EST
    observation from my locale.

    Parent
    But, I could be wrong: (none / 0) (#78)
    by oculus on Fri Mar 05, 2010 at 12:23:04 PM EST
    SoCal... (none / 0) (#80)
    by MileHi Hawkeye on Fri Mar 05, 2010 at 12:34:06 PM EST
    ....is hardly representative of "real America".  :)

    Parent
    More Iowans in CA than in any state (none / 0) (#82)
    by oculus on Fri Mar 05, 2010 at 12:36:55 PM EST
    except Iowa!

    Parent
    Really? (none / 0) (#84)
    by MileHi Hawkeye on Fri Mar 05, 2010 at 12:55:56 PM EST
    I'm having a hard time finding any numbers on that via teh google.  Got any links for me?  

    I'd like to see the list to see where we rank.  It's got to be pretty high--top 5 I'm guessing.  

    Parent

    I googled and found Californian's are moving (none / 0) (#86)
    by oculus on Fri Mar 05, 2010 at 11:40:42 PM EST
    to Nevada, and people are actually migrating to Iowa from other states.  Surprising.  Urban legend I guess.

    Parent
    OH,hit seems "Grease 2" (none / 0) (#81)
    by oculus on Fri Mar 05, 2010 at 12:34:38 PM EST
    stemmed a renaissance in the bowling industry in the U.S.  link

    Parent
    Now you're just ranting (none / 0) (#79)
    by shoephone on Fri Mar 05, 2010 at 12:31:32 PM EST
    Guess I hit a nerve, eh?

    We can each find different studies to support our opposing positions (really.) So far, the blip you linked to doesn't convince me of anything. Try reading the Klein study instead.

    I know many restaurant and bar owners in Seattle. I also know that many of them THRIVED after the smoking ban went into effect. Maybe that's because smokers are a small minority in Seattle. (Smoking doesn't mix well with biking and hiking.) Maybe it's because the business owners gained a whole new non-smoking clientele, while the smoking clientele still came to drink, but went outside to smoke. In fact, lots of new bars and restaurants are opening in my neighborhood, at a faster rate than I can ever remember in the 25 years I've lived here. The ones that are closing are closing because of the overall bad economy (and bad management.) I suspect the same is true in other cities. People aren't cutting back on eating and drinking out because they can't smoke inside those places. They're cutting back because they're watching their pennies in the current economic climate.

    As for bowling alleys, there is only one left in Seattle. The others closed because property rates have skyrocketed in this town and they could no longer afford the rents. Developers have been buying up every spare piece of property and building condos, townhouses and mixed-use buildings because they will get lovely tax exemptions if they promise that 10% of the units will be for low- or median-income buyers. Rampant development has driven up property rates exponentially.

    I know whereof I speak. I'm a bowler. I'm also a knowledgable low-income housing advocate.

    Good luck with your rant. Maybe someone else will want to get hit with your venom.

    Parent

    Rant? Venom? (none / 0) (#83)
    by MileHi Hawkeye on Fri Mar 05, 2010 at 12:51:42 PM EST
    Ha!  I guess I'm the one who struck a nerve, not the other way around.  

    And, your ancidotial "evidence" isn't convincing either.  For I too "know" quite a number of bar and they are struggling to gain back the loss of customers.  In most places, the smoking bans predated the ecomonic crash and the bans have indeed played a part in driving business away.  

    I also will note this:  

    State officials said restaurants "didn't appear to be affected" by the smoking ban, because 80 percent of them were smoke-free before the ban took effect.

    Which is the whole point all along--it should be up to the business owner to make this decision.  I guess you're just a fan of nanny state regulation.

    One bowling alley left in Seattle?  Yeaaaaaaaah, whatever.  

    Parent

    And you have some... (none / 0) (#68)
    by MileHi Hawkeye on Fri Mar 05, 2010 at 11:45:39 AM EST
    ...proof of this?  Because I don't buy it given the fact that pub after pub is closing down because of the lack of business.  

    And, I'll provide a link to back up my statements.

    Link

    Parent

    Not to mention... (none / 0) (#70)
    by kdog on Fri Mar 05, 2010 at 11:58:32 AM EST
    any evidence of business being up post-ban isn't factoring in the common sense bar owners who bring out the ashtrays after dark to keep their regulars happy.  

    Parent
    Although very soon after the ban in (none / 0) (#72)
    by oculus on Fri Mar 05, 2010 at 12:01:11 PM EST
    Ireland, a number of waitpersons in restaurants/pubs said they were really happy smoking was no longer permitted.  Some of them were smokers.

    Parent
    This is old news! (none / 0) (#73)
    by oculus on Fri Mar 05, 2010 at 12:02:04 PM EST
    Oops. Should be reply to kdog's (none / 0) (#74)
    by oculus on Fri Mar 05, 2010 at 12:02:47 PM EST
    comment re animal abuser registry.

    Parent
    Forgive me... (none / 0) (#75)
    by kdog on Fri Mar 05, 2010 at 12:03:56 PM EST
    so much bad news on the tyranny front you can't expect to be on top of it all:)

    Parent
    Oh No! (none / 0) (#55)
    by kdog on Fri Mar 05, 2010 at 10:11:21 AM EST
    Not another criminal registry...say it ain't so Cali!

    Lets see how many people end up on this list by mistake, or for failing to scoop poop...should this crap pass.  Linkage

    New taxes on pet food and billing animal abusers is the plan to fund this waste of money and time and resources.  

    What's really scary is the talk of using the list to predict who will step up to crimes against humans...a little thought crime-ish for my taste.

    Interesting... (none / 0) (#56)
    by MileHi Hawkeye on Fri Mar 05, 2010 at 10:14:02 AM EST
    ...well, to me anyway.

    American soldiers could soon be calling
    Poland home after President Kaczynski
    ratified an agreement allowing for the
    deployment of US troops on Polish soil.
    Under the Status of Forces Agreement
    (SOFA), the 100 servicemen and women
    will be the first foreign forces to be based
    in Poland since the departure of the Red
    Army in the early 1990s.

    New Poland Express

    "Boots on the ground, (none / 0) (#58)
    by kdog on Fri Mar 05, 2010 at 10:23:45 AM EST
    boots on the ground, acting like fools with our boots on the ground."

    Parent
    OT: Man who drove across US from (none / 0) (#59)
    by oculus on Fri Mar 05, 2010 at 10:29:43 AM EST
    Hollister CA to Pentagon had issues with federal government.  And issues with his arrest for cultivating MJ.  AP

    Parent
    Who doesn't have issues... (none / 0) (#62)
    by kdog on Fri Mar 05, 2010 at 10:43:37 AM EST
    with the governemt, and most of all....our bullsh*t drug laws?

    I really hate to think, and don't want to believe, violence is the answer...but I don't deny I could be wrong...maybe it is, maybe it is.

    Tell you this...I'm amazed more people busted for growing plants don't totally lose it and seek vengeance against their oppressors.  There's a reason guys like King and Ghandi are special...must people don't have the patience and the ability to forgive of saints.

    Parent

    This almost... (none / 0) (#61)
    by kdog on Fri Mar 05, 2010 at 10:39:46 AM EST
    reads like The Onion, but sadly I don't think its a joke.

    A two hour standoff over some 20-somethings smoking a little weed?  Ya gotta be sh*ttin' me.

    I love the lead-in paragraph...

    Another tip from a watchful citizen early Tuesday morning brought the Greensburg Police Department closer to exterminating the drug problem in the city.

    I wanna meet who wrote that garbage, they gotta know how full of it they are right?  "Watchful citizen"?...Err, try "sc*mbag nosy hater neighbor".  "Exterminating the drug problem"?...A) what drug problem?, and B) what are you on cuz it must be good good sh*t.