This article sounds like it was written by 13 year olds. Does anybody here have any idea how quick a small dispute over federal taxes can be penalized into $12,000. That doesn’t turn you into a crook. I’ve been in that spot twice in my life. My husband was off on disability for four years and then went back to work and turned in his form for fed taxes and they emptied out my ranch account. things had changed while he wasn’t working and he listed his deductions, the tax lady and I could only figure out he must have counted the cows. It took me over a year of yelling to get my money back! You should have seen the bills they were sending me. The next time it was their mistake and I was barely making that much money for that year. I was a brand new realtor and I hadn’t yet made a commisssion. They wanted me to pay estimated taxes quarterly based on the previous years income in a totally different busines, that was closed. That was a heck of a fight too. Neither times was I eventually forced to pay.

D B, I agree, I wouldn’t want to repeat some of the ugliness that happened right here on this website. That’s the reason for the rules we now have. However if you were a little older you would realize that it wasn’t longer just meaner. In the old days we weren’t sure who would be the nominated on either side until the convention. I personally thought that was a lot more exciting and I felt my vote was more important. The conventions today are just a formality. Boring!

ps, I used to tease Diane [Chinese] that someday all those Chinese girls who have been adopted would become educated here and would go back to their homeland and take over. She used to just look at me and shake her head and laugh.

From what I understand this law was put into effect during a famine. I don’t usually defend a communist government but what were they to do. If you examine the number the possible effect of China to continue as it was the future looked hopeless. Then there are the unexpected consequences. Traditions in Chinese families say the sons take care of the parents, girls go with their husbands families and are not available for the care of their parents. That explains what happened going forward.I’m pretty sure the officials who started this had no idea what the outcome would be. I have two friends who emigrated here about 20-25 years ago. They were college professors in China and he was able to find a position here since he taught Literature she didn’t because she taught English. Through them I also met many Chinese citizens as they visited through the years. I met one young lady who had two little boys. She said she had to pay fines for having more than one child. I would guess maybe from the way my friend reacted to the discussion that maybe she had a parent in a position of power. All said with raised eyebrows not words. My friends in their 70’s have siblings, their children in their 40’s don’t, just second cousins, the next generation the grandchildren basically have no family left, just 4th or 5th cousins. I’m not sure what the powers in China are going to do, but I think even they know they have to do something, even if just to stop something new that has happened. Little prince’s who think they are the center of the world they know. So a whole new set of problems. This isn’t about civil rights, this is about the population controls and starvation.

Mr. Duck, Is it safe to assume that is where you learned to talk so hatefully to women. I’m sure your wife wouldn’t suffer such attacks just because she disagreed with you or would she? I know your God says love your wife as you love your God! Or have you read that part of the Bible?

Diana, Thank you. I’d looked everywhere for a satisfactory explanation. I should have thought of the Monitor as a source. Do you remember their International Magazine? I almost cried when they stopped publishing it. Again, thank you. I witnessed Eisenhaur’s speech. I remember it well. There is a book out there titled “Legacy of Ashes’ which is a quote from a speech Eisenhauer gave to the CIA. I highly recommend it if you want insight about how our government really works. Also the profile of Cheny in the Washington Post, titled Angler dated June 24, 2007.

Diana, I asked this question months ago and Suzann used it as opportunity to take my head off. I’m risking it again. I’m about as well read as anyone I know and most people I know are readers. So here goes what the heck is or are NEO-Conservatives? I’ve been trying to remember when people started getting labeled with that. It wasn’t around during Eisenhauer or Goldwater, did it start during Nixon? As far as I’m concerned the Republican party changed with Reagan. It came up with Suzann when I mentioned Conrad Black’s bio of FDR. She accused him of being a Neo-Con, which seemed strange to me considering his respect for FDR. I know Black’s in jail but his bio of FDR is almost a love letter and we all know FDR was a Democrat. I just recently learned why it was so well documented, Black bought all of the Roosevelt family papers. When I read ‘Invasion of the Party Snatchers” by Victor Gold who worked for the Reagan Adm. He claims the Holy-rollers and the Neo-Cons destroyed the GOP. From my perspective it started with Reagan. If you have a perspective that I don’t I’d sure appreciate it. Maybe Frank?

Donald, who do you think you are talking to? Most of us are grandmothers. Do you think your God would approve of you talking so disrespectively to your elders? Most of us are well beyond our child rearing years, we’ve lived a long life and don;t appreciate being talked to so hatefully. If ;you can’t be respectful why don’t you find some place populated by hateful people like you?

Mr. Duck, you are assuming a great deal when you think your subject matter is even worth discussing. How about the questions I asked you a few posts back. Try those on for size. What you have say in response might even make sense. I dare you.

Would you prefer answering the question, if not the ACLU who would defend your civil rights in today’s environment, surely not Bush’s government. They don’t protect little guys like you and me. We aren’t rich enough. Got an answer for that? Here’s another one, I don’t know which religion you are but for those of us who don’t like organized religions, which priest or pastor do we have to go to to get permission to have a tubal-legation or a vasectomy? Here’s another one, do you know of a priest or pastor smart enough to explain God’s design scientifically enough, so we can use those scientific rules to devise medicines and medical equipment dependable enough to save your life with you get sick? When you answer those I’ll get back to you.

rocky rocky, Possibly, but I had a lot of well loved friends who didn’t see the world as theirs’ as I did. It never occured to me there was anything I couldn’t do if I put my mind to it. I was fearless, I thought I could handle anything. It was the only thing I could put my finger on that made me different than they were. However I made a point of telling my kids that, not thinking about my near sightedness. They both believed me. I got my glasses as a high school freshman and my vanity was definitely affected, until I passed someone without acknowledging them and hurt their feelings. I hadn’t even seen them so I put my glasses on and just wore them. Your story is so sweet, your first clear vision of my favorite city. I fell in love with NYC when I spent 10 days there when we held my daughters wedding reception there in a restaurant on the corner of 8th & 5th. It had a huge airplane one inside wall. What a lovely city.

Merrell & Patty, it was awful. For awhile I was concerned that it would take this endeavor down. Suzanne ne Carmel was one of the worst offenders. It is a different world now. It still gets stupid but maybe we can’t do anything about that.

correction. it should be would not co-operate. Sorry!

You are the new kid on the block, it’s a bit presumptive to ask an established participant to leave. Do to want to restate that?

merrell, The Gonzales brouhaha had two sides. It was not only that he was sicking US Attorneys on the competition but he was ruining the careers of the young attorneys who not would co-operate by firing them without cause. They will be trying to explain that for the rest of their careers. I honestly don’t know if he, Gonzales was stupid or didn’t care, or just did as he was told, there is male power thing that goes on in Texas that is hard to understand. You are either part of the power structure in the political and business world or you are not. Those who are not do as they are told or they are out in the cold. I guess we’ll never know.