merkin

Birdie birdie in the sky dropped some whitewash in my eye Boy I'm glad that bulls don't fly "author unknown"

mdeneen wrote the following post at Thu, Jan 22 2009 12:36 PM: A previous poster hinted that government spending was growing rapidly in Social Security and MediCare - as though that was some enormous measure of the total. We spend more on military than the next 10 countries combined. So, no analysis of spending can begin without bringing that to the front. You can't make it a small slice no matter how you choose to juggle the numbers. I was the previous poster, and spending is growing rapidly in Social Security, Medicare and other government programs. They are a big share of the government spending. It can't help but not grow rapidly as the baby boomers age and retire. I can not see the conection on what other countries spend on military compared to us has to do with whether or not we are increasing our spending on entittlement programs. Here is another pie chart with different percentages. Heck it's from wikipedia so I don't believe that it's numbers are that accurate anyway. But they didn't say that they juggled the numbers.

Past military” represents veterans’ benefits plus 80% of the interest on the debt. Pie chart from the War Resisters League http://www.warresisters.org/pages/piechart.htm Current Military $965 billion: • Military Personnel $129 billion • Operation & Maint. $241 billion • Procurement $143 billion • Research & Dev. $79 billion • Construction $15 billion • Family Housing $3 billion • DoD misc. $4 billion • Retired Pay $70 billion • DoE nuclear weapons $17 billion • NASA (50%) $9 billion • International Security $9 billion • Homeland Secur. (military) $35 billion • State Dept. (partial) $6 billion • other military (non-DoD) $5 billion • “Global War on Terror” $200 billion [We added $162 billion to the last item to supplement the Budget’s grossly underestimated $38 billion in “allowances” to be spent in 2009 for the “War on Terror,” which includes the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan] Consider how they manipulate the numbers There couldn't be any bias there, oh no. (Sarcasm alert)

LarryC wrote the following post at Wed, Jan 21 2009 9:21 PM: I am shocked at how much both kinds of national/public debt have increased since 1999 (table below). War and tax cuts, I guess, but something is also happening with the intragovernmental that I certainly don't understand. Could it have something to do with increased governvment spending in all sectors. More Social security, medicated and medicare since the baby boomers are aging. Also a lot more spending on governmental programs. I don't nececarily mean as percent of GDP but in gross numbers. You kind of have to look at these numbers as a percentage of GDP and also inflation factors. Most of that is above my pay grade. Doesn't look good anyway. Pay cash, pay credit card off every month, no morgage or car loan. Live in a smaller house, drive a cheaper car, take less expensive vacations until you can pay for them up front.

I'm in th quadcitys 2 hours west of Aurora. It was -29 here this morning. Beer? This is whiskey drinking weather, and it almost freezes in your glass. Don't need much ice.

I'm a short right handed person with a left handed son. He has glasses and I have had lasik monovision surgery.

Well the forcast was wrong, We are at -23 now with a high today of -5. Wind chills now at 8:30 am -50. Wuzzzer you must of left the freezer door open again. They are now forcasting -25 to-26 tonight. I checked the paper but it didn't say that Al Gore was speaking here today. My kids 93 acura integra with 170,000 miles popped right off after being outside all night. Time to throw a couple more logs in the fireplace insert and head to work.

-7 here now going down to-14 tonight. (not counting wind chill) This is just the refrigerator, wuzzer is up in the freezer.

That sounds pretty bad. Lucky it wasn't worse. Doesn't sound like you need a lawyer on your side, you have God. Best wishes for your recovery.

Thanks everyone! Just got done watching a movie on my system, had a couple of fosters and ready for bed. It's suppose to be cold here tomorrow also and it's snowing outside now. Guess I'll have to get up early and blow the driveway before work tomorrow. Since its 3 degrees now the snow is pretty light and fluffy. The birthdays seem to come faster and mean less. Seems like I'm more interested in what the kids are up to than partying for myself.. Well it's bedtime for this bonzo so good night.

I have the two fronts toed in to aim at the couch where I set. The from center is straight at me and the two surrounds are toed in to aim at the center of the couch. They sound god to me.

Short and borderline obese as per Wii fit. 53 tomorrow and still have plenty of hair growing out my nose, ears and other places. Just enough on the head to look bad. Can't grow a respectable mustach or a beard. I'm a real catch. If I had any brains would I still be here? I have attended eight different colleges and still haven't learned much.

Why would anyone be upset about a fly over at 9:15 AM if you live in a town by an air base? There is probably a good chance that the airbase was there before the person complaining. It's like living next to a golf course and complaining if you get stray golf balls in your yard. I think the complaint was from an idiot. If you don't like planes flying over then move. Heck I use to live by an airport and had planes flying over all hours of the day, I eventually moved so I wasn't in the landing pattern.

I've had rhapsody for about two years. I have a squeeze box on my system so I can use that to play about any song I want. Their selction is good but I have had some stuff that they don't have. It's great for listening to new albums and such before you buy them. The sound quality is good, I don't know if it is great. They say CD quality, but I think you get better dynamics with a CD. It could just be my bias though. It is good for finding artist and making play list.

Yes the kitchen is all mine also. Cheif cook and bottle washer. Coffee, starbucks sumatra beans, grind at home and use a krups 12 cup with duo filter. About 10 cups from 6:30 am to 11:00am. Gets the shakes going just right. Wind down and crash about 3:30 in the afternoon.

I'm using three forte II's across the front with popbumper K-stacks, they sound great. My surrounds are forte II's with K-stacks and my rear centers are quartets with K-stacks. system sounds sweet all timbre matched. The pans across the front are seemless. The quartets owould work well for surrounds also. There is a lot less sound out of the surrounds and rear centers.

Always wanted to be one. Looked at some old 911's but didn't know enough about them to get/keep them in running shape. Always thought they looked fun. Porsche,,,, there is no substitute!

It depends Is she HOTTTTTT? If so do it her way.

"ah, but you will, YOU WILL! [spoken with somewhat threatening Yoda accent] but...the lights...the song list... the closeups..the way the band nearly tramples the IMAX cameras...the jingly-jangly guitars in wide stereo... the dancing girls, eh...Keef sings for you...did I say the set list, who's got the set list?...Charlie talks to the camera...Keith and Ronnie are the greatest guitar player in the world...OB liked em...I like em...Mick's nonstop energy...the old tunes we haven't heard for a while...never mind the wrinkles.. Now go TURN IT UP and give it another listen! No- LOUDER- so OB can hear it - ah, yeah there ya go! TOP NOTCH! Michael (going to put on some Stones right now). I've been playing a lot of Stones lately. " Michael, I finished watching it shortly after that. I did like it. My theater is in the basement and when I'm down there with it cranked up my kids think I'm nuts of deaf. They're right I'm probalbly both. Maybe it's time to watch it again for Oldbuckster. Thanks for rekindling this thread.

Hey Fender, That looks like a small copy of "Albert" from my home town Audubon, Iowa. http://www.worldslargestthings.com/iowa/albertfactsheet.htm Albert the worlds largest bull. My brother in law decided that one night Albert needed rode. Boy did a bunch of city cops, sheriff and highway patrol showed up while he was on top.

Tom, I'm sorry you feel this way. I am not rushing to the aid of me love khorns since he needs no aid or defense. He did NOTHING WRONG. It is common practice for students to feel and identify organs and structures during surgery. Yes the patient gives permission for a student or resident to be in the surgery. It is also the standard of practice for the surgeon to identify the organs and structures to be sure that he/she preforming the procedure with out harm to the patient and to inspect for other pathology. When me loves khorns did this the patient was not put in any more risk, this is part of the procedure. This was NOT a practical joke, he was not joking around, it was teaching by challenging the student and using humor. Me loves Khorns said it was fun to TEACH in this way. Also the surgeon is the one in the operating room who gets to say what is appropriate since the out come is his/her responsibility. During major surgeries there is an assitant in the room also, another surgeon that can take over the case if there is any problem with the surgeon or if he needs help or advice. I am not flaming you, you are the one that jumped all over me loves khorns saying that you had no respect for him. "Sorry, but all I see here is arrogance - especially since you don't know me yet assume I have no knowledge of such things. " You're right I don't know you, I don't know me loves khorns i just know from experience that the situation he described was not out of line, not horsing around as you stated. I don't think you can assume that. Yes I did assume that you had no or little knowledge of such things by the way that you were offended and blew it all out of proportion. " For there's no value added in trying to appear to be superior. No one is trying to appear superior, just trying to inform and have a light conversation until someone jumps off the deep end. I've read a lot of you previous posts Tom I thought they were insightful and entertaining. PS The pilot thing was SARCASM sorry you could not see the humor in that either. Now how about going back to why people have funny login names. Keith

Mine was waterford crystal for an aniversery. (10th) I learned for the 25th I got a large diamond.

LOL.......... That is like so cool! I mean, there I am lying on the operating table all opened up and stuff and you're using my body to play a practical joke. That is SOOOOOO COOL Doc!!!! Golly gee, gosh darn.....it is waaaaaay too bad that you're not here in my area. I'd love to have my wife go to you for surgery. NOT!!! I have no respect for you. There's a time & a place for everything and I don't believe surgery is the place for practical jokes. That kinda thing here where I work gets your as* fired immediately. People fly on our airplanes. People who have a wife and kids. Their lives are in our hands. I would hope you saw it that way too. I'm gonna stop now before I say something to either get me banned or have this thread locked. Tom Tom who put the burr under your saddle? You have no respect for someone who can use a little levity to teach. A professional can teach by use of challenge, humor and such. No patients were harmed. (Actually a lot were probably helped by future doctors learning well what they need to know.) Do the pilots of your airplanes ever take their hands off the wheel to point at something, pick their nose or scratch something. How could I allow my wife and children to fly on an airline that does have all it's pilots keep their hands at 10 and 2 at all times!!! Mellow a little, especially about something that you have no knowlege of. I am a pharmacist and a lot of the teaching and training that I remember the most was what was taught to me with humor and challenge. Do you think that the only terms I think of is ED everytime I dispense Viagra or Cialis. NOT.

Me Loves Khorns, It is also the swab that pirates used to clean the cannon barrells between firings. Maybe they used those who knew! When my wife was doing her residency there was a gynoncologist attending that would always pimp the residents with that in their first case. He would ask them to go get a merkin, a light gray one , and not come back into the surgery until they had found one. The surgery nurses would usually fill the residents in. This gynoncologist had actually seen one during his residency in the forties or early fifties. I picked up on the word since most people don't have a clue what it means and it is kind of work related to her. Her license plate is Merkin also.

three hints I'm married to a gynecologist. Toupee "Lassie" had one