Easy does it 440EX026, you either type real fast or you have a lot of time on your hands. [img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-smile.gif[/img]

My only disagreement with you is you dont have to follow the worlds ways. We as Christians are in the world, not of the world. I just think that too many people in this country find it easy and acceptable to blame their problems on others. Very few want to step up and take responsibility for what happens to them. I think we are in the same book on this just a page or 2 away from each other.

 

LMAO Agreed [img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-smile.gif[/img]

And yes I type around 90-100 wpm and thats the only way I could say all this BS at once

 

the lady said the cops sat outside the school for 4 hrs when everyone was gettin killed

 

Kawasakirules, if you are interested in what happened, you should do a search on the net. Tragically, things like this have happened for years and in many countries although this attracted alot of publicity due to the amount of people killed/injured and the fact two shooters were involved.There were alot of problems with the way the police handled the incident but what you need to realize is that it was very confusing and no one knew how many people were involved. My theory is police shot at least one innocent kid and the incident commanders pulled back the force to evaluate what was happening. After this, many police departments got better training for this kind of event.
A year before this in Springfield, Oregon we had a young man named Kip Kinkel with alot of problems who killed his parents and then went to school and killed more kids.
I'm sure that what they stressed at your school is that it is very rare for these events to happen with complete surprise, so many times these guys talk about what they plan but know one believes them. At Columbine, these kids were well known by the police and I think had a hit list posted on the internet. They had even made a movie about it and shown it for a school project.
440ex026, It may be that if you examine what your Grandfather made back then compared to the cost of living he probably did pretty well. The tax rates we pay have been locked in for years meaning that the taxes you pay now were meant for the very rich. What would you pay in taxes say if you made $7000 a year? I don't mean to get started about the government but I agree with most of what you wrote. Also, one major problem is credit debt which so many feel must be part of there lives. Now you can make payments on a meal you had years ago.
It is possible to live on one income and I am lucky enough to have one of those good manufacturing jobs. I spend alot of time thinking about how we spend our money and it is alot different than most people and much better than the Government's handling of our money. This is still a land of opportunities but it is much harder to spot them and it takes alot of sacrifce.

 

reconranger.....wait ur telling me i have to take less time on the trails....and you have how many posts? maybe you need to spend more time off your computer

 

Good point and I was really trying not to get into the whole tax issue as that is another whole subject of its own but like you properly point out it is a large part of the problem.

Your point on the absolutely abused, and horrible credit card situation in this country in another good example, and also part of what I was getting at when I discussed the lower paying jobs to replace the good ones.

Basically our leaders as a whole have created several new industries to try and fill the gap of the lost jobs from manufacturing etc, and the fact that the majority of americans are in debt and a large amount of those being in over their heads is not an accident, but part of a created group of circumstances by our leaders to help support this new blooming industry of credit cards.

I know they have been around before most of us were born (yea even gramps had one or two) but the need and acceptance of having to carry high balances and all the hundereds of unbelievable fees and interest rates and even some programs that borderline loansharking and extortion have only been around so many years etc.

Before anyone gets onto the "its our own choice, and decision" bandwagon consider that before this part of the banking industry was fully accepted by the public in general, and was truely an entire multi billion dollar industry of its own all the interest paid was fully tax deductible just like your home mortgage etc. I accept that alone as proof that the goverment wanted to encourage the very situation we have today with so many people deeply in debt in order to support a industry that was thought to be needed to support employment. To further reinforce this theory just consider how congress and the senate continually pander to the whims of this industry without any concern for the consumer. I think like it or not we are stuck with this and I expect it will only get worse in the future as who will employ the large numbers of people working in that industry if they were forced to play on a level playing field without the purchase of favors etc.

As an added bonus most of this industry employs large amounts of part time help without benefits, and also doesnt offer overtime compensation or the other typical company paid benefits to many of their full time workers. Its just not a compareable replacement for the jobs that were lost, but many americans pay dearly for this all to exist.

A little known or discussed part of this is how some consider the high rates, and large fees that these companies have been given legal rights to charge over the last ten or so years as nothing more than another hidden tax levied upon us thru congress allowing it to happen in the first place. I am personally sort of on the fence but leaning towards believing it as I have seen people who have paid late fees that were 25% of their balance, and rates raised above what you would pay to the corner loan shark for payments that "may" have been a day late.

It does make sense as if this industry didnt allow the employment opportunities who would be left to support these workers? Most believe it would be some sort of social service that is tax payer supported, so in the end were paying either way.

And yes we do live in the best country in the world, but that doesnt mean there isnt room for improvement or somehow there is no longer a need to follow the constitution and basic protections provided by the forefathers of our nation that so many seem to conveniently misinterpet as it suits them.

 

Just a thought, but why not

I dont mind discussing this stuff and actually enjoy seeing the varied or different opinions from you guys in various parts of the country and from different backgrounds and careers etc, but it may be just a little much for a atv forum [img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-smile.gif[/img]

I am happy to continue sharing what I have seen, learned and been advised etc just like I would a jetting problem, but if it doent seem to fit in or whatever just let me know.

Thing is I have had the privilige to have worked around and met some very interesting people who had different levels of insight into this (some from being in business, and even others who follow this stuff specifically) and I really find it all very interesting and sort of like a puzzle that you have a problem finishing due to so many missing pieces.

 

How many of us said,"When I have kids, I won't treat them this way!" when we got into trouble? I know I did. I guess some of the people took it to heart and remembered it when they did have kids. I totally forgot about it the first time my 8 year old rolled her eyes at her mom. I lost it. She got spanked and grounded. My five year old is now learning from her 10 year old sister. She has figured out, that if she gets an attitude, she looses. So, now we are in a constant disagreement about the "being friends" with you kids. I totally agree. I am a parent, not thier buddy. I ain't skeered to take care of bidness in public. I love the looks I get. Then I ask, "Would you like to take 'em home and raise 'em? Then mind your own business". Also, just FYI, the kid of Dr. Spock blew his brains out.

 

I Have 3 Kids at Home and there Well Behaved. And its not because of some stupid timeout It's because they got there Butts Spanked when they Needed it. We actually had a Cop tell us it's ok to spank or even Slap your child as long as you Don't leave a Mark. What Really Makes me Mad is all the Professionals Who try to tell you how to raise your kids and they Don't even Have any.[img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-mad.gif[/img]

 

seriously... so true

i agree the media is a major source of negative things that younger (and even some older) people are susceptible to. years ago all the cartoons consisted of buggs bunny and the like. now look at todays cartoons. the animators must be on drugs. sponge bob (not nearly the worst, just one i find annoying) for example. the media makes us believe that celebrities have it all and yet in realitly many have low self esteems, are unhappy, have drug issues, and other problems. you cannot buy happiness. their lives really arent as glamorous as they may seem. all the drugs, drinking, smoking, immorality, etc. will catch up to them in due time. i agree that video games, music, and guns arent to blame but there are messages in music and or some video games that can spark or add fuel to the fire. there is soo much media and entertainment out there these days and not a lot of it is good. look at the ratio of R rated and PG-13 movies compared to PG and G movies. look at whats in those PG-13 and R movies compared to what was allowed in R and PG-12 movies years ago. we are slowly accepting evil as a nation. video games alone arent going to make me or most anyone bring a gun to school. now over time, parents who dont give enough attention to their children who are playing violent video games, listening to music with bad messages and the like may be prone to bad behavior at school. anyways, no matter what the circumstance of the government, media, etc., it is possible to raise several children, provide income, maintain a home etc. we cannot blame any single thing. the government is not all corrupt. we live in america and even though we may not be all that we can or could be, we still have more freedoms than every other country i can think of. i hate it when people complain about America. go live in Iraq or any other country outside North America for a month...