The Economy

[grendel]

Good post Ben. You are batting very well in this thread (at least in my ballpark).

People seem to get the impression that all the wealthy in this country use their disposable income to invest in America and create jobs. That is not the whole story. Does anyone think that some of them do one or more of the following?

1.) Buy villas overseas for vacations.
2.) Buy foreign currency, jewels, and gold overseas and deposit that in Swiss Banks
3.) Buy Art objects from other countries and display that in their villas
4.) Speculate on Oil and thereby screw the rest of us.
5.) Take long trips to exotic places, spending money on foreign owned cruise lines and lavish vacations in other countries.
6.) Buy drugs such as Oxycontin at $80 a pill to feed their guilt habit.

Trickle down indeed. Yes they do this and more. And yet they want our soldiers to invade for the sake of oil, and our roads to drive on and our cops to keep undesirables at bay. Do they think that kind of freedom and convenience is free and cheap?

Who is richer, the average republican politician or the average democrat? Which party has started more wars? I mean is Bush's Iraq worse than Kennedy's Vietnam? I have little use for any politician. At least the Republicans are more open in their contempt for the average man. The democrats actually con their followers into believing they care for the commoner....suckers

 

[grendel]

Nothing personal taken. I respect your opinion and also the fact that I have no desire to change your mind, nor do I feel like I have any right to or would even be able to.

Politics and religion are two issues that are always divisive and don't serve to better any discussion about the Pine Barrens, which is why I have tried to discourage them here. My personal feelings are my own and should not be indicative of how I want other people to think.

In the end, what goes on in this nation is so far removed from what us common folk have any influence over that it almost doesn't make sense to get so riled up over it. I have enough of a hard time keeping the bills paid and food on my kids plate, I don't need to take on the weight of the world on top of it.

Amen Ben
This web site is usually one of my escapes. Earlier in this thread the conversation drifted towards an "end of society" senario. Did you ever wonder what role politicians would play in that world? Fertilizer is the only thing that comes to my mind. Funny how folks like us with so much in common can get so fired up every four years over a bunch of people who just see us as numbers.
Thanks for this site Ben, I really apprieciate your hard work. I hope I can buy you a few beers some time.

 

[lgench]

The game was just cancelled for tonight.
Now, back to politics and religion!

And beer!

 

[pinelandpaddler]

And beer!

Currently drinking a Sierra Nevada Celebration Ale to the best baseball team in the world! For those of us who aren't the sharpest tools in the shed, that would be the Phillies.

Sorry Ben, but would you rather me talk religion?

 

[Ben Ruset]

Currently drinking a Sierra Nevada Celebration Ale to the best baseball team in the world! For those of us who aren't the sharpest tools in the shed, that would be the Phillies.

Sorry Ben, but would you rather me talk religion?

I enjoyed a nice glass of Orval (the second time was clearly better) while watching Jeremy Clarkson race a Mercedes McClaren from London to Oslo on Top Gear tonight. I had a happy evening.

 

[MarkBNJ]

I love that show. But I'm pretty sure it's just because of the British accents and the cool cars. Plus, how can you not like a guy who thinks it would be cool to launch small autos from a compressed air cannon and shoot an antitank weapon at them?

 

[grendel]

Currently drinking a Sierra Nevada Celebration Ale to the best baseball team in the world! For those of us who aren't the sharpest tools in the shed, that would be the Phillies.

Sorry Ben, but would you rather me talk religion?

The Phillies???????? Now the celebration ale is something I understand, lotsa hops. Good stuff.

 

[pinelandpaddler]

Now the celebration ale is something I understand, lotsa hops. Good stuff.

A hophead, are you? Good stuff indeed.

 

[Tom]

Currently drinking a Sierra Nevada Celebration Ale...

Their pale ale is my favorite. Although, any of their beers are good.

I had been told that the pale ale was a chemistry project in college that took off. Not sure of the validity of that, though.

 

[Ben Ruset]

Smuttynose Pale Ale is my favorite of the pale ales.

 

[pinelandpaddler]

Their pale ale is my favorite. Although, any of their beers are good.

I had been told that the pale ale was a chemistry project in college that took off. Not sure of the validity of that, though.

That's news to me. I can't wait to grab a hold of their Bigfoot Barleywine. What a great beer for camping in the cold.

 

[pinelandpaddler]

Smuttynose Pale Ale is my favorite of the pale ales.

Good ol' Shoals. Looking forward to trying this year's batch of their winter ale.

As for pale ales, why drink a pale ale when can drink an India Pale Ale?

 

[Tom]

Good ol' Shoals. Looking forward to trying this year's batch of their winter ale.

As for pale ales, why drink a pale ale when can drink an India Pale Ale?

I don't care for the extra hops, myself.

 

[Ben Ruset]

I am a fan of the less hoppy beers myself.

That said, they do go down better after you've had a few.

 

[Tom]

Loans? Did We Say We’d Do Loans?

This thread appears to be getting of point.

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/10/29/opinion/29wed1.html?_r=1&hp&oref=slogin

It is interesting to note that the Treasury Dept. took over $800 billion from the us and gave it to the banks so that they could loan it back to us.

 

[Tom]

I am a fan of the less hoppy beers myself.

That said, they do go down better after you've had a few.

Have you ever had Lancaster Brewery's Milk Stout, or Samuel Smith's Oatmeal Stout...my two favorite stouts.

 

[Ben Ruset]

Have you ever had Lancaster Brewery's Milk Stout, or Samuel Smith's Oatmeal Stout...my two favorite stouts.

Make a black and tan with Sam Smith's Oatmeal Stout and Peach Lambic and your life will never be the same again.

 

[Tom]

Make a black and tan with Sam Smith's Oatmeal Stout and Peach Lambic and your life will never be the same again.

I'll have to try that. It sounds good.

 

[pinelandpaddler]

Make a black and tan with Sam Smith's Oatmeal Stout and Peach Lambic and your life will never be the same again.

Did you come up with that concoction?

 

[Tom]

While I appear to be the only one here that thinks we are on the brink of a depression, I thought I would share this video about the Crash of '29.

About an hour.

http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=7233622324068640582&hl=en