Guard Dog

I'd stay away from this on Calax. Unless she was on your crew or specifically asked you for help, this situation if fraught with danger for you. And the truth is there is no way to know if she has been harassed or is just looking for a lawsuit. It HAS been known to happen.

There is a place near me that has a "Shipweck Pizza". It has shrimp, scallops, crab, green onions, white sauce (like alfredo but lighter) and cherry tomatoes. Good stuff.

Clearly I've got a lot of catching up to do on this thread but it is looking more and more like Gorth and Enoch are going to be right on where they go with the upcoming mandatory spending cuts. Taxes go up, modest cuts in the rate of spending increase will be agreed upon (and largely ignored after the fact) and spending will increase which utterly ignores the root of the issue. So we kick the can down the road again until the next time the government hits the debt limit. BTW you all do realize the secession petitions were just a little political protest not an actual movement right?

It's cool. I was responding to Wrath of Dagon, not you. Your posts didn't seem worth replying to. I consider you a person. In fact, after this election, I consider you guys people more than ever, because I can see that you are GENUINELY disheartened that Obama won. That's full-blown emotion I can empathise with (even if I support Obama). It's just a shame that the polices you, Mitt, and many Republicans support are cruel and crazy towards other members of your society. That does not make me want to think of you as a loveable rogue - a Republican who's still a nice guy with the best intentions. No, it makes me think of you as somebody selfish with an Ayn Randian outlook on life. Your society is politically polarised for a reason - because one of the major parties, the Republican Party, has lost its marbles. That's not something we'll ever be able to reconcile unless one of us changes. I fundamentally just don't like what the Republican party represents, and I fundamentally don't like people who still support what the Republican party represents. I can't apologise for this, but whether I like you or not does not correlate with whether I consider you a person worthy of respect (to re-iterate: I do). Unfortunately, I don't always succeed at demonstrating this while making my point, which is something I'm working on. I find it simply appalling to dislike someone because their politics are not my politics. It does explain why so many people around the world are killing each other though. I can honestly say I enjoy discussing things with people who don't think like I do and have never held that against them. Now if someone is sour, snarky, sarcastic, arrogant, condescending, I could see disliking them. That whole "not a person" think was from a post you made BTW :http://forums.obsidi...als-discovered/

@ Gorth & Enoch: There is an argument to be made for allowing the sequestration to happen: http://washingtonexaminer.com/give-sequestration-a-chance/article/2509231#.UKBQgYawX5M I doubt they will though. Gorth has the right of it, there will be some tense discussions and horse trading but an accommodation will no doubt be reached. Until the next time we hit the debt limit. Obama hasn't seen fit to have a budget in any of his first four years. That has to stop.

Enoch, do you really want me to feed you a hyperlink salad? You know I've got them right in my bookmarks. For the sake of discussion will you accept the premise that the current administration is hostile to coal energy? What it will do is drive up costs of electricity production which is passed on to consumers. Not a big deal to the wealthy you might think but it is because it drives up the cost of everything by increasing the cost of doing business, manufacturing, you name it. It hurts the middle class most of all because not only do their electricity bills "necessarily skyrocket" it costs them more to buy food and the other essentials of life, According to the Washington Times in Friday the state of West Virginia is expecting to see a reduction of 8.5% of it's coal energy production due to the retirement of plants that will be too costly to run with the new regulations coming in 2013 to say nothing of any Cap and Trade plans that might arise. Making less of something and artificially driving up the price of it with no viable alternative to switch to is a great way to spur innovation I'll grant you. But in the mean time the consumers are like a nut caught between the hammer and the anvil.

Krezack I'm happy that you're happy with the way things are going in Australia. I don't believe you have ever heard me say a bad word about it. I just don't want to do things that way in my country. I could certainly make some disparaging comments about it based on my own prejudices and preferences but then since I've never been there and know very little about it except what I read in the Sydney MH online or the Herald Sun online from time to time I figure I am not informed enough to comment. Would that others were so wise. But then again what would you care about my opinion. After all you don't consider me a person anyway.

@ Alan: Several of those links are to companies that are downsizing due to mandatory budget cuts that were enacted as part of the last deal to extend the national debt limit. That they are in the situation they are in is the direct result of irresponsible federal government spending during the last ten years but the last four in particular. One of them is from the downsizing and eventual elimination of the US Space program. It is a shame that one of the nations that first pioneered space travel is now turning away from it altogether, at least as a national project. However I must give kudos to the Obama admin for encouraging and facilitating private companies to begin offering routine space lift services. That was well done. In the engineering field it is commonly said that is you are working on a government contract, don't buy a house. They cat cancelled or defunded all the time. It's just the nature of the business. @Nepenthe: None of these layoffs were thrown together in the last four days. I'm quite certain many would have happened anyway and were prepared contingencies from well before the election. However, with regards to regulatory costs the election of Romney might very well have made a difference for many of the folks receiving pink slips. Companies lay off employees to reduce operating costs. If increased regulatory compliance costs make doing business more expensive then the price of goods and products must go up or operations costs must go down. Or both. Overturning Obamacare was a long shot from the get go since it would have required the hat trick of getting the House, Senate and Presidency. The Senate was always a long shot. I did not mean to imply all of these (plus the ones I did not link) are Obama's fault (although some are for sure). It is noteworthy that so many are announced in such a short time following an election however. @Ros: Pursuing green energy is an outstanding goal and certainly on worthy of pursuit but the technology to do it large scale does not exist yet. It is madness to cut off the least expensive and most reliable energy source we do have in the short term because of a benefit we might get in the long term. It's like drilling a hole in the bottom of your lifeboat because you think there might be a ship just over the horizon. As for you second comment, I can't really disagree with you there. @ Kaine: You'll get a laugh out of this: https://petitions.whitehouse.gov/petition/peacefully-grant-state-louisiana-withdraw-united-states-america-and-create-its-own-new-government/1wrvtngl @ WoD: Right now I've got all of my money invested in real assets. I strongly recommend you doing the same. Stocks, non asset backed securities, money markets are all subject to wipe out if there are currency devaluations. As Enoch correctly pointed out before it is unlikely that the dollar will collapse because 1) there is nothing to replace it with in the world market right now, 2) It is still the most stable currency. However, if the Obama admin begins more rounds of Quantitative Easing i.e. flushing non-existent money into the economy then it will devaluate. That will be a problem beyond inflation. Actually I should be a fan of Obama's. As soon as it looked likely he was going to win in 2008 I got out of the stock market all together and began buying gold. It was around $800 then. I've kept buying it right up until about two years ago. That has worked out really well.

That's going back to the BIS days. I was late coming here.

Just to start off, Obamacare is now the unstoppable, irreversible law of the land. Plus Obama's promise to drive the coal energy industry out of business now looks to become reality. To set the tone the following companies have announced large scale layoffs and business consolidations immediately following the election. Some even came right out and said the results of the election were the reason why. http://www.wkyt.com/wymt/home/headlines/Company-lays-off-workers-in-Pikeville-177766221.html http://news.providencejournal.com/business/2012/11/providence-journal-lays-off-23-full-time-employees.html http://www.kwch.com/news/aviationwatch/kwch-kah-hawker-announces-more-layoffs-20121107,0,4377101.story http://www.marketwatch.com/story/boeing-cutting-30-of-executives-at-defense-unit-2012-11-07 http://pressrepublican.com/0100_news/x1499660097/CVPH-lays-off-17 http://www.chicagobusiness.com/article/20121107/NEWS08/121109803/u-s-cellular-drops-chicago-cuts-640-local-jobs#ixzz2BYqD5a7V http://www.tylerstarnews.com/page/content.detail/id/508789/Momentive-Inc--plans-temporary-layoffs-for-150.html?nav=5008 http://www.spacenews.com/article/rocketdyne-lays-off-100-ahead-of-aerojet-merger#.UJ_hP4awX5O http://www.kentucky.com/2012/11/07/2398967/brake-company-in-stanford-laying.html http://www.businessweek.com/news/2012-11-07/vestas-to-cut-headcount-to-16-000-by-end-of-2013-from-22-721 http://www.fiercepharma.com/story/bristol-myers-slash-480-sales-related-jobs-nj/2012-11-06 http://sayanythingblog.com/entry/restaurant-chain-considering-elimination-of-full-time-jobs-to-save-on-obamacare-costs/ http://www.ksl.com/?sid=22890041&nid=148&title=utah-company-blames-president-obama-for-102-workers-laid-off&s_cid=queue-1 http://www.kare11.com/news/article/997577/396/Caterpillar-to-close-Owatonna-plant-move-100-jobs http://www.journaltimes.com/news/local/mount-pleasant-sentry-foods-closing-in-january/article_f6505b48-29e4-11e2-ab4d-0019bb2963f4.html http://mansfield.patch.com/articles/grand-union-to-close-its-storrs-location http://finance.fortune.cnn.com/2012/11/09/banks-disappear-obama/?iid=HP_LN http://www.wptv.com/dpp/news/state/john-schnatter-papa-johns-ceo-obamacare-likely-to-raise-costs-employees-hours-being-cut http://www.therepublic.com/view/story/db84a27628aa40d3bc863933eeaf2173/NC--Parachute-Layoffs http://www.wtvq.com/content/statenews/story/TECO-laying-off-90-in-coalfields/3K4pI851aE6XFjO8fnYSDQ.cspx http://readingeagle.com/article.aspx?id=426179 http://www2.timesdispatch.com/business/2012/nov/10/tdbiz01-dupont-to-cut-64-local-jobs-ar-2350703/ http://wnep.com/2012/11/09/layoffs-at-a-luzerne-county-business/ http://citizensvoice.com/news/harpercollins-to-close-down-area-warehouse-1.1400303 http://www.wbbjtv.com/news/local/McKenzie-Plant-Announces-Its-Closing-178259021.html http://www.bizjournals.com/cincinnati/news/2012/11/09/mike-sells-closing-3-distribution.html http://www.foxbusiness.com/news/2012/11/09/standard-bank-to-lay-off-up-to-15-staff-in-london/ I could post a dozen or so more. Now layoff and closing announcements are not unusual in this economy unfortunately but there have been an unprecedented number in the last four days. Most of the articles cite increased "increased regulatory costs" and "challenging economic environment" as the reasons. Some have flat out stated the President's re-election is the reason.

There was a good discussion going on in the last thread. Lets keep it going but more with a focus on the cause and effect of the election and what comes next. Plus I'd be very interested to hear what everyone thinks on what investment prospects are going to be like in the next four years both in the US and around the world.

I can't believe I've been trading posts on a gaming forum with some of you for over ten years. Heck I seldom even play computer games anymore but still come back here several times a week. Amazing. I still remember half of you as kids, Calax, Krookie, Pixies come to mind. Now they are all college educated adults (at least as far as age goes ). FWIW everyone it has been a pleasue reading and discussing the ups and downs of everyday life, love, politics and other stuff with all of you.

Bruce, I'm forty one years old now. If there is anything I've learned in that time it's that the simple things are always the best. I live just north of Memphis so Mississippi is not to far. The state line is just south of Memphis and Bilioxi is just a four hour drive. There are plenty of nice places on the gulf as long as you stay away from the larger cities. I had the park all to myself (well the campground at least) right up until Friday night. It got a little crowded so I left Saturday morning. If it had stayed empty I might still be there.

I just went on a little camping trip and brought two books with me. Democracy in America by Alexis de Touqueville and Old Man and the Sea by Hemingway. The first was published in 1832 and shocking has never been more relevant than in the age of the Obamanation. The other is the perfect book to read when all you are doing is fishing and pondering futility. Now reading Muck City by Bryan Mealer. It's about the high school football program in Belle Glade FL. One of the poorest and most crime riddled town in America but has somehow produced almost thirty NFL players.

I just got back from an impromptu little vacation. I just spent the last four days camping in Shepard State Park down in Mississippi, fishing every day in Pascogula Bay. I had my cell phone turned off, no TV, no newspaper, and no news of any kind. It was nice. I brought two books and a ipod with nothing but Jimmy Buffet songs. I have to admit, I was really depressed about the election outcome, but I'm ok now. Life does go on after all. I caught a 33" snook on Thursday. And since he was in season I got to keep him. I filleted and grilled it with Cajun seasoning, sage & Mcllhenny's over a camp fire. Served up with fire grilled zucchini and a cold beer, it just doesn't get any better than that. Tommy got a big piece of it (without the seasoning) chopped up in his dog food. I caught a few others, that were either too small, out of season, or undesirable so they got sent back. It was a good time all in all.

Happy Birthday my Brother! I believe you an I are the only ones who frequent these boards who can say that today. So I raise a toast to you, our Corps, and the Marines who have gone before!

That's how it turned out. He was behind when they called the election last night.

I've been in favor of legalizing MJ for a long time. I don't use it but I've never seen the harm in it. Heck it would make for a nice revenue stream if it were legalized and taxed. It's not the governments place to be you goddamned mother and keep you from having things that are bad for you. I suspect we are going to get a double helping of that nonsense anyway so it's nice to see individual states asserting their sovereignty.

I'm still stunned over yesterdays events. I made some investment moves this morning. Made two online purchases and now I think I'm turning off the computer, radio, and TV for a while. Maybe a long while. I think my dog Tommy & I are going to head down to Biloxi or Gulfport or somewhere like that and do some fishing. I don't know.

You Sir are a man of good taste and refinement!

Very disappointing. Bitterly so. I just can not get my head around why anyone would vote for this man. I really try to put myself in the perspective of his supporters and I just can't see it. Even some of you who I've been trading posts with for years and have come to respect after a fashion, I just do not understand why he gets the support he does. For the third time in our history the winner of the popular vote has lost the election. That said I still think the electoral system is essential (rather than a straight popular vote). The upshot is I won't have to change my investment portfolio. Right now I have everything placed so I protect as much as I can from the damage he has and will do, especially here currency devaluation is concerned. Tomorrow I'm buying more gold, more silver and most importantly, more ammunition. I suspect the value of all three is going up tomorrow.

Let's see: Hitler published Mein Kampf The Spanish Civil War began President Warren Harding used army troops to break them big mineworkers strike in 1922 Ted Kennedy drowned his girlfriend and got away scot free There was a tsunami in New Guniea Kobe Bryant raped a woman in a hotel in Colorado Yikes. I was the one bright spot on that day in history!

To be honest I'm not a big fan of Mitt Romney but for me it was no so much a matter of voting for him as against Obama. I don't work for a big company anymore. I own my own business now (with four equal partners and one employee) and that man is making life VERY difficult for us and the worst is yet to come. It seems my entire adult life election choices have been about choosing the lesser of two evils. The only times they haven't been is when I voted for third party candidates for President like in 1996 and 2004. Whatever happens tonight, whomever wins, I hope it is not close. I hope the outcome does not hinge on one closely contested state. I hope there is no disparity between the popular and electoral votes. I don't expect there will be a landslide of any kind but I hope the issue is clearly settled by the time polls close in Hawaii. Both side have armies of lawyers ready to sue everyone in sight if it is close and with the country so polarized nothing good will come of that.

This has to be the most disingenuous thing I've ever read on this board.

Nah I've never been a big fan of a true laissez-faire system. There do need to be some restraints to keep things in balance but it should be a silk rope, not heavy iron chains as our current President believes. And auto insurance does not compare to health care because you are not required to own a car an do not have to pay for auto insurance if you don't. Obamacare is inescapable. But what is so terrifying about it is they do not have the authority to do it, yet is has been done. Do you realize that under the precedent this sets they could require everyone to buy a GM car? And have the IRS come after you if you don't? Oil production in private land and leases is up. That is only because Obama can not do anything about those projects. Yet. And he can certainly not take any credit for that since all he has done is shut down domestic oil drilling and exploration everywhere he was able to. I read in Forbes a few weeks ago that US oil companies are overproducing for fear of interference from him in a second term in their own private leases. As far as how states would behave left to the own devices, I'm sorry Calax, you are just wrong on that one. But that's ok, We are not going to come to any kind of agreement there. I though you'd get a kick out of this. All the gun manufactures must be rooting for Obama to win: http://business.time...ff-the-shelves/ One note on unemployment numbers though. There have been a lot of outcry that the numbers are skewed to make Barry O look better. I doubt that is true but I do know one thing that IS true. If someone is unemployed long enough for their benefits to run out, they are no longer counted as unemployed. That unemployment number is not the number of people who cannot find work, it's the number of people who cannot find for and are still receiving benefits. The real number is a lot higher than what you see in the media. Anyway, the Obama admin has done a lot of truly stupid and frightening things the past four years. But this is the one that made me maddest of all and if they did nothing else, this would still make me vote against them: http://www.infowars....-as-terrorists/ Especially after refusing to call the real terrorists what they are.