December 31, 2011

Happiest of Happy New Years to all my fellow Lounge denizens !

December 31, 2011

Perry supports English as official language in US

MASON CITY, Iowa (AP) — Republican presidential candidate Rick Perry said Friday he would like English to be made the national language of the United States, agreeing with a frustrated voter who railed over the presence of multiple languages in everyday American life.

Perry, whose campaign needs a boost before Tuesday's lead-off Iowa caucuses, spoke at a Cerro Gordo County GOP fundraiser and took questions from the audience at the Mason County Country Club.

The voter who told the Texas governor he was tired of multilingual directions for products drew applause when he said he'd like to see English become the official language of the U.S. government.

"I don't know how the rest of the conservatives in the room feel, but personally, I'm fed up with seeing the directions on every single product on every single shelf of every single store written in four languages," said the man, who didn't give his name.

http://news.yahoo.com/perry-supports-english-official-language-us-015528582.html

December 31, 2011

question about internet political forums

I almost never stray from DU. Hence, my question: are there any good, well-moderated American political forums for all political allegiances on the internet, or is that "impossible" ? I know even here, things can get very heated. Thanks in advance for your time.


Steve

December 30, 2011

My broadband got disconnected accidentally the other day

Asking all service people and former service people: Is this an easy thing to do with a building with 8 apartments ? It was for less than 24 hours so it wasn't a big deal. The tenant below me moved out and, I assume, disconnected his cable service.

December 29, 2011

Anyone know anything about the smart fortwo car ?

I stumbled upon it while looking at new cars online.

http://www.smartusa.com/comparevehicles/

December 29, 2011

Former NM Governor and gay marriage supporter runs for Libertarian presidential nomination

http://chicago.gopride.com/news/article.cfm/articleid/24731296/former-nm-governor-and-gay-marriage-supporter-runs-for-libertarian-presidential-nomination

Santa Fe, New Mexico — Gary Johnson, a gay marriage supporter and former governor of New Mexico, announced on Wednesday he is running for the Libertarian nomination for president.

Johnson had tried and failed to gain traction as a Republican candidate. He said that abandoning the Republican party was both "a difficult decision and an easy one."

"I have a lot of Republican history, but in the final analysis, I am a Libertarian. That is: someone who is fiscally very conservative but holds freedom-based positions on the issues that govern personal behavior."

Aside from supporting gay marriage, Johnson also supports legalization of marijuana. He is also pro-choice.

December 25, 2011

Ronald Reagan, mental health, and spin

http://www.miwatch.org/2011/02/_ronald_reagan_and_mental.html

For the next twelve months, the Ronald Reagan image machine will be turning out countless vignettes of the nation's 40th president, the man neighbors called "Dutch." He will be described as no-nonsense yet kindly, remote but avuncular, a movies-star-turned-politician, and remembered as a local lifeguard rescuing people in troubled waters. With dashing good looks, a sonorous tone that became the voice of General Electric, and an affable smile, even those who disagreed with his policies will say he was genuinely kind-hearted.

So what did this mean practically for policies about mental health? Here we need to ask how the image departs from the reality.

Contrary to the spin about trimming government, which he called "the problem," we all know he oversaw increases in federal spending that exploded the national debt, and grew the size of the government he impugned. Another part of the reality, rarely the image, is how he attempted to savage the entitlement system and roll back supports for people with a mental illness.

When Ronald Reagan arrived in Washington, he inherited the Mental Health Systems Act of 1980. One of the last achievements of Pres. Jimmy Carter, this was passed by the House 277 to 15, in the Senate, 93 to 3. With as many critics as there were special interests, it was far from perfect. Yet it expanded the federal government's commitment to services, to research, to training professionals, and to patient rights. It identified stigma as an impediment to seeking and receiving services. It established parity in Medicaid and Medicare. It recognized the link between physical health and mental health. And it dedicated $800 million over 4 years to redress the gross neglect of the commitment to mental health in earlier administrations. In short, it moved an agenda that minimized homelessness, the reliance on expensive nursing homes, jails and prisons, and one that to more hopeful choices for those who needed help.

*much more at link*

This was prompted by this thread in LBN: http://www.democraticunderground.com/10149215

December 25, 2011

How will Putin respond to the massive protests in Russia ?

I am afraid there will be a bloody crackdown and I hope I'm wrong.

December 25, 2011

Does anyone else get a slightly childish delight out of the Norad Santa Cam videos ?

You go here , click on the Santa Claus icon, then click on the video.

Yes it's childish but I'm guessing children would love it. The NORAD people sound a little bored reading their scripts lol

December 25, 2011

Am I the only one who sees the Meta thread by Make7 this way ?

I've tried different browsers and it looks the same in all of them.