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pappasan  ·  3079 days ago  ·  link  ·    ·  parent  ·  post: Let's drug-test the rich before approving tax deductions, US congresswoman says

I think it is a great idea (being one of these drug free Mormon's @steve is referring to). I also enjoy the fact that it brings the spotlight on how screwed up our tax system is. The working class poor pay little to none in federal taxes. The super rich have access to so many loopholes and exemptions to avoid payments. It is not a fair or equitable solution.

I also don't like the implication that a tax deduction is considered a government expenditure. There are no monies exiting the coffers. It perpetuates the myth that the my money is only mine because the government is gracious enough to let me keep what it thinks I am entitled to.

pappasan  ·  3079 days ago  ·  link  ·    ·  parent  ·  post: Democrats stage sit-in on House floor to force gun vote

It definitely can be and has been. That still doesn't make it right. Too many people are more concerned about 'doing something' than doing the right thing. Pushing through rushed legislation without proper checks for due process is not the right thing to do. Ramming through the Patriot Act brought us the NSA surveillance nightmare. Let's not let history repeat itself.

pappasan  ·  3079 days ago  ·  link  ·    ·  parent  ·  post: Democrats stage sit-in on House floor to force gun vote

I'm all for keeping guns out of the hands of criminals or terrorists (I know that is redundant). My concern is how do you do that without violating the rights of the law abiding citizens. I'm all for restricting gun sales to those on the watch lists if there were credible protections in place to guarantee due process. To me this sit-in seems like little more than a toddler's temper tantrum.

pappasan  ·  3612 days ago  ·  link  ·    ·  parent  ·  post: Ask Hubski: Long Lost Loves

I just got engaged to an amazing woman, I'll call her L, that I met in High School 20+ years ago (Somewhere I have embarrassing pictures of L with @mk and @steve brooding in a corner that I won't be posting). I had a huge crush on her older sister and I spent so much time at her house I was of adopted by her mom, sort of like a stray dog. We became good friends, we were like family. After I graduated she moved away, I traveled, went to college and got married. My wife and I moved cross country and had a set of twins just shy of our 1st anniversary. We didn't have a lot of friends in this new town but L and her sister were going to college about 40 miles away. We started hanging out with them on a regular basis and renewed the friendship. L would drive up and hang out with my wife and kids. We all became close for the 2 years we lived there before moving back home. I lost touch with L for the next 14 years. By that point I had 3 more kids and was blindsided by a divorce. After my ex-wife moved out, she said she wanted me to be with a woman who could be make me happy, somebody like L. A year later I connected with L via social media and here we are almost a year later planning a wedding.

pappasan  ·  3614 days ago  ·  link  ·    ·  parent  ·  post: 1 year after $15 minimum wage in SeaTac, Washington

My favorite quote from this article: “We talk about this all the time,” Quintero says. “We were looking so forward to it when it was coming. I thought, ‘Oh, how exciting. There is going to be a big difference.’” She shrugs. “The pay went up. The rent went up. The food went up. I make more than minimum wage and I’m still struggling. . . . In all honesty, it’s upsetting because everyone always says, ‘Oh, the minimum wage is great there.’ No, it’s not. You still can’t break even.”

pappasan  ·  3614 days ago  ·  link  ·    ·  parent  ·  post: Hubski Movie Club - Voting Thread #8

You go Glenn CocCo!!

pappasan  ·  3614 days ago  ·  link  ·    ·  parent  ·  post: 104th Weekly "Share Some Music You've Been Into Lately" Thread

I've been on a Walk the Moon kick. They have a nice 80's vibe

pappasan  ·  4144 days ago  ·  link  ·    ·  parent  ·  post: If You Had To Fund A NASA Progect What would it be?

I would settle for just getting back to the moon. I had dreams as a child of the 80's going to a Lunar Scout camp. Baby steps people!

I love the soundtrack to 'Across the Universe'. Jim Sturgess' version of 'I've Just Seen A Face' is so much fun. While it may not have eclipsed the original it is such an amazing tribute project.

steve has a free place to stay if he wants to fly down!

pappasan  ·  4283 days ago  ·  link  ·    ·  parent  ·  post: Is there anything you do on the internet now that was impossible 10 years ago?

I cut the cord to cable/dish a few years ago because it was too expensive for content I didn't watch. Last year the local telco offered a fiber connection and a great introductory offer to their TV service. We did it for the 2 weeks of the Olympics, but found most of it was available streaming on the web. Between the Redbox and online streaming services (Netflix, Hulu, etc) we found we didn't watch live TV.

Watching YouTube 10 years ago was painful on my dial-up connection. Today between 3 iOS devices, Wii and the XBox 360, we are all streaming video and no one on a traditional computer.

pappasan  ·  4283 days ago  ·  link  ·    ·  parent  ·  post: Webcomic fans? Favorites?

http://www.giantitp.com/

I love the Order of the Stick. Great for any fans of old school D&D gaming.

pappasan  ·  4283 days ago  ·  link  ·    ·  parent  ·  post: Great "listen straight through" albums

I have always been a fan of singles & play lists. There aren't many full albums that I can listen to start to finish. But here are a few:

They Might Be Giants - Flood (I wore out the cassette driving from Detroit to Salt Lake City, can still sing along to every song 25 years later) Violent Femmes - Violent Femmes The Black Keys - Brother

pappasan  ·  4283 days ago  ·  link  ·    ·  parent  ·  post: Have you ever been in a play, on television or in a movie?

Did many a musical in school. Props out to TL for the experience! Only one drama that I didn't particularly enjoy. Singing and dancing were always easier for me than real acting.

I was an extra dancer in one professional performance of Bye Bye Birdie. Seeing the lifestyle those actors had, it turned me off from a future in show business.

pappasan  ·  4283 days ago  ·  link  ·    ·  parent  ·  post: Have you ever been in a play, on television or in a movie?

I represent that statement! What is awesome is seeing my son become one as well.

pappasan  ·  4524 days ago  ·  link  ·    ·  parent  ·  post: Why a $25 PC? Because it’s the price of a textbook
I love my Pi! I have only had it up and running for a week (even though I ordered it 3 months ago) but I installed XBMC and it plays any video file I throw at it.