Heracles

Except in terms of the size of your economy, Texas is still the red-headed stepchild.

The GDP per capita of Texas is $36,484.

It's also no surprise that most common plate of the professionals moving into the area, have Texas in big writing on them; which is strange, considering the rhetoric on here about it.

Keep dreaming man, keep dreaming.

Dreaming of what? When was the last time Texan cities were recognized for anything pertaining to actual Q.O.L, when compared to other international cities? You also still fail to grasp the concept of supply and demand, regarding the value of property. Much for the same reason coal is cheap versus platinum. There is a reason that seldom will you find professionals located in the first world choosing Texas for migration, versus NYC, Boston, Chicago, LA, Seattle and DC. Not trying to hate here either, just being a realist.

The majority of companies I hate are based out of Texas. E.G AT&T, AA, the oil companies, Dell etc etc.

You obviously did not got the memo, apparently the reason for this is due to bad teachers. Cannot possibly be the reality that the neither the kid or his guardian gives a #### to learn, it's the teachers that are to blame.

I do love those get-out-of-jail-free cards so many have here, well the three minorities.

great roads, cheap goods, affordable housing, awesome food, great entertainment, etc... QOL = Great!

It's funny you say that because anyone on the executive level that has traveled to Texas for Biz, could not get out of there fast enough. Pretty-much all of them have the same negative views of the state and its residents. Stereotypes that are regularly reinforced by various posters on here.

What sort of an idiot would want the following right? Go Teaparty ya'll.. This is America, we don't want no stinking perks or livable wage for our work.

Generally speaking unlike in America, the EU countries by law must provide access to universal medical, paid sick leave, paid maternity leave and paid annual leave, and that's just for starters!

Do some research on the insider trading surrounding 9-11. Or the no-bid contracts to Halliburton who massively overcharged in many instances.

Pain is empowerment.

Apart from BS conspiracies, can you explain how this was all staged? Beginning with the collapse of the towers.

The country must be really hurting if that is what is considered a boom nowadays.

What are salaries like down in Texas? What is the Q.O.L like?

I could have sworn someone scandalous was bitching about wiretapping the other day.

Had the US not been tipped off, this person would have very likely succeeded. It's only a matter of time before these guys get though and don't screw up. Just the other day it was released that nuclear material has found its way into the black market. How long do you think before these guys realize that they can literally walk it over the unmanned Mexican - US border?

Thats the most retarded thing i've seen all day. Thanks for the laugh Paul.

Like every libertarian on here, I think he gets a kick out of saying something crazier than was said the previous day. These guys are not joking either, which is the scary part.

The insurance based health care system here is a joke anyway. Constitutional or not, a NHS is the most efficient and cost effective system. Not to mention, the better performing of the two systems.

1. Hiring high priced firms to produce unrealistic price projections for a project is not R&D.

2. If you think opposition to unwarranted, high priced rail lines which will barely touch but a fraction of commuters is headed up by people in Mobile homes.... you are either ignorant or afraid to accept not every town or city will benefit from paying huge sums for this specific form of transportation.

3. How you associate "group think" or collective discussions with the military is laughable.

Batter, you're OUT!

Dano, come post once a fellow repub or teaparty clown comes up with some real ideas beyond party rhetoric like private sector will create all the jobs. It's us socialist that can buy and sell property in the Outer Banks, like it's just been destroyed by fire. I'd like to see anyone from NC come purchase a house in equivalent Australian beaches, where the water is not green.

Opposition comes from fools. The same types who say the country is bankrupt but have no problem with $3+ trillion wasted on defense and wars.

Group three are fools, as they are being played like puppets by the wealthy group aforementioned [car dealer owners] and do not even realize it. Made to think be paid a legitimate salary for a days work is unamerican, while their amassing of ridiculous amounts of money for doing nothing is just being American. That cutting off people's unemployment benefits is also the 'smart' thing to do, as is providing FA in health care yet paying 3 times everyone else and for a crappier service.

In what universe are they reasonably priced abroad?

A Virgin train from London to Liverpool costs £120+ (almost $200) or £190+ (almost $300) first-class.

Whenever I took rail throughout Europe and Asia it was dirt cheap. Forget about the UK, as everything is a royal ripoff there. Even in this economy and the pound hammered, things are only only 4 times the price than the usual 7.

poor kids...set up for failure at birth.

BY - do you have PM turned off?

Yeah, I decided to pull a Mark.

This will only be true if those jobs in the hubs are high paid. No one is going to be getting on am expensive HSR to commute to their sad little retail or call center job. This is why the train is so popular in NYC and DC suburbs. The jobs commuters commute to pay enough where train fare is affordable.

Well yeah, I am not talking about a low-paid workers using such a service.

Then again, the other issue with PT is cost, as using Amtrak now costs about the same as a flight to the Andromeda Galaxy. Whereas, equivalent services are reasonably priced abroad. I should be able to jump on an Amtrack from DC to NY for $40 one way or $60 to Chicago. Yet have you seen the prices? $200+ one way to NYC.

Spoken like a true Liberal *Congrats*.

People point out the failing of Gov't and how the Black Community (in this thread) has paid the price..... and your reply is -Everyone hates the poor.

AS we have come to expect, your long posts end with the predictable lack of substance.

I wouldn't go there, you still have the highest rate of poverty and unemployment, when compared to countries you guys class as socialist.

This 1800 each-to-their-own approach has failed America in the 21st century. It's also no coincidence that the wealth of individuals [ironic hey] living in countries that you guys deem socialist is rising and rising, while the exact opposite is occurring for the average - non VJ - Americans who apparently defy the trend [norm] of America.

You guys don't hate the poor but you illogically and irrationally assume someone poor a poor American looking for their next meal and corner to sleep in, should magically pull up their bootstraps [with holes in them] and get a job. Get their life together using the $7.50 an hour they will disgracefully earn here, minus health care.

...

I agree with a lot of what you are saying, however can you honestly deny there is a problem with people becoming comfortable on welfare? Yes, even the disgraceful amount they receive. Whether their circumstances was by choice or not is debatable, no denial there; however, what is a choice is to have a child. For example, the AA lady living in a ghetto, who had eight plus kids with different father that was discussed a few months back. Actually had the nerve and audacity to demand to know what the government is doing for her. This attitude is rife within these communities.

I'll be damned if I have a child, when I know I have no means to financially take care of it, let alone 3 to five, then expect the guvmint to take care of both them and me.

Now add in the problem with the growing number of Latino teenage pregnancies, actually the highest of any demographic, close to 40 times that of Caucasians in various states. Who is going to pay for these kids? Who paid for their births? Who is going to pays for their schooling? These are people from the same socioeconomics, yet with totally different pregnancy rates.

You know what, I see it as a win-win if states that don't want HSR (as demonstrated by them electing small government types to office) don't get it while states that do want it, do. There is no point in giving the people of Ohio and Wisconsin HSR. They won't use it. New Yorkers will.

Ironically they are the people who could get the most benefit from it, if implemented correctly, as it allows people to live in remote areas or other cities and work in the growing number of mega-cities. The Ma and Pa days, when you established small towns are gone. Naturally, due to repub backed mega-businesses killing them all but hey, now that they have killed them all off, they're for the small business again. Back to the point, a large number of smaller cities will rely more and more on people commuting and working in mega-cities [hubs]; something simply not possible using the crumbling and congested roads.

PS Perhaps they can win over some Ohioans by installing gun holsters in every seat.

Yes, the majority of the first world and half the country here, like to pool our taxes together and use this to improve the nation we live in. Particularly, in terms of building and modernizing infrastructure [roads, transportation, recreation, cities, schools and health] and other avenues pertaining to our every day Q.O.L.

Naturally those that disagree tend to be:

• Libertarians
  
• Greedy rich local car dealer owner-esque types but not mega rich - like Gates or Buffet.
  
• Conned middle Americans, tend to cling to guns and/or religious beliefs and/or view of Dems as their enemy
  

The last group is interesting because these people are being tricked from within, by the same people who honestly do not give a #### about them and simply laugh at their misery. Essentially view them as naive and stupid, therefore, basically deserve what they get and their deception. We can see it first-hand from a number of posters on this board.

With all that money Obama talked us into giving him.... I thought he was going to do some similar huge project to stimulate job growth... while providing something useful to the longterm interests of the country.

Instead we got millions and billions given to the Van Jones.... to research how windmills might power cars some day.

what a waste of borrowed money and a lost opportunity.

R&D is America's future, perhaps those in middle American states or towns have not received this extremely important memo. These same folks with honestly many having nothing to their name, nothing more than some truck, their guns and a mobile home, claim they know what is best for the country. Flat-out ignoring, albeit due to the ignorance and being naive, the success of people in other countries utilizing a system they swear is the root of evil.

It's common sense that together we do better, hence why it's encouraged in so many private organizations and the military. Nope, not for modern repubs, taxes are the root of evil; rather than a sound means to pool resources together to get the country on track.

PS This is why you will seldom find a double-wide in countries like AUS. The only thing double-wide is the $30K boats many blue-collar workers own, used for fishing.

Of course. You've obviously searched state case law databases, even though they are not available online.

It has been delightful to have you here contributing your enormous legal expertise and

experience with Vermont case law.

Pleeeeeeeeeaaaasssse, Gary has plenty of reputable sources that you do not have. For example, contrary to about 100+ studies actually comparing and contrasting health care systems and cost vs quality / speed, Gary swears people from Quebec line up to use hospitals in Vermont.

Another favorite is Ukraine / Eastern block being the equivalent of Germany, France, UK, Canada and Australia. Apparently, the exact same system to one another and all just as failed.

The current situation is worse. We have professional politicians that keep getting elected and don't pay attention to the people they are supposed to represent.

Career politicians is a problem but at the end of the day, you people elect them in. They certainly do not elect themselves in. Pretty-much in the same way you guys elect lawyers, rather then honest intelligent people that do not make their living interpreting law or convincing some jury that because a cop used a blue rather than black ink pen, the murderer should be freed.

I don't count Palin as a Republican (although she likes to call herself one), since so many of her positions run contrary to what the Republican Party (used to) stand for.

Compare the Eisenhower repub, who built one of the most amazing technical feats of American history to the modern repub, let alone the teaparty clowns.

Corruption knows no bounds.

True and we all know the biggest source and driver of corruption is money, particularly unequal access to it. Now which party eats, sleeps and breaths money?

This also happens to be the same party who picks and chooses examples of so-called socialism. Ignores Canada's and Australia's impressive success for essentially newborns, yet focuses on the countries that have failed, ironically due to a corrupt government. Funny how your aforementioned comment does not apply under this scenario, then it's simply a case of government has failed period.

Typical reply of the brainwashed: All infrastructure projects are "bridges to nowhere" and just a waste of money. Sure, blame it all on government, while types like yourselves whine about paying taxes. The political system is deadlocked by obstructionist behavior and slogans like "no new taxes" only result in more government borrowing (which certainly means higher taxes in the future), while our infrastructure is crumbling and other countries are surpassing us. Just more short-term thinking.

It's disgraceful that these so-called patriots are the biggest anti-[red, white and blue] of them all. They'd rather go through a holocaust than invest in their country or on its people. No problem with paying for a trillion dollar security force [defense] though, apparently this is a good investment of tax. Even if it means borrowing hundreds of billions from China, to protect from China.

While every emerging country is spending big to build themselves up, the US wastes it on military contractors, yet another war that cannot be won and allowing the few wealthy to own and hold the majority of the country's wealth. The rest of you are apparently all just lazy.

Many on the right claim, lets return to the good-old days and I agree. I myself like the pre-80's era, when the wealthy paid a tax rate of close to 90%.

Yes. That is what we need: More bridges to nowhere, and airports for every little remote village and town.

The biggest advocate of this failed project was a republican.