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Marci Santiago Notice how I said blindly Tim? So, I'm choosing to ignore your comments about Melo. Other than having to play the Heat and maybe the Celtics...the Knicks have a good chance to get past the first round.
Marci Santiago Thanks for commenting Tim...I'm from NY so for starters, I'm going to blindly follow my heart and say that the Knicks are going to finally pull it together next season and make a decent playoff run! In Houston, I don't think that Lin could be a $15 million player and I think it's a huge waste of money for the Rockets. But I think that playing on Broadway does something to your celebrity. Lin could have been worth the money here in terms of marketing. In terms of his playing value...I don't think so.
Marci Santiago Right you are Tom! It's not only Pres. Obama who's been protecting these policies but it goes back to Bush and Clinton too. I knew you'd like this one!
Marci Santiago Thanks for commenting Dillon. You are right about Flame being part of a bigger problem. I've read that Kaspersky has said that countries need to come together and have talks and set rules in a similar way we do with nuclear weapons. I completely agree with him. I think Flame had opened the door for some dangerous development in cyber warfare.
Marci Santiago Agreed Miles. Agreed.
Marci Santiago Good point to note that the U.S. is apparently one of the creators of Stuxnet and Flame. I suppose, theoretically, our gov't could have used Flame to spy on Americans. But I'm not as worried about this as I am about the retaliation from other countries. But yes, the fact the U.S. and Israel (allegedly) have the capability to create something as sophisticated and dangerous as Flame does make me cringe. Thanks for the comment!
Marci Santiago You can check your IP address against ones that are known to have a problem via the FBI's help https://forms.fbi.gov/check-to-see-if-your-computer-is-using-rogue-DNS Also, true about Y2K. Yet that was a programming problem--ie: programs were supposed to have a problem with the two digit date abbreviation. Companies were able to update their computer systems. Here the FBI is actually shutting down these servers--ie: taking away the detour sign so your computer doesn't know to take a left on Google Street.
Marci Santiago Minu, while I appreciate all comments, I did not say that Thing Progress was "the end of all sources." I simply used it so that Jesse would not think I was pulling the percentages I referenced out of no where. I understand there are a varitiy of taxes in ACA. And that people with varying AGI will be taxed....as Dave above has pointed out. My point is that it is not ONLY a tax increase on the Middle Class.
Marci Santiago Jeff...you obviously are an expert.....I'm going to go with your opinion! Thanks for weighing in.
Marci Santiago Thanks Zach! You make some good points here. I've read that under Obamacare....more insured will force more insurance companies to crop up and lower prices. I'm not an expert on healthcare costs and don't know what the cost effects would be if some provisions were held on there own. Your comment helps me not understand this a little.
Marci Santiago I'm somewhat with you on Solamere...but I don't think that people are just ignoring corruption. They are just not demanding justice. And on a side note.....something is going on in the DOJ and I can't say that we're ignoring that. The House Republican Hounds smell blood and I think they've gone after AG Holder in an attempt to get to the bottom of it.
Marci Santiago Great article Jesse with great points. I agree with you in so many regards, except I don't think that the ACA is going to be a tax on the Middle Class. The majority of the taxes are aimed at higher income Americans, the medical industry and tanners (weird right?). The real way the Middle Class will get taxed is if they don't buy insurance as per the Individual Mandate but that's expected to hit only 2%-5% of the population. In MA., less 1% of the population didn't buy insurance and were taxed under Romneycare. http://thinkprogress.org/economy/2012/06/28/508062/fact-check-mandate-tax-hike/?mobile=nc
Marci Santiago Good point David! I think that they will have a successful campaign against Obama/Obamacare if they do two things: One, slip a mention in every time they talk about an important issue. President Obama's not creating jobs--Obamacare will cost companies more money and they won't hire as many people. Or President Obama hurting the economy with all the spending--like that $1 trillion he's dumping into Obamacare. Two, they have to watch out for those Independents that may like Obamacare for the benefits it provides. They could end up loosing a lot of those votes if they just run right into repealing it. I think if they vow to keep key provisions like the ban on preexisting conditions and keep millennials on until age 26 they will keep votes.
Marci Santiago Thanks for the comment Chris. Sorry for the late response--I wanted to give you my opinion when you first commented but work & Obamacare has ruled my life for the past 48 hours!!! I think that in a way the Romney's are being taken to task. Their status has actually hurt them. Mitt and Ann Romney have both been attacked for being out of touch with the Middle Class. Mrs. Romney has especially taken a beating for not working and for riding horses. BUT... I think in this specific case you've pointed out Romney is not being fully taken to task. I think that the media should be highlighting this....but I think President Obama should stick to running a clean campaign.
Marci Santiago Thanks for the comment and the Mic Jesse. I agree, a lot of people don't like this law. It is going to be interesting to see how each candidate plays the situation. I think this decision helps both of them more than it would have had it been struck down.
Marci Santiago This is a fantastic point Ava. For my entire life my own mother has had an issue with her weight (never mind the fact that she looks amazing) and when I was a young girl I inadvertently picked up her habits. I was in junior high school, wearing a size 3 and drinking diet everything. Because that's what my mom did. Since, I've learned to own my body and I no longer drink diet---although, I do eat a lot of salad as I could, from a health standpoint, stand to loose 5% of my weight. Courtney is right. Women and young girls alike need to see realistic images. They need to be educated and make food decisions based on their overall health...not the way they perceive themselves!
Marci Santiago Can't say that I prefer the dancers of The Full Monty but I can say that I'm glad you wrote this! Bravo for recognizing women's influence in the entertainment industry and our changing roles in gender relations. Bravo Alex.
Marci Santiago As for police...even Gillespie suggests that lowering crime levels may be due to more police officers. He notes that technology may be the real reason but to keep current on technology costs money too. I, however, agree with his assessment of firefighters
Marci Santiago Retirement and pension programs must be reformed asap...for both current and future employs. Agreed! I just can't agree to not hiring more public workers--especially teachers and police officers. Nick Gillespie's a smart guy & he's been on my show several times BUT you can't use general stats to assess whether you need more teachers or not. You need to go talk to the cities and communities--especially low income communities. My mom is a teacher in a low income community & in elementary school they have 32 - 34 kids in a class. It's over 40 kids in HS. You can't say that the system is working! Our kids are way behind in science & math compared to other countries. http://economy.money.cnn.com/2012/06/27/oced-warns-u-s-on-income-inequality
Marci Santiago Informative Judith! I think the biggest propagator of these stereotypes is that most of us only know that one weird kid that was homeschooled. Growing up, I only knew one person that was homeschooled-- he had a phobia of leaving his mother. I'm sorry to say that he did wear the same sweatpants a lot. But he did have friends and I was one of them! I barely ask anyone where they went to school as a kid let alone if they were homeschooled. But next time I do meet someone who was homeschooled I'll know how to react....and I won't even bring up that one weird kid!
Marci Santiago Let's hope!
Marci Santiago Thanks for commenting Gary. I don't see anything wrong with having more cops, teachers and firemen or with building up our infrastructure. But YES, the extravagant benefits have got to go.
Marci Santiago Thanks for the critique Ed! I always welcome it. My main issue with Obama's strategy is that he keeps diverting the focus to Bain Capital. Romney did good at Bain by investing in companies that created jobs and by outsourcing some jobs--which in turn helped the economy. What recent/soon-to-be grads are experiencing has nothing to do with Bain Capital. Romney is not at Bain anymore & cannot invest in co's to create more jobs. Romney is now looking to create jobs through gov't. He failed miserably at that in MA and will fail if he's elected President. My point at the end was that overall, in a general sense, outsourcing is good for the economy (not that we should outsource) so why is Obama focusing on that general good thing that Romney did?
Marci Santiago I don't think I've ever heard anyone call for eliminating defense and the court system...I can't say that I agree Rick but interesting perspective. Thanks for the comment.
Marci Santiago Thanks for the comment Seamus. I agree that gov't has messed up....a lot! But with so many factors--Europe, low housing sales, low consumer confidence-- is it really advisable to have gov't walk away? More jobs would have been lost without a stimulus. We need to get people some jobs so that they can continue buying homes and goods again. I'm all for the free market and I'd like to participate....but if I have no job or if I'm underemployed, I can't!
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Marci Santiago Notice how I said blindly Tim? So, I'm choosing to ignore your comments about Melo. Other than having to play the Heat and maybe the Celtics...the Knicks have a good chance to get past the first round.
Marci Santiago Thanks for commenting Tim...I'm from NY so for starters, I'm going to blindly follow my heart and say that the Knicks are going to finally pull it together next season and make a decent playoff run! In Houston, I don't think that Lin could be a $15 million player and I think it's a huge waste of money for the Rockets. But I think that playing on Broadway does something to your celebrity. Lin could have been worth the money here in terms of marketing. In terms of his playing value...I don't think so.
Marci Santiago Right you are Tom! It's not only Pres. Obama who's been protecting these policies but it goes back to Bush and Clinton too. I knew you'd like this one!
Marci Santiago Thanks for commenting Dillon. You are right about Flame being part of a bigger problem. I've read that Kaspersky has said that countries need to come together and have talks and set rules in a similar way we do with nuclear weapons. I completely agree with him. I think Flame had opened the door for some dangerous development in cyber warfare.
Marci Santiago Agreed Miles. Agreed.
Marci Santiago Good point to note that the U.S. is apparently one of the creators of Stuxnet and Flame. I suppose, theoretically, our gov't could have used Flame to spy on Americans. But I'm not as worried about this as I am about the retaliation from other countries. But yes, the fact the U.S. and Israel (allegedly) have the capability to create something as sophisticated and dangerous as Flame does make me cringe. Thanks for the comment!
Marci Santiago You can check your IP address against ones that are known to have a problem via the FBI's help https://forms.fbi.gov/check-to-see-if-your-computer-is-using-rogue-DNS Also, true about Y2K. Yet that was a programming problem--ie: programs were supposed to have a problem with the two digit date abbreviation. Companies were able to update their computer systems. Here the FBI is actually shutting down these servers--ie: taking away the detour sign so your computer doesn't know to take a left on Google Street.
Marci Santiago Minu, while I appreciate all comments, I did not say that Thing Progress was "the end of all sources." I simply used it so that Jesse would not think I was pulling the percentages I referenced out of no where. I understand there are a varitiy of taxes in ACA. And that people with varying AGI will be taxed....as Dave above has pointed out. My point is that it is not ONLY a tax increase on the Middle Class.
Marci Santiago Jeff...you obviously are an expert.....I'm going to go with your opinion! Thanks for weighing in.
Marci Santiago Thanks Zach! You make some good points here. I've read that under Obamacare....more insured will force more insurance companies to crop up and lower prices. I'm not an expert on healthcare costs and don't know what the cost effects would be if some provisions were held on there own. Your comment helps me not understand this a little.
Marci Santiago I'm somewhat with you on Solamere...but I don't think that people are just ignoring corruption. They are just not demanding justice. And on a side note.....something is going on in the DOJ and I can't say that we're ignoring that. The House Republican Hounds smell blood and I think they've gone after AG Holder in an attempt to get to the bottom of it.
Marci Santiago Great article Jesse with great points. I agree with you in so many regards, except I don't think that the ACA is going to be a tax on the Middle Class. The majority of the taxes are aimed at higher income Americans, the medical industry and tanners (weird right?). The real way the Middle Class will get taxed is if they don't buy insurance as per the Individual Mandate but that's expected to hit only 2%-5% of the population. In MA., less 1% of the population didn't buy insurance and were taxed under Romneycare. http://thinkprogress.org/economy/2012/06/28/508062/fact-check-mandate-tax-hike/?mobile=nc
Marci Santiago Good point David! I think that they will have a successful campaign against Obama/Obamacare if they do two things: One, slip a mention in every time they talk about an important issue. President Obama's not creating jobs--Obamacare will cost companies more money and they won't hire as many people. Or President Obama hurting the economy with all the spending--like that $1 trillion he's dumping into Obamacare. Two, they have to watch out for those Independents that may like Obamacare for the benefits it provides. They could end up loosing a lot of those votes if they just run right into repealing it. I think if they vow to keep key provisions like the ban on preexisting conditions and keep millennials on until age 26 they will keep votes.
Marci Santiago Thanks for the comment Chris. Sorry for the late response--I wanted to give you my opinion when you first commented but work & Obamacare has ruled my life for the past 48 hours!!! I think that in a way the Romney's are being taken to task. Their status has actually hurt them. Mitt and Ann Romney have both been attacked for being out of touch with the Middle Class. Mrs. Romney has especially taken a beating for not working and for riding horses. BUT... I think in this specific case you've pointed out Romney is not being fully taken to task. I think that the media should be highlighting this....but I think President Obama should stick to running a clean campaign.
Marci Santiago Thanks for the comment and the Mic Jesse. I agree, a lot of people don't like this law. It is going to be interesting to see how each candidate plays the situation. I think this decision helps both of them more than it would have had it been struck down.
Marci Santiago This is a fantastic point Ava. For my entire life my own mother has had an issue with her weight (never mind the fact that she looks amazing) and when I was a young girl I inadvertently picked up her habits. I was in junior high school, wearing a size 3 and drinking diet everything. Because that's what my mom did. Since, I've learned to own my body and I no longer drink diet---although, I do eat a lot of salad as I could, from a health standpoint, stand to loose 5% of my weight. Courtney is right. Women and young girls alike need to see realistic images. They need to be educated and make food decisions based on their overall health...not the way they perceive themselves!
Marci Santiago Can't say that I prefer the dancers of The Full Monty but I can say that I'm glad you wrote this! Bravo for recognizing women's influence in the entertainment industry and our changing roles in gender relations. Bravo Alex.
Marci Santiago As for police...even Gillespie suggests that lowering crime levels may be due to more police officers. He notes that technology may be the real reason but to keep current on technology costs money too. I, however, agree with his assessment of firefighters
Marci Santiago Retirement and pension programs must be reformed asap...for both current and future employs. Agreed! I just can't agree to not hiring more public workers--especially teachers and police officers. Nick Gillespie's a smart guy & he's been on my show several times BUT you can't use general stats to assess whether you need more teachers or not. You need to go talk to the cities and communities--especially low income communities. My mom is a teacher in a low income community & in elementary school they have 32 - 34 kids in a class. It's over 40 kids in HS. You can't say that the system is working! Our kids are way behind in science & math compared to other countries. http://economy.money.cnn.com/2012/06/27/oced-warns-u-s-on-income-inequality
Marci Santiago Informative Judith! I think the biggest propagator of these stereotypes is that most of us only know that one weird kid that was homeschooled. Growing up, I only knew one person that was homeschooled-- he had a phobia of leaving his mother. I'm sorry to say that he did wear the same sweatpants a lot. But he did have friends and I was one of them! I barely ask anyone where they went to school as a kid let alone if they were homeschooled. But next time I do meet someone who was homeschooled I'll know how to react....and I won't even bring up that one weird kid!
Marci Santiago Let's hope!
Marci Santiago Thanks for commenting Gary. I don't see anything wrong with having more cops, teachers and firemen or with building up our infrastructure. But YES, the extravagant benefits have got to go.
Marci Santiago Thanks for the critique Ed! I always welcome it. My main issue with Obama's strategy is that he keeps diverting the focus to Bain Capital. Romney did good at Bain by investing in companies that created jobs and by outsourcing some jobs--which in turn helped the economy. What recent/soon-to-be grads are experiencing has nothing to do with Bain Capital. Romney is not at Bain anymore & cannot invest in co's to create more jobs. Romney is now looking to create jobs through gov't. He failed miserably at that in MA and will fail if he's elected President. My point at the end was that overall, in a general sense, outsourcing is good for the economy (not that we should outsource) so why is Obama focusing on that general good thing that Romney did?
Marci Santiago I don't think I've ever heard anyone call for eliminating defense and the court system...I can't say that I agree Rick but interesting perspective. Thanks for the comment.
Marci Santiago Thanks for the comment Seamus. I agree that gov't has messed up....a lot! But with so many factors--Europe, low housing sales, low consumer confidence-- is it really advisable to have gov't walk away? More jobs would have been lost without a stimulus. We need to get people some jobs so that they can continue buying homes and goods again. I'm all for the free market and I'd like to participate....but if I have no job or if I'm underemployed, I can't!