interesting Article from SF Gate

[Jim Craik]

Keith,

Here in the US most anything political is permitted, as we have seen recently with the "tea party".

In reality we have had little experiance with more than two parties. Perhaps you can help me understand if it is advantagus.

I always though that what can happen with more than two parties is the smaller third party becomes very porweful. As in order to get a majority the other two parties will give a small minority way more say than is due their numbers.

How does that work in the real world?

 

[Keith]

WE have no idea - its a first for us apart from wartime. I do see your point with that issue and it's what the Italians suffer from in spades - nobody can ever have a clear majority because they are always switching allegiances.

I believe however, it does require intelligent debate and deal making behind closed doors to provide a common front. There can be no hard and fast sticking to their respective manifestos published prior to the election, they HAVE to negotiate, as many of their beliefs are not mutially shared. However and fortunately for us, they do overlap on quite a lot of the issues that confront us. The Liberla party was adamant that there would be no tuition fees, and now, we have tuition fees, so I am wondering what deal was done to keep the alliance tight... No doubt we'll finsd out in due course.

Personally, I believe they are making all the right noises but I have little time for modern politics - it's become a battle of the 'brands' and it's disgusting.

To be honest, there are many people here who detest the idea of "sleeping with the Devil" on both sides of the coalition, but as I say, the electorate are strangely muted on the issue. There are some difficult times ahead for us economically, so I guess the real test is yet to come. I also believe there is a sense of relief that the previous Govt have gone. Their ability to 'spin', whitewash and generally patronise the electorate was truly stunning to a point that no one believed anything anymore, and yet and yet, strangely, many voters voted along traditional party lines at the election earlier this year, as we too are a nation that in the past, have similarly entrenched ourselves in ping pong politics.

 

[Graham]

Keith,

I'm on my pissing Iphone, so if my speeling is wrong then tough poo

I completely agree with your sentiment re the coalition. I believe that it can truly be a force for good.

My fear is that the media will constantly continue to tear it to shreds as they are trying now. Newspapers like The Sun are fundamentally persuasive in many non politicised peoples voting bent, and it is the media in general, not the castrated "new" (old) labour party that will stab the coalition in the privates.

Oh, and they'll fucking well love doing it too...

 

[Keith]

Our dear Damian is the Seraphim personified compared with Rupert Murdoch who truly IS The Beast..:veryangry:

His acolyte Kelvin McKenzie ex Sun editor, now runs Sky for him. I have a book entitled "Stick it up Your Punter" written by McKenzie and is the true story of the kind of "Gotcha" gutter journalism that he pioneered.

Freedom of the press? I'd lock many of the bastards up. I was delighted when the NUJ went on strike last week. I wrote to the NUJ headquarters and asked them if they needed any fincial contributions to assist prolonging the strike and was there any chance that it might spread across the whole media?

I felt I was entitled, after all, I am a former member from a time when Journalism was considered an honourable profession...

The reply, I thought, was most bizarre and consisted mainly of the kind of 4 letter words you expect to see in the Sunday Sport, and some of that was misspelt.

Oh well...

 

[Graham]

Our dear Damian is the Seraphim personified compared with Rupert Murdoch who truly IS The Beast..:veryangry:

His acolyte Kelvin McKenzie ex Sun editor, now runs Sky for him. I have a book entitled "Stick it up Your Punter" written by McKenzie and is the true story of the kind of "Gotcha" gutter journalism that he pioneered.

Freedom of the press? I'd lock many of the bastards up. I was delighted when the NUJ went on strike last week. I wrote to the NUJ headquarters and asked them if they needed any fincial contributions to assist prolonging the strike and was there any chance that it might spread across the whole media?

I felt I was entitled, after all, I am a former member from a time when Journalism was considered an honourable profession...

The reply, I thought, was most bizarre and consisted mainly of the kind of 4 letter words you expect to see in the Sunday Sport, and some of that was misspelt.

Oh well...

Keith,

Can we please add Alistair Campbell to the list of those who should be strung up. If he isn't the cloven hoofed one himself, then he is surely a close acolyte. Mr Campbell almost single handedly destroyed political debate in our country :veryangry::veryangry::veryangry::veryangry:

He and Blair are (still) laughing all the way to the bank...

 

[Roark_John]

Posted by Keith

Keith,

This thread, as do most discussions of "the western word" on our site, start with an attack on liberals. Who is being "partisan". Kieth is this so previlant that you no longer notice what happens here?

Very few speak for the other side. I am one.

I'm not sure there is a solution but safety nets are a good idea.

The Bay Area is on the West Coast of the United States. It surrounds San Fancisco Bay. This area is known for among other things, San Francisco, Marin County, nice weather, Stanford University, Cal Berkeley, Xerox Park, HP, Apple Computers, Lawence Livermore Labs, Oricle, Silicon Valley and the World Champion SF Giants.

What do Chinese and flossing have to do with this discussion?

You could very well say that your modern interpretation of the liberal haven called SanFran was built on the backbone of conservative capitalists. None of the founders of those companies did it for the "social good", they did it to make a profit. I guarantee none of those companies have safety nets for their workers. Business is still business, and co-opting the name of them to spin your ideals is just silly and backwards.

 

[Jim Craik]

Gee, John,

We are having an adult discussion here, you take your silly mean spirited name calling and go back in your hole.

Now we have someone from Wyoming calling the Silicon Valley backwards, your words have convinced us that it is only you that's backwards.

 

[Roark_John]

Gee, John, your words have convinced us that it is Wyoming that's backwards.

We have some of the most effective politicians the country has ever known...Simpson, Cheney, Thomas, Barasso...

And those are just the assholes we gave you guys!

We also have more billionaires per capita than even Silicon Valley. We have 5 genuine billionaires with a capital B in my city alone...and these are the guys who built the empires, not merely their kids who inherited it.

We produce more coal than Pennsylvania & Kentucky combined, we are the 5th largest producer of natural gas in North America, we have more available mineral wealth than any other state at any time in history, we have the lowest population in the country with the 7th largest landmass in the United States, we produce 30% of Nevada & California's electricity, we produce 20% of the nation's sugar, and we are one of the only states with a multi-billion dollar budget SURPLUS.

90% of Yellowstone National Park resides within our borders, we have more continuous Rocky Mountain ranges than anywhere except Canada, the animal population is richer & more diverse than anywhere else in the United States, our public education system is the best bang for the buck anywhere in the country and we have 99% LESS pollution than any other state in the country.

And don't forget that Wyoming is where rich Californians go to get away when Mexi-cal gets too bat-shit crazy

Yeah, we got it backwards alright...and we like it that way. Enjoy the People's Republic of Kalifornya, comrade!

 

[Jim Craik]

Do they teach lying in Wyoming? Cheney is from there so they must.

You change my words and then quote me! You lying little person.

I called YOU backwards, not Wyoming!

 

[Roark_John]

Do they teach lying in Wyoming? Cheney is from there so they must.

You change my words and then quote me! You lying little person.

I called YOU backwards, not Wyoming!

Nope, didn't change your words, just quoted you as it was posted before you edited your post. Didn't know how to go back and change it.

Whether you like me or not doesn't matter. Facts are verifiable.

Backwards? Meh...more anachronistic

 

[Jim Craik]

And don't forget that Wyoming is where rich Californians go to get away when Mexi-cal gets too bat-shit crazy

Wyoming #1 per capita suicide

Wyoming #3 per capita in gun deaths. After Alaska, Louisiana

Wyoming #2 tax burden per capita, after Hawaii

Sounds like a great place

Who's bat shit crazy?


Polls: Cheney Nears Quayle as Least Popular Veep

Those Bush guys can pick them.

 

[Jim Craik]

San Francisco Bay Area-44 Billionaires
Lawrence Ellison-Woodside $21.5 Billion
Sergey Brin-Palo Alto $16.6 Billion
Larry Page-San Francisco $16.6 Billion
Eric Schmidt-Atherton $6.2 Billion
Steve Jobs-Palo Alto $5.7 Billion
Charles Johnson-San Mateo $5.6 Billion
Charles Schwab-Atherton $5.2 Billion
Rupert Johnson Jr-San Mateo $4.6 Billion
George Lucas-Marin $3.6 Billion
Gordon Moore-Woodside $3.6 Billion
Riley Bechtel-San Francisco $2.7 Billion
Steven Bechtel Jr-San Francisco $2.7 Billion
George Roberts-San Francisco $2.6 Billion
Ray Dolby-San Francisco $2.5 Billion
David Filo-Palo Alto $2.5 Billion
John Sobrato-Atherton $2.4 Billion
Gordon Getty-San Francisco $2.3 Billion
Jess Jackson-Healdsburg $2.2 Billion
Jerry Yang-Los Altos $2.2 Billion
William Randolph Hearst III-San Francisco $2.1 Billion
Omid Kordestani-Atherton $2.1 Billion
Phoebe Hearst Cooke-San Francisco $2.0 Billion
Daniel Pritzker-Marin $2.0 Billion
John Pritzer-San Francisco $2.0 Billion
Andreas von Bechtolsheim-Palo Alto $1.9 Billion
John Morgridge-Portola Valley $1.8 Billion
Kavitark Shriram-Mountain View $1.7 Billion
John J Fisher-San Francisco $1.5 Billion
Robert Naify-San Francisco $1.5 Billion
Thomas Siebel-San Mateo $1.5 Billion
David Cheriton-Mountain View $1.4 Billion
Scott Cook-Woodside $1.4 Billion
Robert Fisher-San Francisco $1.4 Billion
William Fisher-San Francisco $1.4 Billion
Carl Berg-Atherton $1.3 Billion
Kenneth Fisher-Woodside $1.3 Billion
Manny Mashouf-Brisbane $1.3 Billion
Margaret Whitman-Atherton $1.3 Billion
Marc Benioff-San Francisco $1.0 Billion
Weili Dai-Los Altos Hills $1.0 Billion
L John Doerr-Woodside $1.0 Billion
Richard Perry-Palo Alto $1.0 Billion
Arthur Rock-San Francisco $1.0 Billion
Sehat Sutardja-Los Altos Hills $1.0 Billion​

This is just the Bay Area, a very small % of California.

Read more: http://www.city-data.com/forum/gene...10-worlds-billionaires-buy.html#ixzz15DybyPnv​

Read more: California home to 10% of World's Billionaires (buy, live in, beach) - General U.S. - City-Data Forum​

 

[Roark_John]

You may have more, it's true. But we still have more per capita, like I said. There are what, 3 million people living in the bay area alone? There are around 470,000 people living in the entire state.

Who’s the Richest in the West? | David Frey | New West Blog | NewWest.Net

Evidently they only count billionaires who have publicly traded corporations, because I count at least 6 other families who are gen-you-wine home-grown billionaires, and I'm probably missing a few.

San Francisco Bay Area-44 Billionaires

Lawrence Ellison-Woodside $21.5 Billion
Sergey Brin-Palo Alto $16.6 Billion
Larry Page-San Francisco $16.6 Billion
Eric Schmidt-Atherton $6.2 Billion
Steve Jobs-Palo Alto $5.7 Billion
Charles Johnson-San Mateo $5.6 Billion
Charles Schwab-Atherton $5.2 Billion
Rupert Johnson Jr-San Mateo $4.6 Billion
George Lucas-Marin $3.6 Billion
Gordon Moore-Woodside $3.6 Billion
Riley Bechtel-San Francisco $2.7 Billion
Steven Bechtel Jr-San Francisco $2.7 Billion
George Roberts-San Francisco $2.6 Billion
Ray Dolby-San Francisco $2.5 Billion
David Filo-Palo Alto $2.5 Billion
John Sobrato-Atherton $2.4 Billion
Gordon Getty-San Francisco $2.3 Billion
Jess Jackson-Healdsburg $2.2 Billion
Jerry Yang-Los Altos $2.2 Billion
William Randolph Hearst III-San Francisco $2.1 Billion
Omid Kordestani-Atherton $2.1 Billion
Phoebe Hearst Cooke-San Francisco $2.0 Billion
Daniel Pritzker-Marin $2.0 Billion
John Pritzer-San Francisco $2.0 Billion
Andreas von Bechtolsheim-Palo Alto $1.9 Billion
John Morgridge-Portola Valley $1.8 Billion
Kavitark Shriram-Mountain View $1.7 Billion
John J Fisher-San Francisco $1.5 Billion
Robert Naify-San Francisco $1.5 Billion
Thomas Siebel-San Mateo $1.5 Billion
David Cheriton-Mountain View $1.4 Billion
Scott Cook-Woodside $1.4 Billion
Robert Fisher-San Francisco $1.4 Billion
William Fisher-San Francisco $1.4 Billion
Carl Berg-Atherton $1.3 Billion
Kenneth Fisher-Woodside $1.3 Billion
Manny Mashouf-Brisbane $1.3 Billion
Margaret Whitman-Atherton $1.3 Billion
Marc Benioff-San Francisco $1.0 Billion
Weili Dai-Los Altos Hills $1.0 Billion
L John Doerr-Woodside $1.0 Billion
Richard Perry-Palo Alto $1.0 Billion
Arthur Rock-San Francisco $1.0 Billion
Sehat Sutardja-Los Altos Hills $1.0 Billion​

Read more: California home to 10% of World's Billionaires (buy, live in, beach) - General U.S. - City-Data Forum​

Read more: California home to 10% of World's Billionaires (buy, live in, beach) - General U.S. - City-Data Forum​

 

[Roark_John]

Wyoming #1 per capita suicide

Wyoming #3 per capita in gun deaths. After Alaska, Louisiana

Wyoming #2 tax burden per capita, after Hawaii

Sounds like a great place

Who's bat shit crazy?


Polls: Cheney Nears Quayle as Least Popular Veep

Those Bush guys can pick them.

#1 & #2 are closely related, with 65-70% of all suicides in the state being gun-related

Tax BURDEN? Are you sniffing glue? We are one of the best places to do business in, tax-wise, we have no state income tax (thanks to a mineral trust that makes industry pay a FAIR share...again, $7 BILLION SURPLUS)
and one of the lowest unemployment rates in the country. If we were a country, we'd be all of Eastern Europe PLUS Monaco in GDP...

Unless of course those figures are skewed heavily by the N.A. Reservation that contributes the most statistics to #1, #2 & #3...

 

[Jim Craik]

The question that needs to be answered.

If Wyoming is this idilic concervative wonderland you speak of, why are they killing themselves in such high numbers?

 

[Roark_John]

The question that needs to be answered.

If Wyoming is this idilic concervative wonderland you speak of, why are they killing themselves in such high numbers?

It really is Jim, and they're not. 15 people per 100,000 is 0.00015% of the population. Our total death rate last year was less than 5000. That makes suicide 0.014% of our total death rate.

While most suicides are tragedies, they are an almost insignificant factor in our quality of life for the State of Wyoming. (I say most suicides, because some people kill themselves out of pain from mortal diseases, deciding to end their suffering. That's not tragic, that's calculated choice.)

And yes, I realize we are talking about human lives. I'm not callous. But if you feel 0.00015% or even 0.014% are significant quantities, you should write a check for that amount of your net worth and send it to me. Postage will likely cost more than the check would be...that's an example of how statistics in reality shake out. If people were pennies, there would only $70 million dollars in the world. Would you even be able to discern 1% volume of missing pennies simply by looking at a pile that large?

Relax. You don't have to visit Wyoming, you'd probably have an allergic reaction to people who actually are productive for a living and don't want a hand out or to have their pockets raided.

 

[Al Wohlstrom]

Keith,

Can we please add Alistair Campbell to the list of those who should be strung up. If he isn't the cloven hoofed one himself, then he is surely a close acolyte. Mr Campbell almost single handedly destroyed political debate in our country :veryangry::veryangry::veryangry::veryangry:

He and Blair are (still) laughing all the way to the bank...

You can put George Soros on the top of the list.

 

[Jim Craik]

John,

Once again John, why do you think Wyoming has the highest suicide rate is in the country?

Pick one..........

Easy access to guns?

Uncareing concervatives?

All the happy people have left?

Living with mean, rude, people like you?

 

[Al Wohlstrom]

John,

Once again John, why do you think Wyoming has the highest suicide rate is in the country?

Pick one..........

Easy access to guns?

Uncareing concervatives?

All the happy people have left?

Living with mean, rude, people like you?

Wyoming doesn't have the highest rate, Alaska does, and it is largely attributed to depression due to the long periods of darkness.

 

[Jim Craik]

Al, you are right, the data I had was from 2006.

The current state rankings are

1 Alaska
2 Montana
3 New Mexico
4 Wyoming
5 Nevada
6 Colorado
7 West Virginia'
8 Arizona

Depression due to the long periods of darkness does not cover all these areas.

They are predominantly convervative with high rates of gun ownership.............

Lowest rates:

50 New Jersey
49 New York
48 Connecticut
47 Massachusetts
46 Illinois
45 Rhode Island
44 Maryland
43 California

They are predominantly...................................<!-- google_ad_section_end -->