The Gay Marriage Debate v5.0 build 2502 rev. a

[Roofus]

"Employees of a private voter registration company allege that hundreds, perhaps thousands of voters who may think they are registered will be rudely surprised on election day. The company claims hundreds of registration forms were thrown in the trash... The out-of-state firm has been in Las Vegas for the past few months, registering voters. It employed up to 300 part-time workers and collected hundreds of registrations per day, but former employees of the company say that Voters Outreach of America only wanted Republican registrations. Two former workers say they personally witnessed company supervisors rip up and trash registration forms signed by Democrats... The company has been largely, if not entirely funded, by the Republican National Committee. Similar complaints have been received in Reno where the registrar has asked the FBI to investigate."

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[OneThirty8]

This does not surprise me. It does, however, make me very angry.

[Prophet][]

Your election system is truely screwed up if this is true

[BlackAura]

You actually have companies running the electoral process? Great way to ensure problems.

[MrSiggler]

So it's true. Your country *is* ran by businesses

Welcome to america! The land of the free! (offer valid only with the purchase of small fries and beverage)

[FETUS]

I really think it's sad that people outside of america only hear bad news like this and not the good things. This is really screwed up stuff and I hope these people can sue this company to the point of bankrupcy, but please this is a great country and don't judge it on the acts of these morons and morons alike.

[ragnarok2040]

I live in America and don't hear the good things. Food prices are starting to become outrageous >_<, 2.40 for 1 .lb of beef! This is the third report I've heard of republicans trying to interfere with the voting process. Seems like they're worried about something.

[FETUS]

The polls show that bush is up even if it is by 1 point, so I don't think they have to worry. The people that are doing this are not the republican party itself but people that are misrepresenting the party. You can't blame the democratic party for the false bush documents so I don't see how you could blame the republican party for this.
And the reason so many things are rising in price is because demand has gone up and productivity is staying level, we've done this to ourselves, just like people complaining about wall-mart and outsourcing, if we were willing to pay more for the higher quality american goods then none of this would be a problem. People don't know what value means anymore, sure you can goto wallmart and buy a toaster made in some third world country for three times as less as a toaster made in the us, but the one made in the us will last three times longer. If you want american goods to go down in price you have to sacrifice one of two things; quality, wages. and sacrifing quality by making a third world quality product doesn't make sense since you can already get the third world quality goods from third world countries. So if you want the american worker to make higher wages and you want to stop or at least slow-down outsourcing, the answer is simple. BUY AMERICAN. In turn the companies profets will go up, the workers wage will go up and everyone will start to be able to afford the american quality stuff. Ok I've kinda went off on a bable there but you see what I'm talkin about.

[Lartrak]

I live in America and don't hear the good things.

Blame the news media.

and buy a toaster made in some third world country for three times as less as a toaster made in the us, but the one made in the us will last three times longer.

There's also cases where there American-made items no longer exist.

So if you want the american worker to make higher wages and you want to stop or at least slow-down outsourcing, the answer is simple. BUY AMERICAN.

Extremely difficult to do. Even when you do buy American, the odds are good if it is a complex thing you're buying much of it will have been premade in other countries anyways.

[DaMadFiddler]

So if you want the american worker to make higher wages and you want to stop or at least slow-down outsourcing, the answer is simple. BUY AMERICAN.

Extremely difficult to do. Even when you do buy American, the odds are good if it is a complex thing you're buying much of it will have been premade in other countries anyways.

An interesting topic of discussion, especially considering the focus of these forums.

There's only been one major American-made console in recent years: the xBox. And it has a higher break-down rate than any other console except the original NES. The whole purpose and existence of this site is the SEGA Dreamcast, a Japanese product of a Japanese company. (Yes, I know it was founded partially by an American immigrant back after WWII and blah...but it's fully Japanese owned and operated now, and has been for decades).

Not that I don't support American business. But people will buy what's cheap and what works, and there's no getting around that. As far as performance and reliability, Toyota and Honda kick the crap out of Ford, for example. And Sony, Yamaha, and JVC audio/video equipment is far superior to the likes of RCA or GE. The problem is that a lot of our U.S. companies are concerned with initial cheapness and manufacturing ease, rather than long-term effects. The idea is to make it as cheap as possible on initial run, so you don't have lengthy R&D periods before a product releases. And to some degrees, they WANT things to break. Make them cheaper or more gimmicky, so that something will eventually go wrong and you'll have to replace it 3 years down the road instead of 10. Great example: the light bulb. The original Edison model--while inefficient (it was the FIRST ONE, after all)--had a virtually indefinite lifespan. They actually had to spend extra research time finding a cheaper chemical filiment that would burn out more readily, so that people would have to replace their lightbulbs regularly. Why not just have them last longer, and charge an arm and a leg for them? The net losses are not that great, and are largely offset by how much lower the production costs are because you don't have to manufacture nearly as many.

Just some random thoughts.

[int80h]

I don't have a problem with americans buying japanese goods, because japanese laborers have rights and are treated fairly. I do have a problem with americans buying goods from factories in china which force laborers to work 16 hour days or goods manufactured in indonesia by 12 year olds.

[Veggita2099]

When the price of gas jumps really high, everything else seems to follow. Right now gas is 2.07 a gallon for regular gas. I have noticed in the past month a lot of stuff go up in price. a lot of various food items have went up, Beer prices went up, About every fast food place has had small raises on there stuff (Burger King Fries are higher, Taco Bell Meximelts went up). I would guess it boils down to increased shipping cost.

And I still can't understand how so many people can support bush after all he has done. Ever read the Patriot Act? It was a bill that was sneaked in and voted on in the middle of the night. Only a select few was even notified of this bill, and most of them was Bush supporters (go figure). Read up on that act, it is some scary stuff. I won't even get into how he lied to the American people about Iraq.

Then every time Bush Makes a speech he about goes nuts. Bush can't handle the pressure of a simple debate, yet people trust him to run this country? I know a lot of people support Bush cause there brainwashed by the N.R.A. (National Rifle Association). Basically the NRA has always said democrats are going to take your guns away. This is the main reason WV always votes democrat for the state, but yet they vote rupublican for president. They actually had my grandfather believe that by the end of Clinton's term we would have cops coming into our homes ripping pillows and bed's apart searching for guns. Sadly enough a lot of your NRA people hate democrats just cause of guns.

For the records the only thing Clinton really did as far as guns are concerned is put a ban on some sort of clip for AK-47's. And the way it was wrote you could still buy them, just they couldn't make them. I have seen them many times in sportmans guide for about $7 each. And really people don't need ak-47's anyways.

Anyways people want to talk about gun control, go right back to the Patriot Act. At some point it says that if you are suspected in any way to be dangerous and have a gun on you (legally carrying it or not) you can be arrested and put in jail in defense of the country.

Wow long rant, didn't realize. Anyways something that really surprises me is all over the net people are voteing Kerry is doing the best in these debates. I mean the polls are showing all over the net something along the lines of 32%bush 68% Kerry. Yet the polls are far as who you want for president are still about 50/50.

[OneThirty8]

Basically the NRA has always said democrats are going to take your guns away.

Well, John Kerry said last night that he's a hunter and a gun owner. Hopefully that should lessen the fears of some of the gun nuts.

[Lunchbox]

the xBox. And it has a higher break-down rate than any other console except the original NES.

um... source? I think you're thinking of the PS2 on this one

[Rand Linden]

Early models of both XBox and PS2 were plagued by problems.

Not so with DC.

Rand.

[Roofus]

Early models of both XBox and PS2 were plagued by problems.

Not so with DC.

Rand.

Amazing how far off topic this went.

[Sir Slash]

well in michigan there is no democrate/republican box on the form... i dont understand why it would even be on the form.

[FETUS]

When the price of gas jumps really high, everything else seems to follow. Right now gas is 2.07 a gallon for regular gas. I have noticed in the past month a lot of stuff go up in price. a lot of various food items have went up, Beer prices went up, About every fast food place has had small raises on there stuff (Burger King Fries are higher, Taco Bell Meximelts went up). I would guess it boils down to increased shipping cost

There are two major industries that everything is effected by; mining, & farming. Recently the cost of precious metal has doubled and raw iron has gone up considerably because of china's growth. The companies are having a hard time keeping up with china's demand, so it's next to impossable to buy non-domestic steel for a competetive price, in turn it's costing american drilling companies a lot more to buy the steel to drill for oil, thus its goin up. As for food prices I have no idea why it's goin up.

Not that I don't support American business. But people will buy what's cheap and what works, and there's no getting around that. As far as performance and reliability, Toyota and Honda kick the crap out of Ford, for example. And Sony, Yamaha, and JVC audio/video equipment is far superior to the likes of RCA or GE. The problem is that a lot of our U.S. companies are concerned with initial cheapness and manufacturing ease, rather than long-term effects. The idea is to make it as cheap as possible on initial run, so you don't have lengthy R&D periods before a product releases. And to some degrees, they WANT things to break. Make them cheaper or more gimmicky, so that something will eventually go wrong and you'll have to replace it 3 years down the road instead of 10. Great example: the light bulb. The original Edison model--while inefficient (it was the FIRST ONE, after all)--had a virtually indefinite lifespan. They actually had to spend extra research time finding a cheaper chemical filiment that would burn out more readily, so that people would have to replace their lightbulbs regularly. Why not just have them last longer, and charge an arm and a leg for them? The net losses are not that great, and are largely offset by how much lower the production costs are because you don't have to manufacture nearly as many.

Well thats why everythings being outsourced and we can't give our workers good wages.

[butters]

As for food prices I have no idea why it's goin up.

Food comes in trains and trucks that require fuel of some kind to go from point a to point b. When the price of that fuel rises, the price of what is being transported increases.

[ragnarok2040]

And the reason so many things are rising in price is because demand has gone up and productivity is staying level, we've done this to ourselves, just like people complaining about wall-mart and outsourcing, if we were willing to pay more for the higher quality american goods then none of this would be a problem. People don't know what value means anymore, sure you can goto wallmart and buy a toaster made in some third world country for three times as less as a toaster made in the us, but the one made in the us will last three times longer. If you want american goods to go down in price you have to sacrifice one of two things; quality, wages. and sacrifing quality by making a third world quality product doesn't make sense since you can already get the third world quality goods from third world countries. So if you want the american worker to make higher wages and you want to stop or at least slow-down outsourcing, the answer is simple. BUY AMERICAN. In turn the companies profets will go up, the workers wage will go up and everyone will start to be able to afford the american quality stuff. Ok I've kinda went off on a bable there but you see what I'm talkin about.

Where is this proof that American-made products are better just because they're made in America? Also, workers don't see a wage increase because companies turn a better profit. They do a good job, they might get rewarded, but that's about it. Companies are outsourcing because a) taxes are lower b) us taxes on profits from those outsourced jobs are lower c) wages are lower and d) tax deferments on those profits.