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http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/02/27/michelle-ugenti-arizona-rep-justifies-tuition-hike_n_1304731.html

An Arizona House committee passed a bill last week that would require every student at a public college in the state, regardless of economic status, to pay a minimum of $2,000 in tuition.

As Think Progress noted, nearly 100 Arizona students attended the committee hearing to speak out against the bill, HB 2675, expressing concern that it would make it more difficult for many students to afford college. Rep. Michelle Ugenti (R-Scottsdale) responded bluntly in favor of the new measure: "Welcome to life."

This doesn't just mean subsidies would be hit.  It also means that kids with full-ride scholarships would have to pay $2000 of their own money on top of the full tuition granted by the scholarship.

It does not raise the tuition itself, for people who are self-paying, with the exception that it would increase the minimum cost/semester to $2000.

We have the first outright "poor tax" in America.   

The goal, obviously, is to prevent poor people from getting an education.

Did they just accidentally their college football teams?

The Saudi wealthy are inextricably linked to U.S businesses, especially in the financial sector. Sure knowing in advance that the attacks were going to happen would have allowed them to make a lot of money off the event but if they were ever caught it would be financial suicide for them, I can't imagine the Sauidi government would gamble like that.

There were suspicious patterns of trading in the days leading up to 9/11.

I remember hearing a reporter mention something about an unusually high volume of put options on various airlines in the days before the attack, but that story was dropped and I never heard any more about it.

Yeah, remember back in 00-08, when we had a proper Conservative president who made sure there was a red wagon in every backyard? It's just not the same America without executive-backed kite flying and state fairs.

No, it's more like "once we get momentum in the election, we're dragging this great country back 60 years to when everything was perfect."

Never mind that in almost every way, 1950-1960 was the worst decade in American culture.

The food was pretty good though, right?

I like this, but doesn't Santa Clara v. Southern Pacific Railroad (corporations are people so 14th amendment applies to corporations) mean that

Texas election laws prohibit corporations (which includes non-profit groups) from intervening in elections.

is unconstitutional?

This is going on in the the town where I grew up, lived away from for about 20 years, then moved back to.  I live here now in case I'm confusing you.

Anyway, the ACLU has come to town.  Apparently they have received several complaints (I swear it wasn't me) that the county commissioners start all their public meetings with prayers in Jesus' name, and sent them a letter basically saying, hey that's illegal and you need to cut that shit out.

In a county where standing up for Jesus is a guaranteed ticket to reelection and kowtowing to the whims of the ACLU is a guaranteed ticket to being ridden out on a rail, the county commissioners did the natural thing and turned their most recent meeting into a Baptist revival.

My reaction to all of this is basically this: 


I love this kind of shit.  It's freaking hilarious to me.  I love the insane overreaction on both sides.  Slippery slope arguments are rampant.  If government officials are forbidden to lead participants in a government function in an official sectarian prayer, then next thing you know they are going to ban the Bible and start feeding Christians to lions again. On the other hand, if we allow a government official to publicly pray at the start of a meeting for God's guidance and wisdom in decision-making, then next thing you know we'll have restarted the inquisition.

It's a losing battle, of course.  The ACLU has like two or three kilowarrens of case law on their side, so this fight is going to cost me and my fellow county taxpayers anywhere from 1/4 - 1/2 million dollars, so that's the down side.

This has gotten a little bit of national coverage, but here's a link from the local paper.  If you don't want to read the whole article, look at the pictures and definitely watch the video at the end of the article.  These are my neighbors.  The guy right after the dirty hippie is my favorite.

I don't think any of you have ever heard me speak, but I have the same accent as the people in that video, so whenever you read my posts, that's what you should be hearing in your head.

The comments on that story aren't anything you haven't seen before on any debate on this topic, but they were interesting to me because everybody posts here using their Facebook account, and I'm like, man that guy is an idiot, and I click on his profile and we we have like 6 mutual friends, some of whom I actually have a shred of respect for.

The video here is also pretty funny.  That's one of my county commissioners speaking.  We can't raise taxes to improve our schools, but we can raise taxes to stand up for Jesus.

Updated. Feels better. Will continue to look at it, though.

Let me know if you think it's an improvment or whether I broke it.

Even better.

Yes, the version of Islam YOU happen to follow is the One True Islam, and everyone else is doin' it wrong.  

Were you just lucky to be born into a community that practices the right version of Islam, or are you a whole lot smarter than millions of other so-called "Muslims" that you are able to see what they can't?

[remote sensing]

Good job, Kai!

I hope, one day, to achieve the same thing. But you know, rocks instead of bugs.

If this Uni doesn't devour me first.


Speaking of, I just got special permission from an instructor to take a senior tutorial course in remote sensing

You mean like clairvoyance?

I don't believe it's how we're "supposed to be" -- more like how our brains are hardwired to be.  Is =/= ought.

ETA: by "we" and "our", I am referring to all mammals in general.

Who needs Alpha status when you have "Bob"?

"Bob" is actually a beta.  The True Pipe is the alpha.  And it smokes "Bob".

This raises the question, can an alpha have Slack™?

Also, what Net said about it being a lot more fluid than most people think. A "natural" alpha is just someone who is not trying, and simply is. It has nothing to do with an inborn nature, and everything to do with being in their element and comfort zone. Have you ever seen what you thought was a meek, shy person walk into, say, a workshop or lab or library and suddenly be at home in their domain?

Most people seem to associate being "alpha" with being most at home in bustling social situations. But someone can be alpha at a party and beta in the office, or vice versa.

The alpha isn't always the guy or chick you think is running the show, either. If you watch people's social interactions very carefully, you can often see that the loud confident blustery guy is usually not the most dominant person in the room. The most dominant person in the room is very much not making a show of it, while the blustery guy is trying too hard. Look for the quiet person who is relaxed and smiling, especially if they frequently defer to others.

Yes.  For most other mammals, there is only one way to be an alpha, and that's to be the most physically intimidating.  It's different for modern humans.  If we can't dominate in some arenas, we'll gravitate towards others where we can.  Most people seem to have something we can do better than most of the other people we know, and our brains give us the same kind of status rewards when we do well at those things as an alpha chimpanzee gets when he swaggers and others bow down.

Mostly I'm just spitting out the same theme with a few variations, while I process "I, Mammal".
It still needs styling because I feel like I'm JUST SAYING all of the above.

I'm also reading that book.  I thought I recognized a few familiar themes in there.

Good rant.  +1 to your Discordian status.

Santorum opened his pie-hole again.

Santorum tweeted: "Here is 1 effect of changing definition of marriage "@HuffingtonPost: Marriage rate in America drops to new low"

http://www.pinknews.co.uk/2011/12/15/rick-santorum-blames-lower-us-wedding-rates-on-marriage-equality/

All those extra people being allowed to marry!  THAT's why fewer people are getting married!

If I understand correctly, that's exactly their argument.  Now that the wrong sort of couples can get married in a handful of states, marriage is completely meaningless so why bother?

Dear PD, complaints about a situation I have no control over! Feeling sorry for myself and patting myself on the back for doing so well anyway! Blatant ego stroking and posing for the sake of peer group support! That is all.

Cain,

Cliched platitude that I know won't make you feel better about your situation, but I'm saying it anyway because it makes me feel better.  Meaningless congratulations on doing so well anyway, and a statement that you deserve whatever good things come your way.

PMZ

Didn't even click the link, but guessed what it is from clues in other posts, and now I have the song stuck in my head anyway.

No, she can be a senator.  President is the only office that requires natural-born citizenship.  Maybe VP also.