Search Results for 'Sl'

[nighthawk]

We have Qwest for phone and that’s it. When we first moved here we were going to get Qwest DSL. We specifically ordered the highspeed DSL. It turned into this crazy thing because there computer says one thing but actual distance from the junction box is another. When the tech came out (who was really helpful and clued us in on the real situation even though the rest of customer service was clueless) was that we would only ever get slow speed if he could get it to work…needless to say we have Comcast now.

[HMC Rich]

I have to agree with World Citizen that more current data is needed. But, if numbers are true then we should look at how we can turn the negative to a positive. Ignoring the entitlements is not an answer.

47% of citizens pay federal taxes. 50% of what is taken in is paid by 10%. Bush tax policies made less citizens pay taxes. How could he?

If we want everyone to pay their fair share (whatever that is), we should close all loopholes, adjust the rates properly, and quit spending so much?

I know the Statist and Federalist have differing opinions on what to do. So we will always be able to argue with each other. (wink)

We obviously need to tax people for our infrastructure and to help certain people and some programs. But I don’t think the government (local, county, state, and Federal) should be able to take 50% of what everyone makes. Maybe you do. I work for my family first, not the government. They can hire me if they want, but that means I am paid by the citizens.

Think about this. If you are a citizen, you pay your taxes, then you give to charities, and if you are religious you tithe 10% to your church. That doesn’t leave a lot left over, so you have to cut back. But I can’t just cut back on taxes, can I? Anyhow, the secularists should have more money! Just kidding. I may believe in God but I worship Zippy’s burgers and a few other establishments that happily accept my discretionary spending. MMMMMM. Zippy’s

[hollyplace]

I will second the ones from the Salvadorian Bakery. I think they are better than the Burien market and the Carniceria El Paisano in WC. They are smaller but very moist. If you go, be sure to get a slice of the tres leche cake to go. Don’t fall for the other desserts, the cake is THE ONE.

[add]

My mouth is watering reading all these posts about the great menu items. We went to Blackboard a few weeks ago and thought the food was outstanding .. I always thought I hated trout until I tried their dish paired with fried green tomatoes. OMG.

.

That said, the service was seriously lacking. We were a party of 6 and were offered the “chef’s menu” – name your price/person and they put something together for you. The minimum is $20 so we said $25 each. We also ordered two bottles of wine (and probably would have ordered more if asked). After we ordered we were asked if it would be OK if we were served family style – “of course”, we said! However, I don’t think the staff was really clear on how to best support a table of 6 with family style service and various courses coming out every few minutes. We had to ask for a new set of the small plates we started with (didn’t want to mix watermelon juice, beet juice, trout, and scallops…). The waitress was overwhelmed and at one point just planted a stack of plates on our table and said she couldn’t keep up with us.

.

There were a few other fairly major service lapses (one server, when asked, said he had “no idea” what was in a dish he was serving? no offer of coffee or espresso? we specifically mentioned how good one specific dessert sounded – as the chef’s menu were all dishes coming off the menu – but they brought out something else?).

.

I hope they can figure out the service component because I loved the space, the concept, and the food was truly FIRST RATE.

[pixel pusher]

How many times are we going to have this conversation on the blog?

Seriously! There is risk in everything!!! Take it upon yourself to look out for YOURSELF, because no one else will. That is the world we live in and I am sick of people blaming cyclists for all the trouble on the streets. Or sidewalks, or wherever it inconveniences you.

Sure, some cyclists are not courteous. But neither are some pedestrians and some dog owners and some parents and some drivers and I bet even some Activspace renters. They are all over the place!

So stop blaming cyclists and GET OVER IT!

[anonyme]

I can’t remember if the White Panthers were related to the Rainbow People’s Party. The RPP was anything but a peace-loving, benevolent group. I remember Wayne, and I also hung around with the late Fred Smith, who later married Patti Smith. Kathy Asheton (sister of Ron & Scott Asheton of the Stooges) was my best friend in A2. Obviously you’re a lot younger than I am, but it sounds as if the Michigan legends live on…

I actually grew up in East Detroit and went to Grosse Pointe High before moving to Ann Arbor. I was in high school during the 60’s race riots. We’d skipped school and dropped acid that day; couldn’t figure out why there wasn’t a soul on the streets until we turned on the car radio and heard martial law had been declared. BTW, our acid way back then came straight from the personal lab of Dr. Timothy Leary. You can’t get it like that any more – not that I’d want to.

I’d better shut up now before I get in trouble…

One last question: did you ever have a Fragel?

[Square One Books]

We have 2 extremely sturdy shelves left in our office. They are metal with very strong particle board (I think) shelving. One shelf is 8′ tall by 6′ long. It is 4′ wide. The other shelf is also 8′ tall and 4′ wide, but it is slightly shorter at 49″ long. We will sell the bigger shelf for $50 and the smaller shelf for $40. I’m certain they are worth much more than this, but we have no room for them in our garage, and we just want to find them a good home. Email me at gtm@square1books.com if you are interested.

[DP]

As Yogi Berra famously never said: “Making predictions is hard, especially about the future.”

Nevertheless, I’m going to make a prediction right now. About the future of I-1098. Fortunately, there’s something to please everyone in my prediction. Alas, there’s something to aggravate everyone as well. But then, life would hardly be interesting without a little aggravation now and then, would it?

Prediction the First: I-1098 will pass by a sizeable margin, perhaps ten points or more.

Here’s why:

• Washington’s state government is in a period of protracted fiscal crisis and everyone knows it. These days, you can’t hardly pick up a paper or turn on the TV without hearing about budget cuts.

• Most Washington voters see raising taxes (along with budget cutting) as one of the things we need to do to get ourselves out of this hole. Since the vast majority of voters will not be subject to the proposed new income tax, for them, 1098 is a no-brainer.

• Voters will not be swayed by the opposition’s threats of a mass exodus of small businesses. Although they might be skeptical of what the Legislature will do with an income tax down the road, voters are even more skeptical of the Business position. Rightly or wrongly, voters will perceive that Business’s interests do not align with their own on this.

Prediction the Second: After 1098 passes, it will be overturned in court.

The sponsors of 1098 thought they were being clever by calling 1098 an “excise tax” rather than an income tax, but I doubt this will pass muster even with a liberal-leaning Supreme Court. An excise tax is a tax imposed on the production or sale of a specific good.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Excise_tax

Although the definition of an excise tax can be stretched a bit, it cannot be stretched to the point where it covers earned income (or the receipt of earned income) — the moreso in the face of a state constitution that explicitly forbids a graduated income tax. Calling 1098 an “excise tax” is clearly a ruse. To allow 1098 to stand, the Court would have to willfully disregard the intention of the framers of that constitution, who clearly wanted the government of this state to live within whatever means it had — SHORT of a graduated a income tax.

Prediction the Third: After 1098 is invalidated by the Court, there will be a period of hand-wringing, followed by successive waves of budget cutting.

Where will it all end? Who knows? Maybe it will end with a change to the Constitution. Maybe it will end with a flat tax (which is legal according to the Constitution). Or maybe we’ll go into a period of forced deficit spending (which, like an income tax, is NOT legal, according to the Constitution).

In the near term, we could be headed for some kind of crisis, but I’m not going to go so far as to predict that. Supposing a crisis should happen, though, it will probably have one of two outcomes. We will either be drawn closer together as citizens. Or we will be pulled even farther apart.

[WorldCitizen]

c@lbob:

Yes I know what the CBO is (no need to get shitty about it, man). Yes, I understand what the graph is. No I don’t see how it’s related to 2010. There’s a ramp up in the involvement in Afghanistan, TARP, the implementation of Healthcare reform legislation, (which will actually help lower the deficit) and CHIP just to name a few differences.

The graph on the site has an estimated budget deficit as of 2009 to be just below 600 Billion dollars. In 2010 the actual budget deficit is roughly 1.3 TRILLION dollars. So, yes, I think there is a discrepancy in the numbers. I also see no useful info to help graph out the numbers comprising the percentage of the national deficit. This is why I am asking for updated and accurate info from those of you putting out these links/numbers.

I would like to believe the primary driver for our national deficit is tax cuts (or deferrals), I just see no such info online to support this. So I actually can not graph it myself. I will, however continue to ask for people to verify the claims they make online.

[JoB]

thanks to the friend who alerted me by email that i was posting while impaired last night. Just sleepless.. not drunk.. but still.

I would NOT take it well if someone was snooping around my car..

[JoB]

DP

nope.. she’s off to bed

even beauty needs her beauty sleep

[Ken]

http://www.betanews.com/article/Qwest-begins-rollout-of-its-faster-VDSL2-networks/1248124918

Distance from the co is more limited, but neighborhood substations could mitigate that. Someone has to actually invest in the infrastructure within 2000 ft (electronic distance) from your location. Since I live near a traditional low rent area, (even though the Highpoint redevelopment brought in a lot of new owners of expensive real estate) I suspect we remain far down on the list.

[JoB]

DP..

who said anything about wee hours.. i am pretty much asleep by 10.. unless i’m not:(

i just wanted to be sure that the neighborhood i had chosen was a safe neighborhood before i moved there…

cruising didn’t alert me to the neighbors new boyfriend whose stereo rattles the windows..

but it did assure me that the stories i had heard about this area were false…

yes.. it is safe to live east of 35th

funny thing… i like it here better than i did up on the ridge overlooking the Fauntleroy ferry.

it’s quieter and the neighbors smile at you.

Charlabob…

i suspect you hit the nail on the head. I have never been confrontational with them…

i did ask them nicely to move one of their trucks because it was blocking my view of the street when i tried to leave the alley…

they promptly moved it.

I can’t guarantee the guys in StephB’s alley are the same crew that work the area i live in…

and i know nothing about a guy in a white pick-up dumping tires…

but i can guarantee you will get a better response if you aren’t confrontational.

[lazybeard]

I’ve had the service for about a month in Highland Park. It’s not fiber, it’s VDSLv2 if I recall. I didn’t need a technician even come to the house as all the work was done at the CO. I always do what I can do be a Comcast-free house.

[redblack]

this debate is subject to so much ideology that sometimes it’s hard to remember that it’s not necessarily a class warfare argument.

if you make over $250K per annum, anything over that $250K is taxed at a higher rate.

the smart thing to do – and i think what the administration is trying to emphasize – is to invest any income over your first $250K back into the economy instead of taking it as income. win/win. you avoid higher taxes on income over $250K, invest that money into your business, and stimulate the economy.

the corporate media is patently ignoring new legislation that gives incentive for businesses to do just that by hiring new workers, investing in new technology, increasing energy efficiency, etc.

instead, we get diatribe and tired, old supply-side rhetoric. i don’t think it’s going to fly in the mid-terms, and i think republicans are going to hand themselves a nasty october surprise.

[c@lbob]

Elizabeth Warren is an amazing person. I am very glad that Obama has decided to put her in the posisiton to create the consumer protection in the financial reform law. The confirmation zoo that would result from nominating her the head of that new agency would only slow her important work. It is wise to bypass it.

In the thread “Cut spending and raise taxes?” I posted my take on what has happened during the past 40 years. I think Warren’s research explains the reason for the decline I believe the United States has experienced.

Thanks for providing the link, Escondido.

[JoB]

Smitty…

poverty isn’t trickling up.. it is surging up.

and it’s brought to you by those wonderful folks who are trying to capitalize on your anger to propel themselves into a majority in congress so they can sell you another slogan to distract you from the hand in your pocket.

are you buying it this time?

[StephB]

The neighbors are all in a frenzy about a guy that’s been driving down the alley checking out people’s vehicles and other items on their property. He was spotted driving down our alley at least 4 times in the past 2 days and was chased down, confronted, exchanged not nice words with neighbors and they reported him to the police. They came and took down his license plate, but no one has any evidence to directly connect him to any thefts. The police suggested putting up signs that say “Personal Property can not be taken without direct consent of the owner.” or something to that effect. Otherwise, they said people often leave things in the alley expecting someone will take them. Apparently, people expect others to come and take away their unwanted items that don’t fit in the garbage can? So, now I have to worry about random people walking onto my property and taking my stuff? The creepy thing about it is that this guy is so brazen about his seemingly nefarious activities that even after being confronted, he’s driven by slowly during the middle of the day with a pickup truck full of stuff and smirked at us knowing that we can’t really do anything about him driving by. It feels like harrassment. Big RAVE to my neighbors who are keeping an eye out for us while we’re at work. They’ve chased him off as well as other “scrappers” in the past who tried to take some construction materials on our property…NOT by the gargage cans on in the alley. Neighbors like that are what make WS great. This creep needs to be caught so we don’t have to keep worrying everytime we hear a car in the alley or wonder if he’s coming back at night to clean up.

[BBGuest]

The TV is a Emerson HDTV LCD Model SLC195E8. After a phone conversation with Comcast this morning, the agent told me it could be the remote that they use and maybe the reason it worked before ‘the chenge’ may have been their remote at the time….

[deadbond88]

Hey! I LOVE The Grateful Dead and I just moved to Washington I live in Kennewick but I am looking for a Ride to Seattle to catch FURTHUR @ the Marymoore Park TOMORROW!!!! IK it’s short notice but this is the first online community discussing The Dead that I have found so far. I posted on Craigslist and rideshare and have not received any responses at all which is too bad. Hopefully there is a kind soul out there checking this out that can help me. PLEASE PLEASE I need to see Phil and Bob on the west coast super bad!!!!! Thank you. Forever Grateful.

_-Geoff

[cjboffoli]

BBGuest: That floor might look great if you had it stained. But that slab is going to be awfully cold under-foot through the fall, winter and spring. Just a consideration.

[JoB]

HSG..

out of respect for you, i watched the entire 20 minutes of that interview…

i would point out the historical perspective first…

that David Stockman was the engineer of the 3 decades of policy that he is now condemning…

that he profitted greatly by those policies

and that for him austerity will mean that he has to fly first class instead of on a private Lear jet..

I would also point out that although he had a great deal to say about debt..

he said almost nothing about revenue…

without employment there is no revenue…

it’s that simple.

And 10% unemployment doesn’t even begin to tell the story of the reduction in taxable wages…

nor did he mention the fraudulent and profiteering business practices that bankrupted the pensions middle class Americans counted on for their retirement.

David Stockman thinks a “period” of 10% unemployment is a necessary evil for others..

while he takes mega fees for “economic consulting” from the news industry…

he thinks austerity in public policy which translates as more deferred maintenance for infrastructure, less spending on education and a smaller safety net for America’s needy is the answer…

while clearly protected from the effects of that austerity himself.

His message is basically

you guys need to tighten your belts

He did say one thing i agreed with..

and that is that in the rush for profit

and ever expanding profit centers

America has forgotten about business..

well.. at least i will give him the benefit of doubt that he implied that while talking about the banking system…

[BBGuest]

My home is built on a concrete slab and the ground floor is wall to wall carpeting. I want to remove it and get something I can wash thoroughly (dogs)that isn’t going to cost a fortune. A friend said that a stain for concrete would look great.

Is there anyone who has done this? I started to look online and am dizzy from the information. Thanks for any information you share.

[DP]

Re: cutting expenses including labor as soon you smell a recession.

—But couldn’t that also cause a recession where there wasn’t actually going to be one?

Of course, there’s no way to dispute Smitty Logic, because after all those pre-recessionary layoffs and cut-backs the economy is almost sure to go down anyway. Then Smitty can just point to the unemployment lines and say: See? I told you this was going to happen!

Smitty, strategic business planning is a good thing. I’m not saying employers should wait until they go into the red to respond to a slumping economy. But laying off people in anticipation of a recession seems like it could easily become a self-fulfilling prophecy.

Think of it like a bunch of bank depositors making a run on the bank based on a rumor that the bank was going to fail.

[anonyme]

I was also jolted out of a sound sleep by the two explosions last night. At first I thought it was the chronic problem renter a few doors down who has regular alley gatherings, completely blocking fire access. Even the tire-dumping metal thieves had to ask him to move the other night so that they could get their truck through. I feel sorry for those of you who live even closer to the newest nest of village idiots.