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And what's with Texas? Re-write all the text books, get rid of anything not extreme Republican, and deny anything Democratic or whatever.
one of the advantages of a state system. If the majority in a region wants the rules to suit them, they can vote that way. Or not. Government of the people, by the people for the people.
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How come there's a public school system? Y'all better ditch that fast.
private schools are indeed on the increase.
So is home schooling.
Home schooling has been around long enough now that the early products are all the way through the system. Results show that the home schooled kids tend to outperform the public-schooled kids across the board. Plus the unstructured environment of home schooling is more like the college environment, so the home schooled kids tend to adapt better to the self-driven model of education found in institutions of higher learning.
Privately educated kids have long outperformed the public school kids. (For a variety of reasons too complex to articulate here.)
Your point is....?
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As someone who basically retired at 53 for health reasons (though my pension is pretty high), I would be totally broke and destitute if I was an American Citizen, so I can at least be thankful for that.
John, I surely have no idea where you think you're getting your information from. You're a retired Fireman, right? Los Angeles Fire and Police Department people have absolutely full coverage insurance and extremely generous pensions as retirees. These people are getting pensions of over 100K a year in most cases with full coverage insurance too. Broke and destitute?!? You've got to be kidding. One of our California State Leglislators is a retired CHP Captain. He's 58. He's drawing his pension of $107,000 plus he's making about 150K in the Legislature. One of the big problems here is this idea of "double dipping". Fire and police usually retire around age 50-55 or so and then go to work full time in the private sector. It's perfectly legal but just seems wrong. If you can take a job at the same or more than what you're pension is from the Fire Dept, then the pension should not be paid or at least not all of it but no, these guys get all of it. It's especially bad when the "retiree" goes to work for another government agency. One example of this is a guy who retired from the DA's office as an ADA. His pension is over 140K and he was appointed by the governor to be a state court judge at a salary of 180K. That's right, this person is making 320K a year! Plus full coverage health insurance from the DA's retirement system. These scenarios are all union negotiated contracts and is a big reason why California is some 20 billion in the red.
Nobody who retires as a municipal employee is hurting in the least, John. Far from it.
Don't just listen to me, google LAFD health and retirement and read all about it.
Bob
Biab/RB latest build, Win 11 Pro, Ryzen 5 5600 G, 512 Gig SSD, 16 Gigs Ram, Steinberg UR22 MkII, Roland Sonic Cell, Kurzweil PC3, Hammond SK1, Korg PA3XPro, Garritan JABB, Hypercanvas, Sampletank 3, more.
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I worked for the wrong department. We only had 500 members and when I left there were 6 getting over 100k. That was 7 years ago. I was going to be next on the list, and here they put it in the newspaper if you go over 100k.
My pension and my part time consulting are 36k + 7. I could work way more but no thanks.
To be honest I can afford a steak at home, 3 or 4 bucks for a T-bone, and had some dandy bbq back ribs Saturday at home for 20 people, 5 bucks a full rack.
I have drug coverage until I turn 65, every 2 years 350 for glasses and dental for all 5 of my summer teeth. (Hockey teeth, you don't want to damage the china clippers with a puck...)
I think I'm rich, nice house, car, and money left over every month.
I sure am not retired on 100k a year. To do that here you'd have to put in 30 years at about 180k per year, and that doesn't happen. Well the pension is based on the last 5 years average earnings and you get 2% per year so if you made 100k average on the last 5 and worked 25 you'd get 2%X25 or 50k.
Anyone who works 30 years in the adrenelin factory (FD) is nuts, 80 percent will die in a few years after they go. I did 7 as a volunteer (no pension), 8 as an Industrial Fire Marshal, and 23 with the City. I got 25 as an adjustment for time spent as chief of the Volunteer Dept. (Paid) for weekends and when he was on vacation/sick.
We had 2 stay to be 38 years and 60 and one lasted a month the other 6.
John Conley
Musica est vita
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rharv -- Amtrak...actually it's shown a rider increase for about the last decade or so at least. Since it's inception in 1971 it has needed government subsidies to survive under questionable motives, i.e. hauling people around. Hauling people around in the US falls to automobiles mainly, as so we are OK with taxes on gasoline, tires, etc. to subsidize the building and maintenance of our highway systems. We don't ride trains very much. Note also that a lot of Amtrak income through ridership and subsidies goes directly into furnishing railroad retirement for people who never worked a day on that line. So the taxpayers are again subsidizing workers with very generous benefits with sacrifices of their own futures. Personally, I really don't like the government subsidizing GM workers who make twice my income and get great lifelong benefits using my tax dollars. But so goes socialism...
The term "going postal" has a definition world wide. Note that it's not "going Walmart" or "going Enron", etc. It's simply inefficient at what it's chartered to do. I rarely use it as I have a lot of unfortunate experiences with the unaccountability of the workers there. It's yet another case of not being able to be fired for not doing your job, and getting very good pay and benefits in the process.
Yes, I dislike the unholy alliance of politics and money, or more precisely, government and corporations. I have a libertarian bent, that's true enough. I am not a total libertaran, but freedom appeals to me, even if I have to do without some material benefits and security for it.
Fire, the wheel, and the I IV V -- foundations of civilization.
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Can't argue with you on that.
I thought the 'going postal' phrase originated from a whole different circumstance.
Make your sound your own!
.. I do not work here, but the benefits are still awesome
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I heard an interesting interview with the AG from the State of Virginia - they will be challenging this thing as unconstitutional because it forces individuals to pay for an open market product. If the deal had been for a single payer system - the same system no matter what state you are in, etc. - then it could be considered a represented tax. But with the limitations on competition put in place by the bill, and it not being single payer, with each state having to buy local and so forth - there are supposedly so many holes in it from a constitutional law standpoint that it may likely easily go down in flames in Federal court.
I don't think health care is a 'right' but I do think we should take care of our own in some way. Maybe this means we pull up stakes of all the protection we do of the rest of the countries that do have nationalized health care systems and just pay for our own health care. Leave Canada to it's own devices and let them feel the heat of Russia breathing down their necks completely on their own. Let's see how loudly they crow about their great health care system then.
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" Leave Canada to it's own devices and let them feel the heat of Russia breathing down their necks completely on their own."
We've enough friends, and it would not happen, but having Russians as northern neighbours you'd have huge job creation building a Huge Northern Fence and making a fortress out of your northern states.
You should have come to my city and held Anne Coulter's hand, as she came here to tell us we are lucky you let us exist on the same continent. After her speech here she told a muslim university student muslims should not be allowed on planes but should travel by flying carpet. When the woman said she she didn't have one, Coulter said, "get a camel then".
Our 141st soldier died from the war in Afghanistan, and over 1400 have been injured. I wonder who you plan to replace the billion bucks a day in trade we do? We could just shut off the gas oil and power....
John Conley
Musica est vita
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Quote:
" Leave Canada to it's own devices and let them feel the heat of Russia breathing down their necks completely on their own."
We've enough friends, and it would not happen, but having Russians as northern neighbours you'd have huge job creation building a Huge Northern Fence and making a fortress out of your northern states.
You should have come to my city and held Anne Coulter's hand, as she came here to tell us we are lucky you let us exist on the same continent. After her speech here she told a muslim university student muslims should not be allowed on planes but should travel by flying carpet. When the woman said she she didn't have one, Coulter said, "get a camel then".
Our 141st soldier died from the war in Afghanistan, and over 1400 have been injured. I wonder who you plan to replace the billion bucks a day in trade we do? We could just shut off the gas oil and power....
You send us Avril Lavinge and get Ann Coulter in return - you should NEVER trust us again dude!
- Bud
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From what I have read the Russia Canada relationship will be tested soon enough in the arctic areas, as Russia lays claim to the resources there. May be worth paying attention to this as it plays out. http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/03/17/AR2010031700754.html
Make your sound your own!
.. I do not work here, but the benefits are still awesome
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Canada lacks the sometimes arrogance and hypocritical stance of the US when it comes to foreign affairs, so, being the very reasonable and courteous folks that they are, I'm sure they will reach an accomodation with the Russians. Furthermore, history shows that Canadians can put up a pretty good scrap when push-comes-to-shove on the battlefield. They have been a very loyal ally of the US since at least the beginning of the 20th century.
I can certainly understand the relunctance for Canadians military dying in Iraq, as that is America's war. We started it and therefore we should fight it and pay for it.
Afganistan falls under the NATO treaty, so some help from America's NATO buddies is justified, in my opinion. However, again, America should carry most of the combat burden. The Brits have been great, as they always prove to be, and the Canadian forces have done excellent and brave work also. Sadly, other allies have shunned the combat role, and their military forces are acting more like police that soldiers, although they have had some casualities also.
All this makes me think...."Where have all the flowers gone..."
Fire, the wheel, and the I IV V -- foundations of civilization.
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Canada, Russia, Denmark and the US are at a bit of diplomatic cold war regarding the Arctic. This will be a hot button issue, soon.
John Conley
Musica est vita
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John, I like my Canadian neighbors. They provide me with something that I rather enjoy on occasion, in moderation...over ice, and sometimes mixed with 7-Up.  Gary
I'm blessed watching God do what He does best. I've had a few rough years, and I'm still not back to where I want to be, but I'm on the way and things are looking far better now than what they were!
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Quote:
Canada, Russia, Denmark and the US are at a bit of diplomatic cold war regarding the Arctic. This will be a hot button issue, soon.
I'm sure if Obama stays in office for much longer, it'll just be Canada, Russia and Denmark.
Gary
I'm blessed watching God do what He does best. I've had a few rough years, and I'm still not back to where I want to be, but I'm on the way and things are looking far better now than what they were!
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My point is that there are loads of money spent by the US to protect allied interests throughout the Western world that would more than enough pay for the kinds of nationalized health care available elsewhere in the western world. Those nationalized health plans are basically subsidized by the US military spending - like it or not. There's been plenty of fingerpointing at the US as to why they don't have a functioning nationalized health care system, while taking advantage of the same in part due to US action, seems two-faced to me.
This isn't to say the US doesn't appear as a bully in the world arena, either by reality or media portrayal or both. Also this isn't to say that I'm not a fan of Canada, nor their soldiers' bravery. I've lived closer to Canada and visited it probably more than any non-Canadian citizen on this forum except for rharv. I love Canada. My favorite fish 'n chips place is the Wharf in Sarnia, ONT. It's just tiring for me to hear about how bad we are for following Jeffersonian politics with actual states rights, with local governance having the rule, etc.
The Iraq war was and always will be about oil and who controls it. Of course, our politicians will never admit that. But I find it very interesting that Germany, France and China had the ink dry on their deals with Saddam Hussein once the UN embargo was to have been lifted. They crowed the loudest when the US went and took the oil. Ideology is far down the list. The cost of fuel to Canada would be much higher had this not taken place.
The real war should be reduction of our dependence on foreign oil. That's where the long term end-game money should be spent IMO.
Last edited by rockstar_not; 03/23/10 03:35 PM.
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Canada is a net exporter of energy. We have gas.
And oil.
And electricity.
And what we don't use goes south.
There is free trade, it's sometimes cheaper in Eastern Canada to import oil and in Western Canada to export it south.
The fact is after WW2 we had the world's 3rd largest Navy. Fact.
When the chips were down, we have always done our military part, and did it quick. We even went to war with Japan after Pearl Harbour, and before the US did it. Is that not friendly? I used a word in another post, ethnocentric. Learn it. We all have it. Hooray.
John Conley
Musica est vita
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Its been a while, hasn't it Scott? The Wharf moved up the road a bit to another town, or maybe you knew that. I still make the trip, just not as often. To get even we should move the 'Chickn in the Rough' further inland. Protect our assetts..
(Hope I made both John and Scott smile)
Make your sound your own!
.. I do not work here, but the benefits are still awesome
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What kind of dues were you required to pay at church. I have never heard of such a concept. Every church I have ever attended have had a collection for tithes and offerings, I have never seen one make it mandatory and it should not be. You give because you want to, not because you have to. Listen To My MusicRead My Blog
My TunesPsalm 57:7 My heart, O God, is steadfast, my heart is steadfast; I will sing and make music.
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Chicken in the Rough, we went there with the whole band at least 5 or 6 times a year. That was about 40 people with some wives at least. They lost a whack of business. I wonder if they notice. I know the locals drive around and look at the traffic on the bridge and decide yeah or nay.
I remember once we were about 70 people, some ate standing up.
I'll go back sometime, but to drive an hour to find out it's a 2 hour wait is a bit much.
The secret to the good french fry is in the potatoe, and the real fat, not trans fat. Good old fashioned lard.
We remain, after all, a bit of a colony.
Now we have Hockey Night in Canada in Punjabi and Toronto Raptors in Punjabi. YIKES.
Cricket is getting big too.....anyone for a spot of tea?
John Conley
Musica est vita
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You gotta remember John,
when we come over there we have to go both ways also, so everybody is suffering the same in that regard.
The backup costs us as much time as you. The real problem is that we don't have enough security guards at the border. Hire four more guys and open four more booths and the volume just increased by 100%. We have TWO bridges sitting there (I know; one is a decoy for the terrorists) and they have one running with closed off lanes due to lack of manpower and a two hour traffic backup.. doesn't make sense to me!
before anyone asks, the decoy is a local joke about why we built the second bridge only to make traffic worse at the bridge.. dunno if John knows, but now they decided to expand the whole landing area on US side and are displacing blocks and blocks of homes and businesses. My parents store just missed the cut off line, but not sure how they will rework the roads. The store location may become a problem when it has always helped business. So they may be moving too when it is all finalized.
Worst of all I fear Chicken in the Rough may also be on the displacement border.
Make your sound your own!
.. I do not work here, but the benefits are still awesome
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My health care plan is to eat, drink, smoke, carouse, and do whatever I like, then die.
- Bud
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Ask sales and support questions about Band-in-a-Box using natural language.
ChatPG's knowledge base includes the full Band-in-a-Box User Manual and sales information from the website.
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User Video: Band-in-a-Box® + ChatGPT = Impressed the BOSS!
Band-in-a-Box User Video Tutorials!
If you've reviewed our Support page, you've probably noticed the Videos page, which separates our Band-in-a-Box® tutorial videos by category: Overview, VST DAW Plugin, Setup, Beginner, Intermediate, Advanced, and there's even an Archive category to go down memory lane... (You'll also find these videos on our YouTube Channel.)
It's always great to hear how other Band-in-a-Box® users create their songs, especially when they explain in detail what they're doing. Like Henry Clarke's YouTube Channel, Henry Clarke - Senior Musicians Unite! There you'll find his ALL Band-in-a-Box Tutorials playlist with over 50 videos! His top-three most watched videos include "How to Get Started with Band-in-a-Box," "How I use the Audio Chord Wizard in Band-in-a-Box," and "How to Create An Effective Solo Using Band-in-a-Box" - however he touches on many other topics and also demonstrates his own Band-in-a-Box® songs in the Band-in-a-Box Created Songs playlist!
You're guaranteed to find some helpful videos when you visit Henry Clarke's channel!
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Ci siamo dati da fare e abbiamo aggiunto oltre 50 nuove funzionalità e una straordinaria raccolta di nuovi contenuti, tra cui 222 RealTracks, nuovi RealStyles, MIDI SuperTracks, Instrumental Studies, "Songs with Vocals" Artist Performance Sets, Playable RealTracks Set 3, Playable RealDrums Set 2, due nuovi set di "RealDrums Stems", XPro Styles PAK 6, Xtra Styles PAK 17 e altro ancora!
Tutti Pacchetti | Nuove Caratteristiche
Band-in-a-Box® 2024 French for Windows is Here!
Band-in-a-Box® 2024 apporte plus de 50 fonctions nouvelles ainsi qu'une importante de contenus nouveaux à savoir : 222 RealTracks, des RealStyles nouveaux, des SuperTracks MIDI, des Etudes d'Instruments, des Prestations d'Artistes, des "Morceaux avec Choeurs", un Set 3 de Tracks Jouables, un Set 2 de RealDrums Jouables, deux nouveaux Sets de "RealDrums Stems", des Styles XPro PAK 6, des Xtra Styles PAK 17 et bien plus encore!
Tous Packages | Nouvelles Fonctionnalités
Video: Making a Song with Band-in-a-Box®, ChatGPT, and Synth V
Take your Band-in-a-Box® project to a whole new level when you incorporate ChatGPT and Synth V to add lyrics and vocals to your song!
We wanted to demonstrate how this is done with our video, where we show you how to go from nothing to a finished "radio ready" modern pop song by combining the features of Band-in-a-Box®, ChatGPT, and Synth V!
Listen to the finished song, so you get a listen to the finished product: https://demos.pgmusic.com/misc/behindthefame.m4a
If you like it, watch the video. Either way, let's hear your comments!
Henry Clarke: Revolutionize Your Band-in-Box® Tracks with Regenerating Function
User Video: Convert MIDI Chords into AI Vocal Harmonies with ACE Studio and Band-in-a-Box®
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