Hands down i am done with blaming y we are there and such i just want so repayment for the deaths and inuries of our servicemen and our tax money. Oil makes the A$$ F*#$%#@ smoother.

 

I believe parents are the cause of most issues children have today, obesity is one of them. Parents need to at least visually know if their kid is over weight and consider future possibilities the kid may have. Possibilities of having heart attacks, clogged blood vessels, being made fun of which creates low self-esteem and dangerous thoughts, etc.

I don't believe, however, that video games are the necessary target when mentioning obese kids. I for one am a gamer and game nonstop 8-hours straight when given a chance and happen to weigh about 130 the last time I checked. I think the idea you've got in mind is rather exercise. Kids today, or the tubby one's, just don't play outside like others do. Parents need to get them involved in sports or some mind-related activities. Something to enrich them versus becoming a brainless sap leeching off mommy and daddy.

The issue of snack food is another great one. There are several problems with snack foods, partially to blame with the manufacturer and the parents lack of monitoring. Snack food companies have realized if more sugar is added per serving, it becomes addicting. Snacks have become more concentrated with addicting ingredients and with an addiction plus bad ingredients causes problems. Kids shouldn't be given $500-$600 game systems.

Every game system I've worked for. My Nintendo 64 was given to me after I raised over $500 for charities, the PS1 the same. The PS2 I strived and achieved high grades and with a deal with my dad, he bought it for me way back when. Today I see parents just prancing in stores like walmart, buying things ie: the PS2, iPod.. like it's nobody's business. I also see some of the cards they pay with not go through. The parents obviously have money issues, so why buy them? If you as a parent aren't making it in the real world, why set a bad example that you've got to have it? Let the kid work either for you as a parent or with someone else to earn it.

It would be great if a rich guy would start a refinery and pumping station to offer cheap gas. OPEC is just a gathering of the gas giants to equally bump prices up so no one can buy at another place for a lower cost...

 

Depends if the family has the disposable income for it then by all means but i dont want to see someone go in debt or not able to pay there phone bill cause they buy there child a PS2 or PS3 or Xbox 360. I was bought expensive stuff but i wasnt like other kids my age either. I recall one time i was 13 at a Xmas party talking to a woman in her 60s or 70s and she asked me where i worked i said worked? I said i am only 13 and there were other people my age playing with stuff on the floor lol. I have always been told i act older than my age. lol

 

great post...[8D]

 

So if they're rich, the rich kids can have what they want? I don't mean to be disagreeable, but that's how people become unproductive. After their parents die, they would have no idea what to do except to live off of any money left because they've never worked.

 

While I remain ambivalent about the border war games, I fully agree with putting teeth back into the laws against hiring illegal aliens. Every thing else is a smoke screen, including the so-called wall that will, in all probability, never be fully funded. In fact, the invasion of huge numbers of illegals rapidly increased because law enforcement/monitoring was pulled off at the behest of Big Money Farm Lobby. When the nation raises minimum wages enough, then more US citizens will be willing to work the farms. Farmers and those seeking servants will hire them because hiring an illegal is just not worth the fine and/or jail time...

Again I tend to agree with you.... Give the poorer kids city bus passes, Children from middle class and upper middle class family's can buy their own.... In fact busing in general has been an utter failure. It seems to me that, in the long run, it would be cheaper to build equally funded schools in all densely populated areas. Those living in the outlying, sparsely poplulated areas could catch the city bus to school...

Here I tend to disagree. It seems to me that bicycle paths encourage people to ride bicycles, and thereby use less petroleum products and less toxic gases. I once throughly enjoyed riding a bicycle the five miles to my business. I finally gave it up because there were too few bicycle paths. It became just too dangerous, partly because I strongly suspect too many motorist simply don't see bikers of any sort. That is, they seem to only be tuned in on autos and trucks, etc... On the other hand, too many who ride bicycles just don't obey the traffic laws by not stopping at lights or stop signs and occasionally cause accidents.... Howeveer, it's always the biker who pays the ultimate price of any accident, and in that regard, if only for the kids, I'd like to see more bicycle paths..

 

No the poor kids do not get free bus passes i cant stand social welfare of anysort unless it benifits all regardless of fiancial status you are basically penalizing the more successful! But all schools should be equally funded and no they should not be bused into cities. The amount of kids per teacher should be equal i think but then just make some schools smaller with less teachers.

So if they have the money let them be unproductive as long as they dont become a burden! A good upbringing will cause them to want to work and if not let them live off the money. Someone earned it at some point and felt that was the best way to use it then its that persons choice on who to give it two and the other persons choice how to use it!

 

Well, I can see your point of view. And providing city bus passes for all school children would probably still be much cheaper than providing school buses. Still, as I understand it, head start gives poor kids breakfast and lunch, and rightly so. It's not their fault they were born to poor parents. Same goes for the bus pass. As long as the law states that a child must attend school until a specific age, if that child doesn't have the means to get to school, a way must be provided by we the people who elects the government who enacts the laws.

Still, I strongly suspect that most working people, however pinched for money, would never take any sort of welfare. Most will find a way to pay for their kids meals and bus pases. That also goes for most upper middle class people, at least the ones I know. That is, only the very needy will get meals and are provided a means to get to school. More often than not, lower and upper middle class people are the first to get behind any means to promote all children's health and education and, unless their last name is Scrooge, they not only give their money, but also give of their valuable time.

I tend to agree with you. It's their money.... but they should be taxed the same as everyone else.. instead of the mere 10% they pay on dividends.

 

I see ur point of view on that because they are using that as there job however if they also have a job then only the 10%.


This gets into a grey area for me personally cause right now i am in college and am living off dividends however small of money i have earned in the past. And i dont want it taxed again.

You must know alot of people with morals cause people i know that can afford it or not will take any handout that they can get.

 

Charles;

I live in a climate where most of the year the roads are wet (30-50 inches of rain per year). A survey was done and less then 1% of road traffic was bicycle riders, even during the summer. Most of the main arteries in the Portland, OR metro area are fitted with bike paths taking up both street parking and up to one full lane away from the 99% of vehicle travelers. That's not right. In addition, none of these two wheel motor free vehicles pays any road taxes. Fuel taxes fund the stripping and paving. Also, no bicycle riders do not have liability insurance. Pedestrian accidents and collisions with parked cars are common.

Bicycle transportation is fine with me, (I ride a bike though I can't conduct business doing so). It simply is not a workable solution for most of us.