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  #81  
Old 01-18-2011, 05:48 PM
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whell whell is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by d-ray657 View Post
On that, I do believe that we agree. As far as how congress might feel about it - is the simple truth uncivil?

Regards,

D-Ray
Civility and accuracy are sometimes friends, and sometimes enemies.
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  #82  
Old 01-18-2011, 06:17 PM
Charles Charles is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by piece-itpete View Post
Sadly Mencken was before my time.

Can you imagine Royko with the Chicago machine running the country! He'd be in sarcastic journalistic heaven

Pete
My all time favorite Mencken quote, to the best of my recollection:

"A journalist is someone who is unable to differate between a bicycle wreck and the end of civilization."

Chas
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  #83  
Old 01-18-2011, 07:06 PM
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finnbow finnbow is offline
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A few more from the sage of Baltimore:

A cynic is a man who, when he smells flowers, looks around for a coffin.

A good politician is quite as unthinkable as an honest burglar.

A judge is a law student who marks his own examination papers.

A man may be a fool and not know it, but not if he is married.

An idealist is one who, on noticing that roses smell better than a cabbage, concludes that it will also make better soup.

Before a man speaks it is always safe to assume that he is a fool. After he speaks, it is seldom necessary to assume it.

Conscience is the inner voice that warns us that someone might be looking.

Democracy is a pathetic belief in the collective wisdom of individual ignorance.

Democracy is also a form of worship. It is the worship of Jackals by Jackasses.

Democracy is the theory that the common people know what they want, and deserve to get it good and hard.
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  #84  
Old 01-19-2011, 06:24 AM
Charles Charles is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by finnbow View Post
A few more from the sage of Baltimore:

A cynic is a man who, when he smells flowers, looks around for a coffin.

A good politician is quite as unthinkable as an honest burglar.

A judge is a law student who marks his own examination papers.

A man may be a fool and not know it, but not if he is married.

An idealist is one who, on noticing that roses smell better than a cabbage, concludes that it will also make better soup.

Before a man speaks it is always safe to assume that he is a fool. After he speaks, it is seldom necessary to assume it.

Conscience is the inner voice that warns us that someone might be looking.

Democracy is a pathetic belief in the collective wisdom of individual ignorance.

Democracy is also a form of worship. It is the worship of Jackals by Jackasses.

Democracy is the theory that the common people know what they want, and deserve to get it good and hard.
Very good, Finn.

Chas
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  #85  
Old 01-19-2011, 08:01 AM
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merrylander merrylander is offline
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Or "No one ever lost money by underestimating the taste of the American public"
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  #86  
Old 01-19-2011, 08:20 AM
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piece-itpete piece-itpete is offline
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LMAO! He was an insightful fellow.

Pete
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  #87  
Old 01-19-2011, 09:59 AM
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finnbow finnbow is offline
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Returning to the theme of wasteful spending on defense contracts, Boeing and General Dynamics want to collect $1.35 billion (plus interest) on a contract to built 8 planes for $4.4 billion that they never delivered because the contract was terminated for default.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn...1806515_2.html

So the Navy doesn't get its planes, but needs to pay $3 billion anyway? Some very interesting contracting going on there.
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  #88  
Old 01-19-2011, 09:23 PM
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whell whell is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by finnbow View Post
Returning to the theme of wasteful spending on defense contracts, Boeing and General Dynamics want to collect $1.35 billion (plus interest) on a contract to built 8 planes for $4.4 billion that they never delivered because the contract was terminated for default.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn...1806515_2.html

So the Navy doesn't get its planes, but needs to pay $3 billion anyway? Some very interesting contracting going on there.
From the article: "The companies said the delay was the Navy's fault, because it had not shared the stealth technology that was essential to completing the mission. Lower courts said the companies could not "safely" litigate the case, though, because of the government's claim that it could not provide needed information without endangering national security. "

Who's on first?
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  #89  
Old 01-20-2011, 08:05 AM
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merrylander merrylander is offline
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Let's quote a little more;

"But Breyer was reluctant to extend such a ruling. To "apply it to government contracting, where sophisticated contractors are perfectly capable of negotiating their own contract, we are not just throwing a monkey wrench into the gears of government contracting; we're throwing the whole monkey," he said.

Ginsburg pointed out that the companies not only want to keep the money they were paid, but want an additional $1.2 billion more that they say they are owed because of the contract cancellation. When Phillips said that "maybe to some extent you could say we're sort of being a little greedy," Sotomayor seized on the remark.

"You are being greedy. You admitted it," she said. "
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  #90  
Old 01-20-2011, 08:40 AM
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piece-itpete piece-itpete is offline
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'throwing the whole monkey' lol!

Pete
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