If I were president..

BuffaloBFN wrote: Kristof, you're really scaring me now. Let the free market decide...most shareholders are also clients, right? I bet Electrabel didn't make near the profits of the cosmetic companies?!!? -aplying measures to have some control over prices and economy, without going towards a communist model of regulated economy I don't see the above statement as possible. As soon as we start giving up freedoms and freedom of choice, what's to stop the gov't from regulating how many times we can break wind per day?!!?

There must be some form of regulation possible. Cosmeticts are luxury products, so no problems with the profits there. But electricity and heating are not luxury but necessity... Many people here have problems paying their energy bill because the free market lets the prices go sky high...

Just my 0,2

The drug thing Eric was talking about is exactly what i would say as well. Make pot legal, allow (probably tobacco) companies to market & sell it & just tax the hell out of it. The revenue made from that I'm sure would offset what they're making from all the busts now. And if someone's found on the street with large amounts of "black market" dope they should be punished. All this coming from someone who doesn't smoke, since people normally think i smoke copius amounts of pot when i say that.

Also, I completely agree with Randy, I absolutely hate the seatbelt law. Yeah, I put mine on every time i get in the car, but if i forget one time & happen to drive by a cop he can give me a ticket for that? seriously? what a load of BS! Laws are made to protect people, the seatbelt law isn't protecting anyone but the people who choose not to buckle up...noone else is going to die from getting into an accident with another car who's driver isn't wearing a seatbelt (unless the other person flies through the windshield & takes em out..haha)

Nate

I agree with you Eric. We should stop throwing people in jail for smoking, selling and growing, pot. There are a lot of violent crimes committed by people drinking alcohol and I have yet to read a news story about someone committing a violent act after smoking a little weed. As for other drugs, they need to stop protecting stupid people from themselves. Take the Methamphetamine epidemic. I have to go to the pharmacist and sign a paper with my address etc. just to buy a box of Sudafed for my runny nose, because some losers out there are buying the stuff up in large quatities to make meth!   What a bunch of crap! I say we give give these meth-heads all the meth they want and let them kill themselves off, at least they won't be robbing and killing to get te stuff. I like to think of it as "Social Darwinism" Same thing should apply to laws for seat belts, helmets etc.   Stop protecting stupid people from themselves, lets clean up the gene pool!

But, like Buffalo said, they would never let you shoot that cash cow.

As for being president, there is no way I would want that job. I wouldn't want to be under a microscope for the rest of my life.

I still wonder how the drug sniffing dog can find a roach under your seat but cant seem to find containers full of Heroin

allright Azues, one of the many things I would do, find a way to legalize and regulate drugs, Prisons are filled to capacity with drug offenders and it totals more than 60 billion a year to operate them. tax as we do alcohol, i would think if they were legal and affordable and regulated, harsh crimes would definitely lesson,
it is an issue and i dont condone the use of drugs but it would definitely help the economy

azeus17 wrote: All this talk and I have not heard much about what anyone would do as president

Well then... Not as a president, since Belgium has a prime minister, but some of the things I would do as prime minister in my country:

- cut taxes on fuel (apply the "click"-sytem)
- implement net index on wages
- cut down super salaries of top managers over here
- apply max prices on energy
- stop the stupid arguements between north and south of this country and start working on the real problems people over here have
- aplying measures to have some control over prices and economy, without going towards a communist model of regulated economy

An example: Electrabel, an energy company made billions of profits last year. Good for the shareholders, but at the expence of the clients. Energyprices here are about the highest in the world. To me, it's a good thing Electrabel makes profit, but not such enormous profits by keeping prices too high compared to our neighbouring countries... Same thing applies for the phone compagnies and internet providers.

Also, the distribution sector is very expensive here... prices are kept high due to agreements made between supermarket chains... So food prices are also high...

A few ideas out of the collection...

All this talk and I have not heard much about what anyone would do as president, only b!tching about what others have done.

Typical for America, complain, complain, complain.

Luch, those are my kids names, and Riley asked if I had any of those names for kids and I do.
John, big fan up until about 2000, sat in the dogpound with my carharts on a friends season passes and witnessed alot of heartache. the Denver game sticks out the most but memory fades. time to change the sig line, it took a while for you to notice.
Eric

this name thing got me dizzy, what do you mean?

I do Eric. No Peters, Josephs, or Marys in your family? LOL

we'd be speaking Japenese if we didnt......

eric lavine wrote: Greg, you should mention that the Muslum religion surpassed the Catholics, no more Josephs or Peters

That's almost what I was getting at; take it another step forward.

Ali,
after today maybe they'll naming thier kids Big Brown lol,
Greg I dont know the last name but im sure it will pmo
Greg, you should mention that the Muslum religion surpassed the Catholics, no more Josephs or Peters

My city has been a refugee resettlement city for the past 30 years or more. We had so many Muhammed Muhammeds that were born on January 1 come into the schools during the past 10 years that the system had a meltdown and had to be updated.

It's kind of funny, some of these kids at my son's middle school track meets look like they should be competing in college.

88 Nautique wrote: My father, who was in WWII, would disagree with you. The number one reason would be defense of our allies, our nation and our way of life. By the way, happy "D Day" to all. Lets not forget those who died to keep us free. Kurt

Kurt,
agreed! And also thankful towards your father! As I mentionned on other threads I went to quite a few museums about WWII.
Buffalo,
I also visited the whole coast of Normandy. Beleive me... They still love the Americans for landing there on D-Day and they honor them in many ways! As do I... Because my late grandfather was in the resistance (Dad still has food stamps and medals from him kept in a cigar case from that period). Oh, Buffalo, here in Belgium, thay also honor our American friends... take a tour in the Ardennes... "Battle of the Bulge" ring a bell?

But... WWII also started on a power issue... Hitler wanted to rule all of Europe... He wanted power over a new empire: The Third Reich as he called it...