One day, a first grade teacher explained to her class that she was a liberal Democrat. She then asked her pupils to raise their hands if theywere liberal Democrats, too.

Not really knowing what a liberal Democrat was, but wanting to please their teacher, hands exploded into the air like fleshy fireworks.

There was, however, one exception. A girl named Lucy had not gone aong with the crowd.

The teacher asked Lucy what she was if she wasn't a liberal Democrat The little girl said, "I'm a proud conservative Republican."

The teacher, a little perturbed & red-faced, asked Lucy why she was a conservative Republican?

Lucy proclaimed, "Well, I was brought up to trust in myself and freedom, instead of relying on an intrusive government to care for me and do all of my thinking. My Dad and Mom are conservative Republicans, and I am a conservative Republican too."

The teacher calmly pointed out, "That's no reason. What if your Mom and Dad were both morons? What would you be then?"

Lucy looked up at the teacher and said, "Then, I'd be a liberal Democrat."

Pretty good stuff. I'll bet someone gets angry.

Naw. Not anyone here. You're thinking of some other forum.

__________________
past MB rides:
'68 220D
'68 220D(another one)
'67 230
'84 SD
Current rides:
'06 Lexus RX330
'93 Ford F-250
'96 Corvette
'99 Polaris 700 RMK sled
2011 Polaris Assault
'86 Yamaha TT350(good 'ol thumper)

I saved this one. It's a "keeper"! Thanks

__________________
"I have spent MOST of the money I have made in my life on expensive women, expensive cars, and expensive drugs. The rest I just wasted." - Myself "Belief in the supernatural, reflects a failure in the imagination." - Edward Abbey "Give me a firm place to stand, and I will move the Earth." - Archimedes

HAAhahahaa!! Good one, bro!

I'm counting the hours before some panty-waist whiner tells a moderator that this post offends him....

Mike

__________________
_____
1979 300 SD
350,000 miles
_____
1982 300D-gone---sold to a buddy
_____
1985 300TD
270,000 miles
_____
1994 E320
not my favorite, but the wife wanted it

www.myspace.com/mikemover
www.myspace.com/openskystudio
www.myspace.com/speedxband
www.myspace.com/openskyseparators
www.myspace.com/doubledrivemusic

No complaining here as long as jokes about "King George" are not a matter of national security and one could get locked up by Ashcroft the Thought Policeman for just thinking an "unpatriotic thought"

This country is all about FREE speech!

__________________
Paul

1991 300TE (280,000)
1985 300TD (432,000 miles - retired)
1976 300D (225,000 - retired)
1975 300D (165,000 - retired)

I'm with 300TD--if liberal Democrats are fair game, then so should this neanderthal bogus President. Let's see--3 years, staggering deficits, massive tax cuts for the richest, two wars that both failed to capture or kill the evil leaders, and an endless occupation of our 51st state, Iraq. Not to mention a total trashing of any environmental protection. And now, this fine Medicare bill that caters to the interests of the big drug companies and the insurance thieves. What a record!

I thought conservatives were AGAINST deficit spending. The new deficit spending champ is President Moron--but the conservatives don't much like to talk about that.

Well Joseph, I was all bent outta shape about the foreign policy stuff--I think the administration is doing an excellent job.

However, I'm with you about the domestic side, but probably for different reasons from yours! I'd like to see all the social welfare $hit dumped altogether, not piled higher and deeper. Most of the Republican's domestic policies are warmed-over and renamed DLC programs. I'm ready to hose the lot of them.

My main gripe with Republicans and Libertarians is their intentional cluelessness concerning the environment. I just don't know what it will take to get through to them that environmental degradation, right behind population growth, is a greater threat to the long-term health of society than any medical program. That's the one place where I am very close to the Demos than any other party. The Greens are blinkered in the opposite direction.

Botnst

Uh...isn't Liberal Democrat really an oxymoron? I guess we need to re-define what Liberal means these days, especially since the DLC has gutted the heart out of that party. Our last real Liberal president was Richard freakin Nixon!
...what does this mean? I think if you actually read their position papers on the environment, you'll find a rather pragmatic and entrepreneurial approach to wise ecological practices. Far more insightful and principled than the Dem's insipid push me--pull me nonsense. The D's only appear to be environmentalists by default, because as you stated earlier, the R's have no environmental priorities at all.

Actually Botnst, as a Libertarian, I'd love nothing more than to see the US take an all out approach to major restructure that would drastically cut our oil dependence. I look at the tops of large commercial and industrial buildings and think of all of that wonderful real estate on that roof that can house solar panels. Biodiesel, hybrid powertrains, and eventually fuel cells would curtail the oil requirements further. Use the transition to a hydroden fuel supply to switch over from a national pipeline system to back to regional fuel distribution. The environmental benefits are built in to the changeover, and are a bonus in the efforts to regain energy self sufficiency as a nation.

Then the middle east could be allowed to implode on itself, like it so desperately needs to do to clean house. We would no longer have any strategic interest in the region.

What I think is funny is that Dem. and liberals believe in SPENDING, yet they represent the people that dont have any money to spend. Perhaps if they spent more time on saving they wouldnt be poor. As for the environment, it takes money, you want a car running on french fry grease go ahead but I'm not paying extra plus the cost to mod my car to get less MPGs and do not tell me the get as much geddyup as normal diesel. It costs more to save the env. and in most case doing so wont do much, fuel cells dont have a real big impact and hydrogen costs to refine more than it's usefelness pays. Besides agriculture is the worst of it, especially in the California valley and the Dem.'s love farmers so no way do they oppose the big deal and this states full of the both of them. If you dont agree, look at all the valley fever cases. And Dubbleyuh aint doing too bad, especially since hes at like 55% approval rating. The only real problem is the Iraq situation, economy is coming up and will get better since hes gonna win next year. Stock market goes up when incumbents win.Deficit doesnt mean much in the face of a good economy. Besides, if Gore won we'd be like china, all riding bicycles and eating soy-dogs, giving about 60% of all income to the gov. so everyone can have a computer and the internet. Probably a new house and a couple plasma televisions, that is, unless you work for a living. Then you'd get shafted. I dont really like bush, but when compared to Gore, I have trouble complaining about the guy.

While I see no reason to defend either Liberals or Democrats, it should be pointed out that the two parties "aren't your father's Oldsmobile". That is to say, their agendas have morphed together to a large extent, so that they no longer are the known entities they once were way back when the old labels approximately fit their behavior. Oh, you can pick out some individuals in both parties that still hew to traditional 'conviction' politics, but for the most part, they've adopted a center-right corporate agenda that's bought and paid for by major campaign contributers.

The party of 'fiscal discipline' is now pushing an omnibus federal budget with $328 billion in discretionary spending (that's 'pork' to you and me) rolled into an $820 billion overall package. The 'freespending' party is (for now) crowing loudly about the need to rein in the ballooning budget deficits (now approaching a record $500 billion). Of course, both parties are gonna end up voting for that turd, like they always do, and we and our kids will be paying the interest on the accumulated debt for generations.

An especially virulent pox on both their houses...

When do you think it is we do get a good president again? Bob Dole was, I think, suited for the job, but that horses a** Clinton got elected. We all know the D side runners, probably for quite some time to come, but on the other side, whos in the spotlight to replace Bush?

Fuel cells are great for spacecraft where mass and volume, not cost, are paramount. I don't understand why folks are so enamored of fuel cells. Then there's the hydrogen issue...Apollo XIII, anybody? And welding becomes incredibly important. Friggin' compression fittings are gonna be a big issue to tighten enough to contain creation's smallest molecule. Imagine Ol' Rufus, your neighbor, working on his hydro-car under the shade-tree.

The problems of environmental considerations are hugely expensive in up-front costs. But we're beginning to learn all about remediation costs.

For example, the Fed mandated use of MTBE in some areas. MTBE leaked into the groundwater (along with the fuel). Now folks are suing the MTBE producers for the groundwater contamination at gas stations. Somebody has to pay for remediation, whom?

If you live in NJ, SE TX, or LA you know all about the petrochemical industry waste stream. Somebody should pay for that remediation, whom?

Most people say the the company should. And their money comes from.......us. So they raise prices. Now a smart legislature might want to build-in environmental protection up-front so that we don't do the damage in the first place. Naaaah, lets sue somebody.

Botnst

Surely the most obvious objection to fuel cells is the source of the hydrogen. What're we going to do, mine Jupiter? Use fossil fuels to generate hydrogen?

My conspiracy paranoia tells me that the oil companies will get .gov support to develop fuel cells and then find it unworkable, a decade and x-billions down the line.

__________________
'79 280SE
'87 560SEL
'83 280CE
'01 Nissan Micra
'98 VW Passat
'83 911 turbo