Disclaimer

They could stick that 750cc Shadow motor in it. Give it all of 38hp.

Touche' You think we've derailed vw's thread enough? Don't use french brakes. Got it.

You're just a hater.

Nice. I'm interested in seeing the BMW once you're free to release the pics...

You have a PM (in a second)

Something like that. Depending on who shows up at my door for what, I'll wear my 'Obama' or 'NObama' shirt.

You need airbrakes to slow that pig down gary.

See what you get for not being around. I've got a Joe Rocket Sonic 2 now.

Rep for Cheech for the Earley Cuyler post.

If I had more time, I could formulate a better argument. I shouldn't have taken it in that direction upon retrospect. I will return later, better.

Free market right? Everyone plays by the same rules on the same landscape. If these small/medium-sized business can't make it work, then capitalism will *insert Russian accent* crush them and they'll be replaced by other small/med business that will. No?

How so? Find me where, statistically, this is true. A lot of people pay a lot of face time complaining that "We would do 'x', but we're stuck having to deal with 'y'", yet I have very little information to show that it's anything more than an excuse. If they REALLY needed positions filled and people hired, they'd do it. Where there's money to be made and opportunities to be had, they'll do it - including hiring people. Because if they don't... their competition will. Jobs are jobs. I suppose you won't find any conservatives taking those jobs, right? All the people who rail against the gov't and bureaucracy.. I won't find a single one in those positions? People putting their money where their mouth is? Unless their values can be bought and sold.... I'm sorry you've haven't mastered that yet. It's alright, everyone has some marketable skill.

20,000 jobs to do what? You want AT&T to turn into the gov't and just pay people to dig ditches? OTOH, if they take away ALL the benefits above salary they offer to their current employees, they could save a bunch of money doing that too.

They said it'd just be numbing drops (kinda like Novocaine for your eye)... no mention of Valium.

See how they reported the amount - $1B.... yea, anytime I see an amount, I go find the percentage (and vice versa) AT&T financials Q4 2009: http://www.att.com/Investor/Growth_Profile/download/master_Q4_09.pdf Page 4 is a financial summary. Big picture here. They pulled in $123B in 2009, Expenses were $101B. So, this hits their bottom line just shy of 1% in the grand scheme of additional expenses. I think they're gonna be OK and it's not affecting 'big business this badly'. It won't be Armageddon @ AT&T. The title of the article reads a little differently when you put the percentage in: "AT&T will take on < 1% additional non-cash charge for health care"

I'll concede that it may've not been the best example. But, there are 'costs of doing business' in every industry. This is just another one of them. The article posted didn't say AT&T was hurting or strapped. Just that So, they're being taxed on a subsidy (aka free money- hence the NON-cash charge), they're already receiving. Would it be any different if they just said they were lowing the benefit amount?

Commentary on the issue (once again, via Jalopnik): Pro-lane splitting

The costs to put new cell phone towers badly affects AT&T's profit too. If they could get those towers constructed for nothing it would be better for them. Evil private contractors, you're destroying AT&T by charging them to do stuff. You see at the bottom of that link you posted? "AT&T shares climbed 7 cents to $26.22 in afternoon trading." Life goes on...

Roshambo for it.

Was it a Hentai flick?

<Just a picture of Philosoraptor scratching his chin>

I see you own a motorcycle, they let you people own property now?

And that's why we have these discussions, to determine how many of these aspects are better off managed by the government and how many are better off managed by the private sector. Well, when the gov't pays the medical bills for A LOT of people and it's becoming an increasing drain on the budget vs. the GDP - yea, it's going to get some attention. The gov't pays for this, and needs to be able to reign it in. I don't know why you think it's a takeover. If there's a runaway train and someone tries to get on it and hit the brakes, are they hijacking the train, or saving it from imminent doom? I guess it depends on your perspective. I wasn't aware of that, but it doesn't shock me or change my feelings. Now or 4 years from now, everyones' been well aware of it being an issue.

Still managed by the state. You don't go out to your mailbox and put a check in there every time the steamroller comes by for your portion in front of YOUR driveway do you?

I dunno... you said "these policies". You drove to work on a road this morning didn't you? Communist. There are certain things that are MUCH better state controlled than private. It's 'what exactly' and 'who' that we need to debate. All free-market and all-communism extremes would be bad. Everything tends to be bad if you do it to an excess. The only thing you really can't have TOO MUCH of, is knowledge.