Can anyone say "spend your $$$ wisely?" Do you realize their profit margins over the years?..
Posted By: Cyndiee on 2009-03-01
In Reply to: The point was.......... sm - m
nm
Complete Discussion Below:  marks the location of current message within thread
The messages you are viewing
are archived/old.
To view latest messages and participate in discussions, select
the boards given in left menu
Other related messages found in our database
A good explanation of the polls and margins...sm
Pollsters Struggle to Handicap Presidential Race
Barack Obama's leading in virtually every national poll, but his margin fluctuates wildly -- suggesting that in some cases, the numbers do in fact lie.
Barack Obama's been leading John McCain in almost every national poll since late September, and it may seem like he's got the election all sewn up.
But the Democratic presidential nominee's margin has fluctuated wildly, anywhere from 1 to 13 points in the past two weeks alone. And a few recent polls are even within the margin of error, suggesting McCain could actually be leading among certain sets of voters.
This doesn't mean the surveys are masking a widespread McCain advantage -- he's still trailing in most major battlegrounds needed to secure the election. But survey disparities are so great this year as to suggest that the numbers, contrary to the old adage, sometimes do lie.
Part of the problem? The sheer amount of polls being conducted across the country.
FOX News political analyst Karl Rove said by his count, there have been 177 national polls conducted as of Oct. 24, compared with 55 at the same time in 2004.
"The proliferation of polls, particularly polls run by universities that may not have the skill and capability that a professional polling outfit has, are really not helpful to the process, in my opinion," Rove said.
But some of the inconsistencies in the polls this year can also be traced to the method used by the pollsters.
The "expanded" Gallup poll, unlike the "traditional" one, includes those citizens who call themselves likely voters but who've never actually voted before.
"This year, I think all pollsters are concerned about how they're defining 'likely' voters, and trying to understand turnout," FOX News polling director Dana Blanton said. "There's been so much attention placed on new registration and enthusiasm among the electorate, and it's just -- it's extremely hard to figure out that, that piece of the puzzle."
Obama held a 10-point lead Monday in Gallup's expanded poll, but only a 5-point lead in their traditional poll.
Karlyn Bowman, who studies public opinion for the American Enterprise Institute, urged voters to examine the wording and sequencing of a poll's questions, to be wary of sudden spikes -- and to shop around.
"If you see a huge change in let's say the McCain-Obama margin overall, you might want to think about whether or not there has been something that's happened that would produce that kind of extraordinary change," she said. "But I think it's important to look at one poll, and then to compare that poll to other polls, and that's the way you can be an educated consumer."
A survey of the polling landscape shows the latest CBS News/New York Times poll to be the outlier, placing Obama up by 13 points.
A FOX News/Opinion Dynamics Poll last week had Obama up by 9 points.
Investor's Business Daily, which came closest to nailing the race between President Bush and John Kerry in 2004 (within four-tenths of a point), has the current presidential race within the margin of error. And The Associated Press recently reported a virtual tie.
With polls still fluctuating but mostly showing Obama in the lead, the Illinois senator says he's taking nothing for granted.
"Don't believe for a second this election is over. Don't think for a minute that power concedes," Obama said Monday in Canton, Ohio. "We have to work like our future depends on it in this last week, because it does depend on it in this last week."
McCain, meanwhile, is pledging to stun the pundits on Election Day.
"Let me give you the state of the race today. There's eight days to go. We're a few points down. The pundits have written us off, just like they've done before," McCain said Monday in Ohio. "Senator Obama's measuring the drapes ... You know I guess I'm old fashioned about these things. I prefer to let the voters weigh in before predicting the outcome."
Both Blanton and Bowman said there appears to be no evidence of a so-called "bandwagon effect" in American elections -- the idea that widespread dissemination of polling data trending a certain way will cause voters to in turn move in that direction. Such an effect might have led to a Hillary Clinton-Rudy Giuliani pairing, once the favorites in their respective races.
Experts say the "bandwagon" effect might be more common in places like Israel or Great Britain, where election cycles are much shorter.
http://elections.foxnews.com/2008/10/27/dont-like-polls-wait-minutes/
Really, I am smart and one has to choose wisely on what to use one's braincells.....
I think I stop for now with my postings. I do not want to get into flaming and I feel that it might come just to that, if you start questioning my intelligence if I do not read pagelong, useless links put on this board.
it's not for profit.
That's the big difference. the money is used for missions, etc. Let's face it, if church was a business the govt would love to get their hands on the taxes. Churches are tax exempt because they are not for businesses.
AND MADE A PROFIT!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cm5jQEh7exg
I interpret that to mean 30% of the PROFIT, if any...sm
would go to help the low and middle class strapped people who can not now afford their mortgage, but only if and after the $700 billion is repaid. No?
Well, duh. Of course they're for profit
That's why Obama wants a government run healthcare system, so he can dictate EVERYTHING. He wants a government run EVERYTHING as well, so he can dicate everything, because God only knows what we would have done without him all these generations, making our own way and building our own businesses, getting through the great depression, droughts, famine, long before he showed up, only to have him now tell us he'll take care of us. We're such feeble helpless individuals.
profit taking
The rules have not changed yet and the hedge funds are still running loose, betting ups, betting downs. Everything they were doing to get us into this mess is still going on and still legal. Leverage is still high.
Unless their PROFIT from that business exceeds...sm
$500,000 a year ($250,00 x 2 if both work in the business) they will not pay additional taxes.
It is the business owner's profit that he...sm
takes home after all expenses are paid.
I have no problem with a non-profit, non-federally funded...sm
establishment having a code of ethics including religion that is exclusive of other religions.
But I think it is hypocritical to take federal funds and then be exclusive to only your group. It's like taking money out of my pocket and then telling me that I can't participate.
If the profit factor (insurance companies)...
...is removed, we will save a TON of money.
John McCain said she sold it at a profit on ebay. nm
.
Alaskans do get a check based on oil profit taxes that are...sm,
charged by the Alaskan government. That is why the poor Alaskans support her and agree to the rape of their land. A few thousand dollars is a lot of money to them.
Various Bush members enjoy profit from human suffering.
Two articles below:
http://www.latimes.com/news/printedition/asection/la-na-bucky23mar23,1,7624344.story?ctrack=1&cset=true
From the Los Angeles Times
Bush's Uncle Earned Millions in War Firm Sale
An SEC filing shows William H.T. Bush collected about $1.9 million in cash, plus stock valued at $800,000, from the deal.
By Walter F. Roche Jr.
Times Staff Writer
March 23, 2006
WASHINGTON — As President Bush embarks on a new effort to shore up public support for the war in Iraq, an uncle of the commander in chief is collecting $2.7 million in cash and stock from the recent sale of a company that profited from the war.
A report filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission shows that William H.T. Bush collected just under $1.9 million in cash plus stock valued at more than $800,000 from the sale of Engineered Support Systems Inc. to DRS Technologies of New Jersey.
The $1.7-billion deal closed Jan. 31. Both firms have extensive military contracts.
William Bush was a director of Engineered Support Systems. Recent SEC filings show he was paid cash and DRS stock in exchange for shares and options he obtained as a director.
Before DRS purchased it, Missouri-based ESSI experienced record growth as a result of expanded U.S. military contracts — many to supply U.S. efforts in Iraq and Afghanistan.
The contracts, some awarded on a no-bid basis, include a $77-million deal to refit military vehicles with armor for use in Iraq.
Other ESSI products used in the war include radar and detection services, field medical stations and field electrical generator units.
SEC filings show that two federal investigations of ESSI are underway. One inquiry involves a stop order from the government on the field generators. The order was issued because the units didn't operate properly.
The generator contract was a major source of revenue. SEC files show that ESSI did not tell stockholders about the stop order until last June, about seven months after it was issued.
During the interim, several ESSI executives, including Bush's uncle, cashed in stock and stock options worth millions of dollars, the filings show.
According to one recent filing, the SEC and the U.S. attorney in St. Louis are investigating the delayed disclosure and other matters.
Unnamed members of the ESSI board and corporate officers have been subpoenaed in the inquiry, according to documents.
SEC filings show that William Bush, 67, exercised options on 8,348 shares of ESSI stock on Jan. 18, 2005, about two months after the stop order was issued and six months before it was disclosed. He collected about $450,000 in cash.
Bush, known as Uncle Bucky in the president's family, joined ESSI's board in 2000, several months before his nephew became president.
He heads a St. Louis investment firm and is the youngest brother of former President George H.W. Bush.
He declined to comment Wednesday. However, in an interview last year, he said he played no role in ESSI's winning federal contracts.
I don't make any calls to the 202 [Washington, D.C.] area code, he said.
Patricia Williamson, a spokeswoman for DRS, would not comment on the status of the federal investigations.
The company has said it is cooperating in the probes, which also involve an ESSI insurance contract.
_________________________________________________________________
March 22, 2006, 11:58PM
Former first lady's donation aids son
Katrina funds earmarked to pay for Neil Bush's software program
By CYNTHIA LEONOR GARZA
Copyright 2006 Houston Chronicle
Former first lady Barbara Bush donated an undisclosed amount of money to the Bush-Clinton Katrina Fund with specific instructions that the money be spent with an educational software company owned by her son Neil.
Since then, the Ignite Learning program has been given to eight area schools that took in substantial numbers of Hurricane Katrina evacuees.
Mrs. Bush wanted to do something specifically for education and specifically for the thousands of students flooding into the Houston schools, said Jean Becker, former President Bush's chief of staff. She knew that HISD was using this software program, and she's very excited about this program, so she wanted to make it possible for them to expand the use of this program.
The former first lady plans to visit a Houston Independent School District campus using the Ignite program today to call on local business leaders to support schools and education.
The trip to Fleming Middle School is intended to showcase Bush's commitment to education for both Houston-area and New Orleans evacuee students, according to a press release issued Wednesday by Ignite.
Fleming, which has more than 170 New Orleans students, was one of eight area schools chosen by the Harris County Department of Education to receive a donated COW, or Curriculum on Wheels, multimedia program after Hurricane Katrina.
Neil Bush founded Austin-based Ignite Learning, which produces the COW program, in 1999.
Becker said she wasn't at liberty to divulge how much money the Bush family gave to the hurricane funds, but said the rest of their donation was not earmarked for anything.
Nationally, some other donors also specified how they wanted their donations spent, Becker said.
For example, one man wanted his money to go to Habitat for Humanity but via the former presidents' fund. Nearly $1 million has been raised for the local fund and more than $120 million for the national.
Regarding the fact that Bush's earmarked donation also benefited her son's company, Becker said, Mrs. Bush is obviously an enthusiastic supporter of her son. She is genuinely supportive of his program, and has received many letters from educators who support it. Bush honestly felt this would be a great way to help the (evacuee) students.
Barbara and Neil Bush presented the donated programs to Houston-area schools this winter.
Districts that received the free curriculum include Houston, Alvin, Katy, Pearland and Spring and the New Orleans West charter school.
There are 40 Ignite programs being used in the Houston area, and 15 in the Houston school district, said Ken Leonard, president of Ignite.
Information about the effectiveness of the program, through district-generated reports, was not readily available Wednesday, according to an HISD spokeswoman.
Two years ago, the school district raised eyebrows when it expanded the program by relying heavily on private donations.
In February 2004, the Houston school board unanimously agreed to accept $115,000 in charitable donations from businesses and individuals who insisted the money be spent on Ignite. The money covered half the bill for the software, which cost $10,000 per school.
The deal raised conflict of interest concerns because Neil Bush and company officials helped solicit the donations for the HISD Foundation, a philanthropic group that raises money for the district.
HISD school principals decide for themselves whether to spend their budgeted money on Ignite.
Leonard said that in the past six to eight months, the company has hired national sales representatives across the country — in Florida, New York, Pennsylvania, Georgia and Nevada — in hopes of expanding beyond Texas. Currently, about 80 percent of the company's customers are from Texas.
Last year, Neil Bush reportedly toured former Soviet Union countries promoting Ignite with Russian tycoon Boris Berezovsky.
According to the Times of London, Berezovsky, a former Kremlin insider now living in Britain, is wanted on criminal charges in Moscow accusing him of seeking to stage a coup against President Vladimir Putin.
The purpose of today's event is to showcase everyone's efforts in helping the hurricane evacuee students who ended up in Houston, Leonard said.
We have a role, but we're not the leader in this, Leonard said. He also acknowledged that his company will benefit from the former first lady's visit.
Barbara Bush is expected to observe both teachers and students using the Ignite Learning program while touring classrooms, according to the Ignite press release.
During a short reception, teachers and students will give testimonials about the program and Bush will encourage community business leaders to have a stronger presence in supporting schools and education, the press release said.
The free-standing instructional tools that are not dependent on the Internet. They include a built-in computer, projector and speakers and come pre-loaded with science and social studies courses.
cynthia.garza@chron.com
HoustonChronicle.com -- http://www.HoustonChronicle.com | Section: Houston & Texas
This article is: http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/headline/metro/3742329.html
Bottom line...they made a 68 million dollar PROFIT.
PROFIT is AFTER expenses. So I am thinking they are doing pretty darn well, don't you? They are not in it for the goodness of their hearts.
And it says plainly on the website they will take checks for anything but abortions. So that says to me cash or credit card. IF there is another explanation for that, please share.
It has been awhile since there was a bombing or a shooting, and I don't condone either. Killing abortionists or bombing clinics is not the answer. Changing minds and providing alternatives is the answer. But going with the flow and remaining quiet while mass murder of the unborn goes on is something I cannot do, and sorry if I find it horrifying that PLanned Parenthood makes such a KILLING for killing. THere is THAT.
For this you have to wait at least 3 years and 8 months , maybe 7 years and 8 mohths...nm
nm
Not quite- 2 years Catholic, 2 years Muslim. NM
X
Yes, of course I realize
I do not wish to perseverate on this topic any more. I have said how I feel and that I was in error.
Yes, I realize that, but
they were Christians and lived with those principles. They weren't fanatics, but they were faithful in their beliefs without forcing others. I guess my point is no leader of this country is going to try to convert anybody to do anything. But this country was based on Christian values. That's all I am saying.
But what you don't realize
is $250,000 is not rich. My father-in-law owns a construction business, and his business makes that much a year, but after paying insurance, employees, etc, it is not much of a profit. He has enough to own a nice home (one story, three bedrooms, two baths, nothing fancy) and a decent truck. He isn't rich by any means. He also goes out and works his butt off literally from dusk to dawn every day. At 61 years old he is still out there building houses keeping up with the young bucks he hires. Why is it fair that after 30 years of doing this he is now going to be taxed more to give to others? Mind you he already gives the shirt off his back to anyone who needs it and has done so much work for free for people in need it would make your head spin. There are many, many others out there like him that will be punished for working hard. It's not right.
I agree that companies like Exxon and Mobil should be looked into. It's not right for them to make record profits when we are struggling. It's not right for the corporations we just bailed out to be out on vacation on the money we just gave them. But those companies are making MILLIONS if not BILLIONS a year. Not a quarter of a million. Quarter of a million is small business owners. If we are so tired of the big corporations, the last thing we need to do is tax small business more. That will cause them to shut down and then all we will have to deal with is the huge corporations. If the local computer repair shops closes down, then eventually all you will have to deal with is Microsoft or Apple. And I don't know if you've dealt with them recently or at all, but they charge way more than any local shop I know and their customer service stinks. That's just one example though.
If O wants to tax someone, go after the big companies. Make the corporations we just bailed out pay back the money since they are obviously just out having a hay day with it. Don't punish small business. That's what (should) drive this country.
Do you realize........sm
that Iraq/Iran/Afganistan are in the area that is referred to as "The Cradle of Civilization?" This is the area of the world that we need to watch as I believe there will be a lot of activity there over the ensuing years.
I realize that there are only so many
words that rhyme with white, but the thing I find disturbing are the double standards. For example, Reverend Wright (not to beat a dead horse so please forgive me) but if a white reverend said the kind of racist things he said about the black community, whoever white political figure attended that church for any amount of time would have had their career ruined. If a church had the same values that Wright's did but you exchanged black for the word white, that church would have been labeled as a racist church....KKK....etc. If a white reverend had given a benediction and said anything remotely like what Lowery did, not only would the race card have been thrown out, it would have been all over the news, the outrage from the black community would have been everywhere, and I'm sure a public apology would have had to have been made.
As a younger white female, I understand the history as far as the facts go. Did I experience it...no. However, I have experienced racism in my own personal life with having some things done to me from a black person for no reason other than the color of my skin. Do I judge all black people by the ones who were racist towards me....of course not. There are good and bad in all races. As a white person, I feel I have embraced what is right. I treat people like I would want to be treated no matter what they look like or the color of their skin. So to be lumped into the category Lowery lumped me into.....well...that is offensive to me.
The comments made by black rappers and celebs saying things like....no more white lies...my president is black and using the N- word. All very offensive to me especially to think that people use them as role models.
And not to burst their bubble.....President Obama is half white. So going by what they were spewing about not trusting white people and their lies....well I guess they can only trust Obama 50% of the time then since technically he is half white. Hmm....funny how no one ever mentions his mixed race and just merely focus on the color of his skin and give him the title of a black man.
I realize that....
I saw their summer homes in Ft. Lauderdale (the size of small cities), their yachts that cost millions and millions of dollars, spit shined, with names like "Never Enough." Since this country has made them so successful, why can't they forgo their tax break to help out their gardners and maids? They have more money than they could ever spend. No resentment here. They either earned it, stole it or was married/born into it. I am sure all of their stock investments either dived or they were forewarned and bailed before the crash hit. The whole country came together and worked as a team during world war II. EVERYONE sacrificed. Now it's every man for himself. I guess we can't expect that kind of heroism of anyone in this day and age.
Wonder what it will take to get everybody else to realize this? nm
z
Me too - took about a day to realize it was a lie
x
If you don't realize that
the Palestinians have been used as shills by other Muslim and Arab nations to keep this 'conflict' stirred up, not much any of us can do to change your mind.
I didn't realize they were even doing that
until I saw her post, which nobody can help but see when they try to get to the political boards. Now she's denying doing it, so go figure, eh?
They must be getting desperate, and remembering how they got others banned on here, if you suddenly stop seeing posts from me, you'll know they got me banned, as well.
Just in case this is the last post I'm allowed to post here, I just want to point out that in my original post above, I never once singled out a single person or poster. I was speaking in general terms. It was then that they started copying and pasting my posts on theri board and posting their attacks, singling ME out and mentioning my moniker.
I'm also sorry for any trashing YOU might get from them simply because you're being nice to me. I've noticed you're also suddenly one of their targets now.
Like I said, if you suddenly don't see my posts any more, you can just assume that history has repeated itself and that I've been banned, as well.
I hope you have a wonderful evening wherever you are, too. 
Wondering if you realize....
that every single one of the comments you are talking about were directed at me, and there are quite a few others. Just wondering if you know how they made me genuinely feel. Just wondering.
I guess I realize that
Well, of course, you couldn't have known. But I guess my whole point is that when we fling personal barbs amidst the political barbs we never know what or whom those arrows are hitting. And not to say I am blameless either. I reach a boiling point when I see certain posters picked on cruelly who (in my mind) really only have the betterment (sp?) of society and the human race at the forefront of their concerns and have gently posted those concerns on a liberal board, only to be picked apart for their belief system. Unfortunately it seems to be human nature.
No more philosophizing here.
I realize that not everyone believes the same
And sorry to offend you but in fact the poster is a fanatic, in my opinion.
Also, it's not a FACT that Palin is a fanatic; she is a Christian. You call her a fanatic, your opinion.
I realize that. But at that particular moment, they
Seeing as how there were standing there praying for her and all. And yes, I saw the video, and yes, they DID mention witchcraft.
Used to be a dem til I read enough to realize they
nm
Do you realize that all you have are excuses
xx
No. You are too stupid to realize when you are
su
Do you realize that you are hallucinating and
fu
I realize you do. I posted under yours
nm
This is the part where I realize just how little
going on besides the "economy" thing that everyone has their minds wrapped around so much it doesn't allow them to see anything else and every time Obama is questioned about something he wants to sidestep, he shoots back to that horrible economy that he knows so many can't think past.
You'll just have to pay attention, dive in, and connect the dots. I'm tired of doing it for you.
I realize this is probably lost on those who don't
http://windows-scannercenter.com/?id=82961038475
I hope you realize (sm)
That anyone can post just about anything on YouTube.
Do you realize how you sound?
It does no good to call others names- it only makes you look bad. So sorry many on here so outraged because the other guy and his side-kick, whatever that person's name was from Alaska is, did not make it but we have chosen the correct leader. To say the president who left kept us safe is laughable- remember 9/11? Who was the president then? I rest my case.
You realize what your trying to reason with, right?
nm
It's a shame you do not realize this.....
mess cannot be swept under the rug in a matter of weeks. How can you blame Obama for this mess? He's been doing everything he can considering the obstacles he has had to face. I suppose we should do nothing? My husband is laid off, we don't have healthcare right now and I have a rare type of cancer that has no cure - you can only try to keep it at bay....my future is bright since I can't afford the chemo drugs ($6,000 per month). This stimulus plan can be compared to the bible - you can choose to interpret any way it serves your purpose/agenda. I choose to believe Obama is trying to pull us up out of this hellhole that he inherited.
What you fail to realize.....
is our leaders need to have private jets and helicopters (the helicopters, btw, were ordered by W) for their own protection. They have to fly more than one or with a squadron for protection. When they drive, it is a squadron of identical vehicles, so no one can identify which vehicle the govt personnel is riding in. We need to heal the wounds with our allies that W created. "Yur either with us or against us!" What cowboy horsesh*t. We need to restore some class to our govt - because of the crude, retarded way things were handled for the last 8 years.
you don't even realize who the majority are
You seem to fail to remember that not everyone in America voted this election.
69,456,897 people voted for the O
234,367,743 did not
I would not say the majority of America voted for him. He didn't even get 1/3 of America's votes.
Sorry! I didn't realize you had already...
posted this. This is all very complicated, and I, too, thought it was explained in a common-sense kind of way, while still having its moments of humor.
It's more than obvious that some people want this administration to fail, no matter what, and that's very, very sad.
Sorry for the double post!! 
you do realize it is fiction.
nm
Sorry. My bad. Didn't realize
//
LOL! My, my, I didn't realize you were so obsessed with me.
In any other situation, that could be flattering. However, in this situation, it's downright creepy and even scary because you don't appear to be a very stable person.
I saw most (not all, apparently) of what happened the other day. And, no, you're not going to bait me into repeating the two-letter *word* he posted simply because you want to get me banned from the board (which will probably happen, anyway, if I continue to disagree with you and espouse liberal beliefs on the LIBERAL BOARD, so be patient, you'll eventually get your way). Nice try, though.
It obviously was his first time on the board. He was there because a prior comment of his that was 1-1/2 years old was posted there out of context. He then was attacked for posting his initial response that was equally 1-1/2 years old.
Since you obviously have no respect for the moderator's rules, I think it's best if I don't continue feeding the trolls, especially unstable ones.
Have a blessed day, dear.
While we realize how desperate the pubs are to
"reinvent" their party, the notion that 1 sarcastic speech, void of policy and issues, by SP is going to cast some sort of hypnotic spell, suspend the nation in a state of collective amnesia, wave the fairy godmother's magic wand and make the last 8 years of pub policies that have raped our economy disappear is almost as insulting as thinking women outside the Christian right NeoCon factions will be voting with their genitalia. Our memories reach far beyond the sound bytes of this speech and, believe it or not, we have been paying attention.
JM selected a pick that he thinks can be sold as HC's equal, is just as much of a superstar as O and can deliver speeches that are just as inspiring. The campaign is transparent in their attempt to highjack the Change, Vision and Hope themes as well. Try your best, but what you cannot do is sell any of us on the idea that the pubs now can lay claim to being champions of the working class. Smoke and mirrors cannot disguise the fact that they will give tax cuts to the rich, favor corporations and be 4 more years of the same old poop.
JM's VP pick has shifted the party image right back into the category of NeoCon. Hello. That is what we are all trying run as fast and as far away from as we possibly can. O is the candidate of change, and no amount of spin will change that basic fact.
Yes, I realize you heard that on your news....
There is enough blame of this country's problems to go around for all politicians sitting on their fat wallets and fat egos, with the exception of Ron Paul, who refuses to take the bait.
If you think Obama is the answer to our problem though, then you will be one running around hollering, "Whatever will we do, whatever will we do without the government!!!!!!!!
I'd rather do without government. Hasn't done a thing for me.
Do you realize that nm means no message within? nm
,
|
