Ohio Casino Cheating

[DaBurglar]

db, for someone who 'has no more desire or energy to beat this topic', you seem to have found your 2nd wind.   your generalizations about 'right wing' and 'tea party' are offensive and ignorant. there are many americans and other posters here who believe government has gotten too big, that it is better to teach a man to fish than give them a fish, that being succesful is not a crime and one should be able to keep more of one's own money instead of letting elected politicans use it to buy votes. victimization will not help folks improve their situation. telling them the real truth and financial literacy, without being pc, is what they need.  more people have been brought out of poverty via capitalism than all the social programs combined. statistics show that those who consider themselves conservatives give more per capita to charity than liberals who are described as more caring. the majority of the wealth in this country has been created, not inherited. and, almost 50% of american pay no federal income tax. who is paying most of those taxes, the wealthy. being reliant on the goodwill of others is not something to aspire to.  your rants against the wealthy and calls for redistribution are exactly what is taking place for the last 6 years. how is that working out for the middle class?      AGAIN, I actually AGREE with most of what you say, but this is typical......your distortion of classifying my argument and clear explanations of my position as a "RANT" is exactly what you claim the "other side" (i.e. the poor, shiftless downtrodden masses who line up for government handouts) whines about when "conservatives" start telling the truth.....AS soon as someone like me, a self avowed politically NEUTRAL centrist, starts criticizing conservatives, automatically I get branded in the terms you stated.If you honestly think what I wrote or said about "right wing tea partiers" is offensive, then what do you call what you say about the so-called "left" and the entitled poor who you claim are bleeding this country dry?   I actually DO NOT disagree with what you said about teaching people to fish, and how government is NOT the answer to EVERY problem.....you cannot have it both ways, either you speak and accept the "truth" as it cuts both ways, or do not speak of it at all.Your post is full of generalizations and false premises:  example, you state that "many americans believe Government has gotten too big", and that it is better to teach a man to fish than give him a fish.    Ok, as I said, I can actually AGREE with this "GENERALIZATION" and I fully concur that it is BETTER to have people work and earn instead of giving them money or whatnot....but THAT is NOT the end of the argument and that is NOT at all what REALITY is like......What level of government do you honestly feel is NOT too big?   Are ALL government functions and tasks and benefits "BAD" or detrimental (and if so, exactly which are "OK" and which are "BAD")?   You cannot make the statements you make and DODGE this legitimate, and IMPORTANT, question!What do we do about the OBVIOUS situation of people who are too poor or illiterate to even find a way to LEARN "to fish"?   What do we do about people who are sick and need health care but have no insurance?   Clearly, Government is a necessary evil to deal with problems like crime, and national defense, not to mention disaster relief......I find it laughable that people like you throw around generalizations like "GOVERNMENT is too big" and "bad", and that "people should be able to keep MOST of their money" etc, and yet if a hurricane or earthquake or some other disaster strikes you and your loved ones, you will immediately look to the very "big bad government" for salvation.....!   AGain, how do you respond to that dilemma?   You cannot have it both ways......No where in my argument did I ever say "success or being successful is a crime"....that is a typical false premise the conservatives throw around to justify NOT taxing the wealthy in a FAIR and equitable manner.......I am not saying the wealthy should BEAR an unfair or excessive burden, but they do need to contribute their "FAIR share" (i.e.  at least an equal percentage of total income and wealth as all other income brackets) and that is exactlly what is NOT happening......its a sad fact that if a person is wealthy, they have UNFAIR advantages over other income brackets when it comes to TAX burden.    Your statement that the wealthy pay most of the taxes, is misleading;   OF course, people with actual money and wealth OBVIOUSLY are going to be the ones who are ABLE to pay taxes, otherwise how do you propose poor people pay taxes??!?!?!  Seriously, how??   Again, it is not about the total AMOUNT, but about relative PERCENTAGES, and sadly right now, the MIDDLE class shoulders a far greater burden than the wealthy with all the loopholes and advantages in our obsolete tax code......This is unreasonable and unsustainable,,,,,,but wait, before you jump all over me for that, let me balance it out by saying that we need, DESPERATELY NEED, to address excessive and unwarranted government spending on things that ARE NOT beneficial or even "fair"....it is indeed wrong to give so-called handouts to people who are able to work and choose not to.....but at the same time, there are many people who WANT to work but cannot find a job, a sad fact in today's global economy.     We need to cut out WASTE and fraud (which should be a NON-partisan issue.....neither party republicans or democrats can possibly dispute this!)     Our population is AGING which means obviously greater health care costs across the board for people who are on social security and medicare, two programs WHICH most people paid into during their lives and are now ENTITLED to......Social Security and medicare are two examples of "GOOD" government, or are you going to tell me otherwise???    It is a undeniable fact that the money distributed via social security ACTUALLY gets spent and put BACK into the economy which helps keep the business of america in business....this is self evident, as is the case with MOST government so-called "handouts".......clearly there are members of society who simply are unable to fish and NEED some level of assistance....what are we supposed to do with theM?Finally, your claim about the last 6 years witnessing exactly the kind of "redistribution" I am calling for....where on earth did you get that/??   it is NOT happening!    OBVIOUSLY, the middle class is LOSING ground, but the "RICH" are getting VASTLY "MORE RICH"!!!!    This is the problem!!!    I do not know where you get the notion of this redistribution........if you mean the "Attempts" at redistribution implemented by OBAMA as evident by "OBAMACARE", well I agree that it is a BAD plan and has so far not yielded the fruits its originator promised, but again, WHERE or WHAT is the alternative??    The INSURANCE LOBBY in this country is huge and powerful and is driven by PROFITS, not by what is best or healthiest for the citizens of the USA.   People (all PEOPLE) deserve health care, it is not a "privilege" but a basic human RIGHT.    If someone is sick, they should be able to be treated regardless of their age, race, creed or INCOME or EMPLOYMENT status.......The role of "GOVERNMENT" has been debated for centuries, since the dawn of time really......I am 100% in agreement that there are MANY aspects of our current government that are AWFUL, but I also say there are many aspects and functions that clearly are essential and serve the greater good......there is NO PERFECT system available short of the Kingdom of God!    Both sides,  the right and the left, and people like me in between, must accept that NO ONE is going to get everything "their way" or everything they want.     The element of compromise, with an eye towards the GREATER good and doing what is MORALLY right, is what is desperately needed, but the spirit of RESENTMENT (even hatred) that persists on the part of the AL Sharptons and liberal activists on one side,   and TED CRUZ, Mitch McConnel and conservative zealots on the other side, is preventing real solutions to the real problems of everyday people from being reached.

[notes1]

we are not in high school anymore, you do not get extra credit for using more words or posting the longest response. labeling ones self as an independent does not equate to some higher moral authority.  the point of my response was two fold. first, just because someone is a fiscal conservative does not mean they not sympathetic to the poor and truely needing. those right wing folks give more to charity per capita than those with liberal views. the left is great at spending someone else's money. those who are fiscal conservatives are not opposed to government, simply the expansion and breadth. a gallon of gas in the usa averages about $2.50, in norway is costs more than $9, and they are an oil exporting nation. that is what the nanny state will cost you. second, we believe in personal responsibility. everything that goes wrong in ones life is not the fault of someone else. every person who overspent, over borrowed, under saved cannot blame their mistakes on someone else. the more excuses, the more bailouts, the more rescue plans that are offered to companies/folks, simply encourages more of those same bad behaviors that caused the problem in the first place. unfortunately, for some, it is human nature to take advantage of whatever 'good intentioned' program exists. and finally, as i have stated before, i have grown weary of the class warfare, the race baiting and the victimization. it has created a divided nation, it encourages dependency and provides excuses.  

[Eduardo]

If I ever write something that long about politics on a video poker forum, please shoot me.

[royal flush]

this is site about video poker and related subjects: food rooms shows et-al

[DaBurglar]

we are not in high school anymore, you do not get extra credit for using more words or posting the longest response. labeling ones self as an independent does not equate to some higher moral authority.  Fine, I guess we are done then huh?   I never said I am better or higher in moral authority, especially based on my political feelings ..... when you need to make baseless (and pointless) accusations like that obviously you are out of intellectual ammunition.And sure, the LEFT is good at spending other people's money on handouts for the poor and sick and disabled and saving our environment (i.e. the air that both democrats and republicans have to breathe), but NOT quite as good as the RIGHT is on spending money on BOMBS, BULLETS, TANKS, MISSLES and all manner of weapons systems which we do not need and which we overpay by a sickening factor.......but of course, when asked to increase spending on VETERAN's Healthcare and psychiatric services, your noble tea party looks the other way, go figure.   The "Right" is all for spending (or more like SINKING) literally HUNDREDS of BILLIONS into Iraq and afghanistan, and what did we get?   It's like playing a slot machine that is actually RIGGED for real, and the player KNOWS it for sure before sinking even more of his bankroll into it!There, I tied in our political discussion with Gambling with my last sentence, HAPPY now?!?!?!

[williejoe]

daburglar, i don't want to pile on here----i have no doubt that you very much care about those in our country who need assistance in meeting their basic day-to-day needs------and are concerned about the shrinking middle class in america. but might i suggest you consider a few things.

firstly, you might be assuming that you and your progressive comrades are the only ones who desire that we have a strong and growing middle class and that the poor and sick have an effective safety net. as has already been pointed out by notes1, on a macro scale, free market capatalism ( with all its many faults ) has created the most prosperous, careing and generous civilization in the history of nations. what we categorize as "poor" in this country would be considered wealthy in many if not most parts of the world. and more to the point here------numerous studies have shown that the more convervative citizens among us are more prone to give of their personal time and wealth as compared to our more progressive brethern.

so i would suggest you rethink the progressive and popular media propaganda that the so call conservative tea party folk don't care about the poor and disinfranchised as much as the leftist. as far as i can discern, statistically speaking, the tea party population is best caracterized by having, on average, a higher level of education, much higher level of employment, pays more taxes ( to support our many progressive and all too often corrupt governmental programs ), and are more generous with whatever wealth they do have.------- i will admit, many are more traditionalist than myself and i'm not that much aligned with some of their positions------but i can say the same of most any group or organization. what is so interesting for me is to observe the almost psychotic animus exhibited towards this group by the left. especially by our non-biased main stream media friends.

it is probably also worth mentioning that most of the very wealthy large corporate, entertainment, media, academic and government leaders are not tea partiers---but strong democratic operatives.   so bottom line---dial back the anger for the tea partiers----they are not the enemy of the middle class-----they are indeed a part of it. the tea party types that i know don't hate the government or any category of people----all they want is an effective, non-corrupt, non-selfserving government that doesn't seek to stay in power through identity politics-----promulgating policies to split the nation into segments based on class and race. the current administration is a master at the practice of class and envy politics----and they are good at it------ and it is working well for them.   

and it is these policies and ideology of the current political leadership that are the real enemy of the midle class. it is this group you should be concerned with------not the tea party----------a bloated, corrupt, ever expanding, self-serving government is not the friend of the little man.----and it is just this group that is the main concern of the tea party types----and frankly, mine too.

and now lets say it the way it is-----the current democratic administration has been more committed ( and effective ) in increasing the power of big government politicians than any administration in our country's history. they have had a major negative impact on the middle class and the poor in many ways------ unfortunately, history tells us they will continue to be very successful in their journey to a country where government / politicans are in firm control. as sal alinsky, dick ayers and vladamir lenin all wrote and preached to their alcolytes ( of which many are now our top democratic leaders ), equality for all can only be reached when capatalism and a strong middle class are destroyed and replace by a socialist system where a small elite group of enlightened politicians are in firm control-----deciding for all of us what who has what and who does what.   our current democratic leaders well realize that this new egalitarian society can't be realized with a strong middle class------first destroy capatalism, then the middle class------then you will have an overwhelming number of poor, disinfranchised citizens willing to vote for politicians that promise to take care of all their needs--------committed to redistrubuting the wealth and getting rid of these rich bankers, wall street fat cats and evil big oil. only then can the enlightened political class rule.   this has indeed been the european and south american model since world war two.    and it has worked very well----for the political class.

and with the real unemployment rate at about 12 percent, stagnant wages for middle and lower paying jobs, exponentially growing food stamp and disability roles------what does our enlightened, progressive political leadership do------they are hell bent to bring in roughly a few tens of millions more of the poor and uneducated. why? if you are honest with yourself, you damn well know why. these folk will need big time government assistance for some time----and who do you think will be there to meet their needs and collect their votes----sooner or later.

while i would probably be considered too liberal to be a tea party member---i can more relate to thier agenda than that of the progressive and media darlings------the 'occupy wall street" gang.

and lastly-----please don't forward this to the irs-----i really don't won't to be audited this year----and since i'm no al sharpton or irs employee, i definitely might have something to fear.

[DaBurglar]

williejoe, good post....I obviously disagree with a lot of what you said (but I also AGREE with a lot too!)   But you made a strong well thought out argument....Many points I have made in my posts have been lost or forgotten (or never even acknowledged)......I am NOT a political activist, I am more a student of history and since I majored in Both Government and economics, i truly understand how things work (or how they are SUPPOSED to work  versus how they ACTUALLY WPRK, or fail to work  lol)        I choose to be politically neutral (in the middle) because, quite frankly,  I cannot STAND either the Republicans or the Democrats and their alleged "Agendas"...and yes, both political parties HAVE agendas, and people support the agenda that closest mirrors their own views, beliefs and passions about just HOW "things in general" should be!   I agree that the current administration is warped and is pursuing many different agendas with respect to how they feel society should be structured and government's role in that structuring, etc.    I am definitely NOT a fan of the current president.....but I will accept his brand of crap  versus the previous Republican Administration's brand of crap.....and sadly, that is usually all we have to choose between in each election, two different brands of CRAP, so we try to choose the least smelly stinky brand.......that pretty much sums up our current state of affairs, we always end up having to choose the lesser of two evils (as each of us sees it in our own mind)I wont pursue this debate any further since all I want to say at this point I have said in my previous posts and do not want to simply repeat the same mantra and claims over and over.......but rest assured, IF more people on BOTH sides were as well reasoned and reasonable as you SEEM to be based on this last post, we'd make more progress actually SOLVING the problems we have.......again, I both agree and disagree with a multitude of the points you expressed but the time and ability to break down and discuss each individual point is just not feasible right here, right now......but you seem like someone who could embrace enough of the "other side's"  points of view that a legitimate compromise could be created with real lasting benefits to MOST people!!!!

[mdmick67]

[QUOTE=DaBurglar]williejoe, good post....I obviously disagree with a lot of what you said (but I also AGREE with a lot too!)   But you made a strong well thought out argument....Many points I have made in my posts have been lost or forgotten (or never even acknowledged)...... Great Post! I have to agree with at least 90% of what you have to say. If more people were free thinkers rather then following or believing only in the agenda of there party, then and maybe then we might have a chance to get this country straightened out once again. We all need to come back together and go after things that will benefit all the people and not just the minority. All this hate and name calling gets where??

[Tedlark]

  How could you diasgree with alot and agree with alot at the same time?

[olds442jetaway]

If I ever write something that long about politics on a video poker forum, please shoot me.

     If webman gets paid for each posted word, he just hit powerball.