DoubleEagle

Most republicans? I am not aware of any republicans, or democrats for that matter, that consider defaulting on our debt an option. The US will not default, regardless of the government shutdown or debt ceiling debate.

Adding to this, here is a quote from the National Academy of Sciences -- Theory: In science, a well-substantiated explanation of some aspect of the natural world that can incorporate facts, laws, inferences, and tested hypotheses. The contention that evolution should be taught as a "theory, not as a fact" confuses the common use of these words with the scientific use. In science, theories do not turn into facts through the accumulation of evidence. Rather, theories are the end points of science. They are understandings that develop from extensive observation, experimentation, and creative reflection. They incorporate a large body of scientific facts, laws, tested hypotheses, and logical inferences. In this sense, evolution is one of the strongest and most useful scientific theories we have.

I would be interested in seeing the source for your first claim (% of biological scientists who believe in evolution). While it is true that roughly half of Americans reject evolution, the theory is overwhelmingly accepted by the scientific community. In 2007 the Discovery Institute, founded to promote the teaching of intelligent design, was only able to identify 700 scientists out of over 480,000 U.S. based earth and life scientists that gave credence to creation science: http://www.discovery.org/a/2732 Also, in 2006 the International Council for Science, an umbrella group for 120 national scientific bodies, released a statement regarding the legitimacy of the theory of evolution: http://www.icsu.org/publications/icsu-position-statements/teaching-of-evolution-june-2006

I received a call from Natalie Jakopin on the swim team. I really appreciate the effort to reach out to the donors. Well done.

Special Teams

X2

I'll be there.

I used the Wikipedia data because it was straightforward, easy to understand and, at least in this case, accurate. Regardless, I am glad to see you reference data from a reliable source. My issue with your data is that it is irrelevant in the evaluation of the burden of debt across time periods (i.e. different administrations) because it excludes the impact of two critical variables...size of the economy and inflation. To account for both variables you need to adjust the metric to debt/GDP, which is what the graphs I referenced represent. The national debt after World War II may have been only $257B, but that amount represented 80% of GDP at the time. Alternatively, the debt at the end of 2011 was $14.8T, which represented 68% of GDP...a significant, but lower burden. The link I provided to the White House OMB data provides a yearly breakdown. The data I posted is accurate, regardless of the site it came from.

Does data published by the White House meet your standards? http://www.whitehouse.gov/omb/budget/Historicals Table 7.1, column "I"

You need to check your facts. World War II drove the national debt to the highest level in U.S. history: http://en.wikipedia....t_1790-2009.png Also, for a more objective look at debt to GDP take a look at the following link: http://en.wikipedia....t_1901-2010.png Based on that graph, the debt expansion under Obama far exceeds anything that occurred under GWB...or any president since 1901 (excluding World War II).

Thanks for the link. Do visitors park in the garage? That is the only lot I saw that didn't require a Cougar Pride donation.

I live in Allen and this issue boils down to two points: 1. Did Allen need a new football stadium? Yes. As much as any high school needs a new stadium Allen was desperately in need. The old stadium (1976) had 7,200 permanent seats and temporary seating to bring the total to 14,000. Attendance at most games was standing room only. There were 900 parking spaces, 27 individual restroom facilities and 6 concession lines to accommodate these crowds. The new stadium will provide 18,000 seats, 1500 parking spaces, 242 individual restroom facilities and 42 concession lines to accommodate 8,000 season ticket holders, a 700+ person band and the second largest student body in the state (5,300). The opening game against Southlake Carroll will be standing room only. 2. Did Allen spend too much on the new stadium? I don't know. The stadium will drive incremental economic activity in the form of higher attendance as well as additional events we have already secured (a few non 5A regular season football games, likely a few November playoff games, the Tom Landry Classic beginning in 2013 and the NFL Network's "Texas vs. the Nation" all star game). The all star game is estimated to bring in $750K-$1M in annual economic impact. Additionally, ten local businesses have signed on as sponsors including Market Street, MetroPCS, Texas Health, Dr. Pepper, Chick-fil-A and Dickey's. Ultimately, the taxpayers of Allen decided this facility was a worthwhile investment for the community as well as a reward for the outstanding Allen Athletic program. Time will tell.

Thank you for posting this. I will also add that in October of last year, Allen held a tax ratification election to increase it's ISD M&O tax rate by 13 cents per $100 of property valuation to offset the reduced funding from the state. The increase passed 60.5% to 39.5% and will raise approximately $10M per year which will primarily be used to hire additional teachers to accommodate student population growth as well as reduce class size.

Actually, it is completely different. The U.S. Constitution explicitly states which powers the federal government may exercise. All other powers not delegated to the federal government fall within the purview of the individual state governments. By extension, a state such as Massachusetts can require it's citizens to purchase health insurance but the federal government's attempt to do the same is questionable legally.

I should be there around 5:30. Thanks for setting this up.

Good to hear from you too Rick. I've been around, just not posting much. I hope all is well with you and your family.

The automotive industry, like any industry, should produce goods that are in demand. If there was sufficient demand for non gasoline cars, automotive companies would respond by developing more products for that market. As it stands, the few available models on the market have not met sales expectations (1) and that includes the impact of a $7500 federal income tax credit, without which sales would be even lower. (1) http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/d4c53d1c-2c02-11e1-98bc-00144feabdc0.html#axzz1nKsQeXi3

I heard the number 420 and that the University had to turn people away. As for the individual awards: Defensive Lineman - Brandon Akpunku Defensive Back - Ryan Downing Linebacker - Forlando Johnson Most Inspirational- Ivan Delgado & Ryan Boutwell Special Teams - Will Atterberry Offensive Lineman - Matt Tomlinson Offensive Back - Lance Dunbar Defensive Player - Zachary Orr Offensive Player - Derek Thompson Team MVP - Lance Dunbar

It was just announced during the women's bball game that the football banquet is a sellout.

The banquet is this Friday @ 6PM.

Well done.

I'll be there.

The Durbin amendment (effective Oct 1) to Dodd-Frank reduced debit card swipe fees from 44 cents to 24 cents. If the average BofA account has 25 monthly debit transactions then BofA would forego $5 in revenue from this reduction, thus the imposition by BofA of a $5 debit card fee to the consumer. The debit card fee isn't a moneygrab, it is the unintended consequence of bad legislation.

Wouldn't it be more accurate to say that Starbucks customers put a lot of small businesses out of business? After all, it was the consumers that abandonded local coffee shops for the Starbucks brand.

In 2009, the top 1% of taxpayers paid an average effective tax rate of 24.01% while the bottom 50% of taxpayers had an average effective tax rate of 1.85%. If you want to raise taxes on the rich, fine, but explain to me why "fair" means the wealthy pay 13X the average burden of the "average joe". The higher your AGI the higher your tax burden as a percent of your AGI. Period. This data is readily available from multiple sources including the Department of Treasury. If Warren Buffet actually pays 17%, then he is an extreme outlier. http://www.taxfoundation.org/news/show/250.html