Stephen Joseph

I remember having that discussion in my Civil War class in college, as many southern apologists have tried to say that slavery wasn't profitable. We also discussed why the south was anti-tarriff. I'll admit it has always seemed weird to me that the south didn't industrialize (as many thought it would, then switched their position on tarriffs later on to one more favoring an agricultural economy). Obviously it wasn't an impossible thing, since the south eventually did industrialize, but why not sooner? --Ricardo's theory of competitive advantage. It made economic sense for the south to specialize in its staple goods and let the north manufacture. Had the south tried to industrialize, it would have been at an economic disadvantage to the north. Trade between the two made them both better off. Another question I've wondered about is whether or not slavery was hurting the southern economy in other ways. It seems to me as though having an unpaid underclass was costing jobs for a lot of poor whites in the south, and once slavery was over the share-cropping system also crowded whites out of the job market. --But those were jobs that even the poor whites wouldn't take. Slavery hurt the economy because it depressed investment into education, but not by keeping out other poor white people. Oh, and believe it or not, share-cropping was an economically beneficial system. Otherwise it wouldnt have existed.

I never understood the whole change the flag thing while I lived in GA. I mean, really, its just a heritage of the state, sometime wearing a scarlet A helps one to realize the mistakes of the past. If you seriously think about it, the vast majority of those who fought and died on both sides were just caught up in the middle. The infantry of the South wasn't really fighting for slavery, just to survive because the blokes @ the top decided that the states would rebel and brought the CW upon themselves and on the backs of those who fought. Kind of like Vietnam in a way. EDIT: To be clear, the reasons for the war starting had everything to do with economics and slavery. Secondly, the South had the war won in the first few weeks but totally blew it (they won the first battle and were within 100 miles of DC with no Union army close enough to intercept) because they were arrogant and didnt realize how much of a war it would have been. However, like in most wars, those who do the bulk of fighting and dieing had no hand in the starting (Vietnam?).

"Time on a Cross" by Fogel and Engelman was a pretty good book (heck, I think it won a nobel for em) about slavery and whether or not it was economically profitable and would have continued if not for the civil war. Basically, they debunk the myth that if the CW had not occured, slavery would have just died out because it was unprofitable. If you're interested in the topic, its a great read.

In the last three weeks, won a 60-person $50 dollar buyin tourney, placed third in another, and placed each week in our home game. It's been a hell of a run, which ended last night because I didn't play the table, just the cards. *Sigh*. In the tournament I won, the first hand @ the final table saw me with pocket Aces on the button. Facing 2 limpers, I limped in as well (to see if I set or if low cards come out) and both big blinds called. Pot is 3000 chips (avg. chipstack is 20,000, mine is 60,000). Flop comes A,A,K. BB bets hard, gets a caller(He thought his two-pair was good (AAQQ) because that guy goes all-in in. I call, and the turn is a K, which seals BB's fate because he has KK. In one hand, I went from 25% of the chips to well over 60%, and there's still 7 players at the table. Fun!

"Strictly Popickanda" still makes me laugh. That's the phrase. I knew it was something much cleverer. heh. Old times

I think the heroin will come up in season two...Remember that Charlie doesnt know where the plane is now. He likely just goes crazy like he normally does. John Locke is the best character on TV. And yes, I think Boone was the sacrifice. "Let's go son" And he takes his son up to the altar to sacrifice him to God, Abraham did. And at the last second, God spared Abraham's son, as it was a test of faith. Yeah, Boone's F'ed up. But does he die? I dont think so

::Hands Slickster some Kleenex:: Take it. You need it a hell of a lot more than I do these days.

And then he gets redemption.

Best Ending on Lost...EVER I mean, this show was great, and it just got turned up a notch. I remember Locke saying you had to give up something to get something. So I guess he gave up that memory. But holy...NOW we know why Locke became a hunter!

The time has come to let Terri Schiavo die with dignity - and in peace. The battle over her fate was mostly a noble one, and always a heart-rending one, but it has turned into a circus. Nothing anyone can do will alter the outcome now. The arrests will make no difference; yesterday's high-profile arrival of the Rev. Jesse Jackson's stretch limousine will change nothing; Randall Terry's publicity-mongering is pointless. The best of America - two sides fighting hard for their beliefs, using the law, not violence - is about to be overtaken by the worst of America; showboating, paranoia, lawlessness. Enough. It's over. Let her die in peace. Terri Schiavo's parents have fought the good fight, and they have lost. Terri Schaivo's legion of supporters - personal and political, honorable and otherwise - have made their point, again and again. They, too, have lost. Congress, to its discredit, added endgame drama to the debate. So did President Bush; it was not his finest hour. It was always the courts — state and federal — that should have had the final word in this dramatic tragedy. And the courts have spoken — in Florida and at the federal level — on the merits of the case, and on the law. It is time for the lawyers and lawmakers to go away. It is time for Terri's family to mourn — and to fight — in private. After all, that's what the American people want. A CBS poll last week showed that 82 percent of Americans felt that Congress never should have been involved. Seventy-five percent said end-of-life decisions should not be made by the government. How ironic that the people fighting on the extremes of both sides brought about a consensus in the middle. And thus does Terri Schiavo slip away in a Florida hospice — the end no more than days, perhaps mere hours, away. There are 71 patients at Woodside Hospice, including Terri Schiavo. And there are countless thousands around the country making painfully difficult life-and-death decisions. They all deserve peace in their final hours — they all deserve respect. The macabre circus that has put Pinellas County, Fla., on the global map is no longer about Terry Schiavo. It is about a revolution in the medical arts that has eroded all the old certainties about life, and about death. This debate will continue long after one tragically afflicted young woman has passed, as it should. Now, again, it is time to step back and let Terri Schiavo die. She deserves at least that much. God rest her soul. --http://www.nypost.com/news/nationalnews/43506.htm I believe today a patient at the hospice died, and because of all the coverage, security, and protestors, his next of kin could not make it be with him as he passed. THAT is shameful.

Okay. I now move you back from the slippery slope I thought you were on.

Hi MikeSC, I feel she should be let go from this world, but I'm not feeling any JOY about it. You're really losing the ability to make a coherent argument when you resort to inferring other's emotional feelings. Doesn't work, and you should know better, since that's a strategy the Democratic party has used in the past. The government should have never gotten involved in this affair to the extent that it did. To suggest it should have goes against anything that I used to believe Republicans stood for. Again, perhaps its best to let the accusations just die. Because otherwise, it's just getting silly.

Mike, The state can't interfere. It's the same issue as with whether to pull the feeding tube or not. It would be a court issue, and suffer from the same problem (from your viewpoint) that the court fights were over initially (spousal rights). I'm not familiar with the whole cremation when Catholic=bad thing. My father's Catholic and he wants to be cremated. Where'd this come from. I think clutching at cremation as pointing to Michael being a bad man is alot like grasphing at loose straws. I think ultimately that's a matter something higher up will have to decide.

That's pretty simple. He contends that Terri told him that she would not want to live in such a state. Assuming that is correct, then he as the husband w/ spousal rights is trying to uphold her wishes. If he gave up control, she would be kept in such a state for many years to come, and that would be against her wishes. So it's not difficult to see why he could *in a good light* be not wanting to give up rights to her family. Now, he could also be a scummy bastard like MikeSC would have you believe. My thoughts? There's enough vilification on both sides that any character judgements on our parts will be flawed and incorrect. Thus, best to air on the side of the legally recognized argument.

Twenty court rulings have sided with Michael Schiavo, Terri's husband and guardian. The courts have ruled that evidence shows Terri Schiavo expressed her wishes, although she did not have a written living will. -CNN I think that's enough

Thank you. All of the strongest economies in the world had a period where they were quite protectionist. These developing countries are forced into liberalizing their economies and into competing with the big boys without the cushion of economic nationalism that the same big boys used during their own development. Actually, all those tariffs and protectionist strategies did was retard the development process of those nations. There used to be support for the 'infant industry' argument of having tariffs, but support for it has waned to a yawn in recent years.

I agree about your point of Americanization. Globalization can hurt emerging economies in the short-term, but is very beneficial to them in the long-run. If markets were truly global and truly free, we'd all be better off 10 years from now. Sadly, theyre not.

I doubt that. I really do. Unless Nancy was hooking up with someone else in the public light. Anyways, I'm glad in a few days this madness will be over.

Ashamed? You should be happy we had such a system, that at least allowed for so many chances. Fact is Mike, if your arguments held water, one of the federal courts would have heard the case. Do you remember what you said yesterday? About having a federal court hear the case? And hell Mike, I normally agree with you!

I have economic facts to back up most of those assertations. They do not hold for all cases, but for most.

NoCal, Before you believe what anyone says about anything, take the time to educate yourself. Presenting an argument, even someone else's, without having taken the time to gain information to use is fruitless. Posting this article and then explaining, through information you've learned, why you think he's got something worth saying, would make a much better argument for other people who remain unconvinced or on the fence.

Mike, personal feelings do not matter in a court of law. You've got to accept that. Mike, you have no proof she wanted to live.

...and why is that? Do you believe the guy is a phony or a fake? Do you think he is just randomly making up things? I posted a few things to do, to read, to fact check. So far, no rebuttal

Go to the CIA Factbook. Standards of living have been going up throughout the third world in the last 20 or so years. The proof that globalization works is Asia. Other areas of the globe will get there as well. Restricting trade has never, ever, in history, been shown to be economically profitable and growth-beneficial to a country in the medium to long-term. All you have to do is look at the data and the numbers to tell that yes, standards of living are rising. 10 myths http://www.iccwbo.org/home/news_archives/2...mick_speech.asp

I meant dismissal. This is one of those days where I really should be drinking coffee nonstop