slither37

I think the ride looks great, I would think that SF would want to theme the heck out of the queue area resonating with ominous Terminator music and Arnold sound bites.

Thanks for the heads up with the text Mike, I got this on TIVO.

Great TR. Going to be there with my daughter 10/17 and 10/18. If you are not doing anything then Chuck and are in town, would like to meet you so you can guide us in a most efficient way around BGE. We are not much on the HoS stuff, mainly interested in the coasters/flats.

Wow, I was going to go up last Sunday. Hopefully the lines will be equally nonexistent this Saturday.

Voided or not, How about that lock city bet Rams with the 14.5????? Luckily I decided not to make this bet....I will bet the farm based on NEXT week's LOCK CITY bets.

It is amazing, everytime I read a TR, i think to myself, now that has got to be the cutest picture of Kid Tums ever. then I read the next TR and there is a better and cuter pic. TR is great, as always. Is there a new rule that someone on the trip at some point has to wear an Iron Maiden tshirt? Up the Irons!

Ok, Mike, I have emptied out the 401K, Kayla's college fund and sold some plasma and I am making those bets, better hope you are not wrong.

I have just finished listening to this one time through and I gotta say I like it a lot, as much as RTL or MoP? Maybe not, but this album is better, IMO than St. Anger. Getting tickets tomorrow morning for their show in Columbus 11/9. Does it sound the same as all other Metallica? well, yes, that is why I like it. Kinda the same reason i ride the same coasters over and over again. I like it. That was Just Your Life, Judas Kiss and All Nightmare Long are fantastic, just so much more hard driving riffs in this than St. Anger. Can not wait to see this live.

That last park was interesting. I felt like I needed a tetanus shot just from looking at the TR.

SCANDALOUS?!?!?!?!? Just why IS Beemberboy holding his comments on OSU????? Is he really a closet Buckeye fan and is waiting until the perfect politically opportune time to reveal this to the nation? Hmmmmm, I smell a cover-up... or is that just some W.... hmmm, no wait, I think it is just some W....never mind, no cover up... In other news, I am off to find some Ho-Hos and some Fritos.....

^^ Yes, that is what conventions should be all about. Beemerboy (after he "explains" his past comments on the Buckeyes) 2008

^^ I agree with you about the attacks on Palin. I do find it laughable that the "5 million/year is middle class" is still in Obama's ad. This was said in JEST by McCain and IMMEDIATELY followed with "..Seroiusly....." You do not see McCain ads with Obama mentioning the 57 states visited or when his relative helped liberate Auschwitz (obviously not true)

Fair enough, since I do not believe anyone posted it, last week, it is here now.

^^ Strange, you did not put the info from after Obama's speech last week. Not sure why you did not do that. But here it is: Fact check: Obama's nomination acceptance speech 07:57 AM CDT on Friday, August 29, 2008 The claim: John McCain defines middle-class as "someone making under $5 million a year." Fact check: Obama's nomination acceptance speech The facts: Asked this month by evangelical leader Rick Warren to define "rich," Mr. McCain joked "How about $5 million?" It followed a comment that wealth does not equal happiness and he wants to spread wealth to more people. The claim: Mr. McCain said the U.S. could just "muddle through" in Afghanistan. The facts: Mr. McCain, answering a question in 2003, said there were clearly parts of Afghanistan that were not under control. But he used "muddle through" to indicate he believed progress could be made under President Hamid Karzai. The claim: That one of Mr. McCain's top advisers, former Texas Sen. Phil Gramm, said the U.S. was in a "mental recession" and had become a "nation of whiners." The facts: Mr. Gramm did say that; Mr. McCain repudiated the remarks. Mr. Gramm resigned as a campaign co-chairman but later returned in an informal advisory role. The claim: Mr. McCain wants to "privatize Social Security and gamble your retirement." The facts: Mr. McCain has supported plans to let workers invest some of their payroll taxes in private accounts. He has proposed that up to 20 percent of such taxes go into private accounts for younger workers, not full privatization. The claim: John McCain thinks that President Bush "was right more than 90 percent of the time." The facts: Mr. McCain has voted to support the Bush administration's position 89 percent of the time since 2001, according to Congressional Quarterly. But he has supported Mr. Bush as little as 77 percent of the time in 2005, and congressional votes are an imperfect measure of how one views a president's judgment. and more from factcheck.org: Summary We checked the accuracy of Obama's speech accepting the Democratic nomination, and noted the following: Obama said he could “pay for every dime” of his spending and tax cut proposals “by closing corporate loopholes and tax havens.” That’s wrong – his proposed tax increases on upper-income individuals are key components of paying for his program, as well. And his plan, like McCain’s, would leave the U.S. facing big budget deficits, according to independent experts. He twisted McCain’s words about Afghanistan, saying, “When John McCain said we could just 'muddle through' in Afghanistan, I argued for more resources.” Actually, McCain said in 2003 we “may” muddle through, and he recently also called for more troops there. He said McCain would fail to lower taxes for 100 million Americans while his own plan would cut taxes for 95 percent of “working” families. But an independent analysis puts the number who would see no benefit from McCain’s plan at 66 million and finds that Obama’s plan would benefit 81 percent of all households when retirees and those without children are figured in. Obama asked why McCain would "define middle-class as someone making under five million dollars a year"? Actually, McCain meant that comment as a joke, getting a laugh and following up by saying, "But seriously ..." Obama noted that McCain’s health care plan would "tax people’s benefits" but didn’t say that it also would provide up to a $5,000 tax credit for families. He said McCain, far from being a maverick who’s "broken with his party," has voted to support Bush policies 90 percent of the time. True enough, but by the same measure Obama has voted with fellow Democrats in the Senate 97 percent of the time. Obama said "average family income" went down $2,000 under Bush, which isn't correct. An aide said he was really talking only about "working" families and not retired couples. And – math teachers, please note – he meant median (or midpoint) and not really the mean or average. Median family income actually has inched up slightly under Bush. Analysis Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama accepted his party's nomination Aug. 28, speaking before more than 84,000 people in Denver's Mile High football stadium. Some of his comments were worthy of a ref's yellow flag. Not Quite Every Dime Obama reassured voters that he can pay for all his spending proposals: Obama: Now, many of these plans will cost money, which is why I’ve laid out how I’ll pay for every dime – by closing corporate loopholes and tax havens that don’t help America grow. This is misleading. Even by his own campaign’s estimates, closing corporate loopholes and tax havens won’t pay for all of Obama’s new plans. In July, the campaign told the Los Angeles Times that they estimate the yearly cost of their proposed tax cuts at $130 billion. They put revenue from closing tax loopholes at just $80 billion. Obama also proposes to raise taxes to pre-Bush levels for families earning more than $250,000 a year and singles making more than $200,000, yielding additional revenue. But he didn't mention that in his speech. But Obama’s claim is misleading on another level. According to the nonpartisan Tax Policy Center, "without substantial cuts in government spending" Obama’s plan – and McCain's, too – "would substantially increase the national debt over the next ten years." Obama spokesman Tommy Vietor told FactCheck.org that the Tax Policy Center's analysis "fails to take in account Senator Obama's spending cuts, including ending the Iraq war." That's true, but Obama's proposed cuts are dwarfed by the Tax Policy Center's projected deficits. Obama’s new spending programs might be completely offset by new revenue and spending cuts. But overall spending will still exceed overall revenue, and the nation would face at least 10 more years of annual deficits. Afghan Muddle Obama twisted McCain's words about Afghanistan, incorrectly implying that McCain saw no need for more troops there. Obama: When John McCain said we could just “muddle through” in Afghanistan, I argued for more resources and more troops to finish the fight against the terrorists who actually attacked us on 9/11 Actually, McCain said in 2003 that the U.S. "may" muddle through, not that we could or would. He also said he was very concerned about a rise in al Qaeda activity there. He said then that he was "guardedly optimistic" that the government could handle it. McCain, 2003: I think Afghanistan is dicey. I think that there are certain areas of the country, particularly along the Pakistani border, that are clearly not under the control of either Pakistan or the Afghan government. ... There has been a rise in al Qaeda activity along the border. There has been some increase in U.S. casualties. I am concerned about it, but I'm not as concerned as I am about Iraq today, obviously, or I'd be talking about Afghanistan. But I believe that if Karzai can make the progress that he is making, that – in the long term, we may muddle through in Afghanistan. So I'm guardedly optimistic, but I am also realistic that the central government in Kabul has very little effect on the policies and practices of the warlords who control the surrounding areas. Recently, however, both candidates have called for an increased troop presence in Afghanistan. In July, Obama proposed sending two more combat brigades, drawn down from Iraq. McCain immediately followed this with a call for three more brigades, but later clarified that some of those troops would be NATO forces. A McCain spokeswoman said that the U.S. would "contribute" troops to the increase under McCain's plan. Tax Spin Obama said: “I will cut taxes ... for 95 percent of all working families.” And he said McCain proposes “not one penny of tax relief to more than 100 million Americans,” a claim his running mate, Joe Biden, made the night before. Obama is right about his plan's effect on working families. More broadly, though, the plan cuts taxes for 81.3 percent of all households in 2009, according to the Tax Policy Center. The TPC also says McCain’s tax plan would leave 65.8 million households without a cut, not 100 million. The TPC’s calculations factor in what's in effect a hidden tax on individuals that results from taxing corporations. McCain proposes to lower the corporate income tax rate, and Obama proposes billions of dollars in increased corporate taxes in the form of “loophole closings.” Individuals wouldn’t experience those changes as an increased tax bill from the government, but both the Congressional Budget Office and TPC allocate all corporate tax to owners of capital rather than to consumers. That means rather than flowing through to consumers in the form of higher prices or lower wages, corporate tax changes would show up as higher or lower returns on investments, which typically come in the form of corporate dividends, and profits or losses from stock sales. Only by ignoring the hidden benefit to individuals can McCain’s plan be said to produce no cut for 100 million households. According to a calculation the TPC did at FactCheck's request, 101.9 million see no benefit if the effects of a corporate reduction are set aside. For the record, Obama aides say the indirect effect on holders of capital won't be as large as TPC says. "We dispute TPC's methodology here," says Brian Deese of the Obama campaign. He says several of the "loophole closers" that Obama is proposing won't affect corporations or are on offshore activity that will not directly filter through. We'd also note that retirees would fare quite a bit less well than working families under Obama's tax plan: The TPC estimates that 32 percent of households with a person over age 65 would see a tax increase. Rich Humor Obama used a clumsy attempt at humor by McCain as evidence of his supposed insensitivity to middle-class economic realities: Obama: Now, I don't believe that Senator McCain doesn't care what's going on in the lives of Americans; I just think he doesn’t know. Why else would he define middle-class as someone making under five million dollars a year? What McCain actually said at the Saddleback Church forum on Aug. 16 was that he favors low taxes for all income levels. He drew a laugh, then said, "but seriously" as he struggled to make his point: Pastor Rick Warren, Aug. 16: [G]ive me a number, give me a specific number - where do you move from middle class to rich? McCain: I don't want to take any money from the rich – I want everybody to get rich. ... So, I think if you are just talking about income, how about $5 million? (LAUGHTER) But seriously, I don't think you can - I don't think seriously that - the point is that I'm trying to make here, seriously – and I'm sure that comment will be distorted – but the point is that we want to keep people's taxes low and increase revenues. Health Care Half Truths Obama gave only half the story when he described a feature of McCain's health care plan: Obama: How else could he offer a health care plan that would actually tax people’s benefits... McCain proposes to grant families up to a $5,000 tax credit to use for health benefits. The flip side of that proposal, which McCain seldom if ever mentions, is that the value of employer-sponsored benefits would also become taxable. Both candidates are trading in half-truths here; McCain talks only about the pleasurable side of his plan, while Obama's speech mentioned only the painful aspect. Neither gives a complete picture. Party Hearties Obama painted McCain as a Republican partisan who's supported the unpopular President Bush consistently: Obama: And next week, we'll also hear about those occasions when he's broken with his party as evidence that he can deliver the change that we need. But the record's clear: John McCain has voted with George Bush 90 percent of the time. It's true that McCain's voting support for Bush policies has averaged slightly above 89 percent since Bush took office, according to Congressional Quarterly’s vote studies. But it has ebbed and flowed. It reached a low of 77 percent in 2005. Last year it was 95 percent. By comparison, Obama's own record of supporting Bush policies has averaged slightly under 41 percent since the senator took office. However, Obama's voting record is no less partisan than McCain's. He has voted in line with his party an average of nearly 97 percent of the time. The truth is that neither candidate can claim a strong record of "breaking with his party" if Senate votes are the measure. He Didn't Mean It Obama also pulled some sleight of hand when he stated that "the average American family" saw its income "go down $2,000" under George Bush. That's not correct. Census figures show average family income went down $348. As it turns out, when Obama said "average family income," he didn't mean "average," and he didn't mean "family," either. An Obama aide says he was really referring to median income – which is the midpoint – and not to the average. And Obama was talking only about "working families," not retired couples. For all families, median family income actually inched up under Bush by $272. And please let us not forget about the time that Obama's relative helped liberate Auschwitz... oh wait, the Red Army did that.... Oh yes, a pass was given to Obama for this... never mind. One other thing from a Obama ad that is incredibly disingenous. He has an ad that says he does not take money from oil companies. This is correct, but it fails to mention that neither does McCain or any other candidate for president since a law was passed in 1907. I agree Palin's speech was not the Gettysburg address, but then again, Obama's was not "I have a Dream" either.

More coming out about Gov. Palin...... She once received a citation for fishing without a license. GASP! And her husband received a DUI in 1986 when he was 22. The first is obviously no big deal. While DUI is a very serious matter, I do not see how the democrats would want to make this into a big deal. Teddy Kennedy seems to always get a pass on this. It was Todd Palin that got the DUI, not Sarah Palin.

Can't get much fairer than that. No, I did not take it as a pot shot. When is the convention? Aww man, I see the democrats have ted kennedy going to theirs! He always brings the best booze. I wonder if he would come to Scott's? I bet if we guaranteed him PMW, he would come.

Is it the same price at BGE? I will be going there in October and if it is good enough for Elissa, then by God, it is good enough for us.

"Flip-Flopping" is such a negative term. I believe when Obama does it, it is now called "re-positioning" by the media. So our candidate can "re-position" his view of the Buckeyes. See? No "flip-flopping" it is "re-positioning". Besides what is more American than whoring for votes? Do not worry Scott, Buckeyes have more talent this year than the last two years. Jump on that Buckeye bandwagon!

The post for Big Mike is obvious, Prime Minister of Self Promotion. I like your idea for stream lining the judicial process. I think one step further would be to make sure that everyone knew the chances of getting a "safe" rather than an out would be directly proportional to how hot your lawyer is. As for Ohio and the Buckeyes, start of slow and generic like, "The Buckeyes seem to have a lot of talent this year." Sounds nice and you should not have to throw up after you say it. Most of us Buckeye fans will just go nuts when we hear "Buckeyes" said by a candidate. Then you may progress up to doing the O-H I-O cheer. Keep your eyes on the prize. You can always do a campaign stop in Meigs County. That would be fun.

Did you know that no TPR candidate has ever won the White House without carrying the state of Ohio? I will do whatever I can, being from Ohio, to help you win Scott. However, you may want to change your position/past comments on the Buckeyes, since the state is so important to win. Of course, we here in Ohio are all about the proper distribution of PMW.

Must agree, Mantis is the worst B&M ever. I have to be very careful on the bunny hops on Magnum or else I get castrated.

Great TR, the picture of Kidtums holding her credit count is priceless. Soda? Pop? does not matter, What DOES matter is that Cedar Point will have Coke next year. YAY.

One of the grossest topics by far.... lol The Beast has a gum roof, you can see it going up the first lift, the roof over the brake run.

"We are going to change the way we change the ever changing ways in Washington. I pledge to never stop changing my positions to keep up with the changing political landscape. I will work hard to change myself into the changing person that will be needed to change this country. Change" Isn't this Obama's platform? Not that I am a McCain fan either. Here is his: " (this space left intenionally blank) " Beemerboy in 2008, even if he is a Hurricanes fan.

No, but it an accurate way to describe it.