Here is who I’m supporting.

[Brad_ATX 13,654]

On 11/13/2019 at 7:28 AM, bigbird said:

Why?

Don't take that as a combative why. Generally interested.

I love me some Mayor Pete at this stage.  Extremely bright when you listen to him.  Understands middle American issues.  Isn't out there pushing for programs and platforms that have no way of being paid for.  Understands what it's like to serve in the military.  Doesn't believe that everything is an all of nothing proposition.

He's the kind of person I want to represent not only the younger generation, but the kind of person I want our citizens to strive to be.  He admits he's not perfect and makes attempts to get better by listening first.  That, in many respects, is all you can ask of someone.

[Grumps 3,704]

7 hours ago, Brad_ATX said:

I love me some Mayor Pete at this stage.  Extremely bright when you listen to him.  Understands middle American issues.  Isn't out there pushing for programs and platforms that have no way of being paid for.  Understands what it's like to serve in the military.  Doesn't believe that everything is an all of nothing proposition.

He's the kind of person I want to represent not only the younger generation, but the kind of person I want our citizens to strive to be.  He admits he's not perfect and makes attempts to get better by listening first.  That, in many respects, is all you can ask of someone.

If he is like you say he is then I hope he gets the dem nomination.

[TitanTiger 20,484]

23 hours ago, Brad_ATX said:

I love me some Mayor Pete at this stage.  Extremely bright when you listen to him.  Understands middle American issues.  Isn't out there pushing for programs and platforms that have no way of being paid for.  Understands what it's like to serve in the military.  Doesn't believe that everything is an all of nothing proposition.

He's the kind of person I want to represent not only the younger generation, but the kind of person I want our citizens to strive to be.  He admits he's not perfect and makes attempts to get better by listening first.  That, in many respects, is all you can ask of someone.

I will say, at least he's level-headed when it comes to disagreements over moral and social issues like same-sex marriage.  He made virtually the same argument I've made about the issue after Beto Marx O'Rourke came out saying he favored stripping churches of tax exempt status over it:
 

Quote

During an appearance on CNN’s “State of the Union” on Sunday, Buttigieg, the only openly gay candidate in the 2020 field, rejected O’Rourke’s tax threat. While Buttigieg emphasized the importance of anti-discriminatory policies in many institutions, including schools, he drew the line before O’Rourke’s more controversial take on tax-exemption.

“The idea that you’re going to strip churches of their tax-exempt status if they haven’t found their way toward blessing same-sex marriage — I’m not sure he understood the implications of what he was saying,” Buttigieg said of O’Rourke.

Withholding tax-exempt status from religious organizations, according to Buttigieg, could dishonor the separation of church and state outlined in the First Amendment.

“That means going to war with not only churches but also mosques and organizations that don’t have the same view of religious principles as I do,” he continued. “Going after the tax exemption of churches, Islamic centers or other religious facilities in this country is just going to deepen the divisions we’re already experiencing.”

https://www.nbcnews.com/feature/nbc-out/warren-buttigieg-reject-o-rourke-threat-tax-anti-lgbtq-churches-n1066036

 

[AUDub 11,151]

4 hours ago, TitanTiger said:

I will say, at least he's level-headed when it comes to disagreements over moral and social issues like same-sex marriage.  He made virtually the same argument I've made about the issue after Beto Marx O'Rourke came out saying he favored stripping churches of tax exempt status over it:
 

 

Beto's campaign was an experiment in trying to be as far left as possible on hot button social issues while maintaining a veneer of centrism on economics.

Worked out pretty well, and by that I mean he crashed an burned miserably in the attempt lol. 

[alexava 6,973]

5 hours ago, AUDub said:

Beto's campaign was an experiment in trying to be as far left as possible on hot button social issues while maintaining a veneer of centrism on economics.

Worked out pretty well, and by that I mean he crashed an burned miserably in the attempt lol. 

I got sick of the drama he displayed in every word he spoke. 

[Gowebb11 9,328]

Increasingly, the candidate pools of presidential elections much more resemble reality show contestants than thoughtful and inspirational leaders. I work for a large corporation and before that served in the Army. I’m seeing candidates on the debate stage for POTUS who wouldn’t make the cut for a regional manager in my company or a Brigade Commander in the Army. Yet they could become our President. 

[RunInRed 16,419]

Mayor Pete is growing on me as well.  He’s measured, pragmatic and may just have the right balance for the times.

[AUFAN78 3,910]

On 11/13/2019 at 11:52 AM, alexava said:

Why bother then? Oh I know why. Because you have got to go vote for Doug Jones anyway! I might actually be knocking on your door this round. Literally. 

Knock on my door and bring Chrome Soft X and you might garner my vote. 

[AUFAN78 3,910]

Don't discount Deval Patrick just yet. If Obama and say Oprah publicly endorse him look out.

[alexava 6,973]

48 minutes ago, AUFAN78 said:

Knock on my door and bring Chrome Soft X and you might garner my vote. 

No problem. I found on last time I played. 

[AUFAN78 3,910]

33 minutes ago, alexava said:

No problem. I found on last time I played. 

Ha! It will take a dozen, unused. BTW, how is your sons swing coming along? 

[alexava 6,973]

36 minutes ago, AUFAN78 said:

Ha! It will take a dozen, unused. BTW, how is your sons swing coming along? 

We haven’t been out much. He also fishes and we are getting ready for duck season. I’m leasing a farm in northeast Arkansas. But we went to the range Saturday. He was shaky with irons but hit driver fairly well. We got out of any routine this fall. Gonna be a busy spring.

[AUFAN78 3,910]

14 minutes ago, alexava said:

We haven’t been out much. He also fishes and we are getting ready for duck season. I’m leasing a farm in northeast Arkansas. But we went to the range Saturday. He was shaky with irons but hit driver fairly well. We got out of any routine this fall. Gonna be a busy spring.

Best of luck!

[AUDub 11,151]

On 11/18/2019 at 6:14 PM, AUFAN78 said:

Don't discount Deval Patrick just yet. If Obama and say Oprah publicly endorse him look out.

 

[AUFAN78 3,910]

4 minutes ago, AUDub said:

 

Ouch, that had to bite!  But I hope you noted my statement required the public endorsement of Obama/Oprah. Did not predict it would happen, but the noise is out there. Just saying. 

[TitanTiger 20,484]

Interesting article on tax exemptions for churches and how just looking at a few thousand dollars in tax revenues a city doesn't get misses the bigger picture.

Quote

What A Church Does, in Dollars and Cents

A sociologist explains a congregation's contributions to the local economy.

Daniel Silliman
January 6, 2020

University of Pennsylvania sociologist Ram Cnaan has been researching the economic value of churches for more than two decades. Because some congregations would almost certainly close their doors without tax exemptions, Cnaan thinks proponents of taxing churches are misguided.

Your research looks at the “halo effect” that churches have on their communities. What is the “halo effect”?

It is the way that congregations contribute to the local economy. Churches spend money locally, and since they spend money locally, they enhance the local economy. So on a small scale, every church buys flowers. Where do they buy flowers? From a local florist. No one mentions this, but across the country there are florists in business because of local congregations.

People don’t look at the value of the congregation financially. They look at the spiritual aspect. Now, I’m not a person of faith, I’m a social scientist. I started to look at the congregation as an economic engine. What is the value that an urban congregation on average contributes to the local economy?

In the first study [in 1996], we went to 10 congregations in Philadelphia and we looked at the replacement value of social services like finding people jobs. On average, it was $140,000 per year. Of course, social services is only a small component of what congregations do. So next we looked at 90 churches in Philadelphia, Chicago, and Fort Worth, and all the ways they contribute to the local economy. There was a range—each generated between $1.2 and $2.5 million annually.

 

How did you arrive at those numbers?

There are about 100 things that we measure. First, we said, “What should be included?” And then we work with experts in valuation and ask them, “What is the lowest credit I can give for this?”

For example, a pastor tells me a member of the congregation was thinking strongly about suicide. The pastor worked very hard to help this person, and this person did not commit suicide. How much credit, valuation, should I give to the church?

We found a source on the cost of suicide. For the sake of discussion, let’s say it’s $100,000—that’s what it costs the family and community. Then I say, I’m sure that other people, family and friends, helped this person as well, so I’m only going to give the church half. Then I’m going to say, well maybe next year the person will commit suicide, so give the church credit for one year only. I divided it by 20 years and gave the church 1/20 of 50 percent of the cost of suicide for that social work. That’s the valuation.

You do that for 100 things, and add it up. We were as conservative as possible.

 

What do you say to people who want to tax churches?

I think they are miscalculating. If you tax a church, maybe you get $6,000 or $7,000 in taxes, but the loss to the community will be greater.

The taxes won’t change the budget of the local municipality. But the church buying flowers, and food for fellowship, and paying the clergy—that will impact the town. Most congregations don’t have a surplus at the end of the year.

I always ask, why does no one want to tax museums? I’ve never seen any museum serving soup to the hungry. And I’m not talking as somebody who hates museums! But there’s no museum in Philadelphia where you can drop your kids off at 1 p.m. and pick them up again at 6 p.m. And for churches, this is not so strange a thing.

 

Are churches different than other nonprofits?

There are many nonprofits and they’re all tax exempt. No other organization does as much as a congregation. Congregations are—I want to say weird, but not in a negative way.

I cannot call the head of the museum at 2 a.m. and tell them I have a personal problem. Even if I’m on the board, I cannot call. But people can call a clergy and say, “My father is dying at the hospital, will you come?” The fact that it is not considered out of the norm to expect clergy to be available for something like this explains how unique this kind of organization is.

Daniel Silliman is news editor for Christianity Today.

https://www.christianitytoday.com/ct/2020/january-february/sociologist-cnaan-church-ecoonomic-value-halo-effect.html

 

[DKW 86 7,425]

I will likely support whomever comes out of the primaries short of Biden. He is just too old and too damaged. He has said and done things that more than make my skin crawl. 

I like Pete, but he may be too young.
I like Tulsi, but the DNC seems to want to destroy her for standing up to them in 2016.
I like Warren but she just doesnt age well in the campaign.
I like Bernie, but I am afraid the DNC will stop him yet again.