Why should a state be allowed to discharge their debts via bankruptcy? I can accept that a state may default on bond payments, but I don't think it should be allowed to discharge the debts via bankruptcy.

Heh - your governor cannot even stop a high-ish speed rail project. 

What will the currency be called? Moonbeams?

Since the future liabilities of those programs are much much worse than what is already on the books (and since implicitly Californians would no longer receive those benefits as well) sure - done deal.

Marriage predates every government presently constituted on Earth. Government has no more right to redefine marriage than it does to rewrite the laws of thermodynamics. 

Why do the entirety of the States have to go bankrupt, why not just the programs themselves, they are individually chartered after all. So the pension fund in CA goes bankrupt, why does that take the entire state with it (or not, because there is no provision for a state to go bankrupt)

If it were I wholeheartedly concur with the earlier suggestions that those states revert to territorial status without the possibility for readmission for at least 10 years... Losing the voting members of the Senate and House for that long would be a suitable sanction for their ineptitude.

Actually - the SAC version of items most useless to a pilot are:

Runway behind you, altitude above you, fuel in the fuel truck and a field grade navigator.

What we have here is failure to (ex)-communicate.

Sorry, but if you are talking about foreign workers in enclaves then China has colonized Africa in the same way that US companies have colonized Saudi Arabia - which is to say, not at all.

Your use of the emotionally charged term in your varying descriptions do not meet the legitimate definitions of Colony -

1. a group of people who leave their native country to form in a new land a settlement subject to, or connected with, the parent nation.2. the country or district settled or colonized: Many Western nations are former European colonies.3. any people or territory separated from but subject to a ruling power.

And you are clearly not using the term to equate the enclaves of Chinese in Africa with similar enclaves in European countries - thereby meeting the final definition (a number of people coming from the same country, or speaking the same language, residing in a foreign country or city, or a particular section of it; enclave: the Polish colony in Israel; the American colony in Paris.)

Again, are you not engaging in hyperbole when it is not needed?

I am with you CoolHand; in fact I was able to maintain my suspension of disbelief all the way until I got to this part,

Seriously, did they go to Africa on the Lotus Flower? Were these Chinese fleeing some sort of persecution? Do they take over entire indigenous governments and promote their own laws instead?

In other words, Ms Blackney, - are you using the term "colonize" solely for emotional impact or is there something there?

How are they doing this "viciously"? - are they enslaving people and compelling them to work for free in their companies?

Or is your rhetoric over the top because you cannot rely on the simple facts?

The source of the problem has to do with two big competing issues, national pride versus effective airpower. In 2005 Checkmate (a core of USAF strategists based in the Pentagon) had a symposium where they invited speakers to discuss Airpower in COIN. One of the better presentations had to do with small countries purchasing expensive jets (F-16), only to have them languish on the flightline because the county lacked the ability to maintain and thereby fly them.

The solution was to sell to these nations a cheaper, easier to maintain aircraft that are also pretty inexpensive to fly (but with GPS would be pretty awesome Close Air Support platforms), but the nations in question disagreed - it insulted their pride to fly a cheap airplane well, especially when the country advocating the plane did not have it in their inventory.

Since we advocated selling these to our second and third world allies (and we were going to provide the training) it made sense to buy them and have them in our inventory as well.

We already have the T-6 Texan II, the A-version would help us save our training costs.

While your link doesn't prove Ed's skepticism, just what Pres Obama said he would be willing to do. The guys over at Blackfive (SF operators themselves), aren't.

Take a look at his "authoriziation" Those are not 'mission-type orders' - the kind that follow the Situation-Mission-Execution-Administration/Logistics -Command/Signal orders given to military commanders delineating both the mission and commander's intent. It is a CYA giving authority to a third person while shedding responsibility.

The CYA memo is not from the president, but from the DCIA detailing what he remembers the president saying - making him the perfect cutout if it goes south.

Oh, and it took him 16 hours to make the call. Reagan went after the Achille Lauro hijackers in minutes.

The value is threefold.

First, we are given this opportunity to pray for the deliverance of those people.

Second, we learn what the long term consequences of appeasement are - to a degree that cannot even be denied by those on the left. This is the result of 60 years of toleration and the story must be told and repeated.

Third, this is the perpetual lesson of what will happen to those remaining if the progressives are ever given the power to do what they desire.

When I was in South Korea, one of my co-workers mentioned that we are not just there to protect the South, but also to prevent the South from forcible reunification - I replied that we should leave then - some things ought not be tolerated.

See, I think he was misquoted - What he really said was, "I am a Bleu Dog at heart" expressing a preference for Canine Cordon Bleu and it was misinterpreted.

I also heard he likes Weiner Schnitzel.

Charlotte, you would be well served to read the Honor Harrington series by David Weber. Think of it as Horatio Hornblower in space and akin to the Aubry/ Maturin series - but with a female lead. She also has a telepathic cat.

Must... not... get... overconfident...

But I agree, now stay focused and push!

We don't get more poverty. The poverty measurements do not include the aid given to those who qualify - resulting in the wealthiest group of 'impoverished' people the world has ever seen.

In America, no one dies of starvation (except in cases of criminal negligence). There are less than 3000 people per year whose cause of death includes some form of malnutrition.

That being said, I don't get sin taxes at all - I would vote no on general principle.

While you may be a dinosaur, you more aptly fit into the species of Epiosaurus.

From the greek, Epios (ήπιος transliterated via wikipedia) meaning calm, clement, even, gentle, good-hearted, good-humored  (American), good-humoured  (British), good-natured, good-tempered, in a good humour, in a good mood, in a good temper, kind-hearted, mild, regular,soft

and saurus meaning, well you know, ancient.