Bush supporters' aftermath thread

That is true, but you have to be able to show the offer from a bonafide buyer, and a good adjuster will ask the buyer. Otherwise the appraisal stands. Would you believe that some people will lie about stuff like that?

Interesting that this thread is no longer featured, yet other threads not posted in since November remain...

Personally I think a thread that hasn't seen any activity in one or two weeks should lose 'featured' status. That certainly is not true of this one.

(My reason is that a bunch of featured threads that haven't seen any activity for awhile are still at the top of the list and can give the wrong impression that this is a mostly inactive forum. The first thing I look for when I visit any site with messaging capabilities is how recent are the posts. I generally move on quickly if it looks like the site is mostly inactive.)

Back on track here (maybe), I think the following is illustrative of why the GOP is doing so well vs the Dems who are not doing as well. The GOP is dramatically more positive, hopeful, optimisitic than are the Dems, and I believe this is because we elect positive, hopeful, and optimistic people as our leaders. During an economic upsurge following recession many years ago, Paul Harvey once remarked (paraphrasing from memory here): "There is no single policy or initiative or program that can be identified for this economic recovery. The only rational explanation is that things are getting better because we believe they are getting better."

While we must never be satisfied with imperfection, I think national optimism is the most important thing the USA has going for it and I think most Americans are in general optimistic, positive people. Let's hope the negative naysayers never get the upper hand. For now, GOP = postive and optimistic. With apologies to my athiest and agnostic conservative comrades, God bless the GOP.

I think the numbers will have changed to show even better positive trends when Rasmussen does their next poll. This one was immediately after the Iraqi election.

Positive Views Up Nine Points Over the Past Month

Survey of 1,000 Adults

RasmussenReports.com

February 6, 2005--At the beginning of 2005, just 28% of Americans thought the situation in Iraq would get better over the next six month. A Rasmussen Reports survey at the time found that 50% of Americans expected things to get worse.

Now, a week after the Iraqi elections, 37% of Americans believe things will get better in Iraq and 36% believe they get worse.

Just before the Iraqi election, 31% of Americans thought the situation was getting better. Last week, immediately following the election, 37% said things would get better and 40% said they would get worse.

Forty percent (40%) of Americans now believe the U.S. mission in Iraq will be a success while 41% say it will ultimately be deemed a failure. Just before the Iraqi elections, 38% said the mission would be a success and 46% said it would be a failure.

The most recent survey of 1,000 adults was completed on Monday and Tuesday, February 5 and 6, 2005. Those are the two nights following the Iraqi elections and preceding the President's State of the Union Address. Demographic details are available for Premium Members.

Forty-four percent (44%) of Americans now say the nation is safer than it was before 9/11. Thirty-nine percent (39%) say it is not. When the year began, 41% said the nation was safer and 43% said it was not.

On all data, there is a strong partisan divide.

Republicans, by a 63% to 16% margin, believe that the situation in Iraq will improve over the next six months. Democrats, by a 55% to 17% margin, believe things will get worse. Those numbers are virtually unchanged from our survey immediately following the Iraqi election.

As for those not affiliated with either party, 27% now say better and 39% worse. A week ago, 50% of the unaffiliateds said they expected things to get worse.

Last fall, 33% of voters said that things were getting better in Iraq while 43% said they were getting worse.

As documented in The GOP Generation, the polarizing national security issues dominated Election 2004.

The report notes that, ironically, "The President's policy in Iraq and the larger War on Terror will begin to unify the nation [over the next couple of years]... If the President's policies are working, a solid majority of voters will rally behind them. If his policies are not working, a solid majority of voters will rally against them. Either way, we will be moving towards unity."

The recent survey, however, found that the move towards unity has not yet begun. By a 68% to 18% margin, Republicans believe that the US mission in Iraq will ultimately be considered a success. The GOP view on that point changed little from our prior survey.

Democrats, by a 60% to 20% margin, say the mission in Iraq will ultimately be judged a failure. Prior to the voting over the weekend, 74% of Democrats said the mission would be a failure.

A separate survey found that Republicans tend to believe that America's best days are yet to come. Democrats tend to believe they have come and gone.

Rasmussen Reports recently released a 130 page special report on Election 2004. The GOP Generation documents how and why Republicans have the potential to control both the House and the Senate for at least a generation. It is "not the result of a single election… President Bush is in a position to close a sale with American voters that was first proposed by Ronald Reagan a generation ago..." Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist says that "The GOP Generation captures with clarity the dynamics that are propelling this Republican era to staggering new heights."

To keep up with our latest releases, be sure to visit the Rasmussen Reports Home Page.

http://www.rasmussenreports.com/2005/Iraq--February%207.htm

For that matter, why isn't the "THE US, THE UN AND THE IRAQIS THEMSELVES, V. 7.0" thread "Featured"? And why are the limerick & haiku threads of protest? Coming up on 4 months of inactivity with those two.

I think, everyone, who wants to change such, could "submit a ticket"(= get in contact with the moderators) and asked for it/pose these questions to them.

Contact us

Well, it isn't my board. I can express an opinion but I'm not about to tell the moderators how to run the most successful forum on the internet (which in my opinion this is). I do think some people are put off though when they see the first several threads on a forum are inactive and they probably don't check more than the first few. I personally find the 'featured' threads annoying because I have to scroll down through them to get to the active threads. But I'm only one person. Others may have an entirely different view.

(Acknowledging that most of the featured threads at least in the politics forum are active at present but very often that is not the case.)

And back to the thread, Howard Dean is making the rounds. It appears the Democrats haven't learned a thing. From Kansas this week:

On abortion specifically, he said, the party must commit to making abortions "safe, legal and rare" while maintaining women's rights to choose.



Referring to the Rasmussen poll posted just above, the GOP generation can definitely look forward to a long time in power I think.

Could not be further from the truth any more than I think you're blooming idiots for voting for Bush.

If you actually paid the over-inflated prices for Kinkade (now perched to deflate drastically by all indications of the secondary market BTW) I might entertain that thought. This is something observable in the entire market of "limited editions." In this case, even his paintings are dropping in price like a rock on the secondary market.

Foxfyre is right that an appraiser has to have an overwhelming demonstration that a price structure for an artist is holding up over a long period of time. The IRS and the insurance companies got wise to the marketing of "limited editions" many years ago. They used to accept the appraisal included with the Certificate of Authenticity in the 80's. Because of the rash of art scandals and paying out on over-inflated claims, the art laws were changed. A gallery or publisher like Kinkade & Co. who sold the work can no longer reappraise it.

The only thing subject to greater fraud than is perpetuated in the art world is in politics and precious stones.

Totall agree there. I've had a parade of fake Dali, Picasso, Chagall, Miro and many others come across my desk from unwary buyers and I've had the terrible responsibility to tell them they've been duped. Before you think I take any pleasure in that, think again -- I find it disturbing. I've also had hundreds of people ask me about the value of Kinkades and whether or not they should buy one at the mall gallery prices. My answer, of course, is no and if you have to have one, I'll do it for 10% over cost. I've gotten hold of Kinkades for clients despite the fact that I don't believe he is much of a painter and knowing that he has a studio of elves even producing the paintings. I inform them of that fact. Some still want to buy, some told me they had already heard of the practice and what else would I suggest. At least I get them a decent frame, not the cheap plastic crap Kinkade puts on something that's is suppose to be worth the retail price (cost on the his frames, $25.00 on the average). Since most of the Kinkade galleries have closed down and he's now peddling to anyone who will buy, I also suggest they settle on a Kinkade plate from QVC.

I'm not sure what thread this fits in best, but I figured the denizens of this thread would enjoy it most:


March 4, 2005
Eurospeak
Sorting out the teenage sass

I really can't get about what Europe Hanson is writing here: the EU 825 members), the OSCE (over 50 European states).

Where does "40-something nesters" fit?

It's a euphemism I think for 40-ish year olds who just keep the status quo and make judgments without any inclination to roll up their sleeves and do the work themselves.

Thanks.

Walter - FYI Hanson is a pro-Israel Christian fanatic, a farmer by trade, who actually wrote one good book on Thucidides' History of the Peloponnesian Wars as viewed from the standpoint of agricultural constraints on military action.

Kaiserl. Feldmarschall Wallenstein could have made some changes in that book, given the destruction of the 30-years war, but let's not get into details.

Fact is nobody takes Hanson seriously when he writes outside his area of expertise - sorry, Foxfyre <G>

Um Hoft, I think a more careful look at Hanson's credentials and track record is in order. "A pro-Israel Christian fanatic?" Wow, what some people do think. Here's a mini vitae sheet on him:

Victor Davis Hanson was educated at the University of California, Santa Cruz, and the American School of Classical Studies at Athens, and received his Ph.D. in Classics from Stanford University. He farmed full-time for five years before returning to academia in 1984 to initiate a Classics program at California State University, Fresno. Currently, he is Professor of Classics there and Coordinator of the Classical Studies Program.

Hanson has appeared in The New York Times, Wall Street Journal, Daily Telegraph, International Herald Tribune, American Heritage, City Journal, American Spectator, National Review, Policy Review, The Wilson Quarterly, The Weekly Standard, and the Washington Times, and has been interviewed on numerous occasionas on National Public Radio and the BBC, and appeared with David Gergen on The NewsHour with Jim Lehrer. He writes a biweekly column about contemporary culture and military history for National Review Online. He has written or edited eleven books, including The Western Way of War, The Soul of Battle, and Carnage and Culture. He is a Senior Fellow of the Hoover Institute, Stanford University.

Looks like a lot of pretty influential folks take him pretty darn seriously.

Foxfyre - there being exactly nothing in your post to contradict anything in mine, might I suggest you read mine again.