This is just disgusting.

[Kagom]

How the heck do any of those defend liberalism? I hate to break it to you but alot of Catholics, including the priests ARE liberal. How they are, i dont know, but they are.

As for Mark Foley, what does he have to do with anything?

I've never met a Liberal priest.

 

[Annie]

I've never met a Liberal priest.

Depends on your definition of 'liberal.' I know many, I'd say most that favor high taxes to facilitate a redistribution of wealth. Many were involved in the Civil Rights movement and are now working for Illegal Immigrants 'rights'. Few I know are not in favor of priests marrying or women becoming priests, however they wouldn't get excommunicated for either-nor break their vows.
I know that in marriage prep classes, over 25 years ago, the priest asked if I knew the 'Church's teaching on birth control?' I did. He said, 'Let your conscience and circumstances guide you.

For abortion? No. Many though are not negative or punitive towards gays.

 

[Kagom]

Stock line time for YOU:

A public-school teachers is more over thirty times more likely to be a pedophile than a Catholic priest.

 

[Dirt McGirt]

It's also important to remember that a liberal is anyone to the left of YOU.

 

[Kagom]

Sure they do. It's part of the Hollywood culture, and marketing of teen clothing. Then there's your buddies at NAMBLA....

"My buddies at NAMBLA?" Uhm, what the hell are you smoking? I don't support pedophilia at all. In fact, I find it ethically and morally disgusting, so I sure as hell don't support NAMBLA.

 

[insein]

Mom and Pop stores might not survive Wal-Mart. But to concentrate solely on them and to ignore the proven "Wal-Mart effect" in the area is to not consider the entire picture.

When a Wal-Mart comes in a few small stores close. People rant and rave. And then something else happens. Shopping centers and open-air malls form up around the Wal-Mart. Chain and non-chain restaurants open around the Wal-Mart. Small specialty stores that would never stand a chance on their own open next store and enjoy and profit from the huge numbers of Wal-Mart customers that wander into their stores on their way to or from Wal-Mart.

Often run-down areas are completely revitalized by the Wal-Mart's presence.

Mom and Pop's hardware store can not compete - they have to sell their hammers for $10.00 when Wal-Mart can sell it for $3.50. However, Mom and Pop can open a restaurant, a card and gift shop, a pet store, a record shop, a shoe store, and on and on, because they can get customers on their way to Wal-Mart to stop in - when before they would have never been able to get that many customers.

Not to mention that Walmart was also a mom and pop store that just found the right niche and grew. It could have happened to anyone. Walmart just happened to be at the right place, at the right time, with the right people running the show.

 

[Gem]

South Park had an absolutely hysterical episode about this. The people in town burned down the South Park and promised only to shop at "Tom's General Store," the tiny little mom and pop shop...the show then "fast-forwarded" to years later, where the townspeople were burning down the huge warehouse store "Tom's General Store," promising never to shop there again. It was great.

 

[glockmail]

The logical progression of the capitalist movement leads to monopoly as the stronger and bigger establishments eat up the weaker establishments. As my Dad often cautioned me – please use moderation.

and I'm sure you think we lost the Tet Offensive (because you are liberal), but what does that have to do with the issue discussed?

 

[glockmail]

It's also important to remember that a liberal is anyone to the left of YOU.

That means just about everyone.

 

[glockmail]

"My buddies at NAMBLA?" Uhm, what the hell are you smoking? I don't support pedophilia at all. In fact, I find it ethically and morally disgusting, so I sure as hell don't support NAMBLA.

Tell that to the ACLU.

 

[Kagom]

Tell that to the ACLU.

I'm not a member of the ACLU.

 

[Eightball]

Good old Silicon Valley, California.....or more notably the S.F. bay area out here has been Home Depot's sole territory. Not anymore! Lowe's is starting to move into our area, and as "5string" mentioned about competition,........the Lowe's stores are cleaner, neater, and the personnel seem to be better informed to help you. Now that's the Lowe's thats coming into our area. I can't vouch for their stores in other areas of the country.

So Home Depot, better look out, cause they are going to lose some customers in the very heavily populated S.F. bay area. Word get's around fast. Competition is good.

Even good old Walmart's Sam's Clubs aren't even venturing into the S.F. Bay Area, as the Costco Club stores have them beat in quality here.

Surprisingly, my son who lives in Toledo, Oh., told me that Costco is even doing a "push" into the Walmart/Sam's Club dominated area of Toledo. I hope they/Costco do well.

As for Mom and Pop stores.........many do very well, as they are the stores that offer unique services, or products that the big old mega stores can't do. Many of these mom and pop's stores that find that unusual yet useful "nitch" in product or service go on to expand, and really create some wonderful chain stores that spread geographically across wide areas. We, the customers reap much from these stores.

When I was back in the Midwest visiting my oldest son and his wife and family in Iowa, they took me to a very interesting store/restaurant called the Cracker Barrel. We had a great breakfast, and the inside of the store is just filled with interesting products of all kinds. The restaurant/store itself is like a log cabin inside, with rustic beams and supports for the ceiling. There were all kinds of foods, and Boutique items, and clothing for sale, ........plus good vittles in the restaurant.

We don't have a Cracker Barrel out in California, and I think it would be a "hit" in the S.F. Bay area some day. I believe that the Cracker Barrel is spreading in the Midwest.

Capitalism, encourages competition, competition encourages imagination, imagination spawns new products and services........Even Walmart and Costco were once new ideas........but they took root, and worked-out successfully.

All three of my sons during high school years wore the old Burger King hats for a time, and delivered umpteen million greasy meals to umpteen million customers. Pay wasn't much, but it did teach my sons that a lot of work wasn't exciting, but it did have it's rewards on pay-day. The boys learned to save, and also moved onto higher paying jobs........too. All three are happily married, one is a Construction worker, one is heavy truck mechanic, and one is in the midst of Med School, and Medical research working towards a Medical Phd in Research and Residency.

All three did all kinds of stints to make a buck growing up. Besides Burger King, it was working in the now defunct Montgomery Wards, local gas stations, and some now defunct Silicon Valley Tech firms doing "gopher" work and data entry jobs....etc.

Anyway.....I realize that Walmart probably doesn't meet the full criteria of the utopian dream of a high paying job for every American, but it does offer a service and products that does help many Americans that can't afford the basic commodities of life as they were priced in smaller stores.

Where I live in the Silicon Valley, you have the very rich who own or run some big High Tech companies. There are the high end grocery chains that offer higher priced quality veggies that often the Club stores don't offer. You can buy the USDA Prime cuts of meat, or Goose, Duck, and all kinds of rarer, more expensive, food products. These wealthier folks will frequent those stores while the rest of us will go to our club stores and Walmarts, for the basic stuff, and we will also frequent the Mom and Pop's for the unique stuff or when we need something in a hurry, and don't want to drive 20 miles to a club store. Capitalism offers something for all of us folks......for the wealthier and the not so wealthy. Some thanks can be given to the big chain stores, as they have been able to keep or hold the price of many basic commodities down to the reward of many who don't have large incomes.

Walmarts have been built in areas where unemployment is high, for many who lack extensive education, and I see that as a very important need being filled. Working people have a lot more self esteem than folks that can't find work, cause it isn't in their area or their capabilities. People with self-esteem don't frequent city, county, state, and federal prisons in the high percentages that the unemployed do. Result? We all are rewarded as a society. It ain't a utopia, but the tax payer's burden of supporting and feeding the prison's is lessened or minimized.

Is Walmart the utopian answer.........No! Does it offer employment, and services to the community......Yes! Are there better ways or alternatives..........Possibly!

If the liberals want to ambush Walmart, they in turn will see that they may be ambushing a very substantial portion of their devoted electorate.

 

[Bonnie]

There's no correlation with pedophilia and liberalism. Pedophilia occurs irregardless of political leanings or affiliations and Foley and some Catholic priests are just one of many examples of conservatives to point to. Hold up, you're seriously not going to sit there with a straight face and state that Catholic priests are liberals now are you?

Actually I am....
They are liberal in many ways, aside from moral issues, many catholics including priests are very liberal when it comes to fiscal policy regarding the poor, being against the death penalty, and being against any war or conflict.

 

[Kagom]

Actually I am....
They are liberal in many ways, aside from moral issues, many catholics including priests are very liberal when it comes to fiscal policy regarding the poor, being against the death penalty, and being against any war or conflict.

If that's all you go on, then you don't have much, honestly. THey believe strongly in the Just War theory and many Priests I've met are for the IRaq war. Being agianst the Death Penalty goes hand-in-hand with respect for ALL life, whether unborn or not. And expand just a tad on the fiscal policy in regards to the poor, I'm not entirely sure what you mean.

 

[Bonnie]

If that's all you go on, then you don't have much, honestly. THey believe strongly in the Just War theory and many Priests I've met are for the IRaq war. Being agianst the Death Penalty goes hand-in-hand with respect for ALL life, whether unborn or not. And expand just a tad on the fiscal policy in regards to the poor, I'm not entirely sure what you mean.

Yes I know a few priests who do support the war effort, but they are rare, the pope himself is against the Iraq war, and I would say look at all the priests who involve themselves in anti-war activism. Priests are by nature liberal due to the teachings they hold to by Christ, so for example in the area of giving to the poor they do have a socialistic mentality, happily it's called charity which is what Chrsit espoused, not forced by any church, that's where they part company with the liberals in government, who think they are entitled to steal from anyone making over 30 thousand a year. Regarding the death penalty, it's true some think they are being true to the churche's teachings to respect all life, however I have heard a few say they believe otherwise, that in extreme cases justice should be metered out even if it calls for the death penalty. When it comes to morality they are conservative, for example teaching against adultery, and for the protection of the family etc..