Highway6

I think due to its current and abnormally western track, it could be dangerous with the flooding. But it sure seems like when a Cat 2 or less is coming for the Texas coast, we sure don't get 24 hour coverage on CNN. Did Anderson Cooper set up shop on our seawall for Ike ? nope.

We have myself, 20thdad, The Pragmatist, Sowaname, Aggie92, and 3rdDownPunt signed up. 3rd Down Punt.... Distrubaire PE, is that you ? Tubleweed and OriginalTimmy.. You two plan on signing up ? Lockmat, Red, Brijon.. seems like we're still missing some of our football contests regulars. First game that counts is actually Saturday 11am, so you have a week to sign up.

Yeah.. I don't know much about your former QB... but I'm guessing losing 3 starters (once you include WR Russell and LB Johns) a week and a half before you open against a top 5 team probably isn't very good for ya. Love your optimism.. and I was rooting for LSU.. but i think I'll be changing my pick to Oregon now.

Bump. First game is in less than a week.. Now's the time to sign up.

Season kickoffs 2 weeks from tonight. We have 6 people signed up. Reminder for current participants.. it's no fun not knowing which haifers to make fun of during the season. Please make either user name or team name match your haify Id. Thanks.

Doesn't sound like Clemson or Florida St are viable options. I've read numerous articles about some SEC schools that apparently have a gentleman's agreement not to invite schools that infringe on the footprint of existing SEC schools. This also goes for Georgia Tech. So as a block, Florida, Georgia, and SC are going to keep out FSU, Clemson, and GT.... least that's what it sounds like. I've heard Virginia Tech and West Virginia tossed around with Mizzou as possible #14. Personally, I'd like to see VT come in; I have a soft spot for them since they have a Corps of Cadets and use to send over exchange cadets to A&M. Plus Beamer has always come across as a likable guy. Plus they get sympathy points for the campus shooting. And finally, it's part a result of leading a weaker conference, but they've consistently had 9+ win seasons since the mid 90s.. Seems like a winning partner to me. From the standpoint of the things that count.. supposedly they bring in the DC tv market.. and I would say they have the most national name recognition and football success out of those 3 (VT, MZ, WV) All that being said.. VT might not want to come until conference Armageddon is closer at hand considering how easily they dominate the ACC PS. Miami died today.. they aren't going anywhere.

Guess i misread the article... i don't think a CRT stop at Ellington will be necessary if only G6s are flying in. I mean, great for the architects, contractors, and engineers that will be getting this work, but, lets as far as this being bigger news for the city at large... if its non-commercial, it's pretty irrelevant news.

Got 5 signed up with over 2 weeks to go... looking good.

Don't fret.. SEC will happen before the season starts. Guaranteed.

Ya know.. disagreeing with someone who's politics are different isn't a bad thing... but making the point to give them a -1 every time they open their mouth... ? We get it Mister X.. you hate Marksmu.. but if you'd at least skip a post every now and then, it might not be so obvious.

This is great from a economic development standpoint for our city, but do we need 3 commercial airports? Is going to hurt IAH in anyway since they will be intl flights only, or would they try to lure in another carrier somehow? I will say.. with Hobby and SWA being so close, and with both being so much closer to the city core, i would think this could be incentive to move that CRT project to the top of the list. Imagine 1 line connecting Galveston, Ellington, Hobby, then feeding into the LRT system downtown.. pretty sweet.

Dewhurst is contemplating running for KBH's senate seat. Which means we could be in a position in 2012 if they both win, where the the Texas Congress appoints both our Lt Gov and Gov. That being said.. hopefully Perry doesn't get the nomination. I'm still waiting for Christie to jump in.

2.5 weeks to go till we get this party started. Sign up, college football fans. College Football pick'em over at ESPN. Group name: Haif 2011 password : Haif

Ricco made the first prediction. I would have countered either way he went just to make the day interesting. I do have to admit.. this beer is really going to set me back. I sure hope I've learned my lesson.

Bernake is doing his best to cost you a beer. http://money.cnn.com/data/markets/dow/?iid=C_MT_Index

I'm just not sure how that makes the TeaParty the uncompromising bad guys. Seems that any of Pelosi and pals that were being stubborn to compromise on principle alone, since what they wanted achieved so little, should be held to account even more so. Gee.. what terrorists.. causing all this hub-bub over $40 billion. Furthermore, This "But we always raise the debt ceiling, every few years, done by Rs and Ds, and it's never been an issue" argument from the left. It's not comparable once you consider the magnitude of the debt ceiling and its relationship to GDP. IT shouldn't be routine. And if we were serious on reigning in debt, there would be no reason to raise that ceiling. We didn't get downgraded because our debt amount is $40 billion more per year than the S&P would have liked to see... I realize we had to raise the debt limit or face default.. but the situation we've put ourselves in of having to raise the debt limit, when our debt is already so stratospheric, that is the reason we got downgraded. How much more of a downgrade would we have faced had the tea party not been there to fight this debt limit increase ? Not looking good on my end... but looking good in general.

Well.. i thought I might be wrong, so I did try to correct it. So if taxing millionaires at 100% would get us only $700 billion.. ( not that that is small fries, but it is compared to 14 trillion) ... what the heck is raising the tax rate by 5-10% going to achieve? Where does the 24.4% average come in for millionaires, considering the current tax brackets are 0% Bracket $0 – $8,500 15% Bracket $8,500 – $34,500 25% Bracket $34,500 – $83,600 28% Bracket $83,600 – $174,400 33% Bracket $174,400 – $379,150 35% Bracket $379,150+ I'm not trying to be argumentative, I just don't know what that number represents. So what exactly was being proposed by the left that the tea party stopped? Raising the top bracket to 40-50% for millionaires ? Raising the 2nd to top bracket 5-10% for the other millionaires that make $174,000 ? I'm sorry.. I can understand how the left is up an arms at the whole perceived injustice of it all (grandma's medicine vs a corporate jet), but to me it seems like the problem is so much more on the expenditures side of things that even had the left gotten the tax concessions they wanted, we would still be in the exact same mess, still downgraded, still up a creek without a paddle. I would be all for higher taxes, and even rewriting the tax code to try to achieve a more across the board fairness, if it weren't for the timing. It the tea party were arguing for never raising taxes ever again, i think the left, and the mainstream right would have room to call them loonies... but i see it as them saying not to raise taxes at this time. With the mess we are in now.. i do think there is something to not raising taxes. I just don't see how taking more money away individuals and businesses is stimulative when Gvt doesn't create jobs for the private sector.. the private sector does.

Bartending.. at least there's some semblance of skill required (bartending school) and stress (popular busy bar) involved. And I have zero problem tipping a buck or two per drink. Also.. it seems that it's always been the norm, at least for the decade plus I've been of drinking age. Places like Lil Big and Starbucks.. I feel like they're trying to get away with something. You never saw tip on the receipt until maybe 5 years ago. It's liked they tried to sneak it in hoping people wouldn't realize that they don't have waiters. Same with Sonic. Had a friend work there in college who tried to tell me it was the expected norm to tip your sonic server. I had some friends who had heard of this, and others like me who had not. Her rationale was that sonic employees make waitress wage + tips.. not minimum wage because Sonic expected their employees to receive tips. That tells me two things. Sonic is very smart and is getting a good deal. Sonic employees are morons. My stance remains firm.. You're a fast food restaurant. You're not checking up on me. You're not refilling my drinks. I don't care if you walk it out to my car.. That's not enough, I'm not tipping you. I feel that at least half the populace agrees with me and that Sonic employees should realize this. Therefore, of all the fast-food restaurants you could work in, if you choose to work at the one that pays you less than minimum wage, you are a moron. So yeah, on principle.. I'll tip a bartender $2 who hands me a longneck, but I'm not gonna tip a dude on roller skates who brings me my extra long cheese coney in the rain. Tough $h!t, Sonic guy. Add: I googled it.. and though it is up to the discretion of the sonic franchise.. it seems more have switched to minimum wage.

I think it was CNN that had an article a few weeks back .. something along the lines of even if you did tax corporate jets and if you taxed everyone over $250,000 at 100% for a yr... you reduce the deficit by some miniscule % that started with a decimal point. The problems we face are so enormously skewed towards the spending side of things.. teabaggers aren't the reason we lost AAA. EDIT: Correction.. several article stated that if everyone over $100,000 was taxed at 100%, it wouldn't cover the increase of the deficit this year. What is that increase for the yr? a Trillion ? Now obviously 100,000ers aren't millionaires, and you can't tax people at 100%.. but i still think that speaks to the fact that if you did increase tax on millionaires ( 250,000+) by 5-15%.. it's really not going to do much. There just aren't nearly enough millionaires to cover the exorbitant spending. I'm all for rewriting the tax code.. but i wish they could just get it over with. As long as there is uncertainty, businesses won't grow or hire.. and that's the big problem. 10%+ unemployment. Lack of jobs, and lack of tax payers.

I'm modifying my earlier "10k wouldn't surprise me at this point." We'll have that by Friday alone. Ricco.. I'll take your bet. No rally tomorrow.. down another 200.

True, but I rather use my beer money for drinking rather than flushing it down the toilet. With this transition from correction to double dip, I think the panic is just starting. Yes, if you buy and hold, you'll be okay... but you'll be much more okay if don't waste the first 2-3 months just catching back up to your buy-in point. True.. but for me personally, I feel I got out high enough and that its going to go low enough that i can miss the bottom by a few hundred and I'm still gonna come out smelling like roses that smell like money. Good luck.

Saw the writing on the wall in May at DOW 12400, and pulled all my IRA out of the various funds, realized the earnings, and placed everything into a holding account. Same with my wife's 401k. Watching my google spreadsheet that is currently tracking what would have been had I stayed in all my funds the past 2 weeks has been glorious.. so far I'm at 14% saved. I feel I timed it pretty well so far and it's going to feel pretty damn good when I get back in within a few hundred from the bottom... whenever that may be. Ricco, I second Red.. This ride isn't finished going down yet. So far the Dow has lost about 13% from its 12800 high in April. For comparison, the correction in summer 2010 was also 13%. But in the last 2 weeks of hell, you hear less "market correction" and more" double dip". The Dow lost over 50% in the 17 months starting Oct 07. While we all hope it doesn't get that extreme again, Seeing the Dow go below 10k wouldn't surprise me at this point. I'd hold off on buying. Or I could be wrong and maybe this week will be the low point. Tis your money.

i hate over the counter restaurants.. Like Lil Bigs, or even Starbucks that have a place for a tip on the receipt. You have no waiters. You are functionally no different from a McDonalds. You're not getting a damn tip.

He speaketh the truth. http://www.bing.com/...0TX&form=LMLTCC

Yeah, Kragthorpe was OC at A&M when I was there.. brought us our only Big XII championship. That's pretty tough on him and his family. Preseason polls.. well.. I can see why some say they're meaningless, but ya gotta start somewhere. SEC deservedly gets lots of respect, LSU finished top 10 and with a bowl win so I don't really see them as overrated. A&M - I can understand if people think they're slightly over ranked, though I'd say anyone that thinks they don't belong in the top 15 is high. Then again, the next 5 below us all lost their bowl games as well, so do they deserve a slightly higher ranking, doubtful. I think Auburn and TCU got downgraded a wee bit much, despite losing their starting QBs. I think with all the SECede talk the past 2 summers and what I see as inevitability of Aggies heading east, I'll be following SEC football more closely this season. I don't really know what to think about the longhorns this yr.. two coordinator changes and still have Gilbert under center.. I'll be honest, I hope they have another season of suck.. but who knows.