"Secondly: when are we going to see a reduction in the Administration's manpower? Companies layoff people when they're losing money; why don't the city & county?"

My man - I almost fell out of my chair when I read this. I'm rubbing my eyes and pinching myself! :) Yes! City, County and State government are too big! There is no such thing as making priorities, making cuts, making reforms, or reducing government. At least not here. As far as I'm concerned, we should fire every elected official in New York State and start over from scratch. We obviously suck terribly at government. I'm on board with you - time for a showdown.

Jason

I saw the loveliest woman ever at UB Micro today.....I was rendered unable to talk - that doesn't happen a lot! Ahhbuhbadabuhbadabuhbada.....I doubt that's English.

Jason

Well today my Everquest 2 DVD comes in. I can't wait to try this game. It's not just a bunch of text - it seems to me that you are really immersed into the "world" much more than that. It will take up my spare time until the sun comes out sometime in April. It's not like I have anything better to do with my time. Yeah, I'm a nerd, and I don't care because I would rather enjoy what I enjoy than let someone else's opinion of it make me not enjoy those things. I'm a geek, baby! Yar!

Jason

Jesse, you can have a conversation with me any time you wish. I'm here and fairly active. I like to read what is going on with the people on this site. Even though I know none of you (other than meeting Chamille and Rachel one day), I like checking out how people are feeling, what people are doing, so on and so forth. I love this site. I have a bunch of very diverse interests, just like many of you do, yet one aspect of a person relegates them to "not worth knowing" status. All you can do is accept it and move on. Seriously Jesse - we can talk about anything you want, politics or not, sports, love, life, happiness....whatever you want. Regardless of how you may feel about my politics I am not an asshole or a bad guy, any more or less than anyone else here.

About Protestwarrior - when I first saw that site I laughed really, really hard. I think what they do is funny as hell. How they present it is funny as hell. They antagonize and use trumped up rhetoric because they want to piss people off. They make fools of the leftists who are most susceptible to it. This kind of thing happens all the time in various media outlets, and nobody is innocent from either side. But I think if you wade through the harsh language and imagery, and think about the message rather than the delivery, you may find something you can say "well, that's a good point" about if you have an open mind. Believe me, in the last week on this very site that is exactly what I've been doing. And every single week when I take a deep breath and open up a copy of Artvoice, or click on Buffalo Indymedia, that is exactly the process I end up going through. I am still the only person on this site to say, hey, I don't have all the answers, I don't think my way is the only way, America is too diverse for that, I have an open mind, let's cut the shit and get to working on things that will make America better for everyone. I have not insulted or disrespected anyone's religious or political beliefs here because I realize that you don't answer intolerance with more intolerance, or answer hatred with more hatred.

I've babbled long enough, but I'm glad that you are at least contemplating why you can't bring yourself to see someone else's point of view. You've made a step that most people just can't. Congrats to you. But seriously, chat with me about anything anytime. Life is more than left or right, or what's going on in the media. Take it easy.

Jason

Do we really have classical music fans here too? Damn, I didn't know y'all were so civilized. Kudos to you guys. Miles Davis, then classical.....I am beginning to *heart* Elmwood Radio in a major way. It is supplanting Accuradio Brit Rock as my station of choice at work.

Also! I have a DVD burner now. I want to begin burning some DVD's - does anybody know what software is the best to use? I saw a great deal on newegg.com for a spool of 100 DVD-R's for $50. Not bad - about half what you would pay at Best Buy.

Jason

Obviously, the library situation is a tragedy. Actually tragedy doesn't even begin to describe how I feel about it, especially after hanging out with my coworker's little brother this weekend - a 10 year old boy who is BRILLIANT, has a thirst for knowledge and does all of his learning at the library. I swear this kid's IQ is no less than 800. If he can't go to the library what will he do? Well, I'm going to fix up a Pentium 3 PC that I am not using, and I'm going to give it to this boy because I don't see why government incompetence should get in the way of his potential. I was going to give it to a friend of mine but this young guy needs it more.

Jason

Damn. I'm feeling pretty liberal today (one day only). So I'll join you all in letting out my left-wing anger and frustration.

I posted a while ago about the parking lot next to Globe and how the lot suddenly became a "Customer Only Lot During Business Hours". Well I finally got a FIFTY DOLLAR TICKET for parking there overnight! My ticket was written at 1:30 AM. Tell me something people, what businesses on the 700 block are open at 1:30 AM during a weeknight? Anyone? My neighbors also got ticketed - one of them at 2:30 AM.

My neighbors and I have had enough and we have to make the businesses on the block understand that they aren't the only ones who are here. They say that they want their customers to be able to park in the lot during business hours. Fine. Then make them NOT park on the street, and make them NOT park all the damn way up Cleveland Avenue during business hours. They have stupidly and arrogantly taken away a parking option for residents of the neighborhood who already have a notoriously tough time of it already. When I come home from work I shouldn't have to drive around the block for 60 minutes because someone wants to pack an extra $20 into the lot. Elmwood is more than a commercial district, and I hate being treated like utter SHIT by the local businesses that I have supported financially.

In fact, my neighbor "D" who used to go to Spot three times a day (wow!) now has decided that Caffe Aroma's coffee is a better option for him. The rest of my neighbors on the block are deciding that, damn, maybe Globe and Brodo aren't such good places to eat after all. Kuni's will be just fine, thanks, and so will the rest of the places to eat on the street that give a shit about the neighborhood and its residents. Rest assured, 700 block businesses, we are organizing and you are going to hear from us very soon.

I don't know if this is truth or just sour grapes or whatever, but I've spoken to Spot employees and Globe employees who tell me that the culprit is BRODO and their quest to turn Elmwood into Amherst South. I already held a grudge against Brodo for making my birthday dinner an insulting, aggravating, unwelcome experience. I don't think they appreciate the sense of community on Elmwood. I don't know what to believe at this point but we are going to speak with all of them and tell them that the $50 ticket (that I'm not going to pay anyway) means that there is going to be a hell of a lot less money going to them, and a hell of a lot more money going to businesses elsewhere on the street. A bunch of young, single professional males have lots of money to spend, and we like to impress our dates by taking them to cool places on Elmwood. Consider that money gone unless you let us simply park our cars. That's all the 700 block residents are asking for.

• end left wing anger and resume programming*

Jason

So, we have some Jazz fans on here? I was blessed enough to be able to play in a variety of musical groups. Orchestras, Jazz Groups, Classical Groups, Cover Bands, you name it I likely have done it. I am classically trained as a trumpet player. Thus my own Jazz hero is Miles Davis. A non-trumpet player knows that Miles is amazing, but a player knows more intimately how amazing he is because NOBODY sounds like Miles. He could play through a garden hose and sound awesome.

Anyway I have an enormous collection of Jazz music in my library. If anyone iis interested in asking me about what Jazz I own, please do. I'm more than willing to share as I downloaded almost all of it legally anyway.

Jason

I know you guys are going through some serious grief here. All I can offer to you at this point is that there are people (not just in the south, 40% of our state voted for Bush) who simply don't see things exactly the way you do. Why was I ignorantly called a racist? Why was I THREATENED on this site? Because of the deeply rooted hatred and intolerance for anyone who doesn't see the world 100% to the left of center. I can't believe that someone would actually consider threatening someone because of politics. America is a place where there are many diverse opinions on every subject imaginable. What is good for people on Elmwood is not necessarily good for someone in Oklahoma. Hell, what's good for Elmwood may not even be good for people who live 60 miles away. This is something that I don't think ever crosses peoples' minds. More on that in a minute......

It's so easy, effortless and thoughtless to hate me. It's more complicated and difficult to love me. I can understand that people just don't want or don't care to find out where someone is coming from before jumping to conclusions and coming strong with the hate speech. Some are just lazy and don't want to put in the effort. I wish I could have come to the Halloween party to have fun with you all, but I got the feeling that political views meant that I wasn't welcome. I wish I could have seen Chamille off with the rest of you. She's one of two people on this site who cared to say hello to me. She is so lovely and so nice. I hate the division that causes people to feel one way or another about another person without getting to know them.

Some of you have posted about the reluctance of people on the right to participate in the process on a bi-partisan basis. It's even gone as far as to say that people who vote for Bush aren't interested in being bi-partisan. Obviously you guys haven't read what I've been saying - my ears, eyes and mind are all wide open. I'm willing to hear you out. I may even agree with you on some things. But it sounds so disingenuous when for the past X months all I have heard from those on the left is this:

1) If you aren't outraged, you aren't paying attention.
2) Christianity is the bane of humanity and Christians are purely evil and sick.
3) If you don't see things the way I do, you are stupid, don't have a brain in your head, brainwashed, uneducated, racist, sexist, gay hater, woman hater, hate old people, an oppressor, don't think "normally", so on and so forth. Just look at what has been written on this site alone. If you're not on the left, you are a waste of air.
4) If you're not on the left, you are a cruel, heartless monster.

Shit like this will never ever ever get people to see things your way. It only marginalizes your viewpoint and what's even worse about it is that whatever good points you might have are overshadowed by hatred and intolerance. I could go on like that for days because believe me, I've seen and heard it all. We get bombarded with propaganda and sensationalism every week. Of all the people who have been blatantly partisan and unwilling to come together and find real answers to our problems, I'm not one of them. Paul was right, most people don't want to compromise. They are more interested in being "right" and pushing their own agenda onto people. I believe we are better than that, and I'm hopeful that one day people on both sides will get serious about making real progress in all areas of life for us. I don't blame one side more than the other - both are at fault, okay? If you guys are actually serious about being bi-partisan and trying to find answers to our problems which will be good for all, then as I said I am open to it. I've always been. Given how divided the people are, I think we need a real moderate in the W
hite House more than ever, and it sucks that we were provided with no moderate choice - I wish there was more CHOICE for us....but I
guess that's another topic altogether.

So I'm sure that simply because I am on the right I will get mega-flamed by angry lefties no matter what, and I accept that. I expect no less from you. But I hope that one day we can (as John Kerry said) begin healing, get rid of the uncivilized savagery, and focus more on finding answers than finding faults with the other side. Given what's happened in the last few days I'm going to just lay low until we elect an ultra-liberal that Elmwood loves, so I don't have to worry about the backlash.

Jason

"Yo!!!

It’s sad day in the USA today…51% of the people are FUCKED-UP…they don’t get it …I hope things work out and I don’t have to say I TOLD YOU SO!!!!!!!!!!! I’ll call you guys sometime soon with my cell phone.. It’s XXX-XXXX… To talk about stuff down the road…..later~~~~"

Somehow I don't think I'm getting a Christmas present this year. 8*

Jason