Catwhoshatinthehat

Aside from GS the previous champions for the last decade were San Antonio, Miami, Dallas, Los Angeles and Boston.  San Antonio has Duncan, Miami had Bosh in the last run and Shaq for their first title, Dallas has Dirk and had Chandler who defensively was huge, the Lakers had Gasol and Boston had KG.  Duncan is probably the greatest PF or all time, Shaq is well Shaq and while he was slowing down was still a force, Bosh was a top PF, Dirk was a top PF, Chandler was one of the better defenders, KG is arguably the 2nd greatest PF of all time and Gasol was making all NBA teams during his title runs with the Lakers.  I agree that the NBA is changing but all of those teams had guys who were dominant whether it's all time greats (Duncan, Shaq, Dirk, KG) or all-star and all-NBA team level talent (Bosh, Chandler, Gasol) during their runs.  A dominant big man even if he's just a defender and not known for offense can go a long way even in today's NBA.  

I didn't mention Jordan because I just don't envision him leaving the Clippers but I'd gladly take him.  I'd prefer him or Gasol over Love or Aldridge because they're legit C's who play D.  Put one of them in the middle and see what Randle can do at PF.   

As I said earlier I'm not a fan of seeing the Lakers trade the #2 pick along with Randle and/or Clarkson for just Cousins.  They haven't seen anything from Randle yet due to his injury but they drafted him at #7 last year for a reason.  I'm really hoping this is just the normal rumor mill that's fueled by agents and writers.  

Out of those 3 names I hope the only one they're actually interested in is Cousins and that's only if the price is right which isn't likely.  Embiid could be out all of this year after missing last season with a foot injury (worrisome for a guy his size) and I have no interest in seeing Anthony on the Lakers and didn't want them to sign him when he was a FA.   It's been interesting seeing Anthony go from a freshman winning it all at Syracuse with a ridiculous performance in the tourney to a guy who seems more like a cancer on a team in the NBA.  

Cousins is only 24 and is one of the best C's in the league.  To his credit he's matured but some of his prior antics still worry me because he's going to be a max deal player barring injury or a major regression.  Any player can get injured after signing a guaranteed contract and there's insurance for that but the ones that are  malcontents worry me because you could be stuck paying someone who isn't a good fit (see Josh Hamilton).  If they somehow come away with Cousins and the #6 pick I'd be much more comfortable seeing the Lakers trade the #2 pick and Randle and/or Clarkson.  If Karl and Sacramento really want to move him then the cost may be worth it.  

If a confederate flag, racist jokes and creepy looking white guys are red flags then the South is in a lot of trouble.
 
Terrible situation anyway you look at it.  

I get that I just don't understand how a law meant to go after drug dealers, gang members, mobsters, etc. is warped to the point it's used as a reason to not only take cash off regular people but allow local cops to keep a cut.  Even if someone is a suspected drug dealer after so long if nothing can be proven the property should be returned.  If cops are allowed to take things without proving anything illegal has happened how long until they take other liberties?  Oh wait we've seen that happen sometimes violently and in some of those cases little or nothing happens to the cops.  Scary times we live in and some of that fear comes from the power those who are expected to uphold the law wield.  

I don't recall seeing this law passed on anything I've voted for.  I get what you're saying though about the whole "it doesn't impact me" mantra but this is something that you would hope would have been addressed by the courts by now as being unconstitutional.  Hell I'm as guilty as most everyone else of standing idly by but it really comes down to choosing your battles.  I've only got so much time, energy and money to keep myself afloat and would go broke and insane trying to right all the wrongs in the world.  Makes me appreciate those that try to that much more.  

"Through a legal doctrine called civil forfeiture, police can seize cash or property if they suspect it's tied to an illegal activity — even if the owner isn't even charged with a crime."
 
"Renée Flaherty, one of Clarke's attorneys, says that civil forfeiture laws incentivize police seizure of cash and property as state and local police receive a percentage of forfeiture proceeds in exchange for referring seized property to federal authorities."
 
If this is true I can't even wrap my ahead around what kind of rationale allows this to happen.  The only thing this guy and people like him (i.e. those not charged with a crime) are guilty of is carrying cash.  Meanwhile both the feds and local police benefit from it.  So the people who enforce the law can seize your cash when you've done nothing wrong and unless you can get a good attorney you may never see it again.  **** that.    

"Through a legal doctrine called civil forfeiture, police can seize cash or property if they suspect it's tied to an illegal activity — even if the owner isn't even charged with a crime."
 
"Renée Flaherty, one of Clarke's attorneys, says that civil forfeiture laws incentivize police seizure of cash and property as state and local police receive a percentage of forfeiture proceeds in exchange for referring seized property to federal authorities."
 
If this is true I can't even wrap my ahead around what kind of rationale allows this to happen.  The only thing this guy and people like him (i.e. those not charged with a crime) are guilty of is carrying cash.  Meanwhile both the feds and local police benefit from it.  So the people who enforce the law can seize your cash when you've done nothing wrong and unless you can get a good attorney you may never see it again.  **** that.    

I don't think it had to do with an agenda rather he was trying to use it as a teachable moment.  If this had been about race (i.e. racial slur used by a student) instead of sexuality how angry would the parents be if the teacher read a book about a mixed culture family?  To be honest though reading something like that to 9  year old children who aren't yours isn't likely to go over well with at least a few parents.    

Of course and while I don't share their opinion he had to know some parents being unhappy or flat out pissed off was the likely outcome.  There were other ways he could have addressed the issue that didn't involve reading the book he chose that would have been less divisive.  

Of course and while I don't share their opinion he had to know some parents being unhappy or flat out pissed off was the likely outcome.  There were other ways he could have addressed the issue that didn't involve reading the book he chose that would have been less divisive.  

I don't think it had to do with an agenda rather he was trying to use it as a teachable moment.  If this had been about race (i.e. racial slur used by a student) instead of sexuality how angry would the parents be if the teacher read a book about a mixed culture family?  To be honest though reading something like that to 9  year old children who aren't yours isn't likely to go over well with at least a few parents.    

Prediction 3 - life for those making minimum wage doesn't really improve and they still blame and vilify the "rich."

Okafor is considered by some to be one of the best true C prospects to come along in years.  He's still pretty raw and like Towns he'll only be 19 when the season starts.  He does get knocked for his defense and FT shooting but again he's a teenager who is still developing and isn't done growing.  After getting criticized for being slow on defense he's lost weight since the end of the college season which is great to see out of any prospect because some guys go the opposite direction and show up heavy.  You can't say either of these guys is a for sure thing but like you right now I'd prefer to see the Lakers get Towns.  That said if Towns goes #1 overall unless there's any leg/back concerns with Okafor you have to take the other big man who is considered to have franchise changing potential.   

Happybat said they don't have a lot of cash at the moment but it really needs to be done which means it could turn into a nightmare if he gets in over his head.  We watch some HGTV shows and a lot of the ones where a homeowner starts a project themselves and bites off more than they can chew usually snowballs into an incomplete project months later.  Someone that is handy and dedicated can get a project done but personally I had no interest in trying to do the tile in our kitchen and downstairs bathroom so I had someone else do it while we got everything else done.    

Prediction 3 - life for those making minimum wage doesn't really improve and they still blame and vilify the "rich."

I know it's the internet and I shouldn't be surprised but lo and behold I am seeing people trying to excuse or act like him doing this 12 years ago means it's water under the bridge.  Everyone does dumb stuff when they're kids but what 99.99% of us did is not even in the same universe as this.  I don't know if it was a family friend like Don mentioned but on the Woody show on 98.7 this AM they said the officer (whether he be a friend, church member, whatever) who took the report didn't file it and he's now in prison for child pornography.  Addressing it after the statute of limitations if that is in fact what they did is pretty disgusting in itself.  

Your scenario assumes a single individual who would then be moved into the 15% federal tax bracket and would no longer qualify for the EITC unless they itemize which the vast majority in that case don't.  That $1,000 is even less than most people in that situation think it is because of the overall implications to their tax situation.    
 
That aside the problem isn't the fact that someone needs more money as much as it's the fact that they expect to survive on minimum wage.  I realize it's supposed to be a livable wage and statistics show it hasn't risen as much over the years as it should have but too many people expect to survive on it these days and more importantly to raise kids on it.  They'd be better served by learning a valuable skill or getting training to increase their income instead of rallying for a raise to minimum wage.  

At 1 or 2 you take one of the 2 centers to pair with Randle.

Your post may be sarcastic but given that it's the internet it's hard to tell.  That's an additional $1,000 before taxes.  Also individuals who make minimum wage and currently receive aid in the form of food stamps, WIC, the earned income credit, etc. may see some of those benefits reduced with a higher income.  
 
There was an article in one of the papers floating around work this week that talked about how to afford a 2 bedroom in OC costing ~$1,600 a month someone needs to make $32 an hour.  Now fun with numbers aside like how they decide 1 person needs 2 bedrooms (guessing kids) and the fact that I think that that's a high rent for some (low for others) areas it tells me that people expecting to survive on minimum wage is more the problem than the wage itself.  If you want to raise minimum wage go ahead but it will never be enough for a lot of people and it will hurt businesses when those costs get passed on to consumers.  

Prediction 3 - life for those making minimum wage doesn't really improve and they still blame and vilify the "rich."

Prediction 3 - life for those making minimum wage doesn't really improve and they still blame and vilify the "rich."