The Goat Pen

But I'm not surprised. You are functionally incapable of admitting you were wrong about SSI.

I have never been wrong about SSI. Ever.

The government calling social security "insurance" doesn't make it insurance any more than them calling "Affordable Healthcare Act" makes it affordable. SSI fails to meet the simplest dictionary definition of insurance.

Look deep within yourself, IB. Deep down, you know I'm right. Swallow your pride. Apologize. I will forgive you. Or better yet, say,

"I never said SSI was insurance! Never!" I never get tired of you saying stuff like that.

while we are at it Tiger, point me to one poll (any poll anywhere) that stipulates that Gen-Xers would be willing to vote for a more austerity driven Romney over a tax-and-borrow-and-spend Obama.

While you are crafting your apology to me for your pridefulness, here are more polls that you asked for. This one was released just today:

President Obama could be in big trouble when it comes to the youth vote, according to a new poll.

Less than half of 18-to-24-year-old voters want Obama to win reelection, and he leads a generic Republican candidate by just 7 percentage points, according to a survey of youth voter attitudes released Thursday by the Public Religion Research Institute and Georgetown University's Berkley Center for Religion, Peace and World Affairs.

http://www.theatlantic.com/politics/arc ... rs/256104/

Four years later, Mr. Obama's in trouble, which is why he's visiting college campuses more often than a Red Bull delivery truck. He's talking louder and getting more shrill, because his campaign knows how desperately it needs to replicate -- or even come close to replicating -- his success with the youth vote in 2008. Polls and countless news stories indicate that young voters are either bored, unimpressed or disappointed with Mr. Obama, and with the state of the country.

Mr. Obama's approval rating among 18- to 29-year-olds hovers around 50 percent (after almost a year of bad press for the GOP). But a late 2011 Harvard survey found that only 12 percent of young people felt the country was moving in the right direction. An outfit called Generation Opportunity, which is trying to organize young voters on economic issues, finds that 77 percent of young people have had to put their lives on hold because of the economy.

In short, conditions are not ripe for an Obama youth tsunami.

http://articles.baltimoresun.com/2012-0 ... ung-people

Is there anything else I can help you with?

Professor Tiger wrote:

But I'm not surprised. You are functionally incapable of admitting you were wrong about SSI.

I have never been wrong about SSI. Ever.

The government calling social security "insurance" doesn't make it insurance any more than them calling "Affordable Healthcare Act" makes it affordable. SSI fails to meet the simplest dictionary definition of insurance.

Look deep within yourself, IB. Deep down, you know I'm right. Swallow your pride. Apologize. I will forgive you. Or better yet, say,

"I never said SSI was insurance! Never!" I never get tired of you saying stuff like that.

Social Security INSURANCE is most certainly, insurance. It is old age insurance. It is insurance that you pay premiums on your whole working career, and you only put in claims if you out-live your working years. The whole point of SSI was that you were never supposed to collect on it. The age for a "claim" was supposed to be tied to the average age of normal human life expectancy. Where SSI falls apart is when people (like yourself) look at it as a retirement or pension system. Now (because people like you refuse to unlearn that which you have learned) we are all fucked.

Professor Tiger wrote:

while we are at it Tiger, point me to one poll (any poll anywhere) that stipulates that Gen-Xers would be willing to vote for a more austerity driven Romney over a tax-and-borrow-and-spend Obama.

While you are crafting your apology to me for your pridefulness, here are more polls that you asked for. This one was released just today:

President Obama could be in big trouble when it comes to the youth vote, according to a new poll.

Less than half of 18-to-24-year-old voters want Obama to win reelection, and he leads a generic Republican candidate by just 7 percentage points, according to a survey of youth voter attitudes released Thursday by the Public Religion Research Institute and Georgetown University's Berkley Center for Religion, Peace and World Affairs.

http://www.theatlantic.com/politics/arc ... rs/256104/

Four years later, Mr. Obama's in trouble, which is why he's visiting college campuses more often than a Red Bull delivery truck. He's talking louder and getting more shrill, because his campaign knows how desperately it needs to replicate -- or even come close to replicating -- his success with the youth vote in 2008. Polls and countless news stories indicate that young voters are either bored, unimpressed or disappointed with Mr. Obama, and with the state of the country.

Mr. Obama's approval rating among 18- to 29-year-olds hovers around 50 percent (after almost a year of bad press for the GOP). But a late 2011 Harvard survey found that only 12 percent of young people felt the country was moving in the right direction. An outfit called Generation Opportunity, which is trying to organize young voters on economic issues, finds that 77 percent of young people have had to put their lives on hold because of the economy.

In short, conditions are not ripe for an Obama youth tsunami.

http://articles.baltimoresun.com/2012-0 ... ung-people

Is there anything else I can help you with?

Yes, you can find me a link that shows where Gen-Xers are more likely to vote for Mitt Romney than Barack Obama. From YOUR links....

The Atlantic wrote:Obama may take comfort in the fact that he remains dramatically better liked by young voters than Romney. The poll found 52 percent of 18-to-24-year-olds having a favorable opinion of Obama, while 43 percent viewed him unfavorably; for Romney, it was just 32 percent favorable, 53 percent unfavorable. That could give Obama a bigger advantage with young voters versus Romney than his small lead against the nonexistent "generic Republican."

Jonah wrote:Mr. Obama's approval rating among 18- to 29-year-olds hovers around 50 percent (after almost a year of bad press for the GOP)...

...The trick for Mr. Romney isn't to pander to young voters. He'll never beat Mr. Obama and the Democrats at that game.

Yes, I still miss Boooortzzz.

Well the last big hurdle. Passed the oral boards this week. Do not want to do that again. To think 6 strangers that I have never seen before who happen to write surgical textbooks hold my future in their hands for a total of 11-12 questions asked 4 per room, 30 minutes to a room with 2 examiners in each room.

Pressure packed enviornment I'll tell ya that.

Glad it's over.

It really shouldn't matter because in the end it's just the opinion of 6 people. What should matter is the opinion of your residency, they have you for 5-10 years. Oh well.

Congrats, BOJ.

In other news...

Matt Damon wants to kiss George W. Bush.

http://politicalticker.blogs.cnn.com/20 ... kiss-bush/

Way to go, BOJ. You are entering one of the noblest professions there is.

Well, it's not as noble or as needed as hospital admin, but one does what one is able.

You ruined my place in the "When AA Returns" pool. I bought the mid-August square. Darn you.

Hola, AA. Just stay over here and away from those cocksuckers at the pen.

AA wishes he knew how to quit us.

Thanks guys.

It's funny, failing that exam wouldn't have mattered in the long run. There's a reason you can take it several times and I have had my own practice for a year now. It wouldn't mean squat as far as my practice or ability to operate. I am not one bit more qualified today than I was yesterday. All it means is I can say I am board certified.

But it sure feels like the weight of the world is off my shoulders, it's just unexplainable. I told myself all the things I should have, they are just strangers and know nothing about me or what kind of surgeon I am, but I don't know how well I would have handled it if I hadn't passed. I will never forget the questions I got. I only got 11, they didn't ask me the 12th one. (The questions are different for everyone and the situations are dynamic so there is no right answer, only wrong answers LOL).

It's a sad day too because I know another surgeon who did not pass. He is a great surgeon. He can mcgyver anything in a combat situation. Problem is the test is not combat medicine oriented so it doesn't matter that he can take a poor guy that stepped on a mine in some dirthole place and save his life with 3 hemostats a kelly, chest tubing and sutures. He's been doing this for around 2 years now since he got out of residency. Hasn't had a chance to take the oral exam due to being deployed to our various hot spots. How long has it been since he took care of breast cancer or parathyroid disease? It sucks for him and just plain isn't right. It happens to all of us to an extent that don't go into academic surgery. I have been a surgeon on a rural town for a year now, haven't done a pancreas in a year and a half or so but it didn't stop them from giving me a pancreatic cancer that needed resection, but in his situation he hasn't been exposed to much except mangled military personell for nearly 2 years. I think he should get a pass, or at least a different version for what he does for our military. Honestly he doesn't need board certification in the military so he doesn't even have to put himself through it but still.

PS: Welcome back AA

This is starting to become Onion like. He quits he returns he quits he returns....

Yes, I did miss AA.

10ac, Hack, BoJ:

Great to read you again. Been close to 3 months now. I had a bit of surgery in February. The build-up to that was stressful, but due to my undying faith in the one true lord (Saban), I made it through. I was unnecessarily rough on several people here due to that event, I fear. Anyway, travelled most March and the first couple of weeks in April.

Good to see you recovered and back. Now get over to the conference board and fix the orange clad philistines.

Wow, AA! Good to have you back.

AA, I hope your recovered and well.

What an Obammer nightmare/future looks like.

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB1000142 ... on_LEADTop