Troutfisher

The President may not control the economy, but he can make choices to influence the economy. The tax breaks he has given to the middle class and upper class has definetly helped. People think that raising the minimum wage will help people, and the fact is that it will not. Raising the minimum wage strains big corporations that pay it out, and therefore, the corporations will end up raising prices on goods they are selling in the first place. So, you're saying that soldiers who risk their lives every day in the blistering heat of Iraq, fighting to create a democracy for people who have never known any such thing, are not heros? The very ones fighting to protect you, and giving you the right to a free democracy? Imagine if Saddam Hussein was still in power. I can see it now; Iraq would probably be building nuclear weapons, and threatening world peace, as is now Iran and North Korea. This brings me to an earlier point, where I mentioned that Saddam certainly had nuclear capabilities, and that if the U.S. would have invaded without warning, they probably would have found WMD's or evidence of WMD's. No, they gave the country a 3 day warning to pack them up, or destroy them. Those 37 million Americans in "poverty" that you speak of have it better than some of the best in other countries. I again spoke earlier of the differing conditions of poverty in the United States and that of Africa. It can be found in earlier posts in this thread.

Welcome aboard Ashley!

That's the best gift of all.

Passed by the New today...it really looked like some good fishing. Good job on the musky...I'd love to catch one of those beauties!

Sounds like everyone has given and received everything they wanted! Now if I could only get that indoor pond to fish in... *(Bulldozers rumble)*

Here's a place to write what you received, or what you gave, for Christmas. I received: A Rapala Digital Scale A Flash Drive Madden '07 A "Deport Pedro" T-Shirt

Congrats! I watched some of the game on ESPN.

Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas, and tight lines all!

Thanks for all the advice, guys, and I recommend everyone to follow it. Good night, and Merry Christmas, everyone.

Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

Thanks for all the kind and thoughful words and advice, guys. Everyone here is really helpful and gives needed encouragement and advice when it is needed. I will, and thanks for the prayers. God Bless and Merry Christmas, everyone.

HOO-AH!

Thanks guys. I attended the funeral this evening at my grandparent's church. It was good, and very touching. One of my little cousins, Abby, came up while a man was singing an inspirational song, and went up to her mom (Jeremy's wife). She was visibly sad, and it brought tears to my eyes. It helps to know that he and the two children are in a better place.

Good to see you're out of therapy, and as mentioned, don't over do it. My grandpa just had a knee replacement and one of the nurses put too much weight for him to use during therapy, and he had to have another surgery to replace the damage. Bank fishing isn't that bad when you're trying to get better. Maybe LBH can take you in his boat, just tell him once you get the state record bass in at Fork, then you need him to lift it out of the water (just watch he doesn't do the ole try-to-net-the-fish-snap-the-line trick... ;D).

With Christmas on us already, we all have things we'd like to have and things that we are receiving. This Christmas season has been one of the busiest and most productive for my family. However, never take anything for granted. My cousin's husband, Jeremy, and two of his children of a previous marriage were killed by a drunk driver a few days back. A drunk got on the wrong way on the interstate, along with his drunken friend, and went only a mile before he slammed into them. They (Jeremy and kids) had done nothing wrong, and were headed to, of all places, a Nativity at my grandparents Church. Now my older cousin and her three little children won't have much of a Christmas this year. Thank God the Lord Jesus Christ was born on Christmas, and was crucified on a cross so that we could be forgiven of our sins. Jeremy had turned his life around and was a dedicated Christian, as was his kids. Always remember the true meaning of Christmas, and whenever you feel overwhelmed with the pressures of buying, gift wrapping, writing cards, etc., take time to step back and be thankful for what you have. Tomorrow is never promised, so always take time to tell your loved ones you care about them. Merry Christmas, Aaron "Troutfisher"

Good words, LBH....you're a good man all around, on and off the lake!

Oh, ok, I see what you're saying, and I agree with it.

If it is that important to you, start your own thread regarding you being wronged. There, you can rant about whatever you want. Like I said, Merry Christmas. True words. Please don't steal threads....

I can agree that there should be a limit on how much money is donated to a certain candidate, but I don't necessarily agree with the fact that candidates should only be in office 6 months or so. The Presidents would hardly have time to serve their term, nor would the Senators, Governers, etc. Back on topic, True. Why did President Bush invade Iraq? Because their was proof that Saddam was building weapons. At least that's what the U.N. said. During the 3 day time period allotted, who is anyone to say if Saddam didn't destroy/hide any proof or evidence of weapons. If they can hide this, who says they can't hide weapons? http://www.snopes.com/photos/military/sandplanes.asp And here is something else, not necessarily about the weapons. http://www.snopes.com/rumors/mural.php

Welcome!

Yeah, that's not such a bad fish...I'd consider it a fair catch if I caught it. Better than what I've caught this winter so far.

Agreed....to Russ and fast, reliable service!

I have a hard time believing that they have made so much errors. He certainly did make much better decisions than when Clinton was in office. Have you not noticed the Economy recently? All time high? This "all politicians are corrupt" thing doesn't fly with me. If politicians are only concerned about money, then this country wouldn't have lasted for centuries like it has. As for pulling out of the war, yes, now that we have successfully established a country in a place that was once oppressed by the grip of dictatorship, we can begin early plans for leaving the country sometime the end of next year, or even later. Contrary to what the media will have you believe, we are winning the war in Iraq, and the War on Terrorism. No matter what the latte sipping, overpaid brats in Hollywood will have you believe, the true heroes are the United States soldiers. Soldiers who will let you know that we are winning the war we are fighting. President Bush made his decision clear when he said that the U.S. would be invading Iraq and Afghanistan. Unlike a certain President who opted not to go after Saddam when he had the chance (cough * cough Clinton), President Bush stayed the course. Even after being hit with slanderous reports by the mainstream media, and being ridiculed and the such, the President and the U.S. soldiers have not lost their resolve. We should stand behind them and wish them well until the job is done, and they can come home.

The U.N. alerted the U.S. of nuclear capabilities that Saddam had. That is one of the reasons we invaded Iraq. Perhaps the three day warning we gave them gave them time to hide/destroy any weapons they had?