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I like to do a show of force over my house every other Wednesday just to make sure my neighbors know I'm serious.

I remember once in high school when a dentist told me there was no way to become a fighter pilot unless you were a personal friend of a congressman. Just like the dentist, your parents don't have a clue about this subject. I'm sure they mean no harm, but this is one time you should not listen to your parents at all. Never just accept "you can't do this," "it won't work," etc. Exhaust all possibilities and effort before giving up and moving onto something else. The medical screening process is NOT friendly to you and they are not looking to help you out. Don't lie to their face, but certainly DO NOT offer up information. Only answer exactly what they ask and nothing more. Do not hypothesis that you have any condition unless it is 100% documented by a medical professional. If you start a sentence with, "well when I was 5 yrs old I...," just stop. Giving every little, minor detail about your health will most likely only hurt you in the long run.

I agree! But that's the problem, we have too much f*#%ing Government and government control. God I hope so. Someone needs to draw a line in the sand over all of this spending.

Sorry congressman, but because someone doesn't do their job doesn't mean you stop doing yours and start playing thier game; you are mandated to pass a budget not "continuing resolutions". You have fallen again for the taxes now, spending cuts later which we have seen over and over again never come (republicans have been trying this since Regan), you refuse to learn the democrats will never keep their side of the deal. However, if history is any indication, when this comes up again you will cave again because you are more concerned with your supposed public perception and popularity (especially with a media that hates you and always will) than you are with actually doing the job your constituents sent you to do. You might be my representative, since he (and my senators) voted for it and sadly to say there is a time to say enough to this buffoonery and elect people who will have the determination to do what needs to be done, not give weeping speeches and then vote the other way. ETA: punctuation is important

I voted for this deal...definitely isnt the deal I would have authored, but I believe that the major tax increases that went into law with the expiration of the Bush tax cuts (Keep in mind even with GOP majorities and a GOP president they were never made permanent) would have been a massive shock to the economy, not to mention the defense cuts. There were some huge wins for the GOP, as mentioned the AMT fix, Doc fix, Estate tax exemptions. There were also some wins for Dems...namely unemployment and certain tax credits that were codified in the stimulus. The best way to grow revenue...isnt taxes. Its growth...so a recessed economy would have been counter productive to balancing the budget. The problem is that we have developed a government with entitlements that we simply cant afford. So...the spending fight is yet to come, with the debt limit and continuing resolutions. Those eager for a spending fight like me...its coming. We need to have a real discussion about entitlements, etc. Governing isnt easy, governing with a divided government is even more difficult...but the key word is "governing." We have to be responsible, fight to advance the goalpost but at the end of the day, Govern. Granted most in my party voted opposite me, but I feel at peace with my vote.

I agree...to solve the debt problem, balancing tax hikes with spending cuts is the only real option. The problem is that each side only wants to cut the other's side of the discretionary budget. No side seriously wants to restructure the nondiscretionary side like Medicare and Social Security. I don't think Congress has the balls to raise the Social Security retirement age to 67 or 70, nor do I think they'll figure out a fair way limit end-of-life Medicare spending in this session. I hope I'm wrong, but I have yet to see any politician stand up with graphs and charts to show the American public where spending is today, and what it will look like in 2030 if no changes are made, somewhat akin to Ross Perot's presidency run in 1992.

I see it as Americans wanting more from the Government than we are willing to pay for and inefficiencies in the government we have. We can't be a nation who ensures global harmony, provides a social safety net for those over 65, funds a healthcare system for the old and poor, puts men on Mars, makes post-secondary school more accessible to all, takes care of our veterans, and has low taxes when compared to the other G-8 countries. We can choose a high tax full-service government or we can choose a low tax minimal service government. I believe the full-service low tax government that we have had through the 2000s is no longer a valid option.

Here's my day-old glass of champagne assessment: Fixing AMT permanently is a huge relief for upper-middle income families. Progressive capital gains rates is a new idea for the country. Limits to deductions for the upper class will change the way the rich (er.. the smart rich) buy homes. The Medicare payment updates to docs is needed and should not be an annual issue like AMT once was if we ever want healthcare to stabilize....of course proper Medicare rates for each service/procedure could be a lifetime's work for many smart folks. Extending unemployment is probably necessary with national unemployment still high. I personally believe Americans are under taxed for the government we have...this is a small step towards righting the ship. Stand by for the spending fight in two months.

In the NDAA for FY 2013, there's a section that looks like it extends the 75 day excess leave carryover to end of FY 2015. Assuming the President signs this, am I understanding it right that I might not need to take 75 days of leave in FY 13? --------------- SEC. 521. EXTENSION OF TEMPORARY INCREASE IN ACCUMULATED LEAVE CARRYOVER FOR MEMBERS OF THE ARMED FORCES. Section 701(d) of title 10, United States Code, is amended by striking ‘September 30, 2013’ and inserting ‘September 30, 2015’. http://www.govtrack....112/hr4310/text

Why A German Pilot Escorted An American Bomber To Safety During World War II http://jalopnik.com/...ng-world-war-ii ...Things went from bad to worse for Brown and his crew. Falling behind the formation, Ye Olde Pub weathered merciless attacks from 15 German fighters. The bomber's machine guns got one of them, but the damage they sustained was immense. The tail gunner was killed and four were injured, including Brown, who caught a bullet fragment in his right shoulder. The only defensive guns left in service were the top turret and the nose gun, and the bomber's hydraulics and oxygen systems had also been knocked out. The plane went into a spiral, plummeting earthward. What happened next is according to the memory of Brown, who told interviewers years later that his mind was a bit hazy at the time; his shoulder was bleeding and he needed oxygen. "I either spiraled or spun and came out of the spin just above the ground. My only conscience memory was of dodging trees but I had nightmares for years and years about dodging buildings and then trees. I think the Germans thought that we had spun in and crashed." Ye Olde Pub was spared further harassment by enemy fighters. Somehow, he and the co-pilot managed to get the plane flying level again at about 1,000 feet of elevation. On the way out to the sea, Ye Olde Pub passed a German airfield. Lt. Franz Stigler, a Luftwaffe fighter pilot just in from shooting down two B-17s, saw Ye Olde Pub limp by. Naturally, he scrambled to give chase. But what he saw arrested any aggression he may have had. As he told interviewers in 1991, he was aghast at the amount of damage the bomber had sustained. Its nose cone was missing, it had several gaping holes in the fuselage. He could see crew members giving first aid to the wounded, and most of the plane's guns hung limp, unmanned as they were. "I saw his gunner lying in the back profusely bleeding….. so, I couldn't shoot. I tried to get him to land in Germany and he didn't react at all. So, I figured, well, turn him to Sweden, because his airplane was so shot up; I never saw anything flying so shot up." Stigler kept his distance, always staying out of the line of fire of the two guns still in service, but managed to fly within 20 feet of the bullet riddled B-17. He tried to contact Brown with hand signals. His message was simple: Land your plane in Germany and surrender or fly to Sweden. That heap will never make it back to England. A bewildered Brown stared back through his side window, not believing what he was seeing. He had already counted himself as a casualty numerous times. But this strange German pilot kept gesturing at him. There was no way he was going to land the plane, but the pilot stayed with him, keeping other attackers off until they reached the North Sea. When it was clear that Brown wasn't staying in Germany, Stigler saluted, peeled off, and flew out of Ye Olde Pub's nightmarish day.