DEMOCRATIC DEBATE Just a placeholder for discussion: I felt Warren was short-changed on ...

jerry99 comments on Jun 27, 2019:

Wash Post has a summary of winners and losers: Winners Elizabeth Warren: The Massachusetts senator went into the debate with the biggest target on her back as the highest-polling candidate onstage. But she largely skated. Other candidates didn’t seem to have the appetite to put her on the ...

TomMcGiverin replies on Jun 27, 2019:

I pretty much agree with their whole commentary.

Watching the first Dem debate.

genessa comments on Jun 26, 2019:

i did not see it as a game show at all, not even remotely. it didn't seem at all fake. why did it seem fake to you? we'll see how biden et al comport themselves tomorrow. but i like warren (and others) very much. g

TomMcGiverin replies on Jun 27, 2019:

@GreenAtheist Good one, Larry. You're up there with Black Jeapordy on SNL. That sketch always cracks me up....Here's my attempt at Dem Debate Jeapordy: Joe Biden- What is a doddering old fool who is today's Ronnie Raygun and is going to need life support tomorrow night from the moderators to even stay alive in the debate?? I'll take that for $500, Alex!

Watching the first Dem debate.

1of5 comments on Jun 26, 2019:

Anyone watch this on telemundo? I'm wondering if they're translating when they speak Spanish into English.

TomMcGiverin replies on Jun 27, 2019:

@thinktwice I watched it in English on NBC.

Watching the first Dem debate.

Normanbites comments on Jun 26, 2019:

So many candidates all sounding so much alike. 20 candidates in all. I can see how it might seem like a game show. My first inclination is to separate the "originals" from the "me too's" though who goes in which category is one element for debate. My "originals" are definitely Bernie and ...

TomMcGiverin replies on Jun 27, 2019:

@t1nick I had never seen Castro before and I agree with you, he really comes off as an authentic, decent human being, almost too much to be a pol. I can believe he has integrity, maybe that's why he's fairly unknown and low in the pols. Maybe I'm just too cynical?

Watching the first Dem debate.

LiterateHiker comments on Jun 27, 2019:

Elizabeth Warren really shone in tonight's Democratic debate! Warren is highly intelligent, warm, articulate and clear. She has deep understanding of America's problems and how to fix them. Also was impressed with Cory Booker and Beto O'Rourke.

TomMcGiverin replies on Jun 27, 2019:

I was also more impressed with Booker than I expected to be. I agree with you about Warren's intelligence and presentation. I just don't trust her to do the right thing if she got elected prez and started getting pressured by the corporatists and the establishment. She doesn't seem strong and principled enough based on how I've seen her change since Obama put her on the CFPB.

DEMOCRATIC DEBATE Just a placeholder for discussion: I felt Warren was short-changed on ...

jerry99 comments on Jun 26, 2019:

Funny Twitter thread: https://twitter.com/BGrueskin/status/1144057132075180032 Dem candidates as Airplane! cast members

TomMcGiverin replies on Jun 27, 2019:

@jerry99 I agree with you that his hair is odd. What Airplane character would he be?

DEMOCRATIC DEBATE Just a placeholder for discussion: I felt Warren was short-changed on ...

jerry99 comments on Jun 26, 2019:

Funny Twitter thread: https://twitter.com/BGrueskin/status/1144057132075180032 Dem candidates as Airplane! cast members

TomMcGiverin replies on Jun 27, 2019:

So who is the Robert Stack character of Captain Kramer? That would be my most amusing character...An arrogant, pompous asshole, hmmmm.....

DEMOCRATIC DEBATE Just a placeholder for discussion: I felt Warren was short-changed on ...

jerry99 comments on Jun 26, 2019:

John Delaney gets my vote for biggest asshole.

TomMcGiverin replies on Jun 27, 2019:

@thinktwice Warren really doesn't irritate me the way I've heard that she does a lot of people and maybe that's why she isn't as popular as Biden or Bernie in most polls. But she is going to get a lot of votes from the Hillary supporters simply because she is a white woman and those folks seem to only care about electing a white woman over everything else. It was interesting to hear that she is now back to supporting Medicare For All after backing away from it earlier. Probably saying she supports it now because she realizes she has to if she has any chance of beating Bernie for the nomination, which is just one example of why I don't trust her. She is more of an opportunist who will say and do what she needs to for her political ambition rather than be a consistent progressive like Bernie has for decades. I really see Warren as a tool, wittingly or unwittingly, of the Dem leaders and establishment to stop Bernie. The differences between her and Hillary is that Warren is less corrupt and far more convincing talking progressive than Hillary ever was trying to compete with Bernie last time. I believe Warren means most of what she says, but, like Hillary, I don't think for a minute that she would hold to much of it if she got elected prez.

Watching the first Dem debate.

Normanbites comments on Jun 26, 2019:

So many candidates all sounding so much alike. 20 candidates in all. I can see how it might seem like a game show. My first inclination is to separate the "originals" from the "me too's" though who goes in which category is one element for debate. My "originals" are definitely Bernie and ...

TomMcGiverin replies on Jun 26, 2019:

I have to say I have not heard much before about Gabbard, but I must admit that I came away impressed with her. She is a veteran who actually makes some sense. I could maybe see her as a VP candidate for someone like Bernie. If I were Bernie, I would never trust Warren enough to make her his running mate, but Gabbard might be worthy of that. I would need to learn more about her record on policy and votes. Norman, I think you've done a great analysis of the whole thing and nailed what are the most important issues.

Watching the first Dem debate.

zesty comments on Jun 26, 2019:

Unfortunately these assholes don't get killed at the end of the debate. Now, that would be a cool show!

TomMcGiverin replies on Jun 26, 2019:

I know you're joking zesty, but I really don't appreciate anybody joking about killing off any politicians at a debate. In my lifetime I have seen the assassinations of far too many people on my side of the spectrum, while on your side of the political spectrum almost nobody has ever been assassinated in the US. To lefties like me, after JFK, RFK, MLK, Malcom X, etc, we don't find that kind of thing very funny when our leaders keep getting whacked and none, or almost none of yours, ever is. Even I would not joke about having Trump killed. Maybe my side keeps losing leaders to assassination because in their cases the killer always has help, not so with those who shoot conservatives and usually fail to kill them, such as Ford, Reagan, and Wallace. In each case it really was a lone nutcase, not a conspiracy with a patsy or a team of shooters, that seems to be the diff between assassinations of lefty leaders vs. conservatives.

Watching the first Dem debate.

genessa comments on Jun 26, 2019:

i did not see it as a game show at all, not even remotely. it didn't seem at all fake. why did it seem fake to you? we'll see how biden et al comport themselves tomorrow. but i like warren (and others) very much. g

TomMcGiverin replies on Jun 26, 2019:

Well, by the end I will say I was more impressed with all of them, except the three I mentioned by name, than I expected to be,so I will take back some of my criticism on the content. The format and size of the group still reminds me more of a game show. I'll leave it at that and also that all but the three I mentioned would be an improvement on Trump, not that that should be the standard for getting my support.

Since my wife passed I've met many women but so far nothing clicked.

TomMcGiverin comments on Jun 26, 2019:

Wish I could say I have met many women, like you have. If I had, maybe I would have found someone right for me and be dating now instead of sitting on the sidelines being constantly rejected. I agree with the other guy, this is way too short for it to be a rant.

TomMcGiverin replies on Jun 26, 2019:

@UUNJ I've had it reviewed by a lot of people. I don't think that is the issue. I have changed it about a month ago on Match and removed it, but it has made no difference. I still have had no interest on Match from anyone I messaged since Feb.. It really is more about photos, looks, and not being mainstream culture and lifestyle for central Iowa. But not being from the Midwest, you wouldn't know anything about those last parts. You wouldn't know anything about my Match profile because my profile essay on here has always been very different from my one on Match, not because I am trying to reach a different type of woman, but because this site is a different audience than the women in my area on Match and what they are used to seeing on that site.

The Boomers Are to Blame for Aging America - The Atlantic

Gwendolyn2018 comments on Jun 25, 2019:

Soooo . . . I just lay down and die? Put me out to pasture?

TomMcGiverin replies on Jun 26, 2019:

@Gwendolyn2018 Glad to hear it.

The Boomers Are to Blame for Aging America - The Atlantic

Gwendolyn2018 comments on Jun 25, 2019:

Soooo . . . I just lay down and die? Put me out to pasture?

TomMcGiverin replies on Jun 26, 2019:

@Gwendolyn2018 My father died at 90 recently, but, to be honest, his health after his early 80s was not that good, so if I follow his timeline, which I seem to be so far healthwise, I hope I don't live beyond 85 and I doubt I will live beyond 80.

The Boomers Are to Blame for Aging America - The Atlantic

thinktwice comments on Jun 26, 2019:

Bunch of whiners that need to look how each generation works hard to contribute so that the future generations can benefit...better nutrition, better exercise, better supplements, better medical diagnosis, etc. etc. have contributed to longer life spans that will be even longer for the next group......

TomMcGiverin replies on Jun 26, 2019:

@Mb_Man I know I won't get any amens here for getting biblical with you all, but it seems like there have been people with their heads up their ass since time began, or at least in the time of Jesus. Something like what he was getting at in the New Testament when he talked about people who could not see the speck of wood in their brother's eye because of the huge wooden beam in their own........hee, hee....

The Boomers Are to Blame for Aging America - The Atlantic

oldFloyd comments on Jun 26, 2019:

Whether you win or lose it's how you place the blame.

TomMcGiverin replies on Jun 26, 2019:

Great paraphrase and play on the old saying about sportsmanship. My dysfunctional family had a similar attitude, namely, before we start worrying about how to solve the problem or situation, the most important thing is to first make sure we correctly place the blame..........

The Boomers Are to Blame for Aging America - The Atlantic

Gwendolyn2018 comments on Jun 25, 2019:

Soooo . . . I just lay down and die? Put me out to pasture?

TomMcGiverin replies on Jun 26, 2019:

@Gwendolyn2018 I sure hope it's much more than a few. We need you around to keep making trouble....

The Boomers Are to Blame for Aging America - The Atlantic

Deiter comments on Jun 26, 2019:

This has been my argument. Boomers were a disaster (and I'm one!). The worst presidents, the worst parents, all of it. I'd love to see Trump as our last of the boomer presidents.

TomMcGiverin replies on Jun 26, 2019:

@Deiter Yup, that too. I is what some call an over-educated fool. But in my mind, I'm very grateful and glad that I had that experience. It opened up the world even more for me and caused me to have a lifelong interest in learning. Even now I take college courses for older adults, unlike many people I have met that have never read a single book after high school or college, whichever they finished last. True intellectuals know that learning and education are about far more than just getting the credentials or union card for some job or career.

The Boomers Are to Blame for Aging America - The Atlantic

Deiter comments on Jun 26, 2019:

This has been my argument. Boomers were a disaster (and I'm one!). The worst presidents, the worst parents, all of it. I'd love to see Trump as our last of the boomer presidents.

TomMcGiverin replies on Jun 26, 2019:

@Deiter The operative word nowadays is "did". Mostly blue collar jobs, most of them driving jobs.

Since this is a quasi dating site, may I make a suggestion?

NoPlanetB comments on Jun 26, 2019:

Truth or not from them, you dodged a bullet there. Be happy you got off with your skin in tact. Sorry they were so crappy.

TomMcGiverin replies on Jun 26, 2019:

@lerlo I'm sorry you've got to that point of having such a thick skin. I'm glad that hasn't made you lose empathy or caring for the feelings of others. My feelings still get hurt and my hope for finding someone is pretty empty these days.

The Boomers Are to Blame for Aging America - The Atlantic

zesty comments on Jun 25, 2019:

The solution is socialism! Systematic denial of medical care from the elderly very nicely solves the problem. One of the stupidest article!

TomMcGiverin replies on Jun 26, 2019:

@zesty But even when you're nice, you're always a very bad girl, lol.....

Would Like A Response From Anti Trump Posters

TomMcGiverin comments on Jun 26, 2019:

I agree with everything said here by Trump's critics about the appropriateness of vulgarity and his deserving of it. I just don't get that involved in Trump bashing because I do my best to not get that focused on him or bitching about him either as I know it won't change anything by itself, that it ...

TomMcGiverin replies on Jun 26, 2019:

@thinktwice Ah, a fellow hipster. My favorite, of course, is Pulp Fiction( the theological musings of Samuel L. Jackson's character being my favorite part), but your fav is a close second. I can't wait to see what he does with the next Star Trek..... I'm told by a friend who is a Trekkie to not expect his usual type of violence or language because Tarantino is known so far for respecting the genre types that he has been branching out into lately but, still, I'm sure this will not be your usual Trek movie.

Would Like A Response From Anti Trump Posters

TomMcGiverin comments on Jun 26, 2019:

I agree with everything said here by Trump's critics about the appropriateness of vulgarity and his deserving of it. I just don't get that involved in Trump bashing because I do my best to not get that focused on him or bitching about him either as I know it won't change anything by itself, that it ...

TomMcGiverin replies on Jun 26, 2019:

@thinktwice Thanks, Louise. Besides, I like Tarantino's films a lot, so maybe I enjoy imitating his art some in my conversation, lol......Of course, I limit my Tarantino speak in person to people I already know that can handle it or share my enjoyment of such expression.

The Boomers Are to Blame for Aging America - The Atlantic

zesty comments on Jun 25, 2019:

The solution is socialism! Systematic denial of medical care from the elderly very nicely solves the problem. One of the stupidest article!

TomMcGiverin replies on Jun 26, 2019:

@zesty Done zesty..Be nice now....

Would Like A Response From Anti Trump Posters

SeaGreenEyez comments on Jun 26, 2019:

He deserves NO better. That's why.

TomMcGiverin replies on Jun 26, 2019:

Love the pic of the cute cat flipping the bird!

The Boomers Are to Blame for Aging America - The Atlantic

TommyNIK comments on Jun 26, 2019:

Nonsense. The AEI is a right wing business group who eschews regulation.

TomMcGiverin replies on Jun 26, 2019:

That was one of my points. They also have no use for taxes either.

The Boomers Are to Blame for Aging America - The Atlantic

Pictishpup comments on Jun 26, 2019:

What is a Boomer ?? <> A child born in the 60's ?? Blame ? Hang on a min there . Aging America can blame time, not a generation of people for the age they are. In my experience it is only privileged children and self created people from that era, that are now causing a lot of problems for the ...

TomMcGiverin replies on Jun 26, 2019:

Quite true and thank you for the analysis. I was so disgusted by all of my foolish fellow Americans who continue to be conned by identity politics, thinking that if we elected a black man like Obama or a woman like Hillary, that it would really change anything about the system or how our country was run. What fools! Before you know it, TPTB will be selling us a presidential candidate that is a gay Hispanic male in order to suck in all the liberals who think the key is just electing the most diverse type of identity group member, instead of dealing with the real problem of capitalism and control of the society by the 1%.

The Boomers Are to Blame for Aging America - The Atlantic

zesty comments on Jun 25, 2019:

The solution is socialism! Systematic denial of medical care from the elderly very nicely solves the problem. One of the stupidest article!

TomMcGiverin replies on Jun 26, 2019:

@zesty We'll have to disagree on this zesty.

The Boomers Are to Blame for Aging America - The Atlantic

Deiter comments on Jun 26, 2019:

This has been my argument. Boomers were a disaster (and I'm one!). The worst presidents, the worst parents, all of it. I'd love to see Trump as our last of the boomer presidents.

TomMcGiverin replies on Jun 26, 2019:

@Deiter Just unlucky, I guess. Seriously tho, there are several reasons I stayed rather than leave. Two of them being that my parents lived here and that I always had friends here. My parents tho, were certainly not encouraging of me becoming progressive. Also, I realized early in my adult life that I wasn't tough, talented, or courageous enough to try moving away and trying to start over and compete economically and job-wise in some city elsewhere that was more hip or progressive. I had known other people who had left Iowa when they were young for more progressive pastures and they usually ended up living poor and working in shit jobs even in middle age. i wasn't willing to make that trade-off or worse risk ending up homeless. How did I end up progressive in Iowa? I lucked into making the right friends, beginning as a teenager, and learning from them that it was possible to think for yourself and not just accept the mainstream BS that Iowa society taught everyone about how to (not) think and what to think about anyone who was different than straight, white conservative, traditional Christian folks. Most of those friends left Iowa when they were young, some of them stayed. Going to college exposed me to even more of those types of folks as well.

The Boomers Are to Blame for Aging America - The Atlantic

Gwendolyn2018 comments on Jun 25, 2019:

Soooo . . . I just lay down and die? Put me out to pasture?

TomMcGiverin replies on Jun 26, 2019:

@Gwendolyn2018 I really hope it doesn't come to that for you, Gwen. I like your spirit.

The Boomers Are to Blame for Aging America - The Atlantic

zesty comments on Jun 25, 2019:

The solution is socialism! Systematic denial of medical care from the elderly very nicely solves the problem. One of the stupidest article!

TomMcGiverin replies on Jun 26, 2019:

@zesty I think you may be mixing or confusing socialists with communists. They are not the same thing, even tho they are lumped together in the minds of most people.

Those with "fussy eaters" will understand:

Jnei comments on Jun 26, 2019:

One of my colleagues got a new cat a couple of years back, and one day after work we stopped off to get some groceries. When she bought him, she was told he'd been fed on Felix, one of the top-selling brands of cat food, but this shop didn't have any. "Oh, I'll just get any brand, he'll eat it if...

TomMcGiverin replies on Jun 26, 2019:

Erases any doubt about who's in charge, the cat, not the hooman...

Who else here lives on a basic income?

TomMcGiverin comments on Jun 25, 2019:

I get $1400 a month in Social Security benefits, so that is my basic income. I live pretty simply and frugally, always have. I won't say how much I have in savings and retirement funds, because that's nobody's business, but I have enough between what I saved and inherited, that I can supplement my ...

TomMcGiverin replies on Jun 26, 2019:

@Ms_McSteven Not surprising.Some of that could be prudent self-protection, on the part of the well-off members here since the older members tend to be targets of dating site scammers.

The Boomers Are to Blame for Aging America - The Atlantic

Deiter comments on Jun 26, 2019:

This has been my argument. Boomers were a disaster (and I'm one!). The worst presidents, the worst parents, all of it. I'd love to see Trump as our last of the boomer presidents.

TomMcGiverin replies on Jun 26, 2019:

I agree that you are right about the overall behavior of the generation, esp. after 1980 as most Boomers sold out and went to work for corporate America and supported Reagan, etc., but there were also many exceptions, including me, that continued to support social progress and greater equality. I do hope you are right about Trump being the last one.

The Cruelty Is the Point - The Atlantic

Charlene comments on Jun 25, 2019:

Nothing has changed 1 iota..except now It authorized by the state through the police force..

TomMcGiverin replies on Jun 26, 2019:

If you're talking about the abuse of blacks by cruel white folks, yes, you're right about that. Nowadays, instead of having to wear sheets to hide their identity while killing or beating black people, they can openly do that if they are a cop in many cities. Yes, in a lot of ways, the cops have replaced the Klan in serving as the societal force to terrorize black people and keep them in line. Too bad the Black Panther movement was killed off.

The Boomers Are to Blame for Aging America - The Atlantic

Gwendolyn2018 comments on Jun 25, 2019:

Soooo . . . I just lay down and die? Put me out to pasture?

TomMcGiverin replies on Jun 26, 2019:

Somehow, Gwen, I don't see you going quietly and passively into being put on that ice floe.....As Hannibel Lecter said to Clarice Starling at the end of The Silence Of The Lambs, I find this world way more interesting with you in it than without.....

The Boomers Are to Blame for Aging America - The Atlantic

zesty comments on Jun 25, 2019:

The solution is socialism! Systematic denial of medical care from the elderly very nicely solves the problem. One of the stupidest article!

TomMcGiverin replies on Jun 26, 2019:

I realize you're being whimsical, as usual, but it's Repubs, not socialists, that are in favor of death panels or the systematic denial of medical care to the elderly, with, of course, the silent collusion of the establishment, corporate Dems as well. True socialists would start with cutting the military budget way down and instead moving the money into education, health care, and infrastructure. But where would the fun and extreme profit be in that for the 1%? That's why it doesn't happen under the present system. Got to keep plenty of desperate, poor people available to exploit for profit and do the shit jobs in the society as well as fill the private prisons and serve in the so-called volunteer military.

Who else here lives on a basic income?

Ms_McSteven comments on Jun 25, 2019:

There's nothing basic about my income. I get a decent hourly wage, but my paid hours can be anywhere from 0 - 40, on a school-year schedule. My days are chopped into split shifts, so a 40 hour week might mean I'm tethered to my job from 6 AM to 6 PM. It's also mentally exhausting, so a second job...

TomMcGiverin replies on Jun 26, 2019:

@Ms_McSteven The general manager that quit in April was very committed to fairness both in putting open routes up for bid based on seniority and also making the trip bidding process fair and open to all the drivers. One reason I transferred from Ames to Ankeny and moved from one town to near the other one was that at Ames the GM was just like you described, the same few people got all the trips. I even knew one driver at Ames that threatened to quit because he wasn't getting trips and the GM called his bluff and wouldn't budge on giving him trips so the guy actually did quit in between semesters. That same GM later got fired after most of his drivers quit at the end of the summer-because he was such a dick- and left the bus center with a huge shortage right before school started. The company almost lost the contract with the schools, but they managed to hold onto it, barely. It was a total clusterfuck then and the same thing is going to happen where I used to work until I retired. Most of their drivers will quit at the end of this summer and leave that bus center with a cluster at the start of this next school year. I hope your grievance works, but in my experience those don't work at all, unless you are a school district employee rather than a third party employee of a company contracted for busing.

Who else here lives on a basic income?

Ms_McSteven comments on Jun 25, 2019:

There's nothing basic about my income. I get a decent hourly wage, but my paid hours can be anywhere from 0 - 40, on a school-year schedule. My days are chopped into split shifts, so a 40 hour week might mean I'm tethered to my job from 6 AM to 6 PM. It's also mentally exhausting, so a second job...

TomMcGiverin replies on Jun 25, 2019:

@Ms_McSteven I totally hear you. There are so few jobs that will hire anyone over their late 40s even, besides fast food, food service for govt. or schools, or corporate cafeterias, but of course all the food service stuff is outsourced so you'll never get benefits. Home health is the other area hiring older people besides driving jobs that are PT, no benefits. Home health is not easy work either, but if the pay and hours are good, go for it. I didn't like the kids as much as you do, but I love my sleep now and like you I was also trying to work another job with it for a while and then I just gave up on that and instead started driving field trips and sports trips besides my route to add more money. I always loved driving and had several driving jobs before the bus job.

Who else here lives on a basic income?

Ms_McSteven comments on Jun 25, 2019:

There's nothing basic about my income. I get a decent hourly wage, but my paid hours can be anywhere from 0 - 40, on a school-year schedule. My days are chopped into split shifts, so a 40 hour week might mean I'm tethered to my job from 6 AM to 6 PM. It's also mentally exhausting, so a second job...

TomMcGiverin replies on Jun 25, 2019:

I was driving a school bus, like you, for several years until I retired about a year and a half ago when I could finally afford it. Most years I grossed somewhere in the low 20ks, including unemployment benefits during the summers as I worked for a contractor instead of directly for the school district. That way they could screw us out of benefits. Even tho the hourly pay was pretty high, it was a hard way to earn a living with the early hours and the hard winters. Then you add in the BS of the kids, the school district officials and principals not backing up the drivers on discipline issues, and finally the bus company's bullshit, I had had enough. I have too much free time and boredom, but never do I miss that job or regret leaving. I recently ran into the main office person from that job, a great lady who also had enough over the years and was the one holding that place together. She said that she and the longtime general manager had both quit together back in April with a two week notice over how shitty things had become and because the GM turned 65 and could go on Medicare finally. The office lady quit with her because she didn't need to work and was only staying on to support the GM thru the end of her time there. I can't wait to hear about the shit hitting the fan when all the drivers I used to work with that said they would all quit if these two ladies retired end up quitting right before school starts again in August. It will give the company and the school district exactly what they deserve for understaffing the office all these years and the school officials not supporting the drivers. I will be happy for you too, MM, once you are no longer struggling to get by financially. Most of my former co-workers were in the same boat as you, too young for Medicare and Soc. Sec., but too old to ever get hired for a FT job with benefits in this economy of pervasive age discrimination. So school bus driving became the best option for most of us in our 50s and early 60s with the job market being what it has become.

Name Something Christians say when they know they are losing an argument with an atheist.

Gareth comments on Jun 25, 2019:

You'll be sorry when you're dead. :D

TomMcGiverin replies on Jun 25, 2019:

"I doubt I will, as I will be in a state of nothingness, but I sure am sorry I ever spoke to you". Bah-dum.. Tip your waiters and waitresses, I'll be here all week.......

Who else here lives on a basic income?

SeaGreenEyez comments on Jun 25, 2019:

😂😂😂😂 You're not American. No such thing here.

TomMcGiverin replies on Jun 25, 2019:

I am guessing what he is asking is whether anyone on Agnostic is living solely on what Americans refer to as a fixed income, such as SS, disability payments, a pension, or some other limited income instead of earned income from still being working. If I'm misunderstanding that, hopefully the OP will come back and correct me. He seems to be trying to get an idea how many members here are no longer working and instead are living off of a fixed income where they have to limit their spending and cannot take on any debt because they are no longer earning a living. That is the main distinction between being younger and still working and earning a living, you have the option of taking on debt, at least to some degree, and can live beyond your means if you do so, tho it's not a good idea in the long run for most people. Once you are older and retired, you have to be careful with a fixed income so you don't outlive your money.

Name Something Christians say when they know they are losing an argument with an atheist.

JimG comments on Jun 25, 2019:

"But what if you're wrong?" "That's not what the scriptures says." "You're just angry at god."

TomMcGiverin replies on Jun 25, 2019:

" What if you're wrong".. I've heard that one a lot and my response is the same ? back to them. They refuse to consider that possibility and I walk away saying that we are each only responsible for ourselves, nobody else and that we'll both find out when we die. Until then, it will be unknown. I also like #3, " You're just angry at God", to which, if I had already bothered arguing with them at all, would probably lead me to say, "Nope I'm not angry at a god I don't believe in, but I sure am tired of idiots like you".

Yesterday's Taboos Now Gone 01.

TomMcGiverin comments on Jun 24, 2019:

Currently it is taboo to oppose any part of PC, even when it's carried to a ridiculous extreme. Also Boxdoc is right about criticizing or even disagreeing with many feminists gets you labeled as a misogynist.

TomMcGiverin replies on Jun 25, 2019:

@OwlInASack No problem. I bought two other shirts from them as well. One was a cute funny one of a cat dressed like an old school rapper labeled The Notorious C.A.T. wearing a gold chain and hat. Proves that I'm not always serious and angry. The other shirt was a slam on mainstream culture and lifestyle in Iowa that said " Iowa- A Black Hole That You Will Never Escape From, But A Great Black Hole To Raise Kids In". I guess you have to live somewhere like here as a childfree adult to get it......

I'm categorizing this under Religion and Spirituality for lack of a better one.

TheoryNumber3 comments on Jun 24, 2019:

It makes you wonder whose funeral it is... the deceased... Or Jesus' But this brings to mind something that happened years ago in my family. My husband's grandparents were devout catholics. Every week they put cash in the bucket they pass around the congregation. When my husband's grandfather ...

TomMcGiverin replies on Jun 25, 2019:

That kind of cruel hypocrisy is shameful....Everybody who knew the deceased should have boycotted that church once word got out about the priest's "pay to play" bullshit excuse for not letting him be buried there....

I'm categorizing this under Religion and Spirituality for lack of a better one.

TomMcGiverin comments on Jun 24, 2019:

Since I live in Iowa, which is semi-Bible Belt, I have run into this a lot over the years from attending funerals. I guess I just don't get too fazed over it as it seems to be SOP for any Christian church doing a funeral. So I just show up out of respect, love, or friendship with the deceased and ...

TomMcGiverin replies on Jun 24, 2019:

@IAMGROOT No problem, Dana. You seem like a cool dude...I agree that if I wanted to hear their sermons, I'd show up on Sunday.

Yesterday's Taboos Now Gone 01.

TomMcGiverin comments on Jun 24, 2019:

Currently it is taboo to oppose any part of PC, even when it's carried to a ridiculous extreme. Also Boxdoc is right about criticizing or even disagreeing with many feminists gets you labeled as a misogynist.

TomMcGiverin replies on Jun 24, 2019:

@OwlInASack I dunno Owl, it just seemed to be a good message on the shirt, namely that Thoughts And Prayers are a bullshit response to problems that should instead be addressed by social movements, organizing for power, and trying to change laws. Your mileage may vary..... What exactly is your beef with me here?

I'm categorizing this under Religion and Spirituality for lack of a better one.

TomMcGiverin comments on Jun 24, 2019:

Since I live in Iowa, which is semi-Bible Belt, I have run into this a lot over the years from attending funerals. I guess I just don't get too fazed over it as it seems to be SOP for any Christian church doing a funeral. So I just show up out of respect, love, or friendship with the deceased and ...

TomMcGiverin replies on Jun 24, 2019:

@IAMGROOT I understand your disgust and agree with how impersonal those services are. I guess one way I coped with it was to put a lot of thought and work into planning the memorial service for my late wife, which earned me a lot of compliments from people who attended it, even from Christians, for how well it expressed her personality and honored her life. They all said it was very personal and reflective of how she was. I have also planned my own the same way and hope that it turns out equally well, but I won't be around to see it. I'll just have to trust my friends, the Unitarian church, and the funeral home to carry it out my way, but it gives me peace of mind to know I have already planned it out and that it won't involve my Christian siblings, who I am estranged from, having any say about how the service is done. I can tell you that it gives me a chuckle and a warm feeling to know that it will include not only a Lou Reed song (What's Good) to open it, but also Hallelujah by Leonard Cohen, while finishing with The Circle Game by Joni Mitchell as a sing-along. Yeah, I know that's a little twisted, but not as much as a buddy of mine that's going to have Monty Python's Always Look On The Bright Side Of Life played at his funeral. Not exactly the Roman Catholic funeral mass for either of us, lol.

Sunday schools. Is it a form of child abuse?

TomMcGiverin comments on Jun 24, 2019:

I've never been a parent and I've never wanted to be one. So maybe I'm not qualified to have an opinion here, but as a citizen and an adult who votes, I don't want to see a theocracy for a government nor do I want a government that bans religion or takes away the rights of parents to raise their ...

TomMcGiverin replies on Jun 24, 2019:

@lookinhard Thank you. I haven't heard it used before, but I like your phrase "reign our shit in", it's catchy and makes sense in this case.

Propaganda Is The Root Of All Our Problems [caitlinjohnstone.

TomMcGiverin comments on Jun 23, 2019:

This article says what I have thought and said for many years. The duopoly, as Ralph Nader told us long ago, continues to win as long as most voters stay locked in the two party system. I think that even millions of our eligible voters who no longer vote do so because they have given up hope on ...

TomMcGiverin replies on Jun 24, 2019:

@William_Mary Disturbing, isn't it? That is why I think Bernie will think long and hard about not picking anyone who is corruptible as a running mate should he somehow get the nomination. It will not be Warren, as he has no reason to trust her after she refused to back him last time, instead she helped Hillary in spite of Warren knowing how corrupt and neo-liberal Hillary was. My guess is he would pick a woman who is less known but totally uncorruptible.

Propaganda Is The Root Of All Our Problems [caitlinjohnstone.

TomMcGiverin comments on Jun 23, 2019:

This article says what I have thought and said for many years. The duopoly, as Ralph Nader told us long ago, continues to win as long as most voters stay locked in the two party system. I think that even millions of our eligible voters who no longer vote do so because they have given up hope on ...

TomMcGiverin replies on Jun 24, 2019:

@William_Mary If I were him, I would take threats seriously, as even the top law enforcement agencies may not always be able to protect you, or even want to protect you, if you piss off the wrong powerful people. For example Mel Carnahan of Missouri or Paul Wellstone of Minnesota, both US senators who died in small plane crashes after they pissed off Cheney by opposing the Iraq War. I think they were both assassinated, but, like the real story of what happened on 9-11, we'll never know. I've got a feeling that if Bernie were elected and he had, for example, someone like Liz Warren as his running mate, he might easily suffer a conveniently arranged heart attack with the help of one of our intelligence agencies so she could play LBJ to his JFK and give the corporate boys all the cooperation they asked for.

Propaganda Is The Root Of All Our Problems [caitlinjohnstone.

TomMcGiverin comments on Jun 23, 2019:

This article says what I have thought and said for many years. The duopoly, as Ralph Nader told us long ago, continues to win as long as most voters stay locked in the two party system. I think that even millions of our eligible voters who no longer vote do so because they have given up hope on ...

TomMcGiverin replies on Jun 24, 2019:

@William_Mary I'm very lame at getting snark, so maybe you need to explain for me. What do you mean by the Bill reference? I agree that if Bernie had taken up Jill Stein's offer of running with her as a Green, he might have won because he was already very well known and the Greens were already on the ballot for prez in every state. But he caved and endorsed Killary which was letting us all down. Some say he did it because the Dems threatened him and his family, others say he did it to keep his working relationship with the Dems in the Senate. Either way, I'm sure he knows it wasn't right and he probably regrets it, but did it to fight another day. I don't think I can agree with you about the Greens or SEP becoming winners in big time elections, not as long as most of the sheeple still think like MikeIN BatonRouge. What is SEP, in case I am guessing wrong?

Yesterday's Taboos Now Gone 01.

TomMcGiverin comments on Jun 24, 2019:

Currently it is taboo to oppose any part of PC, even when it's carried to a ridiculous extreme. Also Boxdoc is right about criticizing or even disagreeing with many feminists gets you labeled as a misogynist.

TomMcGiverin replies on Jun 24, 2019:

@greyeyed123 I recently bought a T-shirt from a local snark store that bashes that whole fake response to mass shootings and other real social problems.

We can all live without God, but what is one thing you can't live without?

1of5 comments on Jun 23, 2019:

My wife. Life would be empty without her.

TomMcGiverin replies on Jun 24, 2019:

@linxminx Tried Meetup groups. It really doesn't improve one's odds of meeting someone to date because in my experience, it's the same women there that are on the dating sites. So you are meeting the same people. That's why I am just sticking with the Meetup groups that interest me for themselves, not joining ones that don't interest me because I might or might not meet any women there. Also, Meetup groups by their nature are very fleeting. I have joined three of them that dissolved after meeting for less than two years. One of them never even met once, another met only once. I joined a fourth one about three years ago and quit going after about a year because it was always the same few people, who were all way younger than me and all the group ever met for was to play trivia once a month, even tho it was supposed to be more varied than that.I am currently attending one that is for single and divorced people, altho they allow widowers like me too, but it is pretty much divorced people, mostly women who are way younger than me and all of them Christians who are also in Meetup Christian singles groups as well. So, no hipsters there for me to relate to and connect with. Also, that group pretty much doesn't offer much opportunity now for connecting and socializing at their monthly events, which are just classes about dating led by the group's organizer, a dating and relationship coach who is using the classes to promote her coaching business. I have no illusions about this situation with that group.

We can all live without God, but what is one thing you can't live without?

MsHoliday comments on Jun 24, 2019:

I can live without love but it is a constant push pull. I do want love in my life and after four serious attempts, I don’t want to face that again.

TomMcGiverin replies on Jun 24, 2019:

@InSaNe_97 Everybody see the difference? She is saying much the same thing as bobw above, but notice the difference in how she is treated by this poster instead of Jolanta? Ah, the different standards applied for each gender regarding "neediness".

We can all live without God, but what is one thing you can't live without?

bobwjr comments on Jun 24, 2019:

A girlfriend

TomMcGiverin replies on Jun 24, 2019:

@Jolanta And here she is, right on cue. Time to block.....

We can all live without God, but what is one thing you can't live without?

TomMcGiverin comments on Jun 24, 2019:

Music. If I went deaf, I would probably be suicidal about never being able to hear music again.

TomMcGiverin replies on Jun 24, 2019:

@JacobMeyers That is true for me as well. I would still be able to "hear" the music in my head. Just like the character of Andy in The Shawshank Redemption could hear Mozart's music in his head while he spent his time in solitary confinement for playing the music over the prison loudspeaker.

Voting . . . . Useless as a screen door on a submarine.

QuidamOutrepont comments on Jun 23, 2019:

Collecting taxes and giving away the money to corporations, that's pretty much all our governments seems to do nowadays.

TomMcGiverin replies on Jun 24, 2019:

Well yes, there are those things and then also waging permanent warfare around the globe for oil and empire, that's important too.

We can all live without God, but what is one thing you can't live without?

bobwjr comments on Jun 24, 2019:

A girlfriend

TomMcGiverin replies on Jun 24, 2019:

Thank you for being a lot more brutally honest than most people here. It takes guts for a someone to say that knowing how common it is here for someone to get attacked or labeled as needy or defective for wanting to be in a relationship again. Here comes the chorus of how you need to love yourself first and all that bullshit.......

We can all live without God, but what is one thing you can't live without?

1of5 comments on Jun 23, 2019:

My wife. Life would be empty without her.

TomMcGiverin replies on Jun 24, 2019:

@1of5 Glad it worked out for you. It truly is a lottery. My late wife and I had a long, good and happy relationship and marriage. She was not mentally ill, she just developed dementia in 2011 and the rest was mostly suffering for both of us followed by her death. So I share some of your experience, but not all of it.

We can all live without God, but what is one thing you can't live without?

1of5 comments on Jun 23, 2019:

My wife. Life would be empty without her.

TomMcGiverin replies on Jun 24, 2019:

Trust me, that's how it often feels, no matter how hard I try to find new things to do or fill my life up to replace her part in my life. And the worst part is being treated as defective or suddenly no longer competent for a relationship or desirable to date for being honest about feeling empty or depressed about being alone thru death and wanting to be in a relationship again. People can be very judgmental and cruel about experiences they have not lived themselves. I am just as competent and capable of loving someone and being a good partner as I was years ago. The difference is that after two years of rejection with online dating, I no longer have the confidence about myself and hope about finding someone again that I had two years ago.

Propaganda Is The Root Of All Our Problems [caitlinjohnstone.

TomMcGiverin comments on Jun 23, 2019:

This article says what I have thought and said for many years. The duopoly, as Ralph Nader told us long ago, continues to win as long as most voters stay locked in the two party system. I think that even millions of our eligible voters who no longer vote do so because they have given up hope on ...

TomMcGiverin replies on Jun 24, 2019:

@MikeInBatonRouge And you're full of it. Enjoy being blocked.

Who is planning to watch the Dem primary debates next week?

GreenAtheist comments on Jun 22, 2019:

@HowieHawkins20 is out to break the political backs of both polluter parties with the skill of someone able to actually be an honest President vetoing all corporations welfare

TomMcGiverin replies on Jun 23, 2019:

@GreenAtheist I remember that about Nader. It just went to show how scared the major parties were of him getting anywhere near the debate for fear he might interrupt it and start pointing out the truth. I think that Jill Stein was not allowed anywhere near the debates between Hillary and Trump.

Who is planning to watch the Dem primary debates next week?

GreenAtheist comments on Jun 22, 2019:

@HowieHawkins20 is out to break the political backs of both polluter parties with the skill of someone able to actually be an honest President vetoing all corporations welfare

TomMcGiverin replies on Jun 23, 2019:

@GreenAtheist I don't think it's so much that other corporations bribe the corporate news media to censor or ignore progressive or truthful candidates, it's just that both groups have shared interests and a shared agenda of maintaining the status quo of the system by keeping power between the two corrupt major parties. So the media supports the corporations in everything they do instead of workers and the interests of the masses.

Propaganda Is The Root Of All Our Problems [caitlinjohnstone.

TomMcGiverin comments on Jun 23, 2019:

This article says what I have thought and said for many years. The duopoly, as Ralph Nader told us long ago, continues to win as long as most voters stay locked in the two party system. I think that even millions of our eligible voters who no longer vote do so because they have given up hope on ...

TomMcGiverin replies on Jun 23, 2019:

@MikeInBatonRouge Believe and practice what you want. If parties want my vote, they can earn it. Until then, I will not encourage them in their game. Third party candidates can and have won elections around the country where they did not need big money to be competitive, so no, I will not cave into your arguement for voting the lesser evil. Irresponsibility is continuing to vote for the same shit or evil and expecting something different to magically happen. The Dems continue to move to the right and will continue to do so as long as most sheeple mindlessly waste their free right to vote on the two party system instead of voting for other parties who have actual honest, unbought people to choose from that are in touch with ordinary people and responsive to us, not the rich and corporations. Those mindless sheeple who don't question the system and demand better are the irresponsible ones, not me.... My hunch is that if the sheeple woke up and started voting third party for prez and congressional elections, the ruling class would suddenly lose control of the system and impose a military crackdown with martial law, ala Chile after Allende was elected. And if so, maybe that would be good for the US, as it's time we finally fought these pricks and their hired military in the streets once and for all....

Propaganda Is The Root Of All Our Problems [caitlinjohnstone.

MikeInBatonRouge comments on Jun 23, 2019:

Wow! That is a lot to unpack, maybe too much. I agree with some of it but remain dubious about some. I can agree government is frought with corruption, as is news media. It has gotten even worse since the wretched Citizens United Supreme Court decision. Biden, to me, represents a friendly "guy"...

TomMcGiverin replies on Jun 23, 2019:

I think you are somewhat naive to be so doubtful of conspiracy that is, if not in activity, is clearly there in shared purpose among the players.

Who is planning to watch the Dem primary debates next week?

GreenAtheist comments on Jun 22, 2019:

@HowieHawkins20 is out to break the political backs of both polluter parties with the skill of someone able to actually be an honest President vetoing all corporations welfare

TomMcGiverin replies on Jun 23, 2019:

@GreenAtheist I voted for Jill Stein last time in the general election and I will vote Green again this time in the general if the Dems nominate another corporate candidate. I don't play that lesser evil crap...

Who is planning to watch the Dem primary debates next week?

SeaGreenEyez comments on Jun 23, 2019:

I'll DVR for later, after I get spoilers so I can be prepared for the nonsense and the rigged questions meant to prop Biden, skewer Sanders.

TomMcGiverin replies on Jun 23, 2019:

That's what I'm doing.That's why I'm skeptical of Bernie winning the nomination, because he is not only fighting the party leaders and establishment, he is also fighting the whole corporate media, who are the ones running the debates.

Who is planning to watch the Dem primary debates next week?

bobwjr comments on Jun 23, 2019:

Going to go to a few watch parties by democrats I work with should be interesting and there will be alcohol YES 👍and women could be fun

TomMcGiverin replies on Jun 23, 2019:

Sounds worthwhile. I hope you meet someone to date there.

Who is planning to watch the Dem primary debates next week?

Athena comments on Jun 22, 2019:

Oh, I'll be watching alright. With popcorn.

TomMcGiverin replies on Jun 23, 2019:

@Athena I knew and told people after Bernie got screwed that Hillary would lose to Trump but nobody wanted to hear it or believe me. This time, I still believe the same thing, that any corporate Dem will lose to Trump. And I honestly believe that the Dem establishment and leaders would rather lose to Trump than nominate a real progressive. I really do not trust Warren as she gets more corporate and centrist every day. If she were really an honest, genuine progressive, she would have endorsed Bernie last time instead of Hillary, but instead she was more interested in preserving her own political future ambitions. So now she is serving the interests of the party leaders by splitting the votes of progressives with Bernie and drawing away women voters from him, just like last time, who are so obsessed with having a female prez regardless of how corrupt, centrist, etc. It worked last time against Bernie, and I really think she is sort of a stalking horse this time to stop Bernie. I am hoping that Biden shows his age and cluelessness fairly quickly in the debates and fades away once he loses his support that is solely based on name recognition. As far as Warren and the other Dem candidates who talk progressive, but don't have a record to back it up, I don't trust them at all because it's obvious they are just saying what they think they have to say, with the exception of Biden, to get the support of Bernie's type of voter. Hillary did the same thing last time and was lying thru her teeth. So I trust no one if they weren't already walking the walk long ago, like Bernie, instead of adopting the progressive talk in the last couple years just to compete with Bernie and mimic AOC.

Why do so many women suffer from 'Bad Boy Syndrome'? Is stable too boring?

TomMcGiverin comments on Jun 22, 2019:

I'm not a woman, but that seems like too sweeping a generalization. Also, I think that women being attracted to Bad Boys, when it does occur, is more often something that occurs when they are younger, rather than middle-aged or older. Will be interesting to hear the women weigh in on this. My guess ...

TomMcGiverin replies on Jun 23, 2019:

@GreatNani I'm content and satisfied with average looks that are at least attractive to me, kind, humorous, some amount of adventurous, and affectionate. Charming and fun are bonuses that I don't require. Intelligence goes without saying for all of us intellectuals that are here.

Who is planning to watch the Dem primary debates next week?

GreenAtheist comments on Jun 22, 2019:

@HowieHawkins20 is out to break the political backs of both polluter parties with the skill of someone able to actually be an honest President vetoing all corporations welfare

TomMcGiverin replies on Jun 23, 2019:

@GreenAtheist I have seen one of hers near Iowa City and another outside Des Moines in a farm area.

Who is planning to watch the Dem primary debates next week?

Athena comments on Jun 22, 2019:

Oh, I'll be watching alright. With popcorn.

TomMcGiverin replies on Jun 23, 2019:

@Athena I want him to also, but I volunteered for him last time and I won't do that again during the primary and watch him get screwed again by the party. It would break my heart to go thru all that again. I will support him during the Iowa caucus, but that's it this time unless he gets the nomination. If by some miracle he does, I will volunteer for him in the general election. But I really doubt the Dem leaders and establishment will let him win the nomination.

Who is planning to watch the Dem primary debates next week?

GreenAtheist comments on Jun 22, 2019:

@HowieHawkins20 is out to break the political backs of both polluter parties with the skill of someone able to actually be an honest President vetoing all corporations welfare

TomMcGiverin replies on Jun 23, 2019:

@GreenAtheist So, you're pissed at all the Dem candidates? Please specify who you're mad at Larry.

Has anyone actually tried using this app as a means of dating?

Aryn comments on Jun 22, 2019:

It was better before they changed the format a couple of months ago, now it’s just facebook.

TomMcGiverin replies on Jun 23, 2019:

When and how did the format change? I just notice that when I try to do a member search of women in my area that are my age range and interested in dating, it won't let me make the mileage limit any lower than miles away, which shows what a joke the dating option is.

Who is planning to watch the Dem primary debates next week?

nicknotes comments on Jun 22, 2019:

I notice you are from Iowa....you must have lots of candidates visiting in your area

TomMcGiverin replies on Jun 23, 2019:

Yes, but I usually ignore the clown circus...

Who is planning to watch the Dem primary debates next week?

Athena comments on Jun 22, 2019:

Oh, I'll be watching alright. With popcorn.

TomMcGiverin replies on Jun 22, 2019:

As a Canadian, you are unable to participate in the process, but, out of curiosity, who would you support?

Who is planning to watch the Dem primary debates next week?

GreenAtheist comments on Jun 22, 2019:

@HowieHawkins20 is out to break the political backs of both polluter parties with the skill of someone able to actually be an honest President vetoing all corporations welfare

TomMcGiverin replies on Jun 22, 2019:

I saw your emoji, Larry. Who are you pissed off at, me?

Not one of my goals, nope...

Kafirah comments on Jun 22, 2019:

I personally don't think that outfit is appropriate for either of them... That is just bad decision making on both of their parts. I appreciate the fact that they made it together, though. I do, however, wonder who had the bad idea and who is just going along with it out of love. Mainly because I ...

TomMcGiverin replies on Jun 22, 2019:

To each their own. I like their shared sentiment of loving their shared cat but, the clothing choices seem a bit too much....

WHO’S DATING “LOCAL?

Susieq comments on Jun 10, 2019:

I dated a nice fellow from this site several times, but had to let him go as I was getting involved with a fellow atheist from my Senior Center. Still involved , going on 6 months.

TomMcGiverin replies on Jun 22, 2019:

@BBJong I can imagine it's not much different in Allentown. So is the Billy Joel song fairly accurate?

It’s been a rough day, various reasons, but I shared on my Facebook that I was sad and asked my ...

TomMcGiverin comments on Jun 19, 2019:

Tell me about it, I really miss that too, more than sex, to be honest. It's about the worst part of being widowed and alone.

TomMcGiverin replies on Jun 20, 2019:

@GwenBFree I hope my lack of success in dating changes, but nothing is going to change as far as my siblings or lack of children. Those support system issues are going to remain as they are and they are quite a disadvantage.

Hey folks.

TomMcGiverin comments on Jun 19, 2019:

Was he LD or local? I'm guessing the former....I've been on here two and a half years and have never met anyone in person. Not willing to try dating LD, so I really doubt it will ever happen for me with no new women my age joining in my area for the last two years.

TomMcGiverin replies on Jun 20, 2019:

@Lucy_Fehr You're probably right. I have found that in the dating game, assumptions, no matter how ignorant, incorrect or inaccurate, or narrow-minded, seem to rule the day for most people's thinking rather than being open-minded, Everyone is so quick to assume the negative about others that they have yet to get to know. It's a miracle that anyone gets past that and connects. Also there is so much cynicism that all men are lying until proven innocent, which may well be based on bitter experience, but even if it is, why are those women even bothering to stay on dating sites wasting their time and that of men when their attitude is so negative that they are never going to connect with anyone? And yes, I don't doubt it goes both ways, yada, yada, yada.........

Hey folks.

TomMcGiverin comments on Jun 19, 2019:

Was he LD or local? I'm guessing the former....I've been on here two and a half years and have never met anyone in person. Not willing to try dating LD, so I really doubt it will ever happen for me with no new women my age joining in my area for the last two years.

TomMcGiverin replies on Jun 20, 2019:

@GreenAtheist I don't think those women are too worried about missing out on guys like us, their rules only seem to bother us.

It’s been a rough day, various reasons, but I shared on my Facebook that I was sad and asked my ...

TomMcGiverin comments on Jun 19, 2019:

Tell me about it, I really miss that too, more than sex, to be honest. It's about the worst part of being widowed and alone.

TomMcGiverin replies on Jun 20, 2019:

@GwenBFree Happy for you that you have those things. I have no kids and my siblings are now the only family I have left, but they all live out of state and we are not involved with each other, for good healthy reasons, at least in my book. So our respective situations are very different and my local friends are my family and all I have to help meet my needs. And it's not enough....

Throughout my life people have said you will find someone on a romantic level when you are not ...

indirect76 comments on Jun 20, 2019:

That’s just another one of those dumb things people say that sounds nice, but doesn’t have any value.

TomMcGiverin replies on Jun 20, 2019:

Exactly. It is also wishful magical thinking.

Hey folks.

TomMcGiverin comments on Jun 19, 2019:

Was he LD or local? I'm guessing the former....I've been on here two and a half years and have never met anyone in person. Not willing to try dating LD, so I really doubt it will ever happen for me with no new women my age joining in my area for the last two years.

TomMcGiverin replies on Jun 20, 2019:

@GreenAtheist Beats me man, but I can tell you that on Match, at least in my experience with women in my area, 50 something women will not date a man who is 60 or older, even if they are 55. I'll date 8 years older, but the only women who will date someone my age are at least in their late 50s.

Hey folks.

TomMcGiverin comments on Jun 19, 2019:

Was he LD or local? I'm guessing the former....I've been on here two and a half years and have never met anyone in person. Not willing to try dating LD, so I really doubt it will ever happen for me with no new women my age joining in my area for the last two years.

TomMcGiverin replies on Jun 19, 2019:

@MyLiege Extremely lucky then, congrats...

This world is getting too politically correct. [lfpress.com]

Varn comments on Jun 18, 2019:

..is it spreading..? It’s far easier to take on the weak & considerate ..than the hostile bullies of your world. Instead of going head-to-head with the true (Republican) enemy - ‘progressives’ eat their own.. Cuz ‘their own’ don’t fight back. As the progressives of the world fight ...

TomMcGiverin replies on Jun 19, 2019:

There is a fair amount of truth to that.

Some of these are true, but I don't think all of them are. What do you think?

TomMcGiverin comments on Jun 17, 2019:

Tell me, my fellow Tom, which ones do you think are not true? I really am curious....

TomMcGiverin replies on Jun 17, 2019:

@tnorman1236 I think I'm a hell of a lot more honest than most people and my friends and family have always said I am, to a fault, but you all will just have to take my word on that. I may not be great or superior to that many people in looks, money or charm, but I've always taken great pride in being more honest and morally superior to most folks.

Some of these are true, but I don't think all of them are. What do you think?

TomMcGiverin comments on Jun 17, 2019:

Tell me, my fellow Tom, which ones do you think are not true? I really am curious....

TomMcGiverin replies on Jun 17, 2019:

@tnorman1236 I agree how they might not be phony lines, depending on context. In the end, only the receiver can judge how true the first lines are. The giver of the lines usually is too selfish or in denial to fairly judge the truth of their lines, because, let's face it, most of us are unwilling to see ourselves as the villain or unkind person in the story.

Some of these are true, but I don't think all of them are. What do you think?

Sticks48 comments on Jun 17, 2019:

"It's not me, it's you". That pretty much ends the conversation.

TomMcGiverin replies on Jun 17, 2019:

Probably does on their end. On my end, if I think they're lying about that, I will confront that and then it will be ended for both.

For all women out there

TomMcGiverin comments on Jun 17, 2019:

I would not mind at all if a woman pursued me. I would be flattered and not think any less or differently of her for doing that. Also, it might be a good empathy-building experience for her to better understand how it is for men having to do the pursuing in real life or on dating sites. Might get ...

TomMcGiverin replies on Jun 17, 2019:

@Doraz Maybe , maybe not.

"You shouldn't do that" is a challenge. Is "Watch me" your response?

TomMcGiverin comments on Jun 17, 2019:

My answer is "You shouldn't do that" is often not meant as a challenge, so I don't take it as one at all most of the time. I assume that most of the time it is meant well as a warning to me with my safety in mind. I don't care much about proving things to people, esp. as far as my physical ...

TomMcGiverin replies on Jun 17, 2019:

@LiterateHiker That is true of them. Male and female, they are usually overweight and flabby.

"You shouldn't do that" is a challenge. Is "Watch me" your response?

TomMcGiverin comments on Jun 17, 2019:

My answer is "You shouldn't do that" is often not meant as a challenge, so I don't take it as one at all most of the time. I assume that most of the time it is meant well as a warning to me with my safety in mind. I don't care much about proving things to people, esp. as far as my physical ...

TomMcGiverin replies on Jun 17, 2019:

@LiterateHiker I think your caution about hiking is wise. Not smart to risk being part of the herd that is thinned thru risky behavior. Same reason I am not interested in riding motorcycles and never have been, even tho I am told that getting a motorcycle would greatly help me find women to date. Maybe so, but I also know that I will be on blood thinners the rest of my life and one accident would cause me to bleed out before I even made it to a hospital.

Is it too much to expect one man to be satisfied with one woman?

TomMcGiverin comments on Jun 17, 2019:

Not this man. I'd be grateful to find someone mutually compatible and mutually attractive to even go on one real date with. I've been widowed almost two years and have yet to have a date where I kissed anyone.

TomMcGiverin replies on Jun 17, 2019:

@MojoDave I'm trying very hard not to give up Dave, but it's becoming extremely tough not to. BTW, I have always liked your screen name and avatar. Father Guido Sarducci rocked on the old SNL and the actor who played him wrote a really funny book of letters he wrote to then president Nixon where he punked Nixon into believing all these letters were sincere from a concerned citizen. The Lazlo Letters.

The Truth About Women and Men Our Age.....We've Seen it All?

of-the-mountain comments on Jun 17, 2019:

One problem most that are single are still hunting for the white knight/Prince Charming to carry them away to a blissful reality? If only!!!

TomMcGiverin replies on Jun 17, 2019:

True, how can a real, flawed man compete with their fantasy? They can't....

Have you ever wondered why social media is so popular and "friends" are so much easier to make ...

Sticks48 comments on Jun 17, 2019:

None of the inconvenient things that go along with friendship. They ain't calling you at two in the morning to jump their car, or take them to the airport, or needing to come over and hang out for the evening and talk because they just got dumped. This is friendship light.

TomMcGiverin replies on Jun 17, 2019:

Having hundreds of FB friends doesn't mean shit. To me, the real definition of friendship, Sticks, in addition to your comment, is how many people do you know that will, on short notice, give you a ride to the ER or come visit you in the ER. Those are real friends....

Is it too much to expect one man to be satisfied with one woman?

Marcie1974 comments on Jun 16, 2019:

I get so sick of people saying “ biologically men want to plant their seed in as many women as possible.” Really???? Supposedly we (atheists) all believe in evolution but we don’t think men have evolved to monogamy? Bull shit. I know men who are monogamous and completely devoted to their ...

TomMcGiverin replies on Jun 17, 2019:

@MojoDave I think that speaks volumes and explains a lot of why women on dating sites are, at least in my experience, so goddamned negative and critical of men, esp. the divorced women, who make up the vast majority of who's on there.

For all women out there

Remi comments on Jun 16, 2019:

I don't like this. It's a nice theory, but it's telling women that we are something to be pursued. Why can't we persue what we want? Also, "it's not natural for a man to sit back and let the woman do all the work??" What year is it? Yes, don't keep persuing a douchebag who never makes an effort, but...

TomMcGiverin replies on Jun 17, 2019:

Thank you. By now my confidence is so shot that it is a real struggle to even get myself to message someone new on a dating site.

Black Missouri drivers 91% more likely to be stopped, state attorney general finds | PBS NewsHour

TomMcGiverin comments on Jun 17, 2019:

I am shocked, shocked I say, that law enforcement in Missouri would stop people for DWB.

TomMcGiverin replies on Jun 17, 2019:

@GreenAtheist I have always seen the FBI as an enemy of anyone on the left or any others who oppose the mainstream.