This is fer damn sure.

TheAstroChuck comments on Jun 18, 2018:

One of the tell tale signs of an approaching collapse is when most of the populous begins to feel the system isn't working for them any longer. Ref. *The Collapse of Complex Societies* by Joseph Tainter, 1987, 1990) *Cambridge University Press.*

Lavergne replies on Jun 20, 2018:

Well said - and I totally agree.

This is fer damn sure.

Bigwavedave comments on Jun 18, 2018:

It's interesting. I paid 6 figures in taxes last year. More than donald trump. The tax code favors investors and owners. If you get a paycheck you have no deductions. Cheetoh gave me a tax cut. I would have preferred not.

Lavergne replies on Jun 20, 2018:

I worked in commercial real estate for 25 years....our accounting firm told us they would make sure our tax burden was as small as possible - "We don't break the law.....but we bend it so hard, you can hear it scream". Them that have - make sure they keep it. A healthy thriving middle class keeps the economy moving in the right direction. Trumplethinskin's policies are going to ensure the complete polarization of the population of this country - by ethnicity as well as by socioeconomic standards....sounds like a recipe for disaster to me but - hey what do I know - just an old broad watching it all unfold. ;) ;)

Dating after 50

TristanNuvo comments on Jun 9, 2018:

I feel the same. I'm 53, but I still look like I'm in my 30's, and I get a lot from people, "you should find a nice woman and settle down", and such like that. They just don't seem to understand that I have no intention of settling down, I love life, and I don't need a romantic partner to enjoy ...

Lavergne replies on Jun 18, 2018:

Misery loves company. ;) ;)

Dating after 50

Breathingtrees comments on Jun 9, 2018:

My 80 year old mom just eloped with an 85yo guy she met at the independent living place. They are deliriously happy!

Lavergne replies on Jun 18, 2018:

Now that's a true "feel good" story......congratulations to them both!

How do you deal with Door-knockers?

Kimonogrl comments on Jun 5, 2018:

This is a COP OUT but it's what I do. I have a crucifix hanging on the wall facing the front door. It is put there for the very purpose of reference to any proselytizing faction of Christianity or (insert belief here). My immediate family knows I don't revere it's meaning in the traditional sense,...

Lavergne replies on Jun 18, 2018:

When one of the JW's asked me if I had been raised in any religion and I replied "Catholic"....she leaned over to her companion and said ....that's why she's an atheist. I laughed all morning.

Morality - What is it to you?

jlynn37 comments on Jun 18, 2018:

Morality is doing what is right, regardless of what you are told. Religion is doing what you are told, regardless of what is right. My morality has 3 gatekeepers: treating others as I would want to be treated, never doing anything to others that I would not want done to me, causing or doing no ...

Lavergne replies on Jun 18, 2018:

Your first paragraph says it all.....couldn't agree more.

Do you think Trump's meeting with Kim Jong un is a veiled attempt to challenge China by affiliating ...

Silver1wun comments on Jun 12, 2018:

No...

Lavergne replies on Jun 14, 2018:

I can't help but feel that you are all giving him way too much credit for being insightful and forward thinking. Having watched his performance over the years in the world of real estate I believe that Trump is, in the end, a Johnny one note......everything begins and ends with how much money is in it for him. As for his "great diplomatic achievement" with N. Korea - I suspect that the great achievement will turn out to be a Trump Tower, a Trump Golf Course and/or a Trump Casino in N. Korea in years to come. I get it - we are a country built on and consumed with material acquisition and personal wealth and that is how we measure each other as well as ourselves. But as the saying goes - he who dies with the most toys is still dead. ;) ;)

A question that I hope will not turn ugly as I truly don’t mean it to be.

twill comments on Jun 10, 2018:

I'm registered as a Republican. I never vote straight ticket. I don't consider myself a member of the party. What it has become is.....shallow. But then again, shallow, pathetic souls who don't even understand their inner selves, let alone the complex world outside of them....well they need ...

Lavergne replies on Jun 13, 2018:

Well said - and I couldn't agree with you more. And here's something I've noticed over the years - people I talk to that are on the lower rungs of the middle class ladder seem to have the most animosity towards the poor. I've had more than one of them say to me "I struggled and scratched my way to where I am without ANY HELP FROM ANYONE so why should I care about people who are too lazy to do the same thing." Upon closer examination however, it turned out that most of those people had indeed received help from quite a number of sources - they just didn't get "food stamps". Having "arrived" they now were busy pulling the ladder up behind them and slamming the door shut in other people's faces. I suppose next we'll be changing the country's mantra from "In God we trust" to...."I've got mine now the rest of you can go f**k yourselves". Its the subliminal message that comes from the Oval office and trickles down thru congress, etc etc

A question that I hope will not turn ugly as I truly don’t mean it to be.

OrangeJuice comments on Jun 10, 2018:

Not sure if my two cents is worth much but some if it has to do with the cultural war. It seems people are given fewer and fewer options today. One must either be one one side or the other. We need a centrist party not given over to either a political or religious ideology.

Lavergne replies on Jun 11, 2018:

It seems perfectly logical that a moderate, centrist party would appeal to the majority of people.....and yet - we see the centrist candidates losing elections most of the time. It makes me wonder if we are simply indulging in wishful thinking when we say that the majority of people want those moderate policies.....maybe the truth is that we have become so polarized - fractured, splintered....that we can't get a dozen people to agree on anything anymore... ????

A question that I hope will not turn ugly as I truly don’t mean it to be.

Lifestone comments on Jun 10, 2018:

The short answer is about 40 years ago the Republican party was losing most of its voting power. In order to stay relevant they needed to draw in a new crowd and they found it in the religious right. At the time very small percentages of Republican leadership actually cared about Christian values it...

Lavergne replies on Jun 11, 2018:

well said....and I totally agree.

A question that I hope will not turn ugly as I truly don’t mean it to be.

ashley44 comments on Jun 10, 2018:

Although I am a liberal Democrat, I truly understand your dilemma. I grew up during the 50s and early 60s. As a native New Yorker, I remember a time when NYC elected a liberal leaning Republican mayor and another time, when New York state elected a liberal leaning Republican governor. It seems ...

Lavergne replies on Jun 11, 2018:

I, too, grew up during those years - part of them in New York - and it disgusts me when trump supporters cling to their mantra that all the liberals out there simply have it in for him. I remember what type of individual he was back then and how he made his money. He was a narcissistic liar, cheat and con man from the very beginning of his career - the poster boy for "fake it till you make it". The problem we have in the white house (and Congress) now goes much deeper than just party affiliation/loyalty. It seems that all the core principles of democracy - basic decency, empathy, that willingness to reach out a helping hand to those less fortunate - those very things made this country unique and different from so much of the rest of the world. The systemic rot exists in both parties now and we seem to be gearing up for a race to the bottom. It makes me very sad.

A question that I hope will not turn ugly as I truly don’t mean it to be.

KKGator comments on Jun 10, 2018:

I recently returned to the republican party after being an Independent for over 30 years. Reagan, the religious right, and the "moral majority" ran me off back in '83. I went back because I got really tired of doing nothing but bitching about how truly heinous the GOP has become. Instead of just ...

Lavergne replies on Jun 10, 2018:

Good for you....you're on the right track. We need to get the secret money out of politics and we damn sure need to get the churches off of the tax exempt rolls. When a televangelist preacher lives in a mansion, has a private jet and drives a car that cost half a million dollars - well, you know however well intentioned that tax exempt idea might have been in the beginning it has led to the ultimate climate of greed and corruption.

A question that I hope will not turn ugly as I truly don’t mean it to be.

TheAstroChuck comments on Jun 10, 2018:

I wish I could recall statements by Sen. Jeff Flake to the effect that the Republican party currently has a fever, which will eventually break and return to its normal conservative past. Unfortunately, the fever won't break in time to win a Repub. primary in 2018.

Lavergne replies on Jun 10, 2018:

I'm afraid you are right on this....

I'm sitting here in front of my laptop recalling how, in my younger years, I'd have been absolutely ...

AMGT comments on Jun 10, 2018:

I have no desire to keep up with the joneses.. I now know what it is to have very little and know it’s enough. To really, deeply appreciate quiet. The natural inclination to go slow and take it all in. The understanding that I don’t know much of anything, and the liberation that comes with ...

Lavergne replies on Jun 10, 2018:

So very well said - I can completely relate.

I'm sitting here in front of my laptop recalling how, in my younger years, I'd have been absolutely ...

StJohn comments on Jun 10, 2018:

Wholeheartedly agree! Especially now most of those I have loved have gone before me, and those who remain are all too distant. I remember spending hours on the hair so that it looked as if it had been flicked with a brush before walking away, feeling that it was so important to the look. Oscar ...

Lavergne replies on Jun 10, 2018:

I totally agree...there was such a rush to "connect" in younger years. But once you move away you realize those connections were just gossamer threads - so easily broken. These days I think I want to "do things"....be with people....until I go and then all I want to do is go home. We get old to soon and smart too late..... ;)

Karl Marx's famous quote about religion was written in an era when opiates were commonly used for ...

RaaChenn comments on Jun 8, 2018:

Religion isnt the opiate of the masses; it's the placebo of the masses---House, M.D.

Lavergne replies on Jun 8, 2018:

That is actually quite astute. ;)

If the ice cream man still ding dings in your neighborhood, what's the first thing that goes through...

SonOfABeach comments on Jun 3, 2018:

Honestly I grew up in a fairly tough inner-city neighborhood. Not making this up. In the seventies and eighties, everyone in the neighborhood including the police know the ice cream man was also selling grass, Coke, and pills out of his truck. Nobody cared.

Lavergne replies on Jun 8, 2018:

IKN, right? I remember living in what I supposed where tenement apartments in Brooklyn many years ago - they were ok - no big crime riddled stuff going on there - but definitely lower middle income...and when the ice cream truck rolled thru, the mom's would open their windows up on the 3rd and 4th and 5th floors and throw the coins that were wrapped in handkerchiefs to all us kids so we could buy our ice cream treats. OMG.....listening to myself say all this makes it sound like I lived in a third world country! ahahahahahahahahahah

Are you asocial or a social butterfly?

DaveMania comments on Jun 8, 2018:

Hand up — asocial... I like people and I'm happy to chat if they'll talk to me, but I'm a *lot* better in writing than I am in person. I'm a bit shy, slow-witted and socially withdrawn in the flesh. I have just one close 'friend' (whose recently moved 200 miles away) and only a couple of ...

Lavergne replies on Jun 8, 2018:

I can totally relate. Cocktail party - small talk always seemed elusive to me. I have no problems connecting with people but I am the quintessential "foot in mouth" individual. I really envy those rare individuals who always seem to know just exactly the right thing to say. Maybe in my next life.... ???? ;)

"I'm seemingly sentenced to solitary singleness.

Condor5 comments on Jun 2, 2018:

I struggle with this notion daily. Living with another, it seems, is extremely difficult. And I don't know why it has to be that way.

Lavergne replies on Jun 4, 2018:

@Condor5 The key (as I've noticed over the years) seems to be that the "subordinate" is comfortable enough in his/her own skin to not consider their role as actually being subordinate. More, I think, as a "facilitator" - the person who knows how to make things happen and steer things in the right direction. When you think about it - that person is actually the boss - they've simply learned how to make the other person think that he/she is. ;) ;)

"I'm seemingly sentenced to solitary singleness.

Condor5 comments on Jun 2, 2018:

I struggle with this notion daily. Living with another, it seems, is extremely difficult. And I don't know why it has to be that way.

Lavergne replies on Jun 3, 2018:

The notion that two people can live together in harmony for a prolonged period of time - each giving and taking in proportion is pretty naïve when you think about it. Most of the relationships that I know that have endured the test of time usually had one "giver" and one "taker" and the success of the relationship had more to do with the acceptance of that fact.

"I'm seemingly sentenced to solitary singleness.

Lavergne comments on Jun 3, 2018:

I have long thought that all relationships have an expiration date......a lot of couples reach that date but for a variety of reasons prefer to simply continue to co-exist and keep the status quo. Others, having realized that they no longer get much of anything out of the relationship, decide to ...

Lavergne replies on Jun 3, 2018:

@josephr I have two grown sons - neither of whom ever married. Came close a couple of times. As much as I would have loved to have had grandchildren, I realized a while back that one of them would not have made a very good husband - too self involved - so it was a good thing that he understood this about himself and made the appropriate choices. The other one struggles so hard financially that I think he would have broken under the financial burdens that go along with having a wife and possibly children. So I have to console myself with "fur babies". ;)

"I'm seemingly sentenced to solitary singleness.

kc_anthony comments on Jun 2, 2018:

Lol. That must be my reason as well. And not the crazy that slowly comes out over time.

Lavergne replies on Jun 3, 2018:

Love the "crazy".....that's what makes us uniquely interesting and keeps a relationship fresh. Never give up your crazy... ;)

What’s the thing you hate most about dating websites?

Boogey comments on May 31, 2018:

When you spend time filling out the profile and they ask the questions that are on there so I make them read it. Some ask if I'm married, some ask what I'm looking for there and I tell them I'm looking for a date for the prom. The biggest problem are the scammers. There are so many

Lavergne replies on Jun 2, 2018:

The scammers are so lazy now, all they do is change their profile picture and those ones of their phony families....their story is always the same....widowed, self employed....lonely. The have become so easy to spot because of the odd grammatical usage....it would be funny - except that the ones who get sucked in frequently lose their life savings along with getting hurt emotionally.

I know that we're all just a bunch of profile pics, posts, and comments, but there are a few people ...

StJohn comments on Jun 2, 2018:

Whilst I am still reasonably active (for now anyway) ...and still have the full sum of moving parts, I don't expect at my age to be forming heaps of new relationships. But granted there are plenty of interesting folks out there, and life being a glorious string of surprises, I would never say ...

Lavergne replies on Jun 2, 2018:

Agree with your philosophy.....I joined this site because I am surrounded by people who have become very close minded about most everything. Their opinions are formed by the sound bites of whatever news outlet they listen to and they don't "discuss" anything anymore.....the ability to respectfully disagree with someone seems to have fallen by the wayside. It becomes so tedious that its easy to "pull inward" and just not deal with any of them but - you are right - life is (and should be) a glorious string of surprises.

Everyone Is Missing A Key Reason The U.S. Birth Rate Is Declining | HuffPost

DZhukovin comments on May 28, 2018:

In the long run, a continuously growing population is actually terrible because of the space and resource requirement. Our Earth is only going to handle 50-80 billion people before it becomes an overcrowded zoo and implodes on itself. My concern is that the people who are reproducing now are ...

Lavergne replies on May 31, 2018:

It shouldn't be......and I'm not suggesting that anyone has ever used war as a rationale for overpopulation concerns. It just seems to me that your concern for overpopulation might come in second behind mutually assured destruction in that list of things that keeps you up at night. ;) Mother nature seems to have a few tricks up her sleeve in that department too - famine? diseases like AIDS and ebola? any number of natural disasters/catastrophes?

Everyone Is Missing A Key Reason The U.S. Birth Rate Is Declining | HuffPost

DZhukovin comments on May 28, 2018:

In the long run, a continuously growing population is actually terrible because of the space and resource requirement. Our Earth is only going to handle 50-80 billion people before it becomes an overcrowded zoo and implodes on itself. My concern is that the people who are reproducing now are ...

Lavergne replies on May 31, 2018:

First let me say that I agree with your assessment about regressive traits....our gov'ts approach to family planning is going to feed into that problem as they are now consumed not only with outlawing abortions but prohibiting access to birth control. Secondly, to your point that the earth is going to become an overcrowded zoo - I strongly believe that our propensity for aggression/war is going to occur long before we reach that point. That seems to be man's solution for overpopulation - just start another major world war.

Everyone Is Missing A Key Reason The U.S. Birth Rate Is Declining | HuffPost

DZhukovin comments on May 28, 2018:

In the long run, a continuously growing population is actually terrible because of the space and resource requirement. Our Earth is only going to handle 50-80 billion people before it becomes an overcrowded zoo and implodes on itself. My concern is that the people who are reproducing now are ...

Lavergne replies on May 30, 2018:

Wars kill people....lots of people - men, women and children alike. In the past, we've seen a spike in the birth rate once the war is over - but given the type of wars we could potentially be looking at now that might not happen...for all the obvious reasons (effects of radiation, etc)

Everyone Is Missing A Key Reason The U.S. Birth Rate Is Declining | HuffPost

DZhukovin comments on May 28, 2018:

In the long run, a continuously growing population is actually terrible because of the space and resource requirement. Our Earth is only going to handle 50-80 billion people before it becomes an overcrowded zoo and implodes on itself. My concern is that the people who are reproducing now are ...

Lavergne replies on May 29, 2018:

You are overlooking the fact that the undercurrents fueling the anger between the races, the different cultures, between the economic classes, etc etc will inevitably lead to yet another war. Humans simply can not coexist peacefully...and that is truly sad.

Everyone Is Missing A Key Reason The U.S. Birth Rate Is Declining | HuffPost

seaspot_run comments on May 29, 2018:

The political concern is that with fewer people having children and those who do have children only having one or two at most AND people living longer that the working population will be insufficient to pay for the social safety net and health care needs of the elderly population. Some people ...

Lavergne replies on May 29, 2018:

You are spot on.....there are a couple more things in play as well. If you look at the projected population broken down by demographics for the next 50 years it becomes very apparent that the U.S. will be shrinking drastically. The fastest growth will be among the middle eastern groups - why do you think they are so busy outlawing abortion in this country? Those groups are still having large families while in the US, most families are shrinking to two children...makes some people in gov't very nervous . Our gov't wants to make sure every pregnancy goes to term - but once those children are born, they turn their backs on the ones born into poverty. Doesn't seem to make a lot of sense - to me, anyway.

There are more than 600 men in the world with TWO penises. What would you do with......... ???

Chippie comments on May 21, 2018:

I have to admit, I've never thought that one out. I guess there are pros and cons. I'll get back to you ;)

Lavergne replies on May 27, 2018:

reminds me of the joke about how the perfect woman would have three breasts - two in the front and one in the middle of her back for a guy to hold on to while slow dancing..... ;) there seems to be no shortage of weird and crazy things in this world.....

I live in a small city.

Otterpop comments on May 20, 2018:

You'd hate living next to me. I have two wind chimes.

Lavergne replies on May 20, 2018:

hahaha.....I have six and I love it on windy days. But there are many, many days that are quite still so I wonder if the issue really is the wind chime. ????

FEARLESS LEADER ALERT Our beloved Fearless Fuhrer today pulled us out of the Iran Agreement.

phil21 comments on May 8, 2018:

I feel like a conspiracy theorist when I think these things but ... Doesn't this play into Russia's hands? We get further bogged down in the Middle East, possibly in a real shooting war, with ground troops. Russian oil prices will sky rocket. Russia has more latitude with everyone still needing ...

Lavergne replies on May 20, 2018:

Sorry honey....no can do. I'm old enough to remember what trump was all about back in the early days.....he has always been a liar, a cheat and a consummate con artist. Those traits in and of themselves should have made people question his ability to govern this country - add to that the fact that he is averse to learning from others and can't put his enormous bloated ego aside - even for the good of this country - and you have your very own little oligarch in the making. You like the kind of governance he espouses? Maybe move to Russia for a couple of years - you might feel right at home. Not saying things in Washington couldn't use a good housecleaning.....but this guy wasn't the one capable of doing it. The level of the swamp has risen about 6 feet this past year..... ;) ;)

Is Red Wine Good for Your Health?

Leo716 comments on May 15, 2018:

We’re all going to die anyways. Enjoy what you love. But yes, science has proven that red wine, in moderation, is good for your health.

Lavergne replies on May 15, 2018:

well said.... I'll drink to that!

Why do men think that they should be with younger women?

SimonCyrene comments on May 14, 2018:

It's possibly an ego thing. Having said that, i surround myself with younger people generally. Perhaps it keeps me feeling young and vibrant. Many of my generation get into 'old mode' ( dress sense, ideas, thinking).

Lavergne replies on May 14, 2018:

I've never really paid much attention to someone's age.....when I was around 27 or so, I became best friends with a woman who was in her mid 60's. We had a lot of fun doing stuff together....over the years, I've made friends with people much younger - and much older than I am. Lets face it....if you're an interesting, vibrant 20 yr old with a great personality, you will likely be the same way when you're 70. My husband is 18 years younger than I am....the people who know us well have said that somebody mixed up the birth certificates because they think he acts my age and vice versa....hahahaha.

Why do men think that they should be with younger women?

powder comments on May 14, 2018:

Why are women attracted to older men is the question. Never worked out why teenage girls wear makeup. Older women wear makeup to look younger,

Lavergne replies on May 14, 2018:

daddy issues.....can't get past that stage of being daddy's little princess - wanting to be taken care of. IMHO anyway.

Do we have a partner?

IamNobody comments on Apr 5, 2018:

Again, since this is a hypothetical virtual world then I can describe what I want exactly the way I want it...... Here it goes.... I would love to find someone who would like the same simple things I want, watch TV together, cuddling at the living room listening to nice music, get crazy and loud ...

Lavergne replies on Apr 27, 2018:

Honestly, 54 is nowhere near past your prime.....I went on a dating site some years back and what I found was that men in their 50's were not having any problems attracting 35+ yr old women. She's out there....patience, grasshoppa ;) ;)

Do we have a partner?

IamNobody comments on Apr 5, 2018:

Again, since this is a hypothetical virtual world then I can describe what I want exactly the way I want it...... Here it goes.... I would love to find someone who would like the same simple things I want, watch TV together, cuddling at the living room listening to nice music, get crazy and loud ...

Lavergne replies on Apr 27, 2018:

Don't sell yourself short....there are a lot of women who would love to have the type of partner/relationship you just described. There is a certain amount of truth to the theory that opposites attract because that is when most of the "sparks" fly - unfortunately, those very same attributes can frequently make for contentious relationships. Keep all your options (and mind) open and you might meet some interesting women when you least expect it... ;)