Sorry to disappoint and confuse you with a sideways joke... But we all make mistakes from time to time.

Experience tells me that, like Carter's, Obama's legacy will affect us for generations, and not in a good way. But, I HOPE I'm wrong about that, even if the glimmer of hope is fading as fast as the bomb casing during a nuclear detonation.... ;)

If you are in the USA, then I suggest you threw your vote away. Not that it likely mattered, because anyplace the "green" party was actually on the ballet the number of votes they gathered was unlikely to make a difference in the outcome. Sort of like voting for Obama in Texas... Why bother showing up to vote if he's going to loose by double digits? It's a winner take all state in the electoral college anyway..

I suggest that the BEST way to serve your voting interest is to vote your ideology in the primary ONLY. After that, pick one of the candidates from the two major parties that you most agree with in the general and vote for them. If there is another party candidate, independent, green, or what have you that you like better and they have ZERO CHANCE to win, just hold your nose and vote for one of the two major party's candidates. Same thing when supporting campaigns, do what you want in the primary, but NEVER support the third party in the general (with money or time) unless they really have a chance (i.e. they are within the margin of error or darn close to it in the polling) No supporting long shots, just because you like them a bit better.

You seem to forget that his party controlled congress in total for almost TWO full years. He had that long to do anything he wanted.

The situation changed when Mass elected Brown to replace Ted K after he died. Then they didn't have a super majority in the senate anymore, but still had a majority. It wasn't until the midterms that the Republicans took the house away and could effectively object to ANYTHING. Democrats retain control of the Senate to this day. So, it's not just the Republicans fault. Obama had two full years to do literally anything he and his party wanted, TWO YEARS! What did he accomplish? Obamacare and not a whole lot else.

But since then, Republicans have run on a platform that opposed Obama's policies, and have generally won elections in the process. Republicans have tried it both ways. They have tried to work with him but Obama has steadfastly refused to discuss anything or work on compromise and he torched them. So republicans are really left with little other choice but to oppose him, and get torched too. But this is Obama's choice in most part, given his scorched earth political tactics and the obstructionist Senate that refuses to take up much of what the house sends them for debate. But that's how politics works and how the system is designed.

I get that you want to blame the other side and accuse them of being obstructionists. They generally have been, not because that's how they wanted it, but because it didn't matter if they just agreed to anything nor said no, they where going to get torched. But don't fool yourself, Obama and his supporters choosing to use the flamethrower and firebombs leaves little other choice. If you are going to burn anyway, why not keep your base happy in the process? If your base is happy with you, it's easier to raise money and you are less likely to be bloodied in the primaries, so why not?

The real question is how will this play on election day in 2014 and how all this translates into 2016. I getting the feeling the democrats are going to loose the Senate and loose more seats in the house in 2014. If that happens, you can count on a whole lot more obstruction, unless Obama decides to try and work with the republicans on stuff. (Given his history, I doubt he would work with anybody though) The only difference that will be obvious is that you will see a whole lot more videos of Obama vetoing bills on the nightly news. Up until now, he's been spared that optic by the Senate which simply refuses to take up anything Obama doesn't agree to sign in advance. So to this republican, I don't agree that it is our side being unreasonable given the circumstances. Your mileage may vary as your party affiliation apparently does. Just don't try to tell yourself your side has been pure as the wind driven snow in all this. You all got dirt on your hands too.

I'm disappointed too, but I was pretty sure that he was just saying things to get elected, both times, so I didn't vote for him. I suggest you get used to being disappointed in Obama because it's going to be a problem for a LONG time after he's gone..

Here comes the modding down and a wreaking of my karma, in three.... two..... One....

Nice try... I didn't approve of most of this and voted accordingly but my view didn't prevail. Nearly 50% of voters didn't approve of it either. Then figure not everybody voted last time and there is NO WAY 98% agreed to anything.

What's that saying?

There are Lies, damn lies, and statistics?

or was it?

Figures never lie, but lairs figure..

Full Stop..

So you don't think the federal government has any right to regulate the use of radio spectrum? I think you are gravely mistaken. Radio spectrum space is a national resource that needs to be managed at the federal level or chaos would be the result. Literally nothing would work like it does now. Your cell phone, your GPS receiver, your WiFi router, the radio in your car and a whole host of things would be hit or miss, if they worked at all. The FCC is necessary. In fact, it was the FCC that created CB, and at least initially they required a license if you where using it. So, like it or not, even on CB you are subject to FCC regulations about the equipment you use and how you use it. Not that they enforce them very well.

You do realize that the fees you are charged for taking the test are NOT collected for the FCC's coffers right? The FCC doesn't get a dime of the $15 test fees, but it goes to the VE organizations that print, distribute, mail, administer and file the paperwork related to the testing. It doesn't even go the guys/gals standing their monitoring you when you take the test, who grade the test and fill out the paperwork, they are all volunteers who do this for free. Which is what the Armature radio service is all about.

Plus, there is a *point* to what you need to learn here. RF is dangerous stuff at power levels legal for hams to use. You can harm yourself, your family and those that live around you if you don't know what you are doing. Proving you have at least SOME knowledge about what you are doing is a good idea. Also, spectrum is a finite resource, and if you don't know how to tune your radios and antennas or know what modulation techniques are suitable you are going to waste a whole lot of that resource.

But I think you totally ignore the *purpose* of ham radio,

(a) Recognition and enhancement of the value of the amateur service to the public as a voluntary noncommercial communication service, particularly with respect to providing emergency communications.

(b) Continuation and extension of the amateur's proven ability to contribute to the advancement of the radio art.

(c) Encouragement and improvement of the amateur service through rules which provide for advancing skills in both the communication and technical phases of the art.

(d) Expansion of the existing reservoir within the amateur radio service of trained operators, technicians, and electronics experts.

(e) Continuation and extension of the amateur's unique ability to enhance international goodwill.

(from 47 CFR Part 97, Paragraph 1 "Basis and Purpose")

Let me guess.. You purchased the HAM gear and just couldn't avoid the temptation to hit the transmit button and try and communicate with the guys you heard. And you got your nose out of joint because they won't talk to you because your "invented" callsign was obviously fake to them. I'll bet you don't yet know why they knew or why they wouldn't talk to you. If I'm even half right, is it any wonder they where not nice? You where breaking the law, using *their* repeater to do it, subjecting *them* to fines in the process. None of this you would understand though, because you didn't feel the need to know the material. Even if you didn't transmit, just listened, there is a method to how all this is done and a reason for the method that sounds "stuffy" to you, because it is the most effective way to communicate in emergency situations. Yea, we might be talking about the swimming pool or the latest radio we got with the last retirement check, but there are other people to talk to out there if you don't like the repeater you are on.

I'll challenge you. Go out and *get* your license THEN get on their repeater and ask for help and there are guys/gals out there who will be knocking down your door to help you get set up, loan you gear until you can afford your own, and providing training on how to be the most effective operator you can be. Heck, show up at one of their meetings even without a license and ask for help studying for the test, you will get LOTS of help. I know at least three guys in the club I'm in who will gladly arrange a class and a test session just for you, then likely get you set up and going when your ticket gets cut.

This is totally unlike my experience on CB. I've been totally ignored or just cussed at when asking for help, but I've rarely been helped in any meaningful way. But if you like that environment, do what suits you, just keep it legal.

Huh? Dang clever there with your figures..

Just to throw a spanner into all this math you are doing... I voted in 2012, and along with almost half of the actual voters here, do not approve of what this administration is currently doing... Just ask Cruz, I voted for him too. Was I in the 2%? No, there where a lot more than 2% who voted as I did, even nation wide. In total, it was within 5% on the national race for president, and many of the elections for congress finished within 10% (Even the with his gaff, Akin only lost by about 12%). Harry Reid was only 6% over his challenger in 2010.

So, I consider your 98% number a bit misleading. The actual segment of the population that made the choice we now live with is vanishingly narrow. Yea, there are some places where the outcome is pretty much set (Say the Texas Governor's race, which will go republican by something approaching 20%), but in a lot of places this margin is a lot closer. It is the people in the middle who actually make the choice.

So, if you look at the swing voters, the people really making the decision are usually less than 10%, which is totally different from your number.

Crony politics at it's best... (Or worst, depending on how you want to look at it.)

Being nit picky... The USA is not and it's never been a democracy. We where founded as a constitutional representative republic, which is decidedly NOT a democracy.

What are they teaching in school these days? We tried democracy, determined it didn't work very well for large groups. So the founders went with a representative republic instead. Kids...

Hey now.. They don't RUN the place... Yet.... At least that's the story.

This is Crony politics as usual...

Crony Politics as usual.. Actually, worse than usual for DC, unless you are from Chicago, in which case it looks like the wind driven snow...

Where are you getting the 98% number?

Ham Radio: When all else fails, it works. I've never had an issue finding assistance on the ham bands. Even my unlicensed wife managed to get help by using my radio once. On the ham bands, it's about emergency communication and community service. They are there to help.

CB? Good luck finding somebody who 1. cares and 2. knows how to get you help when your cell phone dies. Last time I listened to CB it was a pile of mindless operators who where jawing all the time and never listening. Heaven help you if you needed help. Few cared to listen long enough to ever be helpful, and many where running so much power arguing with the guy next door that I doubt you would actually need a radio to hear them because the light bulbs would be making enough noise.

So I think it was a mistake to give 11 meters to the crazies on the CB band. Wasted some great HF spectrum space on what turned into a horrible mess. But, alas, it's done now and there is no going back.. Which is why I bid 11 meters a fond farewell...

Historically, the CB spectrum used to be part of the Ham allocation. So it got taken from the gummers in the first place... But you missed my point.

I do not begrudge the creation of CB radio, I do however question the selection of the spectrum for CB. There was no need to put it in the HF spectrum and should have been moved up above 6 meters. There would have been a lot less trouble with CB because they would have been limited to spectrum that was a lot less subject to long distance propagation, making it more useful for what it was intended to be, local communications. Antennas would have been smaller, and the problem with linear amps would have been greatly reduced, mainly because nobody would need them.

Obscenity and talking in code is legally frowned upon, but almost everything else is fair game as long as it's not business related on the ham bands, at least between two US stations. International communications are usually limited to technical discussions or communications of a personal nature (how the kids are doing in school, the weather etc), but if you think about it, that makes good sense. Most hams do stick to noncontroversial topics, but that's not legally required. I've heard some pretty heated debates over religion and politics at times, but it's like standing on the street corner and yelling at people when you do that. You can start some lively debates, but nobody but the debaters will care. Not to mention, HF spectrum is a world wide resource, and using it to argue with somebody is a waste.

But all that aside, the issue is the band they used, not that they gave the CBers spectrum space. I'm complaining about the spectrum they selected. It should have been higher frequency, well above 6 meters, say where FRS is now would have been great. It would have avoided lots of the troubles we have with CB radios, allowed for smaller antennas and better overall usefulness because they could have easily increased the legal power output to make local communications much less difficult. As it stands, CB is a total wasteland, with little real purpose, that takes up valuable HF spectrum.