Chris S

In 1992, we (Americans) handed control of the White House and both houses of Congress to the Democrats, and we ended up with higher taxes and an attempt to socialize our health care system.

In 2002, we gave the same power to the Republicans, and soon found ourselves looking at war in Iraq and more out-of-control government spending from the party that claims to be fiscally responsible.

Given this recent track record, it seems to me that putting the same party in control of both the executive and legislative branches is a bad idea, yet we've just done it again. Will it be different this time, or can we expect more outrageous behavior from the federal government until the midterm elections?

I've taken several videos with my cell phone that I want to transfer and save to my computer. I can email them to myself, but they arrive in 3gp format, which doesn't play on my computer. How can I change them into a format I can play on my PC, such as MPEG?

Normally, it wouldn't be that big a deal, but I play skill games for cash on a few sites. On these sites, your Internet connection is continuously monitored as you play, and if it's interrupted at any time during your game, the game is immediately terminated, in order to keep players from cheating.

This has led me to dread the sound of the phone, because whenever someone calls, it momentarily interrupts the Internet connection. Again, not normally an issue, but if I'm playing a cash game, it's enough to end my game. Is there a way to prevent the connection from interrupting, or do I just have to hope the phone doesn't ring?

In 1994, the American people, feeling that the country had shifted too far in one direction and being fed up with it, swept the Democrats out of power in both houses of Congress. The Republicans, led by Gingrich and Dole, were given a chance to change the direction of American policy.

It seems to me that this election is very similar. The legislative and executive branches both controlled by the same party, until the people decide they've had enough and sweep the other party into power in Congress, the only major difference being that Republicans campaigned on their Contract with America in '94, while Democrats this time ran on basically nothing except disapproval with Iraq and the "time for a change" mindset.

I believe that if the incoming Dems practice the bipartisanship they're preaching about now, they could stay in power for quite a while, but if they over-reach as Gingrich and Co. did in the 90's, they'll be gone in a hurry. Your thoughts?

I have Verizon DSL with 768K connection speed. Last night, I purchased some music for download, and as one of the albums was downloading, I received an incoming call that stopped it. I had to cancel the download and restart it to get my music. I thought the whole idea of DSL was that you could be on the phone and Internet at the same time?

Yes, I have filters properly installed on all my phone line-using equipment, but I also still have my dial-up line (filtered) connected to my computer. Could this have something to do with it?

I see quite a bit of complaining here from left-wingers about how much money the Bush administration has been spending. Don't get me wrong - I agree completely that federal spending is out of control - but where was your outrage when the Democrats controlled Congress and spent like crazy? I heard plenty of Republicans complain about federal spending, but the left side of the fence didn't seem to have a problem with it then. Isn't this a bit of a double standard?

I piggybacked this onto another question, so it's only fair that I spend the points and ask it separately.

I've noticed that many people here, particularly to the left of center, tend to disbelieve what the government, particularly the Bush administration, has to say. Yet every now and then, I'll see someone say that he, the CIA, or whoever, has given up the hunt for bin Laden.

Are you really that naive? Do you really think we're not only going to quit the search, but TELL him we've quit the search? Why do you accept this little tidbit as Gospel when you don't believe anything else the administration has to say?

Note: I'm NOT saying that you should accept everything the govt. tells you. Of course you should question authority. But why cherry-pick this one? Is it just because you want to believe the worst about Bush?

I hear a lot of people complain about the USA PATRIOT Act, making claims about warrantless wiretapping, Big Brother tactics, etc. and about losing their civil liberties. I've received conflicting information about whether or not the FBI has to seek a warrant to do these things. If it doesn't, at least regarding American citizens, that would seem to me to be a violation of the Fourth Amendment.

Does it or not? Please back up your answer with a factual link, meaning an actual news or information site, not a blog or opinion piece.

First of all, I'm not asking if there are such grounds or not.

Second, if you're going to tell me "Because Republicans control Congress," then why don't Pelosi, Conyers, et. al. hold a press conference and take their case before the people? If popular sentiment supports such a move, surely the people can be counted on to pressure their congressmen to vote for articles of impeachment, because after all, elections are just a few months away...

If you're going to say "Waiting until they take Congress in November," then what if they don't?

If impeachment is the right thing to do, why isn't it the right thing to do now? Your thoughts, if you please...

Fifteen Republican senators are up for reelection in November. Rick Santorum, my senator, is considered among the most vulnerable, and has been trailing challenger Bob Casey in the polls for quite a while. However, the Green Party's Carl Romanelli is likely to qualify for the ballot, with Republican financing and Democrat whining:

http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2006/08/01/ap/polit...

Do you think that Romanelli's candidacy will siphon enough votes away from Casey to make a difference?

Just looking for intelligent, informed opinion here - leave your partisan bashing out of it. No answer that mentions the executive branch will get the ten points. Other than that, all intelligent answers are welcome, but I'd especially like to see what my fellow Keystoners think.