justpolitics

I'm new to this side of cooking so please forgive my ignorance on this topic. I'm planning on following the stovetop directions for Zatarain's Jambalaya mix. I have one pound of frozen sausage, and I'm curious whether I can toss it in with the mix without thawing. If I must thaw prior to adding the meat to the mix, do I also have to precook the sausage? It looked like only chicken had to be precooked, but the directions were such that I was not 100% sure. Any help, insight, or advice would be greatly appreciated! Thanks!

At the beginning of October, my girlfriend and I are going on a trip from the Philadelphia/NY area to downtown Washington, D.C. Google Maps estimates that the trip will take between 3 hr. 15 min. and 3 hr. 45 min. We plan on leaving around 11:30 AM, and according to Google Maps, this would put us there around 3 PM.

Does this sound correct? Additionally, is there any advice someone could give us regarding routes? Google Maps suggests I-95, which seems pretty straightforward.

Thanks in advance!

Considering Target is under scrutiny and being boycotted for their decision to donate to a group which supports Tom Emmer, who opposes same-sex marriage and associates with a radical anti-gay "rock ministry," why would they do this? It doesn't even go to the press release, just some random page on the site. If anything this is jacking up bid prices for the true Proposition 8 activists, which is wrong.

http://rescuetruth.com/civil-rights/target-buys-pr...

I'm growing tired of Y!A, as too many questions/answers involve little to no thought, and are purely meant to attack the opposite party or ideology without any basis in reality. There are some really great contributors on here, but there has to be something a little more serious out there.

While I am a moderate liberal, I would prefer a web site that has a good mix of people. I'm not looking to merely reinforce my viewpoint, but for a well-informed and tempered debate. I hope that's not too much to ask in today's vicious political climate.

While I feel that Media Matters holds an important role in keeping the media on their toes, sometimes it seems to only draw more attention to those people. I agree that it is important to separate fact from fiction, but I wonder if this is best strategy for dealing with this type of constant vitriol.

What do you think?

I was thinking about how we can help decrease the national debt, and this popped into my head. I would be willing to pay between $0.10 and $0.20 cents greater at the pump if it would help our country. The only stipulation is that I think it should be temporary.

If my research is correct, we use approximately 400 million gallons of gas per day (which is about 45% of the 21,000,000 barrels we use per day).

$0.10 = $40,000,000/day = $14.6 billion per year

$0.20 = $80,000,000/day = $29.2 billion per year

This kind of money could be used to help with state debt, as well as improvements in public transportation. I personally have no problem paying a little extra, even with our current gas prices, as long as it is temporary.

...because it sure does seem that way.

Pat Toomey and Joe Sestak are running for the US Senate from Pennsylvania. Who would/will you vote for? See link to quiz below...

This is somewhat comedic, but seems fitting. What do you think?

Is it legal for Bank of America to attach late fees, interest payments, totaling $1,500 when the original balance was less than $600? The credit limit itself was only $600. It seems a bit criminal to increase the total amount due 2.5x or 250%.

Breitbart and Fox News approached a story from an angle that painted a picture that was not conducive to a true understanding, and slandered a good person's name. Fox News and right-wingers also contributed to the political assassination of ACORN, Van Jones, and other individuals and groups throughout the past few years. Why can't Fox News just apologize for messing up? Fox News expects that from the Obama administration, but they cannot admit when they have made a mistake. If you don't want to hold Fox News to this standard, they should not be called a news organization, but instead a political organization.

...as a result of the Bush tax cuts. This is just for one year.

Source: Congressional Budget Office (2005)

Yahoo! Answers... that's who!

This bill would repeal income tax, but add a 30% tax rate on top of what we already pay for goods. Another bill that benefits the rich. The Republicans never disappoint, do they? This is the type of unfair legislation that you are looking at if you vote Republican in November.

Working and middle class Americans do not have a 30% tax rate right now, especially with medical and education deductions. We've already managed to turn this country into a plutocracy by giving corporations too much control. This would just drive the individual and family further into the dirt.

If you are planning on voting Republican, redo your budget based on these specs, and tell me if you make more or less money. This bill actually decreased the amount I make by 5%.

http://www.opencongress.org/bill/111-s296/show

This was not what the Founding Fathers had in mind. I can guarantee you that. Democrats and liberals need to start addressing this, as the Republicans are trying to exploit the Founding Fathers/Constitution for political gain. We need to set the story straight.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Plutocracy

Explain.

President Bush (2001-2009) drove our economy and many other aspects of American life into a ditch. During this period, Republicans had the majority, and caused unemployment to rise to over 10%. Republicans also brought us into two wars with a mounting deficit. The gap between the rich and the poor continued to increase at incredible rates during this period of time.

President Obama and Democrats are trying to clean up the mess, while Republicans say "NO" and bank on the public forgetting the past decade. Well, I have not forgotten, and my hope is that other Americans have not forgotten the failed Republican policies.

Despite the limited time period Democrats have been in the majority, why do conservatives and Republicans try to shift blame where it is largely undeserved?

As a liberal, I must say that I am outraged by this bill. It reminds me of what happened with Bush and the PATRIOT Act, part of which was ruled unconstitutional. Thankfully, Lieberman, who introduced the bill, is not and will never be our president. It's this kind of radical agenda that threatens our freedom. If you aren't aware of what the bill implies, see the link below. S.3480 basically gives the government the power to shut down the Internet.

http://www.opencongress.org/bill/111-s3480/show