Wild Bill

Steve, Steve, Steve, I guess we all know that you still aren't taking your medication. To begin with, you clearly are the equivalent of Michael Douglas from Falling Down. The oppressed "White Man's Syndrome"just oozes out of you. I agreed with some of your original points, but on the whole found you to be an idiot. I don't work for the airline industry or one of their lobbying groups, and I normally would be the first to bash the airlines. However, you have more problems than just with the airline industry. I would think a visit to a psychiatrist would probably help you. Anyways, good for you to pay cash for a car that depreciated 25% the minute you took it off of the lot. Hopefully you got the fuel efficient Jeep Grand Cherokee. Having fueler SUV's would really reduce pollution. I would guess that you also don't like immigrants, homosexuals, minorities, jews, people from NYC, and anyone who disagrees with you. I hope your employer reads your postings and finds out what an open-minded, rational person you are. Also, I bet you support the NRA. Right, tough guy!!

noman

You go Wild Bill!!!

Hugh

What's the problem for you to keep saying that foreign countries a ripping off tourists? You can get a McDonald meal for US$2.5 in Hong Kong. You can stay at a 5-star hotel for US$100 in Bangkok. Can you get that in your US? I am not an American, so can you garuntee I will not get ripped off in US then?

bored

Yeah, Steve should win a Nobel Prize for his grasp of economics (not to mention geopolitics). He gives rednecks a bad name.<BR><BR>Since this is a travel forum, tell me, Steve: what foreign countries have you been to that have ripped you off? California? Or New Jersey?

Steve

Mild Bull....<BR><BR>I support the US, what it was, not what it is. The US became a whore to big business and I am one of the few who dare to speak up.<BR><BR>Why, just yesterday Governor Pataki's wife took out a few firemen to an upscale restaurant in SOHO (right near ground zero). Do you think that that restaurant would accept a fireman before 9/11? Get real. The only firemen who go there probably were to check code compliance. I am happy to see when these restaurants go down. Before 9/11 they spat upon a common person who tried to eat there. Now they are hungry. I say, "Let them suffer."<BR><BR>Did you notice that all of the security measures are done to make the public "feel secure". There is a gulf of difference between feeling secure and being secure. It is like trying to stop a car thief. You can't. You can't stop a suicide bomber on a plane. You can't stop a guy with a stinger missile sitting 10 miles away from the airport.<BR><BR>Mild Bull, do you work for a bank or an airline? These two industries are very vulnerable if Americans sightsee near them and take the davings to pay off their credit cards.<BR><BR>This nation has become a low class debtor nation. 50% of the folks out there are two paychecks away from homelessness, yet they still buy new cars and take fly-away vacations. This is probably because so many people are influenced by the urban-liberal special-interest dominated media which is now telling us that it is 'safe' to fly and 'patriotic' to spend your money in a foreign nation.<BR><BR>You can discover quite alot for alot less money within 500 miles from your home. The travel will be stress free and you can save alot of money.<BR><BR>Regarding your comments about my employer... My views are well known. I led a credit-card debt reduction program in my company where 13000 employees self-reported 2 million dollars in credit card debt reduction. I am also proud to say that I earn 167,000 dollars a year and spend none of it in the liberal gutter on NYC, not even lunch, gas, or parking fees.<BR><BR>Bull, if you look, there are alot more conservative people than liberal sell-outs. We are just not as vociferous as the latter group. <BR><BR>We are fed up with window dressing politics. Make the planes more secure. Don't make us feel secure. When the planes are secure we will feel that way. <BR><BR>Mild Bull, I give everybody an even break. It is amazing that somebody is accused of racism when they say something that is not politically correct. I have three main points...<BR>1. Keep your money at home. The US economy will benefit from it.<BR>2. Pay your debt. You will benefit from it.<BR>3. Make planes secure, not make people feel secure.<BR><BR>None of these are remotely racist. <BR><BR>Your Turn.....

Huh?

Since when did they allow Ted Kaczynski Internet access?

foreign

well, that was a nice bit of backtracking. at least u had the wit to leave the poor foreign countries out of it this time, steve. feeling the pc pressure, perhaps?<BR><BR>yes -- you're not racist NOW. but perhaps i can draw your attention back to your original post: 'foreign countries enjoy ripping off tourists,' and 'tell the ripoff foreign countries to take a hike.' hmm..<BR><BR>get off your soapbox, you hack. you've already revealed your true colors.

Steve

Hey Foreign...<BR><BR>I mentioned foreign countries in my latest. You have to realize that most of them really hate Americans but will gladly take our money.<BR><BR>Take the Maldives for example. Were any of you ever there? I was. They became a Muslim fundamentalist country that is very extreme. They would not let a tourist into an island where people live except for the city of Male (pronounced Malay). They would not let a native serve or work with liquor. However, they will gladly take tourist and liquor profits. Hmmmm. <BR><BR>Take Tahiti for example. Were any of you there? I was. The locals are so stuck up with themselves that they assume that Americans cannot speak French. Well, I do. I hear what they openly say and then I respond back in French. It is worth a million bucks to see the look on their faces when they realize that I beat them at their own game. BTW, if it weren't for Americans the French would all be saying Achtung Mein Fuhrer.<BR><BR>So...Patriots out there...Keep America moving. Spend locally.

foreign

steve &gt; i just LOVE your broad generalizations. it's no wonder u were treated the way you were in these countries if you act the way you do on this board. yes, i HAVE been Tahiti. And to the Maldives (one of the most beautiful places i've seen). And to 40 other countries around the world. And u know what Steve? i've found out a golden rule. people generally treat u well if u treat them well. not spouting out generalities and acting all 'holier-than-thou'.<BR><BR>well...here's a generalization of my own: you symbolize the 'UGLY AMERICAN' that everyone talks about. do the world a favor, xenophobia man. stay at home. please. the world (and probably most of the US) doesn't want you.

sts

While much of Steve's original post was overdone, to say the least, I do have to agree with one of his central premises, i.e. airline travel is becoming hardly worth the hassle. <BR><BR>Just returned from a ski trip to europe; people were friendly, honest and hosipitable. They did their best to make me feel welcomed. However the airlines were a different story. <BR><BR>The security yo-yoed from overbearing to lax. The employees were generally obnxious and ill-informed. Flights were delayed and cancelled, no re-imbursement was given. The luggage was lost outbound and inbound. <BR><BR>I had no fear of flying before 9/11 nor do I now. I just wonder whether the beauty of the Alps is worth running the gaunlet of the airlines or whether a drive to Vermont would be more enjoyable.

WildBill

Steve, nice to see that you now have the privilige to use the internet. 2 weeks in lock-down didn't take anything out of you. You are not a patriot as you claim, rather, you're a right-wing kook who is trying to lash out at those who are different from him. I love your "man of the people" bull shit regarding where Pataki's wife took the firemen, and then you drop that you make close to 200K a year. Yeah, your a real working class stiff. Your view of the world is so f@cked up by all of your white, middle age rage that you are blinded to what's really going on. Good for you that you started a company program to lower credit card debt, but what the hell does that have to do with your original post. You are seriously deranged and in need of immediate psychiatric help. I think you suffer from a number of inadequacies and you take them out on either foreigners or people who disagree with you politically. You seem almost happy that so many people died in New York on 9-11. That's pathetic, and your much worse for our country that the actual terrorists. Keep posting because you're doing nothing other than proving my point you psycho...

Stephanie P.

Foreign:<BR><BR>Why are you so angry? This is just a post, not anything Earth shattering.

foreign

Stephanie &gt; hello? have you READ this thread at all? I'm not the angry one here. I'm simply disgusted with a hack that, through his broad generalizations about 'foreign' countries, panders to the common perception that Americans are insensitive and simply have no understanding of anything outside our borders.<BR><BR>You've got the wrong suspect, Sherlock. The guy with the chip on his shoulder is the original poster.