Yes, it should be a rule. I can all but guarantee it would seriously curb the petty serial down voters.

When you hold someone accountable it is always a good thing. I look at it this way, if you are too much of a coward, or too ignorant, to voice your opposition, then you really have no right to down vote.

Sadly, food stamps are a necessity in todays society. While I believe in and support charity, it can only do so much. Considering the economic crisis affecting so many at the present moment, it is just not possible for private charity to keep up with the demand.

That being said, the current state of all federally funded social programs leaves a lot to be desired. The rampant fraud and corruption within them more often than not leads to the disenfranchisement of the truly needy while the scammers and lifers live it up on the tax payers dime. Anyone who tried to claim welfare queens, and kings for that matter, do not exist, is sorely mistaken. I know of several who live in my building alone. If you can afford a flat screen TV, jeans that cost $80, satellite TV and a cell phone worth $300 you do NOT deserve to be on the government dole, simple as that.

Unfortunately, until the fraud is removed and the scam artists banned for life, the truly needy and deserving will continue to suffer.

Attacking the individual, rather than the argument is ad hominem. No more, no less.

As I have stated several times, I stand by what I wrote.

Thank you for your pontification, I'm sure many will enjoy it just as I have

Have a great day.

From personal experience I have to say private schools far exceed their public counterparts in terms of educational opportunities. I went to both private and public and have seen the difference first hand. There is no contest in my opinion. I even gave public school a second chance with my son, I allowed him to attend public from K through 3rd grades, and it was the worst mistake I ever made.

I understand there are many who cannot afford a private education for their children which is why making school choice a legal reality is so important if we ever want the US to be able to compete on the same playing field as the rest of the world.

I do not know where you live, but in my area...

All the private schools I have attended, and my children have attended require teaching degrees, more often than not advanced degrees as well

Both my son's high school and my daughter's grade school offer special education classes, in fact they have many programs the public schools do not.

In my area, entrance exams are only required for the high schools, private grade schools have open enrollment.

No, not dead, just on hiatus. We need more people here, that's all. The more people who get fed up with other sites the more we will gain, we just need to do our best to advertise it on the other sites we belong to

Thank you for the ad hominem, I appreciate it.

I feel chastised now, shall I run off and get my friends to ad hominem you now?

As for a mistake, I never made one, the poster you are defending clearly admitted he INFERRED opinions from my post which were never stated.

Thank you for playing though, be sure to downrate me again :)

If your argument is so sound my dear, why have you resorted to personal attacks yet again?

Interesting to say the least.

You have made no predictions, rather you have made several erroneous assumptions, simple as that.

I addressed your (lack of) argument early on in your repeated diatribes, you were simple unable to acknowledge that fact for then you would have been forced to admit your error which your ego(?) will not allow you to do.

By all means continue to make your ill-formed assumptions, for they only serve to expose you for what you are.

Now I have Marvin Gaye stuck in my head, thanks a lot

ARGH!!!!!!!!!!!!

Wow, debates are not based in educated opinions?

News to me. I will have to inform the university debate society you said so.

I called you out on your erroneous arguments, deal with it like an adult rather than resorting to childish ad hominem attacks.

Respond at will to this posting, I am too busy too waste further energy attempting to educate you.