Bryan

You can always input an actual dollar amount, or decline to tip altogether. Remember, the tips are going to servers who are already making that 10-15-20% off of every table, and it adds up to a LOT of money if they are any good at their jobs. There is no reason to be unusually generous with someone who has more cash in their pockets than most of their customers do.

No. Servers WISH people were dumb enough to pay that. You might get 20% or more on a small bill just because people will round up. For a large table, with a bill of several hundred dollars, even 10% is pushing it. Besides, why should the percentage be increasing? The prices on the menus keep increasing, that means the same percentage is always an increasing amount of money.

You've made a lot of excuses, but offered nothing constructive. Yes, the system is a mess. It needs to be cleaned up. Funny how you care about privacy if a government agency has the data, but you're in favour of forcing people to answer those questions directly. It's exactly the same privacy breach. You're either allowed to know that data or you're not. If you aren't allowed to access the data already on file, don't tell me you should be allowed to force me to give it to you directly. It's hypocrisy. Either synchronize the data, or live without it and stop bitching.

"Whatever it takes"??? Who is supposed to pay for that? Will you? How about you just voluntarily send in double or triple whatever your total tax load was this year?

They are only going to attract lousy servers who don't make decent tips for a reason. Good servers make a lot more than that at a busy restaurant.

That's all it does.

That's a good thing. That data is none of your business.

Good point. Perhaps it was a one time cost for the change-over, that will result in lower costs going forward. We'll see. That's the same problem with integrating all of the ways the government already collects data on its citizens. It will be expensive at first, but will reduce costs and increase efficiency down the road. Both cases are things that should have been done a long time ago, so eventually you have to eat that cost and do it.

They have all of that data already, they don't need the census.

Even better: just cut out the census altogether.

One does have to wonder why the NHS was more expensive, when you have significantly less expenses attached to compliance. What actually added to the cost in 2011?

I don't think Justin understands how much of the support he has left are Catholics. They're not going to sign such a pledge, and they sure won't vote for anyone who does. There's a very real possibility some of the MPs he's still got will just cross the floor rather than represent a party that makes such a barbaric stand.

Even if it ends up being a different government making the decisions by the time they get around to it, I'll still be shocked if we end up buying more Hornets.

I'd be genuinely shocked if it ends up being the SuperHornet. It only seems to be on the list, so you can say you had a list.

>>edit .. thread drift... stopping now<<

Now? They'd probably treat the Jews almost as badly as the Jews are treating them.

Aye. Possession is eleven points in the law, and they say there are but twelve.

By that criteria, I guess no one has exclusive right to any land.

Nice one!

Were you looking in the mirror when you wrote that? Words have actual dictionary meanings you know. Language has a codified structure. If someone makes a statement that actually says a specific thing, then that IS what it says, even if you don't like it. I get it that you don't think that's what he MEANT, but don't bullshit me and try to claim you don't see that is what he absolutely actually DID say. And you're calling ME stubborn? Give your head a shake.

We're supposed to be taking military advice from someone who writes comic books? What's next, Stan Lee as a medical advisor?

A lot of people share your sentiment. That's a large part of why the situation has become the way it is.

I don't think those scenarios relate to each other in the way you are trying to link them. I haven't seen any evidence that Crimeans want the Russians to leave. That's a stark contrast to the situation in Palestine.

When I see people putting forth preposterous feats of illogic, yeah, I can be stubborn in my determination to correct it.

In the last couple of days, I've been wondering the same thing about you. In either case, you're just being an ass, disagreeing with me for sport. My understanding of the speech is an accurate representation of what he actually said. Yours is apologetics for what you already believe he must have meant.