U.S. Politics: Would You Like A Warranty With Your Magic Beans?

[Martell Spy]

1 hour ago, Zorral said:

Manafort goes to jail:

https://www.nytimes.com/2018/06/15/us/politics/manafort-bail-revoked-jail.html

Lock him up!

[Bennis of the Brown Shield]

On 6/14/2018 at 8:01 AM, Yukle said:

This is a fairly colonialist view. It's common to read a history source and then to come to a conclusion that since a particular civilisation was flawed, it therefore justifies the elimination of its culture.

The counter-point is to say that America's majority culture is extremely broken. Its inequality is enormous, its poverty rate is 1/5 and its Rust Belt isn't just an expression - it's a largely impoverished area. Why wouldn't you therefore also conclude that since large swathes of America aren't producing anything, they aren't preserving?

There's nothing new in human societies being imperfect, and there's nothing wrong with pointing it out. The problem is therefore coming to a conclusion that the conqueror's lifestyle is superior to the conquered. Indigenous Alaskans do not live in welfare camps, for one thing, but the assertion that if there are any problems with the communities they live in makes those communities somehow not worth keeping contains within it an assumption of cultural superiority.

Never at any point would it cross the mind of an average American that since their culture contains many broken aspects, they should therefore surrender it and submit; simply assimilating entirely into whatever, for example, New York tells them to do. They would instead want whatever fundamental causes that create their plight addressed. This is a compassionate and reasonable expectation. It is not, therefore, reasonable to expect an ethnic minority to make such a submission of their culture.

It really isn't though. I like to criticize America as much as any European, but the thing to bear in mind is that while USA has some serious flaws, those are only in relation to a small number of other first world nations. As a whole it is still an incredibly successful country with a very high standard of living. While the poverty rate might be around 10% (not 20%), that is according to a definition that would still pass as middle class for most of humanity. 

Elimination of culture is a very harsh term, but I think in terms of practices and institutions then undeveloped countries and communities certainly have a lot more to learn from developed societies than the other way around. 

[James Arryn]

Hey, so Trump openly lied about a bunch of shit again. Several of his staff threatened to revoke the press rights of critical journalists. Charges are mounting is various corruption, obstruction and possibly treason cases, the government is quoting religious scripture to enforce internment camps and Trump said he wants Americans to sit up, shut up and listen to him the way NK do for  KJU.

But as of now, though, there are no reports he used Dijon mustard, so we can all exhale. 

[Darth Richard II]

Neat, when do we invade Poland?

[DMC]

1 hour ago, Khaleesi did nothing wrong said:

While the poverty rate might be around 10% (not 20%)

Yeah, I don't get the 20% number, that's not up to date by either main measure.  Further, while the rate certainly jumped post-Great Recession, it's decreased significantly since 2014.

But what I really took umbrage with, @Yukle, is this:  "its Rust Belt isn't just an expression - it's a largely impoverished area."  I grew up in a rust belt city (albeit in a suburb) and have lived in another the past four years.  And while growing up I watched a city literally crumble as companies not only cleared out manufacturing but white-collar jobs, this depiction is really out of date:

Quote

Since 2010, about the time the recovery from the Great Recession took hold, through 2016, [Rust Belt] cities have outpaced the national average for large metros (over one million) in terms of per capita GDP growth. Detroit ranked eighth (13.9%) and Pittsburgh ranked ninth ( 13.8%) in per capita GDP growth for the nation's 51 largest metros, behind expected leaders like San Jose, Austin, Nashville, San Francisco and Dallas. Cleveland (12th, at 10.9%) and Chicago (20th, at 8.4%) weren't far behind, and all were outpacing fast-population-growth metros like Houston (37th, 4.3%), Phoenix (40th, 2.6%) and Orlando (45th, -1.0%). Yet taken together, between 2010 and 2016 the Chicago-Cleveland-Detroit-Pittsburgh metro combo showed population growth of only 0.1% from 2010-2016, while the Houston-Phoenix-Orlando group grew by 13.3%.

The bolded - the lack of population growth - remains an issue (as that article details), but the urban areas have been attracting an increasing amount of young adults, in part due to their comparative affordability:

Quote

Buying a home — a relative rarity for the millennial generation — is easier here with an estimated four out of five homes within reach of the middle class. Detroit is the fifth most affordable city in the U.S. for real estate, according to HSH.com, a mortgage-information firm. Residents only need to earn $35,538 a year for a median-priced home.

Other Rust Belt cities round out the top five: Pittsburgh ($29,481), Cleveland ($30,498), Cincinnati ($33,784); and St. Louis ($33,899).  San Francisco was the least affordable at $144,196.

The other (and big) reason is because higher education institutions have become economic anchors in these urban areas - 20 universities rank in the top 200 worldwide - leading some to re-dub it "the brainbelt."  Many cities in the area have successfully adapted, even to the point they are hip travel destinations.  Pittsburgh's adaptation has typified this resurgence, becoming a leader in the robotics industry (largely thanks to CMU) and boasting a world class medical center.

Perhaps due the opioid crises or continued perceptions of the crippling loss of manufacturing for thirty years, one may think it's "largely impoverished."  And yes, it's rural areas can be particularly poor.  But I promise you the "Rust Belt" looks a lot different that it did ten years ago.  In fact, some even take offense at the term "rust belt" (to be clear, I absolutely don't at all).  Come visit and see!

[James Arryn]

16 minutes ago, Darth Richard II said:

Neat, when do we invade Poland?

First would come annexation of Canada because of all the Canadian terrorism against American-speaking residents of Canada. 

[Martell Spy]

Will Eric Greitens Avenge Himself on Missouri GOP by Running for the Senate As an Independent?

http://nymag.com/daily/intelligencer/2018/06/greitens-could-avenge-himself-on-republicans-with-senate-run.html

Quote

 

Former Missouri Governor Eric Greitens could be back in the political spotlight a lot quicker than most thought.

The Republican is entertaining the idea of running for one of Missouri’s two U.S Senate seats, but not on the Republican ticket, but as an Independent.

Missouri has a provision that would allow Greitens to run as an Independent as long as he gets at least 10,000 signatures of registered voters by July 30th.

 

 

[DMC]

2 hours ago, Martell Spy said:

Will Eric Greitens Avenge Himself on Missouri GOP by Running for the Senate As an Independent?

http://nymag.com/daily/intelligencer/2018/06/greitens-could-avenge-himself-on-republicans-with-senate-run.html

 

This seems too good to be true.  First of all, the report seems to suggest there are two US Senate seats up in Missouri:

Quote

The Republican is entertaining the idea of running for one of Missouri’s two U.S Senate seats, but not on the Republican ticket, but as an Independent.

Last time I checked, Roy Blunt just won reelection for one of the seats in 2016, which means it's not up til 2022.  As for McCaskill's seat, yes, that's gonna be a tough race for her against AG Josh Hawley.  If Greitens wants to kamikaze it that'd be great, but I really don't get the rationale.

[Relic]

Trump Jan 30 2018 - "But no regime has oppressed its own citizens more totally or brutally than the cruel dictatorship in North Korea."

 

Trump June 15th 2018 - Salutes North Korean general. Says Kim "loves his people". 

 

 

[ThinkerX]

Since my post on 'natives and Eskimos' is still being mentioned occasionally...

 

I have known quite a few natives and those of native descent through the years hereabouts.  Again, one of the closest friends of my youth was half native (technically half Aleut, but that was rarely mentioned)  The name of the local Athabaskan Branch is 'Kenatze.'  Almost never used except in an official or legal sense.  Usually called the 'native association' - including virtually all of the local natives.  Eskimos: rarer, but I have known/worked with a few through the years.  They refer to themselves as either natives or Eskimos - I recollect maybe two or three occasions total where tribal affiliation got brought up, and that was for 'official paperwork.' 

I have known a number of natives (including Eskimos) who migrated to this area from the Bush.  NONE had any great interest in returning permanently to their hometown Bush village, though a couple were inclined to work fish sites, boats, or visit relatives.  Others said 'no way in hell am I going back there' (more or less).  These last were often fleeing abusive (sometimes sexual) situations. 

So...given this...
 

is it wrong/racists to refer to these people as 'natives' instead of Kenaitze/Yupik/Athabaskan?