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U.S. Politics: Next-ennials vs stamps


lokisnow

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People complain about the cost of public services because they are disinclined or incapable of scaling things to the actual levels of logistics implementation. And they view the slightest inconvenience when they interact with government as a personal attack on themselves.

so people complain that they bought a car for $18,000, why is their government wasting money on a big expensive $250,000 bus, clear government corruption right?

Yet they’re incapable of scaling from a four person vehicle to a 85 person vehicle and incapable of scaling from a vehicle recording 80 miles a day to one recording 500 miles a day and incapable of scaling from a vehicle they will keep seven years to a vehicle the government keeps for thirty five years.

and that is an easily framable, concrete example. 

Ok your church helps out five people once a year when they dump canned food on the heads of the grateful poor, much harder to scale up and have the government help 500,000 people access food 365 days a year, but people treat 5 and 500,000 as the same problem requiring simple solutions like flinging expired cans of chickpeas at victims. 

Or education. Education is “cheap” when a school only includes wealthy, abled children,  excludes 80% of poor children, excludes the disabled, excludes special education and offers two scholarships per annum to middle class kids who are friends with some of the rich kids.

Why, your school doesn’t need all the wasted space public schools require to teach EVERYONE, your costs are way lower. You don’t have to take on the costs of teaching the detritus the wealthy despise like the disabled or those with learning difficulties. You don’t have to deal with feeding kids or hungry kids or kids where their parents have no private transportation, clearly public schools are a big waste ami right? The feee market does it so much better, right.

 

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35 minutes ago, A Horse Named Stranger said:

I'll only start to believe it, when Cruz is really out.  We are still talking about Texas.

 

In all seriousness, I doubt that is true. It wasn't true for Clarence Thomas, and it most likely wasn't true in previous eras (depending on how you define eras), It's just worth remembering, that women did not have a right to vote for that many "eras". So, do you think it would've been a huge issue of a supreme court nominee in the 19th century? I am pretty sure even first half 20th century, you'd see that Mad Men old boys club at work, too. Just more blatanly.

You can reasonably make a case of the sad fact, that the old boys club is still alive and kicking these days.

That is true, and I've said it before: Nixon- Reagan began the era of incompetence and dog whistles, which only escalated and intensified ever since.  They began by changing the words, rather than changing the system.  We'll call garbage men sanitary engineers but not increase the pay and start nibbling at the unions and benefits (while encouraging roll back of civil rights, unions keeping out people of color from the good paying jobs).  So on and so forth. To where we are now, in which they can't even find anything to disguise what they're about, which is appropriating everything for rich white men.

Jefferson hated and loathed Chief Justice Marshall, and wanted him out in the worst way.  But Marshall was such a smart and accomplished lawyer and thinker he could and did outsmart the oleaginous Jefferson. With the worse than mediocre legal clowns with which the orange nazi surrounds himself, it's a travesty such as I've not seen in US history before. There have been some real evil sobs on the SCOTUS and as Chief Justice, such the infamous Roger Taney, responsible in many a way for the war of the rebellion with his ruling on Dred Scott (1857) that divided the nation in a whole new intensification, turning people who hadn't much cared one way or another into faciliatators of the Underground Railroad and abolition.  However, Taney was smart and knew his law -- it was his dreadful racism and hatred of poor people and how he interpreted the law that was the problem -- a huge problem.  But these clowns don't even know the law because they don't believe laws are for them in the first place.

A general ranking of the 5 worst SCOTUS benchers can be found here -- see: racism, bigotry and favor for the kleptocrats a common denominator (Clarence Thomas makes the list).  

https://thinkprogress.org/the-five-worst-supreme-court-justices-in-american-history-ranked-f725000b59e8/

Thus, for example, who one will not find on the list of the worst SCOTUS justices is Justice Oliver Wendall Holmes, Jr., for instance.

 

 

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Be that as it may, but do you think the behvaiour of Kavanaugh shown at the party would've been a deal breaker for a historic nomination?

As for the qualification bit, I'd put that down as a design error of the SCOTUS and the political system of the US in general. Two party system + life time appointments, what could go wrong?

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Trump urges Spain to build a wall along its border with the Sahara Desert.

Spain, a country in Europe, does not have a border with the Sahara Desert, which is located in North Africa. Spain would have to invade several foreign countries in order to build such a wall, which would not be practically possible.

Trump also apparently said that the border with the Sahara Desert "can't be bigger than our border with Mexico", when it is several times the size.

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13 minutes ago, Werthead said:

Trump urges Spain to build a wall along its border with the Sahara Desert.

Spain, a country in Europe, does not have a border with the Sahara Desert, which is located in North Africa. Spain would have to invade several foreign countries in order to build such a wall, which would not be practically possible.

Trump also apparently said that the border with the Sahara Desert "can't be bigger than our border with Mexico", when it is several times the size.

Well, it's hard to say how large Spain's border with the Sahara Desert is, given that it is fictional.  Perhaps the Sahara Wall will protect from immigrants of Narnia. 

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6 minutes ago, Maithanet said:

Well, it's hard to say how large Spain's border with the Sahara Desert is, given that it is fictional.  Perhaps the Sahara Wall will protect from immigrants of Narnia. 

And place high tariffs on wardrobe sales. We don't want them using any secret doorways into the country.

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36 minutes ago, Werthead said:

Trump urges Spain to build a wall along its border with the Sahara Desert.

Spain, a country in Europe, does not have a border with the Sahara Desert, which is located in North Africa. Spain would have to invade several foreign countries in order to build such a wall, which would not be practically possible.

Trump also apparently said that the border with the Sahara Desert "can't be bigger than our border with Mexico", when it is several times the size.

Maybe they could mine the Mediterranean and sink the boats they come on. Tough on shipping, of course.

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11 hours ago, OldGimletEye said:

I've never been the victim of anything remotely resembling a sexual assault, so I just want to be clear that I don't wan't to compare myself with victims that have gone through that type of ordeal.
But, I do want to say, that it is quite possible to remember stuff vividly from one's teenage years. Even though it has been over two decades since I've been a teenager, I do recall certain episodes quite vividly, even certain episodes when I was three sheets to the wind.
Accordingly, I don't find an argument implying that since it's been 35 years or so since Ford was assaulted, that she couldn't sufficiently remember the details, not a particularly good argument.

As a psychologist I just have to point out that the "vividness" or number of details in a memory is no indication that it is an ACCURATE memory. There are many examples of vivid and detailed memories of crimes (including sexual assaults) where the witness does not correctly remember who the perpetrator was. 

This doesn't mean that Ms. Ford's memory is inaccurate, just that the degree of vividness and detail in it is no indication of whether or not it is. 

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Beto is still the underdog for the Texas race (per 538's 'model' he has about a 30% shot). Still, it is close enough that any missteps by the Cruz campaign can put it in further jeopardy.

I think what has happened is that the Texas GOP (and the Cruz campaign) hasnt faced a real credible challenger so they have been caught a bit flat footed. The deceptive mailer/'summons', the tattooed Cruz poster, the po-faced way they tried to demonize Beto....none of that has moved the needle away and may even have lost them some crucial votes. Remains to be seen what Trump's bigly rally will do, I hope it just galvanizes some more Dems to come out and vote.

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1 hour ago, Werthead said:

Trump urges Spain to build a wall along its border with the Sahara Desert.

Spain, a country in Europe, does not have a border with the Sahara Desert, which is located in North Africa. Spain would have to invade several foreign countries in order to build such a wall, which would not be practically possible.

Trump also apparently said that the border with the Sahara Desert "can't be bigger than our border with Mexico", when it is several times the size.

What an absolute idiot.

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Great news, for a change, probably missed by many:

Kim Jong Un says Trump helped stabilize the region, sees more progress. New bilateral talks are happening between the two Koreas, with the first meeting taking place in Pyongyang.

Quote

Earlier, the leaders paraded down the streets of Pyongyang in Kim’s black Mercedes limousine to loud cheers from nearly 100,000 North Koreans who waved flowers and chanted “Motherland!Unification!”

Kim greeted Moon with hugs and handshakes as the South Korean leader landed in the North’s capital with a mission to rekindle momentum in faltering talks between Washington and Pyongyang over denuclearization and a formal end to the 1950-53 Korean War.

As Kim escorted Moon to the Paekhwawon State Guest House, where Moon will stay during his three-day visit, Kim said he wanted to produce a “bigger outcome at a faster pace” than the two leaders have achieved so far.

And we have even better news today:

North Korea agrees to close its missile test site and dismantle its main nuclear facility

Quote

 

South Korean President Moon Jae-in said North Korea agreed to take specific measures for denuclearization and the nations will work together to achieve a nuclear-free Korean Peninsula.

"The North will permanently close its Tongchang-ri missile test site and a launch pad in the presence of experts. It will further dismantle Yongbyon nuclear facility permanently if the U.S. makes corresponding measures," Moon said in a briefing after signing a joint declaration with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un in Pyongyang, North Korea.

Moon and Kim signed the joint declaration that included steps to end military hostility between the two Koreas, plans to continue inter-Korean exchanges and an invitation to Kim to visit Seoul in the near future.

 

North and South Korea also intend to file a joint bid to host the 2032 Olympics.

This is the least war-like and unstable the Korean peninsula has been in a very long time and I continue to be optimistic. I can't wait to be ridiculed and lectured on how Trump got played by Kim so hard. :)

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1 hour ago, Morpheus said:

now that's interesting, if it was a high school gossip item and Ford never said anything then the gossip would have presumably either been about people witnessing the in and out into the room where she was assaulted and speculating on what one girl was doing with two boys or one or the other of the two boys bragged about it. however this whole bit smells quite bad. It could easily be the witness taking the current story and conflating it in her memory with a nonstop high school gossip mill that constantly talked about all the sexual assault rich and connected boys do to rich and connected girls.

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Just now, SweetPea said:

Great news, for a change, probably missed by many:

Kim Jong Un says Trump helped stabilize the region, sees more progress. New bilateral talks are happening between the two Koreas, with the first meeting taking place in Pyongyang.

And we have even better news today:

North Korea agrees to close its missile test site and dismantle its main nuclear facility

North and South Korea also intend to file a joint bid to host the 2032 Olympics.

This is the least war-like and unstable the Korean peninsula has been in a very long time and I continue to be optimistic. I can't wait to be ridiculed and lectured on how Trump got played by Kim so hard. :)

So, are they saying they will do this or are they taking concrete actions to do this?

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1 minute ago, Ser Scot A Ellison said:

So, are they saying they will do this or are they taking concrete actions to do this?

Kim Jong Un will visit Seoul before the end of the year. The first leader of North Korea to do so. 

I listened to POTUS this morning on the radio and they were talking about exactly this. That Kim Jong Un lived in Switzerland for 5 years growing up, and understands what North Korea is doing without, they said that South Korea is calling on the United States to ease some of its sanctions against North Korea so that the 2 Koreas might start some trade. 

The whole segment sounded cautiously positive to me. 

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14 minutes ago, SweetPea said:

North and South Korea also intend to file a joint bid to host the 2032 Olympics.

This is the least war-like and unstable the Korean peninsula has been in a very long time and I continue to be optimistic. I can't wait to be ridiculed and lectured on how Trump got played by Kim so hard. :)

Signs are that North Korea is losing its pariah status and rejoining the international community, while still maintaining its nuclear arsenal.  That is mostly thanks to a combination of efforts from SK, China and the Trump Administration.  This isn't the worst thing in the world, but it certainly isn't what Trump promised, and it is exactly what North Korea wanted. 

Whether that is "Trump getting played" is a matter of opinion.  But the US Intelligence assessment is that North Korea is continuing it's nuclear program.

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1 hour ago, Werthead said:

Trump urges Spain to build a wall along its border with the Sahara Desert.

Spain, a country in Europe, does not have a border with the Sahara Desert, which is located in North Africa. Spain would have to invade several foreign countries in order to build such a wall, which would not be practically possible.

Trump also apparently said that the border with the Sahara Desert "can't be bigger than our border with Mexico", when it is several times the size.

They do have Ceuta and Melilla on the North African coast, but not bordering the Sahara and also they already have border fences.

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3 hours ago, A Horse Named Stranger said:

Be that as it may, but do you think the behvaiour of Kavanaugh shown at the party would've been a deal breaker for a historic nomination?

As for the qualification bit, I'd put that down as a design error of the SCOTUS and the political system of the US in general. Two party system + life time appointments, what could go wrong?

It would have more than likely.  Look what happened to a whole lot of politicians of the 19th century who got caught with their pants down, and not even of assault.  Of course, the south was always different -- though if one of them even had been caught assaulting a woman of his own class, it's likely the problem would have been resolved by her male relatives.  Fer pete's sake you stupid sob Beaufort!  that's what slaves is fer.

Even in Andrew Jackson's administration certain people lost or prevented from some offices due to irregularity of behavior -- though the attempts to keep Jackson out of the oval included slandering his wife didn't succeed. But quite a few others did go down.  The thing to recall is that if such behavior was done on the bodies of poor women, women of color, women of lower rank, that was OK.  But never to a woman of one's own social class.

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33 minutes ago, SweetPea said:

Great news, for a change, probably missed by many:

Kim Jong Un says Trump helped stabilize the region, sees more progress. New bilateral talks are happening between the two Koreas, with the first meeting taking place in Pyongyang.

And we have even better news today:

North Korea agrees to close its missile test site and dismantle its main nuclear facility

North and South Korea also intend to file a joint bid to host the 2032 Olympics.

This is the least war-like and unstable the Korean peninsula has been in a very long time and I continue to be optimistic. I can't wait to be ridiculed and lectured on how Trump got played by Kim so hard. :)

Did you even read these articles?

Quote

SEOUL, Sept. 19 (UPI) -- North Korea will permanently close its missile test site and dismantle its main nuclear facility if the United States takes corresponding measures under a deal struck at the inter-Korean summit Wednesday.

What are the odds that the US will denuclearize, in your opinion?

Now, it's true Trump does deserve some credit for two things:
1) Being so dumb that the Koreans feel they have to bypass the US entirely.
2) Letting the Koreas bypass the US entirely.

2) is especially significant. There has been progress on the peninsula because the US is no longer in the game. Deep down, Trump doesn't really care, as has been demonstrated by various leaks (see the Woodward book).

What's happening here is that the US has abandoned the idea of North Korea giving up its nuclear weapons. Thanks to Trump's loud mouth but ridiculous actions, everybody has accepted that NK is a nuclear power now. Instead of demanding denuclearization or regime change, the US will simply hope that NK liberalize "the Soviet way" through commerce and exchanges, especially with SK.

So yeah, it's actually a success. A Pyrrhic success, since the US has granted NK everything it dreamt of and gotten nothing in return.

What this really means though, is that less US imperialism can be a good thing for the world. Shocking news, right?

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