• 17 Posts
  • 140 Comments
Joined 1 year ago
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Cake day: June 23rd, 2023

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  • Who needs another big chain?

    For the same reason we want locally owned hardware stores as well as Home Depot - the selection. The big chains can afford larger real estate and book sections as large as some book stores. Especially for technical and reference books. Sure, you could buy that stuff online but I’d rather shop in person. Sometimes I need something now and sometimes I don’t know what I need until I’m walking past it. I love the curation and personality of small stores but there’s still a reasonable argument for big chains. I would love to see some sort of beneficial collaboration between chains and indie shops across all industries.









  • Strike a window = illegal.
    Murder someone = legal.

    I’m generalizing. But the larger issue is who the heck is reviewing these “policies” to determine if they’re legal (or smart)? Would it take bringing this to the Supreme Court to determine the legality?

    The report said the shooting was within police policy because the officers reasonably feared that Amaya’s life was in danger when he stood in front of Ghaisar’s stopped vehicle and it began to roll forward.

    I am not familiar with the case but this statement alone appears ridiculous. What’s reasonable here is that if a vehicle is approaching you, standing in front of it is stupid and killing the person operating it is even stupider. This isn’t self defense, this is attempted suicide (or attempted lawsuit). Police Policy should be: don’t be a dumbass.


  • So, what a lot of people get wrong about tariffs is that, if they’re used properly, they “incentivize” an increase of American businesses and jobs. By making it uncomfortably expensive for importers, businesses sprout and flourish locally to offset the costs. Alternatively, the government can literally hand out incentives.

    If we could remove the bullshit-politics of it, we’d be having more productive conversations about whether the consumer should be paying for goods and services they directly or tangentially use (tariffs) or if the nation as a whole benefits by using tax payer dollars (congressionally approved federal spending) to lower costs.

    This here is one of the distinct differences between Democrats and Republicans. The Republicans want to eliminate federal sending on practically everything not in the constitution and leave the rest up to the States and Wall Street investors. A lot of the conservatives I know resent having to pay for things they don’t use. Democrats believe a rising tide lifts all ships and there are certain services that benefit the entire population of a nation when funds are pooled; even from people who don’t directly use a service. These are fundamental differences that are worthy of debate.

    The media today drives me mad. They’re lazy and feeding off each other. One outlet runs a headline and that’s the lede for all. Sure, Trump is an idiot and it’s entirely plausible that has no idea how tariffs work. The fact that he’s saying 50% or more in some cases is evidence of that. Or, what I have not seen discussed at all is how tariffs have been used and the repercussions/benefits of them. We’re all so fucked because no one wants to seem like they’re defending the guy. Giving him an inch gives him legitimacy. In the meantime, people are being misinformed and not learned about the larger picture - by the media.

    Anyway, I hope people realize how incredible Biden has been as a president. We’re so obsessed with bullshit-politics that the man’s actual accomplishments go unnoticed without any appreciation. Maybe he’s just old or maybe he’s actually humble enough to not make a big deal about his administrative accomplishments. I forget how Presidents and normal news coverage used to be to make a comparison. One thing is for sure, anything positive of the Trump administration will be thanks to the Biden administration.



  • First, I’m not mad at anyone.

    I’m only offering you the raw data to illustrate that your initial point, as you wrote it, was incorrect. Biden did slightly better than Harris in the swing state total. Trump seemed irrelevant to your earlier point.

    It seems your point should have simply been that more people voted for a Trump than Harris. And, as the numbers suggest, it’s plausible many of them had switched from Biden to Trump. So, if you want to “be mad” at anyone, it would be either Biden’s administration or Harris’ campaign.

    Although, I feel it’s worth more of our time focusing on the last bit - how is it that people are so disconnected from reality that Trump was ever a consideration. How is it that practically everyone believes everything they hear or read and use it to enforce their narrative?

    If I’m mad at anything, it’s boisterous claims being spread through social media without anyone caring enough to determine if the claim is true or not.


  • Those of you downvoting me, look at the vote totals for swing states in 2020 vs 2024.

    Ok…
    https://www.270towin.com/2020-election-results-live/
    https://www.270towin.com/2024-election-results-live/

    Pennsylvania 20/19
    Biden* 3,458,229^ 50.0%
    Harris 3,396,770 48.6%

    Arizona 11
    Biden* 1,672,143^ 49.4%
    Harris 1,534,391 46.6%

    Georgia 16
    Biden* 2,474,601 49.5%
    Harris 2,548,014^ 48.5%

    Michigan 16/15
    Biden* 2,804,040^ 50.6%
    Harris 2,733,352 48.3%

    Nevada 6
    Biden* 703,486^ 50.1%
    Harris 702,079 47.5%

    North Carolina 15/16
    Biden 2,684,292 48.7%
    Harris 2,689,067^ 47.7%

    Wisconsin 10
    Biden* 1,630,503 49.6%
    Harris 1,668,077^ 48.8%

    • Biden won six of the swing states. Harris won zero.
    • Compared to Trump, Biden won a higher percentage than Harris in all seven.
    • Biden got more votes in four states. Harris got more votes in three.

    Totals:
    Biden 3,458,229 + 1,672,143 + 2,474,601 + 2,804,040 + 703,486 + 2,684,292 + 1,630,503 ‎ = 15,427,294

    Harris 3,396,770 + 1,534,391 + 2,548,014 + 2,733,352 + 702,079 + 2,689,067 + 1,668,077 ‎ = 15,271,750

    15,427,294 - 15,271,750 ‎ = 155,544 more votes for Biden.








  • I think I’ve figured this out.

    The idea that individual Americans should “do their research” about their health care and medicine is preposterous. Government exists, in part, to do this work for us. However, the Trump / GOP agenda is to strip these agencies from the federal government and replace them with private corporations.

    So, who do we then get our medical advice from if not a medical professional at a government agency? The corporations who manufacture the drugs. And how do hear about them? “Sponsored posts” and “influencers” like Joe Rogan on platforms that we subscribe to. Privatization of government run agencies makes the wealthier more wealthy on the backs of clueless Americans still touting “trickle down economics” and “the free market”.

    Americans, if they don’t die first, are about to go bankrupt in record numbers.