The Next President is...

[brabus]

Well it’s settled, CH is running in ‘24. 

[dream big]

2 hours ago, brabus said:

Well it’s settled, CH is running in ‘24. 

Not corrupt enough to run, at least I don’t think he is.

[GrndPndr]

You know, I've seen lots of Biden's speeches, and they're a little scary.  But this, one worried me a little, as he is beginning to slur his words (instead of just misplacing them):

 

[Guardian]

He’s making a very strong case to being worse than Carter and Obama. And we aren’t even 1 year in. Likely beyond his control and is only in this spot because of his handlers. And ruining his legacy. Well what there was of it anyways.

[lloyd christmas]

I voted for Trump twice and I agreed with nearly all of his policies.  But, I’ve got to admit that the real tipping point for this country will be if he runs again.  Not if he wins.  If he simply announces his intention to run.  I hope the pendulum swings hard right but it’s got to be with someone other than Trump.  

[TreeA10]

I have seen guys well past 10 beers and multiple shots of Weed that speak more coherently than that addled senile man. 

[kaputt]

3 hours ago, lloyd christmas said:

I voted for Trump twice and I agreed with nearly all of his policies.  But, I’ve got to admit that the real tipping point for this country will be if he runs again.  Not if he wins.  If he simply announces his intention to run.  I hope the pendulum swings hard right but it’s got to be with someone other than Trump.  

Agreed. I will be voting in a primary for the first time in my life if Trump runs again in order to try and do whatever I can to prevent it. And like you, I voted for him twice (and don’t regret it). But yes, the future of this country is not Trumpism. 

[kaputt]

The iconic image of this Presidency it seems. 

[Guardian]

So if it’s between Biden (or Kamala) and trump you would vote Biden?

[kaputt]

1 hour ago, Guardian said:

So if it’s between Biden (or Kamala) and trump you would vote Biden?

Hell no. It’s a ways off, but if Trump is the nominee in 2024 I may go 3rd party. Not super excited about that possibility, but that’s why I plan to vote in the primary next time and have some say on that aspect of the process.

Trump is no leader and his narcissistic personality is not going to reunite the country or set us back on the right path. He’s right on much of what he says and the policies he tried to implement, but it’s not always about just having the right ideas. You have to sell those ideas beyond just your base, and I think Trump struggled at that. Maybe I’m crazy, but I still believe there is someone out there in this country that can stand up to far leftist bullshit, be professional, and have the best interests of all Americans in mind, and still not bring the baggage that Donald Trump does. 

My best guess though, I don’t think Trump will run next cycle. Anyway, back to Biden saying gibberish from his White House set across the street from the actual White House. 

[JimNtexas]

 

[bfargin]

We've gone so far left overall that the current American "conservatives" are at best classical liberals. I tend to lean further right on government intervention and power issues, but I'd be tickled to see rational players from either party step forward. In my dream world I imagine a Nikki Haley / Tulsi Gabbard team trying their hands at the helm. Further left than I would prefer, but would definitely be a huge improvement compared to what we've had for many, many years. But, who knows where they would actually land once in power?!

[Guest]

When will you all realize the Democratic and Republican parties are two sides of the same coin? & no, no Lolbertarian, Green, Constitution or Independent is going to change it.

Donald Trump was at best an independently wealthy guy who did some good things and some bad things, and acted in a way many did and did not like.

Donald Trump was at worst controlled opposition who also said things people did and did not like.

No one is running for President and going to win unless they are independently wealthy with connections or completely chosen by some higher order. (((They))) control the entire process. The federal government is and has been doomed for decades now, at this point more than a century. It’s up to the States now to save this nation. Article V.

Edited October 9, 2021 by dogfish78

[Negatory]

1 hour ago, bfargin said:

We've gone so far left overall that the current American "conservatives" are at best classical liberals. I tend to lean further right on government intervention and power issues, but I'd be tickled to see rational players from either party step forward. In my dream world I imagine a Nikki Haley / Tulsi Gabbard team trying their hands at the helm. Further left than I would prefer, but would definitely be a huge improvement compared to what we've had for many, many years. But, who knows where they would actually land once in power?!

That’s ironic because I’ve heard the exact opposite argument stating that both parties are essentially different flavors of classical conservatives.

[bfargin]

7 minutes ago, Negatory said:

That’s ironic because I’ve heard the exact opposite argument stating that both parties are essentially different flavors of classical conservatives.

Not even close ... you must be listening to people who are ignorant. The left isn't even close to classically liberal much less conservative.

[Negatory]

1 hour ago, bfargin said:

Not even close ... you must be listening to people who are ignorant. The left isn't even close to classically liberal much less conservative.

I fail to see you’re point. Democrats, like Republicans, support imperialism, military spending, and capitalism, with significantly less progressive reform than most of even the tame European countries. Hell, most democrats in Washington still virtue signal their religious affiliations for popular support in 2021.

[Sim]

https://thefederalist.com/2021/10/07/joe-bidens-vaccine-mandate-doesnt-exist-its-just-a-press-release/

Quote

Yes, we’ve heard all about Joe Biden’s alleged vaccine mandate for private companies employing 100 or more people. It was all over the news even before he announced it on September 9. His announcement has jeopardized the employment of millions of Americans and increased worker shortages in critical domains such as health care.

There’s only one problem. It’s all a mirage. Biden’s so-called vaccine mandate doesn’t exist — at least, not yet. So far, all we have is his press conference and other such made-for-media huff-puffing. No such rule even claiming to be legally binding has been issued yet.

 

[Guest]

2 hours ago, Sim said:

https://thefederalist.com/2021/10/07/joe-bidens-vaccine-mandate-doesnt-exist-its-just-a-press-release/

 

Probably to scare millions into getting it because those people think they’ll be forced to get it eventually. It’s sad people think that way. They bend over for the pink haired Human Resources woman who says they shall take the experimental drug or else (interesting how you’re reduced to being a “human resource”, not a person). I’m curious if law was taught in grade school if there would be more employees sticking up against this “mandate”. It’s wonderful for the establishment though, they’ll claim plausible deniability ad infinitum. No matter what lawsuits they face (years after people are fired or coerced into taking it because the legal system is a tortoise), they’ll never be punished because the (((federal courts))) are controlled and even if they weren’t, they’ll say they never issued an official mandate, only spoke about maybe doing so. This type of behavior used to get people beheaded.

[Negatory]

On 10/7/2021 at 9:27 AM, ClearedHot said:

I think the economy is worse now and under Biden for several reasons.  While both parties have issues with deficit spending, by all measures of reason Biden has taken that to a stupid level that will drive us down a dangerous road.  There is much to debate about Trump's tax cuts and the impact on the national debt, but a large portion of his deficit spending was COVID expense.  Is the market up under Biden?  Yes, even with a 9% correction over the past two weeks (we were due), but the underlying dynamics have completely changed.  We now have inflation and it is going to get worse.  The repeated stimulus packages are fueling what could turn into a terrible storm given the second and third order impacts caused by global supply chain issues.  In general the DNC policies (paying people not to work, $20 min wage and general malaise about getting back to work), have caused incredible secondaries throughout the market.  There is currently a major shortage of truck drivers, the backbone of our supply system and I would invite you to look at the situation at the port of Los Angeles.  There are so many ships lined up waiting to offload they had to tell them to stop coming.  As of the report I heard yesterday there are 500,000 shipping containers waiting to be offloaded and entered into the supply chain.  Also as of yesterday, there was one...I repeat ONE large crane operational and manned to offload those containers.  When people don't want to work unless they are paid $100,00 a year to flip burgers, you will feel it in the system.  The current administration is completely removed from reality as demonstrated by an "absurd" comment from the White House Press Secretary who thinks businesses won't pass increased taxes and costs on to consumers"There are some … who argue that, in the past, companies have passed on these costs to consumers," Psaki said. "We feel that that’s unfair and absurd, and the American people would not stand for that."  How you can defend or accept comments like this is simply BEYOND me.

Inflation and "stimulus packages" were bought in the previous year before Biden took over. We went from 4 to 7T dollars of Fed Reserve spending in less than 6 months. But yes, this is the democrats fault.

Yes I believe that the unemployment incentives in blue states were a mistake. At the same time, I 100% empathize with the undeniable fact that there is literally no way to live any sort of a life under a 40 hour a week $15 an hour job. But that's where we differ, likely. The republican mantra is that these people should suffer until their life is better. I do not believe that bullshit.

 

On 10/7/2021 at 9:27 AM, ClearedHot said:

I have to disagree with this twisted assessment.  If you want to close loopholes I am ok with that as long as you account for the unintended consequences.  A few items in particular and I would love honest feedback on how this is fair to rich people.  The current U.S. economic system is already highly redistributive

Taxes – How much more should the rich pay?  Seriously, the DNC mantra that seems to hate rich people is “the rich should pay their fair share”…give me a freaking break.  What is “fair” given the following facts from the IRS.

#1.  The top 1% pays 40% of the U.S. tax burden while earning 21% of all income.

#2.  The top 5% pays 60% of the U.S. tax burden while earning 37% of the income.

 

You used the example of the marginal tax rate of school teachers...we should rich people have to pay a higher tax rate?   If a teacher makes $50,000 and pays 10% they are paying $5,000 a year in taxes.  If a rich person makes $500,000 a year and pays 10% they are paying $50,000 a year and taxes, but this is not "fair"  Lunacy.  Regardless, the progressive tax system is EXTREMELY unfair.  Under the current tax code that rich person pays 37% or $185,000 a year in taxes...but that is not their fair share...you and Biden want more?  Going back to 2012

In 2012, individuals in the bottom quintile (that is, the bottom 20 percent) of incomes (families with less than $17,104 in market income) received $27,171 on average in net benefits through all levels of government, while on average those in the top quintile (families with market incomes above $119,695) pay $87,076 more than they receive. The top 1 percent paid some $812,000 more....but that is not FAIR right?

 

From your comments it seems you agree with the DNC that we should go after unrealized gains, I don't even have the words to describe how unfair and dangerous that is.  That is straight up income redistribution right out of the communist manifesto.  

You're biased to propaganda over the last 30 years - the specific propaganda basically boils down to "greed is good" - and I honestly know I'm not getting to you. The point is that if you make $10M-$1B a year, in most cases it's not through income - it's through capital gains and profiting off of labor. And if you think that the stock market is a "fair" system, especially with how it has gone up during the pandemic, you're delusional. People who benefit extremely from the designed inefficiencies should be reasonably expected to pay more. This is not a new thought. In fact, Republicans backed bills pre and post WWII to raise marginal income tax rates to 77-92% for the top earners. This is not a 2012 thing, this is actually a history thing. Love of the rich - from people like you - is something that is new in history. The ironic thing is that Jeff Bezos and Elon Musk are paying total effective tax rates closer to 0% because all of their net worth is tied up in the stock market as unrealized gains. 

And your facts about income inequality are pretty out of touch. Yeah, you've proven my point. The top 1% pays more tax and makes way more than everyone else. Cool. They should.

Let me put it to you another way. Your big-brain example about how everyone should be paying the same taxes as it would be better and more fair (school teachers and high net worth individuals): Do you currently support raising taxes on school teachers by about double?

Simple question.

The flaw in the system is that you don't have to contribute to the system at all once you have a certain nest egg. You just sit and reap the benefits off the work of everyone else by throwing it in the stock market. You will say there is risk, but let's be real. The Fed will just pump $7-11T in to protect your rich ass or bail you out.

On 10/7/2021 at 9:27 AM, ClearedHot said:

Again, seriously?  We have a vaccine mandate, we want to tell women they don't have the freedom to control what they put in their body, but they do have control of what they take out of their body?  Mixed message much?  You don't find that to be authoritarian? 

What about the admin suppressing free speech?  The Biden DOJ has again weaponized the FBI and will investigate parents who push back on school boards as DOMESTIC TERRORISTS.  That should be staggering to anyone who has sworn an oath to the Constitution?  And to make sure I understand the policy, it is okay to protest social injustice by burning down cities, rioting, destroying government buildings and property, and attack the police but if you attend a school board meeting and push back on Critical Race Theory you are a domestic terrorist? 

As I have stated numerous times on this forum, I support vaccine mandates that stop transmission and sickness. For the alpha variant, this was likely the case, so I supported the mandate. With Delta, science is showing it is significantly less effective, so I may have a different opinion.

I have never supported CRT, and there is not a single credible example of someone going to rationally discuss CRT that was placed on an FBI wish list. I am not going to address the blatant fallacies in your secondary example, but if you want to have a more rational discussion about it, I encourage you to rewrite.

On 10/7/2021 at 9:27 AM, ClearedHot said:

I actually laughed when I read your comment. 

#1.  We abandoned Bagram and our ally in the middle of the night with no warning or notice.

#2. We left Afghanistan to burn to the ground despite a conditions based agreement that was not satisfied. 

#3.  We denied our ally air support and left them and the ones who supported us to die.

#4.  We negotiated with a terrorist organization and left them in charge of a country.

#5.  We LEFT AMERICANS BEHIND.

#6.  We screwed NATO.

#7.  We left the Brits so mad they officially condemned our President in Parliament for the first time since the war of 1812.

#8.  We pissed off the French so bad over a Sub deal that "Biden was unaware of", the French recalled their ambassador for the first time ever.

If Trump did one thing right it was stand up to China while we still have tools and levers to pull.  Pull back the curtain, China is going to go high order either internally or externally, much sooner than most think and hope.

#1 - is months of saying you're going to leave no notice?

#2 - Trump actually committed to what almost everyone calls an unconditional withdrawal in 2020. Get your facts straight

#3 - Afghanistan is not our ally

#4 - Yes, the Trump administration did negotiate with the Taliban to create an unconditional withdrawal. https://apnews.com/article/joe-biden-middle-east-taliban-doha-e6f48507848aef2ee849154604aa11be

#5 - Yeah, I'm mad about this. But did we leave Americans that were trying to get out behind? Or is this political grandstanding to the extreme? And I'm not looking for a onesie-twosie example. We got the overwhelming majority of Americans out.

#6 - You can't talk out of both sides of your mouth and say that you like Trumps anti-NATO isolationist policies and then get mad when we do something they don't like. Also, how did we screw NATO? I know you were just trying to make a list, but I don't think this one should have made it.

#7 - Oh give me a break from your bias:

https://www.cbsnews.com/news/british-parliament-condemns-trump-but-remains-split-over-banning-him/

https://www.thedailybeast.com/fascist-evil-racist-uk-parliament-unloads-on-trumps-twitter-outburst

#8 - You're cherrypicking again. Like anyone in the DoD is actually mad about this.

We've already argued about this. You think it was worth the Trillions of US dollars to be in Afghanistan. I think it was worth anything to get out. Afghanistan's fall is primarily on Afghani's is my opinion. And, I know deep down, that's most peoples opinion. Or maybe we can blame the effectiveness of military FAOs, Commanders, and trainers over the last 20 years, I guess.

We had to leave.

On 10/7/2021 at 9:27 AM, ClearedHot said:

The United States could go to net zero carbon emissions and it would not make a difference, look at the numbers. The issue is China and India.  I would rather see the U.S. remain energy independent and pour those taxes into innovation, accelerate a Manhattan like project toward fusion, clean energy and renewables.  The only real solution seems to be fusion.  Instead we have decided to wreck our energy industry, again become dependent on OPEC and others for our energy and give up the leadership position.

This is greenwashing bullshit. You want to know something? We could have gone entirely almost zero carbon emissions 30 years ago. Oh, how? Nuclear fission energy. We have the capability right now. Literally right now. You thinking that Fusion would change this dynamic is whataboutism to the extreme.

Also, an overwhelming amount of Chinese emissions exist to produce American consumed goods. Look it up.

Barreling towards the collapse of the world to maintain your American lifestyle just because you don't want other countries to have a slightly better standard will be a good way to reflect on the collapse of modern society in the late 2000's.

 

 

Appreciate the specific responses that were based on facts and pure opinions.

[ViperMan]

15 hours ago, kaputt said:

Hell no. It’s a ways off, but if Trump is the nominee in 2024 I may go 3rd party. Not super excited about that possibility, but that’s why I plan to vote in the primary next time and have some say on that aspect of the process.

Trump is no leader and his narcissistic personality is not going to reunite the country or set us back on the right path. He’s right on much of what he says and the policies he tried to implement, but it’s not always about just having the right ideas. You have to sell those ideas beyond just your base, and I think Trump struggled at that. Maybe I’m crazy, but I still believe there is someone out there in this country that can stand up to far leftist bullshit, be professional, and have the best interests of all Americans in mind, and still not bring the baggage that Donald Trump does. 

My best guess though, I don’t think Trump will run next cycle. Anyway, back to Biden saying gibberish from his White House set across the street from the actual White House. 

I predict that even if Trump doesn't run, the democrats will still frame whoever does as Trump 2.0. We won't be done hearing about Trump for a long time. It's too convenient and powerful a motivator for the left's base to let go of.

[Guest]

27 minutes ago, Negatory said:

I have never supported CRT, and there is not a single credible example of someone going to rationally discuss CRT that was placed on an FBI wish list.

You're talking about the same FBI that has been caught time and time again in recent years past committing unconstitutional acts. A problem with the FBI, much like the BATFE, DEA, and other federal "law enforcement" agencies under the DOJ is that they're unelected plus there's no real oversight to them. They don't care about the People of this nation. So when they're rotten to the core, along with their "oversight" (Congress) being rotten to the core, the People have no recourse like they do with state and local law enforcement.

They've been hiring FBI Special Agents for years now who have ZERO prior experience being a real law enforcement officer who has interacted with the public every day. Mostly these Special Agents are useful idiots at best, and unconstitutional tyrants at worst. The U.S. Attorney General literally commanded this week for the FBI to do what you posted that they're not doing...

Sure there are good Special Agents BUT those ones are kept far away from any investigations which may hurt the establishment. The establishment vetted ones are used to enforce the unconstitutional orders. Don't take my word for it; Ted Gunderson was a former Special Agent who exposed much of the tyranny being perpetrated by the FBI. Many like him as well.

Edited October 9, 2021 by dogfish78

[ViperMan]

12 minutes ago, Negatory said:

Inflation and "stimulus packages" were bought in the previous year before Biden took over. We went from 4 to 7T dollars of Fed Reserve spending in less than 6 months. But yes, this is the democrats fault.

Yes I believe that the unemployment incentives in blue states were a mistake. At the same time, I 100% empathize with the undeniable fact that there is literally no way to live any sort of a life under a 40 hour a week $15 an hour job. But that's where we differ, likely. The republican mantra is that these people should suffer until their life is better. I do not believe that bullshit.

You're biased to propaganda over the last 30 years - the specific propaganda basically boils down to "greed is good" - and I honestly know I'm not getting to you. The point is that if you make $10M-$1B a year, in most cases it's not through income - it's through capital gains and profiting off of labor. And if you think that the stock market is a "fair" system, especially with how it has gone up during the pandemic, you're delusional. People who benefit extremely from the designed inefficiencies should be reasonably expected to pay more. This is not a new thought. In fact, Republicans backed bills pre and post WWII to raise marginal income tax rates to 77-92% for the top earners. This is not a 2012 thing, this is actually a history thing. Love of the rich - from people like you - is something that is new in history. The ironic thing is that Jeff Bezos and Elon Musk are paying total effective tax rates closer to 0% because all of their net worth is tied up in the stock market as unrealized gains. 

And your facts about income inequality are pretty out of touch. Yeah, you've proven my point. The top 1% pays more tax and makes way more than everyone else. Cool. They should.

Let me put it to you another way. Your big-brain example about how everyone should be paying the same taxes as it would be better and more fair (school teachers and high net worth individuals): Do you currently support raising taxes on school teachers by about double?

Simple question.

The flaw in the system is that you don't have to contribute to the system at all once you have a certain nest egg. You just sit and reap the benefits off the work of everyone else by throwing it in the stock market. You will say there is risk, but let's be real. The Fed will just pump $7-11T in to protect your rich ass or bail you out.

As I have stated numerous times on this forum, I support vaccine mandates that stop transmission and sickness. For the alpha variant, this was likely the case, so I supported the mandate. With Delta, science is showing it is significantly less effective, so I may have a different opinion.

I have never supported CRT, and there is not a single credible example of someone going to rationally discuss CRT that was placed on an FBI wish list. I am not going to address the blatant fallacies in your secondary example, but if you want to have a more rational discussion about it, I encourage you to rewrite.

#1 - is months of saying you're going to leave no notice?

#2 - Trump actually committed to what almost everyone calls an unconditional withdrawal in 2020. Get your facts straight

#3 - Afghanistan is not our ally

#4 - Yes, the Trump administration did negotiate with the Taliban to create an unconditional withdrawal. https://apnews.com/article/joe-biden-middle-east-taliban-doha-e6f48507848aef2ee849154604aa11be

#5 - Yeah, I'm mad about this. But did we leave Americans that were trying to get out behind? Or is this political grandstanding to the extreme? And I'm not looking for a onesie-twosie example. We got the overwhelming majority of Americans out.

#6 - You can't talk out of both sides of your mouth and say that you like Trumps anti-NATO isolationist policies and then get mad when we do something they don't like. Also, how did we screw NATO? I know you were just trying to make a list, but I don't think this one should have made it.

#7 - Oh give me a break from your bias:

https://www.cbsnews.com/news/british-parliament-condemns-trump-but-remains-split-over-banning-him/

https://www.thedailybeast.com/fascist-evil-racist-uk-parliament-unloads-on-trumps-twitter-outburst

#8 - You're cherrypicking again. Like anyone in the DoD is actually mad about this.

We've already argued about this. You think it was worth the Trillions of US dollars to be in Afghanistan. I think it was worth anything to get out. Afghanistan's fall is primarily on Afghani's is my opinion. And, I know deep down, that's most peoples opinion. Or maybe we can blame the effectiveness of military FAOs, Commanders, and trainers over the last 20 years, I guess.

We had to leave.

This is greenwashing bullshit. You want to know something? We could have gone entirely almost zero carbon emissions 30 years ago. Oh, how? Nuclear fission energy. We have the capability right now. Literally right now. You thinking that Fusion would change this dynamic is whataboutism to the extreme.

Also, an overwhelming amount of Chinese emissions exist to produce American consumed goods. Look it up.

Barreling towards the collapse of the world to maintain your American lifestyle just because you don't want other countries to have a slightly better standard will be a good way to reflect on the collapse of modern society in the late 2000's.

Appreciate the specific responses that were based on facts and pure opinions.

You write a lot of words, and have some decent ideas. The core problem with your argument is that it doesn't effectively address people without skin in the game. No matter how much money we print, we will never be able to print enough to deal with a never ending stream of handouts.

re: the "wealth" issues you address - the value of labor has declined tremendously over the past number of decades. Or perhaps a better way to couch it is the value of different labor has become wickedly differentiated. Reasons include - globalization, technology, and women entering the work force. No one wants people suffering, but there's also the reality that our country has created plenty of industries and jobs that were never designed to be able to push someone's standard of living beyond the boundaries of their parents' basements (i.e. fast food, Walmart greeter, etc). These jobs are important because they provide avenues to join the labor force that certain groups otherwise would not have. Pour onto that a massive increase in the number of people who can compete for jobs, and what you get is a decrease in the value of the commodity you provide (i.e. labor). That has nothing to do with communism, socialism, or capitalism - it is pure, uncontaminated, economic fact. Note: I don't have a great solution to this problem.

There is already widespread agreement about the rich paying more than the poor - it's baked into the core of our system. See, 10% of more is greater than 10% of less. The "graduated" rates we pay as we move up are only incentives to corrupt the system. And I think we can all agree that is what we have. Forcing people to pay their actual "fair" share is a way to ensure no one is getting a free ride. And when we look at the fact that the bottom 50% of "taxpayers" in this country pay about 3% of the taxes that is where the unfairness lies and that is where the distortion is. It ain't fair that there are this many people in the country who extract vastly more than they contribute.

As my favorite example of distortion, take a look at the effects of California's prop 13 - the law enacted that protects people's original tax rates back in the 1970s. It has created a class of gilded land owners who can pass their 'heritance down to their heirs. It's fucked up, no matter how you look at it (https://www.officialdata.org/ca-property-tax/#37.43748019180391,-122.1928891539574,19). There's a zoom on a random neighbor hood of SF for you. Some people pay upwards of $90,000/yr in property taxes, while their neighbors pay less than $100/yr. I'm pretty right-leaning, but I think even people on the left would think this is wildly unjust. The left's notion that all the "extraction" of value is happening at the top is complete and total bullshit.

But hey, I'm sure it'll all get better as we rush to collapse our monetary system - I know of many historical precedents wherein global powers have decided to just print their way to prosperity, eat the rich, and destroy their middle class. Works every time, really.

[Prosuper]

Been reading all these comments, I wonder if it was like this for officers before the Civil War given orders to march to their home states. LT Col Robert E Lee USA being offered command of all Union Armies just to turn it down knowing that he would have been ordered to kill Rebel Virginians. Myself being retired and USAF civil service, being just given a ultimatum to comply  with the covid shot, I took it way back in Feb BTW but it was my choice and I am scared of what my long term health prospects are. I believe our Federal Govt leaders are corrupt to the core and pray the states call a convention of states just to start over. I'm just hoping I can make it to my Colorado cabin in a year and half and live out my days being left alone.

[brabus]

19 hours ago, Negatory said:

At the same time, I 100% empathize with the undeniable fact that there is literally no way to live any sort of a life under a 40 hour a week $15 an hour job.

Not that I disagree with your literal statement, but I do disagree that such a situation is unavoidable for adults (at least it is far more unavoidable than the Dems like to make it seem). A couple local examples:

1. I have several friends who own their businesses (builder, excavation, roofing); they have vacancies paying $25/hr (and if we’re honest, there’s a lot of “under the table” paying going on). They also pay a lot more than that to many of their employees who have been with them for a while/acquired new skills while on the job. It’s hard for them to find people, let alone keep them.

2. Local area power companies (the 2 I have personal connection two) are begging for lineman. They are offering to pay $25-30k for the training/certs, and within 4 years that person is making 6 figures. Blew my mind, but it’s true. 
 

What do I see scattered all over street corners the past 6-9 mo? Abled-body men under 40 begging for money (while also getting Covid handouts I bet). They’re not disheveled, sitting in wheel chairs, etc. Many of them look like they probably work out at a local gym daily and are pretty healthy. I’ve heard every excuse in the book about these people, but when it comes down to it, they can swing a fucking hammer, they’re just too lazy to do it…they want easy money they don’t have to put effort towards. 
 

The point: Min wage is a bit of a smoke and mirrors discussion, the RC is not $15/hr (plenty for the HS kid), because we haven’t asked/answered the question why there are so many jobs out there that pay well above Min wage/offer substantially more than “that McDs job,” yet people walk right past them complaining about the “rich folk holding me down!” Barring significant medical problems preventing work, I believe the RC for these situations is our society rewards laziness while breeding ungratefulness and a weak work ethic/sense of personal responsibility. 

Edited October 10, 2021 by brabus

[ClearedHot]

20 hours ago, Negatory said:

Lots of angry words, DNC talking points and insults.

I hope your anger keeps you warm this winter.