Politics

[zelezo vlk]

Lamest dystopia ever. Cyberpunk is dark, but at least it has a good aesthetic.

That Blade Runner 2049 meme with the OK Boomer girl is one of the funniest things I've seen in a long long time.

 

[Irish#1]

Circa had embedded some cancerous garbage from the bowels of the interwebs that broke the thread. I deleted a few of his posts with videos, and now it's working again.

It's become quite clear now. While trying to divert our attention, it's really been Circa herding us sheep.

 

[Whiskeyjack]

That Blade Runner 2049 meme with the OK Boomer girl is one of the funniest things I've seen in a long long time.

There was a post on reddit recently about how Rita Hayworth freaked out when she learned that American soldiers had painted her likeness on nuclear bombs. Somehow I doubt that e-girls like Belle Delphine will react similarly when sociopathic Zoomers warped by CoD and OnlyFans do the same thing with her photos.

We live in the stupiest timeline.

It's become quite clear now. While trying to divert our attention, it's really been Circa herding us sheep.

 

[Circa]

Circa had embedded some cancerous garbage from the bowels of the interwebs that broke the thread. I deleted a few of his posts with videos, and now it's working again.

I (Circa) am just the patsy.

 

[Circa]

Good points on DC area - gubmint is recession proof. Also unemployment booster payments have people able to pay now - what happens when that goes back to normal? What about renewals? Most are 12 month leases - might go move to someone's couch for a while and not renew. What about schools being closed and not able to work and need to live on lower unemployment? Just scratching the surface on destabilization of our society.


Also - Trump thread broken for anyone else? I'm not seeing anything past one of Circa's recent posts. Tried quoting another to comment and can't see my post.

Big Brother has infiltrated IE?!

I just saw you had the same issue. I really did think I had been banned or something.. Whiskey's got it under control from what I've read.

 

[Bluto]

Gracy Olmstead just published an article at Mere Orthodoxy titled "The Cost of Food in America":

Fantastic article and being the son of a former farm laborer and having worked in a fish processing plant and a grocery store meat department pre-total industrialization (the butchers who were well paid and unionized broke down the sides of beef and pigs at the store) it hits close to home.

If one goes back and looks at the history of farm labor it sure seems like the mega production model has always relied on the "suffering of others"... be they Oakies, Filipinos or Mexicans. It's a business model that for the most part relies on poverty wages.

 

[Whiskeyjack]

Fantastic article and being the son of a former farm laborer and having worked in a fish processing plant and a grocery store meat department pre-total industrialization (the butchers who were well paid and unionized broke down the sides of beef and pigs at the store) it hits close to home.

If one goes back and looks at the history of farm labor it sure seems like the mega production model has always relied on the "suffering of others"... be they Oakies, Filipinos or Mexicans. It's a business model that for the most part relies on poverty wages.

That applies to a depressing number of modern industries.

 

[Irishize]

Saw this tweeted by some random MAGA person on Twitter but it’s a fair question:

So Obama is using John Lewis’s eulogy to praise vote by mail: How are so many packed into this funeral while STILL pushing the narrative it’s unsafe to vote in person IN THREE MONTHS???

 

[Legacy]

UI claims and GDP growth are historically bad
Now is not the time to cut benefits that are supporting jobs (Econ Policy Inst, July 30)

Last week 2 million workers applied for unemployment insurance (UI) benefits. Breaking that down: 1.2 million applied for regular state unemployment insurance (not seasonally adjusted), and 830,000 applied for Pandemic Unemployment Assistance (PUA). Many headlines this morning are saying there were 1.4 million UI claims last week, but that’s not the right number to use. For one, it ignores PUA, the federal program that is serving millions of workers who are not eligible for regular UI, like the self-employed. It also uses seasonally adjusted data, which is distorted right now because of the way Department of Labor (DOL) does seasonal adjustments.

Last week was the 19th week in a row that unemployment claims have been more than twice the worst week of the Great Recession. If you restrict this comparison just to regular state claims—because we didn’t have PUA in the Great Recession—this is the 19th week in a row that claims are more than 1.25 times the worst week of the Great Recession.

Republicans in the Senate just allowed the across-the-board $600 increase in weekly UI benefits to expire. They are proposing to (essentially) replace it with a $200 weekly payment. That $400 cut in benefits is not just cruel, it’s terrible economics. These benefits are supporting a huge amount of spending by people who would otherwise have to cut back dramatically. The spending made possible by the $400 that the Senate wants to cut is supporting 3.4 million jobs. If you cut the $400, you cut those jobs. This map shows the number of jobs that will be lost in each state if the extra $600 unemployment benefit is cut to $200. (cont)

 

[Irishize]

UI claims and GDP growth are historically bad
Now is not the time to cut benefits that are supporting jobs (Econ Policy Inst, July 30)

I doubt one person on this board failed to hear this reported at least three times yesterday on news reports, social media, etc.

Of course GDP growth is historically bad. The US is in the middle of a pandemic that kill or maims millions w/ zero end in sight and kept businesses closed for months on end.

https://www.wsj.com/articles/the-lockdowns-destruction-11596150889

 

[Irishize]

Most (NOT ALL) on the Left were fervently supporting the “Me Too” movement when Trump was elected and used it as a weapon to derail the Kavanaugh hearing as well. And of course they all conveniently now have a revisionist history where they disapproved of Bill Clinton’s sexual assault & rape allegations that were coming from all directions before/during/after his two term Presidency.

They forget that every one of those allegations were reduced to conspiracy theories to malign Clinton or that every one of those women were smeared as being “trailer park bimbos” or worse at the time they occurred.

Maybe the truth may finally come to light for Clinton, Trump & anyone else accused. I won’t hold my breath though.

https://www.newsweek.com/bill-clint...d-2-young-girls-virginia-giuffre-says-1521845

 

[Legacy]

I doubt one person on this board failed to hear this reported at least three times yesterday on news reports, social media, etc.

Of course GDP growth is historically bad. The US is in the middle of a pandemic that kill or maims millions w/ zero end in sight and kept businesses closed for months on end.

https://www.wsj.com/articles/the-lockdowns-destruction-11596150889

Not reading beyond the headlines again, which we do all see or hear. What did you think about the Figures, the conclusions, UI and PUA figs, which groups will be most affected and the impact, the source and the other articles when you go to their Home site? The Economic Policy Institute is very reputable.

Choose to engage on the issues some time. Do you have a different perspective? Something you wish to contribute.

 

[Legacy]

North Dakota's bold social experiment

North Dakota's bold social experiment

Over a hundred years ago, N. Dakota establishesd a public bank - the Bank of North Dakota - owned by the state and guaranteed by taxpayer money to loan money to farms and local businesses. It's the only publically owned bank in the U.S. and independent of the FDIC. Other states and localities are exploring that possibility. Nowadays, especially if this were to be instituted in a place like California, it might be considered socialism where government and banking may be a hair's breath away from each other. I don't know if it is subject to banking laws, but it reminds me of community banking. The Bank of ND has plenty of reserves so much that the Recession of 2009 caused no problems.

With the CARES Act, Congress appropriated money to states that would help with losses due to COVID. North Dakota got $1.25 billion and has announced it will spend the entire amount,. With a low rate of COVID, that amounts to $339,000 per COVID cases at the time it was allocated in April, which is one of the highest amounts per capita of all states. (NY's share worked out to be $12,000 per COVID case).

N. Dakota's state money is directed from their Office of Management and Budget to the North Dakota Emergency Commission headed by Republican Gov. Doug Burgum, which was created for this purpose. The state-owned Bank of North Dakota has been the second-biggest recipient, with $200 million earmarked for a loan buy-down program for small businesses. Bank administration and its CEO are not part of state government.

This allocation to the state may be independent of the $350 billion for small business loans (PPP) to be administered by banks. Perhaps one of these of these banks would be the state owned Bank of North Dakota, although if it's not part of FDIC....

At the turn of the century, North Dakota had a significant Socialist party, which resulted in the establishment of the Bank of North Dakota. As California has introduced legislation to create similar public banks, the private banking industry stands opposed to them. With their success, you would think that North Dakota would support California's legislation even if it's termed Socialist by private capitalist entities. Perhaps there are conflicts of interest in the way it is run. Perhaps not.

THE BANK OF NORTH DAKOTA: A BOLD SOCIAL EXPERIMENT (NDliving)

How a brief socialist takeover in North Dakota gave residents a public bank (Vox)

State-by-state breakdown of federal aid per COVID-19 case (Becker Hospital Review)

North Dakota to spend entire $1.25B in federal COVID-19 aid (AP News)

A good article on the Bank's impact on the community
Public Banks: Bank of North Dakota (Institute for Local Self-Reliance)

Bank of North Dakota Releases 2019 Annual Report
(Baml of North Dakota)

 

[Irishize]

Not reading beyond the headlines again, which we do all see or hear. What did you think about the Figures, the conclusions, UI and PUA figs, which groups will be most affected and the impact, the source and the other articles when you go to their Home site? The Economic Policy Institute is very reputable.

Choose to engage on the issues some time. Do you have a different perspective? Something you wish to contribute.

Nah. I read it. You just missed the point. All I was saying was “Of course the GDP is historically bad...we are in the middle of a pandemic that shut down the economy”.

I didn’t say the Economic Policy Institute wasn’t reputable did I?

Legacy, you could’ve been POTUS during the past six months & I would have the common sense to realize “of course the GDP is historically bad...we are in a pandemic”.

You’re the one that needs to engage more. I’d say you engage much less than anyone when accounting for all the article you post. Don’t over think it.

 

[Irish#1]

Last week was the 19th week in a row that unemployment claims have been more than twice the worst week of the Great Recession.

Should this surprise anyone? I haven't looked up the numbers, but the population today is greater than back then and more importantly, the number of women working is way, way more than back then, so it makes sense the numbers are greater than during the The Great Depression.

 

[NorthDakota]

Should this surprise anyone? I haven't looked up the numbers, but the population today is greater than back then and more importantly, the number of women working is way, way more than back then, so it makes sense the numbers are greater than during the The Great Depression.

great recession...as in the 2008 stuff I believe is what they are citing, not the depression.

 

[Legacy]

North Dakota's Public Ownership

North Dakota's Public Ownership

North Dakota's Socialist Party (The Non-Partisan League) concept of a publicly owned bank has been a huge success for the community's individuals and businesses.

An excerpt from the ILSR link) posted above:

About half of the bank’s $3.9 billion loan portfolio consists of business and agricultural loans that are originated by a local financial institution and funded in part by BND. By participating in these loans, BND expands the lending capacity of North Dakota’s community banks, giving them added strength in competing against big out-of-state banks.

The remainder of BND’s loan portfolio consists of residential mortgages and student loans. In keeping with its mission to support, rather than compete with, local banks, BND does not make home loans directly. Instead, it provides a secondary market, buying up mortgages originated by the state’s local banks and credit unions.

Student loans are the only part of the bank’s lending in which it works directly with borrowers. At a time when many students leave college burdened by high-interest rate loans, BND offers some of the lowest student loan rates in the country.

Thanks in large part to BND, community banks are much more numerous and robust in North Dakota than in other states. North Dakota has more banks and credit unions per capita than any other state. In fact, it has nearly six times as many local financial institutions per person as the country overall. While locally owned small and mid-sized banks and credit unions (those under $10 billion in assets) account for only 29 percent of deposits nationally (see this graph), in North Dakota they have a remarkable 83 percent of the market.

By helping to sustain a large number of local banks and credit unions, BND has strengthened North Dakota’s economy, enabled small businesses and farms grow, and spurred job creation in the state.

Over the last 21 years, BND has generated almost $1 billion in profit. Nearly $400 million of that, or about $3,300 per household, has been transferred into the state’s general fund, providing support for education and other public services, while reducing the tax burden on residents and businesses.

The state government had to establish state banking regulations (linked) and a commission of government officials to make decisions on these publicly-owned institutions. The North Dakota Industrial Commission overseas the management of their publicly owned entities - the Bank and also the North Dakota Mill and Elevator, the Dept of Mineral Resources and other areas (see link to Commission above). The Commission's three members are comprised of the Gov, Atty Gen, and Agricultural Commissioner. The Mill and Elevator is now the largest flour mill in the U.S.

Arthur C. Townley, a former flax farmer from Beach, North Dakota, and former organizer for the Socialist Party of America, started all this with a friend, drawing up a radical political platform and then touring the state for support in 1915. Townley and the farmers who flocked to the League in droves because their grain profits were being cut by mills, railroads and out of state banks would be proud. The concept of public ownership of these vital entities for the benefit of all North Dakotans in partnership run by their government has been a huge success.

An interesting interview with the Bank of ND's CEO:
How the Nation’s Only State-Owned Bank Became the Envy of Wall Street (Mother Jones)

The marijuana industry and some states have looked into banking solutions for all their profits.
Public Banks Could Help Serve Marijuana Industry

So far, the Bank of North Dakota's philosophy that they have been and always will clear checks and wire transfers for any business from one bank to another, but they are still not willing to open an account for any business dealing in legalized marijuana. North Dakota’s first licensed medical manufacturing facility, Pure Dakota LLC, said they having been receiving payments by wire transfer from the state bank.

 

[Legacy]

I don't find anything new to this. Anyone else?

Sen. Richard Burr stepping aside as Intelligence Committee chair amid FBI investigation of senators’ stock sales (WaPo, May 12, 2020).

A burgeoning insider trading investigation scrutinizing members of the U.S. Senate led the chairman of its Intelligence Committee, Richard Burr, to step down Thursday after FBI agents seized his cellphone, seeking evidence related to stock sales he made before the coronavirus pandemic crashed global markets.(cont)

Propublica article on March 19, 2020:

Senator Dumped Up to $1.7 Million of Stock After Reassuring Public About Coronavirus Preparedness
Intelligence Chair Richard Burr’s selloff came around the time he was receiving daily briefings on the health threat.

Sen. Kelly Loeffler (R-GA) also sold up to $18.7 million worth of stocks starting on January 24, the same day that the Senate Health Committee on which she served held a closed-door briefing about the virus.

Ban Conflicted Trading Act would ban Congress members from trading stocks, after senators sold millions’ worth after classified briefings (GovtrackInsider)
- the legislation in the House was introduced by Reps. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., Raja Krishnamoorthi, D-Ill., and Joe Neguse, D-Colo.
- in the Senate, Jeff Markley (D-Ore) introduced it

 

[Irish#1]

In the grand scheme of things, this is a nothing burger, but Pelosi the champion of masks got caught. Trying to blame the salon for a setup. lol

https://www.latimes.com/politics/story/2020-09-02/pelosi-hair-fallout-salon-mask

 

[Whiskeyjack]

Don't read Reason, but this made me laugh:

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Every political ad ever, distilled: <a href="https://t.co/B87VYoVm5G">pic.twitter.com/B87VYoVm5G</a></p>— (Stephanie) Slade (@sladesr) <a href="https://twitter.com/sladesr/status/1305888479130390533?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 15, 2020</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

 

[Irish YJ]

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr"><a href="https://twitter.com/nypost?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@nypost</a> <br>We love beautiful artwork <br><br>Massive 'F–k Cuomo and de Blasio' mural painted on Brooklyn street <a href="https://t.co/euUsfCLFLU">pic.twitter.com/euUsfCLFLU</a></p>— National Security News (@Natsecuritynews) <a href="https://twitter.com/Natsecuritynews/status/1307826821816225792?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 20, 2020</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

 

[Whiskeyjack]

Jamie Smith just published an article in HuffPo titled "The Death of Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg Pushed Me to Joint the Satanic Tempe":

I am a 40-something attorney and mother who lives in a quiet neighborhood with a yard and a garage full of scooters and soccer balls. I often walk with my children to get ice cream and spend weekends hiking through a national park. I am not the type of person who would normally consider becoming a Satanist, but these are not normal times.

Like so many other women in the United States, when I learned of Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg’s passing, my first reaction was not grief but fear. I fear that American citizens are inching closer to living in a theocracy or dictatorship and that the checks meant to prevent this from happening are close to eroding beyond repair.

When Justice Ginsburg died, I knew immediately that action was needed on a scale we have not seen before. Our democracy has become so fragile that the loss of one of the last guardians of common sense and decency in government less than two months before a pivotal election has put our civil and reproductive rights in danger like never before. And, so, I have turned to Satanism.

Members of the Satanic Temple do not believe in the supernatural or superstition. In the same way that some Unitarians and some Jews do not believe in God, Satanic Temple members do not worship Satan and most are atheists. They are not affiliated in any way with the Church of Satan. Instead, the Satanic Temple uses the devil as a symbol of rebellion.

Just like other faiths, the Satanic Temple has a code that their members believe in deeply and use to guide their lives. These Seven Fundamental Tenets include that “one should strive to act with compassion and empathy toward all creatures in accordance with reason,” that “the struggle for justice is an ongoing and necessary pursuit that should prevail over laws and institutions,” and that “one’s body is inviolable, subject to one’s own will alone.”

Reading through the Seven Tenets, I was struck by how closely they aligned with the unwritten code I had used to try to guide my own life for several years. I realized, happily, that these were my people and that I had been a Satanist for several years without even knowing it. When Justice Ginsburg’s death suddenly made combating the threats to reproductive rights and a government free from religious interference more urgent, I knew it was time to join them and support their conceptual and legal battles.

Even before Ginsburg’s death, the Supreme Court was unwilling to provide adequate protection for a woman’s right to choose and to control her body. The court was unwilling to keep church and state separate. Now, without her voice of reason on the court ― let alone her vote ― Roe v. Wade is in imminent danger of being overturned not based on legal arguments or scientific reasoning, but because of religious objections to what is a safe and necessary procedure for the women who seek it out after discussion with their physician. Ginsburg’s replacement is all but certain to be vehemently anti-choice, with one of the top contenders belonging to a sect that actually used the term “handmaid” to refer to some women until the popularity of the TV series “The Handmaid’s Tale” gave the term negative connotations.

In the hours after Justice Ginsburg’s death, I sat wondering what the future would hold for my daughters. Their ability to live in a country where the religious beliefs of others would not play a role in their right to assert autonomy over their own bodies was suddenly, starkly, in danger. Traditional means of keeping abortion safe and legal seemed woefully inadequate to protect the rights that women in the generation before me had fought so hard to secure.

Almost immediately I sought strength in the Satanic Temple’s efforts to turn religious arguments on their head by pushing for religious liberty for their members on an equal basis with believers in the dominant Christian faiths. And this is not just a theoretical push. The temple has launched campaigns and filed lawsuits to compel the government to do this in matters ranging from exemptions from legal mandates to cover birth control to the ability to display religious symbols in government buildings or allow religious clubs in public schools. By pointing out instances where the government has favored Christian rhetoric ― and filing legal challenges to stop it ― the Satanic Temple has transformed belief into action and has demonstrated what freedom fighting truly looks like.

The Satanic Temple hopes to appear before the Supreme Court in a case challenging a Missouri abortion law that requires those seeking to terminate their pregnancy to first receive materials asserting that their abortion would end the life of a separate, unique person. The temple argues that these materials violate the deeply held religious beliefs of one of its members regarding bodily autonomy and scientifically reasonable personal choice. The argument the Satanic Temple is using is the same one the Supreme Court effectively endorsed in the Hobby Lobby birth control case, for which Justice Ginsburg wrote the dissent ― that no one should have to follow a law that violates their deeply held religious beliefs. If a Christian should not have to do so based on their religion, a Satanist should not have to either. This is what equality under the law means on a fundamental level.

This is an organization I want standing up for my rights and for my daughters’. While I support more mainstream groups like the American Civil Liberties Union and Americans United for Church and State, my research has shown that the Satanic Temple is truly in line with my beliefs about protecting our First Amendment rights and fighting laws that promote or are based on religious doctrine and that it is willing to use radical, creative and yet legally sound strategies to make its case.

I was able to become a mother when I wanted on my own terms. Throughout my pregnancy, I had access to scientifically accurate information and the ability to make informed choices with my doctor. While I never had an abortion, I want the same opportunities to choose for my own daughters. I am far from certain these rights will exist 10 years from now when they may be deciding when, how or even whether to start their own families.

There is a real chance that the Supreme Court will be lost for a generation or more to justices appointed for their religious beliefs rather than a deep understanding of the Constitution or a desire for justice to be carried out on an impartial basis. Because of this, I believe that the Satanic Temple ― and its members’ dedication to fighting for true freedom ― represents our best, last defense against anti-choice lawmakers who are seeking to assert power over women’s bodies and take away our right to choose. We need creative, resolute thinkers who are willing to stand up for what they believe in and take concrete action to do so, and the Satanic Temple is full of those kind of people. I am proud to now count myself among their ranks.

Everyone who cares about women having autonomy over their bodies should care about efforts to use religion to chip away at this right. We need to think outside the box to challenge what is coming and what is already here. The Satanic Temple is already doing that, and by becoming one of its members, I believe I have joined a community of people who will stop at nothing to safeguard my family’s rights ― and all of our rights ― when they are at their most vulnerable.

Saying the quiet part out loud.

 

[ACamp1900]

Laments, ‘common sense and decency’ by joining a Satanist cult,.... yep, it’s 2020 alright.

 

[Bishop2b5]

Her comment, "one of the last guardians of common sense and decency in government" made me gag. RBG was a huge part of keeping infanticide legal. There's nothing decent nor honorable about that.

 

[NorthDakota]

Jamie Smith just published an article in HuffPo titled "The Death of Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg Pushed Me to Joint the Satanic Tempe":



Saying the quiet part out loud.

This has been cracking me up.

Liberals want to see Roe v. Wade remain the rule. Why don't they just say that instead of jumping through hoops trying to denigrate what appears to be a good and decent woman in ACB or whomever Don ultimately nominates?

It wouldn't make sense for it to be a secret, after all, I'm told there is not only no shame in terminating life in the womb, but that women should feel empowered to "shout their abortion."

If Roe is ultimately overturned, it likely won't impact many women anyway unless they live in states that pass string restrictions or outright bans on the practice.

I imagine no blue states will implement much in the form of restrictions, many red states likely will limit it to early pregnancy, and a few deep red states may ban it entirely. With how much liberals endorse the practice, they could likely sponsor all-expenses paid trips for women in deep red areas who really want it done anyway while feeling rather good about "helping" the needy.

 

[Irish YJ]

Laments, ‘common sense and decency’ by joining a Satanist cult,.... yep, it’s 2020 alright.

The new new...

FFS, the level of insanity these days... Can't even have a reasonable or factual conversation with these folks. It's a religion. Interesting she even points out the religion without a god aspects.

 

[ulukinatme]

I started laughing as soon as I saw "HuffPo."

 

[Irish#1]

Not sure why Dems are so worked up about Roe vs. Wade and making it their rally point. It's been what 47 years since the decision and it's not been overturned yet.

 

[Rack Em]

There is a real chance that the Supreme Court will be lost for a generation or more to justices appointed for their religious beliefs rather than a deep understanding of the Constitution or a desire for justice to be carried out on an impartial basis.

RBG did not have a deep understanding of the Constitution. She had a deep understanding of her own political beliefs and used every single decision she was ever a part of to advance those beliefs.

LOL @ any liberal justice having a deep understanding of the Constitution! There is no 'deep understanding' of a living, breathing document that changes at your every whim!

Let's just call RBG what she was: she was an activist who ended up on America's highest court so she could legislate from the bench. She was an unelectable shrew. So rather than run for office, she pushed her agenda through the judicial system where she had no checks and balances.

Her judicial career was nothing but a political charade.

/thread on RBG

 

[NorthDakota]

RBG did not have a deep understanding of the Constitution. She had a deep understanding of her own political beliefs and used every single decision she was ever a part of to advance those beliefs.

LOL @ any liberal justice having a deep understanding of the Constitution! There is no 'deep understanding' of a living, breathing document that changes at your every whim!

Let's just call RBG what she was: she was an activist who ended up on America's highest court so she could legislate from the bench. She was an unelectable shrew. So rather than run for office, she pushed her agenda through the judicial system where she had no checks and balances.

Her judicial career was nothing but a political charade.

/thread on RBG

In Con Law our professor said she adheres to some living Constitution view. I didn't particularly care for the theory when it was explained. Sounded an awful lot like "heads, libs win, tails, cons lose" on any big meaningful case.