Biden 2021 - "Listen, Jack."

[allegate]

since there won't be a Biden thread until January I'll put this here.

https://twitter.com/danbarker/status/1325142585401204737?s=20

[ltrandazzo]

Earmarking this because I thought it'd be a good first post for the Biden 2021 thread. Coming January 1st.

[ltrandazzo]

Whoops on Jan 1st.

Anyway, Merrick Garland is going to be his AG so that’s kind of a full circle situation.

https://www.politico.com/news/2021/01/06/biden-to-tap-merrick-garland-for-attorney-general-455410

[Magnetic]

Inauguration Day:

National Anthem by Lady Gaga
Poetry Reading by Amanda Gorman
Musical Performance by JLo

¯\_(ツ)_/¯

[Erneuert]

Inauguration Day:

National Anthem by Lady Gaga
Poetry Reading by Amanda Gorman
Musical Performance by JLo

¯\_(ツ)_/¯

I’d be happy for Rebecca Black to sing “Friday”. Just glad it’s happening.

[Swykk]

I like this choice.

https://www.nytimes.com/2021/01/14/us/politics/jaime-harrison-dnc-chairman.html

[allegro]

Gaga and Joe have been friends for a while, and she's a huge Biden supporter.

Amanda Gorman is the U.S. Youth Poet Laureate.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9cZUl3hRBB4




Remember who the entertainment was for Trump's inaugural? A bunch of people nobody ever heard of, and Jackie Evancho sang the National Anthem?


Meanwhile, this was Obama's first inaugural:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F4D9jQpecVo

[allegate]

https://twitter.com/cnnbrk/status/1351627703330471942?s=20

yay? a very tired yay, at that.

[allegro]

I’m still stunned and excited about tomorrow.

We have bubbly and snacks ready. Cinnamon rolls and mimosas in the morning.

Omg we are going to have a woman VP (a black woman! an Indian woman!) OMG!!!

And Trump is going out in a flaming pile of crap.

[Magnetic]

I'm watching Rachel Maddow, and I feel like crying (so far, covering the COVID memorial and VP Harris reading letters from children).
I'm probably going to wake up tomorrow and take the stress CBD oil gummies until noon. I think work will be blocked out for most of the day.

I actually have my weekly review with a trainee at 10:30, and I'm not sure how the two of us will not be talking about this. She's a POC and was appalled at the Jan 6th attack compared to the BLM protests. I blocked out a full hour, just so we can emotionally data dump before tackling some work.

I'm just praying to all the gods it's over...

[Jinsai]

It’s. Ooooooooooover

[poinoup]

This Canadian is hoping that everything can go smooth tomorrow. I have a feeling I'll have to be a bit stoned to really let this sink in. Congratulations, all, let's look to the future!

Also, unlimited respect and pride for Ms. Harris. Just like Obama, this is a memorable moment.

[versusreality]

I am over $120,000 in student debt, with more to come (two more semesters left) . One of my big dreams with this admin is to get not just $10,000 relief, but $50,000. As a teacher, I don't make much. I'd be able to live peacefully.

today is a historic day. I will be gladly watching (remotely) with my class.

[M1ke]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8Lu41LulQos&ab_channel=PlayingForChange

[Cookster426]

Don't think I saw this on any of the other threads but New Radicals are reuniting after 22 years to perform at the inauguration today.

New Radicals to reunite for Biden-Harris inauguration (avclub.com) (https://news.avclub.com/new-radicals-apparently-a-favorite-of-kamala-harris-hu-1846081650)

[ghostaustin]

Don't think I saw this on any of the other threads but New Radicals are reuniting after 22 years to perform at the inauguration today.

New Radicals to reunite for Biden-Harris inauguration (avclub.com) (https://news.avclub.com/new-radicals-apparently-a-favorite-of-kamala-harris-hu-1846081650)

Are they still going to kick Marilyn Manson's ass in?

[poinoup]

There's a lot of people there not dressed for the weather. It's minus 45!

[ickyvicky]

He's finally in!

[allegate]

https://twitter.com/JohnFugelsang/status/1351934246370357253?s=20

that's great, but I wish Trump actually knew that so it could chap his ass.

[GulDukat]

I thought that Biden's inauguration speech was very good.

[poinoup]

I am not a religious man, but Reverend Beaman's words are striking.

[versusreality]

wait...Trump told us if Biden wins, religion will be banned. why are they praying? did Trump lie to us?

[poinoup]

MSNBC twisting the knife. "The now twice impeached private citizen living in Florida."

[allegate]

https://twitter.com/MaddowBlog/status/1351944971163738116

[Jazzkokehead]

She was a very good speaker, I thought. I liked her a lot.

Anyway, do you think Trump will reveal his healthcare plan in the next two weeks?

[allegro]

wait...Trump told us if Biden wins, religion will be banned. why are they praying? did Trump lie to us?

Interesting note, here:

Biden is the 2nd Catholic President in U.S. history.

The first was JFK.

G and I were raised Catholic (so were all of our closest friends). Today is like: CATHOLICS, REPRESENT!!! Lol


Meanwhile, Amanda Gorman was BRILLIANT, omg.

[ickyvicky]

Someone just told me Biden recited his speech from memory. Wow!

[richardp]

How Kevin McCarthy and McConell can stand up there and hand out ceremonial gifts and shower praise upon Biden is beyond me.

[allegate]

they're politicians, it's what they do. talking out of both sides of your mouth is a character trait. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

edit:

aka

https://twitter.com/petersagal/status/1351963964838731781

[GulDukat]

Don't you just love the beautiful sound of silence, never having to listen to Trump give another speech again?

[marodi]

Interesting note, here:

Biden is the 2nd Catholic President in U.S. history.

The first was JFK.

G and I were raised Catholic (so were all of our closest friends). Today is like: CATHOLICS, REPRESENT!!! Lol


Meanwhile, Amanda Gorman was BRILLIANT, omg.

*raises hand* Catholic too. My mother knew Biden was Catholic before I did. She's watching the inauguration and I kid you not, she told me she was all teary eye when he was taking his oath. Not because he's Catholic but because my mother, a 79 years old Québécoise, was terrified of what Trump would do. That's how bad things were.

Also: apparently, the exiting moron left a letter for President Biden. If the letter says something other than "Sleepy Joe, I won and you know it you thief. Fuck you.", Trump didn't write it; he copied what someone else has written.

[sonic_discord]

After today, I'm actively looking forward to the world of politics going back to being a little more boring again. Like many of you, I'm tired of being outraged over a new Trump-related controversy every. single. day. I know that the pandemic is still raging on, but it feels like we've already begun our slow return to normalcy.

[Jinsai]

After today, I'm actively looking forward to the world of politics going back to being a little more boring again. Like many of you, I'm tired of being outraged over a new Trump-related controversy every. single. day. I know that the pandemic is still raging on, but it feels like we've already begun our slow return to normalcy.

I think the first thing Biden should do as president is come out wearing a tan suit with a cheeseburger on a plate, and then just smother the cheeseburger with spicy "fancy" mustard, take a big bite, and smile that winning smile he has. And then, with his tan suit and his mouth full of mustard and cheeseburger, say "fuck you." And then get to work.

[richardp]

Trump's presidency felt like fucking Woodstock 99.

It's surreal that its over. Watching Pence drive off into oblivion was fantastic.

[allegro]

*raises hand* Catholic too. My mother knew Biden was Catholic before I did. She's watching the inauguration and I kid you not, she told me she was all teary eye when he was taking his oath. Not because he's Catholic but because my mother, a 79 years old Québécoise, was terrified of what Trump would do. That's how bad things were.

Also: apparently, the exiting moron left a letter for President Biden. If the letter says something other than "Sleepy Joe, I won and you know it you thief. Fuck you.", Trump didn't write it; he copied what someone else has written.

Biden said the letter was very “generous.” He won’t disclose the contents until he talks with Trump to see if it’s okay, first.

The celebration tonight is going to be off the hook!

Sen. Blunt and Sen. Klobuchar and all involved in the inauguration team have done a fantastic job in planning this! Whomever designed it is brilliant. It doesn’t feel like anything is missing; sure, it’s a little weird, and sure we are all worried about safety. But it all came together brilliantly, with some bipartisan participation, and the whole day has been wonderful and tonight should be great, too.

Watching Biden talk to his new staff, now, before swearing them in.

[GulDukat]

Tuned into Hannity (I must be a masochist) and see that he's ranting about Hunter Biden. Dude needs new material. It's like seeing Poison play "Every Rose Has its Thrown" every night, year after year.

My Pillow is still on FOX, I see.

[Jazzkokehead]

I've gotten so used over the past 4 or 5 years to hearing about whatever terrible or dumb shit Trump did any given week. It's going to take some adjustment to get back to not having a latent fear of the government imploding at a moment's notice.

[hellospaceboy]

I've gotten so used over the past 4 or 5 years to hearing about whatever terrible or dumb shit Trump did any given week. It's going to take some adjustment to get back to not having a latent fear of the government imploding at a moment's notice.

This! It's hard to remember that there was a time when I haven't thought about politics for days, even weeks...

[allegate]

https://twitter.com/charlesbethea/status/1352310651402792963?s=20

oh boo-hoo.

[ekrekel]

Don't you just love the beautiful sound of silence, never having to listen to Trump give another speech again?

I will not miss the tone, pace, or breathing patterns in his verbalizations. Watching all of Biden's speaking yesterday had me thinking, "Wow, Biden is kind of sternly talking to me like I'm sort of in trouble and I have to do something to make things better." felt uncomfortable for a bit. Then it was refreshing since I've apparently become so used to the whining "everything is so unfair" "they did this" posture behind the podium.

[GulDukat]

I will not miss the tone, pace, or breathing patterns in his verbalizations. Watching all of Biden's speaking yesterday had me thinking, "Wow, Biden is kind of sternly talking to me like I'm sort of in trouble and I have to do something to make things better." felt uncomfortable for a bit. Then it was refreshing since I've apparently become so used to the whining "everything is so unfair" "they did this" posture behind the podium.I found it to be upsetting, listening to Trump. Bush/Romney, etc. I didn't have that same reaction, even if I didn't like them or their policies.

[Shadaloo]

Guys after watching y'all get back into the WHO and Paris accords over the past two days I have the absurd urge to hug America and tell it I'm proud of it

It'd prolly shank me in the jimmy but

I'm just so fucking glad you're stepping out of the abyss. You did it. You're doing it.

Sincerely,

Canada

[GulDukat]

Guys after watching y'all get back into the WHO and Paris accords over the past two days I have the absurd urge to hug America and tell it I'm proud of it

It'd prolly shank me in the jimmy but

I'm just so fucking glad you're stepping out of the abyss. You did it. You're doing it.

Sincerely,

Canada
Ted Cruz was complaining that Biden cares more about the people of Paris than Americans. Dumbass.

[Jinsai]

It's Ted Cruz. I'd like to think he's on his way out too. Goof.

[allegro]

Ted Cruz was complaining that Biden cares more about the people of Paris than Americans. Dumbass.

He really seems to think that the Paris Accord has something to do with Paris other than THE PLACE WHERE IT WAS SIGNED.

[allegro]

https://twitter.com/rexchapman/status/1352089774211923969?s=21

[ekrekel]

He really seems to think that the Paris Accord has something to do with Paris other than THE PLACE WHERE IT WAS SIGNED.
1352128118035722240

[allegate]

https://twitter.com/Oatmeal/status/1352474937617915904

[allegro]

I had to delete my Twitter app.

All these progressives and liberals screaming at Schumer to USE THE NUCLEAR OPTION are making me nuts.

They don’t grok that Democrats and Republicans now SPLIT the Senate 50/50, and the only reason that Schumer is leader is because Harris can break a tie but that doesn’t mean the Dems totally control the Senate; they don’t. They don’t control all committees, etc. Both parties must agree to the rules on committees, etc. because the Senate is split.

And “going nuclear” would mean that ALL 48 Democrats and 2 Independents plus Harris MUST vote in favor of same, and Manchin plus a few other Dems have already said they won’t. So Democrats will need many more Democrats to blow out the filibuster. And there won’t be a chance of that until 2022.

In the House, there are now 221 Democrats and 211 Republicans; that’s not a huge advantage. In 2022, Democrats will need to not only keep ALL those seats but it’s advantageous to gain a lot MORE.

[M1ke]

https://media4.giphy.com/media/R9BMyZ0Tu23Daa3Oxj/giphy.gif

[Cookster426]

He really seems to think that the Paris Accord has something to do with Paris other than THE PLACE WHERE IT WAS SIGNED.


Exactly. I'm from Dayton, OH and we had the Dayton Peace Accord in 1995 which ended the Bosnian War. Had nothing to do with Dayton other than the place where Clinton and the Balkan leaders met and signed the agreement.

[allegate]

https://twitter.com/gamespite/status/1352693030470508546?s=20

[allegro]

Peter Robb is a prick and it’s a joyous occasion to see him get the ax.

Alice Stock is just as bad so she had to go, too.

How Republicans can even PRETEND to be pro-workers’ rights with those two ASSHOLES on the NLRB is laughable.

Fired without just cause ... the fucking NERVE of these assholes.

[allegate]

https://i.imgur.com/2RULKxd.jpg

[Swykk]

That coward Manchin is about to fuck this up for everyone and ensure nothing happens until ‘22. What an asshole.

[allegro]

That coward Manchin is about to fuck this up for everyone and ensure nothing happens until ‘22. What an asshole.

He's in West Virginia. This is not a surprise.

Kyrsten Sinema says she won't, either. Ditto for Feinstein.

I think it's early.

If Democrats see that the Republicans absolutely refuse to negotiate on anything, then maybe those Democrats against it will reconsider.

But we have to remember: That toothpaste will never go back into the tube.

See this: https://fivethirtyeight.com/features/what-all-those-gop-retirements-mean-for-the-2022-senate-map/

And this: https://www.270towin.com/2022-senate-election/

[Swykk]

We’ve seen Republicans do whatever they want anyway. I’d love some backbone from these weak ass dems.

By pretty valid accounts, Feinstein needs to retire.

[allegro]

We’ve seen Republicans do whatever they want anyway. I’d love some backbone from these weak ass dems.

By pretty valid accounts, Feinstein needs to retire.

Yeah, she's been there really long. She was the one who found the bodies of San Francisco Mayor George Moscone and city supervisor Harvey Milk (https://www.businessinsider.com/gun-control-dianne-feinstein-milk-moscone-2013-4). But she's not up for re-election until 2024.

The two Dems who are solidly against it (Manchin, Sinema) are in fairly conservative areas. So it's not weakness that drives their decision; it's their constituents who put them there. Senators do what their voters want them to do, pretty much. Or they lose their job to a Republican the next time around.

2022 is going to be really tricky.

Mark Kelly is up for election AGAIN in 2022. So is Raphael Warnock.

The problem with Democrats is that they've never figured out how to hold the majority hostage like the Republicans do.

Mitch McConnell has 50 Republicans and he's holding everything up. Because Republicans can do that. They know how to maneuver to block shit.

Democrats just can't do it. And I don't know why. They're too nice? They're too worried about parliamentary procedure? Who knows.

But Republicans have been killing them since Newt Gingrich.

And it doesn't look like that's ever gonna stop, even WITHOUT a filibuster.

The only way stuff is going to get done is through budget reconciliation which only requires 51 votes.

The ACA was passed with over 60 votes; Democrats had 57 seats (55 Dems, 2 Independents).

Then, in 2010, the Democrats lost control of the Senate for ten years.

[allegro]

So now that Manchen and Sinema have publicly stated that they are against blowing out the filibuster, McConnell has relented and agreed to stop holding all the committees hostage and agreed to Schumer’s recommendation of using the 2002 split Senate rules.

Now I just hope Justice Breyer retires in the next two years.

[Erneuert]

"Simpsons did it!"

https://www.reddit.com/r/simpsonsdidit/comments/l1kidj/kamala_harris_was_future_lisa_all_this_time/

[allegate]

https://twitter.com/atrupar/status/1354149156001034240?s=20

[allegate]

https://twitter.com/BreyBrey750/status/1359549602056331275?s=20

[bobbie solo]

I want to write a longer post this weekend about the ups & downs of the Biden admin so far. But I will say that as a person with very left politics, Biden & his people have surprised me a good amount so far in a positive way. It hasn't been perfect, but aside from nominating absolute pig, swamp creature & sociopath Neera Tanden for her budget position, they haven't truly pissed me off yet. One area where I was getting impatient was their early silence on kids in cages at the border, but then I read a bit about how tricky it is to undo Trump's moves there, and then some info came out about their plans. I feel like his approval rating is like 169% too, understandably.

[DVYDRNS]

I like that this thread is only 3 peaceful pages long so far. Almost a month in.

[hellospaceboy]

I like that this thread is only 3 peaceful pages long so far. Almost a month in.

Yes! Like this video everybody is obsessing about (rightfully), because it's just so normal, like chatting with the neighbors as they're walking their dogs in the morning:


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TWHmoRyoNgg

[botley]

Okay, then... is NOW a good time to bring up the ongoing usurpation of Indigenous lands under settler-colonialism (https://indiancountrytoday.com/news/court-rules-against-apaches-in-bid-to-halt-proposed-mine-ezVyp6BG60WpcNcPcyZhIg)? What is Biden's administration doing about this?

[allegro]

Okay, then... is NOW a good time to bring up the ongoing usurpation of Indigenous lands under settler-colonialism (https://indiancountrytoday.com/news/court-rules-against-apaches-in-bid-to-halt-proposed-mine-ezVyp6BG60WpcNcPcyZhIg)? What is Biden's administration doing about this?

I wonder if they’re even aware of it, with all the shit going on at the same time right now.

[bobbie solo]

Okay, then... is NOW a good time to bring up the ongoing usurpation of Indigenous lands under settler-colonialism (https://indiancountrytoday.com/news/court-rules-against-apaches-in-bid-to-halt-proposed-mine-ezVyp6BG60WpcNcPcyZhIg)? What is Biden's administration doing about this?

I'd like to think his Sec of the Interior would be of some help here if she has the power to intervene at this point...

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2020/dec/17/deb-haaland-joe-biden-interior-secretary


Biden picks Deb Haaland as first Native American interior secretary
Joe Biden has chosen the US lawmaker Deb Haaland as interior secretary and will nominate the North Carolina official Michael Regan to head the Environmental Protection Agency, in two diverse and influential picks to handle crucial issues such as public lands, pollution and the climate crisis.
Haaland, a progressive Democratic congresswoman from New Mexico since 2019, would be the first Native American cabinet secretary and one of the first (https://www.washingtonpost.com/history/2020/11/12/charles-curtis-kamala-harris-vice-president-native-american/) Native Americans ever to serve in a US cabinet. The department’s jurisdiction covers tribal lands and vast tracts of protected American wilderness, including jewels such as Yellowstone and Yosemite national parks.


Haaland is a member of Pueblo of Laguna and would become the first descendant of the original people to populate North America to run the interior department, which has often had a difficult relationship with the 574 federally recognized tribes in the US, the Washington Post reported (https://www.washingtonpost.com/climate-environment/2020/12/17/deb-haaland-interior-secretary-biden/).

[botley]

I wonder if they’re even aware of it, with all the shit going on at the same time right now.
If a permit for "one of the largest copper mines in the country" under jurisdiction of the U.S. Forest Service is not on their radar, that would be... bad?

[allegro]

If a permit for "one of the largest copper mines in the country" under jurisdiction of the U.S. Forest Service is not on their radar, that would be... bad?
Yes, but they’re dealing with Covid, millions of vaccines, a recession, getting people back to work, trying to fill positions with Senate approval, kids in cages at the border, kids still disconnected from the parents in Central America, etc.

Sometimes growing public outcry and publicity brings attention to a certain subject and sets the wheels in motion. As bobbie solo said, that sounds like an area where Deb Haaland can help.

On the other hand, if that tribe has no legal standing under the Treaty, then they need to find one that does.

This has been getting publicity out there for a while:

https://www.phoenixnewtimes.com/news/forest-service-apache-religion-in-oak-flat-copper-mine-review-11372892

One of the first things Biden did was shut down Keystone, so we know he’s sympathetic.

They can appeal and maybe somehow get it to SCOTUS, where we know Gorsuch is sympathetic to indigenous tribes and upholding treaties.

I don’t know how the hell this Oak Flat project passed environmental impact.

[GulDukat]

I think Biden is doing great at the Town Hall. So glad he's POTUS and not the other guy.

[bobbie solo]

Biden def. pissing me off now with this nonsense refusal to just do the $50k student debt cancellation. He's willing to do $10k via executive order, but not $50k. As if it becomes illegal or some shit in between. There is ZERO downside to doing this, and he's getting aggressive pushback from Dem leadership in Congress (unless it's simply performative...especially from Schumer, who may simply trying to stave off a primary challenge from AOC). No one votes based on issues like these, and Republicans aren't going to reinstate the debt if they retake power (political suicide).

This is why a new guard needs to take over for Dems. The old guard will be forever scarred from their years fighting through supply side economics, and they of course also will always worship at the feet of their wealthy donors, to the detriment of us and even their own political gain.

[Swykk]

He appears to be shying away from the minimum wage increase as well.

[allegro]

I owe a shit ton in Federal student loan debt, and it would certainly help ME, but a one-time wipeout of $50k in Federal student loan debt would not fix the problem. They’d have to do it every year, that’s the issue.

Sure, wiping out $50k in Federal student loan debt makes them popular to the people it immediately applies to right in that very moment.

For people who owe $150k and up in all kinds of other loan debt: it doesn’t help a whole hell of a lot. And there are A LOT of those people.

It’s not fixing the underlying issue and it requires them to have to do it all the time. Because students are going to keep acquiring these Federal student loan debts.

I believe the solution is introducing the ability to dismiss ALL student loan debt - ALL OF IT - in bankruptcy. Erase Fed debt, then declare the remaining debt via bankruptcy.

So your credit is messed up for a few years, but who gives a fuck? Your credit is already fucked from having a shitty debt-to-income ratio.

Also, ALL Federal student loans should have interest that is ZERO.

Most of mine are at 6.5%. What the fuck.

Also, trade school and community college must be FREE and ALL public universities MUST accept GenEd credit transfers from community colleges. IMMEDIATELY.

Also, public colleges must IMMEDIATELY start moving instructors to TENURE tracks instead of keeping them in permanent gig positions. And T.A.s at public colleges and universities MUST be provided with a living wage. Most now are on food stamps.

The bottom line is that the Federal Government has been in kahoots with these for-profit public colleges and universities for DECADES, in what amounts to a giant Ponzi Scheme in getting bodies in seats in college so the Fed could collect too much interest on loans.

But if we are giving SOME people $50k, then we really need to give all the other families $50k for the future, too; that is fair. A credit toward their Federal student loans.

Or, you have to make it FREE. Or make public college and accredited trade schools free to students and make the Federal government pay for it. Like, you know, in every other modern country.

[versusreality]

For people who owe $150k and up in all kinds of other loan debt: it doesn’t help a whole hell of a lot. And there are A LOT of those people.

So your credit is messed up for a few years, but who gives a fuck? Your credit is already fucked from having a shitty debt-to-income ratio.



I owe about $130K. I'm a new, untenured teacher making 58K a year before taxes. 50K forgiveness would help a HELL of a lot for me!! I am still attending, and finishing up all the way into the summer, so I won't have to start paying until about November.

With that said - even with the student loans, I was smart and aggressive with my money the past year, got out of ALL of my nearly 15K in credit card debt, and raised my credit score nearly 150 points. I refuse to go into bankruptcy after working that hard to get on the right track.

I was really hoping Biden would go with 50K. You made some fair points as well. Maybe some type of credit to others who are planning on going to college etc.

[allegro]

I owe about $130K. I'm a new, untenured teacher making 58K a year before taxes. 50K forgiveness would help a HELL of a lot for me!! I am still attending, and finishing up all the way into the summer, so I won't have to start paying until about November.

With that said - even with the student loans, I was smart and aggressive with my money the past year, got out of ALL of my nearly 15K in credit card debt, and raised my credit score nearly 150 points. I refuse to go into bankruptcy after working that hard to get on the right track.

I was really hoping Biden would go with 50K. You made some fair points as well. Maybe some type of credit to others who are planning on going to college etc.
Ok but how much of what you owe is Federal student loan? (The $50k proposed only would pay for Federal student loans. Not private student loans.)

There is NO fucking reason why the Federal Government should be charging us ANY interest for a LOAN for our EDUCATION. Should be ZERO INTEREST. They’re MAKING MONEY OFF OF US. That can change RIGHT NOW.

Yes; a $50k credit could go to non-school, too. And if you don’t want to go to school, and you want to start your own business? Then use it for THAT.

And it needs to be income-tested. People making $500k per year don’t need it, etc.

I think TEACHERS should have ALL their student loan debt wiped out. ALL. Totally wiped out. Ditto for doctors and nurses.

And colleges and universities who refuse to provide tenure? Which is now pretty much ALL OF THEM? TAKE AWAY FEDERAL STUDENT LOAN ELIGIBILITY.

Watch those colleges and universities sink like a rock.

This $50k write-off is a quick bullshit fix that’s not a fix at all. I want to BURN these fucking colleges and universities and the FAFSA program to the GROUND and make the whole thing free, and force all public colleges and universities (preferably EVEN PRIVATE ONES) to accept community college GenEds and I want all public community colleges to be FREE and I want public servants like doctors, nurses, teachers and professors to get TOTALLY FREE COLLEGE. This $50k thing is sidestepping that. It’s smoke and mirrors.


With that said - even with the student loans, I was smart and aggressive with my money the past year, got out of ALL of my nearly 15K in credit card debt, and raised my credit score nearly 150 points. I refuse to go into bankruptcy after working that hard to get on the right track.

That’s great, but if you applied for a mortgage right now, you’d still be fucked because your debt is still way too high. The lender would require you to pay down that student loan debt.

You’re fucked because of the education Ponzi Scheme.

We can’t give students free money unless we give people who’ve been stuck in shitty minimum wage jobs for years and couldn’t go to college free money, too. That’s fair. And we need to fix the whole damned system that put people in this much debt in the first place. Otherwise, it’s like paying off $1k of everyone’s credit card debt but they still have their credit cards.

[bobbie solo]

Joe Manchin said he won't vote for corrupt to the core & alarmingly online sociopath Neera Tanden for OMB Director, with Bernie playing footsie with the idea as well. HAHAHAHAAHAHAHAAHA

Yes, I'm aware this is only the latest example of Manchin's dizzying hypocrisy. Yes I'm aware they could perhaps pull some moderate Republican in. And yes I'm aware Biden could simply plug her in as a recess appointment. But Tanden is the absolute worst for dozens of reasons, and deserves every ounce of embarrassment coming her way if her nomination fails. Never mind that she is not fit for the role in any way.

In other news, this relief bill needs to pass asap. Biden's admin is attempting to fast track as best as they can. I really hope there is a significant amount of $ in there to keep our musical & cinematic venues afloat, as well as some robust funds for local & state governments to keep them solvent too. I know that's the plan, but we all know things can get f'ed up at the last second with bills like this one.

[allegro]

Neera Tanden drama: Some dudes are butthurt over shit a woman said on Twitter + money stuff they do, too. Lindsey Graham and John Kennedy *horrified* over what Neera Tanden said on Twitter, yet have amnesia about what Donald Trump said on Twitter 400x / day for 4 years. Bette Midler tweets worse stuff every day. Public’s sudden interest in who holds OMB position when 6 months ago nobody knew what OMB was. Yawn. (Note that Omirosa wanted OMB job.)

Meanwhile, where the FUCK are these vaccine supplies?

[versusreality]

Ok but how much of what you owe is Federal student loan? (The $50k proposed only would pay for Federal student loans. Not private student loans.)

There is NO fucking reason why the Federal Government should be charging us ANY interest for a LOAN for our EDUCATION. Should be ZERO INTEREST. They’re MAKING MONEY OFF OF US. That can change RIGHT NOW.

Yes; a $50k credit could go to non-school, too. And if you don’t want to go to school, and you want to start your own business? Then use it for THAT.

And it needs to be income-tested. People making $500k per year don’t need it, etc.

I think TEACHERS should have ALL their student loan debt wiped out. ALL. Totally wiped out. Ditto for doctors and nurses.

And colleges and universities who refuse to provide tenure? Which is now pretty much ALL OF THEM? TAKE AWAY FEDERAL STUDENT LOAN ELIGIBILITY.

Watch those colleges and universities sink like a rock.

This $50k write-off is a quick bullshit fix that’s not a fix at all. I want to BURN these fucking colleges and universities and the FAFSA program to the GROUND and make the whole thing free, and force all public colleges and universities (preferably EVEN PRIVATE ONES) to accept community college GenEds and I want all public community colleges to be FREE and I want public servants like doctors, nurses, teachers and professors to get TOTALLY FREE COLLEGE. This $50k thing is sidestepping that. It’s smoke and mirrors.


That’s great, but if you applied for a mortgage right now, you’d still be fucked because your debt is still way too high. The lender would require you to pay down that student loan debt.

You’re fucked because of the education Ponzi Scheme.

We can’t give students free money unless we give people who’ve been stuck in shitty minimum wage jobs for years and couldn’t go to college free money, too. That’s fair. And we need to fix the whole damned system that put people in this much debt in the first place. Otherwise, it’s like paying off $1k of everyone’s credit card debt but they still have their credit cards.

Everything I owe is federal. Indeed, I have learned the hard way, before I was financially literate, that grad schools and college in general are one of the biggest financial scams out there now. It's terrible. I really feel bad for those who have it worse off than I do in this situation...

In terms of buying a house, I have a few options. 1) my parents are looking to sell theirs in a couple years (I currently rent on one of the floors) and will work something out with me if I'm interested. 2) in the meantime, they purchased a second house down the shore, where they are planning to move full time in the possible near future as they near retirement. regardless of what happens to where I'm living now, that house will be inherited (and fully paid off) when the time comes. 3) don't ever worry about owning a house, and rent - once my loans are halfway paid off, then invest in a shore condo which will be used as a rental income. the rent from summer's alone would pay off that condo (I'm talking a 200K or so price) in a decade. that will also allow me more flexibility to pay off my student loan quicker. 4) rent, and never own (which...after shoveling endless snow this winter, might not be a bad idea!!! )

edit: my score is a 725 and still climbing. . for comparison: my score before I started taking student loans in 2016 was 772. as I said, I acquired a lot of credit card debt in that time as I was just a substitute teacher, but over the past year once I was officially hired I worked very hard.

[allegro]

versusreality - Yeah, owning is highly overrated, now. In states like ours, we got fucked out of SALT writeoffs by the GOP.

But the Federal Government REALLY needs to wipe out the interest on those loans. That way, if you amortized them over a 10-year period, it’d be EASY to pay off.

I had two private grad school loans. I paid off the Navient loan, I still have the other one left. Not much left. But there’s a lot left on my undergrad loan. And nobody has had to pay anything (and no interest has accrued) since early on in the pandemic.

I’m REALLY glad I didn’t do law school.

Paying down credit card debt feels SO good, doesn’t it?

[Magnetic]

But the Federal Government REALLY needs to wipe out the interest on those loans. That way, if you amortized them over a 10-year period, it’d be EASY to pay off.


THIS. I paid of $30K of debt very aggressively in 8 years. It sucked, and it meant doing without a lot of things, but I was damned if I was going to give that kind of interest over the long term. The interest is what makes paying back student loans so daunting.

My friend has the exact same amount of student loan debt, but they've opted to pay less per month over 20-30 years. I think after 30 years, whatever is left is waived? But that's ridiculous! They'll be paying until they're 57 years old.

The argument to wipe out all student loan debt is difficult in my opinion, because that just adds to overall gov deficit. BUT, the banks shouldn't be profiting through the interest. Eliminate the interest, and I think that's more reasonable.

[allegro]

THIS. I paid of $30K of debt very aggressively in 8 years. It sucked, and it meant doing without a lot of things, but I was damned if I was going to give that kind of interest over the long term. The interest is what makes paying back student loans so daunting.

My friend has the exact same amount of student loan debt, but they've opted to pay less per month over 20-30 years. I think after 30 years, whatever is left is waived? But that's ridiculous! They'll be paying until they're 57 years old.

The argument to wipe out all student loan debt is difficult in my opinion, because that just adds to overall gov deficit. BUT, the banks shouldn't be profiting through the interest. Eliminate the interest, and I think that's more reasonable.

Especially since right now they are ONLY talking Federal student loans and the “bank” is the Federal government.

They waste so much money on so much ridiculous shit, there is zero good argument for why they can’t bring the interest rate down to zero.

Yes, wiping out ALL debt for doctors, etc. would actually require the Federal government to PAY that debt (since most are likely as a result of private colleges and universities through private non-Federal loans), so that banks don’t go under. And I think that’s a great investment, because it frees up money toward the economy and not toward DEBT.

[botley]

This has been getting publicity out there for a while:

https://www.phoenixnewtimes.com/news/forest-service-apache-religion-in-oak-flat-copper-mine-review-11372892

One of the first things Biden did was shut down Keystone, so we know he’s sympathetic.

They can appeal and maybe somehow get it to SCOTUS, where we know Gorsuch is sympathetic to indigenous tribes and upholding treaties.

I don’t know how the hell this Oak Flat project passed environmental impact.
Some good news (https://www.indianz.com/News/2021/03/01/san-carlos-apache-tribe-cheers-right-move-to-protect-sacred-site-from-copper-mine/) on this story!

[allegro]

Some good news (https://www.indianz.com/News/2021/03/01/san-carlos-apache-tribe-cheers-right-move-to-protect-sacred-site-from-copper-mine/) on this story!

Sure enough, the environmental impact study was a sham and shouldn't have passed. That certainly seemed to be the case. I'm glad this worked out, I read about it this morning, popped up in my news feed. Good news, indeed.

[Swykk]

Here we are, on the 4th of March, and the President still looks and talks like Joe Biden.

[Sarah K]

Hoping for something on the student loan front. I have just under 45k. I graduate in May so I’ll have to start paying in November and I’m already panicking about the clusterfuck that is the PSLF program.

My last two years of grad school were covered at 100% as well as my last year of undergrad. Can’t even imagine what I’d be at if not for my good fortune with tuition waivers and scholarships. Probably pushing 100k. ������

[allegro]

Had I not gotten so many grants, my tuition would have been $80k-$100k. The normal tuition rate at my private university was about $35k per year.

I haven’t had to pay anything, including interest, on my Federal student loans since I think last April. That’s been extended through September 30th (https://studentaid.gov/announcements-events/coronavirus), and they’re talking about extending it.


Now that Neera Tanden is out, wonder who will be the OMB nominee.

Shalanda Young?

I don’t give a shit that Biden is Biden; it’s so nice not waking up each day wondering what fresh hell Trump created on Twitter. Biden is so boring, I forget he’s there. And that’s so refreshing after 4 years of that chaotic orange Shitler.

[Swykk]

I was referencing the dumbass Q conspiracy that Trump would take over on March 4th.

It’s great he’s boring. I just wish he and fellow Dems would start pressuring Sinema and Manchin. This is exactly how the Dems will lose in 2022 if they keep foolishly trying to work with Republicans and not uniting for much needed changes.

[versusreality]

as wacky as the Republicans are, and even as divided as they are, they still seem laser focused to win in 2022. Sadly, I feel because of this, they have a shot. I'm not sensing that urgency from the Dem side.

[allegate]

I mean look at these number for voting bills:
In conjunction with the Brennan Center’s report (https://www.brennancenter.org/our-work/research-reports/voting-laws-roundup-february-2021) on state voting proposals, below is a list of the restrictive and expansive bills that we are tracking to date. As of February 19, 2021, state lawmakers have carried over, prefiled, or introduced 253 bills with provisions that restrict voting access in 43 states, and 704 bills with provisions that expand voting access in a different set of 43 states. Note that, in some cases, a single bill can have provisions with both restrictive and expansive effects.https://www.brennancenter.org/our-work/research-reports/state-voting-bills-tracker-2021

[klyrish]

I was referencing the dumbass Q conspiracy that Trump would take over on March 4th.

It’s great he’s boring. I just wish he and fellow Dems would start pressuring Sinema and Manchin. This is exactly how the Dems will lose in 2022 if they keep foolishly trying to work with Republicans and not uniting for much needed changes.
No, didn't you hear? That was a leftist/liberal lie because they infiltrated Q. The real real date is March 20.


as wacky as the Republicans are, and even as divided as they are, they still seem laser focused to win in 2022. Sadly, I feel because of this, they have a shot. I'm not sensing that urgency from the Dem side.
Standard operating procedure for the Democrats: make all kinds of noise when they're the minority and then squander it all away when they have the majority doing almost nothing but lip service. They really seem to be controlled opposition at this point.

But hey, at least we finally have a woman of color involved in ordering drone strikes in the Middle East. #progress #resist

[allegate]

Snatching defeat from the jaws of victory - Democrat slogan for years now.

[allegro]

I was referencing the dumbass Q conspiracy that Trump would take over on March 4th.

It’s great he’s boring. I just wish he and fellow Dems would start pressuring Sinema and Manchin. This is exactly how the Dems will lose in 2022 if they keep foolishly trying to work with Republicans and not uniting for much needed changes.

They HAVE been pressuring Manchin and Sinema. Manchin wants the Covid relief to end at couples who earn $75k, he thinks that’s “wealthy.” The guy has MILLIONS, but thinks a couple making a combined $75k per year in an urban area are rich and not in need Covid relief. He’s likely not been to a grocery store lately, where he’d see how the price of groceries has risen to RIDICULOUS levels. I hate him. But he is in a state full of Republican voters and he only cares about his own ass. Biden can only pressure so much; the other Senate Democrats and Schumer need to apply the most pressure. Likely this kind: “If you don’t get on board, the DNC won’t give you any campaign money when you run for re-election because you are a DINO.”

ESPECIALLY regarding HR-1, which is THE most important piece of legislation in our history. If we can’t get that passed, we are toast. We must pass it without the filibuster if necessary, but it MUST pass.

Unfortunately, the Democrats don’t really control the Senate. They share control and can only control in a few circumstances. They need about 10 more Senate seats for ACTUAL control. 12 if you want to wipe out the Sinema and Manchin bullshit.

The Senate isn’t the House, they can’t whip votes like in the House.

ONE vote in the Senate stopped the ACA from being destroyed, and that was from a Republican (John McCain). Even the Republicans can’t always get everyone on board. Seven Republican Senators voted to convict Trump. The Republicans are more divided than Democrats right now.

[tony.parente]

ESPECIALLY regarding HR-1, which is THE most important piece of legislation in our history. If we can’t get that passed, we are toast. We must pass it without the filibuster if necessary, but it MUST pass.

I've been reading about that, it's all common sense bipartisan stuff. What are republicans talking points on why it's a bad thing? I can't see a single bad thing about any parts of this thing.

[allegro]

as wacky as the Republicans are, and even as divided as they are, they still seem laser focused to win in 2022. Sadly, I feel because of this, they have a shot. I'm not sensing that urgency from the Dem side.

Have you not been paying attention? The Democrats have been pushing HR-1 and HR-4. HR-1 won in the House. Biden has been tweeting his support. The Republicans have been losing their fucking minds over this.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2021/03/05/hr1-bill-what-is-it/

https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/house-elections-voting-pelosi-/2021/03/03/e434df58-7c22-11eb-a976-c028a4215c78_story.html


The House late Wednesday passed expansive legislation to create uniform national voting standards, overhaul campaign finance laws and outlaw partisan redistricting, advancing a centerpiece of the Democratic voting rights agenda amid fierce Republican attacks that threaten to stop it cold in the Senate.


The bill, titled the For the People Act, was given the symbolic designation of H.R. 1 by House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.), and it largely mirrors a bill passed two years ago in the early weeks of the House Democratic majority.



I've been reading about that, it's all common sense bipartisan stuff. What are republicans talking points on why it's a bad thing? I can't see a single bad thing about any parts of this thing.

There isn’t; they are crooked assholes. And they push this bullshit propaganda that says that millions of people voted by mail using fake addresses. WHICH IS BULLSHIT.

There is NOTHING in the Constitution about registering to vote or IDs.

Bottom line is that if more people vote, they lose. So they do everything they possibly can to stop as many as they can from voting. They’ve been doing that for hundreds of years. Suppressing votes is now the only way they can win.

[allegate]

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/Evv_KW0WgAAr3c-?format=jpg&name=small

[GulDukat]

Not really sure where to put this:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nNo_U7PTGzk

What the hell is wrong with her?

[allegro]

What the hell is wrong with her?

She likely wanted to end the nearly 24-hour debate and get immediate relief to her constituents. (Sen. Ron Johnson made them READ MORE THAN 600 PAGES OF THE BILL IN ORDER TO STALL.)

Sinema said the Senate should "hold an open debate and amendment process on raising the minimum wage, separate from the COVID-focused reconciliation bill." She's openly supported raising the minimum wage. But, the Senate parliamentarian already said that this is not possible and will require a "sunset" clause if it passes with a simple majority under reconciliation, which means it would not be permanent.

Angus King voted against it, the only other Independent in the Senate besides Sanders. Angus King went to law school. So did Kirsten Sinema. Bernie Sanders didn't.


This issue will all be revisited in the future, for sure.


We also need a bigger fix than just raising the minimum wage. The whole system broke many years ago when people were forced to rely on minimum wage jobs as "careers." We need to get people into better careers. We need to figure out how to do that, so that people get WAY more than minimum wage, with benefits, including sick and vacation pay, a 401K, their education paid for, etc.

When factory jobs etc. were around, people made good money, could maybe even buy a cottage "up north," put money away for retirement, and you used to even get a pension. Then those factory and manufacturing jobs went away, the "college" requirement came along, and those who couldn't go to college were forced into what's effectively poverty jobs. Nobody will ever be able to support a family in Chicago on $15 per hour. You're lucky you can pay rent in Chicago making $25/hour. A bigger smarter fix is Government-paid job programs or Government-paid trade school programs or tax incentives for employers to pay for their employees' educations, etc. to get people OUT of these jobs, vs. accepting it as a "living wage" which it will NEVER BE.

[allegate]

Bring back the CCC (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Civilian_Conservation_Corps).

[allegro]

Bring back the CCC (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Civilian_Conservation_Corps).

And the WPA (https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Works_Progress_Administration).

And the NYA (https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Youth_Administration).

Andrew Yang is right; most of what are minimum wage jobs, now, will no longer exist in the not-too-distant future. Automation will take over the vast majority of those jobs.

UBI is the future. Something similar to FDR’s New Deal but with education and infrastructure (and not just “green”) is the future. Otherwise, we will have millions of unemployed and unemployable homeless people.

The truth is that ALL wages have been stagnant for over 40 years (https://insight.kellogg.northwestern.edu/article/wage-stagnation-in-america), and haven’t kept up with inflation. Most Americans aren’t making wages that are sufficient to pay all the bills plus put money away for their kids’ education or for retirement, no matter their wage, even on fairly decent wages. All wages are relative to the minimum wage, which is “minimum” per the Fair Labor Act of 1938 to prevent sweatshop labor and not to provide a “living wage.” The Federal Government never cared about living wages. If it did, it’d pay us directly.

[GulDukat]

If Sinema explained why she voted the way that she did, I might understand it, but to give a thumbs down, rather flippintly, and trot out of there like that, she looked like she was in high school. She's in the U.S. Senate ffs.

She's telling people that 15 bucks an hour isn't possible, while wearing designer clothes and a handbag. I'm sorry, but those optics were terrible and she looked like a huge, out-of-touch asshole.

Also, Vice President Harris and 50 senators could overrule the parliamentarian (https://thehill.com/homenews/senate/541017-no-2-senate-democrat-shoots-down-overruling-parliamentarian-on-minimum-wage)

[Jinsai]

They HAVE been pressuring Manchin and Sinema. Manchin wants the Covid relief to end at couples who earn $75k, he thinks that’s “wealthy.” The guy has MILLIONS, but thinks a couple making a combined $75k per year in an urban area are rich and not in need Covid relief.

Ah, I was going to say that 74k for a single income is not altogether a bad cuttoff point if there's going to be one, but maybe I'd be in favor of a gradient scaling towards aid based on need. But 75k for a combined household income... I guess it depends on where you live, but that would barely cover my year's rent when I was living in a single bedroom apartment in West LA.

[Wretchedest]

UBI will be just another minimum wage, will keep minimum wage down, will eventually be an insufficient oint, and be used not to find important programs

[allegro]

UBI will be just another minimum wage, will keep minimum wage down, will eventually be an insufficient oint, and be used not to find important programs

I dunno, the wealthy are always getting what amount to handouts but don’t want one single penny going to anyone else. UBI and equitable wages to everyone takes away their wealth growth, so of COURSE they’re against anything like that. Worse yet, they convince a lot of the working class to prop up the elite’s wealth via fear that the elite may MOVE and take all the wealth and jobs “somewhere else.” Yeah, right, they ain’t going anywhere, they CAN’T! But their propaganda game is strong.

Ultimately, it doesn’t matter. UBI has a snowball’s chance in hell in any of our lifetimes.

When I was working for my Dad in high school, the minimum wage was $2.65 per hour, in 1978.

In 1979, it went to $2.90/hour.

In 1980, it went to $3.10/hour.

In 1981, it went to $3.35/hour.

It didn’t go up again until 1990, to $3.80.

Even then, minimum wage wasn’t ANYWHERE NEAR a “living wage.”

I had friends who worked for Chrysler in entry-level Union jobs and they were making $8.50/hour. Even that wasn’t a living wage.

In 1986, I had to live in a ghetto and see armed robberies around my flat all the time because I had such shitty wages. And things haven’t changed much in overall wage growth in this country in 40 years. Except now the American Corporate College System suckers people into hundreds of thousands of permanent debt in a shell game of poverty avoidance.


Ah, I was going to say that 74k for a single income is not altogether a bad cuttoff point if there's going to be one, but maybe I'd be in favor of a gradient scaling towards aid based on need. But 75k for a combined household income... I guess it depends on where you live, but that would barely cover my year's rent when I was living in a single bedroom apartment in West LA.
Exactly.

This $15/hour “living wage?” That GROSS wages, so $31,200/year for a 40-hour week. But by the time you deduct FICA and Federal and State taxes in all big cities, you have about 75% of that left. So that’s $23,400, or $1,950/month.

The average rent in Chicago is $1,800/month. Who can live on an extra $150/month for “everything else?” Cell phone, electric bill, transportation, healthcare, food, etc.

If you make $25/hour and work 40 hours/month, you’d gross $52k and net about $39k, that’s $3,250/month.

But if your rent is $1,800/month, that leaves $1,450/month for “everything else.” And that can go FAST. You’re one medical disaster from homelessness.

HUD considers $31,850 for a single wage as “very low income” in Chicago:

https://www.chicago.gov/content/dam/city/depts/doh/general/2020_hud_income_limits.pdf

[allegro]

If Sinema explained why she voted the way that she did, I might understand it, but to give a thumbs down, rather flippintly, and trot out of there like that, she looked like she was in high school. She's in the U.S. Senate ffs.


The thought out there is that it was kind of a John McCain thing. She’s from Arizona. John McCain voted thumbs-down solely on procedural basis, and so did Sinema.

https://youtu.be/DWeayFHsH90

[Jinsai]

Yeah, I mean, dramatics aside, she voted the way she did and thereby let you know what she's about. Same with Manchin. Manchin is not a liberal - not even CLOSE. There's a part in that Woodward book where Trump is whining with McConnell about how he wants to stay cool with Manchin because he's his buddy.

Fuck Joe Manchin. He's not fooling anyone.

[allegro]

Yeah, I mean, dramatics aside, she voted the way she did and thereby let you know what she's about. Same with Manchin. Manchin is not a liberal - not even CLOSE. There's a part in that Woodward book where Trump is whining with McConnell about how he wants to stay cool with Manchin because he's his buddy.

Fuck Joe Manchin. He's not fooling anyone.

Manchin is in WEST VIRGINIA. It’s a fucking MIRACLE he was even ELECTED. His ass in on the line in 2024.

Now Manchin is saying (as of like 10 hours ago) that he’s considering eliminating the filibuster.

Which says to me that Manchin’s tea leaves are saying he’s toast in 2024. (Everyone else’s tea leaves say he is TOAST.)

Sinema isn’t against raising the minimum wage; she’s just against doing it this way.

Soooooooo ... the PROBLEM is that Republicans across the country are introducing legislation that will effectively block Democrats from voting. Kelly and Warnock are up for re-election in 2022. Warnock butt is really on the line. Georgia is not reliable.

This means that unless HR-1 and HR-4 are passed, it’s likely that the Republicans will take control of the Senate and House in 2022 and will maintain that control for the unforeseeable future. Once in power, they will pass legislation banning mail-in voting. They will pass Federal legislation requiring IDs for voting. All of what they do will insure that the Democrats will never be in control of Congress ever again

Any minimum wage legislation would be immediately reversed.

This is not hyperbole.

[bobbie solo]

ok...so anyway...


If Sinema explained why she voted the way that she did, I might understand it, but to give a thumbs down, rather flippintly, and trot out of there like that, she looked like she was in high school. She's in the U.S. Senate ffs.

She's telling people that 15 bucks an hour isn't possible, while wearing designer clothes and a handbag. I'm sorry, but those optics were terrible and she looked like a huge, out-of-touch asshole.

Also, Vice President Harris and 50 senators could overrule the parliamentarian (https://thehill.com/homenews/senate/541017-no-2-senate-democrat-shoots-down-overruling-parliamentarian-on-minimum-wage)

She gave some bullshit reason afterwards about rules, and reconciliation, and how it shouldn't be included. As if that justifies it, or as if that's the real reason. It's called "seizing the moment". It's called wielding your power. It's called delivering on campaign promises. You think casual voters give a shit about the Senate rules? Meanwhile we have 2014 tweets from her demanding the minimum wage be raised. Totally bought off hypocrite. Her little curtsy act shows that her real reason was to give a big fuck you to the left, and to show her donors how much she is willing to be their tool. Just like Manchin & every other corporatist that voted against it. The two pieces of shit from Delaware that voted against it are widely known as Biden's mouthpieces in the Senate, so this was their way of showing Biden isn't really for it either. Harris proving that she'll just get in line too, but we knew that. At least we all now know where these people stand, and that none of them deserve an ounce of support.

https://media1.tenor.com/images/1314d10821a0d40e6c7610af4cb88cd8/tenor.gif

Biden & the Dems chances in 2022 & 2024 sinking rapidly. Leave it to the centrist shitheel Dems to always snatch defeat from the jaws of victory. You simply had to deliver on campaign promises. Promises you made just a few weeks ago! Instead, in simplistic terms that non-political people will take away from this:

- some people that got checks from Trump will not be getting checks from you

- you're prolly not going put your name on the checks that do go out. Yes it's crass, but who cares? People are stupid, and it worked for Trump (studies show he would have lost even worse if not for the stimulus checks). It's called raw power. Wield it.

- you're reneging on the minimum wage campaign promise & there's no chance of it ever being brought up again in the Senate unless they fully remove the filibuster, and not just toy with it in some manner so they can pass HR-1.

- 5 minutes into your admin you're already bombing brown people that low info voters, non-political types, leftists & conservatives have all made it clear we want you to stop and get the fuck out of the Mid East. They may have killed 1 US contractor. So we kill dozens of them. Yeah, seems fair and seems like what your voters want you to do.

That child tax credit is their only hope for success in two years at this point. Let's see if they regroup and do more that will actually translate into voters sticking with them.

PS. Biden's full throated support for the Amazon union push in Alabama was amazing. I couldn't believe he stuck his neck out that much. He should still go there in person imo.

[Jinsai]

Manchin knows he’s screwed but that’s his fence sitting to blame. Sure he hails from a republican stronghold, but it means nothing if he wins and then votes with republicans. I hate this RINO DINO thing, because it just further polarizes this situation, and really in my mind overcoming that polarized partisan divide is THE MOST important thing we need to work towards... but THE LAST route to that reconciling point is going to bloom with kissing Joe Manchin’s shrewd political ass.

Honestly, at this point, we probably would find better luck hoping that Manchin’s republican replacement might secretly harbor some progressive ideas boiling in the background. Manchin is a mole/plant in the Democratic Party. With Manchin, you’re not going to be surprised. The guy is a piece of shit, and emblematic of everything wrong with American politics.

[ltrandazzo]

Minor point - Manchin and Sinema are both up in 2024, not 2022.

[Jinsai]

And it’s worth noting, even if it’s draining that we’re stuck till then, but there’s the optimistic side of me that is convinced we can possibly trick Manchin into throwing his buddy Trump under the bus to save his shitty political career, and I can smile while I bask in the general tears.

I’m an optimist

[allegro]

Minor point - Manchin and Sinema are both up in 2024, not 2022.

I knew Sinema was up in 2024. Thanks on Manchin, although that’s still too long.

Kelly is likely to win his seat again in 2022, but Warnock? Georgia lawmakers are doing everything they can to make sure that does not happen. It will only take ONE seat for Democrats to lose the Senate majority. The House Democrats only have a 10-seat advantage; they used to have a 36-seat advantage.

I’m not an optimist. Republicans have cheated far too many times to stay in power, they have amped this up, they aren’t going down. They will risk blowing out the Democratic Republic if necessary, they’ve made that clear.

Sinema used to be full-blown progressive, but when she got to the U.S. Senate she became a centrist “negotiator” that they call a “chess player” and she refuses to change so it is what it is. She has been censored for not voting along party lines, she doesn’t care. The Democrats have a bigger chance of Manchin caving on the filibuster than Sinema. Forget it. She won’t do it. She’s always said she wouldn’t, she never said she would. The end. And with the odds of the Senate and House losing their majority right now, getting rid of that filibuster would be pretty damned handy to the Republicans once they’re back in power. Because they will be. Sooner than later.

[allegate]

I think circumventing the 60 vote threshold on the filibuster would do a lot of the good that filibuster removal itself would do, but I also think it likely that this is pre-fight posturing.

Democrats are targeting voting rights next, and (unlike the stimulus) it’s legislation that Republicans desperately want to prevent. Democrats can talk about removing the filibuster all they want; Republicans know they won’t do it. But Joe Manchin going on TV and saying he’s open to reforming it? That looks a lot more like some thing that could be followed through on.

They’re trying to scare Republicans away from filibustering a potential voting rights bill by showing them how they’d respond to that. If Rs don’t threaten or attempt to filibuster the voting rights bill, I suspect all this talk will go away.Dude is pretty good with analysis and I think he's on the money here.

That said Rs are also big on 'kill your own" so who can say.

[Magnetic]

Passing thought I had on Biden's vaccine program. I'm thinking it's a huge investment in Merck/ J&J to provide for the US, but then after see profit when the US becomes a solid source for COVID vaccines. This also creates jobs. If this comes to fruition, this could put the US back on the world stage in a good light, and might even help our economy. It's just a hopeful idea. I'm not an economist.

[allegro]

The higher education portion of the Covid Relief bill made any education debt forgiveness over the next 5 years tax free. (Typically, debt forgiveness is treated as income.)

[cdm]

The higher education portion of the Covid Relief bill made any education debt forgiveness over the next 5 years tax free. (Typically, debt forgiveness is treated as income.)

Dooooooooooooo it!

[allegro]

Dooooooooooooo it!
A lot of people already GET education debt forgiveness, like through PSLF (https://studentaid.gov/manage-loans/forgiveness-cancellation/public-service). Or if you’re a teacher (https://studentaid.gov/manage-loans/forgiveness-cancellation/teacher). Or if you’re totally and permanently disabled (https://studentaid.gov/manage-loans/forgiveness-cancellation/disability-discharge). Etc.

But, yeah, if that OTHER one happens ...

[Jinsai]

ARRRRRRRRG.... come on Biden, I know you've got "bigger things to worry about," and everything is super screwed up right now, but the optics with the firing of white house employees for former pot history or failing a drug test is just bad optics. You can't honestly tell me that marijuana prohibition is in the cards here. It's pretty much done, so don't mess everything up by backing that horse at this juncture. Don't lose potheads here, because I swear, if you do, guess what the Republicans are gonna throw in as a side offering in 2024? They're gonna be all "libertarian" about it, and the democrats are gonna look old and lame if they push a cagey stance like this for four years.

[Jinsai]

WTF is going on here w/ Republicans trying to coerce Biden into having a live debate with Putin? What exactly would the debate be about?
Matt Gaetz should pretty much just resign. The whole comparison to Rocky IV, but "the American would lose?!" That is crazy.

[allegate]

if they love Putin so much they should marry him.

which would get them killed because Russia don't play that...but is that any great loss?

[allegate]

https://twitter.com/JenniferJJacobs/status/1375150191855214598

ballsy to say what we're all thinking.

[Swykk]

Maybe, just maybe, we leave Major Biden the fuck alone until he’s used to his new place and routine of being around a bunch of people he doesn’t know.

[Magnetic]

JFC, Trump could have had the meanest dog plowing down small children, and the GOP would be making excuses.
Could we maybe focus on the real shit for a steady 3 months?

[Jazzkokehead]

I've paid such little attention to politics since Biden took office, and frankly, I love it. I needed a break, and I'm not worried that Biden is going to do some crazy thing. I have faith that he'll govern competently. That seems like a low bar to pass, but after four years of Trump, I'm happy to not have to read about the latest scandal or whatever.

[sonic_discord]

I've paid such little attention to politics since Biden took office, and frankly, I love it. I needed a break, and I'm not worried that Biden is going to do some crazy thing. I have faith that he'll govern competently. That seems like a low bar to pass, but after four years of Trump, I'm happy to not have to read about the latest scandal or whatever.

Agreed. Though I will say that I don't like how he (or his administration) has been punishing/firing staff members for marijuana use. Still, that's not so bad compared to the heinous shit Trump was getting away with on a weekly—if not daily—basis. It's definitely been nice to not be paying much attention to politics, nor feeling the need to be.

[Jazzkokehead]

Seems like a shitty thing to do, and weird since marijuana is decriminalized in DC.

[Jinsai]

Really. I just saw a post where a "friend" was getting really way too upset about the fact that they put a mask on the Easter Bunny at this year's WH Easter thing.
Then a friend of hers jumps in, and he's calling Jill Biden a "tramp" for wearing stockings. Then he's calling her a "fake doctor." Then he's bitching about how Hunter Biden likes to smoke crack.

It's just amazing. We just got done with four years of some guy telling people to inject themselves with bleach to inoculate themselves against a pandemic he "intentionally downplayed," and this is all you're coming up with to complain about? Yawn.

[bobbie solo]

His admin came out today and said they'll be withdrawing our remaining 2500 troops from Afghanistan by...9/11?

A) This is great news, but I'll believe it when it actually happens.

B) They better not just fill the gap with more fucking contractors. Just get as many US military related people out of there as possible & never add anymore ever again.

C) What's with the weird 9/11 signaling? Why would you want to draw attention to the fact we've been there almost TWENTY years b/c of that exact incident? Us being there has resulted in the unnecessary deaths of hundreds of thousands of people. Just get out as soon as possible, and please just stop bombing brown people in general.

[Wretchedest]

I agree that it's weird but I also think you kind of answered your own question, in a way.

[bobbie solo]

I just don't like the fetishization of 9/11, and this certainly adds to that. And I don't see how that's a good thing for Biden, even if I put on my big dumb centrist pro-military war machine hat for a second.

[allegro]

https://twitter.com/kylegriffin1/status/1382649914522357761?s=21


No taxation without representation!

[Archive_Reports]

Pelosi constantly starting standing ovations was a bit over the top.

[ickyvicky]

Ted Cruz falling asleep, lol. Can someone fire him already???

https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/us-politics/ted-cruz-asleep-biden-speech-b1839362.html

[Jinsai]

Ted Cruz falling asleep, lol. Can someone fire him already???

https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/us-politics/ted-cruz-asleep-biden-speech-b1839362.html

Honestly, I think him and all the Trump boot-lickers are on their way out. Him, and Lindsey Graham, and Jim Jordan, and Mark Meadows are all going the way of Matt Gaetz... and I guess Giuliani. Now if we could all just see Roger Stone go to jail, the world would be a better place

[Jinsai]

I really wonder if a lot of Republicans are watching the details unfold about Gaetz, and having this sort of epiphany...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hn1VxaMEjRU

[richardp]

^^....The GOP isn't remotely capable of having that level of self awareness.

[allegro]

They’re referred to as the GQP, now.

And it’s appropriate.

They can’t detect the irony.

[GulDukat]

One thing that I didn't know about the Bidens is that they are about eight feet tall.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-JDmnYWEniE

[allegate]

the amount of mental power directed at that photo...Jesus.

[Wretchedest]

Is this like a hobbit thing?

[allegro]

Is this like a hobbit thing?

Someone posted on Twitter something like “they’re both in their 90s.”

And I responded “and living in the Land of Oz?”

It made ME laugh.

So far, my response has over 90 likes :D

Someone posted this image in response (because Jimmy’s feet are so huge):

https://img.etimg.com/photo/msid-58768239,quality-100/.jpg

[allegate]

Vatican warns U.S bishops about rebuking Biden, other Catholic pols (https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/world/vatican-warns-us-bishops-about-rebuking-biden-other-catholic-pols/ar-BB1gApD0?ocid=uxbndlbing)

I feel like if you want to keep tax exempt status you should stop messing around with politics.

[sweeterthan]

so russians hack the pipeline and conservatives blame biden, claiming conspiracy. gas stations in my neighborhood are already running out. i would feel way more panicky if we didn’t have an electric car sitting in our garage.

https://twitter.com/farah_world514/status/1392066586891243520?s=21


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[mfte]

Executive Order on improving the US of A's Cybersecurity Posture. Probably looooooong overdue.


https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/presidential-actions/2021/05/12/executive-order-on-improving-the-nations-cybersecurity/

[Aladdinsanity]

Free Palestine.

[Aladdinsanity]

Free Palestine, free Palestine.

[Aladdinsanity]

Free Palestine, free Palestine, free Palestine.

[M1ke]

Free Palestine, free Palestine, free Palestine.

Asking legitimately because I haven't been following it closely, but what does this have to do with Biden?

[elevenism]

Free Palestine, free Palestine, free Palestine.

Furthermore, Free Palestine.
@eskimo (https://www.echoingthesound.org/community/member.php?u=218) , Biden is at the helm of the world's most powerful military.

Israel is as it is today, partially due to decades of American intervention.

Also, Free Palestine.

[Deacon Blackfire]

It's much less a problem with Biden specifically than it is a shamefully long term problem with the United States government and political system in general - basically every president in living memory has been custodian to the disgusting amount of aid our country has provided Israel, every one playing along with their disingenuous rhetoric - but it's clearly going to continue to be a failing (https://twitter.com/WhiteHouse/status/1393707042771283969) for this administration too and with no other threads primed for discussion on this, I think it's as fair a place as any to be talking about it. It's too important an issue to not be talking about.

What is happening to the Palestinian people is horrific, and it has been for an inexcusably long amount of time. Frankly I'm encouraged seeing any Israel-critical coverage in US media because the infuriatingly bad-faith rhetoric Israel so constantly hides behind has become so entrenched in United States political discourse, to the point where you are likely to get smeared as an antisemite for criticizing Israel. Israel's policies are barbaric and disgusting, and would be just as barbaric and disgusting at the hands of any other religious or ethnic group. The accusing of any critics of being antisemitic, the insistence that critics are ignorant and "just don't understand", it's all an obvious smokescreen to conceal the blatant reality that what we are seeing is ethnic cleansing, that Israel will not be satisfied until it has completely assimilated Palestine and eradicated anyone or anything that stands in its way.

This thread (https://twitter.com/jeremyslevin/status/1393661393807843333) does a terrific job elaborating on how support for Israel is deliberately tied to Jewish identity by various institutions, in a way that flattens said identity and reduces it to shield to defend Israel's indefensible actions, and I highly recommend reading it. It's a complicated, extremely old part of the world with a whole lot of history, but the reality of the situation there now is unmistakable. On one side, entire families have been wiped out (https://twitter.com/SanaSaeed/status/1393742953022201856). On the other side, they're worried they may need a bomb shelter when they're out to fucking brunch (https://twitter.com/roqchams/status/1393750057246097408).

Honestly if you can watch this (https://twitter.com/EoinHiggins_/status/1393595559705972739) and still proudly "stand with Israel"...

[bobbie solo]

And now that there aren't fun videos of missiles firing every which way b/c of the "ceasefre", this story disappears from the traditional press. Pathetic lapdogs.

[Exocet]

I just saw a very embarrassing clip of Joe Biden today I dont think he will be president by 2023, I live in a country with an embarrassing leader too.
The power comes from the people the leaders are humiliating totems. They dont represent the country!

[BRoswell]

I dont think he will be president by 2023

Well, the election is in 2024, so unless he croaks or does such an awful job that he makes Trumpy look good, I think he'll still be in office.

[sweeterthan]

Biden wasn’t even my fourth choice
but what could be more embarrassing than admitting to assault on tape?

[allegate]

I just saw a very embarrassing clip of Joe Biden today I dont think he will be president by 2023, I live in a country with an embarrassing leader too.
The power comes from the people the leaders are humiliating totems. They dont represent the country!
so embarrassing that you can't post it. I understand.

also there's a , and two ' missing. I have a few spares if you need them.

[Patrick_Nicholas]

Biden has officially made Juneteenth a federal holiday.
https://edition.cnn.com/2021/06/17/politics/biden-juneteenth-bill-signing/index.html

[allegate]

I'll have you know that making the day time cards are due a federal holiday (especially the day prior to said holiday!) caused quite a stir. Plus I'm training someone on how to do time cards and he's something of an idiot so getting him to make all the changes and contact supervisors quickly was a whole thing.

But I'm immensely grateful that the country is starting to recognize things that aren't just magical white man holidays. On top of that it's been 38 years since the last one was made, and even that took a couple years for the states to start recognizing it. Gee I wonder what the issue was.

[allegro]

Plus I'm training someone on how to do time cards and he's something of an idiot so getting him to make all the changes and contact supervisors quickly was a whole thing.

What?? Jesus, we had to submit billable hours every week; that guy would've had a stroke.

[M1ke]

https://i.imgur.com/6NT3S2u.png

I like this kind of controversy. This is nice.

[bobbie solo]

Good ol' Joe has had a bee in his bonnet about getting something, ANYTHING bi-partisan passed. So we have this meek-as-fuck-but-better-than-nothing bi-partisan infrastructure bill passed today, 69-30. You happy now Joe? And congrats, you gave the Republicans a political win almost as big as the win he and his admin perceive that it is for him as well.

So now is when the rubber is gonna hit the road with the House progressives and Bernie. They have stated numerous times they will not pass that bi-partisan bill until the MUCH better $3.5 trillion "human infrastructure" bill they are all gonna now hash out is passed first. You should read up on all the great things that are currently in the bill. It really would be a fantastic piece of legislation that would help out practically all Americans in some area of their life. It's not enough of course, especially on climate, but it's good.

So far, all the doddering old fools in charge (Biden, Pelosi Hoyer & Schumer) are all doing & saying the right things. It appears that this plan to NOT fully pass the bi-partisan bill until the human infrastructure bill passes via reconciliation is legit. But the progressives all better being willing to shoot the hostage on this one like they have stated they are. The corrupt pigs like Sinema, Manchin, Coons and the like are all gonna pick this thing apart now before they're willing to vote for it. If they go too far, the progressives better stick to their guns.

[ickyvicky]

Biden to return to the White House to address what's going on in Afghanistan

https://www.npr.org/2021/08/16/1028086877/biden-is-returning-to-the-white-house-to-give-an-address-on-afghanistan

[elevenism]

bobbie solo that capital gains tax in the original plan would have been pretty damn rough on me, if it stuck around until i.inherit my slice of my family's land, though.

[r_z]

What's there to adress? 20 years, countless deaths, nothing gained. It's a second Saigon over there right now. Such a shame.

[elevenism]

What's there to adress? 20 years, countless deaths, nothing gained. It's a second Saigon over there right now. Such a shame.Yeah and what's FUNNY is that the Trumpers are criticizing Biden for it. If TRUMP had done it, they'd be singing his praises.

They wanted "America First?" Joe gave them America First, and they bitched about it.

PERSONALLY, I think we should take our "middle east 'conflict' budget" and invest it in trying to help countries on our OWN continent, you know?

Throw THEM a little more aid. Make a go at seriously combating certain organizations in Mexico. Shit like that.

[allegate]

https://twitter.com/jbm32753/status/1427374675328372736

https://twitter.com/MollyMcKew/status/1427341764017393668

[Wretchedest]

Taliban didn't attack the capitol.

[allegro]

that capital gains tax in the original plan would have been pretty damn rough on me, if it stuck around until i.inherit my slice of my family's land, though.
It’s inheritance tax when you inherit it; it’s capital gains tax when you sell it.

The current inheritance tax exemption is $11.7 million for an individual.

The Biden capital gains plan affects those making more than $1 million per year in income.

[allegate]

I mean...
https://i.imgur.com/CwleLmD.jpeg

[allegro]

Regarding Afghanistan:

https://www.politico.com/news/2021/08/13/afghan-army-pentagon-504469

Add to this the Military Industrial Complex: American companies that profit from contracts during these conflicts, leading to extending the contracts indefinitely.

[Swykk]

I know this may not go over so well but I kind of agree with Biden here. What else were we supposed to do?

And yes, without a doubt, it’s stupid to blame Trump or Biden for this. It 100% belongs at the feet of W and Cheney (Rummy is dead otherwise he’d be on the hook as well).

[Demogorgon]

It's a crazy world any time we agree on anything, but you're right. We never should have been there. The situation was never going to change and all we ended up doing was exactly what many middle eastern countries were accusing us of: squatting.

[allegate]

https://i.imgur.com/B9OvY63.jpeg

https://i.imgur.com/MOGFabM.jpg

[bobbie solo]

The problem I am having is the lack of nuance & detailed discussion in alot of the coverage & punditry about the Afghan crisis. There are a massive amount of people, probably even a majority, that completely agree with the withdrawal (and probably wanted it years ago). I & I imagine many others are specifically angered right now by how these past few weeks have been handled. U.S. military should not have been withdrawn AT ALL until everyone else that needed to get out, both local citizens and foreigners, was safely gotten out of the country. Locals should have had alot more time to apply for such things. I'm not saying I want to be there for another year, but you keep our military in place so the Taliban couldn't continue to make such rapid inroads into more & more populous areas of the country.

[allegro]

There were only 2500 troops when Trump left. We increased troops in preparation for our departure.

The Americans who live there were given months warning, and even offered money to leave. They’re saying they couldn’t get to the airport, etc. but the airports were totally clear.

The SECOND the U.S. starts providing military planes or helicopters for exit, PANIC sets in, even when there’s lots of military.

It’s an automatic thing.

We have witnessed this. Most recently on a HUGE SCALE IN SAIGON.

Operation Frequent Wind (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operation_Frequent_Wind). We all watched this live on television.

Helicopters CRASHED with people and children in them. It took months to evacuate everyone.

It will take several weeks to evacuate everyone in Afghanistan. But that initial panic is what you see when the U.S. goes into an area under these disingenuous circumstances which will ALWAYS end with an exit like this. Always.

Afghan residents are also being evacuated and will continue being evacuated. The problem is our SHIT visa application system, which the GOP refuses to change, under any circumstances. Those Afghan interpreters applied for visas MONTHS ago. Congress approved these allies being allowed to come here. But this does not circumvent the visa process. It’s ridiculous. Even when they are seeking political asylum, they are screwed. And now the Taliban is saying they are free to leave, which complicates asylum applications.

Laura Ingraham is on Fox saying “We don’t want the unvetted Afghan people coming here.”

In case you think this practice is new:
https://www.history.com/news/wwii-jewish-refugee-ship-st-louis-1939

[elevenism]

It’s inheritance tax when you inherit it; it’s capital gains tax when you sell it.

The current inheritance tax exemption is $11.7 million for an individual.

The Biden capital gains plan affects those making more than $1 million per year in income.

Yeah, but, i hope to sell it. And the way i heard it spun, (and, granted, this was some right wing cat doing the spinning: i watch everything to try to get the full picture,) was that "if grandma bought a brownstone in 1967 for $40k, and it's now worth over a million and 41 thousand, then, should grandson inherit it, he'd have to eat a huge tax, when he sold it."

If i have to eat some kind of nasty tax, i'm putting mustard on it, at least.

[elevenism]

I know this may not go over so well but I kind of agree with Biden here. What else were we supposed to do?

And yes, without a doubt, it’s stupid to blame Trump or Biden for this. It 100% belongs at the feet of W and Cheney (Rummy is dead otherwise he’d be on the hook as well).

I agree, but, fuuuuuuck. This does NOT look good on Biden.

[M1ke]

Yeah, but, i hope to sell it. And the way i heard it spun, (and, granted, this was some right wing cat doing the spinning: i watch everything to try to get the full picture,) was that "if grandma bought a brownstone in 1967 for $40k, and it's now worth over a million and 41 thousand, then, should grandson inherit it, he'd have to eat a huge tax, when he sold it."

If i have to eat some kind of nasty tax, i'm putting mustard on it, at least.

I mean....you might, but that's how we contribute to the common good.

Look, I get it, you might have had a hard time in your life, and a big windfall coming your way sounds sweet, so why should the government get some of it? Well, because when one person wins the lottery by being born into a family that can give them a windfall, they have to share part of it, because there are more people than just you who need help. And we need roads, and health care, and teachers, and all that shit too.

For a period of time, you're a millionaire. You might not always be, but at least for a little while you are. And either you paid your share of taxes, and helped everyone else out, or you hid it offshore, re-invested it and rode a fucking cock-shaped rocket into space.

I get it too. Last year I finally crawled out of a debt hole that I had dug by not making enough money to live on without going into debt for years. I did it by working two jobs and making $81k over the year. When tax time came, I had to pay $3,000 in taxes on top of what had already been deducted from my paychecks every two weeks, for a total of $18k (I'm Canadian, we pay more in taxes than you do).

It stung, because I worked really fucking hard to make that money, and it felt like a new debt after having just crawled out of debt. But you know what else happened last year? Millions of people lost their jobs because of COVID and needed government assistance to not lose their houses, and to feed their families. So I paid what I owed, because I don't want those people to lose their houses or to go hungry, even though it cost me $18k.

I've been on EI before, I've been on the verge of bankruptcy, and not knowing how I'm going to pay my rent before. I'm not there anymore. Instead I just pay taxes now. That's about a million times better.

You've probably worked hard before, and had a rough life, but for the moments when you inherit that land, you're not in that place anymore. In that moment, you're a millionaire and you need to pay your taxes like it.

This pill is a lot easier to swallow than others. You'll be alright here.

[elevenism]

I hear you @eskimo (https://www.echoingthesound.org/community/member.php?u=218) , and I appreciate the respect with which you're addressing me, here.
Trust me: I've been one of the loudest voices when it comes to taxing the rich, so maybe I sound a bit hypocritical. But, when I think of my own inheritance, well...what with my health issues and my wife's health issues making income REALLY, REALLY hard to come by...I'm just...it would hurt to give up half of it, or 40% of it, or however it works out.
How long would half a million, or $250k, last two people who are mostly unable to work, you know?
It just doesn't seem like in a case like ours, where we're hoping for a million MAX, minus taxes, to last us twenty YEARS, if we live that long...that's not what I think of when I think of taxing the "wealthy," ESPECIALLY in a country that continuously makes people in our situation jump through metaphorical flaming hoops to receive ANY healthcare, or help for disability.
Ultimately, we're not looking at, or hoping for, giraffe money. We're looking at "live in an RV and eat TV dinners and afford healthcare" money. Like, SURVIVAL money.
I want to believe that we're going to be alright, though. I really do.
We probably won't sell the land, anyway: I'm not the only person involved in this inheritance.
Anyway, that's enough over sharing and drift. ;)

The bottom line, though, is I could see these capital gains tax increases hurting poor and disabled people who've been planning, for years, on eventually using a relatively small amount of generational wealth, to carve out a modest existence.

[allegro]

Yeah, but, i hope to sell it. And the way i heard it spun, (and, granted, this was some right wing cat doing the spinning: i watch everything to try to get the full picture,) was that "if grandma bought a brownstone in 1967 for $40k, and it's now worth over a million and 41 thousand, then, should grandson inherit it, he'd have to eat a huge tax, when he sold it."

If i have to eat some kind of nasty tax, i'm putting mustard on it, at least.

Capital gains tax is one of the cheapest tax rates available, and it’s been here forever.

That Fox News story is is total bullshit. If you receive a house via inheritance that's worth $150,000, then your "basis" is $150,000" (the value of the property at the time you either buy it or receive it) and then if you turn around and sell it for $150,000, there is no capital gains so you would pay ZERO capital gains tax. If you turn around and sell it 50 years later and then it's worth a few million, then you pay the capital gains tax on the stepped-up difference between your basis and your sale price.

Rich people have been trying to come up with tricky ways to pass down money and assets to their kids while avoiding Uncle Sam for centuries, and people have gone to prison for it. (Donald Trump and his siblings may be facing criminal charges.) So this isn’t some new boo hoo lament. It’s still free money.

[Space Suicide]

I know this may not go over so well but I kind of agree with Biden here. What else were we supposed to do?

And yes, without a doubt, it’s stupid to blame Trump or Biden for this. It 100% belongs at the feet of W and Cheney (Rummy is dead otherwise he’d be on the hook as well).

Not alone. I hate Joe Biden but I'll give him credit here for having the balls to actually do this withdrawal, something the prior two presidents never had the guts to do and instead actually escalated conflict continuously.

Hate to say it but this Afghan Invasion (I'm not calling it a war) was always the case of just cutting the cord. We should have years (probably a decade) ago. This was never going to end well, this was a broken conflict that was destined to fail with a horrible ending from day one. No instillation of governments by the US military intervention have EVER helped a nation we invaded. I compare this to a modern day Vietnam where it was fruitless, ugly for people involved fighting it and was never going to have a clean outcome for either entity involved.

In my own personal philosophy, the Taliban and Al Qaeda or any other extremist Islam terrorist cell is basically an idea and not actually people. You can kill people, bases and vehicles but you cannot kill ideas. The anti-American ideology and hatred for all things western was only intensified by extended occupation of US military forces in their country. This was an enemy that was never going to be defeated and never will. Why else do people think Nazism is still around in 2021? The Nazism ideology didn't die when The Third Reich was ended in 1945, it was an idea that remained. Ideas never die. There's always someone to pick up where the prior person left off. There will always be terrorism in the Middle East in Iraq, Syria and Afghanistan.

As for anyone else who said we could have left the area better, sure but using that as a reason we're back to the "How long are we gonna stay there for?" question again. 20 years is long enough.

[allegro]

20 years is long enough.

20 years was way too long.

We should not have been there in the first place. Or Iraq. Or Libya. Or Vietnam. Or Yemen. Etc. etc.

The Afghanistan goalpost kept moving.

First, it was because the Taliban was harboring Osama bin Ladin (since 1996). We killed bin Laden (in PAKISTAN) in 2011, but by then our goalpost had moved to “they harbor Taliban terrorists.”

NOW it’s “the Taliban abuse women.” Which they have done since they were founded in 1994. We didn’t go in there with a plan to rid the country of Taliban and to Westernize the country.

But that’s always how it ends up; that’s really why the goalpost optics move.

Because we are altruistic? NAHHHHHH. Because there are LUCRATIVE CONTRACTS involved in this shit!

We’ve been there 20 years due to lucrative contracts. Period.

Biden’s own SON served in Afghanistan. It was up to Biden to end this shit, RIP THE BANDAID OFF, no matter how bad it looked.

It was always gonna look bad. It always does when we shouldn’t have been there, with no genuine goals, just profiting off of people’s suffering.

[BRoswell]

We’ve been there 20 years due to lucrative contracts. Period.

Yep! Gotta keep the war machine fed with blood and pain. It's the American way!

[allegro]

There are currently 5200 American troops on the ground in Kabul, and President Biden has made it clear that he wants NO empty seats on every evacuation flight; evidently, that hasn't always been the case.

They are evidently keeping gates into the area closed and opening them only as they fill the capacity available for the planes that are to take off, to avoid the chaos that happened when people rushed in to overtake the planes.

But now people are crowded for miles waiting to get in, for many hours. The are only flying out about 9,000 per day; they really need to step this up, we likely need help from other countries, because there are as many as 65,000 Afghan citizens to evacuate (after a 20-year conflict, not surprising).

What amazes me is that many American and Afghan troops weren't even BORN when September 11 happened.

The current deadline is 8/31, but Biden says they will continue until everyone gets out, even if the 8/31 deadline has to be extended.


The US military hopes to move 5,000 to 9,000 people a day, but they have not been able to meet that goal since the evacuation process started. Gen. Hank Taylor, the deputy director of the Joint Staff for Regional Operations, told reporters at the Pentagon Thursday that in the past 24 hours, 12 C-17 transport aircraft took off with more than 2,000 passengers. He described that as an increase in capacity, saying it "is reflective of both a ramp-up of aircraft and airlift capability, faster processing of evacuees and greater information and fidelity in reporting."

US military troops on the ground in Kabul have opened additional gates at the Hamid Karzai International Airport hoping to increase the number of people who are able to enter and board evacuation flights, Pentagon spokesman John Kirby said at the same briefing.

"We've got additional consular officers at these additional gates with additional troops helping the consular officers, so I think we're poised to see an increase, but I want to be careful before I make predictions," Kirby said. "What we're trying to do, what we want to drive, is an increase. That's very much on everybody's mind."

To facilitate evacuations, the US military is in "communication with the local Taliban commander about making sure that those at-risk Afghans, Special Immigrant Visa applicants and additional Afghan citizens that we want to move through are able to move through," Kirby said.

But Afghans in Kabul are battling massive crowds and violence to make it to the airport gates, only to wait for hours to enter once they've made it there.

The State Department sent a notice to thousands of locally employed staff at the Kabul embassy on Wednesday, telling them that they can come to the airport for evacuation flights, according to the message reviewed by CNN.

The Afghans who made it into the airport were bloody, mentally distraught, having lost most of their belongings along the way, according to multiple sources familiar with the matter.

Some decided they didn't want to pursue the perilous journey even though they desperately want to get out of the country, multiple sources told CNN. Others who did take the dangerous risk had to turn back after facing an untenable situation.

"I decided I would rather the Taliban shoot me in the head to being stuck in that situation," said one Afghan who worked at the embassy for years in describing his journey to CNN.

He went to the airport with his family, including small children, at 4 a.m., only to get caught in a horde of thousands of people on the outskirts of the airfield which left him fearing for his life. He watched as his 2-year-old son grew dehydrated and men tried to inappropriately touch his wife. The gates remained closed for too long.

The Pentagon acknowledged they have seen "reports of the Taliban harassing, and physically so, some Afghans that were trying to move to the airport," Kirby said during the briefing. Conversations between the US military and the Taliban to ensure safe passage for those Afghans "continue," Kirby said.

While Afghans report instances of violence outside the perimeter of the airport, the Pentagon said there had been "no hostile interactions" between the Taliban and US forces or American citizens on Thursday.

The Pentagon said it was focused on securing the Kabul airport when asked why US troops are not being used to retrieve Americans who are unable to get there.

The US Embassy in Kabul on Wednesday advised that it "cannot ensure safe passage" to the airport, despite the Pentagon underscoring alleged Taliban assurances that it will ensure safe transit.


Since the end of July, the US military has flown out 12,000 people with 7,000 of that total were flown out in the last five days alone, Gen. Hank Taylor, Deputy Director of the Joint Staff for Regional Operations said Thursday.

That 12,000 number includes "American citizens, US embassy personnel, individuals designated by the State Department as [Special Immigrant Visa] applicants and other evacuees in coordination with the State Department," Taylor said.

When asked how many Americans remain in Afghanistan currently, Kirby did not provide a number.

Biden told ABC the US estimates between 50,000-65,000 Afghan partners and their families are trying to get out of the country. In order to get them out before the August 31 deadline, the President said, evacuations will have to ramp up.

https://www.cnn.com/2021/08/19/politics/pentagon-kabul-airport-evacuation/index.html

[elevenism]

What SUCKS is that this isn't gonna look good on Biden, in the short term or the long term.
Those people running and hanging onto that plane: that's American History. They'll be showing that footage for 50 years.
Also, I'm a LITTLE bummed out that Joe won't admit that he made a mistake by pulling the troops out before everyone was evacuated.
I mean, I saw the interview with...I can't remember his name, but Biden was being asked if he'd made ANY sort of mistake or if he'd have done ANYTHING differently.
And he said "no." THAT shit, that inability to own a miscalculation- that reminded me of his predecessor.

I mean, if he didn't fuck up, why'd he have to send troops BACK?

[allegro]

What SUCKS is that this isn't gonna look good on Biden, in the short term or the long term.
Those people running and hanging onto that plane: that's American History. They'll be showing that footage for 50 years.
Also, I'm a LITTLE bummed out that Joe won't admit that he made a mistake by pulling the troops out before everyone was evacuated.
I mean, I saw the interview with...I can't remember his name, but Biden was being asked if he'd made ANY sort of mistake or if he'd have done ANYTHING differently.
And he said "no." THAT shit, that inability to own a miscalculation- that reminded me of his predecessor.

I mean, if he didn't fuck up, why'd he have to send troops BACK?

He didn’t pull troops out. He didn’t send troops back.

There are currently 5,200 American troops in Kabul, growing to 6,000.

When Trump left, there were 2,500 troops in Kabul. Biden increased that to 3,000. Then he said he’d follow through with Trump’s peace agreement (w the Taliban and the Afghan government), but extended it from 5/31 to 9/11. Then he changed the date to August.

When the Taliban approached Kabul, Biden ordered that 3,000 more troops be deployed to Kabul.

People hanging on to a MOVING CARGO PLANE may be desperate, but they were also SELFISH AND STUPID. They knew damned well that the plane was fully loaded with people, and that people were SHOOTING at the plane and charging at it, but they wanted to STOP the plane so they could get on.

Or, maybe just stop the plane.

Because the plane hadn’t even finished unloading its cargo when hundreds of Afghan civilians breached the fence and surrounded the plane, then began boarding it. This was not supposed to happen. The pilots knew they just had to get out of there.

There’s a peace agreement, which is insures that Americans will get out safely. We had fully counted on our Afghan partners to provide security. Most of them left; only a fraction of them remain.

What people want Biden to do is say fuck the peace agreement and start using combat to protect people trying to get to the airport.

Because right now things are really fucked-up outside the airport (where our troops aren’t); the Taliban is supposedly beating people, including children. Crowds are so unruly, people are getting bloodied.

This panic sets in ANY time we approach our “end” date; there’s no “good” way to do this when the opposition are TERRORISTS. And if we use combat as security to get people to planes, we are effectively back at war.

Our opposition is a group of TERRORISTS who were or are NEVER going to roll out the red carpet or look the other way while Afghan citizens whom the Taliban considers traitors AND infidels attempt to leave and escape “punishment.” They were always going to seek retribution; they’re extremists. They’re terrorists. This was always going to happen, and unless we were willing to use bombs and armed drones and lots of guns and kill lots of people and blast our way out of there, which would be EVEN MESSIER, nothing was gonna be smoooth.

People are bitching about the optics of a few people hanging onto a MOVING PLANE to try to STOP THE PLANE, instead of the hero pilots who managed to get that huge C-17 off the ground under those circumstances and rescued 670 people.

https://www.cnn.com/videos/world/2021/08/18/afghanistan-audio-c17-plane-load-count-copp-cpt-sot-vpx.cnn

https://www.defenseone.com/media/ckeditor-uploads/2021/08/16/IMG_0084.jpg

[allegro]

IMO, the only missteps that Biden and his people have made:

In Biden’s TV statement, he effectively called the Afghan army and people cowards. This was wrong. The Afghan army “ran away” to go home to protect their wives and children from the TALIBAN, instead of staying to protect a “government” none of them ever gave a shit about.

Afghan people are tribal people who care about their families, their religion, their daily lives, their town, etc. The LAST thing they care about is government. Also, there were communication issues that caused problems, primarily by the American and Afghan military staff. This wasn’t entirely their fault, as they were handed a shit deal from Trump.

More about that shit deal here:
https://thehill.com/opinion/national-security/568154-trumps-deal-with-the-taliban-set-the-stage-for-the-afghan-collapse

Props to the Afghan citizens actively protesting the Taliban right now in Kabul, including some VERY brave women.

[elevenism]

@allegro (https://www.echoingthesound.org/community/member.php?u=76) , ah. I thought we'd withdrawn some, and sent some back. The right wing media sure wants to spin it that way. Also, i've been REALLY fucking sick, and perhaps, misunderstood some details.
That being said, i'll be damned if EVERYONE who needs to be evacuated will be evacuated in the next 3 weeks or whatever...not when they can't even get to the airport.

I agree that it's an unwinnable war. And i don't think we're supposed to be the world police.

BUT, still, those optics are going down in the history books. The truth of the matter is unimportant to the general public, watching footage like that. And there's an undeniable bipartisan backlash going on, here.

The Biden "honeymoon phase" is officially over.

[poinoup]

The images and video of the crowds passing young children overhead in hopes to save them are heartbreaking. That footage churns my stomach.

[r_z]

https://twitter.com/scotfoodjames/status/1428747865933889543

Here's somewhat of a contrary opinion calling it a betrayal.

[elevenism]

Because of the strategic importance of Afghanistan, (remember, it borders Iran and Russia,) i can't shake the feeling that there's something more going on here. I think this may be a calculated move to prompt a response, that might lead to a desired outcome down the line.

Don't ask me WHAT outcome. It's just a hunch.

On the OTHER hand, it might be that it is what it is, and we'll start drone striking the shit out of Taliban assets this fall.

[allegro]

@allegro (https://www.echoingthesound.org/community/member.php?u=76) , ah. I thought we'd withdrawn some, and sent some back. The right wing media sure wants to spin it that way. Also, i've been REALLY fucking sick, and perhaps, misunderstood some details.
That being said, i'll be damned if EVERYONE who needs to be evacuated will be evacuated in the next 3 weeks or whatever...not when they can't even get to the airport.

I agree that it's an unwinnable war. And i don't think we're supposed to be the world police.

BUT, still, those optics are going down in the history books. The truth of the matter is unimportant to the general public, watching footage like that. And there's an undeniable bipartisan backlash going on, here.

The Biden "honeymoon phase" is officially over.

The agreement that Trump negotiated required us to close down all the U.S. military bases, etc.

Here is the Trump agreement, dated 2/29/2020, which Biden is treating as if it’s still in full force and effect (even though the Taliban has violated it multiple times):

https://www.state.gov/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/Agreement-For-Bringing-Peace-to-Afghanistan-02.29.20.pdf


The United States, its allies, and the Coalition will take the following measures in the first one hundred thirty-five (135) days:
1) They will reduce the number of U.S. forces in Afghanistan to eight thousand six hundred (8,600) and proportionally bring reduction in the number of its allies and Coalition forces.
2) The United States, its allies, and the Coalition will withdraw all their forces from five (5) military bases.

See this Twitter thread:
https://twitter.com/kurteichenwald/status/1428849518901071880?s=21

https://twitter.com/kurteichenwald/status/1428854090516373505?s=21

This has mostly been a giant clusterfuck because Trump deliberately and vindictively left Biden a clusterfuck.

Yes, Biden should have torn up the Trump “peace agreement” and opted to pull people out taking a YEAR, not months per the Trump timeline. Biden is obsessed with keeping his “progressive promises.” This time, he should have said fuck it.

[Jinsai]

I turn on my phone this morning and the top suggested news story was “Biden approval ratings fall amid Covid surge.” Sooooo... if I have ever seen a clearer example of Republicans steering their base to destroy themselves to pin the blame on a political opponent, I don’t know what it is.

What exactly was Biden supposed to do?

[sweeterthan]

I turn on my phone this morning and the top suggested news story was “Biden approval ratings fall amid Covid surge.” Sooooo... if I have ever seen a clearer example of Republicans steering their base to destroy themselves to pin the blame on a political opponent, I don’t know what it is.

What exactly was Biden supposed to do?

im definitely a leftist and i don’t think he’s doing enough. biden should push for covid lock downs in certain areas. i don’t think he has the guts to do it. he’s too much of a centrist so he will ride the “get vaccinated!” wave as proof he’s doing something. it just seems like it’s still spreading at alarming rates and the people in charge don’t have much urgency. i’m a little jaded since my kid got covid and my nin shows got cancelled.

[Jinsai]

I’m not even sure what the most far-left president could say or do to realistically spur on a proper response without making the whole thing an even bigger partisan issue, when really this never should have been a politicized issue.

The fucked up thing though is that’s where we are now, and DeSantis and Trump actually have more power to do anything about it than Biden. If Biden pushed harder, these anti vaccine people will just get crazier and push back harder.

[allegro]

The President doesn’t have the authority to order lockdowns in states. The Constitution clearly prevents it. States have their own Constitutions and governments. He can provide incentives, but he can’t legally lock down the country. He can lock down Federal airports, Federal roads, anything Federal.

States? He has zero authority.

It’s up to each Governor of each state, and the individuals in each state.

Our Covid rates in Illinois are pretty low. But climbing.

Technically, there was no reason for Reznor to cancel out of RF other than his protecting himself.

But, when you see these reports on Twitter of people who’ve been vaccinated getting Covid from outdoor events where vaccinations were required, there’s not a lot more we can do other than for us to refrain from attending these events. He has to protect his kids. Nobody else can do it except him.

We can’t rely on “government” to do it.

It’s up to us.

I liken this to the story of Noah’s Ark. But my house is the boat, and the world out there is sinking.

I’m getting on my goddamned boat, fuck it.

https://twitter.com/nathanstall/status/1429239398667784192?s=21

https://twitter.com/vippusao/status/1429489403861381120?s=21

[sweeterthan]

that’s why i mean when i say “push” for lock downs in “certain areas.” use his influence. ya know… lead in a time of crisis. it doesn’t seem like anyone (including biden) knows how to do it. we don’t need someone who’s playing it safe politically. we are being failed at the local, state and federal levels on this thing.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[allegro]

He’s used every method of “pushing” possible.

It’s only caused these governments to push BACK, claiming Federal abuse of power.

Republicans say he should thank Trump for Operation Warp Speed.

Biden did that last November.

Republicans say that Biden should try to “appeal” to people’s fears.

Biden did that, and Republicans bitch that Biden is not a doctor, and the decision to get a vaccine is between a doctor and patient.

Biden rolled out a campaign showing himself and the VP and others getting vaccinated; Republicans called it propaganda.

It’s not only Republicans who are causing problems, here. There’s a large group of Democrats who won’t get vaccinated, and who won’t wear masks, and who are loudly complaining on social media about not fully opening, etc., and how this is overly restrictive, classist, racist, all kinds of terminology. People seemingly don’t grok that nearly 650,000 Americans are dead, and that this Delta variant is a different mutation than the first round.

If people are FUCKING STUPID, there is no amount of GOVERNMENT that can fix that. Ever.

TRUMP told people to get the vaccine, said it was safe, and his own sycophants BOO’D HIM.

Now I’m trying to get my Mom a 3rd shot. We are masking, indoors always and outdoors around people. I’m canceling plans. I didn’t come this far to end up on a ventilator.

Humans are a bunch of cockroaches.

[sweeterthan]

It’s not only Republicans who are causing problems, here. There’s a large group of Democrats who won’t get vaccinated, and who won’t wear masks, and who are loudly complaining on social media about not fully opening, etc., and how this is overly restrictive, classist, racist, all kinds of terminology. People seemingly don’t grok that nearly 650,000 Americans are dead, and that this Delta variant is a different mutation than the first round.


this is my point exactly. no one on either side republican or democrat is stepping up and making the hard decisions that no one likes. we have a whole department of viral experts telling us what to do but there’s a bunch of people who think those things are optional. there’s no unity anywhere. it fucking sucks.

[allegro]

this is my point exactly. no one on either side republican or democrat is stepping up and making the hard decisions that no one likes. we have a whole department of viral experts telling us what to do but there’s a bunch of people who think those things are optional. there’s no unity anywhere. it fucking sucks.

Yup. And it’s because of selfishness.

Edit:

Fwiw, this is not new behavior.

I highly recommend DeFoe’s “A Journal of the Plague Year. (https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/A_Journal_of_the_Plague_Year)”

[allegro]

Biden encourages vaccine, which will surely be seen as Nazi propaganda by the morons.

https://twitter.com/potus/status/1429810939256320000?s=21

[ickyvicky]

An explosion happened near Kabul airport. Oh boy..... :-(

[sweeterthan]

there’s a whole bunch of conservatives tweeting about service dogs left in afghanistan. there’s something not quite right about it and i can’t put my finger on what it is. They’re saying Biden left the dogs behind and he’s heartless.

if you search “service dogs” on twitter, a bunch of conservatives come up.

https://twitter.com/jackposobiec/status/1432691010417709059?s=21


edit: here we go. it’s misinformation. of fucking course. https://www.facebook.com/256417954468313/posts/3974899595953445/?d=n

[cdm]

edit: here we go. it’s misinformation. of fucking course. https://www.facebook.com/256417954468313/posts/3974899595953445/?d=n (https://www.facebook.com/256417954468313/posts/3974899595953445/?d=n)

I can't see the Facebook link...what does it say?

I did see the American Humane Society put out a statement about it but it only cites 'reports'. I had the same thoughts as you about how it seemed weird and astroturfed and scammy but I also didn't pay much attention to it.

[allegate]

I have such huge doubts about his claims. The reports I keep seeing say "contract" dogs in which case they aren't actually military working dogs. But why would you 'contract' something like this? it's really weird.

and then there's this:
Retirement[edit (https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Dogs_in_warfare&action=edit&section=15)]

Traditionally, as in World War II (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/World_War_II), US MWDs were returned home after the war, to their former owners or new adopted ones. The Vietnam War (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vietnam_War) was different in that US war dogs were designated as expendable equipment and were either euthanized or turned over to an allied army prior to the US departure from South Vietnam (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/South_Vietnam).[57] (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dogs_in_warfare#cite_note-57) Due to lobbying efforts by veteran dog handlers from the Vietnam War, Congress (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_Congress) approved a bill allowing veteran US MWDs to be adopted after their military service. In 2000, President Bill Clinton (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bill_Clinton) signed a law that allowed these dogs to be adopted,[58] (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dogs_in_warfare#cite_note-58) making the Vietnam War the only American war in which US war dogs never came home.[28] (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dogs_in_warfare#cite_note-Burnam_2008_p._XIV-28)[59] (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dogs_in_warfare#cite_note-59)I know it's wikipedia but the crux is that the soldiers get really attached to their dogs and leaving them behind isn't really something they would do without causing a bigger stink.

finally it would appear he's just appealing to the base dog lover because he's not really backing anything up.

edit: having read just the very first reply that Facebook deigned to show me I can say that there are zero reading comprehension skills at work here.
Emma GrayBoone Cutler have you seen this?? Because this goes directly against what you posted... If there are in fact 65 dogs left behind, we should be working together to get them home.
Jessica JamesEmma Gray I read there were more. Closer to 100. 35 in one place and 65 in another.I feel dumber now having read some of those comments.

Though the one talking about how the military spends a lot of money training them and wouldn't leave them behind is 100% true. When I was in half of my command were the people who take care of the dogs so I'm very familiar with that and how close the handlers get to them. You wouldn't see a single one of them just say "ok boy, stay here" and just get on a plane. no, they'd rather stay behind.

[cdm]

Another issue, as I read it, is people are conflating (some purposely, some not) this Small Animal Rescue organization with service dogs. These are stray animals service members befriended and wanted to adopt...wholly different than working military dogs.

[sweeterthan]

I can't see the Facebook link...what does it say?

I did see the American Humane Society put out a statement about it but it only cites 'reports'. I had the same thoughts as you about how it seemed weird and astroturfed and scammy but I also didn't pay much attention to it.

ah sorry. here’s a screen shot.

i was actually thinking i should remove the link because it could be misinformation as well. the way the photo is being shared is bizarre. someone really wants biden to be a dog abandon-er (or something).
https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20210831/4e62711b8b984b5bc7facdfc73f1daaa.jpg


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[allegate]

https://twitter.com/MeidasTouch/status/1432826754930905088

https://clickhole.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/dnmtn4ksijwyep0xmljk.jpg

[bobbie solo]

Good on Biden for not waivering. His approval will go up soon as the public is by in large fully behind getting out of there, and he will be remembered well for finally ending this. Let's hope the M-I complex gives us a break for a few years at least. And maybe Joe will pull our people out of Syria and Iraq too....dare to dream.

[allegate]

Biden-adjacent?
A Florida woman pleaded guilty to threatening to kill Vice President Harris. She faces five years in prison. (https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/crime/a-florida-woman-pleaded-guilty-to-threatening-to-kill-vice-president-harris-she-faces-five-years-in-prison/ar-AAOqjeh?ocid=uxbndlbing)
Phelps pleaded guilty on Friday to six counts of making threats against the vice president — each representing one of the 30-second videos in which she said she would assassinate Harris. The mother of three now faces five years in prison.I feel like this isn't enough?
Among Phelps’s reasons for making the threats, she later told investigators, was that Harris — born to a Jamaican father and an Indian mother — was not actually Black.Oh well that's fine then, perfectly fine reason to want this.

[elevenism]

Biden might not run in 2024.


https://news.yahoo.com/biden-says-trump-running-2024-013623097.html

Idk what to think. Biden has historically low approval numbers.

But who's gonna take his place? PROBABLY Harris, or Klobuchar, or Buttigeig, but I don't think ANY of those could beat trump.

WE NEED A NEW OBAMA, to come out of nowhere: a young wunderkind; a youthful phenom with a new message.

Because I'm sorry, y'all. Biden ain't beating Trump in 24.

[sweeterthan]

which is fucking stupid because trump ruined existence as we know it while biden has to be everything to everyone for people to give him a teeny bit of credit for his attempts to clean up what trump has fucked. i really hate politics.

[allegro]

Biden has historically low approval numbers.

First, your link headline says this: "Biden says Trump running in 2024 would "increase the prospect" of him seeking re-election"

Second: Biden hasn't even been in office for a YEAR.

And, he hasn't had historically low approval numbers. A few times, his approval numbers were REALLY HIGH (https://graphics.reuters.com/USA-BIDEN/POLL/nmopagnqapa/). 59% in March.

Look at that headline ^^ in the link: "48% of Americans Disapprove of the President." -- THEN LOOK AT THE GRAPH for December 10. See what it ALSO says? 48% of Americans APPROVE OF THE PRESIDENT.

So, of course, which headline do they choose? The one YOU instantly bought.

The highest approval rating Trump ever got was 49% (https://news.gallup.com/poll/203198/presidential-approval-ratings-donald-trump.aspx). Biden had 51% in OCTOBER.

There have been a TON of positive things from the Biden administration and Congress this year.

Stock prices (https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2021-11-03/s-p-500-notches-best-one-year-run-after-a-presidential-election).

The housing market: Hotter than the last 10 years.

Unemployment claims: At their lowest in decades (https://www.cnbc.com/2021/12/09/why-unemployment-claims-are-at-their-lowest-in-decades.html).

499 Million Americans have received Covid vaccines; 203 Million Americans are fully vaccinated against Covid; 61.7% of Americans are fully vaccinated against Covid.

People are bitching about the price of food, but it's been like that all during Covid! For nearly two years! This shit ain't new!

Yes, gas prices are up. But, that isn't due to President Biden! Gas prices are NEVER due to ANY President, low OR high.

High prices are being attributed to "inflation." I still say it's due to GOUGING. Supply and demand, and sellers are demanding prices that the market will pay.

There SHOULD be price controls on gas and groceries. And medicine. PERIOD.


Joe Manchin screwed up the ability to pass BBB before the end of 2021.

80,000 union coal miners didn't like that (https://www.cbsnews.com/news/manchin-united-mine-workers-build-back-better/) (the Fed Black Lung fund is set to expire next year, and BBB includes a provision to extend it for four more years, plus the coal miners want job training for new careers).


Also, question, perhaps better suited for an admin or sweeterthan etc.

Why is all of this in "RANDOM GENERAL HEADLINES?"

[elevenism]

First, your link headline says this: "Biden says Trump running in 2024 would "increase the prospect" of him seeking re-election"

Second: Biden hasn't even been in office for a YEAR.

And, he hasn't had historically low approval numbers. A few times, his approval numbers were REALLY HIGH (https://graphics.reuters.com/USA-BIDEN/POLL/nmopagnqapa/). 59% in March.

Look at that headline ^^ in the link: "48% of Americans Disapprove of the President." -- THEN LOOK AT THE GRAPH for December 10. See what it ALSO says? 48% of Americans APPROVE OF THE PRESIDENT.

So, of course, which headline do they choose? The one YOU instantly bought.

The highest approval rating Trump ever got was 49% (https://news.gallup.com/poll/203198/presidential-approval-ratings-donald-trump.aspx). Biden had 51% in OCTOBER.

There have been a TON of positive things from the Biden administration and Congress this year.

Stock prices (https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2021-11-03/s-p-500-notches-best-one-year-run-after-a-presidential-election).

The housing market: Hotter than the last 10 years.

Unemployment claims: At their lowest in decades (https://www.cnbc.com/2021/12/09/why-unemployment-claims-are-at-their-lowest-in-decades.html).

499 Million Americans have received Covid vaccines; 203 Million Americans are fully vaccinated against Covid; 61.7% of Americans are fully vaccinated against Covid.

People are bitching about the price of food, but it's been like that all during Covid! For nearly two years! This shit ain't new!

Yes, gas prices are up. But, that isn't due to President Biden! Gas prices are NEVER due to ANY President, low OR high.

High prices are being attributed to "inflation." I still say it's due to GOUGING. Supply and demand, and sellers are demanding prices that the market will pay.

There SHOULD be price controls on gas and groceries. And medicine. PERIOD.


Joe Manchin screwed up the ability to pass BBB before the end of 2021.

80,000 union coal miners didn't like that (https://www.cbsnews.com/news/manchin-united-mine-workers-build-back-better/) (the Fed Black Lung fund is set to expire next year, and BBB includes a provision to extend it for four more years, plus the coal miners want job training for new careers).


Also, question, perhaps better suited for an admin or @sweeterthan (https://www.echoingthesound.org/community/member.php?u=50) etc.

Why is all of this in "RANDOM GENERAL HEADLINES?"

Good points, all. And I'm damn sure not BLAMING Biden for ANY of the negatives. It's just that, something good happens, the president is blamed. Something bad happens, the president is blamed.

And THIS president inherited one of the worst jumblefucks in American history.

As far as why it was in Random General Headlines originally, though?
Well, it was the first headline bit of news I watched that morning.
I also thought a president suggesting ANY possibility of not running for a second term was newsworthy.
It's not very common.

Is my editorializing the issue?

[elevenism]

So hey, ok. NBC ran some shit where someone said 'let's go brandon" during the NORAD Santa Claus tracking thing...I THINK that's what it was.
ANYWAY, it said "Biden didn't appear to get the reference."

BULLSHIT.

Trump is raising funds with "Let's Go, Brandon" merch.

And I can ALMOST guarantee that Biden was made aware of the phrase as SOON as it took off. It was likely part of his daily briefing, for fuck's sake, considering it's being used by far right groups.
I just couldn't believe the implication, that Biden is too...whatever...to understand the reference.
What it IS, is that he has POISE. He said "Let's go Brandon, I agree," sporting that impish smile, without missing a beat.

It surprises me that this came from NBC. I'd expect it from fox news.

Edit: i REALLY want you guys to see this shit- TELL me Biden didn't get the reference. Like, what the fuck. It legitimately angered me.

What he DID, was act with INTEGRITY.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0Y-3Fz5w8zs

[chuckrh]

Biden might not run in 2024.


https://news.yahoo.com/biden-says-trump-running-2024-013623097.html

Idk what to think. Biden has historically low approval numbers.

But who's gonna take his place? PROBABLY Harris, or Klobuchar, or Buttigeig, but I don't think ANY of those could beat trump.

WE NEED A NEW OBAMA, to come out of nowhere: a young wunderkind; a youthful phenom with a new message.

Because I'm sorry, y'all. Biden ain't beating Trump in 24.

Biden was a bad choice all along. He represented the status quo & always has. Don't like the credit card rules? Biden was instrumental in getting that crap passed. He's owned by the big banks & Wall St. I think Bernie Saunders was our last best, hope. I don't agree with everything he says but a lot more than anyone else who was running. He's going to be too old next cycle & he's disheartened. I don't see anyone out there. I hate to wish ill on anyone but maybe we'll get lucky & health will preclude another Trump term. His junk food obsession could catch up with him at any time at his age. At this point, democracy as executed in our capitalist society is a failed experiment. Greed has conquered all. I feel bad about what younger folks are going to be dealing with. I'm pretty sure I'm not going to be around to see much more of it though.

PS: Harris has been a huge disappointment, too. I think she may be laying low in hopes of not alienating potential voters. Not a good sign.

[Jinsai]

it really depends on whether or not Trump runs. This is a counter campaign. If Trump tries to run in 2024, Biden will run against him. And he'll win.

Biden is the milquetoast response to Trump's extremist nonsense insanity. Trump never should have become president. Now, nobody sane wants that again. The GOP knows this, and knows it's a liability. The GOP honestly doesn't want this either. If the GOP presents a good candidate, maybe Biden will back down.

Trump and Ben Shapiro can sell all the "let's go Brandon" merch they want. The only losers here are the assholes who wear that and advertise what losers they are.

[elevenism]

it really depends on whether or not Trump runs. This is a counter campaign. If Trump tries to run in 2024, Biden will run against him. And he'll win.

Biden is the milquetoast response to Trump's extremist nonsense insanity. Trump never should have become president. Now, nobody sane wants that again. The GOP knows this, and knows it's a liability. The GOP honestly doesn't want this either. If the GOP presents a good candidate, maybe Biden will back down.

Trump and Ben Shapiro can sell all the "let's go Brandon" merch they want. The only losers here are the assholes who wear that and advertise what losers they are.

See man, i'm afraid Trump WILL win, and a big ass part of it is the GOP's SUCCESFUL attempts at voter suppression.

The gerrymandering in the new Texas district map, for instance, is just...BLATANT. EVERY Dallas/Houston/San Antonio...EVERYWHERE "cool," is now tied to the three nearest redneck right wing strongholds. At least the DOJ sued over that, but i'm not sure what will come of the suit.

And weren't there like, 300 new voter suppression laws enacted, nationwide?

As far as the GOP not wanting trump to run, well, i agree. They know better. But their CONSTITUENTS want it, and they're (the lawmakers et al) are still terrified of losing favor with Captain Asshole the Right Wing Messiah who is just as Bigly as Jesus.

I hope to god you're right, @Jinsai (https://www.echoingthesound.org/community/member.php?u=272) , about Biden beating Trump. From that link i posted, i KIND of get the impression that he "might not run"...UNLESS Trump runs, because he wants to beat that ass again, one more time, for good measure.

But i'm honestly REALLY scared that we've got until the midterms, and then we wind up with a lame duck president and 4 more years of trump insanity.

[allegate]

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/FHiBHvoXsAULLFC?format=jpg&name=medium


https://twitter.com/OuterBoroRoyal/status/1474836790271954949

This mother fucker right here. And Biden just grinned and said "Merry Christmas" because he's not a bully.

Mostly I just really wanted to post that flag that I found in that thread. It's great.

[allegro]

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/FHiBHvoXsAULLFC?format=jpg&name=medium


https://twitter.com/OuterBoroRoyal/status/1474836790271954949

This mother fucker right here. And Biden just grinned and said "Merry Christmas" because he's not a bully.

Mostly I just really wanted to post that flag that I found in that thread. It's great.



https://twitter.com/davidedwards/status/1475512987268132874?s=21

[Swykk]

More like Schmuck, amirite?

[elevenism]

This mother fucker right here. And Biden just grinned and said "Merry Christmas" because he's not a bully.

Mostly I just really wanted to post that flag that I found in that thread. It's great.

Did you guys see the NBC video I posted above that said "Biden didn't recognize the right wing phrase" or something like that?

Also, regarding the Don't Tread On Me flag?
I LIKE that fucking flag. I've liked it since I was a little kid. I like the metallica song, even.
These awful bastards aren't taking it from me.

Don't tread on US, motherfuckers. We need to reclaim that one.

[allegro]

Ooooooo hooo hoooo hooo omg

THREAD!!!!

https://twitter.com/lindyli/status/1475271307025653760?s=21

[Swykk]

Nothing is shocking anymore. That guy is such a dumbass I’d almost feel bad for him if he wasn’t also such a dickbag.

[allegate]

Ooooooo hooo hoooo hooo omg

THREAD!!!!


I was following some of this yesterday during my boring training and wow.

The best response was the one talking about how the honey pot ended up being full of vinegar hence the divorce.

[GulDukat]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2nLlKZQ8DB4
haha

[allegro]

We were ALL President Biden at some point.

I’ve yelled at my TV for Peter Doocy to shut the fuck up too many times to count.

[GulDukat]

We were ALL President Biden at some point.

I’ve yelled at my TV for Peter Doocy to shut the fuck up too many times to count.

I can tolerate FOX NEWS for 30 seconds, if that. No one would call Steve Doocy an intellectual or thoughtful, but at least he isn't obnoxious--just kind of a dumbass. Peter Doocy on the other hand. I wonder how he got that gig? nepotism.

[allegro]

I can tolerate FOX NEWS for 30 seconds, if that. No one would call Steve Doocy an intellectual or thoughtful, but at least he isn't obnoxious--just kind of a dumbass. Peter Doocy on the other hand. I wonder how he got that gig? nepotism.

This is all over Twitter today, and I’ve watched it on repeat:

https://twitter.com/theanuhart/status/1485739987748405248?s=21

[Wolfkiller]

Ooooooo hooo hoooo hooo omg

THREAD!!!!

https://twitter.com/lindyli/status/1475271307025653760?s=21

Is this tweet trying to imply current day Russia is communist?

[allegate]

https://twitter.com/TheRickWilson/status/1486018082296549390?s=20

[allegro]

Is this tweet trying to imply current day Russia is communist?

The implication is that Madison Cawthorn apparently thinks it is so he’s really the “Commie.”

Putin laments the loss of Soviet Russia, so he’s a wanna-be.

https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/putin-rues-soviet-collapse-demise-historical-russia-2021-12-12/

[Wolfkiller]

By the late Soviet period, though, K.G.B. officers like Putin were nearly as dismissive of Communist ideology as the dissidents were. “The Chekists in his time laughed at official Soviet ideology,” Gleb Pavlovsky, a former adviser to Putin, told me. “They thought it was a joke.” Putin, in 1999, admitted that Communism had been a “blind alley, far away from the mainstream of civilization.”

I shouldn't be surprised that a tweeter who thinks the Republicans are Russian agents also believes Putin is a communist.

[allegro]

I shouldn't be surprised that a tweeter who thinks the Republicans are Russian agents also believes Putin is a communist.

But yet …

https://www.nbcnews.com/news/amp/ncna1285807

Likely because the USSR wasn’t truly “communist.” Primarily due to massive corruption.

Which is still there: https://www.rferl.org/amp/corruption-is-the-new-communism/27669638.html

Bottom line is that Cawthorn is a dangerously stupid politician calling others “communists” and she used dumb and inartful language to point out that he was hanging out in a formerly-communist and now-autocratic country and was suckered into a honeypot that may have compromised any intelligence he had, yet refers to the Russian Federation as “Mother Russia.”

[Wolfkiller]

But yet …

https://www.nbcnews.com/news/amp/ncna1285807

Likely because the USSR wasn’t truly “communist.” Primarily due to massive corruption.

Which is still there: https://www.rferl.org/amp/corruption-is-the-new-communism/27669638.html

Putin is a nationalist, not a communist. Instead of posting the same basic article twice, perhaps you should read them past the headlines?
Primarily due to corruption? Uh...yeah... I guess if you're talking about corrupt capitalist nations undermining their existence from day one.

[allegate]

Trump Calls Himself 45th and 47th President, Playing Into Potential for 2024 Campaign (https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/politics/trump-calls-himself-45th-and-47th-president-playing-into-potential-for-2024-campaign/ar-AATaD40?ocid=uxbndlbing)

oh geez.

[allegro]

Putin is a nationalist, not a communist. Instead of posting the same basic article twice, perhaps you should read them past the headlines?
Primarily due to corruption? Uh...yeah... I guess if you're talking about corrupt capitalist nations undermining their existence from day one.

Putin is an autocrat who is shifting to a dictatorship (https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-16057045). He's doesn't even argue against being called an autocrat.

If you study Marxism in depth, particularly academically, you are presented with a lot of data pointing to human nature and corruption being the enemy of socialism and communism. Marxism is a great idea, on paper. I love it, sounds great. Particularly in Russia after the monarchy ruled from the mid-9th century through 1917 and robbed the working class blind. But corruption and greed and the desire for power is human nature among men that poisons the well of pure socialism and communism.


President Vladimir Putin has lamented the collapse of the Soviet Union three decades ago as the demise of what he called "historical Russia" and said the economic crisis that followed was so bad he was forced to moonlight as a taxi driver.

Here is Putin lying through is teeth; the true "historical Russia" was centuries of Tsars that stole from the working class, keeping them in poverty, which led to the Russian revolution of 1917. This was followed by abject poverty where the people of the CCCP suffered, which Putin is denying with his "oh, but we had it so good, before" comment. No rich Russian has money IN Russia; the Panama Papers is just a PIECE of how wealthy Putin is, and he's not that far from the Romanovs. Meanwhile, the ordinary Russian citizen is broke or unemployed. Russia is basically a giant gas station. Russia's GDP is only 1.483 trillion USD (2020), and consists pretty much solely in the export of oil and gas. It's GDP isn't diversified at all. And the wealthy people don't care, because all their investments are offshore.

For those of us who were alive back then during the USSR, and KNOW people who lived in communist Russia, Poland, etc., we know Putin is full of shit. Waiting in bread lines for hours, waiting for years to get a telephone, never mind a washing machine; those are not the "good times" that Putin describes. But, because Putin was at the top of the heap, and KBG, he had it much differently than the lower and working class. So, of course his story is different.

This isn't to say that this means "socialism" = bad. That's not necessarily true. Again, on paper, it's a great idea. Plenty of what Marx said makes total sense, and capitalism really does suck in many forms, particularly kleptocracies and cronyism. I've read Anna Karenina THREE TIMES. I absolutely support the proletariat. But Russia has always been a shithole of corruption and abuse of the poor and working class.

[fillow]

^^^^
Amen to all of that. Spot on. The only thing about USSR Putin and his cronies really miss are being a superpower country with much bigger control in many parts of the world (Eastern Bloc and the such) which they don't have anymore and having 30% bigger territory.

[allegro]

^^^^
Amen to all of that. Spot on. The only thing about USSR Putin and his cronies really miss are being a superpower country with much bigger control in many parts of the world (Eastern Bloc and the such) which they don't have anymore and having 30% bigger territory.

They’re still pissed off about the Magnitsky Act.

We can remove Russia from SWIFT, which will really fuck them up.

[Wolfkiller]

Putin is an autocrat who is shifting to a dictatorship (https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-16057045). He's doesn't even argue against being called an autocrat.

That doesn't negate him being a nationalist.


If you study Marxism in depth, particularly academically, you are presented with a lot of data pointing to human nature and corruption being the enemy of socialism and communism. Marxism is a great idea, on paper. I love it, sounds great. Particularly in Russia after the monarchy ruled from the mid-9th century through 1917 and robbed the working class blind. But corruption and greed and the desire for power is human nature among men that poisons the well of pure socialism and communism.

I have and do, thanks. Thankfully, not academically. Amazing how liberals and conservatives use the same fallacious "human nature" deflection, as if material conditions and culture aren't the biggest driving factors of human behavior. One has to ignore the entire human history of cooperation and collaboration to begin to entertain such drivel. Are enlightened academics like yourself immune to human nature, and therefore are the exception and explanation as to why a select few should have power over the masses? What is your definition of "works" when it comes to capitalism? Poverty and a dying planet that won't be able to sustain human life if the current system keeps going?


For those of us who were alive back then during the USSR, and KNOW people who lived in communist Russia, Poland, etc., we know Putin is full of shit. Waiting in bread lines for hours, waiting for years to get a telephone, or even a washing machine, etc., those are not the "good times" that Putin describes. But, because Putin was at the top of the heap, and KBG, he had it much differently than the lower and working class. So, of course his story is different.

Nothing like ageism and anecdotes to make a case. Oh the horror, they couldn't get telephones and washing machines immediately?! I'm convinced. I won't even bother linking to videos of elderly Russians talking about how they regret the end of communism, nor the multiple polls that have been taken showing a majority of former Soviet Union citizens feel the same. Nevermind the millions of people that were pulled out of poverty and given an education and shelter and food, it clearly was a complete failure because of the lack of gadgets available.

[allegro]

.Thankfully, not academically.

Oh, so personally? You live in Russia? In Maoist China during the Great Leap? Where people starved to death?

I already said I’m not against Marxism. I’m dubious of pretty much ANY government or structure. Whether it be under capitalism or Marxism. Because people suck. I’m not an academic. I’m a misanthrope. It’s interesting that a guy using technology to post this is saying it’s no big deal to have to wait two years for a telephone in what was the modern age. Like, in the 80s. I don’t know any “elderly” Russians or Poles. I lived around a whole bunch of Poles and Russians and Ukrainians in Detroit, and now here in Chicago who lived in the USSR and hated it. They either escaped to the U.S. or moved here after the fall due to poverty. The U.S.S.R dissolved in 1991.

Yes, the economy post-U.S.S.R. has sucked. Because of a whole bunch of reasons, and corruption is one big reason. But that same corruption was there even before the fall of the Soviet Union. And if you were in Poland or Ukraine and forced to speak Russian and lost your own country to another country, you’re not going to be first in line waiting for that to happen again.

All the rest of your post is just full of fucking long-winded bullshit. I mention I studied Marxism academically (meaning extensively in college), you immediately assume I’m an “academic.” In reality, I’m at home caring for my elderly Mom who has dementia, I’m a full-time caregiver.

Go fuck yourself, fake hippy asshole.

649

Now I’m putting you on ignore again.

[allegate]

did you hear about the bridge that collapsed right before the infrastructure visit? apparently it was a known issue.

https://twitter.com/Pgh311/status/1079725473947635714

https://i.makeagif.com/media/3-30-2014/1g3uPc.gif

[allegro]

https://twitter.com/spiroagnewghost/status/1489327237417472000?s=21

[cdm]

did you hear about the bridge that collapsed right before the infrastructure visit? apparently it was a known issue.

https://twitter.com/Pgh311/status/1079725473947635714


It's awfully early to assume that had anything to do with the collapse. That issue was dealt with relatively quickly after the request was created. There's also a fair amount of purposeful disinfo being circulated amongst PGH twitter blaming reallocation of funds to "green / woke" purposes like bike lanes (of all things) with this image and issue being the crux of it. This one got a lot of traction:

1487251701480443915

Basically all of it is false.

[allegate]

https://twitter.com/Amy_Siskind/status/1499060235687927813

[allegate]

https://twitter.com/potus/status/1559678752497565696

[allegate]

https://twitter.com/Acyn/status/1580661271489150978

[elevenism]

I support Dark Brandon.
He wasn't the "new JFK' of my prayers, but he sure ain't half bad.
I honestly believe that his brinksmanship will likely make him a true hero in the annals of American history.

Anyway, i caught this on Brian Tyler Cohen, and Joe DID name names regarding the infrastructure bill, and it's fucking priceless.


https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=BkO0mM8OaV8