Biden Administration misc. activities

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specialsauce
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Re: Biden Administration misc. activities

Post by specialsauce »

Indy wrote:
Sat Sep 03, 2022 1:48 pm
specialsauce wrote:
Sat Sep 03, 2022 12:50 pm
virtual9mm wrote:
Sat Sep 03, 2022 11:32 am
Regarding the Zumwalt, Ray Mabus thought that the Zumwalt class would be a capital ship when he was SecNavy. So, he named the second ship of the class after a President, just like a carrier (i.e., a capital ship), which is something he verified in person a long, long time ago when I was a different kind of person, someone who had conversations with these kinds of folks. This has turned out to be something of a sick joke, unfortunately.

Regarding defense spending, it's a necessary evil -- or do you really want Beijing to be telling you how to live your life, and enjoy a patriotic education glorifying Mao and Xi? To me, the military is like the police -- you really can't live without it. That being said, you don't need to bend over backwards for the military-industrial complex all the time, the US should be BUYING weapons systems from overseas manufacturers if you'll save 2/3rds of the cost. At least it will limit the avarice and rent-seeking of the domestic monopolies.

Regarding progressive income taxes -- beyond what I've written above -- it's hard not to say that the wealthy and well-to-do have benefited more from a stable society than the less well-off. Shouldn't you pay for what you get? Who has more to lose if the government collapses, at least in dollar terms? It should be that the billionaires pay the most by far, the well-to-do pay their fair share, and the poor pay little if anything at all.

Speaking along these lines, if we didn't have such massive economic inequality, we also probably wouldn't have the madness that is MAGA-land. An old colleague explained to me once that MAGA was originally triggered by the bankers getting off scot-free after the 2008 recession, when they lost gambles they made with public money. If we had fewer folks that were having such a rough time and also, fewer folks who are living in mansions and have multiple yachts, we'd have far less polarization. Perfect examples of countries that very much look like the US except for having less inequality and less crazy politics are Canada and Australia. If I were super-wealthy, having a stable society would be worth a great deal of money. Yet, the folks I know who live in mansions don't seem to think this way -- they think that their taxes are too high.

I'm not beating up on you, Saucy, since you're carrying huge amounts of student debt.
Sounds like a lot of woe-is-me.

A majority of people are in the position they are because of their own decisions. It’s not a good or bad thing, as money is not the only thing that matters in this world. But IMO it’s not my problem if cost of living is more of a problem for someone making 100k than 500k. You chose that life. Disability, kids in the system, mental health/substance abuse aid aside (I am all for funneling all of our money to those impacted by these), if you just chose to take on a career that you did, you live with the consequences just like I do, I don’t complain that I work weekends, nights, most holidays and could be sued for every penny that is to my family’s name at a moments notice because of an honest mistake. Does your job put you at risk for that? If you mess up a project or gloss over the detail and leave something out will you potentially lose your entire worth?

Circumstances are different, and yet we are all citizens in the same country with the same government. They should not play favorites.


And no, spending $22B on a ship is bullshit. No way to spin it.
That is nonsense. You think the majority of billionaires are billionaires by their own accord? And that the majority of people living near the poverty line are there because they chose to be or they are just 'bad with money'?

And by the same token, the reason you have 500k in student debt is because you chose to. Most people in this country are not allowed to take out 500k for medical school.
Billionaires are a different subject. I don’t think it’s apples to apples.

Most people living at the poverty line are a different story as well, usually involving parental issues, drugs, mental health. I believe in taking care of them.

I’m talking about the group in between. People making 6 figures annually. Usually it is not life circumstances that separates them, it is choice.

I chose to do my profession. My friends chose to go into business.

I agree that I chose to have that debt. Therefore I should be responsible for it. So should the person that took the debt out making $100k. Nothing separates us except our choices.
We should not be treated differently.

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Indy
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Re: Biden Administration misc. activities

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If you think most people in this country would be allowed into medical school, even if they worked just as hard as you did, you are very mistaken.

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specialsauce
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Re: Biden Administration misc. activities

Post by specialsauce »

Indy wrote:
Sat Sep 03, 2022 6:23 pm
If you think most people in this country would be allowed into medical school, even if they worked just as hard as you did, you are very mistaken.
I think you underestimate people and also overestimate how hard it is to get into these puppy mills I mean money making machines I mean medical schools these days.

They churn and burn at $80k a pop, 250 students per class.

Now, can you get into just any school you want? Probably not unless you’re a great candidate. But any school? Yes.

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Mori Chu
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Re: Biden Administration misc. activities

Post by Mori Chu »

Good thread about Biden's recent speech and how the media chooses to cover the radicalized GOP.


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Nodack
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Re: Biden Administration misc. activities

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The GOP response is totally predictable and I don’t care. If Biden said babies were cute and lovable they would find a way to condemn it.

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Nodack
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Re: Biden Administration misc. activities

Post by Nodack »

Trump calls Biden ‘an enemy of the state’
https://thehill.com/homenews/state-watc ... the-state/

Kind of priceless coming from the guy leading the Magaparty that has declared war on every US institution or what some call the “state”. By state he must mean enemy of the Maga state not the United States.

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Cap
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Re: Biden Administration misc. activities

Post by Cap »

Nodack wrote:
Sun Sep 04, 2022 12:36 pm
The GOP response is totally predictable and I don’t care. If Biden said babies were cute and lovable they would find a way to condemn it.
Sounds like trying to groom babies.

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Superbone
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Re: Biden Administration misc. activities

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"Be Legendary."

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Mori Chu
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Re: Biden Administration misc. activities

Post by Mori Chu »

This article talks about the latest in the Hunter Biden laptop saga, which actually is a real thing and is part of an ongoing investigation. Unclear to me exactly what culpability Hunter Biden himself has in the situation, but at a minimum he seems to be a boob who has allowed himself to take part in some questionable or sketchy situations, and possibly worse.


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Nodack
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Re: Biden Administration misc. activities

Post by Nodack »

Ouch!

Phoenix Inflation at Record 13% Shows Divergence Among Cities
https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles ... th-13-rate
Inflation soared to 13% in Phoenix last month, a record for any US city in data going back 20 years and more than twice as high as San Francisco.

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Mori Chu
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Re: Biden Administration misc. activities

Post by Mori Chu »

I notice that Biden is readily providing federal aid to Florida to help with the hurricane, where Trump delighted in denying aid to blue states in times of crisis.


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Superbone
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Re: Biden Administration misc. activities

Post by Superbone »

Of course. Biden is an adult.
"Be Legendary."

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Mori Chu
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Re: Biden Administration misc. activities

Post by Mori Chu »

Biden announces he's going to pardon everyone in prison on marijuana possession charges. IMO, good, it should be legal. No reason to have people in prison for this.


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Mori Chu
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Re: Biden Administration misc. activities

Post by Mori Chu »

Also, it looks like Hunter Biden is going to be charged with tax fraud and/or other charges.


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Nodack
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Re: Biden Administration misc. activities

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No one is above the law.

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Superbone
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Re: Biden Administration misc. activities

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That guy is a mess.
"Be Legendary."

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Nodack
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Re: Biden Administration misc. activities

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And his dad is President.

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Indy
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Re: Biden Administration misc. activities

Post by Indy »

I think we are used to having First Children as shitty people.

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Nodack
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Re: Biden Administration misc. activities

Post by Nodack »

The question will be Joe’s involvement in anything that they are looking at in the Hunter case. Republicans have been asking this question for a long time. Trump was impeached trying to make it an issue when he tried to extort Ukraine into saying they were investigating Hunter. Now that it looks like there may be something to the Hunter scandal, Republicans will be pushing harder and harder into this as the next Presidential election rolls around.

I am not sure what Hunter is being accused of by the authorities other than an illegal gun permit thing and tax evasion. Republicans were saying Hunter got his Burisma job on the board of directors thanks to Joe and had zero qualifications to be on any board of directors. They claimed somehow Hunter siphoned a bunch of money and shared it with his dad. George Bush hired Hunter to be on the board of directors at Amtrack years before that, which kind of shuts down that argument for me as far as qualifications go. Did daddy get him the job? I have no clue. Did Hunted steal money and share it with dad? I have no idea and I am pretty sure Republicans don’t either but, that won’t stop them from making the claim.

Trump pardoned Manafort his campaign manager after he was busted for making millions being a pro Russian lobbyist in the Ukraine and not disclosing that to the US. Would Biden pardon his own son?

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Superbone
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Re: Biden Administration misc. activities

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"Be Legendary."

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