The Democrats are Objectively doing a terrible job running the country.

[EmirOfShmo]

Gonna leave this here for Forever A Redskin to comment on because 'ultra-violent rhetoric' is needed to stop these 'Groomers'. Ignore this part of the story "...conservative Christian magazine TownHall, which misreported that the school was giving students puberty blockers without their parents’ consent..." to fit the narrative:

 

‘She Needs to Be Executed’: The Far-Right Is Doxxing School Officials They Think Are ‘Groomers’

On far-right forums, there’s been a significant spike in ultra-violent rhetoric, with users posting threats against specific teachers.

 

Right-wing figures like Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene and Fox News hosts Tucker Carlson and Laura Ingraham have spent the last month boosting the conspiracy theory that anyone opposed to anti-LGBTQ legislation is a “groomer” or a “pedophile.” This has already led to real-life protests, but on far-right forums like Patriots.win and Gab, there’s been a significant spike in ultra-violent rhetoric, with users posting threats against specific teachers, Disney employees, and lawmakers, according to a new report from public-interest research group Advance Democracy, Inc. which shared its findings exclusively with VICE News.

And now, these extremists are taking things a step further: They’re doxxing school officials and calling for their execution. 

In March, a school nurse in Connecticut named Kathleen Cataford posted private details about an 11-year-old LGBTQ student in her care, claiming the child was on puberty blockers. 

The story fed into the growing conservative narrative that schools are sexualizing or “grooming” children. Cataford’s post was picked up by conservative Christian magazine TownHall, which misreported that the school was giving students puberty blockers without their parents’ consent, despite the parents in question praising the school’s response to Cataford’s post.

On April 2, a link to the inaccurate TownHall report was posted on the far-right forum Patriots.win.

Unsurprisingly, on a forum that played a significant role in the planning, incitement, and coordination of the Jan. 6 Capitol riot, the post prompted outrage—and calls for violence. 

“This stuff isn’t going to change at this point until there’s body bags,” one member wrote. “Straight to the woodchipper for them,” another replied. 

 

https://www.vice.com/en/article/jgm3xx/far-right-groomers-doxxing-school-officials

 

 

[gbear]

Well, we do have a political party that has spent years if not decades denying global warming...

 

[EmirOfShmo]

*deleted* sorry double post

Edited April 14, 2022 by EmirOfShmo

[Long n Left]

Geez, came in here thinking there might be some riveting discourse.

 

Thanks (not really) for taking me down this ****ing rabbit hole!

[Hersh]

33 minutes ago, GeorgiaGirl said:

 

I don't think free speech absolutist followers believe a public servant acting on behalf of the school system can be free to teach anything they want to elementary school kids.  If you have examples of free speech absolutists defending public school freedom to teach anything to minors I'd love some examples.

 

I think they only point being made is that free speech absolutists are absolutely full of ****. 

[PleaseBlitz]

1 minute ago, Hersh said:

 

I think they only point being made is that free speech absolutists are absolutely full of ****. 

 

Or that folks don't know what the word "absolutism" actually means?

[method man]

What has not gotten talked about in this thread is that there is a competition taking place between states for labor, jobs and economic growth. Having a commercial real estate background, what I am seeing is that there has been a migration pattern from the Northeast, Midwest and California to the Southeast, Texas and Arizona. This has happened for a number of reasons including lower cost of living, lower taxes, more jobs, better weather etc. Some of these factors are not in either the Republicans’ or Democrats’ control but some are.

 

I am currently in Miami and it is amazing to see the growth of the tech industry in this city. Francis Suarez is a shining example for someone any mayor or local politician should look to emulate. The guy has been nonstop hustling to get founders and investors to move their companies to Miami or at least open offices there. In the meantime, London Breed is struggling to keep folks in San Francisco because she can’t keep her crazy DA in check - folks feel unsafe in one of the wealthiest cities in the world and are moving to Florida, Texas, Arizona, Utah and a number of other states

 

Not saying all Republican mayors are Suarez and all Democrat mayors are Breed but it is interesting to juxtapose the two

[Dan T.]

1 hour ago, Mr. Sinister said:

 

Bet they'd  be surprised to find out that many of us aren't even true/original "Leftists" lol. Like, my entire family was staunchly Republican until around 2008, until their messaging started getting so caustic that it was hard not to see a Party with nothing left but bs.

 

 

In their culture war it seems they view everyone who isn't in lockstep with their right wing ideology a "leftist."  There is a vast middle they've alienated over the years.

[Dan T.]

7 minutes ago, method man said:

What has not gotten talked about in this thread is that there is a competition taking place between states for labor, jobs and economic growth. Having a commercial real estate background, what I am seeing is that there has been a migration pattern from the Northeast, Midwest and California to the Southeast, Texas and Arizona. This has happened for a number of reasons including lower cost of living, lower taxes, more jobs, better weather etc. Some of these factors are not in either the Republicans’ or Democrats’ control but some are.

 

 

I wonder if those in commercial real estate are concerned about a paradigm shift in how businesses view brick and mortar office space after the pandemic forced so many people to work from home.  I have to think more and more businesses are realizing they don't need thousands of square feet of office space to function.

 

Curious what you think.

[Jabbyrwock]

52 minutes ago, Hersh said:

 

I think they only point being made is that free speech absolutists are absolutely full of ****. 

 

50 minutes ago, PleaseBlitz said:

 

Or that folks don't know what the word "absolutism" actually means?

 

I accept this false dichotomy because the only other choice is cannibalism.

-xkcd

[Bang]

1 hour ago, Long n Left said:

Geez, came in here thinking there might be some riveting discourse.

 

Thanks (not really) for taking me down this ****ing rabbit hole!

There never is. These threads pop up from time to time, opened by people who pretend to want genuine discourse, but soon get their feelings hurt when their same old bull**** is treated as the same old bull****. Somehow each time it happens they think they are bringing in a new perspective. and they aren't, and they get offended because people who are tired of the lunacy of the right show them little respect and no patience.
Then this place is an 'echo chamber' because it fails to listen to outside views... which is a load of ****. There's a reason most of the conservatives of this board have gone, and it's because they can't defend the indefensible. 
As our old boardmate Art once said long ago when discussing another political topic,(paraphrasing), we have heard it seen it and experienced it, and having heard, seen, and experienced their views,  we have rejected it.
And somehow that part never gets through.

For me, it's simple. Criticizing the left is all well and good, the toothless weak-kneed lilly livered spineless pansies in many positions on the Democratic side 100000% deserve it. Here they are faced with continuing ongoing treason of the highest order, the largest threat this country have ever faced, and somehow they can't get out of their own way, and they are going to do the impossible and LOSE this most important fight to traitors, grifters and thieves who operate right out in the open, laughing all the way.
But don't come down on the side of the grifters, fascists, traitors and thieves. There is no discourse with those people.
The right wing media blitz nd the rise of the fascist elements over the last 3 decades has accomplished it's mission, and that is to split the country cleanly. There is no 'moderate' anymore, there is no middle, no 'undecided". Anyone who tells me they're "undecided" is telling me they are an idiot. There's no way to be undecided. Not anymore.
And even though a person like me; an actual conservative from the old days, may not like which way I've been forced to decide, the choice is obvious.

 

~Bang

Edited April 14, 2022 by Bang

[BatteredFanSyndrome]

50 minutes ago, Dan T. said:

 

I wonder if those in commercial real estate are concerned about a paradigm shift in how businesses view brick and mortar office space after the pandemic forced so many people to work from home.  I have to think more and more businesses are realizing they don't need thousands of square feet of office space to function.

 

Curious what you think.

This is definitely a thing and it cuts deeper than simply businesses wanting people back in the office just because.  There is a TON of money tied to commercial real estate in numerous facets - think pensions, 401ks, and beyond.  

[Mr. Sinister]

18 minutes ago, Bang said:

There never is. These threads pop up from time to time, opened by people who pretend to want genuine discourse, but soon get their feelings hurt when their same old bull**** is treated as the same old bull****. Somehow each time it happens they think they are bringing in a new perspective. and they aren't, and they get offended because people who are tired of the lunacy of the right show them little respect and no patience.
Then this place is an 'echo chamber' because it fails to listen to outside views... which is a load of ****.
As our old boardmate Art once said long ago when discussing another political topic,(paraphrasing), we have heard it seen it and experienced it, and having heard, seen, and experienced their views,  we have rejected it.
And somehow that part never gets through.
There's a reason the conservatives of this board have gone, and it's because they can't defend the indefensible. 
For me, it's simple. Criticizing the left is all well and good, the toothless weak-kneed lilly livered spineless pansies in many positions on the Democratic side 100000% deserve it. Here they are faced with continuing ongoing treason of the highest order, the largest threat this country have ever faced, and somehow they can't get out of their own way, and they are going to do the impossible and LOSE this most important fight to traitors, grifters and thieves who operate right out in the open, laughing all the way.
But don't come down on the side of the grifters, fascists, traitors and thieves. There is no discourse with those people.
The right wing media blitz nd the rise of the fascist elements over the last 3 decades has accomplished it's mission, and that is to split the country cleanly. There is no 'moderate' anymore, there is no middle, no 'undecided". Anyone who tells me they're "undecided" is telling me they are an idiot. There's no way to be undecided. Not anymore.
And even though a person like me; an actual conservative from the old days, may not like which way I've been forced to decide, the choice is obvious.

 

~Bang

 

About as perfectly put as I've ever seen.

[Forever A Redskin]

So just like I said, Elon can buy more than 14 percent of Twitter and has filed an offer to buy 100%. What a beautiful thing that would be. Also mentioned he would have to rethink his current stake if they don't accept his offer.

 

Watching the reaction has been pretty hilarious.

 

I can post sources for all those who don't like using Google. 

 

As a free speech absolutist, I'm loving it.

Edited April 14, 2022 by Forever A Redskin

[CousinsCowgirl84]

4 minutes ago, Forever A Redskin said:

So just like I said, Elon can buy more than 14 percent of Twitter and has offered to buy 100%. What a beautiful thing that would be. Also mentioned he would have to rethink his current stake if they don't accept his offer.

 

Watching the reaction has been pretty hilarious.

 

I imagine Tesla shareholders will have something to say about his dreams of being King Twitter 

 

 

Edited April 14, 2022 by CousinsCowgirl84

[PeterMP]

  

10 hours ago, CousinsCowgirl84 said:

Didn’t really quote the right part of your post, but you point out how gdp growth has been slower over the past 10+ years which correlates nicely to US debt rations passing the 75 percent threshold. 
 

However, it appears that the US gdp is not alone in showing that decline. China shows similar declines in real GDP growth over those years, and the EU shows near zero gdp growth over those years, despite China debt ratio of around 60% and the EU debt ratio fluctuating between 70-100%.

 

So do we think the US debt is slowing the global economy? 
 

The other question I have is that the authors seem to indicate that the mechanism by which high public debt slows economic growth is by making money more expensive to obtain by increasing interest rates lenders charge which in turn reduces private investment.
 

However over the past 20 years US interest rates have been at historic lows for most of the time period.

 

First, given how large economy is it is clearly going to have an impact on the larger global economy.  If our economy is slowing, it is almost by default going to cause other economies to slow.   It doesn't matter why our economy is slowing.

 

I think it is largely acknowledged that China has lied about their GDP and growth for years.  I'm not sure I'd put much stock in their GDP numbers.

 

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2021-07-06/china-economic-miracles-trust-gdp-covid19/100268962#:~:text=Some economists reckon China has,Institution%2C a Washington think tank.

 

Europe is a little bit different IMO.  I think you likely see a few different things happening in Europe.  Much of Europe is pretty natural resource poor, and the areas that are natural resource rich don't really share resources with the rest of Europe.  Europe had historical advantages that allowed for economic growth and following WWII support from us.  But as the rest of world has caught up industrialization and technology, most of the European country's economies have suffered.

 

Added on, then these areas that have especially suffered and natural resource poor are the areas that have high debt/GDP.  So (potentially) another drag on their GDP.

 

I'll also point out that Canada saw a couple of years in between the great recession and the pandemic with +3% growth.  Here's the same graph using Canada's data.  Their real values much more closely over lay the predicted values than in the US.

 

 

 

With the interest rates, you've hit the problem.  Historically, that was the thought.  And that's why MMT has become popular.  There are other possible mechanisms by which increased debt could slow economic growth (e.g. increasing inflation and yes inflation measured by CPI has been low until recently.  But CPI doesn't measure things that are important for a growing economy that have been going up, including home prices and college costs so I'd argue and have argued even before the latest issues we have been seeing inflation.  Just not by what is measured by CPI.) 

 

And it is also possible that the we just don't know how debt slows economic growth.

 

From a purely scientific/intellectual stand point, we're in a very interesting position.

 

We have a long term historical believe that high debt slows economic growth by increasing interest rates and the costs (for businesses) to borrow money.

 

We have seemingly real world contradictory data where debt has increased substantially and interest rates have remained low and investing has continued to be robust.

 

We have correlative studies that seem to support the historical belief and show that higher debt is tied to lower GDP growth.  But we all know that correlation doesn't prove causation.

 

I don't actually think there's enough data/information to draw any solid conclusions (based on what I know).  I'm not particularly tied to high debt is bad, BUT there certainly is data and studies out there that suggest it does.

 

And I understand why the MMT people look at our post-2008 spending and the results (interest rates stayed low) and saying there is something wrong with our understanding of the economy.

 

However, I would also say that if you believe we can simply spend our way to prosperity and the post-2008 years with high debt levels and spending and what is considered historically low economic growth don't give you pause, then you're ignoring some important information.

[LadySkinsFan]

12 minutes ago, Forever A Redskin said:

So just like I said, Elon can buy more than 14 percent of Twitter and has filed an offer to buy 100%. What a beautiful thing that would be. Also mentioned he would have to rethink his current stake if they don't accept his offer.

 

Watching the reaction has been pretty hilarious.

 

I can post sources for all those who don't like using Google. 

 

As a free speech absolutist, I'm loving it.

 

Who gives a **** about Musk? I certainly don't. You're obsessed about an app that removed Trump for posting lies.

[Forever A Redskin]

Just now, LadySkinsFan said:

 

Who gives a **** about Musk? I certainly don't. You're obsessed about an app that removed Trump for posting lies.

 

Don't care about trump being removed. Theyve banned far more than just him. There is an entire Rogan episode about it. (Gasp! Rogan! Oh no!)

[LadySkinsFan]

1 minute ago, Forever A Redskin said:

 

Don't care about trump being removed. Theyve banned far more than just him. There is an entire Rogan episode about it. (Gasp! Rogan! Oh no!)

 

I definitely don't pay any attention to fascist media whores. 

[Ball Security]

17 minutes ago, Forever A Redskin said:

So just like I said, Elon can buy more than 14 percent of Twitter and has filed an offer to buy 100%. What a beautiful thing that would be. Also mentioned he would have to rethink his current stake if they don't accept his offer.

 

Watching the reaction has been pretty hilarious.

 

I can post sources for all those who don't like using Google. 

 

As a free speech absolutist, I'm loving it.

And that could only happen in Biden’s America.  You’re welcome.

[GoCommiesGo]

5 minutes ago, Forever A Redskin said:

There is an entire Rogan episode about it. (Gasp! Rogan! Oh no!)

Joe Rogan is goop for men. 

[Captain Wiggles]

5 minutes ago, Forever A Redskin said:

 

Don't care about trump being removed. Theyve banned far more than just him. There is an entire Rogan episode about it. (Gasp! Rogan! Oh no!)

 

Was Timcast to busy breaking down macroeconomics? 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣

 

I'm sure the host of Fear Factor had some groin grabbingly good insights on the current state of social media. 🤪

[MartinC]

1 hour ago, Dan T. said:

 

In their culture war it seems they view everyone who isn't in lockstep with their right wing ideology a "leftist."  There is a vast middle they've alienated over the years.

Research shows 35-36% of the US population identify as 'Conservative' (and what that label means has become interesting - it's moved markedly to the right, there is very little room for 'moderate' Republicans in the current Conservative movement. The number of Republicans who identify as moderate has fallen markedly). 

 

Only 25% identify as Liberal - and 35% as moderate.

 

However you slice it people who identify strongly with a Conservative ideology are a minority in the US as a whole, not just in the Tailgate!

 

https://news.gallup.com/poll/328367/americans-political-ideology-held-steady-2020.aspx

[The Evil Genius]

13 minutes ago, GoCommiesGo said:

Joe Rogan is goop for men. 

 

Tbf, we are in need of a good v-steam here.

 

35 minutes ago, Forever A Redskin said:

So just like I said, Elon can buy more than 14 percent of Twitter and has filed an offer to buy 100%. What a beautiful thing that would be. Also mentioned he would have to rethink his current stake if they don't accept his offer.

 

Watching the reaction has been pretty hilarious.

 

I can post sources for all those who don't like using Google. 

 

As a free speech absolutist, I'm loving it.

 

You're a juggalo, aren't ya?

Edited April 14, 2022 by The Evil Genius

[Chachie]

On 4/13/2022 at 11:05 AM, Forever A Redskin said:

Wow so this place really leans left I see. 

 

I guess the president's approval ratings are Russian Disinformation too.

 

 

..............because Trump's approval ratings were awesome? I'd suggest to you that they may have been great IN YOUR ECHO CHAMBER.