Progressives vs liberals

[Plasmodium]

2 minutes ago, jross said:

Eye of the beholder.

I see what you see, acknowledge it, and call out what your brain can’t process.

No, you do not.

[Gus]

On 11/8/2023 at 3:07 PM, Bigbrog said:

I don't think anyone meant to infer getting rid of the IRS totally, but as Ionel said, get rid of the bloat and waste, like there is in a lot of governement agencies.  I would love to have full power to go into some of our governmental areas and get rid of all the waste so there is more money to spend on the things that are important to the american people.

Anyone that has dealt with state or federal accounts at work know how much waste there is. It is pretty sickening to see how tax dollars get spent. I get calls from school districts that have a "bucket of money" with excess in it at the end of there fiscal year and they ask us to come up with ways in which they can spend it. If they don't spend the money this year, their budget will decrease the next year so they come up with "creative" ways to spend the money.

Here is a true story and a small example used to illustrate the larger issue. There was a post office in rural South Dakota that had an overhead interior lighting fixture fail. Since the post office is a federal account, the contractor doing the work needed to be associated with a particular union that was partnered with the federal government. Rather than call a local electrician that could swap out the lighting fixture in a couple of hours, the post office had to wait 2 weeks for a union electrician to fly in from Tennessee, rent a car, drive 3 hours to the rural post office, stay the night in a hotel and perform the work. A simple project that should have taken a couple hours and cost a couple hundred dollars for the local electrician ended up costing tax payers around $7,000. 

[jross]

I criticize republicans in the post you respond to.

You make no acknowledgement of Democratic authoritarianism in your response and resort to TDS.

You can make it about Trump as you want.  He does bad things… acknowledged.  But can you acknowledge the good things.  There are good things coming from what is also bad things in your post. (legal, news)

We should start a post where we argue the opposite our views… just to see how cognitively blind we all are.

[jross]

2 minutes ago, Gus said:

Anyone that has dealt with state or federal accounts at work know how much waste there is. It is pretty sickening to see how tax dollars get spent. I get calls from school districts that have a "bucket of money" with excess in it at the end of there fiscal year and they ask us to come up with ways in which they can spend it. If they don't spend the money this year, their budget will decrease the next year so they come up with "creative" ways to spend the money.

Here is a true story and a small example used to illustrate the larger issue. There was a post office in rural South Dakota that had an overhead interior lighting fixture fail. Since the post office is a federal account, the contractor doing the work needed to be associated with a particular union that was partnered with the federal government. Rather than call a local electrician that could swap out the lighting fixture in a couple of hours, the post office had to wait 2 weeks for a union electrician to fly in from Tennessee, rent a car, drive 3 hours to the rural post office, stay the night in a hotel and perform the work. A simple project that should have taken a couple hours and cost a couple hundred dollars for the local electrician ended up costing tax payers around $7,000. 

I’m surprised a teacher didn’t fix it in 23 minutes just based on his see a snake, kill a snake attitude… Would be sued of course…

[Plasmodium]

2 minutes ago, jross said:

I criticize republicans in the post you respond to.

You make no acknowledgement of Democratic authoritarianism in your response and resort to TDS.

You can make it about Trump as you want.  He does bad things… acknowledged.  But can you acknowledge the good things.  There are good things coming from what is also bad things in your post. (legal, news)

We should start a post where we argue the opposite our views… just to see how cognitively blind we all are.

You can't discuss an issue and ignore the crux of the issue, which - ironically - was the crux of your post!

[Offthemat]

31 minutes ago, Plasmodium said:

Of all the disingenuous posts in all the land this one takes the cake.

No mention of the authoritarian himself, who is the party.  No mention of his efforts to undermine everything he lacks control of or that which reins him in.  Not the consolidation of his power - the undermining of all his internal rivals(RINOs).  Not the purposeful sowing of mistrust in the legal system which is holding him accountable.  Not the undermining of the press which criticizes him.  Not democracy itself which rejected him.  Not even renewable energy which prevented him from developing the particular way he wanted.

Deranged 

[Plasmodium]

2 minutes ago, Offthemat said:

Deranged 

RINO

[Offthemat]

12 minutes ago, Plasmodium said:

RINO

Double Down Deranged 

[Plasmodium]

2 minutes ago, Offthemat said:

Double Down Deranged 

Double dog RINO.

[Offthemat]

2 minutes ago, Plasmodium said:

Double dog RINO.

I’m sure it would be entertaining to read your example of a legitimate Republican.

[Plasmodium]

2 minutes ago, Offthemat said:

I’m sure it would be entertaining to read your example of a legitimate Republican.

For Republicans, Trump is the alpha and omega.

Mitt Romney is a legitimate conservative, if that is what you are asking for.

[Offthemat]

21 minutes ago, Offthemat said:

I’m sure it would be entertaining to read your example of a legitimate Republican.

 

16 minutes ago, Plasmodium said:

For Republicans, Trump is the alpha and omega.

Mitt Romney is a legitimate conservative, if that is what you are asking for.

I was correct. 

[Plasmodium]

9 minutes ago, Offthemat said:

 

I was correct. 

History will disagree in the strongest possible terms.

[Ohio Elite]

45 minutes ago, Plasmodium said:

For Republicans, Trump is the alpha and omega.

Mitt Romney is a legitimate conservative, if that is what you are asking for.

Romney is a POS

[Plasmodium]

21 minutes ago, Ohio Elite said:

Romney is a POS

Down with the RINOs!

[Offthemat]

And Tlaib is a good dimocrat.

[Plasmodium]

Just now, Offthemat said:

And Tlaib is a good dimocrat.

Not a fan, but knock yourself out.

[jross]

1 hour ago, Plasmodium said:

For Republicans, Trump is the alpha and omega.

Mitt Romney is a legitimate conservative, if that is what you are asking for.

On topic... This is a decent look at Mitt Romney's conservatism.

On him...

I like that he tries to separate his personal religious beliefs from his public policy positions, and he doesn't always vote down party lines... conservative on some issues...

I also wonder about how Romney thinks.  While I recognize that everyone has their beliefs, it perplexes me how an educated man can adhere to a relatively new religion founded by someone with questionable morality, and historical references and events that lack basic evidence.  

[jross]

4 hours ago, Plasmodium said:

Something...blah...TDS blah... blah

There once was a smart Democrat without TDS who spoke respectfully about why folks would vote for Trump again.

A good read.
https://thehill.com/opinion/campaign/4242013-trumps-supporters-are-right-in-front-of-you-quietly-living-among-us/

[Plasmodium]

3 minutes ago, jross said:

There once was a smart Democrat without TDS who spoke respectfully about why folks would vote for Trump again.

A good read.
https://thehill.com/opinion/campaign/4242013-trumps-supporters-are-right-in-front-of-you-quietly-living-among-us/

That is a pretty nice write up of Trump, wouldn’t stand up to a lot of challenge.  I wouldn’t be at all surprised to see Trump win next November.

[Plasmodium]

45 minutes ago, jross said:

On topic... This is a decent look at Mitt Romney's conservatism.

On him...

I like that he tries to separate his personal religious beliefs from his public policy positions, and he doesn't always vote down party lines... conservative on some issues...

I also wonder about how Romney thinks.  While I recognize that everyone has their beliefs, it perplexes me how an educated man can adhere to a relatively new religion founded by someone with questionable morality, and historical references and events that lack basic evidence.  

Interesting list.  Nobody is hit every point since there is mutual exclusion amongst them.  Even I hit some of them

[jross]

3 hours ago, Plasmodium said:

For Republicans, Trump is the alpha and omega.

Trump is the party of populism and anti-establishment.

Ordinary people were sure the system was not working for them.

Trump acknowledged himself as elite and pinpointed how the hypocritical Rs and Ds enabled it.

Trump promised to 'drain the swamp' of the politically elite and their mates.

Millions cheered.

Despite the elite resistance, the people's choice presided over cheap gas, local jobs, investment returns, purchase power, and peace.

The 'deep state' said "never again" and still hunts to secure it.

The ordinary people gamble, but the house always wins.

Ordinary people will gamble again.

They must hurry and fight harder.

-----

People want leaders who prioritize the needs and desires of ordinary people and have a track record of achieving results.  Find a better leader, and he will have support regardless of party lines.  The establishment isn't it.

[Plasmodium]

21 minutes ago, jross said:

Trump is the party of populism and anti-establishment.

Ordinary people were sure the system was not working for them.

Trump acknowledged himself as elite and pinpointed how the hypocritical Rs and Ds enabled it.

Trump promised to 'drain the swamp' of the politically elite and their mates.

Millions cheered.

Despite the elite resistance, the people's choice presided over cheap gas, local jobs, investment returns, purchase power, and peace.

The 'deep state' said "never again" and still hunts to secure it.

The ordinary people gamble, but the house always wins.

Ordinary people will gamble again.

They must hurry and fight harder.

-----

People want leaders who prioritize the needs and desires of ordinary people and have a track record of achieving results.  Find a better leader, and he will have support regardless of party lines.  The establishment isn't it.

I have a tough time seeing a national politician who could cross party lines.

Which people are you referring to?  Trump is divisive by design and has purposefully alienated most 'ordinary' people.  Biden beat Trump by a wide margin.  I could be a smart ass and say the people found their better leader but we both know that is not true.

[Offthemat]

Stolen elections have consequences. 

[jross]

JRoss for president.

Hello citizens,

Thank you for your time. It is an honor to stand before you, united in our shared pursuit of a stronger nation. Together, we will cut through bureaucracy, prioritize your needs, and build a government that reflects the values of its people.

When I leave office, measure our success by tangible impact. Ask:

Has political corruption been reduced?

• My administration will tirelessly work to root out corruption at every level of government. I believe in accountability and transparency; we will hold ourselves to the highest standards even when it hurts.  
  • Initiatives: term limits, lobbying restrictions, stock restrictions, election holidays, modernized secure elections, bill/pork restrictions, audits, budget approval before spending, a balanced budget...

Does the government uphold the same standards it holds the people to?

• The government should be a reflection of the people it serves. We will strive for a government that practices what it preaches, ensuring fairness, equality, and justice for all citizens.
  • Initiatives: budget approval before spending, a balanced budget, saving and investing, reducing debt, using the best deal, negotiating, audits...

Are citizens healthier than they were four years ago?

• Your health is of paramount importance to your well-being, your finances, and your country.  We will invest in public health initiatives, ensuring access to quality healthcare for every citizen, and working towards a healthier, more resilient population.
  • Initiatives: a citizen tax break for low BMI/body fat/exercise, unhealthy food tax penalty, public awareness campaign, health care price transparency, health care competitions, public gym access/training, subsidized public health care services, rewards of health care services, corporate tax incentives, smaller plates, America first

Is citizen purchase power better than today?

• Individuals should be able to buy more goods and services with the same income over time.
  • Initiatives: tax incentives for completing free financial education on budget, saving, investing, negotiation, debt reduction..., inflation plan, wages plan, profit cap plan, profit sharing plan, balanced federal budget, America first...

Now, there is more that we'll do, and we will take a moderate approach with compromise.  Practical solutions for practical people.

We'll get it done by focusing more on doing less and streamlining government operations for efficiency and effectiveness. Quality over quantity; results over rhetoric.

Let's deliver a future where the government serves the people rather than those serving the establishment.

Together, we can make America work for everyone, not just the few.

#PeopleFirst #AmericaFirst