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NEVERENDING ♾️ The NEVERENDING Political Discussion Thread

fringe said:
NEW YORK (The Borowitz Report)—Capping several quarters of robust profit growth, Ginni Thomas has announced that she will be listed on the New York Stock Exchange.


Investors are expected to snap up shares in Thomas, who is believed to be the first spouse of a Supreme Court Justice also to be a major corporation.


Harland Dorrinson, an analyst with Morgan Stanley, rated Thomas as a “strong buy,” telling CNBC, “I’m urging institutional investors to get out of the banking sector and into Ginni. Unlike the banks, Ginni doesn’t have to disclose where her revenue comes from.”
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The whole Thomas situation, both for Ginni and Clarence, is just insane.

 
mendelman said:
Moderator note:

This is a warning regarding your tone and demeanor with this post. This is a very charged and volatile time online in the US and we do not want negative attention and extremism focused on our good community here in Cyburbia. Please refrain from further extremist rhetoric. If not, suspension or worse will likely be warranted.

This also applies to all of us in this thread.
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Moderator note:

FYI to everyone:

The original post I referenced has been deleted by the poster, but the behavioral direction I outlined above still applies as a general code of conduct.

Thanks.
 
One Republican running in Tuesday's primary is telling voters that, if elected, he'll be "Biden's worst nightmare".

I'm not sure Biden can still have nightmares, but if he can, the Treasurer of the Commonwealth of Kentucky certainly isn't his worst.
 
I love when they confuse what their job is with just saying crap to get elected. One of our local county guys was running on the same premise.
 
michaelskis said:
This does not sit well with me.

www.cbsnews.com

Housing of asylum seekers in Orange County hotel causing tensions

The county executive says around 20 veterans who were living at The Crossroads Hotel had to be relocated.
www.cbsnews.com www.cbsnews.com

Why would someone think it would be ok to further displace homeless veterans to provide housing for asylum seekers?
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It boils down to money. Homeless veterans generally have reasons why they are not receiving services/support from the VA. Absent VA support, they are just like any other homeless person. COVID funding is drying up and traditional homeless funding generally pays for 60 days or less for temporary housing.

Asylum seekers support is paid for by the federal government and they have a longer transitional support period.

Just so you know, a veteran can only qualify for a veteran housing voucher if they have an honorable discharge, if they can find a landlord willing to accept it. Many homeless have mental health and addiction issues which require supportive services.
 
kjel said:
It boils down to money. Homeless veterans generally have reasons why they are not receiving services/support from the VA. Absent VA support, they are just like any other homeless person. COVID funding is drying up and traditional homeless funding generally pays for 60 days or less for temporary housing.

Asylum seekers support is paid for by the federal government and they have a longer transitional support period.

Just so you know, a veteran can only qualify for a veteran housing voucher if they have an honorable discharge, if they can find a landlord willing to accept it. Many homeless have mental health and addiction issues which require supportive services.
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The whole system does not sit well with me. I have preached and preached on the mental health services, or lack there of, in this county and how as much as society says it supports veterans, the federal programs do not go nearly far enough. Asylum seekers need a place do live, that is not in question. But I have issues when that housing comes at a cost to veterans.
 
kjel said:
It boils down to money. Homeless veterans generally have reasons why they are not receiving services/support from the VA. Absent VA support, they are just like any other homeless person. COVID funding is drying up and traditional homeless funding generally pays for 60 days or less for temporary housing.

Asylum seekers support is paid for by the federal government and they have a longer transitional support period.

Just so you know, a veteran can only qualify for a veteran housing voucher if they have an honorable discharge, if they can find a landlord willing to accept it. Many homeless have mental health and addiction issues which require supportive services.
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We put A LOT money into the military industrial complex, but do not put nearly enough funding into after-service care. It is like so many other things our government does wrong, we care about people when they are providing "value" to our society in terms of work, time, money, etc., but the second they stop that, we ignore them.

It is shameful how many veterans are homeless in this country. We could very easily expand our social services nets to assure all those who served X number of years gets certain benefits for life. Then again we could also just expand our social services nets to include a lot more people and it would likely not cost what we are paying as a society in terms of health care, elderly care, etc.
 
Hink said:
We put A LOT money into the military industrial complex, but do not put nearly enough funding into after-service care. It is like so many other things our government does wrong, we care about people when they are providing "value" to our society in terms of work, time, money, etc., but the second they stop that, we ignore them.

It is shameful how many veterans are homeless in this country. We could very easily expand our social services nets to assure all those who served X number of years gets certain benefits for life. Then again we could also just expand our social services nets to include a lot more people and it would likely not cost what we are paying as a society in terms of health care, elderly care, etc.
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America actively chooses to perpetuate poverty every single day.

Veteran homelessness has decreased over time. Sometimes the veteran’s groups are the worst discriminators against fellow veterans. I had an American Legion sponsored project to provide permanent housing with project based vouchers (not VA) to homeless veterans sourced through the county’s continuum of care which had a special subcommittee for veterans. We specifically asked about the whole discharge status issue because it is a problem. They said no problem, any veteran shouldn’t be homeless.

When we get to the lease up, we’re reviewing application files and documentation and they say hey this DD-214 say other than honorable discharge…can’t have that because they can’t join the post! Nope, post membership is a separate issue and cannot be required as this is housing. Ah well we need honorably discharged only…and preferably those that served in combat…and not in the reserves…and…They actually asked me why I hated veterans.

Hard stop. After much consultation with attorneys, the state, other orgs we agree to the honorable discharge only requirement for that specific project. And then I got even. The county revised ALL of its veteran related policies to be as inclusive as possible: county funded veterans services and projects may not discriminate on the basis of discharge status, branch of service, length of service, duty station, war or peace time service, and active duty or reserve duty service.

Next time they came knocking on the door for funding we presented them with the policy and they said no way. Three years later they’re still trying to put the financing together for their next project. Every consultant they’ve tried to hire has contacted me and I tell them the story and they all refuse to work with them.

FWIW, the National American Legion fully supports removing as many restrictions as possible to reduce barriers in accessing veterans services and programs.
 
kjel said:
America actively chooses to perpetuate poverty every single day.

Veteran homelessness has decreased over time. Sometimes the veteran’s groups are the worst discriminators against fellow veterans. I had an American Legion sponsored project to provide permanent housing with project based vouchers (not VA) to homeless veterans sourced through the county’s continuum of care which had a special subcommittee for veterans. We specifically asked about the whole discharge status issue because it is a problem. They said no problem, any veteran shouldn’t be homeless.

When we get to the lease up, we’re reviewing application files and documentation and they say hey this DD-214 say other than honorable discharge…can’t have that because they can’t join the post! Nope, post membership is a separate issue and cannot be required as this is housing. Ah well we need honorably discharged only…and preferably those that served in combat…and not in the reserves…and…They actually asked me why I hated veterans.

Hard stop. After much consultation with attorneys, the state, other orgs we agree to the honorable discharge only requirement for that specific project. And then I got even. The county revised ALL of its veteran related policies to be as inclusive as possible: county funded veterans services and projects may not discriminate on the basis of discharge status, branch of service, length of service, duty station, war or peace time service, and active duty or reserve duty service.

Next time they came knocking on the door for funding we presented them with the policy and they said no way. Three years later they’re still trying to put the financing together for their next project. Every consultant they’ve tried to hire has contacted me and I tell them the story and they all refuse to work with them.

FWIW, the National American Legion fully supports removing as many restrictions as possible to reduce barriers in accessing veterans services and programs.
Click to expand...

We've run into similar problems regarding working with the local American Legion posts on veterans programs and I found them to be totally useless when I first got out of the Marine Corps. This has been a well known problem (the American Legion's preference to support only honorably discharged combat veterans) for decades and the American Legion wonders why they're membership has been cratering for years now...

The VFW used to be the same way but they've liberalized their membership requirements over the years and I imagine they've also liberalized who they will support in general and IIRC they've actually seen a slight uptick in membership.

For most programs we've run recently here at the county where we've looked for input from local VSOs, we've found smaller groups like The Marine Corps League and newer organizations like TeamRWB and Operation Rubicon to be much more receptive and easier to work with.
 
WSU MUP Student said:
We've run into similar problems regarding working with the local American Legion posts on veterans programs and I found them to be totally useless when I first got out of the Marine Corps. This has been a well known problem (the American Legion's preference to support only honorably discharged combat veterans) for decades and the American Legion wonders why they're membership has been cratering for years now...

The VFW used to be the same way but they've liberalized their membership requirements over the years and I imagine they've also liberalized who they will support in general and IIRC they've actually seen a slight uptick in membership.

For most programs we've run recently here at the county where we've looked for input from local VSOs, we've found smaller groups like The Marine Corps League and newer organizations like TeamRWB and Operation Rubicon to be much more receptive and easier to work with.
Click to expand...
In our area VFW sites serve mostly as private clubs with full bars and dance floors where towns and counties deep under the bible belt are dry as a bone.
 
WSU MUP Student said:
We've run into similar problems regarding working with the local American Legion posts on veterans programs and I found them to be totally useless when I first got out of the Marine Corps. This has been a well known problem (the American Legion's preference to support only honorably discharged combat veterans) for decades and the American Legion wonders why they're membership has been cratering for years now...

The VFW used to be the same way but they've liberalized their membership requirements over the years and I imagine they've also liberalized who they will support in general and IIRC they've actually seen a slight uptick in membership.

For most programs we've run recently here at the county where we've looked for input from local VSOs, we've found smaller groups like The Marine Corps League and newer organizations like TeamRWB and Operation Rubicon to be much more receptive and easier to work with.
Click to expand...
You know, when I got approached recently by a veterans organization wanting me to join, I had to ask myself why are you asking me now? I mean no one approached me for the past 34 years since I got my DD214 and NOW you want me to be a member? What gives? How exactly do I benefit? So I can swill Miller Lite with a bunch of guys spouting conspiracy theories? And please don't tell me the Reason I should join is so I can contribute to some political lobby group.
 
Maister said:
You know, when I got approached recently by a veterans organization wanting me to join, I had to ask myself why are you asking me now? I mean no one approached me for the past 34 years since I got my DD214 and NOW you want me to be a member? What gives? How exactly do I benefit? So I can swill Miller Lite with a bunch of guys spouting conspiracy theories? And please don't tell me the Reason I should join is so I can contribute to some political lobby group.
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Join Us Bray Wyatt GIF by WWE
 
Was on the east coast about six weeks ago, specifically in NYC and Boston, and I gotta admit, I fully understand why they are all pro-government Wokeheads, they got public transportation that works and is reliable. Imagine living day-to-day there reliant on government owned machines and vehicles and being like, umm, we need to stop Big Government intruding into our lives, our liberties are sacred and it's what matters most. SHEEESH!
 
Wannaplan? said:
Was on the east coast about six weeks ago, specifically in NYC and Boston, and I gotta admit, I fully understand why they are all pro-government Wokeheads, they got public transportation that works and is reliable. Imagine living day-to-day there reliant on government owned machines and vehicles and being like, umm, we need to stop Big Government intruding into our lives, our liberties are sacred and it's what matters most. SHEEESH!
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My family fondly refers to the Philly to Boston corridor as "The Beast". Even though my husband and I are not originally from here, we will never leave The Beast. RT says she will also never leave The Beast. Is it expensive? Yes. Are the taxed high? Yes. We earn well, live well, have good social safety net that offers paid family leave and paid short term disability, and we still have the right to bodily autonomy. Is it perfect? Not by a long shot but it's better than a lot of other places.
 
Maister said:
You know, when I got approached recently by a veterans organization wanting me to join, I had to ask myself why are you asking me now? I mean no one approached me for the past 34 years since I got my DD214 and NOW you want me to be a member? What gives? How exactly do I benefit? So I can swill Miller Lite with a bunch of guys spouting conspiracy theories? And please don't tell me the Reason I should join is so I can contribute to some political lobby group.
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When I asked my father why he wasn't a member he replied "I fought a war with those sonsabitches, why the hell would I wanna drink beer with 'em"?

It was irrefutable logic to my 15 year old brain.
 
Gedunker said:
When I asked my father why he wasn't a member he replied "I fought a war with those sonsabitches, why the hell would I wanna drink beer with 'em"?

It was irrefutable logic to my 15 year old brain.
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My Dad was never a member of such orgs being a Vietnam vet, but instead was a 45 year public servant running and helping run public libraries.

He served his country for about 2-3 years (through the draft) and then served his communities for another 50+ years, so far (he just turned 80).
 
Last edited:
Gedunker said:
When I asked my father why he wasn't a member he replied "I fought a war with those sonsabitches, why the hell would I wanna drink beer with 'em"?

It was irrefutable logic to my 15 year old brain.
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My FIL is a combat veteran and was a Navy officer in the "brown water Navy" riverine force in the early days of Vietnam. He's pretty conservative and pretty civic minded but other than being on the leadership team of the Swift Boat Veterans for Truth and attending some reunions for a ship he was the XO of, he basically has the same view of the VFW and American Legion and other big orgs as Gedunker's dad.
 
michaelskis said:
This does not sit well with me.

www.cbsnews.com

Housing of asylum seekers in Orange County hotel causing tensions

The county executive says around 20 veterans who were living at The Crossroads Hotel had to be relocated.
www.cbsnews.com www.cbsnews.com

Why would someone think it would be ok to further displace homeless veterans to provide housing for asylum seekers?
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It was fake:

www.huffpost.com

Breathless Story About Migrants And Homeless Vets Was A Scam: Reports

A group reportedly rounded up 15 homeless men and let them order whatever they liked from a diner in exchange for posing as mistreated veterans.
www.huffpost.com www.huffpost.com
 
A Texas House Committee just forwarded an impeachment recommendation on Texas AG Ken Paxton. For the uninitiated, this means a Republican controlled committee just recommended impeachment on "one of their own." I'm not completely sure how it is going to shake out, but I definitely welcome the distraction since they've been passing some absolute shit this session. There's only 4 days left of the session. If they start, then they can continue the impeachment process. I wonder if the Governor would call a special session... At that point, we would see if the Governor and Lt. Governor would cut bait on him and let the Senate consume him. I think it is politically advantageous for them since they did take a lot of heat in the last election. Paxton has performed the worst in statewide elections. Where it gets super interesting is that Ken Paxton's wife is a Senator, because why the f*** not Texas?!?

Frankly, the fact that it made it out of committee is a bit surprising and may speak to how bad the stuff is they found. There was an expulsion of a Representative this session for the first time since 1927 (https://www.texastribune.org/2023/05/09/bryan-slaton-expel-house-vote/ (Texas House expels Bryan Slaton, first member ousted since 1927) (Texas House expels Bryan Slaton, first member ousted since 1927)), and it was shockingly unanimous--good to know date rape of an under 21 intern is still looked down upon. As a result, I think the Texas House could move quickly.

There hasn't been an impeachment since 1917 in Texas. What's interesting is following House impeachment, a state leader is immediately suspended pending the trial outcome.

Good summary on the Paxton situation: https://www.texastribune.org/2023/05/25/texas-impeachment-attorney-general-ken-paxton/ (Attorney General Ken Paxton faces impeachment. Here’s how that works in Texas.) (Attorney General Ken Paxton faces impeachment. Here’s how that works in Texas.)
 
Read that he has a Yale law degree, so he is no teaparty savage.

My current best hope is Trump will lose nomination and run as 3rd to split Republican and tip their boat right over the falls into ignominy.
 
A couple random thoughts:

1. I don't ever recall a protest/boycott lasting this long or having this much of an impact on the bottom line.
2. The Sackett decision is not good for environmental protection. The problem in my opinion is that the pendulum has swung too far one way and now it's swung too far the other. If the EPA could have had some common sense and reasonableness to begin with the protections would not have been rolled back nearly as much.
 
The NC Legislature has a bill up that is moving rather quickly.

There has been a significant amount of recent activity regarding SSB675, the ETJ abolition bill, which also basically kills minimum lot sizes in any district for single and two-family dwellings. For more than 20 years, our county commissioners have not allowed ETJ expansion so that part really doesn't matter. There is one area we'd like to retain, but...

The bigger issue for us is the minimum lot sizes. We don't require large lots anyway (largest minimum is 15,000 sf) in our SF-only zoning district.

 
I think they're trying to pull this no lot size crap in every state. We have essentially the same thing, but add in design review cuts. We don't have ETJ so that's not an issue. I think our minimum lot size is under 5000.
 
Hawkeye66 said:
No conservatives actually work in local government do they? Besides like front like Street workers.
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You'd be surprised. There's a good number of them in local government in Texas. As a note, I'll differentiate this from being Republican as a large number of them are not affiliating with Trump GOP (or the Texas GOP mess).

There's a few planning directors, quite a few city finance directors and city engineers, and I'd say probably half of city managers lean conservative in TX.
 
Suburb Repairman said:
A Texas House Committee just forwarded an impeachment recommendation on Texas AG Ken Paxton. For the uninitiated, this means a Republican controlled committee just recommended impeachment on "one of their own." I'm not completely sure how it is going to shake out, but I definitely welcome the distraction since they've been passing some absolute shit this session. There's only 4 days left of the session. If they start, then they can continue the impeachment process. I wonder if the Governor would call a special session... At that point, we would see if the Governor and Lt. Governor would cut bait on him and let the Senate consume him. I think it is politically advantageous for them since they did take a lot of heat in the last election. Paxton has performed the worst in statewide elections. Where it gets super interesting is that Ken Paxton's wife is a Senator, because why the f*** not Texas?!?

Frankly, the fact that it made it out of committee is a bit surprising and may speak to how bad the stuff is they found. There was an expulsion of a Representative this session for the first time since 1927 (https://www.texastribune.org/2023/05/09/bryan-slaton-expel-house-vote/ (Texas House expels Bryan Slaton, first member ousted since 1927) (Texas House expels Bryan Slaton, first member ousted since 1927)), and it was shockingly unanimous--good to know date rape of an under 21 intern is still looked down upon. As a result, I think the Texas House could move quickly.

There hasn't been an impeachment since 1917 in Texas. What's interesting is following House impeachment, a state leader is immediately suspended pending the trial outcome.

Good summary on the Paxton situation: https://www.texastribune.org/2023/05/25/texas-impeachment-attorney-general-ken-paxton/ (Attorney General Ken Paxton faces impeachment. Here’s how that works in Texas.) (Attorney General Ken Paxton faces impeachment. Here’s how that works in Texas.)
Click to expand...

Update: The Texas House moved swiftly, impeaching attorney general Paxton with 121 of 149 voting for impeachment only a matter of hours after receiving the committee recommendation. Paxton, in a special act of idiocy considering the charges related to abuse of power, chose to call several representatives personally to threaten them. Paxton has been removed pending Senate trial outcome. The House officially delivered the articles of impeachment to the Senate today, which will force the Senate to schedule. Stay tuned... this is gonna get good...

Oh, and Ted Cruz is defending Paxton, because of course he is.
 
This was never an issue for much of my career. We worked with politicians of both parties. I still work with them. Its getting harder though. In some ways I feel like I am violating my own principles even living in my home state anymore, let alone working for its improvement. The people I work for and I are very ideologically different than me. I don't know how long that is sustainable.
 
Hawkeye66 said:
No conservatives actually work in local government do they? Besides like front like Street workers.
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I'm in a big enough city that I get a mix. The fire plan reviewer around the corner from me is a pro Trump guy or actually more of a not a Democrat guy. Nice guy, we just don't talk politics around him. My boss leans a little more left. Most of us tend to be fiscally conservative and appreciate the idea of reduced government, but don't really lean that far right. I have no idea what the political views of the city manager or department heads are because they keep that under wraps.

When I worked in Kansas it was more pro right leaning versus left. Nothing crazy, just more conservative. At least at the staff level.
 
Hawkeye66 said:
This was never an issue for much of my career. We worked with politicians of both parties. I still work with them. Its getting harder though. In some ways I feel like I am violating my own principles even living in my home state anymore, let alone working for its improvement. The people I work for and I are very ideologically different than me. I don't know how long that is sustainable.
Click to expand...
This is something that has definitely changed... polarity has crept into local government at increasing frequency, especially nationalization of local politics. It is very frustrating. I also don't think political ideology should be obvious in an office culture--to me that indicates some level of toxicity present.
 
Suburb Repairman said:
This is something that has definitely changed... polarity has crept into local government at increasing frequency, especially nationalization of local politics. It is very frustrating. I also don't think political ideology should be obvious in an office culture--to me that indicates some level of toxicity present.
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I am professional and when I got into this career I understood that I would not be a member of a political party or do yard signs or contributions or anything political. I accept it and treat all sides the same in my job.

If my council members knew my actual view on things, I likely would not last a year. No matter how good I am at my job and I think I am pretty good at it.
 
Hawkeye66 said:
No conservatives actually work in local government do they? Besides like front like Street workers.
Click to expand...

I grew up as a conservative and there are still al lot of the principals that I agree with. But not all and I always vote split ticket. I believe that there is no one party that best fits my personal fundamental beliefs and it drives people mad. They automatically assume that if I don't vote D, then I am an R, and if I don't vote R then I vote D.

However, I have worked with two conservative/libertarians in my department over the past few years. I have also worked with three liberals, one of which is also an environmentalist. They are all great people, open minded about others ideas and beliefs, and I appreciate the conversations that we have because it makes our community better.
 
I worked in a busy P&Z office when boy Bush attacked Iraq. I and the planner could not stay mum while all the staff cheered, brought TV's in and played the non stop coverage all day at high volume. It made a toxic environment.
 
Suburb Repairman said:
This is something that has definitely changed... polarity has crept into local government at increasing frequency, especially nationalization of local politics. It is very frustrating. I also don't think political ideology should be obvious in an office culture--to me that indicates some level of toxicity present.
Click to expand...

Our town is pretty conservative, and I've noticed our Council has become much more into a conservative/partisan role than they used to be. As a result, we also have a few other directors that are pretty conservative as well; I consider myself pretty moderate, but I'm sure I'd be viewed as a "bleeding heart liberal" if I talked about my viewpoints.

I do have to laugh at issues in our community as each group considers the opposing viewpoint as "the liberals doing this," when they're all highly Trump republicans.
 
Suburb Repairman said:
Update: The Texas House moved swiftly, impeaching attorney general Paxton with 121 of 149 voting for impeachment only a matter of hours after receiving the committee recommendation. Paxton, in a special act of idiocy considering the charges related to abuse of power, chose to call several representatives personally to threaten them. Paxton has been removed pending Senate trial outcome. The House officially delivered the articles of impeachment to the Senate today, which will force the Senate to schedule. Stay tuned... this is gonna get good...

Oh, and Ted Cruz is defending Paxton, because of course he is.
Click to expand...
Another update... Senate trial to start no later than August 28th. A committee has been formed to recommend rules and procedures by June 20th.

More interesting twists for y'all:
  • Paxton delivered binders outlining his defense to each Senator. The Senate is his jury. The lead impeachment manager (again, a fellow Republican) has already called this jury tampering.
  • Paxton's mistress features significantly in this whole thing, particularly the bribery charge. This means that Paxton's wife, a Senator, will get to hear an awful lot about her husband's escapades. She has stuck by him... we'll see if she continues to do so in the face of embarrassment in front of her senate colleagues. She seems likely to recuse, but if she wants to raise her political capital she should turn on him and vote to convict.
  • Also, most of Paxton's problems connect back to his relationship with a real estate developer... so it is like I'm watching a live action Carl Hiaasen novel.
 
On the Fox News website, there are 51 'top stories' - none include the breaking news about tRump's taped conversation concerning the classified documents he kept.

Not surprised, just noticing.
 
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