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When Southwest expanded it was a very nice airline to fly.Now the turnaround time is so short, the planes are not properly cleaned,the squeeze as many passengers ontothe planes as they can and have raisedthe prices so high, it makes you want to drive or take a train.The failure to provide adequate and decent service falls on the Board and Mr. Jordan andhis associates who put un-necessary profits ahead of the needs of their line employees and their passengers.He and the board should have to resign for the good of Southwest and the nation.
| yes | 6,556 |
Me Well, in 2022 Congress did approve $80 billion dollars to overhaul and update the IRS so that agency can more effectively hold the wealthiest few percent of Americans accountable for the taxes they owe. That investment is expected to generate $180 billion in additional tax revenues over the next 10 years. One also hopes that the beefed-up IRS staffing will make our lives a little less miserable when we have to call IRS with our tax questions.Of course, one of the first moves by the Republican House of Representatives, upon taking power this month, was to rescind that IRS funding.As another commenter here notes, please don't lump all Congresscritters together. Some of them are trying to do the right thing for the working class ... and some only care about the interests of their plutocratic overlords.
| yes | 5,043 |
I spent a day in Kibera, back in 2012. I believe they had just installed their first first bank of community toilets. Yours is a remarkable story. I was privileged to have a host who lived there, be provided a full walkabout, and an explanation of their progress. The horrific mountains of trash, open sewage, and painful density, made an impression. But. But. By and large, as I walked their grounds, almost all of them had smiles. They seemed contented. Anyhow, it's wonderful, this newer and significant attention being paid to them. (John Cooper Los Angeles)
| no | 1,923 |
It depends on your definition of making ends meet. NYC is a very expensive place and $100k, while a very good income in many parts of the country, is not a lot in NYC.
| yes | 8,863 |
FB You argue like it is all or none. This makes no sense. It is not true that if the Ukrainians get only 75% of the numbers they ask for, they will lose. Maybe they take back 75% of the land that Russia has stolen. Maybe all of the Donbras but not Crimea. Or some other configuration. But not all or none. Hopefully they will not bomb Vlad's $1.4 Billion dollar palace in Gelendzhik, Krasnodar Krai, Russia.
| no | 2,942 |
At the height of the pandemic, New Yorkers opened their windows daily to cheer for healthcare workers. Now it's time to open their wallets and pay them what they deserve.No one cheers for Wall Street financiers or corporate executives, but that's who gets the money. Next time you have a serious health issue, try going to your nearest Citibank and see how that works out for you.
| yes | 5,039 |
Kenneth Cowan Raising the debt limit is not an "open check book" for anybody. Instead, it's the mechanism by which the federal government supports the current budget, one that (by necessity) was supported by both houses of Congress and the United States president.
| yes | 7,132 |
Chris Just take the $15 and return the alarm clock and find a good alarm clock by reading reddit - that's harder to scam
| no | 2,742 |
Bruce Williams The last improvement to Medicare was when Bush and the Republicans added prescription drug coverage in 2003. The last action Democrats took with respect to Medicare was to defund it to the tune of $0.8 trillion without a single Republican vote in 2010.Now, based on history, who is a threat to Medicare and Social Security?
| no | 3,308 |
TOAMOUSE, well RESTED after Thursday's fumarolic activity from ELMISTIfied. Guess the NYT oughta hang MENUS to warn, "EEK! a Rebus!" (AMI right?) 😉Letters PAIROFF? GEE, it's open seaSEINE on Thursday* RITUALS. Some folks ROIL, then BALE on a great puzzle. A few letters stray from the usual SPEC, the grid gets a lttle CHUNKY, and every RICKY, MAE, and ANYA SEESFIT to IGNITE over SPILT squares. CHEERS to more "ITRY!" *Any day is a good Rebus day
| yes | 9,031 |
scott t If you look at HP's history, the company employed 250,000 employees in 2012 to 60,00o employees now. What does that say about the injustice of improper corporate governance of HP vs Microsoft?
| yes | 8,272 |
"Our system was devised by people who couldn't and didn't foresee the devastating consequences of a two-party system in which the predominant motivation of elected officials is the retention of political power."They knew:"The alternate domination of one faction over another, sharpened by the spirit of revenge, natural to party dissension, which in different ages and countries has perpetrated the most horrid enormities, is itself a frightful despotism. But this leads at length to a more formal and permanent despotism. The disorders and miseries which result gradually incline the minds of men to seek security and repose in the absolute power of an individual; and sooner or later the chief of some prevailing faction, more able or more fortunate than his competitors, turns this disposition to the purposes of his own elevation, on the ruins of public liberty.It serves always to distract the public councils and enfeeble the public administration. It agitates the community with ill-founded jealousies and false alarms, kindles the animosity of one part against another, foments occasionally riot and insurrection. It opens the door to foreign influence and corruption, which finds a facilitated access to the government itself through the channels of party passions. Thus, the policy and the will of one country are subjected to the policy and will of another."--Washington's Farewell Address
| no | 1,577 |
I am writing this on a Dell Inspiron 1545. The Support "Expired 26 DEC 2010". I am running Linux and WIN10, depending on which I boot. This PC has a DVD and 8 Gig of RAM. I have run through 4 or 5 Android phones in the past 13 years but my dependable Dell keeps up OK. (My daughter has 4 or 5 iPhones in that period) I have newer (other brand) PCs but now the CPU is soldered in (not changeable anymore), there is no DVD, etc. Microsoft warns me that I am not WIN11 compatible..... so what! Linux is great if they get uppity.
| no | 2,915 |
Mike Reasonable " A 2% inflation goal means the dollar will lose half its value in 35 years."Bitcoin lost half its in value in 35 WEEKS.
| yes | 8,474 |
It is truly remarkable that there is any support for AI outside of the venture capital and tech corporate mafia that will gain even more wealth and power from it. Anyone with a smart phone, laptop or desktop computer has experienced the problem with believing that computers are infallible. How about the Southwest airlines fiasco over Christmas, or is a month ago too long to remember the problems that can arise from complete dependence on computers. Unless you haven't read anything except the sports section you know that due to algorithms on social media platforms have influenced the outcome of elections and with true AI those platforms will have even more influence. Madison Square Garden management has been using bio-metrics to ban people from their venues and advancements with AI will make it easier for businesses to discriminate against people. The research should be stopped because it is a fantasy to think that open source software and multi billion dollar projects funded by Microsoft and Google, which dropped the do no evil statement because it was only a joke, can ever be regulated.The potential for abuse and evil is far greater than any benefits and for the same reasons that most people and governments are opposed to genetically modifying humans or cloning humans. Pointing to Skynet as the potential risk is like comparing Russia invading Ukraine to an all out nuclear world war 3.
| no | 2,220 |
Yes, we must pay our current bills. We must also wean ourselves off reliance on debt to fund current expenses. Yes, we need to argue the use of funds instead of assuming we have unlimited ability to pay through us of debt. The basic problem is our unwillingness to fully tax on a progressive basis to pay all current expenses. That leads to avoiding difficult discussions on government funding. We have a bloated military budget rife with unnecessary excesses, pork expenditures on international bases and domestic bases for purely political purposes. Let's start here-the foundation of a strong national economy is its people. The cost consequences of desperation and inability to access needs that lead to opportunity are greater than cost of funding a foundational platform with universal healthcare, education, shelter, nutrition, and entry level employment. It pays for itself. Eliminating the cost of desperation plus increased productivity and innovation makes us stronger. Ending unnecessary wars, ending the theory of "we must be blooded" to be relied on as part of our military alignments, creating a simple progressive tax system eliminating cheats & the need for experts whose only job is to frustrate tax collection, removing all restraints on competition in business thus monopoly power aligned with mergers & acquisition rather than innovation for growth & profit. Debt is keeping us from making hard choices.
| no | 2,090 |
The oldest road in New York State is Old Albany Post Road. Six miles of the original road remains today - unpaved. It is listed on the New York State and National Registers of Historic Places, yet it is under constant threat of paving. The problem with all dirt roads in New York begins with material. The material used on roads is made up of sand, stones, and sometimes asphalt - whatever the supplier wants to sell. What is missing from the material is a binder - something to strengthen and harden the material. Bentonite is one such binder. I realize road material speak isn't as sexy as talking about the history and scenery of unpaved back roads, but with proper material the towns can keep their rural characteristics without much fuss. With proper material and maintenance, dirt roads are less likely to wash away or washboard. The roads are less likely to get dusty when dry. Road material with a binder cuts costs because towns won't have to buy as much material. The $100k spent on road material is already cheaper than the million-dollar-a-mile cost to pave. Paved roads need maintenance too - chip and seal isn't cheap. If town highway superintendents were to demand proper material, then their maintence costs go down - it might even improve maintenance practices. Unpaved back roads bring visitors to small towns which brings customers to small businesses and restaurants. Town leaders should do their best to properly maintain them. That begins with the proper material.
| yes | 5,954 |
David The for-profit insurance lobby spends millions every year making sure that our tax dollars are never--ever--spent on free health care for all. The result: millions of Americans can't afford to see a doctor. Millions of Americans go bankrupt or start GoFundMe and beg for money to pay medical bills. Millions of Americans ration drugs that cost 4x what the same drug costs in Canada. This is what for-profit "health care" has done.
| yes | 9,819 |
When Mitt Romney mentioned the campaign-sinking '49% of this country that doesn't pay Federal taxes', who thought it'd be hovering around 61% in 2023?? Top 1% in California carry 49% of the tax burden. 41,000 filers in NYC fund 40% of the city. The issue is, it isn't low taxes. It's a workforce where a majority pay almost no Federal taxes or get full refunds, while hoping business and those who do well keep picking up the tab. We keep hearing "fair share!'. Fair share would be a minimum bottom rate of 5% on everyone. Social Security tax already has been raised on incomes from 120k to 140k. Beneficiary IRA rules got changed for more aggressive taxation. All to keep feeding the Defense budget and US Government.Mathematically, the top 10% of this country keep this thing running financially, with regression rates as you get into the top 1%. If you're not paying, you're taking.
| yes | 5,163 |
Why did Paul Krugman miss a critical piece of the puzzle? We pay into social security and Medicare in order to receive the benefits. This is NOT a government give away. We earned it. We (employees and employers) pay in 12.4% of wages each and every year. Self employed pay the the whole thing themselves. That is why people are so upset when you say you are cutting it. Personally I figured I have to live to around 88 to get everything back (at a conservative investment rate). Highly unlikely to happen. It is NOT insolvent. These politicians are insolvent and bankrupt of any ideas or decency.
| no | 2,084 |
I wish I had something clever and pithy to say in response to this column about perception vs. reality, but I don't...because the reality is so stark.I feel sure tens of millions of Americans will agree with me that for the past 2 years we've been experiencing 20% to 30% increases in the grocery store, as well as for other necessities like clothing, health insurance, medications, and anything to do with home improvement or maintenance. Not to mention rent. I paid $900 a month in rent in 2021,up to $1,200 in 2022 and now topping $1400 a month for 2023. Moreover, this reality is occurring in my upstate New York community - never fully recovered from the Great Recession and likely of the verge of default if it were not for stimulus funds - which has one of the highest rates of poverty in the nation and lagged behind NYS and the country in median household income by upwards of 6% in 2019.I think "economic experts" should be required to visit half a dozen brick and mortar stores each week before they file their stories, reports and columns......then they would see the stark difference between the perception and the reality of our economy.
| yes | 9,343 |
This millennial believes that Earth, Wind, and Fire is the greatest band of all time. In my small hometown, our incredible high school marching band director decided to field an EWF show. All year long, teens cruised the main drag blasting their music. Now many years later, EWF is one of the only choices my extended family can agree upon when we are together. Their music was also some of the last that my late mother would respond to, as she descended into the worst of Alzheimer's. We all treasured EWF's reminder to "keep our head to the sky" during these recent difficult years. The only birthday gift I bought myself last year was an Earth, Wind, and Fire t-shirt, and I dance to their music at home at least weekly!Rest in peace Fred. Thank you and condolences to the extended White family. Your collective life's work has given so much joy and hope across generations.
| yes | 6,600 |
Steve - I agree completely. Have you heard the right wing argument that the poor should pay, because there are more of them? It's the same one they use to say, "we can afford to pay the CEO another ten million, but a fifty cent raise is too much for the serfs, they are too numerous.
| yes | 6,380 |
I think ADUs are a great idea. They are good for extended families, as in the article. They also increase the housing supply, especially as rental apartments for young single people and couples without children.Twenty years ago, I served on the planning commission for my hometown of Durham, NC -- a city and county of about 300,000 people. I believe that many zoning regulations are too restrictive. And that these restrictions have contributed to the housing unaffordability.Many of the most stable and attractive pre-war neighborhoods include granny flats. And a mix of single-family homes and duplexes. And often some small apartments. And they often have small neighborhood commercial districts, with a couple of restaurants, stores, hair salons, etc. All within walking distance. Sadly, it is illegal to build these types of neighborhoods or to do infill development in this tradition in many places today. Because of overlying restrictive zoning laws.My great grandparents built a house in the Trinity Park neighborhood in Durham in 1929, and raised four daughters there. In retirement, they sold the house and moved a few blocks away into a duplex. Later, they moved into an apartment in the same neighborhood. They were able to stay in the same community throughout all these phases of their life. Including connections with their neighbors, of various ages and generations.
| no | 3,196 |
Come on, this and Ted Lasso for $5/month! And cancel when you’re through. Worth the complication.
| yes | 9,593 |
Ukraine is the largest country in Europe and has enormous agricultural resources as well as huge undeveloped energy potential. It is in Europe’s best interests to keep it free from Russia and open to Western commerce and economic development. Ukraine has the potential to be vastly more prosperous than Russia. It is in the US’s best interests to stand by its guarantee of territorial integrity made in exchange for the voluntary denuclearization undertaken after the breakup of the Soviet Union and independence 30 years ago, although Russia has clearly reneged on that guarantee which they also made and therefore has proven that nuclear weapons (as well as NATO membership) are the only real guarantee of sovereignty from expansionist imperial powers.
| yes | 5,093 |
Meanwhile, the Justice Department is still "debating" whether or not Trump committed a crime by trying to violently overthrow the government, and whether or not George Santos should be investigated for "lending" $700,000 to his own election campaign from his $55,000 a year salary.Two words. Neither of which can be printed in this paper.
| yes | 6,325 |
A heating crisis in winter is nothing new in Northern China. What’s different this time is that local governments had spent most available resources on implementing Xi Jinping’s – now scrapped – strict zero-Covid policy that they no longer can maintain adequate gas supplies for households. Many towns and cities even lack the money to pay their own staff. Although Beijing has ordered local governments to keep residents warm, it didn't provide fuel subsidies. For decades the government had subsidised heating in northern China. But burning coal came at the cost of air pollution, affecting Beijing itself. Since then coal gave way to natural gas. Subfreezing temperatures in the Hebei province that surrounds Beijing have left residents without heat. Households receive only limited volume of gas for heating and cooking. Due to Xi Jinping's relations with Putin, China has been able to maintain enough gas in winter. Before the invasion of Ukraine, the EU was Russia’s biggest energy buyer. Due to EU sanctions, China increased its imports from Russia immediately, digging deep in the pockets. Toward the later half of 2012 Beijing had been able to secure Russian gas at 50% discount. This winter, the wholesale cost of gas has surged in China. Distributors are allowed to pass on extra costs to industrial and business users, but not to private consumers. When prices soar, companies are said to have a bigger incentive to sell to industrial and commercial users than to households.
| yes | 5,837 |
Ivermarkt I live in the Tenderloin. They open more shelters during this weather and I am not seeing many out there. The ones who are left are pretty bad or they have vicious dogs that are not allowed in shelters. Homeless Outreach circle the streets constantly. Many leave in the Winter for warmer climes. They used to do the same when I lived in Ventura and am sure Pasadena does as well
| yes | 5,696 |
The digital genie is out of the bottle. Anything we do to restrict A.I. advancement will not be honored by the likes of Putin, China, or N. Korea. It would be gross negligence if our military did not have an advanced A.I. weapons program. This week I watched a Boston Dynamics humanoid robot climb and do backflips and saw drones bomb enemy combatants, yet we can't stop cybercrime. The cat's out of the bag, the horse left the barn, and the digital genie is out of the bottle.For a Congressman who codes, this is a somewhat eye-opening, if not scary, admission that our elected officials may not have a clue.Any hope of combating, let alone regulating, A.I. would require being at the forefront of A.I. advancement; hopefully, DARPA is all-in, even if they must keep Congress in the dark.Regarding consumer misuse of A.I., go ahead and form a committee. Still, again, election manipulation by foreign adversaries was done on Fox, Facebook, and Twitter, and you can't even stop cybercrime, so good luck with a committee. It's hard to imagine regulating A.I. when we lack so much I.
| yes | 7,590 |
Ellen I think he won't step down because he will also immediately owe someone scary that $700,000 campaign donation.
| no | 4,678 |
And while he is at it, Sunak also promises to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 75% and improve the taste of my homemade lasagna by 22%.But seriously folks, Rishi Sunak is in an impossible situation. To grow the British economy, he needs un- and semi-skilled labor. Given that UK decided to leave the EU, enticing Romanians and Poles is a dead end. So, the labor will have to come from elsewhere - India, Thailand, Vietnam and such. And to reduce waiting times at NHS hospitals, he needs doctors and nurses from somewhere. And the British public is not about to open the floodgates to new immigration.This is what happens when people vote without bothering to understand the long-term impact of their choices.
| no | 473 |
This man has $12 million.Cry me a river.
| no | 3,433 |
Jd PG&E & SoCal Edison are squarely to blame for our power grid problems. It's insane to let privately held companies own the grid, returning profits to shareholders every quarter, when they literally profit further by refusing to invest in the changes we need to make. PG&E is a 3 time convicted felon, the last time resulting in 84 guilty counts of manslaughter. That they're allowed to exist at all speaks to the corporate dominance of politics. Republicans have no interest in breaking up or regulating PG&E, and Democrats, just barely so. We know who to blame for our energy woes and what we need to do. #BreakupPGE
| no | 195 |
Robert G,But democrats proved this last midterm that it can be done, we can take the house and expand our majority in the Senate. Like they say in the investment business, past performance isn't indicative of future performance.
| yes | 8,210 |
Dan Thoma Forgive me but I think you missed the point, rather than made one here. Bitcoin was valued at $61K and now is either $17K or $21K. I think that the author said that it's real value is zero no matter what it trades for. Soon, people will realize that, and the magical thinking will end. That is the day that crypto in fact has no real value at all. The "value" today is based upon a lingering magical thinking, not a slightly decreased "real" value.
| no | 809 |
St.Simeon Correct, it is called barrier to entry. The barrier in the regulated taxi business is the medallion, and in most cities is simply called a license and the number is limited based on the population. No such thing exists for the app driving business resulting in too many on the roads, diluting earnings and clogging traffic. In Boise in 1979 licenses were limited to roughly 15 for a city of 80,000, I earned the present equivalent of about $35,000/yr - while paying $75 for rent.
| no | 1,117 |
The product may be new, but the crime is pretty old-fashioned...SBF is your run-of-the-mill criminal, no different from Madoff or Ponzi. His pleas of innocence and negligence are as hollow as his personality. He knew what he was doing. You don't accidentally create a web of dozens of shell companies that are nearly impossible to connect. And, after claiming no assets, somehow a large 9-figure investment in Robinhood was uncovered. He may know coding, but he never believed in the viability of crypto, and was in it to get rich, hiding behind this "effective altruism" mantra. As Linda Richman (from the golden days of SNL) would say: "Talk among yourselves. Here is the topic - effective altruism. Which was neither effective nor the altruism".The bail that he was released on is a total joke: the house at Stanford belongs to Stanford, and is worth 4-5mm. But that's a different rant...
| yes | 7,402 |
Oh, Biden should absolutely state his intention up front to get around the debt ceiling by any means necessary, whether or not he gets any cooperation from across the aisle. If the 20 or so Republicans who managed to win in blue leaning districts by pushing moderation won't stand up to McCarthy and his handlers in the MAGA caucus they'll be losing their seats in 2024. Try the discharge petition. If you can't get enough buy-in or they drag their feet and you run out of time, start minting coins.Frankly, I think Biden should also consider declaring an economic emergency and forcing a continuing resolution should the right wing loonies attempt to force a government shutdown in September. It's ridiculous that we ALLOW government shutdowns to be an actual thing. Time we fixed that. Force them back to the table for some old fashioned horse trading. Otherwise everything stays funded at the current level until they sit down and talk. If Janet Yellen won't go along with this, replace her. Biden can do what Trump did. Rotate acting Treasury Secretaries into the position every 7 months (the maximum allowed without Senate confirmation). Keep paying out from Treasury accounts, keep the funds flowing. This may require ignoring SCOTUS if they try to weigh in. Good. It's got to happen sometime, might as well be over something crucial like this. A handful of extremists dictating terms to all 330 million Americans is NOT democracy.
| yes | 7,036 |
Paul Krugman -- I think it's scary that you don't mention that our net household wealth is about $135 Trillion, and that it grew about $70 trillion in the last 10 years, when the published 'to the penny' national debt grew about $12 trillion.We have the money. We the top 5%, that is. And we are all in this together, so We have the money.It's not MMT to say we have $135 Trillion, and growing, to secure $31 Trillion in debt. But much of that debt is bad debt. [ later ]Renters pay wealth tax. Renters pay *all* of the property tax of their landlords, who take the deduction. Pass through, yes, but renters should get the deduction. Mortgage holders pay wealth tax -- on the bank's wealth, too, which is the majority of our assessed price. The wealthy do not pay wealth tax in any meaningful way. It's called for, but no proponent will say *what our net wealth is*So if you're going to let them go on and on about our debt, and forward the lie -- after all if you have $135 in one pocket, and an IOU for $31 in another pocket, you are not in debt! -- say our wealth, too!Look up the national wealth clock -- tia, b.rad
| no | 4,844 |
RLW You seem to forget the GOP mastery of deflection, they somehow always make it appear to be the Dems' fault. Afghanistan withdrawal (poorly negotiation by TFG), people flooding the border (who is talking 24/7 about "open borders" to the glee of the coyotes? Not the administration or any dem politician, but all the GOP fear peddlers and Fox), deficit due to what? Unpaid for tax cuts, defanged IRS that is pursuing 70% fewer audits of rich people than 10 years ago, inflated defense budgets, all GOP stuff. So trust them to say the issue is all Biden's fault.
| no | 2,147 |
Tom If an advisor only spends an hour on an account (and it rarely would be that low) but saves me $50,000+, that is an incredible return on investment.Yes, we should always evaluate the ROI, but we're not paying for time with an hourly employee. We're paying for value delivered based on expertise and knowledge.
| yes | 7,823 |
ARL : In Minnesota, it was Republican legislators who were uninterested in expanding broadband to rural areas, perhaps because they knew that such systems would not be profitable for private interests and because of their knee-jerk antipathy toward any government-funded projects.
| yes | 6,829 |
Both parties are guilty of enriching themselves. There’s no reason a former politician needs to make 250,000 thousand for a speech held by the people who donated to their campaign. It happens anyways. For those who get to be the speaker the profits are nearly unlimited and I imagine McCarty is gleefully imagining being a celebrity. It’s all very sad
| no | 3,534 |
Endless argumentation over this, diet, lifestyle, health and longevity.I'm 61, healthy and feel great. Probably genetic as my parents and grandparents were long lived and no chronic disease, despite smoking and drinking and so forth.It's common sense, which seems to be lacking. The main cause, I think, is the disconnect between producing food and the modern consumer. As in, the US agricultural industrial complex is not interested in your health, they are interested selling questionable "food" products at high margins.When we checkout, you will find whole ingredients, salad, vegetables, fruits, flour, cereals, milk, cheese, yogurt, eggs, nuts, honey, chicken, turkey, occasional beef. This is the stuff we use to cook our main meals. Minimal stuff in a box or can or jar. And if so, its whole grain crackers, beans, vegetables. No soda, no sugar, no processed or convenience foods or very minimal. Organic when that's the best option. It's not cheap. We consider it an investment in our health.Check out the other person's cart. Boxes of stuff from the frozen food aisle, case of soda, some hoho's, snacks, hot dogs and so forth. It's like they skip the produce section. Says it all.Shop for whole foods and cook. Stay hydrated. Get your sleep. Stay active. Avoid stress.I took a 20k pay cut and a less stressful job, where I could be home with my family and actually have a life and time for other interests. We had to sacrifice in other areas, but the benefits are priceless.
| yes | 6,012 |
In late 1979 or 1980 or thereabout, I was invited backstage by Iggy's manager before a performance at Paterson College. I was a grad student at another university, researching Punk as a social phenomena, and studying crowd behavior. I was introduced to the performers who were snorting coke before they went on stage. I remember seeing at least one open liquor bottle. I then sat with the audience. During the performance in the front row was a young woman I assumed to be a student, excitedly participating, dancing and singing and jumping up and down. After a while Iggy repeatedly gestured for her to come closer, which she eventually did. Iggy reached down and aggressively pulled her onstage, including by her long hair. I was horrified to watch her being hit and kicked until she slid off the stage onto the floor, and rose into her seat where she appeared to remain, quiet and confused. It did not appear to be rehearsed, the blows looked and sounded very real. During the beginning of the beating there was a split second of reduced rants from the audience, then everyone just seemed to accept the experience and continued as before if nothing disturbing or dangerous was happening. I was shocked and amazed how the audience reacted--by its general lack of concern, and how there were chants promoting the beating. I expected some kind of official response, but as I repeatedly looked up the isles the exit doors remained closed and unattended. Nothing.
| yes | 9,748 |
Professor Desai has done the best job I've heard of calling out the emperor's new clothes.I saw the same valuation insanity play out in the dot-com bubble (and collapse) in 2000. Lots of investors got rich by investing, cashing out, and repeating. The people who got burned were the skeptics who said, "Giving a high valuation to companies that aren't making money and won't for the foreseeable future just doesn't make sense," but after enough early investors got wealthy, they thought, "Well, maybe all the rules have changed." Like any Ponzi scheme, the last people in are the ones who get burned.Professor Desai is particularly accurate in noting that Facebook, Google, etc. aren't making money from fabulous new technology; they're making money by selling ads, just like newspapers or broadcast TV. We Work was never more than a real estate company. Looking at WeWork and FTX, we (the public) seem to have a soft spot in our hearts (and a hole in our heads) when it comes to disheveled young men who say politically correct things, and promise that the future will be wonderful and magical if only we believe (and give them our money).
| yes | 9,394 |
Ya but you don't do anything but launch ridiculous investigations. I seriously worry about the deb limit though I hope we can find 5 normal Republicans so the US doesn't default.I do wonder if there is an opening for Democrats to support McCarthy and his group in exchange for dumping the Hastert Rule. Thus, Dems even in the minority could potentially get legislation onto the floor for a vote and see if they can recruit any Republicans to join.
| no | 2,483 |
$7.8 trillion = the Trump deficit. Now, with a Democratic president principles like a balanced budget really matter...It's totally laughable were it not so hypocritical...
| yes | 6,085 |
The New Deal set in motion a government that worked for the people by providing a safety net in the form of social security, unemployment insurance, and the encouragement of unions for workers. Democrats later expanded that with programs like Medicare, Medicaid. Until Ronald Reagan was elected, these programs were paid for with progressive taxation with ever rising rates on the very rich. Even Dwight Eisenhower did not object to these tax rates. Starting with Reagan the Republicans have progressively lowered tax rates on the wealthy with an ever widening margin between the richest haves, the middle haves, and the have nots. Biden and his administration have persistently tried to implement policies that work for ordinary Americans, not just the affluent. There is lots more to be done, but the right direction has been set.
| yes | 5,211 |
At my local CVS Sensodyne toothpaste was $4.50 pre-pandemic. It jumped to $6.50 as inflation went up. It now costs $9.50. Maybe car buying has slowed but the price of everyday things continues to go up.
| yes | 9,428 |
$1 trillion dollars seems like a lot of money until you look at how much it costs to build roads, tunnels, etc. Given that some prioritisation will have to take place I think some nation-building power infrastructure upgrades, announced early on, that are focused on the accelerating the expected boom in green energy would be wise, as would a heap of water infrastructure upgrades focused on counteracting the debilitating effects of the drying climate on water supply. Any major spends like the tunnel should also meet some sort of 'climate change' test to make sure they will be fit-for-future-purpose, eg as river and sea levels rise.
| no | 1,820 |
ChatGPT obituary for Noma:It is with great sadness that we announce the passing of Noma Restaurant in Copenhagen. For over two decades, Noma has been a beacon of culinary excellence, earning numerous accolades and international recognition for its innovative and boundary-pushing approach to Nordic cuisine.Founded in 2003 by Chef René Redzepi, Noma quickly rose to become one of the most highly regarded restaurants in the world. Its unique blend of traditional Scandinavian ingredients and modern cooking techniques earned it two spots at the top of the prestigious World's 50 Best Restaurants list, as well as four stars from the Michelin Guide.Noma's impact extended far beyond the walls of its restaurant. Through its influential pop-ups, collaborative dinners, and educational initiatives, Noma inspired and nurtured a new generation of chefs and food enthusiasts.The entire Noma team is deeply grateful for the support and admiration of its loyal guests and the global culinary community. Noma will be greatly missed, but its legacy will continue to inspire and influence the culinary world for years to come.
| yes | 5,522 |
Eric B Wordle 569 3/6* Skill Luck W/L⬜⬜⬜🟩⬜ 77 77 39 "Decent, Lucky"🟩🟨⬜🟩⬜ 91 85 1 "Terrific 🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩 99Skill 95 Luck 81My vowel heavy starter did not seem lucky except for the location of the one letter it revealed. The second guess was the first word I thought of that fit the pattern. It left just one possibility for the third choice, a word that did not come to mind quickly. I think this game will be a challenge for many.Kudus to Great Lakes on his "super surprising" duece!Yesterday's Wordle 568 3/6* Skill Luck W/L 🟨⬜🟨⬜🟨 91 97 4 Atone⬜🟨⬜🟨🟨 99 33 1 Cameo 🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩 99 Opera Skill 99 Luck 65Yesterday, I saved a copy of my game before the thread disappeared along with many other threads and contributions. A favorite opener turned out to be an especially lucky start. I thought I might have a two-fer with "cameo." No deuce, but it did leave just one word for the solution in 3-steps and beat the Bot by 1. Congrats to Outside Observer, Bit, Christy, and Suz on their brilliant two-fers yesterday.!Happy Monday. Have a great week!
| yes | 5,363 |
Alan Yungclas Their goal is to attack SSI and medicare while passing tax cuts for the rich.This is what they did with Obama. Under no circumstances should democrats compromise. Our voters will hold you accountable. Moderates like Sinema and Manchin that are celebrated could have assisted us in bypassing all this nonsense by raising the ceiling. They could have also passed expanding voter protections and ending gerrymandering which would have given us a democratic house. Moderates did not and assisted republicans so here we are. How is the incrementalism going folks. Enjoying your SSI and Medicare being targeted yet? And nearly every other social safety net? While they try and tack in a corporate tax cut is my guess.If the moderates want to cut SSI and Medicare by all means stand with republicans to do so while rewarding this bad behavior of thermal nuclear economic destruction. And ask yourselves, what will the media defend?So Wall Street funds a group of morons that threaten thermal nuclear economic destruction. Really tired of this idiocy. Pay your taxes dudes. And media do a better job.
| no | 4,010 |
Private Equity's game is simple and has not changed since they began their acquisition game.Essentially, it's all about cutting costs to the max, charging more for same services or reduced services and then loading up the company with debt while the Private Equity company enriches themselves.Once the company is no longer viable, they just sell it off along with its debt or simply let it die. Either way, at this point, it is irrelevant as the Private Equity firm has already reaped X times the profit from their initial investment.This is very similar to something known as cellar boxing viable companies listed on the stock market. Drive a company into the ground, then pretend to come to its rescue by loading it up with debt, and run off with the cash like a bank robber. Short Hedge Funds, with help from Private Equity companies, have been and continue doing this to many a good company.Isn't America great? So many lives ruined due to almighty greed.
| no | 911 |
Economics probably ranks low in the average man or woman's horizon. For most Americans, life's a struggle, but we do not blame Washington or the political parties; we blame ourselves. The only people who follow the economic projections are those that it least affects, the upper middle class and the wealthy—those with incomes that primarily come from investments.Environmentalists see the sky falling because of global warming. Retired generals see a mad Russian autocrat starting a general European war. Union people blame China for every closed factory. Microbiologists predict another pandemic. Pittsburghers tire of a lackluster football season for the Steelers. Political enthusiasts are trying to keep the embers alive, but the circus in Washington is turning into a yawner. There is one hidden bomb in the economy, the same that has plagued this country thrice in the last forty-three years: inflated asset bubbles. The big banks, brokerage houses, real estate investment trusts, hedge funds, and the like are nothing more than speculators feeding a massive Ponzi scheme, and that is not a conspiracist raving. There is simply too much money floating around, and it naturally finds assets to artificially inflate. The Fed is trying to deflate the bubble, albeit slowly, but their efforts evade all but academic economists.
| no | 3,849 |
As someone who worked on clean tech for ten years it looks from my perspective that the core problem remains: most effective green technology takes years to bake and often comes with lower margins than software apps. Investors are myopic and many will start to lose interest once they realize they can't make billions in three years. We need this technology, but short-term thinking will slow it.
| no | 960 |
Cat I can get a workable Chromebook on sale for less than $200. An Amazon recruiter can't spare $200 for something so essential? That makes little sense to me.
| no | 3,729 |
Putin’s strategic miscalculation has no bounds:- NATO unites and expands- US and Europe come together after Trump frayed this- Neighbouring Ukraine is lost for generations- Eastern European countries recognise Russia threat - Russian army and arms lose credibility massively- Europe knows long run wean away from Russia oil- Sanctions on his supporters - Even China and India warily using situation for gain- Putin loses domestic power except through forceYes war may not end as soon as we want but Putin has no escape route. Sad everyone is also paying the price for this lunatic.
| yes | 7,314 |
As a former rock and roll musician in his early 70s I'd like to underscore how transformative the Truth album was. Jeff Beck essentially invented heavy metal on that record and did so in a way that was sophisticated, tasty and eclectic. Add the amazing vocals of the then-unknown Rod Stewart and you have a masterpiece. It blew me away when it was released. So of course I had to see them when they played the Shrine Auditorium in LA in late 1968. They were mind-blowingly good, and Beck also brought an anarchic vibe that made clear that this exquisitely crafted music was also dangerous. And btw, the Moody Blues and Ten Years After opened the show. Cost of a ticket: $3.00 (about $27.00 in today's money.) Yes, kids, those were the days. RIP, Jeff. You were one of a kind.
| no | 4,670 |
Harry donated the $20 million from Spare to charity.
| no | 378 |
Why didn't Manchin broker a deal when Trump was Pres? The Republicans only care about the debt when there's a Dem in the White House... Here's a deal for you Joe. Rescind those tax cuts you gave the wealthy during the last admin. And then cut the defense budget by 100 billion. Stop giving big tax breaks to all your masters in the oil &coal industry... This Senator is just despicable.
| yes | 8,621 |
"The right step now is to start pushing for realistic bipartisan immigration reform that gives Republicans more money for border wall construction"The border isn't just open terrain. My understanding is that it is beloved land/farms held for hundreds of years by Texan Americans. Some of these folks are actually ethnically latino, because part of Mexico was annexed. How can you place a wall smack in the middle of someone's land? Politicking is just bootlicking. It is just meant to make someone else feel bad. Ask Governor Abbott.
| no | 4,367 |
even for poor average folks, a Big Mac costs $9. but then again, why do Americans hate cooking at home more than any other people on Earth?
| yes | 7,816 |
HZ The point is that the child you speak of does not exist. If you're making the choice of financial independence, chances are you're not going to have a spouse or child. The fact of the matter is that it's extremely difficult for averagely educated people (income $60K-$70K) children to have children by themselves. If you don't have a partner and an extended family to help out, you are priced out of having children. It's not a real choice when you're constrained by your finances to "decide" that children are not for you. No stark example exists than the low birth rate among educated people. Now compare that with the lower classes and often undocumented immigrants and refugees. You're far more likely to find many children and multi-generational households and conservative views, along with the considerably lower standard of living that that brings.
| yes | 8,114 |
JW A very competent dictatorship. The point is not to serve the people but those with power to overthrow the leader. Hence, wealth is taken from the masses and redistributed to the elite. People may grumble but the leadership remains in power. That's how it works.Think about that the next time you pay $350 for a single-dose Epi-Pen that in a true "free market" would only cost $1.00, or why taxing the rich is hugely popular with the public but "somehow" never enacted into law.
| yes | 7,220 |
Just 1 if My husband’s asthma meds, a biologic called Nicaea by GSK is 28 Thousand dollars a month. Yes $28k every month. Fortunately we have insurance that we are now for every chained to, and cannot retire without, but it leaves a massive co-payl. the big Pharma company on the back and offers a program where they provide “financial assistance and oh guess what …they get to write it off on their taxes. They are double dipping. It’s disgusting. 
| yes | 9,548 |
It’s difficult to know where to begin in addressing the many examples of evasion and disingenuousness in Ms. Conway’s opinions (though special mention must be made of the delusional statement that Trump “stared down Putin “). But I wish she had compared Trump’s Groundhog Day-like “infrastructure week” to the astonishing investment in our infrastructure actually achieved by Biden. The current president’s “feckless approach to the economy” might not be great for people like Jared Kushner, but the long game looks better for the country. Then again, history shows that Democratic presidents have long come in to clean up Republicans’ mess. Alternative facts indeed!
| yes | 8,270 |
I do not agree with Bret Stephens suggestion that a universal low flat tax is a good system. Firstly, the term "low" is meaningless. The Government must pay its bills and must keep the rate high enough to pay them, Secondly and more importantly, the flat rate hits the lower income group in their food budget, and in their children's education budget-, etc.---that is, in their necessities budget. For the billionaire, assuming a 10% income of 100 million a year, removing 10% or 10 million and leaving 90 million would mean one yacht less at most. But for the family earning a mere 30,000 a year, removing 3,000 dollars , the flat 10% tax, would mean no meat or vegetables (which are more expensive) to eat. An unfair conservative idea that hurts the poorer sectors of our society. The problem with our present progressive rate system is that it is only progressive for those who cannot afford expensive lawyers and accountants. The present system is so complex ,so full of loopholes that it is possible for the richest to pay the least. To make it fairer, a progressive rate with very few loopholes would be fairest and most efficient.
| yes | 8,217 |
Just in case this has not already been noted in the comments: most of this investment, as well as investment in EV battery and auto manufacturing, wind turbine production and other ‘new age’ technology will be done in Trumplandia in Ohio, Arizona, Tennessee, Alabama and elsewhere. Places where folks rail at ‘Marxist Democrats.’ Places represented by Congressional Republicans who relentlessly opposed the federal legislation that will be bringing jobs by the tens of thousands and economic opportunity to places that desperately need assistance if they’re going to survive in the 21st century.Evidently you can kick a gift horse in the teeth and get away with it.
| yes | 6,045 |
The economy is only bad when it affects you or me, individually. Greater things beyond macroeconomics control our lives in a more intimate manner. Global warming might not directly affect you, but it influences the availability and price of food at the local grocery store. Reducing meat, eggs, dairy, and processed sugary snacks because of price increases makes us healthier—a form of positive behavior modification (diets never work). Covid will eventually draw local communities closer together, or away from mass gatherings. Technology may be making the world smaller, but individual lives are gravitating toward the local.At seventy, I am negotiating a commercial lease for another small business. I halfheartedly offered the landlord half his asking price (a prime location in Downtown Pittsburgh). He not only accepted it, but has offered to do major leasehold improvement, and on his dime. Thus, commercial rents are going down in urban centers, which opens opportunities for serial entrepreneurs like me.The selling point for new Republicans is economic opportunity, which to them means keeping the status quo, or denying covid vaccinations, global warming, and sounding off about immigration and global trade. The future doesn't stop because of a few blowhards in Washington. Government can influence local lives by wise, long-term infrastructure development, forward thinking urban design, reform in healthcare, transportation, energy generation, and yes, immigration.
| no | 497 |
For fifty years wealth has been increasingly siphoned from labor towards the investment class and this has occured with compliant government policies well explained by economists like Stiglitz. However, our "liberal" media generally does a terrible job of explaining this conflict between labor and capital that has gutted the American and even global middle class even while diminishing extreme poverty in parts of the world exploited for cheaper labor. Conservative media (for lack of a better word) has turned the professional class into the villains in the minds of the less academically pedigreed in a deliberate tactic of divide and conquer for the benefit of the most successful of our capitalists. Rupert Murdoch has led this charge, but more subtle manipulation has also been funded with the wealth of scores of plutocrats who believe they have earned their share of this huge transferal of wealth. When climatologists are accused of corruption for damaging the reputation of fossil fuels, you know our media is corrupt. Soon we may learn what happens when AI replaces jobs and reduces the salaries of the professional class that has avoided most of the consequences of this huge shift in wealth at the expense of the less educated. Perhaps this will be what shakes the current trend and makes a more constructive divide that allows democracy to perform its responsibility of adjusting economic policy to avoid aristocracy and authoritarian governments that enforce it.
| no | 3,168 |
Although several references are made to Kansas City Southern, the article left out that Canadian Pacific railway is in the process of purchasing KCS for $3.1 billion. (Awaiting Surface Transportation Board approval.) Both CP and Canadian National were attempting to take over KCS.
| no | 2,552 |
The Mushy Milquetoast ModerateI'm sure I could find something in the fine print given enough time and correct counsel. With or without written, contracted, or specific liabilities, as Senior Citizen states, something else COULD have been done. And should have. 17000$ is a lot of money. Gross that the cruise line did absolutely nothing.
| no | 1,812 |
Just a quick reminder that the Affordable Care Act was designed by a conservative think tank to be an alternative to universal healthcare, that insurance industries are posting record profits, that over half of all spending on Medicaid-- a little over $300 billion-- goes to private insurers who profit only by rationing healthcare, and that some of the largest companies in the world exist because of the government turned on a money faucet when it decided that insurance executives could run a better system than functionaries beholden to the political will of the people.But apparently an outright victory for corporate America that insists that profit/loss calculations outrank the duty of care that doctors have isn't enough for those on the right who genuinely, truly, deeply believe that sick people deserve death if they don't come from intergenerational wealth and don't look like them.
| yes | 6,877 |
I can't wait — but I'll have to — for Robert Caro's final volume on LBJ. His marvelous depiction of how he got the tight-lipped residents of the Hill Country in Texas to open up about LBJ and his family history— by actually moving there with his wife and gaining their trust — perfectly illustrates the extraordinary lengths he'll go to get the story right.His memoir WORKING is an ideal supplement to this new documentary with Robert Gottlieb, reinforcing the need for journalists and biographers to "turn every page."
| no | 3,349 |
Not sure if such a league will generate $11 billion in broadcast revenue or $4.4 billion in advertising revenue for media partners. Not to mention ticket sales, parking, merchandise, concessions, et al. But give it a whirl and start the league. You never know ...
| yes | 5,202 |
AJ Gore cannot patent the internet because he didn't invent it, or even come close. The republicans invented that phrase, to trash Gore, as if he was overstating his contribution. Which he wasn't. He wrote the law that funded "the National Information Infrastructure which Gore referred to as the 'Information superhighway'. ...HW Bush predicted that the Act would help 'unlock the secrets of DNA,' open up foreign markets to free trade..."<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/High_Performance_Computing_Act_of_1991#CNN_interview" target="_blank">https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/High_Performance_Computing_Act_of_1991#CNN_interview</a>
| no | 896 |
No matter your reading goals: whatever you read, make sure you buy it from a local (if possible) independent bookstore.And not from Amazon.com!He's worth $176 billion yet pays less in taxes than you do!
| no | 1,534 |
Schmarty Thank you for helping dispel the myth that Ag is a big part of the CA economy. It is, indeed, just 3% of CA's GDP -- not even in the top 10 industries in CA. Construction is more than double Ag, and it's down there at #10 or so. Ag wields outsized political power in CA, esp when precious water is in the mix.<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Economy_of_California" target="_blank">https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Economy_of_California</a>
| no | 3,184 |
Douthat is wrong, as he almost always is. I was raised Catholic by two devout parents and spent 12 years in Catholic parochial schools in New York City. In my mid teens I left the church, vowing never to return, and now, 50 years later, I am still consider myself a ‘recovered Catholic.' With the election of Francis I, for the first time I felt that I might actually return to the Catholic Church because of the man's true Christianity. He is not tied to strict adherence to every word of an out of date, out of touch doctrine ruled by a self-serving hierarchy that has ignored and sometimes covered up rampant child and sexual abuse for its own benefit. Rather, he exemplifies the true spirit of what it means to be a Catholic and a Christian with his humility, openness, and compassion. That is why the conservatives hate him and falsely claims the church is a failure today. Even my Protestant first cousin—her mother was a Lutheran, my uncle my father's brother a Catholic—said of Francis I of whom she was and is very impressed: 'They had no idea who they elected, did they?´ Too many of the Catholic hierarchy are more concerned with themselves and their power and position to realize that Francis I and his wish for open dialogue with us recovered Catholics as well as other Christians, indeed, all other religions, is the only way forward to make Catholicism and indeed Christianity relevant again.
| yes | 7,081 |
Burning through $1.7 each month. How much longer will Republican donors be willing to throw their money down this black hole? Once the money runs out, Truth Social will go the way of Trump Shuttle.
| no | 3,656 |
As brutal and shocking it is for these young people, ultimately, they are highly skilled professionals that will be redeployed into other areas of the economy that need their skills. It is no stain on their professional careers to be laid off by companies like Google, Meta, Microsoft or whatever. I know its a like a cold bucket of water being thrown in their faces, but employment at these companies is the gold seal of approval. It's like having Harvard on your resume.They will survive, prosper and do very well for themselves. They got skills that every company needs to take both parties to the next level.
| no | 2,518 |
It is fortunate that Hamlin is doing better (but, really, shouldn’t people wait to be so joyful until he is really recovered? Breathing and communicating in writing is but one step on a long recovery - which in people’s short attention span will be ignored). This whole public reaction really smacks of a convenient defense mechanism to demonstrate “care” when papering over the individual and systemic disaster that sports-industrial complex football is. The slow-motion disaster of CTE, the disposal and consignment to physical disability of so many lower-tier players, including kids who go through years of impacts from elementary school on in the hopes of “making it.” Then there are the billions wasted on advertising, promoting the sport, and firehosed into NFL franchises in the form of public funds for stadiums when teams hold cities hostage with relocation threats. Buffalo is building a new stadium, state and local taxpayers are on the hook for upwards of $850MM, more when long-term commitments are added in. In an area where the median HHI is around $28K, the $250MM they’re on the hook for would do a lot to help schools, health care, and other things regular people need. The gushing of concern and then relief over Hamlin helps obscure the toxic reality of the real costs of America’s idiotic football obsession.
| no | 1,249 |
Really. Spend oxygen on this ?
| yes | 8,770 |
dark blue progressive here....Eliminate dark money from politics.Limit donations to private individuals and set an enforceable cap.Wealthy candidates (and their family) can spend as much as they want, but they can't "loan" their campaign money to be repaid by lobbyist after they are in office. Limit the public-financed campaign season to 6 weeks (8 weeks?, 4 weeks!!) with declining funds to those that start spending private money earlier (no advantage for the wealthy).National holiday for in person voting and allow 4 weeks for mail-in/drop-off voting. Prepare the mail-in/drop-off ballots for counting before the counting day. And EVERY vote must be on paper.
| yes | 8,097 |
The connection between the First and Second amendments is a crucial one. Based on the British rule that sparked the Declaration of Independence the Second amendment was originally intended to reinforce the First by making militias in a federal system the priority for national defense rather than a national army having the potential of becoming a tool for tyrants. It comes after the First amendment, the guarantee of free speech, and the ranking is significant. I agree that open carry inhibits free speech. A conveniently carried and displayed weapon says, in effect, that the bearer demands respect because of an implicit willingness to use the weapon as the ultimate means to enforce an opinion not tenable by discussion or subject to compromise. This is precisely the sort of tyranny that the First Amendment—and, originally, the Second—sought to prevent. Open carry is NOT about self-defense. At its core it is about intimidation and a demand for respect that cannot be earned by normal means.
| no | 1,949 |
I work for a healthcare system. You should see the scathing comments from long-term employees. People are losing their fear of repercussions.It's not just nurses and healthcare. It's teachers and education. It's hospitality workers and restaurants and the wage carve out for tipped workers. It's office workers refusing to return to the office when they can do a perfectly good job from home. It's people whose wages have been flat in real dollars for decades. It's people who have gotten raises yet costs have escalated out of control, housing, insurance and now everything.I'm one of these people. Every raise I got in the last ten years has been eaten up by an increase in health care premiums. I now pay $9000 a year! Imagine what we could if that money was pumped back into the real economy.The problem is actually very simple. It began with Reagan and the continuing Republican tax cuts, legislation and jurisprudence - 40 years of putting the screws to working people and favoring the top.The result is entirely predictable. A fractured society leading to factionalism and now civil unrest. Public infrastructure starved for investment. State and national governance starved for investment and now in disarray. All gains having gone to the top. The nursing crisis is just one symptom.When will people get the message that they are being screwed and start voting for the party that cares about them? Take 2 minutes to compare the R and D platforms. Says it all.
| yes | 8,416 |
Charles, I’d rather spend $2k on a destination wedding than spend many multiples of that on feeding 400 “close family and friends”. I know people who took out a second mortgage on their house to pay for their daughter’s wedding. Personally I would’ve given them a cheque and a ladder.
| no | 2,406 |
Thanks for reporting on this. While some mention here goes to the environmental concerns, it is understated. This area is one if the few pristine riparian areas in the southwest. A gaping enormous open pit mine, as is the plan, would be a far reaching environmental disaster.
| no | 1,941 |
I have 6 children. We have lived in two of the "worst" rankings; . We are now in unranked Washington State. One of my daughters plays violin in a symphony, one is living the Seattle suburban housewife/entrepreneur life. I have a daughter in London - studying abroad. My oldest son is in Idaho finishing his law degree and my middle son is a digital nomad/software engineer living in Spain. The youngest son, still in middle school, is a talented violin and piano player; when we can get him off his snowboard Haha. All my children play one or two musical instruments proficiently. We practice every day except concert days. The modern media is delusional about what it takes to raise a family and to maintain relations with one's spouse. There are messes, worries and aggravation. Days of anxious living and days of joy. Change comes about; sometimes we coast and sometimes we may have to grind for long periods. We want the best experiences; but, trying to forcefully control our situations with demands and expectations destroys the serenity and peace. Things are always in flux. In what State you live, is "what is" and there is a sufficiency. Harmony and contentment can come about in any State. The best State is to love where you are and an openness to all it has to offer.
| yes | 5,385 |
Washington Post reported on Santos pocketing 3K from a go-fund-me account he posted to help a veteran with his dying dog. How low do we go here?
| no | 4,945 |
RCP One online list of of the top 25 of America's most dangerous jobs has policeman at the bottom, number 25 for risk of injury or death. The average of several lists puts policeman as the 61st least dangerous job of the top 75 in America. The average pay (second only to American airline pilots in the most common jobs category) and benefits like the ability to work private security while collecting one's taxpayer funded, on-duty salary and retirement- extended health packages make this reader get why the law enforcement sector attracts so many amoral, sadistic criminals. How these monsters get past psych evaluations without being committed to asylums for the criminally insane mystifies meAn officer left his K-9 partner to die in a locked patrol car for 22 hours and was subsequently discovered to have killed and buried three other K9 partners in his back yard gets to keep the job? 4 officers commit fratricide every year (11 K9 officers left to fry in locked patrol cars in 2015 alone- Officer Down Memorial Page website). Who gets to kick their partner so savagely the dog dies and keeps their job (I kicked 2 dogs to separate them during a fight and the kicks from my 235 pound body with work boots didn't faze a Rottweiler and a Doberman that jumped my leashed Husky-Shepard mix at the post office)? American cops is who.Who gets to kidnap and sexually assault teenage girls at gunpoint on two separate occasions and not spend a day in jail? Cops in Hialeah, Fla...that's who.
| yes | 5,779 |
It is not just education, government investment, but also where Wall Street's money is at. There's a preference in software/internet over hardware because of the low capital requirement, fast turn around of money, and more commercial hype as they often directly face the mass consumers. Do you know about L5 auto driving? How about an EUV scanner that can print at the resolution of 10 nm?If the government is serious about promoting semiconductors, they shall consider this preference of software over hardware as an instance of "market failure" and help rebalance the playfield. Here is an real example:Google pays 300K+ (salary + stocks) for a new graduate with a master in CS while Intel pays 150K for a MIT PhD in EE. What do brainy STEM guys do? Well, they go get a CS master and then quit their job at Intel and join Google, unless they really LOVE Intel and take the 50% lower pay similar to those waiters in Hollywood who aspire to become movie stars.Except that they're often more realistic and better trained in statistics. So a lot of my colleagues and myself (all graduates from the best schools imaginable with hardcore STEM PhDs in Applied physics, EE, ChemE, etc. within the last 5 years) in semiconductor have either left it already or are contemplating leaving it for software.Your move, government.
| no | 1,704 |
Greedflation won't end until we are agreeing to a $2 an hour at will job. Even then, prices may slightly drop half what they've been raised. They've said repeatedly that inflation isn't a problem as far as they see it, it's that for once free market conditions favor labor and they demand that big government put their thumb on the scale to make sure we can't have that advantage.
| no | 4,365 |
Richard I am sure the overpopulation of Montana has caused great harm to its citizens.I can assure you my investment in the future (5 children) dwarfs your slightly increased tax burden.Regardless, the Social Compact within a Welfare State includes child-bearing, leaving behind workers from whom tax revenue pays for the old-age entitlements.The childless are free riders.
| yes | 8,344 |
FremontAdd to that the GOP wants to continue defunding an already under-performing IRS. 2 Trillion dollars in due unpaid tax was the figure in early 2021.
| no | 756 |
Yep. They were east marks lied to and used by the far right… funded by the very people who off-shored their jobs, rigged the economy so only they got tax cuts, and anytime the Dems were working to even the field for them….and minority groups, those billionaire and corporate interests played to your family member’s lack of anything above HS education, calling everything socialist or communist…. Or in Europe where people don’t die of poverty from being laid off or without health care and it’s called ‘social policy’… as somehow ‘too foreign’. I do feel bad for yours and some of my own family just like this, but I did stop giving their arguments credence when they started on ‘how liberal I was’ since I moved away for my profession, traveled the world and shaped my politics to real facts and reason. I don’t listen to far right or left media and I read my news. That said, some accuse me of being godless, a anti-American and bigoted against my own whiteness for thinking Trump was a nightmare. So I’m past feeling sorry for a lot of my family and told those complaining about our home in CT… “move to Florida or some red state where you can bask in the sunshine, own the woke liberals….whatever that means, open carry weapons everywhere, speak only to your own kind, but make a pile of money first because in ‘you’re on your own’ in those states if you get sick or need help. My compassion went with Jan 6th and their arrogance since, so no family reunions anytime soon.
| yes | 9,375 |
Krugman excuses too much from Democratic behavior. During the Great Recession, he advocated bringing down the national debt once the recovery was over. The economy had returned to normal around the time Trump took office, where of course he took credit for it. Then Trump and the Republicans immediately enacted the Tax Cuts & Jobs Act, which jacked up deficits once more. No one who understands the political economy of the past 40 years has any illusions about Republicans wanting to excuse the business elite and their businesses from taxation and intend to reduce deficits solely by budget cuts.Back to Krugman, having a high national debt makes the country economically vulnerable to external shocks, like a major war. Moreover, 43% of the federal budget goes toward interest payments on the national debt - tax dollars that could have been used for more productive purposes. This is what we now have to pay for indulgences of the past.The honest solution would be to raise taxes back up on the rich and corporations, while looking for savings in the defense budget. There is a lot of pork in defense, and the overwhelming bulk of it gets spent in politically red areas, where the bases and defense contractors are.Democrats have to be assertive in calling out Republicans on their 'starve-the-beast' game. But they also have to be responsible for their quickness to spend. There is not enough money taxpayers are willing to part with to fund every pet project out there.
| no | 1,330 |
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