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  • Originally posted by bfng3569 View Post
    funny, but you shouldn't be talking about deflecting.

    as I have said, I wasn't talking about the president, I was commenting on the discourse here.
    Maybe you should have made that clearer
    You may not have been talking about partisan politics, but the conversation that Asty and Citanon were having (when you jumped in) was about that. I do not care about partisanship in WAB, I care about partisanship in US politics, because it is something more important than an internet forum.
    "Is God willing to prevent evil, but not able? Then he is not omnipotent. Is he able, but not willing? Then he is malevolent. Is he both able and willing? Then whence cometh evil? Is he neither able nor willing? Then why call him God?" ~ Epicurus

    Comment


    • Originally posted by GVChamp View Post
      Voted in the Illinois local elections this morning. Huzzah!

      The Republicans are going to keep their hold on the local township. No surprise there. Most of the elections are uncontested.

      The only relevant elections are the local Village Trustees and the school boards. We have 5 people running for 4 seats, 2 of which are write-in candidates. Thank the Lord the 5th guy decided to run, because the 4th guy running is one of those disgusting Millennials, who has never worked a real job and whined about how no one in the election are "people of color." He said that people of color should vote for him because he will be their voice.
      Yep, definitely NOT voting for him. He has no ground presence, so I assume his chances of winning are close to zero.

      The school board election is getting pretty contentious. Because of the Illinois budget stand-off, our local board has been raising property taxes the legal maximum every year (without having to hold a referendum). We have huge reserves which means our schools are financially sound (AAA-rated). A lot of people are running against that, though, because we have some of the highest property taxes in the state.

      Would rather have the good schools than the extra money, IMO, but I am at the age where good schools matter a lot to me. The majority of local taxpayers don't actually have kids in the schools.

      2 incumbents and 5 challengers for 4 seats. I voted both the incumbents back in, along with one of he challengers favored by the incumbents, and one of the anti-tax challengers. I obviously refused to vote for the attorney with the campaign platform "unless you're Native American, we're all immigrants" and "immigration reform is more important than the Illinois budget." Yep, that's a great signal for CRAAAAAZZZYYYY.

      I see at least a few politically active millennials commenting on local elections on their FBs, so that might be a positive trend. Unfortunately, the majority are VERY much of that "crazy" variety, the American Red Guards, Champion of Diversity and Social Justice. So, a lot of you might be spending your twilight years with your local governments run by such fine folk. :)


      Don't say I didn't warn you...
      GV

      It's funny to watch you argue for higher taxes to get better schools

      Also, why do you hate millennials so much?
      "Is God willing to prevent evil, but not able? Then he is not omnipotent. Is he able, but not willing? Then he is malevolent. Is he both able and willing? Then whence cometh evil? Is he neither able nor willing? Then why call him God?" ~ Epicurus

      Comment


      • Originally posted by antimony View Post
        GV

        It's funny to watch you argue for higher taxes to get better schools

        Also, why do you hate millennials so much?
        Ha, well, one way of thinking about it is that I am want OTHER people to pay higher taxes for MY benefit, so it's a bit less contradictory in that light. But, generally, Chicago suburbs tend to pay high property taxes to support the schools, and that's pretty bipartisan. My township trustees are entirely Republican and I believe most of the Village Trustees are Republicans as well. So are our state representatives down in Springfield.

        Most Great Lakes states are pretty in-line on this. After the Northeast, we spend the most on schools.
        https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/...=.74617664254b
        Indiana is an exception, and Indiana is more of a Southern state than most of the other Great Lake States. It was more heavily populated by Southern farmers moving over the Ohio River from Kentucky. Great Lake states tend to be more Progressive and have an industrial heritage.

        Illinois are funded heavily by local taxes, though. A lot of policy-makers want to "equalize" funding, which I am opposed to. If Chicago wants to have better schools, they should pay higher property taxes. Chicago has the lowest property taxes in Cook County, and wants the rest of us to foot their bills. No thanks. I'm also not excited to pay higher taxes to fund schools in California or Mississippi (depending on which party holds power). There's not a lot of evidence we're even getting good results for this money....Utah does pretty decently on tests despite spending the least in the nation.

        I'm okay blowing my own money and my own children's futures despite marginal evidence, I am not okay with blowing my money for other people despite marginal evidence.

        Re: Millennials. Socialists and Social Justice Warriors. No thanks. Both are balderdash, and damaging philosophies. Also not applicable to our local government. What kind of idiot seriously runs for the local village trusteeship on the position of "minorities, women, homosexuals, vote for me! I will represent you because you are oppressed!" We have some of the best schools in the country, we have some of the highest incomes in the country, we have some of the lowest crimes in the country, we have the freakin' biggest 4th of July celebration in the state besides Chicago, new homes are popping up everywhere because rich people keep wanting to move in, we have freakin' literal white picket fences everywhere!

        This isn't Flint or Ferguson. Our biggest problems are our excessive road budget, rigid zoning, flood mitigation, and sewer systems. None of these have to do with the oppression of the White Man or white privilege or intersectional feminism or third wave feminism or blah blah blah blah blah. Particularly when our community is so well off to begin with, and yeah, we have a LOT of women representation on the local school boards.
        "The great questions of the day will not be settled by means of speeches and majority decisions but by iron and blood"-Otto Von Bismarck

        Comment


        • Personal Opinion:

          Can't really understand the Dems opposition to Gorsuch.

          Nevermind the fact that 0 Dems voted against Gorsuch the last confirmation but they could have made a deal this time.

          They could've struck the deal that they won't filibuster the Gorsuch nomination in exchange for the Republicans not using the nuke option on the next court nomination when they could filibuster.

          I heard that deal was on the table but don't know if that was true or not.

          Now, fillibusting, they leave the Republicans no choice but to use the nuke option which means they (Dems) have no input for the next court nomination.

          Barring unforseen circumstances, the next supreme Court member to step down would be a left leaning one. It will probably happen before Trump leaves office.

          Now there is no deal in place and the 'pubs can go nuke on that as well.

          Probably Schumer thought they had to oppose this for political reasons. The 3 Democrat senators that are on record as saying they will vote for Gorsuch are already receiving heat from the progressives.

          This is working out better than I have hoped. :)
          Last edited by YellowFever; 05 Apr 17,, 18:24.

          Comment


          • Bannon got canned from the NSC. Well well!

            Comment


            • YF,

              Can't really understand the Dems opposition to Gorsuch.
              had Scalia passed after Trump became Prez, my guess is that they would have grumbled but ultimately swallowed it.

              but as we all know, that wasn't the situation where Gorsuch got nominated.

              Now, fillibusting, they leave the Republicans no choice but to use the nuke option which means they (Dems) have no input for the next court nomination.
              oh, Republicans (and of course Dems) have a choice, they just choose not to avail themselves of it. by the way, how much input did Dems have on Gorsuch? the filibuster is either going to be an useful tool, or it's not. if Republicans aren't considering the effect of the filibuster now, it is as good as dead, if you catch my meaning.

              and this will be the easy slippery slope where the filibuster dies altogether, not just for court nominations but for law.

              i had the discussion with JAD earlier, but if this is how it goes down, ultimately it is something that benefits Dems more. the filibuster is meant to slow down the processes of government. Republicans are going to find that they are getting a short/medium-term gain in Gorsuch...and then recoil in horror when a Democratic Congress/President down the line starts putting into place single-payer healthcare, a national minimum wage, etc.

              and we just saw with the healthcare debacle how successful Republicans are going to be when it comes to taking away something once given.
              There is a cult of ignorance in the United States, and there has always been. The strain of anti-intellectualism has been a constant thread winding its way through our political and cultural life, nurtured by the false notion that democracy means that "My ignorance is just as good as your knowledge."- Isaac Asimov

              Comment


              • Originally posted by DarthSiddius View Post
                Bannon got canned from the NSC. Well well!
                Boo, SAD! I was hoping he would stay one and keep giving his invaluable advice to the Trump
                "Is God willing to prevent evil, but not able? Then he is not omnipotent. Is he able, but not willing? Then he is malevolent. Is he both able and willing? Then whence cometh evil? Is he neither able nor willing? Then why call him God?" ~ Epicurus

                Comment


                • Originally posted by GVChamp View Post
                  Re: Millennials. Socialists and Social Justice Warriors. No thanks. Both are balderdash, and damaging philosophies. Also not applicable to our local government. What kind of idiot seriously runs for the local village trusteeship on the position of "minorities, women, homosexuals, vote for me! I will represent you because you are oppressed!" We have some of the best schools in the country, we have some of the highest incomes in the country, we have some of the lowest crimes in the country, we have the freakin' biggest 4th of July celebration in the state besides Chicago, new homes are popping up everywhere because rich people keep wanting to move in, we have freakin' literal white picket fences everywhere!

                  This isn't Flint or Ferguson. Our biggest problems are our excessive road budget, rigid zoning, flood mitigation, and sewer systems. None of these have to do with the oppression of the White Man or white privilege or intersectional feminism or third wave feminism or blah blah blah blah blah. Particularly when our community is so well off to begin with, and yeah, we have a LOT of women representation on the local school boards.
                  So your impression of millennials is based on this one nutcase??? I am not a millennial, but I find them far more productive than the boomer generation. Of course, my generation (gen x, I guess,) are the real troopers
                  "Is God willing to prevent evil, but not able? Then he is not omnipotent. Is he able, but not willing? Then he is malevolent. Is he both able and willing? Then whence cometh evil? Is he neither able nor willing? Then why call him God?" ~ Epicurus

                  Comment


                  • Originally posted by astralis View Post
                    YF,



                    had Scalia passed after Trump became Prez, my guess is that they would have grumbled but ultimately swallowed it.

                    but as we all know, that wasn't the situation where Gorsuch got nominated.



                    oh, Republicans (and of course Dems) have a choice, they just choose not to avail themselves of it. by the way, how much input did Dems have on Gorsuch? the filibuster is either going to be an useful tool, or it's not. if Republicans aren't considering the effect of the filibuster now, it is as good as dead, if you catch my meaning.

                    and this will be the easy slippery slope where the filibuster dies altogether, not just for court nominations but for law.

                    i had the discussion with JAD earlier, but if this is how it goes down, ultimately it is something that benefits Dems more. the filibuster is meant to slow down the processes of government. Republicans are going to find that they are getting a short/medium-term gain in Gorsuch...and then recoil in horror when a Democratic Congress/President down the line starts putting into place single-payer healthcare, a national minimum wage, etc.

                    and we just saw with the healthcare debacle how successful Republicans are going to be when it comes to taking away something once given.
                    I agree this being to the Dems advantage in the long run but hey, it was going to happen anyway, thanks to what Reid did.

                    Might as well take advantage of it.

                    It's gotten to the point where this is all the level of sophistication I can expect from our government.

                    But then again, as I said before many times, all I'm expecting and hoping from Trump is a decent Supreme Court nomination, some swift stroke of the pen nullifying Barry's executive orders and an unending gridlock.

                    This is fun.

                    Comment


                    • Originally posted by YellowFever View Post
                      Personal Opinion:

                      Can't really understand the Dems opposition to Gorsuch.
                      I do.

                      To me basically tit for tat. Republicans felt that for one Obama couldn't nominate a justice in his last year. Two, they wouldn't give his pick even a hearing much less a vote. So they held him up for about seven months which was a hell of a long filibuster in a way. None of this surprises me as this is eons old human behavior. You screw me over one day and then one day I will screw you over. Ever see teenage girls get even with their rivals in school? Worse, than the Senate.

                      Comment


                      • LoL.

                        I agree about the Senate and teenage girls.

                        But the Garland thing, while infuriating to the Dems, was politics because Congress was well within it's rights to do what it did.

                        I understand Dems fillibusting is well within their rights to do so as well but it was going to happen anyway if the Republican carry out their threat.

                        They might as well make a deal..unless the "optics" of the deal makes them look bad to the really left wing of the party.

                        Comment


                        • Originally posted by antimony View Post
                          So your impression of millennials is based on this one nutcase??? I am not a millennial, but I find them far more productive than the boomer generation. Of course, my generation (gen x, I guess,) are the real troopers
                          More productive than boomers. Think not as I find them incredibly spoiled with short attention spans. They are unable to grasp that not everyone can come in first place so everyone needs to get an award. I find them unable to effectively work to a consensus in a group setting. I don't see them moving out of their comfort zone all that much. Don't forget that boomers were on the forefront for voter's rights in the South. They were on the forefront for a lot of rights back then from speech to protecting the environment. They got out there on the street in mass. On the other hand the millennials are completely absorbed by their cell phones and gather in mass on social media. Getting their asses out there not so much.

                          The fact that they have destroyed San Francisco I won't go into with their I am entitled to a $100,000 salary right out of college so I can pay $7 for a latte, $15 for a burrito and mob the latest in thing in the City.

                          Comment


                          • Originally posted by tbm3fan View Post
                            More productive than boomers. Think not as I find them incredibly spoiled with short attention spans. They are unable to grasp that not everyone can come in first place so everyone needs to get an award. I find them unable to effectively work to a consensus in a group setting. I don't see them moving out of their comfort zone all that much. Don't forget that boomers were on the forefront for voter's rights in the South. They were on the forefront for a lot of rights back then from speech to protecting the environment. They got out there on the street in mass. On the other hand the millennials are completely absorbed by their cell phones and gather in mass on social media. Getting their asses out there not so much.

                            The fact that they have destroyed San Francisco I won't go into with their I am entitled to a $100,000 salary right out of college so I can pay $7 for a latte, $15 for a burrito and mob the latest in thing in the City.
                            Boomers are also the ones who have given us Trump. A lot of them have not upgraded their skills and therefore find themselves unemployable in this market. We have millions of jobs open in healthcare and technology, and we have the boomers complaining about how the Mexicans and Chinese and whoever else have taken away all jobs.
                            "Is God willing to prevent evil, but not able? Then he is not omnipotent. Is he able, but not willing? Then he is malevolent. Is he both able and willing? Then whence cometh evil? Is he neither able nor willing? Then why call him God?" ~ Epicurus

                            Comment


                            • Originally posted by YellowFever View Post
                              LoL.

                              I agree about the Senate and teenage girls.

                              But the Garland thing, while infuriating to the Dems, was politics because Congress was well within it's rights to do what it did.

                              I understand Dems fillibusting is well within their rights to do so as well but it was going to happen anyway if the Republican carry out their threat.

                              They might as well make a deal..unless the "optics" of the deal makes them look bad to the really left wing of the party.
                              I hear you bro...

                              Not paying the kidnapper his ransom obviously meant that he had no choice but to shoot the hostage.

                              Macabre humor (?) aside, there is no turning back if the Senate does do this. Nuking filibusters in legislative process will be next, and just see what happens when the Dems eventually get back the Senate.

                              To be honest, this was the fault of the Dems, as they started this nonsense back in 2013.
                              "Is God willing to prevent evil, but not able? Then he is not omnipotent. Is he able, but not willing? Then he is malevolent. Is he both able and willing? Then whence cometh evil? Is he neither able nor willing? Then why call him God?" ~ Epicurus

                              Comment


                              • Originally posted by antimony View Post
                                Boomers are also the ones who have given us Trump. A lot of them have not upgraded their skills and therefore find themselves unemployable in this market. We have millions of jobs open in healthcare and technology, and we have the boomers complaining about how the Mexicans and Chinese and whoever else have taken away all jobs.
                                I will disagree again based on my knowledge from the Bay Area and not the Rust Belt. I see a great many people who work in tech from all ages. From programmers to CFO's. Back office to front office. From Intel, to Apple, to Oracle, to Salesforce, Google and a host of the tons of smaller firms in the region. One thing I can tell you is that age discrimination is rampant out here and it has nothing to do with skills. Has everything to do with wages and the devaluation of years of experience. In my field new grads may have some extra skills because of changes in the laws between my graduation and theirs. Yet that is all as my 36 years experience easily puts them to shame as I can say seen that, done that, been there while they are still testing the waters. Holds true for other fields.

                                Now all of them were replaced with younger people and skills doesn't always figure into it. Take finance for example rather than building a web site. So the prime reason was wages. I have also had H1B visa holders in now and then who hail from India. Intel will say they can't find qualified people. I say Intel can't find people who will work more hours for less. Get these H1B visa holders behind closed doors and one quickly learns they are comparable to low paid baseball players back in the years where the reserve clause chained them to one team.

                                Others have had their jobs sent overseas like one on Monday whose job went to the Philippines. Chevron moved purchasing over there to essentially get wages of $10-15 a day. Now when she related the story to me I shook my head as I knew Chevron had no idea what they were getting themselves into. Workers, over there, are very good at following a strictly prescribed way of doing their job. Repetitive work yes but original work no. Anything that requires them to think fast, think out of the box, or to improvise brings everything to a halt. Next comes a phone call to the US asking for instructions. It was related that that is exactly what happens every day now. I was also told they, as they needed to train these people themselves, found one who was quite good. My question was how long did he last because if he shows up his co-workers they will make his life hell at work. Yep, he moved on four months later.

                                So don't tell me that they didn't update their skills. Where needed I know they did but many other areas do not need skill upgrades. What they really needed to do was not to go past their 55th birthday pure and simple.

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