Announcement

Collapse
No announcement yet.

2018 American Political Scene

Collapse
This topic is closed.
X
X
 
  • Filter
  • Time
  • Show
Clear All
new posts

  • Originally posted by snapper View Post
    Could someone explain (in simple terms if possible) what "voter suppression" means and how it might be - allegedly is done? I am not an expert at US election laws and stuff but apparently it could be a big deal according to my latest attempt to 'catch up'.
    Voter suppression is political action to prevent the registration of voters, or to disrupt their ability to cast a ballot. Most recently, it involves purging voter roles of ethnic or other demographic groups that are more likely to vote for the opposition. For example, ALEC (American Legislative Exchange Council), a GOPer effort to cleanse voter registration rolls of names that show up on more than one state's lists, makes criminally little effort to distinguish between Juan Jose Rodriquez and Juan Manual Rodriquez and similar such names.

    Historically, poll taxes, literacy tests and grandfather clauses were used to prevent black people from voting, mainly in the South.

    Other kinds of voter suppression are closing voting stations in specific neighborhoods where opponents' supporters might live, offering preliminary ballots to people waiting to vote (in an effort to minimize the chances of such votes being counted), refusing to count absentee ballots or to hold recounts due to costs involved, denying college students the right to register dormitory addresses, shutting down voter registration websites during the Democratic National Convention, sites that are ludicrously run by the Department of Defense for Americans abroad, due to alleged hacking attempts (as if attempted hacking into DoD websites wasn't a daily occurence) and requiring voter ID that poorer people might have trouble obtaining.

    At the more direct level, it may include sending messages that the election date (or voting location) has changed or physically intimidating people seeking to vote
    Trust me?
    I'm an economist!

    Comment


    • Originally posted by Oracle View Post
      What is the advantage? You want farmers to move from Agriculture into what? Look at China, they import most of their food, and are buying farmlands in different countries. What is it that you're trying to say here?
      Productivity 101.

      The range of productivity runs from gathering natural items (agriculture, mining), to processing such products (manufacturing, refining), trade (commerce), trade-related services (warehousing, transport), more sophisticated services (retailing, merchandising), advanced trade services (product design, packaging) and finally into finance, healthcare, education and research. For some strange reason, religion and government don't show up on the list.

      Moving a worker from one level to the next increases output per unit of input (capital, labor, materials), which is the definition of productivity. Moving very large numbers of workers up the value-added chain is how China became the second largest economy in the world, and the core reason why standards of living soared so far beyond those in other developing economies.

      Importing, whether it is cars, films or food, enhances the opportunity for an economy to focus on what it does relatively better than other economies. Otherwise, Luxembourg, Hong Kong, and Singapore (to take just three obvious examples) would be mired in poverty.
      Trust me?
      I'm an economist!

      Comment


      • Originally posted by WABs_OOE View Post
        That's the future you're touting where you rent the things you use, not own them. The Manufacturers can disable the devices at their whim and you're either force to pay up or use illegal hacks to keep using them.

        How many family albums and home videos are now at the mercy of FB and Instagram? You don't own them. FB and Instagram do. They're under no legal obligations to compensate you if they lose your family albums and home videos. By the same token, they could also impose a fee whenever they want.

        Yes, old dinosaurs like me know the value of backups and not to trust one single storage methodology but you're calling us dionsaurs for a reason. When I buy something, I own it. Not the manufacturer. The manufactuer stops having a say when the warranty runs out.
        We are talking about 2 different things. There is a rental business model, like Zipcar, but there you are not actually buying the product.

        Where you actually buy the product, if manufacturers are up to these tricks, then the market will punish them. When Android came up, Apple was forced to offer new features and reduce restrictions.

        The problem is where there isn't enough competition ore regulation. The corrupt GOP/ Conservatives have reliably pushed an agenda for lower regulation and monopolization.
        "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 WABs_OOE View Post
          Also a matter of distance. In the case of the Parrie Provinces, the nearest authorized depot can be 100 miles away, meaning you've got to rent a flatbed trailer (at least a $5K haul) before you're talking about a fix and who knows how long that would take. From what I gather, US Parrie States are in the same boat.

          It is illegal but you will be hard press to find a judge to side with JOHN DEERE who is sueing a farmer who spent $200K+ on a piece of equipment that they won't fix. What got farmers here in an uproar is that JOHN DEERE recently stop supporting their old control panels and are trying to force farmers to buy new control panels at $10K each. Nothing wrong with the old control panels. They're still working but JOHN DEERE would not release the software for something as simple as resetting the guage monitors.

          There is an RIGHT TO REPAIR Agreement between the Manufactuers and 3rd Party Repair Shops, ie the farmers but the farmers are saying it is anything but an Agreement. Legislation is coming down though in the US, Canada, and Europe for RIGHT TO REPAIR and not just vehicles but all products. The Manufactuers will be forced to share how to fix knowledge.
          That right to repair is being challenged at the moment. Watch this (HAHA! you know him already)

          He is saying the same thing about iphones that you did about farm equipment

          We will know how long that right exists pending the results of the aformentioned case. Mid way next year.

          I cringe because it's an invasion of privacy. I have a right not to share anything I don't want anybody else to know. Your nosey curiousity be damned. Trump doesn't want to release his returns? Know what? It's his right.

          There's nothing there or else Trump would have lost his billions. A pardon gets you off the hook for the crime. It does not allow you to keep the proceeds of the crime. If Treasury's accounting forensic experts and computer systems found nothing wrong, ie money laundering, etc, what are the odds a bunch of old men sitting behind closed chambers (who is also legally bound NOT to release Trump's returns) are going to find anything?
          Right, this is why i call it a red herring. Since day 1 i've been hearing this tax returns mantra. Two years in. Same story.

          Originally posted by WABs_OOE View Post
          Case in point. APPLE deliberately slowing down their IPHONES through their OS just because the battery was getting old.
          The reason is otherwise, the phone will just shut down. What if you need it. i'm talking the thing just stops mid way or less than midway but not at zero.

          By slowing it down when they sense the battery is old the phone becomes more reliable and behaves as you expect it.

          This is a new phenomenon i've noticed with some phones who don't slow down. Battery graph falls off a cliff...in the middle

          Not happened before because the load put on it wasn't as much as it is these days.

          Originally posted by WABs_OOE View Post
          Sure I do but I rely on the landline if I want clear communications. Cell phones I found to be on par with Field SIGS.
          Main reason i hold on to mine as well. As for cell phone i stick to 2G, easy on battery, works everywhere which means clearer voice and SMS which works even with poor reception. My painter was a bitch to speak to, if you keep quiet for a few seconds you wonder if the connection was lost. he said his phone was old and i should gift him a new one. I made him switch to 2G. Now its like he has a new phone. I have to say though that whatsapp makes thing more clear. But i'm one of five people in the country that does not want to use it because you have to keep a data connection active all the time. SMS does not need that. And they're trying to get rid of 2G in the west. Hopefully not in India for some time. Get on some 3 digit freqencies then we'll talk. 2100Mhz for 3G and 2400Mhz for 4G stinks.
          Last edited by Double Edge; 11 Nov 18,, 23:07.

          Comment


          • Originally posted by DOR View Post
            Productivity 101.

            The range of productivity runs from gathering natural items (agriculture, mining), to processing such products (manufacturing, refining), trade (commerce), trade-related services (warehousing, transport), more sophisticated services (retailing, merchandising), advanced trade services (product design, packaging) and finally into finance, healthcare, education and research. For some strange reason, religion and government don't show up on the list.

            Moving a worker from one level to the next increases output per unit of input (capital, labor, materials), which is the definition of productivity. Moving very large numbers of workers up the value-added chain is how China became the second largest economy in the world, and the core reason why standards of living soared so far beyond those in other developing economies.

            Importing, whether it is cars, films or food, enhances the opportunity for an economy to focus on what it does relatively better than other economies. Otherwise, Luxembourg, Hong Kong, and Singapore (to take just three obvious examples) would be mired in poverty.
            Economy 101

            If everyone moves up the value chain, who'll produce food. Soil is not getting tilled all by itself, paddy is not going to grow all by itself, fruits don't get picked all by itself. Singapore has been asking its citizens to stop going for fancy degrees, as they need port workers more for loading and unloading goods rather than MBAs or Economists. Who's going to clean the choked latrine pipe? An Economist? A range of workers with different skill-sets are needed to run a country's economy, not just Berkeley educated blokes who live on a bloated paycheque retrieving data using the UI of the application that was designed and developed by software architects & engineers, and coming up with the prediction that millionaires are the most eligible customers for their new loan program. What for is China buying agricultural lands in foreign countries? The answer is simple, to be self-sufficient in growing their own food, rather than relying on other countries. Big developing countries need all types of labour, who can engage in different types of jobs, so that they can fend for themselves and contribute to the local economy.

            Now, please go and read in what context I replied to DE's post. Re-read it again.
            Politicians are elected to serve...far too many don't see it that way - Albany Rifles! || Loyalty to country always. Loyalty to government, when it deserves it - Mark Twain! || I am a far left millennial!

            Comment


            • Originally posted by Double Edge View Post
              Right, this is why i call it a red herring. Since day 1 i've been hearing this tax returns mantra. Two years in. Same story.
              That's because for the past 2 years, Trump has been shielded by a GOP-controlled House. Times have now changed and you're going to see Donald Trump screaming like a banshee to keep his tax returns away from the public eye.

              Let's get something straight: Donald Trump is a confirmed, proved tax cheat. PERIOD. This is a matter of undeniable fact. He has resorted to a non-stop stream of broken promises and outright lies to avoid giving up the goods and has decided to branch out into making retaliatory threats against Congress if they persist in the pursuit of his returns. Why is that?

              Oh and the whole "IRS hasn't accused him of anything" defense doesn't mean diddly-shit when the IRS's staff has been slashed a full THIRD and the audit rate has fallen even further.

              Criminals have a lot easier time when the police force gets drastically downsized.

              Like any Mafia boss, he's enjoyed protection for decades. First by his father's money and lawyers, and then by the GOP-held Congress. Well, time to see what's under the hood. I doubt his returns will withstand the glare of investigatory light.
              “He was the most prodigious personification of all human inferiorities. He was an utterly incapable, unadapted, irresponsible, psychopathic personality, full of empty, infantile fantasies, but cursed with the keen intuition of a rat or a guttersnipe. He represented the shadow, the inferior part of everybody’s personality, in an overwhelming degree, and this was another reason why they fell for him.”

              Comment


              • Originally posted by TopHatter View Post
                Oh and the whole "IRS hasn't accused him of anything" defense doesn't mean diddly-shit when the IRS's staff has been slashed a full THIRD and the audit rate has fallen even further.

                Criminals have a lot easier time when the police force gets drastically downsized.
                That also does not wash, Joe. These are the people tasked with going through Trump's records with a fine tooth comb. While I am sure the chances of an audit are down, the audits themselves must be the best Treasury can muster. The only way these records could be of any use is that there was no audit and somehow, Trump's returns did not raise any red flags in Treasury own foreignsic accounting computer systems. Not impossible but improbable given how much we already know about Russian money laundering schemes.

                This ain't about the police being downsized. This is the DA lining up his arguements in court to sink the perp.

                However, if Treasury's forensic accountants can find nothing, then the chances are damned low that a Committee of unprofessional non-accountants are going to find something.

                This again does not address the point that Putin ain't anywhere stupid enough to have anything traced to him from Trump and that includes Trump himself.
                Last edited by Officer of Engineers; 12 Nov 18,, 05:30.
                Chimo

                Comment


                • Originally posted by Double Edge View Post
                  The reason is otherwise, the phone will just shut down. What if you need it. i'm talking the thing just stops mid way or less than midway but not at zero.

                  By slowing it down when they sense the battery is old the phone becomes more reliable and behaves as you expect it.

                  This is a new phenomenon i've noticed with some phones who don't slow down. Battery graph falls off a cliff...in the middle
                  That's a red herring. We've all experienced battery memories. We know a dying battery when we see one. The solution has always been to buy a new battery, not a new phone.
                  Chimo

                  Comment


                  • Tulsi Gabbard planning to run for US presidency in 2020?
                    Politicians are elected to serve...far too many don't see it that way - Albany Rifles! || Loyalty to country always. Loyalty to government, when it deserves it - Mark Twain! || I am a far left millennial!

                    Comment


                    • Originally posted by WABs_OOE View Post
                      I used TESLA as the example. I can easily use APPLE. The story about TESLA is this. Someone was involved in a fender-bender, that's it. For whatever reasons, TESLA wrote the car off (probably to force insurance to buy a new car). The Insurance company went over the car with a fine tooth comb. Structurally, there was nothing wrong other than the fender bender. So, they sold the car as salvage.

                      People who bought the car got the car safetied, ie State approval that the car was road worthy. They drove the car for months without problems. Then, there was a recall. They bought it to a TESLA dealership for repairs. TESLA states the car was wrote off and thus would not be part of the recall. Smart car owners said since the State has deemed the car road worthy, TESLA would be obliged to fix the issue.

                      Fine. They left and went on their way. Then, they found that the car won't charge. They contacted the dealership and found out since the car was wrote off, TESLA would no longer be supporting it, ie the software features such as charging would not be activated. They would have to recertify the car as TESLA certified at a cost $10,000+ to reactivate all the software.
                      When a product is released with an embedded software - it is already activated, I don't understand how it gets deactivated, so that the user has to pay to get it activated again. I gave you an example of Mac, because it is what I see, as I have been working with Macbooks for 5+ years. If, however, what you say is true, why not file a complaint and get TESLA to pay millions in fines?

                      You got rights. Use it.

                      Originally posted by WABs_OOE View Post
                      https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCl2...jw_ELax4Yisf6w

                      He can tell horror stories after horror stories and he fixes Macs for a living. I for one do not appreciate APPLE making special screws so that I cannot take apart my own machine to replace a hard drive.
                      It's a proprietary product. It's not a car, it's a laptop. If a Macbook runs for a year, i.e. within warranty period, it will run for 10 years. Poor example.

                      Originally posted by WABs_OOE View Post
                      I've used TESLA because they're taking the lead. I've also cited JOHN DEERE. The RIGHT TO REPAIR is a hotly debated here, mainly because the Manufacturers want to use the law to forbid you to do your own repairs, ie software copyrights and patents, ie special screws.
                      If that is the case, it is plain wrong. You're a Canadian, why not file a case?

                      You know what? This argument of yours is making me think you live in a 3rd world country where laws are easy to break, and no one hears the common man. Is it true for Canada?

                      Originally posted by WABs_OOE View Post
                      Sure I do but I rely on the landline if I want clear communications. Cell phones I found to be on par with Field SIGS.
                      Landline is dead. Places where it is still in use, will be dead in another 5 years, or at the max 1 decade.

                      Originally posted by WABs_OOE View Post
                      In fact, I do use the stars to find my way when out on the hunt. As with communicating with telepathy, yeah, it's called the spoken language.
                      What will you do when your eyes don't support your vision? 99.9% (taking liberty) people are non-military, I can bet not even 10% know how to use the stars for direction. Not everything in this world is done being stubborn. I have got 2 people at home that behaves that way. And I, mostly, am frustrated. Classic case of generation gap, with the wrong arguments coming from the older generation. Your generation is supposed to show us the way, because your generation is more experienced than ours.

                      Originally posted by WABs_OOE View Post
                      You got me wrong. I am not technology adversed. I am adversed to being treated like an idiot.
                      No one is treating you like an idiot. People respect you, and you yourself know that. People here are mature enough to see your POV and debate. You have to shed that stubbornness and see our POV too.

                      There is something really wrong with 70+ year olds. They just don't want to see or understand our way of life. We are not asking for your money, or even your time. All we want is some understanding.
                      Last edited by Oracle; 12 Nov 18,, 16:50.
                      Politicians are elected to serve...far too many don't see it that way - Albany Rifles! || Loyalty to country always. Loyalty to government, when it deserves it - Mark Twain! || I am a far left millennial!

                      Comment


                      • Originally posted by Oracle View Post
                        When a product is released with an embedded software - it is already activated, I don't understand how it gets deactivated, so that the user has to pay to get it activated again.
                        It's called a remote kill switch. The same way your phone apps get updated, TESLA can remote kill the software in the car.

                        Originally posted by Oracle View Post
                        I gave you an example of Mac, because it is what I see, as I have been working with Macbooks for 5+ years. If, however, what you say is true, why not file a complaint and get TESLA to pay millions in fines?

                        You got rights. Use it.
                        There is no such thing as a RIGHT TO REPAIR. There is an agreement to allow 3rd party repairs but that agreement is very limited in scope and not everyone has signed on and those who have signed on decides what to share and what not to share.

                        Legislation is being debated but at this point, TESLA and those of her ilk can decide when and where to stop her services to her cars.

                        Originally posted by Oracle View Post
                        It's a proprietary product. It's not a car, it's a laptop. If a Macbook runs for a year, i.e. within warranty period, it will run for 10 years. Poor example.
                        Very good example. There's a reason why Macs ain't used on the battlefield. They won't last in the environment we subject our systems to - dust, extreme heat and cold and her special screws and glued in parts makes battlefield repairs a no brainer. We don't use them.

                        Originally posted by Oracle View Post
                        If that is the case, it is plain wrong. You're a Canadian, why not file a case?

                        You know what? This argument of yours is making me think you live in a 3rd world country where laws are easy to break, and no one hears the common man. Is it true for Canada?
                        It's because there is no such thing as a Right To Repair and what laws there is, the manufacturers are using them to their advantage. Case in point is the DMCA. The DMCA doesn't even allow you to make copies of the user manual. The authors of DMCA never envisioned it being used against the Right To Repair.

                        Originally posted by Oracle View Post
                        Landline is dead. Places where it is still in use, will be dead in another 5 years, or at the max 1 decade.
                        Ehh, no. There's a rule of thumb in the military. If it's wireless, it ain't secured. Never mind the telephone companies just spent $billions laying fibre optic lines.

                        Originally posted by Oracle View Post
                        What will you do when your eyes don't support your vision?
                        My eyes will stop seeing the GPS screen long before they stop seeing the stars.

                        Originally posted by Oracle View Post
                        99.9% (taking liberty) people are non-military, I can bet not even 10% know how to use the stars for direction.
                        It's convient. Once you know how to read the stars, it's a long more convient than wipping out the phone to find out how to get back to your camp. Plus, you don't scare the deer with LCD screen light. It's just not military. Most hunters I know know the area they hunt and the stars are just a quick way to tell them which direction to head. There's nothing magical about any of this. Just remember a few constellations and you're set. It's like you finding your way home in a city at night. Know where the streets are and you're set without wipping out the GPS.

                        Originally posted by Oracle View Post
                        Not everything in this world is done being stubborn. I have got 2 people at home that behaves that way. And I, mostly, am frustrated. Classic case of generation gap, with the wrong arguments coming from the older generation. Your generation is supposed to show us the way, because your generation is more experienced than ours.
                        We are. We've been through this shit before. Technology is the answer to everything. Yes, there's been a hell of a lot of progress. But technology ain't the cure all that everyone touts it to be. We just don't get excited about technology because the problems that we had before? War, famine, pollution, social disorder, etc are still with us today.

                        Back in the 70s, people were touting if we could just talk to each other more, wars could be adverted. Today, we have ISIS using the internet to recruit and Moscow using bots and trolls to destablize the West.

                        The International Space Station and the probes to Mars are technological marvels but we went to the moon on slide rules and on less than 64K of computer memory.

                        Originally posted by Oracle View Post
                        No one is treating you like an idiot. People respect you, and you yourself know that. People here are mature enough to see your POV and debate. You have to shed that stubbornness and see our POV too.

                        There is something really wrong with 70+ year olds. They just don't want to see or understand our way of life. We are not asking for your money, or even your time. All we want is some understanding.
                        Of course you're asking for our money. How else are you going to make a living? You know what got me back to going to the theatre to watch movies again? It ain't the 3D or IMAX. It's the fact that they put recliner seats and waiter service in the theatres. I don't have to wait in line for popcorn and drinks. I can hot dogs, burgers, taccos, and mango juice deliver to my seat in a reclined position.

                        Don't get me wrong. I've seen how technology provided quantum leaps in combat power, especially with the use of air artillery. In essence, a platoon now have the firepower of an entire battalion circling above them. That kind of lethality was unheard of during the Cold War. However, to this day, 2 airplanes and a platoon does not replace a battalion. Battalion level taskings still require a battalion.
                        Last edited by Officer of Engineers; 12 Nov 18,, 20:15.
                        Chimo

                        Comment


                        • Originally posted by snapper View Post
                          You think? I do not dispute the legal legitimacy - but remember democracy? Now two elections in a row where Turnip and his ilk got less votes - when does it lose democratic legitimacy?
                          Lame duck is what I believe you are seeking.

                          I recall the "shellacking" Obama described during his administration mid-term. You recall that don't you? Well, it didn't lose democratic legitimacy then, and it's not going to now. You know why? Because respect should be shown to our President, no matter who he is. I viewed Obama as a lame and weak President but I respected him as our President. I really don't care for the personality of Trump but he does at least do what he said he was going to do or try to do as President. I don't vote for a President because I like or dislike him. Trump donates each of his quarterly paychecks to charity so apparently, he isn't doing this job for the money. He does it because he is so sick of what this country has turned into. Probably as sick of it as people are that do not like him. Whatever.
                          It is what it is.

                          Comment


                          • Originally posted by TopHatter View Post
                            Oh and the whole "IRS hasn't accused him of anything" defense doesn't mean diddly-shit when the IRS's staff has been slashed a full THIRD and the audit rate has fallen even further.
                            Yes he cut the budget $239 million (14,000 staffers). The IRS isn't squeaky clean either:

                            The IRS has failed to spend taxpayer resources wisely. IRS boss John Koskinen and other IRS officials have claimed the agency is underfunded. One even claimed that the agency was “struggling to keep the lights on.” But the facts say otherwise – the IRS has proven time and time again that it cannot be trusted to wisely spend taxpayer dollars. In fact, the IRS is unable to justify its spending decisions, according to a report by the independent National Taxpayer Advocate: “the IRS has come under scrutiny by external oversight organizations who have questioned the IRS’s rationale for its budget decisions. They have not been satisfied with the IRS’s response to their inquiries.” This has not stopped agency officials from complaining, or from making further poor spending decisions. The IRS has also been caught wasting over 500,000 hours, or $23.5 million a year on union activities, and gave 57 contracts worth a total of $18.8 million to corporations that had federal tax debt or a felony conviction.

                            The IRS also made the costly (and perhaps illegal) decision to hire a litigation-only white shoe law firm for over $1,000 an hour over an audit of Microsoft. As noted by Congressional investigators, the agency has 40,000 employees dedicated to enforcement efforts and access to the IRS office of Chief Counsel or a Department of Justice attorney for audits. Instead the agency chose to hire an expensive law firm for at least $2.2 million.
                            https://www.atr.org/trump-budget-cut...ng-239-million

                            Comment


                            • Originally posted by Oracle View Post
                              Economy 101

                              If everyone moves up the value chain, who'll produce food. Soil is not getting tilled all by itself, paddy is not going to grow all by itself, fruits don't get picked all by itself. Singapore has been asking its citizens to stop going for fancy degrees, as they need port workers more for loading and unloading goods rather than MBAs or Economists. Who's going to clean the choked latrine pipe? An Economist? A range of workers with different skill-sets are needed to run a country's economy, not just Berkeley educated blokes who live on a bloated paycheque retrieving data using the UI of the application that was designed and developed by software architects & engineers, and coming up with the prediction that millionaires are the most eligible customers for their new loan program. What for is China buying agricultural lands in foreign countries? The answer is simple, to be self-sufficient in growing their own food, rather than relying on other countries. Big developing countries need all types of labour, who can engage in different types of jobs, so that they can fend for themselves and contribute to the local economy.

                              Now, please go and read in what context I replied to DE's post. Re-read it again.
                              No one said a word about everyone moving up the value-added chain at exactly the same pace. What was said was (paraphrasing) “OMG, China has to IMPORT food! What a loser!”

                              And so, I pointed out the concept of productivity.
                              Trust me?
                              I'm an economist!

                              Comment


                              • Originally posted by Julie View Post
                                Yes he cut the budget $239 million (14,000 staffers). The IRS isn't squeaky clean either:



                                https://www.atr.org/trump-budget-cut...ng-239-million

                                Got any unbias sources on that?
                                Trust me?
                                I'm an economist!

                                Comment

                                Working...
                                X