Random political thought thread.

[Kingu Kurimuzon]

Biden Should Choose Science over Politics and Embrace Tobacco Harm Reduction - Competitive Enterprise Institute

 

[Julius_Van_Der_Beak]

Shuuuut up, Mitt

Utah Sen. Mitt Romney Is Pushing For A Flavored Vape Ban (Again) - Vaping Poststyl

Just like, maybe tighten regulations to prevent underage users from buying the products? Do we really need a big industry wide ban? Seems like using a chainsaw for heart surgery. Also, tired of people continuing to conflate two separate issues--underage vaping, and illicit thc cartridges. The CDC already confirmed that the majority of vaping related illnesses were NOT a result of nicotine-based flavored juices.

I'm glad we're still able to embrace 80s-90s-00s-style moral panics after all the stuff that has happened in the past 4 years. It takes balls to tackle the pressing issues like teen smoking.

 

[ceecee]

That's an uphill battle, but fight on. Pull out the rocket launcher, if you have to. Mount it on your shoulder. Fire.

Court rules for inmate in qualified immunity case - SCOTUSblog

Chemerinsky: SCOTUS hands down a rare civil rights victory on qualified immunity

Per curiam decisions handed down without briefing and oral argument generally do not get much attention, so it is understandable that the U.S. Supreme Court’s ruling about qualified immunity in Taylor v. Riojas might have been overlooked, even by civil rights lawyers.

But the case is significant because it is a rare instance in which the high court rejected a claim of qualified immunity and made clear that no case on point is required in order to hold a government officer liable.

 

[Jaguar]

Court rules for inmate in qualified immunity case - SCOTUSblog

Chemerinsky: SCOTUS hands down a rare civil rights victory on qualified immunity

I'm looking toward a day where no U.S. Court of Appeals 5th circuit judge can summarily dismiss a case based on qualified immunity, whereby a need for SCOTUS to rule on their decision exists.

 

[Jaguar]

A black Florida school resource officer was fired after he was caught on his body camera using the N-word multiple times, authorities said. The officer used the racial slur while on the phone and driving home from an off-duty assignment on Nov. 13, the Tampa Bay Times reported. He repeated it again while on the phone with his wife.

Footage also captured White saying the N-word twice while arresting someone for trespassing on Nov. 30, police said.

Is that right. Well, do tell, should Martin Lawrence be 'fired' for what happens at 3:05?

 

[Julius_Van_Der_Beak]

Is that right. Well, do tell, should Martin Lawrence be 'fired' for what happens at 3:05?

This kind of thing isn't new, you know. I have personally witnessed examples of this kind of thing in 2012/2013. It seems to be a good pretext for certain managers to make power plays against other managers and get them out of the picture. I'll bet this guy was in the shit because of some workplace politics.

 

[Kephalos]

Another effective policy against police brutality would be to abolish grand juries.

 

[Virtual ghost]

There are multiple taxes related to car ownership in Denmark. The first one is the registration tax, that you pay when purchasing any car, in order to get a license plate for the car. This varies somewhere between 100–180% of the car price, excluding taxes. On top of this comes 25%VAT, which is 25% of both the actual car price and the registration tax.

Is that all? Hell, why not charge 500% of the car's value? Woohoo.

I am not sure where you got that numbers or that they are fully correct. However that doesn't even matter since you fundamentally missed the Denmark's way of life (or standard European way of life in general).



The fundamental mistake is that you rate taxed money as a lost money, what is indeed how the game works in the US. However in Europe it doesn't really work like that and due to that you will get many benefits, or improvement of your environment. Especially since you will generally get much more for that money than you would get through the market, since market requires profits, taxes etc. Therefore just if money went to the government that does not mean that you lost that money or that it's no longer yours to spend. Since it can come back in the form that no one in your entire family or company will ever worry about medical bills. Or the fact that even if you die in a car crash all of your kids can go to the decent college. In can come as much much lower crime rate since everyone's basic needs are met for the most part. Or that you have clean water in your house, or as lower public debt ... etc.



However regarding cars in specific: Europe is general is destimulating the use of cars for environmental and health related reasons. European cities are in general build differently than US ones, since here you can in general satisfy all of your basic needs on foot. What is especially good since cars favor big shopping malls in the outskirts of cities and that actually hurts local economy. Plus in Europe it is normal that cities are hundreds or even thousands of years old. Therefore certain parts of cities simply aren't build for mass of modern traffic. Therefore these days it is normal that you just ban cars from going into the city center, which just can't handle this. Plus as cars are generally destimulated public transportation and taxis cover that issue. In my city you can travel from one side of the metropolitan area to another for something like 1.50$. Plus ambulance works free of charge, so you don't really need a car for those kinds of things (if you are in a bad shape you can't drive anyway). Also there is environmental factor where Europe leads at this point and that directly effects climate change and personal health. I mean Denmark is very vulnerable to climate change so it is kinds logical that they care about the issue. I mean the days when everyone had two cars are evidently getting more and more behind us, even if those are electrical. Since they still need plenty of electricity and plenty of energy to produce. What just wouldn't be there if we are truly trying to save the environment and ourselves.



Just saying.

 

[Red Herring]

I am not sure where you got that numbers or that they are fully correct. However that doesn't even matter since you fundamentally missed the Denmark's way of life (or standard European way of life in general).



The fundamental mistake is that you rate taxed money as a lost money, what is indeed how the game works in the US. However in Europe it doesn't really work like that and due to that you will get many benefits, or improvement of your environment. Especially since you will generally get much more for that money than you would get through the market, since market requires profits, taxes etc. Therefore just if money went to the government that does not mean that you lost that money or that it's no longer yours to spend. Since it can come back in the form that no one in your entire family or company will ever worry about medical bills. Or the fact that even if you die in a car crash all of your kids can go to the decent college. In can come as much much lower crime rate since everyone's basic needs are met for the most part. Or that you have clean water in your house, or as lower public debt ... etc.

I like to compare it to Groupon (only for an entire country)

 

[Julius_Van_Der_Beak]

I like to compare it to Groupon (only for an entire country)

I think some people who make a lot of money see that is a waste,though, because they don't have to worry about things like health care for instance, anyway. The thing is, though, is that I'll bet that it also ends up meaning there is less crime and more social stability (probably less populist politics, for instance... compare CDU with the present GOP), so there is actually a benefit to them.

I think most people who are against "taxes", though, would probably be in a position to benefit from that, though; it's just that they've bought into a lot of propaganda about it and may even willingly consume said propaganda. I don't think my Republican relatives are really well enough off that none of that would benefit them, for instance. I don't know salaries, but they seem to be living lower-middle class lives.

 

[Julius_Van_Der_Beak]

However regarding cars in specific: Europe is general is destimulating the use of cars for environmental and health related reasons. European cities are in general build differently than US ones, since here you can in general satisfy all of your basic needs on foot. What is especially good since cars favor big shopping malls in the outskirts of cities and that actually hurts local economy. Plus in Europe it is normal that cities are hundreds or even thousands of years old. Therefore certain parts of cities simply aren't build for mass of modern traffic. Therefore these days it is normal that you just ban cars from going into the city center, which just can't handle this. Plus as cars are generally destimulated public transportation and taxis cover that issue. In my city you can travel from one side of the metropolitan area to another for something like 1.50$. Plus ambulance works free of charge, so you don't really need a car for those kinds of things (if you are in a bad shape you can't drive anyway). Also there is environmental factor where Europe leads at this point and that directly effects climate change and personal health. I mean Denmark is very vulnerable to climate change so it is kinds logical that they care about the issue. I mean the days when everyone had two cars are evidently getting more and more behind us, even if those are electrical. Since they still need plenty of electricity and plenty of energy to produce. What just wouldn't be there if we are truly trying to save the environment and ourselves.



Just saying.

I am actually lucky enough that to live in a neighborhood of an American city that is very walkable, and I'm not sure why so many people in this country think needing to get in a car and spend gas money so you can drive 10 minutes to get groceries is a superior lifestyle. I don't own a car and have practically no need for one. It saves me a great deal of money on parking, insurance, maintenance, etc. The only thing I'd really want car for is to visit nature spots, but I suppose I can always rent for that.

Maybe people like things being set up in a car-centric it because it's harder for poor people and therefore is a way of proving their social worth? I should never discount the role of social Darwinism as the American religion, after all.

 

[Jaguar]

I am not sure where you got that numbers or that they are fully correct. However that doesn't even matter since you fundamentally missed the Denmark's way of life (or standard European way of life in general).

Google. Heard of it? And it's you who missed the point. My post was about car registration taxes and VAT. The reason they had their taxes outrageously high was to discourage driving a car. Again, if that fact doesn't fit in with your narrative, too bad. "We don't want you driving a car so we're going to tax you like a lunatic to drive one." Really? Screw that. It's like former New York mayor Bloomberg who wanted to shove his values down the throats of others by banning soda and/or cup sizes that hold the soda.Then a judge told him to fuck off at some point, if memory serves me. Seriously, that's not my idea of governing.

 

[Julius_Van_Der_Beak]

Google. Heard of it? And it's you who missed the point. My post was about car registration taxes and VAT. The reason they had their taxes outrageously high was to discourage driving a car. Again, if that fact doesn't fit in with your narrative, too bad. "We don't want you driving a car so we're going to tax you like a lunatic to drive one." Really? Screw that. It's like former New York mayor Bloomberg who wanted to shove his values down the throats of others by banning soda and/or cup sizes that hold the soda.Then a judge told him to fuck off at some point, if memory serves me. Seriously, that's not my idea of governing.

I trust you'll turn against Biden if he joins the crusade against vapes (which he probably will, it's such a 90's-style moral panic), then?

 

[Kingu Kurimuzon]

I'm movin' on up but I feel more radically "left" than ever. I do think coming from dirt poor roots and remembering that helps one maintain some perspective, versus, say, being born rich. Although obviously a lot of exceptions to this exist--there will be poor people who think they're temporarily disenfranchised millionaires and rich people who care about the less fortunate.

 

[Virtual ghost]

I am actually lucky enough that to live in a neighborhood of an American city that is very walkable, and I'm not sure why so many people in this country think needing to get in a car and spend gas money so you can drive 10 minutes to get groceries is a superior lifestyle. I don't own a car and have practically no need for one. It saves me a great deal of money on parking, insurance, maintenance, etc. The only thing I'd really want car for is to visit nature spots, but I suppose I can always rent for that.

Maybe people like things being set up in a car-centric it because it's harder for poor people and therefore is a way of proving their social worth? I should never discount the role of social Darwinism as the American religion, after all.

Well, one car per household is ok by me. But more than that it will probably be a waste in most cases.


On the other hand for me it is normal to walk a few miles a day, or to be generally physically active. What is probably the main reason why I was never fat and why here we don't have the super obese people. Since here it is normal to have these smaller supermarkets scattered around the neighborhoods or have a block turned into one larger one. Kinda similar works for various other kinds of stores. Plus since the street crime is very low going to the store on foot can replace gym. Especially if you have to carry the stuff back in the backpack. Plus you have public transportation that is cheap and often it isn't much slower than a car. Especially since it can take various shortcuts and avoid street lights, and it doesn't require a parking space (that costs in most cases). Not to mention that you can't go with a car into certain places like the very center of a city, since that is forbidden and physically prevented. Because such places are turned into large pedestrian zones with all kinds of activities, since that is where the centuries old core of the city is. Plus we also introduced all kinds of deliveries these days and working from home is kinda becoming a standard. Therefore this mass car thing will probably start to fade all over the world since there are alternatives and we just don't have the resources to keep this going on this scale regardless of the fuel type (if we plan to avoid global environmental disaster).




Btw. in the Denmark the liberal centrists are crashing. I didn't check why but the polling average is pretty clear about that (they are the blue line).

Polling average Denmark

 

[ceecee]

I'm movin' on up but I feel more radically "left" than ever. I do think coming from dirt poor roots and remembering that helps one maintain some perspective, versus, say, being born rich. Although obviously a lot of exceptions to this exist--there will be poor people who think they're temporarily disenfranchised millionaires and rich people who care about the less fortunate.

Most Americans are disenfranchised, whether they know it or not. And you have people that are in those same circumstances, standing up to cheerlead for the politics and policies that caused it, both parties that caused it and, my favorite part, become apologists for the motherfucking tiny amount of people who aren't. That pay to make sure they never become disenfranchised, because it can happen easily. But, yanno, Bernie is crazy and radical. lol

 

[Jaguar]

I trust you'll turn against Biden if he joins the crusade against vapes (which he probably will, it's such a 90's-style moral panic), then?

Vapes? As in vaping? FFS, I have far more serious things on my mind than that nonsense. It you want to vape, fucking vape. It's your body.

 

[Patches]

I trust you'll turn against Biden if he joins the crusade against vapes (which he probably will, it's such a 90's-style moral panic), then?

I like the part where you've somehow taken Mitt Romney's crusade and pre-emptively placed the blame on the Dems. You guys so done with Romney that he officially belongs to the left now?

 

[Julius_Van_Der_Beak]

I like the part where you've somehow taken Mitt Romney's crusade and pre-emptively placed the blame on the Dems. You guys so done with Romney that he officially belongs to the left now?

I'm a Bernie bro. Unlike Jaguar, I've never voted for a Republican in my life.

 

[Jaguar]

Do you jerk off to his image on your bedroom wall, or what? The boy is obsessed . . .