Random Politics Thread

[Totenkindly]

Amusing? Disgusting?

I get the arguments for whoever made the biggest splash in a given year regardless of quality of that splash...
.... but this just feels like more MSM pandering after all of Trump's whiny bitching over the years regarding this.

They not only are in bed with him, but they seem to enjoy it.
One more thing to go to his head to justify some of his upcoming crazy choices.

Donald Trump Named Time Magazine's "Person of the Year"

 

[Totenkindly]

Some Republicans fear a DOGE dilemma is setting in

As Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy make sweeping promises to cut $2 trillion dollars of federal spending, senior House Republicans have raised concerns with GOP leadership that efforts to cut wasteful federal spending will put the party on a collision course.

www.yahoo.com

Even Musk has privately conceded to lawmakers that some of his ideas so far haven’t been very popular or won’t succeed, multiple sources told CNN, but emphasized that he wants the process to be collaborative. One such proposal that is percolating, according to two sources, is to cut all federal workers who were hired in the last year. That is getting some fierce pushback internally, but many cautioned it is still too early to criticize the ideas....

I burst out laughing at that part.

WHO IS GOING TO DO THE ACTUAL WORK FOR AREAS THAT WERE UNDERSTAFFED AND FINALLY JUST GOT A NEW RESOURCE OR TWO???

I mean, sure you can save a hell of a lot of money on a McDonald's store budget by firing 50-100% of your service staff. But who then is going to make and sell hamburgers?

I really hate how they don't understand that many of these are service organizations, not for-profit private companies.

 

[Virtual ghost]

I really hate how they don't understand that many of these are service organizations, not for-profit private companies.

I am afraid that they understand that. It is just that they want to undo it anyway so that they can make private version of it. Because in that case they can make money on that and they don't have to pay taxes to fund the organization in original form. The only problem is that the average Joe will probably have to pay even more than before (since it has to pay the profit).

 

[The Cat]

Im afraid that breaking things is the point. Systems, infrastructure, support networks, the human spirit. Im concerned that the cruely *is* the whole point. This whole thing feels like "the little people" are being punished for how uppity we all got since Covid.

 

[Virtual ghost]

Im afraid that breaking things is the point. Systems, infrastructure, support networks, the human spirit. Im concerned that the cruely *is* the whole point. This whole thing feels like "the little people" are being punished for how uppity we all got since Covid.

And the best part is that they don't understand that their decisions will probably have serious anti-business complications. In basically all countries spending on various institutions has a hidden meaning in it. In other other words through various offices government is distributing money into various communities by paying wages to the locals that work in those offices, agencies ... etc. Therefore if you cut those offices it probably wouldn't be profitable to make private version of them in many smaller or poorer communities. However once that incoming money is out of the loop in local economy that can have serious consequences. Local bar make go broke, local hardware store may have it's sales plunged, post office may close, pet store may close .... etc. Since the money from government agency has circulated through that town and thus it made local economy possible.


However that is big picture thinking that typical libertarian doesn't understand.

 

[The Cat]

And the best part is that they don't understand that their decisions will probably have serious anti-business complications. In basically all countries spending on various institutions has a hidden meaning in it. In other other words through various offices government is distributing money into various communities by paying wages to the locals that work in those offices, agencies ... etc. Therefore if you cut those offices it probably wouldn't be profitable to make private version of them in many smaller or poorer communities. However once that incoming money is out of the loop in local economy that can have serious consequences. Local bar make go broke, local hardware store may have it's sales plunged, post office may close, pet store may close .... etc. Since the money from government agency has circulated through that town and thus it made local economy possible.


However that is big picture thinking that typical libertarian doesn't understand.

Say now, that sounds like dangerous thinking, we'd best get back to work. Apparently 99% of us are expendable and we just voted in Zapp Brannigan as the president.

 

[Virtual ghost]

Say now, that sounds like dangerous thinking, we'd best get back to work. Apparently 99% of us are expendable and we just voted in Zapp Brannigan as the president.

Actually it is more like you elected elderly Eric Cartman

However I am willing to bet that pretty much all incoming economic reforms wouldn't have desired effect. The logic behind all of that is just too simplistic and old school to really work in 21th century. In the case that they also plan a major boost to education then just maybe all of this could work. But without that I am willing to bet that in the big picture things will get stuck in the mud.

 

[Julius_Van_Der_Beak]

Actually it is more like you elected elderly Eric Cartman

This.

 

[Virtual ghost]

Mexico and Canada weigh potential fallout of Trump tariffs

 

[ceecee]

RFK's Jr.'s lawyer has asked the FDA to revoke polio vaccine approval: NYT

The lawyer helping Robert F. Kennedy Jr. pick federal health officials for the incoming Trump administration has petitioned the government to revoke its approval of the polio vaccine, according to New York Times reporting.

www.msnbc.com

 

[ceecee]

Mexico and Canada weigh potential fallout of Trump tariffs

https://www.politico.com/news/2024/12/11/ontario-premier-threatens-cut-off-energy-supply-us-00193895

Can't believe I'm agreeing with someone like Doug Ford but I can say as an American, we have this coming. One would think the Hoover presidency would have covered the retaliatory tariffs and what happens next pretty well but, these are some dumb mfers.

 

[Totenkindly]

RFK's Jr.'s lawyer has asked the FDA to revoke polio vaccine approval: NYT

The lawyer helping Robert F. Kennedy Jr. pick federal health officials for the incoming Trump administration has petitioned the government to revoke its approval of the polio vaccine, according to New York Times reporting.

www.msnbc.com

At what point does endangering public health move from an act of ignorance/stupidity and into one of criminal liability?

 

[ceecee]

At what point does endangering public health move from an act of ignorance/stupidity and into one of criminal liability?

Oh I am all for holding all these people criminally liable but they never will. And again, we have it coming. Maybe that's what it will take for Trump voters, I don't know.

 

[Coriolis]

Oh I am all for holding all these people criminally liable but they never will. And again, we have it coming. Maybe that's what it will take for Trump voters, I don't know.

If this would just take out the Trump supporters, I would say they have it coming. Darwin's law and all. Unfortunately the rest of us are put at risk as well.

 

[Virtual ghost]

https://www.politico.com/news/2024/12/11/ontario-premier-threatens-cut-off-energy-supply-us-00193895

Can't believe I'm agreeing with someone like Doug Ford but I can say as an American, we have this coming. One would think the Hoover presidency would have covered the retaliatory tariffs and what happens next pretty well but, these are some dumb mfers.

To be honest: this all depends on how you look at. If you are starting from the premise that is in the air for decades then this is evidently dumb. However if you are going with revolutionary logic that most of it has to be burned down to make room for new order it quickly becomes kinda subjective what is dumb and what isn't. I am saying this because US isn't used to internal tectonic shifts and just about everything suggests that this is exactly what is about to happen. Will that shift produce observable improvements ? It probably wouldn't. However it seem that this wouldn't stop certain people from trying. As I said: over the next 4 years we are all going on the ride of our lives. The last 8 years were basically just preparations.

 

[The Cat]

Im just hoping that its not all some kind of culling in practice. The best place to hide something like that would be out in the open.

 

[Totenkindly]

Oh good god.

He's not even in office yet and this is just going to be a shitshow from Day -34 or something...

Am I going on furlough for Christmas?

Government funding plan collapses as Trump makes new demands days before shutdown

President-elect Donald Trump abruptly rejected a bipartisan plan Wednesday to prevent a Christmastime government shutdown, instead telling House Speaker Mike Johnson and Republicans to essentially renegotiate — days before a deadline when federal funding runs out. Trump's sudden entrance into...

www.yahoo.com

 

[Julius_Van_Der_Beak]

Oh good god.

He's not even in office yet and this is just going to be a shitshow from Day -34 or something...

Am I going on furlough for Christmas?

Government funding plan collapses as Trump makes new demands days before shutdown

President-elect Donald Trump abruptly rejected a bipartisan plan Wednesday to prevent a Christmastime government shutdown, instead telling House Speaker Mike Johnson and Republicans to essentially renegotiate — days before a deadline when federal funding runs out. Trump's sudden entrance into...

www.yahoo.com

That sucks.

To me this stood out:

A number of Republicans were waiting for Trump to signal whether they should vote yes or no.

This suggests to me the level of incompetence we've all come to know and love.

 

[Virtual ghost]

In "normal" countries when stuff like this happens political parties find temporary solution. Or there is even rule that if this happens that this just means that the last year's budget will be copied until the dispute is solved. I never experienced government shutdown in my life.

 

[The Cat]

In "normal" countries when stuff like this happens political parties find temporary solution. Or there is even rule that if this happens that this just means that the last year's budget will be copied until the dispute is solved. I never experienced government shutdown in my life.

that's only because the people who own your government want it to work. The people who own ours are trying to punish us for getting too uppity in the last few years.