***Official Political Discussion Thread***

[jjs07]

Justin Hendrix
[emoji]10004[/emoji]
@justinhendrix

Related: Infowars will install birther Jerome Corsi as White House correspondent http://money.cnn.com/2017/01/31/media/infowars-jerome-corsi-washington-bureau-chief/ … … pic.twitter.com/iriOSoAENB

This. Can't. Happen.

 

[AEA18]

Is that Richard Branson in that pic?

 

[Armada]

 

[Belgium]

Since voter suppression and voting turnout is a big problem in the US, how do y'all feel about the idea of mandatory voting? Which is what we have over here.

Our elections are very different but most people here seem to hate it. Obviously not everyone is into politics and the people generally don't have faith in our government and view it as dysfunctional and disconnected from the people. With a few individual exceptions such as our prime minister, the minister of social affairs & public health and the minister of immigration. Many people I know specifically ask their employers to schedule them to work on election day in advance so they don't have to vote. And if they can't work on that day they just leave their ballot empty.

I think it's a good thing for the most part because it forces the entire population to participate in national elections. You get fined if you don't show up to vote without a valid reason (disease, work, ...). Each town no matter how small has a voting station so it's never a long trip and the bigger cities have plenty to prevent long lines. My rural town has a few thousand inhabitants and it usually takes me about 5-10 minutes to vote once I get in line. Our town simply uses our boyscouts building as a voting station for the elections. Lots of parking space and easily accessible in the center of the town by foot or bicycle.

 

[everysingletime]

Republicans would hate mandatory voting. I wonder if the US has ever tried to pass that into law..

 

[paulwest1985]

Is that Richard Branson in that pic?

Looks like it. 

 

[AEA18]

Obama hanging with real billionaires

 

[celticspride34]

Is that Richard Branson in that pic?

He was the first one I recognized ...

 

[paulwest1985]

Obama hanging with real billionaires

All that pic is missing is Warren Buffett

 

[seandon23]

Republicans would hate mandatory voting. I wonder if the US has ever tried to pass that into law..

i always felt that this should be a thing but in the end it wouldn't matter if people didnt care about the issues or wanted to have an interest i politics

 

[dathbgboy]

Yea, I heard well water is decent in a sense. I low key want to collect rain water and use that but from what I heard it's illegal Remember a story about an older dude who collected the water and the city made him dump it because it was illegal and the city couldn't bill him for it.

I grew up and have always had public water until I bought my house, and I love the well water.  I think it tastes better, and it is a little cheaper (even though the past year I spent probably $4-5 grand on a new pump, neutralizer, etc. but now I should not have to spend a dime for at least 10 years.  The only thing that sucks is if you lose power you need a generator, or you don't have water. 

I will say the government does not like people on self sufficient well water.  I know that if you are trying to buy a house that has access to a public line (but not tied in), but have well water, they will not approve an FHA mortgage - which is ridiculous IMO.

Ridiculous, didn't know about the FHA, water issue.

What about Solar or batteries if your power goes out instead of the generator?

And my wife just sent me an article about this Paris based company Pittsburgh hired to manage their water system since they didn't have the money and that's when everything started going downhill

 

[gry60]

http://www.ibtimes.co.uk/arrested-r...t-information-us-election-hacking-cia-1604136


http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/donald-trump-brain-drain_us_588fc684e4b02772c4e8b4d9

Already, the beginning of brain drain is taking shape. Coleman said the Institute for International Education estimates 16,000 to 17,000 students hold valid visas from the seven countries were listed in Trump’s executive order. Many prominent schools spoke out in concern Monday, while entire research labs were thrown into uncertainty.

Beyond that, there are faculty and university staff from those seven countries who are unable to leave the U.S. now or, in some cases, return to their classrooms. Two associate professors at the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth were detained at Boston’s Logan International Airport over the weekend. A Yale professor was separated from his wife and newborn, who were visiting family, while a professor at Middlebury College remained decamped in Iran with his two children waiting for further guidance on whether he’d be allowed back into the United States with his green card. The Association of American Medical Colleges warned that its ability to attract top talent from around the world was being threatened.

Scientific consortiums and organizations are planning to move conferences overseas for fear that they couldn’t have full attendance under the constructs of Trump’s order.

If conventions move overseas, plenty of economic sectors will be affected from restaurants, bars, retail, hotels, livery, transportation, to all the money that cities make from the rental of convention centers and the union jobs those places generate

The concerns for science and research advocates go beyond immigration policy. Apparent gag orders at the EPA along with the fear of belt-tightening from Congress will sour the scientific climate and drain the pool of funds for prospective researchers. In that environment, the more established scientists with better known projects tend to thrive, while the younger ones flounder, become discouraged and look elsewhere.

.

 

[everysingletime]

According to an article I read last night, there seems to be a growing number of federal employees, especially in the science departments that want to resist but are afraid to lose their jobs. They've been turning to old heads from the Obama administration asking for all the legal ways to 'resist' but keep their jobs. That's a start.

 

[iamdef]

Trump talks like a child, everything is the greatest thing ever and is the favorite thing. There's no medium, nothing is ever just okay, it's all the best is most cherished.

Beyond embarrassing

 

[gry60]

According to an article I read last night, there seems to be a growing number of federal employees, especially in the science departments that want to resist but are afraid to lose their jobs. They've been turning to old heads from the Obama administration asking for all the legal ways to 'resist' but keep their jobs. That's a start.

There is an article about a bunch of them (more than a hundred I think) signing up for civil disobedience classes.

 

[everysingletime]

I hope the number of resistant federal employees grow

 

[frink85]

Patiently waiting for @rogueNASA and @rogueCDC tweets

 

[gry60]

To be really honest with you, I have little faith in anything happening as long as the GOP sits on their hands, happy to watch little donny sign anything they put in front of him.

There needs to be enough people on the right who can see how shortsighted it is to trade long term stability for short term victories.

Get your resumes, rosetta stones, and passports ready just in case.

 

[handullz]

This. Can't. Happen.

I think we should all realize that the WORST the move appears on the surface, the more his base appreciates and adores it.

One of my co-workers checks Infowars ON A DAILY. He's estatic.

Feels we're going to get the real news now.

Suffice to say that when you think it's bad, it's actually good.

Obama hanging with real billionaires

It is my dream to meet Obeezy one day, famb.

Man crush, no dambs

Son just kicking it with billionaires with the hat turned back keeping it low-key while Murica goes up in flames.

Famb gets "you up?" And "hey bighead" texts every day now.

 

[wavycrocket]

The Republican Party of the last 50 years will not be looked at kindly in history

 

[everysingletime]

The Republican Party of the last 50 years will not be looked at kindly in history

It depends. The victors write the history books. If Trump and Bannon succeed in their coupe, the books will tell of the ascension of the Republicans. Maybe that's why so many of these Republicans just sitting on their hands. Maybe they're seeing the writing on the wall and want to be on the right side of victory.

Trump to me is a cancer. Could've been easy to eradicate with the right treatment early in the process. He's metastasizing and no one is treating the cancer with the right kind of aggressiveness..

 

[dathbgboy]

The Republican Party of the last 50 years will not be looked at kindly in history

It depends. The victors write the history books. If Trump and Bannon succeed in their coupe, the books will tell of the ascension of the Republicans. Maybe that's why so many of these Republicans just sitting on their hands. Maybe they're seeing the writing on the wall and want to be on the right side of victory.

Trump to me is a cancer. Could've been easy to eradicate with the right treatment early in the process. He's metastasizing and no one is treating the cancer with the right kind of aggressiveness..

What form of chemo you talkin? Only people that can effectively nip this in the bud is the GOP because if the Dems try, people will complain and make **** up.

 

[jthagreat]

They'll be all dead, an even 10 years from now, no one (who is responsible) will face any repercussions.

drump is a convenient excuse.

Which is why a standard 15 question 'form' should be given to all politicians under 50 so they can be held accountable.

 

[EddieDoyers]

The Republican Party of the last 50 years will not be looked at kindly in history

It depends. The victors write the history books. If Trump and Bannon succeed in their coupe, the books will tell of the ascension of the Republicans. Maybe that's why so many of these Republicans just sitting on their hands. Maybe they're seeing the writing on the wall and want to be on the right side of victory.

Trump to me is a cancer. Could've been easy to eradicate with the right treatment early in the process. He's metastasizing and no one is treating the cancer with the right kind of aggressiveness..

Going to have to disagree on some points here, Trump is actually the opposite of the current Republican Party framework, where Trump is pro protectionism, whereas the majority of the GOP is actually pro free trade, but the GOP doesn't say that to their voting base other than the rich people that give them donations. Eventually Trump will be considered a dark moment in history, because his current plans look to undermine the economy, and when you mess with people's livelihoods, it's not going to look pretty.

Also, the US has provoked these fears of Islamic terrorists the past 40-50 years by destabilizing the Middle East and government funding terrorist groups. Trump imo is the karma our government gets for overreaching in that region.

 

[handullz]

https://www.wsj.com/articles/presidents-backers-want-action-on-jobs-taxes-immigration-1485945003

:x :x :x :x

Some of these people are delusional, yo!

a comment

For all the naysayers, what are the rural people supposed to do as their jobs are eaten up by automation and trade? Roll over and die? No, we need to find a way to support people even as automation and AI progresses. This is what the rise of populism is doing. It is forcing the political class to pay attention to the needs of the working class. Regardless of whether or not Trump's ideas succeed, he has been the catalyst of a political movement that is forcing our country to finally look inward and take care of its own people who are struggling.

And the GREAT responses

I totally agree with the sentiment. However, bringing back outdated manufacturing jobs is not the answer. We need to retrain folks in modern manufacturing, and computer machining. We should lead the world in 21st century manufacturing, not 20th century manufacturing.

Its nice to see this sentiment shared on WSJ as it usually is not. Republicans love to bash liberals for their love of handouts (think the minimum wage increase efforts) and talk about how private companies will pay a wage equal to productivity, how those jobs are meant to be stepping stones, etc. but you talk about manufacturing and the tone changes very quickly to how the middle class deserves the handouts of jobs from the government. The GOP is shifting to a European populist style of governing and politics and if anyone thinks that means more freedom, liberty, and respect of the constitution then I am sorry to tell you that you are far from the truth.