Happy Sunday to my favorite group of reprobates. I will be spending today doing one useless thing after another. So can you, starting here.
Today’s birthdays include one of the greatest guitarists to ever play jazz, Freddie Green; a person who thought and is no longer, Rene Descartes; composer of some small note, Johann Sebastian Ahhhh Bach; the great and pungent economist and pundit Walter Williams; and everybody’s favorite fraud Al Gore.
So without further delay, some news stories that attracted my attention.
“I’m not gay, but $20 is $20.”
Chicago voters face a clear choice. Or maybe no choice. It’s all terribly confusing.
Beto promises to set an example by giving away his wife’s fortune. HAHAHAHAHA no.
But there is something intriguing about the man.
After setting a record last year, Chris Davis may set some new records this season.
Always nice when authoritarians can find common ground. To be honest, I can’t even pronounce his name.
That “dual loyalty” thing cuts both ways.
What kind of music does the Old Man love more than any other? Street music, that’s what. It’s different everywhere, and everywhere live and compelling. This is the shit.
So can you, starting here
Start? I’ve been doing useless things for ours already, Slackers!
Yeah but how long have you been doing it for?
Brandon Lee died on this day in 1993.
He had a certain je ne sais caw.
It is an interesting example for the young’uns to give them a copy of The Crow and The Matrix and tell them that they are both “Goth.”
I think you can describe goth eras by the movies that determined the dress code. I was between The Hunger and The Crow. The Crow came out at my “peak goth” period.
Brandon Lee. I’m drawing a blank, here.
Ha!
I need a Swiss over here.
He went out with more than just a bang!
Too early? Knock, knock, any one here?
Hey. I’m not a reprobate. I’m an incorrigible.
That’s odd. I had to look it up but the kiddie diddler’s an R, usually, The Media™ only omits that when it’s a D doing the dirty.
Depends on the rag. This is the Hill, so…
Old guy music isn’t birthday boy Bach?
Has this presidential race started earlier this cycle or is it just me? Seems like we’ve been getting the Biden/Beto/Kamala news for months already, a lot of people will be tuning out, baseball is back, soon football spring training, migrants, I’m having a tough time being concerned about too many events.
Time seems to go faster when you get old?
Not really. The cycle of 2008 started even earlier. Obama announced his candidacy in February 2007. And there was a GOP debate on TV in early May 2007.
Not just you, but I think the presidential race is a permanent thing now.
Some of those young faces are already looking at 2024, if the inevitable happens
I hope Biden gets the nomination so we can get 24/7 ads of joe biden sniffing women and young girls’ hair, attempting to grope them, etc.
https://joebiden.info
OMWC: eat your heart out
‘Standing just blocks from the U.S.-Mexico border — where scores of asylum seekers were being held under an overpass — O’Rourke pointed to “those who are just three or four blocks from here, detained under the international bridge that connects us with Mexico behind chain-link fence and barbed wire … They are our fellow human beings.”’
I’m assuming these people are from Central America, not Mexico, and have already been granted asylum by the Mexican government to freely move across their lands with their financial support to…dump them off on us? I’m not a build a wall guy but how is this the responsibility of the U.S. to provide them with further support? I get this is all premeditated political theatrics but still.
but how is this the responsibility of the U.S. to provide them with further support?
FYTH.
This isn’t about open borders, this is specifically about granting amnesty to a demographic who will likely support the populist socialism of people like Beto and AOC. Seriously, it’s not a coincidence that the people most interested in importing the proletariat of Bolivarian socialist countries focus on class warfare and wealth redistribution. They’re trying to import their constituency.
Parks, mail delivery, and Amtrak graffiti. What we need is a SAVIOR from the government to fix this government-run stuff.
The parks and animal shelter would be local stuff, not FedGov.
NYC Parks Dept.
Commissioner of the Department of Parks and Recreation
Assistant Commissioner for Agency Compliance
General Counsel
Parks Advocate (Internal Investigative Officer)
Assistant Commissioner for Communications
Assistant Commissioner for Equal Employment Opportunity
Inspector General
First Deputy Commissioner
Deputy Commissioner/Chief Operating Officer
Assistant Commissioner for Citywide Operations
Assistant Commissioner for Forestry, Horticulture, and Natural Resources
Deputy Commissioner for Capital Projects
Deputy Commissioner, Urban Park Service, and Public Programs
Assistant Commissioner for Public Programs
Assistant Commissioner for Urban Park Service
Deputy Commissioner for Administration/Chief Administrative Officer
Assistant Commissioner for Budget and Fiscal Management
Assistant Commissioner for Innovation and Performance Management
Deputy Commissioner of Planning and Development
Borough Commissioners
Bronx Parks Commissioner
Brooklyn Parks Commissioner
Manhattan Parks Commissioner
Queens Parks Commissioner
Staten Island Parks Commissioner
A mini FedGov
W probably don’t want to know how much they’re paid.
Not just them, but any big city government. Patronage, cronyism, corruption and incompetence are the four pillars of municipal government.
But they waaaannnnt it!
Though to be completely fair to them, the entire POINT of voting for someone in NY is for them to do stuff for you. Ten generations of Tammany Hall will get that mindset well established. People talk about the corruption in IL (and for good reason) but there is so much corruption (and outright extortion) that goes unremarked up here because that is the normal and proper role of government in the minds of Vampire Staters.
Tell me about it.
It’s one of the interesting things about being in a media market that’s a state capital –you get to see the state government sausage-making corruption laid out much more.
Damn your nimble fingers.
I think she is saying she is no Sen. Pothole.
Oh, nice. Glad to see her showing her true colors.
Granted, animal shelters and local parks are purely local issues, not congressional ones. But she could have at least had an aide call back and direct Delgado to the proper local government offices.
Post Office, Amtrak – those actually a congresscritter issues.
“It’s departmental business… it’s about a wall.”
“Oh, Gaza?”
“…Uh-huh.”
I thought AOC would be our savior
You’re a bright one.
That’s the frightening thing. They don’t dislike her because she’s an emotional. illiberal imbecile but because she’s not a State-god.
The false God has failed them! The gods must want a sacrifice. Time to raise taxes.
This really seems to be a question of hygiene.
Old Guy music
https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-immigration-trump/trump-cuts-aid-to-central-american-countries-as-migrant-crisis-deepens-idUSKCN1RC013
“Trump said there was a “very good likelihood” he would close the border this week if Mexico did not stop immigrants from reaching the United States. Frequent crossers of the border, including workers and students, worried about the disruption to their lives the president’s threatened shutdown could cause.”
Ha… no.
“Don’t make me turn this car around.”
Sounds like me when my kids were young
It is possible this is a ‘drastic times call for drastic measures’ sort of thing. This problem has been ignored for far too long.
Agreed. I do think a lot of people underestimate just how much legal trade goes back and forth across our southern borders every day.
It would be bad juju magumbo.
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_the_largest_trading_partners_of_the_United_States
That’s a pretty high negative trade balance for a country that can be as close to self-sufficient as a country can get. A smaller one or break even but those figures are high.
Is there a reason, for example, to be running a negative with Canada and especially China?
Maybe Trump is onto something.
I could be wrong.
Although so far so good with Virginia.
The thing with trade balances is they don’t count the single biggest export the US deals in. Financial equity/Bonds… Foreigners buy that stuff up (both public and private).
A negative trade balance is a pretty good indicator for economic prosperity – you aren’t buying all of those goods and services if you are broke (unless of course you are a govt that can mint money).
The Germans have ‘suffered’ from terrible negative trade balances quite a bit in post war Europe. That is one thing you won’t catch a German complaining about.
JI. Ah. Yes, You reminded me of that.
I’m still not clear as to why the easiest, least expensive solution is constantly disregarded – shoot on sight anyone who attempts to cross the border outside of legitimate ports of entry. Your not going to get them all but I bet a great many illegal aliens would be convinced not to cross.
‘Walls Andy! WALLS!’*
*Les Nessman to Andy Travis demanding walls for an office. Probably to protect is Silver Sow and Buckeye Newshawk awards.
I finally got a complete run of the series (original with all the music) and have worked through the 1st season. I LOVE that show. Phone cops… ’nuff said
Why are Armenians eating lasagna?
Newsradio was the WKRP of the 90s.
https://www.nytimes.com/2019/03/30/us/georgia-fetal-heartbeat-abortion-law.html
Let’s turn every abortion into a trial by government official!
Somehow the slippery slope argument applies for abortion, but not for gun-grabbing.
^This.
There was the recent California 10 round magazine overturn. Granted, it should’ve never made it passed the house, but, it is Kommiefornia.
Is it really a slippery slope when you are trying to run down it?
Damnable friction slowing things down!
Yeah, I can see a lot of money exchanging hands for “no heartbeat” certificates. Granted, you’d get the same thing with private industry, but at least those people would be subject to liability for fraud or incompetence – unlike our immaculately immune bureaucrats.
Static electricity for fun, if not profit
(And watch for the cat-butting at 1:09.)
I’m convinced that Asian cats are less murderous than American ones.
Good morning, Glibs. Sea Monkeys, aka brine shrimp, are a thing. They now sell them, and of course the $upplie$, in the big box pet store near me. They are branded as “Micro Shrimp,” and the marketing is completely straightforward. The only thing I can figure is that they are feeding stock for salt water aquaria.
They’re monkeys dammit.
Nice try. Did Swiss put you up to that?
They’re monkeys dammit.
Careful. If in your post you incorrectly label others as monkeys you might get written out of your own show.
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/chris-rock-rips-jussie-smollett-naacp-image-awards/
Poor Chris doesn’t know what he just did to himself and his family.
Chris just went up a few more points in my estimation.
Chris is taking shit for not being an apologist for blatant race-baiting at a blatantly racist awards ceremony. Good for him.
He doesn’t care.
Fun Fact – I once lived in an apartment on Royal St. and worked at Royal and St. Peter. There is a rather strong likelihood that I have thrown things at those folk in the video. I hate buskers. I particularly hate buskers who play below my balcony when I am very hungover. That turns into an opportune time to water all the plants on the balcony. l0b0t = curmudgeon.
“Gardy loo…”
I wouldn’t mind throwing something at the drummer.
“I thought AOC would be our savior, but that’s not the case,” complained Roxanne Delgado, a local activist
Bless your heart.
Not even really OT, since it relates to my avatar. ?
Tom Baker wrote a fourth Doctor novel – https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/1785943901
I ordered it yesterday and I’m looking forward to reading it.
Lamenting economic inequality, a lack of universal health care and the scourge of climate change, O’Rourke called the challenges confronting America “the greatest of our lifetimes.” And he said that if elected, he would sign a new voting rights act, end gerrymandering and institute nationwide, automatic same-day voter registration.
Okay, then. Beto for Jefe. Maybe he can issue an executive order nullifying the 22nd Amendment, while he’s got his pen out.
My right hand man at work calls me la jefa.
Cracks me up.
Othering your left hand man?
Stranger danger?
This is the problem the left has, and why they freaked out over Trump. They truly believe that the president can do whatever he wants.
The right’s not much better.
I recall the post 9/11 Bush years were filled with accusations of “traitor” if you didn’t support the administrations call to wage war on half the known world.
True. This is the problem with everyone.
Except the One True Libertarian
True that. I hated that guy so much, the first President I’ve ever voted for was John Kerry. Talk about holding your nose at the ballot box!
We all make mistakes. Mitt was my first Presidental vote.
Oy vey. That’s bad.
I took a picture of my Hillary vs Trump absentee ballot with a whiskey on top.
It was the only way.
Don’t remind me of seeing that ballot.
I sent a ballot-selfie (marked for GJ) to a proggie friend in Dallas. She. Lost. Her . Shit.
I kept thinking in ’14-15 that a Clinton-Bush matchup would be the worst. Oh how life likes to laugh at you.
Yeah, didn’t that silly girl-pop-country group get lambasted for not being sufficiently war-mongerish about Mesopotamia?
The Dixie Terrorists? I think so
If i remember correctly, the outrage was that they were on a press tour in Europe making those statements. Granted, my recollection of the incident is probably very skewed given how old I was and where I was living at the time.
Was that it? I don’t think they minded that per se, just the Evil Chimpanzee waging it at the time.
lolright
Psst – he means only the Republican gerrymanders.
Yup, it’s ok when they do it.
I came across this fun example of (((gerrymandering))) yesterday.
Yeah, Dems have been gerrymandering California for decades. They don’t have to do it so much now, but it’s been going on for a long time. But that’s good gerrymandering, not evil GOP gerrymandering.
Prez candidate John Delaney (MD-UnSelfAware) – “Who?” you ask – is only on our radar at all – again, “Who?” you ask- beacause of a gerrymandering case so awful it’s going before The Nazgul.
https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.cnbc.com/amp/2018/12/26/gerrymandering-helped-john-delaney-win-office-he-says-it-has-broken-our-democracy.html
RIP Roscoe Bartlett
I wonder if he knows (or cares) the Constitution puts the states in charge of their own elections? Kind of limits what he can do — or at least it is supposed to.
The US already has free healthcare for the poor and the elderly, the two most expensive groups. I’m failing to see what he has to complain about.
Speaking against the backdrop of an archway blocks from the U.S.-Mexico border, O’Rourke denounced a political system in which “unrestrained money and influence has warped the priorities of this country” and “corrupted our democracy.”
“For too long in this country, the powerful have maintained their privilege at the expense of the powerless,” O’Rourke said. “They have used fear and division in the same way that our current president uses fear and division, based on the differences between us of race, of ethnicity, of geography or religion to keep us apart, to make us angry, to make us afraid of ourselves and of one another.”
What a shithole. We need a wall to keep people from fleeing to sanctuary.
That’s a hella lot of progjection going on there.
I once used that exact same order slip to buy some Sea Monkeys.
If I remember correctly it was powder or something of the like.
Now that i look at it, the mother Sea Monkey is kinda hot.
Anthrax, Sea Monkeys. Is there a big difference?
What was Sea Monkeys best album then?
I always loved those comic book ads. My favorite is the leer on X-Ray specs guy’s face looking through his hand, while a curvy hot woman walks in the background.
And I must have read “guy who gets sand kicked in his face than becomes muscle man” a thousand times.
They also had these elaborate drawings of Revolutionary War battles, and WW2 soldiers…the offer was a thousand toy soldiers/figurines that came in “footlocker”. We ordered it and we got this tiny cardboard box with toy soldiers that were like a millimeter tall, and just mushed plastic with no detail. I remember being heart-broken and rage crying in frustration.
The best thing about comic book ad products is they taught a very hard life-long lesson. Do NOT believe advertising bullshit.
Yeh but….Mother Sea Monkey.
I just figured out that Rufus’s ideal woman is an approximation of Ellen DeGeneres.
Like you wouldn’t take MSM for a swim.
^This.
And I believe the “life-size tanks” (as in treaded vehicles) were probably surplus rubber decoy tanks which were “deployed” in East Anglia to fool Nazi reconnaissance into believing England was prepared for an invasion.
“They taught a very hard life-long lesson. Do NOT believe advertising bullshit.”
It must work, ad agencies/TV/radio are in business to make money. Doesn’t always work well enough for the buyers as bankruptcies and going out of business is fashionable too.
I’m still the 97 lb weakling and the cutest girls migrated to the jocks or so it seemed.
It’s not too late.
Dark Past of Sea Monkeys.
Nice.
Wifey’s cousin was pitching for the Orioles yesterday and gave up his 1st home run since 2017. He is rather cross about it but I’m glad to see they won against his former team.
Name? Or is that a secret?
Richard Bleier. He is an awesome fellow. Graduated from Florida Gulf Coast University, drafted by the Texas Rangers, moved to the Blue Jays, traded to the Yankees, now with Bal’mer.
Cool.
Please pass along my deepest sympathies.
Probably the last time the Birds will be playing .500 ball this season.
Go Eagles!
But unconstrained by any public office or other job, O’Rourke is campaigning at a frenetic pace.
Man of the People.
I can’t shake the feeling this is some sort of massive PR prank the true goal of which is to launch a new organic soft drink.
He lost to Ted Cruz despite out spending him. Why does anyone, besides him, think he could be president? I bet his wife is just saying sure honey.
What a bit of political trivia he has the potential to become – lost elections to the two most hated men in the U.S.
“Well, if it keeps him off that damn skateboard, I’m fine with it.”
-Ms. O’Rourke
““I thought AOC would be our savior…”
You need a savior? And you thought that bimbo would be your savior? That’s stupid and you’re fucked.
Or “You’re stupid and that’s fucked” works about as well.
National News
It really is ridiculous. High school note passing is furiously being covered by national journalists. Perhaps they can put some of that Russian collusion experience to use and see if there was anything more untoward going on.
If you consider that most journalists appear to still be teenagers on an emotional level, it makes some sense. They’re still living out all of their high school drama.
Russian men ARE notoriously sexist. Yes, it’s becoming clearer now.
This is yet another argument these guys should just #learntocode
That big-mouth Nicky is the worst
Too bad the articles didn’t have a pic of the high scoring chicks.
The ones they do show have their resting bitch faces well established, and could be used for a new “that’s not funny” meme.
They’re just missing the Elizabeth Warren for President t-shirts.
He added, “We have learned not to fear our differences, but to respect and embrace them.”
Sounds like something JFK would have said. Purely coincidental, I’m sure.
“Except those Trump voters. Nobody wants to embrace them, amirite?”
Just in case you guys haven’t noticed, one of the biggest scandals in Canadian history (not sure if my fellow Canadians would agree here) is brewing.
And to be frank, I’m not surprised at all. The party never really paid dearly for the Adscam debacle.
Justin is rot arrogance with a heavy healthy dose of unwise, immature stupidity.
Funny how he and Obama engage in questionable behaviour.
Plus he must lead all leaders with apologies issued. Dumbass.
This?
https://torontosun.com/opinion/columnists/lilley-trudeaus-never-ending-snc-lavalin-headache
Yes. The release of the recording between Wilson-Reybould and the Chief Clerk of the PO (top bureaucrat) Wernick was as uncomfortable a thing I’ve heard.
Sniveling rats.
‘Come on. Break the rule of law. Be a pal! Justin is pretty firm about this. Don’t do this be a team player. Use all the ‘tools’. You sure you’re not using the ‘tools’? I’m dying here.’
I can’t believe he’d jeopardize his career and rep for that idiot.
“Just in case you guys haven’t noticed, one of the biggest scandals in Canadian history… is brewing.”
Well, I’m finally glad someone is pushing back agains the horror that is Labatt’s.
Aw, such criticism makes the Labatts blue.
Stephen LeDrew and Warren Kinsella – both old school, hardline Liberals – are openly ranting and raving over the brazen stupidity of Trudeau and the PMO and their ham-handedness in handling this issue . Almost from the beginning I have been of the mind that there is *Something Big* behind all of this, it can’t be as simple as the Laurentian Elite taking care of their own. Why else would Trudeau waste so much so much political capital on the matter? Maybe I am being a little tinfoil hat on this, but I don’t believe the bigger scandal has broken yet. There is a very good chance that Trudeau will not be the party leader come the fall election. The adults in the party are going to unsheathe the long knives and take The Shiny Pony out. Or not. I have been wrong before.
I have an aunt who’s been a Liberal Party “fixer” for the Prairies since the 1960s. She’s in her 90s now and is thoroughly disgusted with what’s happened to the party under Trudeau, so much so that she actually tore up her membership card last summer. She’s my barometer for how it’s going — when the Libs lose her, you know they’re in trouble.
I too sometimes think that there’s another “Night of the Long Knives” coming, but even the old-guard elites won’t do that if they think their chances would be worse with someone else. For one thing, Les Quebecois would vote for The Hair That Walks Like A Man™ even if he was video’d raping and murdering a baby, such is their twin fascination with the Trudeau DNA and “standardized” corruption (a pre-eminent feature of the way things get done throughout La Belle Province, unfortunately).
Justin’s losing support in other places where it counts, like Ontario and British Columbia, and it seems to have some staying power. Good riddance.
Old Guy Music for today is good.
I think so. One other commenter is begging for a catbutting, though…
I DO like the music. I don’t like those who play that music right below my windows when I’ve just fallen asleep after a 10 hour shift at the bar. NOLA has so many venues there is no excuse to subject bystanders to an unwanted show. Go play down at the river or Riverwalk, go play in the Lower Quarter where there are no residences within earshot, go play down at Jackson Square and annoy the fortune tellers and the guys who stand still for money.
Sorry, I may be cranky after my BBQ experience last night. New joint opens in the neighborhood; food ranged from mediocre to pretty good but the prices were crazy – they charge more for a burger than does Peter Luger Steak House (the best burger on planet Earth) and a bleary thirst drove me to spend $20 for a shot of Bulliet Rye and a draught Anchor Steam.
I thought the cat-butting was referring to the music link *I* posted. :blush:
Stop me, before I kill (democracy) again!
Mark Zuckerberg has called for governments and regulators to play a more active role in establishing rules to control the internet.
The Facebook founder called for stricter regulation of harmful content, election integrity, privacy and data portability in an op-ed published on Saturday in the Washington Post.
“Every day we make decisions about what speech is harmful, what constitutes political advertising, and how to prevent sophisticated cyberattacks,” Mr Zuckerberg wrote.
“These are important for keeping our community safe. But if we were starting from scratch, we wouldn’t ask companies to make these judgments alone.
———
In his op-ed, Mr Zuckerberg called for new regulation in four areas: harmful content, election integrity, privacy and data portability.
Mr Zuckerberg said legislation was important for protecting elections and it should be updated. He said that Facebook had already made significant changes around political advertising.
Sounds legit.
Christ, what an asshole.
All because Zuckerberg (and the other Silicon Valley CEOs) are too chicken to tell the screaming idiot horde to fuck off.
“Dear fellow authoritarian assholes,
Now that I’ve reached the top floor, please post 3 guards at every elevator and stairwell.
Sphincterly,
-Asshole supporter of regulatory capture”
Gutless punks with too much power.
Terrible mix.
Someone is tired of the criticism his platform is legitimately receiving from all sides. Sounds like he wants to be able to blame government, not his own secretive, unevenly applied content takedowns.
have you ever watched a country as you swing their elections? Watch the light of democracy fade from their eyes? You haven’t lived…
Well, it is easier to govern in China. Obama said so. You get your social credit score system in place and who would be better to monitor and update that system than the guy who has all the data?
Mark Zuckerberg has called for governments and regulators to play a more active role in establishing rules to control the internet
C’mon you fuckers – I’ve got a FORTUNE to protect and you aren’t helping.
My Uncle got laid off in LA and his Corporation offered him a raise and moving package to Dallas. So, I’ve been helping him out with plans and such; it’s incredible to talk to him about the Russia/Trump stuff. This is an intelligent, fairly conservative man who has just been soaked in SOCAL for 25 years and he’s full on TDS.
I’m curious to see how much he changes over the next year while not being completely surrounded by a bunch of emotional blackmailing, virtue signalling, “I’m Special,” assholes and idiots.
Please do keep us informed.
We have long joked about cocktail parties, but progs are quick to shun anyone who doesn’t tow their lion and indignant when they are called out on their intolerance.
Yes but it sounds as though a replay of ‘Remember the Alamo!’ may come to Texas. Only the antagonizers this time are progressives.
He can find plenty of like-minded folk in Dallas.
After he’s been in Dallas for a month ask him how “choosing to take the red pill” feels. I would bet he will feel exactly like that’s what he did.
Even better – ask him how he likes having money left over after paying his living expenses.
“Our systems would be more effective if regulation created common standards for verifying political actors,” he wrote.
“Online political advertising laws primarily focus on candidates and elections, rather than divisive political issues where we’ve seen more attempted interference.
“Some laws only apply during elections, although information campaigns are nonstop. And there are also important questions about how political campaigns use data and targeting.
“We believe legislation should be updated to reflect the reality of the threats and set standards for the whole industry.”
Only licensed professionals should be allowed to engage in political activism. Get those goddam amateur Nazis off the stage!
“I believe it would be good for the Internet if more countries adopted regulation such as GDPR as a common framework,” he wrote.
“Once we have established ourselves as a quasi-government entity, we’ll be INVINCIBLE.”
Don’t get me started. For work we had to watch this stupid music video extolling the benefits of GDPR. Of course they didn’t give the other side a fair shake (why would I expect that). The one guy against it was potrayed asa lazy guy in pajamas who was against it for no reason. Of course the rebuttal was why listen to any one in Pajamas.
I blame public education for creating a state where people feel like they can treat important things like your teaching a five year old.
Jeez, they couldn’t even make it a Russian hacker as opposed?
Aid cut to Central American Countries
What does cut mean? Like by a dollar or all of it?
If this continues, Texas will be blue and then we won’t be hearing anymore talk about getting rid of the electoral college. Because the Democrats will no longer need it.
Why would Texas go Dem? Texans aren’t fans of illegal immigration, and neither Mexicans nor Texicans have any use for Central Americans.
Reading between the lines I think he says if migration continues it will flip.
The amount of tyrants fleeing tyrant cities, states and countries to live in Texas is STAGGERING. Sadly, they bring their politics with them. Austin, San Antonio, Houston and Dallas have all been swinging heavily blue. Houston has been really bad since a lot of the Katrina refugees moved there temporarily and then just never left.
Good. That way they aren’t coming to NH.
That’s cold man.
Well, we have Massachusetts.
I thought you were close to Nashua. and Derry.
That’s the point. If Texas can serve as a honeypot to stem the tide, I’m all for it.
That won’t matter. All of the new voters will be all that matters.
Got it. Yeah, it’s not policy that will grind down the Red states, it’s internal migration. Grasshoppers fleeing to the ants to save them.
Yeah fucking latin Americans have never been known to fall for a caudillo.
Texas is what California was in the 90’s. In 10 years, WE. ARE. FUCKED.
It appears that the politicians in high tax states like Cali and NY are actually geniuses. They just tax half of their populations out of their state and send them packing for red states and then those red states magically turn blue and the dems take over and raise taxes to the same levels. After a while, where are you going to go? Canada?
Panama might be my choice. Beautiful country, pick your own microclimate, nicest people anywhere. Haven’t been following their politics, etc.
Agree it’s beautiful. It’s definitely not cheap though with the US dollar being the currency. I don’t know anything about their politics either.
When you consider that, it starts making sense why the dems are going full on insane and so far left. They know that after they manage to turn TX blue, they’ll control the Whitehouse from this point on and just use executive orders to get a lot of what they want. Then after a while, they’ll be able to stack SCOTUS with far left progs and that will finish the job, no more need for pesky Congress.
Good. Do Pakistan next.
Since you hate your bio, OMWC how about this:
A man, a plan, a canal….Old Man with Candy!
I hate Jeeps, mostly because of the amount of money they charge for them. But, i find myself strangely attracted to this new Gladiator thing…
https://www.cnet.com/roadshow/reviews/2020-jeep-gladiator-review/
I like it too but there’s no way I’d ever drop 40 large on a pickup truck, especially one with what looks to be an abbreviated bed.
I’m waiting for the car bubble to pop. Vehicles are getting insanely expensive.
Camry to $24k from $17k (MSRP) in the past 20 years, while the CPI says it should be $26k.
Obama murdered a shitload of decent used cars. Now they’re harder to get and the price went up. Who’d a thunk?
I’m a Japanese car aficionado and it makes me sick thinking how many sweet old SE-Rs and 1st gen MR2s were probably crushed. It’s hard to find any of the older desirable Japanese cars anymore.
https://www.motortrendondemand.com/show/jdm-legends/89949002/
Thanks, I’ll check them out.
Don’t hold your breath.
New car prices must increase to maintain sales levels. It is true.
What happens to your trade-in value if the newer models aren’t more expensive ? It goes down, right ? That means it takes longer for the used car value to be below,or approach, the loan payoff.
That lower value of your trade-in makes delaying a new car purchase necessary for most Americans.
A lot of pickups in the 40-50-60 range. All look good, lots of nice features, I especially like the reverse TV camera. Lots of stuff I don’t like as well.
The reverse camera absolutely rocks for hooking up a trailer. The ASS is a terrible ‘feature’ though.
That’s badass.
The 2500HD is about the same price but is useful: can out-carry and out-tow the toughest Class1 pickup, and there’s comfortable room for four adults, six in a pinch. Whatever tows or needs you have (4×4, leather, etc) you can add to either for the same money. The truck is infinitely more comfortable if for no other room than the longer wheel-base.
But a Jeep can turn much tighter, so if you truly need to be able to run hot laps around a tree, it’s the answer. Otherwise, I don’t get it at all.
They yap about value retention, but try a real work truck as family truckster: after 16 years, my HD’s blue book is still 40% of what I paid new. And the 400 lb*ft of torque: utterly untaxed and unfazed by time: you’ll have a harder time finding a hitch ball with a rating to keep up than finding something it can’t pull.
NO CHRYSLER PRODUCTS
It’s cool. And available in a manual. I won’t buy it but kudos to Jeep for making something interesting.
there’s no way I’d ever drop 40 large on a pickup truck, especially one with what looks to be an abbreviated bed.
Oh, come on. You can get four or five grocery bags back there. What more do you want?
Its not for the groceries, might scratch the paint. Its a way of communicating to the neighbors. I see the Escalades and Navigators and have to admit I get tingle on my leg, most likely a forewarning of a leg cramp but still…
Here’s one for you.
I had a ’90 Lariat, 31 inch tires, 6.5 box. Cool, man
Fap fap fap
Tesla is in the middle of its end-the-quarter push to deliver as many vehicles as possible and it’s even using its own electric semi truck prototypes to deliver vehicles.
CEO Elon Musk shared a picture of the Tesla Semi truck carrying the vehicle – showing a glimpse at a sustainable future in one picture.
Fanbois squee.
Makes me wonder how many quality issues people will come across with these rushed builds.
Sploosh.
OT, just back from a relaxing vacation, and the links make me want to go back.
Once you get used to them they become addictive. Besides we need all the help we can get here, to sort of smooth out some of the rough edges.
2020 voters never cared about the Russia investigation
“A CNN poll released earlier this week found that the Russia investigation does not register at all on the list of important issues for voters in the 2020 election. The poll was taken before the Mueller report was completed and issued to Attorney General William Barr.”
CNN getting desperate. Of course people didn’t select the Mueller report, it’s not a policy. Also the poll was taken before the report was completed. Now that it’s over let’s see how it influences the vote.
I wonder what “register” means.
It is widely missed here that events don’t move the needle. I heard that over and over before the midterms: K or X or Y will cause Z. Nope: everyone is of whatever opinion they have always been. Trump can’t lose a single vote.
He can’t earn a single new one, either.
You keep saying this, yet the commentors here have provided a fair amount of evidence to the contrary.
For one, I voted Johnson in 2016 and based on what I’m seeing so far expect to vote Trump 2020, the first time in my life I’ll have voted for a Republican presidential candidate.
That one anecdote alone falsifies your theory. And while polls are admittedly worthless, several of them seem to suggest about 25% of 2016 Hillary voters are open to voting Trump 2020. His black approval ratings are higher than any Republican in my lifetime.
Why do you continue to insist he can’t pick up any votes in 2020?
I held my nose and voted Johnson in 2016 and may vote Trump in 2020. He hasn’t started a new war, so that makes him better than just about any president going back to what, the 1920s?
This exactly. 2016 was the ultimate hold your nose vote. My hope was enough people would see how bad the two big options were and vote (L) that GayJay would get to 5%, granting national ballot access to a third party.
That didn’t happen, and Trump has proven to be the best President in my lifetime. He’s not perfect, but has done more to (albeit mostly inadvertently) advance libertarianism than any other President in the past 100 years. He’s rapidly earning votes.
Same here.
Trump losing is a win for progs and, worse, the deep state assholes. As always, I am more voting against than voting for.
I’m likely going Trump in 2020 (GayJay 2016) as is one of my sisters who voted for Hildog in 2016.
That’s 4 people right there. There’s numerous real world examples of Trump picking up votes he didn’t win in 2016.
Don insists he maxed out last cycle and won’t gain any new voters, yet every time he does he gets several examples of this being incorrect. Its like a form of TDS brought on my reading too many derp links.
Flying down to Bangkok tomorrow to find out more details about my new job. Everything they need is well within my skill set and abilities. Nice to be travelling on somebody else’s dime for a change.
Live it up!
Not likely to have much time to live it up. The guy bringing me on board did mention one evening out where the company would be picking up the booze tab – and that’s about all I care for these days anyway. Not like the days in my youth (decades ago) when anything could be on the agenda and half of us would be armed.
Just half?
Half – Let the other guy run the risks of getting caught and keeping it out of sight but have a plan to take it from him if/when SHTF.
Wise.
Remember that company where they decided to pay everybody a “living wage? Nick Kristof does.
His brother’s lawsuit was dismissed, and Price bought him out. So Price now owns 100 percent of Gravity, giving him flexibility to do as he wants. The question remains whether raising pay so much would also be a good move for public companies answerable to shareholders.
“For Gravity, it’s worked out great, and I think this type of behavior on balance would work out great for every single company in the world,” Price told me. In the next breath, though, he acknowledged doubts about whether this would work everywhere.
It’s reasonable to be skeptical about how scalable this is. Price enjoyed publicity and new customers by being the first to go to $70,000; those benefits will not accrue to followers.
Jody Hall, a good liberal who worries about income inequality, owns a nearby cafe, Cupcake Royale. She chooses Gravity to process her payments, admires what Price has done and offers her own employees health care.
Yet she said that in the restaurant business, “the model would not nearly work.” Indeed, she worries that Seattle’s increase in the minimum wage to $15 will hurt small businesses like hers and may cost some jobs.
Still, one can believe that Price’s model is not fully scalable and also that it’s a powerful example showing that companies need not treat staff as serfs.
There is now a broad recognition that American capitalism is flawed — see Steven Pearlstein’s superb book “Can American Capitalism Survive?” — and our next step is to figure out how to move beyond blind rapacity. Price seems part of that national rethink.
Blind rapacity, that’s what’s wrong with this country. If a single sole proprietor can do it, the CEO of every publicly traded corporation in America should tell their
shareholdersemployers to fuck off, and give everybody a giant wage (while cutting salaries at the executive level.It’s fair. Who doesn’t like fairness?
Wow thanks for the music. That was, indeed, the shit.
As a long-ago one-time trumpet player, I may now have a crush on the possibly lesbian, somewhat androgynous coronet player. Don’t judge me… chicks doing things I like doing adds hotness points. She tore that thing up in old-school style with effortless aplomb. Plus, she did some weird leg-erection thing that made me want to ask.. “what the heck is that all about?”
#metoo
Speaking of fairness
New York City restaurants are eliminating jobs, reducing employee hours and raising prices due to the higher costs of the $15/hour minimum wage.
A once-growing industry is contracting, according to an online survey conducted by the New York City Hospitality Alliance, an association representing restaurants in the city.
Last year, “full-service restaurants recorded a 1.6 percent job loss, which is the first recorded annual loss in two decades,” said Andrew Rigie, executive director of the trade group.
—————–
A total of 76.5 percent of full-service restaurant respondents reduced employee hours, and 36 percent eliminated jobs in 2018, the survey said.
Also, 75 percent of limited service restaurant respondents reported that they will reduce employee hours, and 53 percent will eliminate jobs in 2019 as a result of the wage increases, according to the survey.
The governor, through a spokeswoman, defended state policies: “All New Yorkers deserve to make a living wage and under the governor’s leadership, more minimum-wage workers than ever before have received an increase in their wages. The fact is that increasing the minimum wage puts more money in the pockets of hardworking New Yorkers, which creates more demand for local businesses and increases economic activity.”
A spokeswoman for Mayor de Blasio didn’t respond with a comment.
More money for some, empty pockets for others. Next, we need mandatory minimum staffing requirements in those restaurants and bars. And if that doesn’t work, we’ll try something else.
My employer responded to the new incentives by reducing everyone’s hours while still expecting the same amount of work to get accomplished.
I need the same amount of value for the same amount of money. TAANSTAFL, bitches.
We will crush the wreckers and the kulaks!
It’s almost like they’re deliberately increasing the number of people going on the dole.
Sea-Monkeys.
The creation of a Jewish Neo-Nazi.
I’m on to you and your shrimp whistles.
“Invisible Goldfish, imaginary fish that were guaranteed to remain permanently invisible.”
In other news, Pete Buttplug isn’t gay enough:
https://twitter.com/shoe0nhead/status/1112100268827701249
The dude has “Butt” in his name and was a naval officer. What the fuck more do you want?
Picket fence gays are servants of the white cisheteropatriarchy.
Married gay couple does not score points on the victim stack does it?
Married gay men are the white boomer men of the LGBT community.
You really need to check out the profile pic on that one. https://twitter.com/TH3MADDH4TT3R
That’s what happens when you succeed on your “check for traps” roll.
Wear the ribbon, Pete!
“In anticipation of #TDOV, Alexa will now feature the voice of a transgender man who can be summoned with the phrase, “Alexa, open the voice of trans.””
https://twitter.com/outmagazine/status/1111702699500658688
https://www.out.com/tech/2019/3/29/amazons-alexa-now-offers-trans-mans-voice
I just assumed Alex was already a trans.
Alexa. Convenient typo.
“Man wearing a MAGA cap slashes another man with a SWORD after a bloody confrontation outside a San Francisco roller-skating rink”
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-6869383/Man-wearing-MAGA-cap-slashes-man-SWORD-outside-San-Francisco-roller-skating-rink.html
This totally happened.
You could have won a lot of money if you bet me that “Man in maga hat” and “confrontation outside San Francisco roller rink” were gonna be in the same headline.
Sword is just a bonus.
OK, having read the story… their account doesn’t make sense.
They claim dude with MAGA hat and sword approached and confronted someone outside of a roller rink and began arguing with him. At some point, innocent victim dude who was just minding his business decided to grab the MAGA hat off of the sword wielding assailant’s head. At that point, sword-dude attacks him and stabs him in the hand. The victim then chases the sword dude away… until realizing that he is bleeding a lot.
The story is written as “sword guy assaults innocent victim while wearing MAGA hat”, not “dude confronts MAGA hat wearing stranger and rips hat off his head, gets stabbed in the hand in response”.
Yeah, there’s more here. Their story doesn’t add up.
How two Yokeltarians have sex.
“You look like my brother that went to LA and became my sister!”
Gold.
This is…. odd:
Nowhere in the article do the identify the political affiliation of the former AZ state lawmaker.
They do identify the governor who finds his behavior disgusting as (R)…. so I’m gonna jump way out on a limb and make an assumption about the party affiliation that they chose to avoid publishing.
Republican
Also, what the fuck is it with racists and white supremacists turning out to be pedos?
Respectable people have their pedophilia covered up. See also: priests, Jimmy Saville, and every MP.
I see.
Wow… actual old-school racist white dude. Never outed in 30 years of political life. Kinda amazing. AZ DNC needs to step up their oppo research.
Dunno, but they spend a lot of time talking about the sacredness of white children, so it’s not that surprising.
My employer responded to the new incentives by reducing everyone’s hours while still expecting the same amount of work to get accomplished.
Fucking marginal return- how does it work?
“Famous civil rights group suffers from ‘systemic culture of racism and sexism,’ staffers say
(CNN)Some employees at the Southern Poverty Law Center say the legendary civil rights nonprofit group suffers from a “systemic culture of racism and sexism within its workplace.”
The SPLC, which has been on the front line of the fight against racial inequality and injustice in the United States since 1971, has been thrust into chaos after allegations over its treatment of minority and female employees.
The claims have been followed by changes in its leadership and a company-wide review.”
https://www.cnn.com/2019/03/29/us/splc-leadership-crisis/index.html
TW: CNN, autoplay
Not surprising. You have a group that is focused on calling the slightest deviation a hate group. It was only a matter of time before they were attacked by the people they employ.
Nice how they give you a totally unbiased view there. I wonder if CNN would describe the NRA in passing as “the first line of defense for Second Amendment rights”.
Also, does this mean that the SPLC is now going to classify themselves as a far-right neo-Nazi hate group?
Paging Ownbestenemy!
The Weird World of Competitive Dog Grooming
A possible niche for your new business?
Oh fuck no! My wife hates that shit. She specifically named her company to indicate its no frills or colored hair or can you make my Corgie look like a lion shit.
But it is a fantastic world in which people pay a ton of money to make their furry companions look like regurgitated horror dogs.
Those poor dogs. The one with the sunflower on its butt just looks like it doesn’t understand why it’s being punished.
“Watching the pace of this new science denialism spread — mostly the claim that there is no such thing as biologically male or female, or that “biological sex” isn’t even a coherent concept — had been astounding. Anyway here’s Teen Vogue with that:”
https://twitter.com/jessesingal/status/1112353938790117376
“This is an excellent article. I’ve never understood the profoundly anti-feminist position that any (average) differences between men and women must mean that women are worse.”
https://twitter.com/HJJoyceEcon/status/1111959646229663744
“Denying the Neuroscience of Sex Differences”
https://quillette.com/2019/03/29/denying-the-neuroscience-of-sex-differences/
Deniers!
“”Gender identity develops in all children by around 5 years old, so there’s nothing surprising about a transgender child being clear about their identity at that age.””
https://twitter.com/TrevorProject/status/1111011551119663104
“Gender Identity Isn’t Too Confusing For Your Toddler”
https://www.refinery29.com/en-us/children-gender-identity-transgender-understanding
It’s that time of year again. A little background.
Hard pass.
Cool, though!
I just went down a rabbit hole reading about…wow
There was a really good Doc about it on Netflix once, If it’s still there it’s worth the watch.
Correction: It’s available on Amazon Prime.
Hstory lesson
With little progress to show by 2013, when Kuroda took the helm, the central bank doubled down. Literally. The gamble was to double the supply of money in two years through bond purchases, generating an inflationary jolt that would set the economy on a sustained and faster path of growth.
“It is too bad they didn’t do it more aggressively, earlier,” Montgomery says. After all, Japan had been more forceful in the past. In November 1932, legendary Finance Minister Korekiyo Takahashi oversaw sales of government bonds to the BOJ to boost liquidity and pull the economy out of the Great Depression. Which it did—years before President Franklin D. Roosevelt oversaw reflationary policies in the U.S.
Takahashi’s experiment ended badly despite its early success. Once the economy was on the mend, he attempted to restore fiscal discipline. But the country’s ascendant military was determined to keep boosting BOJ-financed spending. Extremist officers assassinated him.
And people whine when Trump comments on fed policy.
Fuckin’ public relations, how does it work?
Verizon worker suspended after cat rescue in Philadelphia
Dumb shits.
He got $3400 in GoFundMe before shutting it down
Good. If he’d fucked up and become bacon, his estate would be suing Verizon.
He had the sense to use his rubber gloves. Suspended suspension and warning then.
I don’t have a sex robot but I think I can still benefit from therapy.
The envious will always be with us
But there might also be another reason high-income Americans don’t feel as rich as they are — in a country of rampant inequality, there’s always someone richer. A couple making $500,000 might rub elbows with other couples making $2 million. That couple will go to events and meet other couples making $20 million, and so on. At each level of affluence, many social climbers probably look at the people on the next rung higher and feel a burning need to keep pace.
Ultimately, living a happy life probably requires letting go of envy and appreciating what one has. But it’s also no wonder that so many Americans, even members of the elite, yearn for a more equal society. Even wealthy people might benefit from a smaller gap between the classes.
Won’t someone think of the social climbers?
Let’s cut the taller poppies down.
Much better to have everybody stuck in place, with little hope of improving their circumstances through anything other than political connections. That’s why we lost the cold war to the Soviet economic juggernaut.
Rampant envy.
There’s probably a reason it made the seven deadly list…