Current Affairs General US politics (ie, not POTUS related)

[Pittsburgh Footy]

Eh? Where did I say any of this about defense contractors? Maybe I'm being naive but I generally believe that a substantial cut in military spending will reduce such unwanted expenses; that military eggheads will insist on only the most necessary expenditure but I fully realise some waste will probably still get through.

Having said all that I don't believe a substantial cut in education spending would see a similar cut in waste. The unions and their Dem allies would see to it. So maybe I am wrong in assuming a cut in military spending would reduce waste or contractors enriching themselves. See the teaching unions dragging their heels over schools reopening after COVID as an example of their power. Oh, and if teaching doesn't attract the best and the brightest then further reason to cut their power.

This is quite a leap, mate.

Teaching doesn't attract the best and brightest b/c 1) who wants to work for half of what they could make in corporate America and 2) why would you want to deal with all the things teachers have to deal with today, which has only gotten worse in the culture war era?

The teachers' union argument is a problem one could make about ALL unions - they generally are only as effective and as "good" as their weak link. To @Ruairi77 post, the same can be said about cops

 

[dylsexicbleu]

of course it wont because it needs to be a universal approach.
If you're homeless and suffer from mental illness and have chronic addiction issues, are you likely to want to live in a republican city with zero support structures and heavily armed and overzealous law enforcement or a democratic one that at least seems to want to set up some sort of support structure and the cops are less heavy handed.
One of the main factors of major homeless problems in US cities is the other cities cracking down.
There needs to be a federal approach to homelessness that deals with funding mental health issues, helping the undocumented communities, provide proper health care for those who fall through the net.
There has to be some sort of system that circumvents the credit system and there needs to be an end to for profit prisons and any felon who's served their time needs to have full rights including voting.

The addiction/drug policies in these Dem cities again make the problem worse not better. I don't think it has to be a universal approach to at least alleviate these problems but I will admit that some joined up thinking would help. Plenty of rural(mostly Republican) areas have massive drug issues, I don't see too many of these people moving to Dem cities because of their enlightened policies but no doubt some probably do.

One reason I(and others on this thread) should be for greater states rights is a bit of A-B testing on these policies would be great. Let's have the coastal states set up the most liberal policies going on drugs, homelessness, mental health issues. Let's see if the war on homelessness can be won. I know what I suspect the outcome would be but it should at least be attempted. If it fails it can be thrown out as a bad experiment. If it succeeds it can then be copied by backward Republican states.

 

[JimmyJeffers]

Nope, completely normal.

For the millions they stole and the way they did it think she got off lightly as well when compared to sentences for street crime. Low security white collar crime prison isn’t the worst thing that could happen and doubt she will serve the full sentence. How an adult can decide to have children before going to jail is bananas.

 

[dylsexicbleu]

Only gonna get worse as the mad policies continue. Dozens of Oaklanders attending a city public meeting hold their hands up that they have been assaulted or confronted by criminal elements. A large number of women it appears. I'd be smug if it weren't so tragic. There will be a backlash at some point:

 

[verreauxi]

Only gonna get worse as the mad policies continue. Dozens of Oaklanders attending a city public meeting hold their hands up that they have been assaulted or confronted by criminal elements. A large number of women it appears. I'd be smug if it weren't so tragic. There will be a backlash at some point:

What "mad policies" are you referring to?

 

[Lineker]

This is quite a leap, mate.

Teaching doesn't attract the best and brightest b/c 1) who wants to work for half of what they could make in corporate America and 2) why would you want to deal with all the things teachers have to deal with today, which has only gotten worse in the culture war era?

The teachers' union argument is a problem one could make about ALL unions - they generally are only as effective and as "good" as their weak link. To @Ruairi77 post, the same can be said about cops

Teachers unions and public sector employee unions in general are different as they are the largest political donors by a mile and as such they negotiate with themselves (the politicians are bought and paid for).

 

[JimmyJeffers]

Teachers unions and public sector employee unions in general are different as they are the largest political donors by a mile

Is this true? Seems doubtful. Maybe out of union donors?

 

[Toffee_Loaf]

The addiction/drug policies in these Dem cities again make the problem worse not better. I don't think it has to be a universal approach to at least alleviate these problems but I will admit that some joined up thinking would help. Plenty of rural(mostly Republican) areas have massive drug issues, I don't see too many of these people moving to Dem cities because of their enlightened policies but no doubt some probably do.

One reason I(and others on this thread) should be for greater states rights is a bit of A-B testing on these policies would be great. Let's have the coastal states set up the most liberal policies going on drugs, homelessness, mental health issues. Let's see if the war on homelessness can be won. I know what I suspect the outcome would be but it should at least be attempted. If it fails it can be thrown out as a bad experiment. If it succeeds it can then be copied by backward Republican states.

Haha. They already tried this, hilariously, about 3years ago. Do you remember CHAZ? The Capitol Hill Autonomous Zone. The woke set up their own country for about 3 weeks in Seattle and it was of course a tremendous success...

 

[JimmyJeffers]

Do you remember CHAZ?

lol who could forget!

 

[Ruairi77]

The addiction/drug policies in these Dem cities again make the problem worse not better. I don't think it has to be a universal approach to at least alleviate these problems but I will admit that some joined up thinking would help. Plenty of rural(mostly Republican) areas have massive drug issues, I don't see too many of these people moving to Dem cities because of their enlightened policies but no doubt some probably do.

One reason I(and others on this thread) should be for greater states rights is a bit of A-B testing on these policies would be great. Let's have the coastal states set up the most liberal policies going on drugs, homelessness, mental health issues. Let's see if the war on homelessness can be won. I know what I suspect the outcome would be but it should at least be attempted. If it fails it can be thrown out as a bad experiment. If it succeeds it can then be copied by backward Republican states.

What do you think happens to chronic addicts in rural America?
They either live off the government (which republicans want to stop)
end up in jail (again, living off the government, possibly in a for profit prison) Republicans hate the first but love the second.
or migrate to their nearest larger city which generally tends to be Democratic.

As far as I can see, republican policies in rural America seems to be 'lets put these people in jail or move them out of our area'

Your test suggestion would never work. Thats the point of my previous post. If you provide education, healthcare, and accommodation in area A, and offer tough policing and jail in area B, area A is obviously going to get overrun as everyone leaves area B. All the politicians in area B brag about bringing down the homeless and drug addiction rates and point to area A and say keep voting for me and you wont have to live with that. (they probably do this from a pulpit unaware of the irony)

While their at it, they've banned abortion so the homeless in area B who are in no fit state to start a family now have to bring children in to the world because the conservative gov told them they have to.

 

[Lineker]

Is this true? Seems doubtful. Maybe out of union donors?

Pretty easy to Google cta (california teachers association)donations to school board races etc. It is outsized in comparison to the remainder of donations. True, they don't donate to other races, because they don't need to. Important to note that cta is the state union and there are local unions as well.

 

[Martin Alvito]

63 votes for, and all the amendments failed. Thank God that nightmare is finally put to bed.

 

[LinekersLegs]

63 votes for, and all the amendments failed. Thank God that nightmare is finally put to bed.

For a few months before it begins again. If you play Russian roulette enough times someone if going to get shot in the head.

 

[Martin Alvito]

For a few months before it begins again. If you play Russian roulette enough times someone if going to get shot in the head.

It's punted to 2025. Should be less radioactive right after an election. I agree with your general sentiment, though.

Everyone I think has a brain in their skull in the chamber, with the exception of Bernie, Fetterman and Warren, voted 'yea'. Bernie's 'nay' is a little more understandable - he's been willing to die alone on some interesting hills over the years. Even Sinema voted 'yea', and I don't see her in that crowd. When you're picking up Thune, Tillis and Young, odds are you crafted a good piece of compromise legislation.

 

[summerisle]

lol