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John Heffron So, there is a maximum SS benefit cap. So what? Is that really going to hurt a wealthy retiree? A percentage is a percentage. What's wrong with paying the same rate as everyone else, no matter the total?Does Jeff Bezos worry about his Social Security check being limited?Someone making $400,000 a year for many years should be grateful for the opportunity.You can't take it with you.
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Edward Beazley Regarding your comments on the groups supporting each political party, your emphasis on race as the key driver of political argument is misplaced. There are Black Republicans in Congress and state govt. There are White Democrats who are working class but not Republicans. JMO, we have a problem with the archaic two party system, closed primaries, and a failure to encourage democracy. Both Democrats and Republicans have opposed citizen redistricting, open primaries, Ranked Choice Voting, and multi-member election districts. Why, because both political parties are focused on power, not democracy. Independents have been shunted aside because "if you are not with us, you are agin us." So don't blame everything on racials issues: a lot of the problem is about the political power of the two dominate political parties. They don't want democracy, they only want power, control and wealth.
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I love one of the quotes that people "[don't get enough financial education] then goes on to describe that as not knowing how to negotiate for a higher wage. Way to miss the mark! How much you make is a small piece of the pie regarding wealth-building and long-term strategy. I make ~200k a year and 2.3M invested. I have saved, saved, saved and invested, invested, invested. THAT is why I have a strong retirement to look forward to (I still need another 1M to get here but I am only 46).Want to get "rich" (BTW I do not think 2M is rich. It's comfortable and secure, although how one defines rich is, of course, subjective)? Don't think about income so much as investment and savings strategies. THAT'S what real financial literacy means (yes I know my income is relatively high and enables me to save and that I'm fortunate But in NYC, 200k really doesn't go as far as people would like to think). I also did not get a dime from my family and built a career without any family support.Save and invest even if you think you can't afford it. Pay your future self first. They will thank you enormously later.
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Investors and share holders have become the priority Well no employees no businessNo customers no business pretty easy to understand eh?
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The identity politics of the far left are divisive and have harmed the Democratic Party. I am convinced the only reason Democrats do not control all branches --I do not think the country loves Trumpism,and a vast majority support Democrat policies--is the overreach of a small minority in our country who come across as extremely difficult to please. Instead of solidifying support for basic human rights, they are demanding change with no consultation. Our English grammar rules are altered, this, after discussing it with no one outside of themselves. Anyone who questions anything is yelled at. This has led to an open gate for fascism, which uses anger to their advantage. , predominantly white men (If I transition, then
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Mtnman1963 Unless you are willing to pay a lot, one shouldn't be expecting a heart transplant for a 90 year with Parkinson. Just a thought. We want unlimited care without paying for it. I was a paying a lot for medicare but the total is considerably less than what I would pay for medical insurance since I retired at 66. For full disclosure, I have Medicare Supplement Plan G. F charges a lot more than the deductible.When my mother had terminal cancer, her doctor advised me it is best to let her go peacefully rather than spending a lot money to keep her alive without her normal life. Well, that was in India and my mother was in her late 70s. My father's doctor told him it was time for him to go when he was in 80's and he lived happily for two years after that dying in late 80's eating whatever he wanted.It is time that we in USA also realize that a hip operation at 90 is a waste of money. Enjoy life and understand that everyone is going to die.On the other hand, spend money to educate and take care of poor.
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Claire I’m a trans woman, too.I’m also a survivor from a domestically abusive home, from which I left at 16. My public school principal and counsellor, in the principal’s office the morning after I escaped home (with active help from several sets of parents worried for my safety), arrived to a difficult, but life-saving decision: they let my parents know, by phone, that I was safe, under care of responsible parents, and in class, but she wouldn’t release me, nor would she inform them of which parents they were.Ultimately, I moved to a different district and lived with my grandparents until graduation.That experience, followed by my own of voicing as trans at 18 and transitioning then, stuck with me. This all happened before the World Wide Web or social media. I didn’t know anybody else who was also trans. I was completely on my own.I share this because I don’t share Dr. Anderson’s opinion, however couched in professionalism and lived authenticity hers may be. In fact, I liken her published positions on coming to terms with trans and non-binary kids as an extension of the positions of the discredited Dr. Kenneth Zucker before her. Hers, like Zucker’s, is an excessively reactionary and conservative position.Between you and me as trans folk, Dr. Anderson resonates consistently as a bit salty for not having voiced as trans sooner than she was able; taking that out on trans and non-bnary kids now, under the guise of professionalism, is not a position made in good faith.
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Let's THINK this thru: the PRC economy has been ravaged by covid.With the Lunar New Year celebrations and hundreds of millions returning to their villages to celebrate.This, will NOT bode well for the EXPORT driven economy in the next 3-6 months.What to do...?Ahhhh, Open the tourism flood gates, and SHARE the misery and economic destruction. Why, should only the Chinese economy fail, due to explosive covid?You see already, the PRC is targeting Japan and South Korea.Will 'our' governments, hungry for tourist spending and low paying jobs here, allow unbridled Chinese tourism? How about Canada? Mexico? It's not about the Chinese people...they have had it plenty rough. IMV, it's ALL about continuing the global pandemic, so China does fall...alone.
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Americans have no clue how the border actually works. It’s not a column of migrants — it’s a column of industry. Do you like your car? Do you want another one? How about your TV? Do you know that the AMERICAN jobs depend on Mexican assembly? The parts stream back and forth multiple times before delivery with workers on both sides of that border and the northern one. ‘Shutting the border” cannot work because it’s not 1900. And we cannot onshore all of this work because we literally do not have the human beings for all of this work. And if you think this will solve the opioid crisis you’re incorrect, too, because it’s about demand. The simplicity of MORE GUNS! Shoot them! Shut the border! Unfortunately will not solve these complex issues. What will? Actual investment in the economy of Mexico and exceptionally long-term investment in our own rehabilitation culture to prevent addiction; solve it when it’s endemic, and far more open discussion about the pipeline from pain meds for an acute injury to illegal opiate use.
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History Guy This comment is a good example of how detached from reality many peoples' economic perceptions are. According to the CPI, an average basket of goods costing $35 in December 2000 cost $39.80 in December 2002 - not $50. Maybe History Guy bought some of the things that went up most, but the subject of this column is the national economy, so it is the average which is pertinent.Aside from partisanship, the way that the media report inflation is deliberately designed to incite alarm - to make you read further in the story. Instead of giving the month/month numbers, which as Krugman says show low inflation since June 2022, they give the year/year numbers which can stay high for a year after upward price movement has ceased. It would help if they gave some concrete examples such as the one above, but they won't be doing that in the front-page stories.
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If you don’t want to buy any of the grocery store protein/energy bar offerings, why not make your own?This comes from the Global Cycling Network, and there’s a YouTube video of cyclist Simon Richardson making them. Sure the have brown sugar and honey (though I’ve started using molasses instead of the honey), but at least you’ll know that your energy bars will be made with ‘real’ ingredients:Sunflower Oil - 120ml/3/4 cupSoft Dark Brown Sugar - 200g/1 cupGolden Syrup - 2 tbspPeanut Butter - 1 tbspVanilla Extract - 1/2 tspMelt these ingredients in a pan over a low heat until melted and mixed together. Next, add: Sesame Seeds - 25g / 2 tbspSunflower Seeds - 25g / 2 tbspFlaked Almonds - 50g / 1/2 cupSultanas - 50g / 1/2 cupChopped Dates - 50g / 1/2 cupGradually stir in thick cut porridge oats/oatmeal - 225g / 8 ozTransfer mixture to a baking tin lined with parchment. Roughly 25 x 15cm or 10 x 6 inches. Press down firmly with a metal fork. Place in an oven at 180degrees c, 350 degrees f or gas mark 4 for 10 - 15 minutes, keeping an eye on them so they don't get over done. Finally, leave to cool in the tin before you take them out and cut them.
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Appreciate the mentions of the Ladies Christian Union, which was a pioneer in providing safe, affordable places for single women to live in NYC, having opened its first residence in 1858. Having stepped down as president just 16 months ago I can assure everyone that WE ARE STILL HERE and still dedicated to the same mission. As the LCU Fund for Women’s Education, we now partner with NYC colleges and universities to make grants, earmarked for housing, to women so they can complete their higher ed degrees. (Grants come from a portfolio created by selling off the residences.) Look us up! We are delighted the Webster Apartments and the Rehearsal Club are carrying on our collective work now and I to the future.
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Fantastic proposal. Do it. I once worked for a very very large US bank, and I was subject to a non compete agreement that basically disallowed me to work for any large commercial or investment bank --ANY--unless I was willing to forfeit my pension and all my deferred compensation. Talk about a one sided deal because the bank could fire me at will but I really couldn't leave at my will unless I changed my entire career after 25 years, or was willing to go to work for a community or small regional bank. There is no reason if you support free market capitalism to allow any employer to indenture you through a non compete agreement.
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May I point out that this problem is not particular to Biden, Reagan gave amnesty to thousands of illegal immigrants and so did Bush; furthermore, what do Republicans do when they are in power to control this issue? Nothing! Trump admitted to hiring illegal immigrants at his golf course and other properties. Republicans cry foul, but most agribusiness, poultry, meatpacking, etc, business are controlled by Republicans and their supporters; hence, Trump's orders to keep these facilities open during the pandemic, and those businesses hire mostly illegal immigrants. Now, there are laws to be followed, and this is the issue to be addressed by congress and the White House, a true immigration reform geared towards the benefit of our country and not foreign nationals.
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JND Congress hasn’t spent more of “your” tax money for years. Because there is less of it, not more, every year due to GOP intransigence to any increase in revenues. So both parties just put it all on the public credit card. $32 trillion in all. You can’t complain about taxes and the debt, too, and still not want cuts to your favored government programs. It’s obvious neither party is serious about cutting spending, so that means taxes must eventually be increased. We are a country living beyond our means with little desire to change our ways.
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$1.6 million is too low a fine for the 21st century. But more importantly, Trump and Co. should be paying the taxes, with interest, that they failed to pay, and were obliged to.New York has its set of tax laws. Each state has their own. Trump owns property in a few states. While his filings have been deliberately convoluted to take maximum advantage of loopholes in tax laws, it's certain that he owes taxes, with interest, in New York and other states.These should be collected.The 75-year old Weisselberg, who benefited financially for years from working for Trump, was not honest. But he was loyal, and "fell on his sword" to protect Trump. He goes to Rikers, while the quite vigorous and crooked Trump preps to run for President.Trump should be sporting the orange suit.
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We should stop investing with this totalitarian dictatorship, effective immediately. Let them sink or swim on their own steam.What was 'Corporate America' ever thinking; empowering a violent, threatening, revanchist one-party-system Cult of Personality?! I fear our disloyal CEOs' post-WTO enabling of China will go down as one of the greatest mistakes of the last 100 years. Even now, at Davos, most of them still appear to be in complete denial....Let's decouple now and not wait till there's a war over Taiwan. Kicking this can down the road only makes the potential problem greater.
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Patrick That's exactly why the Fed is determined to engineer a recession, justified by the need to stop inflation. The pandemic forced a lot of workers to take the time to reflect on their priorities, and many of them reached the same conclusion as Ms. Gay. When the worst of the pandemic ended, and employers suddenly had an urgent need for the workers they had summarily discarded at the beginning of the pandemic, those workers felt no obligation to return to jobs at which they had worked so hard for so little pay. Employers, of course, blamed "disloyal" workers and Big Government handouts.... everyone but themselves.A recession is just what's needed to put all those uppity "empowered" workers back in their proper place. If they get hungry enough, they'll be at employers' doors begging for their old jobs and working conditions. The recession will provide the reboot necessary to restore the proper balance, making business models that rely on the hard work of underpaid workers viable again and getting America's Plunder Capitalism back on track to redistributing the nation's wealth to the Entitled 0.1%. The Fed is more than happy to do its part for the Investor Class it serves.
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Barbara great idea...but there are plenty of Reps and Senators who have benefactors that make their salaries irrelevant. 174k in beer money, amirite??Too bad there's no rules about political donations.
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Plastics have even been introduced into our medicines. As far as I can tell, liquid cough medicine of the Robitussin type, containing only dextromethorphan (DXM) and no other active ingredients, has all but disappeared from pharmacy shelves. Although you can still get single ingredient DXM in liquid form, it is of the Delsym type, and contains microscopic plastic beads as part of its extended release mechanism. Moreover. it is much more expensive, on the order of $10 - $14 per (plastic) bottle, versus $5 - $7 for the Robitussin kind.
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Metrojournalist :"I graduated into the first recession of the 1980s and the beginning downward spiral for the middle class. "You're wrong about that . The middle class began losing wealth in the 1973-1975 Recession. They wouldn't recover until decades later. See: (<a href="https://fredblog.stlouisfed.org/2016/09/wages-with-benefits" target="_blank">https://fredblog.stlouisfed.org/2016/09/wages-with-benefits</a>/ ) That recession also signaled the end of the Post War expansion. See:Marglin, Stephen A.; Schor, Juliet B. (1992). The Golden Age of Capitalism: Reinterpreting the Postwar Experience. Oxford University Press.Union membership peaked in 1955 at about 36%. By the end of 1980 that figure was just under 20%. It stands at about 10% today.Economic history did not begin with Reagan. But you do provide a good polemic.
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Judy Unfortunately progressive populists sure do seem to do a good job of hiding behind the woke, such a good job that I've never seen or heard of them. Open borders and a minimum wage that just seems a little too hard each time the opportunity arrives? I might easily mistake the left's populism for the Chamber of Commerce. Democrats have lost the white working class and are on the road to losing the Hispanic working class for a reason.
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Germany and Russia spent centuries partitioning, exploiting, or destroying the countries between them, disdainfully referred to in German as “inzwischenlander” or “in the meantime lands”. In 1939, the two signed the Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact, agreeing not to attack one another and to divide Eastern Europe. But Hitler double-crossed Stalin and, after World War II ended in 1945, East Germany and the “meantime lands” became Russian-controlled. In 1980, Poland was the first to stand up to Moscow and by 1989 the Iron Curtain was demolished. In 1992, Ukraine and all Soviet republics were liberated but Russia re-invaded Ukraine in 2014 and 2022. Today the United States leads the effort to defeat Putin, and is joined by Europe’s “meantime lands” politically. Led by Poland, they have taken in millions of Ukrainian refugees and opened their treasuries to provide military aid. As a result, the moral leadership and backbone of Europe has shifted from Berlin and Paris to Warsaw and an embattled Kyiv. Jan. 26 Substack
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There's no question that a major portion of Santos funds came from Russia. He has called Ukraine a "totalitarian regime"Andrew Intrater, a money manager for oligarch Viktor Veckselberg gave $56,000 to committees tied to Santos. He has plenty in common with TFG.
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Toni Stevens Yes. The comparisons are being made with normal times. If we had not shut schools the pandemic could have been worse and the costs higher. We just don't know although the Swedish experience seems to indicate we might have been better off keeping schools open. Second guessing doesn't help. I believe the authorities did their best in a difficult situation.
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Whenever I make a reservation at a restaurant, through Open Table, a third party company that makes reservations for tons of restaurants, my table is always there when I get to the restaurant. If that type of computerized system works so well, then why can't rental car companies have a computerized system that works that well. In this day of computers, it really wouldn't be difficult. So the conclusion I have made is that the companies really don't care. They get to rent out the cars they have and since there are very few companies that rent cars, they're pretty assured that's even if people don't get a car, they will come back at a later date.
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Eric B Wordle 588 3/6*⬛⬛⬛⬛🟩 90 55 92⬛🟨⬛⬛🟩 94 92 1 🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩 99 — — WordleBotSkill 97/99Luck 73/99Lucky opener and smooth solving in-spite of the turmoil in my personal timeline. Just the vowels, ma’am.Glad to see this lighter mood for all members of our group. 😍But yesterday’s mini-story turned out weird:He wanted to GLOAT at the STROP she was in, after hearing the CORNY jokes her DORKY mate indulged in, but then decided not to WORRY.I also tried my hand at writing one with Spelling Marauder’s progression on Thursday, but the turning point to make Beefy believable is not quite there. Still here they are.The BURNS on the BLEAK side of the mountain ran into the BEECH coppice and turned it into a BEEFY forest once its management was neglected during lockdown.Robert BURNS wrote of little mice, and BLEAK moors, and BEECH woods, and luscious BEEFY meals, but we just remember him for Auld Lang Syne.Have a good weekend all!
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This technology really needs to be understood before it is deployed everywhere at scale. Consider this -- if you use chatgpt to translate correspondence, it can infer the context of the correspondence. It knows what you are talking about, which is private information that google translation doesn't have about you if it translates. Think about that. It _knows_. Microsoft runs outlook which means it has access to a tremendous amount of email. An AI can read that correspondence and understand the context of your life. It can suggest doctors for you if it determines that you are depressed, refer an attorney to your spouse if it determines that you are cheating in your marriage, and call the cops if it determines that you are breaking the law. An AI understands context. It knows. That is a game changer my friends because it also never forgets and can aggregate that data. It could be powerful. It could be terrible.
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SD Your relative is not all that unusual. A former friend and staunch Republican was given a new furnace, windows, doors, and a refrigerator by the government based on his retirement income. His ample invested funds did not affect his eligibility for the program. BTW, Donald Trump and Rush Limbaugh were his heroes. I repeat: Former friend.
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Let’s be blunt, shall we? One of our two political parties has spent a decade attempting to kill the Affordable Care Act, opposing Medicaid expansion, opposing child tax credits and similar programs to lift children out of poverty and eliminate hunger, cutting taxes for the rich, incentivizing passive investment, broadcasting dangerous misinformation about contagious diseases — even calling covid-19 a ‘hoax’ as it killed over 1 million Americans — and braying about the ‘freedom’ to refuse to follow common sense public health advice.That party now has a majority in the House of Representatives — and it is so comically and tragically dysfunctional it cannot even select its own leadership.You name a serious problem facing America right now, and those folks will come up with a way to ignore it or make it worse, all in the name of ‘patriotism,’ and ‘fiscal responsibility,’ and ‘freedom.’Stupidity is what’s killing kids and adults in this country. Shameless, bullheaded, abject stupidity.
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I graduated from the top university (one of the 3 tied for #1 according to US News) for Electrical Engineering. Every single one of my classmates who graduated almost 20 years ago has left the hardware industry to go into software because of the massive pay disparity between HW and SW. Intel doesn't even try to recruit at the top schools anymore because all of the new grads have much better options. Intel's founding executive leadership used to have PhDs from those top schools. Look at the background of the executive leadership now outside of Pat G's MS at Stanford. The difference is that TSMC gets the cream of the crop from the top Taiwan (Not China) universities. Intel's leadership has been dominated by ASU, SJSU, and Portland State grads for a long time. I had a friend with a Physics PhD who was working on the ill-fated Intel 10nm process in Oregon 8+ years ago. He worked long hours, had to be on-call all the time, and was getting paid about 50% of a Google software engineer who only had a Bachelor's and 2 years of work experience. On top of that, he had to deal with incompetent management because Intel allowed all those mediocre engineers to rise to the top. Guess what he did? He studied to become a software engineer, passed the interviews at Google and is now making more than 2x what he made at Intel with fewer hours worked. Intel cannot attract and retain valuable engineering talent. Jim Keller hightailed it out of Intel after less than 2 years there. Smart guy.
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Agreed. I had a desk job for 38 years in banking. Fit (competitive swimming) and I thought in good shape, I’m glad I retired at 62. Heart attack and quadruple bypass at 65 made me appreciate that decision even more. Lost 2 life partners to date - one at 76 and the other at 68. To those in their 20’s - save - and invest in down markets. You’ll be glad you did when you’re nearing 60.
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MidtownATL If the Repubs actually cared about deficits, the national debt, or fiscal responsibility, they would be applauding the $80 billion in the so-called Inflation Reduction Act to modernize and improve the function of the IRS. Instead, getting rid of that allocation is at the top of their wish list. Their idol is Trump, whose biggest business success has been dodging taxes. They want to gut Social Security and Medicare/Medicaid. Further evidence that their real constituency is the wealthy. What I don't understand are the working class folks that cheer them on.
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Pippa Have you looked at modular homes? There are so many cool options on the market right now.We built an ADU and I became 100% convinced that modular was the way to go. And we have a lovely 18th century farmhouse - it wasn’t going to be some tacky looking clash.In the end, we had to go with stick built because we needed to conform to a particular foundation from an old cabin on the property to be grandfathered in. But there were so many innovative modular options these days for under $200K (including labor)
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Interesting stories about problems wtih used car markets.If you know what you are willing to pay, and the make and model aren't what is important, you'll do fine.August of 2020, well into the pandemic, I headed down to the local Mazda dealer (after finding the vehicle on the website, walked in and said my daughter wanted to test drive it. 5 minutes later she did. 15 minutes later they were back; she liked it; I told the salesdude I'll take it for $400 less than you have on the website ad. So for $14,500 I got a 2017 Mazda 3 hatchback with 34,000 miles on it. "Certified pre-owned" so it has a drive train warranty to 100,000 miles.1 hour later we drove away.....I do not understand these horror stories of buying at a dealership.Maybe you're trying to haggle too much? Maybe you don't know how to say up front that you don't want the extras? I have my own insurance...no clothguard....I despise the idea of selling a vehicle. I understand the dealer won't give me full value since they have to drop some ducats into it to resell. But the process couldn't be easier.
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Online platforms like Facebook, twitter, instagram, etc. are not really publishers like newspapers - they generate little to no original content. Legally they are more like public access TV stations on steroids with an open door policy.So every user/content provider should have to sign a personal liability contract before posting anything. Problem solved.
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The greatest impediment to this recommendation is that government at the state and federal level is a pyramid scheme where credentialing has become a pipeline provided by particular universities and K-Street has become a clearing house to accrue wealth. According to "ballotpedia" the average net worth for a member of Congress is over 1 million dollars. The right wing zealots like Gaetz and MTG are all millionaires who make money off their crazy because average citizens give it to them. according to "open secrets" politicians spent around 9 billion dollars campaigning in 2022. There are so many people getting rich off of our political lunacy including lobbyists, politicians, and media entities. Do you think they would bother to give all of that up to make better lives for the rest of us? Perhaps the saddest part is that we continue to put these grifters the office.
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"He (Zimmerman) decided not to spend what would have likely been tens of thousands of dollars to do more rigorous outside research." Preposterous. A comprehensive background check including verification of employment and educational credentials can be completed for under $50 in 5 or fewer business days and is standard hiring practice across a broad range of professions. I know this firsthand from more than 20 years in talent acquisition. Nearly every lie Santos told would have been uncovered with this simple step. The failure of GOP leadership to run a simple employment background check (yes, House seat is not a volunteer position; it is employment with a six figure salary and extraordinary benefits) is astonishing. The fact that many of the lies were known yet ignored is a disgrace.
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Regret that you continue to trot out the argument that the only way to reach a balanced budget is through draconian cuts in programs like Social Security and Medicare. That is simply not true. Significant tax increases would get us there. As a parent if my income is inadequate to feed my family do I tell the kids they will eat every other day? No, I may look for ways to pare expenses like giving up golf but before I let my kids starve I look for a second job or some other way to increase my income. Social Security and Medicare are not discretionary like golf; they are essential to the basic wellbeing of many Americans. So before we tell seniors or the disabled we really regret they are starving we look for ways to boost incomes. And we do not need the Fed to throw people on the bread lines in order to reduce inflation by exacerbating unemployment. Instead we increase tax rates to soak up all the excess capital supposedly financing inflationary spending and use it to pay down the debt. OK, I know, I know. Politically unrealistic and all that. But why? Tell the American people we can throw millions out of work or put a luxury tax on country club memberships, goods priced above the median for their category (cars, shoes, houses, etc). If I am paying $3.99 for ground beef I a not going to get outraged that the person who wants fancy steak has to pay a bit more per pound. Far better that than have more people living on the streets. Increase government income, don't starve it
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Most of the "advice" people are offering here amounts to "I put a super strong steel door on my house," and then permanently leave their windows open. "I keep my passwords in Excel" Uh huh. How many folks are still using the password their wifi router shipped with? How many update their wifi encryption scheme? Do you even know what kind of encryption it uses? If someone wants your passwords, they'll wait for you to leave the house. "I keep my passwords on pieces of paper." Now you're safe until someone breaks into your house, OR you have a fire/flood/earthquake. Or worse, start getting dementia and think "I can't remember where I wrote that down!"NO passwords should be easily guessable. Not the vault, not your accounts. The scheme the author provides here is a joke to hackers. Get out your dice and look up "Diceware". It's a free scheme that is far better than using first letters from songs, prayers, sonnets, etc. RANDOMNESS is your only ally! If there's a "clever" [logical] method to your password selection, it can be QUICKLY determined by 2023 computers. Using first letters and a "3" to replace "E"? I think that's 1985 calling, they want their clever scheme back.
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Reading comments below I see smarty pants naysayers are already picking the CHIPS initiative apart but it's a good investment that will advantage other seemingly unrelated industries and keep essential technologies moving forward. It may not happen immediately but the commitment is a commitment in The United States. I give it A+ for effort. Now we must make it work and in the long run it will work because it must. Although Biden prioritized this I want to see both political parties hold up their end of the flag on this one.
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What was Lloyd George’s goal after WW1? It was to return Germany to prewar position as UK’s number 2 trade partner. Germany (historically a totalitarian militaristic dictatorship) used trade with UK to to fund militarization. Europeans bought oil for years from Russia and were surprised to see Russia (a totalitarian militaristic dictatorship) use the profits to attack Europeans repeatedly (Crimea 2014, Ukraine 2020). USA sold oil and steel to Japan (a totalitarian militaristic dictatorship) up to the eve of the Pearl Harbor attack. Japanese aircraft carriers made of US steel - fueled by U.S. oil - steamed to Pearl Harbor. Today, trade with China funds the greatest military expansion and spy network in world history. After spending trillions on its military with your money, will China let its investment sit idle?
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The U.S. is willing to spend billions to keep Ukraine free and Taiwan part of the international community, but we wont spend to keep the Amazon ‘alive’ and offsetting climate collapse?Give me a break!
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#facts! The GOP specifically eliminated $25 funding for an agency computer system to better detect fraud during the Obama administration.
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I, too, am a graduate of UCSC and always visit Bookshop Santa Cruz when we go there. I occasionally buy books from the local independent bookshop here, but almost always have books checked out from the County Library. At least the current County Supervisors have restored funding to the Library to allow them to be open 6 days a week, and even purchase new books. It is still telling though that the lowest paid County professionals are librarians and behavioral health workers.
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| 6,721 |
There is a big difference between adding more and more lanes to the Katy Freeway and adding a single new travel lane to the Lehigh Valley Thruway/Route 22 and I-78 in eastern Pennsylvania. If one of the two travel lanes is suddenly closed today, 100 percent of the traffic has to go into the single remaining lane. If one lane of a four-travel-lane road is closed, 100 percent go into the three remaining lanes. A bad commute day, certainly, but not the regular disaster we experience as the Inland Empire (of distribution centers) of the Northeast. So yes - keep traffic flowing in some cases such as ours. Expansion doesn’t need to be reactive, especially if we planned on making steel, not transshipping packages.
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| 3,704 |
Steve The Constitution cannot feasibly contain a laundry list of absolutely all situational "rights" that may take place as the Founders recognized. That is why it opens with the statement that it has the general goal of ensuring "the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves..." The original Constitution then reemphasizes this at its conclusion (Bill of Rights) by stating that people have inherent broad individual rights even if not directly cited in the text. The Constitution also specifically recognizes the validity of Common Law [e.g., see the Bill of Rights]. Furthermore, the Constitution most obviously does not include embryos, etc. as "Persons." Only Persons [actual people] and the Press are granted rights under the Constitution.Abortion in pre- and post-Colonial America was legal up to the date of "quickening" [fetal movement] based on Common Law.Under the Equal Protection and Due Process Clauses, the government cannot strip rights from Persons and give them to "non-persons" absent a legitimate public policy interest. The religious supposition that "life" [whatever that means] begins at conception does not qualify.
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| 288 |
I don't get why we, as a country, didn't borrow like crazy to spend on infrastructure when we were borrowing at essentially 0%. We're many trillions of dollars behind on needed maintenance and repairs. Oh, that's right, politicians need to complain about spending and Republicans, especially, can't "let the other side win."
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| 7,464 |
With the Australian Open Set to Begin, All Eyes Are on Rafael Nadal The defending champion, Nadal has lost six of his last seven tour singles matches and is struggling with his timing, confidence and composure. But don’t count him out. MELBOURNE, Australia — The first collective gasp of this year’s Australian Open came Thursday afternoon, four days before the tournament officially begins. The defending champion, Nadal has lost six of his last seven tour singles matches and is struggling with his timing, confidence and composure. But don’t count him out.
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| 3,047 |
I finally called local representatives the morning I got an email from a localSpa saying I could come back in for a massage. I did some more looking and found tattoo parlors and strip clubs in our area had reopened, too. I had followed COVID rules the whole time until then, feeling the county was doing its best. But when they prioritized opening tattoo parlors and strip clubs and day spas over getting kids back in school, I had enough. So I called various people in the county until I finally got someone who wanted to listen and who had the ear of someone who could make change. When I expressed my frustration, they said, “well, it’s the economy. We have to prioritize getting businesses open.”I said, “You think having kids on Zoom while parents are trying to work from home doesn’t have an impact on the economy? You think having kids learning on Zoom for a year doesn’t have an effect on the economy? You might not see it for ten or twenty years, but it will absolutely have an effect.”I ended our phone conversation by mentioning I might make a sign and stand on a busy street in our area saying that my 18 year old high school daughter could give a lap dance at a strip club but couldn’t go to school. Wouldn’t you know it? Within a week, the county had a plan to reopen schools. Why were the kids the lowest priority? We are all going to pay for that for a long time.
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| 9,570 |
Stu Pidasso -- Stu, no, Social Security counts into the total. But if, say, Kentucky for example sends the federal government $22 Billion in revenue from taxes in a year, then the federal government can spend only $22 Billion in the state in that year. So they come out 'balanced.' Call it a special version of the 'balanced budget.' So if Social Security spends $15 Billion on Kentucky residents in the year, the the rest of the federal spending has to total $7 Billion or the feds have to close offices, cancel road building, close military installations... whatever it takes to 'balance' the spending. After all, we don't want the good residents of e.g. Kentucky to be "takers", do we? If the good governor of Arkansas, or the Senator from Kentucky is on board with 'getting the bureaucratic tyrants of Washington out of the wallets' of good Arkansas and Kentucky residents, then it seems fair to me that the feds get their spending in line with what the residents of that state send to the feds in the first place. No more "taker" states; seems fair to me.
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| 6,986 |
Hobbling the IRS is not to help Joe the Plumber this is because the billionaire robber barons don't want to be audited. Apparently with the likes of Trump paying $750.00 in taxes his first year and carrying losses forward to yield $0 taxes in 2020 the billionaires' favorable taxation is still too confiscatory. Besides the the Freedom Caucus simply wants to starve the government. Apparently Bret favors "Royal" welfare queens rather than the new immigrant, Harry's efforts to provide for his family. Harry who unlike his uncle did not commit a sex crime or unlike his father cheat on his wife, ain't offering up Shakespeare that much is certain but it sure beats the Kardashians, et al.
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| 9,272 |
Sheepshead Bay Hose: the soul has been crushed out of it by the gut renovation and the drab interior decor. The kitchen cabinets are depressing. Yay to the unique NoMad Co-op but only if you have 2.5 million to splurge.
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| 6,750 |
AlNewman currently the US's debt of $31 TRILLION is about 123% of its GDP. Compared to other industrialized countries that is actually quite high (of all the major countries, only Japan's debt ratio is higher). It is not the deficit that is concerning, it is the debt. The US's debt is becoming so high, the interest payments alone (at around $400b/year) are nearly half the size of the entire Federal budget! Simply printing more money to cover the debt may work for awhile, but eventually inflation will rise. If debt is paid from the budget, services need to be cut unless the budget gets increased. The only way to do that is via increased taxation.
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| 5,851 |
Reading many comments here, I can only shake my head in wonder when residents of states like Tennessee purport to be ‘fiscal conservatives.’ Tennessee’s state government receives nearly 40% of its revenue in federal aid; which is why Tennessee also is able to keep state and local taxes low. At the same time, its residents pay far less in federal taxes, in total, than the state receives from the federal government. In short, Tennessee is a 'welfare queen'.Of late, Tennessee also has been the recipient of substantial federal largesse under programs its own politicians steadfastly opposed and now decry as 'far-left Democrat socialism'. For example, under the Biden administration’s CHIPS, Inflation Reduction and American Rescue legislation, over $15 billion has been invested in development of new manufacturing facilities in Tennessee. That will create tens of thousands of jobs, not only in the new industries, but in economic ripple effects in housing, retail, health care, education.But I guess Tennesseans believe they would be better off if none of that ever happened. They could always be content with a stagnant economy, an aging, uneducated and underemployed population… so long as they can lay their hands on Hunter Biden’s laptop and hunt down ‘criminals’ like Dr. Anthony Fauci.
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| 4,586 |
Andrew could not agree more. If all the commenters here can say with hand on heart that they do not give their $$ to any company that has explosive practices I applaud them!
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| 2,330 |
Many families were relieved of their obligation to pay rent and utilities while receiving very generous Covid aid checks for an extended period of time. What happened to the money? In the future there must be restrictions in place to insure that aid is spent on necessities.
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| 8,239 |
Hoping that all the employees that have lost their jobs in the past couple of weeks land softly. As an older millennial (geriatric?) I distinctly remember the Great Recession which seems to be completely ignored in this article. I remember going to work and week after week watching my colleagues and clients get laid off. I remember going to my 10 year reunion and seeing all my old friends who had gone to work on Wall Street back at home in their parents basements. To say that we haven’t experienced this before is a false narrative. Tech and tech adjacent companies didn’t survive that time unscathed. What I am hearing that is different this time is strong severance packages with extended benefits. It’s as if these companies value these relationships and foresee a future where these employees wind up eligible for re-employment in the future. This feels like companies don’t want to burn bridges. I expect better of the journalists at the Times.
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| 5,789 |
Local war memorials always list the hometown men and women who died. It is a bit of a stretch to do that on a national level, and when the Vietnam War Memorial wall went up, it was probably unique in the world. The National Archives could probably throw together a proper list of war dead, properly proofread, and could give it away as a free booklet.Beyond the list of names, the recent designs of our war memorials border on the garish without truly enhancing the solemnity of the site. By contrast, the World War I memorial that Washington, DC erected for the DC residents who died in that war, far surpasses any of the others for simplicity and majesty.The National Park Service has a picture of it and describes it as:"A circular, open-air, Doric structure built almost entirely of Vermont marble, the memorial has an overall height of 47 feet and a diameter of 44 feet, large enough to accommodate the entire U.S. Marine Band. It was intended that the structure be a memorial and a bandstand and that each concert would be a tribute to those who served and sacrificed in the war."<a href="https://www.nps.gov/nama/planyourvisit/dc-war-memorial.htm" target="_blank">https://www.nps.gov/nama/planyourvisit/dc-war-memorial.htm</a>I would adopt that as the model for all war memorials and substitute a copy for each of the other war memorials on the National Mall. They would certainly take up less greenspace.Best that we concentrate our efforts on avoiding future wars.
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| 7,715 |
Laurence Bachmann Your comment reflects the "conventional wisdom", agreed; but if MAGA truly is intransigently stonewalling, then it actually does open up the space for a major pivot from the moderates: since "tie-breaking" leverage would swing to them (provided they really were willing to go down the bipartisan path). This phenomenon has happened many times before... in many other countries (usually when a political party is imploding/fracturing). Not saying it's a regular occurrence... just that if we are witnessing the splintering of MAGA within the GOP, then things like this could, theoretically, happen fast.Once a few moderate centrists start "defecting" the whole calculus changes, the paradigm shifts, and the once-unthinkable (such as "compromise") can become the new norm. After all, most moderate Republicans (at least behind closed doors) have far more in common with their center-left counterparts... than they do with the hostage-taking insurrectionist lunacy that is MTG and MAGA. A few moderate Republicans crossing the aisle to pick a mutually-acceptable Speaker, would mean that in one fell stroke Trump is forever neutered (at least in purple districts) and MAGA as a national movement become a relegated-to-the-fringe lame-duck.
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| 9,166 |
I work part time as a freelancer who does art projects with patients in a cancer clinic. Before the pandemic, nurses and staff gathered in turns in the break room for lunch. Post pandemic, they all eat at their desks (which are out in the open, in the clinic). This may have been started as a Covid precaution, but it has stuck. It seems they constantly need to be available for beeping machines or patient call buttons, even if the manager says they should take "lunch." I sorely miss the opportunity to be able to get to know the nurses; do they have kids, pets, hobbies? What's going on with all of us? I've been there 13 years and now, with newer staff, feel like a stranger. So, this isn't about a cafeteria, but about the culture of getting away for a half hour and conversing with co-workers. And no, I don't consider sitting at a table with someone who's doom scrolling on FB the same as sharing a conversation.
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| 1,362 |
Hal - Exactly! I got stuck on that line for awhile. $80 billion? No value is more like it. Surely we can come up with better ideas, right?
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yes
| 5,462 |
P Reed Have you looked at the game "Blossom" on M-W? That's only 12 words per game, and the solution set is pretty open, so might be just right for a younger player.
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| 4,040 |
Between 1972 and 2021, government spent about 20.8% and collected about 17.3% of GDP. The difference was covered by national debt of about $31 trillion.Since almost all of that deficit spending is too popular with the American public, it is all but impossible to cut the size of that spending. Therefore, only by raising taxes on the most affluent can we reduce the growth of the national debt.Why not raise taxes on the highest earners and the richest on their humungous wealth to limit the GROWTH of that national debt from about 3.5% or more of the GDP to say, no more than 2% the GDP.During the period of Truman & Eisenhower presidency, the top 0.01% of the earners paid near 50% of their incomes in federal income tax, which dropped all the way to 22% of their incomes by 2005! <a href="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/e8/US_high-income_effective_tax_rates.png" target="_blank">https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/e8/US_high-income_effective_tax_rates.png</a> Inequality rose back to the Great Depression level.During the Eisenhower presidency, the top federal income tax rate was 91% on over about $1.5 million in 2020 dollars, which dropped to 28% on over about $65K by 1988. It is now 37%.Why not raise it to about 50%, not 90%, on over not $1.5 million but on over say, $10 million. And another two brackets on over 40% and 45%. This will raise several hundred $billion in revenue annually. The rich would only pay at the current level up to the $10 million or so on their incomes. A modest wealth tax, but less than what Sen. Warren suggested ought to be levied.
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| 4,252 |
Can we propose something more life-affirming and in tune with the natural world? Maybe tear down the coliseum and parking lots and plant a fruit tree orchid? A bird sanctuary? Just plain open space? Nah, no one makes money off nature. It's a race to the bottom for us.
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| 6,608 |
I love yoga; I’ve been doing it for decades, ever since I discovered it back in my 20s. I’ve found it to be a powerful addition to cardio and strength training. There are some things to know before you go in, though, and I’ll add those caveats below:1. It’s imperative, especially if you are older and new to the practice, to really vet your studio and the instructors within the studio. Call or go in, ask questions, talk to friends and neighbors about what’s out there. A good studio will direct you to instructors who work well with beginners/seniors2. If you’re looking for a gentler practice, Hatha is good, as is Iyengar (which uses props such as large bolster pillows and straps to support you and help you focus on form). Be careful with hot/Bikram yoga. 3. Be very careful with yoga classes at gyms (vs. yoga studios). It has been my experience that some (not all!) of these instructors aren’t equipped to offer modifications (which it’s my opinion that ALL of us need due to variances in body geometry, ability, strength, flexibility) or corrections (which keep you from developing bad habits and injuring yourself). 4. If your schedule is flexible, you have the advantage of choosing class times that are in the middle of the day (and are much less crowded). Do this, you’ll have a much better time. 5. Invest in a thicker mat with good grip. Your joints will thank you.Be careful, go slowly, and have fun!
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| 4,842 |
Great! After two years of COVID, high inflation (hopefully temporary), declines in both stocks and bonds simultaneously for the first time in 40 years, the GOP has decided to create and entirely artificial crisis to continue the “disaster” festival. We are not going to default - period. This whole exercise just adds to the perception that we have no idea what we are doing. I agree spending should be cut but this is not the way to do it. At this stage, even if AOC proposes universal health care for pets, I’m only voting Dem.
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| 4,561 |
Mike S This is true, We may never know truly the extent of damage republicans are going to inflict. How many trillions of wealth will evaporate from people's retirements, savings and the like? Will the credit of the nation be downgraded again as well? The President AND Democrats in the House and Senate are unified. A few months is a long time in politics and of course, things will depend on how the press does it's job. Ultimately, I think it is is the market that will decide and put pressure the most on republicans. If their masters start losing everything then how will they react? We shall see.
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| 1,377 |
I witnessed this from insider c-suite perspective back when all of this corporate consolidation and globalization started. The now-comfortably-retired corporate executive I know boasted about how he laid off 10k employees after number crunchers at a board meeting determined they could increase profits/ share value by eliminating those positions/ labor expenditures. They offshored the entire department to cheap labor in a third world. Shareholders and executives received enormous bonuses that year as a reward for their little corporate manipulations in the business of short-term profiteering. Capitalism is a disease that encourages fennel vision (profits above all else) and sociopathic outcomes.
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| 3,097 |
Yes, yes, yes.As a software product manager, I rode the whirlwind of rapid communication and constant multitasking. In fact, I helped develop it at companies like Microsoft, Autodesk, and some clever startups. Now retired, I have some more perspective (though I still fall into Slack-addiction occasionally).When was I most productive? Honestly, it was on my pre-tech career as a woodworker. In the shop, I would focus one task, then the next, completing each the best I could. Sometimes others were involved, and we talked face-to-face about how our work (literally) fit together. The result often seemed perfect, even if it took a while.I know that sounds nostalgic, and probably is. But I believe that we must develop technology that enables focused work and eliminates distractions, coupled with management that appreciates the value of quality over speed. Both our sanity and productivity depend on it.
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yes
| 9,359 |
While this is a fascinating idea there is a flaw in the logic that, if our reality is a computer construct , we could actually effect changes to the program.This thesis presupposes that said computer works in the same way as computers work in what we experience as reality. Who is to say this is so? The "computer" in this theory may be based upon principles that we would have no way to understand, much less change as easily as is implied.For instance, all computers in our reality are based on a binary logic of 1's and 0's. The combination of this very basic foundation is the underpinning of every computer on the planet. However, it is entirely possible to create computer logic based upon an entirely different methodology. It could, for instance, require the perception of a 4th dimension which we can theorize, but not perceive. Computer logic could be designed upon a combination of colors that we cannot see or sounds beyond our perception.Is our reality a computer simulation? Since it cannot be disproved, it remains possible. Far less possible is our ability to change that programThe ultimate flaw in this theory is that the "Programmer" worked for Microsoft .
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| 6,431 |
Rruffpaw Saw another all one word consideration: openwi(4)now!! A definite end of the day command for many.
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| 1,952 |
I’m a Democrat. We’re in it forever. Biden, once again, hesitates, and someone gets his ear. Same with student loans, same with the Afghanistan withdrawal timetable.Regardless of merit Ukraine has been an epic policy failure in part because someone, somewhere, thinks public denunciation, public pronouncements of support and getting in planes constitutes diplomacy and makes for good foreign policy.Biden’s weakness, possibly age-related and possibly because the Senate and Vice Presidency didn’t prepare him for it, was not appointing a hard-nosed chief of staff to keep him on track, knock heads, control,and funnel the information flow, and help the CIC make decisions. Starting with who phones the OO.Instead we’ve had This Man Must Not Remain in Power before anyone talked, the First Lady and Speaker on jets promising the US is with Ukraine as long as it takes and the Zelensky’s an open invitation not only to address Congress but do so on big TV screen nationwide and ask for More.Now Zelensky wants US private capital to use investors’ money and issue bonds he can’t possibly repay for his war effort, and wants US support to retake Crimea which Russia has controlled since 2014.Volodymyr will not stop, he will not budge. He has no reason to. Vladimir may not either. The policy wonks, the hawks and whoever picks up the phone at the right time are running the show.
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| 8,536 |
Katherine Kovach umm except a man (ie Harry) worth £60 million was suing the British government to continue to fund his security detail with taxpayer funds.
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| 2,249 |
It's no coincidence that this ASAC was connected to a Russian oligarch who was connected to Paul Mannafort who worked for Trump. If they already found $250k that was paid to this agent, there is a lot more that hasn't been documented yet. I agree that the media is downplaying this. Why? This story is clearly much larger than Biden having a few classified documents in his possession. That happens frequently by legislators and government agents.
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| 3,066 |
Phyliss Dalmatian It isn't as the US has to invest a lot of resource to defend them at a time when the US is finding it harder and harder to recruit soldiers or justify endless defense budget increases. These countries don't have the economies, populations or the militaries to defend themselves. Below is population of select E. European countries in 1990 vs 2021:Ukraine - 52M vs 43M (including 2M in Crimea)Poland: 38M vs 37MEstonia: 1.5M vs 1.3MLatvia: 2.6M vs 1.8MLithuania: 3.7M vs 2.8MAll of these countries have stagnant or declining populations with no or little ability to defend themselves let alone defend others against Russian "aggression." But they will rely on the US for their security, so they will be a liability not an asset.
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| 36 |
Republicans are delusional if they think that a thorough investigation of President Biden's handling of classified documents is going to somehow get Donald Trump off the hook. I welcome a thorough investigation of both Trump and Biden. It's impossible to bring down Biden on this issue without taking down Trump too. This might be a golden opportunity for cowardly and hypocritical Republicans to bring down both Trump and Biden. However, whatever the outcome, holding both Trump and Biden legally accountable won't reset the political landscape with a clean slate. The swamp will extend further that the Republicans planned or wished for.
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| 6,900 |
Brilliant, thought-provoking essay.It is a Age of Narcissism. The craze of selfies, self promotion, and ego gratification on social media is proof positive of that. People do need to stop taking selfies and turn their phones and cameras around. Yet, part of the problem with the ubiquitous phone photography is that their cameras have limited ability to see the world in its glorious detail. They are good for close-ups and vast vistas, but little else. Their big failing is that they lack zoom. A good pocketable, travel zoom digital camera (say 20-40x) permits a richer and much better view of the world — including close-ups of things far away.Only a good zoom can capture photographically what the author calls for us to contemplate:“The truth of gleaming crows calling to one another through the scaffolding of buildings that rise in the places where rooted pines once stood. Of nearsighted opossums snuffling through fallen leaves. Of blue jays robbing squirrel dreys for stored nuts and field mice taking shelter in abandoned buildings. Of a vulture riding a thermal, its great wings extended in benediction.”But to really see those, to hold them in one's consciousness, people must put their phones and cameras away. We need look outwards — breathe deeply — be a part of our surroundings — and appreciate the natural world around us.
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| 2,794 |
Good John Fagin do you feel the same way about $500 pro sports events, tickets to Disney, Hamilton tickets, 500 bucks spent gambling?
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| 3,453 |
"Medicare, which in 2020 covered the cost of Humira for 42,000 patients, spent $2.2 billion more on the drug from 2016 to 2019 than it would have if competitors had been allowed to start selling their drugs promptly."$2.2 billion of OUR tax payer money!
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| 29 |
After leaving the door open and putting out food the people in the house are now complaining that the bears came in, tearing up the furniture and are not going to leave.
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| 1,090 |
Anthony the Monarchy costs around 2 pounds/year a person. They are not the problem. They are also part of history. My history.
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| 3,682 |
It's so frustrating to go on a site like Amazon looking for something very simple like a bedframe, see 18 different vendors with ALLCAPSNAMES and the same grainy image of the product, all with 4.5 stars average reviews, different prices, and no brand recognition or reliability. Sometimes the product ends up being just fine, sometimes it's really bad - and the reviews don't help at all. Am I getting a more reliable or higher quality product by paying $50 more? How am I supposed to know? Is this even a legitimate brand? If I have an issue with the product and want support, does that even exist, or will the brand have disappeared off the Web by next year?
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| 779 |
Nancy. The Biden administration has allotted nearly 80 billion dollars for the IRS to upgrade its operations. This will allow the agency to hire enough new employees with the necessary skills to perform audits in a timely manner on very complex returns, like for corporations and very wealthy individuals.The very first bill passed in the new, Republically-controlled congress rescinds this funding. It's pretty obvious where the Rs' bread is buttered.
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| 5,046 |
Annie Perhaps it's a bit more change to stormy weather* than "climate change," which, in reality, is the weather conditions prevailing in an area in general or over a long period of time. California is in a well-documented long-period of drought, not storms (which will not help the drought much). Today, in SoCal there's a 65 pc chance of rain at 4 pm. By this Thursday the chance of rain drops to 5 pc. Not really long term. "It never rains in California"(....it pours..), " a 1972 song jointly written and composed by Albert Hammond and Mike Hazlewood. Hammond was the first to sing and popularize it (the Free Electric Band), and then picked up my by Mamas and Papas.*Song written by Harold Arlen and Ted Koehler. 1933Yea, of course I had to look this all up.
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| 8,394 |
I was fired a couple of times in my youth, but never once I trained for and started in what became my career-long occupation. But I saw how oppressive it is to work for a large firm and what little job security I really had. So, I opened my own business in that field, struggled and stuck to it for the next 40 years. I never became wealthy, but I was comfortable and, most important, in control of what mattered.
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| 1,438 |
Pat Garrett Yeah, good point. But we had a "state department presence" back when Hunter Biden was milking millions of dollars from a corrupt Ukrainian energy company, and his Dad was VP in charge of Ukraine policy.I guess if it gets really bad, we will see Joe again threatening to cut off billions in aid if the wrong prosecutor opens the wrong case.Maybe we should just send Hunter to oversee the distribution of US aid. Now there's a "quid pro quo."
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| 5,963 |
crumble grimble There are ample fast-food restaurants open 24/7 in Manhattan.
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| 4,616 |
A Billion $ ??? for mental illness in NY ??? Just a drop in the bucket.
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| 9,827 |
CarolinaJoe Great idea. In fact, a 2021 government report put the figure at $600 billion per year in taxes owed but uncollected - or $7 trillion for the next decade!!
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| 2,473 |
I don’t see him having scheduled any constituency meetings in the district. I wonder why. Why hasn’t NYT published the story about him stealing $3000 raised for a service dog’s surgery? It’s in the Oyster Bay Patch.
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| 6,450 |
You know that the hold-outs mostly voted not to certify Biden’s win in 2020. Add to that the phony speeches about the $1.7 Trillion budget deal by Gaetz and Jordan, and it’s easy to see what the really want. And that is to shut the government down. They are traitors and liars, determined to create confusion and dysfunction under the guise of protecting the American people.
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| 4,760 |
How come George Santos isn't advertising on Truth Social? It seems like a natural fit. He could spend $199.99 on each ad, and each ad would reach all the Truth Socialites for weeks!
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| 1,073 |
Make. Your. Own.$33 per pizza is insane for about $3 worth of materials. A cast iron skillet pizza in a home oven at 550F can be decent. Or better - invest in a compact home pizza oven
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| 9,065 |
Rural resentment is largely the same resentment that has been growing since the 1970s, and it is based on the loss of the possibility of a meaningful role in society by blue-collar men. I am, and always have been, politically left of center, but the left appears unaware of the real problem. The left is still focused on promoting women’s interests and has ignored the problems that blue-collar men are experiencing. We still hear about the 18% difference in income disparity between men and women. Still, child-care responsibilities largely explain that difference, and the same income inequality exists between the primary caregiver and partner in same-sex female couples with children.The wages of blue-collar men have fallen compared to previous generations, and women’s income has risen dramatically over the same period. Women prefer to go it alone rather than marry a man who makes less money than she does. Far fewer blue-collar men have the opportunity to be the providers and the defenders of families. It is a cultural reversal that goes against 200,000 years of human biology. The left talks about blue-collar men voting against their self-interest, but the left doesn’t recognize the problem.
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| 3,722 |
If rates stay above 3.5% for three more years interest payments will become about as large as the military budget. The other issue is the size of deficits are now a trillion a year vs 2-300 billion. Running 4% of GDP budget deficits with 3-4% of GDP interest payments is approaching the point where cutting spending can no longer reduce the size of each years deficit and any unexpected rise in real rates (rises in inflation affect both tax receipts and expenses) becomes pretty risky. At the least deficits need to come down below the level of real rates. Right now that's about 1.5% across the curve.
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| 8,125 |
Sunshine No, NATO will not because the immigrants in Turkey would have the gates to Europe open.
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| 3,872 |
This is a big problem on Amazon. Often, a vendor includes with the delivered product a printed card asking me to write a 5 star review, with promises of Amazon gift cards or more products in return. One company that I bought a $25 product from offered me $20 to write a 5 star review. It's pretty frustrating.
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| 1,667 |
It is really interesting to read about Ms. Tabasco's openness to art and to discovery. She really tapped into that openness to play Lucia, which is what made her such a fun and refreshing character!
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no
| 1 |
Honestly, that final quote says it all: a bookstore where "our focus is on books." Just imagine! And it applies to so many things that "tech" has dipped its greasy, venture capital-saturated hands into -- they're almost never in it to make a product or market a service that's actually better than peers, just cheaper, more targeted, and as such disruptive to an existing industry. Then ideally they use that momentum base to pull newfound customers into the next growth-oriented market they're "disrupting" or rather upending in search of wild year over year growth and profit. VC of course loves this, at least so long as it works and is relatively cheap. So what Uber and WeWork and Snapchat are unprofitable and unsustainable? They're generating new users every month! I'm sure they'll figure out the money part soon... Only they won't; they figured out years ago that growth means more investment. Now that the gig is up, suddenly we wonder why all these companies that offer nothing of value are tanking and laying off thousands.
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no
| 4,317 |
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