Quote :

"indebted to their shareholders to make money, which they make by pleasing customers"

partly by pleasing customers, partly by ripping customers off wherever they won't notice, or won't care enough to shop elsewhere.

3/17/2017 5:50:38 PM

If you don't care enough to shop elsewhere, you apparently aren't getting ripped off badly.

Capitalism is consensual sex
Socialism is rape

3/17/2017 6:04:15 PM

Coming from someone who can't afford a few hundred bucks a month for insurance that's pretty rich.

3/17/2017 6:08:24 PM

Coming from someone whose only response is a false ad hominem... that's pretty rich.

Not sure why you think I'm poor if I don't want to subsidize the poor?

3/19/2017 12:10:40 PM

Pretty much the entire rural GOP base is poor and regularly votads against their best interests.

[Edited on March 19, 2017 at 1:54 PM. Reason : I voted against some of my best interests too]

3/19/2017 1:54:19 PM

^gotta love American optimism. Literally, gotta love it. But it definitely causes people to do shit like that.

Like poor people voting against the estate tax because they think someday it'll affect them.

3/19/2017 2:17:45 PM

dude you were just proclaiming the need to increase defense spending for american imperialism

literally shut the fuck up about anything at this point

3/19/2017 2:38:13 PM

No, I was proclaiming the need to increase defense spending because there is NO POLITICAL WILL TO FIX THE DEFENSE WASTE PROBLEM.

That's a very important difference and one that liberals need to get through their fucking heads. Nobody is holding politicians accountable for shit. UNTIL that happens, it will be BAU and BAU does NOT eliminate the need to defend this nation.

I don't get what is so hard about that. Best way to fix things? Fix the waste. Is the political climate such that that will happen? Not yet.

You guys talk all this shit about JCE and yet in some cases, particularly this one, you act the exact same way.

[Edited on March 19, 2017 at 4:15 PM. Reason : a]

3/19/2017 4:14:55 PM

you are ignoring that we are already spending way too much and are plenty capable even with the waste

you are an imperialist

[Edited on March 19, 2017 at 4:19 PM. Reason : literally shut the fuck up you imperialist pig]

3/19/2017 4:19:36 PM

There is a difference between saying what needs to be done and getting done what needs to be done. This is the significant difference I am talking about.

"How do we scale that building?"

"We need a ladder."

"Do we have any?"

"No. We need to build one."

"Is anyone willing to build one?"

"No."

"Can we make them?"

"No."

"How do we scale that building then?"

"Until people are willing to build ladders, we can't."

Politics isn't just about saying what the fucking answer is. It's about convincing people to do what is necessary to IMPLEMENT the answer. Action is needed. You have to convince people to act.

Until the population of this country starts taking that responsibility seriously, you aren't going to implement the best solutions to our problems. That doesn't stop the rest of the world from moving on.

This is one reason Republicans get more shit done. I happen to think it's bad shit they get done, but it's more shit in general nonetheless. Liberals sit around theorizing and talking about the best solution. They are not prone to action in the same manner as conservatives are. I'm over generalizing here to an extent but there's a strong case to be made for it.


[Edited on March 19, 2017 at 4:27 PM. Reason : a]

3/19/2017 4:21:46 PM

so your argument is that you want people to fight waste by giving them more money, that makes less sense, you pig

even with the waste, we can defend ourselves especially if we unwind our imperialistic positions

3/19/2017 4:27:13 PM

1 - I don't know why you're calling me a pig. I think I'm one of the more rational people on this board. If you read my post history, I'm pretty sure you'll agree which probably why this is the first time you've attacked anything I've said. I also don't know why you called me an imperialist. Sounds to me like you simply used a phrase you've heard before without actually think through what it means. I don't recall ever having advocated for staging military bases all over the world or taking over other countries to colonize them.

2 - Saying we have the best military in the world is not entirely being honest. When was the last time our military has been tested? Seriously ponder that. Somalia was not a test. Neither Iraq war was a test. Afghanistan wasn't a test either. We've been tested in individual engagements and battles, sure. Some of the Iraqi units were vicious and effective. But force-wise, we haven't been tested in a very, very long time. We're blowing up cave dwellers with million dollar cruise missiles.

Each one of those wars were limited politically which is the only reason we even sustained the types of casualties we did. Every single enemy we've fought has been completely and utterly despotic. The last significant militaries we fought were in Vietnam and Korea. Both of those were limited politically, to be sure, but we sustained a shitload more casualties because we were fighting militaries with significantly better backing.

Part of the reason we sustained those casualties has to do with technology. Part of the reason casualties are down so much now has to do with how we've changed our logistics and support with respect to medevacs and battlefield lifesaving techniques.

You can't just say we have the world's strongest nation just because you want to believe it. Russia and China both have SIGNIFICANT weapons that can do SEVERE damage to us. You think having 13 carriers is a big deal? Takes probably 4-5 antiship cruise missiles to sink one. Maybe less depending on where they hit.

The bulk of our money is spent on our footprint and on logistics. Until that changes (again, requires political will to do so and unless we stop reelecting the same people who make these decisions, they are going to continue to make those decisions) the only way to counter those threats will be to spend more.

Again, I am NOT saying this is the right way to do it. I'm simply saying, if we need to do things now, THIS is the only way to do it UNTIL politicians start doing shit the right way. And they have absolutely no impetus to change unless we start holding them accountable which means not reelecting them. People have to stop voting solely for the president and start paying attention to the rest of the system.

[Edited on March 19, 2017 at 4:43 PM. Reason : a]

3/19/2017 4:42:25 PM

you're a pro-military imperialist pig, being liberal on social issues doesn't change that

our imperialism is one of the largest causes of instability in the world

3/19/2017 4:50:24 PM

You can argue that. Now, how are you going to fix it?

You have the solution now? Great. How are you going to IMPLEMENT it?

And by the way, our military posture very well may be the reason the world is as bad as it is.

It may also be the reason it's as good as it is. No way to know for certain but you can guess pretty strongly that all of Korea would be like North Korea, all of Vietnam would be like Korea and a decent amount of Eastern Europe would still be part of a Russian Federation without our posture.

[Edited on March 19, 2017 at 4:58 PM. Reason : a]

3/19/2017 4:56:02 PM

I would start byour not giving them more money, in account of not being an imperialist

3/19/2017 5:24:39 PM

Critical reading lessons are needed.

You would start by not giving them more money. Now, how do you implement that decision? How do you convince the House and Senate to follow you on this? They have no incentive to do so given that they won't be voted out of office in the next midterms if they ignore you. So they'll happily take the lobbying money from most of the think tanks and all of the defense contractors to fund their reelection campaigns and vote for more money for the defense budget.

So how are you going to convince Americans that this is so important that they should vote to remove any politician that doesn't go along with your "don't give them more money" start?

See where this gets complicated?

[Edited on March 19, 2017 at 6:40 PM. Reason : a]

3/19/2017 6:39:38 PM

let's make the pentagon a triangle and cut defense spending 40%

3/19/2017 9:34:18 PM

https://youtu.be/iMpC7ZXLykg?t=210

[Edited on March 19, 2017 at 10:19 PM. Reason : a]

3/19/2017 10:17:54 PM

^^I literally just got what you meant by making it a triangle hahahhhaha

3/20/2017 10:11:43 AM

3/20/2017 3:11:36 PM

That's a serous tweet

3/20/2017 3:51:49 PM

i didn't believe you that that's a real tweet

holy shit that's real

3/20/2017 3:56:23 PM

lol @ "poop dog"

3/20/2017 3:59:54 PM

Also no relation correct?

3/20/2017 4:10:57 PM

Poop Dogg?

meet...

Mike Fuckabee!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DYDFWaN8pno

3/20/2017 5:11:02 PM

From a political fallout standpoint which is better for GOP? Healthcare bill failing, right?

Trump needs it to fail or he looks like a massive hypocrite who is repudiating his base though he hates losing. I'm still amazed he supported it in the first place but I'm guessing he doesn't really understand it.

3/21/2017 12:07:16 PM

3/22/2017 12:05:23 AM

Quote :

"From a political fallout standpoint which is better for GOP? Healthcare bill failing, right? Trump needs it to fail or he looks like a massive hypocrite who is repudiating his base though he hates losing. I'm still amazed he supported it in the first place but I'm guessing he doesn't really understand it."

It's really a disaster either way. I honestly can't believe they bungled healthcare this badly. I imagine the actual smart people who understand how government works, like McConnell, weren't involved at all in the legislation. They should have passed a simple repeal and delay bill, leaving replacement up to some future legislative session where they might have more leverage to get D votes. Now their whole agenda is threatened if this doesn't pass.

3/22/2017 11:19:46 AM

^they should have spent the last 8 years developing a plan they could then use. this healthcare shit is a joke from them.

3/22/2017 11:23:42 AM

Republicans can't come up with a healthcare plan that isn't a joke because they aren't intellectually interested in the subject. They don't think government should have any role in facilitating access to healthcare. Of course that's a totally absurd stance to have, so when forced to actually legislate on the issue they produce crap. It's like asking a flat earther to launch a satellite.

3/22/2017 11:56:39 AM

Quote :

"they aren't intellectually interested in the subject"

That's one of the best explanations I've seen, haha.

[Edited on March 22, 2017 at 12:32 PM. Reason : a]

3/22/2017 12:32:29 PM

^^^^ a repeal and delay would still have been bad, because it opens the door to mock them for not having anything ready, despite saying all along they have something ready.

They just don't care about good governance is what it seems like. If it's not coming from a lobbyist they don't know what to do.

It doesn't help the GOP is factioned between Tea Party nutters who want to burn everything down, and "typical" Republicans that try to demonstrate some semblance of leadership. Before they had Trump they were unified against Obama, now they don't have any excuses.

The question is how do Progressives leverage this to political victories across the spectrum?

3/22/2017 12:54:33 PM

It really seems like they wrote this bill without consulting any experts, healthcare is 20% of the economy and it's a guessing game for them.

3/23/2017 10:33:57 AM

They just don't care man, and if they did care they'd end up with something similar to Obamacare because it's about the only framework that expands access to healthcare via private health insurance. My gut tells me it'll end up barely passing the House, Trump will hail it as a glorious victory of his negotiating skills, and then it dies quickly in the Senate where they blame the Democrats.

3/23/2017 10:46:19 AM

Koch brothers might be able to bribe these RINO cucks into the full repeal they promised... damn fine patriots, damn fine.

3/23/2017 11:26:56 AM

I wonder if the GOP establishment is regretting its gerrymandering strategy.

Whoops-- now their party is overrun with right-wing ideologues uninterested in governing.

That most GOP House members are concerned with getting primaried if they screw up healthcare says so much.

[Edited on March 23, 2017 at 7:10 PM. Reason : ]

3/23/2017 7:08:40 PM

If any of you morons read ^^ and can't tell he is trolling, I'm genuinely curious how you are even able to function in life

3/23/2017 7:58:08 PM

LOL at JCE using the term cucks. You sound like an alt-right nazi. Why don't you head over to 4Chan?

3/23/2017 8:33:36 PM

http://lifehacker.com/senate-votes-to-let-internet-providers-sell-your-web-hi-1793574677?utm_source=recirculation&utm_medium=recirculation&utm_campaign=thursdayPM

Quote :

"the US Senate voted 50-48 to overturn broadband privacy rules that would have required internet service providers get consumer consent before selling their web browsing data to advertisers or other data companies."

3/24/2017 7:11:00 AM

I don't understand what the Freedom Caucus is doing here? They are holding out for something that looks more like a clean repeal. Even if they get it, the senate won't pass it. So the most likely outcome of their holdout of the current bill is a continuation of Obamacare. It seems like they would want to just make a stink about it, eventually fall in line, and console themselves with that big ass tax cut that is in the bill.

3/24/2017 8:16:47 AM

it seems like Obamacare sticking around would bethe best option for them. they can't get hit in future elections from ads about all the people who lost coverage, and they get to keep complaining about obamacare indefinitely. they will find a way to blame this on democrats, and their party is too dumb to care

3/24/2017 8:39:10 AM

Obamacare is gonna need some TLC probably pretty soon to keep it running somewhat efficiently. The GOP will watch it unravel in slow motion, refusing to do anything, and then blame the result on Dems.

[Edited on March 24, 2017 at 8:49 AM. Reason : But I agree Phelps, I thought those tax cuts for the rich would make the freedumb caucus fall inline]

3/24/2017 8:48:04 AM

^^ and the Dems themselves have no clue how to effectively counteract those claims. It's basically a party of patsies at this point allowing the GOP to control almost every talking point.

Speaking of lying to a core consituency:

https://twitter.com/danprimack/status/845255965071069184

This is bananas that he says this. They are shitting all over every rust belt voter by not being truthful.

[Edited on March 24, 2017 at 8:52 AM. Reason : X]

3/24/2017 8:49:58 AM

I hope he meant 50-100 months away...

3/24/2017 9:12:01 AM

Haha. 50-100 years?

We're already very close to eliminating taxi jobs, we're fairly close to eliminating many trucking jobs. Sure, it might take 30 years to get 100% of the infrastructure needed for fully automated vehicles in place, but certainly not 50-100 years.

Coastal Federal has basically automated their tellers, and what functions they can't automate they've shifted out of the branches.

Shit's laffable.

3/24/2017 9:13:21 AM

Quote :

"This is bananas that he says this. They are shitting all over every rust belt voter by not being truthful."

rust belt isn't who should be worried about AI, automation is already their threat

AI should be the concern of low and middle level professionals who's administrative positions will disappear. programmers and computer engineers of today are the well-paid factory workers of the past, their jobs will become increasingly blue collar and technician-level until AI starts to move into those roles as well.

[Edited on March 24, 2017 at 9:29 AM. Reason : basically just make sure you own lots of land and property]

3/24/2017 9:29:00 AM

AI an automation are going to be huge problems in the near future.

Basically the sole argument for basic income. Because it will eventually put that many people out of work.

3/24/2017 9:42:15 AM

^^yep

^Bill Gates as actually argued for taxing robots as opposed to basic income. Kind of interesting but just another way for people to weasel out of shit. I'm a little surprised he came at it from that angle.

http://www.businessinsider.com/bill-gates-robot-tax-brighter-future-2017-3

3/24/2017 9:57:22 AM

Is it totally out of the realm of possibilities that Bannon set this whole thing up to fail and blame Ryan? There is a reason Breitbart is obsessively calling this RyanCare.

Ryan is not a nationalistic populist and clearly has set him self up to fail by indulging Trump.

If this fails, it isn't Trump who people will blame because he is Teflon with prettt much everyone and everything. It will be Ryan..

3/24/2017 10:18:03 AM

^^they are huge problems today, it's been problems for years.

You very likely know someone who is underemployed or unemployed because of automation/AI. An example I have is a friend who works in a data center. He has a CSC degree and they used to be responsible for maintaining the VMs. Better automation and smarter fault management lead their company to change policy where the workers at his location are just manual labor and they've retasked workers remotely to do software.

3/24/2017 10:18:45 AM