I would like to believe you are correct, but all I’ve seen is some sternly worded letters and people hanging out in the park with signs. Neither of these is much of a resistance. No answer to Project 2025. Nothing but a death by inches defensive approach politically. The Democrats selling out voters at every turn and calling it decorum or similar. It certainly looks like we’re cooked.

No wonder Democrats lose. The inclusion question and the GQPedos targeting groups is the easiest fix in the history of fixes, but Dems keep getting it wronger and wronger. The answer is not to make more exhaustive lists of the groups they want to help, which invariably leaves people out, it’s to say “everyone”. Any stupid questions about [insert targeted minority group], answer “everyone should feel and be safe”. This is an easy fix and they’ll taking 18 months to wiff on the answer? We’re in trouble.

Some intrepid economist need only work out how long the Luigi Effect lingers, then we can set up a scheduled sacrifice. Finally, CEOs will be telling some truth when they claim to be taking all the risks. Free Market be praised!

Everyone is rightfully making fun of ol’ Jimmy Jack, but the chain of events here is he bought a product based on claims by the maker and then used the product for those claimed features. Fraud is a crime. Texas needs to make more arrests.

Geez, a person would have to think for like 2, maybe even 5 seconds to forsee how this plays out. Instead of buying apples from the orchard, we’ll be buying apples from the local apple thieves. Hey, why are there no more apples?

Do not adjust the gas tax for 33 years, do not listen to all the civil engineers telling you heavy vehicles do almost all road damage, and propose a tax with no method of enforcement. Brilliant leadership out of DC.

Good stuff. One small note: I’m not sure how useful the distinction of “Chinese state-sponsored companies” is in recent history when comparing to the US, let alone now. The US has retooled much of federal research engine toward promoting US AI. Even fired the NSB (among many other long standing, expert driven advisory boards) to replace it with a bunch of tech baron stooges. States are offering unprecedented payouts to data centers. The AI hyperscalers already have a bailout all but guaranteed when the bubble pops. It’s all state-sponsored, just with extra steps.

Maybe. It depends on how the OP statement is conceptualized. They specify “school kids” and school is only in session about half of days. Also, people over the age of 17 attend school and it isn’t uncommon to refer to someone in their 20s as a “kid”. Even worst case scenario for OP, we’re talking the difference of four months versus two months. I’m not sure that’s a hill to die on or even point out.

Maybe. Though, as MacKenzie Scott has demonstrated, someone who isn’t a pathological wealth hoarder can do an insane amount of good in the world with billions of dollars. There might be some more MacKenzies among the many, many inheritors after The Best Two Months. Also, there will be a good mix of hedonists, free spirits, and good old fashioned fuckups who will increase the velocity of money.

I know this is going to sound weird to 21 century digital boys living in our alt-facts dark timeline, but this is how politics is supposed to work. Where even the (formerly) fringe (now voice of reason- Overton’ed) lady recognizes obvious threats and we agree on material reality. Historically, being controlled by outside interests has gone poorly for nations, kingdoms, people just trying to hunt buffalo, etc…

Can someone ELI5? Is this extremely token gesture an appreciative nod or strings (visible or not) attached trojan horse?

I’m not a big Avatar fan, but you make a compelling case. Extra points for a B5 reference.

The morally-gray stories CAN be good, but not in the hands of most modern movie/streaming writers who somehow all seem to have gone to the school of “Trust me bro, I’m somehow better than the internationally acclaimed author who wrote the IP I’ve been handed” with a major in “mystery boxes” and minor in “identity IS character”.

Both sides? If only it were that simple. There are three sides: the complainant (citizen Trump), the defendant (Trump 45’s IRS), and the mediator (Trump 47’s DOJ). On the plus side, shining a light on the absurdity of our criminal Justice System is sometimes helpful.

Trump (47) ordered the DOJ to write up an incredibly illegal deal for Trump (citizen) over the wrong committed against him by the Trump (45) administration. The DOJ added, he’s immune to every law ever and the courts can’t review this decision because we said so.

“…doing the same thing over and over again and expecting a different result.” So long as we are stuck in our archaic form of government with de facto two parties, 18th century notions of accountability, and ethics standards that make Burger King appear admirable, the cycle will keep repeating. There will probably always be terrible people among us. When a small group can seize easily seize a party that sits at around half of political power and just needs a slight advantage to take full control of the country, the path will remain winding and difficult.

No no no. You see, urban centers generating all the wealth and then giving that wealth to the apple pie loving rugged individualists in suburban-pretending-to-be-rural areas is the natural order. Any change to this system is unAmerican, evil, greedy city fatcats out fatcatting it up like a bunch of commies. /s

You know where would be a great spot for a data center? Martha’s Vineyard.

What anti-gun stance? Obama expanded gun owner rights. Biden’s big anti-gun push was to enforce existing laws and even that faltered. There is this narrative that liberals are coming for yer guns, used primarily by people who want to stop socialized medicine, abortion rights, etc…, but reality is telling a different story.

Yeah! Like when Obama took everyone’s guns. Then Biden did it too. It’s literally all I hear them talking about.

I mean, what do you want us to do? Index tax taxes or make them percentage based so they don’t go 33 years being eaten away by inflation? Create a system that actually pays for the roads it needs to exist instead of saddling the future with massive debt? Not make it legally difficult to impossible for any alternative forms of transport to exist or at least be usable by sane people? That all sounds impossible. /s