News Us politics - read first post before comment

[Deleted member 541]

@joeylittle I hope that you are right, but I seriously doubt it. Why, because even his "beloved"daughter and wonder son in law couldn't change his mind about climate change and the Paris accord. So I doubt that the pressure from 19 countries will have any effect on him.

He is an ego maniac that thrives on being right. He's a right fighter that will not be convinced when he fixates on something. When he isn't fixated, then he's all over the place. First he will, then he won't. He changes his mind like the wind. Speaking of which, "his mind". He gets lost trying to find the limo that's right in front of him, and when he finished his speech in Poland he was confused and don't know where to go??!?!?!?!? I think he's slipping. I watched interviews from the last 20 yr, of him. He was articulate, well informed, spoke eloquently. Have you listened to what he says????? OMG! He really doesn't say anything, except for "In a very short amount of time" and he repeats everything at least 3 times. But nothing that is of value!!!!!!

And we could discuss his lack of history knowledge.... OMG, Those flubs are just down right worse than embarrassing!!! He doesn't know what the hell hes doing or saying half the time.

 

[hodge]

I just keep thinking this cannot go on forever. This craziness coming from Trump is unsustainable. I have to believe that at some point the GOPs in Congress will invoke the 25th Amendment. Even as craven as they are, if he continues to undermine their agenda, maybe they will do something. Or Mueller will come through before long with damning conclusions, but not holding my breath on that one to happen anytime soon, just praying he doesn't get fired. The alternative solution is for enough people to get out and vote next year and get these jerks out of Congress. I know that's a tall order and I am not betting on it. But history shows this cannot go on forever. I don't know what will stop it, but it surely cannot go on forever. He is becoming more unhinged every day, as witnessed by his tweets. It seems that even his staff has given up trying to rein him in. Lately, they seem to be egging him on instead. It is freaking insane. We are the laughing stock of the world.

And we have a petulant child running the country as North Korea has demonstrated intercontinental ballistic missile capability.

 

[Friday]

That's the official line, but I would argue that it is incorrect.

Oh, for sure. As I said, huge multifaceted situation. Nothing in politics or governance only ever happens for one reason, and it definitely doesn't stay around through multiple administrations and survive countless agendas for one reason. All surviving political creatures are hydras and chimeras.

My NZ & AU political history -where min wage started- is sketchy at best. Could give you chapter & verse on the prostitutes of St.Kilda, or the shipwrecks/ trade routes/ tax schemes of various eras, or the Chinese revolution, and a few bits and bobs about the AU Red Raggers post WWI... which all equates to I don't know jack shit about either country. Here, however, it was as much a union busting tool as anything else... Both originally & modernly.

((Again, Because people who are tolerably miserable? Will maintain the status quo. People don't revolt when they have aaaaaalmost enough to survive on. Because they don't want to risk losing what they've already got, and can see a way out. It may take them years, but as long as a way out is possible? As long as they're not hungry too long or too often? They're not going to organize against you. Bread & circuses. People need both if you want to shut them up. ))

Spoiler: Of course, there are always exceptions. Take the longshoremen.

Of course, there are always exceptions. Take the longshoremen (I live in a port city, and have worked out of IDFK how many of them). I've also run their health insurance through my hospital. That union has seriously badass negotiators because damn near everything is covered at 100% with no minimum, no deductible, & no copay. Starting wages are 100k per year and cap at about 250k per year. This is one of the most blue collar of blue collar jobs... And the only local people with similar wages and benefits? Computer & Aerospace Engineers. Meanwhile what are non-unionized dock workers paid? Not minimum wage. They're mostly undocumented aliens or unemployable felons, being paid next to nothing. Why isn't minimum wage enforced? Why aren't they driven off the docks? Heaven knows the unions wants them gone. Why doesn't the city or state level law enforcement (police, ICE, etc.)? Because they're a useful tool to keep the unions in line, and distracted. As the Union is constantly under threat of their jobs going to under the table workers. Is this a decision made at the police level? Hell no. Most likely not even at the city level, although I'm sure various leaders are looped in enough just to keep them on board. It's a decision kicked down through several layers of political filters and buffers, from half a dozen different places. Most of our country isn't even aware of the huge amount of discord -and therefore power- the work gangs at the docks have always wielded. Insurrections generally start in a few places, and the hands which control the physical distribution of trade? Are one of the hotspots. Most cities can only survive -literally survive- a Max of 72 hours with their trade routes disrupted. In next to nothing flat the shelves are empty, and people are arming themselves & rioting & splintering into factions. Widespread panic. Serious, serious problem. Conservative projections give it about a week before the national guard is overwhelmed and the true military would have to be brought in -breaking so many laws 3 lawyers collapse in apoplexy whenever anyone even mentions it theoretically- to establish martial law. Goods have to keep flowing in and out. (And all of this is before the domino effect on international trade; as routes are disrupted/ have to be rerouted, companies change policy, other cities fight for limited and exclusive contract through their ports, ambassadors and embassies erupt like kicked hornets nests, organized crime does heir thing, black markets shift, stock markets shift, tips of icebergs absolutely everywhere)... Dock workers hold an insane amount of power. If? They're organized about it.

So the govt. has a two fold problem at the docks. 1st off, minimum wage isn't enough to keep people tolerably miserable. There's too much power to cripple. So you've got a choice between powder keg insurrection anytime someone smart and charismatic comes onto the scene, or allow your enemies to organize themselves just enough so that you know who you're fighting, and what their agenda is. Aka, the unions. Secondly, though? The power the unions wield need to be kept as diffuse and distracted as possible. On the surface? Give them whatever they want to keep them fat & happy, while publicly striking a hard line against them (requiring those badass negotiators), meanwhile, behind the scenes? Flood them with internal and external enemies and problems (poach their best people, make deals with various organized crime leaders, turn a blind eye at various battles raging between the different groups jockeying for power over the ports, until one side needs a bit of a hand or it starts becoming uncontained), etc.

Shrug. Politics. Use minimum wage to keep people from unionizing, except where unions are useful to keep an eye on your enemies, then flood them with various problems to keep them in line. Creating a balanced stalemate between equal adversaries.

Tale as old as time. We use different names for them in different eras, and different situations, but very little is ever new.

Again, though, just another facet, in a multifaceted situation.

 

[lostforgottensoul]

Come on, it wasn't a joke: this is your full paragraph.

"Most min wage jobs are for 16 yr olds anyway. How much do we really want tennagers paid? " was a haha, trying to be cute, laugh at joke.

I dont think min wage should be raised, children or adults, I think ALL wages need to be raised, starting with jobs ABOVE min wage, and/or the price of living lower to rebalance it. I also think (no, I know because I have seen it first hand over and over) we have way more lazy people here then we care to admit.

But justifying a joke?

 

[scout86]

On the topic of health care, here's an article about the compensation for the CEO's of those insurance organizations. Think you could live on $66 million a year? (That comes out to over 7500/hr, assuming working 24/7/365)
http://www.ibtimes.com/rising-costs...median-pay-ceos-health-care-companies-1938699

 

[scout86]

@Anarchy , I could go with something along the lines of the Iroquois Confederation, no problem. For that to work, I think we have to go to small enough groups so that everyone really KNOWS the person they're voting for. It's easy to THINK we do. They want us to think we do. But we don't. We can make guesses and those will sometimes be accurate and sometimes not. The one thing I'll say for Trump is, I'm pretty sure what you see is what you get.

I think he probably fancies himself as a potential emperor for life, but I doubt he's got it in him to follow through. We have a pretty good constitution. I predict it will get a work out like it's never had, but it was written for situations like this. Not that I'm happy about this mess or unconcerned.

 

[EveHarrington]

I just found this article on FB: [URL='Link Removed...

I hate to say it but my history of learning coping skills means that I've already done ALL of what she suggests.... And not to go off on a tangent but at least it makes me feel a little bit better, that I really AM trying to heal/healing when the average "political" Joe is drowning in Trump crap and such. (I actually laughed out loud at the part about not letting his tweets get to you!)

 

[hodge]

I know what you mean, Eve. I do it all, too. Just wanted to try to interject something positive that might help others. And, yeah, I laughed out loud at that part, too! I mean, this is our president.

Edited to delete something that might get me thread banned. Snort.

 

[Deleted member 41765]

@hodge @EveHarrington I do it all too, though I appreciate the reminder, AND his tweets *still* get to me!!

Edited to delete something that might get me thread banned. Snort.

This is funny and I'm having moments of fun imagining what it was...

 

[Deleted member 41765]

I could go with something along the lines of the Iroquois Confederation, no problem.

Thinking about this.

I've been reading Sherman Alexie's latest book, a memoir. This man is a favorite author of mine for too many reasons to list here. In a chapter titled "Tribalism" he briefly meditates on being asked by a non-native friend about the Native American genocide. He writes of visiting museums of genocide in other countries and considers the US Holocaust Memorial Museum: "It is a vital place. It is a grievous reminder. A warning. It is as necessary as any museum ever built. But it also proves to me how the United States closes its eyes against the pain it has caused. The United States often looks away from the pain it has caused. The United States often sits on benches and stares at blank floors."

I am also thinking about this.

 

[scout86]

But it also proves to me how the United States closes its eyes against the pain it has caused.

I think there's a human tendency to look away from the pain we've caused, regardless of the scale. "The Indian Wars" usually don't get defined as genocide, here, because the government that was behind them is running the show today. The 'winners' write the history books, you know? I'm not sure we're the worst offenders, world wide. The official position of the Turkish government is that the Armenian genocide didn't happen. http://www.armenian-genocide.org/turkey.html I'd bet the same is true of genocides that occurred in Africa, where the perpetrators run the government. I think it's a fairly universal tendency. When it doesn't work out that way, it's because people were motivated to do things differently. Germany is the closest thing I can think of to an example. (And, of course, there are people who deny that that holocaust happened too.)

But, what's that got to do with the structure of the Iroquois Confederacy?

 

[Deleted member 41765]

Nothing. The juxtaposition was unintentional, only meant to convey what is occupying my mind this morning, sorry for the confusion. The word "genocide" is his, not mine, but I find it thought provoking and wanted to share.