Miscellaneous And Off Topic Subjects

[froot loops]

Hoss is right. There is a substantial difference in the quality of jobs now being taken.

As significant, the measurement of unemployment that froot is using is of persons looking for jobs. This is affected by extended unemployment insurance, increases in welfare payments, a 30% increase in food stamp recipients to 48,000,000, and poor training in the educational system.

If you look at unemployment as including those who are not working, that rate is about 13%.

As important, most Americans know persons who have been "eliminated" from well-paying jobs by government regulatory action (eg. coal workers). I read a report about a month ago that said that government regulation costs the economy $ 1.9 Trillion yearly.

The U6 rate peaked at 17.1 percent in 2009 and hovered there until April 2010. It is currently at 9.7 percent. It hasn't been at 13 percent in 3 years.

By nearly any measure the economy is in much better shape than it was in 2016. Also, the sky is Blue.

[entropy]

The idea that "birthers" represent the Rs is laughable.

agree.. Maybe I know the wrong people, but vast majority of R's I know don't even care.

[entropy]

If they aren't logical enough to understand 10 percent unemployment in 2008 to 5 percent unemployment in 2016 is measurable for optimism then no approach is helpful.

If you had a good paying factory job in 2008 and now work night shift at Walmart, you may be employed, but you are not going to feel the economy is in good shape. And recovery has been different in different parts of the country and industries. I think what you see/hear is a reflection of the inequality of recovery rather than ignorance to the recovery itself. People personalize it.

[froot loops]

The idea that "birthers" represent the Rs is laughable.

Who is representing the R's in the election? For a good year Trump claimed he had evidence about Obama's birth. He's a birther, he questioned "Canada Cruz" when nobody else was. He also questioned Rubio's eligibility. It's quite clear it resonates with the whole GOP and their voters.

[hack]

I think in addition to job availability and quality you have to think about other stuff too. Happy/not happy is not the same as job/no job.

[entropy]

A lot of the "Trump Crowd" seems to love his bravado.. They like the confidence, they like the snide remarks (and many feel like FINALLY the republicans are fighting back) and really.. they just want someone to say it's ok to be proud.

[entropy]

http://www.globalgolfpost.com/now/2016/05/19/mickelson-named-relief-defendant-lawsuit

"
Phil Mickelson has been named as a relief defendant in a lawsuit filed by the United States Securities and Exchange Commission that charges famed sports bettor William “Billy” Walters and Thomas Davis, former chairman of Dean Foods, with securities fraud and wire fraud among other charges, according to The New York Times and other news outlets.
According to The Times, there is no indication that Mickelson will be charged, “though he is listed in the SEC complaint as a relief defendant, an acknowledgment that he was ‘unjustly enriched’ through his trading and must disgorge his ‘ill-gotten gains.’"

[iam416]

I think in addition to job availability and quality you have to think about other stuff too. Happy/not happy is not the same as job/no job.

I'd certainly agree that there's a disconnect between perception and reality. Understanding the perception is important, too.

A lot of the "Trump Crowd" seems to love his bravado.. They like the confidence, they like the snide remarks (and many feel like FINALLY the republicans are fighting back) and really.. they just want someone to say it's ok to be proud.

Lot of that. Personally, I find it objectionable to protest misguided, awful identity politics with, well, identity politics.

[iam416]

http://www.usatoday.com/story/theoval/2015/09/14/barack-obama-cnnorc-poll-hawaii-muslim/72246866/

"While some polling has suggested that substantial numbers of Republicans, particularly Donald Trump's backers, doubted that Obama was born in the United States, the new survey suggests most Republicans think Obama was born in the country."

[hack]

Which only goes to show - for some people happiness is more of a star-spangled IV drip of exceptionalism.

[iam416]

Gotta run. Funeral and shit to go to and other things (grandma, but 88 well-lived years and a peaceful passing).

So, basically, STFU. All of y'use. Except Strangelove. He can Bugger TFO.

[froot loops]

I do like that 43 percent of the GOP believe he is a secret Muslim.

[entropy]

[Mike]

I'm actually rooting for the NFL and the Skins in this battle. Hopefully information like the above polling data will help stem the tide of this PC nonsense.

[Jeff Buchanan]

It won't.

This is the thing. While the founders viewed the American Republic as a safeguard against the proclivities of the human race paired with a free enterprise system to be mitigated by the majority, now is not the first time we've experienced the "Tyranny of the Minority."

James Madison wrote extensively about the danger of factions in the Federalist Papers. Something to think about again.