Miscellaneous And Off Topic Subjects

[THE_WIZARD_]

It listed the potential charges, not the results of the grand jury vote. Do you even read the articles you're posting?

The release initially showed the "result" of the indictment...it was then edited after the fact dumbass. The Trump lawyers are going to pursue that little "whoops"...

No. Political. At. All.

[Dr. Strangelove]

DeSantis has internal enemies now too. Someone leaked his debate strategy to the Times.

'Defend Trump': DeSantis group's memo reveals possible debate strategy (cnbc.com)

[THE_WIZARD_]

DSL...Give me a double cheese....curly fries and a vanilla shake...

[Jeff Buchanan]

There's more on the political and economic front re the war in Ukraine than on the military front this week. As Putin is shunned by western powers and struggles in Ukraine, he continues his effort to rally support behind BRICs, the grouping of emerging economies – comprising Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa. He's pushing for Iran to join this group. Again, this is an axis of authoritarian regimes that seek more recognition and power on the global scene. The strategic aims of each of the countries within BRICS overlap in one key area. That is the reduction of western influence and, in general, the replacement of the current rules based unipolar world order with one that elevates multipolar authoritarianism as a better form of governance than liberal democracy and is more likely to produce economic equity and global peace.

As has been reported, the Russian Central Bank increased the short term interest rate by 3.5% taking it to 12%. This was in response to the drop in the value of the Rubel to 100/1 and an attempt to stabilize that currency and curtail inflationary pressures. Most analysts believe that Russia's economy will continue to suffer facing the continuing decline in export revenues without reducing the huge defense expenditures to prosecute Putin's war in Ukraine. It will take a while for the full effects of these factors to show up on the battlefield with Russian forces already stretched to their limits and experiencing morale and desertion issues. Needless to say Putin is facing some hard choices while the Ukrainians pursue a strategy of attacking RF rear areas and simply defending or incrementally advancing to the east against a potentially brittle Russian defense.

On the military front reports are coming in that Ukraine has opened a sliver of a breakthrough of the first lines of a multi-tiered Russian defense in the western part of the boarder area between Donetsk and Zaphorizia Oblasts in the Melipitol, Sea of Azov direction. Ukraine is reporting significant difficulties advancing through millions of landmines the Russians have laid in front of their first line of defense. Nonetheless, a corridor has been opened and will be exploited by UF even if it is meters not KM at a time being liberated. RF are allegedly having some success in the Kharkiv Oblast around Kupiansk but seemingly can't break through mainly because they cannot commit additional forces to accomplish that goal. That is the reality of the diminishing combat power the RA is facing. It looks more and more like Ukraine may very well outlast Russia by obtaining a strategically significant tactical win on the ground and continuing to pursue the strategy they have chosen to pursue.

[WingsFan]

But to Whitley's original question, any able-bodied man that can't put a roof over his head needs to take a long hard look in the mirror.

Agree and I may add, if you are 'lucky' enough to live long enough. You have to downsize somehow or eventually (be taken care of). I had enough of the bullshit of living in a big house with (7 rooms) and lots of steps. Three kids all on their own, 2 living out of state.

Last year I went the Liney way, and bought a new mobile home in a very quiet peaceful neighborhood. With all my injuries throughout my life, it was way too much work, (so much easier now). The last straw was 2+ years ago I missed a step going down the stairs and broke my foot taking out my Dog. I had a bad car accident in 2017 that fucked my back up and neck even more than it already was. Now it just keeping up with the lawn, yep I'm officially an old fuck like George Carlon used to say - I just started a little early.

[crashcourse]

Robert L Peters is in trouble

[Hannibal]

I'm having some doubts. The cost of housing has skyrocketed to where it's now very difficult to afford housing a family of four or five without both parents working, unless one of those parents is in a relatively lucrative field or has some other lucrative talent. There needs to be a path to middleclass-dom for the huge swathe of Americans who are able bodied, willing to work, but don't necessarily possess terrific skills or talents. College is wildly expensive and it is an increasingly poor way to gain economic mobility.

There is probably still a lot of ground to gain when it comes to steering a lot of young men in this category into vocational trades. I'm not sure if there are any other workable solutions, beyond the obvious ones, like not massively increasing the population of unskilled and uneducated workers that are not net taxpayers.

I have a ton of sympathy for the "pull yourself up by your bootstraps" argument, but nowadays it is usually directed at younger folks who have run into dead ends trying to do just that. That argument is losing credibility. And the reality is that most people throughout history have not done this, but in the 20th Century we found ways for those people to have a pretty good life. I'd rather we not have hypercompetition in our society just to keep your head above water.

[Hannibal]

Well I HAVE considered the possibility we're in Hell and getting the Hunter vs. Don Jr. matchup in 2028 we all deserve.

What makes you so sure that Don Sr. won't still be around?

[Hannibal]

Why the hell wouldn't you? The average rent for a 1BR apartment in Michigan is $609/month which means it will obviously be lower in some counties, rural especially. That comes to $7,308 per year. The standard rule of thumb is for rent not to exceed 30% of gross income. I'll go even lower just to be on the safe side. If you spend 25% of your gross on rent, you would need to earn $29,232 for a typical 1BR apartment in the state of Michigan. That equates to a wage of $14.05/hour. Fucking McDonald's pays that and more in most places these days. It might not be full time but in this labor market no able bodied man should ever have trouble finding work north of $14/hour. Period.

But as a question to you, what if it actually was difficult to support yourself? Should the government provide for able-bodied people? To what end? What exactly do people deserve?

Now do a family of five on one income.

[Hannibal]

The wage pop caused by covid was like the release of a dam that had been building up for decades. Between 1980 and 2020 real wages grew at a snail's pace compared to the period between 1940 and 1980, especially for the bottom 50% which has experienced negative wage growth for much of the past 40 years.

In the 1960s and 70s, we massively increased the supply of those bottom 50%-ers by shunting women into the workplace and by passing the Hart-Cellar Act. The labor and employment markets have responded accordingly.

[Dr. Strangelove]

This is all 100% true.

[Mike]

Now do a family of five on one income.

I was responding to Whitney’s specific scenario of a single able-bodied man. Obviously, things increase exponentially once you add other mouths to feed. Especially so since the pandemic.

[Mike]

DSL, I agree with Cooke’s take but Riedl’s only pertains to the Trumpers. Although, to my disappointment, those two things are becoming one and the same. Once Trump’s demolition of the Republican Party is complete next fall, the progs will have free rein to finish their ruination of the country. Congratulations.

[iam416]

They have policy sides on immigration, crime and stemming the fucking crazy from the Ds. If you don’t think government solves all problems you’re less likely to have policies for everything.

Philosophically or ideologically, they’re inconsistent at best and incoherent at worst.

[Hannibal]

Vivek’s campaign has been as policy-oriented as you can get.