smjjames

Yep, even though the parliamentary dynamics in Catalonia are a bit different, Spain is right back to square one. http://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-42450745

Those that call themselves Democrats will win by default more and more as time goes on. Trump's win (which good Leferd will tell you I called) is more than likely the Elephant's the final hurrah!. This is not cause to celebrate team Donkey. For what will rise up next will gulp near everyone down into darkness. Which would be.... team Cthulhu, am I right? In all seriousness though, if the Dems can't find someone who can parry Trumps attacks like a pro and is overall popular (though there probably isn't a politician alive with the same kind of baggage as Hillary did), then even changing demographics won't help. Three years is a very long time in politics these days, so, anything could happen.

Well, it's going to depend on the dynamics of each individual race. Doug Jones hardly focused on Trump at all, and he managed to defeat Roy Moore. In some places, it could definetly backfire if it's done too much, that's true. There was one state delegate in Virginia that focused entirely on local issues and avoided Trump entirely, so, again, it'll depend on the dynamics of each individual race. As for 2020 (assuming he is running at all), he does have the incumbency advantage, though it remains to be seen if the Dems can field a candidate that can defeat him.

I'm not that bitter of a partisan, I'm just frustrated at Congress (both sides! Though obviously, the Republicans are the ones in power atm) keeping making a huge drama over the government shutdown as they have repeatedly for years. Did you also know that they haven't made a proper budget in years? This one isn't on Trump, it's all on Congress. I suspect that you're frustrated at the same thing as I am here. lol rotflol Edit: Oh, I see. Hey, I'm a sweet partisan. I'd buy you all a beer. Maybe have to do it in shifts depending on how many showed up, but I'd buy you one. Either that or give you one I have handy! lol.

Looks like the GOP is having trouble passing a clean continuing resolution. Which is what they decided to do after ditching their previous plan. A bit further on that (the article has the window/tab title wrong for some bizarre reason, so, ignore that) This is what they get for leaving it until effectively the last minute....

Except stuff like forced wealth distribution is anathema to Republicans. Seems like the only way to make trickle-down work is to force it to work by actually forcing the money to redistribute downwards. Then again, it just proves that trickle-down never happens naturally.

Not to mention that the GOP (leaders anyway) are looking at doing entitlement cuts (social security, medicare, etc), and in an election year of all places.

I don't get the funny in that. Video is a bit choppy though.

I can see it being useful for big emergencies when civillians need to stay away from an area (though such situations get plastered on the news anyway), but is it going to be used for more everyday stuff? The line "when there is an imminent credible threat to an officer" seems somewhat vague to me and could be applied to being in the middle of a shootout or confronting a suspect, possibly right before they shoot.

I was wondering that myself, I'm not sure what the utility is here. Kind of almost seems like a "Look how dangerous our job is!" kind of thing than anything that would actually help people.

I wondered what was up with that ancient necro, which according to one person was apparently posted near the very beginning of this forum.

I thought that was a dog there.

Glaciers, obviously, and that rock looks flattened on the top.

Also, just because a culture called barbatian doesn't mean that they are 'inferior'. Sure, the Romans saw the Germanic peoples as just another inferior people to conquer, but they were just as inferior a culture as the Romans, meaning, there is no culture that is superior to another. Like I said, historically, the term barbarian was applied depending on who was on which end of the spear (and wrote the history).

I assume it's Muslims. Historically? It depends on which end of the spear you're on really.

There's nothing "tough" or "advanced" about rank idiocy such as "women are destroying civilization". I only saw the title of the video that was in response to BPS and didn't watch it as I was on mobile, so, to be fair, I don't know for sure what exactly it's responding to.

I hadn’t even heard of the Black Pigeon Speaks guy before you mentioned it. Did a quick google and his videos are so controversial that the thumbnails aren’t shown in the search and he’s some kind of alt-righter. They’re also the kind of person that elicits a video response to them asking whether women destroy civilization.

Not sure what you have against the CDC valsuelm, are you sure you aren’t confusing with FEMA?

As I said, it's much more complex than just a yes/no (or chicken and egg, as you say) question. Still a bit odd thing that someone in the government wanted to look at it when there are plenty of studies that have already been done and are being done. Wonder who put that in though. Those things sort of look like the porkbarrel spending or earmarks or favors, etc. The one for looking at smoking in Russia is a bit odd, not like smoking in Russia would be any different from the US.

Had a department to look at UFOs, it was killed five years ago. Asking whether media choice causes polarization or it's the other way around is a legit question, but it's more complicated than a mere yes/no question.

Or 7.5 years if Trump wins a second term, and that's if he doesn't do anything dumb in the interim to get himself impeached.

The big gripe with the so called tax reform is that it's a massive tax cut for the rich and for corporations and hardly one for middle class, and even a tax raise in some cases, plus a massive tax raise on the middle class at the end of 10 years (because it expires) while the rich still get to keep theirs. The Republicans are also hellbent on trying to make trickle-down-economics work, which from what I've heard, is completely bogus and has never worked. You know what also can't keep going forever? the stock market. I can't help but feel like the adage of 'the bigger/higher they are, the harder they fall' is going to get applied sooner or later.

I've heard that some people think it's entirely possible to run a deficit for eternity Also, wages really have to increase, higher taxes don't help if nobody can pay them.

On paper, that seems like a good way to fix the voter fraud problem, however, it runs right smack into politics and the attitude Americans (and Anglo countries in general) have against the government recording citizen information. I know theres a lot that we already give the government, but it's the same kind of attitude/resistance that prevents a federal gun registry. I don't think a federal ID card is needed because a state ID will work in any other state, it's a solution to a problem that doesn't exist. And then theres the whole sloppy bureauacracy stuff, if you don't fix bureauacracy problems, then doing all of what you suggested won't help. @epam: I agree with you in that the tax 'reform' isn't reform at all and is just tax cuts for the rich, and yes, it'll come back to bite them in the arse.

On the tax stuff, Congress has released their tax conference report (article has a link to the whole 1000+ page document, if anybody is interested) and are ready to vote on it and pass it next week. I had also read an article a week or two ago that some people in Europe were complaining that the tax 'reform' bill would make it harder to compete against American companies. Didn't give any details how though and it sounded more like people being upset about the status quo being changed.