Trump's America

[Impenitent]

Jewel, yes, that's a deal breaker.
It's very confronting and disappointing when one discovers that fundamental values clash.

Posting on phone via Tapatalk

[Lalaith]

I know. I've had to unfollow several more recently. I am trying to give people the benefit of the doubt here for awhile, but I don't know.

[River]

Korean-American friend of mine told me this week that bullying of minority students on the local school buses has spiked so hard the local superindident felt compelled to write a letter to all the parents about it. Apparently the election results have emboldened a certain type of thinking and it's getting into the kids.

He lives just outside Albany, NY. He indicated to me this evening he's ready to pack up and move back into the warm fuzzy Boulder County bubble, so I'll be keeping my ear to the ground for jobs. This isn't pure altruism, mind - I really miss this guy.

[Frelga]

My one consolation this week was that I didn't have to be disappointed in anyone I know. Most people performed to expectations, and I am very thankful that all my coworkers are on the same side as me.

[yovargas]

"From now on I'll use this picture to white balance all my own photographs."

Cxecn61WIAA_nkc.jpg large.jpg (227.52 KiB) Viewed 16470 times

(quote from twitter RT)

[Inanna]

Hahaha


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Túrin Turambar]

As I mentioned earlier, the only policy position Trump was explicit on in his victory speech was creating jobs through infrastructure projects. And in an interview from a few days ago, Steve Bannon has come out with the promise to spend a trillion dollars on infrastructure:

“Like [Andrew] Jackson’s populism, we’re going to build an entirely new political movement,” [Bannon] says. “It’s everything related to jobs. The conservatives are going to go crazy. I’m the guy pushing a trillion-dollar infrastructure plan. With negative interest rates throughout the world, it’s the greatest opportunity to rebuild everything. Ship yards, iron works, get them all jacked up. We’re just going to throw it up against the wall and see if it sticks. It will be as exciting as the 1930s, greater than the Reagan revolution — conservatives, plus populists, in an economic nationalist movement.”

It's not clear if this will include the Mexico border wall (which, if it was built, would probably create quite a few jobs among the mostly poor Hispanic people who live in the border counties) or if Trump still intends to compel Mexico to foot the bill.

Of course, given that Trump intends to cut taxes I've got no idea where this trillion dollars is likely to come from. He might intend to raise it through tariffs on imported goods, which would have interesting microeconomic consequences to say the very least!

[narya]

I'm worried that the infrastructure investments will be for the benefit of the oligarchy and the status quo - more highway lanes for single-occupancy gas guzzlers, more coal-fired power plants, more oil pipelines, more prisons, more iron/steel works for more car factories, etc. It could just as well be for more clean energy and mass transit, but why do that if there is no climate change, and if *We* don't stoop to riding buses.

[Voronwë the Faithful]

There won't be any infrastructure investments, or very little, despite Trump's and Pence's pronouncements. It will be a rainy day in July in the Bay Area before Paul Ryan and his friends in Congress appropriate money for infrastructure, whether it is asked for by Obama or Trump.

[Voronwë the Faithful]

This is a really scary prospect:

http://www.politico.com/story/2016/11/s ... rms-231516

[Túrin Turambar]

There won't be any infrastructure investments, or very little, despite Trump's and Pence's pronouncements. It will be a rainy day in July in the Bay Area before Paul Ryan and his friends in Congress appropriate money for infrastructure, whether it is asked for by Obama or Trump.

Rationally, this should be the case. But I still have no idea how Congressional Republicans will react to Trump. If the man who delivered them the Presidency and double majorities asks for money for infrastructure, will they refuse him point-blank? They might. But I also think they might cave rather than risk having both the administration and the Democratic Party campaigning against them in 2018.

[Alatar]

Couldn't decide whether to put this here or in the Red Book!

Understanding the Oxford Comma!

[Inanna]

The US president, a racist, and a misogynist went to a bar....
Oh wait....

[Impenitent]

I'm sure that by now you've all seen the footage of Richard B Spencer addressing the NPI conference in Washington DC, have all heard his speech, which could have been written by Goebbels, and saw the Nazi salutes with which he was greeted.

Trump didn't create the NPI or any of the other unreconstructed fascist/racist groups, but he validated them, coaxed them from under the rocks which shaded them from the light, and he is nourishing them like precious nestlings.

I'm very anxious about where this will go, as I see a limited number of possible pathways.

[Cerin]

Trump did disavow/condemn the event unequivocally, according to headlines I saw yesterday.



---------------------------------------------------------

Was Don Draper a misogynist? Considering his professional relationship with Peggy, I am inclined to view his womanizing as a reflection of his own personal problems, rather than as an indication of hatred of women. I think the terms 'misogynist' and 'sexual predator' may be being too widely applied these days. I think a man can be sexist without being a misogynist, can be sexist without being a sexual predator. In the same way, a person can be unintentionally or unknowingly racist in their attitudes, which is different than being a dedicated white supremacist/hater of people of color.

[Frelga]

Law introduced to ban conversion therapy in Erie County

Great proposed law, even better proposed name of the bill.

BUFFALO, N.Y. (WKBW) - A new local law was introduced Monday to ban the controversial practice of conversion therapy in Erie County.

Conversion therapy is a practice that tries to reform someone who was born LGBTQ+ into a heterosexual by using psychiatric therapy. This method has not been scientifically proven and has been rejected by credible medical and mental health organizations.

Erie County Legislator Patrick Burke introduced "Prevention of Emotional Neglect and Childhood Endangerment," which will be debated in December and into the New Year.

I'm just gonna leave it there to sink in.

[Inanna]

So, Trump is going to go on a "victory tour" - I guess he is missing the adulation.
(sigh).

[Frelga]

John Scalzi wrote it so I don't have to. Warning for language although I submit that the swearing is quite measured.

http://whatever.scalzi.com/2016/11/29/three-weeks-in/

"Trump appears to be picking people for positions primarily with three criteria in mind: That they’re rich, loyal and that they fundamentally disagree with the mission of the governmental department they will soon be in charge of. They’re basically your standard modern-day GOP cabinet picks with the knob twisted all the way over to 11. To be clear, I don’t think many of Trump’s cabinet picks should be confirmed — I’m particularly thinking of the proposed Secretary of Education, who appears to despise the concept of public education, and also appears to be entirely on board with the concept of “pay to play” when it comes to public officials — but I also expect them to be confirmed, as again, these choices are in line with current GOP thinking about government, which is that it exists to give tax cuts to rich people and not much else.

I should also be clear that I expect this to be the most overtly and unapologetically incompetent and corrupt administration in modern history because a) Trump doesn’t seem to know anyone who doesn’t appear to be corrupt and incompetent, b) the GOP at this point doesn’t appear to have much interest in stopping the Trump administration from being corrupt and incompetent, I suspect because fundamentally it being so will aid in the modern GOP vision of government as noted above. I also expect it to pursue unabashedly racist, sexist and homophobic policies, which the GOP will also support because it works for that vision of government, and also caters to the GOP base of both latently and actively racist and homophobic voters. So, you know. Buckle in, kids, it’s gonna be a long four years."

[Griffon64]

Once your faith, sir, persuades you to believe what your intelligence declares to be absurd, beware lest you likewise sacrifice your reason in the conduct of your life. In days gone by, there were people who said to us: "You believe in incomprehensible, contradictory and impossible things because we have commanded you to; now then, commit unjust acts because we likewise order you to do so." Nothing could be more convincing. Certainly any one who has the power to make you believe absurdities has the power to make you commit injustices. If you do not use the intelligence with which God endowed your mind to resist believing impossibilities, you will not be able to use the sense of injustice which God planted in your heart to resist a command to do evil. Once a single faculty of your soul has been tyrannized, all the other faculties will submit to the same fate.

-- Voltaire, 1765

[Frelga]

Oh hey, Griffy! You guys aren't in Fullerton, are you? Cuz I'll be.