The Simple Truths Silver Mine

[Lief 🗽]

Obama forgave Hillary; so can I.

[Antonio the Sixth]

Obama forgave Hillary; so can I.

But everything not to like about Hillary'08 will still be there with Hillary'16.

[Mechaman]

A little big for a simple truth, but I think it's more fitting in this category than simply being "a good post":

As some above statements say, idealizing New England as some haven of the fiscally conservative that will vote GOP once we dump social conservatives is foolish indeed. I'm sure there's some myth purported and kept living by neo-secularist fiscal conservatives in the region that "once we drop those damned proles in the South, we'll win every election!" Yeah, that's a load of bees' wax as far as I'm concerned. Sure, you can count on most of them for votes, probably, in an election season where a socially "reasonable" candidate is nominated, but don't delude yourselves into believing that there's some grand coalition of people that only vote on fiscal issues (and as well only vote for the right on fiscal issues) out there that would side with you and only you. You're pumping yourselves full of happy-good-time myths to help reinforce your worldview. For God's sake, just, Jesus Christ people. I mean, just for one f#cking second consider that you sort of need a coalition of people to win an election, not just some sort of dumb "dump X group for Y group and everything will turn out hunky-dory" strategy. I mean, seriously, f#ck that.

[Antonio the Sixth]

My mod colleagues are a trio of insufferable old farts, aren't they?

[I spent the winter writing songs about getting better]

Could Gully or Kemp explain their bizarre reactions to that thread?

As an aside, it's pretty funny when posters try to show how cool they are by noting how they care nothing for politics. You joined a forum dedicated to discussion about maps and political demographics, for God's sake. Any coolness points were lost years ago.

[Oak Hills]

This thread is rather pointless, since Dave's the only person who can take King off mod review.  Even Nym can't do that.  Doesn't matter if the points are taken away or not now.  Once you cross 50 points you go on mod review, even if you subsequently drop below 50, with some of the points being rescinded.

So you're pinning your hopes on Dave actually reading this thread, and acting on it before the five days are up anyway.

Ummmm…….good luck with that.

So we can blame Ernest and Inks?

King was already on mod review by the time I assigned points.  However, I wouldn't blame Inks.  I'd blame either King or the culture of enablers that think drunken foolishness is cute and harmless.  In 2012, there were 10,322 people in the United States who could testify that drunken foolishness is deadly serious.  Or rather the coroners who signed their death certificates could testify to that.

[Lief 🗽]

an atlas poll is never ridiculous, fyi. 

[SWE]

The pro-dynasty talk here is just painful.

But the #HacksForHillary brigade love it, sadly.

[Antonio the Sixth]

On BRTD:

I swear it's like nobody ever introduced you to the concept of the banality of evil before.

[Simfan34]

Girls is the worst show on television.

[Potatoe]

Girls is the worst show on television.

Considering the existence of TLC, the History Channel, and Jersey Shore, it's probably knocked up a few notches.

[Simfan34]

Girls is the worst show on television.

Considering the existence of TLC, the History Channel, and Jersey Shore, it's probably knocked up a few notches.

No.

[Potatoe]

Girls is the worst show on television.

Considering the existence of TLC, the History Channel, and Jersey Shore, it's probably knocked up a few notches.

No.

Why? The existence of Honey Boo Boo puts it at #2 at least.

[🐒Gods of Prosperity🔱🐲💸]

I wouldn't place the blame so much on teachers' unions as other factors.  We've loaded down the school day with more "things that must be done", both educational and sociological, without really increasing the time available to do them.  The added time needed has primarily come by squeezing the time spent for "non-essentials" such as recess and lunch, and a result, we have kids who are having to engage in long grinding school days with little chance of a break to recharge or socialize.  In education these days, we tend to treat kids as learning machines and then are surprised when they fail to be machines.

Plus, the no child left behind ethos, while good in the abstract, has meant we're spending resources on children who would have been left behind back when you were going to school, and in some places that has been at the expense of those who were previously advantaged.

[Lief 🗽]

kids these days, teachers unions, raaaaaaagh, blah, blah, blah

[Mechaman]

There's really only one issue:

1. I don't think government should exist solely to serve the interests of rich white men.

[Chancellor Tanterterg]

The Koch Brothers, inflexible libertarians at heart, cannot stand taxpayer money being spent on anything that does not financially benefit them directly.

[Oldiesfreak1854]

And I'm sure you guys will all applaud.

[SUSAN CRUSHBONE]

And I'm sure you guys will all applaud.

oldiesfreak, can you find some examples of this applause, please?

[I spent the winter writing songs about getting better]

A surprising poster to quote here, but nonetheless a correct point:

The problem is tying teacher compensation or tenure to a nominal performance statistic. Teachers aren't allowed to fire their bad students. Doesn't really make sense to give them managerial incentives.

[Okay, maybe Mike Johnson is a competent parliamentarian.]

Most of Al Smith's opponents weren't against him because of Catholicism and didn't believe in any Papal conspiracy theories. It's like saying most anti-Obama people are against him because he's black, it was a motivating factor amongst a lot of the uneducated population and redneck types but it certainly wasn't the primary factor or motivation of the core opposition to him. 1928 was going to be a Republican year no matter what as well.

[True Federalist (진정한 연방 주의자)]

I've been helping out as a stage hand for a school play and am thinking of asking my friend who is in it to prom. But I know better than to ask for advice about that sorta thing on this forum, so I'm gonna wing it .

[Starbucks Union Thug HokeyPuck]

Childbirth.

You win the thread.

I don't know, Antonio's wasp sting comes pretty close I think. I'm kidding of course.

I dunno, I think men having to listen to women talk about childbirth is pretty painful too.

[traininthedistance]

We need to make drivers pay for driving, it's that simple.  We ought to institute tolls, get rid of most free parking spaces, create congestion pricing, raise gas taxes, raise vehicle taxes, raise vehicle MPG standards, strengthen vehicle emission standards and put automated speed cameras all over the place.

The car lifestyle has been killing people, cities and the environment for years so we're just used to that status quo.  It's enough already. 

[Mordecai]

Caucuses are dumb.