Political Discussion Thread (With Rules)

[Old Man]

19 hours ago, Pattern Ghost said:

I'm curious: If you were to make one big change to our system, what would it be? No limitations. You snap your fingers, it's done. I'm in favor of getting the big money out of government in the hopes of getting actual public servants in office. What's yours?

 

 

- Reinstate the Fairness Doctrine in media.

 

- Implement ranked choice voting.

 

- Overturn Citizens United.

 

- Levy a 100% wealth tax on any wealth over $100M.  Billionaires should not exist.

 

 

[DShomshak]

I admit, I'm suspicious of any radical, utopian change, even the ones I would cheer. People are self-interested, self-deluding, and cunning at finding ways around rules: any political proposal that does not accept that as a given is folly.

 

So about the most utopian proposals I can come up with are:

-- Abolish the Electoral College and institute direct election of Presidents.

-- Politically independent districting for state houses and Congress. Maybe even an element of randomness. I've heard some interesting proposals for multiple representatives from larger districts, to reflect a range of voter viewpoints instead of 50% + 1 and the other 50% - 1 is shut out, but the most inportant thing is that politicians can't pick their voters.

-- Random selection of judges (from appropriate levels of the court system) to make up a new Supreme Court for some limited term. Make it harder to stack the SCOTUS with ideologues.

 

Dean Shomshak

[Ragitsu]

I know that my fellow posters are, um, on the "seasoned" side and so I may come off as unsympathetic, but...how about addressing term limits in political appointments that presently last "for life"? Thirty years is - in my estimation - a decent theoretical maximum.

[Old Man]

35 minutes ago, Ragitsu said:

I know that my fellow posters are, um, on the "seasoned" side and so I may come off as unsympathetic, but...how about addressing term limits in political appointments that presently last "for life"? Thirty years is - in my estimation - a decent theoretical maximum.

 

I've actually thought about implementing a maximum age for federal officials.  As I see it, anyone over the age of 70 may not have enough interest in the long term fortunes of the country.

[wcw43921]

Thought you'd heard the last of Mike Pence?

[Lord Liaden]

1 hour ago, Ragitsu said:

I know that my fellow posters are, um, on the "seasoned" side and so I may come off as unsympathetic, but...how about addressing term limits in political appointments that presently last "for life"? Thirty years is - in my estimation - a decent theoretical maximum.

 

I would prefer ten year maximums. If the SCOTUS is to evolve with the times, I believe it needs more frequent infusion of people who are of the times. Set limits would also make it easier to time appointments for when they won't overlap other political events.

[unclevlad]

44 minutes ago, Ragitsu said:

I know that my fellow posters are, um, on the "seasoned" side and so I may come off as unsympathetic, but...how about addressing term limits in political appointments that presently last "for life"? Thirty years is - in my estimation - a decent theoretical maximum.

 

It's been proposed.  I wouldn't say anything close to 30, tho.  

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_United_States_Supreme_Court_justices_by_time_in_office

 

16 exceeded 30 years, so that's not a practical limitation.  Roberts and Alito are actually only at 16.  I'd lean to perhaps 20 years.  I'm also drawn to term-limiting Congress...3 terms for Senate would be 18 years, but I'm not sure this would help.  I do think it's more important for the Supreme Court.

 

For the lower courts, boy, that might be tricky.  That might cause MORE problems, in that the misconstructed Senate is where the power to confirm lies.  Term limits for lower justices would clearly force more appointments, and arguably make things MORE political.

 

Actually...no one's mentioned this, but if the electoral college is broken...the Senate's composition is basically *why*.  Because it's 2 per state...whether it's New Mexico with 2 million or New Jersey with 9 million or California with 39 million.  At the national level, arguably, this is where the partisan angles play out the strongest.  I can't come up with a proposal offhand, but it's a problem to be addressed.

[Lord Liaden]

17 minutes ago, unclevlad said:

Actually...no one's mentioned this, but if the electoral college is broken...the Senate's composition is basically *why*.  Because it's 2 per state...whether it's New Mexico with 2 million or New Jersey with 9 million or California with 39 million.  At the national level, arguably, this is where the partisan angles play out the strongest.  I can't come up with a proposal offhand, but it's a problem to be addressed.

 

In principle, I'm supportive of the concept. It's very much within the founding fathers' philosophy of governmental checks and balances, to have one body based on representation by population, and the other on rep by region. The tyranny of the majority is a real phenomenon, and this is one approach to preventing regions with thinner population from being overwhelmed.

 

Sadly, the fathers didn't anticipate political parties weaponizing ethnic, economic, social and religious divisions in American society to turn some states into bastions of fanatical partisanship. I've said repeatedly that no system of government can withstand widespread corruption of those entrusted to defend it.

 

6 hours ago, tkdguy said:

I'd like to eliminate political parties altogether.

 

George Washington was quite against the concept of political parties. They certainly aren't enshrined in the American Constitution. But nothing can stop the human instinct to ally for greater power to achieve a common purpose, even if that purpose is nothing grander than greed and lust for power. Or rather, especially if that's the purpose.

[csyphrett]

9 hours ago, Ragitsu said:

 

Can we at least agree that all politicians ought to wear full-body suits with their (corporate) sponsor logos plainly displayed for everyone to see?

yes

CES

[Ternaugh]

9 hours ago, Ragitsu said:

 

Can we at least agree that all politicians ought to wear full-body suits with their (corporate) sponsor logos plainly displayed for everyone to see?

 

They are more of a rental than an actual purchase.

[Cygnia]

https://www.bloomberg.com/opinion/articles/2022-09-14/texas-prep-drug-ruling-in-braidwood-case-should-be-overturned?sref=sxorlmMs&utm_source=twitter&cmpid%3D=socialflow-twitter-view&utm_content=view&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=socialflow-organic

[Lord Liaden]

11 hours ago, Ternaugh said:

 

They are more of a rental than an actual purchase.

 

Subject to renewal every two or six years.

[Pariah]

16 hours ago, Ternaugh said:

They are more of a rental than an actual purchase.

There is that old bit about an honest politician being one that once he's bought, he stays bought. 

 

<Your relies have been merged.> 

 

In the wake of Kenneth Starr's recent death:

 

The right loves to decry ‘political witch hunts.’ But Ken Starr wrote the playbook.

[tkdguy]

The politics of hate:

 

GOP governors send buses of migrants to DC, NYC

 

And while it's to recent to find in a Google search, President Biden just delivered a speech condemning hate-fueled violence.

[Old Man]

9 minutes ago, tkdguy said:

The politics of hate:

 

GOP governors send buses of migrants to DC, NYC

 

And while it's to recent to find in a Google search, President Biden just delivered a speech condemning hate-fueled violence.

 

Not to be outdone, Ron DeSantis spent $12M taxpayer dollars to fly migrants to Martha's Vineyard.  And immediately took to the airwaves to boast about it.

[Ternaugh]

1 hour ago, Old Man said:

 

Not to be outdone, Ron DeSantis spent $12M taxpayer dollars to fly migrants to Martha's Vineyard.  And immediately took to the airwaves to boast about it.

 

Gavin Newsom asks the DOJ to consider Kidnapping charges

 

Quote

"Several of the individuals who were transported to Martha’s Vineyard have alleged that a recruiter induced them to accept the offer of travel based on false representations that they would be transported to Boston and would receive expedited access to work authorization," Newsom wrote. "I urge US DOJ to investigate whether the alleged fraudulent inducement would support charges of kidnapping under relevant state laws."

 

[tkdguy]

Newsom does have a point, as the people were taken to a different place against their will. Maybe some were more agreeable than others, but nobody was given a choice.

 

Still, you can't ignore the political grandstanding on both parts, considering Newsom and DeSantis are both eyeing a run for the White House in 2024.

[Tom]

Despite the thumbnail, it’s not just a “gunz bad!” analysis. 

[unclevlad]

1 hour ago, tkdguy said:

Newsom does have a point, as the people were taken to a different place against their will. Maybe some were more agreeable than others, but nobody was given a choice.

 

Still, you can't ignore the political grandstanding on both parts, considering Newsom and DeSantis are both eyeing a run for the White House in 2024.

 

But Newsom's didn't involve transporting people under, at best, questionable circumstances, and at unjustifiable taxpayer expense.  And we know:  if we just automatically assume that anything any politician said is tied to votes, we'd be right FAR more often than wrong.

 

That said, the Democratic primary season for 2024 could be interesting, to be sure.  It's not certain Biden will run again.  The Republican primary season...well, we'll have to see how the 22 election goes, but I'm afraid we're going to be dragged through the La Brea Tar Pits with a slew of Trumpists...or have almost no contest, and it's just The Donald.  With some wrangling for VP, others positioning for '28.  

[Pariah]

Wow. Just ... wow.

 

"Snowflake Mountain" Isn’t Just Pandering to Viewers on the Right. It’s Also Hinting at Where Netflix May Be Headed

[Pariah]

That Representative from Georgia is at it again.

 

Marjorie Taylor Greene Accused Of Kicking Gen Z Activist On Video

 

Rep. Taylor Greene (R-GA) calls for a government shutdown over the FBI's lawful seizure of documents from Mar-a-Lago.

[unclevlad]

So MTG is advocating defunding the police....?

 

Oh, wait, only the police she doesn't like....

[Ternaugh]

1 hour ago, Pariah said:

Wow. Just ... wow.

 

"Snowflake Mountain" Isn’t Just Pandering to Viewers on the Right. It’s Also Hinting at Where Netflix May Be Headed

 

I vaguely remember it being promoted on Netflix for a few days a few months ago, but it appears to be well and truly scrubbed from a search of my recommendations now. Of course, that's around the time where I lowered my monthly plan from 4 screens* to 2, because I was angry at the price increase, and when I was watching a bunch of "woke" stuff on Disney+, Hulu, and HBOmax. There's really only a few things that I watch on Netflix anymore, and if they start throwing more of their resources towards stuff like this, I won't have any difficulty in transferring what I pay every month to another service. 

 

 

*Netflix required it for 4K streaming; I'm not watching enough stuff in 4K on their service to justify the extra charge.

[Cygnia]

FBI charges Massachusetts woman with Boston Children's Hospital bomb threat

 

Spoiler

Several children’s hospitals, most notably Boston Children’s, have been the targets of a far-right harassment campaign for months, led by anti-trans influencers with millions of collective followers who have spread misinformation about the hospitals’ gender-affirming treatment for minors. The influencers have similarly waged anti-LGBTQ campaigns against schools and libraries that have been featured on conservative news programs. 

 

[Pattern Ghost]

9 hours ago, Pariah said:

Wow. Just ... wow.

 

"Snowflake Mountain" Isn’t Just Pandering to Viewers on the Right. It’s Also Hinting at Where Netflix May Be Headed

 

While the trailer is barf worthy, I think that Time writer needs to take some implicit bias training.

 

This isn't a new concept. Outward Bound has been doing it for years.

 

Teaching self sufficiency, and improving self esteem through showing someone they can do something they didn't think they were capable of isn't some novel, extremist concept.

 

The Time writer can also F *** right off on her opinions about military veterans. We're people who served, that's it. There's a whole lot of diversity under the umbrella of military veteran.

 

The show is just being puerile garbage and playing off of generational conflict to promote itself. Nothing new there. Just don't watch it and move along. They have entire categories on Netflix that are the polar opposite of this, so I'm not seeing it as "hinting" at anything. That's just the Time writer sinking to the same level as Netflix.

 

I tend to view any TV/streaming show through the lens of Sturgeon's Law: 90% of anything is garbage. With shows, you then need to apply Sturgeon's Law to the remaining 10% and feel lucky if you find something that's not awful to watch. Fortunately, given the volume of material available, you can usually find something you like. So, ignore the rest IMO.