WTF is the deal with US states banning masks? Are they going to ban washing your hands next?
Are they going to ban washing your hands next?
Washing your hands removes vital oils used by forensics to identify you at a crime scene.
/s
“if you haven’t committed a crime then you have nothing to worry about!”
-some republican who has committed a litany of crimes
It’s also bad for the children, somehow… I don’t need to explain how, because they won’t when they say this to convince everyone.
They’re not banning masks for the KKK, if that helps understand their thinning…
“Them ain’t masks, them’s hoods!”
The non quippy answer:
Wearing masks other than theatrical or things like Halloween masks was prohibited in many places prior to covid.
Some places were explicitly anti protest from the 1900s (unions), others anti hate crime (KKK). Some just had it as a thing that can be tacked on to other crimes. My state has a law that makes it a misdemeanor to wear a mask to conceal your identity while commiting a crime.
These laws are not unique to the US.When covid came along, most states that had restrictions passed laws adding exceptions for health related face coverings.
In response to people protesting Israeli actions in Palestine, North Carolina repealed their relaxation of the mask rules, and refused to add a health clause, arguing that even though it’s illegal, it was illegal before covid and just never enforced, so it’s fine.
They also included an exception that allows for secret societies to wear masks or hoods in a parade or demonstration if they have a permit. That’s the KKK in a nutshell.It’s preposterous bullshit intended to work as an election year headline grabber, since it’s anti mask, anti protester, and pro Israel all at once.
Not joking… There was a trend of “manly men” not washing their hands before they eat lunch… like after their manly work was done … Like hands covered in muck and they’re like “look how awesome I am.”. It’s fucking gross
The point is to inflict suffering. So yeah, I wouldn’t put it past Republicunts.
“But, muh freedoms”
The mask ban is happening because of the Gaza protests
So it has bipartisan support, then?
My state has a bunch of people who would outright get aggressive with you in public over it. “What’s with that chin diaper? Take that shit off.”
Of course the people voted in by these aggressors are going to ban them.
US conservatives turn EVERYTHING into a culture war.
It gets their base riled up and to the
polespolls. They would very much like it if non-conservatives would stay home or vote third party.poles
That’s a funny typo because I wouldn’t put it past conservatives to lead the attendance at strip clubs, either.
They’ll ban toilet paper and cleaning up after you go. Touching your ass is so gay
And “bidet” sounds French.
Don’t forget they’re trying to end free school meals for poor families too!
They are trying to undo agency la wholesale. As in completely remove all corporate and industrial regulations through removal of the EPA, FAA, FDA, USDA, ect. Through plan 2025 they will undo life as we know it and send us back to the beginning of the labor movement in America.
The Republican mentality is that the constitution should be the sole governing document of America. No government agencies or regulation. It’s an unhinged, uneducated plan that will kill us all.
It’s an unhinged, uneducated plan that will kill us all.
Didn’t you mean to say it will make us GREAT again??? Lol
Not even the constitution. They literally break or say that “it was a mistake” for a majority of the constitution and pay judges to twist the meaning to fit their corporate donors’ wishes.
They literally want corporate feudalism where the only laws are those made by daddy corpo.
It’s actually quite crazy to see the amount of change Biden could get done even with out control of the legislative branch. Adding to that, the Republicans are in disarray too yet things still got done.
I’m surprised OP didn’t include the largest climate legislation in world history
I want to see another country or region beat us, as this would be welcome competition.
I’m surprised OP didn’t include the largest climate legislation in world history
New Infrastructure Law to Provide Billions to Energy Technology Projects
The bill spends enormous amounts on carbon capture projects that have historically produced lackluster results. It throws even more good money after bad on “clean hydrogen”, an absolute sinkhole of R&D over the last two decades. And then there’s the large investment in battery technology that’s… definitely better than the first two, but still relies on the kind of enormous strip mining and chemical processing projects that got us in the fossil fuels mess to begin with.
$12B on various kinds of carbon capture and $9.5B on hydrogen and another $6.5B on battery advancements, relative to the $0.4B spent on new renewable energy projects. Even our deplorable bankrupt nuclear programs get $2.5B, relative to technologies that have seen some of the best ROI on energy production since the ICE was invented.
Like, sure. Blah blah Trump Worse. But the Infrastructure Reinvestment Act is not a good bill by any other standard than “Better than what Republicans wanted”. Its the same bad California Tech Sector pipe dream ideas we’ve been flushing money down the toilet on since Bill Clinton was President.
I want to see another country or region beat us
You’ll find a line around the block. Spain’s sinking $89B in a renewable overhaul of its grid. France has been doing donuts around the US on nuclear power since the 70s. Italy’s completely overhauling its rail infrastructure (something Americans rip up more often than they rebuild) to use HVDC power.
Where the US tends to lead the pack is in private investment and that’s largely because Solar and Wind power built using cheap foreign imported steel and photovoltaics, have turned our decrepid electricity infrastructure into a gold mine of overpriced retail power. (Something new trade war restrictions may curtail in the next presidency).
The paradox in this is the threat that public investment and efficiency improvements in the grid threaten those profits. If you go around hooking up the fifth-gen molten salt nuclear power stations to an updated smart-balanced American grid, you’re going to tank the incomes of a litany of energy companies.
Nobody with a revenue stream coming from sky high auction-priced electricity coming of the Texas ERCOT system, for instance, wants us to slaughter the golden goose that is $3000 MWh peak electricity prices.
Without hydrogen or battery storage how exactly do you want to store energy?
Until renewable energy inputs approach the base load, there’s nothing to store.
After that, hydrogen is an awful storage medium because it’s so permiable. Even if you’re focused on long term energy storage needs, sodium and nickel batteries are proving far more efficient than hydrogen cells. We’ve known that since the 90s, but continue to invest wasted billion after wasted billion in a dead end technology.
You were also decrying them spending money on battery storage. Yes there will be batteries needed if you want to implement large scale renewables, which it seems is happening even without subsidies. We need batteries for battery electric trains and cars too. Hydrogen isn’t necessarily good enough for grid storage, though maybe it could be one day. It seems it might be an option for vehicles in the cases where batteries don’t work such as in cold weather or for vehicles that need to travel great distances. Batteries also aren’t an option for planes yet and hydrogen could help here too.
You also complain about them spending money on advanced nuclear reactors. You need nuclear until you have sufficient grid storage. That’s an unfortunate fact.
I am against them using money on carbon capture from fossil fuel plants. Direct air carbon capture could actually be useful technology though. If not today then someday in the future. We won’t know if we don’t put money towards it.
You were also decrying them spending money on battery storage.
Relative to the volume spent on generation, yes.
You also complain about them spending money on advanced nuclear reactors.
Given the abject failure of Westinghouse to produce a reliable mass production model, it’s an enormous waste of investment.
If nothing else, we’d be better of someone buying existing designs from Areva. But we don’t do that, because we insist on “Buy American” legislation that doesn’t get us any actual product.
Direct air carbon capture could actually be useful technology though.
Not relative to simply reducing the volume of carbon produced, by shifting the composition of the grid.
Not relative to simply reducing the volume of carbon produced, by shifting the composition of the grid.
You understand that there are already too many greenhouse gases, right? By the time we do all of this there will be even more. It’s not like the grid is the only (or even the majority) of greenhouse gases. How do you account for both all the past emmisions and all the future emissions plus emissions from other sources?
Given the abject failure of Westinghouse to produce a reliable mass production model, it’s an enormous waste of investment.
If nothing else, we’d be better of someone buying existing designs from Areva. But we don’t do that, because we insist on “Buy American” legislation that doesn’t get us any actual product.
The main alternatives being French and Chinese reactor designs. I can understand why the USA doesn’t want to use Chinese reactors, we in the UK made a similar decision and went with French designs instead if I am remembering correctly. I wouldn’t be against the USA using French designs. The thing is though I can’t see how more research could possibly be a bad thing, we have much work to do in both fission and fusion technologies. Putting all our bets in China or France might not be the best idea.
You understand that there are already too many greenhouse gases, right?
The rate at which we produce green house has exceeded the rate at which it is absorbed and fixed.
Carbon capture attempts to accelerate the rate of carbon fixing at a very high per-ton economic cost. Meanwhile, turning off fossil plants and replacing them with renewable energy reduces the rate of per-ton generation at a comparably low cost.
If you’re on a sinking ship, there’s little point in bailing when you haven’t plugged the hole.
I can understand why the USA doesn’t want to use Chinese reactors
Pure reactionary xenophobia. Chinese thorium reactors are cutting edge, and we’re adding degree points to the global average by not adopting it ASAP.
Putting all our bets in China or France might not be the best idea.
Putting money on Westinghouse has consistently cost us enormously.
Batteries on trains are not really needed if the rail is electrified. In Europe we have them everywhere. And better public transport reduces the need for cars. And ebikes can be the solution for many uses. It only takes thinking outside the car box.
It only takes thinking outside the car box.
I don’t even drive and even I know cars, lorries, tractors, and so on are all necessary in some parts of society. You can’t use public transport if you are miles away from the next house or the nearest town. Rural areas need transport too.
I know the problem in rural zones. I live in one. But if they can reduce the car dependency in cities and to some extend in big towns that’s a lot of car batteries that don’t have to be build.
And just as a note, there are electric tractors. Still small but…
Electrified rail is expensive and has safety issues. It’s the best option for long distances for sure, but here in the UK we are still trying to electrify the main rail lines, the branch lines and city lines aren’t even in the cards. Being able to recharge trains at stations with rapid charging is the best option for branch and commuter rail services not already on electrified rail (most of them). If we can do that using something other than lithium batteries that would be great. Sodium seems promising. Also I am in Europe you muppet. It also doesn’t solve grid scale storage, which is something we need. I am hoping iron oxide batteries work out for the grid scale storage tbh.
UK has a problem with rails since Thatcher (IIRC).I
PS: stop insulting people. Thank you.
enormous amounts on carbon capture projects that have historically produced lackluster results. It throws even more good money after bad on “clean hydrogen”, an absolute sinkhole of R&D
And yet both are desperately needed
- we’re already zooming past our climate goals for carbon emission, and rapidly approaching all the dangers that entails. While not putting fossilized carbon in the atmosphere to begin with is far better, it’s naive to think that will be enough. If there’s a practical way to recover some of that atmospheric carbon, we need to find it and scale up fast
- while we’ve found better technologies than hydrogen for personal transportation and power generation, there are still too many places we still need energy, where wires can’t go, batteries aren’t sufficient. Think of industrial uses like metal refining or concrete manufacturing, flying, shipping, construction, long distance trains, etc, that we don’t yet have a good solution for. Yes, even for storage: current storage technology is fantastic, but it’s not clear that it can scale. We do also need a hydrogen economy
And yet both are desperately needed
If you want to benefit climate change from the perspective of new technology, cancel the battery technology patents horded by fossil fuel companies.
For sure another Big Question TM is whether intellectual property protections have gone beyond any reasonable justification, and obstruct innovation rather than the stated goal of stimulating it. Patents aren’t as bad as Copyright, but yeah.
whether intellectual property protections have gone beyond any reasonable justification
That’s been an easy Yes since at least Amazon one click patent was a thing
All climate change bills are lipservice if we dont address the core problem, infinite growth capitalism.
If it’s not perfect we should do nothing you’re right. /S
You want to address big problems? We need more Democrats in control of the Congress and executive branch. Republicans will always push us back untill their platform changes.
The second part of your statement is the problem. We dont JUST need more Democrats. We need BETTER Democrats.
Like I said, these 1/300th steps ARE THE COMPROMISE.
The current trajectory, even with Democrats in charge, is certain death of Humanity due to Climate change. Republicans will just do it faster.
Which is why we should be working on both.
I agree, but I fear with the language people are already using towards progressives about lackluster Biden support that they’ve taken their ball and went home.
It seems like Neoliberals have decided that compromising with progressives is not on the table.
Well do you want it to happen faster?
You have to shift the Overton Window to democratic issues and then we’ll actually have a chance to vote in better ones
The overton window has moved right every election since FDR, even under Democrats. Its the ratchet effect. If they dont go left when in power, then the right gets to define what is normal or not.
Better Democrats > more Democrats > Republicans
I’ll take a Manchin over a Republican, if it’s a hopelessly red district for example.
If you have more Democrats in power you can start to filter out the conservative and moderate Democrats. When we have the thinest majority possible, you can’t be picky with what gets passed as you need agreement from the full spectrum of Democrats. Manchin sucked as a Democrat. But he was vital in getting legislation passed that a Republican in his position wouldn’t pass.
Bringing this back to your original response, you’re complaining that any progress is bad if it doesn’t address the core issue, and I still disagree with that. Any progress is better than none and isn’t “lip service”, this is just how US government in reality works, you keep making larger more incremental steps. Our current steps aren’t sufficient, in that I believe you and I agree, but there will hopefully be better, stronger legislation to address root problems.
If both paths are resulting in a radical shift in human life, if not its outright destruction, then now, there really is no point on debating which evil is lesser.
You neoliberals are actually insane on the climate issue.
So then why are you debating? You should accept your destiny that the world will end. The rest of us in reality understand that you need to work for change, be happy for our victories and continue to push for better.
You seem to think crying in Lemmy that both parties suck and shouldn’t be supported will actually do something.
I’m saying that neither party is working towards making that change, so we need to do something else. Ideally, we make the Democratic Party take it seriously. That seems like the only viable path out of this.
By accepting the status quo, you are accepting that nobody is working for the needed changes required.
You are straight to givings dems a pass on this issue.
Only idiots are saying both sides are the same, but the only way to make Biden look good is to compare him to Trump. Such a low bar.
Lowering insulin prices is great, but its just another bandaid on the gaping, infected wound that is the US healthcare system. What happened to the public option that candidate Biden talked about so much?
Lowering cannabis to schedule 3 is a step in the right direction, now we can have legitimate legal studies on the drug. But this doesn’t have to go in baby steps, he could have just descheduled it. We will still be arresting and prosecuting and jailing, ruining lives and wasting loads of taxpayer dollars.
The infrastructure bill is just clearing the maintenance backlog, we still have no real plans for high speed rail. Our infrastructure is 10-15 years behind China and falling further behind.
What happened to the public option that candidate Biden talked about so much?
Pray tell, how would Biden get that passed with the current political setting?
Biden is a president, not a king, he can’t just deschedule marijuana unilaterally without causing problems, he needs Congress to help. Look at your answer to my first question to see how that gets done. Some info: https://www.hrw.org/news/2023/04/20/over-80-groups-urge-biden-administration-end-federal-prohibition-marijuana-and
Our infrastructure is 10-15 years behind China and falling further behind.
Again, look at your answer to my first question.
It feels like you want Biden to fix everything, while completely unaware of how our government works. Which brings us to why people compare Trump to Biden, because people will have to vote for one or the other in the election. Is you want better and more extensive changes, vote for the Democrats that can only take baby steps at the moment. When they get more control on Congress, they can make bigger steps.
When Biden was elected, Dems controlled both houses of congress. What stopped him from pushing his public option plan then?
What is stopping him from pushing to deschedule cannabis completely? Even if congress gets in his way, people would give him massive credit for actually trying.
You say we need to elect more Democrats to make bigger steps, but we did that in 2008 and 2020 and still we get baby steps. Why?
If the president is so powerless, then why are people worried about project 2025 and “dictator on day 1” Trump? Surely they must be confused, because the adults in the room like you know that the president is actually unable to pass meaningful legislation.
Please educate me since I’m completely unaware how our government works.
Dems controlled both houses of congress. What stopped him from pushing his public option plan then?
Manchin and Sinema, mainly, but also the 60-vote filibuster threshold. Forgot already?
then why are people worried about project 2025 and “dictator on day 1” Trump?
Because reasonable people don’t want the president to attempt authoritarian rule in order to progress his agenda. The fact that it is possible to do that is a big fucking issue and yet here we are, watching it happen with Trump. That doesn’t mean Biden should do it. It should not [and cannot be allowed to] happen at all.
60-vote filibuster threshold
Could have been ended forever with a simple majority vote.
Doesn’t senate require at least 60 votes to avoid filibuster?
And 50 + a tiebreaking vote by the vice president to end the Jim Crow filibuster forever.
If the president is so powerless, then why are people worried about project 2025 and “dictator on day 1” Trump? Surely they must be confused, because the adults in the room like you know that the president is actually unable to pass meaningful legislation.
I can never tell when someone is arguing in bad faith or legitimately saying something off-their-rocker.
If the president is so powerless, then why are people worried about project 2025 and “dictator on day 1” Trump? Surely they must be confused, because the adults in the room like you know that the president is actually unable to pass meaningful legislation.
If Biden gave the order to eliminate his political opponents, nothing would happen because the amount of Biden fanatics is pretty low. Trump has enough fanatics in his ranks (which include a lot of military/police) that they would just do it, legality be damned. And with the current supreme court legality is a fluid concept in favor of republicans, and they know it.
When Biden was elected, Dems controlled both houses of congress. What stopped him from pushing his public option plan then?
This is completely false. They had control of the House, and a tie breaker for the Senate. But that didn’t matter much because they need 60 senators to pass legislation without Republicans impeding.
What is stopping him from pushing to deschedule cannabis completely? Even if congress gets in his way, people would give him massive credit for actually trying.
It would be the judiciary that gets in the way as well as Republicans. You’d have people saying Biden is an idiot and only doing this to make it seem he’s trying while not actually accomplishing anything. He’s making meaningful progress now. Congress is who can actually fix our marijuana laws in a federal sense.
You say we need to elect more Democrats to make bigger steps, but we did that in 2008 and 2020 and still we get baby steps. Why?
Your premise is wrong again. If you have few Democrats in control you get baby steps. If centrist and progressives had the house, and 60 senators and the executive branch, larger steps would be taken. That’s not happened in about 24 years or longer. Republicans have had that more times so you can see the progress they’ve made at bettering out country these last 24 years.
If the president is so powerless, then why are people worried about project 2025 and “dictator on day 1” Trump? Surely they must be confused, because the adults in the room like you know that the president is actually unable to pass meaningful legislation.
For the same reason it’s easier and faster to shoot someone in the face than it is to arrest them, put them on trial and imprison them, Trump isn’t going about playing by the rules, and he has many Republicans supporting him. If Biden breaks rules, both Republicans and Democrats would step in to fix that.in addition, Trump doesn’t care about what will last, short terms goals are fine with him. Biden wants legislation that will get passed and not struck down by a conservative court.
This is completely false. They had control of the House, and a tie breaker for the Senate. But that didn’t matter much because they need 60 senators to pass legislation without Republicans impeding.
They could have changed the senate rules to do away with the filibuster forever with the simple majority they possessed. They chose not to.
Progress makes us realize how far behind we still are. But we still need to make progress, we can’t just do nothing and pretend it’s fine.
We do have plans for highspeed rail, we’re building it in California, Navada, Florida, and the north east corridor right now, with plans to extend the network and add new lines.
Biden has also been funding renewable energy, and fighting inflation, forgiving student debt, and providing funding for first time home buyers.
We absolutely still need a public option for healthcare, and to decriminalize cannabis, but I don’t think you’re giving him enough credit. Biden has done more to help unions than Clinton or Obama. He’s been getting a lot done with a divided congress.
In 2008, both China and the US announced competing high speed rail initiatives.
According to wikipedia, China now has 43,000 km of high speed rail. The US has 80 km of high speed rail.
Yes Cali has plans for high speed rail, its pretty much the same plan from 2008.
And going down your list- renewable energy, fighting inflation, student debt forgiveness, homebuyer assistance - all of these are tepid, surface level initiatives that do not solve the underlying problems. So you’re right, I dont give Biden much credit.
Man, the self-righteous delusion going on in this place.
Libs are SOOO desperate to believe something other than reality (not you, your haters).
In 2008
Check calendar
As it turns out, as the date changes the world changes as well. Sometimes you can’t have it all, sometimes plans have to change.
Sorry you don’t like the progress we have made 👉👈
I’m not asking for “it all”, I don’t expect it to be perfect. I’m just pointing out the glaring contrast- China successfully built high speed rail, and the US has failed (so far)
I dont like the progress we have made because I believe in the promise of America. America can do so much better. We should be building rail just as fast as China, but instead we are building at 1% of their pace and people like you call it “progress”.
I agree with everything you said here except America having promise. America doesn’t have promise, it’s been holding the world back for a long time now, and bullying all the other nations. It would be best for it to crash and burn like all the other nations it made crash and burn.
Mask off “leftist” moment here
I think the fact I am English has as much bearing on this opinion as being left-adjacent. My country helped form the United States, and many of us (not just leftists) are disturbed at what has happened since we were kicked out. I mean it’s a common stereotype here that Americans are dumb, fat, and racist.
Can you actually say I am wrong? America is known for modeling in foreign affairs, sponsoring coups and starting civil wars, and just straight up invading places. You’re even worse than China, and China has a bad track record.
Lowering insulin prices is great, but its just another bandaid on the gaping, infected would that is the US healthcare system.
We have completely lost to Big Business at this point. No leader is willing to attack them and make meaningful legislation to rein them in because (stupidly) wealth growth revolves around financial markets and not actual production of goods. If you mess with the stock market you ruin everything from retirements to people’s employment. So government’s hands are tied and all they can do is treat the symptoms instead of the disease.
but the only way to make Biden look good is to compare him to Trump
In a recent survey of 154 historical scholars measuring presidential ranking through the accomplishments of all 45 presidents, Biden ranked 14th, while Trump ranked dead last.
Its easy to say Trump makes another presidential option look good, because that’s absolutely true. But it’s a little dishonest to say that Biden’s not a decent president with a list of accomplishments that stand independent of Trump.
decent president
Personally, I believe Biden forfeited any claims to decency when he went on national television and lied to the American people about seeing pictures of 40 beheaded babies. This gruesome story, proved false by any serious accounting of Oct. 7th, was told to justify the ongoing genocide in Gaza.
But I guess I’m just an idealist.
You’re right, totally the exact same as trump
Using Trump as an excuse for deplorable behavior is not a good look. We need to do better than a race to the bottom.
I like the royal “we” like as a collective we all are capable of doing better. Look around. We are fighting just so we don’t get an actual fascist.
As long as half the nation wants someone like Trump, we have to do what it takes to make sure that doesn’t happen, because if it does we may not be able to pick someone better next time.
“A little dishonest”
A lot more than a little.
*terms and conditions apply, must be an election year to redeem.
spoiler
sdfsaf
Lemme guess - the state’s representation is gerrymandered six ways from Sunday, all the people who could possibly be Democratic voters were tossed off the rolls about 30 minutes before the vote, and there’s only one ballot drop off point in the biggest urban area. Right?
Did they also outlaw giving out water in long voting lines too? Cause that one’s extra special.
spoiler
sdfsaf
This is not remotely accurate. The GOP has a second table for billionaires, bailouts, and the MIC piled high with cash.
The one that says
This Year’s Ballot:
___ Fascism
___ Snooze (4 years)
sums it up.
I wish. There is no reason a country’s leadership should be exciting or dramatic. Get on with doing your job
Two of the three of these feel like nothing in the face of our broken healthcare industry. Mind you these 1/300th steps ARE THE COMPROMISE.
Id like to see meaningful change before I die pls. This rate wont cut it.
Then fucking vote. Convince your friends to vote. Voting is what changes this.
There’s a bit of a pattern of half-measures here.
Like, the last time democrats had the executive and legislature, we got the Affordable Healthcare Act – which, yeah did help some people. But didn’t change any of the underlying rot in our healthcare - 12 years on, we’re still having the same conversations about the same problems.
Vote, it’s the least that can be done. But don’t kid yourself about what that does. Our problems require far more, far more citizen participation and far more work than merely voting.
You can’t do something radical when there’s a very real chance of losing the next election. C’mon, this is easy.
So how do you convince them they have leeway? By them consistently winning.
Are you certain of that? In a country where half of the population consistently, chronically, for decades, doesn’t vote?
Every election brings with it the chance of loosing. Seems to me that something radical is what tips the scales. What gets that checked out population to sit up and take notice. Play too conservatively (with a lowercase ‘c’), and they stay checked out.
Am I certain that consistent, overwhelming victories for say 20 years will mean that they can implement policies that are further left? Fucking yes. Come the fuck on.
You win elections from the center. The center (the Overton window) moves by who wins elections over time. This is why we’re having idiotic right wing discussions about disbanding the EPA - because Trump won an election. He won one, so the whole spectrum moved right. If he hadn’t won, we wouldn’t be having these discussions. C’mon this is so fucking easy.
The Overton window is a cultural measurement, not a tally of recent political victories. It is a range determined by our media and our history, the sum of what people talk and think about, what they experience in the political economic and artistic worlds. It is a crude way of describing what is collectively believed to be possible. The spectrum doesn’t just shift to the right because “conservatives won”, it shifted to the right before Trump won – that’s how he was able to win. And the preceding administration played a big role in that shift.
After the recession, people felt like they had been left behind. The banks and the auto manufactures got a huge bailout, but there was very little help for the individuals and families caught in the downturn. Nearly all the economic growth through the recovery was happening for top earners, not median households. People’s lived experiences didn’t match the story of recovery that was described in the news and by politicians…
…which is why Trump’s victory caught so many established Democrats off guard. They didn’t notice the window shift, they thought it was still the same place it was four years ago when Obama won his second term.
…with everything that has happened recently, I have this dreadful sense of the familiar. Young people see lives being taken in Palestine and are angry. Old people see us lurching toward another conflict in the Middle East and are weary. Everyone is grumbling about the price of groceries. Democratic leadership keeps insisting that things are fine and actually getting better. Does that seem like a recipe for consistent, overwhelming victory?
Dude this is so simple. Where is the Overton window because of Trump’s victory? It’s fucking off the cliff right because of Trump’s victory. There are conversations taking place now that would have been unimaginable before Trump won. And they are taking place because Trump won.
We can even play the hypothetical. Where would it be if Hillary Clinton won? Fucking easy, it would be further left. Or the hypothetical what it Trump won a second term? Fucking easy again, it would be even further right - because all his rhetoric would be backed up with wins that this is what the people want.
To talk like the Overton window is not affected by election wins is sticking your head in the sand. It’s literally a referendum on what is and what is not acceptable policy and talking points be it social, economic, thinly belief racism, everything. This is so fucking easy to see.
No, no, I have been assured that 90% of the American electorate is secretly super far-left and just waiting for someone who is Radical Enough for their tastes.
Definitely it’s not that when you speak to average American voters, even the leftmost 20% looks like a fucking conservative compared to the Fediverse.
No, it’s that they’re Just Waiting.
Yeah it did help some people? It still continues to help a bunch of people and was change so impactful that now, Even republican voters don’t want it repealed.
Half measures is the only thing Democrats can pass with the limited power that they have. That didn’t even have a full 2 years in control of the executive and legislative branch when the ACA was passed, with some Democrats being very conservative. the only way to get the law passed was by getting all members to agree, including the most conservative Members. The public option in particular was one of the things removed from the ACA because of conservative dissent.
Yeah it did help some people?
It helped insurance companies. The uninsured rate is super low these days but tons of people still can’t afford premiums and our of pocket costs and skip healthcare anyway
with some Democrats being very conservative
And whenever people try to call out conservative Democratic party members for screwing things up they get shouted down in comment threads just like these
One of The pointa of the ACA was to force insurance companies to allow people with preexisting conditions the ability to not get denied by insurances. insurances hate covering people you know will be sick, and love healthy people. they were not happy with this change.
I agree the problems you said need to be resolved still, but that’s for Congress to address now or whenever. Hopefully soon. The ACA wasn’t a bill to help lower rates across the board.
And whenever people try to call out conservative Democratic party members for screwing things up they get shouted down in comment threads just like these
I don’t like conservative Democrats, but I love them more than Republican politicians because they help more. I enjoy progressive Democrats more than both. Can’t speak for other people on Lemmy.
Who do I vote to end the suffering of the people in Palestine? Get universal healthcare? Decriminalize cannabis at the federal level? Ban new oil and gas leases? Revoke fossil fuel subsidies and tax breaks?
Always being willing to hold your nose and vote for the lesser of two evils ensures that nothing will change. You’ll always have the choice of bad and worse, and the best you’ll ever be able to hope for is table scraps instead of transformative, positive change. That’s not a system I’m going to prolong with my participation.
Lol playing dumb. Nice. Just for a setup of getting that lesser evil BS stuff in. If you want things to move left, then give Dems overwhelming and consistent wins. And there is it, just so you can excuse yourself for not voting.
Fucking pro democrat propaganda is rampant lately. Anyone who dares to criticize the hillary clinton party is immediately a fascist. Your two party system is broken and this election is only a symptom.
Your two party system is broken
We know this, but that doesn’t prevent voting blue from being the best route to changing it
How many times they had the presidency and the congress and haven’t changed shit? They don’t want to improve your politics because they ate all rich fucks who got rich off of your hard work.
How many times they had the presidency and the congress and haven’t changed shit?
In the past two decades? Maybe 4 years total, less than that. And Congress was on a razor edge margin last time.
The first time was under Obama and we got the ACA, which forced health insurance to cover cancer patients (who were kicked off in the middle of treatment before).
The second time was just recently where we got all the Biden Administration accomplishments listed in this chat. Infrastructure. IRS funding for wealthy tax cheats. Cheaper prescription drugs. Weed. The list goes on.
What’s that? You weren’t genuinely asking? You actually don’t know or care about any of this? Ok cool…
No change >> making things worse
Voting blue is the best route to maintain it. It’s likely it would get worse under Trump, sure, but the Democrats have no material interests in going against their donors.
Outside pressure gets change.
True, but not voting doesn’t apply pressure. Voting 3rd party might but it’s a very risky move.
I never suggested it did, lol.
Just being clear for The Audience™
Israeli DNC bots in overdrive. They would rather go full tankie MAGA mode than face reality.
Those are the best examples to reference their differences?
The infrastructure bill is ridiculously big, but also:
Make trans people illegal
Ban anything that’s not “choose one” voting
Absurd gerrymandering
Trying to overturn elections
Deficit inducing tax cuts for the mega-rich
Trying to kill social security
Dictator for a day
Arguing the president can have political rivals assassinated
Trying to kill the post office
Trying to kill the IRS
Intentionally putting in incompetent leaders
Giving state secrets to Russia
Trying to hand Ukraine over to RussiaTrying to hand Ukraine over to Russia
i like how this one is thrown in here like we bought ukraine or something.
Lol, bad phrasing, you know what I meant. If we stop supporting Ukraine Russia will be their owners.
yeah, it’s only a matter of time before they try buying back alaska anyway lol.
I explicitly remember saying “no backsies.”
well, tell that to the US when we bought alaska, and see what happens, it might be funny.
Don’t worry - it’ll never be enough.
Right, there’s a much better pool of things for juxtaposition. Though most of that is stuff Republicans have done since long before MAGA. A couple are a little too bipartisan.
Nonetheless I am glad the reclassification of Marijuana was announced yesterday to complete the list.
I’m pretty happy about the passenger rail expansions myself.
The cap on overdraft fees is also nice.
I wouldn’t be too excited about the passenger rail expansion without diving further into it. Basically, the bulk of the HSR funding is being given to a private company with a bad track record. It will be another Amtrak situation in a decade or less once again (also suggest diving into the history of Amtrak and why it came to be).
i think we need to dissolve amtrak honestly. Legally mandate that a rail company cannot own anything outside of state bounds.
Force them to cooperate, it’ll make them less miserable.
Amtrak is actually a government program that helped save passenger rail after it became unsustainable with the private companies. It’s a fascinating history that they simply don’t teach the general populace.
In October 1970, Congress passed, and President Richard Nixon signed into law, the Rail Passenger Service Act.[26] Proponents of the bill, led by the National Association of Railroad Passengers (NARP), sought government funding to ensure the continuation of passenger trains. They conceived the National Railroad Passenger Corporation (NRPC), a quasi-public corporation that would be managed as a for-profit organization, but which would receive taxpayer funding and assume operation of intercity passenger trains.[7][27][28]
There were several key provisions:[29]
- Any railroad operating intercity passenger service could contract with the NRPC, thereby joining the national system.
- The United States federal government, through the Secretary of Transportation, would own all of the NRPC’s issued and outstanding preferred stock.[30]
- Participating railroads bought into the NRPC using a formula based on their recent intercity passenger losses. The purchase price could be satisfied either by cash or rolling stock; in exchange, the railroads received NRPC common stock.
- Any participating railroad was freed of the obligation to operate intercity passenger service after May 1, 1971, except for those services chosen by the Department of Transportation (DOT) as part of a “basic system” of service and paid for by NRPC using its federal funds.
- Railroads that chose not to join the NRPC system were required to continue operating their existing passenger service until 1975, at which time they could pursue the customary ICC approval process for any discontinuance or alteration to the service.
Of the 26 railroads still offering intercity passenger service in 1970, only six declined to join the NRPC.[31]
The original working brand name for NRPC was Railpax, but less than two weeks before operations began, the official marketing name was changed to Amtrak, a portmanteau of the words America and trak, the latter itself a sensational spelling of track.
huh, neat.
I still think rather unfortunately, that national scale business tends to incentivize extreme optimization, while good, tends to hurt significant portions of the service. But that’s just me.
Nooooo :( if I were American dictator I would just say fuck it and build a mag-lev network that averaged 250 from station to station.
or just do any of the many examples that the rest of the world is successful with. HSR in America isn’t actually High speed rail anyways
Amtrak’s Acela is the United States’ only true high-speed rail service, reaching 150 mph (240 km/h) over 49.9 mi (80.3 km) of track along the Northeast Corridor.[2] Acela trains will reach top speeds of 160 mph (255 km/h) when new trainsets enter service in 2024.[3] Other services, like Amtrak’s Northeast Regional and Brightline, have a top speed of 125 mph (200 km/h) and are usually not considered high-speed rail.
Brightline, while marketing itself as high-speed rail, more closely meets the definition of higher-speed rail. Despite having a top speed of 125 mph (201 km/h) along 20 mi (32 km) of newly built track, most of the route is limited to a top speed of 110 mph (180 km/h) due to the presence of grade crossings.[4] link
Brightline is the company which received the funding for the California-Nevada HSR, it’s a public company that’s already coming under scrutiny for their practices and costs vs their projections. I guess I need to do a write-up to link to whenever the HSR comes up with the infrastructure bill.
edit: forgot to add link for the wiki I was referencing.
Yeah but a 250 average mag-lev is already possible from a technical standpoint. The Chinese and the Japanese have trains that can do it. Almost certainly the Chinese stole their design from the Japanese, but whatever. Plus, with that minimum it makes an overnight trip across the country extremely reasonable, and it makes a lot of medium day trips possible too. For example, Denver to Chicago would be only 4 hours.
Yeah, I get that. Captures the general vibe.
They feed you table scraps and y’all loose your damn minds. How about forcing a seat at the table instead
How about forcing a seat at the table instead
Yeah, why aren’t you doing that? I mean, if electoral politics are so unacceptable to you, surely you should be up in arms?
Oh, wait, what am I saying? You’re not interested in change, you’re interested in sabotaging all attempts at change that don’t fit the mold you’ll never work to see effected.
Hell yeah! That’s what I’m talking about! Every night I’ve been secretl=/%[)(_*,%$&/$NO_CARRIER
It’s Friday buddy, cheer up
They feed you table scraps and y’all loose your damn minds. How about forcing a seat at the table instead
Just the perpetually cucked liberals who live in an NPR fever dream. Its at least better than reddit in this regard where its all libs engaged in an MC Escher circle jerk with Rachel Maddow at the center.
We at least have some commenters in touch with reality here.
Just the perpetually cucked liberals who live in an NPR fever dream.
Fucking lmao.
It’s horrifying how the rhetoric of MAGA and some self-proclaimed leftists is almost identical at this point. If I hear someone talk about the CUCKS in the DEMOCRAP UNIPARTY being unwilling to stand up against the ZIONIST LIBERAL ELITE PEDOPHILES of the DEEP STATE who direct policy against the REAL will of the people, it’s a 50-50 whether they’re open fascists or fascists pretending to be red.
Mans out here screaming like Bill Clinton wasn’t on that Epstein list.
Tankie shit.
Mans out here screaming like Bill Clinton wasn’t on that Epstein list.
Tankie shit.
The level of incoherence astounds me. Crying about the Clintons like some right-winger desperate for them to be relevant as a boogieman again. But then again, you think that murdering civilians is what a targeted military operation should look like, so I guess I shouldn’t be surprised.
Loving the “No u” use of tankie, btw, great demonstration of how the far-right attempts to co-opt terms to water down their meanings.
Notice how you couldn’t deal with Democrats literally being in the elite pedo ring so you deflect
The irony of a republican complaining about pedos is simply incredible
What republican?
Don’t hate on NPR they’re better than most news in the US. But like all news sources you do need to actually think, not just accept it.
NPR is straight Zionist liberal propaganda nothing more. They lied about the death of Aaron Bushnell and his motivation.
The Genocide in Gaza has unmasked all these brainwashing trash outlets.
You don’t listen to NPR, how would you know?
It’s quoted right in my comment. They were one of the few that lied about Aaron Bushnell.
NPR is a liberal rag, not worth wrapping fish in.
They started 2016 so deep in the can for Hillary it was sick to watch.
Their bias is so insipid because its presented so innocuousnessly. Its the beating heart of American Corporatism.
Stop supporting genocide.
lmao
Coming from someone who has openly yearned for a Trump presidency?
The blame lies entirely with the party if Trump gets elected. Maybe another 4 years of that lunatic will make them learn. Doubtful.
Try selling this Biden or bust shit to the Muslim-American community who may not turn out in droves to vote for him. Are you going to insult their collective intelligence and question their integrity if Biden fails to get another term? Democrats just take their votes for granted and don’t think they have to earn them.
Coming from someone who has been on several weeks of mandatory leave from work because I started self harming in public after listening to yet another fucking horror show coming out of Gaza. I had to be sent home because I was crying and hitting myself.
How do you live with yourself? I’m genuinely curious, because I can barely do it. I’ve had to stop listening to news in the car or I’ll drive into traffic. I’m voting for Aaron Bushnell because they’re far braver than me. I hope Trump has a heart attack.
Get a grip, talk to a therapist or trusted friend. It’s OK to not be plugged in 24/7. “If it bleeds it leads” is true and being inundated with horror constantly absolutely wears you down.
I’m literally mandated to talk to a therapist to keep my job now.
But I don’t think it’s okay to tune out. I’m complicit. I deserve to suffer for that. People who tune out are rejecting the responsibility they have to their victims to hear their stories and learn their names. I can’t look away, I don’t have that right.
You have a terrible therapist.
Children dying under the rubble don’t get therapists. I’m lucky I can talk to someone, but I don’t deserved to feel better. I deserve to suffer.
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Coming from someone who has been on several weeks of mandatory leave from work because I started self harming in public after listening to yet another fucking horror show coming out of Gaza. I had to be sent home because I was crying and hitting myself.
Which makes it all the more insane that you’ve openly yearned for a Trump presidency.
How do you live with yourself? I’m genuinely curious, because I can barely do it. I’ve had to stop listening to news in the car or I’ll drive into traffic. I’m voting for Aaron Bushnell because they’re far braver than me. I hope Trump has a heart attack.
By doing what I can, and keeping in mind the historical perspective.
Tomorrow isn’t going to be a fucking utopia. Even an overwhelming, sudden, and ideologically ‘pure’ victory won’t bring a utopia tomorrow. But we fight day by day, and generation by generation, to make a better world.
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Stop supporting Iran, Russia, China and North Korea
No. 😎
Continue supporting genocide comrade
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The US committed genocide in Korea actually.
Stop your whataboutism.
It’s like you aren’t even trying, lmao.
You missed my point. The U.S. dropped a total of 635,000 tons of bombs (including 32,557 tons of napalm) on Korea, more than during the entire Pacific War. 2-3 million Koreans died because of US involvement from one sided massacres, starvation, and disease. The only genocide that happened was done by our side. Why are they listing “North Korea” as a country that is guilty of genocide? It’s a fucking joke.
Why are they listing “North Korea” as a country that is guilty of genocide?
Because they are. But we all understand that you don’t care about queer folk in other countries, as long as you’re safe.
I love the bit where North Korea invaded and massacred great numbers of people in the South, which was what kicked off the war, yet the total death count of the Korean War is on the US’s head, lmao. Anything to play apologist for your favorite genocidal fascists, huh?
They love Russia, China, and North Korea’s stance on LGBT rights. I mean, what are a few murdered queer folk when you have important things like Anti-Imperialist Imperialism™ to support?
Do you think Israel’s bombs don’t blow up queer Palestinians?
Do you think Israel’s bombs don’t blow up queer Palestinians?
Did I say they didn’t? But whatever non-sequiturs you need to insert to continue worshipping the torture and execution of LGBT people by your favorite ‘anti-imperialist’ countries. :)
I’m just supporting the lesser of two evils.
These countries aren’t perfect, but I’m not going to let the perfect be the enemy of the good.
Isn’t that what you keep telling me to do?
R doesn’t even take legislative action that helps their own voters. Meanwhile, all the shit they fight against Dems doing would help plenty of R voters, too. Their entire platform is taking things away from people, culture wars, vilification of education, and making voting as difficult as possible.
If you are voting R at this point, it can be for no reason other than one or more of these labels applies to you: Bigot, Unrepentant Misogynist, or can’t think any further than your own team winning.
Pic unrelated, because they didn’t just allow, they helped. They insisted.
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affordable for senior citizens and Medicare patients (medicare is for people 65 and up)
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Marijuana reclassified from Schedule 1 to Schedule 3
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Something that needed to be done, but it’s still falls short. We have miles of lead pipe that’s going unaddressed and population centers with contaminated drinking water.
These are half-measures, tinkering at the edges of problems.
The insulin is especially glaring. They had the will to pass a bill and chose to ignore most of the population. I’m not saying that it’s not a net positive… buuuut, it’s a pretty damn small positive. Compared to the harm insulin prices cause every day? It’s, like, an exponential difference in scope.
For marijuana, they have the presidency. They could higher staff and dedicate a workforce exclusively to generating the paperwork needed to pardon marijuana convictions. I’m not certain, but I think the executive can also just… decide not to prosecute in the first place. They reclassified it for the sake of a headline that sounds nice, not because they’re serious about this.
He could have descheduled it entirely with the exact same process that rescheduled it, but Biden still wants it to be illegal federally because it’s a great tool for cops, border guards, human resource departments and other shitheads to fuck with people they don’t like and preserving that kind of crap is a through line for Biden’s whole career back to the 70s
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