Politics

[Tubby’s Canteen]

Since you are Canadian you will know what I mean when I say I am a Bill Davis Conservative.

A “red Tory” known more than a few of those around Wayne Gaudet was one for years only he run liberal instead of Tory ( easier for him to get elected) in my experience a red Tory likes to spout off about social issues while only really being concerned with his own fiscal situation. They also seem to come from academia or legal backgrounds. Gaudet was a high school principal before a politician.

Old man used to say you can’t ride two horses with one ass…

 

[Betterinthebush]

"Starship Troopers" contains the universal right to serve concept to earn franchise - male or female (Heinlein would not have been much interested in the broader alphabet soup prevalent today). For instance, fleet ships were piloted almost exclusively by women. Support roles in the Federal armed forces were treated just as combat roles, male or female, with respect to earning full citizenship (the right to vote).

There was no child bearing review board in Starship Troopers. The federation envisioned in "Starship Troopers" did not regulate children - family life was entirely private.

The only work I am aware of with such review boards is perhaps Huxley's "Brave New World?"

Had to cliff’s notes my comment. @Red Leg , I have no idea where I messed that one up. I bet that rum and the confidence that it imbibes during talks with others during fun literature debates had something to do with it. Like I told @RLD , I went out on a limb on (hazy) memory.

Still fun though. Being wrong.

 

[Tanks]

He was a great writer and a great thinker but I struggle to accept the ideas that the state is unnecessary and that only military veterans should vote.

I think it was public service not just military service one needed to do to vote and be elected. If you look at the beginning of the book main character had a lot of options that he was not suited for and finally was approved for mobile infantry.

 

[Scott CWO]

That is just dead wrong. People have always cared about people suffering, literally since the beginning of written history. I am Catholic, my church has cared about the suffering of other humans for about 2000 years now and I am proud of it. The Romans had all sorts of welfare as well.

But thinking that the solutions of 200 years ago is going to fix the problems of today is like suggesting we should use blacksmith's tools to fix a microchip. Good luck.

And suggesting that the way mentally ill people were handled a couple hundred years ago was just fine...well that is either cruel, ignorant or delusional. Or maybe all three.

Are you actually suggesting that human suffering is not an evil we should be trying to eliminate?

I am a Conservative and we Conservatives care about people suffering but draw the line at slackers and people who just continue to make one poor decision after another, self-destruct and expect the rest of us to pay for it. I have helped several of my employees through financial and personal rough spots because they were at least trying to do the right thing.

I also remember a time when lots of poor people still had dignity and didn't want people to know they were struggling. They were proud and didn't want a handout and were embarrassed if people found out how poor they were or tried to help them without returning the favor or paying the debt back after they got things straightened out. They didn't avoid marriage to get money from the government as single parents while living with their de facto spouse. They didn't stop looking for work and they certainly didn't draw attention to their plight. Now days, there are a whole class of people that don't want to work or conform to the Capitalist system whereby people try to improve themselves by education or hard work and accumulate wealth or at least, a comfortable prosperity, a home, a decent vehicle and try to advance the standard of living for their children, ON THEIR OWN. Frankly, the opportunities in this country are incredible and people are extremely lucky to be born here, as many of us have witnessed while traveling the world. Many people now give a big middle finger to our Capitalist system and would rather live day to day, like an animal that just needs something to eat and a place to sleep to get through the night. Many of these street people are drug addicts or mentally ill, but not all of them. I have compassion for the mentally ill and disabled, especially. My wife and I also contribute through our church and she volunteers every Wednesday at the food bank ran by our church and another church. But if you are just a slacker that continues to make bad decisions after bad decisions, it is correct that I don't care, work harder.

 

[Tanks]

That is just dead wrong. People have always cared about people suffering, literally since the beginning of written history. I am Catholic, my church has cared about the suffering of other humans for about 2000 years now and I am proud of it.

Hmmm, as long as the other humans were not heathens or heretics. For example the Spanish conquistadors had the official backing and sponsorship of the church and the Pope.

 

[Boyd Brooks]

Since you are Canadian you will know what I mean when I say I am a Bill Davis Conservative.

Name dropping again, so you last vote for a Conservative in a Provincial election in 1981. Hate to tell you, you’re still a Liberal!

 

[Tubby’s Canteen]

Hmmm, as long as the other humans were not heathens or heretics. For example the Spanish conquistadors had the official backing and sponsorship of the church and the Pope.

The Catholic Church is such a broad and far reaching entity historically that anyone can make an argument for great or terrible deeds and hold it up as their example. I’m also a catholic at least nominally I’ve been attending service in a non denominal church out of difference for my wife sense we’ve been married, I tend not to use the Catholic Church much as a example because it’s hard to keep in scope. Plus historically the whole direction of the church could shift from pope to pope.

 

[Tundra Tiger]

I’m withholding commenting until I can see what was actually being argued about so far all i can find is just speculation and no one seems to have a copy of what was actually in the trade agreement.

As it’s being reported here lutnick blew up the deal by making eleventh hour changes ahead of the signing whether intentional or not.

That is what I am reading as well...

 

[fourfive8]

Name dropping again, so you last vote for a Conservative in a Provincial election in 1981. Hate to tell you, you’re still a Liberal!

Yep! A dead give away clue is using “Conservative Progressive” to describe oneself. My internal dictionary is yelling, “oxymoronic”.

 

[Tubby’s Canteen]

Yep! A dead give away clue is using “Conservative Progressive” to describe oneself. My internal dictionary is yelling, “oxymoronic”.

the Conservative Party of Canada is actually a conglomerate of the Canadian progressive Conservative Party and the reform party they joined in the early 2000s, we have another right wing party in Canada which is farther right the people’s party although they have yet to take a seat and could now be defunct. Maxime Bernier fell victim to the similar political gamesmanship as poilievre did instead of a metre long ballet in his case the the rhino party whom I personally abore run a candidate with the same given and sir name.

 

[fourfive8]

the Conservative Party of Canada is actually a conglomerate of the Canadian progressive Conservative Party and the reform party they joined in the early 2000s, we have another right wing party in Canada which is farther right the people’s party although they have yet to take a seat and could now be defunct. Maxime Bernier fell victim to the similar political gamesmanship as poilievre did instead of a metre long ballet in his case the the rhino party whom I personally abore run a candidate with the same given and sir name.

I understand that part of it but RLD made a big point about calling himself a CONSERVATIVE PROGRESSIVE. He is a left libtard by any measure. Just like, here in US, with most of the commie Dems calling themselves Democratic Socialists while being concerned about saving Democracy from Hitler reincarnate. Sorry, I ain’t buying the linguistic gymnastics and facade by RLD or anyone else. He might be spoiled by baffling them with BS in a courtroom drama but not with me.

 

[Killingtime]

Fabulous series, IMHO. Brown is young; he needs to get off his arse and add more to the series.

They talked about him having the seventh volume completed this year I believe he said he had close to 1000 pages written already. I’m guessing sometime next year he will have it done. The series really is fantastic.

 

[Killingtime]

Reading it right now and really enjoying it. I think it just echoes of The Moon is a Harsh Mistress.

Yeah Luna definitely is a harsh mistress. The series is great. Book 4 iron gold is a bit slow but it sets up dark ages and lightbringer which are both fantastic.
I love the writing and the political theater in relation to war. Brown has done a great job.

 

[Big_Easy]

I also agree that lots of parents are too lazy/overworked to do good parenting and use drugs/screens to try and solve their children's "problems" with really shitty results.

Shocking, it's almost like the capitalist machine forcing both parents to work 50+ hours a week to survive has very poor outcomes for society, and especially children. But hey, gotta keep up those corporate profits at all costs!

 

[Big_Easy]

Human suffering is an evil we should work to end when it’s at somone else’s hand. When it’s self inflicted it’s farther down on my list of priorities.

Hard to tell which is which sometimes, no? Does it fall under personal responsibility when it comes to Opioid addicts these days? Or should we blame Purdue Pharma and the Sackler Family for lying about how addictive Oxy was? Or perhaps the FDA failing to properly regulate it due to regulatory capture? And what of the Doctor's who took the bribes and prescribed it anyways? A large portion of the dramatic increase in recent drug addiction and homelessness can be traced back to that one drug. Once again, do you think that if you shout "personal responsibility" loud enough the problem will simply go away?

 

[rookhawk]

Shocking, it's almost like the capitalist machine forcing both parents to work 50+ hours a week to survive has very poor outcomes for society, and especially children. But hey, gotta keep up those corporate profits at all costs!

Always the victim. FORCING both parents to work is your term, implying coercion. The responsible call it CHOICES.

 

[spike.t]

So who is going to test it out.....and more evidence as if it's needed the Iranian regime isn't going to give in...

Trump says all mines cleared from Strait of Hormuz

Iran has closed the vital waterway since the beginning of the conflict causing wild fluctuations in oil prices worldwide.

www.bbc.com

 

[Red Leg]

So who is going to test it out.....and more evidence as if it's needed the Iranian regime isn't going to give in...

Trump says all mines cleared from Strait of Hormuz

Iran has closed the vital waterway since the beginning of the conflict causing wild fluctuations in oil prices worldwide.

www.bbc.com

The straight is currently seeing tanker transits totalling 9-10 million barrels per day according to US estimates and 4-7 million bpd according to Windward. Let's split the difference at 8 million bpd. Normal pre-conflict traffic is 20-21 million bpd.

The biggest driver preventing more transits is insurance costs. Pre-conflict they were sub-1%, but are now 3.5 to as high as 10% of the vessels total value including cargo.

 

[Red Leg]

Shocking, it's almost like the capitalist machine forcing both parents to work 50+ hours a week to survive has very poor outcomes for society, and especially children. But hey, gotta keep up those corporate profits at all costs!

With your vast expertise and understanding of these issues, what do you believe is an appropriate profit margin for a corporation? Those of us with significant actual experience in corporate P&L would be interested what someone like you thinks is an appropriate margin on the balance sheet. Be specific.

 

[Altitude sickness]

Being completely fair if Biden had done what Trump is doing with beef imports, I would be raising Cain that he’s pandering and doing it just before the midterms.

First his tariffs hammer farmers and cattlemen. Even with all-time high beef prices, the margins are still thin from overhead costs. Obviously Trump thinks he can afford to lose a formerly solid part of his base, farmers and ranchers.