I was going to do a movie post, but then when I was watching CNN this morning I was reminded about this documentary that Fareed Zakaria hosted. For those who do not have access to CNN and are interested in viewing it I thought I would provide a link. It is still very relevant.
93 comments:
Snagged it. I'll look at it later, thanks.
By the way, it's gone unnoticed in the dustup over the Republicans' health care debacle… But we're already past the debt ceiling and the Treasury Department is already into ‘extraordinary measures’ just to keep the lights on and avoid a default on the federal debt. That's gonna become impossible to sustain some time in April. And the clowns in the White House are talking about turning to tax reform. That's nuts. We got a debt crisis sneaking up on us, and on them, and Shorthands and his crew ain't dealin’ with it, nor have they demonstrated any ability to get the Republicans to vote for anything.
This could be bad.
@ Zeyad from last thread.
Nah, it looks bleak right now I admit, but we'll win in the end. Just gotta come together as a Volk against our enemy and we're not there yet. But when we are ya'll towelheads are gonna be shit outta luck. Right quick I imagine.
Lee from last thread:
"Marcus’ proposed ban on Muslim immigrants probably wouldn't have kept him out, considering he wasn't a Muslim immigrant, nor apparently the son of one either."
Shout out to Zeyad for the moniker: self hating cuck barn troll. I sometimes like the way you think Zeyad, you're not unclever at all. If I didn't know better I might have even thought you were white.
Anywho, Lee, it was still a moslem, and even IF this one didn't come as a so called refugee thats not a reason to let more of 'em in. No logic at all on that one.
Rep. Ted Poe of Texas has, or so he says, resigned from the Freedom Caucus over the health care debacle.
Gov. Kasich is suggesting that perhaps Trump has learned a lesson from this, I question that myself, and might work with the Democrats for healthcare reform.
We got a debt crisis sneaking up on us, and on them, and Shorthands and his crew ain't dealin’ with it, nor have they demonstrated any ability to get the Republicans to vote for anything.
There have been some who have started to question, not just Dems, whether or not the people in power have the ability to lead. But I suppose even they will notice when the lights go dark.
"No logic at all on that one."
I'm not the one who suggested there was any logic at all in connecting this attack by an Englishman, a convert to Islam, to ‘refugees’ or even to immigrants for that matter. That would be you who was suggesting the connection.
"New moslem terror attack in the UK yesterday. *** Maybe if we…
let another million or so ‘refugees’ in, then they will stop killing us?"
Marcus @ Thu Mar 23, 12:38:00 pm
(Gotta figure though, that the Muslims probably are winning in Sweden when the right-winger Swedes sidle up with the Islamist wannabes from Texas, just on account of it's easier to be crazy together than to be consistent, or to be logical, or even sane for that matter.)
"Gov. Kasich is suggesting that perhaps Trump has learned a
lesson from this…"
Irrational optimism to go along with their irrational exuberance.
Whoa, big protests across Russia today. I wasn't expecting that when I turned on the news. Putin can't be very happy.
Yeah, I saw that. Gotta wonder if some more daytime shootings aren't in store for some people.
Tiny "protest" in Russia today, filmed from different angles to make it look big. Vlad is said to have shrugged and said 'who cares'?
Lee:
"(Gotta figure though, that the Muslims probably are winning in Sweden when the right-winger Swedes sidle up with the Islamist wannabes from Texas, just on account of it's easier to be crazy together than to be consistent, or to be logical, or even sane for that matter.)"
Nah, I'm not generally siding with the Texas based dune coon and you should know that. It's just that when the topic is your own self he can be pretty much correct. The moslems are indeed having their field day up here at the moment but we're gonna put a stop to that soon enough.
"…he can be pretty much correct."
This implies that your English has failed you yet again and that you don't know what a cuckold actually is. I can help you with that. Merriam-Webster
"Vlad is said to have shrugged and said 'who cares'?"
And you believe him?
It's beginning to look like Devin Nunes, the Republican Chairman of the House Intelligence Committee, could be included in the Senate Intelligence Committee's investigation of Team Trump's contacts with the Russians. (Not for having been in contact with the Russians when he was a member of the Trump Transition Team, but rather for possibly colluding with the White House to control and contain the investigations which have come later. In short, they may have left tracks.)
CBS Evening News is telling me that Jared Kushner (Shorthands' Son-in-Law) was apparently doing business with the VEB bank, the personal bank of Vladimir Putin (who was also on it's board for awhile) now run by an ex-FSB agent and a subject of sanctions for financing spies in America over the years.
Vlad?
Hmmm...strange, I never noticed until you mentioned it.
CBS Evening News is telling me that Jared Kushner (Shorthands' Son-in-Law) was apparently doing business with the VEB bank...
Ahhh...the guy who's going to be running the new Office of Innovation, or some such thing?
*sigh*
Personally I'm kind of getting tired of the nepotism thing. Especially as it is just putting another inexperienced person in the White House.
"Especially as it is just putting another inexperienced person in the
White House."
There are those who say that's a good thing considering who's heading up this White House. They claim his malevolence is greatly tempered by his incompetence, and not by much else.
It appears that today's scheduled hearing on the Trump/Putin connections was cancelled by Chairman Devin Nunes because Shorthands doesn't want the star witness to testify against him The ‘star witness’ was former Justice Department Deputy Attorney General Sally Yates, whom Trump fired, and who was supervising the DoJ's investigation into Michael Flynn (since resigned from the Trump administration).
Shorthands doesn't want her testimony to see the light of day--the Chairman of the Intelligence Committee investigating Shorthand's administration promptly cancels her hearing without bothering to ask anybody else on the committee or bothering to explain. WashingtonPost
Paul Ryan's resistance will not be adequate. If Mitch McConnell doesn't throw in with him in a full on, out in public cover-up then public outrage will eventually force a special investigation of some sort--Special Prosecutor--Select Congressional Committee (‘Watergate’ style committee)--Special Commission (‘9/11 Commission’ type of thing); one of them will have to happen. Devin Nunes has handled this too ham-handedly for it to go away now.
Lee: "This implies that your English has failed you yet again and that you don't know what a cuckold actually is."
You're just too old Lee. Irritatingly long arguments about arguments such as you're prone to peddle are so last decade, not current year. We're in meme-land now. Doesn't matter what a cuckold originally meant a cuck is something else entirely. It's a meme, and you fit the bill. You don't get that and that's why you and folks like you are becoming irrelivant.
Your clever (not so much really, but you try) arguments meant to win a debate by attrition is out. One cartoon image will over-ride all you have to say, if it's got the right message behind it.
"It's a meme, and you fit the bill."
You misfire there. I know the ‘meme’; and I happen to know that it has no meaning. Which is to say, its advocates are so thrilled with the fact that it sounds vulgar (possible portmanteau between cock and fuck, although that seldom works in context, but it's four letters and it sounds like it might be vulgar), and it never actually acquired an actual meaning. I can't ‘fit the bill because there is no bill’. (Or, to be more precise--there are too many bills for any one to manage to take dominance.) It's a meaningless noise, but that only means the joke is on the users; who identify themselves as vapid and empty of thought. And that's a position you join in wholeheartedly (which explains why you and the wannabe can both enjoy it's usage against what you see as an ‘establishment’, or at least established position, although you cannot agree on the alternate position). It means everything and therefore nothing.
And I do get that much.
Or, to put it rather more succinctly.
The delight of those who wave the ‘meme’ lies in the fact that they think the persons they're targeting don't know they're empty and thoughtless.
They don't know the cartoon doesn't mean anything except angry. They don't know there's nothing behind it.
But, I do know.
Lynnette:
"Vlad?
Hmmm...strange, I never noticed until you mentioned it."
An homage to a Great man. He did more for western civilisation than most. Might have been a tad over zealous at times, but all in all a great leader.
Romania was later punished severely by the communists for the legacy of Vlad and their determined support for Christian tradition. Might be one of the most tortured countries even rivalling Cabodia under the Khmer Rouge.
As a point of interest I myself visited Romania for skiing trips in -88 and 89. I had a gym teacher from there and we went there for sporting holidays (week 8 sweden has a sporting holiday). On the first visit the locals didn't even dare to speak with us, they were so afraid of the Securitate (the secret police) that us foreigners were not to be contacted in any way. Then they killed that old vampire months before we went on our second trip and suddenly EVERYONE was curious and wanted to speak with outsiders.
I can tell you that country was a poor hellhole under communism. And this was in the late 80's when the trend in the west was neon colours and shiny outfits. We sure stood out. The locals looked at us like we were aliens. They only had two colours in the whole damn country, brown and dark red. And we came in with neon-green and neonpink ski suits.
Plus we were mere teens but still had more pocket money than any Romanian could have earned in 10 years. Only problem - there was hardly anything to buy.
The fucking Communists took a fine country ad a proud people and just pushed it down into the dirt, humiliated it and enslaved it. They're even now catching up, it was that bad.
I'm guessing you were pink.
Memes work Lee. Just because one realises that doesn't mean one has to be thoughtless. It's just a realisation that the broader public is to lazy or stupid to take in well made and long arguments. A well thought out meme packs more of a punch.
And the "cuck" meme aims at shaming white men who act or think against their own evolutionary benefits. In the end that's what that meme is about. Forcing white males to stand their ground by shaming them if they do not.
You might not agree with the necessity of that, making you a "cuck", but many will. It IS effective. Tump was memed into the White House.
I'm guessing you're knitting a pussy hat just right about now.
Lee C would have made a fine apparatnich for the Securitate. Not on the front lines actually detaining and torturing people, but in some backroom in some ministry looking over lists and unilaterally sending some folks off for re-education. All in all doin´masters bidding.
So, I was right about who wore the pink then.
"Tump was memed into the White House."
In fact, ‘No’, he was not. I got this part right too. The dedicated Trumpkins were angry old white folks, not the sort who're into such things. They actually expected he was gonna do stuff. But, he's not. That's why he's dropping in popularity even with them (he'll only lose a portion; they're desperate enough to believe in something that they'll believe his excuses rather than admit to having been fooled, but that ‘portion’ is all he needs to lose--he was already a minority President).
Caveat:
"They actually expected he was gonna do stuff."
Do stuff for them that means. He will do stuff, but not for them.
Lee: "So, I was right about who wore the pink then."
I did sport a neon green skiing suit with bright blue stripes AND a pink scarf to go along with it. But hey, it was the 80's.
Also, instead of proper ski glasses I had Rayban Pilot sunglasses, because that was way cooler.
I was 15 - do you expect more of kids that age?
I remember when we went to the original Dracula castle and me and two other guys missed the bus because we were seriously hung over. Had to take a taxi instead, arranged by the irrate whife of my gym teacher. Turned out the 2 hour taxi drive cost us $2 because the locals were so horny for western cash.
You could actuall BEND the local coins. They were made of aluminum and were virtualy useless.
Lee C would have loved to sit in a ministry in Romania during the 80's when aparatnichs had total control over ordinary people.
Lee C would have had a stamp. And people would wait in a long line because they really needed their papers stamped. Lee would sit there and give some the much needed stamp and denying others, sending them off to re-edeucation or work camps.
Ya run outta stuff to post it seems, but not outta the will to post stuff.
Okay then; I'll let ya off easy this time; you can thank me later…
Ciao for now.
Might have been a tad over zealous at times...
Just a bit.
The fucking Communists took a fine country ad a proud people and just pushed it down into the dirt, humiliated it and enslaved it. They're even now catching up, it was that bad.
Bad leadership can do that.
On the first visit the locals didn't even dare to speak with us, they were so afraid of the Securitate (the secret police) that us foreigners were not to be contacted in any way. Then they killed that old vampire months before we went on our second trip and suddenly EVERYONE was curious and wanted to speak with outsiders.
When in the Course of human events, it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another, and to assume among the powers of the earth, the separate and equal station to which the Laws of Nature and of Nature's God entitle them, a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the separation.
We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.--That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed...
It can apply to other countries besides the United States. Not a good idea to forget.
It appears that today's scheduled hearing on the Trump/Putin connections was cancelled by Chairman Devin Nunes because Shorthands doesn't want the star witness to testify against him The ‘star witness’ was former Justice Department Deputy Attorney General Sally Yates, whom Trump fired, and who was supervising the DoJ's investigation into Michael Flynn (since resigned from the Trump administration).
Some things just come back to haunt you.
I know some people will be happy about this, but I feel it is a sad day for our country, and the world.
President Donald Trump signed a sweeping executive order Tuesday at the Environmental Protection Agency, which officials said looks to curb the federal government's enforcement of climate regulations by putting American jobs above addressing climate change.
The order represents a clear difference between how Trump and former President Barack Obama view the role the United States plays in combating climate change, and dramatically alters the government's approach to rising sea levels and temperatures -- two impacts of climate change.
It was expected. But, it may actually have much less lasting impact than they hope or than we might fear. The critical EPA finding that carbon was deleterious to the environment and to human survival has not been overturned. (There's a bunch of science to back that up, and it'll be very hard for even Trump's EPA to find the scientific justification to overturn that.) Until they do that, Trump is limited to overturning regulations which could be reinstated within minutes of (well, within days anyway) of a responsible President taking office. For instance, tossing out the regulations which made new coal fired power plants near impossible to license isn't gonna do a damn thing to make coal more commercially competitive over the short haul. And, until that happens they ain't gonna build more coal fired power plants--just for one ‘fer instance’--there are other examples we could cite.
Now, to limit him to one term…
‘Nother thought crossed my mind… The millennials who couldn't get excited about voting for Clinton. They're, for the most part, immune to the Republican arguments that global warming isn't real or isn't man-made. They may be learning why they can't sit the national elections out in the future.
And, tonight's news: Trump (also Ryan) have rethought the situation and decided that they're gonna take a second run at instituting TrumpCare--the repeal and whatever of ObamaCare. Whodathunkit?
The term ‘gluttons for punishment’ comes to mind.
Some people, including loyal Trumpkins, are starting to find some of Trump's tweeting to be counter productive. As in, maybe he should be focusing more time on running the country and less time on tweeting. I should think that would only get more annoying as time wears on. Even for fans.
The annoying part for the Trumpkins is that he keeps tweeting out things that embarrass them. Then their friends and co-workers snicker behind their backs. They don't like that part.
Or, worse yet, their friends or co-workers mention it right to their faces--they like that even less.
TrumpTweets: Shorthands is a little whiney this morning.
I notice that the Democrats are increasingly coming out in opposition to Devin Nunes remaining on the Trump/Putin investigation. The Republicans on the other hand are rallying to his side.
From the polling I've seen, the American voter, and even a few Trumpkins whose dedication appears to be wavering, are firmly in support of a bi-partisan investigation (by which I mean not Nunes and the House Intelligence Committee--there are at least three other options)
Eventually it's going to occur to the Republicans (at least to those who think Shorthands is probably innocent) that they need a credible investigation to put this behind them; they're just hurting themselves by trying to cover for Nunes, who's clearly trying to squelch the investigation of Shorthands. That lose of even a small percentage of the dedicated Trumpkins is important on account of he was already a minority President; he has virtually zero room to lose support.
The second possibility is that they never get around to agreeing on any big things like the budget or their tax cuts for the rich, and so they find they really have nothing to plop down in front of him for his signature. In that case he becomes useless to them. That also might prompt them to let the investigation proceed unhindered.
Yeah, I see the typo.
It's all just fake news. Trump is winning biggly. A few snags here and there are to be expected. Apart from those - MAGA!
Lee: "‘Nother thought crossed my mind… The millennials who couldn't get excited about voting for Clinton. They're, for the most part, immune to the Republican arguments that global warming isn't real or isn't man-made. They may be learning why they can't sit the national elections out in the future."
Or perhaps they're gonna be the generation to start questioning Globalism and Mass Immigration and really do something about that.
You just can't ever combat Global Warming (or any of the other dangers such as resource scarcity) if the global population increases at current rate. And migration is a key factor behind population increase. Do you not get that?
Perhaps you'd like to look at a list of Trump's legislative accomplishments, things he's actually put his signature on to date:
S. 305 - Vietnam War Veterans Recognition Act of 2017
Signed on March 27, 2017
H.J. Res. 37 - Joint Resolution disapproving the rule submitted by the Department of Defense, the General Services Administration, and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration relating to the Federal Acquisition Regulation.
Signed on March 27, 2017
H.J. Res. 44 - Joint Resolution disapproving the rule submitted by the Department of the Interior relating to Bureau of Land Management regulations that establish the procedures used to prepare, revise, or amend land use plans pursuant to the Federal Land
Signed on March 27, 2017
H.J. Res. 57 - Joint Resolution providing for congressional disapproval under chapter 8 of title 5, United States Code, of the rule submitted by the Department of Education relating to accountability and State plans under the Elementary and Secondary Educ
Signed on March 27, 2017
H.J. Res. 58 - Joint Resolution providing for congressional disapproval under chapter 8 of title 5, United States Code, of the rule submitted by the Department of Education relating to teacher preparation issues.
Signed on March 21, 2017
National Aeronautics and Space Administration Transition Authorization Act of 2017
H.J.Res.38 - Disapproving the rule submitted by the Department of the Interior known as the Stream Protection Rule.
Signed on February 14, 2017
H.J.Res.41 - Providing for congressional disapproval under chapter 8 of title 5, United States Code, of a rule submitted by the Securities and Exchange Commission relating to "Disclosure of Payments by Resource Extraction Issuers".
Signed on January 31, 2017
H.R.72 - GAO Access and Oversight Act of 2017
Signed on January 20, 2017
S.84 - A bill to provide for an exception to a limitation against appointment of persons as Secretary of Defense within seven years of relief from active duty as a regular commissioned officer of the Armed Forces.
Signed on March 13, 2017
H.R.609 - To designate the Department of Veterans Affairs health care center in Center Township, Butler County, Pennsylvania, as the "Abie Abraham VA Clinic".
Signed on February 28, 2017
H.R. 255 - Promoting Women in Entrepreneurship Act
Signed on February 28, 2017
H.R. 321 - Inspiring the Next Space Pioneers, Innovators, Researchers, and Explorers (INSPIRE) Women Act
Signed on February 28, 2017
H.J.Res. 40 - Joint Resolution providing for congressional disapproval under chapter 8 of title 5, United States Code, of the rule submitted by the Social Security Administration relating to Implementation of the NICS Improvement Amendments Act of 2007.
Doesn't actually qualify as ‘winning biggly’; hardly qualifies as winning at all.
"And migration is a key factor behind population increase. Do you
not get that?"
How do you explain the breeding rate of the Palestinians? They hardly migrate at all (nobody wants them). I think your data (whatever data you claim to be using, if any) is probably cherry-picked, which is to say, both accurate and not properly analyzed.
Yeah, I see the typo.
It basically goes without saying that if a population in one area increases its numbers beyond the capacity to sustain them, then if they migrate to other areas where they can be sustained, then the total of the population will grow.
I am SURE you actually get that Lee. You are not dumb enough not to undderstand that.
Look at a chart of the Earths population and tell me if it looks sustainable.
http://www.paulchefurka.ca/World%20Population.JPG
Nothing needs to change?
Classic bait and switch. Whether Earth's population, and it's current growth curve, happens to be sustainable is an entirely different question than is contained in your assertion (apparently without any data to sustain it) that migration increases overall population. I'm sure you know this already; this is not news to you. So, the bait and switch was intentional. You should not insult your readers so. You should certainly know better than to try a trick that obvious with me.
So, it all comes down to, you got nothin’.
Yeah, I see the typo.
Hey, Melania Trump is handing out some sort of award at the State Department today. More of that ‘winning biggly’ ya reckon?
And, Shorthands' Sec. of the Interior is now floating the possibility that they'll settle for an imaginary wall. Don't necessarily need a real ‘physical’ wall at all. link
(We don't need to get into his idea for building the wall on Mexican territory in spite of their probable objections to that.)
‘Winning biggly’ indeed!
New CBS poll seems to show that Trump's popularity is holding strong among the dedicated Trumpkins. Other polls have suggested erosion of support, but this one seems to show him holding strong.
...a few Trumpkins whose dedication appears to be wavering,...
I was talking to someone today who was saying that ICE has been rounding up illegal immigrants in ND, which is starting to cause a shortage of workers for some of the more menial jobs. This is putting him behind (he is in drywall) as he has been working over there. This means that the work here is also backing up. While I think he has supported Trump in the past, this may cause him to think again as it starts to sink in that some of Trump's policies will affect him. There is also the issue of a possible doctor shortage in the rural areas.
I'm of the opinion that if they're not paying enough to get Americans to do their drywall work, then they're not paying enough and ought to pay more.
But, that doesn't mean I'm gonna start supporting mass deportations of people we have enticed to come here and work.
So I googled world population growth rate and I got this:
Growth Rate. Population in the world is currently (2017) growing at a rate of around 1.11% per year (down from 1.13% in 2016). The current average population change is estimated at around 80 million per year. Annual growth rate reached its peak in the late 1960s, when it was at 2% and above.
It seems that the growth rate is decreasing. So it would appear that the problem of unchecked growth is not really a problem at all. You are fighting the last war, Marcus. The new one is global climate change.
I'm of the opinion that if they're not paying enough to get Americans to do their drywall work, then they're not paying enough and ought to pay more.
This is true. The same goes for agriculture. But then we would have to be prepared to pay more for our goods.
I would make an allowance for agriculture (picking the crops) because it is, by its very nature, seasonal and migratory work. Used to they started picking in New Mexico, Texas, California, etc. and worked their way north--ended up picking apples in Washington and Oregon, and then went home to Mexico for the winter.
Ivanka Trump's new official designation as an employee in the White House, in spite of her earlier insistence that she would not take a position in her father's administration (formal or informal, official or otherwise) seems to me to indicate a fairly extreme degree of isolation of this President from the government he is supposed to head up.
I don't think this is a good sign. He's already shown signs of being more than just a little flaky. I'm thinking we can probably add paranoia to the list of symptoms indicated.
I was noticing this morning that we have the nomination of Neil Gorsuch to the Supreme Court coming up for confirmation next week. This promises to be a full-on fight with the Democrats successfully filibustering Gorsuch, and the Republicans retaliating by outlawing the filibuster at least for Supreme Court nominees, if not outlawing it in general, across-the-board. So, they eventually get Gosuch confirmed over the Democrats' unified resistance. Then they take off for recess and fund-raising back home until the 24th of April (the House is out until the 25th). link
The government runs out of spending authority on the 28th.
We're talking government shutdown here. Not quite the financial disaster that would follow from a debt default, but an embarrassment nevertheless for the Republicans who hold the House, the Senate, and the White House.
Who wants to bet the Republicans can avoid embarrassing themselves again?
Lynnette: "Growth Rate. Population in the world is currently (2017) growing at a rate of around 1.11% per year (down from 1.13% in 2016). The current average population change is estimated at around 80 million per year. Annual growth rate reached its peak in the late 1960s, when it was at 2% and above.
It seems that the growth rate is decreasing. So it would appear that the problem of unchecked growth is not really a problem at all. You are fighting the last war, Marcus. The new one is global climate change."
1. 80 Million new consumers per year is a big deal for our finite planet.
2. Even if the RATE is decreasing (largely due to quite severe programs in countries like China - who understood the problem in their locale decades ago) then the rate of actual people is still on an increase due to a larger base number. You do get that 1% of 1000 is larger than 2% of 50, no?
3. The UN estimates Africas population will grow to 4 billion, from todays about 1.5 Billion within this century. (This is an estimate, based on todays population and the growth rate made by the UN. I myself do not believe this will be realised because I believe "mother nature" will strike back long before that)
Now, if Africans are already risking their lives to get to Europe today, because their opportunities in Africa are bleak, how do you think that will play out if their numbers on their own continent close to triple?
Also, every migrant Nothwards will inevitably increase his "global footprint" as it takes more energy to live a western life in a cold climate than a simple life in the tropics.
I wonder how you reconcile your dread for Global Warming with your support for northward migration of millions, maybe billions of people?
You think a "meat free monday" or an increased tax on gas is gonna cut it? You think some new magical energy source will save us? Better think again.
Lee: "We're talking government shutdown here. Not quite the financial disaster that would follow from a debt default, but an embarrassment nevertheless for the Republicans who hold the House, the Senate, and the White House."
The politicians greatest fear (one of 'em) is if there IS indeed a shutdown and people come to realise society just hums along. Look at Belgium, they had a non-working government for 7 years because of political infighting. The country didn't really do worse than comparable countries. You overestimate the importance of Washington. If they go into a prolonged deadlock it just means no new laws will pass. No new good ones and no new bad ones. The USA will hum along under the already passed laws.
Lee: "I'm of the opinion that if they're not paying enough to get Americans to do their drywall work, then they're not paying enough and ought to pay more."
I would agree.
Lee: "I would make an allowance for agriculture (picking the crops) because it is, by its very nature, seasonal and migratory work. Used to they started picking in New Mexico, Texas, California, etc. and worked their way north--ended up picking apples in Washington and Oregon, and then went home to Mexico for the winter."
I would agree again, given they actually do go home for the winter. Also I think Americans who do consider these jobs should be first in line for them if there are any such americans left.
My first "summer job" was cutting cauliflower in the fields of a local farmer. It was me, a pal of mine and about 10 polish seasonal workers. We swedish youths on the team were expected to do the same work as the poles and we got the same wages as them (actually less because the wages were based on age as well as effort, and we were younger). It was hard work but IMO it built a backbone and instilled in us a respect for money - since we were taught what it took to earn that money. And it paid for my very first stereo-system at age 13 - a Hitachi.
Maybe because I started working on my holidays from school at age 12, started cutting cauliflower (and doing other quite hard jobs) about 7 weeks out of my 10 week summer holiday at 13 and made an effort in school to get an education - I have a VERY low tolerance for wellfare queens. And my tolerance for Arabs and Africans who come here only for economic reasons and largely end up as leeches on our tax base is virtually ZERO. When they "thank us" for their new found "asylum" with bombings, robberies, rape and general mayhem my tolerance goes down to zero. I just wan't 'em OUT.
"Belgium, they had a non-working government for 7 years because
of political infighting."
A ‘non-working’ government is rather different from a government which is ‘closed’. ‘Closed’ means offices locked, lights off, employees laid-off, no applications for [fill-in-the-blank] handed out, none processed if mailed in--nobody even opens the mail.
Closed means national parks with gates locked--nobody gets in or out.
Closed means nobody answers the phones.
All this applies only to ‘non-essential’ employees, of course, those deemed ‘essential’ are expected to show up for work anyway--for free--no paychecks.
I don't think the Belgian government workers worked for seven years without paychecks. Not the same thing.
And, besides, I said only that it would be an embarrassment--which it will. They have all the levers of government in their hands now (nobody expected that, but there it is) and they can't turn the lights on. That'll be embarrassing no matter what the Belgians dealt with.
¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯
…given they actually do go home for the winter."
They used to. Now it's become so difficult to get across the border that they no longer go home for the winter, too hard to get back across--so, they brought their families north to be with them instead, and now, having made it across, they now stay put. Classic example of unintended consequences--now we have to educate their children, whereas before the kids stayed home, etc. The rednecks did not think this one through.
Our new Secretary of State, Rex Tillerson, has today confirmed to Recep Erdoğan of Turkey that it is no longer American policy to seek the replacement of Syrian President Bashar Assad. CBSNews
This will come as news to a large portion of the American State Department and probably to the Senate as well. Not to mention the local Sunni Arab powers. Ain't surprises fun?
Our new Secretary of State, Rex Tillerson, has today confirmed to Recep Erdoğan of Turkey that it is no longer American policy to seek the replacement of Syrian President Bashar Assad.
Now isn't that special, a gift for Putin.
With relatively few American soldiers on the ground in Syria, the U.S. is relying on local armed groups to fight ISIS, and that includes a Kurdish militia known as the YPG.
The problem is that Turkey considers the YPG a bitter enemy -- part of a Kurdish separatist organization that Erdogan’s government has branded terrorists.
Now I wonder how far Trump will back us into a corner. This is a bit of a sticky wicket, considering he wants to fight ISIS so badly. So who will he get to replace the YPG if he backs out of that alliance? Hmmm...
My first "summer job" was cutting cauliflower in the fields of a local farmer. It was me, a pal of mine and about 10 polish seasonal workers. We swedish youths on the team were expected to do the same work as the poles and we got the same wages as them (actually less because the wages were based on age as well as effort, and we were younger). It was hard work but IMO it built a backbone and instilled in us a respect for money - since we were taught what it took to earn that money. And it paid for my very first stereo-system at age 13 - a Hitachi.
I agree with your sentiments here. My parents grew up on farms and both retained an interest in growing vegetables and various fruits. When I was a kid I helped picked sweet corn, which they sold on a roadside stand, and various other things. It is hard work to maintain and harvest crops. It is scary to think there are so many people out there who don't even know where their food comes from, let alone have ever experienced the kind of effort it takes to bring it to their table.
I wonder how you reconcile your dread for Global Warming with your support for northward migration of millions, maybe billions of people?
You make the assumption that the migration will always be north because of climate change. If climate change is always on a warming trend that may be so, but if there is ever an abrupt shift the other way it may reverse that scenario. People will always have to migrate where there is access to clean water and land rich enough to grow crops.
And actually there may be some who will migrate south even if the trend continues to be warming. I am, of course, thinking of Antarctica.
I don't think this is a good sign. He's already shown signs of being more than just a little flaky. I'm thinking we can probably add paranoia to the list of symptoms indicated.
Well, that is a possibility. But there is also the possibility that he needs Ivanka and her husband because they are doing the thinking for him. As in early stage dementia. Also a scary thought. Obviously no one elected them!
"As in early stage dementia. Also a scary thought."
It would explain a lot. Hadn't occurred to me before, but….
Trump's decided to try to coöpt the Democrats for support for his tax reform package. Couple of major problems with that. First one being that the Republicans in Congress have no intention of letting Trump shape a tax reform package; they expect him to sign what they stick in front of him, otherwise they got no use for him (which means, of course, that if they can't agree on what to stick in front of him for his signature then they got no use for him--but it's not come to them accepting that just yet; also means he better watch his ass ‘bout this dealing with Democrats trick, or Devin Nunes will quit covering for him on the Russian investigation). Second thing is the Democrats don't trust him. And, he's not exactly trustworthy, so that's not likely to get better as time goes by.
In what may, or may not, be the first of the logs to roll, ex-general, ex-Trump National Security Advisor, Michael Flynn, has offered to testify, telling what he knows about Team Trump's collusion or coöperation with the Kremlin during the last Presidential election--in exchange for immunity from prosecution. link
Don't generally get the rats to abandon the captain of the ship this early in an investigation.
Shorthands has signed some new executive orders in anticpation of next week's meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping, which order louder complaints be made over the trade deficit so his dedicated Trumpkins will be sure to hear them. CNN
The Department of Energy's Climate and Clean Energy office has been ordered to quit using the the term ‘climate change’. Trump's climate change problem solved, just like that. Way easier than anybody thought it'd be. link (They've also been ordered to not make any mention of the Paris Agreement.)
Just watched some video of some truly dedicated Trumpkins on PBS’ Newshour. They were/are amazing folks, truly dedicated, almost unflappable, willing to believe anything so long as they could continue to believe in Trump. It's gonna take some time for them to re-adjust to reality; many of them never will.
Trump's climate change problem solved, just like that.
If he is still at all mentally lucid, and living at Mar a Lago, perhaps in 10 years he will come to see what an idiot he really is.
"If he is still at all mentally lucid…"
You spotted that vid where he went into the Oval Office to be filmed signing a couple of executive orders, and then left the room without ever getting around to signing the executive orders?
Yup. Kind of reminds me of a little kid who doesn't get the attention he wants so he picks up his toys and goes home. I think there were reporters asking uncomfortable questions. I also saw where Mike Pence was chasing after him. Kind of like a mother hen.
It's going to be a beautiful day here today. I think I will uncover my strawberry plants.
Lynnette: "You make the assumption that the migration will always be north because of climate change."
Whaaaaath? Really? Do you think the south americans moving up into the USA or the Arabs and Africans forming literal hordes to get into Europe has anything to do with "climate change"?
It's a social-wellfare-check-and/or-better-opportunities-on-the-backs-of-other-people change they're after. Got nada to do with climate.
Let me pose you a question Lynnette. You know the Congo is a shithole with several long running wars (mayb you don't, but it is), it also has about 80 Million people. Germany has about the same.
Now toy with the idea that you just swapped the populations. Every German goes to Congo and every Congolese to Germany.
If you are really honest (and I know neither you nor Lee will be inclined to be ghonest here) how do you think it would pan out for those two respective countries in say 10 years time?
I know you'll lie when you answer so never mind that, just think on it. Contemplate.
Because I can tell you:
the Congo (given that the Germans were left alone there and not invaded by millions of other Africans, which they probably would be, but let's for argument's sake say it wasn't so) would make Congo into the mineral mining capital of the worls and an Eco-tourism spot that drew in visitors from around the world and the bread basket of Africa (like Zimbabwe used to be before Mugabe forced the whites out of there - coincidence?)
Germany on the other hand would swiftly fall into ruins. Mercedes, BMW, Volkswagen, Siemens and all the other industrial powerhouses would be sold for scrap metal. And within years the Autobahn would be potholed and not possible to travel (even discounting the militia roadblocks where it'd be death or ransom).
"Because I can tell you:"
I don't see how any of that gets you off the hook for your failure to effectively integrate your immigrants.
It is late and I wanted to put up my new post, so I will respond to your comment a little later, Marcus.
Lee: "I don't see how any of that gets you off the hook for your failure to effectively integrate your immigrants."
I thought it was a quite obvious example that the volume of immigration and the quality of immigrants do matter. Replace a population with an other and you're likely to get the society of the latter.
I do take note that that lame answer/question was the best you could come up with. Sorta validates my point.
Oh, and just so you know, I won't be integrating nuffin'. I never wanted mass immigration so I have zero obligation to smooth its coming. I don't care much for most of their cultural traits so I will refrain from integrating thank you very much. Ok, I'll eat a kebab now and then and I am civil towards and make smalltalk with cab-drivers but furter than that, no thank you. I'll stick with my own. Didn't ask for multiculturalism and am not gonna adapt to help it along.
Btw, the majority of people think that way but most lie to themselves and certainly to others that they do not. Look at the USA for a great example of that. A multi-cultural shining example of people trying to get the hell away from multi cultural neighborhoods and go live amongst their own. You get a choice wether your new next door neighbors are gonna be a white family or a somalian one and you KNOW what you would instinctivly prefer - but you won't admit to it.
NIMBY cowards.
"Replace a population with an other and you're likely to get the
society of the latter."
Except, you're not replacing one population with another. You've got what, maybe a 3.5%-4% Arab/Muslim population, at the most. You gotta deal with what ya got, not the hypothetical situation that ya don't got.
"I never wanted mass immigration so I have zero obligation…
Whether or not you wanted it is kinda irrelevant, more than ‘kind’ in fact. Your fellow Swedes foisted it upon you whether you wanted it or not. It's a done deal (and it's not my doing, so your usual response of yelling at me is likewise irrelevant). Your children (or, your nieces and nephews most likely) will have a different idea than you do as to what your obligations are now.
I don't waste time bitchin’ and moanin’ over the Hispanic immigrants we've taken in over the last few years/decades. They're here; they were enticed to come here; my fellow citizens dangled jobs in front of them if they'd come here. I gotta deal with that. I might as well deal with it well, and that includes admitting to a certain amount of obligation I have on account of I am a citizen, whether or not I approved of the choices made already.
"…and you KNOW what you would instinctivly prefer…:
Once again, irrelevant.
Didn't ask for multiculturalism and am not gonna adapt to help it along.
It is not that you have to adapt your beliefs to someone else's. It is that it helps to show others the positive aspects of your beliefs. If you have allowed people to enter your country in whatever fashion, be they immigrants or refugees, you can't expect them to understand right away the cultural norms of Sweden. It is their obligation to adapt to those. They do not need to forget everything they left behind, they just need to make sure that their beliefs are not counter to the laws of their adopted country and are culturally acceptable. For example, marrying a twelve year old may not be culturally or legally acceptable.
the Congo (given that the Germans were left alone there and not invaded by millions of other Africans, which they probably would be, but let's for argument's sake say it wasn't so) would make Congo into the mineral mining capital of the worls and an Eco-tourism spot that drew in visitors from around the world and the bread basket of Africa (like Zimbabwe used to be before Mugabe forced the whites out of there - coincidence?)
Actually, Marcus, you are probably right. But I think it has more to do with the difference in governmental structure rather than skin color. Any country, and I mean any country if run poorly will fall into disrepair, literally and figuratively.
Dang, I am really going to have to do that movie post shortly. I keep getting distracted.
Lynnette (in case you look back at this thread):
"It is not that you have to adapt your beliefs to someone else's. It is that it helps to show others the positive aspects of your beliefs. If you have allowed people to enter your country in whatever fashion, be they immigrants or refugees, you can't expect them to understand right away the cultural norms of Sweden. It is their obligation to adapt to those."
No you're wrong there. What you describe is assimilation. What Lee talked about was integration.
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