All purpose news and politics thread part VI: This Is Not The Time For Posing

[numberthirty]

How exactly would we do that?

Because mandating corporations make essentials is a good idea, but something America hasn't been willing to do for a long time

Politely?

It's got to be either "One..." or "The Other..."

If you are going to say "Well, it is a pandemic..."?

The "How exactly would be do that?..." question is no longer an acceptable means of getting you off of the hook...

First off...

Someone absolutely dropped the ball on making sure US formula production was about as bulletproof as it could be even though folks know that a protectionist policy Trump put into place with some Democratic backing was there.

Second...

Apparently no one thought to have a public conversation about all of the ways that said protectionist policy could create a pretty serious issue if things went sideways.

It's just a lot of dropped balls.

[numberthirty]

How exactly would we do that?

Because mandating corporations make essentials is a good idea, but something America hasn't been willing to do for a long time

As for that specific aspect?

While this is going to sound pretty "Commie...", I am not talking about mandating private business do these things.

I think that, on a limited level, government should absolutely have the means to produce a limited amount of certain essentials just in case things go sideways.

[Tendrin]

ORLANDO, Fla. — Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and his Republican allies are seeking more influence in university classrooms, targeting tenure, waging a battle against “politicized” courses and contemplating a significant change in how professors are hired across the state.

DeSantis says he is bringing accountability to higher education and ensuring universities aren’t indoctrinating students with what he and other GOP leaders see as a liberal bias.

But the governor’s agenda is also prompting a backlash from the United Faculty of Florida, a union that represents more than 25,000 faculty members across the state.

A toxic political climate is hurting the reputation of Florida’s universities and making it harder to recruit the best teachers, said Andrew Gothard, president of the United Faculty of Florida.

“What we clearly see is a shift toward authoritarianism and we are seeing it manifesting in higher education — an assault on tenure and free speech,” he said.

A draft bill recently made public is heightening concern, Gothard said. That proposal would have taken hiring decisions away from university presidents and given them to university boards of trustees that include the governor’s political appointees. The investigative website, Seeking Rents, first reported on the draft bill.

Remember, this is the guy that all our never-trump conservatives on this board will rush to vote for.

[CaptainEurope]

Proud Boys Charged with Sedition in Capitol Attack

But... Fox News analyst Glenn Greenwald said that would not happen!

[CaptainEurope]

these are based on averaged figures from their entire term as president. do we really think if Hillary Clinton had become president instead of Trump that those numbers would be significantly different for that time period? COVID-19 is effectively a "natural disaster". anybody who was president at that time would have been similarly "responsible" for losing those jobs.

https://www.bls.gov/news.release/pdf/empsit.pdf

the unemployment rate was steadily returning to normal levels before Biden even became president. it went from 14% down to roughly 6% before Biden even got elected.

Biden has only been president two years. of course, if he took over when the economy is bouncing back from a catastrophe, he will naturally have the best numbers. he can ride that upswing wave and his fans can pat him on the back and tell him "job well done!" good for him. not to demean skill and political acumen altogether... but, sometimes, being lucky makes a bigger difference than knowledge or skill. it reminds me of an old proverb "I would rather be lucky than good."

I've never considered the president as being decisive in their influence on the economy. yes, they can make a skilled response or a clumsy mistake. but they don't actually control the market economy or international political landscape.

I didn't blame Bill Clinton for my getting stuck with a bunch of crappy temp jobs with no benefits or retirement during his eight years as president. sure, I might have been employed for three months and employed for two months before finding work again... but I was TECHNICALLY not unemployed for most of that time.

it seems like the proliferation in jobs might be attributable to the profusion of part-time and temp/gig work employment and won't have lasting benefits for people. that's better than being unemployed. but it's not the best possible situation to be in.

Just look at the graph. Anyone saying this is just "getting back to normal after the pandemic" (which is also a joke because the Pandemic is not over and some of the highest infection and death rates happened in Biden's first year) is in deep denial.

[CaptainEurope]

The one that one that Shumer backed...

Remember that Trump had basically gotten rid of the existing NAFTA, even though Obama had just successfully renegotiated it.

Not having any trade deal in place would have been disastrous for the US economy - compare post Brexit UK. So of course getting the new trade deal in place was necessary if it was the best that could be achieved under Trump/McConnell.

[numberthirty]

Just look at the graph. Anyone saying this is just "getting back to normal after the pandemic" (which is also a joke because the Pandemic is not over and some of the highest infection and death rates happened in Biden's first year) is in deep denial.

Something getting back to normal in a "Less Than Ideal..." set of circumstances is still getting back to normal...

[numberthirty]

I wonder if he has thought about asking them if they are actually interested in the job...

https://thehill.com/news/senate/3511...ecure-schools/

Graham: ‘It is time to mobilize our retired and former service members’ to secure schools

[WestPhillyPunisher]

I wonder if he has thought about asking them if they are actually interested in the job...

https://thehill.com/news/senate/3511...ecure-schools/

What do you think? Another half-assed, nonsensical bs alternative to banning assault weapons and strengthening gun laws. For whatever it's worth, this retired servicemember has a career and better things to do rather than be a poorly trained school rent-a-guard. Graham needs to STFU.

[WestPhillyPunisher]

NY governor signs law raising age to own semiautomatic rifle

New Yorkers under age 21 will be prohibited from buying semiautomatic rifles under a new law signed Monday by Gov. Kathy Hochul, making the state among the first to enact a major gun control initiative following a wave of deadly mass shootings.

Hochul, a Democrat, signed 10 public safety-related bills, including one that will require microstamping in new firearms, which could help law enforcement solve gun-related crimes.

Another revised the state’s “red flag” law, which allows courts to temporarily take away guns from people who might be a threat to themselves or others.

“In New York, we are taking bold, strong action. We’re tightening red flag laws to keep guns away from dangerous people,” Hochul said at a press conference in the Bronx.

New York’s Legislature passed the bills last week, pushing the changes through after a pair of mass shootings involving 18-year-old gunmen using semiautomatic rifles. Ten Black people died in a racist attack on a Buffalo supermarket May 14. A Texas school shooting took the lives of 19 children and two teachers 10 days later.

[CaptainEurope]

Something getting back to normal in a "Less Than Ideal..." set of circumstances is still getting back to normal...

Biden has created more jobs than the last 3 Republican presidents COMBINED.

What you call normal was just not as impressive as Biden's record.

[numberthirty]

Biden has created more jobs than the last 3 Republican presidents COMBINED.

What you call normal was just not as impressive as Biden's record.

You don't "Create..." a job that someone is returning to...

Again, this is like Trump have gas at a seriously low price per gallon.

Each one of those things happened because an anomaly set the stage for them being able to happen.

[CaptainEurope]

You don't "Create..." a job that someone is returning to...

Again, this is like Trump have gas at a seriously low price per gallon.

Each one of those things happened because an anomaly set the stage for them being able to happen.

Again:
The covid relief bill and the infrastructure bill did not fall from the heavens.

[thwhtGuardian]

You don't "Create..." a job that someone is returning to...

Again, this is like Trump have gas at a seriously low price per gallon.

Each one of those things happened because an anomaly set the stage for them being able to happen.

I'll add m voice to the chorus of, "This isn't that big of an achievement" Sure, I think Biden is headand shoulders above Trump but this statistic isn't terribly indicitive of that as it likely would have been the same for anyone who happened to beat Trump.

And I agree, to those cheering this, you can't have it both ways. You can't put down Trump for his claims about the price of gas and defend Biden from the gas prices as it being outside his influence in one breath and then cheer Biden for this with your next breath.

[ed2962]

MTG who has jumped on the anti-"groomer" bandwagon ( despite palling around with Matt Gaetz) has hired Milo Yiannopoulos to be her intern. Milo got famous after getting kicked off Twitter for harassing Lesslie Jones and hating on feminists, was disavowed by the GoP after tape of him defending adults having sex with underage people.

https://twitter.com/NoLieWithBTC/sta...93397991370754