Now That Trump's President... (not any more!)

  On 1/19/2021 at 11:31 PM, jules said:

Maybe I am super naive about the US political system, but wouldn't these (relatively) simple things fix quite a bit:

A) Term limits for Congress. I mean, isn't this a no-brainer? You could eliminate career politicians tied to mega-corps and self-interest groups, no? 

2) Abolish the electoral college. There is literally no need for it. It would eliminate gerrymandering and make all votes count.

D) Having the electoral college gone would then clear a path for a legitimate 3rd party. Both sides are so fucking extreme right now that anyone that comes right down the middle would seem like a hyper-intelligent logical person. Since no electoral college, you could have 3rd party members in congress and then a president who is neither a Republican or Democrat.

I don't know, this just seems logical to me. But again, I also like cold toilet seats, so who knows. The way this country is looking, I am going to be asking Stephen G to sponsor me to move to Canada or maybe I should go to Denmark or something. What a mess.

 

 

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E) Ranked voting.

That would solve a lot of the "I can't vote for who I want, I have to vote for who other people think will win" mentality.

  On 1/19/2021 at 11:52 PM, very honest said:

rude, man. i don't call you fucking stupid when i disagree with you. and i don't even think we disagree. i explicitly was not coming down on the side of corporations as people. i just mentioned that sometimes they can function this way, i did not weigh in on whether or not this was worth the trade-off of the negative aspects of their present political role. 

Sure, okay. You just make statements that have no bearing in the overall conversation. Gotcha.

 

  On 1/19/2021 at 11:52 PM, very honest said:

  On 1/19/2021 at 9:11 PM, dingformung said:

Remove corporation donations all together - they give parties an advantage without any democratic legitimisation to do so. It's basically legalised corruption/bribery. Again, I don't know how dear you hold the idea of democracy.

are you kidding me man

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No, I genuinely don't know it.

there's no chance that a for-profit corporation can be trusted to act as a check or balance on the government (edit: or on anything in the public interest, really). it's a basic conflict of interest between the private and public sphere.

edit: also the public sphere/government does not just mean the executive figurehead, it means the network of government organisations that act in the public interest and which, at least in the orange era, have been vastly more trustworthy and reliable where they have not been tainted by orange-smeared appointees.

@MaartenVC thanks for that extension for youtube, gonna give it a go.

Edited January 20, 2021 by usagi

  On 1/19/2021 at 7:54 PM, very honest said:

that established corps as people.

Corporations as people goes way back. Way way back, like the groundwork was being laid down in the early 19th century.
 

Corporations are a necessary evil for a functioning economy but they need to have massive checks placed on them, and they should have no role in providing checks or balances on government whatsoever. 

^ ah, thanks. good point 

on a different topic:

mcconnell looking very much like a yea on conviction

good time for americans with republican senators to call them up. gonna be an interesting vote.

Edited January 20, 2021 by very honest

  On 1/19/2021 at 11:31 PM, jules said:

Both sides are so fucking extreme right now

Agree with your suggestions but not with this statement. The current GOP is far-right and even the 1980 GOP looks far-left in comparison - thanks in part to e.g. Clinton-era policies, to be fair.

Wholeheartedly agree that healthier 3rd parties could only improve the political dialog. Super tired of the SportsBall paradigm.

  On 1/20/2021 at 1:04 AM, very honest said:

^ ah, thanks. good point 

on a different topic:

mcconnell looking very much like a yea on conviction

good time for americans with republican senators to call them up. gonna be an interesting vote.

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McConnell is a fucking greasy opportunist and he deserves to get some incurable disease that leaves him with just enough life to watch the news as America undergoes a transformation away from the politics of greed and corruption to a country that begins to look after the people living there. 

Thats it I guess then. I still remember my amusement at the idea of Trump winning in 2015 quite vividly. Good Times.

lol

  On 1/19/2021 at 10:32 PM, Braintree said:

There have been a few randos and watmmers that have come and gone. Like usual, they'll come in hot and say a bunch of dumb shit but they get smacked down because that's not the culture around here.

You (not you specifically @Braintree, your post just gave me a good jumping off point) might almost say that a regulated society functions better than one where shitgibbons think they can say whatever they want.  Not perfect, but a hell of a lot better than the alternatives. 

  On 1/20/2021 at 3:41 AM, pcock said:

Thats it I guess then. I still remember my amusement at the idea of Trump winning in 2015 quite vividly. Good Times.

I knew he would win at the republican debates in 2015. Megyn Kelly tried to pwn him saying he called women fat pigs and he just interrupted and said “only Rosie O’Donnell”— the audience erupted and all the other loser candidates looked miserable and shellshocked. Good times indeed.

lol Lil Wayne pardon. he's in great company.

  On 1/20/2021 at 7:04 AM, usagi said:

lol Lil Wayne pardon. he's in great company.

full list of pardons served up hot off the stove. even Harry O from death row records gets the T pardon treatment.

https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefings-statements/statement-press-secretary-regarding-executive-grants-clemency-012021/

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  On 1/20/2021 at 7:45 AM, Nebraska said:

full list of pardons served up hot off the stove. even Harry O from death row records gets the T pardon treatment.

https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefings-statements/statement-press-secretary-regarding-executive-grants-clemency-012021/

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"shocking" lols.. wtf. 

  Quote

Trump Supporter Shocked Over Clemency of 'Crook' Who Stole His Life Savings in Ponzi Scheme

https://www.newsweek.com/trump-supporter-shocked-over-clemency-crook-who-stole-his-life-savings-ponzi-scheme-1562797

  Quote

 

71-year-old supporter of President Donald Trump was reportedly shocked when Trump recently commuted the 40-year sentence of a man who stole his life savings in a Ponzi scheme.

Kimball Pugmire, who supported the outgoing president and voted for him in 2016 and 2020, told the Tampa Bay Times that he was forced to question Trump's honesty after learning that the president had granted clemency Wednesday to "lifetime crook" Fred Davis Clark Jr., who was sentenced to decades behind bars in 2016 after defrauding nearly 1,400 investors out of a combined $300 million.

"I had been trying to forget all this, but it makes you wonder, even being a Trump supporter, about his honesty," Pugmire told the paper.

 

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lol

what is the extent of a presidential pardon, btw? does it mean lifetime immunity against whatever charges are specified?

Edited January 20, 2021 by usagi

  On 1/20/2021 at 8:02 AM, usagi said:

lol

what is the extent of a presidential pardon, btw? does it mean lifetime immunity against whatever charges are specified?

Yep

damn, so Lil Wayne will never get brought up for wholesaling sizzurp to 14 yr olds.

Perhaps mentioned already, but considering the two party "problem". Seems to me like it's more likely that a third party will grow out of the Democratic Party. That probably means that you'll be stuck with a republican president "for ever"?

regarding political parties.. trump is talking about starting the "patriot Party". everybody crazy. splinter units. 

 

Too bad about COVID and all, at least he’s on top of the Lil Wayne situation. FFS

  On 1/20/2021 at 8:27 AM, Hugh Mughnus said:

Yep

Federal crimes only 

  Quote

The White House has issued invitations for a ceremony at the base, with attendees told to arrive at 7.15am and the event due to start 45 minutes later.

talk about early bird

  On 1/20/2021 at 7:45 AM, Nebraska said:

full list of pardons served up hot off the stove. even Harry O from death row records gets the T pardon treatment.

https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefings-statements/statement-press-secretary-regarding-executive-grants-clemency-012021/

Sent from my SM-N975U using Tapatalk
 

Now whenever future employers google their names, they'll be associated with Trump. Not sure if that's better or worse for them.

If trump had any real balls he’d pardon r kelly