Althouse: At the Sunday Night Café...

January 21, 2024

At the Sunday Night Café...

... you can talk about the retirement of the "DeSanctimonius" nickname and anything else you want.

68 comments:

R C Belaire said...: After Trump emerges victorious from the primary season, and is subsequently tried and convicted of something, what happens at that point? Do the Democrats really want to convict the guy or is this entire lawfare exercise being conducted to ensure he's the nominee by making him a martyr of sorts? If that's their game plan, what's the endgame?; 1/21/24, 5:53 PM
wild chicken said...: Seems a bit early for him to quit.; 1/21/24, 5:53 PM
Sebastian said...: Here's hoping that the yuuge loser of 2018, 2020, and 2022, the guy who lost the GOP the Senate, the Fauci/Birx fanboy, the Biden enabler, will stay out of prison and get it together enough to stage a solid campaign. He owes us a wall, at the very least.; 1/21/24, 5:57 PM
Christopher B said...: Exit timed to do maximum damage to Hayley. Sweet.

DeSantis 2028!; 1/21/24, 5:58 PM
Narr said...: I keep forgetting to acknowledge the new subtitle. Nice.

Got above freezing here for the first time in about a week; we still have low water pressure and need to boil it for consumption. (That's a bad cough you have--consumption be done about it? Hardehar. I'll be here until I spot the process-server.); 1/21/24, 6:04 PM
Mr. Majestyk said...: DeSantis dropped out of the race? That can't be right. He had his ticket punched in Iowa.; 1/21/24, 6:05 PM
tim maguire said...: All the diminutive nicknames for Republicans should be retired. At this point, no good can come of antagonizing the other candidates’ supporters.; 1/21/24, 6:13 PM
JZ said...: I’d rather enjoy the Detroit Lions and their fans than think about Donald Trump. Truth be told, I could end up voting for him again. In a primary and in a general election. I doesn’t make me happy. DeSantis has been a disappointment. Our country is broken.; 1/21/24, 6:23 PM
Humperdink said...: Best line yet on the Big Fani saga:

“It appears to be the accuser has more legal issues than the accused,” longtime Georgia state lawmaker Vernon Jones, a Democrat, told The Post about Willis. “It ain’t no fun when the rabbit got the gun." (NY Post); 1/21/24, 6:47 PM
Mason G said...: Elsewhere on the intertubes, I was told by someone that in 1974, one could raise a family of four (including a non-working stay-at-home partner) on minimum wage.

MW in 1974 = $2.00/hr., a 40 hr. work week grosses $80, after taxes more like $55. House, clothe and feed a family of four on $220/month? It is astounding that anyone could actually believe that sort of nonsense.

In that very year, I was looking to move out of my parent's home. At the time, I was earning 2 1/2x MW and a one bedroom apartment was just barely within my reach. There's no way I could have supported FIVE more people.

It's hard to be optimistic about the future when da yoots lack so much understanding of the past.; 1/21/24, 6:49 PM
tim in vermont said...: I hope you Biden supporters are enjoying living on the brink of WW3; it was your boy who led us here.; 1/21/24, 6:53 PM
Kurt Schuler said...: DeSantis: Middle aged. Kid from a working-class family who got into the Ivy League on his own merit. Still married to the only wife he has ever had and apparently completely faithful. Volunteered for the Navy and served a tour of duty in Iraq. Served in the House of Representatives before narrowly winning election as governor of Florida. As governor, increased Republican majorities in the state legislature. Effectively implemented a conservative legislative and executive agenda. Presided over balanced budgets. One of the first governors to reopen the public sector and to remove restrictions on private sector activity during COVID. Accelerated Florida’s status a magnet for economic growth. Won re-election by a large margin.

Trump: Old. Rich kid who got into the Ivy League because of his father’s wealth. Dodged the military draft with a phony claim of bone spurs; called avoiding diseases from engaging in extramarital sex his “personal Vietnam.” Married three times; cheated on all three wives. No political experience before narrowly winning election as president. Saw control of Congress swing from Republicans to Democrats during his presidency. Despite some important successes, failed to articulate and implement a coherent policy agenda. Notoriously poor manager as president. Oversaw big budget deficits and rising federal debt. Unwisely followed advisers advocating locking down the country during COVID. First president since Herbert Hoover to leave the U.S. economy with fewer jobs at the end of his term than at the start. So widely disliked that he lost re-election to an opponent who mostly stayed at home during the campaign.

Republican voters: Give us Trump!; 1/21/24, 7:09 PM
tim in vermont said...: I was going to post at half time "Take me now Lord!" because Josh Allen was playing so great, and everything was going so well. Now Josh Allen is out with a neck injury. Son of a freekin beotch.; 1/21/24, 7:27 PM
tim in vermont said...: False alarm! Why did they say that?; 1/21/24, 7:32 PM
tim in vermont said...: "I care as much about every frame as [Christopher Nolan] does, but I would sacrifice in a heartbeat all of the work that I put into the way the thing looks: every decision of every pillow, every flower, every move of the camera, my lighting, my sound ….. I would sacrifice it all for you to see the film, not get those aesthetic virtues, and hear what I'm trying to say rather than looking at the way that I'm saying it." - Ava DuVernay in the New Yorker.

That explains a lot.

To steal a line from Futurama, "Good news everyone!" I am checking out of social media for a month, well, until mid Feb, anyway. Last break I took, I finished the third draft of the first act of my novel. So here goes the third draft of the second act.; 1/21/24, 7:40 PM
gspencer said...: Hoping for a Bills v. Lions in Superbowl.

Com'n Bills -scalp the Chiefs!; 1/21/24, 7:49 PM
Mr. Majestyk said...: I am disappointed to see that Peyton Manning is hawking Bud Light in TV commercials now.; 1/21/24, 7:49 PM
hawkeyedjb said...: I'm tired of Trump's childish nicknames. Spend some time criticizing Democrats, why don't you?

It is foolish to support Trump politically; he will turn on you in the end.; 1/21/24, 8:08 PM
Temujin said...: Out: Ron DeSantis
In: Detroit Lions

gspencer: If it happens, it is a sure sign of the End of Times.; 1/21/24, 8:35 PM
Temujin said...: Out: Ron DeSantis
In: Detroit Lions

gspencer: If it happens, it is a sure sign of the End of Times.; 1/21/24, 8:35 PM
Lem the artificially intelligent said...: Fascinating (if true) story via TwitterX: Doctors at a hospital in Texas informed George Pickering that his son was in a state of brain death. They explained that his son showed "no brain activity" and the decision had been made to remove life support.

Pickering, however, was unconvinced by their assessment and resorted to extreme measures by drawing a firearm. He demanded that the doctors continue their efforts to save his son's life, threatening to use the gun if they refused.

This situation escalated into a tense standoff lasting three hours, during which Pickering faced off against the police while the medical team performed additional tests on his son.

The hospital was secured under lockdown as police negotiators tried to reason with Pickering, who remained adamant. In a pivotal moment, Pickering's son, previously declared braindead, responded to his father's request to squeeze his hand, indicating cognitive presence. Following this revelation, Pickering peacefully surrendered to the authorities.

George Pickering II subsequently served a prison sentence of 11 months. Remarkably, his son experienced a complete recovery.; 1/21/24, 8:36 PM
Wa St Blogger said...: Elsewhere on the intertubes, I was told by someone that in 1974, one could raise a family of four (including a non-working stay-at-home partner) on minimum wage.

It is foolish to say that a family of 4 could live on minimum wage. It is a useless comparison as almost no one who would make minimum wage would have a family of four. Most of the time, by the time you are old enough to have 2 kids, you probably have risen up a rung or two on the ladder. An interesting comparison is that at Yale the total cost of attendance in 1974 was $5,000, which you could cover with a $2.50 an hour job. Median income was $5.50 an hour, so you didn't have to be rich, just a little industrious to go to Yale. The "they" say that at $5.50 an hour job would be comfortably middle class for a family.; 1/21/24, 8:37 PM
Wa St Blogger said...: Republican voters: Give us Trump!

Republican voters vote for the person who they think will best advance the agenda they like. They are sort of weird that way, not choosing someone based on demographic qualities and stuff.; 1/21/24, 8:39 PM
robother said...: The only interesting question remaining is who Trump will name as his VP. Tim Scott? Elise Stefanik? J.D. Vance? I woke up suddenly last night, with the thought that it could even be...RFK Jr.!; 1/21/24, 8:42 PM
Rich said...: One of the biggest flops in 21st century US politics. He topped it off with the Ted Cruz style cap-in-hand apology endorsement.; 1/21/24, 8:47 PM
gilbar said...: https://pjmedia.com/matt-margolis/2024/01/21/desantis-suspends-presidential-campaign-n4925704
BREAKING: Ron DeSantis Suspends Presidential Campaign, Makes Endorsement
"It’s clear to me that a majority of Republican primary voters want to give Donald Trump another chance. They watched his presidency get stymied by relentless resistance and they see Democrats using lawfare to this day to attack him. While I have had disagreements with Donald Trump, such as on the coronavirus pandemic and his elevation of Anthony Fauci, Trump is superior to the current incumbent, Joe Biden. That is clear. I signed a pledge to support the Republican nominee and I will honor that pledge."; 1/21/24, 9:03 PM
Iman said...: Buffalo 66! The Ghost of Scott Norwood arises.; 1/21/24, 9:20 PM
Lem the artificially intelligent said...: How did the NYT readers know "DEI/Anti Racism went too far post George Floyd?"

Answer via TwitterX rodeo: People aren't just following the news narratives anymore

There is hope. You gotta have hope to be a Trump supporter.; 1/21/24, 9:28 PM
Mr Wibble said...: After Trump emerges victorious from the primary season, and is subsequently tried and convicted of something, what happens at that point? Do the Democrats really want to convict the guy or is this entire lawfare exercise being conducted to ensure he's the nominee by making him a martyr of sorts? If that's their game plan, what's the endgame?

After he's convicted I expect them to try more lawfare to keep him off the ballot, including Secretaries of State simply announcing that they won't put him on it. I don't think that this is 3-D chess by the Dems; they simply promised their base for years that they'd get Trump for something, and now they have to deliver.; 1/21/24, 9:32 PM
Mutaman said...: Blogger Humperdink said...

"longtime Georgia state lawmaker Vernon Jones, a Democrat,"

Jones is a republican who has endorsed Trump and whose career is marred by controversy and lawsuits.; 1/21/24, 9:32 PM
Lem the artificially intelligent said...: Huge if true: HACKING ELECTION VOTES EASIER THAN YOU THINK

"Atlanta, Georgia, computer science and engineering professor J. Alex Halderman was able to hack a Dominion voting tabulator in front of U.S. District Judge Amy Totenberg using only a pen to change the vote totals this week.

Professor J. Alex Halderman has made a career studying electronic voting security. His research has changed the concept of stolen elections from theory to reality.

“I know America’s voting machines are vulnerable,” J. Alex Halderman firmly stated, pausing to lift his head from the page he read to look up at a phalanx of U.S. senators, “because my colleagues and I have hacked them—repeatedly—as part of a decade of research studying the technology that operates elections and learning how to make it stronger.”"; 1/21/24, 9:33 PM
Lem the artificially intelligent said...: Democrats are so far gone it takes a stroke to snap out of it.; 1/21/24, 9:52 PM
wildswan said...: The two state solution
The only solution to the Palestinian problem is the two state solution in which the Palestinians accept Israel's right to exist. Could that happen? Germany is standing strongly by Israel at the Hague and elsewhere. Who would have thought that possible 90 years ago. But it's happening.
Hamas does not accept Israel's right to exist so it could not be a partner in a two state solution. They chant "from the river to the sea" meaning they do not support a two state solution. And the PA is internally dominated by Hamas in that 70 to 80 per cent of its members would prefer Hamas. So there are no major partners on the Palestinian side who believe in a two state solution at present. It could only be a one state and a sham state solution. But still, honoring Germany's change, it's possible to support a two state solution as the end point to aim at.
Gaza, for instance, could start to develop an economy, a basic state element, rather than living off aid money which is mostly poured into a system of underground hideouts, like a kingdom of worms.
And Gaza should start to do this because the attack on Israel on October 7 violated so many Islamic rules on warfare that "October 7" will become a curse unless it comes to signal time for a change. You cannot attack women, children, old people and surrendered soldiers in warfare under Islamic law but all this was done on October 7 and Hamas intends to do the same again, again in the name of Islam. Behaving in a manner so far removed from one's religious law while invoking the sanction of that same religion twists the conscience and never has a good outcome. That's universal.; 1/21/24, 10:07 PM
Mutaman said...: Rich said...

"One of the biggest flops in 21st century US politics. He topped it off with the Ted Cruz style cap-in-hand apology endorsement."

At least he'll have more time to stick his fingers in some pudding.; 1/21/24, 10:09 PM
Mason G said...: From this...

Answer via TwitterX rodeo: People aren't just following the news narratives anymore:

"If it said it in the Wall Street Journal or the New York Times, then that was a fact. Nowadays, people can go to all sorts of different sources for the news, and they're much more questioning about what we're saying."

That's what happens when people find out that you report lies as the truth.; 1/21/24, 10:10 PM
Josephbleau said...: The one thing that the Obama years showed us is that white people can have anything they want. When white people demand a nice well spoken half black president to entertain and emotionally validate them, that’s what they get.

It will be interesting when Michelle runs in the late summer, she is edgier and more confrontational. White people may want a Republican period to tone down the wars and build the economy a bit before they go back to a feel good president.

There are two ways to stop a war, accept defeat, or win. According to an old movie, the only way to win is to not play, but historically being very strong is the only way to avoid playing.; 1/21/24, 10:17 PM
TickTock said...: Would have missed the change in subtitle, if not for Narr. Sweet.; 1/21/24, 10:23 PM
Rusty said...: tim in vermont said...
"I hope you Biden supporters are enjoying living on the brink of WW3; it was your boy who led us here."
They don't care. It won't be their sons and daughters getting killed or injured.; 1/21/24, 10:37 PM
Jupiter said...: There has been talk about the concern, among Democrats, that, if elected President, Donald Trump might seek "revenge". A fundamental rule of politics, is to reward your friends, and punish your enemies, that you might come to have more of the former, and fewer of the latter. This can take mild forms, such as favoring your allies for lucrative contracts, or rather more aggressive forms, like throwing your opponents from helicopters. You might say, it's a spectrum.

So what can the Democrats expect after Trump's coming re-election? Well. It is satisfying to attack your enemies, and destroy them. But in doing so, all too often, you make new enemies of their children. And helicopters use a lot of fuel. My hope is that the second Trump administration will take an Eradicationist approach to Democrats; increased public funding for contraception and abortion, and for the sexual mutilation of their children. As well as for aggressive promotion of homosexuality in the public schools. Let's get serious. Let's wipe the fucking Democrats right off the face of the planet. America for Americans!; 1/21/24, 11:05 PM
Dr Weevil said...: People like Kurt Schuler (7:09pm) who accuse Trump of dodging the draft "with a phony claim of bone spurs" should know that:

1. Bone spurs are a real thing that shows up clearly on x-rays. We know that Trump's father dragged him around New York learning the business, so foot problems are very plausible, as well as easily checked and therefore not a good excuse to offer the draft doctors.

2. Asthma, on the other hand, is very difficult to disprove. Joe Biden had as many deferments as Trump, because of his asthma (or "asthma"), though he had played multiple sports in high school and has had no known problems with his breath before or after the period of his Vietnam War eligibility.

3. Ergo, anyone who accuses Trump of dodging the draft without adding "just like his opponent Biden" is a liar or a fool or some mixture of the two.; 1/21/24, 11:35 PM
Kate said...: @Lem --

I've watched three episodes of "House" and I think that was the plot in one of them.; 1/22/24, 12:46 AM
gadfly said...: FWIW: Taylor Swift has an 8,300 sq ft condo on Franklin Street in Lower Manhattan's Tribeca neighborhood. Her Zip Code is the 5th richest in the U.S. She was, of course, in Orchard Park attending the KC Swifty's takedown of the Bills Mafia. God strikes again in yet another Bills playoff as Travis catches two touchdowns.; 1/22/24, 3:52 AM
BUMBLE BEE said...: Michael Moore praising Trump?

https://twitter.com/JackPosobiec/status/1747630445838131401

America for the Americans.; 1/22/24, 4:37 AM
Humperdink said...: Mutaman responded to my comment: "Jones is a republican who has endorsed Trump and whose career is marred by controversy and lawsuits."

Regardless of political affiliation, it is an hilariously true line.

From the Hunt for Red October: As to the torpedo circles back, Andrei Bonovia: (to Captain Tupolev) You arrogant ass! You've killed us!"; 1/22/24, 5:08 AM
Jersey Fled said...: I’ve always been skeptical of the Einstein “quote” about the definition of insanity.

Turns out I was right.

“5. “The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results.”

There is no evidence Einstein ever said this. The likely origin of this quote is from the Basic Texts of Narcotics Anonymous, which is the first known source of this quote. The Basic Texts were first drafted to members in 1981 and published in 1983.“

I hear by propose that we ban the use of this fake Einstein quote here at Althouse forever.; 1/22/24, 5:15 AM
Christopher B said...: Looks like the new post go published over top of last night's cafe; 1/22/24, 5:27 AM
Lem the artificially intelligent said...: I thought I saw a Sunday night open thread. Not a pussy cat. Karma is a cat. Or says quote extrordinare Taylor Swift.

Seeing is believing. So seeing what we want to see is in a way a survival strategery. Ask Steve Wonder and Ray Charles.

But as it is written:

“Eye has not seen, nor ear heard,
Nor have entered into the heart of man
The things which God has prepared for those who love Him.”

I’m tempted to change the big G for the big T in that quote. But I won’t because I don’t see how anybody here could possibly rejoice in that kind of blaspheme.

I may be a Trump supporter but I’m not crazy 😜; 1/22/24, 5:44 AM
Lem the artificially intelligent said...: Oh. The cafe is back. Now I don’t know what I’m seeing.; 1/22/24, 5:49 AM
Big Mike said...: Lions vs Ravens in the Super Bowl; 1/22/24, 6:02 AM
Enigma said...: @Kurt Schuler wrote: Trump...So widely disliked that he lost re-election to an opponent who mostly stayed at home during the campaign.

Your negative characterizations of Trump are not untrue. Trump is/was deeply flawed in many ways. The sad reality is that Biden is dramatically WORSE than Trump in every way. In misreading Trump's populist appeal, the Democratic Party came to foolish conclusions (per abject humiliation by Trump), and they responded to Trump with broadly incoherent failures.

Never in living memory has the USA had such an obvious weak puppet in power. Biden's mush brain can do nothing without his regent handlers, and his business team will do nothing without his palm being greased by donors who then feel entitled to pull his strings. And he doesn't even hide it. He's a direct copy of a late Roman emperor installed by and controlled by the (FBI/CIA) Praetorian Guard.

Enjoying your DEI-managed BLM-peaceful immigrant-bankrupt Sanctuary Cities much? As dollars are squandered by insane COVID policies that destroyed education, by fighting an unwinnable war against Russia, and as China eats the USA economically and technologically from inside out?

I hope that both Trump and Biden go away.; 1/22/24, 6:52 AM
Humperdink said...: Two words: "Wide right".

History repeats itself. Scott Norwood wanted that field goal to be good .... more than anyone else on planet earth. His name, somewhat forgotten, now surfaces again. Poor guy.; 1/22/24, 7:13 AM
donald said...: When we had paper ballots and punch cards elections were over THAT NIGHT.; 1/22/24, 7:44 AM
Kate said...: Sorry, it wasn't "House", @Lem.

George holding up the ER to keep them from pulling the plug on his son is the season 2, episode 13 of "9-1-1 Lone Star" with Rob Lowe.; 1/22/24, 7:48 AM
donald said...: This comment has been removed by the author.; 1/22/24, 7:54 AM
MadTownGuy said...: Spelling erratum in the post.

NYT: 'DeSanctimonious’ No More: Trump Says He’ll Drop Ex-Rival’s Nickname; 1/22/24, 8:24 AM
wendybar said...: Ask yourself why they would do this, other than that they lied, and KNOW we are on to them, and THEY belong behind bars for fraud, and the coup of the Trump White House.

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/us-politics/article-12991471/january-6-committee-deleted-files-republican-probe-house-majority.html; 1/22/24, 8:46 AM
Rich said...: DeSantis spent $150 million ($20m RDS and $130m Never Back Down) and only got 23,420 votes

$6,400 per vote -- a record of failure by a factor of 10x

(Michael Bloomberg only spent something like $450 per vote)

The biggest dumpster fire in the history of presidential politics; 1/22/24, 8:57 AM
Robert Cook said...: "Elsewhere on the intertubes, I was told by someone that in 1974, one could raise a family of four (including a non-working stay-at-home partner) on minimum wage.

MW in 1974 = $2.00/hr., a 40 hr. work week grosses $80, after taxes more like $55. House, clothe and feed a family of four on $220/month? It is astounding that anyone could actually believe that sort of nonsense."

Which proves that the minimum wage has been too low for decades, if not always. It's purpose was to provide the minimum income necessary to allow one to pay for "basic necessities." It may be debated as to what "basic necessities" encompasses, but food and shelter would seem to be the most basic of basic necessities.

The median income of all families in the United States was $12,840 in 1974, according to results of the Current Population Survey (CPS) which was conducted in March 1975 by the Bureau of the Census.

Without any mechanisms in place to automatically adjust it for rising prices, the real value of the federal minimum wage has gradually declined, reaching a 66-year low in 2023, where it is now worth 42% less than its highest point in 1968. Moreover, the federal minimum wage is worth 30% less today than when it was last raised 14 years ago. This significant loss in purchasing power means that the federal minimum wage today is nowhere close to a living wage.; 1/22/24, 9:03 AM
donald said...: https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=S6-UC8yr0Aw

Ya know, it’s funny, but the “It was a primary” excuse for Biden’s life long hateful bigotry doesn’t show up anywhere.; 1/22/24, 9:06 AM
Ann Althouse said...: "I thought I saw a Sunday night open thread...."

Yeah, I mistakenly thought I was looking at an empty window and wrote a new post where I already had this post.

This is a very annoying mistake, which I've done a few times over the years and try quite hard to avoid making again. I thought I was being careful, but apparently, not careful enough.

Anyway, I moved the new material and reconstructed this old one.; 1/22/24, 11:44 AM
MadTownGuy said...: Meanwhile, in Oakland CA:

After 76 years, In-N-Out announces...

"There was a time not too long ago when people who wanted to play a practical joke in a decent-size city in the eastern United States could follow this playbook:

Find a vacant storefront.
Print a professional-looking sign that reads something like: "In-N-Out Burger Is Coming Soon!" and hang it in the window.
Count the expat Californians who walked by, taking photos, posting to social media, and wistfully wondering whether it could possibly be true.
Fortunately, we're all a bit wiser and more experienced than we were a few years ago, and people are less likely to fall for this now.

But it does reflect that the opening of an In-N-Out, the California-based cult favorite burger restaurant, is an event, and people running other businesses would love to duplicate it.

Heck, when the family-owned company opened its first two restaurants in Colorado a few years ago, the lines to check it out stretched for miles, and the local sheriff begged people to stay away.

But now, In-N-Out is making headlines for the opposite reason: It's closing one of its beloved and highly profitable restaurants -- and for a heartbreaking reason. Here's Denny Warnick, the chief operating officer at In-N-Out:
---------------------------------
We have made the decision to close our In-N-Out Burger location in Oakland, California, due to ongoing issues with crime.

Despite taking repeated steps to create safer conditions, our Customers and Associates are regularly victimized by car break-ins, property damage, theft, and armed robberies.
---------------------------------
The location will close as of March 24, Warnick said.

This is a sad thing to think about, especially the explanation. In-N-Out launched in 1948, and at least one outlet, The National Review, reports that the company has never permanently closed a restaurant before in its entire history.

I reached out to In-N-Out late Sunday to confirm that, and I'll update when I hear back. It's a rarity at the least, and possibly unprecedented.

The restaurant that is set to close is the only one in Oakland, and it's close to the Oakland International Airport. I'm pretty certain I've been there, as I'm one of those California expats I mentioned above who tends to stop by for a burger when I can if I'm flying in and out of the state.

Also, I'm not in a position to comment first-hand on the scale of crime at this specific location, but earlier this month, The San Francisco Standard wrote that security guards near the In-N-Out reported seeing multiple car break-ins at the location daily.

Across Oakland, other media report that between 2022 and 2023 across the entire city, the number of robberies in Oakland rose 38 percent, and burglaries rose 23 percent.

Spend a few minutes searching and you can easily find some distressing social media reports of crime in progress."

More at the link.; 1/22/24, 11:47 AM
Mason G said...: Which proves that the minimum wage has been too low for decades, if not always. It's purpose was to provide the minimum income necessary to allow one to pay for "basic necessities."

The minimum necessary to pay for basic necessities? Why so stingy? Don't people deserve better? Let's raise the minimum wage to $1000/hr. Then everyone will have plenty of money. Right?

Even you can see the flaw in this plan. Right?; 1/22/24, 12:43 PM
Narr said...: wildswan wrote something about Islam's rules of warfare, as if (assuming the online sites haven't been put up entirely to spread falsehoods, you know, like followers of an obvious False Prophet would do) they are real.

The first and most important rule of Muhammed Club is: crush the infidel BAMN.

Taqqiya.; 1/22/24, 12:54 PM
Gospace said...: Why social media should be treated as common carriers and not allowed to censor in any way, shape, or form. The following was determined to violate Facebook's rules on violent or extremist conduct and deleted- when posted in a private writer's group asking "Is this the way?" An old Mutt and Jeff comic. Link:
https://www.gocomics.com/muttandjeff/2024/01/22

And there is now ay to actually contact a human being to tell them how incredibly idiotic they are.; 1/22/24, 1:29 PM
wendybar said...: Jack Poso 🇺🇸
@JackPosobiec
Trump just got the entire media to finally admit Nancy Pelosi was in charge of security on Jan 6

https://x.com/JackPosobiec/status/1748866017252573457?s=20; 1/22/24, 2:43 PM
wendybar said...: Vanessa
@Nessakins_
Texas should just keep putting up barriers. If Biden can ignore SCOTUS rulings, then so can the state of Texas. New rules.

Greg Price
@greg_price11
·
1h
BREAKING: The Supreme Court just ruled 5-4 that the Biden admin can remove physical barriers Texas put at their border to stop the invasion.

Barrett and Roberts voted with the libs.; 1/22/24, 3:13 PM
Mason G said...: "BREAKING: The Supreme Court just ruled 5-4 ..."

What cities do the five live in? That's five new destinations for busses of "migrants", I'd think.; 1/22/24, 6:17 PM
Robert Cook said...: "The minimum necessary to pay for basic necessities? Why so stingy? Don't people deserve better? Let's raise the minimum wage to $1000/hr. Then everyone will have plenty of money. Right?

"Even you can see the flaw in this plan. Right?"

What plan? Raising the minimum wage to $1,000/hr? Who has suggested such a thing, other than you, being snarky? "Minimum wage" is defined in its name: it is the minimum wage necessary to provide sufficient income for a person working full time to meet the minimum costs of feeding themselves and paying for shelter. There is no suggestion in that definition that a minimum wage must provide lavish wages sufficient to allow the working person to buy lavish homes and cars or to eat at expensive restaurants.

If we are going to have a legal minimum wage--and we do--it should guarantee that a person working full time (35-40 hours per week) will be paid enough that he or she can afford to feed and shelter themselves, however modestly. Minimum wage was not created simply to set a wage scale for teenagers working 5-10 hours a week after school, as many seem to think. However, given that we have let the minimum wage remain frozen for years, dramatically diminishing its purchasing power, that is essentially that is what it has become.

Do you see no problem in people working full time (at menial or unskilled jobs, granted) who cannot, still, feed themselves and find stable shelter? The Walton family is one well-known example of employers reaping billions in profit while their paid employees often must also seek public assistance, (and are encouraged to do so by Walmart management, which means Walmart's profits are partly being generated by the taxpayers, who offset Walmart's costs of doing business).

As has always been true, the rich get richer and the poor eat shit.; 1/23/24, 10:01 AM