Trump supporters, how do you square this?

[thedukeofearl]

Here is one example of the cost:

What's at Stake

In which John has great news if you're a bacterium. The Project for Awesome starts Friday but the fundraiser is live now: http://projectforawesome.com/donate...

www.youtube.com

That is societal cost, but there is also the consideration of ROI. Programs that eliminate poverty tend to return more than they cost, for example, because of how expensive it is for society to deal with the knock-on issues that go along with poverty.

Many Middle Class folk are really concerned about SS cuts, Medicare/Medicaid and going to the
store for Food which is getting higher and higher in every aisle

Those worries are not going to happen, tRUMP is playing games with Middle Class folk which
are not his kind

The egg thing was a distraction and most folk bought into it, eggs are a bargain and an
inexpensive source of protein

No Eggland eggs at Hy-Vee right now, but I found organic, free-range eggs on the shelf

Was chatting with a fine-looking woman in the egg aisle, and she brought up the cost of eggs
I told her it was a talking point that worked very well in the election, and they are still a bargain,
and look at the prices of everything in the store, everything without exception is more expensive
and will continue to go up

Seems like America is turning into Maga Land and becoming unfriendly

 

[thedukeofearl]

A Mere Millionaire is probably beneath contempt to president musk and his puppet in the
White House

Wonder if tRUMP watches TV and sees how he looks while Musk in running the show

Looks like Musk controls Donny

 

[kicker22]

You're probably right that not many people will change their mind. FWIW they have addressed cutting things that end up having a negative impact. The goal is to cut as much as possible and error on thr sade of cutting too much. Then things can be added back in when it becomes clear they are needed. I see the logic in doing it that way but also get people who think it's too extreme. As far as super bowl and vacations go. I'm a firm believer that anything that is done for personal reasons should come from personal expenses. And how can it possibly cost 20 mil to go to a super bowl. That's just another example of everything the government does costs 10x what it should.

I agree that Super Bowl cost could be bumped up, but how much I don't know. While I question the $20 Million total which I saw that was estimated I'd think it would run more then I'd expect when you include the costs of added security (which I'm sure being in Louisiana was already much tighter then expected), the cost of the suite, and transportation to and from the stadium, Cost of Air Force One and accompanying fighter jets and other expenses. Regardless of how much they exaggerate those numbers IMO tax payers shouldn't be contributing a penny of that for him or any other elected official.

 

[Fryowa]

Hey I had no arguments with any history lesson you were giving. I find it interesting too. My problem is you used it to try to disprove something I said when it was completely irrelevant to what I said. (I'm still convinced you have no idea the context I was using but that ship has long sailed) I'm more interested in documentaries than books if you have any suggestions there.

I'm not into proving or disproving anything to people.

Re: documentaries, there are some that are/can be interesting, but you can't really learn much from them. They tend to not even brush the surface of most topics. I don't say this to be sarcastic, but there's a reason it takes a 2-3 months to get through "The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich" as opposed to a couple hours in a documentary. Not all books are that intense and there's lots of reads you can get through in a week or two and learn from, but you won't get the depth needed to understand and discuss historical topics without doing some hard work. I love history, so the hard work is fun for me.

If I were you I'd find a small subsection of Euro/Mid East history that sounds super interesting to you, find a broadly-accepted book on the topic, and dedicate a couple weeks of reading at night until you finish it. Usually the way it works (and how it worked for me as a kid), is that through reading that book it piques your curiosity in other related things that tie into what you just read, and then you explore that, and expand your understanding. And so on and so on.

If you add up the time you spend reading internet material/news you come across from social media and wherever, and it ends up being, say, 5 hours total...tell yourself that for a month you're going to dedicate those 5 hours a week to reading a book about something you're interested in.

If you ever decide to do that lemme know and I'll read the same one to show I'm not bullshitting. Doesn't have to be history, I read a ton of contemporary science and economics books too. "Superintelligence" by Nick Bostrom (Oxford prof) is a great read you'd be enamored with, and it's not overly academic. I have it but haven't read it in a while. I should again.

 

[kicker22]

A Mere Millionaire is probably beneath contempt to president musk and his puppet in the
White House

Wonder if tRUMP watches TV and sees how he looks while Musk in running the show

Looks like Musk controls Donny

I agree with this completely and honestly find it fascinating that they're relationship hasn't been severed already. They both crave attention, recognition, and ultimately power so as you said for the two of them to be working side by side at this point blows my mind as I'm simply waiting for Musk's public and media's portrayal of being in control and Trump's ego to create an unrepairable rift.

 

[PCHawk]

x.com

x.com

Weird.

 

[PCHawk]

I agree that Super Bowl cost could be bumped up, but how much I don't know. While I question the $20 Million total which I saw that was estimated I'd think it would run more then I'd expect when you include the costs of added security (which I'm sure being in Louisiana was already much tighter then expected), the cost of the suite, and transportation to and from the stadium, Cost of Air Force One and accompanying fighter jets and other expenses. Regardless of how much they exaggerate those numbers IMO tax payers shouldn't be contributing a penny of that for him or any other elected official.

Just to be clear o wasn't insinuating the number was fake. I meant government finds a way to make everything more expensive than it should be.

 

[PCHawk]

I'm not into proving or disproving anything to people.

Re: documentaries, there are some that are/can be interesting, but you can't really learn much from them. They tend to not even brush the surface of most topics. I don't say this to be sarcastic, but there's a reason it takes a 2-3 months to get through "The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich" as opposed to a couple hours in a documentary. Not all books are that intense and there's lots of reads you can get through in a week or two and learn from, but you won't get the depth needed to understand and discuss historical topics without doing some hard work. I love history, so the hard work is fun for me.

If I were you I'd find a small subsection of Euro/Mid East history that sounds super interesting to you, find a broadly-accepted book on the topic, and dedicate a couple weeks of reading at night until you finish it. Usually the way it works (and how it worked for me as a kid), is that through reading that book it piques your curiosity in other related things that tie into what you just read, and then you explore that, and expand your understanding. And so on and so on.

If you add up the time you spend reading internet material/news you come across from social media and wherever, and it ends up being, say, 5 hours total...tell yourself that for a month you're going to dedicate those 5 hours a week to reading a book about something you're interested in.

If you ever decide to do that lemme know and I'll read the same one to show I'm not bullshitting. Doesn't have to be history, I read a ton of contemporary science and economics books too. "Superintelligence" by Nick Bostrom (Oxford prof) is a great read you'd be enamored with, and it's not overly academic. I have it but haven't read it in a while. I should again.

My problem with reading books is I don't have a lot of big chunks of free time. Mine is more 10 minutes here and 10 minutes there. In my head I feel like 10 minutes isn't enough time to start reading. I should probably just get over that. It's really not a big deal to read a book in 10 minute intervals.

 

[kicker22]

Just to be clear o wasn't insinuating the number was fake. I meant government finds a way to make everything more expensive than it should be.

No didn't take it that way at all, but I'm with you that even at the government's ability to run up a tab it still sounds questionable but not out of the realm of possibility.

 

[CP87]

x.com

x.com

Weird.

He did not defy a court order, he was able to relieve debt within the limits of what the court allowed (not as broad as he had hoped, but not nothing).

I think the student debt relief thing was a dumb political move by Biden/Dems, personally.

 

[PCHawk]

He did not defy a court order, he was able to relieve debt within the limits of what the court allowed (not as broad as he had hoped, but not nothing).

I think the student debt relief thing was a dumb political move by Biden/Dems, personally.

I read the technical difference in the article posted yesterday.

 

[thedukeofearl]

I agree with this completely and honestly find it fascinating that they're relationship hasn't been severed already. They both crave attention, recognition, and ultimately power so as you said for the two of them to be working side by side at this point blows my mind as I'm simply waiting for Musk's public and media's portrayal of being in control and Trump's ego to create an unrepairable rift.

tRUMP has a super ego and he genuflects to musk

Wonder how long he will bow to his Master

 

[Fryowa]

My problem with reading books is I don't have a lot of big chunks of free time. Mine is more 10 minutes here and 10 minutes there. In my head I feel like 10 minutes isn't enough time to start reading. I should probably just get over that. It's really not a big deal to read a book in 10 minute intervals.

Do you watch TV or scroll on your phone in bed before going to sleep?

That's what I do. I read a lot during other times, but I also cut out the TV and scrolling in bed. I read for a half hour minimum before I let myself watch TV or go to sleep. You can get 5 hours no problem every week doing that.

 

[CP87]

Do you watch TV or scroll on your phone in bed before going to sleep?

That's what I do. I read a lot during other times, but I also cut out the TV and scrolling in bed. I read for a half hour minimum before I let myself watch TV or go to sleep. You can get 5 hours no problem every week doing that.

Over the last 4 years, I got in a bad habit of doom-scrolling before bed. Since the election, I have made a concerted effort to avoid social media, and I never mess with it at night. I am much happier.

However, I have been reading fiction in bed, and I tend to get overly wrapped up in it, and then blow past my anticipated bedtime by an hour+...back to my lack of discipline. I recognize the problem, I am going to fix it.

I do need to find some non-fiction to dig into. I started into this one in the fall, but then got busy and didn't finish:

'NEXUS' – A new book from Yuval Noah Harari (out September 2024)

'NEXUS: A Brief History of Information Networks from the Stone Age to AI' (published Sept 2024) is a non-fiction book by Yuval Noah Harari. In this thrilling new work, the historian and bestselling author looks through the long lens of human history to consider how the flow of information has...

www.ynharari.com

I really enjoyed his Sapiens book, and I see he has a follow-up: https://www.ynharari.com/book/homo-deus/

 

[Fryowa]

Over the last 4 years, I got in a bad habit of doom-scrolling before bed. Since the election, I have made a concerted effort to avoid social media, and I never mess with it at night. I am much happier.

However, I have been reading fiction in bed, and I tend to get overly wrapped up in it, and then blow past my anticipated bedtime by an hour+...back to my lack of discipline. I recognize the problem, I am going to fix it.

I do need to find some non-fiction to dig into. I started into this one in the fall, but then got busy and didn't finish:

'NEXUS' – A new book from Yuval Noah Harari (out September 2024)

'NEXUS: A Brief History of Information Networks from the Stone Age to AI' (published Sept 2024) is a non-fiction book by Yuval Noah Harari. In this thrilling new work, the historian and bestselling author looks through the long lens of human history to consider how the flow of information has...

www.ynharari.com

I really enjoyed his Sapiens book, and I see he has a follow-up: https://www.ynharari.com/book/homo-deus/

Thanks.

Have you read "Your Inner Fish" by Neil Shubin? Incredibly interesting book on the mechanics and processes of human evolution starting with the transition from "fish" to the first land-dwelling animals. Absolutely right up your alley I'm guessing.

 

[Westernhawk]

Here is one example of the cost:

What's at Stake

In which John has great news if you're a bacterium. The Project for Awesome starts Friday but the fundraiser is live now: http://projectforawesome.com/donate...

www.youtube.com

That is societal cost, but there is also the consideration of ROI. Programs that eliminate poverty tend to return more than they cost, for example, because of how expensive it is for society to deal with the knock-on issues that go along with poverty.

I work in health care, so anything that reduces the disease burden of a population has a very solid ROI, typically.

It saddens me that we have anti-public health leaders now. Stopping research and other funding that has a strong financial and societal ROI is short-sighted. The data feed on communicable diseases that goes to hospitals from the CDC has stopped (!). We no longer get this daily update. BAD. But I digress...

Sick people who don't have solid preventive care, access to medications and treatments, etc, go to Emergency Departments. Currently, Emergency Departments are already overwhelmed. When poor people go to Emergency Departments with influenza, covid, poorly controlled hypertension, poorly controlled blood sugar, TB, etc .... someone pays for that care, in a way that is far more expensive than preventive/primary care.

If people are able to get solid, basic preventive/primary health care, and manage their health, the cost to society and individuals goes WAY down. Vaccines, health screenings, etc are an absolute bargain.

When untreated illnesses (including something like TB) cause people to get very sick, we all pay more in real dollars (whether it is commercial insurance or government insurance (medicaid, medicare). When hospitals have to care for people that have no coverage, the hospital will pass those costs to others through higher rates that others (payers) pay.

I would like to recognize the incredible and dedicated researchers, public health experts, primary care providers, emergency providers, and all the other caring people who are struggling right now.

 

[Westernhawk]

Over the last 4 years, I got in a bad habit of doom-scrolling before bed. Since the election, I have made a concerted effort to avoid social media, and I never mess with it at night. I am much happier.

However, I have been reading fiction in bed, and I tend to get overly wrapped up in it, and then blow past my anticipated bedtime by an hour+...back to my lack of discipline. I recognize the problem, I am going to fix it.

I do need to find some non-fiction to dig into. I started into this one in the fall, but then got busy and didn't finish:

'NEXUS' – A new book from Yuval Noah Harari (out September 2024)

'NEXUS: A Brief History of Information Networks from the Stone Age to AI' (published Sept 2024) is a non-fiction book by Yuval Noah Harari. In this thrilling new work, the historian and bestselling author looks through the long lens of human history to consider how the flow of information has...

www.ynharari.com

I really enjoyed his Sapiens book, and I see he has a follow-up: https://www.ynharari.com/book/homo-deus/

This is good reinforcement for me. I have been working on trying to decrease my doom scrolling behavior and read more in the evenings. I'm doing better but I backslide. This encourages me!! Thank you.

 

[Westernhawk]

He did not defy a court order, he was able to relieve debt within the limits of what the court allowed (not as broad as he had hoped, but not nothing).

I think the student debt relief thing was a dumb political move by Biden/Dems, personally.

I also think that the debt relief was a dumb move.

Important point: not all of us on this board are pure libs or conservatives. A lot of us, I would imagine, have different views on different topics that don't line up directly with one part or the other.

So, if y'all hear me criticizing MAGA, that doesn't mean I'm necessarily a "lib" or a conservative. I imagine others are in that same boat, here?

 

[Fryowa]

Over the last 4 years, I got in a bad habit of doom-scrolling before bed. Since the election, I have made a concerted effort to avoid social media, and I never mess with it at night. I am much happier.

However, I have been reading fiction in bed, and I tend to get overly wrapped up in it, and then blow past my anticipated bedtime by an hour+...back to my lack of discipline. I recognize the problem, I am going to fix it.

I do need to find some non-fiction to dig into. I started into this one in the fall, but then got busy and didn't finish:

'NEXUS' – A new book from Yuval Noah Harari (out September 2024)

'NEXUS: A Brief History of Information Networks from the Stone Age to AI' (published Sept 2024) is a non-fiction book by Yuval Noah Harari. In this thrilling new work, the historian and bestselling author looks through the long lens of human history to consider how the flow of information has...

www.ynharari.com

I really enjoyed his Sapiens book, and I see he has a follow-up: https://www.ynharari.com/book/homo-deus/

Ok next question from nerd to nerd...

Are you an e-reader guy or a physical copy guy? I have a decent sized library of hard copies but no real good space to keep them all, and I like physical books for some nostalgic reason. But I also have a Kindle with about 75-ish titles paid for. I do like that because I can take it anywhere and read without a light, but I can never settle myself into one medium. What I need to do is build a big ass full wall bookshelf and then make it a goal to fill it, but I don't have a good spot for that in my house.

 

[HuckFinn]

As the Repubs stress the popular “spending cuts” hymn, singing in great harmony while the ignorant applaud, donny boy and his minions decrease our revenue stream with tax breaks. Not for you, MAGA’s. No mention, of course, on revenue. Moral cowardice has infected our political system. Looking for a vaccine…

BTW: In keeping with attacks on the most helpless, the unable to respond, the Repubs are gearing up massive reductions in Medicaid. (Insert swastika here)