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Gerund posted:The same idea comes up perennially within Washington state, commonly involving dividing the state between the bread-basket east of the cascade range (Yakima, Spokane) and the more industrially developed western side. It tends to die a death every time as soon as people question such bald-faced political arbitrage. Do you recall how other more left-right issues, like income tax or infrastructure funding, play out in that context? Edit: I'm mostly thinking about how much easier it would be to implement state level UHC in a 'West Washington' situation.
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Apr 13, 2014 02:10
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VitalSigns posted:Carving up the state into smaller states controlled by those major cities is just going to give you one or two small-population Republican states (like Lubbockland), and several battleground states (Dallasland, Houstonland) or outright Democrat bastions (San AntAustinland, El Pasoland) 
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Apr 13, 2014 02:20
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Accretionist posted:Do you recall how other more left-right issues, like income tax or infrastructure funding, play out in that context? To UHC specifically, Western Washington has a significantly stronger PNHP chapter than, say, Spokane. But PNHP and other organizations (Healthcare-NOW! would be the go-to umbrella) is more focused on a national scale than making a donkey-system that would have less ability to set prices and reduce total costs. Sadly State-level-UHC is a paradox, wrapped in an oxymoron, inside an antithesis.
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Apr 13, 2014 02:21
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fade5 posted:I'd love to live in the Democratic bastion of San AntAustinland, rather than just plain old San Antonio now. San Antonio's great, but we're still controlled by the Texas legislature, with all the Republican poo poo that comes with that. Right there with you, buddy. The Texas legislature usually spends a decent amount of time debating "gently caress Austin" bills (because Republicans are against local government, right?)   But at least your city gets to send actual representatives to Congress. I'm represented by that shitbag McCaul because my district goes all the way to the borders of Houston. Even just a Houston-anchored separate state would mean I suddenly get national representation as all that countryside is no longer available to submerge our votes. 
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Apr 13, 2014 02:39
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Fruity Rudy posted:More horror.
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Apr 13, 2014 02:47
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VitalSigns posted:But at least your city gets to send actual representatives to Congress. I'm represented by that shitbag McCaul because my district goes all the way to the borders of Houston. Even just a Houston-anchored separate state would mean I suddenly get national representation as all that countryside is no longer available to submerge our votes. Congressional District 20: Joaquín Castro (D) My representative, also the twin brother of San Antonio mayor Julian Castro, who I also voted for. Castro brother supremacy!  Congressional District 21: Congressman Lamar Smith (R) Lamar Smith basically gets all the rich, white, Republican areas of San Antonio and Austin. Congressional District 23: Congressman Pete P. Gallego (D) Gallego's a bit of a Blue Dog, but this is a swing district, and it contains a lot of rural West Texas as well, so Gallego's pretty much perfect for it. Congressional District 28: Congressman Henry Cuellar (D) Also a bit of a Blue Dog, but he's been in this district since 2004. Congressional District 35: Congressman Lloyd Doggett (D) I've mentioned this before, but Doggett's old district (District 25) was gerrymandered to all hell to try and out him, so Doggett just came down to San Antonio and campaigned in the new District 35 and won re-election. gently caress you Perry, you can't gerrymander Doggett out of a seat no matter how hard you try. And I can now claim Doggett as a San Antonio Representative.
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Apr 13, 2014 02:47
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VitalSigns posted:It takes a huge amount of rural area to gerrymander out the Democratic votes in Houston, Austin, San Antonio, and Dallas is trending that way too. Uh, no, it takes a few hundred square miles of the lovely suburbs that constitute the lion's share of every Texas "city" plus a few hundred more square miles on the rim of the "city" to gerrymander. The rural areas simply get tacked on because you have to put them somewhere, all 20000 square miles and 20000 people of them.
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Apr 13, 2014 03:06
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Yeah, pretty much. The west, northwest, and southeast on the outskirts of Houston are all sorts of white flight, with the west side being a nice long corridor where both white flight and gentrification meet up, following I-10 from downtown out to Katy and beyond. I live in that corridor (which is TX district 7) and the closest election this district has seen was in 2008 when Culberson (R) beat Skelly (D) 56%-42%, and that was with the Obama bump and Skelly spending almost twice as much money as Culberson.
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Apr 13, 2014 03:43
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That's often true, but it's not true for my district. Less than half of the people in the 10th district hail from Austin's Travis County despite the county line lying well to the east of the city, and only a quarter of them are from Austin itself. Rural or suburban-Houston Harris county voters are the reason we're an R district. There are rich conservative suburbs of Austin, but they aren't populous enough to effectively deny the city representation the way Republicans have managed. There's no way you could split Texas up and get safe Republican States everywhere, or even majority-Republican everywhere because unlike districts, you can't create functioning States that are gerrymandered to hell and even if you could, you can't move state lines every time the population shifts. You're going to get D Senators and D electoral votes if you try, and giving up the power to gerrymander statewide will mean more Democrats in the House as well.
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Apr 13, 2014 03:45
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Texas isn't a functioning state to begin with so why does it matter if the Texaspawns wouldn't be functioning states either. 
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Apr 13, 2014 03:53
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I don't think that was the question
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Apr 13, 2014 03:54
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The Game of Politics, a Right Wing Circle Jerk Cross post from the Traditional Games kickstarter thread. Have fun.
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Apr 13, 2014 04:22
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DemeaninDemon posted:The Game of Politics, a Right Wing Circle Jerk Sick gradient background. e: pretty solid graphic design all the way around, actually
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Apr 13, 2014 04:46
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DemeaninDemon posted:The Game of Politics, a Right Wing Circle Jerk Of course this would come out of Holland, MI. Of course.
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Apr 13, 2014 05:02
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Accretionist posted:Has anyone read Picketty's new book Capital in the Twenty-First Century yet? What I'm hearing's good enough I might put it on the top of my pile. I'm working at it, though I'm not confident I'll finish it. It is not an easy read at all. The translation is excellent, but the material is extremely dense. 577 pages, complimented by 75 pages worth of footnotes. To call it heavily researched and referenced is an understatement. His rhetorical style isn't easy to grab either because he tends to lead in with a poorly researched or poorly thought out metaphor, then pile on the detailed research. It necessitates mentally changing gears a bit. The content is excellent, it is so heavily researched and documented that it is basically the final word on hereditary wealth. But in all other respects it is the kind of book you would call a doorstop - ponderous and a slog to get through. Short version is that between the 30s and 70s was an anomaly due to a conflux of technology, social forces, political forces, economic forces, and raw chance. On the overall looking at 200+ years of history it turns out guys like Ricardo were wrong in predictions because they didn't foresee technology but right in economic mechanics, that annually the ability to extract wealth from your labor will increase between 1 and 1.5% but the returns on investment will average between 4 and 5% so wealth will concentrate. He also has an interesting point suggesting we should classify land as distinct from capital in our evaluations the way classical economists did because it behaves differently as a concentrator of wealth. I posted a vox link earlier that summarized the book in bullet points. It is definitely going to have an impact, so you probably want to read it yourself as well
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Apr 13, 2014 05:03
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http://www.vox.com/2014/4/11/5603974/taxes-dont-have-to-suck I am loving Vox a lot, I just wish that honest journalism didn't end up with so much depressing stuff to report on. I seriously never would have considered this idea. As the explanation was going along I thought it would be awesome and couldn't wait for it to happen. Then they got around to the part where they explain 'Yeah but this is the US so haha sucker get hosed, we can't have nice things.'
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Apr 13, 2014 06:13
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Craptacular! posted:So, I made a reference to Congress in another forum here, and it just dawned on me... Why doesn't the GOP split up Texas? Making several mini-states out of Texas will mean the GOP concedes the Presidency barring some world-shattering event, like them figuring out the right wedge issue to use on black and hispanic voters to suddenly peel a large amount of those demographics to their side. They might manage to steal the senate for awhile but without the presidency they're going to need super majorities in both houses so they can override vetoes, or pray that the democrats elect some center-right, pro-business person they can count on to pass the poo poo that matters to them even if the president vetoes stuff like defunding the ACA or an abortion ban. You know, someone like Hilary Clinton.
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Apr 13, 2014 06:26
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HEY GAL posted:Beneath the accepting rhetoric, now you know what they really think about the disabled. "The lepers obviously sinned, and the other ill and infirm did too. gently caress 'em." - The American Christian 
anonumos fucked around with this message at 07:40 on Apr 13, 2014 |
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Apr 13, 2014 07:19
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Aliquid posted:We elected Barack H. Obama Sorry to bring back LF chat briefly (not really) but I loved the forum alone for this: http://www.somethingawful.com/comedy-goldmine/most-evil-companies/1/ I miss hemogoblin! Do they still post? Thanks for the smiles, LF. I love that people still curse your name even today.
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Apr 13, 2014 13:03
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mooyashi posted:Haha oh god, I had completely forgotten about Voice of Reason. IT'S NOT GERMANE! Aliquid posted:We elected Barack H. Obama WhiskeyJuvenile posted:FaaQ's couch.
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Apr 13, 2014 13:33
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Fried Chicken posted:Short version is that between the 30s and 70s was an anomaly due to a conflux of technology, social forces, political forces, economic forces, and raw chance. On the overall looking at 200+ years of history it turns out guys like Ricardo were wrong in predictions because they didn't foresee technology but right in economic mechanics, that annually the ability to extract wealth from your labor will increase between 1 and 1.5% but the returns on investment will average between 4 and 5% so wealth will concentrate. He also has an interesting point suggesting we should classify land as distinct from capital in our evaluations the way classical economists did because it behaves differently as a concentrator of wealth.
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Apr 13, 2014 13:41
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fade5 posted:Congressional District 20: Joaquín Castro (D) Thats so cool, do you think they ever switch jobs for a day, like if Julian wants to just go to DC for a weekend?
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Apr 13, 2014 14:07
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anonumos posted:"The lepers obviously sinned, and the other ill and infirm did too. gently caress 'em." - The American Christian Honestly, this is the final implication of the just world. It gets really sketchy when you deal with people who think gods punish whole nations regardless of how correct an individual acts. So then you get a out on what a child did wrong to be born with any number of awful congenital defects-- it's all the gays and the abortionists fault. This is also horribly self-affirming, since you don't need any actual connection between the events, since it's literally "a sky wizard did it". I've dropped more than one friend over this poo poo-- I have no tolerance for using tragedies to sucker punch the least protected. gently caress the just world with a dagger.
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Apr 13, 2014 15:02
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Lancelot posted:I mostly lurk D&D, but I was wondering how much interest there would be on a thread on Piketty's book. I've been really interested in this book for a while - my area is tax policy, so I'm really interested in his proposals for wealth destruction using progressive wealth taxes. But there's a whole lot of other interesting stuff in there too worth discussing: its relationship with Marx, whether he's right about capital being able to extract 4-5% regardless of economic conditions, and tackling Krugman's criticisms about whether it can usefully be applied to the US given the apparently different makeup of the rich. I would be extremely interested in such a thread
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Apr 13, 2014 15:03
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Re: distribution of wealth, you guys and gals might find this interesting: http://gabriel-zucman.eu/files/SaezZucman2014Slides.pdf
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Apr 13, 2014 15:51
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rkajdi posted:Honestly, this is the final implication of the just world. It gets really sketchy when you deal with people who think gods punish whole nations regardless of how correct an individual acts. So then you get a out on what a child did wrong to be born with any number of awful congenital defects-- it's all the gays and the abortionists fault. This is also horribly self-affirming, since you don't need any actual connection between the events, since it's literally "a sky wizard did it". Jesus Himself called that Just World bullshit out. Misfortune gives you the chance to show your Christian charity by helping others, not smug it up about how this proves God Hates Fags. John 9:1-3 posted:And as Jesus passed by, he saw a man which was blind from his birth. And his disciples asked him, saying, Master, who did sin, this man, or his parents, that he was born blind? Jesus answered, Neither hath this man sinned, nor his parents: but that the works of God should be made manifest in him. I must work the works of him that sent me, while it is day: the night cometh, when no man can work.
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Apr 13, 2014 16:11
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anonumos posted:"The lepers obviously sinned, and the other ill and infirm did too. gently caress 'em." - The American Christian In the fiction I usually read, this sort of situation usually ends up being "The people who turn around and help are the ones who get to go on, while the people who were apathetic assholes burn."
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Apr 13, 2014 16:34
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Fried Chicken posted:I would be extremely interested in such a thread Same here, I'm only about a hundred pages or so into the book but it's packed with stuff worth discussing
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Apr 13, 2014 16:51
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VitalSigns posted:Jesus Himself called that Just World bullshit out. Misfortune gives you the chance to show your Christian charity by helping others, not smug it up about how this proves God Hates Fags. I know and agree completely, but since when has right-wing Christianity actually looked at the bible versus just developing their beliefs from their bigoted gut instinct?
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Apr 13, 2014 18:25
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rkajdi posted:I know and agree completely, but since when has right-wing Christianity actually looked at the bible versus just developing their beliefs from their bigoted gut instinct? Because they don't actually change the message of Jesus being a wonderful, empathic and charitable person, but still hold onto horrible beliefs, they usually cause a sharp break in their children. People want to be good, because they want to feel good about themselves, so there seems to be a tendency for them to side against the bigotry and hypocrisy when resolving the cognitive dissonance. Well, at least that was what did it for me. Actually it's probably fair to say that bigots appropriate passages out of context so they can use an excuse of faith to hold onto lovely beliefs, and since the religion is mostly antithetical to those beliefs, real believers tend to break away. For something on topic, here is Rick Scott still being an awful person. I hope Crist buries Lord Voldemort in the elections.
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Apr 13, 2014 18:59
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Rick Scott is an expert on healthcare and insurance!  I will gladly take anyone over this rear end in a top hat, even Charlie Crist.
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Apr 13, 2014 19:22
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Chris Christie posted:Re: distribution of wealth, you guys and gals might find this interesting: This is interesting, but it seems like a lot of analysis that basically concludes that they need more data to measure trends more. Page 29 of the slide showing that the bottom 90% basically hold only 25% of the wealth is rather telling that wealth and income always have been comically horrible in America for the last 100 years.
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Apr 13, 2014 19:33
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Lancelot posted:I mostly lurk D&D, but I was wondering how much interest there would be on a thread on Piketty's book. I've been really interested in this book for a while - my area is tax policy, so I'm really interested in his proposals for wealth destruction using progressive wealth taxes. But there's a whole lot of other interesting stuff in there too worth discussing: its relationship with Marx, whether he's right about capital being able to extract 4-5% regardless of economic conditions, and tackling Krugman's criticisms about whether it can usefully be applied to the US given the apparently different makeup of the rich.
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Apr 13, 2014 22:22
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You may recall that the Nevada GOP was pretty much taken over by paulites in 2012. Well they certainly aren't doing anything to endear themselves to the national GOP: "LAS VEGAS REVIEW-JOURNAL posted:Amid raucous debate, Nevada Republican Party conventioneers on Saturday stripped opposition to gay marriage and abortion from the party platform and endorsed Gov. Brian Sandoval for governor in the June 10 primary despite misgivings by conservatives, his criticism of the process and his absence from the meeting.
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Apr 13, 2014 22:33
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Sue "Pay your doctor with chickens" Lowden. I never thought I'd see her mentioned again.
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Apr 13, 2014 22:40
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Matthew 25:41-45 posted:41 “Then he will say to those on his left, ‘Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. 42 For I was hungry and you gave me nothing to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink, 43 I was a stranger and you did not invite me in, I needed clothes and you did not clothe me, I was sick and in prison and you did not look after me.’ It's just so bald faced. The bible is pretty clear about charity and who it should be given to. Wrt: the Nevada GOP R  ution, watching how this shift in policy affects their chances will be interesting. It'll answer the question whether rebuilding is worth trying, and whether the GOP can afford to shed some of its racist/sexist base for people who are merely selfish and dumb about economics.
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Apr 14, 2014 00:36
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Install Windows posted:Texas isn't a functioning state to begin with so why does it matter if the Texaspawns wouldn't be functioning states either. Well in that case we should divide West Texas into 385 new States. The Texas GOP now controls 385 of the 435 House seats, 770 seats in the 870-member Senate, and 1155 of the 1305 Electoral Votes 
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Apr 14, 2014 00:46
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M.c.P posted:It's just so bald faced. The bible is pretty clear about charity and who it should be given to. Christianity's (esp. Protestantism) rules and ideas are about 50/50 written in the Bible vs. culturally ingrained. Ideas about the Devil, Hell, sin, and God are as much folklore as interpretation of the Bible itself. A lot of people believe that the Devil can talk to us directly, for example, when Satan only speaks twice in both testaments together, and never to a human being. It's worse with the OT, whereas usually you just see creative interpretation and mental gymnastics to get around being in violation of the NT's tenants. In that sense, the Right's Supply-Side Jesus is sort of legitimate, if utterly foreign to the man written about in the NT.
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Apr 14, 2014 01:34
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M.c.P posted:Wrt: the Nevada GOP R I'm not sure how much it will matter really for the big races where the local and state parties will have their voice drowned out by big PAC and 501c(3) money. Even for other primary races I imagine it won't matter much because the racists and bigots will still turn out to vote for their favored candidate no matter who the party endorses. An AFA or NOM endorsement would likely carry as much or more weight.
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Apr 14, 2014 01:54
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What is the textualist view about the OT being replaced by the NT? It seems that fundies will say something is "Biblical" and then quote the batshit parts of the OT to back it up, which is probably worse for their cause than just saying "it's my opinion". But I thought that Jesus was supposed to supplant all that crazy with a new compact?
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Apr 14, 2014 01:54
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