USCE Summer 2022: You can't change the crisis settings.

The Something Awful Forums > Discussion > Debate & Discussion > USCE Summer 2022: You can't change the crisis settings.

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SirFozzie: Mar 28, 2004; Goombatta!

Biden's social media team is still packing heat.

Rick Scott tried to fundraise/spread the word about his plans, and Biden's like "Sure, I'll help you let everyone know what's in your plan. "

https://twitter.com/JoeBiden/status/1569891437780832256

(How do I know it was Biden's social media team? Because well, it was posted between 11 PM-Midnight, and that's probably past Joe's bedtime

)

# ? Sep 14, 2022 06:02

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# ? May 25, 2024 23:47

Bar Ran Dun: Jan 22, 2006

Star Man posted:

and by the sound of it this all has to do with god awful pay.

Nah the pay is usually good. It�s the life and work that sucks in transportation. Sucks to an extent nearly incomprehensible to those not involved.

# ? Sep 14, 2022 06:13

A big flaming stink: Apr 26, 2010

Reminder that the offer the carriers made to unions on attendence policy was one sick day a month. This while the status quo is workers are forced to have two weeks straight of shifts with no days off.

If this doesn't drastically change, we're either going to get mass retirements or wildcat strikes

# ? Sep 14, 2022 06:48

Canned Sunshine: Nov 20, 2005; CAUTION: POST QUALITY UNDER CONSTRUCTION

SirFozzie posted:

(How do I know it was Biden's social media team? Because well, it was posted between 11 PM-Midnight, and that's probably past Joe's bedtime )

Well, that's when "Joe Biden" goes to sleep, and Dark Brandon comes alive!

# ? Sep 14, 2022 06:52

Canned Sunshine: Nov 20, 2005; CAUTION: POST QUALITY UNDER CONSTRUCTION

A big flaming stink posted:

i know youre big on logistics, how many days into a railway strike does it take for poo poo to get extremely hosed?

Are you asking in general, or in terms of the chlorine usage?

In terms of chlorine, and most commonly chlorine gas, it'd actually have a much larger impact on the wastewater side than on the water treatment side; a lot of large water treatment plants, if using chlorine gas, are utilizing 1-ton containers that can be transported readily via means other than rail, so it wouldn't have as much of an impact (not that it would have zero impact though). Smaller facilities often can get by via other means, such as bulk 12.5% sodium hypochlorite or on-site generation, or for really smaller systems, even 150 lb chlorine gas cylinders.

Wastewater treatment however often utilizes substantially more chlorine downstream of the filters than water treatment does prior to discharge. For example, you're finished potable water effluent leaving a water treatment facility might have a target chlorine residual of, say, 1-2 ppm (mg/L) to maintain a chlorine residual of at least 0.4-0.5 ppm at the furthest extent of where the water might travel. For wastewater discharged, you would probably be looking at a dosage of 15-20 ppm post-filtration, so that when it discharges to the receiving body (river, lake, etc.), it has a residual of at least 10 ppm.

Obviously there are several ways of introducing a free chlorine radical or other forms, such as chloramines, to the treated (waste)water, but yeah, wastewater would be far more significantly impacted by a rail strike due to the fact that a lot of large municipal users bring in chlorine via train car to their wastewater plants.

# ? Sep 14, 2022 07:04

A big flaming stink: Apr 26, 2010

I was asking in general, but in particular I wonder how long until power generation becomes severely compromised (since iirc tons of coal and gas is shipped by rail)

# ? Sep 14, 2022 07:43

Ghost Leviathan: Mar 2, 2017; Exploration is ill-advised.

The efficiency of the free market, you see.

Reminds me of what happened with truck drivers in the UK post-Brexit and the fuel shortages.

# ? Sep 14, 2022 07:51

the_steve: Nov 9, 2005; We're always hiring!

Bar Ran Dun posted:

Nah the pay is usually good. It’s the life and work that sucks in transportation. Sucks to an extent nearly incomprehensible to those not involved.

Can confirm.
I work in river transportation, and the "good" companies only expect you to give literally half of your life (Live/work on a boat doing 12 hour work days for a month and then being home for a month), most places operate on 2/3 of your life, where you work X amount of days and then you're home for half that amount.

It's hard, especially if you have a family.
My dad missed a LOT of my brothers and I growing up because he was stuck on a towboat, and he was doing it back before cellphones.

# ? Sep 14, 2022 08:30

slurm: Jul 28, 2022; by Hand Knit

the_steve posted:

Can confirm.
I work in river transportation, and the "good" companies only expect you to give literally half of your life (Live/work on a boat doing 12 hour work days for a month and then being home for a month), most places operate on 2/3 of your life, where you work X amount of days and then you're home for half that amount.

It's hard, especially if you have a family.
My dad missed a LOT of my brothers and I growing up because he was stuck on a towboat, and he was doing it back before cellphones.

It sucks more now because the benchmark for a good job is 4 hours a day half-heartedly picking at a keyboard in bed instead of 10 hours in an office grinding.

My choices would've been very different knowing that do-nothing WFH tech would become the One True Job

# ? Sep 14, 2022 12:25

Eric Cantonese: Dec 21, 2004; You should hear my accent.

SourKraut posted:

Well, that's when "Joe Biden" goes to sleep, and Dark Brandon comes alive!

Dark Brandon runs the Paper Street Soap Company?

# ? Sep 14, 2022 14:15

theCalamity: Oct 23, 2010; Cry Havoc and let slip the Hogs of War

https://twitter.com/jonahfurman/status/1569810614549086209?s=46&t=2OT1fCkFGDq5qOFwf0VXjw

The membership of unions usually tend to be more radical than the leadership. Hopefully, the workers get what they need/want. Take those assholes for everything I say, even if it disrupts the entire country

# ? Sep 14, 2022 15:18

Leon Trotsky 2012: Aug 27, 2009; YOU CAN TRUST ME!*

_{*Israeli Government-affiliated poster}

Hey, remember that story a few weeks ago about the former Governor of Mississippi stealing millions in welfare funds to give to Brett Favre, build a sports stadium, and pay staff salaries?

Remember how Brett Favre was initially not under investigation because he returned the money and allegedly did not know anything about where it came from?

Turns out that he may have known more than he initially let on.

https://twitter.com/DevlinBarrett/status/1569801596371963907

https://twitter.com/ryanlcooper/status/1569787874429501442

quote:

Former Gov. Phil Bryant helped Brett Favre secure welfare funding for USM volleyball stadium, texts reveal

Never-before-seen text messages show former Gov. Phil Bryant tried to shepherd a proposal to use welfare funds on the construction of a new volleyball stadium for retired NFL player Brett Favre � a project prosecutors have called a scheme to defraud the government. Bryant has previously denied any involvement with the project, which has emerged as the centerpiece of a massive criminal scandal in which prominent officials misspent or stole millions in welfare funds intended for the nation�s poorest residents.

Text messages entered Monday into the state�s ongoing civil lawsuit over the welfare scandal reveal that former Gov. Phil Bryant pushed to make NFL legend Brett Favre�s volleyball idea a reality.

The texts show that the then-governor even guided Favre on how to write a funding proposal so that it could be accepted by the Mississippi Department of Human Services � even after Bryant ousted the former welfare agency director John Davis for suspected fraud.

�Just left Brett Favre,� Bryant texted nonprofit founder Nancy New in July of 2019, within weeks of Davis� departure. �Can we help him with his project. We should meet soon to see how I can make sure we keep your projects on course.�

When Favre asked Bryant how the new agency director might affect their plans to fund the volleyball stadium, Bryant assured him, �I will handle that� long story but had to make a change. But I will call Nancy and see what it will take,� according to the filing and a text Favre forwarded to New.

The newly released texts, filed Monday by an attorney representing Nancy New�s nonprofit, show that Bryant, Favre, New, Davis and others worked together to channel at least $5 million of the state�s welfare funds to build a new volleyball stadium at University of Southern Mississippi, where Favre�s daughter played the sport. Favre received most of the credit for raising funds to construct the facility.

Bryant has for years denied any close involvement in the steering of welfare funds to the volleyball stadium, though plans for the project even included naming the building after him, one text shows.

New, a friend of Bryant�s wife Deborah, ran a nonprofit that was in charge of spending tens of millions of flexible federal welfare dollars outside of public view. What followed was the biggest public fraud case in state history, according to the state auditor�s office. Nonprofit leaders had misspent at least $77 million in funds that were supposed to help the needy, forensic auditors found.

New pleaded guilty to 13 felony counts related to the scheme, and Davis awaits trial. But neither Bryant nor Favre have been charged with any crime.

And while the state-of-the-art facility represents the single largest known fraudulent purchase within the scheme, according to one of the criminal defendant�s plea agreement, the state is not pursuing the matter in its ongoing civil complaint. Current Gov. Tate Reeves abruptly fired the attorney bringing the state�s case when he tried to subpoena documents related to the volleyball stadium.

The messages also show that a separate $1.1 million welfare contract Favre received to promote the program � the subject of many national headlines � was simply a way to get more funding to the volleyball project.

�I could record a few radio spots,� Favre texted New, according to the new filing. ��and whatever compensation could go to USM.�

New, who is now aiding prosecutors as part of her plea deal, alleged that Bryant directed her to make the payment to Favre in a bombshell response to the complaint in July.

The allegation and defense �are not based on speculation or conjecture,� the Monday court filing reads. �The evidence suggests that MDHS Executives, including Governor Bryant, knew that Favre was seeking funds from MDHS to build the Volleyball Facility � and participated in directing, approving, or providing Favre MDHS funds to be used for construction of the Volleyball Facility.�

The latest motion, filed on behalf of New�s nonprofit Mississippi Community Education Center, represents the first time these messages, which include texts directly between New and Bryant and New and Favre, have been made public. The messages are printed here exactly as they appear in the filing without corrections.

In July, the attorney for New and the nonprofit, Gerry Bufkin, filed a subpoena on Bryant asking for the former governor�s communication related to the volleyball project.

On Aug. 26, Bryant�s recently-hired attorney Billy Quin filed an objection to the subpoena, refusing to turn over the records without a protective order. Quin argued that Bryant�s texts are protected by executive privilege and that producing them to the public would run afoul of existing gag orders in the criminal cases.

Bufkin�s latest motion includes texts that the attorney picked, not entire text threads, and may only reflect one side of the story. In a short statement to Mississippi Today for this story, Bryant didn�t offer an explanation for his communication.

�(The New defense team�s) refusal to agree to a protective order, along with their failure to convey the Governor�s position to the court, unfortunately shows they are more concerned with pretrial publicity than they are with civil justice,� Bryant said.

Bufkin�s motion asks for the court to compel Bryant to produce the documents, arguing they are central to New�s defense.

�Defendant reasonably relied on then-Governor Phil Bryant, acting within his broad statutory authority as chief executive of the State,� reads New�s July response to the complaint, �including authority over MDHS and TANF, and his extensive knowledge of Permissible TANF Expenditures from 12 years as State Auditor, four years as Lieutenant Governor, and a number of years as Governor leading up to and including the relevant time period.�

Bufkin told Mississippi Today that the governor�s involvement in building the volleyball stadium, suggested by the text messages, �lends an air of credibility to the project, which is important to our defenses.�

�We do not believe a protective order shielding the Governor�s documents from public view, and thus limiting our ability to use them in open court or public pleadings in support of our defenses, is appropriate,� Bufkin said.

Federal regulations prohibit states from using money from the welfare program, called Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF), on �brick and mortar,� or the construction of buildings.

The scheme to circumvent federal regulations in order to build the volleyball stadium has already resulted in a criminal conviction.

New�s son Zach New admitted in his April plea agreement to defrauding the government when he participated in a scheme �to disguise the USM construction project as a �lease� as a means of circumventing the limited purpose grant�s strict prohibition against �brick and mortar� construction projects in violation of Miss. Code Ann. 97-7-10.�

Favre�s attorney Bud Holmes denied that the athlete knew the money he received was from the welfare fund. �Brett Favre has been honorable throughout this whole thing,� Holmes said Monday.

When Mississippi Today asked Favre by text in 2020 if he had discussed the volleyball project with the governor, Favre said, simply: �No.�

The motion filed Monday offers a detailed look at the earliest days of the planning of the USM volleyball center between Favre, New, Davis and other key players � a chronology that had not up to this point been publicly revealed.

Favre first asked for funding from Mississippi Department of Human Services during a July 24, 2017, meeting at USM with New, Davis, university athletic staff and others, according to the motion.

By this time, the University of Southern Mississippi and the Southern Miss Athletic Foundation, which would pay for the construction, had already made some progress on Favre�s idea. On July 1, according to records, the university leased its athletic facilities and fields to the foundation for $1, which made it possible for the foundation to lease the facilities to the New nonprofit for $5 million.

Because of the strict prohibition on using TANF funds to pay for construction, the parties had to craft an agreement that would look to satisfy federal law and give the illusion they were helping needy families. With the help of legal advice from MDHS attorneys, they came up with the idea for New�s nonprofit to enter a $5 million up-front lease of the university�s athletic facilities, which the nonprofit would purportedly use for programming. And in exchange, the foundation would include offices for the nonprofit inside the volleyball facility, which they called a �Wellness Center.�

Davis immediately committed $4 million to the project, according to the motion.

�While Favre was pleased with MDHS�s $4 million commitment, he knew a state-of-the-art Volleyball Facility was likely to cost more,� the filing reads. �To make matters worse, USM apparently had a policy that any construction project on campus had to be funded fully, and the money deposited in USM�s account, before construction could begin.�

Favre thought of a way to get some extra cash to the program: even more money could flow through his company in exchange for the athlete cutting ads for the state�s welfare program. New said she thought it was a good idea.

�Was just thinking that here is the way to do it!!� Favre texted.

Only days after Favre received the financial commitment from Davis, he �had grown impatient with USM, which was moving slowly. Favre contacted Governor Bryant to speed things along. In response, Governor Bryant called Nancy New,� the motion reads.

�Wow,� New texted Favre, �just got off the phone with Phil Bryant! He is on board with us! We will get this done!�

The governor remained in tune on the project as it progressed. On Nov. 2, 2017, New texted Favre, �I saw the Gov last night � it�s all going to work out.�

Four days later, New�s nonprofit paid the first lump sum of $2.5 million. It paid another $2.5 million on Dec. 5, 2017, according to the state auditor�s office report released in 2020. Favre also received his first payment under the advertising agreement of $500,000 in December 2017.

�Nancy Santa came today and dropped some money off,� Favre texted New that day, �thank you my goodness thank you. We need to setup the promo for you soon. Your way to kind.�

The nonprofit paid the athlete another $600,000 in June 2018.

By 2019, as the cost of construction for the volleyball center grew and Favre had committed to pay more than $1 million himself that he expected to receive from MDHS, the athlete became antsy. According to a calendar entry entered by Davis, Bryant and Favre requested to meet with welfare officials about the USM facility in January of 2019.

Favre nudged the welfare officials who promised to help, but the state agency and nonprofits were in financial turmoil. Months went by with no USM payments.

In June of 2019, Bryant ousted Davis after an MDHS employee came forward with a tip about suspected fraud. Bryant replaced Davis with former FBI Special Agent in Charge Christopher Freeze.

When Favre asked Bryant if Davis� departure would affect the project, according to the motion, the governor responded, �I will handle that� long story but had to make a change. But I will call Nancy and see what it will take.�

�Just left Brett Favre,� Bryant then texted New. �Can we help him with his project. We should meet soon to see how I can make sure we keep your projects on course.�

Later that day, New texted Favre to tell him that she would be meeting with the governor in two days.

�He wants me to continue to help you and us get our project done,� she said.

With the new guard in place at the top of the welfare agency, Favre and New tried to put together a proposal for more volleyball funding that would pass the smell test. Part of their plan was to put Bryant�s name on the building, according to one text from New to Favre. Favre relayed to New that Bryant said New would have to submit proper paperwork to MDHS.

�While the Governor�s text to Favre said New needed to �get the paperwork in,� the Governor confided to Favre on a call that he had already seen Favre�s proposal. Favre texted New, �[the Governor] said to me just a second ago that he has seen [the funding proposal] but hint hint that you need to reword it to get it accepted,� reads New�s motion.

New had questions about how to reword the proposal, but instead of having a conversation directly with the governor, she relied on what the governor would tell Favre, the texts show.

�Hopefully she can put more details in the proposal,� Bryant said, according to a text Favre forwarded to New. �Like how many times the facility will be used and how many child will be served and for what specific purpose.�

Favre later texted, �I really feel like he is trying to figure out a way to get it done without actually saying it.�

Favre, New, Bryant and Freeze met in September 2019 to discuss progress on the new facility.

Though the texts illustrate the governor�s support for the program around that time, Bryant said in an April 2022 interview with Mississippi Today that he rejected the request from New and Favre fund the project further.

�I stood up and I said, �No,�� Bryant told Mississippi Today. �� I remember a meeting with Nancy New and Chris (Freeze), and maybe it was another one, and me. And she came in one more time, �Volleyball, volleyball.� And she said, �My budgets have been cut and I can�t do all of these things � And that�s another thing: �Budgets are cut,� so I�m thinking somebody�s watching over spending. And then she said, �And oh, by the way, can we have the money for the volleyball?� And I said, �No. No, we�re not spending anything right now. That is terminated.��

Two days after the meeting, New received a letter from the welfare agency informing her that the agency was increasing her TANF subgrant by $1.1 million, which the letter said was for the purpose of reimbursing payments the nonprofit made to its partners.

Under Freeze, MDHS reinstated its bid process for TANF subgrants. Though New�s nonprofit was under investigation, and had been raided by the auditor�s office months earlier, the welfare agency notified New in December of 2019 that she had won another grant for the coming year. That month, Bryant texted New to ask if she had received the award.

�Yes, we did,� New responded to the former governor. �From all the craziness going on, we had been made to believe we were not getting refunded. But we did. �Someone� was definitely pulling for us behind the scenes. Thank you.�

Bryant responded with a smiley face.

In early 2020, as funding to the nonprofits slowed and Bryant entered the waning days in his final term as governor, Favre and state officials scrambled to come up with the funds to finish the USM volleyball project. Communication obtained by Mississippi Today shows that another state agency that had been receiving grants from the welfare department joined talks of funding the remainder of the construction.

New sent Favre�s funding request to Andrea Mayfield, then-director of the Mississippi Community College Board.

�I am at a loss right now,� New wrote, �and am honestly trying to save coworkers� jobs, too. Are we closer on a lease, etc. for him. Sorry to have to ask this as I know everybody is doing everything they can. Thank y�all.�

Mayfield proposed having the USM athletic foundation front the $556,000 that the builders needed, and then be reimbursed by various state agencies through monthly rent payments.

�I can work each agency to execute a contract. Once they execute a contract with me, I can quickly execute with MCEC. I am sorry it is taking time. I am at the mercy of each partners schedule. Thoughts?� Mayfield texted USM Athletic Director Jeremy McClain, according to the message she forwarded to New and Favre.

�Let me know,� Favre responded, �and we have a few weeks until it�s finished. If need be Deanna and I will just pay it. If the university will at least Agree on a deal maybe we can get some funding fairly quickly.�

It�s unclear if any more federal grants went to Favre or the athletic foundation after this point.

Bufkin isn�t the only person who has subpoenaed the former governor�s communication related to the volleyball project. Attorney Brad Pigott, who originally represented the state�s welfare department in the civil suit, also subpoenaed the athletic foundation for its communication with Bryant or his wife Deborah Bryant � and was fired from the case as a result.

Pigott previously called the $5 million agreement between the New nonprofit and the athletic foundation �a sham, fraudulent, so-called lease agreement� in which the parties pretended that the purpose of the deal was for the nonprofit to provide services at the facilities, �all of which was a lie,� Pigott said.

Pigott said he believed his firing was political. Reeves and his current welfare agency director have waffled on their reason for terminating Pigott.

The state�s civil case, which seeks to recoup $24 million from 38 people or organizations, appears to have slowed since Pigott�s firing. The athletic foundation is not named as defendant and the volleyball stadium is not discussed once in the complaint. The state canceled and has not rescheduled several depositions that were supposed to take place this month � including one with Favre.

�People are going to go to jail over this, at least the state should be willing to find out the truth of what happened,� Pigott told Mississippi Today after his firing in July.

It�s unclear how the athletic foundation has responded, if at all, to either Bufkin or the state�s subpoena, as no related filings appear in the case file. Objections to subpoenas, such as Bryant�s, are not entered into court. If a subpoenaed entity produces documents as requested, those documents could also go directly to the requesting parties and would not appear in the public court file.

The FBI is still investigating the welfare scandal, but officials haven�t publicly indicated which figures they might be pursuing. President Joe Biden recently nominated Todd Gee to serve as U.S. attorney for the Southern District of Mississippi, a position that has been vacant for nearly two years. Gee, a Vicksburg native, will inherit the welfare investigation in his new job after serving as the deputy chief of the Public Integrity Section of the U.S. Department of Justice since 2018.

Gee previously served as lead counsel for the House Homeland Security Committee under chair U.S. Rep. Bennie Thompson, who in July wrote a letter to U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland asking the U.S. Department of Justice to investigate Bryant�s role in the welfare scheme.

Shad White, the state auditor who originally investigated the case, was appointed by and formerly served as a campaign manager for Bryant. Shortly after his office arrested New, Davis and four others for their alleged roles in the scheme, White publicly called Bryant the whistleblower in the case.

Asked on Monday how he would characterize Bryant�s role in the scandal now, White said, �I wouldn�t because we don�t know everything that�s going to come out ultimately.�

�I would just let the public decide how they interpret his actions over the course of that entire thing,� White said. �You know, really, if you think back about the corpus of events here that happened, a lot of it has been put out in the news. And so I think anybody who�s reading the newspaper can look at that and say, �OK, people at DHS did this right, and they did this wrong. People in the governor�s office did this right, and they did that wrong.� And they can decide.�

�That�s not for me to decide what somebody�s legacy is,� White added.

# ? Sep 14, 2022 15:23

FlamingLiberal: Jan 18, 2009; Would you like to play a game?

Yeah those texts certainly make it look like he knew this was a crime

I�ll be interested to see if he gets charged or not. He has already paid back most of the money he was given because he of course took the money and then didn�t actually even do those speeches

# ? Sep 14, 2022 15:30

Kalit: Nov 6, 2006; The great thing about the thousands of slaughtered Palestinian children is that they can't pull away when you fondle them or sniff their hair.

That's a Biden success story.

Leon Trotsky 2012 posted:

Hey, remember that story a few weeks ago about the former Governor of Mississippi stealing millions in welfare funds to give to Brett Favre, build a sports stadium, and pay staff salaries?

Remember how Brett Favre was initially not under investigation because he returned the money and allegedly did not know anything about where it came from?

Turns out that he may have known more than he initially let on.

I'm unsurprised, but drat, Bryant and Favre are such shitheads.

In rail related news:
https://twitter.com/CNNPolitics/status/1570056546406617088

Nothing stands out too much in this article to me, but it's a good sign that the railroads and unions are willing to send their officials to meet with Labor Secretary Walsh

# ? Sep 14, 2022 15:31

projecthalaxy: Dec 27, 2008; Yes hello it is I Kurt's Secret Son

FlamingLiberal posted:

Yeah those texts certainly make it look like he knew this was a crime

I’ll be interested to see if he gets charged or not. He has already paid back most of the money he was given because he of course took the money and then didn’t actually even do those speeches

I'm not up on my fraud and embezzlement law does giving the money back change the charges like some sort of murder vs manslaughter thing? Like he's just on the hook for second degree fraud now? I guess if nothing else it's a good courtroom argument.

# ? Sep 14, 2022 15:33

Shrecknet: Jan 2, 2005

SirFozzie posted:

Biden's social media team is still packing heat.

Rick Scott tried to fundraise/spread the word about his plans, and Biden's like "Sure, I'll help you let everyone know what's in your plan. "

https://twitter.com/JoeBiden/status/1569891437780832256

(How do I know it was Biden's social media team? Because well, it was posted between 11 PM-Midnight, and that's probably past Joe's bedtime )

joebiden.com/rickscottsplan is locked down and asking for username/pw... is this some burn I'm missing?

# ? Sep 14, 2022 15:42

Kalit: Nov 6, 2006; The great thing about the thousands of slaughtered Palestinian children is that they can't pull away when you fondle them or sniff their hair.

That's a Biden success story.

Shrecknet posted:

joebiden.com/rickscottsplan is locked down and asking for username/pw... is this some burn I'm missing?

It works for me, redirects to https://democrats.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/RickScott-12-Point-Policy-Book.pdf

E: Looking at it, it seems the same as the real plan put forth by Rick Scott? Seems like free advertising to me, unless I missed something that was changed...

Kalit fucked around with this message at 15:49 on Sep 14, 2022

# ? Sep 14, 2022 15:45

evilweasel: Aug 24, 2002

Shrecknet posted:

joebiden.com/rickscottsplan is locked down and asking for username/pw... is this some burn I'm missing?

If I click on the link in the tweet it works fine for me.

# ? Sep 14, 2022 15:46

Triskelli: Sep 27, 2011; I AM A SKELETON
WITH VERY HIGH
STANDARDS

Kalit posted:

It works for me, redirects to https://democrats.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/RickScott-12-Point-Policy-Book.pdf

E: Looking at it, it seems the same as the real plan put forth by Rick Scott? Seems like free advertising to me, unless I missed something that was changed...

Yeah I think it's a little na�ve to republish the report un-edited. I guess they're hoping the points raised are kooky enough to drat Rick Scott by themselves which...

Oh okay here it is, Point 4: "Build the wall and name it the Trump Wall", that's got to be the too crazy to be true addition.

# ? Sep 14, 2022 15:53

Kalit: Nov 6, 2006; The great thing about the thousands of slaughtered Palestinian children is that they can't pull away when you fondle them or sniff their hair.

That's a Biden success story.

Triskelli posted:

Yeah I think it's a little na�ve to republish the report un-edited. I guess they're hoping the points raised are kooky enough to drat Rick Scott by themselves which...

Oh okay here it is, Point 4: "Build the wall and name it the Trump Wall", that's got to be the too crazy to be true addition.

Nope, it's real: https://rescueamerica.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/RickScott-12-Point-Policy-Book.pdf

Maybe they're hoping to start Florida GOP infighting, pitting DeSantis vs Scott supporters? Assuming DeSantis runs in 2024, of course...

# ? Sep 14, 2022 15:56

Artonos: Dec 3, 2018

Rick Scott's plan is so unpopular that they don't want it to be forgotten that Republicans want to take away benefits. So it probably is a direct copy of his plan.

# ? Sep 14, 2022 16:00

FlamingLiberal: Jan 18, 2009; Would you like to play a game?

Artonos posted:

Rick Scott's plan is so unpopular that they don't want it to be forgotten that Republicans want to take away benefits. So it probably is a direct copy of his plan.

That�s my thought as well

Remember that this is the plan Scott released that even Mitch got mad at him about

# ? Sep 14, 2022 16:16

Quorum: Sep 24, 2014; REMIND ME AGAIN HOW THE LITTLE HORSE-SHAPED ONES MOVE?

Yeah, Rick Scott basically published a 14 point plan where all 14 points were "find a landmine and stomp on it very hard." Somehow managing to abolish social services and still raise taxes is honestly an achievement, although it's probably the kind of achievement you quit and start a new game after getting it because you're three days from your nation collapsing.

# ? Sep 14, 2022 16:18

skylined!: Apr 6, 2012; THE DEM DEFENDER HAS LOGGED ON

Leon Trotsky 2012 posted:

Hey, remember that story a few weeks ago about the former Governor of Mississippi stealing millions in welfare funds to give to Brett Favre, build a sports stadium, and pay staff salaries?

Remember how Brett Favre was initially not under investigation because he returned the money and allegedly did not know anything about where it came from?

Turns out that he may have known more than he initially let on.

https://twitter.com/DevlinBarrett/status/1569801596371963907

https://twitter.com/ryanlcooper/status/1569787874429501442

So "the usage of public funds is also made public" must be part of that Schoolhouse Rock bit that Favre had concussion'd out of his brain a long time ago.

# ? Sep 14, 2022 16:23

Oracle: Oct 9, 2004

Quorum posted:

Yeah, Rick Scott basically published a 14 point plan where all 14 points were "find a landmine and stomp on it very hard." Somehow managing to abolish social services and still raise taxes is honestly an achievement, although it's probably the kind of achievement you quit and start a new game after getting it because you're three days from your nation collapsing.

Rick Scott loves taxes because its how he funds most of his companies, either by writing laws as a politician that funnels it into his businesses or just outright fraud.

# ? Sep 14, 2022 16:28

evilweasel: Aug 24, 2002

Triskelli posted:

Yeah I think it's a little na�ve to republish the report un-edited. I guess they're hoping the points raised are kooky enough to drat Rick Scott by themselves which...

Oh okay here it is, Point 4: "Build the wall and name it the Trump Wall", that's got to be the too crazy to be true addition.

the goal isn't for persuadable voters browsing joe biden's twitter to read it and to consider it as they consider their vote

it's to get more stories in the news about the incredibly unpopular poo poo in it

# ? Sep 14, 2022 16:29

Mooseontheloose: May 13, 2003

Oracle posted:

Rick Scott loves taxes because its how he funds most of his companies, either by writing laws as a politician that funnels it into his businesses or just outright fraud.

Don't forget he grew up in government housing as well.

# ? Sep 14, 2022 16:30

FlamingLiberal: Jan 18, 2009; Would you like to play a game?

Oracle posted:

Rick Scott loves taxes because its how he funds most of his companies, either by writing laws as a politician that funnels it into his businesses or just outright fraud.

Yes and he�s also super rich and I don�t get the impression that he thinks he�ll ever lose a re-election because FL has been trending rightward and he can just bury his opponent in ads anyway

# ? Sep 14, 2022 16:30

Angry_Ed: Mar 30, 2010; Grimey Drawer

FlamingLiberal posted:

Yes and he’s also super rich and I don’t get the impression that he thinks he’ll ever lose a re-election because FL has been trending rightward and he can just bury his opponent in ads anyway

Well they did elect him despite knowing what a loving ghoul he is. Several times.

# ? Sep 14, 2022 16:32

Tibalt: May 14, 2017; What, drawn, and talk of peace! I hate the word, As I hate hell, all Montagues, and thee

Rick Scott has pissed off other republicans by using NRSC funds to boost his own profile (and also almost certainly embezzled into his supporters' pockets) to the point that they're pulling money out of PA and OH Senate races, so he might actually have made enemies with the sort of people who can hurt him: powerful Republicans.

# ? Sep 14, 2022 16:56

Automata 10 Pack: Jun 21, 2007; Ten games published by Automata, on one cassette

So what can we expect if Democrats expand the senate but Republicans take the house? What actions can Biden take Domestically during this period?

# ? Sep 14, 2022 17:11

FlamingLiberal: Jan 18, 2009; Would you like to play a game?

Automata 10 Pack posted:

So what can we expect if Democrats expand the senate but Republicans take the house? What actions can Biden take Domestically during this period?

Judicial appointments and not much else

# ? Sep 14, 2022 17:13

haveblue: Aug 15, 2005; Toilet Rascal

Automata 10 Pack posted:

So what can we expect if Democrats expand the senate but Republicans take the house? What actions can Biden take Domestically during this period?

If this happens, passing legislature will become much more difficult but making political appointments is unchanged. Executive orders are also unchanged. Anything the House is currently doing will probably be disrupted, most notably the January 6 investigation. There's also a nonzero chance a Republican House will impeach Biden just to own the libs and burn a few weeks of Senate time, but with no chance of conviction

# ? Sep 14, 2022 17:15

Blindeye: Sep 22, 2006; I can't believe I kissed you!

Automata 10 Pack posted:

So what can we expect if Democrats expand the senate but Republicans take the house? What actions can Biden take Domestically during this period?

He can really start railroading appointments with much more favorable heads of departments and judges. He can start ignoring more of his obnoxious senators who might slow him down in a 50-50 Senate.

# ? Sep 14, 2022 17:17

Main Paineframe: Oct 27, 2010

Kalit posted:

It works for me, redirects to https://democrats.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/RickScott-12-Point-Policy-Book.pdf

E: Looking at it, it seems the same as the real plan put forth by Rick Scott? Seems like free advertising to me, unless I missed something that was changed...

No need to change anything. It starts with this:

quote:

The militant left now controls the entire federal government, the news media, academia, Hollywood, and most corporate boardrooms – but they want more. They are redefining America and silencing their opponents.

Among the things they plan to change or destroy are: American history, patriotism, border security, the nuclear family, gender, traditional morality, capitalism, fiscal responsibility, opportunity, rugged individualism, Judeo-Christian values,
dissent, free speech, color blindness, law enforcement, religious liberty, parental involvement in public schools, and private ownership of firearms.

On the next page, it complains that the military is being indoctrinated in "left-wing woke foolishness" and then subjected to "Big Brother vax mandates". It then spouts the usual transphobic crap about women's sports, and complains that the withdrawal from Afghanistan "dishonored" America. This is red meat for the dedicated Trumpers.

And that's all just the intro! The actual plan promises to:

shut down the Department of Education
ban affirmative action
strengthen qualified immunity for cops
send the military to close the southern border and Build The Wall, which will be named after Trump
make it illegal to raise the debt ceiling
end unemployment assistance
end all welfare programs
end as many federal programs as possible, either by handing them over to the states, privatizing them, or just plain terminating them
put a mandatory five-year sunset on all federal laws
ban the phrase "gender identity"
ban gender-affirming care for trans minors
treat abortion as murder
make it illegal to spend federal dollars on diversity training
refuse to pursue "nutty" climate change policies that might hurt the economy
stop funding the UN
a total trade ban on "Communist China"
it mentions again that it will end all unemployment assistance and "stop paying people not to work", goes on a little mini-rant about it
make tax increases require a full 2/3rd supermajority in both houses of Congress

Of course, most of these don't have specific details, and it's clear that they're just blatant appeals to the base rather than serious policies. But Biden doesn't seem to be worried that this stuff is gonna sway voters, especially at a time like this.

# ? Sep 14, 2022 17:17

FizFashizzle: Mar 30, 2005

https://twitter.com/natalie_allison/status/1570083509405990912?s=46&t=QjH328JfSZ11sEurwr4K_Q

Whelp, guess I�m just gonna stream panthers games from out of market for the next couple months.

# ? Sep 14, 2022 17:20

FlamingLiberal: Jan 18, 2009; Would you like to play a game?

Marco Rubio is also co-sponsoring Graham�s bill which isn�t at all surprising

It probably helps that the last poll in his Senate race had him up 9 points

# ? Sep 14, 2022 17:23

evilweasel: Aug 24, 2002

FlamingLiberal posted:

Marco Rubio is also co-sponsoring Graham�s bill which isn�t at all surprising

It probably helps that the last poll in his Senate race had him up 9 points

to be fair, that poll outfit had rubio up by nine, and warnock up by 10, and there is no loving world in which both of those are true

like rubio is going to win and warnock is probably going to win. but if rubio is up by nine, it's gonna be a red wave and if warnock is up by 10, it's going to make 2006 look like a blue ripple. both are kinda crazy, and there is no loving way they're both true in any world

# ? Sep 14, 2022 17:26

theCalamity: Oct 23, 2010; Cry Havoc and let slip the Hogs of War

https://twitter.com/stevenportnoy/status/1570077616467742720?s=46&t=NT81isa9sOl3yBdvDqQO0w

https://twitter.com/stevenportnoy/status/1570083040621170689?s=46&t=NT81isa9sOl3yBdvDqQO0w

It is incredibly dumb to leave critical infrastructure in the hands of private entities whose only focus is the bottom line. All they needed to do was to hire more people and give these workers what they needed. Instead, they made them work longer without days off just so the owners of these railroads could make even more money

# ? Sep 14, 2022 17:28

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# ? May 25, 2024 23:47

Meatball: Mar 2, 2003; That's a Spicy Meatball; Pillbug

haveblue posted:

If this happens, passing legislature will become much more difficult but making political appointments is unchanged. Executive orders are also unchanged. Anything the House is currently doing will probably be disrupted, most notably the January 6 investigation. There's also a nonzero chance a Republican House will impeach Biden just to own the libs and burn a few weeks of Senate time, but with no chance of conviction

Can the house send their J6 info over to the senate, and have the senate take the baton?

# ? Sep 14, 2022 17:34

The Something Awful Forums > Discussion > Debate & Discussion > USCE Summer 2022: You can't change the crisis settings.

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