USPol April: Posting Cafe & Bakery (NOTE: Baby-killing gays need not apply)

The Something Awful Forums > Discussion > Debate & Discussion > USPol April: Posting Cafe & Bakery (NOTE: Baby-killing gays need not apply)

Accretionist: Nov 7, 2012; I BELIEVE IN STUPID CONSPIRACY THEORIES

PostNouveau posted:

Not content to let Indiana and Arkansas get all the attention, the Texas House Votes to Defund HIV Prevention to Pay for Abstinence Education.

Hahaha:

quote:

House Democrats fought against the amendment in a debate that rapidly devolved into awkward farce, with Rep. Spitzer revealing details of his own sexual history as proof of the effectiveness of abstinence. For those keeping tabs at home, he was a virgin until marrying his wife at age 29, although he declined to answer a question from Rep. Harold Dutton (D-Houston) on whether she was the first person he propositioned. �Decorum,� shouted state Rep. Jason Isaac (R-Dripping Springs)

# ¿ Apr 1, 2015 08:52

Adbot: ADBOT LOVES YOU

# ¿ May 14, 2024 20:58

Accretionist: Nov 7, 2012; I BELIEVE IN STUPID CONSPIRACY THEORIES

CommieGIR posted:

Don't forget, Indiana also just convicted a woman of killing her fetus when she tried to commit suicide:

http://www.wncn.com/story/28664509/first-woman-in-us-sentenced-for-killing-a-fetus

Where are you getting suicide from?

# ¿ Apr 1, 2015 17:39

Accretionist: Nov 7, 2012; I BELIEVE IN STUPID CONSPIRACY THEORIES

From the end of last thread, I thought this deserved more attention:

Article: Texas measure cuts HIV funds, boost abstinence education
From: ABC News
Date: April 1, 2015

quote:

Texas would cut $3 million from programs to prevent HIV and other sexually transmitted diseases and spend that money instead on abstinence education under a contentious Republican-sponsored measure tucked into the state budget Tuesday night.

The GOP-controlled House overwhelmingly approved the budget amendment, but not before a tense exchange with Democrats that veered into the unusually personal.

Republican state Rep. Stuart Spitzer, a doctor and the amendment's sponsor, at one point defended the change by telling the Texas House that he practiced abstinence until marriage. The first-term lawmaker said he hopes schoolchildren follow his example, saying, "What's good for me is good for a lot of people."

Democrat state Rep. Harold Dutton asked Spitzer if abstinence worked for him.

"It did," Spitzer replied. "I've had sex with one woman in my life and that's my wife."

"Is that the first woman you asked?" Dutton replied.

Shouts of "Decorum!" soon echoed on the House floor as the back-and-forth intensified. Efforts by Democrats to put the debate in writing for the record - usually a perfunctory request - failed.

...

An appropriate response.

# ¿ Apr 1, 2015 20:17

Accretionist: Nov 7, 2012; I BELIEVE IN STUPID CONSPIRACY THEORIES

CommieGIR posted:

Sounds about right. They are still pushing for Abstinence only sex ed in the South despite our loving awful Teen Pregnancy rates (and the weird idea that if you tell kids not to do something, they won't do it.)

One of American politics' greatest ironies. It's ridiculous. You can't reduce teen pregnancies by telling kids contraception doesn't work. That's some white-is-black, up-is-down level batshittery.

# ¿ Apr 1, 2015 20:34

Accretionist: Nov 7, 2012; I BELIEVE IN STUPID CONSPIRACY THEORIES

This is out there, but do any of you think that the latinization of the US and the stresses of global warming create a possibility for accession by Central American or Caribbean nations?

Also, if someone wants to make a, "51st State and Beyond," thread, I'd read it. I have an irrational desire for more stars on the flag.

# ¿ Apr 1, 2015 20:56

Accretionist: Nov 7, 2012; I BELIEVE IN STUPID CONSPIRACY THEORIES

Haha, I completely fell for the set-up. The laptop came out and I was like, "Ugh, is he... is he really rubbing it in?" Then the shift to, "Dick-Pic Program," hit and it was clear what he was doing, and it was beautiful.

# ¿ Apr 6, 2015 09:07

Accretionist: Nov 7, 2012; I BELIEVE IN STUPID CONSPIRACY THEORIES

We probably spend at least $100b every year just loving with poor people to satisfy conservatives.

# ¿ Apr 7, 2015 07:27

Accretionist: Nov 7, 2012; I BELIEVE IN STUPID CONSPIRACY THEORIES

Article: Missouri Republicans are trying to ban food stamp recipients from buying steak and seafood
From: Chicago Tribune
Date: April 5, 2015

quote:

In 2013, Fox News proudly broadcast an interview with a young food stamp recipient who claimed to be using the government benefit to purchase lobster and sushi.

"This is the way I want to live and I don't really see anything changing," Jason Greenslate, a surfer and rocker, explained to Fox. "It's free food; it's awesome."

That story fit a longtime conservative suspicion that poor people use food stamps to purchase luxury items. Now, a Republican state lawmaker in Missouri is pushing for legislation that would stop people like Greenslate and severely limit what food stamp recipients can buy. The bill being proposed would ban the purchase with food stamps of "cookies, chips, energy drinks, soft drinks, seafood or steak."

"The intention of the bill is to get the food stamp program back to it's original intent, which is nutrition assistance," said Rick Brattin, the representative who is sponsoring the proposed legislation.

...

"I have seen people purchasing filet mignons and crab legs with their EBT cards," he said. "When I can't afford it on my pay, I don't want people on the taxpayer's dime to afford those kinds of foods either."
...

Brattin says his bill is about making the food stamp program revolve around nutrition, but it also touches on more than that: whether poor people should be allowed to purchase foods that are deemed fancy. [...]

# ¿ Apr 7, 2015 07:56

Accretionist: Nov 7, 2012; I BELIEVE IN STUPID CONSPIRACY THEORIES

KomradeX posted:

... it'll cost more than is lost to poor people doing this.

Of American politics' great ironies, fighting teen pregnancy by telling teens condoms don't work is second only to the fiscal conservative's de facto insistence on inefficiency and waste.

The chronically homeless of central Florida cost about ~$30,000/head/year, mostly by way of law enforcement and medical costs. A [Free Housing + Case Worker] program would cut that to ~$10,000/head/year.

Or, in other words, given their population, conservatives will have Florida spend $100,000,000+ over ten years to keep the homeless on the streets.

Every leftie or centrist I've gone over this with has been sold just with some details about the program or the research. They like that it helps people. They like that it reduces crime. They like that it cleans up the streets. They like that it saves money and increases efficiency. But the conservatives? I've yet to find a single one that can get past the whole, "They don't deserve it," angle. It's loving crazy.

# ¿ Apr 7, 2015 08:27

Accretionist: Nov 7, 2012; I BELIEVE IN STUPID CONSPIRACY THEORIES

DemeaninDemon posted:

Oh no I do get it but I sure as hell don't like it.

Though I would like to know what sort of tax cuts would help the poor person succeed.

Tax cuts that go negative.

# ¿ Apr 7, 2015 21:53

Accretionist: Nov 7, 2012; I BELIEVE IN STUPID CONSPIRACY THEORIES

I wonder if food stamps reduce medical spending and reduce crime? If so, "Food stamps cut costs!," would be fun to break out.

And, regarding the above post, "Food stamps create jobs," is always a fun one.

"It's a cost-cutting, job-creating program that increases small-business revenues and profits."

# ¿ Apr 7, 2015 22:41

Accretionist: Nov 7, 2012; I BELIEVE IN STUPID CONSPIRACY THEORIES

computer parts posted:

This sounds like it only focuses on Republican primary elections.

If this bears fruit, it will be amazing for the GOP Civil War.

# ¿ Apr 8, 2015 02:15

Accretionist: Nov 7, 2012; I BELIEVE IN STUPID CONSPIRACY THEORIES

Chantilly Say posted:

It's more that the destination they've chosen is the past.

The past is a foreign country.

# ¿ Apr 8, 2015 03:21

Accretionist: Nov 7, 2012; I BELIEVE IN STUPID CONSPIRACY THEORIES

I've read that low educational attainment is largely a function of poverty, specifically, that when you control for childhood poverty in cross-country comparisons, we actually get up near the top of the pack. From this, I infer that the system would work mostly fine if not for poverty.

So, a question for any education buffs: Could extended hours be used to insulate kids from poverty? I'm imagining a trial program where a high school runs 8 to 4 with extra-curriculars as two hour modules replete with dinner service.

# ¿ Apr 9, 2015 04:41

Accretionist: Nov 7, 2012; I BELIEVE IN STUPID CONSPIRACY THEORIES

If America had UHC, this conversation wouldn't have happened.

# ¿ Apr 9, 2015 23:08

Accretionist: Nov 7, 2012; I BELIEVE IN STUPID CONSPIRACY THEORIES

Trabisnikof posted:

I'm kinda curious, what exactly is the positive action that the crabs are supposed to take instead of fighting to the top of the bucket?

Its not like they can team up and overpower the crabmonger or use their iron-clad claws to rip into the bucket.

Really, being at the top of the bucket increase the chance you'll be jostled overboard. A good crab.

Only if there's just one rear end in a top hat crab. The problem is that every crab is an rear end in a top hat, so the crabs beneath the top crab are pulling him down, too. I like to think of crabs as, "self-storing." They're so busy fighting to be on top that they'll never get out of the holes I put them in.

# ¿ Apr 10, 2015 05:28

Accretionist: Nov 7, 2012; I BELIEVE IN STUPID CONSPIRACY THEORIES

gradenko_2000 posted:

I think it's not mutually exclusive to think that

A. the police officer's wife should be able to have her baby regardless of what her spouse did.

B. It's hosed up that we're not doing these humanitarian initiatives for literally everyone else, and/or that access to healthcare should not be tied to one's job in the first place.

I give it a, "imo nice albeit nepotistic," and figure that whether the nepotism's of greater disutility than than the niceness's of utility is wholly dependent on contextual variables we don't have access to.

whydirt posted:

I'd hope we're smarter, because we sure aren't tastier.

Hey now, cannibals say that humans taste like pork and chicken.

# ¿ Apr 10, 2015 06:33

Accretionist: Nov 7, 2012; I BELIEVE IN STUPID CONSPIRACY THEORIES

Mother fuckers:

Article: Transit proposals in Congress threaten projects and jobs, critics say
From: Miami Herald
Date: April 9, 2015

quote:

WASHINGTON

Rail and bus systems across the country could lose nearly half their funding under two proposals in Congress to end federal grants for transit projects.

The legislation, sponsored by Republican Reps. Thomas Massie of Kentucky and Mark Sanford of South Carolina, also could affect more than 750 companies in 39 states that produce rail and bus transit components, including manufacturers in those two states.

According to the American Public Transportation Association, eliminating federal transit funding would put 66 projects at risk. They include light rail and streetcar projects in Charlotte, N.C.; commuter rail in Fort Worth, Texas; and bus rapid transit in Fresno, Calif.

Transit advocates are pushing lawmakers to continue federal funding for these projects as part of a long-term transportation bill Congress needs to pass this year.

The American Public Transportation Association reported last month that public transit ridership hit 10.8 billion trips last year, the largest in nearly six decades. The group projects that the Sanford and Massie bills would result in a 43 percent reduction in transit systems� capital funds.

While some conservatives oppose federal funding for transit because of the perception that it benefits only urban areas, Michael Melaniphy, the American Public Transportation Association�s president and CEO, said that rural areas depend on transit systems and transit manufacturing jobs.

...

In recent years, however, the highway fund has not been able to cover the cost of annual transportation spending because it relies on a per-gallon federal gasoline tax that Congress hasn�t changed since the Clinton administration.

Rather than raise the tax, currently 18.4 cents a gallon on gasoline and 24.4 cents a gallon on diesel fuel, the Sanford and Massie bills would eliminate or phase out the transit funding and redirect it to highways. The Sanford bill would phase out the funds over five years.

�The bill removes mass transit from the trust fund over a five-year period in order to give mass transit systems time to find and develop dedicated funding sources,� Sanford said in a statement.

While the idea is popular in conservative circles, Sanford and Massie will not have the support of the Republican chairman of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, of which they�re members.

Rep. Bill Shuster, R-Pa., has publicly said he does not support ending federal support for transit. Nor does Secretary of Transportation Anthony Foxx, who�s testified on Capitol Hill recently in favor of more transit funding.

This sounds too awful to pass but that they can even try is enough to worry me. This country has way the hell too little public transit as is.

# ¿ Apr 11, 2015 11:33

Accretionist: Nov 7, 2012; I BELIEVE IN STUPID CONSPIRACY THEORIES

GhostofJohnMuir posted:

Christ, I'm feeling sick to my stomach right now. The worst part isn't the fact that the dog savages the suspect when he's already on the ground with a cop straddling him, it's that there's another cop standing by and watching. If you need to further restrain the suspect, in what loving way do you justify bringing in the dog rather than the loving human being with hands?

He just wanted to let his little buddy in on the action :3:

# ¿ Apr 12, 2015 07:17

Accretionist: Nov 7, 2012; I BELIEVE IN STUPID CONSPIRACY THEORIES

It reminds me of the 70s.

# ¿ Apr 13, 2015 04:54

Accretionist: Nov 7, 2012; I BELIEVE IN STUPID CONSPIRACY THEORIES

Drakegrim is a retarded person. Why are you all wasting time talking to him when there's a national tragedy unfolding right now?

Rolled semi spills 14 million bees on I-5 near Lynnwood

quote:

A semitruck rolled early Friday, spilling a load of honeybees on the Interstate 5 median at the Interstate 405 interchange near Lynnwood.

Beekeepers were at the crash site within an hour of the 3:30 a.m. crash to try to round up the honeybees, according to the Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT).

As temperatures warmed and the bees became agitated, firefighters killed the bees by spraying a mixture of foam and water on the hives that hadn�t been recovered by beekeepers, said Sgt. Ben Lewis of the State Patrol.

�Everybody�s been stung,� Lewis said.

Traffic remained backed up on northbound I-5 as the accident was cleared, according to WSDOT.

When driving through the area, WSDOT advised keeping vehicle windows and vents closed.

�Lots of stinging going on,� according to WSDOT.

The semi was exiting I-405 onto northbound I-5 when the driver lost control, hit the guardrail and spilled the bee boxes, Lewis said.

Authorities are looking into whether speed was an issue in the crash, Sgt. Keith Leary said.

The truck held 458 hives holding as many as 14 million bees, Leary said. The honeybees, headed from Sunnyside, Yakima County, to a blueberry farm in Lynden, Whatcom County, were worth $92,000, he said.

Seth Thompson, of Belleville Farms, said the company was able to save some hives. It�s a huge blow for the business heading into summer, he said.

�We saved 128 hives before the sun came up and it got too nice,� he said.

The company has about 8,000 hives, Thompson said. �This is 400 of them. It�s a bad deal � a couple hundred thousand dollars for sure.�

The semi driver was not injured, according to the State Patrol. The clean up was expected to be lengthy.

14 million bees. This is one of the worst disasters I've ever seen.

# ¿ Apr 17, 2015 17:18

Accretionist: Nov 7, 2012; I BELIEVE IN STUPID CONSPIRACY THEORIES

CheesyDog posted:

Welp time to ignore this thread for the next 30 pages

USPol April Transcript:

Man 1: Hey guys, I'm retarded!

Man 2: Hey man, you're retarded!

Man 1: *feels less alone or something*

# ¿ Apr 17, 2015 17:32

Accretionist: Nov 7, 2012; I BELIEVE IN STUPID CONSPIRACY THEORIES

Don't forget, they scrapped state-level UHC because there wasn't enough in the budget for graft.

# ¿ Apr 18, 2015 02:22

Accretionist: Nov 7, 2012; I BELIEVE IN STUPID CONSPIRACY THEORIES

computer parts posted:

Are they as racist against Muslims though?

Vermont's new motto: Stella quarta decima fulgeat*

_{*May the 14th star shine bright}

The public response:

So, they at least have strong feelings about what they roughly suppose immigrants to be.

# ¿ Apr 18, 2015 03:02

Accretionist: Nov 7, 2012; I BELIEVE IN STUPID CONSPIRACY THEORIES

My Jr. High served turkey sandwiches where the turkey was sometimes all gristle and collagen. It's left me reflexively assuming anything to improve school lunches is a good thing.

# ¿ Apr 18, 2015 14:41

Accretionist: Nov 7, 2012; I BELIEVE IN STUPID CONSPIRACY THEORIES

tsa posted:

But you're a loving idiot if you think you can have healthy tasty lunches for the same price as a pizza and fries.

Well, if the cooks actually cook, I bet we can. Potatoes, rice, beans, cabbage, etc.

# ¿ Apr 19, 2015 04:28

Accretionist: Nov 7, 2012; I BELIEVE IN STUPID CONSPIRACY THEORIES

Nintendo Kid posted:

Just making food taste terrible does not make it healthy, and definitely doesn't make it tasty. (Cabbage, really? Are you a stereotype Russian peasant?)

What!? All of this is the opposite of true. Potatoes, rice, beans and cabbage are all both healthy and tasty.

Samurai Sanders posted:

I dunno how many lunch ladies schools hire anymore, but I be it's as few as they can get away with; too few to do proper cooking for that many people.

Yeah, but that makes staff the limiting factor rather than the healthy/unhealthy food cost differential. We just need to get private sector inefficiency and meddling out of the way.

Edit:

My Imaginary GF posted:

Use child labor to supplement.

People've been saying we need more vocational high schools

Accretionist fucked around with this message at 04:41 on Apr 19, 2015

# ¿ Apr 19, 2015 04:39

Accretionist: Nov 7, 2012; I BELIEVE IN STUPID CONSPIRACY THEORIES

Nintendo Kid posted:

No, they're not inherently healthy, and they're usually quite bland. Rice, beans and potatoes in particularly bland.

They can keep you from dying of total malnutrition on a restricted budget, that don't make them healthy.

What the gently caress do you even mean by healthy?

# ¿ Apr 19, 2015 04:53

Accretionist: Nov 7, 2012; I BELIEVE IN STUPID CONSPIRACY THEORIES

Nintendo Kid posted:

It certainly wouldn't be more healthy than pizza or corn, or potatoes prepared a way you have a problem with.

I don't think you've ever looked at a nutritional label in your life.

P.S. Potatoes have a great profile and you can season* them with practically anything.

* Reminder: Seasoning exists.

# ¿ Apr 19, 2015 04:57

Accretionist: Nov 7, 2012; I BELIEVE IN STUPID CONSPIRACY THEORIES

Edit: gently caress it, you are a retarded person.

# ¿ Apr 19, 2015 05:04

Accretionist: Nov 7, 2012; I BELIEVE IN STUPID CONSPIRACY THEORIES

Plutocracy now!

Article: U.S. House passes estate tax repeal despite veto threat
From: Reuters
Date: April 16, 2015

quote:

(Reuters) - The U.S. House of Representatives on Thursday ignored a White House veto threat and passed legislation to repeal the estate tax that hits inherited assets worth $5.4 million or more.

By a mostly partisan 240-179 vote, the Republican-backed bill will be sent to the Senate, where Democrats are expected to use procedural hurdles to try to block it. Even if it passes the Senate, it would likely fail to achieve a two-thirds majority needed to override a veto.

House passage was timed for the week when most Americans file their tax returns. Conservatives, who refer to the estate tax as the "death tax," have long railed against it, arguing it hurts the families of small business owners and farmers.

"It�s past time to repeal this unacceptable tax. Every American deserves the ability to pass their life�s savings to their kids," said Representative Tom Graves, a conservative Republican from Georgia.

Repealing the tax would boost the federal deficit by about $269 billion over 10 years, according to Congress' Joint Committee on Taxation.

Few Americans pay the 40 percent tax on assets above the $5.4 million exclusion amount. About 5,400 estates, equal to 0.2 percent of taxpayers, will owe such taxes in 2015, according to the JCT.

# ¿ Apr 19, 2015 05:46

Adbot: ADBOT LOVES YOU

# ¿ May 14, 2024 20:58

Accretionist: Nov 7, 2012; I BELIEVE IN STUPID CONSPIRACY THEORIES

GlyphGryph posted:

I just want you guys to know this thread has actually changed my mind a lot about Hillary and I'm a lot more positive about her now. So thanks!

Me, too. I'm less nervous thanks to some of the information posts.

# ¿ Apr 25, 2015 00:48

The Something Awful Forums > Discussion > Debate & Discussion > USPol April: Posting Cafe & Bakery (NOTE: Baby-killing gays need not apply)