Politics And Current Events

[Gaucho]

By definition, a design is never coincidental.

[NTP66]

It's also never not approved by the event organizers.

[Troy Loney]

https://theintercept.com/2021/02/04/pin ... ean-snake/

The six degrees of separation to fascists, is not convoluted.

[count2infinity]

You have 3 screens... 2 on the side, 1 in the middle. Between the screens there are entrances to a podium in the center. I don't think it's beyond the realm of possibility that it's coincidental. In fact, I think it's more likely.

You think the stage design is coincidental? Are you high?

I believe it could be and if I had to bet on it, I'd say yes, it was coincidental to a Nazi symbol. I think the fact that you're leaving zero room for that to be a possibility is odd.

And not currently.

[nocera]

MyPillow CEO Mike Lindell has mic muted at CPAC for spouting vaccine and election conspiracies
https://www.independent.co.uk/news/worl ... reddit.com

[MR25]

But who makes a stage with two parts randomly cutoff on either side, if not to do so intentionally?

Like, it's not even a practical design.

[Troy Loney]

I believe it could be and if I had to bet on it, I'd say yes, it was coincidental to a Nazi symbol. I think the fact that you're leaving zero room for that to be a possibility is odd.

And not currently.

The nazism, I could be persuaded that it's coincidental and unintentional. That the stage design landed on that specific symbol. Sorry, that was pretty clear.

[count2infinity]

I'm not dying on this hill... I just find it odd for anyone to say 100% it was intended to be a nazi symbol. I also find it odd to say 100% it was not intended or planned to be a neonazi wink wink nod nod.

[shafnutz05]

https://www.axios.com/biden-cedric-rich ... 4a18a.html

White House senior adviser Cedric Richmond told "Axios on HBO" that it's "doable" for President Biden to make first-term progress on breaking down barriers for people of color, while Congress studies reparations for slavery.

Why it matters: Biden said on the campaign trail that he supports creation of a commission to study and develop proposals for reparations — direct payments for African-Americans.

Will this finally "even the playing field"? Colleges already bend over backwards to accept as many black applicants as possible. Harvard, in particular, was the subject of a study that given a certain GPA/SAT score, black applicants had a 95% chance of admission vs. a considerably lower chance (35%) for a white applicant, and even lower (25%) for an Asian student. In other words, colleges have been willing to drop their standards to hit their racial quotas.

It's not much different than the treatment of Jewish applicants by the same usual suspect universities a century ago.

It would be nice for people like Cedric Richmond to finally just admit that they don't really care about "equality of opportunity". What they want is "equality of results". When a reparations program inevitably fails to have any meaningful impact on the Black community outside of some extra spending money to blow through, the next thing we will hear about is how there needs to be "ongoing" reparations to "continuously lift up communities of color", or some other nonsense.

[NTP66]

MyPillow CEO Mike Lindell has mic muted at CPAC for spouting vaccine and election conspiracies
https://www.independent.co.uk/news/worl ... reddit.com

lol, did they not expect this to happen?

[shafnutz05]

MyPillow CEO Mike Lindell has mic muted at CPAC for spouting vaccine and election conspiracies
https://www.independent.co.uk/news/worl ... reddit.com

lol, did they not expect this to happen?

Embarrassing.

[shmenguin]

https://www.axios.com/biden-cedric-rich ... 4a18a.html

White House senior adviser Cedric Richmond told "Axios on HBO" that it's "doable" for President Biden to make first-term progress on breaking down barriers for people of color, while Congress studies reparations for slavery.

Why it matters: Biden said on the campaign trail that he supports creation of a commission to study and develop proposals for reparations — direct payments for African-Americans.

Will this finally "even the playing field"? Colleges already bend over backwards to accept as many black applicants as possible. Harvard, in particular, was the subject of a study that given a certain GPA/SAT score, black applicants had a 95% chance of admission vs. a considerably lower chance (35%) for a white applicant, and even lower (25%) for an Asian student. In other words, colleges have been willing to drop their standards to hit their racial quotas.

It's not much different than the treatment of Jewish applicants by the same usual suspect universities a century ago.

It would be nice for people like Cedric Richmond to finally just admit that they don't really care about "equality of opportunity". What they want is "equality of results". When a reparations program inevitably fails to have any meaningful impact on the Black community outside of some extra spending money to blow through, the next thing we will hear about is how there needs to be "ongoing" reparations to "continuously lift up communities of color", or some other nonsense.

Race aside, the idea of bootstrapping your way out of poverty is a myth.

I don’t want there to be a dozen neighborhoods surrounding every major city that you don’t feel safe walking through at night, and I don’t want children to grow up that way period.

We need government entitlements to break the poverty cycle - which is highly correlated to race. Packing it in because of half measured affirmative action programs already tried it doesn’t seem like a winning strategy.

[DigitalGypsy66]

[meow]

Explain “government entitlements”

[Troy Loney]

Explain “government entitlements”

Direct financial assistance.

[shmenguin]

Explain “government entitlements”

Direct financial assistance.

“We give you extra stuff and extra opportunity because otherwise the system perpetuates”

[Troy Loney]

I listened to the daily today, and I am extremely depressed. It touches on this discussion directly. This is third world county BS, it's despicable that people are stuck in this cycle in a country as wealthy as this. To hear that insurance is refusing to cover damage from burst water pipes that makes half of you home uninhabitable. **** is broken.
https://www.nytimes.com/2021/03/01/podc ... icity.html

[willeyeam]

our firm is highlighting black achievements in accounting this month and I saw one story on there that said black people weren't even allowed to attend state universities in Oklahoma in the 50s. I guess I didn't realize it was that recent. That's a not too long ago in the grand scheme of things.. you're talking kids now being maybe the 2nd generation even allowed to attend a state school in some states? No wonder

[meow]

Explain “government entitlements”

Direct financial assistance.

“We give you extra stuff and extra opportunity because otherwise the system perpetuates”

How much of this stuff is just putting a bandaid on a gun shot wound?

[Pavel Bure]

I listened to the daily today, and I am extremely depressed. It touches on this discussion directly. This is third world county BS, it's despicable that people are stuck in this cycle in a country as wealthy as this. To hear that insurance is refusing to cover damage from burst water pipes that makes half of you home uninhabitable. **** is broken.
https://www.nytimes.com/2021/03/01/podc ... icity.html

Come on bro, if the people don’t like it then don’t use that insurance. The market will self correct. As for the people currently suffering, well gotta break some eggs if you want to make an omelet. Capitalism works if you’re okay with some people ending up dead to get your point across.

[Freddy Rumsen]

https://www.axios.com/biden-cedric-rich ... 4a18a.html

White House senior adviser Cedric Richmond told "Axios on HBO" that it's "doable" for President Biden to make first-term progress on breaking down barriers for people of color, while Congress studies reparations for slavery.

Why it matters: Biden said on the campaign trail that he supports creation of a commission to study and develop proposals for reparations — direct payments for African-Americans.

Will this finally "even the playing field"? Colleges already bend over backwards to accept as many black applicants as possible. Harvard, in particular, was the subject of a study that given a certain GPA/SAT score, black applicants had a 95% chance of admission vs. a considerably lower chance (35%) for a white applicant, and even lower (25%) for an Asian student. In other words, colleges have been willing to drop their standards to hit their racial quotas.

It's not much different than the treatment of Jewish applicants by the same usual suspect universities a century ago.

It would be nice for people like Cedric Richmond to finally just admit that they don't really care about "equality of opportunity". What they want is "equality of results". When a reparations program inevitably fails to have any meaningful impact on the Black community outside of some extra spending money to blow through, the next thing we will hear about is how there needs to be "ongoing" reparations to "continuously lift up communities of color", or some other nonsense.

Race aside, the idea of bootstrapping your way out of poverty is a myth.

I don’t want there to be a dozen neighborhoods surrounding every major city that you don’t feel safe walking through at night, and I don’t want children to grow up that way period.

We need government entitlements to break the poverty cycle - which is highly correlated to race. Packing it in because of half measured affirmative action programs already tried it doesn’t seem like a winning strategy.

We've spent $22 Trillion in various governmental programs since the Great Society started in the 60's.

When exactly should we see a return in investment on this?

As long as the moral triumvirate of: don't have kids until your married, graduate high school, and get, and stay employed in the race to redistribute wealth is ignored it's just tossing money into a firepit.

Here's noted Right-Wing nutjobs at Brookings on it. This stuff ain't rocket science.

Our research shows that of American adults who followed these three simple rules, only about 2 percent are in poverty and nearly 75 percent have joined the middle class (defined as earning around $55,000 or more per year). There are surely influences other than these principles at play, but following them guides a young adult away from poverty and toward the middle class.

https://www.brookings.edu/opinions/thre ... dle-class/

[shafnutz05]

Race aside, the idea of bootstrapping your way out of poverty is a myth.

I don’t want there to be a dozen neighborhoods surrounding every major city that you don’t feel safe walking through at night, and I don’t want children to grow up that way period.

We need government entitlements to break the poverty cycle - which is highly correlated to race. Packing it in because of half measured affirmative action programs already tried it doesn’t seem like a winning strategy.

I agree with the bolded part, FWIW. That's not to say it can't and hasn't been done many times, of course.

The only way to break the cycle, to me, is to start at the community level. I know a couple of educators have alluded to it in here, but when you have children in cities verbally/physically attacking teachers and other school administrators on a frequent basis, where do you go from there? If you hand reparations to the people of that community, do we honestly think it will be put to good use? Does it matter?

I don't think government entitlements are going to effect the massive cultural shift that has to take place to create any kind of meaningful change in some of the most crime-ridden, impoverished communities. I want to see more of an effort made to reach the *children* in those communities. Offer them an escape route. If necessary, remove them from the community they live in, so they are free from the poisonous influences of their peers and young adults. ]

The only way things are ever going to change is to change the culture that keeps getting passed down from one generation to the next. I wish I knew how to do that, but I don't think money is the answer. Look at Antonio Brown, Pacman Jones, etc.

[mikey]

Combine the handouts and the things that Freddy mentioned. You have to "qualify" for it, just like unemployment or whatever...

[shmenguin]

UBI, decriminalization of all drugs, decriminalization of prostitution, criminal justice reform making bad police behavior matter. Not to mention actual efforts to build infrastructure, significant increased taxes for the billionaire class and bringing subsidized manufacturing back home to rebuild the middle class. And of course making health care and education reasonably affordable.

This all adds to several steps in the right direction.

Or...let’s pack it in, since life is good enough for some amount of people.

[Gaucho]

but the deficit