Both work.

I like that you referred to religious dogma as “lore”.

At that point I feel like we’re splitting hairs.

If you don’t vote, you implicitly agree with whatever outcome is decided by those that do.

If you want your voice to be counted, you should go and vote.

And in saying that, I understand that some places are actively making it difficult for some people to actually submit their votes… But the 3/5ths not voting, is not accounted for by that one difficultly.

The “truth” you’ve stated here, regardless of its basis in fact or not, is too complex for the average American.

I’m just saying. The majority of y’all voted for the leopards then bitched when the leopards ate your collective faces.

This reminds me of that pie chart someone put out several years back where the majority of it was labeled Christian, and the remainder was labeled “other” with the Christian part saying “help! We’re being oppressed”

That’s how I feel about the US government shutdown right now.

But what do I know? I don’t even live in that shithole country.

I’m pretty certain you’re correct.

I’ve been loosely following along (I am not an American), and I did not realize the consequences myself. Holy shit, he’s basically halting paycheques for a lot of the people working directly and indirectly for the government.

I feel bad for those people. Hopefully they have enough to weather this storm until Taco gets advised that this action is fucking stupid as all hell.

Well, money is only as valuable as we think it is, and what goods or services it can be traded for.

The money itself carries very little value itself, only what we assign to it, or associate to it.

If the economic system based on the currency currently in use collapses, the money you have won’t be worth the paper it’s printed on.

It keeps working because the insurance/bank systems are evaluating things on the merit of the lender and their business plan. Anyone can make a decent business plan that will pass muster if you fiddle with it long enough. And the individual company/organisation that is defaulting on these are a dime-a-dozen. Since the failure of the loan goes down with the ship (and company), even if the borrower’s ask for more money tomorrow, as long as the request is coming from a different company/organization, the banks evaluate based on the organisation that is requesting the loan, not the leadership’s failed previous attempts from other businesses.

Incorporated companies have limited liability from their owners. While the owners operate as agents of the business, ultimately the business itself is liable for their decisions. They don’t bear any responsibility. So their actions are based on what will get them, personally, the most value extracted from the business, not based on what’s good for the long-term success of the company itself.

The banks, and/or the insurance companies.

In the case of the banks, the money isn’t real and never existed in the first place.

The fiat money system is pretty fucked when you understand it.

At worst they take the “loss” and at best, they get bailed out by public dollars.

Pick whatever fits your ideals.

They don’t, but the thought is amusing.

Sooooo… We’re regressing to the 1850’s. Got it.

Someone who doesn’t fit into what they view as “the norm”.

I say, that “the norm” needs to be amended, changed, or done away with entirely.

Hard agree.

Those complaints are going straight into a shredder.

This administration has been blatant about putting right wing allies into major positions of power in the government and basing decision-making on partisan politics in every branch, at every level of government.

Those that play ball are promoted, those that don’t, like the CDC director, get replaced.

Did you expect mature and professional?

If so, I have some land in the Bahamas you might be interested in.

I can at least understand what’s being said by a few of these, but do we have an official, on the books, definition for what constitutes “extremist” views, or what “traditional American values” are in this context?

I’m guessing not, because I’m not sure they know what any of that actually looks like anymore.

They think they do, but they keep the wording vague in their official statements because these rules are not to preserve American culture or their way of life, it’s all vibe based. I don’t like you so let’s see which of these vague statements I can attach to you so that you get in trouble that you literally cannot afford to get out of…

They don’t seem to realize there’s more of us than there are of them.

… A lot more

The only time that any of these rules are enforced is when the people with money hire their expensive lawyers to ensure it’s enforced.

When they break the rules against the poors, nobody has enough money to fight with their fancy pants lawyers.

They get “justice” and we get whatever they give us.

Nothing has changed.

People are saying this?

Are they idiots?

I’m just saying that you can uninstall stuff from your smart phone.

Use it for phone stuff, not computer stuff.

But hey, don’t let me tell you what to do. Have fun.