dogyks

Note: anyone who "believes in" science doesn't understand science. Skepticism is at the core of science.

Not a chance! Integrity must be rented.

When someone making a technical presentation states "we believe that...," I typically point out that beliefs are factually irrelevant and am only interested in the data that support or refute them. The current fad of "identification" is right out of South Park, and is subject to Poe's Law. I suppose I could identify as a lesbian trapped in a man's body, but my lesbian pals don't seem to care that I'm a breeder. Actually, one pointed out that she found being called "sir" annoying, but not that big of a deal. Anyhow, beliefs are fundamentally delusional. If they happen to coincide with reality, it is largely happenstance.

He took notes from the Pennsylvania Liquor Commission. Generally speaking, a liquor license is less fuss than simply printing money. The liquor laws in PA go back to Prohibition, so quite who can sell what is remarkably arcane - bars can sell six packs but a distributor can sell cases of beer, and wine and liquor are sold at State Stores. In any event, I recall a lot of fuss because the State Liquor Commission actually managed to lose money. Casinos appear to be in the same category as bars, and I can think of very few people who could kill the goose that laid that golden egg. Trump, of course, is on the short list. As an aside, I am impressed by the left failing to note that Trump was elected DESPITE all of his failings being patently obvious. The issue was not that people supported him so much as that the alternative was so clearly worse. One looks at Trump and would wonder how such a loathsome piece of shit could get elected. Then looking at Harris and Waltz, it becomes clear. I want to see an election where the winning slogan ISN'T "we suck less!"

Pretty simple. We're $36 some odd billion in the hole, so we have to find some kind of revenue stream to fill in the gap. Since we have to get the copper, the tariff could be applied to the deficit. Of course, that isn't the way things actually work inside the beltway, so there will likely be a push to find things on which to spend the "extra money" coming in, but the initial sentiment involves balancing the budget. Once you come to terms with the fact that we're in worse shape than a gambler with endless markers, the crappy details are less of a concern.

Still have the same Cherokee I've been driving for the last 40 years. Whole lot of upgrades and Kentucky gofasters, but it's still a bug smasher.

Thailand.

Mostly the dental plan.

A friend was with the 82nd Airborne deployed to Ohio during the turmoil surrounding our involvement in Southeast Asia. His unit had been well trained in crowd control and de-escalation. The National Guard OTOH had just come from a very tense miner's strike, were overtired, not trained in nonviolent response to provocation, and sent into an increasingly violent scene where protesters were burning buildings and so forth. They were also issued live ammunition. The decision was made to use the National Guard for the sake of legality, resulting in "four dead in Ohio." I'm trying to think of a conflict between rioters and military/paramilitary forces that ended well and nothing comes to mind. During the Chicago Democratic Convention, when the cops started talking off their badges it was time to get out of Lincoln Park ASAP. The optics helped Tricky Dick beat Hube the Cube. In Chile the Carabinieros expressed sympathy for protesters wanting a new constitution. It was pretty contentious, but a new constitution eventually resulted so I suppose that's about the best outcome I can think of. Since the bulk of the protesters were in fact peaceful people showing up after work on Friday, the tone was somewhat different. The leadership of current administration is given to such inelegant handling of E) All the above that the actual merits of their position on one thing or another become largely immaterial. A policy that could make perfect sense if implemented by someone competent becomes lunacy at the hands of Trump, so it becomes problematic. He has the Midas touch where everything turns to shit and gets gold plated.

A zero-based budget would be a start.

I'd guessed it was the result of an extensive kill file, but apparently not.

The Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board (I think that's the name) ran into a cash shortfall issue some time back, and amazement was expressed that anyone could lose money with a monopoly on the sales of alcohol. The general consensus is that having a liquor license is easier than simply printing money. I don't gamble (ever), but a passing familiarity with Stochastics suggests that a casino puts liquor to shame for raw income potential. Thus, it is an amazing accomplishment that anyone could run a casino into the ground. The only thing one could hope is that doing so would give one familiarity with handling crushing debt on the best possible terms, but it seems that the only one who tends to prevail is him - with everyone else taking the hit. Like the anecdote where a British officer told a French officer "we fight for honor and you fight for money." The response was "of course, one fights for what they don't have." In Trump's case, he demands loyalty but has none.

Only the ones that want to stay in business.

"We pretend to work, they pretend to pay us." Anonymous Soviet Citizen

It's twice as big as it needs to be.