It ain't just Pelosi. Too many of these people are trying to get and drag too much of our country into their coffins with them.
--Patrick
Gas Bandit's Political Thread V: The Vampire Likes Bats
- Thread starter GasBandit
- Start date
--Patrick
GasBandit
Staff member
The justification for not releasing it before was Rs said "it's still a draft, we need to finalize it" with Ds saying "no, it's done, release it". Now supposedly it's "done," which I interpret to mean the entire text of it has been redacted in orange crayon and the word "Inasent" has been scrawled across it in suspiciously Trumpish handwriting.
Eh, I feel like he's a distraction to try to get some good press for the GOP before shit gets really bad, and he's unpopular enough that they don't mind losing him.
You act like he's the one the GOP shoots in the leg so he can't run as fast in order for the rest to escape.
...heyyyyy waitaminit...
--Patrick
Dave
Staff member
HERE COMES A NEW CHALLENGER!
Bipartisan Stopgap Government Funding Plan Collapses After Trump Intervenes
Trump’s sudden entrance into the debate and new demands days before a deadline to prevent a Christmastime government shutdown sent Congress spiraling.
--Patrick
Dave
Staff member
Not even him. It's Elon Musk doing it.HERE COMES A NEW CHALLENGER!
He's not even sworn in yet and he's already petulantly breaking things.Bipartisan Stopgap Government Funding Plan Collapses After Trump Intervenes
Trump’s sudden entrance into the debate and new demands days before a deadline to prevent a Christmastime government shutdown sent Congress spiraling.time.com
--Patrick
Dave
Staff member
You know I was thinking tonight. Medical debt is the biggest driver for bankruptcies in the US. I pay about $1000 a month for insurance through my work. My deductible is like $2500-3000. It doesn't cover dental. So if a catastrophic illness or injury is going to cause me to declare bankruptcy anyway, why am I paying this every month? Why not take that amount & throw it into my retirement or even my HSA? I know that's pretty short sighted all things considered but if the denial rate is 20+% I have a 1 in 5 chance of paying in for nothing anyway.
For anything serious, as long as you're capable, you're literally better off getting on a plane to Belgium or Spain and asking for medical assistance. Both countries offer necessary medical interventions and operations to visiting foreigners at the prices our middlemen pay - which is more than I would pay, but still usually counted in the hundreds of euros for things like hip replacements or open heart surgeries, instead of trends or thousands of dollars for minor stuff.
Sadly doesn't apply to non-medically-required/non-urgent stuff.
GasBandit
Staff member
1/ The House Ethics Committee secretly voted to release its report on Matt Gaetz and allegations of sex trafficking an underage girl and illicit drug use. The report is now expected to be made public as soon as this week: after the final votes of the 118th Congress but before lawmakers head home for the holidays. The yearslong investigation looked into allegations that Gaetz had engaged in sexual misconduct and illicit drug use, accepted bribes or other improper gifts, shared inappropriate images or videos on the House floor, and obstructed the House probe. Earlier this month, House Republicans blocked the release of the report. Gaetz abruptly resigned from Congress after Trump tapped him for attorney general last month, but two days before the bipartisan committee was set to vote on releasing the report. “It’s embarrassing, though not criminal, that I probably partied, womanized, drank and smoked more than I should have earlier in life,” Gaetz said. “I live a different life now.” (CNN / CBS News / ABC News / Associated Press / New York Times / Washington Post / Politico / USA Today / NBC News)
2/ Trump suggested that Liz Cheney “could be in a lot of trouble” following a report by House Republicans accusing her of witness tampering while serving on the Jan. 6 Select Committee, which investigated Trump’s efforts to overturn the 2020 election. The report alleges that Cheney “colluded with ‘star witness’ Cassidy Hutchinson” and calls for the FBI to investigate the former lawmaker for presenting “uncorroborated, cherry-picked, and, at times, false evidence.” Hutchinson is the former Trump White House who testified before the Jan. 6 committee about the attack on the Capitol, including that Trump knew some of his supporters were armed when he directed them to march on the Capitol. Nevertheless, Barry Loudermilk, the Republican chairman of the House Administration Oversight Subcommittee, wrote in the report, “until we hold accountable those responsible, and reform our institutions, we will not fully regain trust.” Cheney, meanwhile, defended her work, and called the report “a malicious and cowardly assault on the truth.” (Associated Press / New York Times / CNN / NBC News / Politico / Reuters / Axios)
3/ Elon Musk directed House Republicans to sink Speaker Mike Johnson’s bipartisan spending package that would prevent a government shutdown. Musk called the must-pass spending bill “a crime” that “should not pass,” adding that any lawmaker who votes for it “deserves to be voted out in 2 years.” Earlier this week, the House and Senate agreed to extend government funding until March and allocate over $100 billion in relief for disaster victims and farmers. Under the House’s 72-hour review rule, the earliest a final vote could occur is Friday night, which would delay a Senate vote until late Friday or early Saturday. If Congress fails to pass the bill by Friday night, the government will shut down. With many Republicans expected to oppose the measure following Musk’s pressure, Johnson may need to use a process called suspension, requiring a two-thirds majority in the House. To avoid a shutdown, this approach would require significant Democratic support. Trump, meanwhile, said he is “totally against” the stopgap spending package and instead wants Congress to couple the temporary funding bill with raising the debt ceiling. (Politico / Bloomberg / CNN / ABC News / Axios / Wall Street Journal)
5/ The Senate passed an $895.2 billion defense policy bill that bans gender-affirming care for transgender minors of service members. The annual National Defense Authorization Act, which sets the policy agenda and authorizes funding for the Department of Defense annually, was approved 85 to 14. Eleven Democrats and three Republicans voted against it. House Speaker Mike Johnson refused to bring the must-pass defense bill to the House floor without a provision preventing the military’s health care plan for service members from covering “medical interventions for the treatment of gender dysphoria that could result in sterilization may not be provided to a child under the age of 18.” It now heads to Biden, who is expected to sign it into law. (New York Times / CBS News / Washington Post / CNN)
6/ The Supreme Court will decide the constitutionality of a law that would effectively ban TikTok unless the company divests from Chinese ownership. The law, a bipartisan measure passed by Congress and signed into law by Biden earlier this year over national security concerns, requires TikTok’s Chinese owner, ByteDance, to sell the platform to an American company or face a ban. The court will hear oral arguments on Jan. 10 – nine days before the law is slated to take effect. If the Supreme Court upholds the ban, it’ll take effect the day before Trump’s inauguration, who recently said he had “warm spot” in his heart for the platform despite signing an executive order in 2020 forcing the sale of TikTok. (NBC News / Bloomberg / Associated Press / New York Times / NPR / ABC News / Washington Post / Wall Street Journal / Politico)
2/ Trump suggested that Liz Cheney “could be in a lot of trouble” following a report by House Republicans accusing her of witness tampering while serving on the Jan. 6 Select Committee, which investigated Trump’s efforts to overturn the 2020 election. The report alleges that Cheney “colluded with ‘star witness’ Cassidy Hutchinson” and calls for the FBI to investigate the former lawmaker for presenting “uncorroborated, cherry-picked, and, at times, false evidence.” Hutchinson is the former Trump White House who testified before the Jan. 6 committee about the attack on the Capitol, including that Trump knew some of his supporters were armed when he directed them to march on the Capitol. Nevertheless, Barry Loudermilk, the Republican chairman of the House Administration Oversight Subcommittee, wrote in the report, “until we hold accountable those responsible, and reform our institutions, we will not fully regain trust.” Cheney, meanwhile, defended her work, and called the report “a malicious and cowardly assault on the truth.” (Associated Press / New York Times / CNN / NBC News / Politico / Reuters / Axios)
3/ Elon Musk directed House Republicans to sink Speaker Mike Johnson’s bipartisan spending package that would prevent a government shutdown. Musk called the must-pass spending bill “a crime” that “should not pass,” adding that any lawmaker who votes for it “deserves to be voted out in 2 years.” Earlier this week, the House and Senate agreed to extend government funding until March and allocate over $100 billion in relief for disaster victims and farmers. Under the House’s 72-hour review rule, the earliest a final vote could occur is Friday night, which would delay a Senate vote until late Friday or early Saturday. If Congress fails to pass the bill by Friday night, the government will shut down. With many Republicans expected to oppose the measure following Musk’s pressure, Johnson may need to use a process called suspension, requiring a two-thirds majority in the House. To avoid a shutdown, this approach would require significant Democratic support. Trump, meanwhile, said he is “totally against” the stopgap spending package and instead wants Congress to couple the temporary funding bill with raising the debt ceiling. (Politico / Bloomberg / CNN / ABC News / Axios / Wall Street Journal)
- Elizabeth Warren urged Trump to establish conflict-of-interest rules for Elon Musk due to his dual role as government adviser and head of companies receiving federal funds or regulatory oversight, like SpaceX and Tesla. (Washington Post)
- Elon Musk and SpaceX face multiple federal investigations for failing to comply with security reporting protocols. Federal agencies, including the Defense Department and the Air Force, are reviewing SpaceX’s compliance with national security reporting requirements after allegations that Musk and the company have repeatedly failed to report his foreign meetings, drug use, and travel details. (New York Times)
- Elon Musk lacks access to SpaceX’s most sensitive government secrets due to concerns over his past drug use, foreign contacts, and the potential risks associated with obtaining higher security clearance. Trump, however, could bypass traditional security requirements and grant Musk access to classified information, particularly in his new role leading the Department of Government Efficiency, which will evaluate military spending. (Wall Street Journal)
5/ The Senate passed an $895.2 billion defense policy bill that bans gender-affirming care for transgender minors of service members. The annual National Defense Authorization Act, which sets the policy agenda and authorizes funding for the Department of Defense annually, was approved 85 to 14. Eleven Democrats and three Republicans voted against it. House Speaker Mike Johnson refused to bring the must-pass defense bill to the House floor without a provision preventing the military’s health care plan for service members from covering “medical interventions for the treatment of gender dysphoria that could result in sterilization may not be provided to a child under the age of 18.” It now heads to Biden, who is expected to sign it into law. (New York Times / CBS News / Washington Post / CNN)
6/ The Supreme Court will decide the constitutionality of a law that would effectively ban TikTok unless the company divests from Chinese ownership. The law, a bipartisan measure passed by Congress and signed into law by Biden earlier this year over national security concerns, requires TikTok’s Chinese owner, ByteDance, to sell the platform to an American company or face a ban. The court will hear oral arguments on Jan. 10 – nine days before the law is slated to take effect. If the Supreme Court upholds the ban, it’ll take effect the day before Trump’s inauguration, who recently said he had “warm spot” in his heart for the platform despite signing an executive order in 2020 forcing the sale of TikTok. (NBC News / Bloomberg / Associated Press / New York Times / NPR / ABC News / Washington Post / Wall Street Journal / Politico)
Tech billionaires are not people we should have in or adjacent to government. Yes, I am even including the "good" billionaires like Bill Gates. They're like the wheeler-dealers of the '80s stock market except even worse. Some of them including Musk took a personality test and they were found to share four traits.
1. Mental maps - They have a rigid process for doing things and think that can work in the real world. Their employees go along with it either through blind admiration or fear. CEOs also loathe those pesky regulations and fair labor laws that get in the way.
2. Resilience - If they take a hit they'll just try again. They figure that the pain is worth the end result. Silicon Valley in particular cultivates that trait. Steve Jobs came back from the brink several times after dismal failures like the Apple Lisa and Newton. In the public sphere, they might never let go of a horrible piece of legislation because they're sure it will work if they just try harder.
3. Vision - They have ideas for the future and really want those visions to become reality. That can translate into eugenics, fascism, virulent misogyny, and the weirdest beliefs this side of a Bond villain. Nobody ever calls them out on it. People with those traits are merely eccentric in Palo Alto, but those same beliefs become flat-out dangerous when coupled with public policy.
4. Lack of empathy - That motivation and passion do not translate into an ability to work and play well with others. They sleep in the office and might need breakfast to be catered to them because they'll forget to eat otherwise, and they expect their employees to act the same way. My brother used to work for Peter Thiel and the guy would call impromptu meetings on Christmas Day just because he could. I suppose this is why Musk appeals to so many socially inept dudebros. He has all their repellent personality traits but he also possesses the money to make himself socially acceptable.
GasBandit
Staff member
1/ Trump killed the bipartisan spending deal to avert a shutdown, hours after Elon Musk called the plan a “piece of pork” and threatened that those who support it would “be voted out in 2 years.” Less than two days before a government shutdown, Trump demanded that everything from the package except the extension to fund the government until mid-March be stripped away, calling the add-ons “DEMOCRAT GIVEAWAYS” despite Republicans agreeing to all of the priorities. To be sure, the stopgap spending measure expanded to include $100 billion in new disaster aid, $10 billion in economic assistance to farmers, changes to health coverage and foreign investment policies, a 3.8% pay raise for members of Congress, and a provision granting a football stadium site in D.C. for the Washington Commanders. Nevertheless, Trump called any Republican who votes for the current spending bill “stupid” and threatened that they’ll “be primaried and disposed of as quickly as possible.” Speaker Mike Johnson will need Democratic votes to avoid a shutdown, since he can only afford to lose three Republicans on any proposal and some conservatives are unlikely to support whatever plan emerges. Democrats, however, are pressuring Johnson to stick to their original deal. Earlier in the day, Trump said Johnson will “easily remain speaker” if he “acts decisively and tough” and eliminates “all of the traps being set by Democrats” in the spending package. Meanwhile, a growing number of Republicans – including Trump – have started to publicly call for the government to shut down until the next year, with some suggesting they keep it closed until the inauguration. Congress now has until Friday night to craft a bill that can pass the Republican-led House and the Democratic-controlled Senate and be signed by Biden before the government shuts-down at 12:01 a.m. Saturday. One House Republican was overheard complaining to another member about Trump’s last-minute demands: “This is a deeply unserious party right now.” (Politico / New York Times / Washington Post / Associated Press / NBC News / Axios / Washington Post)
- Democratic lawmakers condemned Elon Musk for sinking the bipartisan government funding bill, calling him the “unelected co-president of this country.” (Axios)
- Why does this matter? The debate over Musk’s involvement in government funding decisions reflects the increasing concentration of political power in unelected, wealthy individuals. Musk’s influence challenges the foundational democratic principle that policymaking should be accountable to voters. As leaders prioritize appeasing influential figures over serving the public, the integrity of representative democracy is at risk.
- What’s at stake? The debt limit, a cap on how much the government can borrow, doesn’t authorize new spending; it allows the government to borrow money to fund obligations already approved by Congress. If the limit isn’t raised, the government risks defaulting on its financial commitments, which include paying interest on the national debt, funding social programs, and paying federal employees. The debt limit was suspended until January 1, 2025, after a prior bipartisan agreement. Trump wants Congress to either lift or abolish the limit now to prevent fiscal battles during his administration, which he expects to involve costly initiatives like tax cuts and border security. Historically, Republicans have used the debt limit to demand spending cuts from Democrats, but with Republicans set to take control of the government in about a month, they face pressure to resolve the issue themselves. While some Democrats and Trump favor abolishing the debt limit altogether, many Republicans are reluctant, citing fiscal concerns.
- Rand Paul and Marjorie Taylor Greene proposed Elon Musk as a candidate for Speaker of the House, noting that the role does not require congressional membership. Musk’s public campaign against Johnson’s spending bill significantly contributed to its failure. (Axios / New Republic)
What a novel idea that I'm sure has only come about very recently.
You'll need to be more specific.
--Patrick
GasBandit
Staff member
GasBandit
Staff member
Shutdown averted. Senate votes 85 to 11 to pass a spending bill, ignore Trump's demands about the debt ceiling, and still fund the kids cancer research center.
What do you mean?View attachment 50373
Alternative for Germany - Wikipedia
en.wikipedia.org
...I'm sorry, what?
--Patrick
That he writes about the AFD or that Germany has a far right party?
No worries, Lindner will save us all.View attachment 50373
Alternative for Germany - Wikipedia
...I'm sorry, what?
--Patrick
Ich kann das alles nicht mehr!
Neither. It's that he's claiming the AfD would be the best solution for Germany...like there isn't already historical precedent on how that would turn out.
--Patrick
Techbros have a disturbing affinity for fascism. They love the idea of those in power picking on those beneath them, who can't speak up for fear of further retribution but who can kick around those beneath them, and so on and so forth. That’s the culture of Silicon Valley companies.
Most of the current crop of techbros are nerds and were bullied at school (not all, obviously. Not applicable to the Elons of the world). Victims of bullying very often and easily become the worst bullies themselves; they feel this is a "normal" social interaction (especially if on the spectrum, as most are) and/or a very common failing that it's "owed" them to make others suffer the way they did. See also; "you have to do 90 hour work weeks without compensation because I did", "you have to wrestle through an unpaid internship because I did", "you have to suffer college debts because I did" - if this burden is lessened for others, it's unfair that I did have to suffer it.
Ignoring all that - the powerful and up-and-coming are always in favor of systems to help them cement and keep their power. Robber barons, oil barons, feudal barons (wait a minute...I sense a theme), absolute monarchs, etc.
While there are always exceptions, any system supported/upheld by the rich and powerful is usually a system that will help them remain right where they are - on top of the pyramid - instead of promoting social mobility or equity and making their position more insecure. This does not mean any system supported by those not in power is necessarily better - too often rebellions/uprisings/whatever come down to replacing the old oligarchs with a new group.
Missing congresswoman found living in a memory care unit:
dallasexpress.com
EXCLUSIVE: Where is Congresswoman Kay Granger?
Amid the ongoing drama in D.C. with Congress debating on an interim spending bill a key question has arisen, "Where is Congresswoman Kay Granger?"
dallasexpress.com