C19 Open Discussion Week 27b

From the NY Post:

Nearly half of NYC’s top earners have considered fleeing the city: poll

Nearly half of New York City residents earning six figures or more have considered fleeing the Big Apple during the coronavirus crisis over cost-of-living concerns, according to a new poll.

Researchers with the Siena College Research Institute and Manhattan Institute surveyed 782 city dwellers making $100,000 or more about life in the age of COVID-19.

In results released Wednesday, the survey, conducted between July 13 and Aug. 3, found that 44 percent have thought of leaving the city in the past four months, with 69 percent citing cost of living as the main reason to move.

Quality of life in the city that never sleeps has taken a hit, too, during the pandemic. Just under 4 in 10 respondents said quality of life is now “excellent or good” — a plunge from 79 percent who felt that way pre-coronavirus.

And it could be because many feel like there’s no end in sight — nearly 7 in 10 polled believe it “will take longer than a year” for life to return to normal.

The study also gave insight as to how many top earners are working from home. A majority of respondents, 53 percent, are now calling their abode their new office, while 21 percent aren’t working at all — though the poll notes they could be retired, furloughed, independently wealthy and receiving passive income.

And the bulk of them (65 percent) believe working from home is Gotham’s new normal, with 30 percent of respondents citing the new setup as a driving force behind wanting to get out of Dodge.

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268 Responses to C19 Open Discussion Week 27b

  1. dentssdunnagan says:

    first

  2. Chicago says:

    Just missed it

  3. dentssdunnagan says:

    that’s good in horseshoes

  4. Chicago says:

    Washington state is known for its apples — but Gov. Jay Inslee didn’t appear to do the popular fruit any public-relations favors last week.

    The Democrat, in an effort to bring comfort to communities in Eastern Washington devastated by recent wildfires, unknowingly and illegally gifted baskets of apples from his orchard in Olympia that were later found to be infested with apple maggot larvae, according to reports.

    Thurston County, where Inslee lives, is an apple maggot quarantine area –meaning it was illegal for Inslee to bring homegrown apples from that area to a non-quarantine area like Douglas County, according to Q13 FOX in Seattle.

    The governor expressed his regrets in a statement.

  5. Blue Ribbon Teacher says:

    There’s no way he’s ever eaten those apples. They have sprays for Apple Maggot and every orchard sprays.

  6. homeboken says:

    Blue Ribbon Teacher says:
    September 17, 2020 at 8:00 am
    There’s no way he’s ever eaten those apples. They have sprays for Apple Maggot and every orchard sprays.

    Do they have the farm tax abatement thing in WA?

  7. Chicago says:

    The inslee thing. In my mind it has relevance, because it is typical of progressives who I view as visceral and lacking in pragmatism. He’s so focused on the emotions of trying to help that he makes a fundamental error in judgment.

    Offering logical arguments to solve problems to these people is worthless. They fundamentally do not understand how you could be so heartless.

  8. Chicago says:

    By the way, my above comment is these people a lot of credit. In the worst case they are merely pandering scum.

  9. Chicago says:

    Gives these

  10. Chicago says:

    Data from Brivo, a com­pany that pro­vides ac­cess-con­trol sys­tems for work­places, shows that “un­locks” at of­fices—when some­one uses their cre­den­tials to en­ter an of­fice—in late Au­gust were down 51% from the end of Feb­ruary. By com­par­i­son, vis­its to man­u­fac­tur­ing and ware­house lo­ca­tions, where fewer jobs can be done re­motely, re­mained down by a third.

  11. leftwing says:

    Not new news but there was a nice segment this morning on CNBC on Biden and repeal of SALT. Waiting for it to hit their website, I’ll post if it drops.

    It had good graphics of the impact which are summarized below from of all places the NYT. CNBC’s calculation is that Biden’s proposed SALT repeal is 3x more generous to the wealthy than the 2017 tax bill.

    If there were ever any question that Joe is nothing more than a placeholder for the established interests in DC that have failed this country for multiple decades here’s yet another signpost.

    So, I guess if your senses are so offended by the boorish Scary Orange Man you can vote for the fraudulent empty suit. There you go.

    From the NYT on SALT repeal:
    Almost 60 percent of the benefit of removal would go to the top 1 percent of households (of which 90 percent are white). For the superrich, the top 0.1 percent, repeal would make for an average tax cut of around $145,000 a year. In isolation, this change would be more skewed to the rich than the Republican tax bill as a whole…it is the richest residents who would reap most of the rewards. This is not a tax cut for those hit hardest by the virus. Families in the middle 60 percent of the income distribution nationally would see, on average, a minuscule reduction in their tax bill, around $25.

  12. Phoenix says:

    “Good developers are still expensive and there is money out there for them. I’ve seen what the India resources can do(truth be told the guys who had H1B’s and are now stuck in India are leagues better than your typical India resource, so that is kind of backfiring we don’t want to ban H1b we should make them more easily portable and force much higher wages). Productivity wise you kind of get what you pay for, I have an offshore team with 25 developers for the most part the output is low as is the quality. With our Eastern European teams the quality is good but the output is still less than local teams working our time zone.”

    Should I wave an American Flag for any of this comment? What has any Democrat or Republican done to even remotely bring any of this to an end? Trump Whirlpool crap?
    Obama let the bankers walk crap? This is what is really anti-American-letting corporations run your government instead of the people.

  13. Phoenix says:

    d FEns,

    Their votes won’t matter anyway.

  14. chicagofinance says:

    To be clear, not a Ben Shapiro fan….. he’s interesting though, but grating…
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u978w4CurDk

  15. chicagofinance says:

    We discussed this item some years back, but it is now in place and functioning…..

    LOGISTICS REPORT

    East Coast Ports Get More Shipping Volumes as Trade Routes Change

    The arrival of a 15,000-container ship in New York points to changing supply chains at the expense of West Coast ports

    By Costas Paris

    The trade rift with China and a boost in e-commerce are changing the way cargo comes into the U.S., with a greater share of goods flowing into East Coast seaports rather than the traditional gateways on the West Coast.

    The arrival of the 15,000-container ship CMA CGM Brazil in New York last weekend, the biggest container vessel ever to call on the East Coast, signals a growing change to meet the needs of e-commerce giants like Amazon.com Inc. and Walmart Inc. that are taking more space on ships and looking for faster and cheaper cargo movements.

    “The shift started before Covid, with the tariff friction with China,” said Sam Ruda, port director at the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey. “The West Coast, which has been dominated by Asia trade, is losing market share. The East Coast is growing because we have Asia trade, European trade, the Mediterranean trade and the Caribbean trade.”

    Large ships that move 10,000 boxes or above began calling in New York in 2017 after work to raise the Bayonne Bridge and deepen the port’s navigation channels was completed. That has allowed the port to cater to the larger vessels that can come from Asia through the expanded Panama Canal, which widened its locks in 2016.

    Western ports face fewer constraints on their ability to handle big ships. But moving goods beyond the West Coast, particularly to the big population centers East of the Mississippi River, depends on extensive overland networks of trains and trucks.

    The U.S. trade dispute with China pushed companies to set up production centers in other Asian countries like Vietnam, Thailand and Cambodia, as well as the Indian subcontinent. That has placed the production centers within easier reach of the U.S. East Coast through trips across the Indian Ocean and through the Suez Canal. Vessels can then make transshipment calls at Mediterranean ports in Europe before crossing the Atlantic Ocean.

    “In 2017, we got 30 ultra-large ships calling in,” Mr. Ruda said. “In 2019, we got 143 and this year to date it’s 146, even with Covid. From a network perspective, doing transshipments in the Med and Europe, you get revenue from multiple legs as a carrier.”

    The West Coast remains the main entry point for Asian imports. with Los Angeles, moving 9.4 million containers, measured in 20-foot equivalent units, or TEUs, last year. That compared with 7.5 million containers for New York and New Jersey, which displaced Long Beach, Calif., as the country’s second-busiest port.

    After a sharp decline this spring at the onset of the pandemic, inbound volumes have ticked up on what port officials on both coasts say are retailer efforts to replenish depleted inventories and growing demand from the consumer e-commerce market.

    Overall, West Coast ports handled nearly 38% of all seaborne imports coming into the U.S. in the first seven months of 2020 and East Coast ports handled slightly more than half, according to California-based research firm Beacon Economics, citing U.S. Census figures. That is down from a 47.6% share for the West Coast in 2006 against 41.9% for the East Coast.

    The West Coast’s share of fast-growing East Asia trade has tumbled even faster, sliding from 72.9% to 56.7% over the same period, according to Beacon Economics.

    Canadian ports like Vancouver and Prince Rupert, British Columbia, that offer significantly lower prices to move cargo are also siphoning business away from the U.S. West Coast.

    “We’ve lost market share for two decades, 20% to be exact, and that cargo has gone to other ports in British Columbia and the Gulf,” said Gene Seroka, executive director at the Port of Los Angeles.

    He said labor costs are a significant factor for West Coast ports, where dockworkers are represented by the International Longshore and Warehouse Union. Workers at East and Gulf Coast ports are represented by the International Longshoremen’s Association, but some Southeast ports, including Georgia’s Port of Savannah and South Carolina’s Port of Charleston, have relatively looser labor rules because of state laws.

    “Moving a container through the Port of Los Angeles is two times the amount that it costs at a right-to-work port state in the Southeast U.S.,” said Mr. Seroka.

    U.S. ports along the Pacific coast, including those in Oakland, Calif., Seattle and Tacoma, Wash., started talks this year on forming a joint effort to make the region’s ports more competitive and attract more cargo.

    “We’ve brought together organized labor, employers and for the first time the two Western railroads. It’s the most serious and high level topic we’re focused on,” Mr. Seroka said.

    The production shift from China will continue to boost cargo coming into Eastern ports, which are investing heavily to bring in bigger ships. The Port of Savannah, the country’s fourth-busiest gateway, has earmarked $3 billion over the next 12 years for infrastructure to handle multiple ultra-large container vessels simultaneously.

    “The West Coast is fighting two battlegrounds,” said Walter Kemmsies, economist and chief strategist at the ports, airports and global infrastructure division at real-estate firm JLL. “It’s the shift of imports from western Asian countries like India and Vietnam and the East Coast port investments to attract imports through the Suez Canal.”

    He said the West Coast is “still very much in the game” but the ports must work together and get the railways to move more cargo.

  16. Libturd says:

    Leftwing,

    The SALT reduction was a direct shot at the blue states. The trillion dollar corporate welfare stimulus, during the “greatest” economy ever, was 100% directed at the top. By enlarge, nearly every company used it to buy back shares. This was the greatest gift to the executive class, besides perhaps the Phil Graham’s directed end of Glass-Steagall which made the fiscal crisis possible. Let’s be real.

    SALT was an absolute killer to anyone in the top 10% that itemized their taxes due to huge medical bills as well.

    Then there’s the corporate tax cuts which failed miserably as well.

    https://brook.gs/2Eavfqn

    Trump is the worst president ever. And the lying, as we approach the election, has become non-stop. This business with the CDC Director will just get another pass.

    Yes, Biden is an empty suit. But an empty suit is less likely to fukc up in my opinion.

  17. Libturd says:

    In other news, the market collapse continues. As called.

  18. Juice Box says:

    Chi -did he mention they are giving him money to move? You can bet there is a financial incentive somewhere, looking at their “jobs” they are offering $20 an hour for IT technicians, that’s slave wages.

  19. Phoenix says:

    Warren understood all of this. Probably the only candidate that really ever did. She is lucky to be alive.

  20. Blue Ribbon Teacher says:

    I’m not sure. My guess would be yes in some form or another. I doubt it’s as blatantly corrupt as Jersey’s farm tax laws.

  21. chicagofinance says:

    WTF?

    The survey also shows generational differences in the degree of importance of political alignment in the client-financial professional relationship.

    Younger investors surveyed (ages 18 to 44) almost unanimously (91%) said that aligning on political views with their financial professional is “very or somewhat important.” In contrast, only 48% of the older generations (ages 45 and up) hold similar views.

  22. Libturd says:

    That makes almost no sense whatsoever? Politics and finance are really two completely different animals. So I thought?

  23. chicagofinance says:

    I think the inculcation and polarization of young people in academia have created long range effects. It might also be the Facebook effect.

  24. Libturd says:

    Yup.

    Herd mentality too.

  25. leftwing says:

    “The SALT reduction was a direct shot at the blue states.”

    Regardless of motive, the fact remains. SALT was a massive tax cut to the most wealthy. Its repeal is THREE times more favorable to the wealthy than the tax cut bill was in total. Which data is supported not by Fox, but by the NYT.

    “SALT was an absolute killer to anyone in the top 10%”

    Yes. Of course. Who do you think pays taxes, the lowest income decile?

    If the Bad Orange Man frightens you it is entirely your prerogative to vote Joe. My only political point is to stop blowing smoke up people’s asses that he’s for the working man and DJT is all about the wealthy. Biden doesn’t have a leg to stand on in that regard by supporting repeal of SALT.

    And you like to make the point repeatedly how criminal it is that Trump’s negligence may have contributed to incremental COVID deaths.

    Do you hav any view on the criminality of Pelosi holding up a COVID relief bill for the unemployed in order to reinstate SALT to overwhelmingly benefit the wealthiest Americans?

  26. homeboken says:

    Regarding in person voting – What an enormous crock. How does the state justify a massive in person polling location like The Rock, but I can’t vote at the municpal building 1 mile from my home.

    That has to be challenged in court, does it not? I really don’t know the answer, but I am sure some of you have an opinion.

    How can a Newark resident be allowed to vote in person, but other Essex country residents must vote by mail.

  27. Libturd says:

    It’s all politics. Always was and always will be.

  28. Libturd says:

    “How does the state justify a massive in person polling location like The Rock, but I can’t vote at the municpal building 1 mile from my home.”

    Ask the POTUS how he is holding indoor rallies at arenas in states that ban large crowds indoors?

  29. JCer says:

    Lib, I take issue with the comment that the corporate tax changes didn’t work. Under the old tax regime inversions were accelerating, the existing structure promoted offshoring employees as it was very beneficial to spend money overseas. I think the individual side of the tax cuts was totally bread and circuses. Losing the SALT deduction was a blow to me but you do have to admit it was a tax break for the the wealthy predominately helping those making over 250k per year.

    On covid, the political solutions offer very limited upside, short of actual lockdown which is very difficult to enforce in place like the USA nothing was going to meaningfully reduce the death toll short of isolating the most vulnerable and improved treatment protocols.

  30. homeboken says:

    Lib – I am not asking about large indoor rallies. Frankly, it is a classic attempt at misdirection.

    I am asking about in person voting. I personally do not trust that my ballot will be safe and counted via mail in voting. I want to vote in person.

    Do you defend that my neighbors to the east are allowed to vote in person and I am not?
    Is that not voter suppression? I understand that the answer should be “Homeboken, just get comfortable with VBM, its totally safe.”

    But as I mentioned, I lived in Hudson county for too long to be that naive.

  31. Walking says:

    Chi, is this why there are so many feel good investment products out there? Ie the environmental, corp responsibility, and social focus mutual funds?

  32. SomeOne says:

    Chi,

    I think the inculcation and polarization of young people in academia have created long range effects. It might also be the Facebook effect.

    Another explanation can be that the young ones don’t have much money at risk, and most probably do not use an advisor (so they may be responding to a hypothetical question).

  33. SomeOne says:

    Left,

    Regardless of motive, the fact remains. SALT was a massive tax cut to the most wealthy. Its repeal is THREE times more favorable to the wealthy than the tax cut bill was in total.

    It seems that bringing back SALT deduction, “in isolation” is more favorable to the wealthy. However, it will be part of a package.

  34. Phoenix says:

    “Politics and finance are really two completely different animals. So I thought?”

    Unless you are a corporation. Then they are one and the same.

    What is a PAC?
    Political Action Committee (PAC) — A popular term for a political committee organized for the purpose of raising and spending money to elect and defeat candidates. Most PACs represent business, labor or ideological interests.

  35. SomeOne says:

    Homeboken,

    How can a Newark resident be allowed to vote in person, but other Essex country residents must vote by mail.

    https://covid19.nj.gov/faqs/nj-information/reopening-guidance-and-restrictions/how-can-i-vote-this-november-how-have-elections-moved-or-changed-in-new-jersey-because-of-covid-19

    Voters can choose to:

    mail in their ballot
    return their ballot through a secure dropbox
    hand their ballot directly to a poll worker at a polling place on Election Day
    vote in-person

    Any voter who chooses to cast their vote in-person will do so on a provisional ballot. Individuals with disabilities will have access to an ADA-conforming voting machine. Each municipality will be required to open at least one in-person polling site, and all counties must ensure that at least 50 percent of their total polling places are open.

    On Election Day itself, all public schools will close to in-person instruction to facilitate use of the building as an in-person polling place.

  36. Phoenix says:

    “It might also be the Facebook effect.”

    Facebook is the boomer effect. TikTok and Instagram are for the youth.

    TikTok is different as it does not require “friending” or groups. It’s more individual or content based vs Facebook which is all about your social circle.
    TikTok works fine for loners as well, it does not require that you become popular or not.

    https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3052730/facebook-vs-tiktok-how-us-struggling-contain-outbreak-viral-chinese

  37. RC NJ says:

    Remember that Mayor Wilhelm said he didn’t care if the wealthy returned to the city.

    https://www.gopusa.com/i-am-not-going-to-beg-de-blasio-wont-plead-for-the-ultra-rich-to-return-to-nyc/

    Rudy called him the worse mayor ever and I will think at least worse than Dinkins.

  38. Phoenix says:

    He said the West Coast is “still very much in the game” but the ports must work together and get the railways to move more cargo.

    Said Warren Buffett.

  39. Phoenix says:

    They’re coming, be ready, and listen to the Grateful Dead.

  40. Bystander says:

    JCer,

    I am a broken record, realize it. A little piece of me dies everyday at this place. It is impossible to vent bc it is all cultural yes people around me, fearful of challenging clients or management and lose sponsorship. I enjoy my team and IT delivery work. I have to come to accept the monstrous red tape part of my job. It is the pet projects from executives that is crushing. “Run this on side” mentality bc we won’t hire people. Not little stuff but major technology strategy stuff across our entire tech group. Execs will not help, not make decisions..they give it to you and expect you to part seas without any investment. Easily forget it when comp times comes. Rinse/repeat. On Eastern Europe, we have been trying to hire tech in Poland for almost a year. Nothing..we get profiles and candidate gets better offer. For 6 months now, we have received basically zero profiles from two vendors. Our third vendor now has come back with 2500 PLN a day for average developer. My jaw dropped. We have been estimating 1200 all year in our budget. I checked cost of living and you can get a gorgeous 2 BD flat in Krakow for 800/PLN a month. 10% of take home. In NYC, a 2bd will cost you 40% of average take home. You will have good overlap with US, Europe and India. My week so far? Three 7 AM starts with India and one 6:30 am. Otherwise it is 7:30 to 7 everyday. Working IT in this country is oppressive, plain and simple.

  41. Libturd says:

    Voter suppression sucks when it effects you.

    For decades, white election boards in counties all throughout the south have been placing their voting locations as far away as possible from black voters. It sucks when it goes the other way. But don’t worry about your vote in NJ. I’m fairly certain Sleepy/Creepy/probablyRapeytoo Joe O’Biden will win here.

    The politics here have certainly become tabloid worthy.

  42. NJGator says:

    Remote school follies: Today Montklair held a lockdown drill for students via Zoom. Carry on folks.

  43. JCer says:

    My biggest issue with the mail in voting, etc is the prospect that we will not have a decision on election day and it opens the door to challenges, accusations of fraud, etc which could call into question the results of the election. To me that is the big issue, the issue of in-person voting during covid and the potential suppression of vote is minuscule, the risk of the vote being botched by the incompetent post office/government which could trigger a constitutional crisis is the concern. The fact that the Dems are putting politics ahead of the well being of the country is disgusting, we are going down the road of a third world country….

  44. Phoenix says:

    Bystander,
    Is it that you get paid to little, or the price of rent in NY is too high?

    And why is it that it is just IT that is oppressive? Everyone else trying to live in the Tri-State area is getting slammed by housing/rental prices. And taxes.

  45. Bystander says:

    Chi,

    As opposed the great Christian conservatives on right, who get all the Jesus lover votes, pandering to their religious beliefs. Vomit..

    “South Dakota Attorney General Jason Ravnsborg reported hitting a deer with his car on Saturday night but actually killed a pedestrian whose body was not found until the next day, state investigators said Monday. Ravnsborg’s office has said he immediately called 911 after the accident on a rural stretch of U.S. Highway 14 and did not realize he had hit a man until the body was found.”

  46. Phoenix says:

    “The fact that the Dems are putting politics ahead of the well being of the country is disgusting, we are going down the road of a third world country….”

    That has been happening for much longer. Both sides have put politics ahead of the well being of the country. Don’t blame just the Dems.

  47. Phoenix says:

    “Remote school follies: Today Montklair held a lockdown drill for students via Zoom. Carry on folks.”

    Probably some sort of legal requirement or policy. Never underestimate the incompetence of those in America who create the laws we are to follow.

  48. Phoenix says:

    The beat goes on. New one today.

    “Former model accuses Donald Trump of sexually assaulting her at US Open tennis in 1997 and claims he ‘shoved his tongue down my throat’ and ‘his hands were very gropey'”

    https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-8743201/Donald-Trump-accused-sexual-assault-model-Open-tennis-1997.html

  49. D-FENS says:

    They are peaceful protests.

    Libturd says:
    September 17, 2020 at 10:25 am
    “How does the state justify a massive in person polling location like The Rock, but I can’t vote at the municpal building 1 mile from my home.”

    Ask the POTUS how he is holding indoor rallies at arenas in states that ban large crowds indoors?

  50. Bystander says:

    Phoenix,

    Well, here are the facts. My last raise came in Jan 2017, before Dumpy took office. In Jan 2018, my old IB announced no raises, even after Dumpy’s tax cut. I was then let go in 2nd qtr and took 5 months to get my only offer. It was over 10% salary cut. 99% of time I could not even get past phone screen bc they wanted to pay 20-30% less. Since 2018, I have zero raises. I had the probably 2nd highest rating in my group last year and no raise bc they said I was too high in band. My bonus? 4%. Am I underpaid? Yes, I am freaking underpaid for regular 60 hr weeks and it is wasteland of high COL/low pay in NYC area. Maybe top developers getting coin but rest of us getting sh&t on, 70/hr no benefits BS. I remember $100/hr for system testers back in 2010. It is shameful.

  51. SomeOne says:

    3b,

    What is your take on Barr comparing lockdowns to slavery (he said something like second to slavery)?

  52. BRT says:

    Probably some sort of legal requirement or policy. Never underestimate the incompetence of those in America who create the laws we are to follow.

    The schools are awaiting direction from the state on this. They haven’t said what to do yet. Personally, you are wasting time doing it online. I’d be annoyed if I was a teacher. The 45 minutes I have in class virtually is difficult enough. I’m already down 15 minutes of instruction per day.

  53. JCer says:

    Bystander, 2500 PLN is the going rate from vendors for Poland, Ukraine and Belarus is cheaper, Russia is similar to Poland. The vendors have over 30% margin, the consultants salary will be like half. Your Polish developers make like 40-50k per year plus bonus, the rents are not as low as you think(but still cheap) median rent in central Krakow for a 2br is ~1900 PLN, really nice apartments are more you can get something pretty decent for 2k zloty. Proficient developers who speak english well have a higher quality of life over there than we do here, things are cheap and the salaries have been going up, compared with other segments the tech workers are paid a princely sum.

    India salaries are about half that, your senior guys over there make 25k usd working for the out sourcers, the folks your company hires get paid like 10k usd which is why they pay like $200 usd per day for the resource. As a general rule the cheaper the resource the higher percentage is margin.

    The red tape you speak of is epic, I’m pretty sure they hired some one from the politburo after the collapse of the USSR to write their IT policies…..

  54. homeboken says:

    Someone – Thank you for this link, I guess this is a step in the right direction. Though I am not sure why my in person vote has to be provisional.

    SomeOne says:
    September 17, 2020 at 11:00 am
    Homeboken,

    How can a Newark resident be allowed to vote in person, but other Essex country residents must vote by mail.

    https://covid19.nj.gov/faqs/nj-information/reopening-guidance-and-restrictions/how-can-i-vote-this-november-how-have-elections-moved-or-changed-in-new-jersey-because-of-covid-19

  55. BRT says:

    “Let’s focus on working people. Let’s focus on the millions upon millions of people who are the backbone of New York City,” de Blasio said. “I am not going to beg anybody to live in the greatest city in the world.”

    First off, those that left are working people. Second, pride comes before the fall. What an arrogant POS.

  56. JCer says:

    Bystander your firm pays no one, you need to get out. If politicians wanted to help the american workers they’d make life very difficult for the vendors you are using(infosys, wipro, cognizant, et. al) I assure every single one is exceeding sleazy in many ways. You are literally competing with slave labor. We were bringing on independent contractors at over 100 per hour until 2020 when senior management forced us to use the preferred vendors. I’m an employee, it stinks they froze salary and bonuses this year because of covid meanwhile vendors are billing overtime. We have some very specialized contractors who are hourly, their invoices were like $25k per week. I assure you, you are underpaid, and not at all valued by your management. You frankly would do better as a contractor to a vendor, I never thought I’d say it but that does seem to be the case.

  57. No One says:

    Reintroduction of SALT deduction coupled with Biden’s proposed tax rate hikes would still be a massive tax hike for me. I’d still be paying over 50%, and higher capital gains taxes would slash my retirement assets in half too.
    Meanwhile government pension schemes with guaranteed retirement income for life slip under all of these tax grabs.

  58. No One says:

    BRT,
    How do you like seeing all those “science is real, blm, love is love”, etc signs knowing that they usually sit in front of homes of people with inferior scientific and statistical knowledge than you and who then accept various “scientific” myths on faith in their media and peers. I imagine a bunch also keep “energy crystals” around among other hippyish items.

  59. D-FENS says:

    LOL right before the 2021 Gubernatorial Election, hundreds of thousands of NJ residents will get $500 checks.

  60. D-FENS says:

    Murphy might just get himself re-elected

  61. Libturd says:

    Bystander,

    How close are you to retiring. I’m within five years. I could probably retire today, but I’m too cheap. Want 4 million in the coffers first. In Costa Rica, that will feel closer to 8 million. If I can generate 6% a year off of it, that’s $240K a year to spend without touching principle. Down there, it will feel like half a million.

  62. Libturd says:

    Then there’s my SS payment too. I always forget about that. And probably an inheritance of some sort.

  63. chicagofinance says:

    Interesting…… your post makes me consider the fact that much of modern orthodoxy (in whatever form) is less about changing the instinct to be prejudicial (i.e. being a more open minded and intellectually curious), and instead repurposing prejudice so it targets those outside of the accepted (dictated?) norms.

    SomeOne says:
    September 17, 2020 at 10:48 am
    Chi,

    I think the inculcation and polarization of young people in academia have created long range effects. It might also be the Facebook effect.

    Another explanation can be that the young ones don’t have much money at risk, and most probably do not use an advisor (so they may be responding to a hypothetical question).

  64. Libturd says:

    “I imagine a bunch also keep “energy crystals” around among other hippyish items.”

    At least they don’t have a Jesus Lives sticker on their pickup next to their bumper nutz. Many have a don’t a tread on me flag too, which they wave as they protest on the corner for a minute of prayer in school and against gay marriage.

  65. crushednjmillenial says:

    Wages in Poland . . .

    I visited Poland and was chatting with some locals. Maybe I was misinformed, or I am not remembering correctly, but they told me that wages in Poland are:

    2500 PLN/month ($663) = ok salary
    3500 PLN/month ($928) = very good salary

    If the developers are making 1250 PLN per day and my recollection on Polish wages is correct, then the developers are killing it compared to the typical Polish worker. If so, they are making 10x what might be considered an “ok” salary in Poland.

    Although, it is hard to make sense of Eastern European wages and prices, in my opinion. Like, I don’t really understand how people can earn $700/month from working full-time, but their cities and societies look clean, respectful, healthy, and altogether normal and modern. The food and public transit in Poland was great, in my opinion – very nice place.

  66. chicagofinance says:

    Not sure to what this refers, but relative to the financial advice issue, there are practices out there who either directly solicit through a church or religious community, or else are very forward in their marketing that they co-mingle religion and finance (e.g., Investing With Christian Values). Personally, I find this behavior repellent beyond any possible justification. I literally am revulsed by it.

    I would have my hand on my wallet around such people.

    Bystander says:
    September 17, 2020 at 11:46 am
    Chi, As opposed the great Christian conservatives on right, who get all the Jesus lover votes, pandering to their religious beliefs. Vomit..

  67. D-FENS says:

    You’d think maybe we could use the money to pay down debt or pay for infrastructure…or maybe a few more DMV’s? Nope…going to buy votes.

    https://nypost.com/2020/09/17/nj-to-impose-millionaires-tax-on-residents-earning-1m-and-up/

    The tax hike is expected to generate an additional $390 million in revenues from 16,491 New Jersey residents and 19,128 nonresidents, NJ.com reported.

    But most of the money — around $350 million — will be redistributed through the rebate checks.

  68. JCer says:

    Crushed, that is correct. Wages are crazy low and english speaking developers are killing it. Same situation true in India, average worker makes pennies, tech workers start out of school at 9k USD and on average get a 20% salary bump every year. My employees in India average about 20k per year, the most senior guys take home 50k. You don’t want to deal with the 9k guys they are either very green or total idiots.

    Eastern Europe doesn’t provide as many cheap developers, they don’t have the numbers nor can they deliver workers at such a low cost. They are competing on quality, so we are talking about the quality developers who have good educations and are totally fluent in english.

    Even in the US what does the average worker make 40k per year? What does a good developer make 200-300k? Poland ok salary 8k per year, the rate quoted includes overhead and profit for the outsourcing company the developers are making 40-50k USD. Good developers are hard to find, most people I see in this business are dolts…….

  69. JCer says:

    average developers make about half the numbers I’m talking about in both countries(about 20-25k in Poland, in NY or CA it’s 100-150k). The difference in productivity and fewer bugs more than justifies the higher salary.

  70. No One says:

    Libturd,
    No doubt they despise the Bible belt types. Yet this sort also tend to promote the Palestinian religious primitives who celebrate kids who blow themselves up for Allah, and if someone from the Nation of Islam moved across the street they would bend over backwards to seem so open minded about the wonderful diversity that has reached their neighborhood.
    If Muslims oppress their wives and daughters, and Mohammed takes a 13 year old wife, that’s a cultural diversity to be cherished. But if Cletus does the same thing while driving a camaro voting Republican, that’s one of those detestables.
    Anyway, in NJ, the “science is real” is a round about complaint about not being willing to buy into their full climate crisis agenda and associated predictions. Not many creationists around here to read their lawn signs.

  71. JCer says:

    Chi, in general I’m repulsed by what happens in the financial advise industry, it attracts some really unethical people. I’ve built technology for some of these folks, some are very good but they typically tend to deal with higher net worth people. Most in the mass affluent sector are basically used car salesman, I built the model trading component for a major wealth manager’s broker managed platform. Some were really practitioners of MPT and were building real portfolios to manage money, these were the guys who very opinionated about how the tools would work, most of these teams had at least a few people on staff who were CFA’s. The vast majority though were taking a few big blue chip stocks and some etf’s slapping it in a model which almost never changes and whacking the customer for a management fee every quarter.

  72. JCer says:

    No One what I find more telling is the “science is real” and BLM lawn signs are FAR more popular than Biden signs where I am. I still see almost as many Bernie signs as I see biden signs here in the heart of Essex.

    That opinion piece from the washington post totally nails how a lot are feeling. In good conscious I cannot go vote for a guy who looks like a stroke victim, whose platform includes all of the idiocy from the left including such hits as “defund the police”, increased taxes and regulation during what looks like a looming depression, cancel culture, etc. Trump is a moron but he is the devil we know, another 4 years and then we roll the dice on maybe getting some functional candidates in 2024.

  73. leftwing says:

    CNBC segment, less the debate between two opposing parties taking predictable sides.

    Pay attention to the chart at 1:08.

    For reference, if anyone wants to scream politics, Robert Frank is one of the most Left reporters on the network. And the study is from the Brookings Institute which I suppose I don’t need to note is part of the Liberal/Progressive firmament.

    https://www.cnbc.com/video/2020/09/17/democrats-push-to-repeal-state-and-local-tax-limits.html

  74. leftwing says:

    “It seems that bringing back SALT deduction, “in isolation” is more favorable to the wealthy. However, it will be part of a package.”

    So…just to confirm that I understand your logic…..

    It is OK to push through a provision (re-instating SALT deductions) whose benefit goes overwhelmingly – 97 percent to the TOP 20% – provided that the overall “package” does not favor the top 20%?

    Then why the fcuk are you doing anything?

    The only way that warped logic works – if one can even call the thought process logic – is to hand a benefit (SALT) to the wealthiest people in this country while concurrently taking more from them elsewhere?

    Do liberals even have brains? Do they think they most wealthy became that way by being so fcuking stupid as to not notice that if you put money in my left pocket but take more out of my right pocket I am worse off?

  75. leftwing says:

    And, again, reviewing that chart on CNBC…57% of SALT benefits go to the TOP 1% of earners in the country.

    That Pelosi is holding up a COVID relief bill insisting on that provision to the detriment of employees, restaurants, and other small business owners is literally CRIMINAL.

    Trump is a fool and charlatan.

    But I will take incompetence over malice any day.

  76. Blue Ribbon Teacher says:

    Everyone that puts the “science is real” sign on their lawn also happens to be the most pretentious, judgemental, and generally terrible person in my neighborhood. First off, they wouldn’t know science if it hit them in the head. Second, they obviously don’t believe in Physics because they think they can drive 40 mph in a residential neighborhood without consequences.

    As far as “climate change” is concerned, I’ve explained numerous times on this board, the so called science of climatology is in its infant stages. If this were compared to Physics, they are still in the 1500s with respect to their understanding. The field is also nearly an impossible task given the huge number of variables. There is not enough computing power in the entire world to accurately model anything they would truly want to. So they resort to black box models that a single computer can spit numbers out of. This is essentially garbage in garbage out…but it’s all they can do, so they gotta do it, and that’s the only way to move forward. The data on temperature is also very limited (basically the past 100 years), and even then, it’s incredibly noisy. You’ve not seen anyone be able to predict what happened in 2010-2020 with any accuracy. This proves they are very limited in their knowledge and abilities. The same statistical guidelines that you need to adhere to for approving a vaccine or medicine for coronavirus are completely ignored in the field of climatology. That’s a bad thing…really bad. You get to make up your own crap and not be held to a standard.

    Sadly, the field has also been severely compromised by politics and ideology, so at this point, I wouldn’t even classify it as science. They badly suffer from Physics Envy, like all other scientific disciplines. The papers that go on to predict massive starvation and immigration obviously don’t understand how slow of a timescale climate change occurs under and they completely ignore basically a 150 year continual increase in the standard of living globally under climate change. They are the “science deniers” in the truest sense because they fail to understand at all how well humans have adapted to everything using science. And somehow, climate change in every single sense and every idea is always bad and never good? Kind of odd no?

    They fail to acknowledge that we farm in the middle east and Arizona, the most baron lands ever. They fail to acknowledge how nations have easily adapted to live below sea level.

    Notice, I never once said climate change isn’t happening. Of course it is and it has always been. They have never made a valid argument definitively proving humans are responsible for an increase in global temperature. A lot of times, they just put a picture of of a land humans have destroyed with awful behavior and proclaim “see! we are right!”

  77. SmallGovConservative says:

    Cer says:
    September 17, 2020 at 2:14 pm
    “Trump is a moron…”

    This is the piece that I don’t get. Trump is crude, coarse and un-presidential in demeanor, but his first term has been more productive, effective and impactful (in a largely positive way) than anyone since Reagan. I’ve listed his achievements so won’t do it again, but any one of them alone is reason to vote for him instead of Harris/Biden. When you throw in the recent, gigantic achievement of the Abraham Accords — and likely additional Israeli/Arab peace agreements in the next few weeks — the argument in favor of Trump is enormous. On the topic of the Middle East alone, think of the difference between a T admin and a H/B admin; T will continue to isolate and pressure Iran, while H/B will likely re-engage and let the escape the strangle-hold that they’re currently in.

  78. Bystander says:

    Lib,

    Single income, no where freaking near it. I would be lucky to have half what you are talking about prior to retirement in 20 years when I am 68.

    JCer,

    Yes, which I why Dumpy is a complete failure. Promised to change it, did nothing. Biden/Harris won’t do a damn thing either. Wish I could find those jobs but I am not a dev. No one is paying hourly for IT delivery management, at least no overtime situation. They are hiring H1B in NYC for $500/day. I might restart search next year before Jan f-ck job.

  79. Bystander says:

    Chi,

    Just pointing out general rebute of liberal progressives as people who do harm more than good. You see the Falwells and this AG, who pander, promote, dictate good Christian values, get elected while doing to most abhorrent ant-Chrisitan harm there is. Maybe not same point but this is stuff that absolutely keeps me away from R party.

  80. leftwing says:

    “My biggest issue with the mail in voting, etc is the prospect that we will not have a decision on election day and it opens the door to challenges, accusations of fraud, etc which could call into question the results of the election.”

    This scenario is the odds on favorite bet. Regardless of which Party ‘wins’. Plan accordingly, personally and financially.

    Dumbass question, since I don’t follow the exact mail-in processes here because my vote doesn’t count anyway….

    It’s my understanding that even at the polling places you can only vote with a mail-in ballot, ie.if you show up to vote “in-person” you cannot and will not be ushered into a voting machine. You will fill out the same ballot as the mail-in voters which will be tossed in a pile and counted last.

    Question: Don’t the mail-in ballots have to include identifying information like your name? Is that visible with the vote you cast?

  81. leftwing says:

    “Ask the POTUS how he is holding indoor rallies at arenas in states that ban large crowds indoors?…D-FENS says: They are peaceful protests.”

    DFENS, c’mon dude. Get with it.

    You can’t have a ‘peaceful protest’ unless you are wearing BLM paraphernalia. DJT just needs to stitch a BLM box on the back of MAGA hats then his supporters can go out do anything they want without consequence. Learn the rules man.

    “You’ve not seen anyone be able to predict what happened in 2010-2020 [wrt climate] with any accuracy. This proves they are very limited in their knowledge and abilities.”

    BRT same comment as above, get with the times, man. The very fact that their models are incapable of forecasting what is to occur is prima facie proof that climate change is running amok because it doesn’t conform to their models. C’mon guys, get with the program. See the easy logic? It’s called liberal lobotomy.

  82. Libturd says:

    I am in complete agreement with BRT on climate change.

    Bystander. Start saving and investing. If you are not willing to retool, and most are not. It is the only way to get ahead. There were a few lessons my parents taught me from a very young age. I remember them incredibly well. At the time, they hurt me tremendously as I was already dealing with my peers (grade school mates) always having better sh1t than me.

    First, my dad said that if you saved and invested $25 a week for 55 years, you will retire a millionaire at 55.

    Second, my dad said that the difference between rich people and poor people is that rich people make money off of their money. Poor people have to work for their money. You’ll know when you are officially rich because you will no longer have to work.

    Third, my dad said that you should never purchase anything with debt that you couldn’t afford to pay for in cash. This way, you know you can always afford it if things go bad for you.

    Fourth, my dad said that you should never be embarrassed to use a coupon. He said those who should be embarrassed are the one’s too stupid to not use a coupon/discount and throw their money away.

    My dad was born in the depression and was raised as if it could happen any time again. His father was a concentration camp survivor. I was always mystified by the number branded on his arm. These were not tattoos. These were hot branded with metal and then ink was rubbed into the bleeding wound.

    Conservative writes: “This is the piece that I don’t get. Trump is crude, coarse and un-presidential in demeanor, but his first term has been more productive, effective and impactful (in a largely positive way) than anyone since Reagan”

    This is where you and I differ. I do not share your opinion of Trump at all. His wall hasn’t lowered crime or illicit drug use, which is what he sold it on. We are still waiting on his health care plan. Most, if not all, of his pre-covid job creation was at the bottom end of the earnings ladder and he benefited greatly from piggybacking onto the end of an incredibly economically successful 8 year recovery lead by his predecessor who once again, had to do the clean up job left to him from his Republican predecessor.

    His peace accords between UAE/Bahrain and Israel are nothing more than a political stunt as there was not any bad blood between these countries in the first place and Bubby and Trumpy both needed something to improve their image come election time. A lot of weapons are about to be sold to these countries from us.

    Trump also has created the most unhealthy stock market that I have nearly ever witnessed. It might not massively crash under his leadership, but it’s going to pop sooner, rather than later as it is completely artificially inflated.

    If there is anything good that Trump did, it was his attempt to remove regulations. Unfortunately, in many cases, he took it too far and has made some really stupid environmental decisions.

    Finally, he promised smaller government and has absolutely exploded our budget deficit like nearly every Republican did before him.

    If Biden giving a tax break on the blue states which Trump intentionally punished is malice, then the rest of Trump’s term could be compared with a genocide.

    I’ll take that empty suit over the lying, hating, xenophobic populist any day of the week. At least with the the DNC, you know what you are getting. With Trump, you are asked to swallow bleach.

    Sorry, but I prefer my president to know how to pronounce, “Thailand.”

  83. No One says:

    BRT, great answer as usual.

    LIB, I think a trip to Thighland would be sexy.
    I dislike both candidates for different reasons. I personally have more to lose from a Harris administration with Biden as President (as she said). But my vote in NJ will be overpowered by the inner city and love is love, so the discussion is for entertainment purposes only. I voted Libertarian last time because the alternatives are unpalatable.

  84. Blue Ribbon Teacher says:

    In all honesty the stock market has been a mess since 2005. It got thrown into complete madness with QE which started in 2008 and it’s never stopped. Problem is, they can never stop, like a drug addict. Always chasing the initial high with more drugs.

  85. Bystander says:

    Lib,

    Thanks. Your family sounded tough but saw horrible facets of world I can’t imagine. I do those things but not active trader. Hold type which limits me. I am Captain Cheapo jr., raised by off boat Irish farm woman so no airs here. I would say #5, marry rich girl (or high income). My ex was high income but a miserable person and would have been terrible mother. Thank god, I escaped that without kids. I went poor and caring instead. That comes at a price..20 more years ofwork.

  86. Hold my beer says:

    I keep getting robocalls and texts about the election. Same company called me 5 times in one day over the weekend. I got a text on Monday from “a volunteer ” asking will you support Donald Trump or Joe Biden. I wrote back Kanye. They actually replied that he is not on the ballot in Texas and telling me they are supporting basement boy, will you too? I replied Spartacus. Have not had another text or call since.

  87. 3b says:

    BRT: And the housing market is just as out of control as the stock market.

  88. Phoenix says:

    Lib, what your father never told you is if you marry a see you 9/22/20 that all of the earlier plans are worthless.

  89. Bystander says:

    More projection of mushroom dik, looking like a footlong with light and shadow. A productive president passes legislation, particularly with control of house and senate. Orange dumba$$ used his time to immediately go after Obamacare because of his spite and pettiness. He insults McCain and Johnnie Boy f-ed him good. Best moment ever. He has done nothing but pump toothless agreements as greatest ever. Will China be held to his “great deal” this year? Next year? Of course not, but we will socialize billions to the farming corp forever to buy votes.

  90. ExEssex says:

    Lib you are the guy who despite setbacks figured it out.
    You are gonna win man. “The future is unwritten”, Joe Strummer.

  91. SomeOne says:

    Bystander,

    I do those things but not active trader. Hold type which limits me.

    That is not a bad strategy at all. It may even let you have some peace of mind.

  92. leftwing says:

    Lib, nice share on the family and very good advice.

    My family did not experience those extremes but were much closer to your situation than the Pelosi/McCain/Romney, etc establishment types. By miles….

    Weird, that background you describe which is a branch on my family tree as well is what has me in a two way race going DJT easily over Biden….Interesting how a similar set of facts equally reasoned lead to different conclusions.

    In any case as NoOne says it’s all academic for me too….as I’ve already mentioned I’m writing in a friend’s name for President.

  93. Blue Ribbon Teacher says:

    That case has been a trainwreck for years. It should have been open and shut real quick.

  94. SmallGovConservative says:

    Libturd says:
    September 17, 2020 at 4:19 pm

    “This is where you and I differ. I do not share your opinion of Trump at all. His wall hasn’t lowered crime or illicit drug use…”

    This is a point on which reasonable people can disagree. You think he hasn’t done enough on border security, I think he has.

    “His peace accords between UAE/Bahrain and Israel are nothing more than a political stunt as there was not any bad blood between these countries…”

    This is where you cross over into pure dishonesty because you simply aren’t willing to give him his due. This is what horse-face Kerry had to say in Dec 2016 when the Oblama admin pathetically refused to block a UN resolution condemning Israel: “…the two-state solution is the only way… to ensure Israel’s future as a Jewish and democratic state, living in peace and security with its neighbors.” Trump just accomplished something the last guy said was impossible.

  95. Blue Ribbon Teacher says:

    BRT: And the housing market is just as out of control as the stock market.

    Yeah, but it’s hard to say which is worse. One thing I do know, it sucks having cash because you are forced to speculate to get returns on your money and it’s been this way over the past 10 years.

  96. grim says:

    The trillion dollar corporate welfare stimulus, during the “greatest” economy ever, was 100% directed at the top. By enlarge, nearly every company used it to buy back shares.

    Small distilleries like mine were given a Federal Excise Tax reduction to level the playing field between small producers and huge enterprises. What we produce in 100 years doesn’t equal one day of the majors.

    This was tremendous for hundreds of small distilleries across the US. Nearly everyone responded by hiring employees and making capital investments that benefited other businesses, especially local ones.

  97. homeboken says:

    Emails from the Nashville mayor’s office that prove, without question, that public health data was purposely suppressed because the numbers were “too low” and “not for public consumption”

    The mayor of Nashville is a democrat. He also instituted a special assessment increase of 34% on city property tax bills to cover for his budget shortfalls.

    This is why people do not trust the government data in any way. Remember when masks didn’t stop covid spread (Fauci and Surgeon General both said this). There are hundreds of examples that our political leaders have destroyed the lives and livelihoods of millions for their own benefit politically.

    My previous rule was I wouldn’t vote for anyone that held elected office for 10 years before seeking re-election.

    I am lowering that to 5 years. The entire political establishment and ruling class horsesh!t needs to be eliminated from our government.

    Life-long losers like Biden or “sleep your way into office” like Harris are EXACTLY what make me sick about this country. Vote for that? Never.

  98. 30 year realtor says:

    What exactly does recognition of Israel by UAE and Bahrain do to eliminate the need for a two state solution? You are being dishonest. The only short term change related to recognition of Israel by these countries is the sale of U.S. arms.

    “This is where you cross over into pure dishonesty because you simply aren’t willing to give him his due. This is what horse-face Kerry had to say in Dec 2016 when the Oblama admin pathetically refused to block a UN resolution condemning Israel: “…the two-state solution is the only way… to ensure Israel’s future as a Jewish and democratic state, living in peace and security with its neighbors.” Trump just accomplished something the last guy said was impossible.”

  99. D-FENS says:

    I am going to put my $500 check from Phil Murphy towards my first AR-15.

    Thank you Millionaires.

  100. Juice Box says:

    I believe we discussed the value of this Wayne lakefront home here previously.

    https://www.nj.com/passaic-county/2020/09/fbi-agents-search-wayne-home-of-physical-therapist.html

    Seems the homeowner allegedly had his hands in the Medicare, Medicaid cookie jar.

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  102. Juice Box says:

    Joyce – 200 mph maglev train whooshing by your multi family on Washington st in Irvington overlooking the Parkway? What could that do for property value? The best thing that could ever happen to the people owing those homes in Irvington overlooking the Parkway would be a government buyout at full price.

  103. Juice Box says:

    30 yr – We did We not give the American Indians who outnumber the Palestinians a two state solution. There are five million Native Americans in the United States, their lands were taken from them by force. Why don’t we fix our own problems first before we tell the rest of the world what to do?

  104. Juice Box says:

    If gov Phil really wanted to soak the Rich he would raise the Capital Gains tax to 13.3 percent like California.

  105. Grim says:

    Maybe we should give back Hawaii

  106. Juice Box says:

    Did not even made it one week in our town. Positive Covid case in my kids school, just got the Robocall, back to distance learning this morning, my plan was to run some errands while they were in school today too. I am actually surprised they only shut one school.

    I am wondering if soccer practice tonight and matches tomorrow will be cancelled as a precaution as well.

  107. 30 year realtor says:

    No two state solution? What do you advocate? What happens to the Palestinians? Do they become Israeli citizens? And if they do, how does Israel stay a Jewish state? It isn’t as simple as we conquered your land and we are keeping it.

  108. homeboken says:

    If we are giving land back then where do you propose we draw the line?

    Define, rightful ownership of land for me.

    Shall we re-border the Alsace/Lorraine region between Germany/France?
    Scottland/Ireland/England?
    What about the entire Carribbean? What right did the British/US have to colonize those islands.

    Frankly, based on your ideas, the entire US mainland should be returned to the Native Americans. But those tribes of native americans, did they have battle over territory? Sounds racist.

    So tell me, who defines just ownership of land?

    What you are talking about is the precise opposite of human evolution. People travel, conquer, innovate and evolve.

    If you think that we have finally reached a complete set of global borders that will never be challenged or changed again, for the rest of humanity, you are a fool. The only difference now is that humans have developed a method of mutually assured destruction for both the conquered people and the invaders.

  109. 30 year realtor says:

    It isn’t about rightful ownership. It is about maintaining a Jewish state. Population of Israel is about 8.5 million. Of that almost 2 million are Arab citizens. If you annex the occupied territory, you absorb 5 million more Arabs. Jews are now a minority. No more Jewish state.

  110. ExEssex says:

    People are always trying to get Jews to apologize for Israel.
    We never will.

  111. ExEssex says:

    The Arabs can live plenty of places. Palestine is a made up country.

  112. ExEssex says:

    Whatever changes Israel has brought to the region have benefit everyone.
    Case in point…. Life expectancy
    Average life expectancy of a Sunni Arab

    Period Life expectancy in
    Years Period Life expectancy in
    Years
    1950–1955 46.6 1985–1990 67.1
    1955–1960 48.2 1990–1995 68.9
    1960–1965 50.8 1995–2000 70.3
    1965–1970 54.1 2000–2005 71.2
    1970–1975 57.5 2005–2010 72.0
    1975–1980 61.0 2010–2015 72.9
    1980–1985 64.4

  113. Juice Box says:

    3b – seems to be a problem with going back to work in NYC. That damm virus keeps showing up to work too. Didn’t anyone get the memo? Don’t come to work sick, wash your hands and wear a damm mask and stay the F away from me!

    https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2020-09-17/goldman-sends-some-traders-home-after-covid-19-case-in-manhattan

  114. 3b says:

    How would a two state solution work? The West Bank and Gaza Strip are two
    Separate areas, and would be separated by Israel. That won’t work. As well secular Israel’s have a declining birth rate, while the ultra Orthodox are growing and they are generally poorer. Plus 2 million Israeli Arabs. I don’t know what the answer is.

    As for the U.K. I think it’s a given that if another referendum is held, the. Scots will leave.

  115. Juice Box says:

    30 year – you ignore my point completely. We should not be drawing borders, sending troops, sending money as we have more than enough problems at home, there are millions of Native Americans living in poverty and they have no homeland to call their own. We could carve out a country for them, we choose not to. They must adapt or else. That is the policy of our government, and change starts at home.

  116. 3b says:

    Juice: Not surprising I guess. JP Morgan sent some home earlier in the week. Bloomberg had an article earlier in the week about a lot of the banks trying to sublet office space that they no longer have use for, as even after the pandemic, workers won’t be coming back.

  117. homeboken says:

    The current developments in the middle east are being condemned by many on the left only because the current administration has proven that conventional thinking about how to proceed with Israel may have been entirely faulty.

    I look at this very simply – The Abraham Accords are not the final answer, they are barely a first step towards that answer. I fully admit that. Nonetheless, they are a positive step.

    OTOH, I can’t stomach supposed experts claiming that this new strategy is doomed for failure and the only way we can proceed is to go back to the same ideas that have failed, dozens of times, for decades.

    It is a microcosm of the larger political fighting. One side is entrenched in ideas that have failed for decades but are being sold today as “this is the only way, it will work this time, we promise, just vote for us one more time”.

    As opposed to – Everything you thought about domestic and international policy has been wrong and we aren’t going to continue smashing a square peg through the round hole and expect that if we just hit hard enough and long enough, we will get it to fit.

    The world is changing. Old ways are being exposed as incorrect at best and maliciously designed at worst. Get on board. Or don’t, it’s America, believe whatever you want. But I think anyone that still attaches themselves to the old ways of thinking will soon be left behind.

  118. 30 year realtor says:

    Juice,

    Where have I advocated any of those things you are assigning to me? American Indians are citizens of the US. Israel cannot make the 5 million Palestinians Israeli citizens. This isn’t about maps, fairness or history. This is about survival of the Jewish state. A two state solution has many challenges but it is the logical path.

    Israel is a country born from the Holocaust. Human rights should be part of their national consciousness.

  119. Chicago says:

    “Jewish State” isn’t a bunch of Jews together. Do you know what Israel is?

    30 year realtor says:
    September 18, 2020 at 8:41 am
    It isn’t about rightful ownership. It is about maintaining a Jewish state. Population of Israel is about 8.5 million. Of that almost 2 million are Arab citizens. If you annex the occupied territory, you absorb 5 million more Arabs. Jews are now a minority. No more Jewish state.

  120. 30 year realtor says:

    Homeboken,

    You are the one offering “old ways”. Conquer and oppress are old solutions.

  121. 30 year realtor says:

    Chicago,

    Reading your mind isn’t my strength. And you generally believe you know how I think, even when you don’t.

    To me a Jewish state is a Jewish homeland. An open door and a safe place for all Jewish people. What is it to you?

  122. A Home Buyer says:

    https://apnews.com/f2008d23c5f9087f4214d9722dfb097e

    Some Key Quotes:

    “…An Associated Press review of medical records for four women and interviews with lawyers revealed growing allegations that Amin performed surgeries and other procedures on detained immigrants that they never sought or didn’t fully understand. Although some procedures could be justified based on problems documented in the records, the women’s lack of consent or knowledge raises severe legal and ethical issues, lawyers and medical experts said…”

    “…The AP’s review did not find evidence of mass hysterectomies as alleged in a widely shared complaint filed by a nurse at the detention center…”

    “…But a lawyer who helped file the complaint said she never spoke to any women who had hysterectomies. Priyanka Bhatt, staff attorney at the advocacy group Project South, told the Washington Post that she included the hysterectomy allegations because she wanted to trigger an investigation to determine if they were true…”

    “…State prosecutors didn’t refer Amin to the medical board after the billing lawsuit because it didn’t involve specific allegations of patient harm…”

  123. Libturd says:

    Pretty good take on the radicalizing of the major two parties if one cares to read the center view on it.

    The radicals. As the election approaches, both the left and right continue to claim that the other side is descending into a fringe political group.

    For many Republicans, the proof of a radicalized left has become clearer as violent civil unrest breaks out in cities like Portland, Seattle, and Kenosha, Wisconsin. Many elected Democrats took longer than people had hoped to condemn the violence in the wake of the George Floyd and Jacob Blake shootings, and the election of progressives like Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez in 2018 or the strong cohort of support for Sen. Bernie Sanders is proof of the party’s leftward lurch.

    For Democrats, proof of right-wing radicalism began with the “birther” movement against former President Barack Obama and culminated in Trump — who was one of the loudest supporters of the false conspiracy theory — being elected. Since then, the president’s calls for a ban on all Muslims entering the United States and his attempts to build a border wall were proof of his extremism. Today, the rise of the QAnon conspiracy theory on the right, including several Republican candidates who have embraced the conspiracy, is driving the left’s arguments about a radicalized right.

    We’ll examine some arguments from both the left and the right about the other side’s radicalization.

    What the left is saying.
    In Business Insider, Anthony Fisher argued that the right’s tacit approval or outright embrace of the QAnon conspiracy theory has completed the rotting of conservatism.

    “In praising adherents of the deranged QAnon conspiracy theory on Wednesday — as well as publicly endorsing two overt bigots who won their nominations to represent the Republican Party in November’s congressional elections — Trump has officially made the GOP the party of the internet scumbag,” Fisher wrote. “Mainstream Republicans for the past four years have held their noses during Trump’s most embarrassing tantrums, ragestorms, and racist blurts. They’ve dutifully swallowed their pride and surrendered their spines. In doing so, they’ve allowed the rot on the fringes of the right to seep further and further into the party’s core. The FBI has called QAnon a domestic-terrorism threat, and Facebook has barred hundreds of QAnon accounts it’s said attempted to incite violence.”

    Marjorie Greene, one of the “QAnon candidates” who won a primary in Georgia, despite sharing conspiracy theories and promoting racist narratives on her Facebook page, is a perfect example of the evolution, Jeet Heer argued in The Nation.

    “The response of the GOP to Greene echoes the way the party handled Trump in 2016,” Heer wrote. “At first there was some trepidation about Trump, with a few voices denouncing what he was doing to the party. But eventually, Republicans made their peace with Trump when they realized that they had to support him as their standard-bearer or suffer humiliating defeat as a divided party.”

    Norm Ornstein, a longtime Democratic operative, took a much more zoomed out view of the Republican party and his experience engaging it. In early August, he wrote one of the definitive pieces on the radicalization of the Republican party for The Atlantic. “I have seen up close the changes in our politics and culture,” Ornstein wrote. “Nothing has been more striking or significant than the transformation of the Republican Party, from a moderately conservative party to a very conservative party to something else entirely.”

    In his piece, Ornstein points to past Republican administrations for contrast. The party of Nixon created the Environmental Protection Agency and proposed health care reform plans similar to the Affordable Care Act. At one point, they were considering a guaranteed annual income “on a par with Andrew Yang’s universal basic income.” President Ronald Reagan cut deals with Democrats that increased taxes and bolstered Social Security reform. There were, for a long time, reasonable and moderate fixtures in the party.

    “In recent years, the GOP has thrown away its guiding values and embraced its darkest instincts. It has blown up long-standing norms in the Senate, creating divisions that outstrip anything I have seen before; done nothing about rank corruption in the White House and the Cabinet; accepted the politicization of the Justice Department and lies from the attorney general; avoided any meaningful oversight of misconduct; and failed to curb attacks on the independence of inspectors general,” Ornstein argued.

    “The GOP now distinguishes itself by inaction. It has stood and watched as this administration separated children from their parents at the border, mistreated asylum seekers, botched its response to a hurricane in Puerto Rico, attacked science, and opened new avenues for toxic materials in our air and water. It said and did nothing about Russian interference in the 2016 elections, and is actively blocking efforts to combat a recurrence in 2020. It has refused to pass a new Voting Rights Act after the Supreme Court decision in Shelby County v. Holder eviscerated the legislation, which, reflecting the GOP of the past, had passed the House unanimously. It has refused to deal in any fashion with urgent problems such as climate change, immigration, global competition, hunger, and poverty. It confirmed nominees who lied to the Senate, who inflated résumés, and who failed to meet minimum qualifications for the job. It confirmed judges who were unanimously rated unqualified by the American Bar Association.”

    What the right is saying.
    In The Wall Street Journal, Daniel Henninger argued that the left “has turned certifiably insane, if one definition of irrational behavior is the refusal to recognize the damage being done, primarily to black and Hispanic neighborhoods, by catastrophic violence.”

    “After the shooting this week of two cops in Compton, south of Los Angeles, a small contingent of anti police protesters stood outside a hospital chanting, ‘We hope they die!’” Henninger wrote. “Mr. Biden tweeted criticism of both incidents as ‘unacceptable’ and ‘entirely counterproductive.’ Up to now, the conventional liberal/media/Democratic story line has been that ‘most’ of the protesters are peacefully objecting to racism and police practices. But it has become impossible not to see something else that falls between carrying signs and looting stores… Embarrassed and perplexed by the decadeslong persistence of crime and incarceration in inner-city neighborhoods, progressive legal theorists proposed ‘decriminalization’ as an alternative. They essentially redefined crime as something closer to a behavioral problem. And they blamed the police function for incarceration rates.”

    In 2019, Peter Wehner argued in The Atlantic that “the GOP is hardly the only party that is undergoing some alarming tectonic shifts. Liberals wondering why conservatives who worry about Trump don’t join the Democrats should consider what is happening on their own side of the aisle.”

    Wehner sees specific policy goals gaining steam on the left: The Green New Deal, which would “put the federal government in partial or complete control over large sectors.” Medicare for all, which would “would wipe out the health-insurance industry and do away with employer-sponsored health plans that now cover roughly 175 million Americans.” Making college tuition free or debt-free, which would cost $50 billion a year for the federal government alone and “would transfer money from less wealthy families whose children do not attend college to wealthier families whose children do.” Abolishing ICE, which upholds immigration laws. Reparations for African Americans. And “opposition to any limits on even third-trimester abortion.”

    Wehner argues these policies have been ushered in by the ascent of politicians like Sen. Bernie Sanders (VT-I), a “self-proclaimed soc1alist” who “was treated like a curiosity and even a bit of a crazy uncle by Democrats” but got 13 million votes in the 2016 primaries and “electrified Democratic audiences” in a way Hillary could not.

    Much of the conservative concern about leftist radicalism is also taking place on college campuses, where the right argues that professors and conservatives continue to be silenced or attacked by the mob of leftists.

    “The left uses an armamentarium of tactics to silence conservative speakers,” Raymond Berger argued in the Times of Israel. “These include: threats of violence that discourage schools from considering conservative speakers in the first place; demands that scheduled speakers be ‘uninvited;’ outlandish claims that the conservative speaker is a racist, white nationalist or bigot; and shouting, screaming and being disruptive, or physically barring them from entering the lecture hall.”

    In The National Review, Michael Dougherty argues that Democrats are preparing to be “sore (and violent) losers” if Trump wins the 2020 election. Dougherty argues that what makes the left’s extremism more dangerous is that the left has the institutional power to excuse that extremism whenever it pops up — and to downplay its genuine threat.

    “Progressives feel secure in making all but open threats of violence and revolution because they know that the heads of domestic security agencies are on their side, they know that the most powerful voices in media and academia are at the ready to craft apologies for their violence,” he wrote. “And they know that their reputations will be restored or even burnished after committing violence on behalf of their causes. The modern American conservative movement was a populist and democratic movement because it had to be. The modern Left knows where its power lies as well — with the already powerful.”

    My take.
    For all the op-eds, hot takes, talking points and politicizing of this issue, there’s very little discussion of the data — the political science — on radicalization. And we have a lot of it. Lee Drutman recently wrote one of the best paragraphs about political parties I’ve ever seen, which I think is worth including to frame this discussion:

    “The problem is that political parties are not singular entities capable of easily changing course. They are, instead, a loose coalition of office-holders, interest groups, donors, activists, media personalities and many others, all jockeying and competing for power. Think of a giant tug of war in which all the tugs have been toward more extreme and more confrontational versions of the party.”

    When it comes to the tug of war, it’s clear the far-right wing of the Republican party is winning in a way the far-left wing of the Democratic party is not. Fox News, Breitbart, and talk radio are dominating the direction of the Republican party — and helped President Trump become president. Activist groups are increasingly seeing their policy positions become law — from the NRA to anti-immigration outfits. There are dozens of data points from the last decade to back this up.

    First, there is the ideology score that was developed by Kenneth Poole and Howard Rosenthal. It looks at how Republicans and Democrats drift away from the center in both the House and Senate, based solely on how they vote. Here are the latest charts for the House and then the Senate:

    It’s not difficult to see the difference in how House and Senate Republicans have diverged further from the middle than Democrats. There’s also been some interesting examination of this trend at the local level, even pre-Trump. In 2013, local Republican party leaders said they preferred extreme candidates to centrist ones by a 10-to-1 margin. Democratic party leaders at the local level preferred extreme to centrist candidates by a 2-to-1 ratio.

    In politics, partisan voters tend to uniformly follow the leaders of their party on the issues. We’ve seen this with Trump, as he has totally reshaped the party’s view on foreign policy issues like Russia, or financial issues like the growing debt and — especially — compromise. Among Democrats, 58% say finding common ground with Republicans should be an important part of a president’s focus. Just 41% say pushing for policies only Democrats want should be the focus, even if it means getting less done.

    Among Republicans, only 45% support Trump finding common ground and 53% say focusing on policies only Republicans want should be the focus. Among Republicans who “follow government most of the time,” the numbers are even starker: only 39% are interested in compromise with Democrats while 61% want Republicans to push through their agenda even if it’s harder to get things done. The numbers are nearly inverted in favor of compromise — 58-41 — among Democrats who follow politics closely.

    This is visible more anecdotally, too. Moderate Republicans in Congress like Jeff Flake, Mitt Romney and John McCain were all left behind by the party. There has been an exodus of moderate Republicans from Congress, and now more moderates are deciding to opt out of even running, because they see no place for themselves in the Republican party.

    Even in the extreme examples cited by both sides, the comparisons feel imbalanced. Yes, Democrats have elected the AOCs or the Rashida Tlaibs (infamous for her “f— Trump” acceptance speech), but there seems to be a substantive difference between, say, wanting to defund the police and believing Democrats run a cabal of pedophiles with the Hollywood elite (a theory now-victorious Republicans in Congress have expressed belief in).

    The real-world impact is overwhelming, too. According to federal law enforcement, right-wing radicalism is far more violent and prevalent across America than left-wing radicalism.

    In practice, Democrats have largely rejected the radical wing of their own party. Bernie Sanders got 13 million votes in 2016 when running against one of the most historically unpopular Democrats of all time, Hillary Clinton. But Joe Biden mopped the floor with the field running on a moderate platform. And for all the hoopla about 2018 progressives like Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and The Squad, it was moderate, left-of-center Democrats who drove the massive “Blue Wave” in the House.

    The comparable situation on the left here might be if Bernie Sanders were president, AOC was the Speaker of the House and a bonafide leftist who wanted to abolish ICE was running our immigration policy. Instead, it’s Donald Trump who is president, Stephen Miller who is crafting our immigration agenda, and far-right ideologues like Mark Meadows who are running the show in the White House. The far right has a grip on the Republican party in a way the far left can only dream of.

    It’s absolutely true that there are fringe left-wing ideas growing in popularity across the Democratic party, and I generally abhor the aversion to dialogue a lot of folks on the left seem to have these days, but every signal points to a Republican party whose radicalism and departure from the center is happening more intensely and more broadly than anything on the left.

  124. Juice Box says:

    30 year – Palestinians are not even technically eligible for an official US visa because of the PLO terrorist organization. They can only come here on an approved waiver so most times they exercise their right to be a Jordanian and get a passport from them to travel, and even then any terrorist ties and they cannot go anywhere.

    Most of us are tired of the endless wars in the Middle East. Love or Hate him Trump has made progress. I hope it continues without the US having to send it’s young men and women over there to fight and die.

    If the Palestinians put down their arms and embraced democracy they would have a real chance at normalcy. What you say about the population shift is true they could very well become the majority and take the country with a democratic vote. They definitely aren’t going to take the land back by force ever, as we know they tried in the six day war over 50 years ago.

    Sadly most still don’t see any it happening in our lifetimes.

  125. Libturd says:

    “This is where you cross over into pure dishonesty because you simply aren’t willing to give him his due.”

    Sorry. The accord signed between the two Arab countries and Israel IS a good thing. But it’s more of a political stunt than it is even an extremely small step towards a lasting peace in the Middle East. This is not the Egyptian Spring. This is more like a sun shower in Liechtenstein.

    Listen, you can’t one week piss off the radical Muslims in the middle east by withdrawing from the Iran settlement and brazingly moving the US embassy to Jerusalem and then expect everyone to kiss your ring for signing a peace accord with two countries that have absolutely no beef with the existence of the Israeli state.

    As for American’s talking two state solutions. It is a complete waste of time. The Palestinian’s won’t accept anything but the elimination of Israel. Israel is not giving a very open first world country, which they built, back to people who couldn’t govern themselves out of a paper bag. And then there are the radicals on both sides (kind of like here) that can never find any common ground, even if it makes common sense.

    So please don’t question my honesty. I am not the one who constantly posts one side to every story, every time. Making believe that everyone else is too stupid to see your intentional deception. Anyone can do what you do. Most choose not to because it is simply shallow, absentminded and ultimately, unbecoming.

  126. Fast Eddie says:

    “The GOP now distinguishes itself by inaction. It has stood and watched as this administration separated children from their parents at the border, mistreated asylum seekers, botched its response to a hurricane in Puerto Rico, attacked science, and opened new avenues for toxic materials in our air and water.

    F.ucking bullsh1t, bullsh1t, bullsh1t! Botched the response to Puerto Rico? You mean the warehouses full of supplies being sold out the back door like a scene out of Goodfellas? Separating kids from parents? Like the prisons Oblammy created at the border? Fyck the democrats and everything they stand for… all their rioting, cop-killing, snowflake suck1ng, marx1st f.ucking ways! F.uck you, O’Biden, f.uck you cunt Harris and Pelosi and f.uck you, you whining sh1t bags seeking justice and respect when you’ve earned nothing.

  127. 3b says:

    Facts on the ground say there will never be a two state solution now. It’s a demographic waiting game. And there are huge problems with the secular Israeli population and the ultra Orthodox population in Israel. To say they don’t get along would be an understatement.

  128. Juice Box says:

    Facist!

    US plans to restrict access to TikTok and WeChat on Sunday

  129. Juice Box says:

    ooops I spell like Trump the Fascist!

  130. Juice Box says:

    What does Facebook annouce this week to replace WeChat?

  131. SmallGovConservative says:

    Libturd says:
    September 17, 2020 at 1:16 pm

    “I’m within five years [of retiring]. I could probably retire today, but I’m too cheap. Want 4 million in the coffers first…”

    This, along with comments about your family history, make it even harder for me to understand how you can continue to align with the modern Dem party. As a party, there is no respect for what you did to put yourself in that position — no respect for hard work, living within your means, saving and building wealth to provide for your family, your retirement and potentially your heirs. Instead, in addition to taxing your income, your property and your purchases, they’re now moving rapidly to wanting to confiscate a portion of that wealth each year — Bernie’s plan already starts at a net worth of 15/16 million I believe, so don’t think for a minute they’re going to stop with billionaires. But beyond the financial self-preservation aspect, given that your grandfather was a holocaust survivor, how can you possibly support a party that now tolerates anti-semitism within it’s ranks? You = Dem party just makes no sense on so many levels. I still think you’ll end up a Rep — maybe it’ll be the first time you’re asked to calculate your net worth as of 12/31 and send the gov a check for 1-2% of it.

  132. SmallGovConservative says:

    Libturd says:
    September 17, 2020 at 1:16 pm

    “I’m within five years [of retiring]. I could probably retire today, but I’m too cheap. Want 4 million in the coffers first…”

    This, along with comments about your family history, make it even harder for me to understand how you can continue to align with the modern Dem party. As a party, there is no respect for what you did to put yourself in that position — no respect for hard work, living within your means, saving and building wealth to provide for your family, your retirement and potentially your heirs. Instead, in addition to taxing your income, your property and your purchases, they’re now moving rapidly to wanting to confiscate a portion of that wealth each year — Bernie’s plan already starts at a net worth of 15/16 million I believe, so don’t think for a minute they’re going to stop with billionaires. But beyond the financial self-preservation aspect, given that your grandfather was a holocaust survivor, how can you possibly support a party that now tolerates the likes of Omar and Tlaib? You = Dem party just makes no sense on so many levels. I still think you’ll end up a Rep — maybe it’ll be the first time you’re asked to calculate your net worth as of 12/31 and send the gov a check for 1-2% of it.

  133. SmallGovConservative says:

    Libturd says:
    September 17, 2020 at 1:16 pm

    “I’m within five years [of retiring]. I could probably retire today, but I’m too cheap. Want 4 million in the coffers first…”

    First, congrats on a job well done. This, along with comments about your family history, make it even harder for me to understand how you can continue to align with the modern Dem party. As a party, there is no respect for what you did to put yourself in that position — no respect for hard work, living within your means, saving and building wealth to provide for your family, your retirement and potentially your heirs. Instead, in addition to taxing your income, your property and your purchases, they’re now moving rapidly to wanting to confiscate a portion of that wealth each year — Bernie’s plan already starts at a net worth of 15/16 million I believe, so don’t think for a minute they’re going to stop with billionaires. But beyond the financial self-preservation aspect, given that your grandfather was a holocaust survivor, how can you possibly support a party that now tolerates the likes of Omar and Tlaib? I still think you’ll end up a Rep — maybe it’ll be the first time you’re asked to calculate your net worth as of 12/31 and send the gov a check for 1-2% of it.

  134. chicagofinance says:

    UTTER GOLD
    Thomas Sowell
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SprRnUBAruw

    The money starts at 2:30…… PhD in Sociology from Berkeley.

    Watch all the way to the end…… “….they are being taught it is important to have views…”

  135. SmallGovConservative says:

    Libturd says:
    September 17, 2020 at 1:16 pm

    “I’m within five years [of retiring]. I could probably retire today, but I’m too cheap. Want 4 million in the coffers first…”

    First, congrats on a job well done. But this, along with comments about your family history, make it even harder for me to understand how you can continue to align with the modern Dem party. As a party, there is no respect for what you did to put yourself in that position — no respect for hard work, living within your means, saving and building wealth to provide for your family, your retirement and potentially your heirs. Instead, in addition to taxing your income, your property and your purchases, they’re now moving rapidly to wanting to confiscate a portion of that wealth each year — Bernie’s plan already starts at a net worth of 15/16 million I believe, so don’t think for a minute they’re going to stop with billionaires. But beyond the financial self-preservation aspect, given that your grandfather was a holocaust survivor, how can you possibly support a party that now tolerates the likes of Omar and Tlaib? I still think you’ll end up a Rep — maybe it’ll be the first time you’re asked to calculate your net worth as of 12/31 and send the gov a check for 1-2% of it.

  136. homeboken says:

    Eddie – I admire the enthusiasm but you may want to mix in some decaf. Fired up today.

  137. SmallGovConservative says:

    Libturd says:
    September 17, 2020 at 1:16 pm

    “I’m within five years [of retiring]. I could probably retire today, but I’m too cheap. Want 4 million in the coffers first…”

    First, congrats on a job well done. I’m somewhat similarly situated so I know how hard it is to get to this point. But this, along with comments about your family history, make it even harder for me to understand how you can continue to align with the modern Dem party. As a party, there is no respect for what you did to put yourself in that position — no respect for hard work, living within your means, saving and building wealth to provide for your family, your retirement and potentially your heirs. Instead, in addition to taxing your income, your property and your purchases, they’re now moving rapidly to wanting to confiscate a portion of that wealth each year — Bernie’s plan already starts at a net worth of 15-16 million I believe, so don’t think for a minute they’re going to stop with billionaires. But beyond the financial self-preservation aspect, given that your grandfather was a holocaust survivor, how can you possibly support a party that now tolerates the likes of Omar etc? I still think you’ll end up a Rep — maybe it’ll be the first time you’re asked to calculate your net worth as of Dec 31 and send the gov a check for 1-2% of it.

  138. Juice Box says:

    lines around the block in Virginia for early voting.

    https://twitter.com/MarshallCohen/status/1306961499085209602/photo/1

  139. Phoenix says:

    Perception>Truth.

    If you can get someone to perceive something, you don’t have to follow through with the truth.

  140. leftwing says:

    “It isn’t about rightful ownership.”

    “30 year – you ignore my point completely. We should not be drawing borders…”

    Beat me to the punch, Juice. That was my first reaction to the ‘rightful ownership’.

    There is no such thing as rightful ownership because there is no absolute measure…any one can choose any point in time under any cherry picked social convention to ascertain a claim of ‘rightful ownership’.

    The closest concept to ‘rightful ownership’ that has prevailed throughout history – across all cultures including to this day – is very simple. It is what you can take, and by corollary what you decide to leave for others.

  141. leftwing says:

    Sorry Lib, I stopped reading at the statement that the Right has given “tacit approval or outright embrace” of QAnon….would be nice to find a Liberal writer analyzing the Right who actually understands the Right, rather than throw their own biases and perceptions of the Right down on paper to then – surprise, surprise – support their own biases and perceptions.

    The tautological logic of the Left, on display once again……

  142. SmallGovConservative says:

    Libturd says:
    September 17, 2020 at 1:16 pm

    “I’m within five years [of retiring]. I could probably retire today, but I’m too cheap. Want 4 million in the coffers first…”

    First, congrats on a job well done. I’m somewhat similarly situated so I know how hard it is to get to this point. But this, along with comments about your family history, make it even harder for me to understand how you can continue to align with the modern Dem party. As a party, there is no respect for what you did to put yourself in that position — hard work, living within your means, saving, and building wealth. Instead, in addition to taxing your income, your property and your purchases, they’re now moving rapidly to wanting to confiscate a portion of that wealth each year — Bernie’s plan already starts at a net worth of 15-16 million I believe, so don’t think for a minute they’re going to stop with billionaires. But beyond the financial self-preservation aspect, given that your grandfather was a holocaust survivor, how can you possibly support a party that now tolerates the likes of Omar etc? I still think you’ll end up a Rep — maybe it’ll be the first time you’re asked to calculate your net worth and send the gov a check for 1-2 percent of it.

  143. leftwing says:

    “If you can get someone to perceive something, you don’t have to follow through with the truth.”

    Should be engraved in stone above the entrances of NYT and CBS…..

  144. Phoenix says:

    “The closest concept to ‘rightful ownership’ that has prevailed throughout history – across all cultures including to this day – is very simple. It is what you can take, and by corollary what you decide to leave for others.”

    Now this statement opens up a real can of worms. Guess you could say the same thing about Murphy taking your tax dollars.

  145. Libturd says:

    Gary, tell me how you REALLY feel. :P

    Leftwing, it’s not perfect, but it’s the closest to the center that I have found. I get it. It’s hard for extremists to consider their position as anything but the absolute truth.

    Did Trump make fun of our war dead? Was he coerced? He is a true imbecile. Sorry Gary.

  146. homeboken says:

    Lib – 4 anonymous sources say Trump made the “losers and suckers” statement.
    20+ named sources, most of which were there on the trip, said they didn’t hear this. Including John Bolton, who if you haven’t been paying attention, wrote a very critical book about Trump this year.

    Otherwise smart people being so easily manipulated bc it fits their desired worldview. Shame.

    Left – Did you put on that KODK short? It’s been riding high since you posted that.

    Wondering if you think it is still a good play, or even a better play, now that it’s up 30% since Wednesday.

  147. Fast Eddie says:

    They are the party of bumper sticker slogans, the party of flim flam, the party of deceit.
    Every idea they conjure requires taking the fruits and labor of one side to pepper the other in the perception of progress and compassion. They use people as props to advance their cause. They take advantage of weakness by disguising their true agenda using manicured words and guileful patter.

  148. Libturd says:

    Homeboken.

    Easter?

    Your bias is showing. The man lies about everything.

  149. Fabius Maximus says:

    “Palestine is a made up country.”

    I think you need to read the Balfour declaration to put that comment in context.

    Left, I get what you say that we should not be drawing borders, but while Balfour drew the map, without Truman in 48, it does not happen. Its t like, you broke it, you bought it.

  150. leftwing says:

    “Leftwing, it’s not perfect, but it’s the closest to the center that I have found. I get it. It’s hard for extremists to consider their position as anything but the absolute truth.”

    Cute. I see what you did there :)

    Having made the argument on a ‘rightful ownership’ topic in this thread that there is no absolute, objective measure I am certainly not to argue the opposite here.

    Regardless, statements by your author like the below belie his ‘extremism’….it is simply not factually correct and it is logically flawed. Biden ‘mopped the floor’ with his opponents? Which inaccuracy is then used to support an invalid trend analysis which also completely ignores that 13 million votes is nearly half of the registered Democrats?

    If that – as you say – is the closest to ‘center’ you can find the Left is much further worse off than even I imagined.

    “In practice, Democrats have largely rejected the radical wing of their own party. Bernie Sanders got 13 million votes in 2016 when running against one of the most historically unpopular Democrats of all time, Hillary Clinton. But Joe Biden mopped the floor with the field running on a moderate platform. “

  151. Fabius Maximus says:

    Lib,

    Great article I would agree with a lot of it. I see the QA comments rattled a few feathers in here. I would link the rise of the Right, back to the Tea Party. I think a lot of that group lined their Tricorne hat with Tin foil.

    This comment nails it; “When it comes to the tug of war, it’s clear the far-right wing of the Republican party is winning in a way the far-left wing of the Democratic party is not”

    I wonder what the numbers are with those old school moderates like Shore Guy, switching to support Biden?

  152. Juice Box says:

    Gotta tell ya Biden did well promising green vapor jobs last night. He cannot run on his record as we all know so the softballs questions about the green plan were just great. He shot down AOC and Bernie with his I have my own plan. The part about taking Chicken and Pig manure and pelletizing it to remove methane to create jobs was pure horse hockey.

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yPp2TjsGu1Y

  153. ExEssex says:

    12:17 its a big tent eddie.

  154. joyce says:

    You say that based on one reply? Words have meanings.

    Did you find the word ‘deregulation’ in that post yet? I’ll be back.

    Fabius Maximus says:
    September 18, 2020 at 12:55 pm

    I see the QA comments rattled a few feathers in here.

  155. leftwing says:

    “Left, I get what you say that we should not be drawing borders…”

    I actually said exactly the opposite…that there is no such thing as ‘rightful ownership’ other than what the more powerful party (ie, the map drawer) decides.

    Phoenix, you are exactly correct that it opens a can of worms….not just for taxes. You and I were in front of a person in a black robe that stripped certain of our assets and bonded us to payments to another human being without regard to any ‘fault’ of either party. Rightful? Arguments could (maybe) be made on either side…what each of us knows is this…it is ‘rightful’ because if you and I don’t write the asset division, alimony, and child support checks men with uniforms and firearms will come and lock us up. ‘Rightful ownership’ resides with the force to effect it.

    Who is the ‘rightful owner’ of Texas? Texans? Texans who collectively own the land of Texan? Californians?

    Hypothetical example, using extremes to prove the point…Biden wins the Presidency, sweeps the Senate with veto proof majority. Texans vote unanimously to secede. Do you think they get to become an independent country? Not a chance…it can be debated ethically, morally, and politically whether they should be able to do so but the fact of the matter is people residing in every other US State – the vast majority of whom have never and will never visit Texas – will decide who owns Texas because they control 1.3 million troops who will march in to enforce their view. Which is very ironic, since Texas only exists as a State of the US because it seceded from Mexico in 1836 and Mexico did not contest it…

    So back to my original statement….’Rightful ownership’ resides with the party able to take, and by corollary what they decide to leave for others.

  156. homeboken says:

    Lib – I 100% admit my bias. The machine that is the DNC disgusts me.

    Show me a liberal or moderate candidate that supports:

    In this order:
    1. Term Limits
    2. School choice

    And I will be happy to vote for them. Those 2 issues will do more to change this country for the positive than anything else.

  157. Fast Eddie says:

    12:17 its a big tent eddie.

    You don’t get in for free. Earn your keep and pay at the door.

  158. joyce says:


    In this order:
    1. Term Limits
    2. School choice

    Does any candidate support #1? Isn’t #2 mostly a state and local issue?

  159. homeboken says:

    I should add, the GOP machine disgusts me as well.

    Anyone that has made a career in politics, which to me is someone with 10 or more years in office, has been compromised. It’s human nature, I don’t fault the individual.

    But after 10 years in office, multiple election cycles, it is impossible for the vast majority of people to not become swayed by special interests.

    So my bias is against any career politician. In this general election, that leaves me with the guy that has been in elected office for less than 4 years or the guy that has been part of the ruling elite since before I was born.

    I don’t have a choice here.

  160. homeboken says:

    Joyce – Regarding #1, yes there are. You just dont hear about them much since the media and ruling class elites are terrified of what happens if term limits become law.

    RE School choice – There is plenty the federal govt can do to subsidize school choice. Take a look at HUD as an example. The housing subsidy model used to be large scale, high density, public housing. That turned into large scale Section 8 Project Based HAP subsidy.

    The Project Based HAP contracts are still widely utilized. But the biggest development is the Housing Choice Voucher program. Same concept. Give the subside directly to the resident, let them choose the best place to live. It wor

    Housing Chocie vouchers work well. I know this. I have been involved in the financing/development of thousands of units that utilize this program. You get a voucher tenant, living next door to a conventional tenant. Same unit, same amneties. The resident’s have no clue that their neighbor is using a subsidy, unless they are told.

    It works for housing. It will work for school. The only issue is the teachers unions hate it. That makes me like it even more.

  161. leftwing says:

    Home, yes, still in KODK and put on some additional positions today.

    Yesterday’s positions, which were unhedged as I was looking for down day today to leg in and improve returns, are down 34%. Still hold them, unhedged. Today’s trades, which are a ratio spread, are showing down 25% but that is an anomaly as the 2x writes should be profitable but aren’t as the spreads have exploded. I have negative delta right now (more simply, net short) which I would like to pull in before close but depends on price action.

    Cannot caution you enough to stay away from this situation. I did extensive diligence on the company and its fundamentals and am following a very specific trading paradigm to minimize risk and foster a favorable risk/reward return through derivative securities that themselves will act abnormally. I’ve likely made over a few hundred options trades this year in dozens of securities and this one is far out on the curve for me….but I know how to box my risk and my limits.

    So, please do not follow without your own diligence and knowledge of the trading instruments and for l0rd’s sake do not actually short shares here even if you could find them…and be fully aware that I a trade here that I might very well do can change my profit profile dramatically, ie. instead of looking for decline to profit a flat or even slightly up share price could be profitable. Do not follow me.

    Ask for chi’s input….first identify exactly what it is you are trying to accomplish (‘going short’ does not encompass it)….are you hedging? if so what? what would your current portfolio look like under various downside scenarios? what are the downside scenarios you are anticipating? are you concentrated in any areas? etc. etc. First figure out exactly what you should be doing with a view toward a declining market then figure out the best (and cheapest and lowest vol) way to accomplish it. I highly doubt it is via KODK. In fact I know it isn’t.

  162. 1987 Condo says:

    Chi, thanks for YouTube link on AOC.

    This was in Saturday’s WSJ

    https://www.wsj.com/articles/bad-teaching-is-tearing-america-apart-11599857351?st=3i5fjpt9t9wcv94&reflink=article_copyURL_share

    That’s no less true in 21st-cen­tury Amer­ica. “The idea that iden­tity and eth­nic­ity are in­born and in­deli­ble from birth is a false view that leads to group hos­til­ity,” Mr. Hirsch says. “The idea that there can be an Amer­i­can cul­ture that every­one joins seems to be anath­ema to some aca­d­e­mic thinkers,” Mr. Hirsch says. “But I can’t be­lieve it’s anath­ema to any nor­mal per­son in the coun­try who isn’t some so­cial the­o­rist.” It’s fine for chil­dren to em­brace their par­tic­u­lar her­itage, he says, but also vi­tal to cre­ate an “Amer­i­can eth­nic-ity.” The pur­pose of el­e­men­tary schools “is to make chil­dren into good cit­i­zens.”

  163. Libturd says:

    Well we agree on something then. Though I would argue that a lot of damage could still be done in 8 years.

    My #1 is PACs and lobbies. Gotta 100% let leaders be able to choose what is best for their constituents. Not what is best for their party or their pockets. I can’t yet get with #2 because I think it will backfire with corruption. Especially in the inner cities. It is not as necessary in many burbs. But it wouldn’t be an end all be all issue with me if it happened.

    And of course, there is abortion, which even if overturned, will not stop any. It will just damage a lot more of the living.

    For every country that has made abortion illegal, it has not put a dent in the numbers of abortion performed. It just makes them more expensive and much more dangerous. Because the truth is, an unwanted child is just that.

  164. homeboken says:

    Left – I appreciate the warning. I am mostly interested as a follow up, not as a reason to support a trading strategy.

    As much as I am interested in your position, I tend to value the financial recomendations of internet strangers very low. No offense intended, just the truth.

  165. Fabius Maximus says:

    Chi,

    You say you want Intellectual Honesty and you post that Sowell piece.

    What that piece does not say is that while facts are important, Sowell is using selective use of facts to paint the picture he wants. The healthcare comparisons were particularly egregious. Comparing waiting times between the UK, Canada and the US. Two 100% public accessible systems vs a mostly private system. How about comparing the UK public wait times to the UK Private sector wait times. How about comparing UK and Canada public to US VA wait times. How about all the people who are not on the wait lists because they cant afford the initial visit let alone the costs of the pr0cedure.
    “30K leaving Canada for trea tment they can get for free” How many are heading over the border for Special1st treament at the like of the May0 clinic. How does 30K Canadians measure against the number of US heading abroad for procedures that thier insurance would cover, but the out of pocket costs are cheaper when they go to C0sta Rica.

    But hey, project away!

  166. homeboken says:

    Joyce – On the federal level, Trump supports both school choice and term limits.

    Biden is diameterically opposed to both.

    Hence…

  167. homeboken says:

    Lib- I could care less about abortion. I see the argument about protecting unborn life. But are we really protecting a child that is unwanted by forcing the birth? I dont think so. Anti-abortion basically ruins 2 lives, sometimes more than 2.

    It always struck me as odd that the GOP rails against big government, shouting that people should be able to make their own choices about their lives. And then in the next breath state that every pregnancy must be carried to term. At best, very hyppocritical. At worst, diabolical.

  168. Phoenix says:

    Joe Biden
    I know him
    That can’t be
    That’s that little guy who spoke to me
    All those years ago
    What was it, eighty-five?
    That poor man, they’re gonna eat him alive!
    Oceans rise
    Empires fall
    Next to Washington, they all look small
    All alone
    Watch them run
    They will tear each other into pieces
    Jesus Christ, this will be fun!
    Da da da dat da dat da da da dai ya da
    Da da da dat dat dai ya da, hahahahaha!
    President Joe Biden
    Good luck!

  169. SmallGovConservative says:

    Libturd says:
    September 17, 2020 at 1:16 pm

    “I’m within five years [of retiring]. I could probably retire today, but I’m too cheap. Want 4 million in the coffers first…”

    First, congrats on a job well done. I’m somewhat similarly situated so I know how hard it is to get to this point. But this, along with comments about your family history, make it even harder for me to understand how you can continue to align with the modern Dem party. As a party, there is no respect for what you did to put yourself in that position — no respect for hard work, living within your means, saving and building wealth. Instead, in addition to taxing your income, your property and your purchases, they’re now moving rapidly to wanting to confiscate a portion of that wealth each year — Bernie’s wealth tax plan already starts at a net worth of 15-16 million I believe, so don’t think for a minute they’re going to stop with billionaires. But beyond the financial self-preservation aspect, given that your grandfather was a holocaust survivor, how can you possibly support a party that now tolerates the likes of Omar and Tlaib? I still think you’ll end up a Rep — maybe it’ll be the first time you’re asked to calculate your net worth and send the gov a check for 1-2% of it.

  170. SmallGovConservative says:

    Libturd says:
    September 17, 2020 at 1:16 pm

    “I’m within five years [of retiring]. I could probably retire today, but I’m too cheap. Want 4 million in the coffers first…”

    First, congrats on a job well done. I’m somewhat similarly situated so I know how hard it is to get to this point. But this, along with comments about your family history, make it even harder for me to understand how you can continue to align with the modern Dem party. As a party, there is no respect for what you did to put yourself in that position; no respect for hard work, living within your means, saving and building wealth. Instead, in addition to taxing your income, your property and your purchases, they’re now moving rapidly to wanting to confiscate a portion of that wealth each year; Bernie’s wealth tax plan already starts at a net worth of 15-16 million I believe, so don’t think for a minute they’re going to stop with billionaires. But beyond the financial self-preservation aspect, given that your grandfather was a holocaust survivor, how can you possibly support a party that now tolerates the likes of Omar and Tlaib? I still think you’ll end up a Rep — maybe it’ll be the first time you’re asked to calculate your net worth and send the gov a check for 1-2% of it.

  171. Fabius Maximus says:

    1987

    “The pur­pose of el­e­men­tary schools “is to make chil­dren into good cit­i­zens.”

    I thought that people did not want that as the schools were a bastion of l1beral indoctrination. Kettle had some interesting thoughts on this back in the day.

    The reality is that for the most part Gary is right, It starts in the home. If Pappy is bringing Bubba Jr up to fly the Stars and Bars and wear the hood, there is not a lot the Elementary teacher can do to stop it.

  172. 3b says:

    Fab : What is the leftist equivalent of Pappa Bubba? Or is ignorance and intolerance only a disease of the right?

  173. ExEssex says:

    “And I looked at him, but I was smart then, I said first of all, I said when I tell you to get off the board you get off the board, and I’ll kick you out again, but I shouldn’t have called you Esther Williams, I apologize for that,” Biden says.

    He says his apology worked and he avoided a physical fight with Corn Pop and the gang.

    “He said, ‘Okay,’ closed the straight razor, and my heart began to beat again,” Biden says.

  174. dentssdunnigan says:

    LOL it’s ok to not to let the plebs vote .but don’t interfere with the dems ..Prudential Center to Serve as ‘Super’ Polling Site for 2020 Presidential Election ….tapinto.net/towns/newark/sections/government/articles/prudential-center-to-serve-as-super-polling-site-for-2020-presidential-election

  175. Fabius Maximus says:

    I’m against term limits. If the majority of the constituency is happy with the status quo and their leadership, let it continue.

    I have an issue with the term length. The house at 2 years is too short. They get in and start the reelection campaign. The Senate at 6 years is too long. They get in and sit back for 4 years and then move in to reelection mode.

    If Donnies wins a second (legally) and wants to go again. Go for it. I would rather have a legal third that the current burn the country to the ground to set up a third.

  176. SmallGovConservative says:

    Libturd says:
    September 17, 2020 at 1:16 pm

    “I’m within five years [of retiring]. I could probably retire today, but I’m too cheap. Want 4 million in the coffers first…”

    First, congrats on a job well done. I’m somewhat similarly situated so I know how hard it is to get to this point. But this, along with comments about your family history, make it even harder for me to understand how you can continue to align with the modern Dem party — I know, it’s all about abortion. As a party, there is no respect for what you did to put yourself in that position — no respect for hard work, living within your means, saving and building wealth. Instead, in addition to taxing your income, your property and your purchases, they’re now moving rapidly to wanting to confiscate a portion of that wealth each year — Bernie’s wealth tax plan already starts at a net worth of 15-16 million I believe, so don’t think for a minute they’re going to stop with billionaires. But beyond the financial self-preservation aspect, given that your grandfather was a survivor, how can you possibly support a party that now tolerates the likes of the squad? I still think you’ll end up a Rep — maybe it’ll be the first time you’re asked to calculate your net worth and send the gov a check for 1-2% of it.

  177. homeboken says:

    Ex- I thought CornPop was the one that used to rub his legs down in the pool and watch his blonde hairs move in the sun?

  178. JCer says:

    Fab on UK and healthcare you are wrong, Sowell is right. There is no “private option”, my sister was a Veterinarian over there, you could get an MRI for a horse with a few days notice because it was cash payment, on the NHS forget it 3-6 months.

    The complexity is when discussing a public system you need to discuss rationing. People need to be aware of the consequences, in a non-public scenario if you can pay you get the treatment vs. in a publicly run system the government is making the decision based on prognosis. How many in Europe go to Switzerland for medical treatment? One must make the distinction between medical systems, as I understand it in Canada and the UK there is no private alternative but in France or Italy there is, you can pay. The Swiss are an example of privatized healthcare working well but we only hear about socialized healthcare in France. The elephant in the room isn’t who is paying, it is more fundamental….it is how our healthcare system works. We fundamentally have a cost issue and trying to do medicare for all just will result in bankrupting the US government because it will not be implemented with cost controls and rationing in mind.

    For routine matters the universal healthcare offered abroad is excellent but for very complex health situations the privatized system likely has the better result. For many diseases the way universal healthcare works by the time it is discovered you are already dead, on the flip side the survivability is poor to begin with but more in our privatized system get treatment. Those are your canadians crossing the border, those are the 15% unhappy with the national health system, the NHS has left them for dead the private model in the USA is their only hope…..

  179. D-FENS says:

    If you know anything about civics…sit down before you read this. Murphy’s response…ugh…

    https://www.northjersey.com/story/news/new-jersey/2020/09/17/pennsylvania-judge-coronavirus-executive-orders-ruling-not-affect-nj/3477864001/

    A federal judge’s ruling against Pennsylvania’s coronavirus restrictions through executive order will not affect New Jersey, Gov. Phil Murphy and his legal team said.

    During Wednesday’s coronavirus briefing, the ruling was brought up as Murphy fielded questions from reporters. U.S. District Judge William Stickman IV ruled that Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Wolf’s restrictions limiting gathering sizes, keeping certain businesses closed and having people stay home during the pandemic was unconstitutional.

    “Pennsylvania is a different reality than New Jersey,” Murphy said. “We have our own constitution and our own rules of the road.”

    The governor said he and his administration would not have put the executive orders in place “without having thought deeply about their viability and efficacy” and that he believes the orders will “stand the test of time.”

  180. Fabius Maximus says:

    3b,

    Is the point of your “Whataboutism” to deflect or negate the fact that Papa Bubba exists and is a part of the problem?

    Whats on the left, “Stay away from the Bubbas!”

  181. 3b says:

    Fab: I prefer whataboutry. But my question remains, is there a Bubba version for the left? If you believe there is not, then the divide will never be healed. I asked you an honest question, and you deflected. So I will assume your answer is no there is not.

  182. 3b says:

    Jcer: My Cousin lives in England. 2 year wait for braces for her kid. Americans won’t put up with that.

  183. homeboken says:

    The moment someone says “whataboutism” I know that person is an enormous hypocrite and should not be taken seriously.

    The history of today, forget the past. There is only a never-ending present where the “part” is always right.

  184. Fabius Maximus says:

    JCer

    Meet BUPA. Founded in the 40’s and have been generating scandals ever since.

    https://www.bupa.co.uk/health/health-insurance

  185. Blue Ribbon Teacher says:

    Is that why all of England has bad teeth?

  186. 3b says:

    BRT: Not as bad as years ago. Food is still pretty bad in my opinion, unless you go to a very expensive restaurant. When I was there 3 years ago though, it had gotten somewhat better. The everyday people are great though, but still a great class divide in the country.

  187. The elementary schools are definitely becoming liberal indoctrination centers because their staff will do whatever they are told and are all meeting with local leaders of the BLM/LBGT types and infusing it into the curriculum. Admin is catering to the mob. If you tell people to do that at the high school, some will toss in the garbage because they disagree with it and some will push it because it aligns with their politics.

    Admin may or may not be in favor of it but they are doing it because they are feeling the pinch. I can already see it in the board meetings where they ignore every single parent that brings up legitimate concerns but when someone brings up racial injustice, they spend 10 minutes trying to smooth over their answer. My next approach at the board meeting is likely to be to point out how everyone in my neighborhood opted for private school or tutors while poorer residents cannot afford the same. In effect, going virtual perpetuates inequality to the worst degree. Maybe I can get some response then.

  188. Blue Ribbon Teacher says:

    Heh, despite my Irish grandmother insisting they were the devil my whole life, I’ve always enjoyed meeting the various people from Britain that I’ve worked with.

  189. Fabius Maximus says:

    3b,

    I cant think of any.

    African American? Bubba hung them from trees.
    Asians, got internment camps
    Latinos, LBGQT, Musims, in fact anyone not like them?

    What examples are you thinking of?

  190. 3b says:

    Fab: Have it your way. But it’s quite ignorant.

  191. Fabius Maximus says:

    3b

    “If you believe there is not, then the divide will never be healed. ”

    Exhibit 1
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ltmlvk9GAto

  192. Fast Eddie says:

    Oman, Saudi Arabia and Sudan now looking to sign a peace treaty with Israel. And yet, Oblammy gets the Nobel for his “extraordinary efforts to strengthen international diplomacy and cooperation between people” LMAO! In other words, another symbol of nothingness. It’s yet another useless axiom authored by the d1ckless left. If Trump was a dem, the liberal shitheads would be p1ssing all over themselves with glee.

  193. Blue Ribbon Teacher says:

    Little Caesars in Pennsauken robbed, the employees make fun of the robbers incompetence. Pretty funny.

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=40&v=RF_k7oT43MM&feature=emb_logo

  194. 3b says:

    BRT: On a whole nice people, but with a sorry history of colonial misrule. It’s funny how people over here refer to them all as Brits. But I have been going to England for years and I have rarely heard anyone refer to themselves as British, it’s always been English. Same in Scotland, even more in the last few years. I have been to Wales only once, and first impressions was I don’t think I have ever met a sadder group of people. Not an insult just an impression I got.

  195. No One says:

    BRT,
    It’s scary. The neo-Marxists are gaining power everywhere. They took over the top universities more than a decade ago, and have trained a new generation of minions. Not just schools, now businesses. 20 years ago there were claims that silicon Valley was full of libertarians (overblown for sure) but now the next generation of management and the tech workers appear heavily left wing, pushing their companies to wokeness, while senior management try to appear current by going along, whether they believe it or not. In my investment field the young highly educated but bad at investment decision making types are trying to take over via ESG roles, pushing their environmental and social justice agendas to try to reshape the world according to their agendas.

  196. 3b says:

    Fab: you can be insufferable at times. You answered my question, evil and ignorance only exists on the right. The left are righteous and just, and enlightened.

  197. Fast Eddie says:

    Black Pride is cool. Gay Pride is cool. Asian Pride is cool. Trans Pride is cool. White Pride is racist.

  198. SmallGovConservative says:

    Interesting opinion on Trump’s work in Middle East from a non-conservative…

    President Trump Deserves Credit for Israel’s New Status in the Middle East (Time)

    You know who else in the U.S. is a big fan of this week’s developments? Team Biden. While it’s no fun for them to admit it, this makes their lives much easier on the geopolitical front should they win… As with the increased hawkishness to China, the Trump administration did the dirty work that a Biden administration never could or would

    https://time.com/5889674/trump-israel-new-middle-east/

  199. ExEssex says:

    My life, my love & my lady…. is the sea

    https://youtu.be/zJAsOGizkfU

  200. Fabius Maximus says:

    3b,

    You asked What is the leftist equivalent of Pappa Bubba? I cant come up with one and it appears neither can you.

    Is there evil all sides? Absolutely. Are all Bubbas evil. No, I don’t think all Bubbas are capable of hanging someone in a tree. At least I hope that’s the case.

    It doesnt get away from the fact that Pappa Bubba exists in numbers and is part of the problem. Can you acknowledge that?

  201. Fabius Maximus says:

    Gary,

    I think you might want to revisit that statement. If the Halloween parade happens this year, you can head to the Village and see White Pride in action.

  202. 3b says:

    Fab: I can come up with one, but you did not, you deflected the question, and turned it on me. I asked you to come up with the equivalent but you declined, as you determined they don’t exist but they certainly do. That’s all I am going to say on the topic.

  203. Fabius Maximus says:

    “I can come up with one”

    Who?

  204. Blue Ribbon Teacher says:

    My favorite discrimination claim is the one people make about physics and engineering being a boys club where girls aren’t welcome. The reality is, most of those guys in those fields are so desperate to even talk to a girl they would welcome them I to the field with open arms.

  205. Blue Ribbon Teacher says:

    I’m currently at my son’s basketball clinic. I can see a number of kids gained weight during the pandemic.

  206. leftwing says:

    “Fab on UK and healthcare you are wrong, Sowell is right. There is no “private option”…

    You’re sister is there now but can assure you during my time (00s) there most definitely was private insurance option. May even be able to pull the name up from somewhere. No way in hell any mid-level or higher white collar worker was going to deal with the NHS…

    ““Pennsylvania is a different reality than New Jersey,” Murphy said.”

    Truer words were never spoken. First time ever I believe I agree with this idiot. And I may be – fingers crossed – a little bit closer to GTFO of here…

    Home, no offense taken, music to my ears.

  207. No One says:

    Over the past few months, we’ve seen corporations and businesses around the world trip over themselves to declare their support for Black Lives Matter, change the name or branding of their products, and even fire employees who have publicly dissented. Meanwhile, mayors, house speakers, and a prime minister have fallen to their knees in a gesture of support for the movement (without explicitly endorsing any of that movement’s claims). Celebrities and politicians may declare their allegiance to the cause owing to reputational concerns, but their voices, amplified by the media, increase the availability of the belief to others who may assume that their opinions must be properly informed and well supported if they are prepared to declare them in public. Before long, the idea that an epidemic of racially motivated police killings is underway has become an unchallengeable article of faith.
    https://quillette.com/2020/09/17/black-lives-matter-and-the-mechanics-of-conformity/

  208. leftwing says:

    3b, he’s beyond insufferable. Used to contribute from a different perspective. Now….he’s in the same category as the other poster I don’t even scan the post when I see the author….

    SX, thanks on the BHT&M. G0d I miss live music…….

  209. chicagofinance says:

    Welcome Back President Kotter
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WGpIuKvKs1c

  210. chicagofinance says:

    You’re on your own……

    Phoenix says:
    September 18, 2020 at 1:53 pm
    Joe Biden
    I know him
    That can’t be
    That’s that little guy who spoke to me
    All those years ago
    What was it, eighty-five?
    That poor man, they’re gonna eat him alive!
    Oceans rise
    Empires fall
    Next to Washington, they all look small
    All alone
    Watch them run
    They will tear each other into pieces
    Jesus Christ, this will be fun!
    Da da da dat da dat da da da dai ya da
    Da da da dat dat dai ya da, hahahahaha!
    President Joe Biden
    Good luck!

  211. ExEssex says:

    6:18 epic.

  212. Leftwing says:

    Holy Fcuk. Sh1t just got serious

  213. Leftwing says:

    Rip rbg

  214. Juice Box says:

    Ruth Bader Ginsburg died, begin the screaming at Mitch Mcconnell

  215. Juice Box says:

    School closed today because of Covid positive test, just got an email this evening they will allow them to go three days next week instead of two to make up for it. This is getting nutz people cannot schedule their lives like this. Bus Drivers for example are expecting not to work Wed and now they have to? What about the teachers etc? School was supposed to be closed every Wednesday for cleaning all remote and now they are opening Wednesday?

  216. ExEssex says:

    Watch the GOP jam through a justice in the last moments of this term.

    Merrick who?

  217. ExEssex says:

    But even before Obama had named Garland, and in fact only hours after Scalia’s death was announced, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell declared any appointment by the sitting president to be null and void. He said the next Supreme Court justice should be chosen by the next president — to be elected later that year.

  218. D-FENS says:

    Prepare for more “peaceful protests”. Hope everyone has plenty of 12 gauge on hand.

  219. Juice Box says:

    Essex – you know full well if the Senate was run by a Democrat, they would not hesitate and appoint one of their own.

  220. ExEssex says:

    Murkowski R/AK won’t vote in appointee until after the election.
    “Fair is fair”. She said.

    Only takes 4 to block….

  221. Juice Box says:

    Essex- What does Alaska want in the next trillion dollar legislation. You are no fool, spark one up and tell us about the aroma.

  222. Fabius Maximus says:

    Left, have I changed or have you. I am still the S0cial1st with the same positions. What I see from this side is, middle of the road GOP who are now pissed that Biden is not bending the DEM party to kiss their A$s. If you lost your party, that’s your issue not the Dems. Either Biden is acceptable. (seems to be for a lot of the GOP Diaspora), or you double down on Donnie, or you dont vote. If you take the latter and Donnie wins, you own a piece of that.

    RBG is gone RIP. While people are freaking out the news, its time to look at this pragmaitically. This is not good news for Donnie and Mitch. Skeletor knows that if he forces this through it looks weak for them. They wanted to run on the notion of replacing her, but now it looks like they are trying to get one more lifeboat off the Titanic before it sinks. If Donnie was that confident it would wait until after the election. In reality he should. If he does and he wins, he gets the pick anyway. If they lose the senate, SCOTUS goes to 15 to override it.

    There is one more individual grabbing the TUMS tonight. He has the most power in the US and now he has a very big problem. Anyone want to guess who and why?

  223. Fabius Maximus says:

    “dentssdunnigan says:
    September 18, 2020 at 2:08 pm
    LOL it’s ok to not to let the plebs vote .but don’t interfere with the dems ..Prudential Center to Serve as ‘Super’ Polling Site for 2020 Presidential Election”

    So Dents are you complaining about the Super Polling site in MSG as well. Last I looked I didn’t see too many projects or low income housing in all those midtown residential towers!

  224. Fast Eddie says:

    The nomination will be made on Monday, brought to the Senate floor on Tuesday!

  225. Fabius Maximus says:

    Lots here but i’ll go with this

    “Wray also diverged from Trump’s claim that “antifa” is a terrorist organization. Rather, Wray said antifa is “more of an ideology or a movement than an organization” and though there has been violence by some who self-identify as antifa, it has not appeared to be part of a central organization.”

    https://www.politico.com/news/2020/09/17/fbi-director-russia-election-meddling-416839

  226. Fabius Maximus says:

    Gary,

    Again, you need to learn how Government actually works, even when it works badly.

  227. Fabius Maximus says:

    All you touting Term Limits, do you want to chime in?

    “https://www.vox.com/policy-and-politics/2018/12/26/18155093/ruth-bader-ginsburg-supreme-court-term-limits”

  228. JCer says:

    My bad on the UK, its was Canada that up until around 2005 had made private healthcare essentially illegal in many places. My sister lived in the UK a decade ago, but they used make fun of the fact that the healthcare offered to livestock was better than what they could get through the NHS! Still not a wonderful system where they have chronic shortages of doctors and equipment.

    The scary thing is the US federal government is run so much worse than the UK or even most European countries I cannot even imagine what government healthcare would look like in the US. Just image your medical decisions being made by an organization run like the post office.

    I suspect Trump nominates a replacement right away, it would shock me if he waits. He probably should, fair is fair but we know donny doesn’t believe in fair.

  229. ExEssex says:

    The American people believe in fair.

  230. homeboken says:

    Fab – #1 Vox as a source, LOL.

    Next, Trump will first use this to force Biden out with a list of names for SCOTUS.

    Then he will dance with them. The left is about to take their eyes of the ball with campaigning, at a time they can least afford it.
    Two – there have already been calls for violence on the left, at the mere mention that Trump has rock solid legal ground to nominate. The Senate can vote or not, but Trump will eventually nominate someone, likely a female.
    The far left base is very likely to kick the violence into a new gear due to the nomination. Now that even Pelosi has come out, on the floor mind you, against the street violence, what should they do.

    End of the day – if you opponent is temperamental, keep irritating him. Trump is going to poke the left in the eye for a few weeks and dare them to lose focus on the real prize, the white house.

    Imagine if Hillary had one in 2016, she would have had 3 supreme picks. The power lost in that has to make her nuts. I bet she was punching a wall in Chappaqua last night.

  231. homeboken says:

    One = won, brilliant…

  232. ExEssex says:

    Poor Hillary

  233. ExEssex says:

    Look i love a good shit show just as much as the next guy….

  234. homeboken says:

    Act III of 2020 has begun, shit show is gonna be a mild way to describe the next 3.5 months.

  235. ExEssex says:

    Anyone remember the great NJ band The Feelies:

    https://youtu.be/n3xi1nZxJRI

  236. Fast Eddie says:

    Essex,

    The Feelies… a blast from the past!

  237. grim says:

    Feelies on regular rotation on my normal playlist.

    Let’s Go a particular favorite, Good Earth too.

    Hugely influential band. You can hear Feelies across so many of the new alt bands these days.

    We were talking about Maxwells a few days ago – Feelies and Maxwells inextricably linked.

  238. ExEssex says:

    Walk by Stan Demeski’s North Jersey home on any given night and you’ll probably hear the veteran indie-rock drummer woodshedding.

    After he gets home from his day job in the parts department at a machine-tool manufacturer (a full-time gig he’s held for seventeen years), Demeski spends an hour or so each night working on exercises from Stick Control or prepping for one of the handful of shows the Feelies have been playing annually since reuniting in 2008. Demeski hasn’t been a full-time drummer since being fired from the alt-rock band Luna in 1996, but he remains devoted to the drums and is perfectly content to do most of his playing these days in his basement to an audience of none—a far cry from the days in the ’80s when the Feelies were opening big shows for R.E.M. and Lou Reed, and when Luna seemed destined to break through in the ’90s.
    https://52.20.94.27/article/november-2016-feelies-stan-demeski/

  239. Phoenix says:

    ‘She just died? I didn’t know that’
    Donald Trump.

    Yeah, okay…

  240. leftwing says:

    LOL, is it bad I’m taking pleasure in the butt hurt and fear in WH correspondents eyes this morning?

    CBS already on Biden to release his list. Pretty aggressively, noting they’ve asked several times over the last two months and been ignored.

    They are reporting Joe has already narrowed down which Democrat quota he intends to fill. Never knew Joe had such a fetish for black women.

    Home, agree, nominating someone is a major boon for DJT and an issue for Dems, providing DJT doesn’t open his usual playbook and do something stupid that snatches defeat from the jaws of victory (eg, nominating Ted Cruz).

    Nominee should be a relatable woman with deep midwestern roots. Put the Dems in the position of arguing against a nominee from the major swing demographics anyone needs to win, suburban housewives and flyover country. Dems will be reduced to attacking process (ie, Garland) which makes your swing voters’ eyes water anyway and makes them sound whiny and combative in the face of a strong woman candidate.

    Major issue for Dems is also that nominees are where Presidential candidates pay back their base. Joe is in a bit of a box which may be why he hasn’t released a list to date. This is where the Sandernistas are going to want to see his leftist bona fides and get their piece of flesh to line up behind him enthusiastically. Tough for Joe to deliver to them without alienating the swing voters. Plus, this news pushes the Dems whole attack line on COVID off the front pages, anytime DJT needs it. Less than favorable news on COVID? ‘Accidentally’ be seen with a viable candidate on the porch of the WH. Release another short list. Toss a hand grenade of a candidate you have no intention of appointing into the WH press pool. The options to deflect the news cycle are endless.

    However it plays out, this is going to be fun to watch.

  241. Phoenix says:

    Nominee should be a person with common sense and morals…

  242. Chicago says:

    If we were playing Family Feud.

    “This was asked to 100 likely U.S. voters in 2020.
    Name your reaction to RBD death?”

    —This is not good news for Donnie and Mitch—

    Survey Says?
    X

    Fabius Maximus says:
    September 18, 2020 at 9:17 pm

    There is one more individual grabbing the TUMS tonight. He has the most power in the US and now he has a very big problem. Anyone want to guess who and why?
    RBG is gone RIP. While people are freaking out the news, its time to look at this pragmaitically. This is not good news for Donnie and Mitch. Skeletor knows that if he forces this through it looks weak for them.

  243. PriestNeed LoveToo says:

    Come on, all you conspiratorial here can’t tell me anymore that this is not a plot by the conservatives catholic to take control of the Supremes, along with all the cardinals getting a glow in their eyes as soon they’ll have orphanages full of boys to diddle.

    From Bloomberg, top candidate to replace Ginsburg.

    Amy Barrett was confirmed as a judge on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit in October 2017. She is on the faculty at the University of Notre Dame’s law school, from which she graduated.

    A devout Roman Catholic with seven children, Barrett weathered a tough confirmation process after Trump appointed her to the Seventh Circuit in 2017. “She showed great grace under fire when her bona fides were challenged,” Malcolm said.

  244. leftwing says:

    She was a finalist last time. I was a little bummed he didn’t take her then. Glad now he didn’t and kept her powder dry, she’s much more valuable today with her demographic…

    Only question is marketability to the bible belt because of her devout catholicism….

    I would love to see the Left denigrate her 45 days ahead of an election. Please…lol…pick her.

  245. Phoenix says:

    “A devout Roman Catholic”

    What does this mean? Some of the biggest cretins I know roost in pews of Catholic churches.

    Probably about the same percentage that roost in the churches/buildings of all other religions as well I’d imagine.

    Someone’s religious beliefs have no bearings on me. I have seen rats of all religions.

  246. Fast Eddie says:

    O’Biden sounds like he’s out of gas. He walks very slowly and almost slurs his speech. Is there anyone on the planet who actually thinks this man is going to make his own decisions if elected? And now that Minnesota is going red, which state is O’Biden going to flip to even the score? Oh, and btw, remember how the fake ‘sucker.s and loser.s’ statement was going to sink Trump? It’s not even on the radar any longer. What next, dems?

  247. Grim says:

    She’s a mom of a special needs child, and 2 kids adopted from Haiti. There is a lot to be said about that.

  248. 3b says:

    Left: Bible Belt could go either way, some commonality on conservative social issues, although American Bishops pay lip service to a lot of it. Both are against abortion and gay marriage. But there still is latent anti Catholicism at least among some of the Bible Belt churches.

  249. Crushednjmillenial says:

    The sheer, unbridled and undeserved arrogance of one person came home to roost yesterday. Hillary Clinton should not have run in 2016. The American people, or enough of them, despise the woman. She is the only Dem that could have lost to Trump.

    Despite that, HRC made her back room deals and threats to clear the 2016 primary of all competition except for Sanders. She didn’t care that was a terrible candidate and that she could lose and set back the leftist side of America for a generation to come. Well, yesterday, that leftist set back for generation happened

    . The Suprrme Court will be6-3 conservative for now and at least a conservative majority through 2040. The swing vote for 5-4 decisions will be Gorsuch, I guess, and that means a more conservative swing vote Than Roberts, Kennedy and O’Connor. Huge ramifications for consumers, employees, and minorities in all manner of imperceptible ways that their lives will be led. Perceptible ones too.

    To add insult to injury, HRC called into MSNBC last night to comment on Ginsburg’s passing. I believe 80% of America, across the ideological spectrum, would prefer if HRC crawled under a rock and never made another public statement ever again. Someone with any shame whatsoever would probably do so by now. But, no, we can all look forward to her inserting herself into American public discourse for years to come.

  250. MillenialsNeed ToSpreadC19Faster says:

    CrushedMillenial,

    Chill bro, is Boomer time still. Those locust are not going to go until “Their cold hands are removed from power”.

    Now, the supreme will go 6-3 conservative. Regardless of who wins the election. The next step in our social disintegration is assassination and bombings.

    Look up the 11 nations of the US. We may just be coming to our end. It worked while we were focused on fascism, communism, etc. But now that fascism seems to be in and the business world sold itself lock, stock, and barrel to the Chinese Commies, we don’t have the centripetal center anymore to keep going.

  251. leftwing says:

    “A devout Roman Catholic…What does this mean? Some of the biggest cretins I know roost in pews of Catholic churches.”

    LOL, Phoenix, when MSM make a comment about religion on someone from the Right it is pejorative, not supportive….as in “a devout roman catholic [who therefore should be disqualified]…”

    “Bible Belt could go either way, some commonality on conservative social issues, although American Bishops pay lip service to a lot of it. Both are against abortion and gay marriage. But there still is latent anti Catholicism at least among some of the Bible Belt churches.”

    Agree, and would offer in my experiences anti-catholicism is more than latent, it is front and center even among Executive classes…..

  252. ExEssex says:

    I hang with a Catholic dude here.
    An attorney by day at night a rock singer.
    This dude is mensa plus….

  253. BRT says:

    My wife and I are both Roman Catholic. We got married outside of the church by a former priest for $500. We couldn’t deal with all the paperwork requirements. Called my church I got confirmed in, and the lady said since I never donated I couldn’t do it. I asked her what kind of donation they would need. She said $5k. Also, they were saying we couldn’t get married in 11 months. I said screw it.

  254. Libturd says:

    Religion has become a business. This is why I don’t subscribe to it. Wish they would pay taxes too.

    Mitch is another lying hypocrite on the right. That’s okay though. Lying is the new normal.

    Doesn’t matter though. Biden will appoint a million judges when he gets in.

    What a true sh1tshow our country has become.

  255. chicagofinance says:

    FabMax favorite music video.
    Neil Tennant dressed as a conservative Jew singing “let’s make lots of money”
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=di60NYGu03Y

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