I used to be disgusted, and now I try to be amused.

[Adder]

Originally Posted by sebastian_dangerfield

Job search, relocation, and vocational assistance aren't going to work for more but a tiny fraction of those in the workforce for over 15 or so years. Nor will these things work for people of limited intelligence. They are worth trying, of course, but don't expect much. The low intelligence/low skilled workers will, in large part, become wards of the state.

We don't need it to work for everyone. We need it to work for (1) those with sufficient motivation to be unhappy simply relying on the safety net and (2) enough people to quell populist anti-trade political movements that make us (and the world) poorer overall.

We should focus ourselves on helping the young, who can benefit from such programs.

Education is key, but we need to do something for the old to acheive #2.

But no matter how we slice it, with tech's impact, we are looking at a massive body glut for the medium to reasonably long term future which no basket of fixes easily addresses.

Nah. We'll (1) find things for people to do, and (2) stop creating so many people. Those things will take care of themselves.

[sebastian_dangerfield]

We don't need it to work for everyone. We need it to work for (1) those with sufficient motivation to be unhappy simply relying on the safety net and (2) enough people to quell populist anti-trade political movements that make us (and the world) poorer overall.

Of course. But still -- that's a lot of folks.

Nah. We'll (1) find things for people to do, and (2) stop creating so many people. Those things will take care of themselves.

Things for people to do that pay most of them -- well.

As to #2 there, tennis, golf, chess... some sports date back to Henry VIII; some to the pyramids. None have anything on the greatest sport/time killer/hobby ever invented: Fucking. And the secret to that success? It's free, and you can be dumb as an ox and still make the varsity team... perhaps even go pro! So, no, the morons shan't be dwindling. Quite the opposite, as any trip to a big box retailer or mall will more than adequately confirm.

[sebastian_dangerfield]

Originally Posted by taxwonk

There's always cannibalism and class warfare.

Class warfare is already engaged among the serfs. It's the non-apathetic against the distraction industries (media/entertainment and electronic gadget makers).

Someday, the message, "You're getting fucked," and "Your 'going along to get along' is making things worse" will overcome the diversions. The question then will be, "How well has the top 20% walled itself off? Literally."

We'll be near dead by then... voting for whoever promises to get those kids off our lawns.

[ThurgreedMarshall]

Originally Posted by taxwonk

That's why you need to have lenders with pull have the deal terms include a firm commitment to offer a larger piece overall of the deal in smaller chunks to smaller banks, on the same credit terms (quality, rate, etc.) If necessary, make it a regulated thing.

I'm not sure how this would work. For any loan over a certain amount that is syndicated beyond the club (3-4 banks) level, the Borrower and Admin Agent must offer to smaller banks (who may or may not be a pain in the fucking ass when it comes to amendment voting or who may not be able to fund an increase or who may be in danger of going under given their existing investments, etc.) an X%-sized piece of the deal? There isn't a chance in hell that such a law could be drafted to work, let alone pass.

TM

[Pretty Little Flower]

Originally Posted by Pretty Little Flower

By 1971, funk was squarely in the pockets of big industry. What was once an upstart underground musical movement had become BigFunk, a maze of interconnected giant faceless corporations. And there was no better example than Funk Inc. and their soulless corporate commercial megahit, "Bowlegs." Your Daily Dose:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=StbK5ihLmQo

Here's some spacey hyphenated funk for your Wednesday. The Nite-Liters with Funky-Vamp. Today's Daily Dose:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fsGe1WMOAkE

[Hank Chinaski]

Originally Posted by ThurgreedMarshall

I'm not sure how this would work. For any loan over a certain amount that is syndicated beyond the club (3-4 banks) level, the Borrower and Admin Agent must offer to smaller banks (who may or may not be a pain in the fucking ass when it comes to amendment voting or who may not be able to fund an increase or who may be in danger of going under given their existing investments, etc.) an X%-sized piece of the deal? There isn't a chance in hell that such a law could be drafted to work, let alone pass.

TM

If Adder can stop population growth, Wonk could make this go.

[Greedy,Greedy,Greedy]

Originally Posted by ThurgreedMarshall

I'm not sure how this would work. For any loan over a certain amount that is syndicated beyond the club (3-4 banks) level, the Borrower and Admin Agent must offer to smaller banks (who may or may not be a pain in the fucking ass when it comes to amendment voting or who may not be able to fund an increase or who may be in danger of going under given their existing investments, etc.) an X%-sized piece of the deal? There isn't a chance in hell that such a law could be drafted to work, let alone pass.

TM

But think of all the legal churning it would produce!?!

[Not Bob]

Originally Posted by ThurgreedMarshall

Get over yourself. I'm sure there were a number of reasons why civilian clothing vs. fatigues was an issue, some of which rise to the level of how the country and the world classifies the incursion. And those are issues her department is responsible for addressing.

Secondly, from your answer, I'm not convinced Hillary was involved beyond (possibly) hearing the issue and you sure don't seem like you can assert that she was involved in a 4 hour debate about it and sending conflicting orders as if she was changing her mind over and over. And that's what you implied.

TM

After reading (some, but not all) of the report, it's clear that there's plenty of blame to go around - from the GOP members in Congress cutting the State Department's security budget, to the CIA not really knowing the players on the ground, to State (and Hillary Clinton as the head of the department) for a bunch of things including the uniform debate.

One can also use the Libya policy as a whole as a basis to question Secretary Clinton's judgment, which is fair. But one didn't need all of the various and sundry lengthy and expensive Benghazi congressional investigations to reach that point.

If after all this brouhaha, the uniform issue raised by SEC Chick is the most serious thing that the nakedly partisan multi-year investigation led by Representative Gowdy can (sort of) blame on Mrs. Clinton, that speaks volumes. They had their result before they started and hoped that they would find evidence in their investigation that would get them (even arguably or plausibly) there. And it didn't happen. Heck, when releasing the report, Mr. Gowdy couldn't even answer questions about what was new in it.

[Not Bob]

Originally Posted by Sidd Finch

SEC Chick will end up giving money to Trump and voting for him. You know this, I know this, everyone but SEC Chick knows this.

However, I do love the notion that it was critical to keep a dictator in power in Libya (except before Obama helped remove him, when it was critical to help remove him), and critical to get rid of a dictator in Syria.

I don't think that SEC Chick will give Trump money, nor do I think that she'll vote for him. I think her position is like that of a lot of traditional Democrats (the AFL-CIO crowd, for example) in 1972 - abstain at the presidential level, and push support to the down-ticket candidates.

[Not Bob]

Originally Posted by Adder

First you need the safety net, health care and UBI, then you need vocational training and job search and relocation assistance, and you need an ongoing investment in education to reduce the future portion of the work force that's vulnerable. We've been doing the opposite.

The good news is Autor et al's research suggests the problem is real, but not as big as I think you believe.

A big part of the problem is that we (the US) haven't really tried to do anything to help those affected by globalization and free trade. That lack of effort, combined with the bailouts of 2008/2009, feeds the populist anger.

As a side note, I really wish Spanky were still around -- I'd love to hear his thoughts on the rise of Trumpism and Brexit.

[Greedy,Greedy,Greedy]

Originally Posted by Not Bob

As a side note, I really wish Spanky were still around -- I'd love to hear his thoughts on the rise of Trumpism and Brexit.

He would think they were the fault of teacher's unions.

[Pretty Little Flower]

Originally Posted by Not Bob

A big part of the problem is that we (the US) haven't really tried to do anything to help those affected by globalization and free trade. That lack of effort, combined with the bailouts of 2008/2009, feeds the populist anger.

As a side note, I really wish Spanky were still around -- I'd love to hear his thoughts on the rise of Trumpism and Brexit.

I am so fucking sick and tired about hearing about "populist anger." O.K., yeah, we get it. You're real angry and shit about things that you don't really understand so you are going to vote like a half-wit to show just how angry you are. Fucking brilliant. In fact, maybe your dim-witted positions on these issues helps explain why you're in such a sorry ass position in the first place. Maybe it's time to spend some energy looking inward and see if maybe, just maybe, some of the problems you are currently facing in your pathetic little life are the result of the fact that you're a dumb ass who spends all of his time blaming others for your own problems instead of trying to actually put a little effort into solving your problems for yourself. 99.9% of those morons railing against globalism cannot even spell globalism, much less define it, other than having some vague sense that it means that some foreigners, probably of a dark complexion, are the cause of all of their problems. Sure thing, Joe Sixpack, those damn foreigners are the real problem, not the fact that you have an Oxy addiction from your fake back injury and need a pill to help you poop. Take your "populist anger" and your half-baked conspiracy theories and your country-fucking music and shove them up your populist ass.

[Sidd Finch]

Originally Posted by SEC_Chick

You're smoking crack.

Trump will probably win Texas, but I assure you that it will be without my help. Do you really think I'd vote Trump before I'd write in Ted Cruz? Or vote Green Party in the hope that they get enough to qualify for matching funds to hurt the Ds long term? You recall I voted for Nader over GWB, right? My problem with Trump is he's a Democrat. Or at least he was that, or Reform Party, before deciding to run as an R last year, while still not even paying lip service to most Republican principles.

Heck. I am so disgusted that most Republican principles make me want to throw up in my mouth. Even the Chamber of Commerce opposes Trump. We are writing checks to Senate Conservatives Fund-backed candidates only. Trump is down by as many as 12 points. I would literally rather set money on fire than send it to him.

I think if you thought that there was even the slightest chance of Hillary winning Texas, you would vote for Trump and urge everyone you could to do the same.

Because, um... Benghazi.

[Sidd Finch]

Originally Posted by ThurgreedMarshall

Get over yourself. I'm sure there were a number of reasons why civilian clothing vs. fatigues was an issue, some of which rise to the level of how the country and the world classifies the incursion. And those are issues her department is responsible for addressing.

Secondly, from your answer, I'm not convinced Hillary was involved beyond (possibly) hearing the issue and you sure don't seem like you can assert that she was involved in a 4 hour debate about it and sending conflicting orders as if she was changing her mind over and over. And that's what you implied.

TM

I'm worried about you. You are talking as if you think that sending uniformed American military into Benghazi could have negative repercussions and is the sort of thing that diplomats need to think about. Don't you know that they would have welcomed us as liberators?

You are also talking as if Hillary didn't devote every waking moment to the intentional effort to harm America that she and Obama have been involved in since Day One. (Seriously, how many GOP candidates accused Obama of intentionally harming America? And they wonder why a tiny-fisted blowhard got so far?)

[Sidd Finch]

Originally Posted by Pretty Little Flower

I am so fucking sick and tired about hearing about "populist anger." O.K., yeah, we get it. You're real angry and shit about things that you don't really understand so you are going to vote like a half-wit to show just how angry you are. Fucking brilliant. In fact, maybe your dim-witted positions on these issues helps explain why you're in such a sorry ass position in the first place. Maybe it's time to spend some energy looking inward and see if maybe, just maybe, some of the problems you are currently facing in your pathetic little life are the result of the fact that you're a dumb ass who spends all of his time blaming others for your own problems instead of trying to actually put a little effort into solving your problems for yourself. 99.9% of those morons railing against globalism cannot even spell globalism, much less define it, other than having some vague sense that it means that some foreigners, probably of a dark complexion, are the cause of all of their problems. Sure thing, Joe Sixpack, those damn foreigners are the real problem, not the fact that you have an Oxy addiction from your fake back injury and need a pill to help you poop. Take your "populist anger" and your half-baked conspiracy theories and your country-fucking music and shove them up your populist ass.

It is difficult to tell how much of this is sarcasm, but it is about 98% consistent with what I would like to tell my cousin who is a raging Trump supporter.

A white kid raised in the suburbs who went to Catholic high school but couldn't do more than a semester of community college, because he was always stoned. But his shitty life is the fault of Mexicans.