mtutiger

Anything on this @Tigeraholic1?

Would be really terrible for Rural Americans everywhere... It's all fun and games until there are material consequences

I'm shocked to learn that the guy who campaigned on things that would, in practice, increase inflation has no plan to reduce grocery prices

So much of preseason predictions is based on recency bias and there are always players who come out of nowhere. It's hard to take them too seriously. I was serious when I threw it out there... how Skubal ended 2023 post injury was a leading indicator of things to come

The proposals for massive cuts are going to matter a lot in terms of the Congressional math as well.... the House is 220-215, with three vacancies coming because of appointments (Stefanik, Waltz) and resignations (Gaetz) in the short term. People assume Trump can just do whatever he wants, but with those margins, it's really, really tight...

$119 billion from VA Health Care.... But, something something Kamala Harris something something

To be fair to people living through the 1930s, they did pull the lever for Franklin Roosevelt multiple times - his first two elections (at least) being in large part because of economics. The public voted for, and rewarded, Roosevelt for the New Deal, which is unthinkable in today's day and age... (and hopefully remains so given that Roosevelt was preceded by the Great Depression) The issue nowadays is that materialism in politics increasingly matters less and less. At least in our public discussions or how candidates position themselves on the issues - all culture war all the time. We've seen that in this very own thread - we've seen lots of discussions about things like restrooms and what bathrooms trans people are using with a lot of avoidance of the impact that many of the positions this new administration could have in terms of economics, and how it could impact all of us. Not denying that there isn't struggle out there - clearly there is.... but in terms of having our needs satiated, by any objective measure, we are largely much better off than we were back then. And we cast ballots like we are too.

FIrst two digits for zip codes (three digits for areas outside the Lower 48); first two digits correlate with the state you live in.

Non-political, but I just saw this map recently... thought it was illogical for years as to how the numbering was dispersed (not purely east west but, apparently, snaked around the US through states grouped as units.

There's maybe a dint of care about policies when a Democrat is in office.... the focus on the economy and inflation of 2022-2023 is a good example. But especially given the impact that inflation had on Biden's term (most likely the largest reason Trump ended up winning) and how Trump's policies that he's proposing would hint at short term inflationary pain for consumers (even his allies, such as Elon Musk, have suggested this), you'd expect a little more discussion on this and less about bathrooms. That's not an accident though... the culture wars over bathrooms are the modern day equivalent of what Daniel Patrick Moynihan's "boob bait for bubbas" quip.

To paraphrase Lord Farquaad: "Some of you may [have to pay significantly more on all ag, material and consumer imported products], but that's a sacrifice I am willing to make"

Oh wow, you mean to tell me that Nancy Mace is a grifter without any core principles? Asking for a friend

Yep, based on the news report I saw today, it was based on DOJ guidelines, not actual evidence or ability to prosecute. Hawley knows that, but he's gotta chum the waters for the base

It's just the set of tools that he brings to the park with him every day.... if he's on in all facets (as he was at the end of the last season), he's capable of being the straw that stirs the drink. At least outside of the pitching department anyway. Definitely not coincidental that their game picked up when he came back and started performing.

The other part of this is that a lot of "Politics Twitter" types have a network and brand that is heavily reliant on that social media network and it's viability, and the decline of that app is bad for business for these folks. So there's probably a bit of motivated reasoning involved in their framing of why people might abandon the app. Something worth thinking about

https://awfulannouncing.com/twitter/mina-kimes-denies-bluesky-liberal-echo-chamber.html The whole piece is interesting (and should probably listen to the podcast that Kimes did that it references), but I found the point made by Mina Kimes of ESPN to be really on point: I think for a lot of non-political actors (ie. people in the sports world or other areas of interest) who rely on social media, the rage bait, engagement bait and misinformation of X really inhibits their work and explains some of the departures. That's the part that I don't think the Nate Silver types get.... a lot of sports journalists would like to generate content without engendering all the ancillary bull**** (ie. bots, incendiary commenters, etc.) that comes with maintaining a Twitter account these days. It's nothing more than a market shift, capitalism at work.

Really accurate just stopping there.... Maybe I'm just old fashioned, but I like reading things for myself and not just letting AI do all the work.

How many callouses on these hands?

Would hazard a educated guess that transgendered individuals are more likely to be assaulted in every setting compared to those who aren't.

If someone is a rape victim but believes that the Holocaust didn't happen.... does that mean that that person's opinion should just be accepted at face value, no questions asked? Just trying to follow the logic here... someone correct me if I'm wrong.

In the early 20th century, it was the Italians, Poles and other Eastern Europeans.... it was the Germans before them, and then the Irish before them. In terms of being amongst the 'other', being gay was unforgivable until not long ago.... 50-60 years ago, people could marry people outside of their race. We had the "red scare" back in the 1950s. And obviously our history with Civil Rights and Women's Suffrage... I love this country, and we have a history of figuring this stuff out in the end.... but the struggles are all very predictable. Because we do it to ourselves over and over again.

Brendan White took a hard fall too....

This is all such a big moral panic. Again, a non-trans male could easily breach any restroom at any Walmart or Target in the United States without being noticed, and yet because of how ****ty our politicians are (particularly the one soon to be inaugurated), here we are arguing over this as if it's the most pressing issue facing the United States right now. Has there been a single documented case of a trans person accosting someone in a restroom? Has there been one? It's an honest question, but would not be surprised if the number is zero or very close to it.

This is all macro level...