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capnamerca

Certifiably Surly
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Everything posted by capnamerca

  1. I mean, didn't you post 87 yesterday? (snark aside, he's definitely old, and definitely a single-digit handicap)
  2. Whoa. That looks amazing. Now I just gotta find someone with an HBOMax sub
  3. you want folks from the vendor side, or only IT operators?
  4. This is rapidly becoming the phone-belt-holster of the 2020's.
  5. Pulled the 'aggressive' all-terrain tires off the truck in favor of a more highway-friendly michelin. These S/T Maxx's have tons of life left. $400 for the set. Tires in South Austin. https://austin.craigslist.org/wto/d/austin-cooper-discoverer-t-maxx-lt295/7432449755.html
  6. Was supposed to be in Scottsdale next fucking weekend, playing Southern Dunes, WeKoPa and TPC Stadium. Omicron is threatening to shitcan that trip - already had 2 of 7 drop out for VERY good reasons, and I might be next. FUCK. Bandon planned March 2023.
  7. Sigh. you guys are working real fucking hard to separate "the government" from "the driving economic force in the US" when we all know they're inextricably intertwined.
  8. Ok, I can get behind much of this. Fully agree that they're both necessary, but we likely disagree on the relative weights thereof. The original point where I jumped into this conversation was around how to *actually* reduce the rates of abortion in this country, which revolve around government-driven programs. There's an assumption baked in there that I'm making, too, that a local charity can't step in a provide said programs in lieu of a government program. I am 100% making that assertion - otherwise, it would have already happened. I also assert that it hasn't happened at least partly because our socio-economic construct (capitalism), left unchecked, has no incentive to provide these programs. That's where the government needs to step in an provide a check and a "forced" amount of investment in those programs. I appreciate you clarifying the points.
  9. With far more socialist leanings and "forced altruism." Which is the original point, that if you want to actually protect your people, and prevent abortion, you need to invest in social programs, education programs, welfare programs, housing programs, etc ... all things which the "Party of No Abortion" fairly steadfastly refuses to do. I'm not knocking capitalism - it's the best economic model the world has ever found. I'm saying that we're not doing enough to controls its more base urges.
  10. I'm not certain the point you're trying to make here (no sarcasm ... I just don't follow).
  11. Comparing our poor to those in China, India and Brazil, for example, is not an apples-to-apples comparison, because no other demographic compares to those countries either, nor do the economies or governmental systems compare. Comparing the US to other 'developed' nations paints a far shittier picture - https://confrontingpoverty.org/poverty-facts-and-myths/americas-poor-are-worse-off-than-elsewhere/. I'll give you that our poor 'make more money' than "most of the worlds poor" ... but what a shitty, low bar you set for what is supposed to be the greatest nation on earth.
  12. Because we broke up monopolies, let the workers unionize, and firewalled the investment banks away from the regular banks (and a bunch of other shit to stimulate growth and manufacturing) after WW1 and WW2. All of which have been repealed, so we're moving quite aggressively back towards the "capitalism" side of that equation.
  13. You know why we have child labor laws? You know why we have 40-hour/5-day work weeks? Social security? Retirement accounts with favorable tax options? State colleges? Capitalism doesn't care about the poor, the sick, the elderly, the dying. The government had to step in so that our economy didn't treat actual, living human beings like fodder. Maybe we don't call it capitalism - it's probably more accurately called "human nature." A person or a group of people are perfectly fine and nice. PEOPLE are assholes, and power congregates as does wealth. There MUST be a social construct with governing power to protect rights. This isn't up for debate. Look at human rights in any theocracy or dictatorship. They don't exist for any outside of the halls of money and power. Fuck, they barely exist HERE and we're the best the human race has ever invented in trying to prevent that sort of nonsense. FOH with your "enforced altruism" label. I willingly choose for my tax dollars to go to the less fortunate, and I want those tax dollars aggregated and then applied where they can do the most good. I ALSO give locally in my community and to chosen causes, but I can't impact how a low-income neighborhood gets access to fresh running water or sewage service, or how electricity is routed, or prevent housing permits from being redlined, without a LARGE aggregation of power and money working towards these goals, driven by my elected officials. That last sentence, btw, is NOT me saying it's perfect. It's simply pointing out that "tithe 10% to your church" doesn't do SHIT for underserved communities in this country. NOr, to keep this on topic, does it help prevent abortion.
  14. Capitalism takes care of lowering the amount of altruism across society. All government does is help ensure access to said altruism isn't reserved for the rich.
  15. Just seeing this. Thank you for sharing, BGH, and that picture with your grandbaby is amazing. These stories are how our forefathers live on. Hook'em, BGH Sr. Rest easy.
  16. Or about social and welfare programs before women get pregnant. Or education services for under-served communities before women get pregnant. Or access to birth control. Or about a thousand other things that can help reduce abortion. But they don't care about those things either.
  17. Binged 'em all today. Also rewatched S9 in prep. I enjoyed them for what they are, and the crew should get several more seasons. That said, they're leaning pretty heavily on the pun/lingo/conversational quirks trope, to their detriment I think. I'd prefer at least a little bit of character development - does Rosie even have a personality? The plots have gotten progressively weaker and weaker. Prostate episode cracked me the fuck up, as did the finale.
  18. Truth. Those prices are insane. Who knows how that residency goes. Shes on my bucket list of artists to see before I die - the list is basically her and Stapleton, who are both way too big for it to ever be feasible. I take solace in this youtube video, which I consider to be the finest single-song performance that I know of.
  19. BINGO! (that got my 'racist conservative asshole' bingo card very, very close to a complete blackout, as well)
  20. Damn. That's a great article, and makes me like Casey (and his dad, what even is life that I'm complimenting Charles Thompson?) even more. Thanks for sharing.
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