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Born to Run

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Posts posted by Born to Run

  1. Policies need to focus on jobs. Infrastructure for high speed internet in rural areas and small towns. Retain oil and gas jobs while providing re-training for careers in renewables and trade industries like HVAC. More paths forward for education and training at low costs for associates degree careers in medical and white collar proffesionals.
    Hire more teachers at better pay and incentivize college students to become educators.
    Focus border control efforts on keeping us safe at ports of entry instead of deporting Juan the painter. Villifying all LEOs is a terrible tact and cost dems a lot of Latino vote.

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  2. I don't know why, but the thought of parental locking Fox News from your parents makes me laugh so fucking hard.
    (hitting close to home and what not)
    I did this several years ago to my mom.

    She never said anything.

    Talk Radio, Facebook, and Fwd Fwd Fwd Boomer emails does the same damage.
  3. Ideally, it wouldn't matter what the magazine capacity is for semi-auto rifles if they are all removed from the population, except for those permitted to manage wildlife in certain rare circumstances. For recreational hunters and their permitted/registered bolt-action rifles, the mag size would be less relevant due to the low rate of fire. I realize this would all be a big change for a lot of folks and many sportos would left out and thus furious.  Sometimes big things have to happen in order to solve our big problems.  If we are ever going to provide healthcare for all of our citizens, big changes are going to need to occur.  Solving homelessness will also require bold action. 
    The AWB's problem was it was too narrow  - it didn't apply to all semi-auto rifles and didn't have a need-based permit system. It catered to folks that wanted to make the requirements overly complicated, less effective, and watered down.  Even so, the AWB is believed to have had a positive influence on mass-shootings during the time it was in affect.  
    I'm cool with that. My Belgium Browning BAR fell off my boat.
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  4. Wouldn't downplaying your intentions during the campaign and then not letting a good tragedy go to waste just feed into the slippery slope argument that as you say, works?
    Let a Rep and Senator from a reliably Blue State lead the charge on introducing reasonable legislation then vote your conscience on the matter once you've gained power.

    That's the game sadly, play it or lose every time.
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  5. Beto said the gun comments after the El Paso shooting when he was running for President, not during the Senate race.

    He was much more measured in his gun rhetoric before a racist maniac went hunting for brown people in his hometown.
    He was pretty firm on serious gun control at town halls in 2018 including reducing mag capacity and "looking into other restrictions."

    I realize The televised comment was in the presidential primaries, and absolutely admire his passion and conviction, the love for his hometown and the trauma of all the grief he witnessed, but it was political suicide.

    Cruz got plenty of love for the stupid bacon gun barrel bullshit but it wins over a lot of single issue voters and Texas is lousy with gun nuts
  6. I know a metric shit-ton of Texans like me -- folks who grew up around guns, own a bunch, and regularly shoot.  We love our guns.  We believe in the 2nd Amendment.  And we also believe that we need to look at some reasonable measures that both respect the 2nd Amendment and implement meaningful reform around how we treat guns in this society.
    Guns are a deadly serious tool, not a prop to act tough.  Reasonable regulation of dangerous weapons is something we should discuss.  Maybe we should look at some approaches for keeping deadly weapons out of the hands of people who have professed a desire to commit crimes with them.  But rest assured, the guns in my gun safe are going to be fine staying there -- nobody is coming to get them.  We can do both -- be gun owners and be RESPONSIBLE gun owners, who are responsible participants in a productive society.
    That's how I was raised.  Shit, that was the messaging of the NRA when I was a young member.  How about "make our gun culture sensible again" as a motto?  Beto, or the next iteration, should absolutely run ads showing him with a firearm, using it competently and comfortably.  It would be best if it was actually his firearm.  That would go a long way towards convincing the bulk of Texas gun owners "I'm one of you -- I'm not turning loose the gov't to come grab your guns or mine.  But I'm going to do work to make our schools and public places safer.  I think the responsible gun owners of Texas are willing to do that with me."  Yeah, the wingnut 2nd Amendment crowd will freak out and demonstrate outside your office with AR's strapped on.  Then you film yourself coming out to talk to them, and you say out loud for the camera to catch "I'm a real Texan -- I don't need to carry my gun to feel like a man and have a hard conversation."  Again, you piss off the wingnuts, but most everyone else, including the responsible gun owners, will nod their heads.
    Fuck, Ann Richards knew enough that she needed to do a dove hunting photo op.
    Agreed on all points. I hunt and shoot for fun.
    And I'm all for gun reform. I'm cool with banning ARs and open carry to appease cosplaying little dick fuckheads. We went way too far since the 90s.

    Gov Ann posed with a shotgun. And won.

    Beto outright said he's coming for your guns. Lost, and he'd lose in Texas again.

    Messaging and tact matter.
    The right loves to argue any policy of the libs will lead to a slippery slope avalanche thus leading to absurd conclusions. "Confiscation of all gun. Abortion in the streets. Free luxury cars to the poor!!!!"
    They do it because that's how They operate in bad faith. And because it works.

    You run on modest gun reform at best, Then once you have power you do more after the next tragedy when outcry is greatest.

    Beto should have done a dove or quail hunt in 2018, and maybe a redfish trip to lower laguna. You can be former Gen x punk rocker/ skater and also enjoy more conventional Texas hobbies. I should know.
  7. Those two dudes mere existence convinced me at a very young age that Austin was the place for me. Huge fan of both growing up- Luv Ya Blue. I knew I had to get into UT and that I would live in Austin.
    Arrived a month after I turned 18.
    Willie sang the national anthem at my first visit to DKR.

  8. this is a larger writ problem with the democratic party, but it has razor sharp accuracy for the texas democrats. they are not organized, they have no idea how to campaign, they don't seem to understand simple data, and, most grievously, they take their voters for granted. 
    i can highlight two campaigns: wendy davis and mj hegar. neither actually ran a coherent campaign. as i'm no democratic insider, i don't know if that has more to do with them or the texas democratic machine, but either way, it's borderline unforgivable. i'm not saying texas is a blue state with a democratic voter problem, necessarily, but the potential is there with some analysis and targeted messaging. 
    the question seems to be right now: why did trump do so well in the valley when democrats should have that shit on lockdown?
    that's the wrong fucking question.
    the question should be: how do we resonate amongst the voters we purport to represent?
    step one is to fucking represent them. talk to them. 
    and this is not solely for the valley. it's the one thing beto brought to the forefront. go talk to people. represent THEM. listen to THEM. it's THEIR votes you want. go get those votes. because they sure as hell ain't gonna come to you, despite your thinking that you somehow deserve them.
    Yeah Beto was making some ground until the "hell yeah I'm taking your guns" statement set the party back. That's turns off a big chunk of Latinos who spend weekends at the ranch shooting guns, even some of my painters pitch in and buy modest rural properties to drink beer and shoot guns like any good redneck. Guns are the only political thing they really know about and it's a big deal to them.

    I went to a bunch of Beto's town halls in small communities and the consensus I got from attendees was: there are plenty of democrats here, they just never have anyone to vote for and there is basically no local political structure at all.

    We need the Democratic Party to get better candidates, have a stronger bench, a real party infrastructure, ground game, and messaging if want to even consider turning Texas Blue. Basically a complete overhaul.

    And stop talking about banning guns. You can work on that once you have power. Republicans don't run on bankrupting Social Security even if that's the goal.
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  9. I thought the same thing too, but then Trump still won in 2020 by 630,000 votes.  Did you all see how Trump did with hispanics in the Valley?  He actually won Zapata county.  He got 41% of the vote in Hidalgo county and 43% in Cameron county.  Those are massive swings from 2016 and before in counties that are at or less than 10% white.  Maybe the state does really turn purple at some point, but Dems need to avoid the thinking that hispanics will reliably be 80% on the blue side.
    I tend to agree with the influx of west coast transplants affecting the Texas electorate going forward, but I also think that may be an over generalization.   Californians in particular are not coming to Texas just to escape harsh economic conditions but some are also coming to get away from what they perceive as left leaning politics. 
    And lower taxes. I've had 4 clients in the last year that moved here from Cali, 2 were hardcore conservative with Fox on all day, 1 definetly bashed Cali policies and taxes, 1 I have no idea.
    I'm in higher end residential construction so my clients tend to be more conservative or very concerned about tax rates, but point being it's not a purely blue influx of voters from out of state.
  10. that makes sense.  i still maintain that if a bunch of their big ad buyers took a big public stand, that might move the needle of some of their decisions.  but here we are and they just added another "opinion" show right before tucker, which means they're moving in the wrong direction (likely to counteract the newfound popularity of oann and newsmax).
    i would imagine if enough people complained to their cable provider about a rinky dink channel like oann, maybe they would consider dropping it from their basic packages.  we don't get newsmax (we have attnow) and i don't really know who does.  considering fox news gets better ratings than cnn and msnbc, i would think that level of pressure would be next to impossible.
    I have basic free cable with my internet (no cable box etc) and I get Fox News and NewsMax.
  11. Actually his UH pregame bit of kissing players should have been the giveaway. Surly was already in deep swoon though so that red flag was conveniently overlooked.
    I completely forgot about that weird ass shit too. The horrors are recalled slowly in waves.
  12. this was going to be my exact word-for-word answer.
    those cops in the street were also outnumbered. once dc metro showed up and the people were emerging from the capitol, there should've been rows and rows of zip-tied rioters. wonder why they were just allowed to go.
    Yeah that was some bullshit.
    That day should have resolved any discussion on white privelage. Forever

    However, Y'all lay off Armybrat. I wouldn't expect someone born in the early 1800s to be evolved politically.
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  13. It's more than whether they were there to murder members of Congress.
    They acted with an intent and purpose to stop the lawful transfer of power.  That's a serious fucking crime.  Protest?  Not a problem?  Break some shit?  Minor crime.  Enter and shut down the Capitol with the express and admitted purpose of halting the legal transfer of power?  Big fucking problem.
    One of the things that drives me nuts is how the concept of "degree" apparently died the past four years.  I ran a stop sign, I'm a criminal.  Son of Sam murdered people, he's a criminal.  So, we're the same.  Fucking no.  Degree matters.  A lot.
    Protest peacefully -- all good.
    Protest any cause and then riot and break private property -- a crime of property destruction.
    Riot and assault a cop, in service of any cause -- a crime of assault on a public servant.
    Toss firebombs at a gov't structure -- a crime of damaging gov't property.  Maybe an endangerment etc. charge if there are people inside.
    Attack a government body in the process of performing its constitutional duty in order to functionally overthrow the government -- man, we're in a whole different fucking league.
     
    Well said.

    To disagree with Armybrat, it should be easy to convict many of them with Treason. To paraphrase my high school English teacher, (who would wince at my posts here), They told us what they were planning to do, told us while they were doing it, (3 full paragraphs or more) and told us what they did with online posts and video to back it up.

    A+ Treason
  14. Bee Cave is not even Austin.  How can you move to a new money suburb so that you can buy a 4k square foot house and then complain about everyone being obsessed with luxury homes.   And the weather? If he didn't anticipate it being hot in Austin, then that is on him.
    This guy seems insufferable.  Though I will admit he is right about a few things.  Cedar allergies suck.  You often get terrible service in Austin (particularly from waiters).  And the lack of public land is a bummer (though that same complaint would apply to everywhere in the US east of the Rockies).  
    Agree with those points.
    Will add Bee Cave/ Lakeway have the worst roads and drivers on the planet. It's routine for me to see several wrecks a day.

    Can't wait to move to Cali and actually have public land.
    Will be majorly downsizing.

    The rest was Bullshit.

    Water is not that expensive.
    $700- $1000k to cool a 4000 sq ft house properly? Wtf piece of shit did he buy, and where in Bee Cave is a house that big, that fucking old and shitty. I have 3000 sq ft (poor's) and at 65 degrees all summer I don't crack more than $275 on electric
  15. I have been irritated by the appropriation of the term "Q" because until about five years ago it was strictly the provenance of extremely dry conversations in theological research circles doing legitimate forensic literary analysis. It's the difference between a dissertation on how the various sources of Buddhist sutras might have been influenced by geopolitical change in the Indian subcontinent over the last three millennia vs. dropping acid and listening to "The Wall" at full blast during the new moon.
    I'm down for that last bit!
  16. The whole thing opened my eyes to just how shitty people in this country are.  Like Brisket said, I never imagined that half of this country were such terrible human beings, members of my family included. 
    100 % this.

    And the fact that so many people enthusiastically voted for him after 4 years of just abject disfunction, lies, failure, fraud and treason. His handling of Covid alone Should have been enough to open many eyes.

    It wasn't, and I have to accept that many family and friends are just awful awful people. Selfish, scared, racist, willfully ignorant, assholes.
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