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Posted
Just now, Chad Fuck said:


This. 100%.

I don’t think it was limited to the gop, but I appreciate the sentiment.

You know how we know the US is the biggest swinging dick in the world? Because you already know. We don’t have to show you.

Man, I miss those days.

I’m trying to think of the old Dem aesthetic. Kennedy cool and modern was for sure a thing, different a bit, and really tasteful. Think the AF1 livery. Clinton’s White House to me looked like a well-done tv set at the time. Of the moment, not ostentatious.

 

 

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Posted
10 hours ago, Francisco 2.0 said:

Price controls.

Seems kinda socialistic.   I thought that was something the GOP was against.

 

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2025-08-06/arkansas-governor-seeks-to-block-health-insurance-rate-hikes?accessToken=eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJzb3VyY2UiOiJTdWJzY3JpYmVyR2lmdGVkQXJ0aWNsZSIsImlhdCI6MTc1NDUyODg4NiwiZXhwIjoxNzU1MTMzNjg2LCJhcnRpY2xlSWQiOiJUMExEMVhHUEw0NUcwMCIsImJjb25uZWN0SWQiOiJBRTVERTA2NkY0MzM0RjhBQThFMjBGOUJEMDQ2NEMyNiJ9.97mjxZ9wMRreM9v5oK7V65kzGiEIwqNVrE_i4Wzc8Ks&embedded-checkout=true

 

Arkansas Governor Seeks to Block Health Insurance Rate Hikes

 

 

 

 

  Reveal hidden contents

A representative for Centene didn’t immediately have a comment. The Arkansas insurance department didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment. 

People who get coverage through the ACA markets, also known as Obamacare, are likely to face steep premium increases next year. Some of the tax credits that insulate many people from the full cost of their premiums are expected to lapse, adding more uncertainty to markets where insurers already say expenses are rising faster than they expected. Democrats in Congress broadly support extending the Biden-era subsidies, while Republicans have opposed them.

If the tax credits expire and plans become more expensive, healthier people who have lower medical expenses will stop buying plans, leaving the insurers responsible for a sicker pool of patients, experts say. That means the cost of medical care per enrollee will increase.

Insurance companies’ proposed rates, which must be approved by state regulators, in many cases assume the subsidies won’t be extended. The federal government is also cracking down on fraud and improper enrollments which have distorted some state insurance markets, changes that are driving up premiums.

Nationally, ACA insurers want to raise premiums by a median of 18%, according to an analysis of state rate filings from health policy group KFF, more than double the rate last year. 

Insurers including Centene, UnitedHealth Group Inc., Oscar Health Inc. and Molina Healthcare Inc. have withdrawn or lowered their earnings guidance this year, as medical costs outpace projections. Plans are requesting 20% to 30% increases on average in Affordable Care Act marketplaces as they seek to recover profit margins, Barclays analyst Andrew Mok wrote in a research note Tuesday, with the largest increases sought by Cigna Group, Centene and UnitedHealth.

 

At this rate, my guess is Trump is talking socialized Medicine by  next fall. Hell, he’ll probably call for repealing his own tax bill and a 45% tax rate just to gin up a fresh news cycle.

Posted
18 minutes ago, Chad Fuck said:


This. 100%.

I don’t think it was limited to the gop, but I appreciate the sentiment.

You know how we know the US is the biggest swinging dick in the world? Because you already know. We don’t have to show you.

Man, I miss those days.

Yep.

The Kennedys and Bushes dressed well, and they had nice things, and they had taste (or could afford people who did).  Old Money isn't loud about it, because everyone in their circle has money, too.  It's expected.  So, you show it, quietly, with a nod and a wink, and maybe a little class.

Everything about Donald Trump screams New Money, like he's some street kid who won the lottery and he's been trying to buy his way into the Old Money Country Club ever since.  This is ironic, given how much family money he came from, but real Old Money would never surround itself with that much gold paint, unless maybe its dick didn't work.

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Posted
5 minutes ago, TexArcher said:

Yep.

The Kennedys and Bushes dressed well, and they had nice things, and they had taste (or could afford people who did).  Old Money isn't loud about it, because everyone in their circle has money, too.  It's expected.  So, you show it, quietly, with a nod and a wink, and maybe a little class.

Everything about Donald Trump screams New Money, like he's some street kid who won the lottery and he's been trying to buy his way into the Old Money Country Club ever since.  This is ironic, given how much family money he came from, but real Old Money would never surround itself with that much gold paint, unless maybe its dick didn't work.

I don't think his family money goes back beyond his own father, the slum lord. They didn't live in Manhattan.

I'm no maven of aesthetics, but I think the understated flows through the Puritans, Quakers, and American Protestantism in general from those early days. Not that Catholics are uniformly gaudy or not, it just wasn't seen as a reflection on their religious beliefs so much.

Of course, the aesthetic itself can be seen in Sparta, Stoicism, Zen, and other places embracing simplicity as a philosophy.

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Posted
I’m trying to think of the old Dem aesthetic. Kennedy cool and modern was for sure a thing, different a bit, and really tasteful. Think the AF1 livery. Clinton’s White House to me looked like a well-done tv set at the time. Of the moment, not ostentatious.
 
 

I think you can draw a direct line from the mid century mod sleek and simple lines straight back to the simple functional yet beautiful design styles of the puritans through the early days of the New Republic. It doesn’t have to be over the top to be functional and look good.

But there’s another thread for that.

We are definitely in Louis XVI neo baroque style. Maybe it’ll end the same way.
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Posted
2 minutes ago, Biff Tannen said:

And he doesn’t have a dog. That is the biggest red flag of them all. 

Him and Noem and Huckabee all are peas in a pod

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Posted
48 minutes ago, TexArcher said:

Yep.

The Kennedys and Bushes dressed well, and they had nice things, and they had taste (or could afford people who did).  Old Money isn't loud about it, because everyone in their circle has money, too.  It's expected.  So, you show it, quietly, with a nod and a wink, and maybe a little class.

Everything about Donald Trump screams New Money, like he's some street kid who won the lottery and he's been trying to buy his way into the Old Money Country Club ever since.  This is ironic, given how much family money he came from, but real Old Money would never surround itself with that much gold paint, unless maybe its dick didn't work.

There's a saying in Middleburg, VA.  New money will never be old money.

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Posted
1 hour ago, RomaVicta said:

image.png.1cb0eb4c961565e917223f0d5fe73cbd.png

Ronnie looked down on all that he created and smiled.

ETA

This picture perfectly illustrates the United States today.

IMG_0677.thumb.webp.dcd505a82fa48924048e81f4d981e376.webp

Over-rouged like a desperate crack whore and gilded with the trappings of self-glorification. The figure head is too distracted to pay attention to anything else.

The envy of the world.

 

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He is turning it into a fucking Fudruckers

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Posted
13 minutes ago, VABuckeye said:

There's a saying in Middleburg, VA.  New money will never be old money.

This is true. All the Texas oil people hated one aspect of New Orleans - no matter how much money they had - it would not magically allow them to join Comus or Momus or Proteus or Rex.  Nor a 100% guarantee to join the Boston Club.   The top end of New Orleans high society was not inclusive at all.

Now, none of that is a good thing, and it evokes bullshit nostalgia for a level of nativism and racism that is not healthy.   It apes more of a British class system thing.    

I did get a chuckle out of the old Volvo thing.   They were a fixture at many Garden District mansions.  Gaudy display of wealth is seen as uncouth by the wealthy, although it is the epitome of what poor people think of as rich.

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Posted
One of the genuinely good things about the old GOP WASP era was the aesthetics, tracing a direct line back to old Yankees’ Protestant aversion to showy displays of wealth. Like driving an old Volvo. A confident and wealthy America secure enough not to rub your nose in it. 
 
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Bottom line, “money talks, wealth whispers.” I’m a member of neither group, but have been around both of them plenty. Each has some negatives….but all in all…wealth. Go with wealth. They’ve been there before, they understand power, and how it is a long-term play. Wealth builds. Money tries to gorge, and takes stupid risks and makes foolish displays. It’s the contrast of “let’s run down there and fuck one of those cows” and “naww, son…let’s walk down there and fuck ALL of em.”
As a nation, we are a weird amalgam. We are power and wealth…but we aren’t one of the OLD great powers (UK, France). So we managed to walk our own path at the leadership level that acknowledges our newness but reflects our established power and wealth. We’ve chucked that, and gone full-on ostentatious new money gaudy compensating for not being “one of the old guard.”
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Posted (edited)

Trump has the taste of Richie Rich. Remember that this is how he decorated his NYC home, even down to having a odd murals on the ceiling. Look at all of this gold that demonstrates how successful I am.

 

gold.jpg

Edited by Nice Guy Eddie
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Posted
27 minutes ago, Brisketexan said:


Bottom line, “money talks, wealth whispers.”

That's the perfect way to say what I was saying earlier.

And Trump yells his money (while he's leveraged to the hilt).

Posted
2 hours ago, TexArcher said:

Everything about Donald Trump screams New Money, like he's some street kid who won the lottery and he's been trying to buy his way into the Old Money Country Club ever since.  This is ironic, given how much family money he came from, but real Old Money would never surround itself with that much gold paint, unless maybe its dick didn't work.

He's a poor person's idea of a rich person.

It's a simple statement, but it is a surprisingly thorough explanation of the current state of the country.

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Posted
1 minute ago, Chuckie Finster said:

He's a poor person's idea of a rich person.

This was someone's stand-up act, from I think before Dotard became president. 

How anyone could possibly take this cartoon of a person seriously enough to actually vote for him for President will never not be a puzzle to me.

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Posted (edited)
21 minutes ago, Chuckie Finster said:

He's a poor person's idea of a rich person.

It's a simple statement, but it is a surprisingly thorough explanation of the current state of the country.

…and an ignorant person‘s idea of a smart person.    Trump’s sixth grade level communication style is a perfect fit for most of his fans.   There is a reason why he has overwhelming support of voters with just a high school education - and why the more educated a person is the less likely they are to vote for him. 

Edited by Gatorubet
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Posted
3 hours ago, 956 Worldwide said:

One of the genuinely good things about the old GOP WASP era was the aesthetics, tracing a direct line back to old Yankees’ Protestant aversion to showy displays of wealth. Like driving an old Volvo. A confident and wealthy America secure enough not to rub your nose in it. 
 

image.png.e73a14ca28b11e7ecaf502f2e141170b.png

Nevermind the decor.  Why is a President working, reading, and writing?

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Posted

I can’t wait for him to be gone. Permanently gone. Part of me hopes he’s around to see all this gaudy shit torn down though. 

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Posted
3 hours ago, 956 Worldwide said:

One of the genuinely good things about the old GOP WASP era was the aesthetics, tracing a direct line back to old Yankees’ Protestant aversion to showy displays of wealth. Like driving an old Volvo. A confident and wealthy America secure enough not to rub your nose in it. 
 

image.png.e73a14ca28b11e7ecaf502f2e141170b.png

How did that differ from FDR, Truman, Kennedy, LBJ, Carter, Clinton, Obama, and Biden?

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Posted
1 minute ago, WhatTheBuck said:

How did that differ from FDR, Truman, Kennedy, LBJ, Carter, Clinton, Obama, and Biden?

For starters, tan suits, spicy mustard and too much melanin. You know, shit worse than child rape.

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Posted
6 minutes ago, softlynow said:

For starters, tan suits, spicy mustard and too much melanin. You know, shit worse than child rape.

And his wife's whorish exposed shoulders, which everybody knows are much less classy than exposed white implanted tits.

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Posted
1 hour ago, Gatorubet said:

This is true. All the Texas oil people hated one aspect of New Orleans - no matter how much money they had - it would not magically allow them to join Comus or Momus or Proteus or Rex.  Nor a 100% guarantee to join the Boston Club.   The top end of New Orleans high society was not inclusive at all.

Now, none of that is a good thing, and it evokes bullshit nostalgia for a level of nativism and racism that is not healthy.   It apes more of a British class system thing.    

I did get a chuckle out of the old Volvo thing.   They were a fixture at many Garden District mansions.  Gaudy display of wealth is seen as uncouth by the wealthy, although it is the epitome of what poor people think of as rich.

But yknow, as long as the richies are doing it to other richies, wgaf?  As long as the richies aren't doing unto the rest of us.

Posted
3 hours ago, 956 Worldwide said:

I’m trying to think of the old Dem aesthetic. Kennedy cool and modern was for sure a thing, different a bit, and really tasteful. Think the AF1 livery. Clinton’s White House to me looked like a well-done tv set at the time. Of the moment, not ostentatious.

 

 

The Ivy League Look was nonpartisan. Daniel Patrick Moynihan comes to mind as a contemporary Dem example. HW was the GOAT though. There’s a great photo shoot contrasting his rumpled sack suit and prep tie look against James Baker’s very boxy, modern suit. 


image.jpeg.cd96b4e54a1fd570fb7d73e52f3d11f1.jpeg

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Posted
2 minutes ago, We’reTexas said:

The Ivy League Look was nonpartisan. Daniel Patrick Moynihan comes to mind as a contemporary Dem example. HW was the GOAT though. There’s a great photo shoot contrasting his rumpled sack suit and prep tie look against James Baker’s very boxy, modern suit. 


image.jpeg.cd96b4e54a1fd570fb7d73e52f3d11f1.jpeg

Which is ironic when you consider James Baker went to Princeton.

Posted
2 hours ago, Gatorubet said:

This is true. All the Texas oil people hated one aspect of New Orleans - no matter how much money they had - it would not magically allow them to join Comus or Momus or Proteus or Rex.  Nor a 100% guarantee to join the Boston Club.   The top end of New Orleans high society was not inclusive at all.

Now, none of that is a good thing, and it evokes bullshit nostalgia for a level of nativism and racism that is not healthy.   It apes more of a British class system thing.    

I did get a chuckle out of the old Volvo thing.   They were a fixture at many Garden District mansions.  Gaudy display of wealth is seen as uncouth by the wealthy, although it is the epitome of what poor people think of as rich.

IYKYK

image.thumb.png.029b4bb2b4a54cb7ddf61c785307ada5.png

Posted
Just now, David Dennison said:

Which is ironic when you consider James Baker went to Princeton.

But came home to H-town and got him some nouveau suitings.  Or really started buying anywhere expensive that wasn't J. Press.

Posted
29 minutes ago, TexArcher said:

And his wife's whorish exposed shoulders, which everybody knows are much less classy than exposed white implanted tits.

Uh, Obama's "wife" was a male gorilla.  Thank you for your attention to this matter!

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Posted (edited)
4 hours ago, Biff Tannen said:

And he doesn’t have a dog. That is the biggest red flag of them all. 

He fired his dog like a dog. He was the worst dog, a total disaster. I was doing him a favor by hiring him. His ratings are terrible.

image.png.378991e1e9cb2a70ea29a72989a50c46.png image.png.08890295aa74f9c27f26ee158b9cfeb2.png

They say he's the worst dog ever. Very low-IQ dog. I barely knew him. 

Edited by RomaVicta
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Posted
11 minutes ago, Pancho said:

 

I attended a baptist wedding not too long ago, and I swear about half of it was how women should submit to their husbands. It was disgusting.

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Posted
5 minutes ago, Pancho said:

LOL

Fat Boy is now considering “Tariff Rebate Checks” 

 

They have no idea what they are doing.

Let me guess.  Only in red states.

Posted
2 hours ago, We’reTexas said:

IYKYK

image.thumb.png.029b4bb2b4a54cb7ddf61c785307ada5.png

“Page does not attend Country Day” and “awkward explanation of why Comus doesn’t roll”  kill me. 

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Posted
5 minutes ago, Pancho said:

LOL

Fat Boy is now considering “Tariff Rebate Checks” 

 

They have no idea what they are doing.

Trump's decision making reminds me of that one scene in Lean on Me when Ms. Levias says to to Joe "no one around here has any idea what you're doing" and Joe responds with:

0221c9f4-2cd4-4f51-ae41-e697b4aa6e7f_tex

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Posted
20 minutes ago, Red Five said:

I attended a baptist wedding not too long ago, and I swear about half of it was how women should submit to their husbands. It was disgusting.

Yep. Did that a few years ago for a family friend’s wedding. We all walked out like, “what the fuck was that?”

Posted
7 minutes ago, David Dennison said:

Those people don't know fuck all about Christianity or Jesus Christ.

Sure they do.  They are the things that allow you to treat unbelievers, women, gays, and others like complete and total shit exactly like fundamentalist islamofascists do, except it's actually good and just and virtuous, because you say "Jesus" and "I'm a Christian" while you do it.

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Posted
Just now, Brisketexan said:

Sure they do.  They are the things that allow you to treat unbelievers, women, gays, and others like complete and total shit exactly like fundamentalist islamofascists do, except it's actually good and just and virtuous, because you say "Jesus" and "I'm a Christian" while you do it.

Good job, Rome. See what you started?

Posted
7 minutes ago, Brisketexan said:

Sure they do.  They are the things that allow you to treat unbelievers, women, gays, and others like complete and total shit exactly like fundamentalist islamofascists do, except it's actually good and just and virtuous, because you say "Jesus" and "I'm a Christian" while you do it.

Sadly, you’re correct. They know light and willingly choose darkness instead.



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