The Swamp

I always forget about McSweeneys and then am mad at myself for always forgetting.

brian wrote: ↑Fri Feb 05, 2021 5:28 pm The Terrible Things I Have Said and Done My Entire Life, and Right Up Until a Few Days Ago, Do Not Represent Me As a Person

Great stuff.

Pruitt wrote: ↑Fri Feb 05, 2021 6:22 pm

brian wrote: ↑Fri Feb 05, 2021 5:28 pm The Terrible Things I Have Said and Done My Entire Life, and Right Up Until a Few Days Ago, Do Not Represent Me As a Person

Great stuff.

This one's pretty good too...

YES, SCAR COMMANDED HIS HYENAS TO PLUNDER PRIDE ROCK, BUT WE CANNOT BANISH A FORMER KING TO THE ELEPHANT GRAVEYARD

What a coincidence!

Listening to the latest Pod Save America, and hearing that redistricting is going to benefit Republicans massively going forward, plus just following Dave Wasserman's (@Redistrict) analysis on Twitter, I'll just say, we're going to lose the House in 2022. I don't see a scenario in getting it back soon enough, either.

Further prediction: this Biden presidency will be 1 term and we'll slip closer and closer into minority ruled fascism from the right.

It's just inevitable to me at this point. I don't see what can stop it. The Capitol had an insurrection. The GOP won't denounce crazies in a post-T***p environment. Literally anything they do will be to institutionally solidify power. I also expect a Democrat or 2 will be murdered along the way.

Unless millions and millions move from California and other heavily populated blue states and change the color of some of these districts, we're seriously screwed.

Of course we can nuke the filibuster now and pass significant legislation, but some Democrats don't like that idea.

Why take that risk when you can fall back into conscientious objector status where nothing is ever your fault? Kinda the dream.

Yeah I can’t believe the Dems didn’t get that passed in the first 14 days, the fucking bums.

I don't even know if getting rid of the filibuster and passing sweeping legislation will fix anything though.

It really feels like America is on the path to being a very authoritarian society.

Johnnie wrote: ↑Sat Feb 06, 2021 2:00 am I don't even know if getting rid of the filibuster and passing sweeping legislation will fix anything though.

It really feels like America is on the path to being a very authoritarian society.

You might be right, but all sarcasm aside, this Congress has to pass the new Voting Rights Act and hope that stems the tide a little bit. I understand it's next on the agenda after the COVID relief bill.

Johnnie wrote: ↑Sat Feb 06, 2021 2:00 am I don't even know if getting rid of the filibuster and passing sweeping legislation will fix anything though.

It really feels like America is on the path to being a very authoritarian society.

It's the way white people are trying to hang onto their power.

I've not digged very deep on it, but I'm starting to become wary of getting rid of the filibuster, if we can expect a big red wave.

And its gonna be tough to fight back against the minority Republican direct messaging of "fuck you, we're not going to do anything for you".

Johnnie wrote: ↑Sat Feb 06, 2021 12:12 amOf course we can nuke the filibuster now and pass significant legislation, but all of the Republicans and a handful of Democrats don't like that idea.

Fixed that for you.

Johnnie wrote: ↑Sat Feb 06, 2021 2:00 am I don't even know if getting rid of the filibuster and passing sweeping legislation will fix anything though.

It really feels like America is on the path to being a very authoritarian society.

This is absolutely fucking true.

govmentchedda wrote: ↑Sat Feb 06, 2021 11:01 am I've not digged very deep on it, but I'm starting to become wary of getting rid of the filibuster, if we can expect a big red wave.

Fairly sure that Republicans are going to nuke it the first chance they get under the pretense of, "Well you definitely wanted this X years ago, so why the change of heart?"

Johnnie wrote: ↑Sat Feb 06, 2021 5:59 pm

govmentchedda wrote: ↑Sat Feb 06, 2021 11:01 am I've not digged very deep on it, but I'm starting to become wary of getting rid of the filibuster, if we can expect a big red wave.

Fairly sure that Republicans are going to nuke it the first chance they get under the pretense of, "Well you definitely wanted this X years ago, so why the change of heart?"

Yeah I think that if there is something the Rs really want, they won't let the filibuster rule stop them. Mostly what they want is tax cuts etc., which aren't subject to filibuster.

I'll tell the tax cut/repeal that I'll get behind. In the 2017 tax "cut", a cap was placed on the tax deduction for state and local taxes. This had no effect on even the richest people with the most expensive houses in the central part of the country. But, it sure as hell hurt us in areas where houses are pricey and where property taxes are high - California especially, and the coasts in general - just as the Republicans wanted it.

Supposedly, there is movement to remove this limit on the deduction.

sancarlos wrote: ↑Sun Feb 07, 2021 6:14 pm I'll tell the tax cut/repeal that I'll get behind. In the 2017 tax "cut", a cap was placed on the tax deduction for state and local taxes. This had no effect on even the richest people with the most expensive houses in the central part of the country. But, it sure as hell hurt us in areas where houses are pricey and where property taxes are high - California especially, and the coasts in general - just as the Republicans wanted it.

Supposedly, there is movement to remove this limit on the deduction.

Completely agree with you. Capping the property tax deduction fucking sucks, and Trump basically said he was
Doing it to get back at Coastal states for not voting for him.

The Sybian wrote: ↑Sun Feb 07, 2021 8:25 pm

sancarlos wrote: ↑Sun Feb 07, 2021 6:14 pm I'll tell the tax cut/repeal that I'll get behind. In the 2017 tax "cut", a cap was placed on the tax deduction for state and local taxes. This had no effect on even the richest people with the most expensive houses in the central part of the country. But, it sure as hell hurt us in areas where houses are pricey and where property taxes are high - California especially, and the coasts in general - just as the Republicans wanted it.

Supposedly, there is movement to remove this limit on the deduction.

Completely agree with you. Capping the property tax deduction fucking sucks, and Trump basically said he was
Doing it to get back at Coastal states for not voting for him.

Heh. Yes the capping of the SALT deduction sucks ... but it is one thing that makes the tax system more progressive. That deduction benefits richer people more than middle class or poorer.

And yes it fucks people in higher-tax blue states too.

Atleast here that’s not really true. Rich people aren’t relying on SALT anywhere near how middle class homeowners were. It’s a weird situation; I’m fine being taxed more because I should be but the intent behind that one sucked.

mister d wrote: ↑Sun Feb 07, 2021 9:07 pmRich people aren’t relying on SALT anywhere near how middle class homeowners were.

How is that? I guess I assumed that if you have a more expensive house and higher income, you're paying more in property tax and state income tax. What am I missing?

Give me a Sean Murphy-Bunting INT at least so a CMU guy can set an unbreakable NFL record.

brian wrote: ↑Sun Feb 07, 2021 9:22 pm Give me a Sean Murphy-Bunting INT at least so a CMU guy can set an unbreakable NFL record.

Let’s keep cmu out of politics.

Steve of phpBB wrote: ↑Sun Feb 07, 2021 9:17 pm

mister d wrote: ↑Sun Feb 07, 2021 9:07 pmRich people aren’t relying on SALT anywhere near how middle class homeowners were.

How is that? I guess I assumed that if you have a more expensive house and higher income, you're paying more in property tax and state income tax. What am I missing?

A middle class family paying $20,000 in property taxes needs the deduction a lot more than a wealthy guy.

A_B wrote: ↑Sun Feb 07, 2021 9:41 pm

brian wrote: ↑Sun Feb 07, 2021 9:22 pm Give me a Sean Murphy-Bunting INT at least so a CMU guy can set an unbreakable NFL record.

Let’s keep cmu out of politics.

CMU was screwed by a technicality of having the second-most players (4) in the Super Bowl of any university behind LSU (8) only because Mike Danna was a grad transfer at Michigan for his senior season. That’s why people vote Libertarian.

brian wrote: ↑Mon Feb 08, 2021 11:50 am Another GOP House member dies of COVID.

I am really curious to see a study of COVID rates by political beliefs. I wonder how much of the Democrat Hoax, masks as politically correct BS, refusing to wear a mask as a sign of supporting Trump, muh freedum! etc... is causing Republicans/Conservatives/Right Wingers to be more likely to get COVID, or get it worse by getting higher exposure due to listening to their politicians. A high school friend posted a link to a Facebook tribute to my friend's father who just died. I found it interesting that although it wasn't a political organization, 2 out of the 5 or 6 pictures showed him wearing a MAGA hat or a novelty Christmas sweater that said "Make Christmas Great Again" with a cartoonish profile pic of Trump. The only other family I know of that had major COVID issues were also big Trumpers. Maybe it's confirmation bias, because I know a lot of families that had members test positive, but the two that had major health complications and spread through multiple households (grandparents and their children's households) were both vocal Trump supporters.

What Syb said on the SALT thing ... middle class feels $5K more than rich would feel $15K.

mister d wrote: ↑Mon Feb 08, 2021 12:18 pm What Syb said on the SALT thing ... middle class feels $5K more than rich would feel $15K.

Yeah, that makes sense. But doesn't that apply to everything related to taxes? The middle class always feels tax payments more than the rich do.

Anyway, this is an example of why I'm so skeptical that any massive governmental undertaking that involves steeply raising taxes on people making, say $125,000 per year, is going to get very far.

This doesn’t have any offset savings.

mister d wrote: ↑Mon Feb 08, 2021 12:53 pm This doesn’t have any offset savings.

If you're a wage-earner whose employer pays your health insurance, switching to a fully government-funded insurance system has minimal offset savings - and the tax increase would be multiples of what blue-staters are losing from the SALT cap.

As much as anything, the cap on SALT deductions pisses me off because it so obviously is a tax designed to focus the hit on blue state residents.

It's too bad these Senators are leaving in states Dems have no shot at..

psunate77 wrote: ↑Mon Feb 08, 2021 2:48 pm

It's too bad these Senators are leaving in states Dems have no shot at..

The Post chose this photo to accompany the story...



If you wanted to choose a photo to represent a slimeball Southern politician, this would work perfectly.

He looks like a character Beavis and Butt-head run afoul of.

A definite Strother Martin vibe.

Things about to get juicy

Here's some pretty random politics.

This guy's initials carved into an old aspen tree are relevant evidence for a case I'm litigating.

I've seen the news and read an email that was sent to everyone recently, but this stand down thing is going to happen. Beau has thoughts...



These are mine: This shit will go nowhere fast. As a military you have to remain politically neutral. This level of extremism is politically central. We can bark all day about outside-of-the-country terrorism and it's motivations all day and go after it with all the Force and power in the world, but inside-of-the-country terrorism is Constitutionally protected free speech. And we have to support and defend the Constitution, soooooo....🤷‍♂️

Fuck Nikki Haley