Pelosi is flat wrong and this problem must be fixed
- Thread starter badlatitude
- Start date
Steam Flyer
Super Anarchist
The issue is, "perfect" is the enemy of "good." If you "Forge Ahead To Be GREAT!" then it becomes very easy to reject anything that's not great. It's easy to throw away things that are good, as part of the agenda to BE GREAT!! There's some subtle human psychology embedded in this, and I don't think it's an accident.
Take something that's Ok, work to improve it, make it genuinely good. Take something that's mostly good, make it better. If we don't have GREAT!! now, then obviously we can do without it.
- DSK
Sol Rosenberg
Girthy Member
Are we talking about what we should do or what we can do?
We should insist that every person on this list be pitched out of Congress and stripped of any benefits:
https://www.businessinsider.com/congress-stock-act-violations-senate-house-trading-2021-9
What can we do? Jack shit. As George Carlin said, it’s a club, and you ain’t in it.
We should insist that every person on this list be pitched out of Congress and stripped of any benefits:
https://www.businessinsider.com/congress-stock-act-violations-senate-house-trading-2021-9
What can we do? Jack shit. As George Carlin said, it’s a club, and you ain’t in it.
Blue Crab
benthivore
TERM LIMITS to start. Polygraphs on day one and on the final day of one's term ... with jail sentences in the balance. These aren't gentlemen and ladies and they never were.quod umbra said:
Bus Driver
Cunning Linguist
What does having a desire to be better have to do with the role of the SCOTUS?quod umbra said:
Steam Flyer
Super Anarchist
FIFYquod umbra said:
It's a unique quality of being a dumbass, is that you believe you're smarter than others with very little or no evidence.
- DSK
Steam Flyer
Super Anarchist
It's a good thing to make someone else's day a little brighterquod umbra said:
- DSK
Olsonist
Disgusting Liberal Elitist
Remind us again why your boy Shitstain ran for office. You know, the guy with the multiple corporate person bankruptcies and the 3500+ civil fraud suits whose first action after winning was to settle the Shitstain U fraud suits. You know, that guy.quod umbra said:
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Steam Flyer
Super Anarchist
I agree but as of the last decade and slightly more, the Democrats have been merely useless while the Republicans have been actively harmful
Over my voting life, it's been about half and half until 2016. I voted for 3 Republicans on the whole ticket in 2016, 2 (both personally known to me) in 2018, and none in 2020. I do not know when I will vote for a Republican again but they will have a big hill to climb, and that's assuming that we still have elections after this next one.
- DSK
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Bus Driver
Cunning Linguist
Have you given up on your previous line of reasoning about us not understanding the role of the SCOTUS?quod umbra said:
It seemed pretty important, a bit ago.
PUI?
learningJ24
Super Anarchist
- 4,344
- 390
I'm still Lockian enough to believe that a lot (I used to believe most) got into politics to make good changes, even if I disagreed with their changes. I can't say that about the conservatives anymore. Biden, yes. Trump was a grifter, GW a congenial puppet, HW well meaning if simple, Reagan a true believer early and a stuffed doll later, Nixon a mixed bag, Eisenhower the last Good Republican President.
Olsonist
Disgusting Liberal Elitist
I agree with that. I'd say that W the Stupid and Saint Ronald delegated their corruption but it amounts to the same thing. I like a LOT about Eisenhower. His only ding, a massive ding in retrospect, was trusting the Dulles bros. H stage managed the end of the Cold War well enough but then started up what his son would then call the GWOT.
I learned a few things from Intro to Comparative Politics. I remember resource curse well and I remember elite competition. I don't know if that's what Locke was getting at in the Enlightenment. I think we've had a good run. Those ideas came from a time when, for better or for worse, this was this news.
The modern elk now gets most of its news from this:
We've had a good run but I don't think the Republic survives. The system has been gamed.
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I used to work for a public accounting firm where, once you made manager, you had to divest yourself of any stock from a company that the firm audited. This applied to spouses as well I believe. The implication of this was clear and necessary to avoid even the appearance of impropriety.
Seems that we were held to a higher standard than members of Congress.
Blind trusts are not a bad idea. Any rules should apply to spouses as well.
Hroth
Seems that we were held to a higher standard than members of Congress.
Blind trusts are not a bad idea. Any rules should apply to spouses as well.
Hroth
Olsonist
Disgusting Liberal Elitist
Congress is subject to the same insider trading laws but blind trusts are an excellent idea.
However Critters make $174,000/yr which isn't a hairshirt but it isn't a lot given living in DC and travel. Their chief of staff will be decently paid from the Member's staff budget. But when you go down the line, there's a lot of people working in the office who are basically volunteering. Who volunteers? People who can afford it (rich kids) who know their next job will be better because of this one.
You can check this out on Legistorm:
https://www.legistorm.com/member/334/Rep_Barbara_Lee/270.html
AOC basically said everyone in her office gets paid a living wage which raises the floor and also lowers the ceiling because her office gets allocated a fixed budget. She seems to be pretty effective. But basically, we pay these people too little and if you don't pay them someone else will 'pay' them. Who is going to get that phone call returned?
However Critters make $174,000/yr which isn't a hairshirt but it isn't a lot given living in DC and travel. Their chief of staff will be decently paid from the Member's staff budget. But when you go down the line, there's a lot of people working in the office who are basically volunteering. Who volunteers? People who can afford it (rich kids) who know their next job will be better because of this one.
You can check this out on Legistorm:
https://www.legistorm.com/member/334/Rep_Barbara_Lee/270.html
AOC basically said everyone in her office gets paid a living wage which raises the floor and also lowers the ceiling because her office gets allocated a fixed budget. She seems to be pretty effective. But basically, we pay these people too little and if you don't pay them someone else will 'pay' them. Who is going to get that phone call returned?
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Ventucky Red
Super Anarchist
- 11,044
- 1,057
One of the hardest things for the SEC to prosecute. They prefer the black-and-white wrongdoing stuff.
Olsonist
Disgusting Liberal Elitist
Which is why a blind trust (QBT) is a good requirement for the executive branch as defined by the post-Watergate Ethics In Government Act, but should be extended to the legislative and judicial branches as well.
And we should pay people responsible for governing a $22T economy more than $174K while expecting them to be virgins.
Steam Flyer
Super Anarchist
Totally in favor of this. A custodian needs to be set up such these "blind trusts" don't peek.
Look at LBJ for example
- DSK
Steam Flyer
Super Anarchist
Dunno if I agree with that. What's the national median professional-level salary? They certainly should not get more than that, although since DC is expensive they should get access to decent housing. They can go on Medicare instead of their own special health care plan, etc etc.
I've NEVER been happy about the Imperial aspirations of our "public servants." They should not expect to be fanned with peacock feathers while orgying at the public trough.
- DSK