The Biden Administration and All Things Politics

[SteakNEggs]

If you’re poorer now than in 2020 without any serious health or family related tragedies, what the hell is wrong with you? Instead of blaming the government or immigrants, Look inward! Either something is wrong with your spending habits or your career sucks. Perhaps you need to work harder? Perhaps you need to try budgeting? Perhaps you need more training or school? I know I would’ve loved to have made millions of dollars sitting around watching teevee with only a high school diploma. Unfortunately, Elon Musk already had that job. So I, like most Americans, had to see additional training and schooling (and I paid for it).

Now, I’m far wealthier than 20 years ago. And I’m far better off now in 2024 than in 2020. Last I remember in 2020, millions were unemployed, the stock market was in free fall, I could hardly find toilet paper at a store to wipe my ***, and the cult leader was suggesting we stick flashlights up our asses.

So if your wealth sucks right now, stop blaming others, look at yourself.

70% of Americans Are Facing Money Woes and Here Are 3 Reasons Why

Financial stress has become a significant part of life in this decade, with 70% of Americans saying they feel “very or somewhat stressed” about their personal finances right now. More than half (52%) said their financial stress has increased since before March 2020 — when the COVID-19 pandemic caused job loss, economic uncertainty and supply chain woes.

70% of Americans Are Facing Money Woes and Here Are 3 Reasons Why

No matter how little -- or how much -- money you make, you might be feeling financially stressed. This position comes due to a survey from CNBC, conducted in partnership with Momentive. Check Out: 9...

finance.yahoo.com

 

[SteakNEggs]

If you’re poorer now than in 2020 without any serious health or family related tragedies, what the hell is wrong with you? Instead of blaming the government or immigrants, Look inward! Either something is wrong with your spending habits or your career sucks. Perhaps you need to work harder? Perhaps you need to try budgeting? Perhaps you need more training or school? I know I would’ve loved to have made millions of dollars sitting around watching teevee with only a high school diploma. Unfortunately, Elon Musk already had that job. So I, like most Americans, had to seek additional training and schooling (and I paid for it).

Now, I’m far wealthier than 20 years ago. And I’m far better off now in 2024 than in 2020. Last I remember in 2020, millions were unemployed, the stock market was in free fall, I could hardly find toilet paper at a store to wipe my ***, and the cult leader was suggesting we stick flashlights up our asses.

So if your wealth sucks right now, stop blaming others, look at yourself.

^Ignorance in this post just shows how out of touch with reality some are.

U.S. households are carrying a record amount of credit card debt, according to a new Federal Reserve Bank of New York report released Tuesday. The bank said the data indicates financial distress is on the rise, particularly among younger and lower-income Americans.

Total household debt grew by $212 billion, rising to $17.5 trillion in the fourth quarter of 2023, the Fed's quarterly report on household debt and credit shows.

Credit card balances rose by $50 billion to hit a record $1.13 trillion. Inflation and higher interest rates are contributing to rising credit card debt, resulting in more Americans struggling to pay down their credit card balances, according to Bankrate's senior industry analyst Ted Rossman.

Redirect Notice

www.google.com

 

[fishonjazz]

Just bought a 2024 Honda Accord hybrid EX-L last week.
Driving that car (my wife's) makes me wish I would have waited to buy my 4runner. The new 2025 4runner has a hybrid option. Way more horsepower than my 2022 has. I love the hybrid engine.

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[Sardines]

Just bought a 2024 Honda Accord hybrid EX-L last week.
Driving that car (my wife's) makes me wish I would have waited to buy my 4runner. The new 2025 4runner has a hybrid option. Way more horsepower than my 2022 has. I love the hybrid engine.

Sent from my CPH2451 using Tapatalk

I expected about 5 years ago that my next car purchase would be a full electric. Here I am 5 years later and I don't think that's going to be the way I go. I'm probably 3-5 years from my next car purchase, so things could change, but a hybrid is looking better and better to me. I never would have expected that, but the ease and economy of short commutes with the ease of long distance travel is hard to beat.

 

[fishonjazz]

I expected about 5 years ago that my next car purchase would be a full electric. Here I am 5 years later and I don't think that's going to be the way I go. I'm probably 3-5 years from my next car purchase, so things could change, but a hybrid is looking better and better to me. I never would have expected that, but the ease and economy of short commutes with the ease of long distance travel is hard to beat.

It's better than I expected. More powerful than I thought it would be. Really smooth and just really fun to drive.
I love that I can change the regeneration levels for when I take my foot off the gas and it brakes itself and charges up the battery

It's funny because my wife always drives in sport mode. She doesn't care what gas mileage she gets. She likes to drive fast and brake harder and faster when she needs to stop (she doesn't pay for the gas after all). She gets like 40'ish miles to the gallon in the city.

I drive in econ mode and coast to a stop (while having max amount of regeneration on) and drive pretty slow and try to get the best gas mileage possible. On the exact same drive (she drove there and I drove home) she got 39 miles per gallon and I got 53 miles per gallon lol.

It's specs say 51 mpg city and 46 highway for combined 48 mpg. Makes a big difference what mode you are in and your driving style and your other settings etc.

I drive with a focus on gas mileage in my 4runner as well and only usually get like 18 miles to the gallon. 18 vs 53!

Ya we won't be driving the 4runner anymore unless we have to (fishing camping etc)

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[LogGrad98]

I expected about 5 years ago that my next car purchase would be a full electric. Here I am 5 years later and I don't think that's going to be the way I go. I'm probably 3-5 years from my next car purchase, so things could change, but a hybrid is looking better and better to me. I never would have expected that, but the ease and economy of short commutes with the ease of long distance travel is hard to beat.

All electric just isn't there yet. Infrastructure isn't in place and charging times make it tough for anything other than commuting really. That's why I went with PHEV. Middle ground that does take advantage of the best of both worlds. That'll be my next one too. I'm eyeing the PHEV Grand Highlander to replace the minivan we really no longer need. Couple years down the road.

 

[TheGoldStandard]

Well, I guess one fellow Georgia citizen might have heard Marjorie.

Woman shooting at cars during solar eclipse says 'God made me do it'

A woman who said she was directed by God to go on a shooting spree, fired at random vehicles as she travelled westbound down a Florida highway before being picked up by cops

www.dailystar.co.uk

I once saw a movie called Maximum Overdrive when a comet caused all the cars and electronics become self-aware and evil. Maybe an eclipse can have the same effect and she was shooting at them.

 

[Red]

Just look at the new election laws! Right there in black and white in the pages of the election rulebooks it says that Democrats can now harvest votes but it's illegal for Republicans to harvest votes.

It also says in the new election laws that when the Democrats harvest votes they must wait right up until the last minute of voting and then hurry and dump all the harvested votes into the system all at once so that it looks as suspicious as possible.

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California Republicans buy into 'ballot harvesting'

The state GOP is using a Democratic strategy to boost voter turnout in hopes of making more gains in the 2024 California election.

calmatters.org

 

[Red]

The exact mechanics of how it works is not a thing I have evidence on, but the statistical effect in California of AB1921 being signed into law is, in your words, irrefutable. In Orange County, an extremely right wing area, 100% of the state house races immediately after the bill was signed flipped to Democrat.

The Orange County Republicans were leading in the polls, won the in-person voting, were winning the absentee mail-in voting, and then on election day ballot harvesters dropped off a quarter of a million votes which wiped Republicans off the board.

The Big Lie makes the claim that something was stolen. I don’t think that is quite right and what really happened is more insidious. I think a flotilla of rushed changes to the voting system were made, with the COVID pandemic being the claimed motivation, and those changes mirrored California’s AB1921.

Do I think Trump lost the vote in 2020, yes 100%. Do I think that Trump would have lost the vote if not for the pandemic election law changes? I’m much less sure about that.

As for the exact mechanics of how the phenomenon works, I am extremely curious. I think there was a good possibility of gaining some insight via the Arizona voting audit, but the one thing that would have really cast a light on what happened was expressly declared off limits from the audit. The auditors were not allowed to perform signature comparison on the mail-in ballots versus the stored signature at the Registrar of Voters. I find that deeply suspicious. If you are going to allow an audit then allow an audit. Don’t authorize an audit and say you can look anywhere you want except for this one place that might actually give some insight.

Thanks for going into that level of detail on your thoughts.

 

[Red]

The rigging of the system is facilitated via the weak chain of custody of ballots in the key regions allowing the practice of ballot harvesting.

Missed that specific comment somehow. In a nutshell that is where you believe fraud may occur. Not familiar with specific situation in California, although the link I left fish indicates some Republicans now think it can help them to follow the Democrat’s lead in 2024. “Weak chain of custody…key regions…allowing practice of ballot harvesting”: implied within those thoughts, in the background implied by that suggestion, there would need to be a coordinated plan, and individuals playing their assigned roles, quite I few individuals, who must have met and planned to take advantages of weaknesses allowing for fraud, with results amounting to highly questionable election results. In many states one would assume. I don’t believe that’s actually happening, but obviously you’re far more on top of California elections…

Arguments for and against ballot harvesting/ballot collection

Ballotpedia: The Encyclopedia of American Politics

ballotpedia.org

 

[Red]

The early reviews are coming out, and the movie looks good. The reviews that hate it are lefties upset because they expected this to be just another bash on Trump.

"A spineless dystopian action drama that defaults to a dangerously irresponsible both-sides-ism; its pretense of ‘objectivity’ is unfair to the journalist protagonists the film thinks it’s championing."

However, those reviews are rare. Most seem to really like it.

Civil War (2024) | Rotten Tomatoes

Discover reviews, ratings, and trailers for Civil War (2024) on Rotten Tomatoes. Stay updated with critic and audience scores today!

www.rottentomatoes.com

Civil War Feels Like a Nightmare. You Should Still See It.

The new movie is A24’s most expensive to date. It might also be its most important.

slate.com

This was an interesting take..

Civil War Is So Terrifying That I Almost Left The Theater - SlashFilm

Consider this a friendly warning to those planning to see Alex Garland's Civil War in a theater: the film's depiction of gunfire is seriously unsettling.

www.slashfilm.com

 

[Al-O-Meter]

Missed that specific comment somehow. In a nutshell that is where you believe fraud may occur.

There may be fraud but the problem I'm concerned with is a systemic one that introduces a bias powerful enough that it cannot be overcome by the opposition party. It is legal because laws were passed to make it legal and now the entire election is decided by the "ground game" which necessarily advantages population density. A quarter of a millennia ago, the founders cobbled together an electoral system that prevented urban centers from running the entire nation. Just under a decade ago, California found a way to subvert it and proved how effective it was. Then COVID hit and savvy operators in many states used the crisis as an opportunity to duplicate what California did.

Now the system is in place and the GOP can't win, or at least they'd have to overcome 10 points worth of in-built systemic bias to pull out a victory, which I don't see happening.