America Is Exceptional in Its Political Divide

[TailingsPond + 1,006]

56 minutes ago, Ron Wagner said:

Liberal leaning is the ultimate understatement! Washington D.C is a disgrace to the entire country and should be moved to the center of the country, bit by bit. It does not represent normal Americans. 

Nobody is moving anything to a fly-over state. Keep dreaming, and how do you move a city?   Liberals won the election and popular vote (51.3% versus 46.8%) so they represent the majority of normal Americans.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Geographic_center_of_the_United_States

Lebanon, Kansas has a population of 178.  The entire state has less than 3 million people.  Yeah, lets move everything there at enormous expense for something that has no effect on the party in power.  Epic logic fail.

Would you want to move the capital every election based on the results.   What if your red state turns blue? Would you want to move the capital again?   Your "reasoning", if you can call it that, is you only want public offices in red states.

FYI the middle of the country currently has a democrat governor, lieutenant governor, and one house representative.  It's not nearly as red as you think.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lebanon,_Kansas

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kansas

Edited March 13 by TailingsPond

[Eyes Wide Open + 3,554]

Uhh ohh here we go!

Rising Gasoline Prices Bring Bad News for Biden

By Tsvetana Paraskova - Mar 13, 2024, 7:00 PM CDT

• The recent rise in U.S. gasoline prices is driving up inflation higher than expected.
• Higher gas prices pushing up inflation numbers in an election year can’t be good for President Biden, who is struggling to convince likely voters that the economy is doing well.
• The jump in gas prices ahead of and during the summer is expected to reverse to a steady decline in the autumn with the end of the driving season, and ahead of the presidential election in November.

https://oilprice.com/Energy/Energy-General/Rising-Gasoline-Prices-Bring-Bad-News-for-Biden.html

Edited March 14 by Eyes Wide Open

[notsonice + 1,255]

19 minutes ago, Eyes Wide Open said:

Uhh ohh here we go!

Rising Gasoline Prices Bring Bad News for Biden

By Tsvetana Paraskova - Mar 13, 2024, 7:00 PM CDT

• The recent rise in U.S. gasoline prices is driving up inflation higher than expected.
• Higher gas prices pushing up inflation numbers in an election year can’t be good for President Biden, who is struggling to convince likely voters that the economy is doing well.
• The jump in gas prices ahead of and during the summer is expected to reverse to a steady decline in the autumn with the end of the driving season, and ahead of the presidential election in November.

https://oilprice.com/Energy/Energy-General/Rising-Gasoline-Prices-Bring-Bad-News-for-Biden.html

and the nationwide average for Gas today $3.40......who cares 

 

when compared to the historical average it comes in the who cares range

The slow ones that wrote the article did not even bother to mention where the price today lands on the chart

 

Just  another failed hit job/ Anti Biden propaganda no different then all the BS articles on the SPR 

 

so the price of Gasoline today.....Today’s average price of gas in the U.S. is $3.40 per gallon, up $0.01 from yesterday, $0.08 from last week

 

So the slows one are trying to make a political statement on this site out of nothing......

Their anti-Biden bias shines through as usual

 

 

 

Edited March 14 by notsonice

[notsonice + 1,255]

6 hours ago, TailingsPond said:

Nobody is moving anything to a fly-over state. Keep dreaming, and how do you move a city?   Liberals won the election and popular vote (51.3% versus 46.8%) so they represent the majority of normal Americans.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Geographic_center_of_the_United_States

Lebanon, Kansas has a population of 178.  The entire state has less than 3 million people.  Yeah, lets move everything there at enormous expense for something that has no effect on the party in power.  Epic logic fail.

Would you want to move the capital every election based on the results.   What if your red state turns blue? Would you want to move the capital again?   Your "reasoning", if you can call it that, is you only want public offices in red states.

FYI the middle of the country currently has a democrat governor, lieutenant governor, and one house representative.  It's not nearly as red as you think.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lebanon,_Kansas

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kansas

Last time  I was out in rural Kansas it looked like no mans land........

Newsflash....there is a reason no one lives in rural Kansas ....it Sucks

[surrept33 + 609]

14 hours ago, Ron Wagner said:

Liberal leaning is the ultimate understatement! Washington D.C is a disgrace to the entire country and should be moved to the center of the country, bit by bit. It does not represent normal Americans. 

Ouch. Have you ever been there or are you basing this based on what you've heard? In practice, Washington D.C (and the surrounding DMV area) continuously attracts a lot of young people from all over the country who are into civics and history and want to help the country by serving in the civil service, which from a overall perspective is America's "best" institutions (relatively speaking, compared to the rest of the world).

Yes, much of this idealism tends to fade over time because of being exposed to politics, but suggesting that they are not "normal people" is not true. People in DC tend to be grounded compared to other places I've seen like NYC. Don't let yourself be deluded by people who make it career to malign DC. That's been the political strategy of a lot of Republicans since Reagan, however if you look at the data, they were saying one thing, and doing another (ballooning the federal budget by aligning with the military-industrial complex for one). 

In any federal system, you're going to have to devolve some power to the "centre". As with anything to do with power sharing, there will a lot of disagreements. But let's not forget how much mutual benefits this system creates. Most likely states would squabble among themselves if we didn't have a way to share power, and the whole country, if remained a country at all, would be far poorer. 

[footeab@yahoo.com + 2,190]

11 hours ago, surrept33 said:

Ouch. Have you ever been there or are you basing this based on what you've heard? In practice, Washington D.C (and the surrounding DMV area) continuously attracts a lot of young people from all over the country who are into civics and history and want to help the country by serving in the civil service, which from a overall perspective is America's "best" institutions (relatively speaking, compared to the rest of the world).

No, young people are not into civics, history, or civil service.  What they are after are HIGH paying iron bowl government jobs where they get to be in POWER positions and get to kick their "inferiors" around.  Why they all bitch, witch, vote identically every time someone brings up the obvious: Federal Government Bureaucracy and its power structures needs to be slashed.  Just peruse all the "commissions" and how utterly USELESS they are in ANY department.  Been true throughout ALL of history.  

[TailingsPond + 1,006]

1 hour ago, footeab@yahoo.com said:

No, young people are not into civics, history, or civil service.  What they are after are HIGH paying iron bowl government jobs where they get to be in POWER positions and get to kick their "inferiors" around.  Why they all bitch, witch, vote identically every time someone brings up the obvious: Federal Government Bureaucracy and its power structures needs to be slashed.  Just peruse all the "commissions" and how utterly USELESS they are in ANY department.  Been true throughout ALL of history.  

Why don't you work for them and suck up them sweet perks?

FYI Washington D.C. residents votes count less than other areas of the USA.

If you want to slash federal departments and spending then that applies to the military funding.  I suspect many here pretend they are GI Joe and therefore want lots of federal funding for the military and its expensive leadership.  The amount of money spent on civil service employees in Washington D.C. is pretty small.  The city only has 713,000 people. Even if everyone living in DC got a government job is would still be tiny compared to other expenditures. There are 2.6 million soldiers and massive waste in the armed forces, you should advocate that people start the cuts there.

Edited March 15 by TailingsPond

[Ron Wagner + 706]

20 hours ago, notsonice said:

Last time  I was out in rural Kansas it looked like no mans land........

Newsflash....there is a reason no one lives in rural Kansas ....it Sucks

The population center of the United States is nearer to Oklahoma CIty. Kansas City is, primarily,  in Missouri. Not in Kansas. The actual center is just west of Springfield Missouri. 

[surrept33 + 609]

1 hour ago, footeab@yahoo.com said:

No, young people are not into civics, history, or civil service.  What they are after are HIGH paying iron bowl government jobs where they get to be in POWER positions and get to kick their "inferiors" around.  Why they all bitch, witch, vote identically every time someone brings up the obvious: Federal Government Bureaucracy and its power structures needs to be slashed.  Just peruse all the "commissions" and how utterly USELESS they are in ANY department.  Been true throughout ALL of history.  

That is kind of a cynical take. Young people who are attracted towards going to DC from their home places tend to be into those things from my experience. Government jobs don't pay that much (compared to the private sector), so there is a opportunity cost. At one point you could have argued that proximity gave these people good optionality to hop to more cushy private sector jobs, but these days, proximity doesn't matter for making valuable connections due to the internet. Most of the services that government gives you is really about facilitation, coordination, and collaboration, rather than power. 

 

 

Edited March 15 by surrept33

[TailingsPond + 1,006]

1 hour ago, Ron Wagner said:

The population center of the United States is nearer to Oklahoma CIty. Kansas City is, primarily,  in Missouri. Not in Kansas. The actual center is just west of Springfield Missouri. 

Google says Hartville, Missouri is the population center, but you didn't say population centre you said the center.

Hartville posts a population of 594...

Shifting goal posts?  No worries, there is zero chance anything will be moved anywhere near there.  Once again how do you move a city?  Will the former city become a giant hole? Does the government have the power to displace people from their homes and ship them to another state?

You probably fantasize that all the current Dem employees would be removed and new people hired in a Red states, good luck with that. 

 

[footeab@yahoo.com + 2,190]

5 hours ago, surrept33 said:

Government jobs don't pay that much (compared to the private sector),

 

 

ROFL... DC Federal average wage, uh hem--> AVERAGE wage is $115,000. 

Maryland Federal Average wage is ~$108,000

Virginia Federal Average Wage is $102,000

https://www.fedsmith.com/2018/02/24/average-federal-employee-salary-states-compare/

Average non federal wage in Maryland/Virginia is ~$60,000. 

Lets take my HOME state: Washington State: Average wage in King County(Seattle= rich) = $70,000, state average is down around $60,000.   Average Government State Employee $73,000 and has pension benefits and highest form of health care gold plating etc.   https://govsalaries.com/state/WA

WHAT DELUSIONAL IGNORANT WORLD DO YOU LIVE IN???

Edited March 15 by footeab@yahoo.com

[notsonice + 1,255]

9 hours ago, footeab@yahoo.com said:

ROFL... DC Federal average wage, uh hem--> AVERAGE wage is $115,000. 

Maryland Federal Average wage is ~$108,000

Virginia Federal Average Wage is $102,000

https://www.fedsmith.com/2018/02/24/average-federal-employee-salary-states-compare/

Average non federal wage in Maryland/Virginia is ~$60,000. 

Lets take my HOME state: Washington State: Average wage in King County(Seattle= rich) = $70,000, state average is down around $60,000.   Average Government State Employee $73,000 and has pension benefits and highest form of health care gold plating etc.   https://govsalaries.com/state/WA

WHAT DELUSIONAL IGNORANT WORLD DO YOU LIVE IN???

---

 

 

Do you want the Federal Government to hire employees that are flunkies such as yourself?

 

You, yourself, are incapable of spelling correctly and using proper grammar on a never-ending basis.

 

 

Reality, Federal workers are paid better than average as they are with a better education than your average worker. Unless you think civilian employees working for the Military should all be paid toilet scrubbing wages???

 

The shift from clerical to more professional and knowledge-based work in government means that federal workers possess bachelor’s and advanced degrees at a higher rate than the overall U.S. labor force—47.7% to 41.0% in 2018.

Edited March 15 by notsonice

[TailingsPond + 1,006]

9 hours ago, footeab@yahoo.com said:

ROFL... DC Federal average wage, uh hem--> AVERAGE wage is $115,000. 

Maryland Federal Average wage is ~$108,000

Virginia Federal Average Wage is $102,000

https://www.fedsmith.com/2018/02/24/average-federal-employee-salary-states-compare/

Average non federal wage in Maryland/Virginia is ~$60,000. 

Lets take my HOME state: Washington State: Average wage in King County(Seattle= rich) = $70,000, state average is down around $60,000.   Average Government State Employee $73,000 and has pension benefits and highest form of health care gold plating etc.   https://govsalaries.com/state/WA

WHAT DELUSIONAL IGNORANT WORLD DO YOU LIVE IN???

Public service pay is higher than private sector for lower level jobs.  Civil servants with advanced degrees (engineers, doctors, lawyers) get paid less than they could earn in the private sector.

[notsonice + 1,255]

and another one bites the dust today........Next up the speaker?????

[notsonice + 1,255]

vacate time

[notsonice + 1,255]

 

 

April  2

 

14 bottles of beer on the wall

14 bottles of beer

Take one down, pass it around,
13 bottles of beer on the wall.

a bottle of beer a day keeps the doctor away

when all of the bottles are gone the party is over

 April 15 is approaching fast.........

 

appeal for more time will not work this time

Edited April 3 by notsonice

[turbguy + 1,543]

Then, this:

https://www.nytimes.com/2024/04/01/us/florida-abortion-law-supreme-court.html?ugrp=m&unlocked_article_code=1.hE0.z-Co.1yVRJdDScaMH&smid=url-share

Once again, women are being treated by the GOP not as people with innate rights, but as political pawns with little value other than as incubators! Without the ability to manage reproduction, women simply cannot have equal rights with men.

This is what the GOP wants: "traditional" wives, women ousted from workplaces (except for the lowest paying jobs), shaming women for having sex out of wedlock - while admiring a man who has cheated on all three of his wives.

Go figure...

[TailingsPond + 1,006]

Full censorship?

[notsonice + 1,255]

1 hour ago, TailingsPond said:

Full censorship?

yep......

Edited April 2 by notsonice

[specinho + 467]

On 3/16/2024 at 1:46 AM, notsonice said:

---

 

 

Do you want the Federal Government to hire employees that are flunkies such as yourself?

 

You, yourself, are incapable of spelling correctly and using proper grammar on a never-ending basis.

 

 

Reality, Federal workers are paid better than average as they are with a better education than your average worker. Unless you think civilian employees working for the Military should all be paid toilet scrubbing wages???

 

The shift from clerical to more professional and knowledge-based work in government means that federal workers possess bachelor’s and advanced degrees at a higher rate than the overall U.S. labor force—47.7% to 41.0% in 2018

You are absolutely rude by the level of ignorance you are at.....

Let's set some background to have common understanding on certain things:

1. What kind of workers do we have in a government department? 

a) minister n deputies

b) personal aids, secretaries or clerks

c) drivers

d) cleaners, tea ladies, mailmen

e) etc

 

2. What kind of qualification do they need?

a) minister & deputies

- None specific

- as long as they have served a community long enough to be recognized, or well known enough to be elected. Generally, graduates.

b) personal aids, secretaries, clerks

- their duties are similar: a go-between of making appointments, reservation, arrangement requested by minister;  taking calls, taking notes during meetings, printing, filing, running small errants etc

- do you need a degree to do those? A village housewife or secondary school leaver can do equally good job, if not better, after a little guidance.

Do you choose to pay a graduate $5000 for makng appointments, picking up calls, photocopying, filing?

Or would you pay a school leaver $ 1500 - 2500 to do the same job? 

Of course, all governments and gov servants are big spenders of money of others. They will choose to pay the highest amount, hire not just one but several, to show the department is highly specialized, yes? They do not mix photocopying task with filing, taking calls and such. So, they need at least 5 to 10 of those. One person, one task. Or they will mix things up and can not perform, yes?

c) drivers, cleaners, tea ladies, mailmen, etc

- similar condition like (b).

- you need graduate mailmen to prove:

i) graduate unemployment rate is very high until a gov has to absorb them as mailmen?

ii) standard of education is so poor that graduates can only take on the job of mailmen, cleaners in the gov? 

iii) nepotism is important in granting easy, not much to do  but high paying jobs to relatives, friends and those whose who?

 

It is good to know they manage governments this way. By choice, we let them. 

It is also not good because the costs would eventually be transferred to the public. 

 

Your ignorance should not be the reason you try to put others down rudely. Learn some manner. Otherwise, each time you type rudely, it will show your ignorant but arrogant vibe. 

 

[notsonice + 1,255]

45 minutes ago, specinho said:

You are absolutely rude by the level of ignorance you are at.....

Let's set some background to have common understanding on certain things:

1. What kind of workers do we have in a government department? 

a) minister n deputies

b) personal aids, secretaries or clerks

c) drivers

d) cleaners, tea ladies, mailmen

e) etc

 

2. What kind of qualification do they need?

a) minister & deputies

- None specific

- as long as they have served a community long enough to be recognized, or well known enough to be elected. Generally, graduates.

b) personal aids, secretaries, clerks

- their duties are similar: a go-between of making appointments, reservation, arrangement requested by minister;  taking calls, taking notes during meetings, printing, filing, running small errants etc

- do you need a degree to do those? A village housewife or secondary school leaver can do equally good job, if not better, after a little guidance.

Do you choose to pay a graduate $5000 for makng appointments, picking up calls, photocopying, filing?

Or would you pay a school leaver $ 1500 - 2500 to do the same job? 

Of course, all governments and gov servants are big spenders of money of others. They will choose to pay the highest amount, hire not just one but several, to show the department is highly specialized, yes? They do not mix photocopying task with filing, taking calls and such. So, they need at least 5 to 10 of those. One person, one task. Or they will mix things up and can not perform, yes?

c) drivers, cleaners, tea ladies, mailmen, etc

- similar condition like (b).

- you need graduate mailmen to prove:

i) graduate unemployment rate is very high until a gov has to absorb them as mailmen?

ii) standard of education is so poor that graduates can only take on the job of mailmen, cleaners in the gov? 

iii) nepotism is important in granting easy, not much to do  but high paying jobs to relatives, friends and those whose who?

 

It is good to know they manage governments this way. By choice, we let them. 

It is also not good because the costs would eventually be transferred to the public. 

 

Your ignorance should not be the reason you try to put others down rudely. Learn some manner. Otherwise, each time you type rudely, it will show your ignorant but arrogant vibe. 

 

oh boy another one of your ignorant BS posts 

[TailingsPond + 1,006]

2 hours ago, specinho said:

You are absolutely rude by the level of ignorance you are at.....

Let's set some background to have common understanding on certain things:

1. What kind of workers do we have in a government department? 

a) minister n deputies

b) personal aids, secretaries or clerks

c) drivers

d) cleaners, tea ladies, mailmen

e) etc

Where are all the lawyers, engineers, doctors, accountants, human resources, researchers in that list?

You have no idea what a government department entails if you think it is just bureaucrats and some helpers.

Edited April 2 by TailingsPond

[TailingsPond + 1,006]

2 hours ago, specinho said:

Your ignorance should not be the reason you try to put others down rudely. Learn some manner. Otherwise, each time you type rudely, it will show your ignorant but arrogant vibe. 

 

 

You speak rudely as you criticize speaking rudely - how fitting.

[notsonice + 1,255]

17 hours ago, turbguy said:

Then, this:

https://www.nytimes.com/2024/04/01/us/florida-abortion-law-supreme-court.html?ugrp=m&unlocked_article_code=1.hE0.z-Co.1yVRJdDScaMH&smid=url-share

Once again, women are being treated by the GOP not as people with innate rights, but as political pawns with little value other than as incubators! Without the ability to manage reproduction, women simply cannot have equal rights with men.

This is what the GOP wants: "traditional" wives, women ousted from workplaces (except for the lowest paying jobs), shaming women for having sex out of wedlock - while admiring a man who has cheated on all three of his wives.

Go figure...

unbelievable ruling that is great for the Green Agenda.....Big Oil , Nat gas and Coal just got blindsided

Florida may turn blue this year on every level locally and statewide  and in addition Federal elections..... this may turn the US House Blue and keep the Senate Blue and the Presidency Blue

 

Supreme court could become irrelevant by Congress passing laws that neuter rulings

The Green Agenda .......Florida is now in play........Emission standards may  get much tougher and gasoline sales will decrease with a blue House

Florida itself can turn blue in 2024 and Rooftop solar will be the rule

all because of the upcoming referendum in Florida on one issue will drive new and lazy voters to come out en masse

The new expected turnout in Florida in November..............Not the friend of big oil...the Green Agenda will be one of the big winners as Florida may be handed over to the Green Machine

 

Edited April 2 by notsonice

[specinho + 467]

On 4/2/2024 at 12:19 PM, TailingsPond said:

Where are all the lawyers, engineers, doctors, accountants, human resources, researchers in that list?

You have no idea what a government department entails if you think it is just bureaucrats and some helpers.

You might have confused

a) a government

b) a government department

( One department of a government)

 

 

 

University setting:

- in the old days, a clerk used to handle petty cash went in and out of a department. Every year, you have a sum of allocation to one department, say, $100,000. Claims from, e.g. department of Science, are generally:

a) petrol for field work

b) toll fees

c) misc

One field trip, normally around few hundreds.

Should a lecturer need to buy lab equipment, assesories for experiment, chemical and stuff, the sum usually must not be more than $10,000. Permission from head of department was needed for spending of this kind. ( Individual sometimes would have sponsors or personal research fund).

No tax. No adjustment to financial report. No hassle. 

Do you need an accountant for such a sum?

 

If we enlarge this to one department of a government.  Similarly, in the old days, you have allocation of few millions per department. If there were applications for fund, special consideration would be made to finance department. If there was no request for money, the allocation would sit there for years. No new allocation either. With not much activity, do you need an accountant for a department? 

Yes, you do, of course. You are highly specialized breed. Doing more than one task would fail you. 

 

That was before. 

Now, the governments and servants are taught a new accounting system called "zero up" by year end. By its name, each department must finishes allocation for the year to have new allocation in. So, what do they do?

The most 'worthy' spending was a luxury entourage of all families of workers of a department to visit public toilets in England, other European countries and such. Exchange rate was 1 pound to 7.

With the new system, they need an accountant to adjust the end sum to zero in all ways possible, yes?

Guess, this is how the administrative costs of that gov increased from ~ 290 millions in the 80s and 90s to  ~ a trillion recent years ( ~ 900 billions). 

Same with the rest of professional you mentioned above.

Do they have leak roof at every department every day? Month? Year? Or every 30 - 50 years with regular maintenance? 

Why do they need engineers in every department?

Do they have external dealing at every department every day? Month? Year? Or once in a long while?

Why do they need lawyers in every department? 

There has been a latest cult term arisen from how wastage occurs on food at some locations. It is called " st∆p∆d standard operating procedure" incurred from blind following order or copying the private sector blindly. 

You can do your best to help wherever you can. Or sneeze over it as a numbed bystander and be  unconcerned.

 

Your life, your choice.