Fentanyl is cheap, but nowhere near that cheap
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Canadian (if $10/day daycare puzzles you), but universal.
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fiscal conservativism go fuck yourself
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I was thinking about this on my way home this afternoon.
We talk about people who regularly vote against their own self-interest. Usually, the picture is generally poor, poorly-educated masses, often rural or blue-collar.
That’s not who I was thinking of.
I was thinking of CEOs. Business owners of moderately-large businesses. Not quite the big capital-B Billionaires, necessarily. But very wealthy people who often not just vote for conservatives/fascists, but throw a lot of donation money at them. They aren’t just voting against their self-interest, they are actively paying money to people who will make sure they make less money. How is that?
Because, at least in America, much as the forced-birthers are the dog that’s caught the car, CEOs in America are almost the dogs that caught the car now. If they get exactly what they’ve put their political money for, their business is going to suffer if not fail. Why?
First off, the very real probability of a fascist government seizing businesses, to give out like party favors to their friends. But even if that doesn’t happen (right away), in order for commerce to thrive, people have to have money to spend. Republicans, especially of the GQP variety, are too dumb to find some kind of balance between oppression and the economy. I mean, even the relatively less-fascist Republican administrations still crash the economy. Even held back by Congress, Trump crashed it harder than anyone before him. Shrub before him. But a true fascist takeover? Businesses will fall right and left.
So all these CEOs who picture America as their Libertarian paradise? They act against their own self-interest. Because it won’t be what they think. It will be a wasteland - and nobody wins in a wasteland.
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I think the problem is that the votes and the donations of the CEOs are made for short-term gain. They aren’t thinking of the next 20 years or the next 30 years. They’re thinking and voting and donating for the next fiscal cycle for the next year. Maybe as much as the next 10 years but that’s it.
I also think that these people have been banking on other people reining in the worst excesses. They like so many other people never imagined that we would be this close to a true fascist regime. They cast their votes and donated their money for the guy who was going to get them what they wanted in the next year or two years. Never stopping to think about the consequences of voting that person in when it comes to other areas. Or the consequences of so many CEOs donating so very much money to these terrible nihilistic candidates. Relying on others to make better choices so everything doesn’t go to shit
Edits because I cannot spell reining to save my life
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Really, really good points. And they might be idiots. Because anyone with a modicum of analytical ability sees that Republicans crash the economy in 2-3 years after taking office. Like clockwork.
But I think you are right - they curry favor and expect others to keep the worst in check.
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I keep talking about the second part, especially to folks who believe the nonsense in the press that the real economic problem is people don’t want to work. Mentioning average wages, working hours, and rental rates tends to reset views on that topic. However, my suspicion for the first part is that GOP/GQP supporters at many levels have been conned into believing they’re considered friends. Just like the fantasy that they will one day be extremely wealthy and in desperate need of more tax breaks, they think they will get all the privileged positions in the wasteland. To those folks, I point out that maybe they won’t need more than one company per industry. If so, I ask what makes them think theirs is going to be the chosen one - and what will they do if that business goes to someone else. 
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I wonder…how much do these people see themselves as a group like that? When the economy crashes it hurts everyone, which is bad news if you don’t like being hurt. But if you’re playing to win, well, that’s just one more random event to take advantage of, isn’t it?
Musk and Bezos already have their (insane) exit strategies. I wonder if temporarily embarrassed billionaires are sure they’ll get the same if they can just win a few more rounds first.
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What really drives me crazy is that it’s pretty well-documented that this is the case, but when asked, most voters STILL trust the GOP with the economy MORE than the Democrats, who do much better with the economy.
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Some of the reasoning here seems off. For example, measuring beliefs based on church attendance and polls that focus on few issues as proof of insurmountable differences of opinion. Maybe they should check stats on religious-themed TV show ratings, social media groups, or videos/ podcasts instead. That’s what is credited for decreased attendance among churchgoers.
Also, this focuses on institutions practicing exclusion. In my area, there are Unitarian, Methodist, and Baptist churches promoting inclusion and support for marginalized groups. Their members organize, advocate, and participate in activities to bring about positive change in the community, nationally, and sometimes internationally (through relief efforts). I don’t see them joining forces with Evangelicals, because they are just as horrified and disgusted by their behavior as everyone else. Those groups don’t want to see the separation of church and state eliminated, either. I can just imagine how pissed they’d become if Evangelicals wind up getting everyone taxed and/or audited. I’m ready for that day, though.
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Cops set out inspecting both buses with a fine-tooth comb, examining the tires and checking the air brakes, lights, and windshield wipers. They paid particular attention to a device that regulates tire air pressure.
They also inspected Reas’ license and his log book, in which he has to record information like when he rests and how long he drives at a time.
After the inspection, officers left both drivers with a handful of summonses; Reas counted a half-dozen. The Daily Beast has asked the NYPD for a run-down of the violations cited.
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We have the same weird shit here in the UK.
Since 1945, there have been 14 recessions.
The Tories (repubs) have presided over 10 of them, and Labour, 4.
Yet the Great British Public still believe the Tories are somehow better at economics.
(We’re on our way into recession 15 now, just so you know)
ETA: Too many somehows.
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Martha’s Vineyard should have done even more: sieze the aircraft, arrest the pilots, and issue warrants for everyone who organized the kidnapping of the migrants who were sent there from Florida.
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Sen. Roy Blunt (R-Mo.) told Trump’s team afterward to fire Dershowitz on the spot, while Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) warned them to switch tactics.
“Out of one hundred senators, you have zero who believe you that there was no quid pro quo. None. There’s not a single one,” Cruz reportedly said at one point, contradicting what Republicans were saying publicly about the charges at the time.
Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) also fumed at Trump’s legal team after they fumbled responding to a senator’s question about calling new witnesses. Trump’s attorneys said that it was simply too late to do so, a line Graham worried would lose Republican votes.
“We are FUCKED. We are FUCKED!” Graham, a top Trump ally, reportedly said afterward as he walked into the GOP cloakroom, a private chamber adjacent to the Senate floor.
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this week Finchem insisted that Google and its “deeps state algorithm” was blocking his campaign website to try to stymie his campaign… And it is true that if you search for his campaign website on Google, you come up empty (though you do find lots of other stuff about him, including his lies about the 2020 election). However as Grid News figured out, the reality is not just different, but (for yet another reason) raises serious questions about Finchem’s competence. It turns out that Finchem’s campaign inserted a “noindex” meta tag… telling Google not to index it or show it in search. I mean, it’s right there for anyone to see:
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Heh. I’ve seen that happen before.
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