Guadaloopy

I'm definitely not one to minimize COVID... I was just shocked by the number.

Why the fuck do you keep coming back?

OK... that makes sense. Read Troph's comment that we currently have 500M cases. Makes more sense that we have had 500M cases over the past four years.

Is there an extra zero in your number? 500M people with long COVID is 6% of global population. That seems really high.

I think we can stop calling it a COVID "booster" now. It's an annual vaccine just like the flu. Stay stuck in '21-'22 if you want, but the rest of us are moving on to the new reality.

The rational part of my brain says that they have to see how this looks and how the outside world will perceive a photo like that. And then the part of my brain that has been conditioned by a lifetime of interaction with these rubes reminds me that yeah, they probably do, but they don't care because turdition.

Absolutely not a concern for me.

My body is ready.

In 1918, on the 11th day of the 11th month of the year, at 11:11 AM, the armistice ending the hostilities of WWI was signed. Thus, we began to observe Armistice Day. After the experience of WWII and the Korean Conflict, the US Congress changed the day of observance to honor all Veterans. This day was originally instituted as a holiday to celebrate a hard-earned peace. That is what I wish for my fellow Veterans today. Peace. Matthew 5:9 Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God. Also… if you really want to support our troops, strive to be the kind of American worth fighting for.

“…since the John Blake era.”

Let me preface what I am about to say with the fact that I am a veteran. I highly doubt that a Trump administration could conduct an effective and well-thought out reform to the VA disability system, but it badly needs it. The ridiculous range of "conditions" that qualify for disability benefits is embarrassing. For example, if you use a CPAP for sleep apnea, that's an automatic 50% VA disability rating. The standard for something qualifying as "service-connected" is a joke. If you stumble off the sidewalk one night while drunk on liberty and sprain your ankle, that's "service-connected." The percentage of people who spend their last six months of active duty going to multiple doctor appointments so that every possible condition is documented is straight up fraud, waste, and abuse. A huge percentage of these conditions are a result of age and poor health choices, not the rigors of military service. It is a system that is easily gamed and costs the taxpayers A LOT of money. That sucks, because there are plenty of disabled veterans who need the support. The average military retiree has a disability rating of 56%. This just sucks resources away from those who really need them and it makes the system more difficult to navigate for those with legitimate disabilities. 95% of the people who do this justify it by telling themselves "hey, it's not me, it's the system." It needs reform, but Trump's political appointees aren't the ones to get it done. A lot of folks deserve to have their face eaten on this one because they gamed the system as much as possible, and others are going to have their faces eaten because any "reforms" will be ham-fisted and poorly considered before being rushed into implementation.

It's the American pay wall.

Morons.

LOL that Rays are "checking in" on Soto. I'm also "checking in" on Aubrey Plaza and Margot Robbie.

No one cheers from the dugout like he does. That needs to be factored into his WAR calculation.

Wait... you think printing money helps inflation? If by help you mean "increase the rate of", then yes you are correct.

Man, I can't even call a truce with myself. I am a straight married white male Christian veteran with income in the top 2%. I'm personally going to be just fine during a second Trump administration. But there are SOOOOO many people who I know and love and count as true friends who are truly afraid of what is next. There are millions of people who I don't know, but do care about who are truly afraid of what is coming down the pike. The complacent and comfortable me is at war with the me that cares about other people. As a Christian, it appalls me to see so many fellow "Christians" turning a blind eye to the marginalized and the "least of these." The part of me that wants to love and show grace to them is at war with the part of me that is just plain angry at what they do. My Dad is a county judge in Texas who takes his daily job and duties very seriously, but he also posts videos of the county-sanctioned Trump Truck parades flying "Fuck Kamala" flags. I'm proud of the work he does, but I am deeply ashamed of the messaging he buys into and repeats. My Mom is the Republican Party precinct chair. She actively works at a grass roots level to get more Republicans elected. I love her, but damn if I am not constantly conflicted any time I interact with her. The part of me that loves my family is at war with the part of me who can't stand the way that their lives have been taken over by politics. I'm not ready to call a truce and give up the struggle, though. Not even for a minute.

To be fair, this would result in fewer abortions.

He cannot be re-elected as president.

It won't be passed, because it has been tabled (i.e. removed from consideration by the House). The Twitter OP gets the mechanism of what is happening wrong. No payments will be reduced by this latest action, but a bill that would have INCREASED payments for certain state govt employees and others is now dead. It's not that payments will be reduced, but that potential increases in payments will no longer happen.

This is breathtakingly ignorant. I will admit that I used to be like you until I actually worked in the belly of the beast for two years inside the beltway. Firing the bureaucrats won't make the bureaucracy go away. It will just completely stall the bureaucracy, and nothing will ever get done. You think the system is inefficient now? Wait until you get a bunch of people trying to run it who have no clue how to work the mechanisms of bureaucracy.

I’ll reform you, ya soft-headed sonuvabitch. How we gonna run reform when we’re the damn incumbent?

dem·a·gogue /ˈdeməˌɡäɡ/ noun a political leader who seeks support by appealing to the desires and prejudices of ordinary people rather than by using rational argument.

My guess is that he openly declared his intent to enter the portal and Sark said, “good luck, son.”