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Satchel

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Everything posted by Satchel

  1. As the saying goes, if you don’t do politics, politics will do you. The same is true of PE firms. I once directly reported to a guy who came to us from a private equity firm. He considered himself to be smartest, hard nosed around, but once confided to me that the unethical predatory practices of his former employer was too much even for him.
  2. OMB director, Vought, could pick and choose what gets funded in a shutdown. His declaration of what was non essential would not be subject to judicial review in a shut down. How is that anywhere close to helpful to those most likely to be targeted by the guy who said he was wanted to see federal workers “traumatized.”
  3. Remember when doge reversed their decision to cut SS customer service access to the Infirmed and elderly? Well, they didn’t mean it: https://popular.info/p/exclusive-memo-details-trump-plan An internal Social Security Administration (SSA) memo, sent on March 13 and obtained by Popular Information, details proposed changes to the claims process that would debilitate the agency, cause significant processing delays, and prevent many Americans from applying for or receiving benefits. The memo, authored by Acting Deputy SSA Commissioner Doris Diaz, purports to be motivated by a desire to mitigate "fraud risks." The biggest change contemplated by Diaz's memo is to require "internet identity proofing" for "benefit claims… made over the phone." When an SSA customer is "unable to utilize the internet ID proofing, customers will be required to visit a field office to provide in-person identity documentation." Currently customers can make claims and verify their identity without using the internet or visiting a SSA office. Fraud is extremely rare because there are many safeguards in place. After initiating a call, customers must provide their social security number, date of birth, parents' names, mother's maiden name, and date of birth. After the initial teleapplication is completed, the information provided is checked against tax returns, pay stubs, bank statements, and medical information, depending on the nature of the claim. If there are any discrepancies, a customer may need to mail a copy of their birth certificate to the SSA. About 40% of all claims are currently processed over the phone. Because the SSA serves a large population that is either older or physically disabled, many cannot access the internet. Under the new system, this would force these populations to visit an office to have their claim processed. The Diaz memo estimates it would require 75,000 to 85,000 in-person visitors per week to SSA's offices to implement the policy. SSA offices do not currently have the resources to handle an influx of in-person appointments of this size. In 2023, the most recent data available, there were about 119,128 daily visits, on average, to SSA offices. Eight-five thousand more week visits would be a 14% increase. SSA offices no longer accept walk-ins and the wait time for an appointment, even before these changes, averaged over a month.
  4. French MEP demands the US 'give us back the Statue of Liberty' https://www.france24.com/en/france/20250316-french-mp-demands-the-us-give-us-back-the-statue-of-liberty A French member of the European parliament has called for the US to return the Statue of Liberty originally gifted by the French people to mark the centennial of American independence because the US no longer represents the values that led France to offer the statue.
  5. The entire country seems to be in a non thinking space right now.
  6. These people are correct. TDS is really a thing. It’s just not what they think it is: Five Republican Minnesota state senators are set to introduce a bill tomorrow that would classify "Trump Derangement Syndrome" (TDS), which they define as an "acute onset of paranoia" regarding the presidencies of Donald Trump, as a mental illness, according to state documents
  7. From HuffPost: The Thursday repost on Musk’s X account read: “Stalin, Mao, and Hitler didn’t murder millions of people. Their public sector employees did.” Along with Hitler, the post referred to Josef Stalin, the communist dictator of the Soviet Union until 1953, and Mao Zedong, the founder of the People’s Republic of China, who was responsible for the deaths of tens of millions through starvation and disease. Musk later deleted the repost, but not before X users and others condemned Musk’s apparent defense of dictators responsible for genocide and mass murder. “It is deeply disturbing and irresponsible for someone with a large public platform to elevate the kind of rhetoric that serves to undermine the seriousness of these issues,” the Anti-Defamation League said in a statement . Musk’s disturbing repost targeting public sector workers comes at a time when the billionaire ― now in charge of the new, so-called Department of Government Efficiency ― has been responsible for the firings of thousands of federal workers. That includes workers in critical positions at the National Weather Service , the Federal Emergency Management Agency , the Department of Veterans Affairs , and more.
  8. I guess it won’t be long before Fort Cavazos becomes Fort Hood again.
  9. This biscuit’s father is dying from embarrassment.
  10. Tech doesn’t appear to scrimp when it comes to facilities. The basketball stuff that was funded by the same alum, is nice too.
  11. This is impressive:
  12. Something’s not right Venezuelan immigrants love Trump. They’re all up in his ass.
  13. He’s using a tried and true tactic perfected in the private sector. He’s using poor performance as the predicate. In a shut down, he wouldn’t even have to lie about that. He could with impunity, simply declare thousands to be non essential and its game over.
  14. You mean we’re not gonna be able to say _lack anymore? Damn. https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2025/03/07/us/trump-federal-agencies-websites-words-dei.html According to the New York Times , 199 words and phrases have been flagged to be barred from use in the Trump administration as the president works to reverse efforts made by Former President Joe Biden . The censured words include “Black,” “anti-racism,” “discrimination,” “racial justice,” “diversity,” “trauma,” “at-risk,” “minorities,” “underprivileged,” “biased,” “climate science,” “women,” “female,” “socioeconomic,” “climate change,” “cultural heritage," and more. This isn't the first time words or phrases have been secured by a presidential administration. In 2021, Biden moved to ban words, including "illegal alien," and mandated that the word "Tribal" be spelt with a capital T when referencing Native Americans. The Trump administration's censured words have reportedly been removed from government websites and documents. More words and phrases removed from use, include “pregnant person,” “equality,” “inequality,” “sex,” “gender,” “LGBTQ,” “advocate,” and “institutional.” There are likely more words that have been banned that have gone unreported, according to the Times.
  15. Did Hitler ever declare himself to be his country’s “ Chief law enforcement officer” as Trump did today?
  16. The political reality augers against the efficacy of a brave fight. At the first sign of SS checks not showing up on time or at all, Dems would have been blamed. You’re naive to think that Musk and Trump wouldn’t screw with the livelihoods of millions SS recipients. They would do so with glee
  17. Why would he assume Johnson couldn’t pass a CR out of the House when Massey was the only holdout? It didn’t matter when Schumer decided to cave. Any ultimate decision he made would redound to the GOP’s benefit. He knew it. Johnson knew it and Dems pushing for a shutdown knew it.
  18. Schumer was in a no win situation. One man’s fecklessness is another man’s pragmatism. Had a shut down gone on longer than 30 days, Trump could have declared thousands of federal workers to be nonessential and they would have been fired with no recourse. The,Democrats who are being urged by James Carville to be “dignified” are awakening to the realization of a de-energized base fueled by in part by their refusal to fight when they can.
  19. Oh, it’s about to get a lot worse in Texas: Texas bill would increase oversight of universities’ hiring, curriculum and compliance Senate Bill 37 would create a state office to investigate complaints against universities and require governing boards to ensure courses don’t endorse certain ideologies. https://www.texastribune.org/2025/03/13/texas-universities-governing-boards-hiring-curricula-faculty-senates/
  20. Don’t look now, but many Americans aren’t opposed to his views. He’s America’s hate baby with the allure of a Joe Rogan with degrees.
  21. Silicon tech bro says our democracy is dead. From the NYT: https://www.nytimes.com/video/podcasts/100000009910862/curtis-yarvin-says-democracy-is-done-powerful-conservatives-are-listening.html
  22. So much for Trump reducing the deficit: https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/2025/02/26/what-to-know-about-gop-budget-plan/80469749007/ The GOP House's plan would set up a massive reconciliation bill that would extend Trump's 2017 tax cuts and implement new ones at a cost of $4.5 trillion over the next decade. It would also allocate $300 billion for spending on defense and border security, raise the debt ceiling by $4 trillion over two years, and add almost $3 trillion to the federal deficit over 10 years. The budget blueprint would also direct multiple committees to cut billions of dollars, including $880 billion in cuts spearheaded by the Energy and Commerce Committee.
  23. Social Security has never missed a benefit payment since the program first began sending individuals monthly benefits more than eight decades ago. But the recent actions at the U.S. Social Security Administration by Elon Musk’s so-called Department of Government Efficiency are putting monthly benefit checks for more than 72.5 million Americans at risk, former commissioner and former Maryland Gov. Martin O’Malley told CNBC.com. https://www.cnbc.com/2025/03/01/doge-actions-may-cause-social-security-benefit-interruption-ex-agency-head.html “Ultimately, you’re going to see the system collapse and an interruption of benefits,” O’Malley said. “I believe you will see that within the next 30 to 90 days.” Ahead of any interruption in benefits, “people should start saving now,” O’Malley said. If this won’t get the attention of the 95% of West Virginians who voted for Trump, nothing will.
  24. The government of Ontario is applying a 25 percent surcharge starting Monday on electricity exports to three U.S. states in response to U.S. tariffs on Canada. https://thehill.com/homenews/state-watch/5186029-ontario-surcharge-us-tariffs/ This surcharge will affect electricity sales for 1.5 million homes and businesses across Michigan, Minnesota and New York, the Ontario government said. In total, it could cost up to $400,000 per day New market rules are going into place requiring Canadian electricity sellers to add a $10 per megawatt-hour surcharge, equivalent to a quarter of the electricity’s average value, to the cost of power for sales to the U.S., according to a statement from Ontario’s Office of the Premier. The additional charges are a response to 25 percent tariffs on Canadian and Mexican imports to the U.S. announced last week by the Trump administration. Stock markets dropped again Monday as investors worried about the growing trade war. The Dow Jones average was down more than 550 points, or 1.3 percent, just after noon EDT. By 2:30 p.m., the Dow had fallen further, to 921 points down or 2.1 percent. It closed down 890 points, or 2.08 percent. President Trump has taken a few steps to soften the blow of his tariffs
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