Samson's Wig

I think that would be great, but it would require mass adoption to improve traffic in any way, and maybe not even then, depending on how it's utilized. I also think we're a really long way off from it being a reality. I think the general rule for getting people to make major shifts in habits requires the cost to be about 10% of the current method. So first, we have to significantly improve self-driving vehicles to the point they're actually safe and functional (not anywhere close yet), and then we have to make the use of such a service cost 10% or less than owning a vehicle currently costs. Then, you might see mass adoption. Twenty years, maybe? More likely not for half a century. It's a nice thought, though, and I would definitely be an early adopter.

Don't you get it? This is going to fix traffic. All the experts agree. Fewer lanes, less parking, and higher fees will all result in everyone getting rid of their car and biking everywhere (since public transport is not a realistic option). It works in all kinds of places located a thousand miles or more north of our latitude, so it will 100% work here. If you think it's too hot, you're probably just a fat pussy. There is a zero percent chance this makes things worse, as anyone who isn't a fool can see. You have to give it time, man!

Thanks for your input and all, but this concrete cancer issue is best left to medical professionals.

Fuck. I regret reading that.

That's just about the sexiest campaign slogan I can think of.

I've always assumed it was just a Chinese data mining racket. It sounds like it's just a modern QVC and taking advantage of housebound elderly folks. Probably both, I guess.

I have found this story to be a solid litmus test when meeting someone from that area. If they defend this shit, even in the backhanded, passive way we're seen in this thread, I know they're not worth one more second of my time.

They're still saying it. It's the favorite saying for generations of enabling pieces of shit who enable pieces of shit. "Boys will be boys" being the other common variant. When you hear that phrase, you know you're talking to a fucking moron.

We are almost entirely in agreement here.

People in the community following the super spreader event. This was early days before the weak had been culled, so some kids got to say goodbye to grandma because they needed a beer so badly. I don't blame the kids, FWIW. I would have probably done the same thing at that age. It was the parents who sanctioned the party, bought the booze, and then defended the actions even after it turned into a disaster that I think can eat a big bag of dicks. EDIT TO ADD: Regardless of whether you think that was appropriate behavior or not, it's an example of the entitlement of that community. This wasn't a year or two into the pandemic when vaccines were readily available, and the most vulnerable among us had already largely been exposed. This was early on when everyone was supposed to be locked down. When we didn't know what we were dealing with. Some folks don't think rules apply to them, or that notions of the common good have any validity whatsoever. They fucked around and found out, though.

The stories out of that district are endless, whether you're talking about the infamous butt sex book banning (not the only book banning), the sexual assault of younger football players in the locker room, Qanon morons taking over school board meetings, etc. etc., but a shining example of the community is when there was a massive kegger, sanctioned by parents, thrown during the early days of the pandemic. We're talking early days before the politics took over, when everyone was hunkered down at home and wondering what exactly we were dealing with. Hundreds and hundreds of kids hanging out together and partying while everyone else was doing the responsible thing. People died. Obviously, tons of good people live out there, probably even a majority, but their success in football has allowed the scum of the earth to dictate terms and the assholes dominate. It's one of the ultimate football-first communities in Texas, built on Austin taxpayers' money before they got big enough to outrun recapture. We've had a number of friends move out of Austin to the area based in large part on their schools being ranked higher than AISD. Every single one of them moved back after a year or two of putting up with the shitty community. I could see living out there after the kids are grown, when I wouldn't have to deal with anyone else unless I chose to, but I don't know how decent people put up with the nutbaggery that invades the school district. Baker Mayfield is definitely the poster child for that fucked up place.

Good. Fuck that school district.

The end result of this will clearly be a ban on all Nerf guns.

And the real father of all these Canadian children? Trudeau. The old one.

I don't think there is a shortage of discussion on this particular rhetorical technique, and yes I think it permeates much of public discourse these days. I'm not sure that assuming someone else is more extreme than they actually are falls into the same category, though. The motte and baily fallacy is a purposefully employed device, whereas an assumption of another person's motives or beliefs is instinctual. I think that ultimately it just comes down to plain old tribalism. "What you're talking about sounds vaguely like something one of them would say, so you must be a member of that other team! Now die!" This quirk of human nature is exploited well by political factions.

I've considered spearheading an Austin secession movement. I haven't found any precedent for a city seceding from a state (although some states allow a city to secede from a county), but I'd like to see how the rest of Texas enjoys paying for their public schools (and other programs) without having the citizens of Austin as a whipping boy and piggy bank. I would likely require federal funding of some kind, and the city would become something along the lines of D.C. I think somewhere around 25% of their budget is funded by the feds. We wouldn't need that much as we wouldn't be housing their infrastructure. I don't think it would be a hard sell for the majority of Texans, who spew vitriol at Austin with every breath, as they've been trained to do to keep the entire charade going. Taxes wouldn't go down in this scenario, of course, but at least they'd stay local. All a pipe dream, but a fun one to indulge in from time to time.

A DM with details on those services would be greatly appreciated.

Do you live in Austin? You can get to $20k fairly easily (but yes, it's not average homes at that amount). I don't think people outside of Austin realize just how much we pay in property taxes, the vast majority of which do not stay local. It's, in part, how the state funds itself, and it should be criminal. Almost half of it goes to AISD, which is to say it's stolen by the state to hand out to politically favorable suburban districts (and a big chunk just goes into the general fund). Austinites are robbed blind by the State of Texas.

Yikes. My son plays soccer as well and will be trying out for the Lamar team next year. Thanks for giving me something else to worry about.

McCallum is being renovated in phases. The first bond package already passed. It will take two more to get it all completed though based on the current plan (which is really fucking stupid). First phase will be starting fairly soon. Like most things with AISD, it's a clusterfuck. I just don't want my kids stuck in portables the entirety of high school, but I'll be shocked if they actually start demoing anything before 2030, when they graduate. https://macshieldonline.com/60278/news-2/bond-renovation-plans-take-shape/#:~:text=A floor plan layout of,to pass in Central Texas.

No doubt. We're in the Murchison/Anderson zone, but the kids are in the fine arts academy at Lamar, and both want to go to McCallum. It drives me nuts that AISD refuses to officially call the FAA a magnet program (even though that's exactly what it is in every respect), so they don't have to provide buses for the kids. Dropoff and pickup is like an elementary school on crazy pills. I understand it's a budgeting issue, but that brings us back around to how insane it is that we paid (checks notes) around $10kin property taxes for AISD last year, and we have rats and raccoons running around classrooms with kids in them while suburban kids get palaces that we pay for. We can't even get our kids a ride to school. The way the State of Texas treats Austin residents is how violent revolutions have been started in the past. We have no representation whatsoever, and the clown show is happy to keep robbing us blind and just handing it over to suburbs (or the general fund) because they're mostly white, evangelical, and vote for the current state leadership. It's insane and something you'd expect in a banana republic, not the United States. McCallum is getting a renovation over the next few years, finally. My kids will be going there during the construction, which I don't love but they're damn near insistent upon it. AISD seems happy to let Lamar continue to be a rat-infested dump. At least the programs have been good, and we'd still rather our kids attend a dump where they don't ban books, worry about drag queens instead of ministers, or teach religion as a counterpoint to science like in the burbs. But it still sucks that this state is so hostile to the citizens of Austin, who are bankrolling the rest of the state in more ways than one. Is there a historical precedent for a city seceding from a state? That would be interesting.

Express VPN user here. I've been very happy with it. A bit faster than NordVPN, in my experience, but there may be other drawbacks I haven't noticed yet.

I know what you're saying, and it's an interesting dynamic that is really difficult to explain to folks from other regions. "The River" could almost be a direct allegory for Bubba's story, or vice versa. He found grace and acceptance through religion, and it also killed him.

Well, thanks for putting words in my mouth. I agree it's not out of control, but it is a significant problem. I'm curious—do you live there? Because I don't know a single person in Toronto who would agree with you, and I know a LOT of people there. You brought up Ontario police stats when it's not a reasonable comparison at all, given two very different sets of laws, the difference in the number of guns on the streets, and a significant difference in culture. I'm actually on your side on this issue, but I would find a better way to make your argument. Crime in Toronto is significantly worse than in Austin, and anyone who has spent time in both cities will tell you that. And no, it's not only in the rough areas of town. There are certainly quiet suburbs, but I'm talking about the city. Don't get me wrong, it's an amazing city. I would move back in a heartbeat, and our many family members still love living there. The crime shouldn't be a deterrent for anyone, just like the crime in Austin shouldn't be a deterrent for anyone coming here. However, arguing that their crime is really low despite having few cops is disingenuous and serves no point. I agree it doesn't mean they should go hire a bunch of goons like we do, but they don't do that anyway. Police brutality is nowhere near the issue in Canada as it is here. They absolutely have a violent gang problem in Toronto, however, and it's a constant point of debate and contention for residents because law enforcement is doing very little to curtail it. These issues exist even in the absence of jackbooted thugs with badges running around like we have in the States.

It's anecdotal, for sure, and again I don't really care that much, but yeah, I see people driving like maniacs much more now than before the pandemic, and I can't remember the last time I saw a car pulled over by APD. It's been years. Seems like an active choice on their part to just not bother. I'm sure they have a couple of hot spots they still go raise a few bucks at, but there is no type of consistent presence or active involvement in curtailing dangerous driving that I'm seeing. I saw some DPS bullshit when they were running rampant, but that wasn't traffic control.