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Samson's Wig

Certifiably Surly
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Everything posted by Samson's Wig

  1. In this video, the patient she is speaking about is my dear friend, who has gone through chemo, a double mastectomy, and is going under the knife again based on the lymphedema issue referenced. My friend will be paying out of pocket for this crucial procedure thanks to United being the biggest pieces of shit in history. That will be followed by radiation and multiple more surgeries. Dr. Potter is a fucking hero, and her attempts to fight these pieces of shit at United have taken a major financial toll on her and her practice. For more info on Dr. Potter, she was interviewed by NBC here: https://www.nbcnews.com/health/health-news/texas-surgeon-says-unitedhealthcare-dispute-may-force-bankruptcy-rcna223519 For those inclined to support a doctor who is going to the mat for us, the patients, she has a GoFundMe me here: https://www.gofundme.com/f/stand-with-a-surgeon-facing-retaliation. (sorry, I missed where you added this to your post somehow, but it can't hurt to have the link here twice) Fuck United and the cowards on the phone with Dr. Potter in this clip.
  2. I wonder how many of the confused people in this thread who think public broadcasting (a purposefully non-profit enterprise) was funded for the same reason specific for-profit industries are subsidized (to help them get established so they can then become net providers of jobs, tax revenue, and general economic benefit down the road) think that the oil and gas industry should also be shut off from any subsidies. They're pretty established at this point, don't you think? Shouldn't we all agree that after decades of being pumped full of our tax dollars, they've had enough time to determine if there is a "real market demand for what they're doing"? For those keeping track, public broadcasting receives about $535 million per year in federal funding. In contrast, the oil and gas industry receives over $15 billion in direct federal subsidies (in addition to billions more from states), and implicit subsidies are estimated to be well over $750 billion annually. I assume the response from someone who defends these oil and gas subsidies would come in some variant of "it's much more nuanced than that", and I would agree. The same is true for public broadcasting, which has never been funded for the same reason we subsidize specific industries at the state and federal level. One might argue that we need the oil and gas industry to survive, that it's a defense issue as much as anything. That's a reasonable argument. But one could argue the same thing about public broadcasting. There is no greater threat to our democracy than a poorly educated, disengaged population. There is a particular group of people working hard to ensure that this very thing comes to pass, however, and if one's head isn't entirely up one's ass, the reason for this is abundantly clear. Based on the numbers alone, anyone who will defend the subsidies for industries such as oil and gas, which are perfectly capable of running a massive profit with no assistance from the federal or state governments, should kindly shut the fuck up about the pittance that goes to public broadcasting. I mean, those of us who enjoy fossil fuel-based products can surely just pay more to make up for the loss of billions in free money that industry receives, right? We can tackle the insurance industry next, if you'd like (hint: it's in the trillions annually and makes oil and gas look like child's play). You say you want to make significant cuts to federal spending that mean something and reduce waste? You say that for-profit enterprises should be able to survive in the market without government assistance? Most people, regardless of their political affiliation, would likely be in favor of these things. I've identified two industries in this post alone that would put trillions back in our collective pockets if they were forced to operate as truly capitalist enterprises. There are plenty more. But that's not what this is about, is it? It's time to stop hiding behind the complete bulllshit that this has anything to do with reducing spending. The party of fiscal responsibility no longer exists, if it ever did, and everyone who isn't a bumbling fool knows it. The OBBBA passing alone should be all the evidence a functioning brain needs to understand this. Stop playing fiscally responsible dress up and just admit you enjoy authoritarianism and crushing your perceived enemies under your boot heel. Why pretend otherwise? To help you sleep at night? Tough shit. Twenty-two percent of this country voted for this, and every last one of them should be held accountable for it, even those who have already come to regret their choice. The real blame, of course, lies in the hands of those who didn't vote at all and allowed such a small percentage of our population to destroy what has taken 250 years to build. We can't get that mad at the fools for acting foolish. It's the disengaged who are truly to blame, and now that we are getting rid of public broadcasting and getting rid of public education, there will be so many more disengaged Americans in the future to assist in the power grab. Congrats, I suppose, but if there ever was a Pyrrhic victory, this is it.
  3. Well, there are some heavy contenders out there. I've somehow managed to avoid this particular dumbass thus far.
  4. And all this time, I thought it was a reference to Texan tourists.
  5. I can't tell if this thread has drawn in a weak troll or if there is a new candidate for dumbest motherfucker on this site. It could go either way. I assume some of you are more familiar with his posting habits and already know. I want to believe no one is this stupid, but then I remember that 22% of Americans voted for what is happening now. (and yes, it's sad as fuck that only 22% amounts to some kind of mandate for complete fuckery)
  6. That sentence conatains so many head scratchers, I don't even know where to start.
  7. From the article: "For nearly 60 years, CPB has carried out its Congressional mission to build and sustain a trusted public media system that informs, educates, and serves communities across the country. Through partnerships with local stations and producers, CPB has supported educational content, locally relevant journalism, emergency communications, cultural programming, and essential services for Americans in every community." Now, who would have a vested interest in these things coming to an end? The same people who are also trying to destroy public schools, perhaps?
  8. Says the guy who has been cosplaying as an engineer for his entire career.
  9. The odds of those three meatheads being Austin residents are low. Troglodytes from the surrounding areas tend to crowd out locals at the watering spots on the weekends, and also tend to be the ones committing a lot of the violence and other crimes.
  10. The interesting part is how much more Austin is like LA since that douchenozzle left in 2020, including the assload of new quality restaurants that have opened since then. If he only had some patience.
  11. AI is a grift. Those who perpetuate this grift will do anything, including putting children in harm's way, to make more money. Zuckerberg is a soulless cunt, and like many others, has too much money and zero regulation. That's about it.
  12. You just don't have the disruptive mindset necessary for tech work, bro.
  13. That list does help explain why Tesla drivers are the shittiest drivers on the road, as evidenced by Teslas having by far the highest accident rate of any manufacturer. I think part of it is also the one group you forgot: 5. Teenagers with stupid parents. Likely the same stupid parents who buy their kids e-bikes but don't bother teaching them how to ride safely. The teenagers get a pass, but the parents should be removed from society. Teslas are some of the least safe vehicles money can buy, despite some of the bullshit safety ratings they lean on. You are more likely to die in a Tesla crash than in any other major manufacturer's vehicles. They kill more motorcyclists and bicyclists than any other manufacturer, and even if they were extremely safe for the driver and passengers (they're not) no teenager should be driving something that can go from 0-60 in under 2 seconds. Fuck every last moron who buys one of these for their kids (or hands over the keys to their used one). The only manufacturers that can compare in the shitty driver category are BMW, Audi, Mercedes, and Lexus. Lexus can be attributed to the large number of old people who drive them, but it is less clear why the German vehicles are driven so poorly, as they seem to cover a wider age group. Does something about the cars turn people into shitty drivers, or are only shitty drivers drawn to BMW, Mercedes, and Audi? I suspect a certain type of person is drawn to these brands, and based on the way they drive, I further suspect narcissism may be the underlying cause, as these fuckers seem to have zero notions about sharing the road. In any event, Tesla drivers are the worst of all, as evidenced by their top spot for overall car accident rate.
  14. Used Onwell for the first time this year. They successfully reduced our assessed value by $56,000 and saved us a little over $ 1,000 this year. I may have done better on my own, but the time saved was worth it.
  15. It's amazing how well the bubbles we create for ourselves insulate us from reality.
  16. I didn't need another reason to never go to Walmart, but I'll go ahead and add this to the list.
  17. . . . Joe Rogan, Tucker Carlson, Ben Shapiro, Alex Jones . . .
  18. Agreed. They're the best dealer I've ever dealt with, for any brand.
  19. And here we are, living in a world where Chewy.com is profitable (albeit barely). Maybe it's the lack of a puppet.
  20. We can't all look like Carla Bruni-Sarkozy. I guess we're all just dudes.
  21. Expecting young people to recognize a guy who was a great pitcher, but only flashed for a relatively small window in a sport that is dying off faster than the Silent Generation, is a bit much. It's not like he's a legend of the game. Maybe if they only asked young baseball players in the Bay Area they'd get some more recognition, but I doubt it.
  22. What I'm gathering here is that she is a millennial Tucker Carlson.
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