Brisketexan

No. It wouldn't. And you know exactly why it wouldn't.

Of course. Because there is a near 100% chance that it becomes - like all such projects, but ESPECIALLY one under an entirely transactional regime - a project of "make shit super hard for the poor and middle class, make things lucrative and gravy for the rich, ESPECIALLY the rich/enterprises that have enough resources to ingratiate themselves with the regime." TLDR; Those with money and power will miraculously come out AHEAD in such efforts, those without money and power will inevitably find themselves fucked by such efforts. You know that's exactly how it will go.

Of course you are. Because pretty close to 100% of the time, "austerity" means "slash anything that benefits the middle and lower classes....but protect every cushy mechanism that benefits the rich/oligarchs." Time, and time, and time again -- here and everywhere else -- that's how it goes. An oligarch - a literal oligarch - who is the beneficiary of numerous government programs, payments, grants, and policies - is being put in charge of "government efficiency." There are only two possible ways it goes: 1) it goes nowhere, and is a total clown show, or 2) it provides massive benefits to the oligarch class, and nothing but harm to everyone else.

That image right there captures the exact moment of his spurting orgasm as one of his eyes stares at a child failing to be educated.

But in this case, you fail to understand how suggestable and malleable the DOTUS is. Elmo will submit a plan to eliminate all EV subsidies....except for companies that rhyme with "Messla." And a plan to privatize all functions of NASA, with the preferred bidder being any space launch company with a launch facility near the Texas-Mexico border. Etc. It's. All. Grift. All of it.

Imagine looking at Trumpism and its overt Christian Nationalism and then coming onto a board to gloat about….how “Christianity” isn’t entangled with the state? WTF? American “Christianity” is about as divorced from the gospel as you can get. It’s also entirely about asserting “religious” control of society and the government (the MAGA crowd is full-on into “seven mountains” dominionism - look it up, and I don’t mean “watch a stupid YouTube video”). You can preach MAGA. You can preach actual gospel-based Christianity. You cannot preach both.

Last known date was the exact moment Jesus breathed his last on the cross.

Huh. You sound like you doubt the quality of care that will be provided by Jared and Ivanka’s veterans healthcare and drive-thru, NOW WITH 70% PROFIT MARGINS. Heretic. Trump DOJ gonna come for you.

Your wife is throwing away kale. Every time she does that, it’s a positive entry on your ledger, don’t complain.

100%. Which he will use to prosecute the women who sued him.

Yep. And that combo of assholes gives us a nice opportunity to point out how both extremes (left and right) have worked together to fuck housing supply. But in Trumpland....what is the answer to why our housing supply is fucked? OBVIOUSLY, the problem is housepainters and roofers named Jorge taking up all of our housing supply.

I mean....the pure fucking genius here. Let's take a country that is operating at functionally zero unemployment.....and just eliminate millions and millions of workers. There's no way to cut that so it doesn't end up inflationary as hell. Either wages have to go WAY up to get people to process chickens in Arkansas (leading to inflation of prices) or plants are just gonna have to shut down (leading to reduced supply....leading to inflation). And that's just looking at food processing. Construction is similar, with the added bonus of throttling the supply of new housing coming to market (reduced supply.....yep, inflation of prices). Austin's housing supply isn't tight because some sheetrockers from Guatemala live here. Shit, most of the ones working in Austin DON'T live here -- they live in the hinterlands and distant burbs, in shitty housing. Every part of this is fucking dumb. ....and it's going to run 9 months behind schedule to get into it because of a construction worker shortage.

Also, I presume that if we show up at RDB, and holler back at the kitchen "I'm from the internet...MULEDICK!", we'll get special treatment. Right?

Yeah, I mean...remember the time Obama called everyone who wasn't on his team "vermin," and "thugs" and the like? Yeah, man....he was divisive. Not a uniter like TFG.

Nor should we. They literally chose this outcome, in spite of ALL of the evidence and warnings to the contrary. The only sane response should be

That's super cool to hear. seriously, congrats dad.

Yep. Can share details as needed. Daughter went to McGill, son is at U of Glasgow.

We've been, but it was just for a day and overnight -- did the Xmas market and cathedral. Didn't get to do the big museum or anything else. And sigh....this is getting to be a fucking mess. We WOULD go over there earlier (like, be there over new years), but my wife has a 12/31 wedding that she obviously can't move (she booked it when we presumed the kids could come home). So, we can't depart here until January 1. AND.....our daughter has to be back at work on January 6th. She could work from Germany (it's remote work, but it is during the work day, remote calls and such), but bottom line, we'll be able to see her that long weekend, and that's it. This is going to be complicated. And expensive (was already planning on two int'l airfares, but wasn't planning on a week's worth of hotels and other travel, trains, etc.).

Actually, I LOVE that he shared this. Because it points out how the idea of a "truce" is lost. Because for him, this is NOTHING but a "gotcha" to talk about how the left has it wrong on women. And ZERO acknowledgment of how fucking dangerous, harmful, and violent that the approach the right has taken with women. "Your body, my choice," and Andrew Tate-style "women are to be dominated and owned," and literally electing a man who is a bragging serial sexual predator who BRAGS about "grabbing them by the pussy," well......that's fine and dandy. The right doesn't have ANY problems with how it views and treats women. And we certainly don't have to worry about the problems they might have because hey, they aren't in power and aren't actively pushing policies on that front, right? What a fucking joke.

SO....early January in Germany (starting out in Frankfurt/Mainz area)....what to do/see? Seems that we will be going there for a late family Christmas. Many thanks to Vlad Putin (because of the war and the flood of Ukrainian refugees, the boy is stuck in Germany and can't leave. He is studying in Germany, and needs a student visa, which you get in-country....but all appointments are booked for months and months by the refugee flood, so he just has to stay put and not risk not being let back in the country to finish his studies). Daughter will fly over from the UK to meet us. We are pretty sure we need to say WITHIN Germany, due to the boy's visa concerns (we just aren't sure about him traveling in the rest of the Schengen area). We'll be in Mainz at first, where he is studying. We will spend family time together, probably get together with German family outside of Koblenz that weekend, but we'll have some time to be "touristy" for a few days. I'm sure that the first week of January is not a peak tourist season. Many sites may be closed. BUT, some won't be, there will be some other things to see and do. We haven't seen Nuremberg, Munich, or Dresden...maybe stuff there? We all love Berlin, maybe we visit there for a few days. Bottom line, any good options to see/do in central to southern Germany the first week of January?

Let's not disparage others on the spectrum by too much association here. Sure, he's on the spectrum. But his problem is that he's a giant fucking narcissist asshole.

Bingo. The United States "aspiring to be like that" is the problematic new trend. We used to make fun of backwards-ass authoritarian "papers, please" countries. We used to make fun of "fuck you, I got mine, so what if I cheated?" no rule-of-law having countries. Now, those are our fucking GOALS.

Yep. Which is why messaging needs to be sent with "what would a stupid, vindictive person voting against their own interests do?" in mind. Any winning electoral strategy has to find sufficient groups to shit on. Because the message of "hey, maybe we shouldn't hate people, maybe we should all poor oars and try to succeed together" is pussy loser talk. "Elect me, and I'll crush those Flemish bastards who are stealing all of your beloved pet weasels" or whatnot is the only winning approach. Unify against, not for. It's the only play.

Yeah.....my daughter and her friends are pretty boldly responding "your cock, my Glock." Misogynist men are emboldened as fuck (and why wouldn't they be? We just elected a sexual predator president (I mean....he actually brags about it), and the mouthpieces around him are often as bad or worse). They are openly threatening and taunting women in public and online -- emboldened by the election of DJT. But emboldened shitheels, acting purposefully to terrorize half the population, well....that will SURELY end well.