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[2025-04-04 16:26:12] - paul: i have two questions for you: what are the two worst things about the second trump administration so far? there is no second question. ~a
[2025-04-04 16:15:25] - my sister * has * a tesla and i'm not worried. ~a
[2025-04-04 16:14:44] - mig: your legit worries are not legit: 1 out of 10 domestic terrorists are left-wing extremists. you shouldn't be worried about either, because both are very uncommon: but, you should be much more worried of being hit by a right wing crazy in a car or with a gun. ~a
[2025-04-04 02:07:23] - My neighbor’s daughter has a tesla and parks it next to Michelle’s car. I’m legit worried about some lunatic shitter who thinks they’re saving democracy trying to pull something, which puts them and us at risk. - mig
[2025-04-04 02:06:04] - a: we aren’t public figures. I expect a lot more from elected public officials, who are. Trump was rightly blasted for not condemning the charlottesville tiki torchers. Its not unreasonable to hold these democrats to the same standard. - mig
[2025-04-03 16:13:31] - i haven't seen this reported in too many places (not on washington post or cnn?): trump's liberation day "tariff board" is full of lies. the numbers under "tariffs charged to the usa" is wrong. and not wrong in the "oops, off by a little bit, lets get lost in the statistics", but wrong in the "you even lied about what direction the trade imbalance was in". if we're supposed to remember/celebrate this day: why ruin it all with lies? ~a
[2025-04-03 16:05:41] - mig: "silence is complicity" hardly. i haven't seen you condemn the vandalism. i haven't condemned them. do you think you, and i are complicit in the vandalism? ~a
[2025-04-03 16:02:10] - paul: yes they are in order and my two that aren't extra credit are illegal (and immoral, and harmful) actions against the media and illegal (and immoral, and harmful) actions against the judiciary. ~a
[2025-04-03 15:48:52] - a: I'm going to assume yours are in order and that your two are the actions against media and judiciary. -Paul
[2025-04-03 15:48:00] - https://www.mediaite.com/tv/daily-shows-jordan-klepper-ribs-studio-audience-cheering-on-tesla-arson-wow-you-guys-like-petty-acts-of-domestic-terrorism/amp/ “Wow, you guys like petty acts of domestic terrorism, huh? Cool. Wow,” - mig
[2025-04-03 15:46:38] - a: I specifically said two in order to try to get people to focus on the worst ones. You cheated by picking too many.
-Paul[2025-04-03 15:45:42] - https://nypost.com/2024/12/10/us-news/ex-wapo-reporter-taylor-lorenz-says-she-felt-joy-over-assassination-of-unitedhealthcare-ceo-brian-thompson-feels-like-just and of course some think the murder was all fine and dandy. - mig
[2025-04-03 15:37:48] - As for Mangione it’s always “I don’t support murdering CEOs *but*” the but to me is an indicator that the first part isn’t very sincere. - mig
[2025-04-03 15:36:10] - a: I’ve yet to see any pol aside from Ro Khanna and John Fetterman really condemn the vandalism. “Silence is complicity”. - mig
[2025-04-03 05:40:23] - mig: who endorsed mangione or tesla vandalism? ~a
[2025-04-02 21:44:31] - a: I mean, what action has been has been a bit embarrassing. Angry man shaking his cane at trump. Angry man yelling at clouds in the senate chamber. Kind of sort of endorsing domestic terrorism (Luigi Mangione, Tesla vandalism). Threatening to shut down the government to accomplish ... something? - mig
[2025-04-02 19:01:44] - mig: "I’m more optimistic on the economic outlook than most" do you expect the outlook to undo the damage to our economy already done in 2025? ~a
[2025-04-02 18:58:27] - paul: 2. no. ~a
[2025-04-02 18:57:58] - paul: (1.5 extra credit: trump has single-handedly ruined the us reputation in the eyes of the world. "the gulf of the united states" buys us literally nothing. but also makes us a literal joke. same goes for all "greenland", "canada is the 51st state", "mexico is the 51st state" bullshit. it's an exchange of nothing: for something huge.) ~a
[2025-04-02 18:57:56] - paul: (1.4 extra credit: trump has single-handedly ruined the us economy. the US economy 2004-2024 beat the world economy every year: and usually by a lot. vti beats vxus every year. without fail: well, 2025 is the one exception to that rule. why would you want to "liberate" the US from 20 years of prosperity? ~a
[2025-04-02 18:57:54] - paul: (1.3 extra credit: doge. it is not efficient. it is worse than doing nothing. 500 billion added to the deficit will be very costly in the form of new extra debt payments we make every year in the name of doge: any amount of "savings" (i.e. irreparable destruction) won't possibly reach 500b. ALL doge is also clearly a COI: COI is illegal for good reason. it's illegal, it's immoral, it makes us a kleptocracy.) ~a
[2025-04-02 18:57:51] - paul: 1.1: actions against the media. if the government misbehaves, and the media has been destroyed: we are truly fucked. this one matters more than all the rest, imo. 1.2: actions against the judiciary. the things trump says and does against the judiciary ruling on his actions are blatantly illegal. and for good reason. ~a
[2025-04-02 18:19:01] - mig: you're optimistic about the lack of accountability? i guess it's paul's fault for giving "(1)" two parts. what have the democrats been doing in response? i haven't seen much action. ~a
[2025-04-02 17:01:20] - paul: 1) how the democrats have been acting in response 2) general lack of accountability. I do think I’m more optimistic on the economic outlook than most. - mig
[2025-04-02 16:42:15] - Questions for the board: (1) What are the two worst things about the second Trump administration so far? (2) Are there anythings that you are optimistic about? -Paul
[2025-04-02 16:41:32] - a: Not knowing what else was done wrong doesn't mean I don't think heads should roll (it also doesn't mean I do). Seems like separate issues. Seems reasonable for there to be some punishments over this given the magnitude of the error. -Paul
[2025-03-31 21:46:45] - If it were me, I'd probably be tossing Hegseth as well, but he's a Trump pet. So that won't happen. -- Xpovos
[2025-03-31 21:46:19] - It seems likely that Walz's head will roll--eventually. But this was an unforced error of a SNAFU. Totally witless. -- Xpovos
[2025-03-31 12:24:45] - paul: "having Goldberg on a war planning signal chat was bad?" yes that's right. conservative Reddit and lahren think heads should roll vs "I honestly don't know much else about what might have been done wrong". ~a
[2025-03-30 01:45:43] - a: I'm going to be honest. I have no idea what you're talking about in terms of me being too conservative. In terms of what? That... Clinton shouldn't have had a private email server and having Goldberg on a war planning signal chat was bad? -Paul
[2025-03-28 18:23:15] - 0.5 trillion onto the deficit ffs. the debt payments on that alone will negate any savings in perpetuity. we always knew doge was going to be an ironic name, but i don't think we could have predicted, how ironic, exactly. ~a
[2025-03-28 17:10:59] - paul: "Is it not secure enough" that's correct. especially this scenario: on high side email boxes you can still email the wrong person, but it'll be in a much smaller set of people that are at least cleared to the level of the thing you're sending. like, literally the networks are separated the physical layer. if you plug a S computer into a TS ethernet cable it won't work. (also you'll be in trouble, but that's a different issue) ~a
[2025-03-28 16:36:09] - paul: there's also this thing. you're not supposed to release battle damage assessments (or classified intel in general) willy nilly because it reveals the details of your intelligence agents behind enemy lines. ~a
[2025-03-28 13:04:22] - paul: according to npr, tomi lahren feels you're too conservative for her, as well. ~a
[2025-03-27 18:17:21] - paul: they can't decide if it's a show of strength to punish rule breakers: or if it is a show of strength to suggest rule breakers that work for him don't need to follow the law. ~a
[2025-03-27 18:15:41] - paul: i read the "conservative" reddit. it's not exactly a fair view of what conservatives think in general. . . . buuut the conservatives of reddit think your views are too conservative for even them. goldberg had the goods; so he wasn't lying; there was clearly highly classified information there: they think the whitehouse should have immediately fired waltz and "dressed down" hegseth/gabbard. ~a
[2025-03-27 16:42:05] - paul: and gabbard lying to congress? is that not "what might have been done wrong"? ~a
[2025-03-27 15:11:40] - paul: "I honestly don't know much else about what might have been done wrong" what? what about the hegseth thing? prior plans of an attack in the future? highly classified TS data? the kind of information that gets american service-members killed and wounded? that is "much else about what might have been done wrong"? . . . ? ~a
[2025-03-27 15:10:24] - paul: "didn't Clinton do the same thing in terms of deleting emails?" according to "the former head of litigation at NARA, described the practice as 'highly unusual' but not a violation of the law". in other words, according to this lawyer, they were following the laws that govern NARA. ~a
[2025-03-27 15:07:02] - a: Either way, I want to be clear, this seems pretty bad on all sorts of levels. Including the level that nobody seems to be talking about: Why are we bombing Yemen? -Paul
[2025-03-27 15:03:59] - a: I have no idea what a low side communications channel is. Are you referring to signal? Is it not secure enough? -Paul
[2025-03-27 15:03:00] - a: Although it is ironic if the data deletion is problematic, because didn't Clinton do the same thing in terms of deleting emails?
-Paul[2025-03-27 15:02:17] - a: I was referring to the inclusion of the journalist on the signal group. I honestly don't know much else about what might have been done wrong. I just found out about the data deletion last night. -Paul
[2025-03-27 14:59:27] - paul: what hegseth did was probably the worst offense morally. but gabbard blatantly lying to congress is also arguably maybe the worst legally? ~a
[2025-03-27 14:03:53] - paul: hegseth took high side TS classified and protected data and put it in a low side communications channel. that is serious prison time. i assume you don't mean that mistake. ~a
[2025-03-27 14:03:32] - paul: "This appears to have been a single mistake" ??? oh, which mistake? waltz selected "1 week" for data to be deleted (and later changed to 4 weeks). the laws that regulate communications between any two government officials forbids the destruction of data within 1 week or 4 weeks: all this data is legally required to be sent to NARA for later declassification. i assume you don't mean that mistake. ~a
[2025-03-27 02:50:13] - a: "europe and china have proven strategies for implementation" But the US isn't Europe and China. We have different geographies and systems of government and political realities. What about recent US history makes you think high speed rail is workable here? -Paul
[2025-03-27 02:48:34] - a: "i know you're joking. but, no" Counter-point: The email server was done deliberately, and intentionally, with multiple decisions involved. This appears to have been a single mistake. Still, I think it's fair to say both were bad. -Paul
[2025-03-27 02:46:36] - a: "local media is mostly owned by sinclair inc" I don't think a significant portion of media coverage of national COVID lockdowns would be produced/consumed by local media. That seems more the purview of cable news and national news. -Paul
[2025-03-27 02:43:18] - a: "if high speed rail is cheaper, easier, (sometimes) faster, without the long TSA lines, then why?" Convenience? Maybe they disagree about it being easier or cheaper? Remember how we disagreed about whether Metro was superior to driving into DC? -Paul
[2025-03-27 02:41:29] - a: Maybe, but I just don't know if it makes sense to build out all the infrastructure everywhere for trains which might be marginally better for medium length trips when we already have infrastructure for cars and planes which can fill that purpose almost as well. -Paul
[2025-03-27 02:40:27] - a: To me, planes are clearly superior for long distance travel. And for local (ie, to the local grocery store or school or whatever) trains seem clearly to not be an option. Could trains be a slightly better option for those medium length trips (~100 miles)? -Paul
[2025-03-27 02:37:36] - a: "but there are very few jobs i think the car is best suited for" Right, I almost preempted this by mentioning that this feels to me like an extension of your thoughts on cars vs bikes where one option seems clearly better but for some reason you prefer the other.
-Paul[2025-03-26 23:48:58] - a: i mean ask James Clapper. - mig
[2025-03-26 19:56:26] - i know lying to congress is usually a "no no". is that no longer a thing? ~a
[2025-03-26 15:33:30] - mig: yeah, i did not predict this happening at all. "i assume she knows jeffrey goldberg won't out her obvious lies because he'd be breaking the law to do so" this was me like 24 hours ago. ~a
[2025-03-26 15:26:53] - still dunce cap on me for today. - mig
[2025-03-26 15:14:25] - a: stand corrected, though still annoyed at the Atlantic for the paywall. - mig
[2025-03-26 15:12:29] - mig: "None of this seems particularly sensitive" ??? i'd feel weird quoting specific updates, because this is 100% TS. hell, i feel very weird *reading* this: knowingly reading TS stuff not for you is very against the rules. these plans were distributed before any troops were in contact: that is the kind of information that gets american service-members killed and wounded. i feel weird even saying this much in a public place. ~a
[2025-03-26 15:02:35] - mig: i had to click "option 3" here to read, but ymmv. ~a
[2025-03-26 14:58:00] - A big what the fucking fuck to the atlantic for paywalling their article that released the full chat btw. - mig
[2025-03-26 14:56:50] - This is still very embarrassing for the administration but from a national security perspective this seems like a big fat nothing burger. - mig
[2025-03-26 14:55:48] - a: https://x.com/shawn_farash/status/1904876980496970010 full signal chat. None of this seems particularly sensitive. Gabbard seems to be correct. Calling this “war plans” seems to be a real stretch. - mig
[2025-03-26 14:45:17] - paul: "not using eminent domain" why? ~a
[2025-03-26 14:44:10] - paul: "Do you think that's at all practical given the realities on the ground in California and what has happened so far?" wholly and emphatically yes. maybe not in california. maybe not in 2025. but i say we can start digging in 2026. europe and china have proven strategies for implementation. ~a
[2025-03-26 14:42:08] - paul: "is this better or worse than a private email server" i know you're joking. but, no. this is not the same. there were no target priorities discussed. there were no weapons packages chosen. cia assets were not exposed. timing and details of dod engagements were not discussed. zero TS data was found. no journalists were invited into private conversations. bringing up the email server is an indictment: not an excuse. ~a
[2025-03-26 14:37:12] - paul: "leanings of the mainstream media" local media is mostly owned by sinclair inc. so, with that in mind, you think the leanings of the mainstream media would expose you to pro-covid viewpoints more, or less, i'm not sure i follow that. "generally liberal leaning friends"
ok. ~a[2025-03-26 14:32:22] - paul: "I'm guessing a lot of people would still opt for flying" if high speed rail is cheaper, easier, (sometimes) faster, without the long TSA lines, then why? i mean some would, because some people are irrational. but i think a significant majority would take the cheaper, easier, faster choice that doesn't have long TSA lines. ~a
[2025-03-26 14:30:06] - paul: "cars serve a much different purpose than planes? Or trains?" train trips can steal (the wasted fuel, and wasted money, and unreliability, and lines from) long car trips or domestic plane trips. they serve a different purpose how? i'm all about *not* having a one-size-fits all tool, but instead using the right tool for each job. but there are very few jobs i think the car is best suited for: outside of rural areas, that is. ~a
[2025-03-26 14:01:19] - a: reducing carbon emissions and not using eminent domain and the list goes on and on. -Paul
[2025-03-26 14:00:47] - a: Which make high speed rail nearly impossible. It's not just a matter of "doing it the right way", you need to reverse the whole idea of researching environmental concerns and serving "underserved communities" and... -Paul
[2025-03-26 13:59:39] - a: "Let us make high speed rail the right way?" Do you think that's at all practical given the realities on the ground in California and what has happened so far? It seems to me there are multiple layers of regulations... -Paul
[2025-03-26 13:57:24] - a: "weren't you saying that you didn't know many people that used signal?" Not trying to do whataboutism, just a bad joke, but is this better or worse than a private email server?
-Paul[2025-03-26 13:55:15] - a: So now maybe it's not that more people are anti-lockdown, but we just area hearing more from them? And realizing there were more than we thought? And that's making the mainstream media sit up and take notice? -Paul
[2025-03-26 13:54:23] - a: I suspect that before, given the leanings of the mainstream media and social media censorship and my own personal bubble (Northern Virginia and generally liberal leaning friends), I didn't get a lot of exposure to people who were anti-lockdown almost from the start. -Paul
[2025-03-26 13:53:14] - a: I realized I never replied to your bit about Rogan/Musk lower information quality. That wasn't the point I was trying to get at. I wasn't talking about information quality, I was talking about being exposed to the opinions of Americans. -Paul
[2025-03-26 13:51:42] - a: Even for a rail line that makes the most sense (I would assume Miami -> DC -> NY generally) I'm guessing a lot of people would still opt for flying. -Paul
[2025-03-26 13:50:31] - a: In a country the size of the US, and with the pre-existing infrastructure that we have in terms of airports and roads. -Paul
[2025-03-26 13:49:45] - a: But cars serve a much different purpose than planes? Or trains? I'm perfectly willing to be in incompetent politicians screwing up high speed rail, but that still doesn't mean high speed rail would necessarily make sense... -Paul
[2025-03-25 19:19:51] - tulsi gabbard: "there was no classified information that was shared in that signal chat". she just lied. to. congress. full stop. jeffrey goldberg has all of that evidence, what is she doing? i assume she knows jeffrey goldberg won't out her obvious lies because he'd be breaking the law to do so. ~a
[2025-03-25 18:58:52] - mig: imagine the same number of units as sfh. it would be insanity? ~a
[2025-03-25 18:58:13] - mig: oh, i'm 100% the same way. i'm an outdoorsy person who loves skyline drive / shenandoah national park / shenandoah valley / george washington national forest / etc. i spend a lot of time outside walking, riding, and taking public transit. i see "apartment and condo buildings" as better for scenic views than the equivalent number of sfh units. it's not even close, right? it's like . . . orders of magnitude better? ~a
[2025-03-25 17:09:22] - a: Michelle is a very scenic person so she is hating seeing all the apartment and condo buildings everywhere that are blocking her “views” - mig
[2025-03-25 16:09:39] - mig: "Let’s ignore all the decades of mismanagement" here, i'm not sure i agree. let's . . . not . . . ignore decades of mismanagement? let us start anew. let us make high speed rail the right way? ~a
[2025-03-25 16:07:19] - mig: "Michelle hates it" can you give any details? "the unwillingness of democrats in general to change course when its obviously apparent some policies have gone sideways" / "zero appetite for introspection" agreed agreed! "Instead it always seems to be people are just dumb or gop is bad and responsible somehow" it's funny, most people i see are noticing that everything is blamed on the democrats (especially when not warranted). ~a
[2025-03-25 15:06:15] - Likewise with high speed rail. Let’s ignore all the decades of mismanagement or maybe the fact such a project might just be impractical. Tesla man bad! - mig
[2025-03-25 15:05:00] - There seems to be essentially zero appetite for introspection. There’s no “Maybe our regulatory framework is maybe squeezing people out?” Instead it always seems to be people are just dumb or gop is bad and responsible somehow. - mig
[2025-03-25 15:02:36] - a: its true eventually housing prices do eventually have to come down and maybe people will start moving back. But that begs one of the main points of the video - the unwillingness of democrats in general to change course when its obviously apparent some policies have gone sideways. - mig
[2025-03-25 15:00:04] - a: well supply is building around here. Our area has a ton of construction and new living units around. Michelle hates it. - mig
[2025-03-25 14:18:15] - mig: posted last night in the local nova subreddit. i of course know the "she's never seen anything like this" is bullshit, but the rest is interesting i guess. people do want to live in nova (and, also, we need more supply). ~a
[2025-03-25 14:04:23] - mig: at some point, though, you can't have it both ways: high prices and nobody wants it. at some point, regulatory and nimby conditions be damned: someone has to *want* to buy all the houses on the market, at all times, or prices will fall. but still i agree, nimby and regulatory conditions will keep prices higher than normal. ~a
[2025-03-25 14:01:41] - mig: yes, i agree. ~a
[2025-03-25 13:59:09] - paul: meme 1. but, like, seriously, if america is too big, china is too big. meme 2. but, like, seriously, if america is too big for rail, it's too big for your dumb slow cars. ~a
[2025-03-25 13:56:24] - a: yes under normal conditions pricing would go down in that case, but the regulatory and nimby conditions still drive costs in those places to still be unaffordable. - mig
[2025-03-25 13:37:49] - paul: "isn't quite so good in the US" no it isn't quite so good in the us because our politicians (and unelected special interest elon musks) don't commit to making it work: instead they actively fight to keep it from working. it not only has the possibility of removing *some* airplane trips, it has the possibility of removing *some* car trips. "Japan tends to rock at things" we agree here. i've never been to japan, but i agree. ~a
[2025-03-25 07:09:40] - a: Asking Grok (because you used the term) and it claims that counting all the airport time, trains can be faster over shorter distances, which is probably why it works for a smaller place like Europe but isn't quite so good in the US (which is considerably larger). -Paul
[2025-03-25 07:06:53] - a: I've ridden the trains in Japan and they were nice, but that could just be because Japan tends to rock at things (IMHO). Also, Japan is a lot smaller? And it didn't seem to be faster than a plane. In fact, it kind of seems a little ridiculous to claim that trains are faster than planes? This kind of reminds me of our bike vs car debate where it seems like one method is clearly superior.
-Paul[2025-03-24 21:51:27] - there is just so much damaging stuff in this article, i can't even begin to imagine the damaging stuff that was so over the top, that he decided not to publish it. we'd all be quite quickly escorted off to a jail cell if we did one tenth of stuff he decided he could publish about. fucking ALL of this is shit classified. especially (but not limited to!) what i'm sure he left out. ~a
[2025-03-24 21:25:21] - that article is chocked full of tantalizing details. "if you think we should do it let’s go. I just hate bailing Europe out again" (jfc) "I will not quote from this update, or from certain other subsequent texts. The information contained in them, if they had been read by an adversary of the United States, could conceivably have been used to harm American military and intelligence personnel" i predict zero repercussions. ~a
[2025-03-24 21:21:53] - paul: weren't you saying that you didn't know many people that used signal? well if it's good enough for us to send precise information about weapons packages, targets, and timing directly to journalists (turn off javascript!) then it's good enough for me. ~a
[2025-03-24 18:00:07] - paul: i'm obsessed because it works so insanely well in other countries? they got cleaner (much cleaner), faster (sometimes faster), cheaper (much cheaper), more reliable transportation, without long TSA lines. using trains are often staggeringly painless: if you don't travel abroad i could imagine you not grokking this concept. it seems like a win-win to me. the only ones that lose are the . . . i dunno, washington insiders? ~a
[2025-03-24 17:53:21] - paul: "make a 180 and suddenly start supporting stuff like more housing" it's the nimby's usually that reject supporting more housing: environmental groups are usually not the ones that prevent you from converting the dilapidated house on the corner into a duplex. nimby's are often (usually?) democrats, so i'm not throwing shade at republicans . . . especially in areas that are democrat-controlled. ~a
[2025-03-24 17:50:46] - mig: "People are leaving is mass numbers" ok, but shouldn't that help with the price of housing? (i still think creating more supply is the correct answer for democrats: but at least decreasing demand, would be a great way to help the price of housing) ~a
[2025-03-24 16:20:56] - Also, and this is an honest question and not a troll, but can anybody explain to me the obsession with high speed rail? We have airports and planes now which seem superior in most ways (and I say this as somebody who doesn't like flying). -Paul
[2025-03-24 16:19:21] - I think too many interest groups of the left are too focused on the scarcity mindset of environmentalism and punishing the rich to get them to make a 180 and suddenly start supporting stuff like more housing. -Paul
[2025-03-24 16:17:58] - a: I finished the NYT video. I think Ezra correctly identifies a lot of the problems with left but I really don't know why he suspects that the Democrats are better equipped to handle these things. He keeps throwing out strawman attacks on the right about how they want government to fail, where are the people who are fleeing liberals states going to? Republican led states. He even cites the housing policy of Texas as something to emulate.
[2025-03-24 12:10:53] - a: "too many people wanting to live there" is no longer true. People are leaving is mass numbers. Blue states are projected to lose maybe 10 EVs to purple-ish or red states. That's alarming. - mig
[2025-03-23 21:37:22] - paul: "hear more from those people" we hear more from those Joe Rogan like people? and musk's version of "free speech"? based on this alone, i feel like we are now likely to get a lower information to noise ratio. not higher. if you think more people are hearing the truth about lockdowns from rogan and musk, that sounds more like an indictment of your position than an endorsement? ~a
[2025-03-23 14:19:30] - Like, roughly the same number of people are questioning lockdowns, but now because of things like Musk buying Twitter and the rise of things like the Free Press and Joe Rogan we hear more from those people. -Paul
[2025-03-23 14:18:38] - I've been thinking more about this, and I do think that I don't know many people who have significantly changed their opinion on lockdowns. I think what might have happened is that the gatekeepers keeping discussion of this suppressed have weakened. -Paul
[2025-03-23 14:17:11] - I haven't finished it, and I feel like it has more fluff than I would like, but it's a NYT podcast dedicating an entire episode to questioning if COVID lockdowns were worth it and going into how badly we handled our response to the pandemic... -Paul
[2025-03-23 14:16:18] - https://www.nytimes.com/2025/03/20/podcasts/the-daily/were-the-covid-lockdowns-worth-it.html Xpovos also passed this along to me and I'm listening to this episode as well. It touches on our previous topic on if opinion has shifted on COVID lockdowns. -Paul
[2025-03-23 14:14:53] - a: Sorry, I'll find some time to watch the video. I've also started listening to a podcast that I think (maybe?) discusses something similar ( https://www.thefp.com/p/ezra-klein-and-derek-thompson ) -Paul
[2025-03-21 23:12:50] - mig: "nobody wants to live in the places they enjoy essentially complete control of running things" i'm pretty sure (one of) the problems is that too many people want to live in these places? though i agree they aren't exactly solving that problem. ~a
[2025-03-21 18:27:18] - a: The money quote hits me because it hits at a foundational problem for democrats - nobody wants to live in the places they enjoy essentially complete control of running things. - mig
[2025-03-21 17:10:25] - the raising costs of homes in democratic districts is a proof of demand: americans (americans here excepting) want to live in and near cities. so naturally the price goes up. i 100% agree with the video that creating supply should be the solution to a supply and demand problem like this one. and i agree that governments constantly make it needlessly expensive to create supply. ~a
[2025-03-21 17:04:58] - paul: watch the video version, there is no paywall on the video (the video is supported by ads). your thoughts aren't exactly on topic, no. he does talk about doge and musk a bunch, but not in those contexts. ~a
[2025-03-21 17:02:44] - mig: "the answer to a politics of scarcity, is a politics of abundance" "the maga right is dangerous: a resistance is needed. but so too, is an alternative" these are the money quotes
~a[2025-03-21 17:02:25] - mig: great video, thanks. i'm not sure i agree at all with your "money quote" though: that seemed to just be the opener. "sometimes the government needs to get out of the way: like in housing". i am constantly bringing this up here: both parties are terrible about making it hard to create housing supply (and "parking minimums" is the one i'm constantly bringing up). ~a
[2025-03-20 22:56:09] - Which sucks up all the oxygen and naturally and understandably causes the left to have a knee-jerk insta-hatred of anything they're doing. -Paul
[2025-03-20 22:55:29] - Like, there could exist a universe where DOGE efforts would be bipartisan (after all, who wants to be seen as in favor of fraud and waste?). Instead, everything is framed as some massive leftist conspiracy trying to end democracy. -Paul
[2025-03-20 22:54:18] - I'm cock-blocked by a paywall, but I have some thoughts that are hopefully on topic: One of the most frustrating things about how DOGE (and specifically Musk) is going about things is that that it's maximum troll-mode. -Paul
[2025-03-20 22:13:39] - Text version, for people like me: https://www.nytimes.com/2025/03/09/opinion/musk-trump-doge-abundance-agenda.html. — Xpovos
[2025-03-17 16:01:43] - money quote: “You cannot be the party of working families when the places you govern are places working families cannot afford.” - mig
[2025-03-17 15:59:03] - https://www.nytimes.com/video/opinion/100000010037751/there-is-a-liberal-answer-to-elon-musk.html i don’t agree with all of this but if the democratic party sounded like this I could maybe get behind it. - mig
[2025-03-15 12:01:34] - a: How is "Trump is/was a Putin puppet" any different from "Hillary Clinton had a bunch of people murdered" or "Obama was born in Nigeria"? -Paul
[2025-03-15 12:00:30] - a: "how so, is it a conspiracy theory?" Because it was a salacious and pretty radical theory which ended up having no evidence to support it but it didn't stop people from believing in a vast network of lies covering it up. -Paul
[2025-03-15 11:59:13] - a: We were arresting people for doing stuff like jogging on a beach and governments were pouring sand in skate parks to discourage people from playing outside. -Paul
[2025-03-15 11:57:08] - a: "how so, did they go to far?" In a bunch of ways, including: (1) 15 days to slow the spread turned into how many months/years? (2) America kept kids out of school (and masked) for longer than most other countries... -Paul
[2025-03-14 14:27:35] - paul: different news sources having different opinions on that sort of editorializing doesn't surprise me terribly. those are both things that it's hard to prove definitively either way. to both of them i'd obviously push back though: how so, did they go to far? how so, is it a conspiracy theory? ~a
[2025-03-13 22:42:51] - and "the Russia / Trump connection was pretty clearly debunked and could even be considered a conspiracy theory at this point". And that's something that I think a very sizeable portion of the population would strongly disagree with. -Paul
[2025-03-13 22:41:30] - COVID lockdowns and the Trump / Russia investigation are two areas where I feel like there is a big divergence of opinions. Lots of the news and opinion sources I tend to read and listen to skew a lot towards "we can clearly see now that lockdowns went way too far"... -Paul
[2025-03-13 14:06:36] - a: Hmmm, okay. So I think we mostly agree. I think any generation with memory of COVID lockdowns is going to be more against lockdowns in the future. That probably equates to something like 80+ years of lockdown hesitancy? -Paul
[2025-03-11 15:43:53] - paul: iow, i think a small minority would support a lockdown in 2025. ~a
[2025-03-11 15:41:38] - paul: the main discriminating factor imo is the year. 1918 influenza pandemic to 2020 covid was 102 years. if covid's successor hits us in 2122, then i think we'll have our shit together. in 2025 we have way too much scar tissue. ~a
[2025-03-11 13:57:10] - a: Trump was the man in charge when we locked down as a country. Maga was generally against lockdowns (ironically). I'm not sure I see the clear correlation? Are you saying the left wouldn't support a lockdown under Trump? -Paul
[2025-03-11 12:25:11] - Trump / Maga would fuck everything up at every turn. Again. Do you not remember about drinking bleach and using powerful ultraviolet lights? ~a
[2025-03-11 06:18:17] - a: Wait, what's the connection between tolerance for lockdowns and Trump / MAGA? -Paul
[2025-03-10 18:44:15] - paul: depends entirely on way too many details on who and when and where etc. 2025? under trump? omg. 2125, after we've rid ourselves of the maga and gotten back to some normalcy regarding anti-facism and pro-democracy? then sure. ~a
[2025-03-10 18:13:28] - a: "mentally bringing people back into a pandemic to score a few points on bhattacharya would backfire" Yeah, you could be right. Do you think if we have another COVID style (similar fatality and infection rates) pandemic the country would support lockdowns again? -Paul
[2025-03-10 15:00:11] - paul: "don't you think that would've been brought up during the confirmation hearing at least once" no because "nobody seems to want to be associated with supporting lockdowns anymore": it's the cognitave dissonance i was referring to: mentally bringing people back into a pandemic to score a few points on bhattacharya would backfire. ~a
[2025-03-10 14:57:01] - paul: "I'm sure she was brought up before" it was 2021 and 2022 between you and miguel mostly, so pre-luigi: sounds like libsoftiktok, and her lying about stuff, and washington post editing articles, and a bunch of other tucker carlson related things. ~a
[2025-03-10 03:18:49] - a: "i don't know who that is" Oh, man. I'm jealous. I wish I didn't know. I'm sure she was brought up before. Perhaps most recently as the person who started suggesting additional health insurance CEOs who needed Luigi-ing? -Paul
[2025-03-10 03:17:31] - a: It started off basically as an advisory board until various administrations kept promotion it and giving it more power and money (peppered by the occasional attempts to disband it). What's the well detailed plan? -Paul
[2025-03-10 03:15:41] - a: Semantics, perhaps? I don't doubt the ~4k employees are doing a fair amount of stuff, but I challenge you to read through the history of the department on Wikipedia and tell me there was a well-thought out plan for it all along. -Paul
[2025-03-10 01:40:04] - paul: i don't know who that is. like I've googled her and I still don't know who that is. having an autoimmune disease does suck though, i feel for her. ~a
[2025-03-10 01:38:17] - paul: who says there is no plan? I think there is a very well detailed plan? i think if anything, too much planning (strings attached) may be part of the problem. ~a
[2025-03-09 16:54:26] - a: "covid is over?" Don't tell Taylor Lorenz! I think it's a decent point, but if people thought lockdowns were warranted during COVID don't you think that would've been brought up during the confirmation hearing at least once? -Paul
[2025-03-09 16:50:51] - a: And is something people tend to do when they want to seem to be helping without knowing how best to solve the problem. -Paul
[2025-03-09 16:50:04] - a: "why do you think it isn't showing up in the numbers?" Because I don't think just throwing money at a problem necessarily fixes it. In fact, I think without a plan it can be detrimental... -Paul
[2025-03-08 20:52:29] - mig: well that's just your opinion, man. i think if some major concessions are made on both sides a peace deal can be struck. us boots on the ground is obviously a non-starter over the next four years. but, europe has fought in european wars in the past. i don't think european boots on the ground is a non-starter. ~a
[2025-03-08 20:50:13] - paul: "Nobody seems to want to be associated with supporting lockdowns anymore". the key word in that sentence for me is "anymore". of course nobody wants lockdowns anymore: covid is over? even discussing lockdowns in today's covid-is-over world is a bit of cognitive dissonance. we'll collectively discuss lockdowns again if the next covid-sized pandemic hits. until then it's up to scientists to learn and plan. ~a
[2025-03-08 20:45:54] - paul: "then why isn't it showing up in the numbers?" why do you think it isn't showing up in the numbers? ~a
[2025-03-07 20:31:26] - There was hope maybe 2 years ago that maybe Russia would burn out militarily and/or economically that might make it possible for Ukraine to drive Russia out, but those days are long past. - mig
[2025-03-07 20:25:11] - So yes if he’s still taking the stance that russia has to withdraw from their territories, he’s pushing for forever war. - mig
[2025-03-07 20:23:51] - a: at the moment ukraine demanding any territory back is not grounded in reality. There isn’t a deal i see that would get Russia to willingly withdraw and Ukraine lacks the capacity to kick them out, even with the aid we’ve been giving them. The only way he gets any territory back is US boots on the ground, which I think nobody except the Ukrainians are up for. - mig
[2025-03-07 18:25:34] - But I do think it's an interesting point that is raised. Nobody seems to want to be associated with supporting lockdowns anymore. Long term did the anti-lockdown crowd win popular opinion? -Paul
[2025-03-07 18:24:46] - https://reason.com/2025/03/06/jay-bhattacharyas-confirmation-hearing-proves-the-lockdown-skeptics-won/ I'm curious if people here agree with this take. It certainly doesn't feel to me as if the "lockdown skeptics won"... -Paul
[2025-03-07 18:24:02] - a: If money (presumably from the Department of Education) helps, then why isn't it showing up in the numbers? The only number that seems to go up is money spent. -Paul
[2025-03-07 17:27:20] - neither outlet "called my office to ask,". i don't believe you meme. "SWEARING ME IN ON INAUGURATION DAY" jesus christ, does this guy ever allow himself to tell the truth? ~a
[2025-03-07 17:24:50] - paul: there are many ways of resolving a budget shortfall. but, money, is usually a way that can help. strings-attached-money does sometimes suck, but you don't have to take money with strings attached. ~a
[2025-03-07 17:23:15] - mig: i don't think he's been pushing for a forever war, or asking for unreasonable things. it could be with crimea, he's asking for something, so if he gets everything *except* crimea, he can grant that win to the enemy. it seems like negotiating-101 and typical "overton window" behavior. you don't think demanding crimea back is unreasonable, do you? someone takes vermont (same land size) then we demand it back, that is unreasonable? ~a
[2025-03-07 15:13:03] - https://www.cato.org/blog/public-school-spending-theres-chart This is old, and maybe there is an updated one, but for the past few decades we've thrown more and more money at education with nearly unchanged results (it's probably worse now post-COVID). -Paul
[2025-03-07 15:12:28] - a: "some poorer areas might get worse off is where i'd like to focus" I guess I would challenge the assumption that those poorer areas would be worse off. Less funding? Maybe. Worse off? Not sure. -Paul
[2025-03-07 15:06:41] - a: Sorry, my larger point was that he shouldn't have been prickly because... not that he was. There's a pretty big chasm between coming in humble and being prickly, though, and lots of room for interpretation. -Paul
[2025-03-07 14:29:27] - Zelensky up until recenetly has been pushing for a forever war, and that is also not reasonable. - mig
[2025-03-07 14:28:06] - a: The problems with our education system go well beyond simply funding and I think the doe is part of those problems. - mig
[2025-03-07 14:25:06] - a: zelensky has demanded in the past (and i believed he still was pushing for it in the WH meeting). That he wants Russia to get pushed back out of their current holdings in Ukraine, including Crimea, and membership in NATO. As morally right he is about that it’s not reasonable given the realities of the war and the politics. - mig
[2025-03-07 14:06:44] - this is a real website on whitehouse.gov. posted to reddit under "confidently incorrect". (they are, possibly intentionally, confusing transgenic for transgender) ~a
[2025-03-07 14:06:29] - paul: so, some poorer areas might get worse off is where i'd like to focus: is it worth it for you? worth it, so they can get funding. for me, yes, since i don't usually see the doed meddle in state schools to their detriment, it's worth it to me. in general, i like states to handle their own; take care of their own poor schools on their own: but in specific many states choose to let their poor schools wither and that's not great. ~a
[2025-03-07 14:01:05] - paul: your larger point does not hold because i don't think zelensky was prickly. he shouldn't have been, and he wasn't, prickly. he was, if anything, overly reasonable. ~a
[2025-03-07 00:06:29] - a: So, yeah, some poorer areas might get worse off, but the Department of Education also undoubtedly adds another layer (or two) of bureaucracy and provides a lever for the Federal Government to meddle in state schools (like with women's sports). -Paul
[2025-03-07 00:05:12] - a: "without doed, poor areas of poor states won't have public (or otherwise) education" The numbers I have seen indicate that an average of 10% of school system funding comes from the Federal Government (up to maybe 20% for poor areas). -Paul
[2025-03-07 00:00:46] - a: I can't recall others (or find them after a quick check), but it was a sentiment I saw a few times on my X feed that day. -Paul
[2025-03-06 23:55:54] - a: "who is this specifically referring to?" Gosh, I don't know if I can remember them all. One is Konstantin Kisin: https://x.com/KonstantinKisin/status/1895610683103781075 -Paul
[2025-03-06 23:53:30] - a: "i think we all recognize that donald trump's interests are often the polar opposite from american interest." Agreed, but with the caveat that it's often unclear what exactly are American interests. -Paul
[2025-03-06 23:52:38] - a: "implies you don't get things in return" That's fair. I was more thinking of our arrangement prior and not that he was here to negotiate those mineral rights. I still think my larger point holds. -Paul
[2025-03-06 17:26:23] - (picking yourself up by your bootstraps is impossible if you are uneducated) ~a
[2025-03-06 17:25:13] - paul: without doed, poor areas of poor states won't have public (or otherwise) education. public schools would not be able to have a functioning budget. children would get "left behind". this is not in our best interests. and, imo, this is bipartisan: republicans should not want an uneducated citizenry either. ~a
[2025-03-06 17:16:18] - paul: "People whose opinion I respect" who is this specifically referring to? who stated these things? i'm curious, more than anything, where paul gets this news. ~a
[2025-03-06 17:14:35] - paul: i think we all recognize that donald trump's interests are often the polar opposite from american interest. agreed? ~a
[2025-03-06 17:13:12] - paul: americans get rare earth minerals, and we get a more stable region (and a less powerful russia?): something that is very much in our interest. ~a
[2025-03-06 17:11:58] - paul: "given he is effectively asking for charity" although i agree with your sentiment (zelensky should NOT be prickly in this situation), charity "effectively" implies you don't get things in return. this is a 2-for-2 deal: the ukranians get money for their rare earth minerals, and the ukrainians get weapons, (and, imo, ukranians get american-mineral-interests-in-ukraine which will be a deterrent from distant future attacks). ~a
[2025-03-06 16:49:23] - a: It really is a great example of the downside to something like the Department of Education and I hope at least some liberals realized it. It's a gateway for allowing the federal government to control what should be state controlled (public education). -Paul
[2025-03-06 16:48:25] - a: It's not the same as your DEI / DC law, but I was just thinking about how the Trump admin effectively used the Department of Education to force schools to not allow transgender athletes in women's sports. -Paul
[2025-03-06 16:46:07] - https://www.thefp.com/p/a-20-billion-slush-fund-nonprofits I want to be cautious to not give too much credence to early reports on something as fast moving as DOGE, but if even half of this is true it really does look pretty bad. -Paul
[2025-03-06 16:44:59] - mig: Yeah, I think it can both be that Trump / Vance were confrontational AND that Zelensky should've been a bit less prickly given he is effectively asking for charity. Reminder that I haven't seen any of the video, though! -Paul
[2025-03-04 22:38:40] - a: DC isn’t a state. If that law passes, it’s not going to have much of a constitutional leg to stand on. — Xpovos
[2025-03-04 19:15:10] - a: zelensky just went in less than 24 hours from “ end of war is very, very far away“ to “ok we’ll come to the table for peace now.” - mig
[2025-03-04 18:24:28] - tenth amendment anyone? ~a
[2025-03-04 18:15:12] - mig: what reversal? how is this a reversal? ~a
[2025-03-04 17:02:56] - https://x.com/ZelenskyyUa/status/1896948147085049916 thats quite the reversal. - mig
[2025-03-04 14:34:04] - paul: whether trump/vance were an ass was beside the point. He needs US support to keep his country from going under. There’s no reason to try and poke the bear. - mig
[2025-03-04 14:28:35] - a: what do you think zelensky was trying to accomplish? - mig
[2025-03-04 14:27:32] - https://apnews.com/article/russia-ukraine-war-zelenskyy-starmer-trump-b025877c40ffe0ddf2a92adad1715231 this doesn’t sound like someone interested in peace and makes me further think he didn’t come to the WH in friday in good faith. - mig
[2025-03-04 05:42:09] - a: I think you could be right about Twitter / X. I don't know if I necessarily agree with your evaluation that Musk sucks at his job (presumably as owner of Twitter), but I do think his ownership actively drives lots of people away and it seems likely an open source or decentralized thing could replace it. -Paul
[2025-03-04 05:40:39] - a: I suspect a lot depends on your opinion of the various parties going in. If you view Zelynsky as a guy who should be humbly coming to us to ask for charity.... you probably didn't see him as sufficiently passive. If you see him as a hero and Trump as a lying jackass.... you probably appreciate him not being submissive. -Paul
[2025-03-04 05:38:47] - a: "paul, do you agree with this assessment of the meeting?" I somehow managed to avoid ALL video of the meeting. I just honestly can't stand listening to Trump talk. I will say this: People whose opinion I respect originally said Trump and Vance were WAY out of line when they watched edited snippets, but then they later went back to watch the whole (50 minute?) video and said they changed their mind some. -Paul
[2025-03-03 17:11:11] - https://www.nbcnews.com/news/amp/rcna54592 seems relevant. - mig
[2025-03-03 17:08:18] - I’m going with the person trying in public trying to publicly litigate for more demands when he was supposed to be there to sign a deal that was understood to be agreed upon to me is very antagonistic. - mig
[2025-03-03 17:02:41] - a: That’s because he was. He didn’t have to make that quip about diplomacy that set Vance and Trump off. He didn’t have to keep the shouting match going on. Biting the hand that’s feeding you even if you don’t like that hand seems unwise if the lives of your countrymen are on the line. - mig
[2025-03-03 16:22:48] - "being openly antagonist" i noticed some openly antagonistic behavior. but it's surprising to me that you said that it was zelynsky that was being openly antagonistic. paul, do you agree with this assessment of the meeting? ~a
[2025-03-03 16:22:22] - paul: "it's not like a lot of these offer significantly different functionality that would cause a casual user to abandon an established social network for a smaller social network" it's exactly why i made my bet: i don't think twitter will be "on top" for long. musk is just too terrible at his job to keep that marketplace going. ~a
[2025-03-03 16:20:39] - paul: i'm not sure how monthly active users is assessed, but i hope that it is done with an independent audit, so it can be done in an unbiased way. i assume since many of these companies are public, fudging these numbers is probably illegal. ~a
[2025-03-03 14:22:54] - can someone explain to me what Zelynsky was hoping to accomplish being openly antagonist in that meeting with Trump? I get its stunning and brave to pick a fight with the Bad Orange Man, but whats the end game here for him? - mig
[2025-03-01 13:06:40] - a: As near as I can tell, it's not like a lot of these offer significantly different functionality that would cause a casual user to abandon an established social network for a smaller social network. -Paul
[2025-03-01 13:05:54] - a: I do think that sometimes bsky has gotten (unfairly?) lumped in with things like threads and Mastodon as largely protest apps against Musk. At the same time, isn't a significant aspect of their popularity the fact that it isn't Twitter / X and owned by Musk? -Paul
[2025-03-01 13:04:26] - a: "i don't think that's what most of the bsky users have done" This one is more interesting to me. I am not on bsky. I was interested when Dorsey was more involved but got less so over time for various reasons. -Paul
[2025-03-01 13:03:27] - a: "i don't think that is what i have done" I didn't mean to imply I thought you had done the same. "but it's not an indictment of bsky" I.... mostly agree. -Paul
[2025-03-01 13:02:28] - a: Which is why I asked you about Nostr awhile ago.
-Paul[2025-03-01 13:02:10] - a: Does X share monthly active users? Do we trust those numbers? I don't know if I want to take that bet anyway. It's hard for me to bet against the idea of some kind of technological disruption, especially since something like X seems made for decentralization. -Paul
[2025-03-01 13:00:07] - a: "i think i liked it back when we got a few messages going per day instead of a giant dump every ~5 days" Sorry. I know it's my fault. I'm not consistently in front of a computer for ~8 hours a weekday like I used to be so it's hard to find the time to consistently check. -Paul
[2025-02-28 19:43:51] - paul: i agree what scotusblog did was dumb. i don't think that is what i have done: i don't think that's what most of the bsky users have done. yes, what scotusblog did was dumb, and i'm sure plenty of others did the same: but it's not an indictment of bsky. ~a
[2025-02-28 19:39:48] - paul: "don't we already have a hard enough time figuring out now if Twitter / X is dying or thriving now let alone if it's being supplanted by a replacement". it is why i was specific. "monthly active users" is a specific metric used by the industry? (i think i said "subscribers" oops, i think "subscribers" is used by netflix and the like). ~a
[2025-02-28 19:36:10] - paul: "I'm not sure I know what you mean by this" i think i liked it back when we got a few messages going per day instead of a giant dump every ~5 days. ~a
[2025-02-28 17:23:01] - a: Did I really have a principled stand that I took in leaving? Or was it just to make a point that I didn't like something and wanted people to know about it? -Paul
[2025-02-28 17:22:21] - a: I guess I see it as performative because if I walked into McDonalds, loudly announced that I was never coming back because they are using seed oils instead of beef tallow, and then came back years later after nothing had changed.... -Paul
[2025-02-28 17:20:44] - "bluesky and mastodon are not protest apps" Was bluesky the place where a bunch of journalists fled and managed to get a bunch of people banned? Or was that threads? I can't keep the alternatives straight. -Paul
[2025-02-28 17:17:16] - a: "i'd be willing to bet on it." Even if I wanted to take your bet, don't we already have a hard enough time figuring out now if Twitter / X is dying or thriving now let alone if it's being supplanted by a replacement? -Paul
[2025-02-28 17:16:07] - a: They left for what I thought were questionable reasons to start with. They made a big post about it, on the platform they were leaving, talking about why they were leaving. Then they returned later despite there seemingly being no improvement on the things that had upset them. -Paul
[2025-02-28 17:10:17] - a: "i'm gonna start replying to one of your comments, so we can get a better dialog going" I'm not sure I know what you mean by this. "performative?" Yes, largely for the reasons Miguel laid out. -Paul
[2025-02-28 16:01:46] - a: I wouldn’t put a number on it, but probing population trends over the following year will inform that. - mig
[2025-02-25 17:46:38] - mig: is good chunk = 50% or more? i look around on blue sky and it seems like twitter did before. mostly discussion relevant to what i have subscribed to. ~a
[2025-02-25 13:55:18] - a: maybe you aren't personally, but I have no doubts a good chunk of the user base that migrated was, given how many like scotus blog eventually come back. - mig
[2025-02-24 17:06:43] - mig: i left x for bluesky and i don't think it was virtue signalling or performative. maybe you could call it a protest, but what's wrong with a good protest? you want me to vote with my feet, don't you? ~a
[2025-02-24 17:03:59] - scotusblog left for literal years. on the other hand, i'll admit them rejoining now seems questionable. ~a
[2025-02-24 17:01:45] - nah, bluesky and mastodon are not protest apps ~a
[2025-02-24 16:43:26] - a: i could definitely see something taking over twitter at some point, but it’ll be something that provides its users tangible value and not some sort of protest app like mastadon (rip) or bluesky. - mig
[2025-02-24 16:39:58] - a: coming back to x after throwing a fit over elon musk when nothing about x has really changed does very much feel like the initial action of leaving was performative virtual signaling. - mig
[2025-02-24 15:47:12] - paul: i expect x will be overtaken by a similar social network aggregator (something that has textual-posts, and public posts are common, and isn't facebook, measuring by monthly-active-subscribers) by 2030. i'd be willing to bet on it. ~a
[2025-02-24 15:43:24] - paul: i also feel (when i'm not logged in) i only see scotusblog posts on x from 2022? ~a
[2025-02-24 15:41:50] - paul: i'm gonna start replying to one of your comments, so we can get a better dialog going
performative? https://bsky.app/profile/scotus-blog.bsky.social is alive and well and i'm following them there. i was wondering if i could find paul_essen on bsky.app? there are a very few things i followed on x, that i don't see on bsky. ~a[2025-02-24 15:20:16] - "I hope we do not get to the place where the D.C. region is considered a really affordable place to live because that means that things will have gotten really bad" is SUCH a weird way to phrase things. -Paul
[2025-02-24 15:20:04] - https://wjla.com/news/local/federal-workers-layoffs-firings-united-states-agency-international-development-usaid-email-trump-administration-elon-musk-washington I don't disagree with the analysis, but... -Paul
[2025-02-24 15:14:46] - https://x.com/SCOTUSblog/status/1894042616230015448 SCOTUS blog is back on Twitter / X. I'm glad, but a part of me is still annoyed that they did that whole performative crap of noisily leaving in the first place. -Paul
[2025-02-24 03:32:08] - a: The rest of Trump's actions... probably a dumpster fire. Like I said, we'll probably see tax cuts and increased spending in other areas which dwarfs any good that DOGE might do so I'm not overly optimistic. -Paul
[2025-02-24 03:30:54] - a: Put another way: I didn't vote for this. I wouldn't do it this way. The method is questionable at best.... but the end result might be okay and even kind of good? At least with the narrow view of what DOGE is doing. -Paul
[2025-02-24 03:29:40] - a
[2025-02-24 03:29:26] - a: 'what's more i think his expense cutting method is frenetic and dangerous?" All of my experience with Donald Trump's leadership style would lead me to guess this is all being done without a lot of foresight, yes. It's why I said it's almost certainly not the best way to do things. -Paul
[2025-02-24 03:27:30] - a: And if these are changes to agencies under the executive branch.... I don't know if any of this is illegal or is going to be stopped by the courts. What do you think is illegal about what Is going on? -Paul
[2025-02-24 03:26:30] - a: "but he's not allowed to break the law when executing. you agree with that, right? if dogs are breaking the law (and imo it clearly is), then the courts need to ask trump politely to stop? i predict a flood of successful (and otherwise) lawsuits" In short, I don't know? We've unfortunately got a lot of legal theory backing up a strong executive who has lots of powers. -Paul
[2025-02-24 03:24:58] - https://youtu.be/wjuoLkR7yT8?si=0ajw45Dl7_J4DSME My kids sometimes ask me things like if I could beat Serral if I had one of them on my team with me. I always laugh and say I'm not sure I could do it with all of my friends on my team. This video gives me hope that maybe I could. -Paul
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