It's not hard to make a BothSidesDoIt™ argument when it's ultimately to apologize for authoritarianism. The more words, the deeper the hole is for anyone trying to argue in good faith against it. Feature, not a bug.
It's not hard to make a BothSidesDoIt™ argument when it's ultimately to apologize for authoritarianism. The more words, the deeper the hole is for anyone trying to argue in good faith against it. Feature, not a bug.It's like a version of pcgeek that just types more words.
@Hulk got something for this one? You said AOC doesn’t want to follow the law. Surely you have examples.Can you provide a clear example of her not wanting to follow the law?
Yes, Biden crime family. He will be as fully prosecuted by the Trump administration as Hillary was due to the overwhelming evidence. Heil Trump!“Biden crime family”…
Shitlol
No, it's the Godawful Constitution that you are lumbered with that has facilitated Trump's rise. It's a _flawed_ document, that enshrines a lousy system, but is nearly-impossible to amend. It took a bloody civil war to get it to even acknowledge black people as human.
I note you do the weird American thing of conflating the baroque, crap, political system that the US has, along with unconstrained capitalism, with 'democracy'. It isn't, it's barely democratic at all and is probably going to explicitly cease to be so before very long.
It's a wealth-and-race-based oligarchy. Heck, your elites are quite open about that, about it not being a democracy. To quote the guy now in charge of your military "Democracy, democracy, defend the democracy. Do you know what our founders did not want us to be? A democracy."
They are organizational systems for groups of humans.
In one system there is voting, that's a democracy. In the others there isn't, communism, fascism, dictator, and everything else.
Go ahead count deaths from Capitolism. Just remember it's easily 100 million for the others in the last 100 years.
According to the US constitution the president can kill any person he wants for any reason he wants and is immune from any accountability for that.They are organizational systems for groups of humans.
In one system there is voting, that's a democracy. In the others there isn't, communism, fascism, dictator, and everything else.
Go ahead count deaths from Capitolism. Just remember it's easily 100 million for the others in the last 100 years.
Also count the millions of lives saved by Capitalism. You know things like vaccines, computers, and other technologies invented by people to "make a buck" that would have never occured otherwise.
Ever wonder why South Korea is in the stone age? Well, there's your paradise sans capitalism. How much tech came out of the Soviet Union compared to the US over the same period. Or Japan vs. Pol Pot's China?
Please, don't be ridiculous as you turn on your air conditioner (Carrier) or drive your car (Ford) or use your cell phone (Jobs et al).
Just stop arguing to argue. You can deny human desire to achieve and create and do better all you want. That experiment has been tried over and over again in the last 100 years and as noted above the result is 100 million dead and failed states and economies. It's always capitalism that saves a state.
You can even go back to the founding of the US with the original settlers when they tried communism and half of them starved to death the first winter. Bradford smartly was like, "okay, enough of that nonsense, you work your own land and you get what it produces."
I don't even know how we're arguing this honestly after the last 100 or so years of history.
The ONLY thing that stops Trump, Biden, Obama, Bush, or whomever from being a dictator is the Constitution of the US. They would all be enticed into absolute power without it.
What the fuck are you even talking about? Who has proposed communism in the United States? If you DON'T think Trump is a crazy strongman, you cannot be taken seriously, and your critical thinking is definitely questionable. Especially as you've said "fascism, communism, dictatorship, they are all the same" and Trump is visibly and obviously shepherding us towards fascism.Ah! And there it is! It's the "system." Didn't take long at all to get to the bottom of it. We must prevent people from excelling by taking from them when the rest of us say they have "enough." And that is an arbitrary line that is based on our current "feelings."
Do you know of a better system? Perhaps communism where everything is equitable and perfect?
Back to communism, right? Because it has proven to work so well, you know Stalin, Pot, and Castro were such great leaders. What? Only 100 million deaths and countless more that lived in suffering during their "fair and equitable" reigns of terror.
At least with democracy we can vote these people out now and then. With communism you get a strongman in for life. Fascism, communism, dictatorship, they are all the same. Strongman in power, controlling the military and doing what he wants. Whenever free elections are eliminated the result is always the same, crazy strongman in charge.
If you think Trump is a crazy strongman that is your right and I fully defend it. But at least our system gets rid of the strongman after 4 years and puts great limits on what he can do.
I wish I were smart, driven, lucky, or whatever enough to be super rich. I'm not. I'm just one of the little people slogging it out day-by-day. But I don't want to limit those or take from those who have done better than me. Good for them.
I'll be honest. Sometimes when I see Taylor Swift, or Oprah, or Musk, or whatever I think "that's too much." Think of how much good all of that wealth could do if it weren't spent on people wiping those peoples' behinds 24/7? But I know that is the rabbit hole of the mob ganging up on the super successful... just because they can. Let's cap them at 100 million, no 10 million, no 2 million, who needs more than 2 million a year to live? It's all based on nothing but "feelings."
No, for all the flaws of a democracy it's the best system yet devised.
I'm guessing that the aristocracy in France said exactly that pre revolution.Ah! And there it is! It's the "system." Didn't take long at all to get to the bottom of it. We must prevent people from excelling by taking from them when the rest of us say they have "enough." And that is an arbitrary line that is based on our current "feelings."
Why have you swung from unfettered wealth hoarding straight to communism?Do you know of a better system? Perhaps communism where everything is equitable and perfect?
So you set up your straw man and now you're swinging at it fully!Back to communism, right? Because it has proven to work so well, you know Stalin, Pot, and Castro were such great leaders. What? Only 100 million deaths and countless more that lived in suffering during their "fair and equitable" reigns of terror.
I mean that's exactly what the people you are arguing with are worried about!At least with democracy we can vote these people out now and then. With communism you get a strongman in for life. Fascism, communism, dictatorship, they are all the same. Strongman in power, controlling the military and doing what he wants. Whenever free elections are eliminated the result is always the same, crazy strongman in charge.
It does and that's why every effort should be made to stop people eroding that system.If you think Trump is a crazy strongman that is your right and I fully defend it. But at least our system gets rid of the strongman after 4 years and puts great limits on what he can do.
To an extent. The system breaks down when wealth is not spread around. The ultra wealthy are rich and getting richer just because they are wealthy.I wish I were smart, driven, lucky, or whatever enough to be super rich. I'm not. I'm just one of the little people slogging it out day-by-day. But I don't want to limit those or take from those who have done better than me. Good for them.
It's not based on feelings! Capitalism depends on the circulation of money, if the money just stops when it gets to some people it degrades the system.I'll be honest. Sometimes when I see Taylor Swift, or Oprah, or Musk, or whatever I think "that's too much." Think of how much good all of that wealth could do if it weren't spent on people wiping those peoples' behinds 24/7? But I know that is the rabbit hole of the mob ganging up on the super successful... just because they can. Let's cap them at 100 million, no 10 million, no 2 million, who needs more than 2 million a year to live? It's all based on nothing but "feelings."
And that's why everyone is giving Trump and his billionaires the stink eye. They generally believe that things should go the way they say because they are more important that you or me. That's not a democracy, that's an oligarchy.No, for all the flaws of a democracy it's the best system yet devised.
I think Trump will be dead before 2028, natural causes.So now we just wait for there to be a National Emergency declared in 2028 that requires the suspension of elections, subsequent protests and riots, and then naturally martial law. Without an election, Trump remains in office, and thus is not serving a 3rd term. I expect this plan is already written and circulating inside the Heritage Foundation, and will be updated as needed as the date approaches.
I mean, hopefully not, but I'll put it at a non-zero chance.
Certainly a possibility, not sure what happens then, they could try to proceed but I don't know that Vance has the draw to keep the cult in line. Maybe we get some good news at midterms, IDK.I think Trump will be dead before 2028, natural causes.
Wasn't that one of the first things he did after reelection?So now we just wait for there to be a National Emergency declared...
I mean it sounds far fetched but it's not like he hasn't suggested going worse at times!...in 2028 that requires the suspension of elections, subsequent protests and riots, and then naturally martial law. Without an election, Trump remains in office, and thus is not serving a 3rd term.
Oh the Heritage Foundation will absolutely have looked at this! Whether they feel confident that they can pull it off is another thing.I expect this plan is already written and circulating inside the Heritage Foundation, and will be updated as needed as the date approaches.
I mean, hopefully not, but I'll put it at a non-zero chance.
Yes, but that one isn't really something that could be used to suspend elections, it's a bit specific.Wasn't that one of the first things he did after reelection?
In a couple of years he'll have totally normalised declaring states of emergencies to get what he wants. It's what he does.Yes, but that one isn't really something that could be used to suspend elections, it's a bit specific.
Ah, okay, I thought you were trying to draw a direct line between that one and the one I was theorizing.In a couple of years he'll have totally normalised declaring states of emergencies to get what he wants. It's what he does.
Yes, like tariffs are supposed to be implemented by Congress unless there's an economic 'emergency'. Despite the US economy in historically great shape at the moment he just declared a transparently fake one anyway. Who is going to stop him?In a couple of years he'll have totally normalised declaring states of emergencies to get what he wants. It's what he does.
I haven't done the analysis, but aside from Trump's D.C. swamp hotel, many of his real businesses were (and still are) losing money. Although commercial RE has suffered post- COVID, I believe his partial stakes in a couple high-rises are actually some of his plum holdings.-For Trump it was likely due to the pandemic temporarily bottoming out the market and causing property values to fall. He can bilk the SS for a lot of money but that money is going to go somewhere where it should grow, not just under his mattress.
Agreed as far as Biden, his current net worth is not unreasonable at all. Enough to live out the remainder of his days comfortably, not so much that he clearly profited off the Presidency. I'm sure someone will be along soon to suggest he has all kinds of shadow money hidden in Burisma's corporate vaults or something...
Power corrupts, complete power corrupts completely.Ah! And there it is! It's the "system." Didn't take long at all to get to the bottom of it. We must prevent people from excelling by taking from them when the rest of us say they have "enough." And that is an arbitrary line that is based on our current "feelings."
Do you know of a better system? Perhaps communism where everything is equitable and perfect?
Back to communism, right? Because it has proven to work so well, you know Stalin, Pot, and Castro were such great leaders. What? Only 100 million deaths and countless more that lived in suffering during their "fair and equitable" reigns of terror.
At least with democracy we can vote these people out now and then. With communism you get a strongman in for life. Fascism, communism, dictatorship, they are all the same. Strongman in power, controlling the military and doing what he wants. Whenever free elections are eliminated the result is always the same, crazy strongman in charge.
If you think Trump is a crazy strongman that is your right and I fully defend it. But at least our system gets rid of the strongman after 4 years and puts great limits on what he can do.
I wish I were smart, driven, lucky, or whatever enough to be super rich. I'm not. I'm just one of the little people slogging it out day-by-day. But I don't want to limit those or take from those who have done better than me. Good for them.
I'll be honest. Sometimes when I see Taylor Swift, or Oprah, or Musk, or whatever I think "that's too much." Think of how much good all of that wealth could do if it weren't spent on people wiping those peoples' behinds 24/7? But I know that is the rabbit hole of the mob ganging up on the super successful... just because they can. Let's cap them at 100 million, no 10 million, no 2 million, who needs more than 2 million a year to live? It's all based on nothing but "feelings."
No, for all the flaws of a democracy it's the best system yet devised.
So now we just wait for there to be a National Emergency declared in 2028 that requires the suspension of elections, subsequent protests and riots, and then naturally martial law. Without an election, Trump remains in office, and thus is not serving a 3rd term. I expect this plan is already written and circulating inside the Heritage Foundation, and will be updated as needed as the date approaches.
I mean, hopefully not, but I'll put it at a non-zero chance.
Who is "them"? Trump doesn't care about "them", Trump cares about Trump.Why would he need to do that, though?
They've already won. They control the govt, the courts, the media, and now the culture and the youth. Trump is more popular than ever. The only thing left is academia? That one will be toppled easily once funding and endowments are threatened. What's left? Rachael Maddow and Pod Save America?
I agree that even the slightest bit of rowdiness as whatever next protest will be dealt with a heavy hand...but an actual "resistance?" Nah, not this time.
This is a total victory for them. Beyond even their own wildest dreams.
Congrats on voting to make America great again. It was the right choice and soon we will hopefully do the same here in Canada. The pendulum is swinging.
Why would he need to do that, though?
They've already won. They control the govt, the courts, the media, and now the culture and the youth. Trump is more popular than ever. The only thing left is academia? That one will be toppled easily once funding and endowments are threatened. What's left? Rachael Maddow and Pod Save America?
I agree that even the slightest bit of rowdiness as whatever next protest will be dealt with a heavy hand...but an actual "resistance?" Nah, not this time.
This is a total victory for them. Beyond even their own wildest dreams.