How can there not be a COVID-19 thread?

[Deleted member 199]

Let me give you a little hint. I am not a registered Republican. In fact, I am registered as a Democrat.

You can be registered as whatever you want. You asked why a bunch of anti-vaxxer right winger conspiracy theorists believe that a microchip could fit down a small guage needle, I'm just telling you: it's par for the course with these people.

These are my opinions, so there are no sources.

Heh, old habits die hard huh.

I simply don't think increased taxes are the solution.

You don't think it's at all involved in the solution, or you don't think it's the only solution?

For example, if a tax credit were offered for companies that invest in genuinely improved processes/practices/machinery/whatever, but an existing corporate taxable deduction or special rate or whatever was allowed to expire, is that "taxes bad"? Or is it rewarding companies that embrace newer, more efficient processes and technologies, and as a result reduce/eliminate their impact on climate change?

I believe he could be a Muslim sympathizer.

That's a very loaded term, the way you seem to be using it. I'm sympathetic to muslims being yet another ostracised, mistreated minority in certain countries. But I feel like you're using it the way the French used it to describe some people in WW2..

I believe we need to control the guns in the hands of criminals, not law-abiding citizens. Control those first, then we can talk.

So, that'd be a "no" on having seen how gun control actually works in other places then?

I am not opposed to abortion. I just think you should be able to make that decision within the first trimester. Mid-second at the latest. Just like most of the European countries people like to hold up as examples. Some European countries even have mandatory waiting periods. Abortion should be safe, legal and rare.

Even as a father now, I don't honestly remember the details of what development stage is reached when, and would suggest doctors are better placed than I to suggest when development is beyond just "a ball of cells", but generally I agree.

I do not agree with those who celebrate their abortions.

.... Wut? Is "no-more-baby shower" a thing people do now? Are you suggesting there are masses of people out there demanding the right to have an abortion on a whim at 37 weeks or something?

There has to be be some element of trickle down in any working economic model. If I want to buy a $10M yacht, there are a lot of people who will earn a living from my purchase.

Rich people buying shit and paying the wages of poorer people is an inevitable facet of capitalism, that isn't what trickle down economics is about, really. It's specifically about giving those rich people tax breaks, under the claim that they'll spend that money and it'll end up in the hands of the poor.

There's one little wrinkle though. It demonstrably does not work.

For example (because paraphrasing is just going to butcher the details):

A 2020 working paper by London School of Economics and Political Science researchers compared the results of countries that passed tax cuts in a specific year with those that did not, over a five decade period from 1965 to 2015 in the 18 member countries of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development. It found that contrary to the claims of trickle-down theory, tax cuts for the rich had no "significant effect on employment or economic growth". They found no evidence that the cuts induced "labour supply responses" from high-income individuals (i.e. "lead to more hours of work, more effort, etc.") that boosted economic activity. They did find evidence of a "sizable" increase in income inequality. "Major tax cuts for the rich increase the top 1% share of pre-tax national income in the years following the reform. The magnitude of the effect is sizeable; on average, each major reform leads to a rise in top 1% share of pre-tax national income of 0.8 percentage points."[6]

You as a squillionaire spending money on expensive shit obviously puts money into the economy - but giving you a tax break hoping you'll do that, and pretending that it's as-good or better than giving the 'working class' a fairer tax system and the benefits of a society with money to spend (yes, from taxes on your squillions) is naive at best.

 

[SuperMatt]

I do. We switched to Democrat back in 2004 to vote against a particularly bad Democrat candidate for the Supreme Court. His brother was the current AG, like that isn't a conflict. He won the primary but lost to an R in the general. That was the beginning of WV turning from Blue to Red. When we move to AZ I will register as either a Libertarian or Independent.

Just a feeling actually. Like him refusing to use the term "radical Islamic terrorist" or continually referring to ISIS as ISIL when even the liberal media used those terms.

So you do think being a Muslim sympathizer is a bad thing. I guess you don’t have any Muslim friends. Do you think most Muslims are terrorists or something?

What do you think of Grover Norquist?

Grover Norquist - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

 

[lizkat]

Just a feeling actually. Like him refusing to use the term "radical Islamic terrorist" or continually referring to ISIS as ISIL when even the liberal media used those terms.

But "Muslim sympathizer?" The term implies conflation of the entire religion with radicalized political Islam.

 

[Runs For Fun]

You might want to change your party affiliation. The list above is a great summary of the Republican platform.

Also, what is a “Muslim sympathizer”? Is that a bad thing in your mind? Is this belief based on some evidence?

This is also what I'm wondering. What the hell is a "Muslim sympathizer"?

 

[B S Magnet]

I don't believe Obama is Muslim. I believe he could be a Muslim sympathizer.

What the fuck is a “Muslim sympathizer” other than a fascistic dogwhistle? People I care about are Muslim — both active in observing Islam and secular.

I believe we need to control the guns in the hands of criminals, not law-abiding citizens. Control those first, then we can talk.

Abolishing all firearms ammunition — allowing a public buyback grace window — would be nice.

I am not opposed to abortion. I just think you should be able to make that decision within the first trimester. Mid-second at the latest.

After your Susie White Supremacist Soccer Mom strawman elsewhere, I cannot begin to express just how unsurprised I am to hear you say this.

 

[Eric]

It's sad to see this thread turned into a Democrat vs Republican debate, we've flown the coop here from what was a decent and productive topic.

 

[User.45]

I am not opposed to abortion. I just think you should be able to make that decision within the first trimester. Mid-second at the latest. Just like most of the European countries people like to hold up as examples. Some European countries even have mandatory waiting periods. Abortion should be safe, legal and rare. I do not agree with those who celebrate their abortions.

Meaning you know nothing about state abortion laws in the USA...
Many states have a 16 month deadline. The first step is adequate sex education that
1) Reduces the risk of unwanted pregnancies
2) Increases awareness so pregnancy is recognized ASAP
It's even cost efficient to teach kids how not to get pregnant (DUH). Guess who advocate against all this.

There has to be be some element of trickle down in any working economic model.

No there's none. It's bullshit made up by lobbyists to buy influence.

I don't believe Obama is Muslim. I believe he could be a Muslim sympathizer.

You spout a lot of stupid shit that I decided to ignore but this is where I draw the line. If you don't know what's the giant fucking issue with this statement, you are absolutely hopeless. Also, asking why you're considered a white supremacist?! Because of shit like this.

 

[User.45]

Abolishing all firearms ammunition — allowing a public buyback grace window — would be nice.

In America, nobody takes a larger proportion of the ~250K "lost" legally owned guns a year than southern white households. Guess who feels the most victimized by gun control proposals.

 

[B S Magnet]

In America, nobody takes a larger proportion of the ~250K "lost" legally owned guns a year than southern white households. Guess who feels the most victimized by gun control proposals.

I grew up in Texas. ::drops mic::

Folks who love guns can keep their guns. Abolishing the ammunition doesn’t take away from that at all.

 

[B S Magnet]

Wear a mask, get immunized, and respect the folks around you in the process by doing both.

 

[User.45]

Wear a mask, get immunized, and respect the folks around you in the process by doing both.

And be aware that vaccines are highly effective but not perfect and efficacy drops over time.

 

[B S Magnet]

And be aware that vaccines are highly effective but not perfect and efficacy drops over time.

That’s what booster shots are for.

 

[lizkat]

It's sad to see this thread turned into a Democrat vs Republican debate, we've flown the coop here from what was a decent and productive topic.

It's just a sidebar.... a longish one, and certainly the kind that PRSI mods eventually cascade-deleted. You could always move part of the thread to a separate thread if a tangent-turned-topic becomes too much the focus as the thread continues.

Or hey, just let it go and see who finally remembers the thread is about Covid-19 and not so much about Obama as "Muslim sympathizer" and other trial balloons or rabbit holes or escape hatches.

(OK I'm going back to wondering why all my already-read mail disappeared out of one of my Mail gmail inboxes and required an explicit command to sync to get it back. It happens once in awhile, no clue why. Weird.)

Go ahead, delete my post for going off topic. I'm still used to it from so much time spent getting over it in that other place.

 

[Deleted member 199]

vaccines are highly effective but not perfect and efficacy drops over time

Some of them seem to start off with a cliff dive in terms of efficacy

 

[User.45]

Some of them seem to start off with a cliff dive in terms of efficacy

Those don't make it to FDA approval though. But yeah, outside the USA there exist a few low-efficacy vaccines circulated.

That’s what booster shots are for.

Without a doubt, but I'll wait for CDC recs / FDA approvals on how that should look.

 

[Deleted member 199]

yeah, outside the USA there exist a few low-efficacy vaccines circulated

 

[Pumbaa]

View attachment 7255

In theory low-efficacy vaccines could have helped bridge that gap.

 

[Alli]

I believe he could be a Muslim sympathizer.

Whew! Well anything would be better than being a Christian sympathizer, right?

Um…WTF?

I am not opposed to abortion. I just think you should be able to make that decision within the first trimester. Mid-second at the latest. Just like most of the European countries people like to hold up as examples. Some European countries even have mandatory waiting periods. Abortion should be safe, legal and rare. I do not agree with those who celebrate their abortions.

You do realize that states have been hastily trying to change existing laws to make sure abortions are illegal. Period. And nobody. Ever, has celebrated an abortion. It’s a horrible thing to undergo. It’s also important to remember that while lawmakers are busy trying to overturn Roe, most women don’t even know they’re pregnant before the 5-6th week.

 

[User.45]

View attachment 7255

An FDA approval is still one of the highest standards to meet. Lower efficacy isn't a major issue as long as data is adequately established and a contingency plan is generated. The latter is my major issue with countries where there are vaccines with less evidence used.

 

[Herdfan]

You do realize that states have been hastily trying to change existing laws to make sure abortions are illegal. Period. And nobody. Ever, has celebrated an abortion. It’s a horrible thing to undergo. It’s also important to remember that while lawmakers are busy trying to overturn Roe, most women don’t even know they’re pregnant before the 5-6th week.

I do. And I hope SCOTUS slaps the majority of them down. The bans on late term (3rd trimester) can stand unless medically necessary.

As for celebrating abortion, are you 100% sure you want to make such a definitive statement? So what would you consider "celebrating"? Just want to make sure we are on the same page discussing it.