[X] My Assistant

**Direct_Inflation - I coined this term for my own use because most other official terms have been politicized and no longer mean what they used to be. Direct_inflation is simply the actual price increase in an item. If the item was $1.00 in November 2020 and is now $1.38 in May 2022, that is 38 percent Direct_inflation.

Well that is like basic inflation. For the government measures it depends when you index from, what you include in the basket of goods, assumptions, modelling for different factors, weighting etc.

The US and several western governments manipulated all of the above and also added a weighting that is biased towards decreases in cost and underweight increases in costs. This smooths out the line but also tends to under report inflation over time. It helped lower welfare payments in the US over time by 30%+, also introduced by democrats because their voters don't understand maths. Its basically buying the most votes with tax payer money for the least amount per person as possible, would be the real modelling.

Republicans hope they can get away with doing nothing by waving the bible around.

Eso, your fundamentalist christian view of republicans is outdated.

Eso, your fundamentalist christian view of republicans is outdated.

I don't really think the modern populist republican voters are the same as the ancient RINOs and senators that have been Republicunts for decades.

There is a real disconnect between the Mitch McConnells and the Ron DeSantis types and then further difference still with Trump voters.

Its like a continuum, but there are a lot of republican politicians that are terrible due to inaction or corruption.

With RINOs then Corrupt Ancient Republicans then the newer crew who seem like they might actually achieve something.

I was a bit disappointed that Dan Crenshaw was a part of the World Economic Forum, I thought maybe he might be okay too.


Down at the state level, there are alot of Republicans that are just outright clueless. Watching some of the legislative committed looking into irregularities and fraud, there were so many that I would say would fit into 'We don't understand electronic voting because its not in the bible". There are people that mean well but they are probably 10-20 years behind on technology.

the newer crew who seem like they might actually achieve something

The destruction of the very notion of a barrier between church and state?

I found myself agreeing with Barry Goldwater on something he said in 1985.

Being a conservative in America traditionally has meant that one holds a deep, abiding respect for the Constitution. We conservatives believe sincerely in the integrity of the Constitution. We treasure the freedoms that document protects.

We believe, as the founding fathers did, that we "are endowed by our Creator with certain unalienable rights; that among these are life, liberty and the prsuit of happiness."

And for 205 years this nation, based on those principles, has endured. Through foreign wars and civil wars, through political scandals and economic disasters, through civil disorders and Presidential assassinations, our flag has flown high. Through it all we've survived every possible attack on our freedom.

But another force could succeed in dividing our country. The specter of single-issue religious groups is growing over our land.

--

One of the great strengths of our political system always has been our tendency to keep religious issues in the background. By maintaining the separation of church and state, the United States has avoided the intolerance which has so divided the rest of the world with religious wars.

Throughout our 200-plus years, public policy debate has focused on political and economic issues, on which there can be compromise. Madison saw this as the great paradox of our system: How do you control the factions without violating the people's basic freedoms? And in a well-constructed representative Government like ours, Madison said, one of our greatest strengths is our ability to "break and control the violence of faction." Can any of us refute the wisdom of Madison and the other framers? Can anyone look at the carnage in Iran, the bloodshed in Northern Ireland or the bombs bursting in Lebanon and yet question the dangers of injecting religious issues into the affairs of state?

There is no position on which people are so immovable as their religious beliefs. There is no more powerful ally one can claim in a debate than Jesus Christ, or God, or Allah or whatever one calls his Supreme Being.

But, like any powerful weapon, the use of God's name on one's behalf should be used sparingly. The religious factions that are growing in our land are not using their religious clout with wisdom. They are trying to force government leaders into following their positions 100 percent.

In the past couple years, I have seen many news items that referred to the Moral Majority, pro-life and other religious groups as "the new right," and the "new conservatism." Well, I have spent quite a number of years carrying the flag of the "old conservatism." And I can say with conviction that the religious issues of these groups have little or nothing to do with conservative or liberal politics.

The uncompromising position of these groups is a divisive element that could tear apart the very spirit of our representative system, if they gain sufficient strength.

As it is, they are diverting us away from the vital issues that our Government needs to address. Far too much of the time of members of Congress and officials in the Executive Branch is used up dealing with special-interest groups on issues like abortion, school busing, ERA, prayer in the schools and pornography. While these are important moral issues, they are secondary right now to our national security and economic survival.

This post has been edited by dragontamer8740: May 14 2022, 05:20

The destruction of the very notion of a barrier between church and state?

I found myself agreeing with Barry Goldwater on something he said in 1985.

Maybe DeSantis. he is pushing some issues further into religious territory on abortion. Giving states the right to govern isn't necessarily a problem. Kicking marxism and woke cultists out of schools is not a bad thing.

The issues mentioned are kind of funny; abortion, school busing, ERA, prayer in the schools and pornography.

Abortion still relevant though most countries have restrictions on abortion and limits on how late the baby can be aborted. An outright ban is silly, though the hole in the viability argument is that babies are viable sooner and sooner due to technology.

With school busing, Nixon was on the side of desegregating schools. Many democrats including Biden were against busing and now have entrenched funding gaps in the system based on area especially in blue states.

With ERA, there were many conservatives that wanted to add an amendment that all people must be legally equal, as it would end child support job opportunities based on gender and race. So Democrats were against voter blocks being treated 100% equally. having laws targeting individual circumstances would be more egalitarian but harder to campaign on.

Compulsory prayer in schools is out. Though now non-secular humanistic religious worship of woke ideology is coming in. Keep them both out, easy.

As for pornography. Its everywhere, I just think children should be kept away and out of it, in every way possible. A bunch of the books destantis banned from schools were sexually illicit, I mean stunning and brave.

I think the EU wants to force ISP's to spy on people's messages because of muh children.

I think the EU wants to force ISP's to spy on people's messages because of muh children.

Nah they failed at socialism now they want to try fascism where elites rule instead of democracy.

ReCUMlicans lol'e

Nah they failed at socialism now they want to try fascism where elites rule instead of democracy.

I feel like I've seen this before.

Nah they failed at socialism now they want to try fascism where elites rule instead of democracy.

It was sort of succeeding because the people were productive and had solid attitudes about work ethics and family. But then lots of immigrants came who clearly don't like working, have violent type impulsive mindsets, and brought with them criminal attitudes and cultures that are not grounded in work ethic.

Republicans were ahead in the mid term race then fell behind a bit due to wanting to take away the right to choose, now Dems are falling behind again with their latest no baby formula crisis. Republicans will shoot you with their guns when you grow up, Democrats will kill you either before or right after you're born. Who will win? No one!

I feel like I've seen this before.

Ah but this is the problem and why I was only half serious. The far left desperately keeps trying to define fascism to be right wing and about nationalism but they want people to ignore almost half of what actually occurred with private elites merging with government elites.


I suppose the most accurate analysis would be about authoritarianism and 'elite capture' around the world. Many elites are drawn internationally to groups that want to avoid tax and make profits without morality. Now we are in the situation globally where business, social and political elites are drawn to countries and international organisations whose governance is authoritarian. It can be seen around the world where elites are adopting these views and systematically kicking the ladder out from underneath them.

Communism won't help as its one of hte major contributors to the corruption and authoritarianism. Many of the international organizations and institutations have been corrupted as well. The culture war and almost all far left issues on race, gender and environment are used to distract and take resources away from dealing with the shift to authoritarianism.

Ah but this is the problem and why I was only half serious. The far left desperately keeps trying to define fascism to be right wing and about nationalism but they want people to ignore almost half of what actually occurred with private elites merging with government elites. <snip>

The culture war and almost all far left issues on race, gender and environment are used to distract and take resources away from dealing with the shift to authoritarianism.

[youtu.be] Jen Psaki's replacement Karine Jean-Pierre seems like she'll be much more of the problem you described than Psaki ever was.

@Anime Janai: You have talent to be a Policies Analyst

Lmao

He could write psalms.

I thought to get that job you had to be able to fit one of those dragon dildos up your ass.

I assume that is why people buy them. Otherwise I can't figure out what the point is.

@Anime Janai: You have talent to be a Policies Analyst

No thanks. As eSatire pointed out, without a patron, you end up selling your soul to be one because someone has to want to purchase your work.

Bradon's campaign staff spent 6 months of focus group research to invent:

"Ultra MAGA" and "Great MAGA King"

Now Republicans are putting it on shirts because its cool.

Bradon's campaign staff spent 6 months of focus group research to invent:
"Ultra MAGA" and "Great MAGA King"

While those people are a waste of taxpayer money, because they don't seem to care about the taxpayers and only about the votes they can buy, other democrat legislators are also infected with this strange mental disease of spending the infinite taxpayer monies available once they have control of the government.

It's totally irresponsible to run the money printing machine at full speed.

“We are not broke as a nation. We are not bankrupt. We can’t go bankrupt. We absolutely cannot go bankrupt because we have the power to create as much money as we need to spend to serve the American people,” Chairman of the Budget Committee Rep. John Yarmuth (D-KY) said during Thursday’s Budget Reconciliation markup. (thursday Sept 9, 2021)