Political Discussion

RenegadeMonster said:
Just read a disturbing article about the effects of Job Booms.

This one article focused on Midland Texas and the fracking industry. Fracking brought in jobs, good paying middle wage jobs. However, as result of increased jobs in the area rent and housing prices soared pasts the costs rent/housing and Dallas, Fort Worth and Huston resulting and in locals being priced out. Those living in the area already who are not part of the fracking industry could no longer afford their rent nor could they afford to buy any homes on the market. They were forced to relocate or go homeless.

Sure demand for housing in a rural area went up as jobs were created faster than new housing. However, should housing costs be allowed to increase to the extent that only those working the new jobs can afford them? Should everyone already living in the area see their rent triple within a year or two when they renew their leases and be forced out for those who can afford that rent?
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Not to mention that fracking destroys local water supplies, causes gas leaks and isn't a sustainable long term option. But either way, sounds about right and not dissimilar to what the tech industry did to SF and is now doing to LA (as I see GlitNGlitter already mentioned).

Also, The Nation ran a well worded anti-endorsement of Biden today:

www.commondreams.org

'The Answer Is Not Joe Biden': The Nation Magazine Issues Official Anti-Endorsement | Common Dreams

"Stumbling through the primaries, Biden's zombie campaign crowds out worthier challengers, handing Trump a free pass on the very issues that should be his Achilles' heel."
www.commondreams.org www.commondreams.org
 
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An important read- one spawned by Politico's founder coming out and writing an article about centrist bias in the media that aimed to re-examine his own beliefs.

A key paragraph:

"The centrist ideology is not mere institutionalism, though that’s part of it. It’s a very specific vision of how the world works, one that forms the background of a lot of Washington conversations and political debates — invisible until you notice it and then all of a sudden pervasive.

It is, also, quite unpopular: One study found just 3.8 percent of American voters could fairly be described as right-leaning on economic issues and left-leaning on social ones. Far more voters are fairly described as populist — right-leaning on social issues, left-leaning on economic ones — yet such a view has comparatively weak representation in American politics (Trump may talk like an economic populist, but he sure hasn’t governed like one)."


www.vox.com

The media’s biggest bias is its centrism

A dean of DC reporting admits an uncomfortable truth about the press.
www.vox.com www.vox.com
 
DownIsTheNewUp said:
Not to mention that fracking destroys local water supplies, causes gas leaks and isn't a sustainable long term option. But either way, sounds about right and not dissimilar to what the tech industry did to SF and is now doing to LA (as I see GlitNGlitter already mentioned).

Also, The Nation ran a well worded anti-endorsement of Biden today:

www.commondreams.org

'The Answer Is Not Joe Biden': The Nation Magazine Issues Official Anti-Endorsement | Common Dreams

"Stumbling through the primaries, Biden's zombie campaign crowds out worthier challengers, handing Trump a free pass on the very issues that should be his Achilles' heel."
www.commondreams.org www.commondreams.org
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I'm aware. I work in Boston which is either the second or third most expensive housing costs in the Nation.

For me the Tech Boom brought up prices long before I had a job in Boston, so I never saw Rent go up double or triple in just a year or two. And I don't think it ever went up that fast. Sure I see my rent to up $50 to $100 a month each year when I renew my lease, but it's not like going from $450 a month to $1500 a month for a 1 bedroom apartment like some of these rural communities have seen.
 
RenegadeMonster said:
I'm aware. I work in Boston which is either the second or third most expensive housing costs in the Nation.

For me the Tech Boom brought up prices long before I had a job in Boston, so I never saw Rent go up double or triple in just a year or two. And I don't think it ever went up that fast. Sure I see my rent to up $50 to $100 a month each year when I renew my lease, but it's not like going from $450 a month to $1500 a month for a 1 bedroom apartment like some of these rural communities have seen.
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I've had rent go up by $500 dollar in a single year on me in Los Angeles (back in 2014). I'm also from Colorado originally and a lot of my friends there have experienced massive rent increases there.
 
RenegadeMonster said:
I'm aware. I work in Boston which is either the second or third most expensive housing costs in the Nation.

For me the Tech Boom brought up prices long before I had a job in Boston, so I never saw Rent go up double or triple in just a year or two. And I don't think it ever went up that fast. Sure I see my rent to up $50 to $100 a month each year when I renew my lease, but it's not like going from $450 a month to $1500 a month for a 1 bedroom apartment like some of these rural communities have seen.
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Cities probably have slightly better renter protections than random Texas podunks, but I saw very close to that in San Jose in the 1990s.
 
Twentytwo said:
Well this is interesting!

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It's no coincidence that this is happening a day after a new national poll showed a 3 way tie between Bernie, Warren and Biden while numerous polls show Bernie or Warren leading in a lot of the early states.

The billionaires are scared at the prospect of Biden tanking. But so long as nobody runs 3rd party this can only be a good thing for progressives. No Bernie / Warren supporter is gonna flip to Bloomberg.
 
www.cnn.com

Mitch McConnell has to condemn this power grab

A losing candidate should not be allowed to use rhetoric of stolen elections or voter fraud without evidence, as it undermines the public's confidence in our electoral system, writes Joshua Douglas
www.cnn.com www.cnn.com

We should be keeping a close eye on what is going on in Kentucky right now as this will be a very likely preview of how the 2020 elections will go down if republicans can't claim victory.

Claims of Irregularities and Voter Fraud being thrown out there with no evidence to back it up. This propaganda divides America and creates distrust amongst Americans in election results. Especially when they believe the propaganda and believe the election has been stolen which could result in unrest.

Currently in Kentucky, Matt Bevin is claiming thousands of absentee ballots have been illegally counted. And republican leader ship is in the state are echoing his claims. Some are remaining silent, but none are disputing it.

There is no evidence that any kind of voter fraud or illregularities occurred. Also there is no evidence that any absentee ballots have been illegally counted.


If republicans keep pushing the issue and attempt a power grab there is a very good chance we will see that on the national level in 2020.
 
apnews.com

County resolution threatens journalists with prosecution

MADISON, Wis. (AP) — At least one Wisconsin county official wants to warn any journalists who cover the upcoming release of a regional water quality study: Publish the county's news release summarizing the findings in its entirety without any alterations or risk criminal prosecution.
apnews.com apnews.com

More blatant disregard to the freedom of press. The number of cases are increasing this year.
 
www.cnn.com

Mulvaney will not pursue court fight over subpoena

Acting White House chief of staff Mick Mulvaney no longer plans to sue in federal court over his House subpoena in the impeachment probe.
www.cnn.com www.cnn.com

Still defying the impeachment probe by still being a no-show after being subpoenaed by the impeachment probe.

Mick Mulvaney is now saying he is no longer suing in federal court over his Subpoena and now saying instead he is following orders from the White House and Justice Departing to not testify.

Talk about obstruction of justice.
 
RenegadeMonster said:
Here is a great read on how divided America is right now.

www.cnn.com

Welcome to the Fractured States of America

In 2019, there’s only one thing that unites us: just how divided we think we are.
www.cnn.com www.cnn.com
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This is the most telling paragraph:

"Just pause for a moment and think about the town or city you call home. How many of your neighbors voted the same way you did in the last presidential election cycle? Probably most of them. And if they didn’t, research indicates you may be considering relocating sometime soon.

Just 40 years ago, most districts in the US were swing districts. Today, less than half of them are. And this is unlikely to change anytime soon, as more and more people move to neighborhoods where they likely won’t encounter anyone who holds an opposing political view.

So, what happened over the last four decades? Journalist Bill Bishop explains we’ve been self-sorting ourselves since the 1970s, when geographic inequality in education grew. That meant Americans with college degrees began clustering in big cities, while less-educated people remained in more rural areas. And jobs migrated accordingly, with technology and production following the new city dwellers.

This clustering was followed by the rise of partisan media, social media networks and a market that was built quite literally on catering to those divisions. In other words, entire identities — defined by diet, media patterns and size of home — have been created around party affiliation. And, as sociological research explains, place, and even consumption habits, have become a way of creating identity and broadcasting it to the world — or, at least, our closest neighbor."
 
DownIsTheNewUp said:
This is the most telling paragraph:

"Just pause for a moment and think about the town or city you call home. How many of your neighbors voted the same way you did in the last presidential election cycle? Probably most of them. And if they didn’t, research indicates you may be considering relocating sometime soon.

Just 40 years ago, most districts in the US were swing districts. Today, less than half of them are. And this is unlikely to change anytime soon, as more and more people move to neighborhoods where they likely won’t encounter anyone who holds an opposing political view.

So, what happened over the last four decades? Journalist Bill Bishop explains we’ve been self-sorting ourselves since the 1970s, when geographic inequality in education grew. That meant Americans with college degrees began clustering in big cities, while less-educated people remained in more rural areas. And jobs migrated accordingly, with technology and production following the new city dwellers.

This clustering was followed by the rise of partisan media, social media networks and a market that was built quite literally on catering to those divisions. In other words, entire identities — defined by diet, media patterns and size of home — have been created around party affiliation. And, as sociological research explains, place, and even consumption habits, have become a way of creating identity and broadcasting it to the world — or, at least, our closest neighbor."
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My district just swing to the Dems in the last election. Currently my neighbor is pretty conservative (NRA sticker, goes to church, and MAGA hat was noticed when we stopped by to check in after the fires). However, by far he is the nicest neighbor. We have conversations all the time at the end of the driveway when putting out the cans.

Recently he and another neighbor were talking about the power outages. They blamed the current Gov. Newsome. Which I think is a little nuts since teh power companies have been private for a while now. He stopped the conversation short, not wanting to discuss politics. I made a joke about wanting to remain on good terms with each other.

We do come from very different backgrounds. He's older, more rural (even though he had his family in Eagle Rock), blue collar job. He' s dealt with a lot in his family. One son was shot, but survived (gang initiation violence) the other died in a traffic accident.

He's the first white person my wife has seen with no teeth. He walks around without any dentures. I keep telling my wife that not all white people are like the ones she grew up around in Hollywood.

Were about to invite him and his wife to our son's B-day party. Should be interesting, since her half is all Guatemalan immigrants.
 
This is interesting. Juleanna Glover disusses the possibility to do the impeachment trial by secret ballot in the senate ( which senate could vote on by single majority, i.e. 3 gop senators voting for it)
www.politico.com

There’s a Surprisingly Plausible Path to Removing Trump From Office

It would take just three Republican senators to turn the impeachment vote into a secret ballot. It’s not hard to imagine what would happen then.
www.politico.com www.politico.com
 
DownIsTheNewUp said:
This is the most telling paragraph:

"Just pause for a moment and think about the town or city you call home. How many of your neighbors voted the same way you did in the last presidential election cycle? Probably most of them. And if they didn’t, research indicates you may be considering relocating sometime soon.

Just 40 years ago, most districts in the US were swing districts. Today, less than half of them are. And this is unlikely to change anytime soon, as more and more people move to neighborhoods where they likely won’t encounter anyone who holds an opposing political view.

So, what happened over the last four decades? Journalist Bill Bishop explains we’ve been self-sorting ourselves since the 1970s, when geographic inequality in education grew. That meant Americans with college degrees began clustering in big cities, while less-educated people remained in more rural areas. And jobs migrated accordingly, with technology and production following the new city dwellers.

This clustering was followed by the rise of partisan media, social media networks and a market that was built quite literally on catering to those divisions. In other words, entire identities — defined by diet, media patterns and size of home — have been created around party affiliation. And, as sociological research explains, place, and even consumption habits, have become a way of creating identity and broadcasting it to the world — or, at least, our closest neighbor."
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I’m assuming there’s some truth to this but I wonder how much of it is confirmation bias?

Urban America in the 70’s was rough. White flight and race-politics had abandoned it and so did the jobs; moving either to the suburbs or foreign lands. its hard to imagine people actively choosing to live someplace more dangerous and less stable because of their liberal identity.

Now post Reagan and Bush 1, culture had shifted, interest rates were lowered, the recession of the late 80’s had passed, deregulation had set-in, and even more people were feeling desperate and hopeless about their future. The city felt opportunistic again.You could buy that old warehouse building for not very much and be an artist or flip it to your fellow white kids that were rejecting theit 2nd invitation to1950’s America.

By the late 90’s tech boom the real estate economy was too enticing to not take advantage of and those corporate tech dollars started to flood (and kill) cities. The west coast first - then everywhere.

I suppose all of this is tied or confounded by political affiliation but I’m not sure whether you wore red or blue stripes was the driver
 
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