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[NYCmetsfan]

Bullshit

Inflation is pretty much the only thing that does, deficits are numbers on a ledger, they describe nothing useful.

 

[Coriolanus]

Inflation is pretty much the only thing that does, deficits are numbers on a ledger, they describe nothing useful.

Indeed, but it's kinda hard to be excited about *more* military spending.

 

[RustyNails]

Indeed, but it's kinda hard to be excited about *more* military spending.

Yeah but I dont have a problem if it's being used to actually stop ISIS (without invading Iraq), instead of military contracts to Blackwater and other crony bullshit. The budget was bound to increase in response to new threats.

 

[NYCmetsfan]

Indeed, but it's kinda hard to be excited about *more* military spending.

Eh, at least were not increasing our killing. The money is going to georgia, texas and other places and hiring people. Its not efficient but its either that or no money. I'd choose more money. And the military is a great tool for research and policy experiments, the left should embrace that aspect. I'd think it be a good tact to start pushing for expansion into more domestic fields (medical, infrastructure creation, and the like) so support for the military is more about national service broadly, not only bombing people.

 

[Fenderputty]

Indeed, but it's kinda hard to be excited about *more* military spending.

I'm not opposed to military spending as long as it's going towards employing people rather than funding jets that never get used.

 

[Black Mamba]

it should also be noted the increase in defense spending is there as a trade-off with the GOP for increased domestic spending.

 

[Particle Physicist]

nm. I see you guys have discussed that.

 

[Poodlestrike]

Man, all those "now the GOP is gonna be anti-vaxx" jokes from a few days ago aren't as funny anymore

 

[Particle Physicist]

He's right though.

The flu shot can kindly fuck off.

And apparently theres a chicken pox vaccine these days, but getting chicken pox isnt a big deal.

However, the point is that now the message will be "Obamas black helicopters are coming to inject diseases into your arm"

It can be.

http://www.cdc.gov/Features/preventchickenpox/

Zoster also sucks balls.

http://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/vpd-vac/shingles/

 

[Coriolanus]

Eh, at least were not increasing our killing. The money is going to georgia, texas and other places and hiring people. Its not efficient but its either that or no money. I'd choose more money. And the military is a great tool for research and policy experiments, the left should embrace that aspect. I'd think it be a good tact to start pushing for expansion into more domestic fields (medical, infrastructure creation, and the like) so support for the military is more about national service broadly, not only bombing people.

Y'know, that's... actually a good point. Given that military budget is the one area the opposition is most likely not to fight against, directing military expenditure towards more civilian goals would be a way to get around frivolous antagonism.

 

[NYCmetsfan]

Y'know, that's... actually a good point. Given that military budget is the one area the opposition is most likely not to fight against, directing military expenditure towards more civilian goals would be a way to get around frivolous antagonism.

While not specifically with the military I see obama using this strategy with governmental agencies (pay raises, marriage benefits, medical coverage, and the like)

 

[thepotatoman]

Well, the military was expected to construct roads and do other infrastructure projects in Iraq. No reason they couldn't do it here, I guess.

I can't really complain if we update our highway system in the name of national security.

 

[NYCmetsfan]

Well, the military was expected to construct roads and do other infrastructure projects in Iraq. No reason they couldn't do it here, I guess.

I can't really complain if we update our highway system in the name of national security.

One of the most annoying aspects of the left is the concern with purity of intentions or ideals.

I care much more about the ends. More people need to read the prince, its like a manual to the human brain

 

[Poodlestrike]

One of the most annoying aspects of the left is the concern with purity of intentions or ideals.

I care much more about the ends. More people need to read the prince, its like a manual to the human brain

The Prince was written entirely sarcastically, so you may want to get a new manual

That said, I agree. The perfect is the enemy of the good, and a lot of the modern left has trouble wrapping their heads around it.

Well, the military was expected to construct roads and do other infrastructure projects in Iraq. No reason they couldn't do it here, I guess.

I can't really complain if we update our highway system in the name of national security.

Highway system actually started out as a national security expenditure; it'd designed to facilitate mass troop movements across the country in the event of an invasion. Did you know that there's a minimum ratio of straight to curved road, so planes have places to land?

Shit, put that military money into the National Guard, get them out on the roads building bridges.

 

[NYCmetsfan]

The Prince was written entirely sarcastically, so you may want to get a new manual

That said, I agree. The perfect is the enemy of the good, and a lot of the modern left has trouble wrapping their heads around it.

I'm not saying the platform to be evil and glory seeking but as for its piercing insights to a how the mind works in politics. Not that one should lie but the general idea about how fear works and how people react to rulers.

And I don't really agree its satirical in the same way swift was.

 

[jamesinclair]

Inflation is pretty much the only thing that does, deficits are numbers on a ledger, they describe nothing useful.

And when those numbers grow, the conservatives demand we shrink elsewhere.

Every dollar Obama gives in handouts to the military is a dollar less for infrastructure or education

So yes, it matters

 

[Black Mamba]

And when those numbers grow, the conservatives demand we shrink elsewhere.

Every dollar Obama gives in handouts to the military is a dollar less for infrastructure or education

So yes, it matters

no, every dollar he gives there equates to a dollar in something domestic. Well, hopefully.

 

[Coriolanus]

And when those numbers grow, the conservatives demand we shrink elsewhere.

Every dollar Obama gives in handouts to the military is a dollar less for infrastructure or education

So yes, it matters

That's a bit of a false dichotomy, no? I mean, the same realism that compels you to have that viewpoint should also compel you to realize that if there was no military spending, republicans would demand for the money to simply not be spent at all, because fuck the blackie's budget, that's why.

 

[Lucky Forward]

Highway system actually started out as a national security expenditure; it'd designed to facilitate mass troop movements across the country in the event of an invasion. Did you know that there's a minimum ratio of straight to curved road, so planes have places to land?

Snopes: False

 

[Poodlestrike]

Snopes: False

Aw man

 

[NYCmetsfan]

Ben Carsons weighs in on the vaccine stuff. Declares war on Religious Liberty.

http://www.buzzfeed.com/andrewkaczynski/ben-carson-health#.ddmaard6N

Dr. Ben Carson, a prospective Republican presidential candidate, said Monday people should not be allowed to refuse vaccines on religious or philosophical grounds.

“Although I strongly believe in individual rights and the rights of parents to raise their children as they see fit, I also recognize that public health and public safety are extremely important in our society,” Carson said in a statement to BuzzFeed News.
Carson said diseases of the past should not be allowed to return because of people avoiding vaccines on religious or philosophical grounds.

“Certain communicable diseases have been largely eradicated by immunization policies in this country and we should not allow those diseases to return by foregoing safe immunization programs, for philosophical, religious, or other reasons when we have the means to eradicate them,” Carson said in the statement.
“Obviously there are exceptional situations to virtually everything and we must have a mechanism whereby those can be heard,” he said.

BuzzFeed News asked Carson whether vaccinations for diseases like measles and rubella should be mandatory except in cases where a child’s health does not allow it, and whether states should allow philosophical and religious exemptions.

it's not brain surgery

 

[Poodlestrike]

Ben Carsons weighs in on the vaccine stuff. Declares war on Religious Liberty.

http://www.buzzfeed.com/andrewkaczynski/ben-carson-health#.ddmaard6N

]

Never thought I'd say this, but good on Ben Carson.

 

[B-Dubs]

Ben Carsons weighs in on the vaccine stuff. Declares war on Religious Liberty.

http://www.buzzfeed.com/andrewkaczynski/ben-carson-health#.ddmaard6N



it's not brain surgery

Good on him.

 

[PhoenixDark]

Ben Carsons weighs in on the vaccine stuff. Declares war on Religious Liberty.

http://www.buzzfeed.com/andrewkaczynski/ben-carson-health#.ddmaard6N



it's not brain surgery

Daps to Carson, good job.

Some things are options and some things are decisions, as my mom used to tell me when I was a kid. You've got the option to not have ketchup on your hot dog or onions on your burger...but you don't get to decide whether you wear a seat belt or not. And you don't get to decide whether basic immunizations that protect the public and are harmless are given to you.

 

[Nazgul_Hunter]

I thought the anti vaxx nuts were liberals mostly. How did this suddenly turn into a right wing freedom issue?

 

[KingGondo]

Ben Carsons weighs in on the vaccine stuff. Declares war on Religious Liberty.

http://www.buzzfeed.com/andrewkaczynski/ben-carson-health#.ddmaard6N

it's not brain surgery

Good stuff.

 

[Poodlestrike]

I thought the anti vaxx nuts were liberals mostly. How did this suddenly turn into a right wing freedom issue?

Obama came out against it, so Republicans pivoted.

 

[B-Dubs]

I thought the anti vaxx nuts were liberals mostly. How did this suddenly turn into a right wing freedom issue?

The liberal anti-vaxxers always got the most press due to the thought that they should know better, but there's a lot there that appeals to religious conservatives (the god will heal your sickness types) and hardcore libertarians (that don't need no gubmint telling them how to raise their kids) as well. We just expect it from them so no one really cares.

Obama came out against it, so Republicans pivoted.

Which is why it caught the mainstream, but there were plenty there that already held that view.

 

[ivysaur12]

Ben Carsons weighs in on the vaccine stuff. Declares war on Religious Liberty.

http://www.buzzfeed.com/andrewkaczynski/ben-carson-health#.ddmaard6N



it's not brain surgery

Good.

Also, I had a fairly long reply to Metaphoreus but my browser crashed. It should not be a mainstream issue to have a philosophical opt out for vaccinations. To even have Christie suggest any sort of doubt of imply that there should be a choice not to vaccinate is dangerous.

EDIT: Also, we're confident that Aaron Schock is trolling us all this point, yes?

http://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/style/hes-got-a-downton-abbey-inspired-office-but-rep-aaron-schock-wont-talk-about-it/2015/02/02/1d3f1466-ab1f-11e4-abe8-e1ef60ca26de_story.html

 

[Cloudy]

So Christie is in the UK making anti-vaccination comments and attending soccer games while his state is about to get battered by a blizzard? Imagine what he and his fellow GOPers would be saying if Obama was out of the country during some national emergency

 

[StopMakingSense]

I thought the anti vaxx nuts were liberals mostly. How did this suddenly turn into a right wing freedom issue?

anti-vaxx kinda straddles the line, I've found. Leans more toward liberals, but it scratches the same parental paranoia itch.

 

[The Technomancer]

Anti-vax appeals to people who dislike big pharma and big government! What's not to like?

 

[B-Dubs]

Anti-vax appeals to people who dislike big pharma and big government! What's not to like?

It also appeals to homeopaths and people who believe they can pray diseases away.

 

[Wilsongt]

Wasn't this argument already brought up before against gay marriage about it costing the government money or something?

Well, here it is again, from Alabama:

Alabama State Sen. Del Marsh (R) sees yet another reason to oppose marriage equality: Giving same-sex couples equal rights, he says, is simply too expensive.

“You gotta look at the financial aspect of this as well,” Marsh told an Alabama radio host last week, in an interview flagged by Think Progress. “Let’s face it. If gay marriage is approved, I assume that those types of unions, those people would be entitled to Social Security benefits, insurance. Where does it end?”

Marsh, the President Pro Tempore of his chamber, added that he “wondered if the federal government has looked at the actual costs to the government when they look at an issue like this.”

http://www.salon.com/2015/02/02/ala...e_the_dumbest_anti_gay_marriage_argument_yet/

The logic here... It's absolutely flawless. Let me tell you.

 

[NYCmetsfan]

double post

 

[NYCmetsfan]

Just come out already Aaron, his staff already volunteers the fact (went out one night with someone who works in his office and while he didn't say yes he was, he said he was)

http://gawker.com/aaron-schocks-int...m_source=gawker_twitter&utm_medium=socialflow

Illinois congressman Aaron Schock's communications director had a very bad day Monday when a Washington Post reporter happened to run into Schock's extremely chatty interior decorator.

Post style reporter Ben Terris was admiring Schock's outer office—a fiery red affair reportedly adorned with golden sconces and black candles—when a staffer volunteered, for no apparent reason, that the space was inspired by the popular British period television drama, Downton Abbey.

A blond woman popped out of an inner office. "Want to see the rest?" she asked.

She introduced herself as Annie Brahler, the interior decorator whose company is called Euro Trash. She guided me to Schock's private office, revealing another dramatic red room. This one with a drippy crystal chandelier, a table propped up by two eagles, a bust of Abraham Lincoln and massive arrangements of pheasant feathers.

Then, my phone rang.

It was Schock's communications director, Benjamin Cole.

"Are you taking pictures of the office?" he asked. "Who told you you could do that? . . . Okay, stay where you are. You've created a bit of a crisis in the office."

A staff member then came and asked me to please delete the photos from my phone. So started a day of back-and-forths with a congressman's office about interior design.
Cole even apparently tried to trade access to Schock to keep Terris from publishing the dirty Downton deets.

"You've got a member [of Congress] willing to talk to you about other things," Cole said on the phone. "Why sour it by rushing to write some gossipy piece?"
Schock, a popular Instagram persona, reportedly refused to discuss his design-inspo.

"He's happy to talk to you, just not about the office," Cole reportedly told Terris. "I'm really sorry and want you to know this is not fun for me."

 

[Aaron Strife]

It wouldn't be a schock.

 

[ivysaur12]

Maybe he's just a master troll.

 

[Black Mamba]

So Vox got Obama's quote wrong about him being open to anti-vax people.

Good going Vox. You and 538 have been such disappointments.

Participating in the extended game of "Telephone" that is the Internet, the news site Vox has unearthed a report of a public appearance by then-Sen. Barack Obama to suggest that he "pandered" to anti-vaccination groups by acknowledging a vaccine-autism link in 2008, when he was launching his campaign for the Democratic presidential nomination.

A viewing of the video from that appearance shows that interpretation is incorrect. He dismissed the anti-vaccination viewpoint, spoke out forthrightly and squarely in favor of childhood immunization and did not endorse the autism link. Kudos to Charles Johnson of Little Green Footballs for setting the record straight.

...

When Obama says "this person included," he's clearly shown pointing off to his right at the person who asked him about the autism-vaccine link, and not referring to himself. The full transcript of his remarks also suggests that the science he says is "inconclusive" is the science of what causes autism -- not the purported link to any vaccine.

"We’ve seen just a skyrocketing autism rate," he says. "Nobody knows exactly why.... We’ve got to figure out why is it that this is happening so that we are starting to see a more normal, what was a normal, rate of autism."

...

Blogger Orac of Science Blogs turned up an example of how candidate Obama ticked off the anti-vaccination movement later in 2008 by stating that he was "not for selective vaccination, I believe that it will bring back deadly diseases, like polio.

The danger of getting the story wrong is that it will push the vaccine debate deeper into partisan, ideological politics, which is all we need. Suggesting that Obama has flip-flopped on vaccination is just another way to undermine the solid science and public health policy in favor of childhood immunization.

http://www.latimes.com/business/hiltzik/la-fi-mh-no-obama-didnt-pander--20150202-column.html

Obama was saying the science behind why autism rates are on the rise is inconclusive, he dismissed any link to vaccinations.

Fucking hell. Here is the video. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SYkluT1GbAc

 

[B-Dubs]

So Vox got Obama's quote wrong about him being open to anti-vax people.

Good going Vox. You and 538 have been such disappointments.


http://www.latimes.com/business/hiltzik/la-fi-mh-no-obama-didnt-pander--20150202-column.html

Obama was saying the science behind why autism rates are on the rise is inconclusive, he dismissed any link to vaccinations.

Fucking hell. Here is the video. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SYkluT1GbAc

Not surprised, this is what happens when you put an emphasis on being first over an emphasis on being right.

 

[Metaphoreus]

Good.

Also, I had a fairly long reply to Metaphoreus but my browser crashed. It should not be a mainstream issue to have a philosophical opt out for vaccinations. To even have Christie suggest any sort of doubt of imply that there should be a choice not to vaccinate is dangerous.

Losing a long post is the worst. I try to regularly copy the text of a lengthy post as I'm writing it, since my laptop's a bit garbage.

I don't take Christie to be talking about a philosophical opt-out from government-mandated vaccinations. I read his comments as directed at the initial determination of whether a given vaccine should be mandated in the first place. Of course, his comments aren't exactly a model of clarity (and off-the-cuff remarks rarely are). But I don't think reading his comments as addressing opt-outs changes much--it just narrows the applicability of his answer. So, rather than saying, "Here's how the government should determine when to mandate vaccinations," his comments become, "Here's how the government should determine when to prohibit opt-outs from mandatory vaccinations." I still say his approach is entirely unobjectionable.

 

[Oblivion]

So glad to see Obama's FINALLY learned how to properly negotiate. Shame it took him 6 years to do so.

 

[thepotatoman]

Good.

Also, I had a fairly long reply to Metaphoreus but my browser crashed. It should not be a mainstream issue to have a philosophical opt out for vaccinations. To even have Christie suggest any sort of doubt of imply that there should be a choice not to vaccinate is dangerous.

EDIT: Also, we're confident that Aaron Schock is trolling us all this point, yes?

http://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/style/hes-got-a-downton-abbey-inspired-office-but-rep-aaron-schock-wont-talk-about-it/2015/02/02/1d3f1466-ab1f-11e4-abe8-e1ef60ca26de_story.html

I use Lazarus: Form Recovery, which is available for chrome and firefox for free. Never have to worry about losing a response like that again.

 

[ivysaur12]

Losing a long post is the worst. I try to regularly copy the text of a lengthy post as I'm writing it, since my laptop's a bit garbage.

I don't take Christie to be talking about a philosophical opt-out from government-mandated vaccinations. I read his comments as directed at the initial determination of whether a given vaccine should be mandated in the first place. Of course, his comments aren't exactly a model of clarity (and off-the-cuff remarks rarely are). But I don't think reading his comments as addressing opt-outs changes much--it just narrows the applicability of his answer. So, rather than saying, "Here's how the government should determine when to mandate vaccinations," his comments become, "Here's how the government should determine when to prohibit opt-outs from mandatory vaccinations." I still say his approach is entirely unobjectionable.

It was on my phone, which has a garbage browser.

Well, let's look at his words again:

But he added: “It’s more important what you think as a parent than what you think as a public official. I also understand that parents need to have some measure of choice in things as well. So that’s the balance that the government has to decide.”

Mr. Christie said that “not every vaccine is created equal, and not every disease type is as great a public health threat as others.”

What choice should parents have in terms of vaccinating their kids? And more chillingly, what vaccines AREN'T created equal? What diseases shouldn't we be vaccinating from? Why?

It seems steeped in psuedoscience bullshittery that's pandering towards unnecessary anxiety about vaccines.

He'll probably clarify his remarks and say that's for vaccinations and that all people should vaccinate. But I'm very disturbed by his suggestion that some vaccines are "better than others."

 

[Dan]

It was on my phone, which has a garbage browser.

Well, let's look at his words again:



What choice should parents have in terms of vaccinating their kids? And more chillingly, what vaccines AREN'T created equal? What diseases shouldn't we be vaccinating from? Why?

It seems steeped in psuedoscience bullshittery that's pandering towards unnecessary anxiety about vaccines.

He'll probably clarify his remarks and say that's for vaccinations and that all people should vaccinate. But I'm very disturbed by his suggestion that some vaccines are "better than others."

I would assume the HPV vaccine would be on their shortlist for vaccines that shouldn't be mandated.

 

[B-Dubs]

I would assume the HPV vaccine would be on their shortlist for vaccines that shouldn't be mandated.

Which is immensely stupid, mandating that is like the single solitary decent thing Rick Perry did.

 

[ivysaur12]

I would assume the HPV vaccine would be on their shortlist for vaccines that shouldn't be mandated.

Right, but I'd also put that in the camp of a political decision that makes no sense as a public health decision. It's a necessary vaccine.

 

[Oblivion]

Why is no one talking about the great news about net neutrality?

http://www.neogaf.com/forum/showthread.php?t=984419

 

[Third Strike]

NC House members want to pass a bill on reforming the redistricting process. It would work similar to Iowa's system of redistricting, which a non-partisan staff draws the maps, but the state legislature votes on it. Both Republicans and Democrats in the House support it.

 

[RustyNails]

So Vox got Obama's quote wrong about him being open to anti-vax people.

Good going Vox. You and 538 have been such disappointments.


http://www.latimes.com/business/hiltzik/la-fi-mh-no-obama-didnt-pander--20150202-column.html

Obama was saying the science behind why autism rates are on the rise is inconclusive, he dismissed any link to vaccinations.

Fucking hell. Here is the video. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SYkluT1GbAc

Will PD apologize?