US Elections 2020 (geopolitics, informed debate, no ad hominems)

Biden

14 (66.7%)

Trump

7 (33.3%)

Total Members Voted: 21

Voting closed: November 02, 2020, 06:25:59 pm

[Alan Klein]

I was born on Dec 31, so News Years is a cool time for me, but I have never been more ready to say HAPPY NEW YEAR!  Then again 2021 may be even worse

I'm glad you had a good financial year in 2020.   I think 2021 is going to be bad, regardless of who wins.  I think we're all living in a dream world.

[Craig Lamson]

I'm glad you had a good financial year in 2020.   I think 2021 is going to be bad, regardless of who wins.  I think we're all living in a dream world.

I was blessed with work compared to others but I'm still down about 25%. I'll take it considering.  I have no clue what next year will bring but I'm at the end of my sell by date when to comes to working.  I'll go another few years if I can but if next year is a bust I'll just retire. 

[Alan Klein]

I was blessed with work compared to others but I'm still down about 25%. I'll take it considering.  I have no clue what next year will bring but I'm at the end of my sell by date when to comes to working.  I'll go another few years if I can but if next year is a bust I'll just retire. 

I think a lot of older people are doing that if they can.  Why beat a dead horse? When we moved to NJ from Queens, NYC, I continued to work for about a week.  The commute was horrendous.  So I said screw it and retired.  I was 68.  It was enough.

[Manoli]

That's a slanted comparison.  You're showing a map of the State of Rhode Island and comparing it to one county in Texas.  If you show the Texas state map, it would show 254 drop off locations for the state, one for each county.  254! 

Texas is 257x the size of Rhode Island in terms of land coverage.
29,000,000 population v 1,095,000, almost 29x
So, NO, it's not a slanted comparison and I'll let you do the maths.

So it appears that several counties decided to have drop off boxes on their own, it was not Texas law.
Here is what this article says about Texas law and drop boxes.

To quote from your article,
"A state appeals court on Friday upheld a Travis County State district court order allowing Texas counties to have multiple drop-off locations for hand delivery of absentee ballots, undercutting Gov. Greg Abbott's recent directive limiting counties to one drop-off site. "

So the various appeals and counter-appeals. soon to reach the Texas Supreme Court, are in regard to the Governor's directive, which is as reported originally - not Texas state law.

[TechTalk]

Actually if Biden wins and dies before being sworn in, the constitution has no method on how to deal with that.

Actually, it does.

[Craig Lamson]

Texas is 257x the size of Rhode Island in terms of land coverage.
29,000,000 population v 1,095,000, almost 29x
So, NO, it's not a slanted comparison and I'll let you do the maths.


To quote from your article,
"A state appeals court on Friday upheld a Travis County State district court order allowing Texas counties to have multiple drop-off locations for hand delivery of absentee ballots, undercutting Gov. Greg Abbott's recent directive limiting counties to one drop-off site. "

So the various appeals and counter-appeals. soon to reach the Texas Supreme Court, are in regard to the Governor's directive, which is as reported originally - not Texas state law.

The state law makes no allowances for drop boxes.   The some counties decided, alone, to put them in anyway.  There is where the fight begins.  State law requires a voter id when submitting a mail in ballot in person and you cannot submit a ballot for someone else. 

So Abbott objected to counties doing their own thing.  He relents and offered to have a single box per county. He could have said none.

and now this:

https://www.cnn.com/2020/10/27/politics/texas-supreme-court-drop-boxes/index.html

(CNN)The Texas Supreme Court on Tuesday ruled in favor of Republican Gov. Greg Abbott's order to limit mail-in ballot drop box locations to one site per county, a decision that largely affects the Houston and Austin areas.

The court ruled that Abbott's order "provides Texas voters more ways to vote in the November 3 election than does the Election Code" and that it doesn't "disenfranchise anyone."
...

"The plaintiffs complain that limiting early hand-deliveries of mail-in ballots to one office per county requires more travel time for some voters. But this ignores the other options for casting their ballots that these voters have," the opinion read. It noted that voters can also vote in person for an expanded period of time than usual, drop off their mail-in ballot in a 45-day window before Election Day rather than on November 3 only, and also mail in their ballots.
The court also argued the risk of mailing the ballot is "small," and "voters who are worried about it can mail their ballots in plenty of time before Election Day to eliminate the chance of untimely delivery."

[faberryman]

The poll of who's going to be sworn in as president should have a write in option.  After all, if Biden/Harris wins, and Biden gets the covid and dies beforehand, Harris will become president.  WHile I wish Joe no ill will, it's a possibility.  ACtually, the same is true about Trump.  He could die of suntan lotion poisoning and Pence would become president.  If both winners (pres and VP) die, then Nancy Pelosi becomes president.  Of course she would be sworn in immediately on their deaths.  We wouldn't have to wait until Jan 21st.   

See what I mean. Anybody want to guess how many posts it will take before someone complains that Kanye wasn't included. There were about 15 candidates for president on my ballot. Maybe we should add those to the list too. Or maybe "None" because the world may come to an end before the inauguration. My suggestion is that anybody who thinks the poll should be done a different way should do their own poll so they can have it exactly the way they want it.

[Alan Klein]

Texas is 257x the size of Rhode Island in terms of land coverage.
29,000,000 population v 1,095,000, almost 29x
So, NO, it's not a slanted comparison and I'll let you do the maths.


To quote from your article,
"A state appeals court on Friday upheld a Travis County State district court order allowing Texas counties to have multiple drop-off locations for hand delivery of absentee ballots, undercutting Gov. Greg Abbott's recent directive limiting counties to one drop-off site. "

So the various appeals and counter-appeals. soon to reach the Texas Supreme Court, are in regard to the Governor's directive, which is as reported originally - not Texas state law.

But there are plenty of drop-off boxes.  They're called mail boxes.  And you don't even have to pay for postage.

[faberryman]

So you liked the Goya products and then you quit buying them because the company owner did not think like you did?  Cut off you nose to spite your face...Silly.

I don't buy Goya products, so I didn't start or stop buying them. The Hatch Act does not apply to the president so he can hawk whatever he wants from the Resolute Desk. I think it is unseemly, but people have different views about what is unseemly or not, and it is not illegal to be unseemly, so I just roll my eyes and say he's an idiot. The Hatch Act does apply to Ivanka, but no one is prosecuted under it. The DOJ or whoever, just sends a letter of reprimand, or sends a letter the person's supervisor telling them to reprimand the person, or whatever. Kellyanne Conway has violated the Hatch Act a bunch of times, and letters have been sent, and it doesn't make the slightest bit of difference. Oh, and one man's cutting off your nose to spite you face is another man's principled response.

[Alan Klein]

The state law makes no allowances for drop boxes.   The some counties decided, alone, to put them in anyway.  There is where the fight begins.  State law requires a voter id when submitting a mail in ballot in person and you cannot submit a ballot for someone else. 

So Abbott objected to counties doing their own thing.  He relents and offered to have a single box per county. He could have said none.

and now this:

https://www.cnn.com/2020/10/27/politics/texas-supreme-court-drop-boxes/index.html

(CNN)The Texas Supreme Court on Tuesday ruled in favor of Republican Gov. Greg Abbott's order to limit mail-in ballot drop box locations to one site per county, a decision that largely affects the Houston and Austin areas.

The court ruled that Abbott's order "provides Texas voters more ways to vote in the November 3 election than does the Election Code" and that it doesn't "disenfranchise anyone."
...

"The plaintiffs complain that limiting early hand-deliveries of mail-in ballots to one office per county requires more travel time for some voters. But this ignores the other options for casting their ballots that these voters have," the opinion read. It noted that voters can also vote in person for an expanded period of time than usual, drop off their mail-in ballot in a 45-day window before Election Day rather than on November 3 only, and also mail in their ballots.
The court also argued the risk of mailing the ballot is "small," and "voters who are worried about it can mail their ballots in plenty of time before Election Day to eliminate the chance of untimely delivery."

With drop off boxes, the governor gave Texas residents more ways to vote than usual.  He did the opposite of disenfranchising voters.  He made it easier.  When you give some people an inch, they want a foot.

[Alan Klein]

See what I mean. Anybody want to guess how many posts it will take before someone complains that Kanye wasn't included. There were about 15 candidates for president on my ballot. Maybe we should add those to the list too. Or maybe "None" because the world may come to an end before the inauguration. My suggestion is that anybody who thinks the poll should be done a different way should do their own poll so they can have it exactly the way they want it.

Lighten up Frank.  I was trying to be funny. 

[Alan Klein]

I don't buy Goya products, so I didn't start or stop buying them. The Hatch Act does not apply to the president so he can hawk whatever he wants from the Resolute Desk. I think it is unseemly, but people have different views about what is unseemly or not, and it is not illegal to be unseemly, so I just roll my eyes and say he's an idiot. The Hatch Act does apply to Ivanka, but no one is prosecuted under it. The DOJ or whoever, just sends a letter of reprimand, or tells the person's supervisor to reprimand the person, or whatever. Kellyanne Conway has violated the Hatch Act a bunch of times, and letters have been sent, and it doesn't make the slightest bit of difference whatsoever. Oh, and one man's cutting off your nose to spite you face is another man's principled response.

Never mind the Hatch act. Obama had the IRS go after political opponents.

[Craig Lamson]

I don't buy Goya products, so I didn't start or stop buying them. The Hatch Act does not apply to the president so he can hawk whatever he wants from the Resolute Desk. I think it is unseemly, but people have different views about what is unseemly or not, and it is not illegal to be unseemly, so I just roll my eyes and say he's an idiot. The Hatch Act does apply to Ivanka, but no one is prosecuted under it. The DOJ or whoever, just sends a letter of reprimand, or sends a letter the person's supervisor telling them to reprimand the person, or whatever. Kellyanne Conway has violated the Hatch Act a bunch of times, and letters have been sent, and it doesn't make the slightest bit of difference whatsoever. Oh, and one man's cutting off your nose to spite you face is another man's principled response.

Stop buying beans you like because you don't like the owners politics is silly.  What about all of those poor bean canners who might lose their jobs?  The owner most likey still be fine.  Maybe no new Corvette this year, but last years is still running ok.  The little guys who might actually agree with you are the ones you might end up hurting.  I guess thats a prinicipled response.

[Alan Goldhammer]

So you liked the Goya products and then you quit buying them because the company owner did not think like you did?  Cut off you nose to spite your face...Silly.

Failed reading comprehension yet again.  I don't think I said I liked them.  The only Goya products I ever purchased were dried beans and there are adequate substitutes for the brand.

[faberryman]

Never mind the Hatch act. Obama had the IRS go after political opponents.

Which of course doesn't have anything to do with what we are talking about, but that is to be expected.

[Alan Goldhammer]

But really the net result of the type of stupidity you are pushing is the economy breaking down into two separate ones, with liberal and conservative companies.  We are already see the results of this with extreme drop in sports viewership. 

I don't watch sports other than Euro soccer so that part of the statement is irrelevant.  I'm not pushing the economy anywhere.  I am exercising my right to buy or not buy a particular product.  Maybe you do the same or maybe not.

But the real issue I see with the left today is they assume they are so right and virtuous they feel they have the right to shut others up who disagree with them through whatever means.  Having a disagreement is fine, but lobbying to get someone fired over something they said 4 or 5 years ago, it is getting out of hand.  The WA Post actually wrote a story about a non-political women who wore a halloween costume in which she was making fun of Megan Kelly three years ago in a effort to get her fired.  It worked.  Your side has lost their damn minds.

I might say that the cult members who thing MAGA solves everything have lost their damn minds.  Why haven't the coal mining jobs come back?  What happened to the Carrier jobs?  Why is Lordstown OH a ghost town now?  There are many more examples as well.

[Alan Goldhammer]

I stopped going to movies of actors whose political opinions I don't like.  They should stick to acting. On the other hand, I have no problem looking at your photos.   

...and I yours.  We both have exceptional taste.

[Craig Lamson]

Failed reading comprehension yet again.  I don't think I said I liked them.  The only Goya products I ever purchased were dried beans and there are adequate substitutes for the brand.

You said  "I stopped buying their stuff."

So you were buying stuff you hated?  ROFLMAO. Let it go Alan. 

[faberryman]

With drop off boxes, the governor gave Texas residents more ways to vote than usual.  He did the opposite of disenfranchising voters.  He made it easier.  When you give some people an inch, they want a foot.

I thought some counties had more than one drop box before his edict and ensuing litigation.

[Alan Goldhammer]

Stop buying beans you like because you don't like the owners politics is silly. 

I go back to the old activist days.  I was involved with the grape boycott when in college.  It worked for the farm workers.