Bear Pit: now the sole domicile of politics at LuLa

[faberryman]

So, your getting all your advice from Alan now?  That's interesting.

No, I generally think Alan is wrong about most everything, but you two guys seem to mostly be on the same page, though probably not for the same reasons, and I thought maybe you might want to hear his ideas, and then work it out between yourselves.

[Robert Roaldi]

AOC may end up helping Texas more than Cruz ! 

https://thehill.com/homenews/house/539550-ocasio-cortez-raises-1-million-for-texas-relief-plans-trip-to-houston.

I predict that Alan will chime in to sat that she is just doing this for publicity reasons. (Which of course will be partly true, no point having a politician do something if no one knows about it, unless it's something they want to hide.)

[Robert Roaldi]

I have questions about the Texas electrical grid failure. My understanding is that the operators of the grid are private companies (mostly).

First, is this true? Second, does that mean that they're all about to be sued into oblivion or are they indemnified against that?

[JoeKitchen]

No, I generally think Alan is wrong about most everything, but you two guys seem to mostly be on the same page, though probably not for the same reasons, and I thought maybe you might want to hear his ideas, and then work it out between yourselves.

Well let me just tell you something real important, on the instances we are on the same page, Alan is 100% correct.  You can take that to the bank!   

[JoeKitchen]

I agree. Trump was precedent setting. Which isn't always a good thing. There can be good precedents and bad precedents.
 
Yeah, we never saw the CDC change school opening guidelines under Trump. Actually, I don't remember if the CDC had any school opening guidelines to change. I thought Trump was leaving school stuff to state and local governments. It is why one school system does it one way the adjacent school system does it another. It is Alan's great experiment in federalism. Fifty states and 14,000 school districts all fucking up in different ways.

I agree. We need to get some scientists over to the CDC stat. (I learned the word "stat" from watching Gray's Anatomy.) Maybe Joe and Mikka could get a job there. They are obviously wasting their talents being talking heads on TV.

Here's the thing Frank, Biden is at the same time telling us to get the vaccine while disincentivizing us from getting it.  Just yesterday, Fauci (the 2nd greatest doctor in the country next to Jill Biden) was on TV telling us we may still have to mask up this Winter.  Pelosi was saying the same thing. 

As someone young and healthy with a 0.05% of dying from this, if I catch it first (combining those stats means it is 30 times less likely then dying in a car accident btw), the only incentive I have to get this is to get back to my normal life of not masking in doors.  He is not giving that to me, and to be frank, Frank, that means I probably will not be getting it. 

I have more important things to do with my time than to wait in line to get vaccinated against a decease that poses no threat to me when I can not even take off the mask.  That is not to say I dont think it will work, just it does nothing for me to get it.  So, I probably will not even bother. 

If Biden changes his tune, I will certainly be looking into getting it; right now though, not a chance. 


On top of that it is looking more and more that either the Dems have no idea what the hell they are doing or they are power hungry at this point.

[faberryman]

I have questions about the Texas electrical grid failure. My understanding is that the operators of the grid are private companies (mostly).

First, is this true? Second, does that mean that they're all about to be sued into oblivion or are they indemnified against that?

The grid operator, ERCOT, is a non-profit that is regulated by the Texas public utility commission, which probably confers on them governmental immunity. It is not that they are not regulated, they are just not regulated by the feds. That is because at one time Texas was its own country, and they think they still are, and nobody messes with Texas. So because they are state regulated, and Texas doesn't believe in regulations, nobody made them do stuff that would help maintain the electricity supply in the cold weather, like heaters on the windmills and insultation on the natural gas pipelines and such. And of course since they are their own country, they don't have any agreements with adjacent states to get electricity from them in case the Texas grid goes down. You'll note that everyone in adjacent states is wearing polo shirts and watching TV and everyone in Texas is sitting in the dark, wearing everything they own, holding umbrellas over their heads because all the pipes have burst, and waiting for the Coast Guard to rescue them. That's not entirely true; Ted Cruz took his family down to Cancun. I learned this morning that Ted Cruz has a miniature poodle named Snowflake who was back at home holding down the fort.

[Craig Lamson]

A word of advice.  Don't take up law or politics as a profession. You'll starve.

Also, never, NEVER attempt to out-nerd me on space flight.  You'll lose.

A word of advice, just admit you got it wrong, and then move on.  And of course I did win.

[digitaldog]

So, when can we stop wearing masks according to Biden?  Ever?  When can schools re-open?  Ever?

If you want reasonable answers, try asking a reasonable question.
We can go into Trump mode and just blow smoke up your rear end, and you can happily accept his lies (a mere 40 times since the data of publication of):
40 times Trump said the coronavirus would go away
https://www.washingtonpost.com/video/politics/40-times-trump-said-the-coronavirus-would-go-away/2020/04/30/d2593312-9593-4ec2-aff7-72c1438fca0e_video.html
And
https://www.cnn.com/interactive/2020/10/politics/covid-disappearing-trump-comment-tracker/

[faberryman]

I have more important things to do with my time than to wait in line to get vaccinated against a decease that poses no threat to me when I can not even take off the mask.  That is not to say I dont think it will work, just it does nothing for me to get it.  So, I probably will not even bother.

I think I solved your problem. I called down to the vaccination place and they said you can bring your phone with you and post to LuLa while you are waiting to get your shot, so your waiting time won't be wasted.

[digitaldog]

Well let me just tell you something real important, on the instances we are on the same page, Alan is 100% correct.  You can take that to the bank!   

Even a broken clock is correct twice a day. Alan? No so much. 
Edit, for the better political cartoons from "The Week" this week:

[Alan Klein]

Well my wife and I just got our second shot.   We are now waiting in a room for 15 minutes before they let you go just in case you pas out or something.  So after that you'll get sick in the car on the way home.  Truth is we're really happy and thankful we got these shots.  We both feel healthier already. I really blow they amp up the production si it's more available,  quicker.

[MattBurt]

Well my wife and I just got our second shot.   We are now waiting in a room for 15 minutes before they let you go just in case you pas out or something.  So after that you'll get sick in the car on the way home.  Truth is we're really happy and thankful we got these shots.  We both feel healthier already. I really blow they amp up the production si it's more available,  quicker.

Congratulations! Can't wait to get mine. I have a gallery opening (of my work) in a couple of weeks that I won't attend for safety reasons.
It's a small space with low ceilings. Just the kind of place you don't want to be with a bunch of people.
If I was vaccinated I'd be there for sure. Instead I'm filming a video in the gallery beforehand to discuss the images and may also attend the opening via Zoom.

[faberryman]

Truth is we're really happy and thankful we got these shots.  We both feel healthier already.

So I guess you bought into the commie/lib story that vaccines work. What a sucker. They have been peddling that line since Salk. The vaccine is really a placebo that does three things. First, it tricks you into believing you are protected. Second, it allows the government to insert a tracking device in your body. Third, it gives you autism. I remember getting my vaccinations when I was a kid. I still got the mumps, the measles, the chickenpox, and all the rest. I did dodge the bullet with polio though. But that was administered by sugar cube rather than injection. My wife has made an appointment for me me to get a COVID vaccination next month. I think I'll just go to store and buy a box of sugar cubes, and then kill some time, and when I get back home I'll tell her it didn't hurt a bit. Or I could tell her I feel a little woozy so I don't have to get out of bed for a couple of days.

[TechTalk]

Actually, Biden is actively working against reopening schools.  His CDC just released guidelines that directly contradicted themselves from a week earlier, after Psaki said the head was speaking from a personal position, that would require 99% of all of the schools in the country to shut down if we started following them. 

All the science shows the schools should just reopen now.  There is no scientific reason to keep them closed.  They are ignoring the science and only releasing these guidelines due to politics, and everyone sees it.  Even the crazed Morning Joe people are pointing it.

- Decisions on whether, how, and to what degree schools are open for in person learning are made at the state and local level. There are several factors taken into consideration by those that have to make those decisions. The opinions and decisions will vary depending on the individuals that make them. It will come as no surprise that there will be differences and disagreements among the various parties involved and that reopenings will vary substantially from place to place.

- There is a pandemic in progress that is highly contagious. In order to mitigate spread and safely open, schools need money to make changes in classrooms, buildings, and instruction.

- Biden wants schools to reopen as quickly as possible and selected a Secretary of Education that actually made that happen in Connecticut despite a good deal of opposition to it. Biden is actively working to get schools the financial resources they need to reopen and wants them to reopen.

- The CDC is not the President, the Department of Education, or the Congress. They make scientific recommendations not policy. They offer guidelines not rules nor the financial resources to implement them. Those will take action from Congress and the Department of Education.

- I do not see, or expect to see, the kind of intense political interference in agencies and departments responsible for collecting, analyzing, and disseminating information and offering recommendations that we have seen for the past four years. Biden isn't Trump and in need of constant praise of his greatness and genius for his every passing thought the way that his impulsive, sociopathic, malignant narcissistic predecessor did and won't require that everyone around him agree with him or each other. Whether or not you like the direction, the hand on the wheel is considerably more emotionally stable now. Biden can accept and navigate disagreement in a way impossible for Trump.

- Forgive me if I don't consider you my go to person for scientific or medical advice or opinions. There are people who have devoted their lives to research and study in these fields to whom I'm more inclined to listen.

[TechTalk]

Oh, so presidents no longer set precedents.  Good to know. 

I confess that I have no idea what you mean by that. Presidents set policy. They may set examples, good or bad. But precedents? Not so much.

[Alan Klein]

So I guess you bought into the commie/lib story that vaccines work. What a sucker. They have been peddling that line since Salk. The vaccine is really a placebo that does three things. First, it tricks you into believing you are protected. Second, it allows the government to insert a tracking device in your body. Third, it gives you autism. I remember getting my vaccinations when I was a kid. I still got the mumps, the measles, the chickenpox, and all the rest. I did dodge the bullet with polio though. But that was administered by sugar cube rather than injection. My wife has made an appointment for me me to get a COVID vaccination next month. I think I'll just go to store and buy a box of sugar cubes, and then kill some time, and when I get back home I'll tell her it didn't hurt a bit. Or I could tell her I feel a little woozy so I don't have to get out of bed for a couple of days. That way she will have to take the recycle bins down to the street and realize just how important my contribution to helping out around the house really is. It's possible, once that dawns on her, she will make me some brownies or something.

Well, I did burn some incense first and rubbed the ashes on my body.  Then, I took a swig of Trump Potion just in case.  I was so busy with the preparations, I almost missed my appointment.

[digitaldog]

The one clown looming larger than Ted Cruz:

Sean Hannity tries hard to launder Ted Cruz’s Cancun problem — but gets no help from Cruz
Apparently the host didn’t bother to look at the details of Cruz’s actual, repeated explanations.
The Fox News host continued to push the already debunked narrative that Cruz was just dropping off his kids and heading back right away, prompting Cruz to lightly correct him.

[Alan Klein]

So Amazon figured out at the last minute it wasn't that great a deal after all. AOC burst their bubble, or let the cat out of the bag, or whatever.

It was a great deal.  Otherwise, they wouldn't;t have moved anything there which they did, although not the 25,000.  If you're a big company, and have plans for the future in other industries, having a headquarters in NYC ten minutes from midtown Manhattan is a natural.  They just didn't figure the savings offered was worth the constant harassment from AOC and her ilk. This way, they can do it at their leisure and tell AOC to screw off. They'll still get half the tax benefits without having to kiss her ass. 

[Alan Klein]

Oh, so presidents no longer set precedents.  Good to know. 

Actually, Biden is actively working against reopening schools.  His CDC just released guidelines that directly contradicted themselves from a week earlier, after Psaki said the head was speaking from a personal position, that would require 99% of all of the schools in the country to shut down if we started following them. 

All the science shows the schools should just reopen now.  There is no scientific reason to keep them closed.  They are ignoring the science and only releasing these guidelines due to politics, and everyone sees it.  Even the crazed Morning Joe people are pointing it. 

They owe their soul to the teacher's unions.

[digitaldog]

They owe their soul to the teacher's unions.

Instead of the dear leader Trump? Good choice.