raffy, no foul intended toward you. Activism and political partisanship (which I find to be a reason why nothing gets better) sometimes has overlap. Your "π€π°π―π΄π¦π³π·π’π΅πͺπ·π¦ "π’π€π΅πͺπ·πͺπ΄π΅π΄" (π’ππ π£π¦πͺπ―π¨ π€ππΆπ΄π΅π¦π³-π§πΆπ€π¬π΄)" was implicitly partisan so it did have something to do with allowing me to use such an explβ¦
raffy, no foul intended toward you. Activism and political partisanship (which I find to be a reason why nothing gets better) sometimes has overlap. Your "π€π°π―π΄π¦π³π·π’π΅πͺπ·π¦ "π’π€π΅πͺπ·πͺπ΄π΅π΄" (π’ππ π£π¦πͺπ―π¨ π€ππΆπ΄π΅π¦π³-π§πΆπ€π¬π΄)" was implicitly partisan so it did have something to do with allowing me to use such an explicitly (mentioned parties by name) example of conservative activism. Where we draw a line in how we think of it is separated by a broad and blurry line.
You mention "Conservative billionaires." Are they conservative? They own the media which they use effectively to shape public opinion. How does it tilt? A big part of that is to divide people with common interest (the poor and working class of all "races". As George Carlin famously said, "The owners don't give a f*k about you!" they just want to keep us divided so we won't get together and com for them with pitchforks and torches. It has always been that way. When financial ends were just waving at each other, rather than meeting, and we lived in an edge of town rented mobile home, who did I have more in common with, an economically stressed black family or "the owners"? Promotion of the racial divide is all about preventing us asking ourselves that.
During the pΜΆaΜΆnΜΆdΜΆeΜΆmΜΆiΜΆcΜΆ panic, which party enthusiastically destroyed small businesses with the shutdown, as if the covid virus was not a danger in large chain grocery stores, Walmart, Costco or for Amazon workers? Small businesses that were the result of 2nd mortgages on the owner's home and their life's dream. Who benefited from that? How do people become multimillionaires on a congressman's pay other than them knowing who the winners and losers of their legislation will be? Who always seems to benefit and who gets screwed? I see the Ds and Rs as partners in these crimes while making suckers out of the people (that video spoke to that). Is it activism or partisanship do call that stuff out?
Depending upon the issue we are discussing, I may appear to be left or right but given the lack of logic for why the left right issues are on the side they are on, I think that people who line up on all issues with a political tribe have been conned. Things are complex and rarely simple enough to fit on a bumper sticker.
Dave, you are accusing me of something I did not do. I said, and I quote myself, "Marjorie Taylor Greene is a fluster-cluck, not an activist." I did not say, conservative activists were fluster-clucks. I did not even mention politics. As I wrote earlier, in reply to Passion, I think the pro-life activists are awesome activists. I don't have to agree with their goals, to respect them, or their work.
Regarding those billionaires, I was specific, and I quote myself, again, βConservative billionairesβ think tanks have exerted tremendous influence in rural communities, and their prescribed and formulaic policies have done tremendous damage.β
Dave, I donβt know where you live. For all I know, you could have a balcony, a backyard or a 1,000 acre ranch. I am talking about rural America and all Iβve ever seen, or heard of out here, are think tanks funded by conservative billionaires. Iβve been following these beasts since I first encountered one in the mid-1990s. Back then, the state had passed a mandate requiring jurisdictions to reduce waste going into landfills by 50%, or face $10,000. a day fines. We had ten years to meet that mandate and more than 8,000 square miles of land, people, businesses, aerospace and military installations to consider.
A coalition of engineers, elected officials, attorneys, local activists and our local bank, city and county managers got together and figured out how to do it. The local bank, a business and the city county partnered on the funding, signed the contracts and the facility got built.
Five years before the deadline, weβd reduced waste going into the landfill by as much as 81% a month. That project extended the life of our landfill by 20 years, added more than 80 jobs, reduced city and county waste management costs, turned a profit for the owner and added a new revenue stream for the city and county β without raising trash fees for anyone at all. Thanks to that project, no one in our community has ever separated their trash and recyclables.
Suddenly, a conservative billionaire think tank arrived, determined to shut that facility down. Why? What could possibly be wrong with a project that successful? Dave, can you guess the answer?
The coalition put me to work, finding out what this think tank was and who these people were. As I said, Iβve been following these think tanks ever since.
Over the years, these think tanks have sent in people to oppose or support prison expansion, sex education programs in our schools, general plan updates, water management, hydroponic, family, boutique and organic farming, affordable housing, wastewater treatment, water reclamation, chemical manufacturing, mining and timber operations, wind farms and healthcare system. Dave, can you guess what their stake is, in this rural region? Can you guess what they supported and what they opposed?
As I also said, βThe left has nothing even remotely comparable.β
I don't want to get into a partisan demonization of the "enemy" debate. That's not what the commentary is about. As I've written, the demand for lock-step compliance to the party checklists (both of them) from on high is the reason nothing gets done. If I found a genie in a bottle my first wish would be for the end of political parties to disconnect issues from irrational party linkage. The second would be to remove money (bribery by lobbyists) from politics.
My bad and sincere apology. That was a cut and paste from a comment by Passion guided by reason in the thread. I lost the who reading all the whats. The ideas are more important to me than who said them. Sloppiness on my part. There are 66 comments at the time of this comment. Names scroll off the screen.
raffy, no foul intended toward you. Activism and political partisanship (which I find to be a reason why nothing gets better) sometimes has overlap. Your "π€π°π―π΄π¦π³π·π’π΅πͺπ·π¦ "π’π€π΅πͺπ·πͺπ΄π΅π΄" (π’ππ π£π¦πͺπ―π¨ π€ππΆπ΄π΅π¦π³-π§πΆπ€π¬π΄)" was implicitly partisan so it did have something to do with allowing me to use such an explicitly (mentioned parties by name) example of conservative activism. Where we draw a line in how we think of it is separated by a broad and blurry line.
You mention "Conservative billionaires." Are they conservative? They own the media which they use effectively to shape public opinion. How does it tilt? A big part of that is to divide people with common interest (the poor and working class of all "races". As George Carlin famously said, "The owners don't give a f*k about you!" they just want to keep us divided so we won't get together and com for them with pitchforks and torches. It has always been that way. When financial ends were just waving at each other, rather than meeting, and we lived in an edge of town rented mobile home, who did I have more in common with, an economically stressed black family or "the owners"? Promotion of the racial divide is all about preventing us asking ourselves that.
During the pΜΆaΜΆnΜΆdΜΆeΜΆmΜΆiΜΆcΜΆ panic, which party enthusiastically destroyed small businesses with the shutdown, as if the covid virus was not a danger in large chain grocery stores, Walmart, Costco or for Amazon workers? Small businesses that were the result of 2nd mortgages on the owner's home and their life's dream. Who benefited from that? How do people become multimillionaires on a congressman's pay other than them knowing who the winners and losers of their legislation will be? Who always seems to benefit and who gets screwed? I see the Ds and Rs as partners in these crimes while making suckers out of the people (that video spoke to that). Is it activism or partisanship do call that stuff out?
Depending upon the issue we are discussing, I may appear to be left or right but given the lack of logic for why the left right issues are on the side they are on, I think that people who line up on all issues with a political tribe have been conned. Things are complex and rarely simple enough to fit on a bumper sticker.
I am normally loath to put a link to something I've written but rather than cut and paste I'll give you this on why I wrote that last paragraph. https://medium.com/@dmurray110/the-doom-of-political-parties-acec668393df
Dave, you are accusing me of something I did not do. I said, and I quote myself, "Marjorie Taylor Greene is a fluster-cluck, not an activist." I did not say, conservative activists were fluster-clucks. I did not even mention politics. As I wrote earlier, in reply to Passion, I think the pro-life activists are awesome activists. I don't have to agree with their goals, to respect them, or their work.
Regarding those billionaires, I was specific, and I quote myself, again, βConservative billionairesβ think tanks have exerted tremendous influence in rural communities, and their prescribed and formulaic policies have done tremendous damage.β
Dave, I donβt know where you live. For all I know, you could have a balcony, a backyard or a 1,000 acre ranch. I am talking about rural America and all Iβve ever seen, or heard of out here, are think tanks funded by conservative billionaires. Iβve been following these beasts since I first encountered one in the mid-1990s. Back then, the state had passed a mandate requiring jurisdictions to reduce waste going into landfills by 50%, or face $10,000. a day fines. We had ten years to meet that mandate and more than 8,000 square miles of land, people, businesses, aerospace and military installations to consider.
A coalition of engineers, elected officials, attorneys, local activists and our local bank, city and county managers got together and figured out how to do it. The local bank, a business and the city county partnered on the funding, signed the contracts and the facility got built.
Five years before the deadline, weβd reduced waste going into the landfill by as much as 81% a month. That project extended the life of our landfill by 20 years, added more than 80 jobs, reduced city and county waste management costs, turned a profit for the owner and added a new revenue stream for the city and county β without raising trash fees for anyone at all. Thanks to that project, no one in our community has ever separated their trash and recyclables.
Suddenly, a conservative billionaire think tank arrived, determined to shut that facility down. Why? What could possibly be wrong with a project that successful? Dave, can you guess the answer?
The coalition put me to work, finding out what this think tank was and who these people were. As I said, Iβve been following these think tanks ever since.
Over the years, these think tanks have sent in people to oppose or support prison expansion, sex education programs in our schools, general plan updates, water management, hydroponic, family, boutique and organic farming, affordable housing, wastewater treatment, water reclamation, chemical manufacturing, mining and timber operations, wind farms and healthcare system. Dave, can you guess what their stake is, in this rural region? Can you guess what they supported and what they opposed?
As I also said, βThe left has nothing even remotely comparable.β
I don't want to get into a partisan demonization of the "enemy" debate. That's not what the commentary is about. As I've written, the demand for lock-step compliance to the party checklists (both of them) from on high is the reason nothing gets done. If I found a genie in a bottle my first wish would be for the end of political parties to disconnect issues from irrational party linkage. The second would be to remove money (bribery by lobbyists) from politics.
I second the motion. Let's vote. Its unanimous. The deed is done.
My bad and sincere apology. That was a cut and paste from a comment by Passion guided by reason in the thread. I lost the who reading all the whats. The ideas are more important to me than who said them. Sloppiness on my part. There are 66 comments at the time of this comment. Names scroll off the screen.
No worries, Dave, I'm lost half the time myself. Smiles to you.