Politics

[flatwater bill]

@Double Rifle Society there is a "Politics" thread here to help keep politics out of every other thread......where it formerly crept in like an unwanted visitor (much Like Joe Biden at the White House party). Feel free not to read it, and you will have an excellent experience on this site. But politics DOES effect hunting.... Countries may open or close, imports may be banned, democrats may restrict importation of trophies or require masks or shots for travel, etc. Some political decisions have unexpected and unwanted consequences for us all. Anyway.......skip it if you like. And as you're relatively new here, welcome to a great forum......FWB

 

[Altitude sickness]

Spike, this is a huge issue. Wars have and will always be fought over oil and water.

When China builds completes this dam it could spark serious tensions between China and Tibet, Bangladesh and India.

If China weaponizes the dam. These countries will not sit idly. They will be forced into action.

India has an estimated 160–172 nuclear warheads launched from land, air and sea.

Could China's Proposed Brahmaputra Super-Dam Spell Water Disaster for India? | Weather.com

Considering that the Brahmaputra accounts for nearly 30% of India’s freshwater resources, many have raised concerns about China's tinkering with the Yarlung dam upriver. - Articles from The Weather Channel | weather.com

weather.com

 

[Altitude sickness]

About time. Better late than never I guess.

US long-range B-2 stealth bombers target underground bunkers of Yemen's Houthi rebels

U.S. long-range B-2 stealth bombers launched airstrikes targeting underground bunkers used by Yemen’s Houthi rebels.

apnews.com

 

[ActionBob]

Can't believe how old he looks and sounds. We do need immigrants for manual labor, but through a work permit program.

That is very true. And what you never hear politicians talk about. The Republicans will talk about H1B type workers, bachelor's degree or higher. Skilled or at ar least educated people. And H2A falls drastically short, only providing seasonal workers. And BTW we need a much higher quota of H1B visas.

We desperately need people to supply manual labor on a year around basis. That is what needs to be fixed in immigration law. Republicans need to get behind that! I am not talking about cheap labor. But rather reliable labor that shows up for work! People not only capable but very willing to do the types of work too many American citizens don't want to do.

They don't need citizenship, they don't need welfare or free healthcare, they don't need free college, they sure as hell don't need to vote in this country. They simply need work permits. A minimum of 3 years would be great and renewable after that. Even the manual labor jobs require training and it is very frustrating to train peole and have them leave in 9 months.

If the best of them want to pursue citizenship, there are procedures in place for that already. It may take 10 years or more and at least $10,000 in legal fees but what is wrong with that? If they are working, they can pay that.

And change the tax laws to collect FICA tax and keep it. Currently I believe they can request that back because they do not qualify for benefits.

On that point it is worth mentioning that the majority of illegal immigrants working in America are paying in because employers collect it and send it in. There was a point made way back maybe 10 plus years ago that at that time some $30 billion was being added to social security by immigrants who will never collect nor ask for refunds. But nobody wants to talk about this.

We need a secure border and work permits or work visas for these year around manual labor type jobs!

 

[WAB]

That is very true. And what you never hear politicians talk about. The Republicans will talk about H1B type workers, bachelor's degree or higher. Skilled or at ar least educated people. And H2A falls drastically short, only providing seasonal workers.

We desperately need people to supply manual labor on a year around basis. That is what needs to be fixed in immigration law. Republicans need to get behind that!

They don't need citizenship, they don't need welfare or free healthcare, they don't need free college, they sure as hell don't need to vote in this country. They simply need work permits. A minimum of 3 years would be great and renewable after that. If the best of them want to pursue citizenship, there are procedures in place for that already. It may take 10 years or more and at least $10,000 in legal fees but what is wrong with that? If they are working, they can pay that.

And change the tax laws to collect FICA tax and keep it. Currently I believe they can request that back because they do not qualify for benefits.

On that point it is worth mentioning that the majority of illegal immigrants working in America are paying in because employers collect it and send it in. There was a point made way back maybe 10 plus years ago that at that time some $30 billion was being added to social security by immigrants who will never collect nor ask for refunds. But nobody wants to talk about this.

Totally agree. We probably have less than 10% of the farm kids we had when I was growing up on a farm. We worked our asses off. City kids just don’t want to work that hard. Without crews from Mexico, much of our specialty crops (fruits & veggies, nuts & vines) would simply not be harvested.

 

[Red Leg]

About time. Better late than never I guess.

US long-range B-2 stealth bombers target underground bunkers of Yemen's Houthi rebels

U.S. long-range B-2 stealth bombers launched airstrikes targeting underground bunkers used by Yemen’s Houthi rebels.

apnews.com

One would assume using the B2's and making a big deal about penetrators and underground facilities was also intended as a very direct message to Iran.

 

[PARA45]

Has anyone heard about this DOD Directive 5240.01, and if it's real or not? There is a huge movement against it, because this directive apparently gives the military authority to use lethal force to assist civilian police during civil unrest.

https://www.esd.whs.mil/Portals/54/Documents/DD/issuances/dodd/524001p.PDF?ver=UpTwJ66AyyBgvy7wFyTGbA%3d%3d

 

[Altitude sickness]

One would assume using the B2's and making a big deal about penetrators and underground facilities was also intended as a very direct message to Iran.

Exactly

 

[Red Leg]

Judging by Polymarket this morning (Trump 61.4% and Harris 38.6%), the bold experiment of having Harris sit down for an interview with a fair but tough minded journalist like Bret Bair and answer every question by saying Trump, or the Trump administration, or Republicans in general were the root of all evil past and present did not play out as expected. There was a rumor yesterday that she also intended to do Joe Rogan. She might want to take a page from the Waltz strategy book and avoid that like a deployment to the Middle East or Central Asia.

Polymarket - 2024 Presidential Election Predictions

2024 Presidential Election Predictions. Trust markets, not presidential polls. Live and accurate forecasts by the world's largest prediction market.

polymarket.com

For those who do not know, Polymarket is not a poll, but is the betting site for political wagers. It has been remarkably accurate with respect to the real polls and is often a bellwether for actual ones because it represents immediate public reaction to events.

 

[Brent in Az]

Kamala was 15 minutes late to the Fox interview, cutting the time from 40 minutes to 25. No doubt to deliberately shorten the interview.
She spent 25 minutes playing dodgeball with the questions.

 

[Red Leg]

Has anyone heard about this DOD Directive 5240.01, and if it's real or not? There is a huge movement against it, because this directive apparently gives the military authority to use lethal force to assist civilian police during civil unrest.

https://www.esd.whs.mil/Portals/54/Documents/DD/issuances/dodd/524001p.PDF?ver=UpTwJ66AyyBgvy7wFyTGbA%3d%3d

Regardless of any DOD directive, Congressional statute governs the use of Federal armed forces within the US. The two primary laws are The Posse Comitatus Act and the Insurrection Act of 1807 which define and limit the power of the federal government to use U.S. military troops to enforce the law or federal domestic policy. That is why National Guard Troops are most often used to quell riots. However, active duty forces have been used in the past. The most recent was during the riots in Los Angeles in 1992.

Odd that the right seems to be going bonkers over this. The Democrats are the ones who have been pushing for a clearer DOD directive for implementation of the Insurrection Act, so as to prevent a Donald Trump from using the military to go after his presumed political enemies. Thanks to the Posse Comitatus Act, active troops have limited ability to arrest anyone, but have always had the right to shoot an insurrectionist (rioter) should troops be deployed and depending on the commander's rules of engagement. Things quieted down rather quickly in LA once active duty units arrived on the scene. By day 4 over 13,500 National Guard, US Army, and USMC troops were on the ground.

 

[BSO Dave]

People not only capable but very willing to do the types of work too many American citizens don't want to do.

I'm going to disagree with you here... This is age-old talking point of the democrats who have used this to try and justify "need" to flood this country with poor immigrants who they hope to recruit as the next generation of government-dependent democrats...

Firstly, American citizens who don't want these low paying jobs would likely change their minds if their government sponsored entitlements were to end... Disincentivizing lazy Americans will solve much of the demand for labor jobs from within...

Secondly, cheap foreign labor will no longer be so cheap if workers are actually documented, and employers have to pay taxes and insurance on them.

Cheap labor is not a viable economic solution... Flooding the workforce with cheap labor historically drives wages down across the board...

Covid was a perfect example of supply & demand in the workforce. Wages soared in labor-based sectors during and post covid, and these wages have not come down... This was especially evident in the hospitality and food service industry when American workers being paid more by our government not to work created a huge demand for workers that has yet to be adequately met... McDonald's is now paying $15-20 dollars/hour to start and still can't fill their demand for jobs. The problem is not a shortage of cheap foreign labor, nor will it be fixed by a deluge of more poor, dependent immigrants.

 

[Hunt anything]

She kept talking about the last decade, my math isn’t the best in the world but Trump was in power for 4 years and the democrats were in power for 6. But everything was Trumps fault even the 79% of people that think the country is heading in the wrong direction.

 

[Altitude sickness]

Judging by Polymarket this morning (Trump 61.4% and Harris 38.6%), the bold experiment of having Harris sit down for an interview with a fair but tough minded journalist like Bret Bair and answer every question by saying Trump, or the Trump administration, or Republicans in general were the root of all evil past and present did not play out as expected. There was a rumor yesterday that she also intended to do Joe Rogan. She might want to take a page from the Waltz strategy book and avoid that like a deployment to the Middle East or Central Asia.

Polymarket - 2024 Presidential Election Predictions

2024 Presidential Election Predictions. Trust markets, not presidential polls. Live and accurate forecasts by the world's largest prediction market.

polymarket.com

For those who do not know, Polymarket is not a poll, but is the betting site for political wagers. It has been remarkably accurate with respect to the real polls and is often a bellwether for actual ones because it represents immediate public reaction to events.

She actually did better than I expected. She was the Artful Dodger. He had her befuddled once and she momentarily got off the ingrained talking points of her normal platitudes and nonsense.

If she is able to implement her $25k to first time home buyers by DEI score. We will be headed for another housing collapse. People again loaned money they can not repay.

 

[BSO Dave]

If she is able to implement her $25k to first time home buyers by DEI score. We will be headed for another housing collapse. People again loaned money they can not repay.

That, and the sellers' listing price for housing will also artificially increase by $25,000 nullifying any benefit to the "incentive" in the first place...

 

[Saul]

That, and the sellers' listing price for housing will also artificially increase by $25,000 nullifying any benefit to the "incentive" in the first place...

I listened to an interview with Jason Furman about her housing plan and he said the same thing. He was pretty cold on it overall.

 

[Red Leg]

Polymarket has mover to 62.4% Trump and 37.6% Harris just since my last post. Also Fox's new poll, which Silver rates highly as unbiased, has flipped to 50% Trump and 48% Harris. If that is accurate and if that holds through election day, Trump will get over 300 electoral votes.

 

[PARA45]

Regardless of any DOD directive, Congressional statute governs the use of Federal armed forces within the US. The two primary laws are The Posse Comitatus Act and the Insurrection Act of 1807 which define and limit the power of the federal government to use U.S. military troops to enforce the law or federal domestic policy. That is why National Guard Troops are most often used to quell riots. However, active duty forces have been used in the past. The most recent was during the riots in Los Angeles in 1992.

Odd that the right seems to be going bonkers over this. The Democrats are the ones who have been pushing for a clearer DOD directive for implementation of the Insurrection Act, so as to prevent a Donald Trump from using the military to go after his presumed political enemies. Thanks to the Posse Comitatus Act, active troops have limited ability to arrest anyone, but have always had the right to shoot an insurrectionist (rioter) should troops be deployed and depending on the commander's rules of engagement. Things quieted down rather quickly in LA once active duty units arrived on the scene. By day 4 over 13,500 National Guard, US Army, and USMC troops were on the ground.

Thank you! I was going to quote the Posse Comitatus Act. As a Command Post Controller for over 28+ years, the Posse Comitatus Act was ingrained in our brains and remember the JAGs giving us training every year.

 

[WAB]

I'm going to disagree with you here... This is age-old talking point of the democrats who have used this to try and justify "need" to flood this country with poor immigrants who they hope to recruit as the next generation of government-dependent democrats...

Firstly, American citizens who don't want these low paying jobs would likely change their minds if their government sponsored entitlements were to end... Disincentivizing lazy Americans will solve much of the demand for labor jobs from within...

Secondly, cheap foreign labor will no longer be so cheap if workers are actually documented, and employers have to pay taxes and insurance on them.

Cheap labor is not a viable economic solution... Flooding the workforce with cheap labor historically drives wages down across the board...

Covid was a perfect example of supply & demand in the workforce. Wages soared in labor-based sectors during and post covid, and these wages have not come down... This was especially evident in the hospitality and food service industry when American workers being paid more by our government not to work created a huge demand for workers that has yet to be adequately met... McDonald's is now paying $15-20 dollars/hour to start and still can't fill their demand for jobs. The problem is not a shortage of cheap foreign labor, nor will it be fixed by a deluge of more poor, dependent immigrants.

Farmers absolutely need this work force. We have largely lost our rural minimum wage work force. City folks will not and frankly cannot do the work.

 

[Mort Hill]

There are three laws of thermodynamics that govern all physical laws of the universe. They have never been shown to be violated. We derive all of our physical laws from them. I was fortunate to go to a school that believed that you should be able to derive all formulas from basic principles and not be handed formulas to plug into an engineering cookbook.

The second law of thermodynamics is the law of entropy. In summary terms it states that any system will move toward a greater state of disorder over time without the application of external influence. The Big Bang theory requires that you believe that a system evolves to a state of greater order over time, in direct contradiction to the second law of thermodynamics. There are no instances where the second law of thermodynamics has been proven to be violated.

The Big Bang theory is a thesis that has been disproven time after time with the correct application of the scientific method, and yet the myth persists.

Thanks @WAB for taking me back to those 5 wonderful quarters of Thermodynamics(I had to take 1st qtr 3 times to finally pass with an A). I knew 45 years later it would come in handy reading a thread on an African Hunting App LOL