CoffeeAddict

CoffeeAddict, 1 day ago (edited 1 day ago)

Not a huge fan of Johnson, obviously, but it was very satisfying to Marjorie get curb-stomped so quickly.

The final vote was 359-43-7. Just 10 republicans sided with MTG.

The House to MTG

CoffeeAddict, 2 days ago

Utterly disgusting and disgraceful. U.S. District Judge Aileen Cannon has given Trump everything he wanted in this and her bias is clear.

CoffeeAddict, 2 days ago

It’s insane how Trump manages to get away with everything. Even before he became president, he somehow got away with destroying and bankrupting everything he touched while also managing to fail upwards.

CoffeeAddict, 1 day ago

Obligatory NAL, but it reads as “pretrial proceedings,” which are hearings held prior to trial to determine things like laws pertaining to the crime, the facts, and other issues.

It sounds (to me) like that’s exactly what they have been doing since Cannon was originally appointed as the judge in this case.

What she did was cancel the trial start date, May 20th, and then set a date to resume “pretrial proceedings.”

Delay, delay, delay…

CoffeeAddict, 1 day ago

Lol. It’s actually gotten to the point where I almost wouldn’t be surprised if there were some sort of demonic influence giving him some evil villain plot armor.

CoffeeAddict, 7 days ago

This is both comical and poetic.

I love this for Boris.

CoffeeAddict, 15 days ago

In my opinion, these types of agreements should only be allowed if they come with some sort of golden-parachute severance package. Preventing people from working in the fields they are most useful and experienced in once they depart a company (either willingly or not) only benefits their former employer. It doesn’t benefit the employee, hurts competition, and is also (likely) a drag on the economy.

Getting rid of these is a victory for the average American.

CoffeeAddict, 15 days ago

Personally, I would argue that it’s more just bad business practice; non-competes are inherently protectionist and do not really fit well into the idea of a free-market (in my opinion, at least.)

Also, this magazine is “Neoliberal,” but not in the sense the term is used in leftwing circles. I also doubt many would actually identify themselves as a Neoliberal outside of this magazine.

On this magazine (an offshoot the subreddit, r/neoliberal, which itself is an offshoot of r/badeconomics), it is really about Free trade, competitive markets, pro-immigration, YIMBYism, pro-Carbon taxes, pro-international cooperation, LGBTQ+ rights, Democracy, human rights, civil liberties, due process, etc.

For more context on why it took on the term “Neoliberal” it was originally taken in jest during the US 2016 election where it became very commonplace (on reddit and twitter, at least) for anyone who wasn’t 100% pro-Bernie to be labeled and dismissed as a “Neoliberal shill.” The r/neoliberal subreddit took off, and basically, we have center-left social policies and support free markets.

However, unlike classical liberals and so-called “libertarians” we believe there are instances where the government can correct market failures. (This FTC ruling is one such instance, and controlling interest rates is another.)

While Neoliberalism as a term is often associated with the Thatcher and Reagan eras, many on this magazine decidedly do not agree with much of their thinking and regard some of the major policies as having failed, or at the very least as being ineffective.

What differentiates us from many on the left is we do not believe corporations, businesses, or the pursuit of profits are inherently evil or that government intervention is always the best solution to a problem (or that it would even make many situations better.)

We are also against protectionist policies such as trade tariffs (Jones Act, for example, increases the cost of shipping in and out of the US, passing the cost onto the average American,) unnecessary (or excessive) US occupational licenses (they act as barriers to entry,) and single-family zoning (regarded as one of the a major causes of the housing crisis and a car-centric urban fabric, at least in the US and Canada.)

CoffeeAddict, 14 days ago

Yes!

I also forgot the most important part, which is that this magazine is all about worms. Worms are important.

CoffeeAddict, 19 days ago

The backlash was fierce. Marjorie Taylor Greene, the outspoken Georgia congresswoman, immediately filed a resolution demanding Johnson’s removal, called the bill a “sham”.

“I don’t care if the speaker’s office becomes a revolving door,” Taylor Greene told Steve Bannon, Trump’s former adviser, on his War Room channel. “The days are over of the old Republican party that wants to fund foreign wars and murder people in foreign lands while they stab the American people in their face and refuse to protect Americans and fix our problems.”

Good ol’ Marjorie being a Russian asset again.

CoffeeAddict, 19 days ago

I understand the frustration that the money is not being spent on Americans, but this is a situation where if this aid is not sent then America and its allies will end up paying the price later, both to our economies and to our credibility.

These funds are going to wars not started by the US and don’t involve US ground troops. It’s also important to realize that the total US budget is 6.5 trillion dollars, and foreign aide is generally already built into that. This 94 billion dollar foreign aid package is 1.4% of that budget and is not the cause of the ballooning national debt. The real cause of the national debt is the repeated cutting of taxes without adjusting expenditures - the vast majority of which is not related to the military or foreign aide.

The vast majority of this package (60 billion) is going to Ukraine which desperately needs it. They are being invaded and slaughtered by Russia, and Putin has explicitly stated that he wants to recapture the territories of the Soviet Union/Russian Empire. Without US aide, Putin will probably win and he won’t stop with Ukraine - there is credible intel that he is also planning to target Moldova. It’s also important to note that Ukraine is a massive breadbasket for Europe, and in Russia’s hands it puts them in a terrible position.

Aid is also going to Taiwan, and China’s Xi Jinping has made extremely clear that its “reunification” with mainland China is a major priority for him. Taiwan also makes the most advanced computer chips in the world, and should they fall in the CCP’s hands it will have disastrous global economic consequences.

Israel vs Hamas (14 billion) is not as clear cut and dry and I am not sure if I would have given them additional aid myself. I sympathize with Israel’s situation as they are still looking for hostages, but their blatant disregard for civilians in their war against Hamas is shameful, and they need to cease their colonization efforts. Regardless, their aid was included with the others which are very important.

Lastly, Marjorie Taylor Greene has espoused opinions and policy goals that only benefit US adversaries; her absolute opposition to any foreign aid to Ukraine only supports Russian interests. If Russia wins, it will be a modern “Suez Crisis” for the West, and effectively be giving the green light for countries to initiate wars of conquest.

Furthermore, she also put forth a motion to oust Speaker Johnson and throw the house into chaos - I don’t like republicans having control of House as much as the next person, but the House having no speaker renders the entire legislative branch useless and makes policy initiatives, budgetary goals, and anything involving them impossible to implement. That type of paralysis only benefits US enemies.

The stakes are just too high to do nothing. There is a reason this has so much bipartisan support and why so many of the US’s European allies have been pouring money to save Ukraine; it’s important.

CoffeeAddict, 20 days ago

The US House pushed ahead on Friday with a $95bn foreign aid package for Ukraine, Israel, Taiwan and humanitarian support after Democrats came to the rescue of Mike Johnson, the Republican speaker.

[…]

The dramatic action took place on Capitol Hill on Thursday night in order to save the Ukraine aid legislation from rightwing rebels.

[…]

In addition to the aid for allies, the package includes a provision to transfer frozen Russian assets to Ukraine, and sanctions targeting Hamas and Iran – and to force China’s ByteDance to sell social media platform TikTok or face a ban in the US.

Mostly good news! Ukraine desperately needs the aid.

However, sneaking the TikTok thing in there feels dishonest - I think that really should have been a separate bill that actually addressed the privacy and data concerns that go beyond just TikTok & ByteDance.

CoffeeAddict, 20 days ago

That’s too bad.

Probably one of the saddest things about Brexit is that there is less freedom of movement between the UK and the EU.

CoffeeAddict, 21 days ago

Today, Defense Minister Luis Alfonso Petri submitted the formal request. He said on X: "I met with Deputy Secretary General of NATO Geoana. I transmitted a letter of intent to him, which contains a request from Argentina to become a global partner of this organisation.”

[…]

“Argentina plays an important role in Latin America, and I welcome today’s request to explore becoming a NATO partner. NATO works with a range of countries around the world to promote peace and stability. Closer political and practical cooperation could benefit us both.”

Firstly, hooray for globalism.

Secondly, I did not have this on my 2024 bingo.

CoffeeAddict, 19 days ago

I honestly have no idea. It also looks like Argentina is keeping their claim on the Falklands, too, so that muddies things even further.

CoffeeAddict, 22 days ago

I will believe it when I see it, but this is actually a good thing.

I wonder if he got some sort of assurances from the dems that they would support him if Marjorie Taylor Greene moves to oust him?

CoffeeAddict, 22 days ago

Let’s play a game:

Jury selection is underway for Donald Trump’s hush money trial, and prospective jurors’ past social media activity is being scrutinized for bias.

So, what meme, or shitpost, have you posted that you would like to have discussed with the court for bias?

CoffeeAddict, 22 days ago

It would be really nice to see India dump Modi for a more liberal candidate.