volkris @volkris@qoto.org
I think the most pressing and fundamental problem of the day is that people lack a practically effective means of sorting out questions of fact in the larger world. We can hardly begin to discuss ways of addressing reality if we can't agree what reality even is, after all.
The institutions that have served this role in the past have dropped the ball, so the next best solution is talking to each other, particularly to those who disagree, to sort out conflicting claims.
Unfortunately, far too many actively oppose this, leaving all opposing claims untested. It's very regressive.
So that's my hobby, striving to understanding the arguments of all sides at least because it's interesting to see how mythologies are formed but also because maybe through that process we can all have our beliefs tested.
But if nothing else, social media platforms like this are chances to vent frustrations that on so many issues both sides are obviously wrong ;)
Joined Dec 2022
@Crell If you think the US is in a civil war, then I would say you've already lost the war because that's not what's going on here at all.
No, federal institutions are holding solid, and we need to use them to oppose bad policy.
We have a lot of bad things happening because people are simply not using the federal mechanisms at hand. And to buy into this idea that there's a civil war is to let the misbehaving people win it over.
@Crell If you think the US is in a civil war, then I would say you've already lost the war because that's not what's going on here at all.
No, federal institutions are holding solid, and we need to use them to oppose bad policy.
We have a lot of bad things happening because people are simply not using the federal mechanisms at hand. And to buy into this idea that there's a civil war is to let the misbehaving people win it over.
Oh actually, I just realized: today I was listening to an NPR report that misidentified employees of different branches of government. There are only three branches, and they couldn't even keep straight who goes to which branch. It's like they had a one in three chance and they failed.
Seriously, NPR has not been a reliable source for years now.
@RememberUsAlways Yes you said things. Yes, you got those things wrong. That's the whole point.
I don't know who told you this is how the law works, but somebody told you wrong. And I don't know why you would believe them because it's pretty nutty.
@RememberUsAlways NPR hasn't been reliable for a while now, often reporting things that are contradicted by public records.
The Supreme Court speaks for itself. When NPR contradicts what the Supreme Court's public releases say, well, it just shows how unreliable they are as a source these days.
@maeve it's not the job of the SCOTUS to undo the bad laws the people we elected to congress made.
That's our job.
SCOTUS isn't fanning flames. It's respecting our choices as voters. And we should stop making bad choices.
It was clearly a bad idea. We elected people who did it. Ok then.
@BakerRL75 well right.
Blame congresspeople who set this stuff up. That's how the US government is structured.
If congresspeople that we elect gave the president this information, and that's a bad thing, then for god's sake let's stop reelecting them! It was clearly a bad idea!
Don't blame SCOTUS for giving a reminder of basic civics. Stop reempowering the representatives who, at best, don't know their own jobs.
What? That's not how SSI works.
YES wealthy people qualify for SSI, and mainstream Republicans are calling for increasing taxes on the wealthy due to their participation in the program.
@HeatherMJ from what I've heard, they have evidence up to videotaped, well, one step short of confession.
@RememberUsAlways sounds like you're buying into the common story that gets CU backwards.
In #CitizensUnited Kennedy wrote that because money was so prevalent in politics, the president should not be allowed to muzzle those of us with less money who want to organize to speak back against the rich.
If anything, if there is a correlation here, it's related to the propensity for Americans to believe misinformation about what topics like CU really entail.
We all need to correct those falsehoods... that strain of propaganda.
Things won't improve until we debunk those commonly believed myths.
@RememberUsAlways What in the world are you talking about?
In every SCOTUS decision they lay out exactly how US law is based on the Constitution.
Anyway, considering the state of play, Democrats could take control of the House today if they wanted to. That they don't make those motions says a lot.
And I think it dovetails with your post here. They have folks convinced of this stuff, and they benefit by leaving control to the Republicans so they can spin these tales.
@Nonilex and @EndicottAuthor you're giving them too much credit.
This administration is characterized by shamelessness.
Admit their mistake? They don't care about whether they made a mistake or not, they don't care whether we think they did or not. They're shameless.
Desperate to cover their asses? Again, they don't care.
They simply saw a different option for accomplishing their goal, maybe more easily, so they pivoted.
Their supporters really don't care either way.
@wjmaggos You're halfway right.
You say fewer voters in a primary, but your next idea suggests that more people would be voting in primaries because it would be in their interests to have candidates that they prefer.
No, the better argument doesn't go that direction, it simply says that the two-party system is a natural result of FPTP, and we would be better going on to something ranked choice instead of emulating that with the two-party system.
Same conclusion, but the argument that goes the better, more constructive direction.
@ILoveAmericaNews clearly we can't since we keep reelecting members of Congress despite the budget not being balanced.
We have that option every election. We don't take it.
@arroz What are examples of sexism there?
Mainstream #conservative media take on #Musk vs #Trump seems to be settling on the idea that #Elon has poor impulse control, but good on Trump for being a mature statesman.
Just so you know.
Siiiigh.
@CindyWeinstein fascist?
They are arguing about the best ways to minimize governmental power!
This dispute is fundamentally anti-fascist!
@Hex careful, promote this kind of thing and he can come after you next.
The Court didn't so much side with her as it sided against an action of the lower court. The woman could absolutely still lose her case.
This is how the SCOTUS normally works as an appelate court: it judges lower courts, and here it says the lower court got the process wrong, and it told the lower court to go back and try again.
In other words, this decision leaves it on the table that the woman was simply an asshole.
It mainly comes down to the people we elect to Congress to police this and make sure the US is conducting itself in the ways we want it to go.
If we elect representatives who agree to these military operations and fund programs to make them happen, then contractors will often make them more effective through partnerships with the standing military.
If we don't like it, we need to stop reelecting the representatives who support that direction.
It's so important to hold reps accountable, but too often they get to avoid the hard questions.
I think the most pressing and fundamental problem of the day is that people lack a practically effective means of sorting out questions of fact in the larger world. We can hardly begin to discuss ways of addressing reality if we can't agree what reality even is, after all.
The institutions that have served this role in the past have dropped the ball, so the next best solution is talking to each other, particularly to those who disagree, to sort out conflicting claims.
Unfortunately, far too many actively oppose this, leaving all opposing claims untested. It's very regressive.
So that's my hobby, striving to understanding the arguments of all sides at least because it's interesting to see how mythologies are formed but also because maybe through that process we can all have our beliefs tested.
But if nothing else, social media platforms like this are chances to vent frustrations that on so many issues both sides are obviously wrong ;)
Joined Dec 2022
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