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
@jackwilliambell It's not because billionaires.
The general public didn't want to go that direction.
It's easy to blame billionaires, but this is about the general public. Yes, it's harder to get a lot of people over to a different perspective, but nonetheless, that is the challenge.
Blaming billionaires won't fix it. It just distracts from the actual challenge.
The key to remember is that a whole lot of people voted for Trump. Unfortunately, a functioning democracy reflects the will of people even when those people are kind of gross.
The downside of democracy is that often people kind of suck.
volkris
boosted
#BrianKilmeade, admittedly out of context: #Trump is a dog barking from safely behind a chain link fence #USPolitics
Watching the screw-ups in the Comey prosecution right now I'm just thinking #TACO , #Trump Always Chickens Out, should be joined by #TOFU , Trump Only Fs Up.
Because seriously... OK his supporters claim that he's not chickening out, that was the plan all along, but there's really no way to get around the F ups.
And this is a historically giant screw up.
volkris
boosted
#ClayAndBuck: I need to stop saying "hashtag" because nobody uses hashtags anymore. #USPolitics
My sense was that he just doesn't understand even basic math with the comparison to the total wealth of the US versus trade levels, but you're right, maybe he does think tariffs are just magic.
I don't know which is worse.
Either way, the guy has a distinguished history of being a complete moron after he got into politics.
I hear he was good at football though.
@Lyle just because DC isn't imposing a determination of affordability doesn't mean services won't be affordable.
Heck, in many cases it would mean more affordable plans that DC regulators would have otherwise nixed or hung up in red tape.
But yeah, I'd say if we're going to do the subsidy it should be done with state money where it can be managed more closely to the people it's meant to help.
@tsyum I think you're missing that the answer to why is probably going to be exactly BECAUSE they lost in 2024 to DT.
There just isn't enough support for DT in the country, so moving in that direction lost them moderate and independent votes while there just aren't enough DT-aligned voters to replace the lost independents.
DT needs to grow before there will be the number of voters to win elections broadly.
@enbrown.bsky.social well it's because regardless of a decade of jurisprudence, 230 remains a political calling card with little understanding in the public about what it actually says, much less understanding of the litigation history.
Politicians will continue to use 230 in their rhetoric in the political sphere.
It may be challenging to determine whether an order is lawful or not but given that an order is unlawful, in general it shouldn't be followed and often the servicemember would be legally required NOT to carry it out.
@ontheidiots.bsky.social
volkris
boosted
Senator Coach #TommyTuberville on #BrianKilmeade: The US government is $38 trillion in debt, and there's no way to pay that by taxing Americans no matter how high, so the only way to pay it is tariffs! The guy's running for governor, BTW. #USPolitics #Tariffs
@ZySoua There oughta be an algorithm...
;)
volkris
boosted
#SeanHannity: How dare these Democrats put out an ad telling members of the US military that they don't have to carry out "unlawful orders"? That's so dangerous! [n.b.: he's the one who identified them as unlawful orders. His description. Not my editorializing] #USPolitics
You're missing how the process works.
No, the SCOTUS didn't limit the agency's power. Instead it recognized that *Congress* had limited its power.
Alito didn't explicitly define a relatively permanent body because that wasn't his job, as they weren't there to limit the agency's power. It was up to Congress, not him, to set those limits and definitions.
Now the agency is clarifying its view of Congress's definition.
Again, that's not the SCOTUS doing that. Because that's not how the courts work in the US.
It's kind of circular reasoning, though: the US turned away from a certain policy direction and this says the US has turned away from it.
Well yeah!
I don't think that's quite right.
They're not behaving as if the laws have been repealed, but as if they weren't valid in the first place.
The difference in the distinction is political vs legal.
But yes, they're getting into legal trouble based on it.
Listening to #BBC broadcasts reminds that a lot of folks internationally (and unfortunately a lot of folks in the US) don't really understand how the US government is structured when it comes to things like the #Epstein file issue.
Procedurally, it's much more complicated than "Just release the files!"
(The following is brief illustration of the situation)
At the surface, the act of Congress is rather pointless. With coequal branches, Congress lacks authority to order the Executive to release anyway, so the passage is only symbolic. #Trump could have released the documents he had at any point, or not released them, and that doesn't change here.
BUT complicating this is that Congress already passed laws that sought to restrict the release of such documents. So it's one symbol running into another and an Executive playing them off each other.
Media reports really miss the nuances of the structure in this arrangement, as parliamentary systems don't really have these.
The #Texas redistricting case points directly at the mess that VRA has caused, which landed the law in front of the #SCOTUS earlier this year.
In the district court's order blocking the new map you can see arguments echoing those against the VRA in the Supreme Court.
I think a lot of people are going to be upset about the VRA challenge but celebrate the Texas ruling without realizing their contradiction.
@b7bird.bsky.social keep in mind that with the co-equal branches design of the US government this doesn't really blow anything up. It doesn't really even require Trump to do anything. Congress can't order around the coequal Branch like that.
On the other hand, Republicans are using this as rhetorical ammunition against Democrats.
volkris
boosted
Senator #JoniErnst interviewed by #BrianKilmeade: No, I haven't been briefed on a plan for #Venezuela. Am I worried about the US conducting a ground invasion? Well the territory is very difficult, but we have the best fighters on Earth! Also #Trump is the peace pres. pushing stability. #USPolitics
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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