Thursday, February 2, 2017
and, might california refuse to pay federal taxes if the federal government threatens to defund it's services?
washington needs california far more than california needs washington.
http://www.reuters.com/article/us-california-ucberkeley-protests-idUSKBN15H1R5
washington needs california far more than california needs washington.
http://www.reuters.com/article/us-california-ucberkeley-protests-idUSKBN15H1R5
see, this is something that's more likely to get a rise out of me.
i actually think they should treat churches like corporations and tax them at the corporate tax rate (which should be much higher).
the problem with allowing social services to be taken care of by charities like churches is that it promotes their value systems at the expense of minority rights. this isn't an abstract concern, either. my stepmother has stories about flying into haiti to do aid work, living in a maximum security facility and then forcing starving people to sit through a sermon before they'd be allowed to eat. it's twisted, fucked up stuff. but, it's the inevitable consequence of allowing religious institutions control over aid services.
https://www.nytimes.com/2017/02/02/us/politics/trump-johnson-amendment-political-activity-churches.html
i actually think they should treat churches like corporations and tax them at the corporate tax rate (which should be much higher).
the problem with allowing social services to be taken care of by charities like churches is that it promotes their value systems at the expense of minority rights. this isn't an abstract concern, either. my stepmother has stories about flying into haiti to do aid work, living in a maximum security facility and then forcing starving people to sit through a sermon before they'd be allowed to eat. it's twisted, fucked up stuff. but, it's the inevitable consequence of allowing religious institutions control over aid services.
https://www.nytimes.com/2017/02/02/us/politics/trump-johnson-amendment-political-activity-churches.html
what this graph suggests is that the demographics in canada are leaning hard to the left and that all the ndp needs to do to win power is project the image that canadians expect of them: which is to be the conscience of the nation, and offer a strong social-democratic vision.
the reason is that the august numbers reflect where the country's prejudices are. the august numbers reflect where our partisan allegiances fall naturally, before any evidence is presented to alter them. if we would have voted a priori, we would have elected an ndp majority.
but, then the evidence presented itself. tom mulcair opened his big stupid mouth and promised balanced budgets, which is code for cuts to health care. justin trudeau took advantage of this ridiculous blunder and promised budget deficits. the electorate made an informed choice: the november results reflect how the country reacted to the evidence of the candidates in front of us.
but, trudeau has repeated the error that mulcair made, which is the same error that ignatieff made and the same error that paul martin made: he has abandoned the left due to pressure from neo-liberals that believe that history is over. apparently, he has a very short memory. these academics are dead fucking wrong.
the ndp are not ready to govern, and thomas mulcair remains unelectable. but, the data is abundantly clear. all the ndp needs to do is present themselves as the party of douglas and lewis again. they merely need to reclaim their own legacy, to become their own reflection.
if they pick the right leader, they could win the next election - and trudeau could lose his own seat.
the reason is that the august numbers reflect where the country's prejudices are. the august numbers reflect where our partisan allegiances fall naturally, before any evidence is presented to alter them. if we would have voted a priori, we would have elected an ndp majority.
but, then the evidence presented itself. tom mulcair opened his big stupid mouth and promised balanced budgets, which is code for cuts to health care. justin trudeau took advantage of this ridiculous blunder and promised budget deficits. the electorate made an informed choice: the november results reflect how the country reacted to the evidence of the candidates in front of us.
but, trudeau has repeated the error that mulcair made, which is the same error that ignatieff made and the same error that paul martin made: he has abandoned the left due to pressure from neo-liberals that believe that history is over. apparently, he has a very short memory. these academics are dead fucking wrong.
the ndp are not ready to govern, and thomas mulcair remains unelectable. but, the data is abundantly clear. all the ndp needs to do is present themselves as the party of douglas and lewis again. they merely need to reclaim their own legacy, to become their own reflection.
if they pick the right leader, they could win the next election - and trudeau could lose his own seat.
trudeau just tossed the ndp a lifeline, right when it seemed like they were drowning. remember those polls in the summer when the ndp were flirting with 40%? that *can* be the result of the 2019 election, now. trudeau has opened up the path for an ndp majority.
but, they need to forcefully push mulcair out and bring in a bernie sanders style populist that is willing to essentially run on all of trudeau's broken promises. who is going to do this?
http://www.huffingtonpost.ca/2017/02/02/liberal-mp-reax-electoral-reform_n_14570456.html
but, they need to forcefully push mulcair out and bring in a bernie sanders style populist that is willing to essentially run on all of trudeau's broken promises. who is going to do this?
http://www.huffingtonpost.ca/2017/02/02/liberal-mp-reax-electoral-reform_n_14570456.html
fwiw, i've been fighting with poor air quality down here all day, again. it was really bad in the afternoon, then got better, then got bad again a little before midnight...
it's a cold night. having the windows open and the heat up is expensive. but, i'm not going to suffer through a migraine.
i *am* going to have to stay up all night, though, because i don't want to fall asleep with the windows open in this temperature. i've got three sweaters and a blanket and an electric heater - i should be ok. but, if i fall asleep and get a chill, it could potentially be nasty. i'm still hoping that the issue resolves itself, but i've lost any concept of cause and effect - it just comes and goes with no real pattern. *shrug*.
i want to get some real work in the rebuild done tonight, too. i'm just about to finish rebuilding the journal for the big 2002 symphony, at which point the whole thing slows down a little bit. it took a long time to finish the next major release, and it was partly because i wasn't focused. so, i'll be drinking lots of coffee in my multiple sweaters and with my open windows.
i also just realized i missed a new three trapped tigers disc, so that will be my soundtrack for what will no doubt be a strange night.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8QlQw4QU_0E
it's a cold night. having the windows open and the heat up is expensive. but, i'm not going to suffer through a migraine.
i *am* going to have to stay up all night, though, because i don't want to fall asleep with the windows open in this temperature. i've got three sweaters and a blanket and an electric heater - i should be ok. but, if i fall asleep and get a chill, it could potentially be nasty. i'm still hoping that the issue resolves itself, but i've lost any concept of cause and effect - it just comes and goes with no real pattern. *shrug*.
i want to get some real work in the rebuild done tonight, too. i'm just about to finish rebuilding the journal for the big 2002 symphony, at which point the whole thing slows down a little bit. it took a long time to finish the next major release, and it was partly because i wasn't focused. so, i'll be drinking lots of coffee in my multiple sweaters and with my open windows.
i also just realized i missed a new three trapped tigers disc, so that will be my soundtrack for what will no doubt be a strange night.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8QlQw4QU_0E
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