The Goat Pen

I am very familiar with Machiavelli.

Trump supporters would rather have a Trump-style Machiavellism because we largely agree with the things he wants to do in a Machiavelli sort of way - populism and nationalism.

We prefer that to Hillary-style Machiavellism because we large oppose the things she wanted to do in a Machiavelli sort of way - corruption, socialism, totalitarianism, globalism, appeasement, fiscal insolvency, etc.

aTm wrote:ISIS is apparently now claiming responsibility for this. I think that'd be pretty surprising. I'm thinking this is more of a Charles Whitman, brain tumor/mental disease type situation.

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Poll: Over half of Calif. Democrats in favor of free speech restrictions.

https://www.google.com/amp/www.sfgate.c ... 196319.php

sardis wrote:Poll: Over half of Calif. Democrats in favor of free speech restrictions.

https://www.google.com/amp/www.sfgate.c ... 196319.php

nevermind that, fuck you people that don't like NFL players kneeling.

There wuz a ruuu-mor
of a tuuu-mor

A sample of the genius of Kinky Friedman.

sardis wrote:Poll: Over half of Calif. Democrats in favor of free speech restrictions.

https://www.google.com/amp/www.sfgate.c ... 196319.php

Well if California Democrats are okay with restricting free speech they don't like, then they wouldn't mind if conservatives restricted THEIR free speech, right? We could start by limiting their use of words "racist," "sexist," "homophobic," "transphobic," "climate denier" to only ten times per day per individual. And ban the word "sustainable" completely. That would almost render them mutes, dude.

the thing about tax reform is - a large number of middle class people who want tax relief identify government spending with waste and welfare- and there is definitely alot of waste, but neither really amounts to much when you factor in the obligations to social security and medicare, and our military spending.

If the Trump/GOP plan doesn't add to the deficit for the next say 6 years, then I'm good with it - leave the mortgage deduction and charities and take everything else away. (although I think personally think the best thing the government can do to help medical costs is to make all medical costs tax deductible - from aspirin to chemo). Set it up where 90% of the people can do their taxes in about 10 minutes, automate all of it - there is no reason why I have to put my w-2, interest , mortgage or property taxes in manually - and provide me with a running total quarterly of what I owe or if I'm overpaying so no surprises on April 15th.

and for guns

personally I don't give two fucks about bump stocks, binary triggers, gatlin devices - all of it. Its stupid wannabe bullshit from guys who can't get off by buying trucks with big tires.

That said, its slippery slope and the reality is that a very, very , very small percentage of gun owners even want this stuff to begin with. Until people on both sides stand up and address what gun violence really means in this country, then we're never going to get meaningful reform. More people died of homicides in the month of September than at the shooting in Las Vegas...oh...and that was only for Chicago.

Rifles with bump stocks are automatics, which have been illegal since 1935. To me, banning bump stocks is a no brainer.

And I am not a big cheerleader for Trump's "tax reform." I am cynical enough to believe that, despite all the grandiose promises, it will just wind up making the wealthy even wealthier, do little for the middle class, and drastically increase the deficit - like most other "tax cuts" enacted in the past. The fact that the Gordon Gecko wing of the GOP is all excited about it is not a good sign.

Professor Tiger wrote:Rifles with bump stocks are automatics, which have been illegal since 1935. To me, banning bump stocks is a no brainer.

And I am not a big cheerleader for Trump's "tax reform." I am cynical enough to believe that, despite all the grandiose promises, it will just wind up making the wealthy even wealthier, do little for the middle class, and drastically increase the deficit - like most other "tax cuts" enacted in the past. The fact that the Gordon Gecko wing of the GOP is all excited about it is not a good sign.

technically no

a semi auto is defined as requiring the shooter to pull the trigger for each shot while a fully auto requires the trigger to be fully depressed.

A bump stock, and any other device along those longs just enables the shooter to pull the trigger at an accelerated rate.

the slippery slope argument is more about a meaningless emotional response - like these bump stocks, and then once the wedge is in the door, it swings wide open putting the focus on gun control regulation that doesn't decrease homicide rates in this country instead of forcing people to address the real issues.

Listen to the audio of the Vegas shooting. That's an automatic, whatever name you want to call it.

Professor Tiger wrote:Listen to the audio of the Vegas shooting. That's an automatic, whatever name you want to call it.

not to the letter of the law

Idk... seems like since M80s are illegal, and lawn jarts are illegal, and heroin is illegal, and other cool fun stuff like that..

doesn't seem like a stretch that bump stocks should be taken off the market.

I have zero sympathy for middle class taxpayers in high taxed states who will lose their state tax deduction. Why should a taxpayer in a high tax state pay less federal taxes than a taxpayer in a low tax state? Fuck them.

10ac wrote:

deaths1.jpg

AMEN!

You could also put red boxes around alcohol and tobacco, which nobody is freaking out over either, except for maybe the Baptists.

10ac is an alcoholic smoker, so those are OK...

That's more likely to be Sardis. He is a graduate of Bob Jones University, and is now dropping the F bomb. Alcohol and tobacco can't be far behind...

BTW, that chart bolsters your impassioned (and protracted) argument that tobacco and alcohol kill more people than drugs.

My poop was green this morning. And I don't eat veggies

Does your pee still smell like ham?

Jungle Rat wrote:My poop was green this morning. And I don't eat veggies

not that your serious but that is often a sign of food moving too fast thru your digestive system.

I know this because I just spent time reading why my dog's poop was orange.