Hot, Bad & Unpopular Takes

[Torie]

I believe minimum wage laws are economic foolishness, and they inevitably cause higher prices and/or more unemployment. Jobs have clearly been eliminated because of the creation of minimum wage laws and the periodic increases of them.

A complicating element these days is the earned income tax credit (which I support, but whatever). So paying lower wages is subsidized by a higher earned income tax credit. It makes the issue much more complicated. But laws that cut off job opportunities by interfering with the market are bad. So it becomes something of a balancing test, given that the tax code incentives lower wages. So another law (e.g., the minimum wage) is needed to offset that, but should not go much beyond that (so the rate of the minimum wage is subject to a constraint if one is focused on this approach to policy).

[Torie]

I believe that 'every working man and woman should have the vote' should mean that those who are retired should be excused from the right to vote. If not for general elections that are cyclical, then for referenda and plebiscites.

If your religious belief forces you to disown a gay child for your own soul, or make you think you can speak in tongues, or think people are possessed or any sh-t like that then it's not a religious belief but a mental condition that requires an intervention.

Freedom of speech while good in principle actually equates to 'freedom for those who have power/influence' or just can shout over other people. People who are quiet, reserved, in the minority or not in any positions of power have no free speech and can only have 'free speech' if that arena is regulated.

Is the word "excused" a euphemism for "disenfranchised?" What constitutes "working?" Does it require pecuniary compensation, and if so, how much? Do you in general think that old geezers should be put out to pasture when it comes to voting?

[Torie]

There is some truth, too much truth, in the above post unfortunately. To engage in some hyperbole, I find both parties to be in a state of intellectual and moral bankruptcy.

[Torie]

Christmas is the most horrible holiday imaginable, an orgy of mass consumerism and trite music. and often tasteless decorations, and urchins whining for loot. I have the whole sordid affair on ignore. Thank you.

[Torie]

Those who bash Christmas were unloved as children.

Go do a search for my posts about my Dad. Thanks. But thanks also, because I did a LOL. Cheers.

[Torie]

- Vietnam War draft dodgers are cowards, not heroes. I’m looking at you, Donald and Bernie.

Those that legally avoided the draft are cowards? I used a deferment based on attendance in college to avoid the draft. Am I a coward?

[Torie]

- Vietnam War draft dodgers are cowards, not heroes. I’m looking at you, Donald and Bernie.

Those that legally avoided the draft are cowards? I used a deferment based on attendance in college to avoid the draft. Am I a coward?

Did I say draft deferrers are cowards?  

I guess not if you view "dodgers" as a synonym for illegal "evaders." Bernie Sanders did nothing illegal.  Perhaps what you are saying is that you view those who seek alternative service as conscientious objectors are cowards.

[Torie]

I am afraid of dogs.

You guys are afraid of this dog?

[Torie]

LOL@the notion that most rap fans aren't white.

I hate rap too and always have but I was in the minority at my 90+% white high school.

In other news, this particular old, fossilized white man is a rap fan. When driving on the glorious scenic roads of the Hudson Valley, and the nearby Berkshires, often to a dog park for Roby to frolic and socialize in), Dan and I, using Pandora,  switch back and forth between TJR (which we also use for a certain indoor sport but I digress), Health (great when mellowed out), a rap station, and modern classical music. Don't box me in baby. I don't like boxes.

[Torie]

It's not minorities taking our jobs it's actually women. Think about it, over the years more and more women have left the house to seek employment. This had led to less jobs for men, because women used to mostly be stay at home moms taking care of the kids. Of course no one running for office would ever say this, so minorities are used as the scapegoat.

Do you care to document your surmise that women working has taken jobs away from men? That of course was the rationale back when for discriminating against women. For example, back in the day they could not get jobs as school teachers if married, because that would take a job against a bread winning man. My grandmother faced that discrimination. Ultimately, she did get the job anyway because 1) she was the only one around who could teach Latin, and 2) it was temporary, because she was leaving for college after a couple of years when she was old enough.

The whole assertion is just so freaking bizarre now, when jobs go wanting, and the problem is finding people of either sex who are competent to do the job, given the sad state of education, and substance abuse (just a huge problem in my neck of the woods), etc. There really needs to be a rather massive intervention, or as a society we are going to go down the tubes relatively speaking. Sometimes, I feel thankful I am so damn old. I will be dead when the sh*t really hits the fan.

[Torie]

Parties tack when they finally realize that if they don't, they will be consigned to getting the short end of the stick in almost all elections. So if the current Pub profile proves to be a loser due to demographic changes, the profile will change. Politicians are in the business of winning. Not much else matters.

[Torie]

The factual assertions about Jews above may be unpopular, but more salient, is that the assertions as to wealth are all undocumented and in fact wrong. I could not find any ethnic data that was Jewish specific as to the top 1%, but reading this hardly suggests that most are Jews. The suggestion that a majority of Jews are in the top 10% is clearly wrong. Based on tax filing data you need to earn about 133k to be in the top 10%. Only 44% of Jews earn more than 100k per year according to a Pew survey.

I took the trouble to dig this all up, because anecdotally, I "knew" that the claims were absurd. I personally know and have dealt with many in these elite categories, socially and professionally, and they come from all walks in life (and this is in the Los Angeles area which has a substantial number of Jews). Some are my relatives. None of those are Jewish. I also ran across a data point that about 500,000 Jews in the NYC area are below the poverty line, but I digress.  

Oh and then the bit about Jews being a majority of the actors and celebrities in the US. LOL. Who knew?

[Torie]

I appreciate your apology, but what bothered me more about your post than that you got your facts wrong and considerably overstated the extent of relative Jewish wealth and so forth, is that you seemed to imply that it was a policy problem that Jews were more successful on average than whites as a whole. I cannot think of a reason that you would have that view that would be relatively benign, as opposed to reflecting animus.

I have amassed more than my share of assets in life. I am a cultural secular WASP. Would I be more of a policy problem if I happened to be Jewish? Can you understand just how offensive your comment would be to most Jews? Demonizing (or to be charitable, to view as a particular policy problem) a minority group merely because they happen to be relatively successful, has a long and sordid history on this planet. Myself, I appreciate that due to their culture, and values, so many Jews in disproportionate numbers have done so much to make this planet a better place.

I hope you reflect on what I am saying here. Thanks.

[Torie]

Yes I know, I made my own comments on this (which have been ignored), but you two need to let this go now. The back and forth has become entropic, and of course the whole discussion, important as it might be, is off topic to this thread. Thank you.

[Torie]

I don't think there should be any qualifications for elective office, be it residency, age, nationality etc. Voters should be free to vote for whomever they want. For example, I would like to be able to vote for Cameron or Macron as POTUS. Thank you.

[Torie]

Just to give you a few sources:

UKC Breed Standard for the American Pit Bull Terrier

You must be logged in to read this quote.

You must be logged in to read this quote.

ADBA Breed Standard

You must be logged in to read this quote.

American Temperament Test Society Breed Statistics (as of Dec 2017)

You must be logged in to read this quote.

American Veterinary Medical Association statement explaining why your position is wrong.

ASPCA position statement also explaining that your position is wrong.


I guarantee you've actually done no research on this topic and are basing your hatred on an overreaction to a scenario that wasn't even remotely dangerous for you. I hope for your sake you actually bother to educate yourself instead of spewing those garbage statements again.

Do you have any comment on this article? My personal experience with Pits in dog parks has not been good. About half of them are sufficiently aggressive, that we have to pull our dog out of the park for fear that there is an excessive risk that he will be hurt. Dog parks typically have a small dog and larger dog area. Our dog is fine with big dogs (he is fearless and gutsy and loves to wrestle (Roby is the one adorned with a blue harness), but if we see a Pit in the one area of the dog park, we go to the other.

[Torie]

Thank you for your reply (and for the kind words about Roby, who wants to hop on my lap right now to induce me to get  away from the computer and into the car for a drive), and some sensible views about the use of dog parks. I don't support euthanization by the way, and disliked the way this discussion has gone about pit bulls, but that is another matter.