I'd like to know why people like Inks, bullmoose, or Torie, stopped posting. They were very respected around here.
I don't think Torie is a Republican anymore. I can be mistaken, of course.
No I am not, but I don't pretend to be in the vanguard of the revolution either. But various trends in society have exacerbated income inequality, causing a fraying of social well being of many in the lower income groups, and a much tougher road for those who don't do well with the three r's - reading, writing and arithmetic. In my neck of the woods, up close and personal, hard drugs have also caused a much wider path of destruction than before. It's quite tragic really. My perhaps self serving characterization of my ideology is a data based centrist with a conscience, that does not put front and center as the factor that "trumps" all else, my own financial well being. I also cringe at social boars as to whom one can check both the wealth and narcissist baskets.
Social snobs also suck. An example of the snob bit is a local lady who is not particularly wealthy but has very bourgeois values, who wants to subsidize shops on Warren Street (drawing down on the 400K or so of dollars to promote "tourism" from a portion of the recently adopted local lodging tax), that are struggling due to the pandemic that sell products with which she finds favor, like handmade and clever childrens' toys and clothing that are just perfect for someone visiting from the upper east side of Manhattan to give their grandkids, but not one cent for the local tattoo parlor. I am much more of a social Darwinist myself about the survival of the array of such shops that typically are run by hobbyists. If one such retail shop fails, it will be replaced in short order by another run by someone looking for an avocation who has too much time on their hands and is bored.
