Random Rant Thread

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This man owes a lot of stuff to people who you shouldn't owe anything to.

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"Doesn't matter! Trump has no shame!" and that's why Trump has spent years doing his best and worst to keep anyone from seeing his tax returns. Right.

Trump does represent America, though. He lives on the incessant debt rollovers and occasional asset bubbles to maintain his lavish life despite being insolvent. That's EXACTLY the way Uber, for instance, exists too. Neither Trump nor Uber make any actual profit whatsoever.

So, yes, he is the president that America deserves. We ought to elect at least someone who's not insolvent or this country is really going down like L-O-L.

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BREAKING: Trump Tax returns earn Trump favor with poorer Americans who also only pay $750 in taxes


Seriously, though, the IRS doesn't go after big fish anymore largely because it's broke. Systemically underfunded.

The super-reach get away with murder, whereas Wesley Snipes has to spend 3 years in jail despite offering to pay $842,000 to the IRS. What Martha Stewart did is nothing compared to what has been routinely done by the truly wealthy.

The problem with many Americans is that when they think of rich assholes, they think of Hollywood. Those celebs are peasants compared to the ugly old white men playing golf in the St. Louis suburb as we speak.

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That's all I want say about the latest Trump scandal. I could've said the same thing with or without this NYT investigation (except for the contest that I won, which is really true), but obviously this was the best occasion to do so.

I gotta be honest, though; I can totally see Democrats take this into a completely wrong direction - the Russiagate direction - based on his corrupt, shoddy deals with Russian oligarchs. Rachael Maddow is probably going full-retard again.

So, good luck, Donald!

Edit: Oh, and this is a GREAT thread to explain how it works financially. I don't think there's any easier way to explain it, so if even this is too complicated for you, forget about it.

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Covid-19 deaths per million as of today:

Peru: 975
Belgium: 860
Spain: 668
Brazil: 666
USA: 632
UK: 618
Italy: 593
Mexico: 591
Sweden: 581
France: 486
Netherlands: 372
Iran: 306
Canada: 245
Switzerland: 238
Portugal: 192
Israel: 159
Russia: 140
Germany: 114
Austria: 88
India: 69
Poland: 65
Finland: 62
Czech Republic: 57
Philippines: 49
Indonesia: 38
Greece: 36
Australia: 34
Uruguay: 14
Hong Kong: 14
Japan: 12
Cuba: 11
Ethiopia: 10
Slovakia: 8
South Korea: 8
Singapore: 5
New Zealand: 5
Nigeria: 5
Thailand: 0.8
Vietnam: 0.4

I only listed countries of (my) interest.

You do have to take these numbers with a grain of salt for obvious reasons as the criteria are quite different and some countries are perhaps not very good at gathering data in a reliable way, but nevertheless, listing countries like this should make it clear that regional differences are quite stark.

And even within Europe there are clear disparities. What are the reasons? Are there even any reasons at all?

Austria was at the center of the initial outbreak in Europe. What's the secret behind their relative success so far?

What's entire sub-Saharan Africa's secret for that matter?

Japan is the world's most aged country and should be uniquely vulnerable to this particular virus. So, why?

And what the hell is up with Thailand? Not even ONE death per million? How is that possible?

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Is there any country who actually succeeded in imposing physical distancing - AKA "social distancing" - on the population to any significant degree?

I find it baffling that many governments say "Distance!" as if it was easy. Hell, you can "Distance!" all right, but do that in a poorly ventilated space with no mask on, and you are in great danger anyway unless you are constantly moving or something.

I'm not saying it's meaningless. It is clearly important. But it's both hard to implement AND nowhere near being bulletproof. But they pretend that it is. Or do they actually believe it is? That would be foolish given what many studies have shown.

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You need to block people spraying saliva. You spread it when you cough, sing, sneeze, or talk.

You should shut people up basically, and if you can't, mask them up.

From that point of view, many countries' policies re: the "second wave" don't make much sense to me. It's all about "Distance!"

Vague and ineffective.

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"Milkshake"

"We're the Proud Boys, and we're western chauvinists"


LOL


The comedy potential of these losers - who are about the farthest from any "western civilization" - hasn't been fully explored yet.

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It's hilarious that the Republicans that I know are genuinely baffled that all the riots and unrest on the street didn't move the needle toward Trump at all. Their heads seem to have exploded as the needle actually moved toward BIDEN albeit only slightly.

I'm baffled that they are baffled. Do they not know who the incumbent is?

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In this election there are very few undecided voters left. Many seem to hate it because that's the clear sign of "polarization".

Sure. The country is polarized all right.

But one thing I can tell you is that those who are still undecided at this point are just dumb.

The Undecideds: Sure, Biden and Trump are very different. But maybe neither is right for the job.
t.co/CZ4Yi8IE4U?amp=1

The article is behind the paywall, so for example:

The Boltzes, lifelong Republicans, want the debates to reveal what they say news coverage of the campaign has not: Who will address the cost of health care? Who will support protests for racial justice but stand firm against violence? Who can actually bring people together?

If you have to ask those questions at this point, you must have been on Mars all these months, you dumb "lifelong Republicans".

And "Williams":

...he's especially interested in hearing how the candidates would curb the coronavirus "so we don't have to worry or practice social distancing."

But he's underwhelmed by both candidates. He sees Trump as simply unqualified to serve. And Biden is "another old guy."

Unless one of them inspires him [in a debate], Williams might just sit this one out.

Your stupid opinion shouldn't count, so please do sit this one out, "Williams".

And:

The choice is especially tough for voters who are socially liberal but fiscally conservative.

Trump hasn't even pretended to be "fiscally conservative" at any point in the last four years.

Hasn't paid any fucking attention at all, but likes to opine anyway. That's the way these people are.

They are dumb as a doorknob. It's good that we have few of them this year.

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This is a memo circulating now among Republican operatives.



One problem, though, is that a vast majority of Republicans already know this. Don't need to be reminded of it. It's the candidate himself that can't stop doing it. Nothing they can do about that.

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"Extremely under-leveraged"

Hahahahaha. EXTREME the-dog-ate-my-homework energy there, Donald.

Idiot.

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A team at Hokkaido University in Japan published a study that says that PCR tests done with saliva are perfectly as reliable as ones done with nasal swabs. The results of this study seem very conclusive unlike the previous ones elsewhere.

PCR tests have been such hassle largely because it's not nice and easy to get a nasal swab. I had a nasal swab taken, four goddamn times, and man, I hated it. It takes time too.

I expect all mass PCR tests in Japan, like at the airports, to switch to saliva tests now. Much, much quicker, and much, much more convenient. This is very clearly another game changer. Virtually any testing bottlenecks ought be cleared with the combination of quick non-PCR tests and saliva PCR tests.

And another thing that this research result suggests is that it's saliva. Duh, but it really is. 

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WHAT THE FUCK WITH WRONG WITH THESE BRAIN WORM PEOPLE

What the fuck do you mean by "common ground," you vacuous West Wing creeps, just for the love God, drop dead.

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So, how well did "finding common ground" go?

LOL

I knew it was going to be a horror show, but I felt strangely (and falsely) safe because I'm not in the US now.

If you are, you should move to Canada.