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PoliGAF 2013 |OT1| Never mind, Wheeeeeeeeeeeeeeee

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B

Black Mamba

Member
RDreamer said:
The other point is that now's a great time in that because of the recession a lot of businesses have cut employment to the bone. Their labor is at minimum. A lot can't simply fire someone because they're forced to pay them more. If they did, then stuff just wouldn't get done.
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A great point.


I mean, raising minimum wage is one of those things that sounds good on paper, but isn't really a great idea policy wise. However, you sound like a real asshole if you come out against it. Obama is playing the GOP like a fiddle with this one.
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It's actually good policy. At least according to most research the past 20 years.


Might there also be some hidden benefits to raising the minimum wage for jobs that can't easily be outsourced?

If a higher minimum wage means that McDonalds' across the country have to shut down because they can't afford to pay their staff that much, that's bad.

But it's not necessarily bad for them to have an incentive to look for less labor-intensive ways of doing the same jobs. Maybe they do cut back on the number of people employed at each location, but maybe they also invest in technology that lets that smaller number of people accomplish the same amount of work.

Lots of McDonalds' locations in France seem to have managed to substantially scale back on the number of people they keep around the main counter by putting in these nifty touch-screen consoles for ordering food. You punch in what you want, swipe your card, and take a ticket before you have any contact with the employees.

This sort of adjustment would surely be painful in the short-term - it's fewer jobs, after all - but encouraging productivity growth is typically always going to be a winner in the long-term
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Welcome the age of robots!
 
T

The Librarian

Banned
Snake said:
In the current relationship between the federal government and the states, yes absolutely. To be clear, in the scenario I was imagining, the equal division of the states implied an already far more centralized government, where the states were administrative divisions as opposed to self-governing entities.
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That's still pretty impractical. You'd have to readjust the boundaries of every single state every ten years (or whenever the census would be), then you'd have to adjust the House seats within those new boundaries.
 
S

Snake

Member
Dax01 said:
That's still pretty impractical. You'd have to readjust the boundaries of every single state every ten years (or whenever the census would be), then you'd have to adjust the House seats within those new boundaries.
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Yes it's 100% impractical. It's a fantasy scenario!
 
C

Chichikov

Member
Clevinger said:
Cloture vote for Hagel failed.

Cornyn: This is not the filibuster you're looking for.

Media: *nods*
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Fuck you Harry Reid, this is your doing you useless asshole.

And you guys laughed at me when I said I hope he loses his senate seat, fuck him, fuck the DNC for letting him keep his job even though he's fucking horrible at it, and fuck seniority.
Having a competent senate majority leader is more important than one extra vote.
 
Link

Link

The Autumn Wind
Fenderputty said:
Well that didn't take long to blow up in Reid's face.
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Who could have possibly guessed this would happen? Oh right...

G7Rxg.gif
 
O

Oblivion

Fetishing muscular manly men in skintight hosery
The idea that the senate has to give their blessing on who a president chooses to run their cabinet is a fucking stupid idea to begin with.
 
B

B-Dubs

No Scrubs
Oblivion said:
The idea that the senate has to give their blessing on who a president chooses to run their cabinet is a fucking stupid idea to begin with.
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Honestly I don't entirely understand it either. I guess back then before background checks or whatever they did it to make sure they weren't a spy or whatever. These days it seems dumb.
 
C

cartoon_soldier

Member
lednerg said:
He did kind of just do that on the Google+ chat a few minutes ago.
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Meh, want to see him on prime time today. The cable news media would carry him live anyway, then do a speech with all networks Sunday. Tell the nation that by blocking the Sec. of Defense that is a Republican who McCain wanted to be Sec. of Defense in his administration the GOP is emboldening our enemies. "They may have a beef with me, they may not like me, but they don't let that come in the way of our Nation's security"
 
O

Oblivion

Fetishing muscular manly men in skintight hosery
B-Dubs said:
Honestly I don't entirely understand it either. I guess back then before background checks or whatever they did it to make sure they weren't a spy or whatever. These days it seems dumb.
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The only thing that should be necessary is making sure the nominee has no ties to any terrorist or anti-American organizations or any serious criminal history. Nothing more beyond that should need the senate's approval.

Hell, all that stuff I mentioned doesn't even require the need for the senate either.
 
A

Amir0x

Banned
Senator Reid,

I'd just like to congratulate you. After all, it was you who opted for a gentleman's agreement on filibuster reform - signed, no doubt, in the blood of demons smeared over spider-web filled senatorial rule books worshiped at altar like some false God - and so therefore you must certainly take pride in the result today in the failure of Chuck Hagel to receive the up/down vote he deserves.

The only possible explanation for your dry mouthed submission to a party who have for years now held the country back by refusing to do the job of governing is that you, too, didn't really have an interest in governing and you like things the way they are. And that's fine, but now you're an embarrassment and need removing from his position of authority. You've had your fun bowing down to your NRA donators as kids were gunned down in Newtown; you've had your luck squeaking out a win in your state to remain in your role. And for the briefest moment we thought maybe it would have woken you up to who your obligation truly is to.

But, of course, old Washington heads want to play old Washington games, and the cynic in me should never have expected any differently.

So, congrats, Harry Reid. Your lack of guts on fillibuster reform and your withering worm-like demeanor on subjects that matter to this country have provided us with an outcome that every person who isn't mentally handicapped knew would happen. And it only took a little over a single month!
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heh heh heh
 
B

B-Dubs

No Scrubs
Oblivion said:
The only thing that should be necessary is making sure the nominee has no ties to any terrorist or anti-American organizations or any serious criminal history. Nothing more beyond that should need the senate's approval.

Hell, all that stuff I mentioned doesn't even require the need for the senate either.
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I know, that's the thing. Since the FBI was created I see no reason for it.
 
L

lednerg

Member
Fenderputty said:
I missed this at work. What did he say?
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I just caught the tail end of it. It was a Town Hall meeting via Google Hangout video chat. He brought up how Hagel was one of their own, as well as being a distinguished veteran. Here's the thread:

http://www.neogaf.com/forum/showthread.php?t=513415

cartoon_soldier said:
Meh, want to see him on prime time today. The cable news media would carry him live anyway, then do a speech with all networks Sunday. Tell the nation that by blocking the Sec. of Defense that is a Republican who McCain wanted to be Sec. of Defense in his administration the GOP is emboldening our enemies. "They may have a beef with me, they may not like me, but they don't let that come in the way of our Nation's security"
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lol. That's too Dubya a move even for Obama.
 
R

RustyNails

Member
Hagel will be confirmed with a simple majoroty during recess next week guys. Chill.
McCain and Graham both said they will vote for ending cloture after recess (waiting for that video of obama and hagel killing the diplomats in Benghazi and drinking their blood to come out). This was just McCain being a salty bastard and his girlfriend Lindsey following his lead. But yeah. Screw Reid. This never should have happened.
 
P

Piecake

Member
If Obama can get Immigration reform, a US-EU Free trade agreement, and universal pre-K done, I would consider it a successful 2nd term.

The first two are definitely doable. The third I am worried about, but it is just such good policy that I really can't comprehend how anyone could be against it for any sort of plausible reason.

In the short term, we hire teachers and provide free daycare for low and middle class families, giving the economy a good boost, and in the long term it will lower the deficit since the investment will give a significant return. What the hell is the downside? The good news is that there doesnt seem to be outright republican opposition to it, and a conservative think tanker on PBS was actually in favor of it

http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/wonkblog/wp/2013/02/14/read-obamas-pre-k-plan/

give me now please

As for minimum wage, I really don't care if we increase it or increase the EITC. I think the EITC is better policy, but would either have a decent shot of passing congress? I somehow doubt it
 
A

Amir0x

Banned
Ignatz Mouse said:
Nobody?
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Fuck yeah is all I can say. The slow but steady march of progress continues in this country

god I can't wait in 20 years to see the remnants of the conservative ideology and how much they've had to bend because their hatred/bigotry has been rejected by the masses
 
P

Piecake

Member
We might see MN pass a same sex marriage bill as well this term considering that we have a democrat congress and a democrat governor. The only real concern is that we have a fair number of rural democrats and Minnesota is pretty ass-backwards socially outside of the twin cities
 
S

speculawyer

Member
Didn't Reid say that he was not going to honor any holds on Hagel? Perhaps he thus tricked them into asking for the holds and now he honored them (at least for now) such that the Dems will now get to go around and say "For the first time in history, the GOP has filibustered a cabinet nominee . . . and who was this crazy person they filibustered? A Republican from a red state who served our nation in the military in Vietnam."


Naww, I don't believe that either . . . Reid just got slapped down and he's an idiot.
 
C

Clevinger

Member
Senator Elizabeth Warren grilling the SEC and other Wall Street regulators

In her first hearing as a member of the Senate Banking Committee, Massachusetts Senator and longtime Consumerist favorite Elizabeth Warren grilled a panel of regulators on their tendency to settle with law-breaking banks rather than go to trial.

“We all understand why settlements are important, that trials are expensive and we can’t dedicate huge resources to them,” said the Senator during today’s hearing on Wall Street reform and regulatory oversight. “But we also understand that if a party is unwilling to go to trial — either because they’re too timid or because they lack resources — that the consequence is they have a lot less leverage in all the settlements that occur.”

Sen. Warren explained her stance that if banks reap billions of profits while breaking the law, then later settle and pay that settlement money out of those same profits, “they don’t have much incentive to follow the law.”
She also pointed out that when a trial is avoided, so is all the important, possibly revealing testimony that would have come out of that trial.

The witness panel at today’s hearing included FDIC chairman Martin Gruenberg, CFPB director Richard Cordray, SEC chair Elisse Walter, and Comptroller of the Currency Thomas Curry.
“The question I really wanna ask is about how tough you are,” said Warren to this regulatory A-list. “Tell me about the last few times you have taken one the biggest financial institutions on Wall Street all the way to trial… anyone?”
Her request was met by applause from people in the audience and tense silence from the panel.
Comptroller Curry attempted to explain that his office has issued a large number of consent orders that allowed allegations to be resolved without the need for a trial.
“I appreciate you saying you didn’t have to take them to trial,” responded Sen. Warren. “My question is when did you bring them to trial?”
“We have not had to do it as a practical matter to achieve our supervisory goals,” replied Curry, who looked like a kid who had been caught trying to hide a bad report card from his parents.

Warren poised the same question to SEC chair Walter, who explained that “Among our remedies are penalties but the penalties we can get are limited and we have actually asked for additional authority… to raise penalties… We look at the distinction between what we could get if we go to trial and what we could get if we don’t.”
“I appreciate that,” said the Senator, who repeated her question: “I’m really asking is can you identify when you last took the Wall Street banks to trial?”
Unable to provide an answer, Ms. Walter replied, “I will have to get back to you with the specific information but we do litigate.”

Senator Warren closed out the issue with a statement that sums up how a lot of American consumers feel about the way banks are treated by our justice system and federal regulators:
“There are district attorneys and U.S. attorneys who are out there every day squeezing ordinary citizens, on sometimes very thin ground, and taking them to trial in order to ‘make an example,’ as they put it. I’m really concerned that ‘too big to fail’ has become ‘too big for trial’”
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T

Tamanon

Banned
speculawyer said:
Didn't Reid say that he was not going to honor any holds on Hagel? Perhaps he thus tricked them into asking for the holds and now he honored them (at least for now) such that the Dems will now get to go around and say "For the first time in history, the GOP has filibustered a cabinet nominee . . . and who was this crazy person they filibustered? A Republican from a red state who served our nation in the military in Vietnam."


Naww, I don't believe that either . . . Reid just got slapped down and he's an idiot.
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Holds wouldn't get a cloture vote. This wasn't a hold.
 
P

pigeon

Banned
speculawyer said:
Didn't Reid say that he was not going to honor any holds on Hagel? Perhaps he thus tricked them into asking for the holds and now he honored them (at least for now) such that the Dems will now get to go around and say "For the first time in history, the GOP has filibustered a cabinet nominee . . . and who was this crazy person they filibustered? A Republican from a red state who served our nation in the military in Vietnam."


Naww, I don't believe that either . . . Reid just got slapped down and he's an idiot.
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He didn't honor the hold -- he held a cloture vote. He just didn't pass it.

I think you guys are taking this a little too seriously. Several Republicans said they'd only support the filibuster until after the recess. If they come up with a new reason after the recess, well, then we'll see.
 
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