So I guess I'll have to pivot to “The scandal isn’t what’s illegal, the scandal is what’s legal" and you can ask me "if that's your position, why didn't you open your very first comment with that?"
First passed? When would that be? The sixties? The seventies?
I mostly think that this stuff is a weed. If left to its own devices, it'll devour the garden.
This is something that really requires a big bold conversation and I don't know that we've had one for decades when it comes to this stuff (if we've ever had one).
I definitely saw stuff of the form "Those people are there RISKING THEIR LIVES!!!" and so on. "If he doesn't want secret service protection, he can just decline!!!"
I'm honestly surprised that you didn't see any of those.
It was that he was way overcharging them, far beyond what the facilities cost.
I compare to your saying "I work off-campus and pay a lower overhead rate by a significant amount."
I'm not entirely certain what stuff is supposed to cost nor what counts as "significant".
That said, there does seem to be a *LOT* of tip-for-tapping going on and if sunlight is going to result in this stuff looking bad, that's not the fault of the person who opened the drapes.
You know the thing where people complain about Donald Trump charging the Secret Service rent to use an office in Trump Tower or Mar-a-lago?
The sputtering as they talk about the graft that is taking place by charging the Secret Service part of the electricity bill?
I'm not asking if you agree or disagree, mind. I'm just asking if you see it and recognize the complaint and see how someone might think that Trump was pulling a fast one.
As for niche, it's the niche of selling albums to people who still buy albums.
How many units did To Pimp A Butterfly sell? One Million. It went legit platinum.
How many units did Hootie's first album sell? Seven Million.
Jeff Foxworthy's "Games Rednecks Play" sold more units than TPAB.
I'm not saying that he's not talented and I'm not saying he's not gifted and I'm not saying that he doesn't deserve the accolades that the various magazines still in print give him.
I'm saying that his appeal is clarified in the modern era and his very broad base for the modern era is different from the very broad bases that used to exist.
For example, I will respond by asking "then why in the hell did you run to 'you – and most of the commenters here – don’t believe federal civil servants can sneeze our way out of a paper bag full of pepper without breaking the law'"?
If you understood that my complaint was about how this stuff is all done-by-the-book, why did you ask about why I think you guys are breaking the law?
I don't think you guys are breaking the law.
Hell, watch this. I can even ask you a loaded question and get you to have to pick between the odious option of giving an answer that likely agrees with me or the odious option of giving an answer that reveals a system in need of reform:
Ahem.
Hey, Phil. If Federal Civil Servants are found to be regularly breaking the law, should law enforcement investigate them? Perhaps even arrest them?
Dude, it took less than a minute for Saul to post about how this means that Trump is killing medical research.
That's a good article.
It doesn't seem to be too much of a stretch to say that "The Universities" are part and parcel of what Trump is fighting against.
I don't think that the goal is, necessarily, to win on the merits.
It's to drag this stuff out to the light and say "THIS IS HOW THIS CRAP REALLY WORKS!!!" and make defenders defend it.
In the short term, the best way seems to be to say "Trump wants to kill medical research!!!" and see if that holds up against "Even God doesn't ask for more than 10%."
In the 90s, that's how our restaurant workers did it. We had them for six months at a time. They lived 8 to a two-bedroom and they hot bunked it and used castoff televisions for entertainment and only needed a little bit of the devil's lettuce to get them through their days off.
The only Americans willing to work for the same wages were alcoholics and ex-felons.
If I were to use an old aphorism to better explain my position, I might pick something like: “The scandal isn’t what’s illegal, the scandal is what’s legal.”
Theater Kid Rap is niche. Kendrick may be the biggest superstar in Theater Kid Rap and he may have delivered nigh-John Oliveresque destruction to his greatest rival...
But there is enough room to not enjoy Theater Kid Rap for reasons above and beyond the reasons that Jesse Helms would have been livid watching the show.
“The scandal isn't what's illegal, the scandal is what's legal."
The main thing that Trump has going for him at this moment in time is the 100% legal, 100% done-by-the-book stuff that comes to light that is absolutely scandalous.
"But that was *LEGAL*" and "You haven't proven in a court of law that that was criminal!" are arguments that make a bunch of assumptions and, given the last few years, I'm not sure that the assumptions are safe assumptions.
Yeah, I went to the discussions page and the developer says: "This game is not related to the board game "Final Girl" or to the movies "Final Girl" and "The Final Girls". It is of course on the same theme, but gameplay wise do not expect a digital version of the board game."
That sounds freakin' awesome. Reading what you said had me think "single player... hard rules for the NPCs... multiple different flavors of add-on content... I wonder if..."
On “The USAID Fight Is About Power, Not Spending”
Probably because of the years and years and years and years and years and years and years and years and years and years of failure.
Off the top of my head.
On “Open Mic for the week of 2/10/2025”
New polls! Right Direction vs. Wrong Track has Wrong Track up 3%!
On “The USAID Fight Is About Power, Not Spending”
Is the argument that USAID wasn't *GIVING* the money to Politico but *BUYING A SERVICE*?
Then allow me to say "golly, is *MY* face red!!! USAID didn't give the money to Politico. They were buying a service."
And you can feel like you've made an important point and I can feel like you've made a distinction without a difference.
"
So I guess I'll have to pivot to “The scandal isn’t what’s illegal, the scandal is what’s legal" and you can ask me "if that's your position, why didn't you open your very first comment with that?"
"
First passed? When would that be? The sixties? The seventies?
I mostly think that this stuff is a weed. If left to its own devices, it'll devour the garden.
This is something that really requires a big bold conversation and I don't know that we've had one for decades when it comes to this stuff (if we've ever had one).
We seem to be having one now.
Oops, wait, new topic trending on twitter...
On “Off With Their (Over)heads: Trump Administration at War with Public Health”
I definitely saw stuff of the form "Those people are there RISKING THEIR LIVES!!!" and so on. "If he doesn't want secret service protection, he can just decline!!!"
I'm honestly surprised that you didn't see any of those.
It was that he was way overcharging them, far beyond what the facilities cost.
I compare to your saying "I work off-campus and pay a lower overhead rate by a significant amount."
I'm not entirely certain what stuff is supposed to cost nor what counts as "significant".
That said, there does seem to be a *LOT* of tip-for-tapping going on and if sunlight is going to result in this stuff looking bad, that's not the fault of the person who opened the drapes.
"
You know the thing where people complain about Donald Trump charging the Secret Service rent to use an office in Trump Tower or Mar-a-lago?
The sputtering as they talk about the graft that is taking place by charging the Secret Service part of the electricity bill?
I'm not asking if you agree or disagree, mind. I'm just asking if you see it and recognize the complaint and see how someone might think that Trump was pulling a fast one.
On “Kansas City wants to Score the first Threepeat against the Philadelphia Eagles in New Orleans”
It's in the genre of "Hamilton".
As for niche, it's the niche of selling albums to people who still buy albums.
How many units did To Pimp A Butterfly sell? One Million. It went legit platinum.
How many units did Hootie's first album sell? Seven Million.
Jeff Foxworthy's "Games Rednecks Play" sold more units than TPAB.
I'm not saying that he's not talented and I'm not saying he's not gifted and I'm not saying that he doesn't deserve the accolades that the various magazines still in print give him.
I'm saying that his appeal is clarified in the modern era and his very broad base for the modern era is different from the very broad bases that used to exist.
On “The USAID Fight Is About Power, Not Spending”
Lazy? HOW DARE YOU!!!
I am husbanding my energies!
For example, I will respond by asking "then why in the hell did you run to 'you – and most of the commenters here – don’t believe federal civil servants can sneeze our way out of a paper bag full of pepper without breaking the law'"?
If you understood that my complaint was about how this stuff is all done-by-the-book, why did you ask about why I think you guys are breaking the law?
I don't think you guys are breaking the law.
Hell, watch this. I can even ask you a loaded question and get you to have to pick between the odious option of giving an answer that likely agrees with me or the odious option of giving an answer that reveals a system in need of reform:
Ahem.
Hey, Phil. If Federal Civil Servants are found to be regularly breaking the law, should law enforcement investigate them? Perhaps even arrest them?
"
Dude, it took less than a minute for Saul to post about how this means that Trump is killing medical research.
That's a good article.
It doesn't seem to be too much of a stretch to say that "The Universities" are part and parcel of what Trump is fighting against.
I don't think that the goal is, necessarily, to win on the merits.
It's to drag this stuff out to the light and say "THIS IS HOW THIS CRAP REALLY WORKS!!!" and make defenders defend it.
In the short term, the best way seems to be to say "Trump wants to kill medical research!!!" and see if that holds up against "Even God doesn't ask for more than 10%."
On “Open Mic for the week of 2/10/2025”
In the 90s, that's how our restaurant workers did it. We had them for six months at a time. They lived 8 to a two-bedroom and they hot bunked it and used castoff televisions for entertainment and only needed a little bit of the devil's lettuce to get them through their days off.
The only Americans willing to work for the same wages were alcoholics and ex-felons.
"
What about Mitch McConnell?!? Why don't you ever complain about him?!?
On “Kansas City wants to Score the first Threepeat against the Philadelphia Eagles in New Orleans”
We could have had LFMAO.
On “The USAID Fight Is About Power, Not Spending”
Phil, you may have misunderstood my criticism.
If I were to use an old aphorism to better explain my position, I might pick something like: “The scandal isn’t what’s illegal, the scandal is what’s legal.”
On “Kansas City wants to Score the first Threepeat against the Philadelphia Eagles in New Orleans”
Theater Kid Rap is niche. Kendrick may be the biggest superstar in Theater Kid Rap and he may have delivered nigh-John Oliveresque destruction to his greatest rival...
But there is enough room to not enjoy Theater Kid Rap for reasons above and beyond the reasons that Jesse Helms would have been livid watching the show.
On “The USAID Fight Is About Power, Not Spending”
Oh, so you're saying that it was not only legal but 100% done-by-the-book?
On “Open Mic for the week of 2/10/2025”
"Diversity" *WAS* the compromise position.
On “The USAID Fight Is About Power, Not Spending”
“The scandal isn't what's illegal, the scandal is what's legal."
The main thing that Trump has going for him at this moment in time is the 100% legal, 100% done-by-the-book stuff that comes to light that is absolutely scandalous.
"But that was *LEGAL*" and "You haven't proven in a court of law that that was criminal!" are arguments that make a bunch of assumptions and, given the last few years, I'm not sure that the assumptions are safe assumptions.
On “Open Mic for the week of 2/10/2025”
Pretty sure it was this one.
"
Maybe we could set up something so that undocumented tourists have the same rights as sovereign citizens.
"
You'll lose your ardor for better labor conditions when the price of clothing goes up!
"
Maybe we could set up something like "intellectual diversity centers" making sure that *ALL* politics are welcome, not just the "right" ones.
"
Let's split the difference: Only people on visas should be affected by laws against support for Hamas.
On “Saturday Morning Gaming: Thunder Road Vendetta!”
Oh bummer.
Yeah, I went to the discussions page and the developer says: "This game is not related to the board game "Final Girl" or to the movies "Final Girl" and "The Final Girls". It is of course on the same theme, but gameplay wise do not expect a digital version of the board game."
What a rip-off.
Unwishlisted.
"
That sounds freakin' awesome. Reading what you said had me think "single player... hard rules for the NPCs... multiple different flavors of add-on content... I wonder if..."
AND IT IS.
Wishlisted.