1) They aren't cut out for the work, even if it's a union job. Swing shift? Right. Mandatory OT and every other Sunday working? Nah.
2) Every guy on the line I knew that talked to me said "you don't want to do this job for the rest of your life. Stay in school.
3) Many guys on the line had a side gig. You needed something given all the layoffs.
This is just a demonstration of the well understood fact that there are two types of people: 1) important people who can get away with doing stuff and 2) everyone else who'd be in a world of legal trouble or worse. And everyone in 1 are populated by politicians and other well connected folk.
If people REALLY want to hurt Musk, they should lobby for the removal of regulatory credits they sell to other automakers. "In Q4 2024, Tesla earned $692 million from selling regulatory credits, accounting for nearly 30% of its quarterly net income of $2.33 billion."
And, many types of folks like Teslas, which for the life of me makes no sense, but hey, you want to lug around a 1-3 thousand pound battery and be limited to a short distance of travel, be my guest, just don't make me have one.
So let's talk about that. Here's what google AI says are "American citizen responsibilities":
As a US citizen, responsibilities include respecting laws, paying taxes, participating in the democratic process (voting, staying informed), and contributing to the community.
Here's a more detailed look at the responsibilities of an American citizen:
Legal Duties:
• Obey laws: Citizens must respect and obey federal, state, and local laws.
• Serve on a jury: Being a juror is a crucial aspect of the legal system and a civic duty.
• Pay taxes: Citizens must pay federal, state, and local taxes honestly and on time.
• Register for the Selective Service: Male citizens are required to register with the Selective Service (Selective Service System) within one month of turning 18
You can do the first statement pretty much by existing and voting periodically, so let’s talk about legal duties. I have NO legal duty to “respect” any law. In fact, I’m openly contemptuous of many laws because they are stupid or I disagree with them, and based upon observed behavior, many others do to, i.e. speeding laws.
If you’re an employee and not a business owner, which is the vast majority of people, filing taxes is all you have to do. You’ve already PAID your taxes. Selective service? That’s straight up sex discrimination. Women are exempt? Nope, equal responsibilities = rights. Unequal responsibilities for the same rights? Hell no.
I think of trains in the US (outside of mass transit like in nyc) as similar to the train I took in Switzerland to the top of the countries highest mountain. I nice scenic pleasure, not to commute, not to "just get there". There are some of those trains in the US/Canada/Alaska. Otherwise, I'm flying or driving.
"serious adverse foreign policy consequences" could be defined as "pissing off an ally we want to maintain good relations with" in my opinion. I think this is more of a "what the gov't thinks" not what he may have done or not done.
I think it's reasonable to state that Gal Gadot is objectively more attractive that Rachel. I'm sure a poll would confirm it-and that's just the their physical appearance. This from a guy who has a "thing" for shorter, dark haired women.
I've seen interactions of both to press and others, and frankly, Gal wins here too. So, there you go.
I can't speak for "young men", so this comment from "an old guy" who’s been married and divorced.
I've dated women who were so full of drama the juice was not worth the squeeze. I have listened to them complain about their kids and their exes and all their problems, yet they don't care about my problems. They just want to complain to someone. I have no interest in listening to someone complain all the time. I've met women who were LONG past safely having children but wanted to do it anyway, have surrogacy, etc. but they couldn't afford to do it alone--others did it alone and wondered why they couldn't find a guy to marry. Sorry, I'll pass on the instant family. What part of "doesn't have kids and doesn't want them" in my profile was unclear? I was on a “once in a lifetime vacation” with my then girlfriend, whose first though every morning and her last thought every night, was to post pictures of our trip on Facebook, and read the comments the next morning. Meanwhile I’m sitting outside watching zebras and giraffes wander by while I drink my coffee.
Most women I've met have no understanding of real "hardship". Example: I dated women who've had REAL problems. She was married and her husband went back to the old country and abandoned her here. She went back to get a divorce. If anyone found out she was "committing adultery" dating me while married, she'd would have been stoned to death. I've personally sat at the dinner table listening to two women talk about their and their family's experiences in 1) Russia between the communist revolution to WW2 and 2) the Iranian revolution.
Yep. Hell I remember....oh 20 years ago having this conversation. Something about "your work computer is not your personal property. We can and may check your activity periodically and at random." I think even IT sent out an email on it. Point is: don't do things on computers that aren't yours. It's could be logged, and probably is. That may not be a problem, until and unless you hit the radar screen for something else, or get swept up in a random check. Either way, don't jeopardize your job to do something stupid on a computer you down own.
Road maint. has decreased dramatically in the last 20 years too.
Baltimore city has problems with pot holes....like so deep the vehicle falls so far that the suspension hit's the pavement. Something like 60% of all triple A calls in the city are flat fire related due to potholes.
"“I was told Epstein ‘belonged to intelligence’ and to leave it alone.” You're assuming he worked for OUR intelligence groups. Not necessarily. Could be any number of countries--allies, or not. The Epstein situation strikes me as something all intelligence groups might engage in. It's quite possible "a deal" was struck with some other non US intelligence group for one of any number of reasons.
I don't think this was a federal building. I'm aware of a number of rented buildings in another county, where I used to work, that were in the same state--no one in the office, everyone home, etc. back when I had to get fingerprinted the first time. However, I could be wrong.
In general, I would agree. However, The companies that I worked for during this time had their "stuff" organized VERY quickly. Private companies, gov't contractors, etc. are one thing. Gov't employees not doing their job at all, and still being paid from our tax money is another thing.
It's been a while, but the last time I went to get fingerprinted, I walked into a high rise building in a major city (gov't offices), with @ 10 stories, all empty. Everyone was remote and the only people in the building was the guy at the door, and two fingerprint folks. This was years after covid hit. Gov't still paying for that space.
This.
I had an interview with the president of a company that sent all her employees home to work during covid. She was very concerned that DCAA would disallow her office building rent (@ 1m dollars a year) from her incurred cost submission. She was reaching out to our states congress critters to lobby for some help.
This person was an accountant. Now, given what the agency did, it's possible. It's also possible that the gov't took the action as a temporary policy until they figured out how to deal with the various conflicts of working remotely, the clearances, etc. I can't say much more than that.
Well, given that I have personal knowledge of individuals who worked for (one of the 3 lettered departments) who were sent home during covid and could not work remotely, and were still paid their salary, I wonder where those folks fall into the above categories.....
*Comment archive for non-registered commenters assembled by email address as provided.
On “Throughput: Telling Women They’re Womening Wrong, But In Space”
Karman line? Who frickin cares. I sure as hell won't pay for that as a tourist. Not even sure, if I was a celebrity, I'd even be interest in that.
Call me when I can be at 600 miles up like in "Gravity" and do a full EVA. I'll pay for that!
On “Open Mic for the Week of 4/7/2025”
Yeah, no.
1) They aren't cut out for the work, even if it's a union job. Swing shift? Right. Mandatory OT and every other Sunday working? Nah.
2) Every guy on the line I knew that talked to me said "you don't want to do this job for the rest of your life. Stay in school.
3) Many guys on the line had a side gig. You needed something given all the layoffs.
On “Open Mic for the week of 3/31/25”
50 seconds into the vid below.....says it all.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qiUWvxerU8Q&ab_channel=TheCriticalDrinker
On “Open Mic for the week of 3/24/25”
Drinker's first 2 minutes of his review sums it up well.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dzk0yH9Achw&ab_channel=TheCriticalDrinker
"
This is just a demonstration of the well understood fact that there are two types of people: 1) important people who can get away with doing stuff and 2) everyone else who'd be in a world of legal trouble or worse. And everyone in 1 are populated by politicians and other well connected folk.
On “Don’t Go Torching Cyber Trucks”
If people REALLY want to hurt Musk, they should lobby for the removal of regulatory credits they sell to other automakers. "In Q4 2024, Tesla earned $692 million from selling regulatory credits, accounting for nearly 30% of its quarterly net income of $2.33 billion."
And, many types of folks like Teslas, which for the life of me makes no sense, but hey, you want to lug around a 1-3 thousand pound battery and be limited to a short distance of travel, be my guest, just don't make me have one.
On “The JFK Files Drop Today (Supposedly)”
That's how a conspiracy works.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QxlNi0OcVnw&ab_channel=ZaherArraf
I'd be STUNNED if any real news comes out this......
On “Open Mic for the week of 3/17/25”
Surely we could ask the former president....
I'm sure he can confirm.
On “Open Mic for the week of 3/10/25”
Google AI would appear to say yes.
"
So let's talk about that. Here's what google AI says are "American citizen responsibilities":
As a US citizen, responsibilities include respecting laws, paying taxes, participating in the democratic process (voting, staying informed), and contributing to the community.
Here's a more detailed look at the responsibilities of an American citizen:
Legal Duties:
• Obey laws: Citizens must respect and obey federal, state, and local laws.
• Serve on a jury: Being a juror is a crucial aspect of the legal system and a civic duty.
• Pay taxes: Citizens must pay federal, state, and local taxes honestly and on time.
• Register for the Selective Service: Male citizens are required to register with the Selective Service (Selective Service System) within one month of turning 18
You can do the first statement pretty much by existing and voting periodically, so let’s talk about legal duties. I have NO legal duty to “respect” any law. In fact, I’m openly contemptuous of many laws because they are stupid or I disagree with them, and based upon observed behavior, many others do to, i.e. speeding laws.
If you’re an employee and not a business owner, which is the vast majority of people, filing taxes is all you have to do. You’ve already PAID your taxes. Selective service? That’s straight up sex discrimination. Women are exempt? Nope, equal responsibilities = rights. Unequal responsibilities for the same rights? Hell no.
On “Of Amtrak, AI, and Arguing About Trains on the Interwebs”
I think of trains in the US (outside of mass transit like in nyc) as similar to the train I took in Switzerland to the top of the countries highest mountain. I nice scenic pleasure, not to commute, not to "just get there". There are some of those trains in the US/Canada/Alaska. Otherwise, I'm flying or driving.
On “Open Mic for the week of 3/10/25”
"serious adverse foreign policy consequences" could be defined as "pissing off an ally we want to maintain good relations with" in my opinion. I think this is more of a "what the gov't thinks" not what he may have done or not done.
On “Open Mic for the week of 3/3/2025”
I think it's reasonable to state that Gal Gadot is objectively more attractive that Rachel. I'm sure a poll would confirm it-and that's just the their physical appearance. This from a guy who has a "thing" for shorter, dark haired women.
I've seen interactions of both to press and others, and frankly, Gal wins here too. So, there you go.
On “No Country For Young Men? Nah, It’s Time to Grow Up”
I can't speak for "young men", so this comment from "an old guy" who’s been married and divorced.
I've dated women who were so full of drama the juice was not worth the squeeze. I have listened to them complain about their kids and their exes and all their problems, yet they don't care about my problems. They just want to complain to someone. I have no interest in listening to someone complain all the time. I've met women who were LONG past safely having children but wanted to do it anyway, have surrogacy, etc. but they couldn't afford to do it alone--others did it alone and wondered why they couldn't find a guy to marry. Sorry, I'll pass on the instant family. What part of "doesn't have kids and doesn't want them" in my profile was unclear? I was on a “once in a lifetime vacation” with my then girlfriend, whose first though every morning and her last thought every night, was to post pictures of our trip on Facebook, and read the comments the next morning. Meanwhile I’m sitting outside watching zebras and giraffes wander by while I drink my coffee.
Most women I've met have no understanding of real "hardship". Example: I dated women who've had REAL problems. She was married and her husband went back to the old country and abandoned her here. She went back to get a divorce. If anyone found out she was "committing adultery" dating me while married, she'd would have been stoned to death. I've personally sat at the dinner table listening to two women talk about their and their family's experiences in 1) Russia between the communist revolution to WW2 and 2) the Iranian revolution.
On “Musk vs Gore”
Yep. Hell I remember....oh 20 years ago having this conversation. Something about "your work computer is not your personal property. We can and may check your activity periodically and at random." I think even IT sent out an email on it. Point is: don't do things on computers that aren't yours. It's could be logged, and probably is. That may not be a problem, until and unless you hit the radar screen for something else, or get swept up in a random check. Either way, don't jeopardize your job to do something stupid on a computer you down own.
On “Open Mic for the week of 2/24/2025”
Road maint. has decreased dramatically in the last 20 years too.
Baltimore city has problems with pot holes....like so deep the vehicle falls so far that the suspension hit's the pavement. Something like 60% of all triple A calls in the city are flat fire related due to potholes.
On “From Fox News: AG Pam Bondi announces Epstein files will start to be released on Thursday the 27th”
No, but it doesn't surprise me.
"
"“I was told Epstein ‘belonged to intelligence’ and to leave it alone.” You're assuming he worked for OUR intelligence groups. Not necessarily. Could be any number of countries--allies, or not. The Epstein situation strikes me as something all intelligence groups might engage in. It's quite possible "a deal" was struck with some other non US intelligence group for one of any number of reasons.
On “Open Mic for the week of 2/24/2025”
I don't think this was a federal building. I'm aware of a number of rented buildings in another county, where I used to work, that were in the same state--no one in the office, everyone home, etc. back when I had to get fingerprinted the first time. However, I could be wrong.
"
I agree.....but at some point you decide not to renew the lease. Somehow I doubt the gov't is locked into 50 year leases.
"
In general, I would agree. However, The companies that I worked for during this time had their "stuff" organized VERY quickly. Private companies, gov't contractors, etc. are one thing. Gov't employees not doing their job at all, and still being paid from our tax money is another thing.
It's been a while, but the last time I went to get fingerprinted, I walked into a high rise building in a major city (gov't offices), with @ 10 stories, all empty. Everyone was remote and the only people in the building was the guy at the door, and two fingerprint folks. This was years after covid hit. Gov't still paying for that space.
"
This.
I had an interview with the president of a company that sent all her employees home to work during covid. She was very concerned that DCAA would disallow her office building rent (@ 1m dollars a year) from her incurred cost submission. She was reaching out to our states congress critters to lobby for some help.
"
This person was an accountant. Now, given what the agency did, it's possible. It's also possible that the gov't took the action as a temporary policy until they figured out how to deal with the various conflicts of working remotely, the clearances, etc. I can't say much more than that.
"
6 months at least. Might have been nine.
"
Well, given that I have personal knowledge of individuals who worked for (one of the 3 lettered departments) who were sent home during covid and could not work remotely, and were still paid their salary, I wonder where those folks fall into the above categories.....
*Comment archive for non-registered commenters assembled by email address as provided.