Discussion about hot topics trending today

[Annoyed]

A commentary on how news is biased.

The Rep. tax bill is now being discussed and pretty much skewered in the media. For example:

GOP bill projected to hike taxes for many in working class

Within, they acknowledge one of the best parts of the bill:

Barthold also testified that the bill, if passed, would have the immediate impact of greatly reducing the number of taxpayers who itemize their deductions — from the current rate of 29 percent to a projected 6 percent in 2018.

What they don't bother to tell you is that the bill doubles the standard deduction, which for lower middle class folks like me will cut my tax bill almost in half. Just taking the increased std. deduction instead of itemizing will lower the tax bills for an awful lot of folks. That's why so many more will take it.

How does this bill not help the lower class? And why isn't that mentioned in any of the media coverage of this bill?

[thekillman]

A commentary on how news is biased.

Further evidence:

These guys ain't all that bright, are they?

http://www.foxnews.com/us/2017/11/03...-saturday.html

[aretood2]

With what have you grown fatigued with Mr Toodles?

Guy Fawkes night here, noisy

The shootings, Pooks, the shootings.

In other news, remember that nurse in Utah that got arrested for following hospital policy? I found the most annoying vlog response ever. I know I have railed against the issue of cops shooting unarmed individuals (especially black people) and brutality...but I also don't have a negative view of the police in general. But this guy whose video I am about to link reminds me of Soul....

[thekillman]

The shootings, Pooks, the shootings

Unfortunately with every shooting the discussion just polarizes more and more. And all the energy gets spent on fighting and none of it on fixing problems.

[jelgate]

Are we shooting pookey?

It's about time

[Annoyed]

Funny thing is I didn't see a peep about the recent church shooting. I didn't say anything about it either. Are we becoming numb to this?

[Gatefan1976]

Funny thing is I didn't see a peep about the recent church shooting. I didn't say anything about it either. Are we becoming numb to this?

1: I put something up about it.
2: It was a "disturbed" white guy, so nothing to see here.

I'm not numb to it, I just don't care anymore. Every reasonable argument for gun control -NOT BANNING- gets classed as banning, or thrown in the too hard basket with excuse after excuse.
Blow eachother away by all means. You don't care if it happens in a school, or a church, or a music festival, so long as they are "Americans" pulling the trigger.

[dipsofjazz]

1: I put something up about it.
2: It was a "disturbed" white guy, so nothing to see here.

I'm not numb to it, I just don't care anymore. Every reasonable argument for gun control -NOT BANNING- gets classed as banning, or thrown in the too hard basket with excuse after excuse.
Blow eachother away by all means. You don't care if it happens in a school, or a church, or a music festival, so long as they are "Americans" pulling the trigger.

It barely gets a spot on the news programmes any more. People look and go " Oh no, another shooting" and then shrug their shoulders when they realise it's the US again.

[Gatecat]

It was here on the news for about two days or so, but I guess no one really cared about it. Besides, our own recent shooting/double murder draws more attention, understandably, as it's something that does NOT happen every day.
As I already wrote here sometime earlier, that's the American way of death, no big deal...

[aretood2]

1: I put something up about it.
2: It was a "disturbed" white guy, so nothing to see here.

I'm not numb to it, I just don't care anymore. Every reasonable argument for gun control -NOT BANNING- gets classed as banning, or thrown in the too hard basket with excuse after excuse.
Blow eachother away by all means. You don't care if it happens in a school, or a church, or a music festival, so long as they are "Americans" pulling the trigger.

It's something I've noticed about republicans. When there's a problem, they prefer to do nothing. And when something is done, they try their best to undo it. If they could, they'd get rid of the Constitution and go back to the Articles of Confederation...and then go back to British rule from there.

[Gatefan1976]

It's something I've noticed about republicans. When there's a problem, they prefer to do nothing. And when something is done, they try their best to undo it. If they could, they'd get rid of the Constitution and go back to the Articles of Confederation...and then go back to British rule from there.

Tood, I would not even class it as a left or right issue at this point, the left hasn't managed to do anything about it either.

[thekillman]

It's something I've noticed about republicans. When there's a problem, they prefer to do nothing. And when something is done, they try their best to undo it. If they could, they'd get rid of the Constitution and go back to the Articles of Confederation...and then go back to British rule from there.

But it's kind of the republican MO, isn't it, that (most) things are supposed to sort themselves out? Would be uncharacteristic of them to suddenly demand extensive measures. I mean unless it's about religion or military.

Tood, I would not even class it as a left or right issue at this point, the left hasn't managed to do anything about it either.

They're trying and have done some things. But stuff that would really work, like dealing with mental illness, social divide and extremely inefficient existing systems (the texas shooter was known to have problems, nothing was done about it), that would require a level of power and coordination that probably goes beyond either party. In other words, meaningful reform will likely never happen.

[Annoyed]

Tood, I would not even class it as a left or right issue at this point, the left hasn't managed to do anything about it either.

Both sides focus on guns, not the underlying causes. The right concentrates on resisting the left's knee-jerk reaction of attempting to outlaw guns in response to these events, but guns are just as smokescreen; if you want to kill a bunch of people, there are far better tools available to anyone with a couple of brain cells to rub together.

But neither side is looking at what appears to be a growing rage level boiling under the surface in society which might be the cause in the uptick in the number of these events.

[Annoyed]

But it's kind of the republican MO, isn't it, that (most) things are supposed to sort themselves out? Would be uncharacteristic of them to suddenly demand extensive measures. I mean unless it's about religion or military.



They're trying and have done some things. But stuff that would really work, like dealing with mental illness, social divide and extremely inefficient existing systems (the texas shooter was known to have problems, nothing was done about it), that would require a level of power and coordination that probably goes beyond either party. In other words, meaningful reform will likely never happen.

What are you implying by "social divide"? That people who feel they've been given the short end of life's stick are justified in taking their anger out on innocent strangers, or that they should have life handed to them to prevent them going off the rails?

[thekillman]

Both sides focus on guns, not the underlying causes. The right concentrates on resisting the left's knee-jerk reaction of attempting to outlaw guns in response to these events, but guns are just as smokescreen;

The left doesn't want to outlaw all guns everywhere. But it's just too easy to get a gun. Like, that guy in vegas had 30+. The guy recently in texas was known to have problems. But it never factors in when they buy a gun.

What are you implying by "social divide"? That people who feel they've been given the short end of life's stick are justified in taking their anger out on innocent strangers, or that they should have life handed to them to prevent them going off the rails?

I have no idea where you're going with this, or how you got this from my post.