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Fighteer MOD Lost in Space from The Time Vortex (Time Abyss) Relationship Status: TV Tropes ruined my love life
speedyboris Since: Feb, 2010
#272727: Feb 25th 2019 at 9:53:45 AM

Trump warns GOP senators wavering on emergency declaration

Without strong Borders, we don’t have a Country
So what were we the first 240-some years before this when we also didn't have a wall? Just a nebulous unincorporated zone?

In other news: Former campaign staffer alleges in lawsuit that Trump kissed her without her consent. The White House denies the charge. Why do I get the cynical feeling this lawsuit will go nowhere, be dropped quietly and quickly, or lose on some technicality? Oh, and Alva will have a massive smear campaign against her, that's a given with any of these stories. sad

HailMuffins Since: May, 2016 Relationship Status: Shipping fictional characters
#272728: Feb 25th 2019 at 10:00:59 AM

Considering everything that Trump said during his campaign, chances are that's what happened witg every single other sexual harassment lawsuit filed against him.

My hope is, after his period as POTUS is over, whenever that happens, all this comes crashing down on him ASAP.

Edited by HailMuffins on Feb 25th 2019 at 3:01:27 PM

Ultimatum Disasturbator from the Amiga Forest (Old as dirt) Relationship Status: Who needs love when you have waffles?
Disasturbator
#272729: Feb 25th 2019 at 10:11:11 AM

> all this comes crashing down on him ASAP.

It will and he knows it,probably has his tickets to Russia and everything

have a listen and have a link to my discord server
Soban Since: Aug, 2009 Relationship Status: 700 wives and 300 concubines
#272730: Feb 25th 2019 at 10:16:40 AM

If Trump goes to prison after he leaves office, I think whoever does it needs to make a particular point that it's not a political prosecution. Throwing the former leader in prison for thing that appear to be political is not a good precedent to set. That said, Trump seems like he's captaining at times to be the first president sent to prison. (Not that he's the first to do prison worthy things, John Tyler was an out and out traitor.)

Oruka Since: Dec, 2018
#272731: Feb 25th 2019 at 1:22:20 PM

"[Hillary]'s a nice person, she's just a good person."

That may well be true. It means something. But it only goes so far. Another famous powerful person who by all accounts was tremendously kind and warm to everyone they knew, was Justice Scalia. Also, every billionaire Prager U praises is presented this way; kind, sober, churchgoing philanthropist.

Edited by Oruka on Feb 25th 2019 at 1:37:10 AM

LSBK Since: Sep, 2014
#272732: Feb 25th 2019 at 1:29:48 PM

[up]I mean, yes? Other things matter, the point of that quote wasn't to say otherwise. You're kind of ignoring the actual context of the discussion that was brought up in.

Edited by LSBK on Feb 25th 2019 at 3:30:34 AM

Fourthspartan56 from Georgia, US Since: Oct, 2016 Relationship Status: THIS CONCEPT OF 'WUV' CONFUSES AND INFURIATES US!
#272733: Feb 25th 2019 at 1:33:03 PM

Oruka by only quoting a very small part of the post you're responding to you're cutting out everyone who doesn't remember or hasn't seen the discussion in question.

If possible Oruka, myself and I'm sure others would appreciate it if you quoted more of other people's posts next time, so we can have any idea of what's actually being discussed.

Also, those comparisons are ridiculous. Hillary had a very liberal Senate record. She wasn't Justice Scalia or billionaires on Prager U of all places, be serious.

Edited by Fourthspartan56 on Feb 25th 2019 at 4:41:30 AM

"Einstein would turn over in his grave. Not only does God play dice, the dice are loaded." -Chairman Sheng-Ji Yang
CharlesPhipps Since: Jan, 2001
#272734: Feb 25th 2019 at 1:34:24 PM

Generally, I prefer billionaire philanthropists to the non philanthropist kind.

Author of The Rules of Supervillainy, Cthulhu Armageddon, and United States of Monsters.
HailMuffins Since: May, 2016 Relationship Status: Shipping fictional characters
#272735: Feb 25th 2019 at 1:37:15 PM

So do I, but there are times I think these reputations are manufactured to act as a smokescreen for their other, less than ideal action, especially if they are CE Os and the like.

Oruka Since: Dec, 2018
#272736: Feb 25th 2019 at 1:40:04 PM

[up][up]Me too! Except when the philanthropy fake and only gives your Dorian Gray painting an extra touch of self-satisfaction in its ugly grin.

[up]What the [nja] said.

In other news, Alexandria Ocasio Cortez is the boss.

The right are going stark raving mad about this. It's glorious.

As for me, I never knew I could be falling in love with a politician, but right now I'm beginning to get a serious case of the infatuations.

I also recently found out about her accomplishments through this hilarious video.

She's amazing. I never even knew.

Edited by Oruka on Feb 25th 2019 at 1:48:37 AM

Soban Since: Aug, 2009 Relationship Status: 700 wives and 300 concubines
#272737: Feb 25th 2019 at 1:41:01 PM

Most Billionaires are arguably philanthropists.

Larkmarn Since: Nov, 2010 Relationship Status: Hello, I love you
#272738: Feb 25th 2019 at 1:42:19 PM

Even with the fact that 2/5 of that sentence was Weasel Words... citation needed.

Edited by Larkmarn on Feb 25th 2019 at 4:43:16 AM

Found a Youtube Channel with political stances you want to share? Hop on over to this page and add them.
Fourthspartan56 from Georgia, US Since: Oct, 2016 Relationship Status: THIS CONCEPT OF 'WUV' CONFUSES AND INFURIATES US!
#272739: Feb 25th 2019 at 1:43:01 PM

Giving charity can be a smokescreen or otherwise outweighed by the harm done, such as how Bill Gates has done quite a bit of good but also does things like fund charter school development.

Philanthropy is always something that one should only judge as a component of their greater effect on society, for many billionaires their good deeds fall short if you examine their business or political activities.

Edited by Fourthspartan56 on Feb 25th 2019 at 4:44:09 AM

"Einstein would turn over in his grave. Not only does God play dice, the dice are loaded." -Chairman Sheng-Ji Yang
Oruka Since: Dec, 2018
#272740: Feb 25th 2019 at 1:50:57 PM

Regarding your previous post, fair enough. Posting on my phone makes me too lazy to use quoteblocks or links much. I'm not saying she's the same as them, just that being nice in person doesn't guarantee at all that you're good for the public. I'm just countering the Halo Effect a bit, that's all.

And yes, this is all-out Halo Effect steamrolling my common sense (and my taste in accents, because, normally, ugh), but who gives a damn, The Boss is CQC-ing the bigots and world-killers into the ground, yo! I'm getting biased and I. don't. care; I love it!

On the topic of Prager U, philanthropy, and billionaires, I've got one video and one podcast I'd like to share.

This video goes in detail about Prayer's nonsense:

Edited by Oruka on Feb 25th 2019 at 1:59:11 AM

Fourthspartan56 from Georgia, US Since: Oct, 2016 Relationship Status: THIS CONCEPT OF 'WUV' CONFUSES AND INFURIATES US!
#272741: Feb 25th 2019 at 1:54:38 PM

Fair enough. Posting on my phone makes me too lazy to use quoteblocks or links much. I'm not saying she's the same as them, just that being nice in person doesn't guarantee at all that you're good for the public. I'm just countering the Halo Effect a bit, that's all.

Ah, if you're on the phone that's different.

"Einstein would turn over in his grave. Not only does God play dice, the dice are loaded." -Chairman Sheng-Ji Yang
megaeliz Since: Mar, 2017
#272742: Feb 25th 2019 at 2:00:59 PM

[up][up][up] I do respect John D. Rockefeller Jr. The amount of good he did with his money was nearly immeasurable, and incredibly far reaching.

He helped fund the restoration of Versailles, Colonial Williamsburg, and many other historical buildings around the world, played an instrumental role in the Creation of Acadia and Grand Teton National Parks (and several others), helped found the Brookings Institute, donated the land the UN Building is built on in Manhattan, and had a huge impact in the art and educational world.

Edited by megaeliz on Feb 25th 2019 at 5:16:36 AM

Soban Since: Aug, 2009 Relationship Status: 700 wives and 300 concubines
#272743: Feb 25th 2019 at 2:01:34 PM

https://www.forbes.com/sites/denizcam/2018/10/03/the-new-forbes-400-philanthropy-score-measuring-billionaires-generosity/#6c0fd3237e1d

There are some methodological issues to this, but it skews low. Overall, about 70% of billionaires have given more then 1% to charity. The 50% point is somewhere around 7%. (meaning half gave more and half gave less) 10% are unknown the amounts that they have given to charity.

There are quibbles one could make, such as that 5% isn't enough to make one a philanthropist. However, we should note that it is higher then the average of 3%. Thus, America's wealthiest people are more generous then the average American.

Oruka Since: Dec, 2018
#272744: Feb 25th 2019 at 2:02:20 PM

@Spartan: I'll try to do better from now on.

Here's the intro to the podcast: Episode 45: The Not-So-Benevolent Billionaire: Bill Gates and Western Media

Russia, as we all know, has sinister “oligarchs” whereas in the United States, we are told, we have “philanthropists,” “job creators,” and “titans of industry” who earn their wealth through hard work, moxie, and guile. Aside from a few cartoonishly evil billionaires – like the Walton family, Peter Thiel, and the Koch brothers – the average American has a warm and fuzzy feeling about the super wealthy. 

The most notable of these Benevolent Billionaires is Bill Gates, whose foundation, The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, operates the largest overseas “nonprofit” regime in the world, worth over 40 billion dollars–– twice that of the next biggest foundation. The Gates Foundation receives almost uniformly softball coverage from the media, many of whom receive funding from Gates through various investment and donor arrangements, both from his personal coffers and the foundation that bears his name.

In this two-part episode we ask how much this network of patronage effects Western media’s overwhelmingly positive and uncritical coverage of Gates. How can one can be critical of this type of massive outsized influence without devolving into paranoia? What is the nature of the capitalist ideology that informs Gates’ so-called philanthropy? And how do his programs often harm those they allegedly aim to help?

We are joined this week by Dr. Linsey J. Mc Goey, associate professor of sociology at the University of Essex and author of the book, “No Such Thing as a Free Gift: The Gates Foundation and the Price of Philanthropy.”

Is this done correctly? We're still on topic, yes?

@Rockefeller: does the Standard Oil Trust sound familiar to you?

@Rich folks's generosity; that's news to me. I thought the science said they generosity decreased with wealth.

Edited by Oruka on Feb 25th 2019 at 2:17:38 AM

CharlesPhipps Since: Jan, 2001
#272745: Feb 25th 2019 at 2:04:04 PM

Mind you, Bill Gates has done so because you can't donate money to public schools directly as his attempts to do so were stymied.

Because of...guess who.

Author of The Rules of Supervillainy, Cthulhu Armageddon, and United States of Monsters.
Fourthspartan56 from Georgia, US Since: Oct, 2016 Relationship Status: THIS CONCEPT OF 'WUV' CONFUSES AND INFURIATES US!
#272746: Feb 25th 2019 at 2:12:29 PM

Mind you, Bill Gates has done so because you can't donate money to public schools directly as his attempts to do so were stymied.

Because of...guess who.

So because he couldn't donate to public schools he's chosen to directly undercut them in favor of a form of school that at best has only questionable utility?

That's moronic, I think it's more plausible that he just has an ideological fixation on charter schools and as such supports them without caring what actual educational professionals think.

"Einstein would turn over in his grave. Not only does God play dice, the dice are loaded." -Chairman Sheng-Ji Yang
Protagonist506 from Oregon Since: Dec, 2013 Relationship Status: Chocolate!
#272747: Feb 25th 2019 at 2:12:36 PM

[up][up]Er, who? Also, is funding charter schools outright bad?

Also, I would argue that Microsoft itself has done quite a bit of good for society in non-philanthropic ways. For example, I'm writing this message on a PC. In fact, I'd actually say the technological revolution Bill Gates contributed to probably outweights anything philanthropic he's done.

Edited by Protagonist506 on Feb 25th 2019 at 2:15:27 AM

Leviticus 19:34
wisewillow She/her Since: May, 2011
She/her
#272748: Feb 25th 2019 at 2:13:11 PM

Here’s the thing though- 1% of Bezos or Gates income means nothing to them. They can get it back in an hour if the stock market is good.

But it means a lot to people like me. I make about $1,300 a month. If I donate 1% of my income, that’s $13. But I actually donate about $50-70 (3.8%-5.4%) a month, because I’d rather help donate to legal funds for undocumented kids and Go Fund Mes for insulin and never eat out. None of that is recorded on my taxes because it’s not worth bothering to track, it’s too small for a deduction.

When my income is stable after I graduate, I plan to donate 10% a year to charity, minimum, because I’ll be able to afford it.

So yeah, I’m 0% impressed. Flint Michigan could have clean water out of the change they find in their sofa.

[up] Yes, charter schools are bad. We had this convo like 10 pages ago if anyone wants to find a link; I’m on my phone.

Edited by wisewillow on Feb 25th 2019 at 5:21:34 AM

HailMuffins Since: May, 2016 Relationship Status: Shipping fictional characters
#272749: Feb 25th 2019 at 2:20:08 PM

People went through why charter schools are bad about 50 pages ago, but TL;DR they're terrible at actually educating children because it turns public education into a market and have a high turnover of teachers and other staff.

They have other problems, but those are the first to come to mind.

[down]I had a friend who's a computer science major, and people there hate Windows and Microsoft for N different readons.

Edited by HailMuffins on Feb 25th 2019 at 7:24:10 AM

Oruka Since: Dec, 2018
#272750: Feb 25th 2019 at 2:21:20 PM

[up][up][up]There's no shortage of programmers and computer scientists that would argue that Microsoft killed much of the innovation and creation in the world of computer science, especially during The '90s and the Aughts. Ever heard of the phrase "the Microsoft tax"?

Edited by Oruka on Feb 25th 2019 at 2:21:48 AM


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