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Edited by Mrph1 on Nov 30th 2023 at 11:03:59 AM
There's no way to read Snyder's mind, nor the minds of the cronies he appointed to run the various cities in Michigan that have had democracy suspended (what?!), but in general it's not just about cutting costs but rather the philosophy that government is fundamentally the obstacle to accomplishing things. Regulations hold back business, the private market is always better, and government isn't in the job of protecting people from the consequences of their bad choices, unless you're someone that gives them lots of money.
In this case, of course, the "bad choices" made by the people of Flint are their choice to "be poor" and, slightly below that, to "be black", or liberal, or whatever. In Snyder's world, the state is not going to lift a finger to do anything for anyone who would dare vote Democrat.
edited 17th Jan '16 9:22:40 AM by Fighteer
"It's Occam's Shuriken! If the answer is elusive, never rule out ninjas!""We as a country need to stop doing things as cheaply as possible."
The United States isn't exactly a penny-pinching country, though. There's plenty of waste in our budget. Conservatives just like to use the never-ending quest for greater frugality as an excuse to cut social services and discourage investment in the future.
edited 17th Jan '16 9:33:49 AM by CrimsonZephyr
"For all those whose cares have been our concern, the work goes on, the cause endures, the hope still lives, and the dream shall never die."@Fighteer
Well yeah, that philosophy does require a few mental backflips to make complete sense. But then again, it could just be a case of greedy-as-fuck politicians. Money can be a rationalization all on its own.
EDIT: just looked at some of Gov Snyder's stances on some issues
, and I noticed a few things that do look iffy, like his earlier decisions concerning abortion and affirmative action. So take it how you will.
edited 17th Jan '16 10:48:32 AM by nervmeister
In more Oregan Trail news (is it bad if I wish they'd all die of dysentary?
), one of the occupiers has his foster children removed from his ranch in Arizona.
http://gawker.com/oregon-milita-spokesman-says-foster-children-were-remov-1753460681
Which I think it's pretty justified when he starts referring to them as "main sources of income".
Back then, they didn't know that contaminated water caused cholera and dysentery. This was before Louis Pasteur and the germ theory of disease. Until the last decades of the 19th century, the medical profession still taught quackery, and believed in nonsense like "miasma" and "bilious humors" and old-fashioned techniques like blood-letting.
So the only way to avoid it was by not drinking water at all; Westerners drank beer, Orientals drank tea. They didn't know it was the boiling part of the brewing process that killed bacteria, so it was only by happenstance. And if you didn't have beer or tea, you drank water — and got sick.
edited 17th Jan '16 11:39:58 AM by pwiegle
This Space Intentionally Left Blank.John Snow figured that out in 1854
. Pasteur was barely starting up on the other side of the Channel. As for the Oregon trail...
So, basically, these new ideas didn't make it to the Trail in time. And they kept getting distracted by other concerns...
(starts in 1:41)

RE: Iran Sanctions lifted
Good to see that the plan's moving forward, but I can only imagine how various conservative pundits are going to respond. The local shock jocks I've mentioned before were in disbelief at the fact that we thanked Iran for "making our soldiers get on their knees with guns pointed at them" - apparently not realizing that, just 3 years ago, we might have to argue for years to get them back, and make concessions to boot for an honest mistake.
"Why would I inflict myself on somebody else?"