leh-nerd skin-erd

In no particular order… Yes. Most likely. I’m not so sure about that… Dammit, no, not this time. Says you.

Mods, please move to The Reliable Media v Alternative Scum please. There, and only there, the truth shall be revealed.

But he’s not being honest, not in the least. This was a political stunt. There’s no reason for a senator to sandbag a political opponent in a meeting like that. As a result, he was perceived a threat, neutralized, and they moved him on to greener pastures. Had Kaine an iota of integrity, he would have acknowledged the foolishness of approaching the stage in an animated and aggressive state and suggested next time…just call first to set a meeting and identify yourself. He may be an MIT whiz kid, but even a humble SUNY grad like me understands basic professional etiquette. Beyond that, It’s pretty obvious what the rank and file voters thought of his sincerity and integrity. Flat out rejection of the policies and character of Clinton and Kaine. Why? He’s a bit like you…lots of hot air but little of substance and always wanting someone else to do the heavy lifting.

Ah..,Tim Kaine…the Tim Walz of the Clinton Presidential Aspiration Team. All I can say here is there was no attempt to shut him up, he was quite vocal the entire time.

My wife has freckles, and I'm glad she does.

The political landscape doesn’t work like that, Ned. We got where we are because of the journey we have taken. It’s dumb to pretend none of that matters.

His lead off was “Hello less hateful world…”? 🤫😂

Presumably not dragged to the ground and cuffed for a foolish stunt at a political briefing.

First of all..."stone cold liar"? What is he, Shaft? Can ya dig it? Second...he's most definitely a politician, he just has to be called on his version of BS. Here's an example where he exposed the world to COVID while implementing strict rules and regulations for the little people of Cali: https://www.cnn.com/2020/11/18/politics/gavin-newsom-french-laundry-california-governor

Well aren’t you a happy camper and spreader of joy today.

Visited the Skeller a few times with friends who attended. I suppose one could spend too much time there, but darn it, I liked it. Not all education takes place in the classroom.

Probably less about the link, more about the Leh-n. 🤷🏼‍♂️

I posted a link to an article, Mike. You lectured like you were the Ethan Hawke character in “Training Day”. All good though. My bad for following up.

Geesh, a couple days ago, you’re invoking the principle of parsimony, recalling your days as the only Caucasian for hundreds of miles in south central (and later, a snowball in a cotton field in Topeka) while chiding me on outlandish conspiracy theories and how you’ve tired of them. Now, a senator opens an investigation into the topic we were discussing and you’re disinterested. Go figure.

Sure.

https://nypost.com/2025/06/11/us-news/sen-josh-hawley-probes-lefty-immigration-group-to-see-if-its-funding-la-riots-this-violence-isnt-spontaneous/ Who knows where this will go, but citations of 'credible evidence' certainly make this interesting given our exchange the other day. This feels sort of on-base to me.

I think you're right on this, though there is something to be said for a parade celebrating national pride. It might mean nothing to you, but will to some. As Fergie points out on the other hand, a few millions on a debt the size we're dealing with, it's a drop in the proverbial bucket.

That was my reply to your comment…so…..yup.

Nope, it was you. You’re probably confused because your malfunctioning virtue signal is messing with your eyesight. Let’s just move on. This is like the 4th or 5th post where you’ve declared your willingness to be benevolent and generous while revealing you’re not either, but would be if the government made you. On the other stuff, some reasonable thoughts there. Glad we can agree there are costs that can be cut, the only difference between you and me is I say cut expense first, raise taxes only as necessary. You say look for cuts and increase taxes concurrently for select groups, especially liberals willing to help but only if required by law.

Ah, the old 'hard work, grit and good common sense' argument, I was wondering when you would trot out that old trope. Get in line, Fergie, that applies to most successful people. It seems like in your case, you use that to justify not doing your fair share while pointing at other people who need to. As far as arguing, I'm not--I'm just having a dialogue on what you say v what you do. That caused you to bring Trump into it, discussing his integrity as if it somehow justifies your actions. As for liberals being "willing to pay more if it will help the economy", I agree liberals are extremely effective in branding their message as such, woefully inadequate at actually parting with their money to do so. It's a thought exercise, nothing more, nothing less. We also agree those big talk/no action liberals are just like you. Anyway, we're going around in circles. Good talk.

Ironically, you’re exactly like Trump. Both of youruse the tax code to justify windfall earnings (relative, of course). The difference is Trump embraces it, you dance around like Mr Bojangles pretending you don’t see your own hypocrisy. At the same time, you’re complaining that other wealthy/wealthier people, certainly the vast majority liberals based on education and income levels as you frequently point out, need to do more in order to convince you that it’s appropriate for you to contribute more. This is the typical über wealthy liberal response. “We have major problems! You should do more!”. As for the dollar amount, $10,000 doesn’t sound like it would put a dent in your country club lifestyle, but if you want to be cautious, maybe consider $5,000. Find a stout number and move on. I’m not here to judge.

Because it’s your value system that suggests you’re unfairly profiting at the expense of those less fortunate. You’re rationalizing the using the argument that others are more less fair. It’s an ethical disconnect, like arguing that you’re on solid footing because you only stole $500 from a store when others stole $1000. You probably struggle to see it because you really, really like the money.

You don’t need a change in tax code to contribute more to the treasury than what would affect you, you can pay more at any time. I never understand why you wealthy folk hold out until the gov compels you, but you’re all pretty consistent. My philosophy remains unchanged. Let’s have a reconciliation of federal/state tax to be certain waste and fraud is as close to eliminated as possible before taxes are increased. You can’t possibly approach “fair share” fairly when efficiency is not a critical part of the evaluation.

I was unaware you were limiting your comments to legislative activities only, but you’re off base there as well. I’m almost embarrassed to have to post these links. The history of our country is complicated and involves all sorts of closed-minded behavior, and it’s certainly not limited to the R brand. I’m not even going to dig into the governments on state and local levels, but if you’re thinking the old school democrats in heavily union WNY were voting for tree-hugging, integration-minded, full term abortion, LGBT inclusive neighborhoods you’re just. plain. wrong. https://www.npr.org/2020/10/14/920385802/biden-vows-to-ease-racial-divisions-heres-his-record https://nymag.com/intelligencer/2019/03/joe-biden-record-on-busing-incarceration-racial-justice-democratic-primary-2020-explained.html https://www.politico.com/blogs/ben-smith/2008/08/obama-says-marriage-is-between-man-and-woman-011026 https://www.usnews.com/news/articles/2016-04-07/former-president-clinton-defends-1996-crime-bill-super-predators-remark https://www.washingtonpost.com/outlook/how-democrats-purged-safe-legal-rare-from-the-party/2019/11/15/369af73c-01a4-11ea-8bab-0fc209e065a8_story.html

One of the democrat talking points was “no tax increase on anyone making under $250k” for a while. That was later adjusted to $400k to widen the net of victims and demonize those not paying their fair share. https://taxpolicycenter.org/taxvox/president-bidens-no-tax-hike-pledge-problem https://www.politico.com/news/2024/07/26/harris-biden-pledge-not-raise-taxes-middle-class-00171416