Azalin

I work in a building on Colorado street, between 9th and 10th streets. That puts me directly across the street from both the Governor's Mansion and the Capitol building. I hear idiotic protests all the time. It's not as bad around here as the news reports make it out to be. The city council sure do seem to want to follow California's lead on many issues, but once you get out of down town and away from UT, it's not too ridiculous yet. However, we have a lot of people moving here from California, many of whom are coming to get away from the inflated cost of living and ridiculous tax rates. The problem we're having is that a lot of them are voting for the same idiotic policies that were in place in California. That's what worries me the most about Austin's leftist policies.

I'll bet it was more like hey, let's use a quote from that guy all the millennials have on their t-shirt!

That's been a problem here in Austin for a while now: https://www.kvue.com/article/news/local/video-shows-group-throwing-scooters-into-lady-bird-lake-from-congress-avenue-bridge/269-b0220921-beb1-4ed7-8874-7a01cc38fa7d They're also finding them covered with Zebra Mussels if they're not fished out of the lake right away.

Until the field gets whittled down to a handful of candidates, I think we can expect to be treated to ideas at least this idiotic every week or so. They probably don't realize how they make Trump look intelligent, reasoned, and articulate by comparison.

"The Mighty D*cks"

I heard all kinds of reasons why Reagan was responsible, but I've come to believe that he gets the blame largely because it happened during his administration, not as a direct result of his administrations policies.

This is but one account, but as I remember it, the ACLU was a (the?) major player in releasing patients onto the streets based on their constitutional freedoms being violated via forced institutionalization. As I remember it, the Reagan administration wasn't really an active participant, but a convenient scapegoat. If I'm wrong, I'd be willing to read any information to the contrary. http://www.wordaroundthe.net/2012/09/common-knowledge-reagan-and-homeless.html

Is any of this learned through personal experience?

Wasn't that Daniel Patrick Moynihan?

I realize it's simply a matter of semantics, but you're describing what I call the difference between 'Liberal' and 'Leftist". Being for the most part libertarian-minded, I consider myself to be a reasonably liberal person. By the same token, being mostly libertarian prevents me from being a leftist, in that I support only a very limited role by the feds in the affairs of the citizenry. I know I may come off as being a bit anal with regard to definitions, but the distinction is an important one in my mind.

If I already have my 401K and my social security both coming to me, then I don't understand the advantage of merging one into the other and having the feds deliver it to me in one monthly payment. Unless they're planning to means-test SS payments, then I suppose it's a good way for them to hide any SS cutbacks they may make.

It looks like everyone is using the same source for their data.

Gatorcoin?! What, it has absolutely no worth and insults you as you try to spend it?

Spot on - couldn't agree with you more. There's still a lot here to like, but the city is definitely heading in down that path. A lot of the locals are beginning to wake up, so maybe the genie isn't completely out of the bottle yet.

I'm not used to hearing Austin referred to as "low-tax". Texas may have no state income tax, but Austin's property taxes are the highest in the state. It's the most expensive place to live in Texas, and it's getting more so all the time.

This sounds to me to be exactly the kind of problem that we should want. Wages will increase to attract new hires as employers compete to fill job vacancies. People will develop greater skills in order to become more attractive to prospective employers. More unskilled labor will be filled via automation, especially with the deployment of 5G imminent. I see these as symptoms of prosperity, not as negatives at all.

That's not what I said at all. Go back and read it again. You care enough to double down with some pretty ignorant crap.

You miss the point completely, but thanks for the input.

If I could just get back the money that both I and my employers paid on my behalf over the years, I'd be more than satisfied.

Agreed, but did any of us honestly think it would be any other way?

Absolutely. However I suspect that many people will automatically assume that the machine's purpose is to replace "traditional" bartenders.

My thought exactly. The day that customer-facing bartenders are replaced will be the day everyone just drinks at home. If I owned a restaurant that's exactly what I'd get for the servers to operate. No over-pours, no theft, no inconsistency, and no waiting for the bartender to finish with their customers before making your drinks. The only way that machine is a negative is if it breaks down easily.

Is this where the expression "sod off" came from?

P.J. O’Rourke is a nutjob?