A Rural Area with Moderate Politics
There has been loose talk of relocating Grifftopia for retirement. Pete and I would rather be in the mountains maybe on a river. 10+ acres within an hour or two of good paddling, hiking, mountain biking, etc...
One holdup is right wing Boogaloo culture. We are living in it here and it appears to be if not growing, more active and vocal. Pete is getting nervous about our neighborhood.
I'm looking to find a place not exceedingly far from Philly and Boston. My natural inclination is the Adirondacks since we know them well, but it appears price and politics are linked. The more right wing an area is the lower the housing costs, so I'm looking for some balance. I'm wondering if Vermont might have some options but I don't know the scene.
Will there be an issue selling Grifftopia, since you built it by hand without a mortgage lien for paperwork?
I imagine the selling price will be lower due to the owner-build, but the lack of lien won't matter as we exist on paper at the court house. There are 50 acres and full mineral (gas) right to balance the owner-build. I would think marketing it as a hunting camp could be a good strategy. This area also has very low taxes which you can tell by the schools or by reading local Bacefook. lol
I'm seeing attractive Vermont properties under 200k so it's possible we won't take a beating on this place. We also need more snow, which I failed to put in my initial post. Vermont has a lot of skiing infrastructure which is cool.
Don't know about affordability, but I hear parts of Colorado are also on that reasonable border between liberal and conservative.
Griff, what are you considering Moderate politics? Something like this?
(pictured: 2016, and 2012 general election results from my county)
That would look moderate to me.
Don't know about affordability, but I hear parts of Colorado are also on that reasonable border between liberal and conservative.
I like the idea, but we want it to be driveable for the girls.
Of course I'm from here:
RUUUUUUNNNNNN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! ;)
Of course you've take into account one or both girls might move at any time. If you lived in a motor-home you'd be all set. ;)
[YOUTUBE]AdytT2MqJXw[/YOUTUBE]
Griff, what are you considering Moderate politics? Something like this?
(pictured: 2016, and 2012 general election results from my county)
That would look moderate to me.
When I was in Upstate NY our district looked more like flints except slight majority Republican. I found Moderate Republicanism to be acceptable in that time and place. I guess the Gingrich revolution and Fox News have worked their magic.
The "get your guns out the election is fake" was ramping up when I left Facebook. Now that white people have been given the thumbs up on showing up armed for political events, I wonder how the Super-Patriots will react if Trump fails to steal the election? If he does manage a steal, I wonder how Democrats will fair in the streets? I will still remove all political signage the day after the election, a nicety Cult 45 has not maintained.
/rant
I'm guessing most truly rural places have become similarly radicalized. I guess pulling voting districts out of the record would be helpful. Keeping an eye out for a purple rural town.
I don't know what to tell you other than tensions are high as ƒuck in our 50/50 community.
Things might even get more tense the more balanced it is, because someone has a higher number of people to be mad at, idk.
The only reason Trump wants to win is ego, he's stolen so much already, made lucrative connections, big pension and bennies for life, and has a laundry list of people/plots to blame a loss on.
I wouldn't be surprised if he has his fingers, or at least friends fingers, in this $10 Billion vaccine slush fund.
I admit my dislike for the scumbag makes me prejudiced.
Will there be an issue selling Grifftopia, since you built it by hand without a mortgage lien for paperwork?
As long as he's paying taxes it's on the books in his name.
I don't know what to tell you other than tensions are high as ƒuck in our 50/50 community.
Things might even get more tense the more balanced it is, because someone has a higher number of people to be mad at, idk.
I was wondering about that. Balance used to lead to compromise but that's a bad word now.
It certainly is, why it's the same as losing...
Limey sent me a nice option in Maine. I do appreciate the politics up there and the rivers are nice. Political races are competitive and unaffiliated voters have a lot of sway. Unfortunately, Maine is soooooo far from the girl in Philadelphia that I think Pete would lose her mind.
I'm seeing some good options in Vermont.
vermont is cool and definitely a better place to be Right About Now than, yknow, most places
Hey Ibby! Good to see you. How're things?
well the world's ending but other than that, well, yknow
A better built world could be on the other side of this mess.
Now that white people have been given the thumbs up on showing up armed for political events. . .
Griff, I don't know about you, but
I can keep in mind that not one person of any complexion other than Caucasian has been forbidden to show up armed for a political event. I say unwarp your view.
Relatedly, I propose to you a thought experiment. I refuse to give any thought whatsoever, or to give any weight, to matters of complexion, race, religion, national origin (comes naturally of being an individualist). Now then: what if simply everybody did so; what would be the likely outcome?
The only reason Trump wants to win is ego, he's stolen so much already, made lucrative connections, big pension and bennies for life, and has a laundry list of people/plots to blame a loss on.
Ah, Bruce: he had those
before he was elected, and honorably does not indulge in something like these now, as President. Guy ain't even written an Enemies List. A big piece of this Administration not doing what the Party out of power accuses it of hourly is that just as hourly, they don't have the energy or the time.
I say this as one who didn't vote for him.
The first go-round anyway. Then he started doing all this Libertarian stuff, which the punditocracy seems collectively unable to fathom.
Since I am the soul of
unprejudiced, I find a lot in your stance to disagree with. Wanting to believe only Trump wants Trump reelected is very silly of you.
Now then: what if simply everybody did so; what would be the likely outcome?
It will be a bloodbath.
I should expand on that. Trump continuously calls into question the validity of the election while maintaining a dodgy relationship with the totalitarian Putin and actively trying to break the postal service when people need it for among other things voting during a pandemic. If the streets fill up with angry armed folks of all political stripes, we could get the banana republic Trump appears to want. More stable personalities will be on the sideline because they don't generally walk into likely shooting events. If we would commit to the democratic process and developing good responsive governance this rancor could be channeled into the system. We have a choice and guns in the street is a poor one. Don't think that the right has the exclusive power of armed mob violence.
so to sum up your theory is that if Trump doesn't win he will get the banana republic he wants
Only if he refuses to lose gracefully. If he doesn't win and he loudly decries the election as rigged/illegitimate (which I think it's safe to assume he will, whether or not he actually believes in his heart that it is,) then yes, there will be small, but definitely armed, protests. If he wins, there will be massive, possibly armed protests.
The only way the election settles things down, rather than escalates them, is if Trump loses, then says, "Good, because I hated this job and would rather go back to making bajillions of dollars. You idiots get what you deserve." It would save face, and calm his more ardent followers rather than encouraging them to take to the streets. But he's not going to do that.
so to sum up your theory is that if Trump loses poorly or wins he will get the banana republic he wants
Griff, you have not grasped which part of that post was the thought experiment.
Only if he refuses to lose gracefully. If he doesn't win and he loudly decries the election as rigged/illegitimate (which I think it's safe to assume he will, whether or not he actually believes in his heart that it is,) then yes, there will be small, but definitely armed, protests. If he wins, there will be massive, possibly armed protests.
Indeed, Fobble? Will you be there, under arms?
Being in the Oval Office without being Hillary Clinton is
still not an actionable offense -- it's really quite a decent thing, forestalling the Mistress of Corruption, who it seems refuses to take the ethical road regardless of situation. Money, shilled up via their Foundation from influence peddlers, is those two's God.
Always remember that with Pennywise the President, there are no principled beliefs, no considered positions, no truth that survives a day and no lie that can't be told.
We need to be prepared for a massive infantile tantrum from the most powerful man in the world.
so to sum up our theory is he's continuously all of that level of ridiculousness, while at the same time capable of gimping the operation of the US Postal Service without people knowing
capable of doing the thing everybody knows about without anybody knowing?
as in, like, gradually training people to not believe their own eyes, just like has happened in every country that we assumed to be a stable democracy that suddenly, precipitously toppled into far-right fascism, as is, you know, the current trend in global politics? in the real world of things that are actually happening and should definitely be worried about?
so to sum up your theory is that if Trump loses poorly or wins he will get the banana republic he wants
I don't claim to know what Trump personally wants--it seems to change moment to moment anyway. I do know that Putin, for one, wants us unstable and at each other's throats, and he's very much gotten it, regardless of how much influence he may or may not have had in that outcome. You yourself noted awhile back that civil war is very much a possibility in the current political climate, and I think we've come closer to it in the last four years, not farther. I think Trump is a perfect example of the "take everything personally," "view my opponents as inherently evil," tribal-behavior-stoking attitude that you've decried in the past. I'm not saying Trump is a mastermind, I'm just telling you what I think will happen in each election scenario. Whether any of those scenarios ultimately ushers in a banana republic remains to be seen, but it's a fact that Trump has floated the idea of delaying the election, and threatened not to leave office if he loses. Both are banana republic behaviors, not functioning democracy behaviors.
so to sum up our theory is that fascism will be carefully implemented by a boorish clown with little charisma who is hated by 90% of the press, 90% of the intellectual class, and 90% of urban elites who control 95% of the cities and there is not a DAMN thing anyone can do about it
You yourself noted awhile back that civil war is very much a possibility in the current political climate
I noticed the division and started considering the terrible possible consequences in 2013 when he was still just a boorish TV personality
threatened not to leave office if he loses
Please share your direct evidence of this
threatened not to leave office if he loses
Please share your direct evidence of this
oh, of course he didn't
say that (unless he did), and if he did, he was just joking, or sort of
suggested something that may or may not be taken that way. all around perfectly normal and not worrisome behavior. it's "all good"™
Good post though Clod, I think what will probably happen is not outright civil war but a division of the country with separate laws and structures. At first, states will vote to secede so Griff should choose the rural section of a solidly blue state. Over time, counties of those states will also divide, so NY is right out and it will have to be VT.
to sum up that is my theory
so to sum up our theory is that fascism will be carefully implemented by a boorish clown with little charisma who is hated by 90% of the press, 90% of the intellectual class, and 90% of urban elites who control 95% of the cities and there is not a DAMN thing anyone can do about it
unless you are getting death threats from Trump supporters and have had to beef up your firearms preparedness for a very real, bloody civil war that is literally being threatened to you personally, at your doxxed home address, LIKE I AM, then I'm not super invested in your theories about who can or cannot stage a fascist takeover. the reality-defying supporters of the god-king-cult leader have been spooked into collecting huge amounts of guns and ammunition for decades now. when it hits the fan, who the ƒuck cares what intellectuals and urban elites think? THEY WILL JUST SHOOT THEM*
*me
threatened not to leave office if he loses
Please share your direct evidence of this
It's embedded in a news report, but the audio of Trump starts at 1:02:
[YOUTUBE]09ZCJnf-qMw[/YOUTUBE]
And yeah, it's presented as "a joke," because that's how he always floats ideas, so he can backtrack if it's received badly. But it's polarizing, and he knows it. A lot of people think trolling is harmless fun, but I think it's bad for everyone.
I think what will probably happen is not outright civil war but a division of the country with separate laws and structures. At first, states will vote to secede so Griff should choose the rural section of a solidly blue state.
I can certainly see it happening that way. My guess is Texas would be one of the first.
I live in the rural section of a solidly blue state and it is the absolutely most life-threateningly dangerous place to be right now. The anger against the democratic leadership is palpable, and overflowing in the threat of violence spilling into our streets and homes.
No need for quotes around a joke, it clearly is. I agree that it is bad for the everyone. I don't find it to be proof of anything. Do you have an example of something he floated as "a joke" that he did not receive pushback on and then implemented?
threatened to you personally, at your doxxed home address, LIKE I AM, then I'm not super invested in your theories about who can or cannot stage a fascist takeover
This is a terribly regrettable incident
Downtown, they set an actual pig's head on fire and projected a large laser image on a building of a cop/pig with Xs over its eyes - and this was celebrated live by ~2000 people. If a death threat to you personally is a sign of ascending Fascism, do *those* death threats mean that Communism is ascendant, as some would have us believe?
No need for quotes around a joke, it clearly is. I agree that it is bad for the everyone. I don't find it to be proof of anything. Do you have an example of something he floated as "a joke" that he did not receive pushback on and then implemented?
He has frequently floated pardons for his staff and associates as a joke* (after jokingly asking them to commit crimes), then actually followed through on a number of questionably-motivated pardons**, most especially Roger Stone.
*
https://napavalleyregister.com/opinion/editorial/commentary-trump-is-joking-about-pardons-how-is-this-a-defense/article_1395d044-b545-5c94-9baa-eb95f2ad93dc.html
**
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_people_granted_executive_clemency_by_Donald_Trump
(Apologies for not embedding the links, I'm on my phone and can't get the href tags to work right.)
Admittedly, it's not like he's the first President to give out transparent pardons. Clinton certainly did it, though he had the fake-propriety to only do it right before leaving office. And just like Ford pardoned Nixon, I feel relatively sure that Biden will pardon Trump for the things he's eventually convicted of, in the name of healing.
If a death threat to you personally is a sign of ascending Fascism, do *those* death threats mean that Communism is ascendant, as some would have us believe?
Yes, of course. History is a series of rising tensions spilling over into violence in order to precipitate change. It's foolhardy to believe we're the exception to this-- the oldest story in the book™
I wish everyone would forget everything they learned in third grade civics, and quit treating America like some extremely are and special exception to the immutable laws that govern literally every other human civilization, ever.
Good post though Clod, I think what will probably happen is not outright civil war but a division of the country with separate laws and structures. At first, states will vote to secede so Griff should choose the rural section of a solidly blue state. Over time, counties of those states will also divide, so NY is right out and it will have to be VT.
to sum up that is my theory
Unfortunately your theory has merit. This outcome creates a mess here and leaves China largely in charge of humanity's future maybe an unstoppable outcome but not great for folks who don't 100% buy in see Uighurs.
Anyway, I'm not sure I have the stomach for a state fully in the bag for the left, hence my original ask about a moderate rural area. This thread was largely triggered by a constant anti-science bias I was getting from local family. Nobody is immune from not following the facts but in the pandemic it felt more permanent to me than it should have. I got thinking about how anti-education my relatives appear and how their kids and our economy could suffer for it. I think we're all more than a little on edge and I know I fall in that pattern of putting thoughts in other's heads when I'm stressed out. I had a good conversation with a Trump supporting uncle today so it isn't hopeless which is where my head had gone.
I still want to move to the mountains though.
Clod, floating pardons and then saying it was a joke is not the kind of joke we're talking about. Furthermore though, it seems to me the guy jokes about everything; which is reprehensible behavior from a POTUS, but it doesn't mean we get to consider eveything he jokes about as secret evidence of plans.
The thing is, in this case, it was the media that floated his refusal to leave office as fantasy fearbait. He often jokes about what the media says, and this behavior is rewarding for both of them; the media gets clicks and attention, and he gets to steal all the oxygen out of the room for any other topic or candidate.
One plain truth of the matter is this: all the actual power of the office is via the Constitution. If the court has determined that he has lost the election, and he does not voluntarily leave by January 21, 2021, no orders that he gives will be respected by anyone who has taken an oath to uphold the Constitution. The Secret Service will then remove him by force.
Humor takes many forms.
I hope someone can give an instance where Donald Trump showed he understands any of them.
Just one funny thing that he intended to be.
... The Secret Service will then remove him by force.
That would be disappointing. They should send the living former Presidents in to beat him up and drag him out... maybe a blanket party even.
That won't be necessary, he's a stone coward.
what I and, i think, a lot of people are more scared of than trump declaring himself president for life and the institutions of government supporting him, or whatever, is trump insinuating the election is invalid, attempting to delay certification of the votes or otherwise interfere in the handover of power, and sparking a wave of partisan violence around the country.
No matter who "wins", at this point, a huge proportion of the country will not consider the results valid. If Biden appears to win narrowly, the right-wing who believed Trump's bullshit about widespread voter fraud and jewish-i-mean-socialist soros manipulation and unhinged qanon conspiracies are not going to consider that a valid result, and given that an increasing number of them are convinced that just about any member of government that isn't Trump is a baby-eating human-trafficking secret new world order (again, read: "jewish") enemy of america, that's a recipe for widespread violence.
Considering that:
1. tens of millions of people are on the knife-edge of homelessness and eviction, and that the government is unwilling or unable to provide meaningful relief there, meaning that there's a huge chance that hundreds of thousands of people could be living on the streets during a pandemic;
2. COVID infection rates seem poised to only climb and climb unless the government takes action to return to some kind of lockdown and prevent the spread of infection, meaning that this will all be happening against the backdrop of either lockdown or an ever-growing death toll;
3. while the protests over police violence are somewhat dying down, there's every chance of them sparking back up, which has a high likelihood of being met with yet more police violence once again, and worse, from yet more right-wing terror attacks targeting protestors (usually with cars, taking a page from daesh's book);
4. the partisan sides of such a possible conflict barely agree on the very basic facts of reality in so many cases - in a conflict between left-wing partisans who believe that the government is actively literally trying to kill people for corporate profit (by refusing to take pandemic control measures) and is sliding rapidly and possibly inexorably towards fascism, and right-wing partisans who think a deep state conspiracy to traffic children is using a fake pandemic and a rigged election to push trump out of office, well, its hard to come to common ground without even agreeing on basic reality;
it's easy to see why people are afraid about what comes next.
There is this fantasy out here about secret universal Trump support, which is why Pete wants her Biden sign up. It is important for folks to know the other side exists right among them even if it might be a little dangerous. :(
God-damned well put. All of this. Thank you for summarizing these things-- I'm too emotionally exhausted to think about any of this long enough to form complete sentences-- basically all I do is listen to classical music and avoid any form of news or social media.
what I and, i think, a lot of people are more scared of than trump declaring himself president for life and the institutions of government supporting him, or whatever, is trump insinuating the election is invalid, attempting to delay certification of the votes or otherwise interfere in the handover of power, and sparking a wave of partisan violence around the country.
No matter who "wins", at this point, a huge proportion of the country will not consider the results valid. If Biden appears to win narrowly, the right-wing who believed Trump's bullshit about widespread voter fraud and jewish-i-mean-socialist soros manipulation and unhinged qanon conspiracies are not going to consider that a valid result, and given that an increasing number of them are convinced that just about any member of government that isn't Trump is a baby-eating human-trafficking secret new world order (again, read: "jewish") enemy of america, that's a recipe for widespread violence.
Considering that:
1. tens of millions of people are on the knife-edge of homelessness and eviction, and that the government is unwilling or unable to provide meaningful relief there, meaning that there's a huge chance that hundreds of thousands of people could be living on the streets during a pandemic;
2. COVID infection rates seem poised to only climb and climb unless the government takes action to return to some kind of lockdown and prevent the spread of infection, meaning that this will all be happening against the backdrop of either lockdown or an ever-growing death toll;
3. while the protests over police violence are somewhat dying down, there's every chance of them sparking back up, which has a high likelihood of being met with yet more police violence once again, and worse, from yet more right-wing terror attacks targeting protestors (usually with cars, taking a page from daesh's book);
4. the partisan sides of such a possible conflict barely agree on the very basic facts of reality in so many cases - in a conflict between left-wing partisans who believe that the government is actively literally trying to kill people for corporate profit (by refusing to take pandemic control measures) and is sliding rapidly and possibly inexorably towards fascism, and right-wing partisans who think a deep state conspiracy to traffic children is using a fake pandemic and a rigged election to push trump out of office, well, its hard to come to common ground without even agreeing on basic reality;
it's easy to see why people are afraid about what comes next.
so to sum up our theory is he's continuously all of that level of ridiculousness, while at the same time capable of gimping the operation of the US Postal Service without people knowing
Without people knowing? He's straight-up bragged about holding up funding from the post office to block vote-by-mail.
COVID infection rates seem poised to only climb and climb
Naw
When examining the numbers for the states, please use
https://rt.live/ . For individual states the "Adjusted Positive Tests & Implied Infections" curve at the bottom. That shows what is actually happening.
The majority of states now have a decreasing infection rate...!
A wild number of variables at play here, but seasonality is going to remain a big one, as all the southern states rose at the same time (and now the western European states are having their second wave at the height of their summers) (and now Minnesota)
Meanwhile, NYC is at least 25% immune and went over an enormous mountain to get there, but has not seen a second wave. It's figured maybe this is enough herd immunity to keep it at bay, at the current level of restricted social distancing.
I can't follow it - the latest is that it's some sort of dispute over whether the items should be first-class or bulk rate?
Meanwhile I did learn that number of items the USPS carried has dropped every year since 2006. Still, last year, the USPS processed 142.6 billion pieces of mail.
With a flood of election year ballots, that could increase to 142.7 billion this year.
How much additional funding do they need?
The latest is that 10-13% of mail sorting machines (that each process over a million pieces a day) have been removed without explanation (or rather, the meaningless explanation of "equipment reduction") from dozens of major cities (on the one hand, all Dem strongholds, on the other, of course urban areas are where the machines are) and are being dismantled and destroyed despite functioning just fine. Also, dozens of blue mailboxes are being removed from the streets of NYC and Oregon due to insufficient use.
A firsthand account from a postal worker reports that he previously was given 2,000 pieces of mail per day to deliver, but with the re-organization and orders from on high to slow down processing, he's now getting between 200-600 per day. He's not working fewer hours, just delivering less mail than he's capable of right now. Mail that used to be sorted locally is now being sent to other cities and sometimes other states for processing, even if the delivery address is in the same city as it was posted from.
Numerous other reports, especially from renters who pay by check and seniors who get their meds through the mail, say that deliveries that took 2 days in the past are now taking 14 (and they are consequently running out of important things like insulin, because their health insurance A. requires mail-ordering and B. doesn't allow filling in advance.)
It's possible these are the inevitable growing pains of a restructure that will lead to more efficiency in the end. It's also possible this is deliberate. It should be noted that the majority of Amazon's deliveries are through the USPS.
removed without explanation (or rather, the meaningless explanation of "equipment reduction")
meaningless?
The amount of mail handled by the USPS is down by a third in this decade alone. It's not coming back, half of us pay our bills online now. I hope the USPS is offloading equipment and changing blue box routes.
are you not done reading the rest, or did you just stop there?
so to sum up your theory bad things are fake
https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/md-politics/usps-states-delayed-mail-in-ballots/2020/08/14/64bf3c3c-dcc7-11ea-8051-d5f887d73381_story.html:
Postal Service warns 46 states their voters could be disenfranchised by delayed mail-in ballots
Anticipating an avalanche of absentee ballots, the U.S. Postal Service recently sent detailed letters to 46 states and D.C. warning that it cannot guarantee all ballots cast by mail for the November election will arrive in time to be counted — adding another layer of uncertainty ahead of the high-stakes presidential contest.
The letters sketch a grim possibility for the tens of millions of Americans eligible for a mail-in ballot this fall: Even if people follow all of their state’s election rules, the pace of Postal Service delivery may disqualify their votes.
The Postal Service’s warnings of potential disenfranchisement came as the agency undergoes a sweeping organizational and policy overhaul amid dire financial conditions. Cost-cutting moves have already delayed mail delivery by as much as a week in some places, and a new decision to decommission 10 percent of the Postal Service’s sorting machines sparked widespread concern the slowdowns will only worsen. Rank-and-file postal workers say the move is ill-timed and could sharply diminish the speedy processing of flat mail, including letters and ballots.
With the caveat that obviously democratic voting strongholds tend to be population centers, so this is correlation but hypothetically not causation, people on twitter have overlaid that map with the pro-hillary margin in 2016:
[ATTACH]71214[/ATTACH]
as one of the authors of the article
pointed out on twitter:
One word of caution. A lot of folks are looking at the map and saying these removals are targeted at Dem. strongholds. We don't know that. Dem. strongholds tend to be population centers. The removals may simply be following population patterns.
But on the other hand we don't *not* know that either because USPS hasn't provided any clear public rationale for why they're doing what they're doing
At the very least, making this kind of radical overhaul to a critical system in an unprecedented election year seems like a very iffy proposition. It's not clear why all these changes have to be done *right now*, rather than postponing them a year given the pandemic.
all of which, again, i would say serves fundamentally to
erode public trust in the voting process and
muddy the election waters. unless its an inarguable blowout landslide victory for either side,
neither side is going to have faith in
any result. that scares the shit outta me.
meaningless?
The amount of mail handled by the USPS is down by a third in this decade alone. It's not coming back, half of us pay our bills online now. I hope the USPS is offloading equipment and changing blue box routes.
Only makes sense if the equipment was sitting idle or under-used, though. According to people who work in those post offices, they were in steady use, and this is part of why mail delivery that used to take 2 days takes 14.
Like I said, it's entirely possible this is only step one of a larger process, and they'll be replaced with bigger, more efficient machines at the new designated hubs, and it ultimately will make sense for a letter to travel 500 miles away just to get sorted and travel back to the same city. But right now, at least, there are measurable delays and problems in a service that used to work.
Naw
When examining the numbers for the states, please use https://rt.live/ . For individual states the "Adjusted Positive Tests & Implied Infections" curve at the bottom. That shows what is actually happening.
The majority of states now have a decreasing infection rate...!
A wild number of variables at play here, but seasonality is going to remain a big one, as all the southern states rose at the same time (and now the western European states are having their second wave at the height of their summers) (and now Minnesota)
Meanwhile, NYC is at least 25% immune and went over an enormous mountain to get there, but has not seen a second wave. It's figured maybe this is enough herd immunity to keep it at bay, at the current level of restricted social distancing.
school is starting back up, colleges are opening, fall is coming... you're more optimistic than i am about that, clearly, but i sure think things are about to get even worse before they get better unless serious steps are taken
A Rural Area with Moderate Politics...
... Mail that used to be sorted locally is now being sent to other cities and sometimes other states for processing, even if the delivery address is in the same city as it was posted from. ...
A Rural Area with Moderate Politics near a Major USPS Processing Center.
Go fuck yourself
How curious. That is exactly how Donald Trump thinks. And his disciple Urbane Guerrilla.
There's always an explanation, sometimes it is malice sometimes not; bad reporters just go with the narrative, good reporters ask more questions until they get to the explanation
https://katu.com/news/local/photo-about-mailboxes-goes-viral-but-usps-says-it-replacing-old-onesreplace them when is an important question i think
"we asked them and they said don't worry about it" isn't a very satisfying explanation imo
[SIZE="3"]Postal Service will stop removing mailboxes[/SIZE]
The removal of dozens of mailboxes in a handful of states set off a social media panic and some high-profile attention this week, but the U.S. Postal Service said the iconic blue boxes are just being moved to higher-volume areas. ...
... The agency said it would stop removing the boxes nationally until after the election. ...
... The Postal Service has close to 142,000 mailboxes across the country, and removes or relocates them on a case-by-case basis, according to agency spokesperson Kimberly Frum. ...
... “Historically, mailboxes have been removed for lack of use and installed in growth areas,” she said in an emailed statement. “When a collection box consistently receives very small amounts of mail for months on end, it costs the Postal Service money in fuel and work hours for letter carriers to drive to the mailbox and collect the mail. Removing the box is simply good business sense in that respect. It is important to note that anyone with a residential or business mailbox can use it as a vehicle to send outgoing mail." ...
The agency has focused in recent years on placing boxes in high-traffic areas such as shopping centers, business parks and outside grocery stores, she said, and removing them from low-traffic areas. ...
The agency has focused in recent years on placing boxes in high-traffic areas such as shopping centers, business parks and outside grocery stores, she said, and removing them from low-traffic areas. ...
So do we move them to Amazon warehouses?
Postmaster General Bezos?
I don't think he'd want to take the pay cut.
USPS inspector general blog post in 2016: "Nationally, the number of collection boxes declined by more than 12,000 in the past 5 years."
This Medium post explains every angle of the entire USPS kerfluffle
Why this is on Medium, as opposed to in the NY Times or Wash Post?
Because people want to be inflamed, not informed
This was good and I liked it.
As pointed out at the beginning, Congress has the power to legislate about and fund the USPS.
DeJoy may be an honest guy, but Trump is not and we should not trust his motivation in appointing him.
Harper doesn't mention the state of postal services in other countries. I think it is better and one benefit of not spending every last dime on "defense" and not giving the farm to the already over-rich through tax cuts.
Stifling the vote by any means possible has been a conservative goal for decades.
When did The Medium become serious?
2 to 5 days to get first class mail 10 miles? Gimme a fucking break, I can send first class mail to MA, SD, FL, and TX in 2 days.
And Trump has no power over DeJoy? DeJoy who gave millions to the GOP over the last couple years and gave Trump $220,000 this spring, won't do Trump's bidding? Won't slow up the USPS to help his own company? Right, and the Great Pumpkin will bring the mail.:rolleyes:
Moving the mail costs money, more money to places like the islands off Alaska where they have to charter helicopters at least once a week. The most important job of the USPS is to service EVERYBODY no matter where they are. There are a lot of companies who want to take over lucrative routes in the city and leave the hard/expensive work to the USPS. This must not happen.
So the volume of mail has been decreasing over the last decade, and we've already been making adjustments to equipment, etc. for that same time (past five years from 2016, said IG). So what's the big rush to do it now, right now? Right before an election*?
*where, it would be careless NOT to mention, the incumbent candidate has repeatedly voiced his opinion that mail-in ballots will hurt his chances?
Which part of this am I not understanding?
that's probably unrelated to anything
Undertrump?
Urbanetoad?
Personally, I intend to handwalk my mailed/absentee ballot to the county center elections office -- next town up -- and avoid the post office and its troubles altogether.
From 4 November, I expect a good deal of comment and scrutiny of the balloting process on the radio talkshows. Should run at least a week or two.
And the word is the expected procedural and standards changes will take place *after* the first week of November.
The majority of states now have a decreasing infection rate...!
Now only 16 states increasing, fewer day by day. South Dakota is having a bad time, Either Sturgis was a big vector, or it was just the middle North's turn as every region gets its own curve. Still, these numbers are in the hundreds, not thousands.
rt.liveI'd be shocked if Sturgis wasn't a vector, most of those guys/gals think it's all a big hoax perpetrated by Big Pharma, Hospital executives, politicians left or right, etc.
But it is still out there and still deadly for some people.
Apparently some people can get reinfected or get infected by a mutation.
Slowing does not mean stopped so wear a [strike]condom[/strike] mask.
Condomask. Practice safe social intercourse.
Pete had her third Biden sign stolen last night. Fresh sign in the ground this morning.
People are saying that empty suit and his ilk should be disemboweled.
I say that's empty talk by people who don't have the guts to engage other people with other ideas, which is why they want his, or yours. Cowards.
Update from a rural area with moderate politics:
Heavily armed right-wing militias have been coming to peaceful protests and screaming in people's faces, issuing threats against specific community members on social media (worded to circumvent the FB standards), organizing meetings to discuss "taking back" the county "by force" and offering rewards for "the ashes of pride flags" and issuing "hunting licenses" for individuals who question their behavior or operate openly LGBT-friendly businesses.
If your yard sign being stolen is the worst thing happening in your area, stay where you are.
Stay home and enjoy the bandwidth. Where we're going, there is no "area".
Starlink satellites #649-708 are going into space tomorrow. They are planning to launch limited US service when they have 800 up. So that's probably two launches from now.
Sign up now, so that you can be among the first beta testersUpdate from a rural area with moderate politics:
Heavily armed right-wing militias have been coming to peaceful protests and screaming in people's faces, issuing threats against specific community members on social media (worded to circumvent the FB standards), organizing meetings to discuss "taking back" the county "by force" and offering rewards for "the ashes of pride flags" and issuing "hunting licenses" for individuals who question their behavior or operate openly LGBT-friendly businesses.
If your yard sign being stolen is the worst thing happening in your area, stay where you are.
True words, outside of the ongoing target shooting and blasting at the quarries [strike]Griff[/strike] Crackertopia is quiet. Little diversity here this area has already been taken.
Stay home and enjoy the bandwidth. Where we're going, there is no "area".
Starlink satellites #649-708 are going into space tomorrow. They are planning to launch limited US service when they have 800 up. So that's probably two launches from now.
Sign up now, so that you can be among the first beta testers
Yeah, I prefer to hope we get our shit together. The end of American Civilization in HD? Sign me up!
Latest update:
The right-wingers have a list of addresses they believe are "associated with" the recent shooting in Portland. They are going to people's houses to harass and intimidate them. They are gathering in large, heavily-armed numbers in front of businesses that have spoken out against them.
Local police/government are setting up one-on-one meetings with concerned citizens, presumably to explain why they can't do anything but sit back and watch.
A few more Biden signs are sprouting around here. I took signs to the lady whose Biden banner was stolen off her porch. She was very grateful to get them what with the Trump billboard looming over her house. It may have been the :fumette: talking though.
This election is a strain on everyone especially sane Republicans and independents who live in deep red.
https://apnews.com/article/election-2020-donald-trump-religion-virus-outbreak-race-and-ethnicity-4b9c9d7a7aa46c523047a3a0e932e2a8FWIW Franconia was 90/10 Biden signs
That's not what I expected.
J says "More than 90-10, I only saw 3 Trump signs the whole time."
Pete had her third Biden sign stolen last night. Fresh sign in the ground this morning.
If you have some poison oak or ivy on your property? Just curious.
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We don’t but you can get grease and glitter in red and blue. Thing is escalating it wouldn’t be a win. Pete just brings the grabable sign in at night. We went to a rally of like minded folks today (distance masks outdoors) it was a relief just to know there are others out here even if we have to drive across the county to prove it. We met the House candidate seems like a nice dude.
Someone put out a Biden sign in our neighborhood (there are quite a few of them). Someone left the sign but placed a handwritten note stating that political signs are illegal according to our homeowners association and at the end added quote go Trump.
FYI, my wife was on the board when this was discussed years ago and political signs are allowed within size limits.
The complaintant adding the go Trump statement did turn what could have been a genuine concern into a partisan tactic.
Also, leaving a handwritten note instead of actually complaining to the board was an act of cowardice and intimidation.
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Perhaps the complainant didn't report it to the board because the complainant knew the political sign wasn't illegal according to the homeowners association and was just bluffing figuring anyone who would promote Biden was gullible enough to fall for it.
This perspective is supported by the complainant having added the Go Trump note which could have also constituted an illegal political sign there; unless, the complainant already knew what complainant wrote wasn't true.