Politics

[Saul]

I need clarification on this.

I didn't even graduate high school... So doubt that i would be classified as an intellectual. So please the concept of people voting based on the endorsement of Britney Spears who i would consider an elitist..... How again is she also an Intellectual?

To clarify, I was referring to disdain for those who have achieved substantial success or status in a field as a product of their expertise.

The term “elite” is so ill-defined that its use in such discussions is practically pointless, but too often seems to be used in a way to express derision for those with greater knowledge and experience in a particular field.

 

[Saul]

I have no doubt you are most likely right in your supposition... I don't believe that I have ever questioned anyone's integrity here even though I may vehemently disagree with them?

Please understand that I don't automatically assume someone who happens to be wealthy, a CEO or whatever other lofty position one can attain, is out of touch with the people they oversee... I don't know too many folks here personally, so I can only go by what they post when I make my assertions... I was merely conveying my personal experiences with these types of bosses which was that this is the rule rather than the exception in my field... My assertions were specifically made about certain individuals being out of touch and unrelatable to the guys with dirt on their hands... As of yet, I honestly haven't heard anything to think otherwise... If I am indeed wrong, I'll be the first to admit it...

On a side note, I've worked for many bosses in my lifetime, and I have encountered very few "leaders" among them...

It seems to me that it has more to do with the type of work itself more so than the position one occupies. What I mean is that a person leading an engineering company most likely has a great deal of expertise in engineering and could easily relate to the engineers they employ. At the same time, I think that same person would struggle to relate to their janitorial staff.

 

[BSO Dave]

The term “elite” is so ill-defined that its use in such discussions is practically pointless, but too often seems to be used in a way to express derision for those with greater knowledge and experience in a particular field.

Two different definitions in the same dictionary:

"a select group that is superior in terms of ability or qualities to the rest of a group or society"

"a group or class of people seen as having the greatest power and influence within a society, especially because of their wealth or privilege"

It's all in the context I suppose...

 

[Wheels]

It is a joke that America doesn't have a functioning president.

https://twitter.com/x/status/1840808103958495367

 

[mdwest]

What is more sad to me is the American people are accepting it… and politicians on both sides are just sitting back doing absolutely nothing about it… like it’s ok or something because we’ll have a new president in 4 more months…

 

[Tanks]

...

"Shit man, consider all the endless traffic and sky high gas prices in Cali.... I actually get more of my life back by air commuting than living in Cali!"

Definitely an eye opener.

True that. When I go to a client's location in LA it is about an hour or so. Coming back in the evening can take up to 3 hours depending on traffic. Gas is over $5 which is mostly due to CA gas taxes (people living here actually voted for an increase on it) and refining regulations.

 

[Red Leg]

What is more sad to me is the American people are accepting it… and politicians on both sides are just sitting back doing absolutely nothing about it… like it’s ok or something because we’ll have a new president in 4 more months…

I suspect a big part of it is that the majority of the population and the Congress have accepted the notion that he hasn't been in charge for a while, and the status quo, whatever it is, will suffice until inauguration.

 

[WAB]

True that. When I go to a client's location in LA it is about an hour or so. Coming back in the evening can take up to 3 hours depending on traffic. Gas is over $5 which is mostly due to CA gas taxes (people living here actually voted for an increase on it) and refining regulations.

You’ve got that right, CARB gasoline is an absolute joke. It does no environmental good and cannot be made from a barrel of crude oil. As a result high grade blend components are shipped from WA refineries to CA and the backhaul is the lower quality components they can’t get into the blend and meet CARB specs. I’m sorry, but if you let idiots lead this is what you get.

 

[Datchew]

I suspect a big part of it is that the majority of the population and the Congress have accepted the notion that he hasn't been in charge for a while, and the status quo, whatever it is, will suffice until inauguration.

Yup
And no political ground to be gained making a show of it.

 

[John Wasmuth]

In case you missed it, comrade John Kerry says the 1st amendment needs to go, or words to that effect…….. and people get upset when we call them communists……

 

[Velo Dog]

In case you missed it, comrade John Kerry says the 1st amendment needs to go, or words to that effect…….. and people get upset when we call them communists……

I believe it was John Wayne who said something like, “You can call yourself a Liberal or a Progressive or a Democrat or whatever but, you’re still just another Communist to me”.

 

[ActionBob]

Obviously, I do not support privatization for LE or Fire protection services, but my reasons might surprise some of you...

In theory, privatization of these services sound like they would solve a lot of the problems... This has actually been tried in Florida to some extend in different communities and has proven not to be feasible or affordable for many reasons... Wackenhut, MediVan, and American Ambulance are a few national private companies that have tried and failed mostly due to the challenge of the logistics of serving one city or municipality that does not have the same training and/or qualification standards as the other... Many of these services require mutual aid and infrastructure that would be very costly to implement and still deliver the same standard of service.

The main problem with regard to police and fire services is that each community is unique in both demographics, and risk... These services are never a "one size fits all" scenario. Most cities and counties actually want these services to mirror both their demographics and specific needs which outside private services cannot provide. Also, many communities especially in rural areas cannot afford private services especially for Fire and EMS protection. Even their police protection is bare minimum, and to this day function as a volunteer basis which I also oppose for safety reasons...

The only way privatization of these services would work is if the entire city or state subscribed to one service... And, even then, that city or state would be subject to a monopoly of said services...

I always used to joke with the firemen that they should go back to the old days when fire service was privatized, and the different departments would all race to the fire and brawls between the competing departments would break out over who gets the fire while the building burns to the ground... If anybody has ever seen the movie Gangs of New York, you know what I am talking about...

Wow, long response.... what I said was that Social Security could be privatized.... I wasn't talking about Firemen nor Law Enforcement....

 

[Tanks]

You’ve got that right, CARB gasoline is an absolute joke. It does no environmental good and cannot be made from a barrel of crude oil. As a result high grade blend components are shipped from WA refineries to CA and the backhaul is the lower quality components they can’t get into the blend and meet CARB specs. I’m sorry, but if you let idiots lead this is what you get.

On the flip side of it, it does generate business. We are doing 3 refinery CEMS projects this year courtesy of EPA 40 CFR 60 and AQMD rules.

When there are lemons, make lemonade.

 

[1dirthawker]

I would not call government workers that have 100% job security "working-class" folks per se. I have several neighbors that are OC Sheriff deputies living in million-dollar homes in my neighborhood. On my street alone I have a recently retired fireman, a couple of teachers, and a husband/wife OC Sheriff captains. They all seem to be doing rather well, and they were all here before myself (12 years).

@deewayne2003 replied:
Agreed! Having the upper echelon of public servants living in your neighborhood; they've had good salaries and if they've been there 12+ years they probably bought in before housing prices went crazy.


for what its worth, i was a fireman for 20 years, retired 4 years ago. i live in a nice house in anchorage, but i bought it 24 years ago for $167K. i could not afford to buy the very house i live in today in the market that exists now.

btw, a fireman is at the bottom of the pay scale in the fire dept. i did not promote, so was able to do well on my house (which i have no intention of selling) by simply being in it a long time, paying it off and being in it a long time. the people that were living there before @Tanks probably did the same thing i did. bought it quite a while ago and never moved.

 

[rookhawk]

I saw a very interesting documentary last night relevant to our current political landscape.

It was called “Will & Harper” and it was a documentary about Will Ferrell and a close friend of his that used to be the head writer of SNL, Mr. Steele. Well, Harper is/was a 60 year old man that recently became trans.

Two hours of roadtrip footage of the two of them going all across America in a variety of settings from NBA games, Grand Canyon, Honky Tonks, and rural towns. Frankly, the entire film was exhausting and disgusting. On one hand, Will Ferrell is trying to convince himself, his friend, and the planet that he is empathetic and understanding, and on the other hand is a friend that is a completely self-absorbed derelict man.

At face value, you might find it repulsive if you focus on the sexual aspects of it, what tackle, top/bottom surgeries, whatever, but the revulsion for me had nothing to do with that. I realized how F’d in the head the trannie was. Every second of every conversation was about his creation of myth that he is a real woman and his devastation that most people don’t see him that way. Not a second of thought was given by the Harper character about anybody else, being a good parent, dressing whatever way is best to earn a living, etc.

That’s when it sort of hit me how warped the trans mentality is. Every day, I figure out how I must act to be of maximum service to my family. I dress in a way to maximally satisfy my client or customer. I find my happiness in being of service to others on their level and their terms. Literally, the opposite of the trans mentality that is focused completely on trying to project whatever they think they are on everybody else, expecting everyone else to be comfortable with their outfit/delusion/projection.

There is a useless narcissism at the core of this trans movement and that movie really drilled it home for me. It’s an overvaluation of the importance of self rather than molding and morphing one’s own person to be of maximum use to family/community/customer.

In conclusion, I found the Harper character and the trans movement to be far more destructive and harmful than the simple chicks with dicks cliche would suggest. Literally, its a group of people with their heads up their own asses, stuck in a vortex of self absorption while derelict in all their duties to others.

 

[1dirthawker]

On the flip side of it, it does generate business. We are doing 3 refinery CEMS projects this year courtesy of EPA 40 CFR 60 and AQMD rules.

When there are lemons, make lemonade.

if one is in a position to take advantage of these new rules, then i guess, yes, it is making lemonade out of lemons.

for all the rest of the people living there, paying $5 a gallon for gas; no lemonade....it sucks to be them.

 

[1dirthawker]

In conclusion, I found the Harper character and the trans movement to be far more destructive and harmful than the simple chicks with dicks cliche would suggest. Literally, its a group of people with their heads up their own asses, stuck in a vortex of self absorption while derelict in all their duties to others.

yeah, AND, they want you to accept, rejoice and celebrate their mental distress. If you don't.....you would be considered "transphobic". hmmm.

 

[Tanks]

if one is in a position to take advantage of these new rules, then i guess, yes, it is making lemonade out of lemons.

for all the rest of the people living there, paying $5 a gallon for gas; no lemonade....it sucks to be them.

Actually, the rules have been around for decades. The biggest reason for high CA gas prices is the gas tax people voted for themselves a few years ago.

 

[Trogon]

if one is in a position to take advantage of these new rules, then i guess, yes, it is making lemonade out of lemons.

for all the rest of the people living there, paying $5 a gallon for gas; no lemonade....it sucks to be them.

I've conducted process emission testing for nearly 40 years as a stationary source stack tester, 40 CFR Part 60 is well behind the horizon looking in the rearview view mirror. That book of regulations was relevant for me in 1987. A previous boss had a box of hole saw cut-outs from steel exhaust stacks in his office told me that someday soon, we'd have those welded back in place as the air would be so clean, they wouldn't be needed. The specific number of EPA subparts is staggering now for complying with testing and reporting. All on the backs of our industry.

 

[WAB]

Actually, the rules have been around for decades. The biggest reason for high CA gas prices is the gas tax people voted for themselves a few years ago.

It’s a mix. Production costs of CARB gasoline are much higher than conventional gasoline for the reasons I stated earlier. Being around a long time doesn’t change that. It actually did some good with 1960’s engine technology. It does nothing today other than cost consumers more money.

It’s like ULSD. We have to hydrotreat at much higher pressure to meet the ultra low sulfur diesel specs. This comes at a significantly higher op ex that never goes away, even when the cap ex is recovered.