Merv's Politically Incorrect Audio Blog

It's basically the same 5 or so ingredients arranged a few dozen different ways.

There's probably an analogy for American politics somewhere in that sentence...

 

Wow. Right now my face looks as if you had just told me that you had joined the Elks Lodge so that you could take in all the nubile young women You know, it's probably not too late to get your money back...

 

Not really TBH. Scientists aren’t “elites”. At least not the vast majority of them. It’s a terrible career to go into to try to get rich. Scamming NIH basically doesn’t happen. The system may be as good as it can be or close. There will always be better and worse research. We need to fund NIH sufficiently so that there is money for the brilliant researchers to get funding.

My father has developed a spit test for Covid. No brain probe. It currently takes an hour to get the results back so it’s not a practical replacement now but with funding he could make it instantaneous. But he doesn’t have time to fight NIH for the funding he’s too busy working on finding a cure for another illness. If NIH was better funded it would be easier for researchers to get funding for things like this. A spit test for Covid would be a pretty big deal as far as testing people. But it isn’t going to happen.

NIH funding isn’t “bad money”. It’s probably one of the best investments we make for our future.

I agree about the deficit but strongly disagree about taking it from NIH of all places. And if Congress wanted to they could increase the NIH budget without taking from Medicaid or Medicare.

I think part of the problem with the deficit is borrowing money to fight never ending anti-terror wars. It’s one thing to borrow money for something like WWII that’s an emergency and will end. But never ending anti-terrorism wars should be paid for with a tax. If it’s serious enough to send soldiers to die it’s serious enough for us to pay for it now.

I also don’t think now is the time to pay back the deficit. Not in the middle of a crisis. Trump should have worked on it instead of building the tiny wall. And taken it out of the military budget while we can. (No war). Letting small businesses all over he country go out of business because of a temporary pandemic would be a bad idea.

 

I don’t understand Taco Bell. Taquerias are already fast but it’s real food. WTF is the point of going to Taco Bell and eating plastic when you can just as easily go to a real taqueria and get real fresh food just as fast? That also tastes way better I might add and is just as cheap.

I don’t understand any fast food though. I like in n out. That’s it...

 

Here in DFW it's all about gas station tacos. There's an annual list (I think published in D magazine) for the best tacos. Many of them are from people that set up a small kitchen in a gas station.

They're street tacos rather than something fancy. And…now my mouth is watering.

 

There’s gotta be tons of good Mexican joints in LA. Even in states across the country as long as there’s a Mexican population or part of town there’ll be a taco truck or general Mexican food store often with a taco stand which is generally better than Taco Bell and probably faster.

I’m more a veggie burrito guy than a taco guy but it’s the same. If they don’t have burritos I like veggie tacos just fine.

 

The last 10 posts or so goes entirely against the social media, media in general, business model. How am I supposed to get outraged, and aggravated, and in the mood of uncontrollable clicking. Reading about tacos, and lettuce, and veggie burritos etc...? Give me some hate please !

 

strange. I figured if SF has cheap taquerias all over the city (not just in the Mission) LA would too. There’s even a great Taqueria on Russian Hill (super yuppie). Maybe not in the Marina though (even more yuppie)

 

Our government has been living large on a credit card for decades in good times and bad, and when they max it out, they vote themselves a higher limit. Lots of neat shit and tax cuts to boot. What's not to like? The problem with deficit spending is that it only works until it doesn't. That day is the day the currency crisis shows up on the doorstep because creditor nations don't want our currency any more. If inflation is under control, someone explain a $70,000 pickup truck to me.

Our country couldn't (or wouldn't) handle the extreme and extended austerity required to bring it back under control. It would mean many deaths of politicians. Feeding the bear has dangerous consequences when you stop feeding the bear. You saw the scribbled "Where's my money" message on McConnell's door - probably from someone who has suffered no financial hardship from the virus and only wanted his "fair share". He might have had a 60 inch flat screen from China picked out to buy. We are showing ourselves to be a weak and undisciplined people, perpetually in need of government "help". Land of the free and home of the brave is pretty much bullshit on both counts. I don't see it getting better because I don't see the will to do what it takes. The upcoming crowd looks poised to double down on spending us rich. Never worked before, maybe we didn't spend enough. They will go find an economist who can say that it a way that makes it sound feasible.

When it all comes home to roost, the investment banker living in the high-rise penthouse will starve to death long before the toothless redneck who knows how to farm. This assumes that a band of self-proclaimed "patriots" with black rifles doesn't find his garden on their way to DC.

 

Yep, during the "Occupy Wall Street" thing they pretty much just hung out in tents and smoked pot. The latest featured law and order "thin blue line" supporters beating cops with American flags. A shooting war seems next up. I hope to be wrong.

 

Wonderful profit margins and add-ons that consumers just love on a truck. That's why dealerships makes so much money on trucks + on top of inflation that most people won't even use them for their actual purposes. I see some higher end trucks with the add-ons are hitting the $100k territory. It's crazy what I been seeing on my financial world on vehicles as of late.

Country won't be the same, at least FL won't be the same. The amount of popularity of Trump here is not too surprising. Talked with some folks over the weekend who still think the election is stolen, Trump is right, and this is hand-to-hand combat war against Democrats the cheaters at this point. Guys like my father (who thinks of all of these things now) aren't going away anytime soon, and are very bitter that a 78 year old man who doesn't know how to talk is President.

 

I know a few acquaintances that work in oil/tech/construction that can afford fully tricked out F-150 King Ranch editions while the other half are living with their parents complaining about never having cash. We may not get you income tax but we do get you in property taxes

I've also resigned myself to buying a truck next. Can't jam in bigger ticket items into my small Honda Civic (which is very nice mind you) and being 6'1" it's a pain having to turn my head to get into the low to the ground platform.