Merv's Politically Incorrect Audio Blog

The Democratic or Republican party does not have the power to shut the WORLD ECONOMY down for a virus with a 99% survival rate.
Know your enemy and do not be distracted by divide and conquer psyop tactics.
Do not invest in anything that doesn't decrease your dependence on the grid.

 

The problem is that 1% of the population is 3.3 million people. That's not exactly insignificant. The other problem is that if we allow hospitals to get overrun, they lose the ability to help anyone else. Like if you get in car accident and your local hospital is at capacity, you should probably just walk it off.

I think there's a very simple solution:
Wear masks, wash your hands, social distance. Then you keep flare-ups to a minimum so life goes on without much disruption or business closures. If there's a local flare-up, you shut down locally for a few weeks, get it back under control and then move on with life.

It's a shitty situation any way you look at it but there are easier and harder ways to wade through shit.

 

Keep in mind a lot of voters who left IL/CA/NY and move to FL for example are pretty Anti-Government because they hate how their elected officials ruined those states. Perfect example is NY, most property owners have to pay a higher rate of property taxes. If you look at a NY State property tax bill you will be shaking your head on not only how high it is but how the money is being use for services you are never going to use. For example, some of the NY state property taxes goes towards MTA (the NYC transit authority for trains and buses). Why the f**k someone who lives in rural part of Upstate New York is paying for NYC shit? It is stupid stuff like this plus other policies are making people grow a distaste of bigger government, move to FL for example, and vote down ticket GOP. Of course most don't understand that FL GOP does spend money just as much as other government, but in different ways.

USPS has an interesting problem that FedEx/UPS don't have: It is mandated by the Constitution that the Federal Gov set up post office, so USPS has a Constitution monopoly on First Class Mail. Yes, USPS is cheaper than the private options, but I really, really, really hate dealing with the USPS on anything. Their hours sucks, their service sucks, the people at the post office are angry and rude as f**k, their Automated Mailing Machines near me break down most of the time, and lately Priority Mail has been taking more than three days for delivery.

When I order from Drop, I pay the extra $5 to upgrade the free shipping to two-day FedEx shipping. I have friends who work for USPS and most of them hate it, but they also love it because they can be lazy and get that killer government benefits that we pay for. Bumps.

FL has tons of private prisons. This is due to cut down cost since FL voters don't really like higher taxes. Why give prisoners nicer benefits? To the regular FL voter, they deserve nothing. FL GOP back in 2018 did past Gun Restrictions after the Parkland shooting. However, I don't think it will survive due to some of the Restrictions is based on age discrimination (21 and older are allow to buy guns), and that is normally illegal.

What I say is this, if you go too far-left on certain stuff, then the voters in FL will give you the thumbs down. FL in general aren't a big fan of progressive policies, they prefer cheap housing and things like that.

When the MN riots happened, I stated that MN became a toss-up on the presidential elections. I don't trust the polls in MN due to every past election in MN the % of Dems winning is becoming less and less. Clinton only won MN by 10k votes, and there is a big population of voters (white and not college educated) who are leaning to vote GOP.

However, people are dumb because policing is not really a federal issue but a state's rights issue under the 10th amendment. Voting for Trump will not stop the riots because honestly that isn't the job of Washington DC to figure it out. At that point voters need to figure it out that it is something the State and City needs to handle on their own, not the Federal Government.

As always, rioters always make their side looks worse and makes the suburbs vote more GOP (even if they don't know any better most of the time). Fear stuff works, after the infamous Crown Heights Riots in NYC that's how Rudy Giuliani won Mayor in NYU after the second time (Rudy won with a heavy white power turnout, Jews who thought the blacks wanted to kill them (my dad perfect example). Some might be shock that MN could flip, but I'm not surprised if it does.

Oh yeah I agree with this. However, in many parts near me you are cases as Anti-American if you even say anything bad about policing in general. This wedge issue has gotten to the point where you are not allow to say anything negative towards policing. It has gotten toxic near my backyard.

Mostly younger and middle age folks. They mostly fall in the following categories:

Military: Jacksonville has two Navy bases (Mayport for Subs and NAS Airfield). We get tons of transfers from San Diego and other parts of the county. We get former Cali folks perma stay in FL after they finish their Navy Service. Some really love how the GOP controls and manage the state. However, they really love FL and the FL GOP due to over the last two decades the FL GOP worked hard to provide more tax breaks for those who are in the military (mostly hosing exceptions on property taxes), and to make sure that those who serve gets tons of breaks (no income tax on regular income or on Military pensions). FL GOP also bend backwards for military folks in general to the point that they are "buying" their votes. It make sense, military and veterans by large vote heavily towards the GOP. You know Rep Mike Gatz (who is more/less loves Trump)? In his FL Congressional 1st District has one of the highest amounts of military folks/retirees in the country in the Panhandle. Those guys love how much support they get from the FL GOP, and they voter in high numbers.

I say all of this because in Cali it isn't really a military friendly state. Sure you might get breaks here and there, but you can't beat the much cheaper housing cost and tons of tax breaks by being a veteran who lives in FL. Can't blame them at all.

Business Folks: It's a fact, those business regulation and stuff hurts so much smaller businesses that they leave Cali. I know this guy from my local Libertarian Party meetings who recently moved to Jacksonville from San Diego. He sells property for a living and sound the nutty high COL to become too much. He sold his basic home in San Diego and gotten him a waterfront property in Jax Beach and still has tons of monies in the bank. He loves FL due to how much easier to do business here. He stated his income went up and his quality of life went up big time since moving to Jax. No more crappy SoCal traffic issues, and no more stupid Cali matters. While this guy is a Libertarian, he was pretty pleased with how the FL GOP opened the state up for business and removing roadblocks (aka deregulation).

Priced Outers: My friend at work with is family got priced out from the Valley. He was like what is the point in being on the road for so many hours of the day and being stressed out with the crazy COL. His wife had a chance to do her law degree in Jax so the whole family bailed out. He stated he still miss LA but he has an easier time putting a roof over his head here even with the big cut in pay. He is a moderate Dem but don't want a location going hard right or left.

Fun fact: I know some moderate Dems who voted for Trump and are planning to vote for him again due to $$$ issues.

Social Conservatives: I met some (mostly middle age) who moved to FL from Cali since they found Cali to be bias against religious folks. They didn't like how loose are abortion laws in Cali, and anti god values from the local/state government. They love in FL it is easy to homeschool their children, and the private Christian schools are cheaper. They also love FL School Choice programs since it can help a poor family send their kids to Private schools. It also helps that in North FL (the I10 corridor from Panhandle to Jax) there is still a strong southern religious culture here.

 

I'd like to bring a little found levity:



and

 

Annnd Trump got Covid-19....

https://mobile.twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/1311892190680014849

The world is weird.

 

Democratic leaders like Durkin and Wheeler suffer from “cool mom” syndrome where they want so badly to be seen as one of “the people” but the radicals hate them anyway.

 

Kind stepping in the middle of all this but seems like the convo has taken a turn for population control. Here's the thing, best thing for low birth rates is a modern educated liberal society where women have rights. Just look at all the developed nations and you see similar data with birth rates.

People were worried about overpopulation in Japan for awhile, now their population is shrinking without a one-child policy. Same thing goes much of Western Europe. France and Germany have had low births rates for quite awhile and depend on immigration to fill in a lot of jobs.

Not that low birthrates are actually a good thing. Many people who want kids are choosing to delay because it would interfere with their careers. Or they are working 2-3 jobs just to get by and don't want to deal with another child. But it is worth mentioning that even in places with very generous family leave policies and childcare (Nordic countries), they still have lower birthrates.

That being said, the USA is nowhere near that. They can maintain 1 billion people with all the resources they have.

and OMFG ROLFMAO Trump covid!

 

Government is the very antithesis of balanced. Government may do some things better than the market, but what it does best, and what is at the foundation of everything government is doing is expansion. It is siphoning decisions about all aspects of life, and of course it is a very gradual but constant process, from an individual citizen to civil servants.
And it is not conspiracy or anything like that it is just a natural unstoppable tendency.

 

I think in order to judge government we have to look at the origins of government. When civilizations first cropped up, people needed several things: some set of rules that apply to everyone, a common system for defense, a central body to coordinate large scale municipal projects. As societies grew, more came to be expected from govt - specifically social welfare programs. These vary from country to country. Some want education and/or healthcare to be a basic right their country offers. Some don't. Some want farmers to be protected (I personally know farmers who don't actually grow anything. They sit on their asses and collect govt funds. These btw are the same people who hate socialism).

So the question is, given a specific country, is their government doing more or less than what the citizens want? If it's doing more, then it's expanding for its own sake and needs to be stopped. If it's less, then it needs to do more.

I think voting based on what some asshole (Rep or Dem) promises or says is stupid. If you want a "free" and "democratic" country it doesn't matter who's in "power". What should matter is what they do. So what we should be voting on instead is laws - everything should be a public referendum. Everybody votes and the politicians are expected to carry out the majority's wishes. If they don't , they get fired and replaced. It's the only way to maintain control over govt. All these politicians who are in power for decades just because people like their POV are a waste of resources and our tax dollars.

 

You are right my point was that government is expanding by its nature, no matter what, and it could not care less what people want.

 

Yup, that's why we need to be able to fire these people. And for f's sake, stop re-electing them endlessly.

 

People are apes. All it take is an army of goat herders armed with slightly longer spears or better bows following a guy who wants to be the king of everything.

Concepts of ownership, monetization, and markets fail to the silverback model. Most of the world does not have an open market. If people think the third world, including the PRC, has real capitalist markets, they’re in for a shock. Most of it is less free than high medieval Europe with large towns and traveling markets. Many of these countries have less control over people and territory too than those pre-modern states and proto-states did. There are decades long rebellions still going on in South America and India. Then there is the fact that feudal states and third world counties mostly operate economically like organized crime. Third world states, rulers, societies just don’t get picked off and chipped away at as much because the United Nations and international development organizations prevent countries from from shooting and starving each other now unlike medieval kings and mafia dons.

Most famines and political instability happen in fucked up countries because they are grossly mismanaged. Spending billions on international development to curry the favor of the glorified mafia dons of shitholes isn’t the answer. Throwing money at impoverished people in the USA isn’t going to make them better off. Taking their resources and giving more to the wealthy certainly won’t. Trumpism anti immigration is insane. The Democrats’ support for illegal immigrants is insane. The US immigration policy that hurts needed workers while letting in those who can’t or refuse to work and giving them free shit is insane. That we let companies fly in foreigners to underpay and make them an indentured servant by another name rather than pay an American slightly more is insane. Indentured servants and serfs are one step up from slaves. The fact that we let the market value companies at thousands of times their annual profit is insane. Apple won’t exist in a thousand years and Spotify won’t exist in ten. The fact that the United States feeds, clothes, and houses pedophiles while children starve on the street is batshit insane.

 

Talked with my dad today after coming back from the Zoo, his thoughts:

• Telling the President to shut up on the debate is disrespectful to the citizens of the country and that should disqualify Biden.
• The media is out to get the President because he is winning for Americans.
• Chris Wallace is just another RINO who is asking the same questions about groups like the Proud Boys four years ago, and once you ask someone a question you are not allowed to answer it again forever. Also, Chris Wallace is trying to bring down Trump.

After letting my father speak, I reminded him that both Biden/Trump were pretty much rude as f**k and disrespectful to each other. However, my father disagreed and stated the President has the right to speak any way as he want since he is an elected official. Biden is not an elected official and must show respect to the President, even if the President might be rude and loud.

Regardless of how you feel about people like my father, it is this mindset is why Trump (even with him having Covid) still has a major shot in winning FL next month. I met so many people who are more/less very bias for Trump that they will not change their mind at all. Guess what, I know plenty of liberals who hate Trump guts with their own biases. Goes both ways! However, in FL as I stated before the GOP has registered more voters than Dems and is doing a great job with turning out the voters in the very red counties. I think I saw 20 cars with Trump bumper stickers (with five having a big Trump art on their car) where most of them are driven by the regular FL voter (older and white, which is a big thing here).

The funny part wasn't this, it was him having a ten minute conversation with me on why he doesn't think he want to vote by mail. He told me that the county mailed him a mail in ballot request form, which he filled out. However, he told me today that the form came from the Trump campaign since he votes for the GOP. He was like he was scared someone would steal his ballot or something. I had to remind him that the state elections is run by the GOP and the local elections office that handles his ballot is run by the GOP who is telling people it is ok to vote by mail with no drama (which is true in FL).

My father like the majority of citizens in the US don't think seriously at all. I dunno if I should shake my head or not. I want a beer.

 

Why still? Why only Florida? As much as plenty of people love to hate Trump, they aren't constructively motivated or organized enough to win an election at the national level. Meanwhile, the GOP has been working systematically for decades to get where they are now.

Look forward to another four years (at least).

 

Because I live in FL. Each state is different in dynamics with regards to the major political parties. Also, being in FLfor awhile I experienced how things are done politically here. I can't speak to how things are going down in the other states, even if I can make a guess (this is due to I live in FL, and not MN for example).

East FL from Northeast FL to South FL has tons of NYC retirees. A good chunk of these retirees were moderate/conservatives NYC voters who voted for the Conservative Democrat Mayor Ed Koch (Pro-Police, didn't take crap from the minority groups when he was reducing welfare, which the White voters and the Jewish voters love), and gave Rudy Giuliani the NYC mayor position after he promised to clean up the streets after the race riots under David Dinkins (who as of today is the only elected black mayor of NYC). This was Giuliani second attempt for running for Mayor, which he won the second time due to heavy White and Jewish voter turnout for him (White Turnout for Giuliani was almost 75%).

The voters didn't give a f**k if NYPD had to break laws to keep the street safe, they want it safe. Voters also have a distrust against plenty of the minority groups, so they don't mind if Giuliani was an ass towards Blacks/Spanish. I remember when I was growing up in NYC where more/less I was taught to avoid black people because they will mug you because I am Jewish. I kid you not.

As time goes on these voters who voted for Koch and Giuliani left NYC. A good chunk of them move to FL and a lot of them vote down ticket GOP. Over time it is almost impossible for anyone under the GOP ticket to win Mayor of NYC, this is due to the voters who would vote for the GOP are no longer in NYC. Trump talks like a regular person from NYC, and voters like my father love it. Trump acts just like any other NYC'er and move to FL since well NYC sucks (plus his own tax bill he benefit from it personally). They also love that Trump doesn't take shit, which is a common NYC'er trait. They also don't mind that he hate liberal minority groups like BLM. Or as my dad said: BLM is a front of Muslim groups who want to kill the Jews. My dad told me last year that I need to arm myself because the Muslims are taking over the Dem party and they will start hunting down Jews.

Over the years I met plenty of NYC'ers who are retirees here in NE FL. Majority of them are White/Jewish who vote heavily for the GOP due to they believe crime/riots must be stopped now without caring about the constitution, GOP doing a good job for the State of Israel (those recent peace deals with some of the Arab nations gave great deal of positive news for Trump with regards to Jewish voters), and no to socialism (due to plenty of these NYC'ers hate how generous the welfare programs up in NYC and having minorities not working while they work their ass off to survive). They also prefer to move into areas which is majority white (my dad perfect example, he prefer to be in an area with a low black population because he still thinks being black is being a criminal at times).

Most of this stuff is very disgusting, however, this is part of the puzzle on why the GOP in FL has done a good job with winning FL elections on thin margins. They love when more people leave NYC (and NY State) and realize how much less in taxes they are paying when moving to FL. Like everything my fellow NYC'ers are ignorant on the limitations of the Federal Government and not realizing that Medicare and Social Security are also partly funded by my tax payer money and should be considered "socialist." Fear sells and gets you votes. NYC folks have a fear complex like there is no tomorrow, but you need to understand the history of NYC to understand why.

 

I disagree. And I'm getting a whiff of "big government" paranoia here. Anyone who talks about "big government" is being brainwashed by Fox News and the GOP. "Big" or size in general is a meaningless measurement for government. It's like measuring the performance of headphones in square inches. It's just non-sensical and only used to illicit a feeling.

What we want is effective government, whatever that means. And I disagree about the government turning us into servants. The biggest reason Government must expand is because rich porkers, lawyers and corporations are constantly finding loopholes in regulations meant to benefit and protect US. So then new legislation must be made to close the loopholes.

Government isn't the problem with our country right now, it's the private sector that is f'ing everything up, and right now, the balance needs to move towards more government control of services and more regulation and less private services and freedom. This mostly applies to mega corporations and most of it wouldn't affect small businesses, or shouldn't. They are the lifeblood of the country and aren't doing any damage.

of course for this shift to work, it requires a government full of elected politicians who want to make the country better, not just push a corporate agenda. Which we are very far from.