All_Pro_Bills

I just remember Montour was nothing to write home about with the Sabres and suddenly became extremely productive when traded to the Panthers. I believe he was less than enthusiastic about being traded to Buffalo and sandbagged it to get out. But given how bad that team was I don't blame him.

When you realize all the simpletons that believed the Russian collusion hoax still believe it even when faced with official investigations that have proven it to be a hoax. Idiots.

I'd be curious to hear what solutions anyone has to the problem. My expectation is some grassroots movement of centrist thinking people running for office at local and state levels, and later through a national party organization run candidates for Federal offices. All while keeping to the mission and not succumbing to the temptations of the lobbyists and the existing parties. But the timeline for that might be 10 to 15 years and the road to that goal is paved with lots of potholes and traps that would be set along the way by the forces preferring the two party system. Another path might be centrist Democrats and Republicans agreeing to forma third party by breaking away from their current affiliations but this seems less likely to me.

The problem is all credible political figures expressing and supporting viable solutions and polices that represent the interests of the majority at the center are consistently attacked, discredited, and marginalized by the uni-party establishment. Which leaves citizens and voters such as myself, and what I suspect most others here, to make a lose/lose "lesser of two evils" choice which leaves my actual interests unrepresented. My inclination for reluctantly preferring Trump vs. Biden was based on my conclusion his Presidency would do less damage than a Biden administration. Based on the record to date I believe that to be correct but that belief provides little comfort because everything is such a mess.

First, they don't see Nazi's as a major problem. These people aren't "MAGA types". They're clearly visible and accepted remnants of German WW2 occupation and collaboration with the SS. Assisting in the "rounding up" and extermination of Ukrainian citizens that Hitler and his mob deemed to be undesirables. Meanwhile, in 2023, the Pentagon is trying to identify and expel "extremists" from the US services while the Ukrainian military embraces Nazi paramilitary group members as the core of their most effective combat troops. Do you see the irony there?

Wars are fought on the battlefield and in the press. Lots of propaganda and sleight of hand. The attack on the Kakhova dam being the most recent incident of finger pointing. You can't trust anyone. And counting on the media to tell the real story? Forget it. I don't trust Washington or Moscow. What I do trust is employing reason and logic, being objective, and assessing events with a touch of common sense. Like the NordStream pipeline attack. Immediately the Russians did it? Why would they do that? Common sense says just turn the valve off. That initial theory has more or less been put to bed and the current tale is some Ukrainian group was responsible. I'm not entirely sold on that story either as there are lots of loose ends there too. And my reason and logic says there's a problem with this conflict in providing unlimited assistance without some clearly articulated objectives for what officials say "however long it takes" Without defining what "it" is. As this is now a war of attrition and I don't see Ukraine winning a war of attrition with Russia that would leave the remaining path to victory being direct NATO or US involvement in combat operations. Perhaps Americans remain unconcerned by this prospect because they expect the war to be fought "over there". But don't count on it.

Not the Babylon Bee but on topic. Which is making fun of social justice liberals. Because its so easy! Take the quiz. While the typical DEI position requires no expertise of any sort, it does require a collection of attitudes toward your fellow men and women, an ability to utter shameless platitudes and clichés, and embrace a clearly identifiable and primitive Manichean worldview grounded in paranoia. If you aim to become a promising candidate for a Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) position, either in the corporate world or in academia, you can easily discover if you have the necessary self-conscious virtue by taking this five-minute employment aptitude survey. Answer “Yes” to the following statements if you agree, and add or subtract the points assigned for each question based on your Yes answer. Then score yourself by comparing your results with those in the chart at the end. Good luck! 1) I am not appreciated for my many talents. +3 2) I am inherently suspicious of others. +3 3) I believe that America is the land of opportunity. -3 4) I believe that I have access to truths denied to others. +5 5) I believe that I must work hard for my reward. -3 6) I believe in a world that is divided into oppressors and oppressed, exploiters and exploited and that these groups are easily identified by the color of their skin. +5 7) I believe that I can work to give in-groups preferential treatment while simultaneously saying that there are no racial or gender preferences at our institution. +3 8. I believe that I should bring my “authentic self” to work, irrespective of any other considerations. +5 9) I believe, like Frederick Douglass, that in America, one can pull oneself up “by the bootstraps” to succeed. -7 10) If I fail in my job, I immediately search for the reason in causes external to me, such as the “system” or the “unearned advantages” available to other people. +7 11) If people question me and ask for evidence for what I say, I immediately attack them for their “resistance” to the truth that I offer in my story. +5 12) I believe that “indigenous” forms of knowledge such as the “medicine wheel” and the “talking stick” should be incorporated into our scientific discourse. +7 13) I always list my pronouns in my email signature and social media profiles. +3 14) I recognize that today’s “Diversity” office resembles the Soviet Union’s old Political Commissariat, where political ideologues occupied positions to report on the political reliability of those who actually worked to accomplish the mission. -10 BONUS POINTS: If you know this but believe it’s a good thing. +15 15) Anyone who disagrees with the lofty goals of “Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion” is guilty of “diversity resistance.” +5 16) I believe that a doctorate in education, sociology, or gender studies is every bit as important and impressive as a doctorate in physics. +3 17) When people respond to my charges of “racism” in a particular company or university, with bothersome requests for evidence, examples, or proof, I complain of being attacked, invalidated, and dehumanized rather than taking the opportunity to prove my point. +5 18) I believe that “stories” and “narratives” are just as important and as convincing as knowledge grounded in logic, reason, and the scientific method. +7 19) As women are 50 percent more likely to earn bachelor’s degrees than men, this shows we need to do everything we can to support women in higher education. +3 20) I am familiar with the racialist statement “skinfolk aren’t always kinfolk,” and I look with suspicion at persons with whom I share the superficial characteristic of race but who disagree with me. +7 21) I routinely drop the word “systemic” into conversations. +3 22) I use the terms “white supremacy” and “white privilege” comfortably and un-ironically, without awareness that they are equivalent to scapegoat devil terms such as the bourgeoisie, or Kulaks, or International Jewry, or infidels to explain all the bad that happens. +5 23) I believe that the best method for advancing our knowledge and understanding of the physical world is logic, reason, and the type of inquiry we call the scientific method. -10 24) I believe that people like Ijeomo Oluo, Paulo Freire, Ibram Kendi, and Derald Wing Sue have important things to say about our society that get to the inner truth. +5 25) I don’t pay much attention to the fantasies, “stories,” and pseudoscience of Ijeomo Oluo, Paulo Freire, Ibram Kendi, and Derald Wing Sue. -7 26) I believe in something called “diversity science,” which substantiates the basic beneficial tenets of the diversity agenda. +5 27) I believe that “diversity science” is pseudo-scientific twaddle fabricated by off campus nonprofits and imported into universities and the corporate world. -10 28) The Brazilian educationist Paulo Freire and his Pedagogy of the Oppressed inspires me to work for social justice, emancipation, and against oppression in all its forms. +5 29) I know that Paulo Freire was a crypto-Maoist who borrowed almost all of his education theory from Mao Zedong’s murderous Cultural Revolution, which Freire greatly admired. -5 BONUS POINTS: If you know this but believe it’s a good thing. +15 . 30) I believe any disagreement with my worldview can be overcome with more “education.” +3 31) I divide society into “oppressors” and “oppressed,” “exploiters” and “exploited,” and I know that this is a primitive Manichean way of looking at society that resembles a medievalist world divided into “infidels” and “believers.” +5 BONUS POINTS: If you do this and believe it’s a good thing. +5 32) I believe in “inclusion and belonging” as fervently as any member of Reverend Moon’s Unification Church believes in “peace and unity.” +3 33) I believe that I have attained “critical consciousness” and that those who disagree with my ideology are afflicted with “false consciousness” and must be taught to embrace a new belief system. +5 34) I believe that “critical consciousness” and “false consciousness” constitute a tautological contrivance that updates Karl Marx’s notion of “class consciousness” for race and gender sensibilities. -5 BONUS POINTS: I recognize that critical consciousness is the latest play on Plato’s cave allegory from his Republic of the 4th century B.C. -5 DOUBLE-BONUS POINTS: If you know the foregoing and believe they are good things. +15 I don’t know who Plato is. +10 35) I believe that the poetry of Audre Lorde is profound, particularly her “master’s tools” line. +2 36) I recognize that Audre Lorde’s “master’s tools” line is pedestrian. -7 37) “Inclusion and belonging” sounds too close to a cult slogan for me to feel comfortable with it. -7 38) I believe that I should be called “Doctor” just like Jill Biden because I wrote a 120-page “dissertation” for my Ed.D. that explores my feelings about the education program I just completed, and which required zero research. +7 39) I am thrilled—thrilled—that “I finally get to use my master’s degree” in educational leadership to bring people to critical consciousness. +3 Good candidate? You make the call! +40 and above: Welcome aboard, commissar! Get ready to Do the Work! +39-30: Not the perfect package but you’re ready to share authentic stories, struggle against “supremacy,” and do some dismantling! +29-20: A few more weeks of amplifying “marginalized voices” should bolster your score +19-10: You’re not committed enough—time for a “difficult dialogue” and a “courageous conversation,” capped off with a “Brave Space” +9-0: Hands behind your back—your struggle session is through that door. -1 and below: Racist!

They'll do what they usually do, blame somebody else. In this case the utilities. Management will stay quiet and take it up the tailpipe because if they protest or claim Federal and State legislation and regulations forced them into this generation mix and strategy of unreliable renewables dependent on variations in the weather they'll be swarmed on by the regulators and politicians with lots of hearings and blame game antics.

Yet I expect you're more than willing to ignore the thousands of tax payer funded school districts indoctrinating children on social justice dogma? Which do you think has a larger footprint? You know who these kids are because they can't add 2 one-digit numbers into a single number but they have committed to memory the woke victim hierarchy chart.

What's it they say about Karma? Trump and Christie used to be close until he gave his son-in-law a role in the incoming administration. Which he used to push out Christie as revenge for Christie charging and convicting his dad of business fraud while he was in the prosecutors office. Don could have stepped in and commanded Jarrod to stand down but didn't. Our former Governor, a big part of the 2016 campaign was banished. Personally and professionally hurt by the event. Now it would seem it's show time as an opportunity to return the favor presents itself. As for Chris coming in to run interference for DeSantis. I suspect its going to transform into something more serious if his typical no nonsense and plain talk style start to resonate with the voters. As social and economic conditions continue rolling down hill at a faster pace I expect it will.

Creeping fascism? You guys should know it when you see it. Take a count of how many companies are instituting liberal government and leftist NGO sponsored DEI initiatives and compare that to how many companies are instituting some far right ideological training. Hint, one count is zero. Which one is that? The melding of the state and corporations. Now tell me again about fascism. But keep believing your the victim.

So the big bad bullies are once again walking all over the innocent victims of the social justice religion? Boo, hoo. More like fighting fire with fire. That appears to frustrate you. In contrast woke ideology preaches tolerance, inclusion, and diversity where "all are welcome". I can assure everyone that if you entered their "safe space" and expressed views or opinions contrary to the group's belief system you would not be welcome. You'd be attacked verbally and physically, doxed, and mercilessly attacked on social media being called every name in the playbook along with being associated with all kinds of sordid and nefarious individuals until you apologized and paid your respects while showing your obedience to their faith. Now rational and reasonable people are pushing back and saying no more and that scares you.

You can rationalize it any way you want. And "speak" in a condescending tone suggesting you know so much more than I do. Perhaps that's true but what I do know is money talks and BS walks. As my organization does lots of work with most of the top 30 pharma companies related to medication usage and analysis I know a bit about the motivations of the drug industry And in this position I share a portion of the guilty of my own conclusion. As for the US health care system itself I conclude its a cost maximizing hustle at every point in the health care delivery system. A ten day hospital stay will likely generate a bill of around $250K. As for big money, there's a reason doctor's are sending their kids to country club summer camp for golf lessons and other perks that most of their patients and certainly not the nursing staff cannot afford.

I gotta say that you've been "on fire" with your posts the past few days. On point and on target. Well done.

Let me give it a try. its the same reason journalists do not report the truth. Because ethics and science go out the window when everybody is getting paid big bucks to go along with the system and speaking out of turn will get you censured, de-credentialed, or result in a ruined reputation and a loss of income as a "science denier" when the truth is the only science to deny is political science. You also have lots of researchers and scientists dependent on the very government agencies that are generating and sponsoring these polices and narratives. You speak out against it and suddenly your research project is de-funded by the NIH. Everybody's a prostitute to the almighty dollar and the pure principled person is few and far between. Here's a link to a rather lengthy and interesting piece on why journalists toe the line. https://caityjohnstone.medium.com/15-reasons-why-mass-media-employees-act-like-propagandists-553a08074347

You're absolutely correct, right or wrong Russia does attempt to influence American culture. Through official channels or unofficial ones. But what many seem to ignore, either intentionally or unintentionally, is this is not a unique action of a specific country doing this while every other country, including our own, sits idly and out of every else's business. What a lot of posters seem to believe is we can mess with anybody we want, at anytime, and in any way we please, but you can't mess with us. Because anyone sticking their noses in our business would be guilty of interference. What we're doing is "helping you". That doesn't seem fair, does it?

I've been saying time and again about the need to be skeptical of propaganda spewed from both sides. Like all wars. Here's an example. Two stories on the same event. USAToday: 'More alarming every hour': Russians admit Ukraine gains. Is counteroffensive underway?" https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/world/2023/06/05/ukraine-russia-war-live-updates/70288023007/ RussiaToday: "‘Large-scale’ Ukrainian offensive repelled – Russian MOD" https://www.rt.com/russia/577470-ukraine-large-scale-offensive-russia/

It's always about Trump for TDS sufferers as in your imagination he's some mastermind directing all kinds of plots and conspiracies rather than an outsider candidate with no clear idea on how to run the country that stumbled into the White House because the opposition candidate was so detestable. I'm sure he oversaw and directed every detail of the operation where the security guards on duty that night admitted to fabricating log entries to show they had monitored Epstein properly, but had all charges dropped,while they looked the other way as he personally slipped into the facility to kill Epstein. I'm sure Rep. Schiff and former Rep. Liz Chaney would be interested in investigating your claim. Maybe throw a couple Russian agents into the story to spice it up!

Anyone that has seen that list committed suicide by shooting themselves multiple times with their hands tied behind their backs.

From USAToday Story: "The Cessna was registered to Encore Motors. John Rumpel, who runs the company, told The New York Times that his daughter, 2-year-old granddaughter, her nanny and the pilot were aboard the plane. They were returning to their home in East Hampton on Long Island after visiting his house in North Carolina, he said."

Sorry for that!

A worthy vision of what might be. But I'd argue that's already what the left claims to preach, inclusion and diversity. Those words seem aligned with tolerance. But in woke practice inclusion and diversity are just the opposite. What I object to is just how dishonest the entire movement is in practice. Diversity and inclusion, "all are welcome". That's the message. But I assure everyone that if you came to their huddle with views and arguments that disagreed and conflicted with their views you would not be welcome. You would be attacked. You would not be tolerated. You would be silenced. The fact they need to hide behind a curtain of deceit raises a lot of suspicions that they're not really interesting in tolerance, inclusion, and diversity. Rather intolerance, exclusion, and uniformity. Like almost every social and political movement its a big con. I should have added. The right has called for boycotts and protests against the Dodgers but if the left was displeased by something the Dodgers did or didn't do they would not engage in a boycott of the team. They'd demand MLB remove the LA franchise from the league.

I don't think Bud is trying to get trans people to buy their beer. I think they're trying to improve their corporate ESG score by demonstrating their obedience and commitment to the social justice cult by promoting a marketing campaign focused on a group representing something like .01% of the population to score social credit points. The group woke ideology classifies as the victim of all victims. It's the ultimate statement of virtue signaling. Its how you get your corporate ESG score to 100. This displeases lots of the company's current customers and they decided individually or collectively to withhold their spending on the company's products. That's how market capitalism works. Ultimately, the company's management would rather lose a huge amount of sales and revenue than anger the social justice cult which has no tolerance for anyone not supporting their agenda. Once you sell your soul to the social justice Devil you can't get out without consequences.

I think your suggestions and assessment are credible but I believe the City of Chicago is in a death spiral to ruin. Companies like Tyson, Boeing, Caterpillar. Citadel, and a host of downtown retailers have abandoned the city. Mainly because of crime and safety issues the city refuses to address. This trend will likely continue. The new mayor is worse then the previous. The causes of crime are varied and an understanding into the minds of people living in povery is necessary. One cause of crime can be the perpetrators fear no consequences for their acts. I think this is major factor here. Politicians transforming criminals into victims while ignoring the real victims. That's a real turn off for law abiding citizens and an incentive to split.

You might be right. My conclusion is all "investment" decisions of professional fund managers is based completely on speculation of changes in and the direction of monetary policy.