Posts by dustymarlin10

Charles Carter4 said:And if one of those snipers actually takes someone out, will they just write that death off as another COVID case? 🤣

Sure thing.
Just trying to boost those numbers, I guess.
Honestly, we’re sliding pretty smoothly into a police state, aren't we?
Looks like those idiots finally figured things out.

silentskipper3 said:It’s easier to adapt when you take things in small steps rather than being hit with the most draconian measures right out of the gate. From what I can see, my neighbors here are actually being quite disciplined; I think everyone just wants this whole ordeal to be over as soon as possible.
However, I have to say, it seems like the banks have handled their part of this pretty clumsily. Everything—literally any request similar to what we've seen before—that used to be handled easily in a branch should have been moved online by now. Just imagine those smaller towns that don't even have a single local bank branch, especially now that under the new National lockdown and border closure decree, people aren't allowed to leave their homes.

It’s like cutting a tail off an elephant one little bit at a time so it hurts less.
We're basically boiling the frog.

Something like that, right?

Jose Scott3 said:All that massive wealth private companies rake in? It’s built on public sector innovation. Modern civilization is basically held together by people working in government-funded labs. So yeah, go ahead and keep arguing for cutting their paychecks...

That’s just one slice of the pie, but you and your buddy are treating the whole public sector like one big monolith.

You really think my old man is a thief? He’s spent the last 20 years building everything from scratch. The guy feeds ten people (including himself), pays every single tax and fee, and still drives a car from 2006. He’s a thief? Look, there are good business owners and there are scumbags...but I’m not the one generalizing here, you are... because you're out here calling for sanctions against almost the entire public sector.

Case in point: there are good and bad business owners. Why didn't my old man do that?

Go play the market and do whatever you want, but don't mess with anyone else or demand that other people get pay cuts and layoffs.

Do you honestly think this is going to happen without your own salaries taking a hit?
Seriously?
I'm assuming you're highly educated; I just can't wrap my head around how someone with all those degrees could have such zero grasp of how practical economics actually works.
No worries though, when the money runs out, you wonderful public servants will just flock to the Botanical Garden and pick enough cash off the trees to cover the deficit.
Because obviously, money grows on trees.

Or maybe not. Even better.
You'll probably just invent some new "emergency crisis tax."
Because who cares about 200,000 people losing their livelihoods? As long as you guys stay taken care of, right?

Patrick Cook said:And why did private sector workers get a "get out of jail free" card just because a bunch of idiots decided to paralyze the entire country?

Who's going to pay your salary then? The private sector is shot—it's basically gone. That tourism industry that used to drive 20% of the GDP? Poof. Nonexistent. Who exactly is supposed to finance all these wages?

I mean, I think I know the answer: the government could just print everyone's paycheck for them, but then your salary would look the same on paper while being worth three times less in reality.

People who act like salaries "have" to exist, that you can't ever be fired, and that money somehow grows on trees—or that they can just invent new taxes whenever they run out of old ones—they just don't get how any of this works.

Jose Scott3 said:Nah. Biotech sector. We have zero connection to the social sciences.

If by Academy you mean HAZU, I'm totally with you.

How do I know they weren't directed at me? Because with his proposed measures, he basically called me one of all those "state and public administration and institution employees."

Let's be real, that guy Miroslav didn't call for a "lynching of bureaucrats" just to stir the pot and score political points; he actually wants to slash the pay of everyone working in public institutions.

No one in the private sector deserves to stay in business if they can't survive on their reserves after years of operating.

Like, for real, my old man is a small business owner, employs a handful of people (somewhere between 5 and 10, I think), and he's going to pay them minimum wage for the next three months himself without firing anyone, simply because he values his workers and knows things will normalize eventually.

A business owner who can't pull that off shouldn't even be in business—if you can't maintain a surplus for a few months when things get weird, you're failing.

Once this madness ends, that guy will restart production and hire the same people back. But us in the public sector, who didn't land our jobs through the Party, no force on earth is going to get us back to work if we get fired like > suggests.

Not like those scumbags in the restaurant industry driving BMWs and whining about layoffs, only to bring those same workers back in a couple of months once the epidemic passes.

Give me a break. I’m not paying your bills. There's a massive crowd in the public sector living off EU funds. And yeah, some of that money flows into the healthcare and social safety nets for both you and me.

Actually, no. Just like every other guy on this forum, you're lumping all public employees into one big bucket. In our country, science and higher ed are already paid way below what they should be. If we start slashing everything to minimum wage and handing out pink slips, those are the people who are going to get screwed first.

I didn't realize the National Archives was busy solving real-world problems, like finding cheaper drugs, developing new medical procedures, boosting crop yields, genetic engineering, new pesticides, energy storage tech, coding crisis management apps, renewable energy, robotics, and stuff like that.

Reminder once again: you and your buddy are treating all public workers like they're the same. Chill out. Public servants don't deserve minimum wage pay or layoffs either.

Is there any point in replying?
Nope.
Doing so just proves how the public sector thinks the world revolves around them, that money grows on trees, and that every private citizen is just a thief.
Over and out.

Reserves?
Yeah. I have reserves. I can cover my own salary and all my taxes for five months without earning a single cent.
And why would I?
Why would I burn through my hard-earned savings just to subsidize bureaucrats?
And what happens after those five months?
Nothing.
After the first month, I'm hitting the unemployment office.
The cash can stay in the company account and wait for better days.

Jose Scott3 said:Let me expand that to six sentences:

I work at a state research institute doing stuff that’s actually useful. I’m not a cop, I’m not an EMT, and I’m definitely not some clerk behind a desk, counting stamps, making coffee, or showing up to a local town hall once a month. I didn't land this gig through the Party or because some cousin pulled strings.

So why should I be stuck with minimum wage or lose my job just because "Jack Cook7" thinks so? This guy is generalizing, and honestly, labeling everyone in public service as a corrupt crony is straight-up psychopathic...

Like I said, if we actually wanted to trim the budget without slashing salaries or firing people—and we're talking about salaries around the average in America—we’d start with the politicians and the big shots. They're the real crooks. That would save a fortune on its own...

And why did you take our criticism personally?
It wasn't aimed at you (I don't even know your situation), nor should it have been meant to hit you where it hurts.
But tell me, why would I get fired from my job?
I work hard, I generate revenue, I pay insane taxes, and I’ve never owed anyone—not even the government—a single cent.
Now that the state has effectively blocked me from working by its own decision, am I supposed to just be "solidary" with those of you who are being funded by MY labor?

No.

Look, folks, things suck; I’m heading to the unemployment office, and that $1,500+ a month coming out of MY paycheck for YOUR needs has vanished. Now it’s your turn to pay me some benefits.
It’s about time you guys grew a pair, rationalized your headcount and your budgets, and brought yourselves back down to reality.

EDIT: The whole debate about whether public sector jobs are even necessary is pretty questionable. One of my clients is the National Archives.
You should see how much they value their own importance... and how everything is always such a massive emergency and they're always "so busy"...

Jose Scott3 said:Look, I'm not the one making the calls here. It’s the researchers... the ones who actually studied how long the COVID virus sticks around on different surfaces and stays active in people who've already recovered...

Do you only threaten your own people with being fired like this, or is this just how you treat anyone who isn't part of your inner circle? Because it’s more than obvious you're just using this as an excuse to... Not exactly selective... Just some sympathy for those who don't fit into your little circle...

No, any sane person would realize that in a situation like this, you'd spend the next year or eighteen months aggressively slashing the federal budget and cutting spending across the board. You'd have to sit the public down and explain that certain services just aren't happening for a year or two... strictly due to force majeure...

The solution isn't mass layoffs, heavy taxes, or slashing everyone's paychecks... It's strictly about gutting the budget.

The solution isn't about slashing salaries... It’s about setting a flat average pay for everyone in public and government service while this lasts. That way, the overpaid ones end up getting cut in half, and the underpaid people actually doing all the heavy lifting finally get a fair shake... $333 More.

Do you honestly believe the public sector is mostly made up of people who aren't voters or political hacks, or is that just your delusion? You're basically suggesting pay cuts and layoffs should be applied indiscriminately to every single civil servant, even the ones who have absolutely zero connection to the cronies or The Party?

If they actually start doing that, the first people to get screwed over will be the ones who aren't hacks or Party loyalists!

To put it simply:

Long live the cronies. Let everyone else rot, as long as there's enough left for you guys.

Karen Doyle72 said:I guess nobody has stepped up to foot the bill for that one yet. 🤷

... or maybe there just isn't a Priest willing to cover the service...

ironowl68 said:First, the priests...
And then comes the artillery...
Looks like this nation didn't deserve anything better...

And then the thieves show up at the end.
Been there, done that.
But hey, it doesn't stop us from acting like total idiots and charging headfirst into the exact same mess for the hundredth time.
Only fools would do that.

electricnomad8 said:...please, just imagine a bumbling John Cardinal O'Connor lunging out of a trench with a drawn saber (let's say, leading the bishops). And what would they even be doing in a trench when they've never been in one? Which side would they even fight for? Toward Austria or toward some red, yellow, and green devils over there? (meaning our own people). This is how it always goes with these misguided right-wingers—they just turn their own nonsense into a joke again.

Don't lose any sleep over it.
The ones heading into the trenches will be the bottom-feeders, not the priests, the crooks, or the politicians.

David Vaughn75 said:The Church in Wisconsin just banned the mass in Wounded Knee. They shut down the request from the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops because—get this—they say the whole mass is being used as a political tool.

WASHINGTON, D.C./VIENNA - The Catholic Church in Wisconsin turned down the plea from the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops to hold a mass at the Field of Battle near Wounded Knee, stating that the event has become nothing more than a political stunt, according to an announcement from the local Catholic Church on Friday.

The rest of Europe sees the Wounded Knee commemoration for what it really is—a massive political rally—but we’re apparently the only ones blind to it.
Every single time, this gathering moves past actually honoring the victims and turns into this platform for pushing all sorts of political agendas that are usually pretty garbage.

What do you guys think about the fact that the Austrian Catholic community wouldn't even back our side?
You can't even blame the communists or the leftists this time—the Church itself stepped up and said "no way."

Sweet.
Finally, someone decided to clip the wings of those Nazi sympathizers once and for all.
Even if they happen to be priests.

Just like every other member of this criminal syndicate...
It’s the same old story, whether it's the big shots at the top grabbing everything in sight or some petty councilman in a small town like Trnovec stealing fence posts from the roads near the local dam just to line his pockets...

Rebecca Diaz said:Let’s say JOHABI actually did forge those results.
What’s your take on an act like that, and what do you think of someone capable of pulling it off?

Don't give me any philosophical fluff—just tell me straight what you think about people who rig referendum results.

Total scum.

Absolute bottom feeders.

Republican Party.

Paul Chase95 said:I was just responding to your point about him not filing a lawsuit, but apparently, he’s already gone and done it.

I know this is slightly off-topic, but I'm curious: if she hadn't faked the numbers, do you think the outcome would have been any different? And do you think there were others like her working to rig things for the opposing side? I'm mostly interested in whether the final result would have changed regardless.

The outcome wouldn't have changed much, except maybe we wouldn't be looking at a 98% "yes" vote.

Or maybe I'm just tripping?

Was there really not at least one coworker at every single polling station just waiting for the lights to go out so they could sneak in a little extra vote for their candidate?

Once you realize that whole situation was basically orchestrated with a wink and a nod from the people in charge, why would anyone actually buy into the official story anymore?

Even if the Mexicans were the ones who started the whole war, does it even matter at this point?

nimblelynx63 said:I'm not sure if you're talking to me here.
But if you are, let me educate you on a couple of things:
1) She isn't some "party colleague" of mine.
2) I only defend people when they're being targeted by baseless, disproportionate witch hunts that fly in the face of common sense. In this case, there was a very specific reason for it. If a supposedly "honest" minister can just push through a predetermined agenda, then fine. But if things in her department don't improve by even a hair, come after me.

I bet you're sitting there wondering if they marked your ballot against your will, too.
See, I voted YES, so I don't have those kinds of worries or frustrations...

Honestly, buddy, given how things are playing out, I’m actually feeling pretty bad about voting "yes."

Then again, even if I had voted no, it wouldn't have mattered much since everything at MZočit had already been strategically handed over to party hacks—the kind of people who made sure the "yes" vote hit 98%.

So, you claim you're defending people from baseless attacks?
The woman herself literally admitted she faked the results.
How exactly is that an "unjustified" outcry?

Maybe take your insinuations somewhere else.
Buddy.
☕

nimblelynx63 said:Are you absolutely positive this wasn't about the referendum for joining the European Union?
Or maybe one of those elections where Mason pulled off a win?

Stop reading Dejan Jović's articles. He pushes this kind of absolute nonsense.
With a 92% "YES" vote, it really would have taken all night to fake that much...

Look, buddy, your colleague was kind enough to drop some links for you.
Enjoy digging through the "hard work" of our dear party comrade.

Rebecca Diaz said:This thread is only 10 pages long.
If you actually went to college, reading 10 pages shouldn't be an issue for you.

Here, look for yourselves:

It’s funny how you’re always the first one jumping to defend the Criminals and their legal team.

Once you've actually read it, I'll be waiting for that apology.

darksurfer4 said:Could you maybe dive a bit deeper into this referendum business—specifically regarding this alleged rigging? You can always take it over to the forums if you prefer.😉

Gospodja basically admitted that back when she was sitting on that independence referendum committee, she spent the entire night marking ballots "yes" just to make sure the vote actually went through.
And there you have it—the perfect visual representation of those Hadadezh fans.
If they’re actually brave enough to go public with stuff like this without worrying about the fallout, it makes you wonder what else they're getting away with behind closed doors.

I had a screenshot of that post floating around for a bit, but I ended up deleting it.
Maybe one of the experts around here who actually knows what they're talking about can drop a link?

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Christian Torres3 said:Yeah, right. It "can't be determined" because the original of Barišić's dissertation isn't public and his mentor passed away, so apparently, you can't prove fraudulent intent. How convenient! You just ignore the fact that most of the work was blatant plagiarism.

He’s just bitter after being dragged through the mud by the media and this forum a thousand times over.

Oh sure, "double-dipping" Barišić is the absolute moral compass of our society. We definitely need more people like him, don't we?

Seriously though; are you actually expecting someone who openly brags about helping fake the results of an independence referendum to suddenly stop defending a plagiarist, just because some "prestigious" university claims it wasn't plagiarism but merely a case of gross negligence and incompetence?

bluetinker54 said:How many people do I personally know who are out there collecting government subsidies while simultaneously letting ragweed take over their entire property? Let’s try to avoid making sweeping generalizations here, but I have to wonder how common this actually is.

Yeah, especially when you're looking at those smaller family farms. But honestly, I guess maybe he would have been the smarter one if he’d actually put those subsidies toward consolidating his acreage instead of blowing it all on some overpriced, shiny new John Deere tractor.
You really have to keep in mind that when you're looking at tractors, the actual age of the machine isn't nearly as critical as the total number of operating hours. I mean, if you have a solid, well-built tractor that’s been properly maintained, it can easily clock 10,000 hours without breaking a sweat. Once you hit that mark, you just perform a complete engine overhaul, and honestly, you're basically starting over again.
If someone manages to clock about 1,000 hours a year—which, let’s be honest, is actually quite a bit if you're putting in four hours every single workday—they’ll probably end up destroying the machine within ten to fifteen years. But, I guess if they only run it for maybe 300 hours a year, it could potentially last them forty years. Of course, that’s assuming you factor in all the inevitable breakdowns and regular maintenance required to keep things running.

Besides, any boss with half a brain is going to go out and buy a brand-new John Deere or maybe a top-of-the-line piece of equipment, but they’ll still insist on keeping that ancient, rusted-out relic tucked away in the back of the shed just in case some absolute disaster strikes. It’s honestly ridiculous. You’re right in the middle of a massive job, a warning light pops up on the dashboard of the new machine, and what can you actually do? You basically just call the service department and sit there staring at the floor, wondering where it all went wrong. Until the mechanic shows up, you’re stuck trying to finish the whole damn project with some prehistoric junk from 1975 that probably shouldn't even be running.

wearytrucker22 As I was reading what Paul Gonzalez10 had to say, I couldn't help but feel that...
You people have been living on this land for over a thousand years, yet you can't even manage to pull together 250 acres of solid ground? It really makes you wonder what your ancestors were actually doing with their lives. Honestly, if you don't have at least a few hundred acres to work with, maybe you should just step away from the farming business entirely. It’s just not practical. And don't even get me started on the situation along the Mediterranean Coast, where the government either holds onto almost all the land or leaves nothing for the actual people to use. It's frustrating, I guess.

Here we go again, just whining and complaining like usual.
I guess you could say that back in the old days under America, there was a legal cap on land ownership set at around 25 acres. Even with that limit in place, the actual average per person was probably only sitting somewhere around five or seven acres.
Even if you happen to have the cash sitting there ready to go, it’s not like you can just walk into any neighborhood and buy up land on a whim. It doesn't always work that way.

I guess I should probably start by addressing what was said in that previous post. It seems like we're circling the same drain without actually making any progress on the core issue at hand.

How exactly am I supposed to wrap my head around that? I mean, I guess there might be a way to look at it, but honestly, I’m just not sure where to even begin with a question like that. It feels like there’s so much missing from the equation that any answer I give would probably just be a shot in the dark, though I suppose I could try to piece it together if I really had to.
I can't help but wonder who actually owns all this forest land that’s currently being torched right before our eyes. If I had to guess, most of it probably belongs to the federal government, wouldn't you say?
It doesn't really matter if they aren't easy to work with right now; over the last decade, I guess they've actually become somewhat manageable.

Three guys.
And I don't really know a huge circle of people.

Can we please stop with the broad strokes?

Around Cleveland, every inch of "farmland" is crawling with weeds, and anyone with allergies can barely breathe because of the ragweed.

Where do you think ragweed grows best? In the tilled soil or in the neglected patches?

And let's just state the obvious one more time:

The small farms soak up most of the subsidies, while the big industrial operations handle most of the actual production.

James Phillips92 said:Sure, but he also planted a mountain of debt that our grandkids will probably be stuck paying off.

Honestly, if you think those farming debts are bad, you haven't seen anything yet.

stormyangler12 said:You're being misled even on the facts here. I’d bet my life that 99% of that subsidized land is actually planted. Just look at (the red box in the system shows it) how much land right around Washington, D.C. isn't even part of the subsidy program. Those owners can plant whatever they want on their property—well, except for cannabis, obviously.

Looking at what passes for "farmland" around here lately, I've got a feeling you're way off base.

James Phillips92 said:I’m assuming you’re talking about American Todorica and his crowd—they’re definitely the ones who perfected the craft.

So, is Todorica the only one grabbing subsidies?
At least he actually plants something on the land he's getting paid for, unlike those other 100,000 people who collect checks while nothing grows but weeds.