Posts by James Anderson5

Jessica Gonzalez said:I guess he actually settled that whole silly debate about the new license plates quite simply, and he also opened three more locations in Washington, D.C. where you can pick up documents. Anyone who’s had to wait in line on Heinzelov probably thinks this might be a pretty good move.

Exactly. You’ve pretty much captured the whole essence of the Bridge Party right there—all that posturing about changing the country, only for their main contribution to be settling some minor dispute over license plates while they simultaneously push through legislation for Walmart. It’s the same story with the Department of Justice; he hasn't even touched the real issues. For instance, this is a country where grandmas get penalized for not using crosswalks, yet major criminals face zero consequences. Look at how someone like Horvatinčić could hurt so many people with all sorts of weapons and still walk free, let alone continue driving. That’s clearly an issue for the justice system, but also for the pressure the police should be applying...

People have a vision for fixing a few objectively trivial things to keep the government running, but when it comes to the truly important matters, they lack both the vision and the capacity. They make big declarations, but they don't have the actual will to act. In my opinion, if they actually had the drive and the expertise, they should have taken the Prime Minister position when Milanovic offered it and actually fixed something, or just broken up that Coalition if they were being obstructed...

But yeah, I suppose having the Bridge Party and the Republican Party in power is better than just the Republican Party alone, though I fear it might all end badly regardless...

Jessica Gonzalez said:Well, I suppose Dobrović is actually a top expert in his field here in the States, but it's hard to focus on organizing waste collection and recycling when people like the Bandis are running the cities. Orepić also seems like a pretty practical guy, I guess.

Orepic only looks serious because he’s got that mustache, but I haven't seen him actually move the needle, other than seemingly stopping the Republican Party from stuffing their own people into his department.

Dobrovic seemed like a real specialist to me, though it's hard to judge since I don't know much about that field. At least he isn't a complete outsider or an amateur like Zmajlovic...

That whole Bridge Party crew feels more like they're just playing opposition while sitting right there in the government, eventually signing off on everything after making a little bit of noise. Kind of like someone trying to act hard-to-get on a first date, but by the second or third one, they're down for anything...

restlesssurfer97 said:The Filipino hitmaker

Still better than that hitmaker from Snake River👍
...

Anthony Jackson2 said:If only it worked like that—we’d be thirty times more functional as a nation. Honestly, the lack of actual community and social cohesion is a massive part of why we're stuck in the mess we're in right now.

Exactly. I mean, everyone knows at least a few people who fake disabilities or have pocketed money from some government agency or public office...

The real issue is that even if you actually reported something (legitimately), nothing would ever happen. It's pretty obvious that the police and the legal system don't step up when it comes to the big cases. Plus, the whistleblower usually ends up being the one getting screwed over. Who would be crazy enough to try and change anything now...

Before we even get to the big news about the owner's bond issuance, we've got yet another loose cannon on our hands...

Matthew Anderson4 said:Only the right wing is bothering to vote lately, which is honestly the best thing happening in society right now. It shows just how progressive the people actually shaping our future have become. They aren't even showing up anymore. Soon, following the lead of the smarter crowd, nobody will bother voting at all. Politics won't be about competition anymore; it'll finally just be productive.

Legalize it!

So, what's your issue with conservatives?

ruggedjackal46 said:Nonprofit media outlets receive about $450,000 in annual funding. That amounts to less than a dollar per citizen every year. The reason this funding hasn't been cut isn't because of any strain on the federal budget.

Which brings us right back to the issue you raised: the total lack of transparency regarding how our tax dollars are spent. If roughly 40% of my paycheck disappears into taxes and payroll deductions, I want to know exactly where that money is landing, rather than having to play a guessing game.

You should have mentioned what you were curious about sooner...

Jessica Gonzalez said:Well, he managed to become the President of the United States, even without traditional public backing. I guess there’s an economic principle that many people tend to overlook, which is why certain theories often miss the mark. It seems anyone can produce something—whether it's a whole country or just an individual—but knowing how to market it is where the real difference lies. Maybe Trump pulled off the biggest deal ever by essentially selling himself as the President, and perhaps that's why a lot of average Americans find themselves leaning his way.

Trump has been branding himself for decades, moving from reality TV to everything else. In the US, before the election even started, there was practically nobody who hadn't heard of him.

He's basically the star of a lifelong reality show, and honestly, that kind of stuff sells incredibly well to the masses...

I’m not saying Clinton was a better choice, just that there wasn't really a real choice to begin with. How can you call a country the "most democratic" in the world when we only have two parties? 🤣 It's a place where politicians are essentially run by massive corporations, lobbyists, and various special interest groups. It feels more like an oligarchy than a true democracy...

brightpilot6 said:I find this whole "just let the market decide" approach somewhat distasteful. On a purely theoretical level, sure, it sounds charming when you’re young, healthy, well-educated, or born into wealth—or when you possess a specific skillset that happens to make you successful in this particular moment in history (even though two hundred years ago, that same skill might have left you quite destitute). But what happens when you, or perhaps your children, find yourselves in a position where the market offers no mercy? Regardless of how much effort you put in, if the market turns its back, it turns its back. Would you still be so incredibly forgiving toward the market then? Is achieving market dominance truly such an ultimate goal and a definitive metric for worth? And if it is, who exactly decided we should all follow that standard?

When applied to media or culture, this mindset becomes even harder to wrap my head around, especially given the current landscape. If we "leave everything to the market," isn't it any wonder that news outlets have devolved into nothing more than glorified marketing playgrounds? You find yourself squinting through endless commercials for Walmart or Kroger, or wading through sensationalized reports designed solely for clickbait engagement. It’s why movies have become mere shallow eye candy—because the teenage demographic demands a very specific, low-effort type of entertainment—and why music sounds the way it does, catering to whatever trend keeps people dancing in a club. Even sports have been transformed into this sterile, commercialized spectacle where the primary objective is simply to ensure a family spends a hundred bucks on concessions at the stadium, all while barely knowing which players are actually on the field.

But sure, by all means, let's leave everything to the market.

Not to mention the market isn't built on a level playing field. How are you supposed to compete with massive media conglomerates that have political connections or pre-arranged deals with government agencies to buy up thousands of copies of their papers?

Or take private newspapers that try to report critically on a major tycoon, only to realize that same tycoon owns the biggest distribution network in the country and can squeeze them out whenever they want. It's the same story with the big corporate advertisers, too.

Come on now, just admit who posted that on Facebook...

Matthew Anderson4 said:It’s like you’re reading my mind. Creepy.

Are you quoting what Justin Bieber told Leo when he got that last tattoo?

Jessica Gonzalez said:I guess they'll probably just pivot from failure back to success eventually.

Is being successful really about becoming like someone like Sukie? It seems pretty obvious to me that for certain folks, especially those coming out of Barcelona, evolution is actually working in reverse. I bet even Darwin knew that was a possibility... or maybe it’s just some kind of hormonal engineering happening with others.

I caught that documentary by Leonardo DiCaprio and National Geographic, and man, what's heading our way is pretty grim. Even Trump is one of those figures who's just going to speed up the destruction of our planet and all its wildlife...

So we end up living in a world overcrowded with people, but totally devoid of tigers, elephants, lions, insects, or most other plants and animals. Maybe once humanity finally wipes itself out, evolution will get to start from scratch and try something a little smarter this time around...

I was honestly floored by the sheer amount of money poured into these campaigns—$1.3 billion for Clinton and nearly $800 million for Trump.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/graph...paign-finance/

That’s over $12 billion, which means there's going to be a mountain of debt that someone eventually has to pay back. On top of that, Trump will probably appoint one of those big coal industry lobbyists to lead the EPA. It doesn't look great for the planet with this crowd in charge...

http://www.newyorker.com/news/news-d...s-planet-loses

He was never actually on MTV
...

I totally agree, Nice Guys was a disaster. I couldn't even sit through more than 20 or 30 minutes... The Legend of the Kray Twins isn't bad, and Green Room is actually pretty good with Patrick Stewart playing the villain. Punkers vs. skins, it gets intense 👍

As far as series go, I’d definitely recommend Stranger Things

Any fans out there? Season two of Young Montalbano is out now

This whole sex scandal involving De Gea and Muniain is pretty wild to read about...

http://www.marca.com/en/football/nat...c318b4568.html

From what I can gather, this guy was the one setting them up with adult film stars...🤣

Ili Manolić, the American Heynckes...

The whole country feels like total chaos right now... it’s like having a manager like Rafa Benitez running the show instead of someone steady like a real leader

Peter Thompson4 said:I don't agree with you one bit, honestly. At the end of the day, every single person is responsible for their own actions, and the way you carry yourself and the choices you make are a direct reflection of who you actually are. If you're a complete piece of trash, you're going to exploit every single loophole in the legal system just to steal whatever you can, looking out for nothing but your own pocketbook—and usually, it's not even about making an honest living, it's about ripping everyone else off too.
If you can't build something from the ground up and instead rely on a bunch of "friends" plus a massive pile of shady, unethical bullshit, then you're just a huge jerk through and through.

You don't need to be some genius to steal a fuel tank during wartime and sell the gas; if anything, it takes a special kind of stupid and irrational person to pull stuff like that.

Screw money when there's a massive toll on human lives hanging over your head. If someone is comfortable living like that, fine, go ahead, but just stay as far away from me as possible.

I'm right there with you on that, but seriously, how many little thieves are actually embedded in our society? Between fraudulent pensions, disability scams, and people coasting through government jobs thanks to connections... those are the folks who will fight tooth and nail to make sure nothing ever changes.

Don't forget that there are over 400,000 people working in the broader public sector. Once you factor in everyone employed by major state-owned corporations or companies where the government holds a massive stake, that number climbs to nearly 600,000, if I remember those recent stats correctly.

Now, just look at all the private contractors that survive solely because they win rigged government bids, along with their entire staff, and you'll see why a huge chunk of these people are terrified of any real reform.

That's why I don't think we'll see any real change anytime soon. It's incredibly hard to build enough momentum for significant reform, especially when you have a segment of the population more interested in arguing over historical grievances than looking toward the future...