N.O. via West-Cal

The most underrated reason for optimism in this thread is that we we will be starting the season with what I believe to be a top half QB in the league. If Shough is deserving of this designation, that alone justifies 9-8 level optimism. It’s a a league.

Immigration can increase housing costs but also exerts downward inflationary pressure with its impact on the labor supply. A mixed bag n this regard.

I’m in the camp that it is mostly about monetary policy— too much dollar printing. With that said, our war of choice in Iran and the resulting spike in oil prices has obviously had inflationary effects.

I just don’t see any evidence that this administration has really even tried that hard to tame inflation.

I have seen his swing and have little doubt that Trump, an avid player for decades, is a “good” golfer. But a two-under 70 at his age is laughable. That’s interesting to see what he shot at Tahoe (which isn’t crazy hard).

And it is so important to put weapons around this qb early in his career, both for his development and to see if you can catch lightning in a bottle before you get to the qb’s second contract. A lot of hay can be made that way. Maybe, Burrows, Mahomes … it gets tougher once your an is making 50 million per year.

There is a lot of truth in this breakdown, but it has not always been so. There used to be plenty right-wing authoritarians who, for example, would be focused on banning books, movies, etc. deemed to be obscene. The preacher character in Footloose would have been an over-the-top example of a right wing authoritarian.

Similarly, the left in this country used to claim to be "live and let live," seeking the repeal of laws banning homosexual acts and the like but not seeking to legislate their own visions of morality by making others use certain pronouns, etc.

Not all that long ago, there were plenty of people who could be described as either left-wing or right-wing libertarians, with the lefties more focused on social freedoms and the righties more focused on economic freedom. Heck, Bernie Sanders used to be against gun control! Oh, how far we have come.

I remember something similar but it may have Time magazine. I believe they had St. Paul 1, Muhammad 2, and Jesus 3.

I have not really tried to think it through at each position, but I doubt I would have much of a beef with there not being a Saint. My hope--and I think it is a reasonable one--is that by the end of the year Olave, Etienne, and even Shough are considered at or very near to the top 10 of their positions. As we well know, everything changes if you have a top 10 QB.

“I strongly believe they are unfit to have a say in how the country is governed, but in our system they have the ability not only to vote, but to run for office and win.”

This is what every despot anywhere would say. The genius of our governmental form is that prevents you or—even worse from my perspective as a conservative—similarly minded people with different politics from having their way. Instead, minority rights are largely protected and other significant majorities or compromise required to make most big changes. This is even more so now thanks to the Supreme Court bringing us back to our proper understanding of the constitution by doing away with Chevron deference (and similar cases). Also, it is worth noting that the more Conservative Party currently controls the executive branch and both houses of Congress. Lose the doom and gloom. It’s contrary to the facts and unbecoming.

“Nothing to do with the Constitution...juat trying seem impartial.”

This is far from what I see when I review the opinions. For one thing, the justices vary a great deal with how they see the issues and clearly reflect deeply held beliefs about the constitution and jurisprudence. Which justices do you accuse of being in on the deal to fix results to seem impartial? Surely not Alito, Thomas, Sotomayor, Kagan, or Jackson. The truth is the results—which have often favored conservative positions—are arrived at by nine people who see things differently.

I hear you on how Trump “sounds,” but as long as he isn’t doing anything harmful, such as instituting price controls, this is probably just good, cynical populist politics. I have to believe he understands supply and demand.

As a matter of substantive policy, the text of the EO makes sense, but we already have case law to the contrary on the meaning of “Election Day.” I think you understate the value a statute would have and overstate the hostility of the courts to this administration. Are you aware that left- enter sources like The Atlantic and NPR frequently complain that the current Supreme Court is a mere rubber stamp for the Trump presidency? Of course, they’re wrong, but the point is that Trump has plenty of wins in the courts.