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| Favorite team: | |
| Location: | Brooklyn |
| Biography: | |
| Interests: | Sports |
| Occupation: | Record Shop / Label |
| Number of Posts: | 9729 |
| Registered on: | 3/16/2010 |
| Online Status: | Not Online |
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re: National Guard leaving New Orleans at the end of this month
Posted by wm72 on 8/21/26 at 4:10 pm to Chuck Barris
quote:
Did the National Guard members in NO actually do anything to reduce crime, or was it all just for show?
I'm open to being persuaded either way, but it's going to be hard to tell when crime rates have dropped so precipitously nationwide over the last few years.
Yeah, I'm sure they can be helpful for a city -- just like any other government workers -- but I was under the impression that all they do anywhere is walk around in nicer tourist areas and sometimes help clean trash?
0
quote:
A properly run DOGE could fix this. Instead of firing park rangers, they would attack pork belly spending, and defense contracts. Cutting wages is pennies compared to the billions wasted in contracts approved by our politicians.
DOGE should hire the park ranger to look at the actual big contracts.
I wouldn't be surprised to find out we're now paying a private company 10x more to do what the park ranger did.
quote:
For your sake, I sure hope not. AT&T has consistently been the worst company I have had to deal with as an adult. Just shitty all the way around.
Spectrum is almost as bad as AT&T in terms to constant sneaky BS to continually increase your bill.
AT&T is still king of the "frustrate them until they give up and just pay the bill" customer service labyrinth.
I know a lot of carpenters since I used to have a small business where I finish painted and stained higher end millwork such as front doors/staircases for brownstones, cabinets and art frames.
A couple are really good friends and I still love to use their shops to work on vintage furniture I pick up.
To actually make some money doing it, it seems you have to be connected enough to get the kind of clients that don't really care about the price tag. Even then you need to get to the point with your skills and set up that you can get quality stuff done quickly.
There's just not enough people that can afford to pay for the materials + labor on higher quality craftsmanship.
Still, every once in a while I restore a piece of mid-century furniture and sell it but that's for the enjoyment. Economically it's usually buy it for $50, spend $200 more and 3 or 4 days labor to sell it for $900.
re: The U.S. national debt hits $40 trillion
Posted by wm72 on 8/19/26 at 8:26 pm to HailHailtoMichigan!
quote:
It is *bad* for an economy if labor is unnecessarily employed
So, you're saying our problem before Trump took office for his second term was too many good middle class jobs?
I'm sorry but your economic arguments read like those syndicated editorials in small town newspapers where a rich old guy explains to the dumb workers why companies cutting their benefits to pay out more to their shareholders is ultimately better for them.
re: The U.S. national debt hits $40 trillion
Posted by wm72 on 8/19/26 at 8:06 pm to HailHailtoMichigan!
quote:
pure economic illiteracy.
I'll take it into consideration. After seeing your numerous topics here, I realize you are an expert on pure economic illiteracy or better convoluted trickery.
For whatever it's worth, obviously not much to you or Trump/Vance, the MAGA/America First movement that put them in power wasn't about economic theories designed to consolidate more and more wealth in fewer hands, at least not openly. It was actually about middle class jobs and the cost of basic living expenses for working people.
re: The U.S. national debt hits $40 trillion
Posted by wm72 on 8/19/26 at 7:37 pm to HailHailtoMichigan!
quote:
The 10% fed workforce reduction is one of the few serious things djt has done.
At a time when the major issue in America is the dwindling of middle class jobs, it's certainly "serious" that you cut government jobs where that money isn't going into a black hole but creating middle class jobs and those people are spending that money in their local communities.
If you say it's to cut the deficit that's a decent argument.
If you simply do it while then also increasing government spending on wars, sweetheart contracts for companies that make electric shock gloves and bigly contracts for tech billionaires it's not to save taxpayer dollars. It's to filter the tax money through shareholders of those corporations.
re: The U.S. national debt hits $40 trillion
Posted by wm72 on 8/19/26 at 7:24 pm to fightin tigers
quote:
What free stuff have we taken away?
We've simply redirected that money -- along with middle class government jobs that actually resonate economically in communities -- to shareholders with sweetheart contracts and tech billionaires.
The deep state is now tech billionaires.
re: Florida biology teacher’s 'heinous sex acts' against teen destroyed his faith in God: suit
Posted by wm72 on 8/19/26 at 6:40 am to SidewalkTiger
If one can successfully sue for loss of faith in God, I feel like the Saints organization is in trouble.
quote:
Went to one in Monroe Friday night charged a Credit Card fee and it was actually a debit card. i will not be back :angry:
Many processing companies, like PayPal point of sale just for example, charge on All cards, debit or credit.
And before you say change companies. Small businesses do try that all the time.
It's like changing a phone carrier with multiple users.
And then the new company " updates " their terms to make it worse than the 1st company.
I agree that it's BS to not publicize the fees.
However, people who think most businesses are not getting squeezed every which way for processing cards just has no experience dealing with it.
re: Restaurants charging an administrative fee
Posted by wm72 on 8/18/26 at 1:02 pm to LSUFanHouston
quote:
, I thought they would increases their prices by 3 percent (debit cards can cost less and cash crusts nothing) or at least be honest and upfront about a fee.
I've never figured out what wasn't honest and upfront about signs that say :
"3% charge for credit card processing"
Yes, they can be.
However, a lot of them get meals and services free in the first place in exchange for "influencing."
However, a lot of them get meals and services free in the first place in exchange for "influencing."
re: Restaurants charging an administrative fee
Posted by wm72 on 8/18/26 at 12:24 pm to Turnblad85
It's difficult in every direction.
As a small business owner, I was reluctant to change prices because even if people complain about cc processing fees charging a flat 3% was actually saving them money.
1. In my shop, I only price in whole dollar amounts so price increases would average much more than 3%.
2. from a business end, customers mainly compare sticker/menu prices.
3. I had assumed people still choosing to use a card for their convenience when there's signs saying there's no fees for cash and even a cash discount would realize paying the fee was their choice.
I was wrong.
Now, my prices are simply around 6 or 7% higher with no 3% fee for cards.
I use the extra money to make all the cash purchases a flat 10% off.
Also, people who have never had a business accepting cards have no idea how difficult it is to even figure out the precise amount the CC processing fees will be. Complicated and a huge waste of time to keep changing systems as they continually "update" their user agreement.
If there's a boogeyman in this situation, that's where to look.
As a small business owner, I was reluctant to change prices because even if people complain about cc processing fees charging a flat 3% was actually saving them money.
1. In my shop, I only price in whole dollar amounts so price increases would average much more than 3%.
2. from a business end, customers mainly compare sticker/menu prices.
3. I had assumed people still choosing to use a card for their convenience when there's signs saying there's no fees for cash and even a cash discount would realize paying the fee was their choice.
I was wrong.
Now, my prices are simply around 6 or 7% higher with no 3% fee for cards.
I use the extra money to make all the cash purchases a flat 10% off.
Also, people who have never had a business accepting cards have no idea how difficult it is to even figure out the precise amount the CC processing fees will be. Complicated and a huge waste of time to keep changing systems as they continually "update" their user agreement.
If there's a boogeyman in this situation, that's where to look.
quote:
yeah what they can use a probably cause seems pretty flimsy.
In my 20s, I was driving a UHaul truck loaded with furniture and belongings back to Florida.
I got pulled over in Utah for going under the speed limit on a long, steep incline.
The officer mentioned the probable cause of "stoned people drive slow" to get another squad car to the scene and search through the UHaul for over an hour.
quote:
Daddy's in charge, let him cook
re: New Orleans port gets federal approval to start building new terminal in St. Bernard
Posted by wm72 on 8/17/26 at 4:25 pm to Tedorgeron
quote:
I get some people are annoyed this is being built in their backyard. However this long term will be huge for St. Bernard. The place is a shell of what it was pre Katrina. Yet people are outraged. Guess you can’t please everyone.
You'll never please everyone. However, finding ways to immediately share a bit of the financial benefits directed to the private investors getting government contracts is where I would begin to sooth some wounds with projects like this.
quote:
Well, I'm an independent voter, but I will respond. Of course the mainstream Democrats are concerned, because they've spent years beating back the more progressive voices in their party. Most of the Democrats in power, especially the older ones, are liberal in name only. They love money and power just like Republicans. Both are worthless as tits on a boar hog.
The newer progressive wing makes good points about certain economic issues, like wealth disparity, but they get way off base on ridiculous social issues. I do not like their virulent attacks on Christians. It's a fascist tendency, but of course the far right has its own fascist tendencies.
But the truth is economies function best and people fare better overall when there's a rational mix of capitalism and socialism in an economy. Even in the U.S., where the construction of our railroads were essentially a capitalist-socialist enterprise. Catholic nuns brought hospitals and universal healthcare to this country. Employee owned companies are a great way for workers to build equity, and equity is where long term wealth and stability are established.
The Democrats are not as smart as they think they are. In fact, they've been totally out flanked by the GOP, especially in the judiciary. And the country is sick and tired of hearing about trans rights and how the Dems pander to a very small voting block. It's a stupid strategy.
Great post.
I often dream of a political party that could simply bracket all the divisive social justice stuff and mainly just focus on economic issues with the tenet of that being, like you said, that the best periods of American life have been a result of a healthy relationship between capitalist and socialist ideas.
Capitalism rewarding small business entrepreneurs and promoting investment and innovation.
Socialist ideas rewarding all the people who work hard to make the whole system work by reaping more benefits of economic success --not struggling with health care costs etc -- instead of that success merely being reflected in record profits for shareholders whose political influence continues to skew the scales farther and farther.
I suppose my perspective comes from having family and friends in the south who are mainly socially conservative and tons of friends in NY who are the polar opposite.
Their concerns are identical in terms of economic forces at play.
The divide is all on -- to my mind -- social issues which are not nearly as significant as the economic ones and used to play them against each other politically.
re: How do we know restaurants serving pancakes are not using store bought add water mixes?
Posted by wm72 on 8/17/26 at 2:09 pm to northshorebamaman
quote:
It depends on the restaurant and what you mean by “pre-made.” Yes, plenty of chains like Applebee’s serve mostly factory-prepared food that is reheated or finished on-site. Since chains probably outsell independent restaurants by sheer volume, you are likely correct in a strict mathematical sense, although some chains still operate scratch kitchens.
But ordinary prep is not the same thing as serving reheated junk. Good independent kitchens prepare food in advance because service would be impossible otherwise. Salmon is portioned and marinated, trout is portioned and breaded, burger patties are pressed, garlic is chopped, sauces are made, pastas are boiled, and vegetables are broken down and blanched before the doors open. That isn’t cutting corners, it’s just the work required to serve freshly cooked food in fifteen minutes instead of making you wait two hours for soup and a sandwich.
There is still plenty of real cooking going on in restaurants. You just have to get out of the major chains to eat most of it.
Completely agree with your post.
Except "pastas are boiled"
To anyone who cooks or enjoys good Italian, not immediately adding sauce to the pasta is about the biggest mistake possible.
re: If you get pulled over, do you answer seemingly innocuous questions?
Posted by wm72 on 8/17/26 at 1:52 pm to southpawcock
I've been pulled over once in the last 20 years. Milton, FL, around 10 AM and actually from a line of cars all going the same speed which I suppose was 10mph over the 35 speed limit.
Local officer asked a whole bunch of questions about where I was going, coming from, why, etc etc . . . and kept making a "hmmn" sound after every answer. I guess to see if I'd break. But, I kept to my story that I was going to Ace Hardware.
Local officer asked a whole bunch of questions about where I was going, coming from, why, etc etc . . . and kept making a "hmmn" sound after every answer. I guess to see if I'd break. But, I kept to my story that I was going to Ace Hardware.
re: Nearly 1 in 3 married Americans report they’re not having sex
Posted by wm72 on 8/16/26 at 2:15 pm to BaconGrease
quote:
Why do women (or men) feel like once they get married the grind of trying to look good is over?
I think many have been conditioned -- or conditioned themselves -- to look at getting married as such a monumental goal that they have a kind of post achievement depression afterwards.
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