Hanaguma

Glad to see it. She is no dummy and would be a good candidate. Also just saw an interview that John Stossel did with Mike Pompeo- another potential candidate. Eye opening and very interesting. He seems like a good man and someone you can trust to deal with world leaders like Xi, Kim, and Putin.

It might have something to do with the rude and overtly sexual nature of the vast majority of drag shows. Attempting to suddenly recast them as "wholesome entertainment for the entire family" is utterly ridiculous.

What do drag shows have to do with 2SLGBTQQIA+? Nothing wrong with keeping kids away from them, they are creepy in the extreme. Drag queen story hour in public libraries? Yech.

What books have been banned? Where is the national abortion ban legislation? What "real history" is being erased, and where? Your talking points are all over the map here my friend...

Mike Godwin, welcome to the discussion! Surprised you took so long to appear. You have no evidence that there is any transphobia motivating the legislators in South Dakota. Rather, IF you do, please present it.

Latest update from the police says the suspect is a short black male, carrying a handgun. https://twitter.com/msupolice

True that. I think especially the malevolent presence of social media, especially Tik Tok, which reinforce the worst of stereotypes and poke vulnerable youth in their most vulnerable areas.

What you term as "attacks", others see as protecting children. Especially children in a vulnerable and frightening position, who are often being pulled apart as political pinatas and not seen as simply being children. The issue is not equality.

I dont think you know much about Governor Noem if you seriously believe that. She is conservative but not extremist and does not think Trump would be the best choice of candidate in 2024. Casually throwing phrases like "super maga extremist" does little to edify people reading. The Governor balanced her state's budget, cut taxes, and didn't panic during Covid. Won her state by more than 25 points. And is easy on the eyes. What's not to like?

Those stats from BofA are a joke. They consider getting only 12-20% of assets as "inheriting". Not inheriting PLUS being middle class or lower is their definition of "self made", which is ridiculous. How many actually took the family money and sat on it, or just swam in a pool full of gold coins? Very few. As for taxes, look at what KhunLA posted for a clear picture of who pays what.

More countries used to recognize Taiwan until the PRC began to flex their muscles and forced them to make political choices. China has already given up Taiwan but they just can't acknowledge it. The Taiwanese do not want to be part of the mainland, they loathe the CPC.

According to this source, a majority of billionaires made their money themselves, they did not inherit it. https://www.statista.com/statistics/621426/sources-of-wealth-of-global-billionaires/ For "simple" millionaires the ratio is even higher. Less than 10% inherited their wealth, the rest created it. And yes, tax RATES used to be higher. But did people really PAY those rates? Data suggests they didn't. Top 1% of earners payed about 40% of their income in taxes in the 1950s. About the same as today.

Those might be good reasons to RAISE the age to drive/marry rather than lower the age to consent to gender treatment. But again, they are not permanent or irreversable in most cases. Most drivers don't die in car accidents. Most people who marry do so at a later age than 16, and don't have kids either. You can change your mind and stop driving or stop being married, you can't change your mind after you have a double mastectomy and remove perfectly healthy body parts. Puberty blocking/delaying drugs are 'best' given before puberty, which means kids from 10 years old are being put on them. Half these kids still think Santa Claus is real and they are being given these drugs? Sorry but it is ripe for abuse and the long term effects may be catastrophic.

I would say the difference is that many so-called gender affirming treatments are permanent and may cause harm that will last a lifetime. Marriage and driving are not the same. Not sure the connection to abortion laws, except trying to paint a political picture.

Billionaires employ thousands, if not millions of people. They are worth defending. France tried overtaxing rich people in the mid 2000s with a wealth tax. It increased overall tax revenue by perhaps 1% on that tax, but resulted in thousands fleeing the country and a net loss of twice as much overall. https://www.bnnbloomberg.ca/france-tried-soaking-the-rich-it-didn-t-go-well-1.1347875

I agree that she shouldn't have gone. She is a domestic political leader and should steer clear of most international policy- it ain't her bailiwick. But there is nothing wrong with the principle of reinforcing the reality that Taiwan is an independent, sovereign nation.

It's all politics to you. Not to everyone else. How has the good governor "demonized" people?

Generally speaking, the people who resort to euphemisms the most are the ones losing the argument. Seems to be the case here as well. "Gender affirming health care" means what exactly other than castration, mastectomies, and chemical treatment to surpress the natural cycle of maturing? Minors who are confused and unsure about their gender need care and treatment and therapy and above all they need TIME to grow up. Permanent, life changing medical procedures are not beneficial.

There is a lot to unpack in this commentary, a lot that is inaccurate and gaslighting and over political. People who think this kind of treatment is dangerous for kids are NOT default transphobes or bigots or even right wing. Deliberately mutilating a physically healthy child, either by surgery or by chemical, is horrid.

Pumping young prepubescent kids full of life altering chemicals when there is little/no research on the long term effects is cruel. Unfortunately these days the medical profession is being infected with the same woke claptrap that has been driving politics. Children simply are not mature enough to make these decisions. Here is an interesting article on the growing number of youth who regret the speed at which they transitioned, and are suffering permanent harm as a result; https://nypost.com/2022/06/18/detransitioned-teens-explain-why-they-regret-changing-genders/

The problem being that puberty blockers don't just delay puberty, they destroy it. There is no long term research to suggest that the effects can be reversed. Kids who are experiencing insecurity over gender can be treated with therapy and compassion until they are mature enough to decide what to do.

This is a bad thing? Seems logical to me. "Gender affirming" is a very euphemistic term for castration or removal of healthy body parts. Minors aren't allowed to smoke, drink, drive, or join the military. There is no reason for them to be allowed to mutilate themselves.

Good to see the NABAT crowd out in force to discuss Biden's speech. Understandable though, since Joe is deeply unpopular even within the Democratic Party. More than half of democrats DONT want him to run for re-election if recent polls are to be believed. His only saving grace is that he managed to pick a VP that is even less popular than he is! https://apnews.com/article/ap-norc-poll-biden-2024-presidential-prospects-c843c5af6775b4c8a0cff8e2b1db03f6

I guess President Biden quietly removed the sign on his desk that says, "The Buck Stops Here" that Truman left...

Are you serious? People don't realize that the guys they pay hundreds/thousands of dollars to drive them to the border are not criminals? That beggars belief. The overwhelming influence of gangs and organized crime in smuggling people from central/south America to the US and Canada is well documented.