1 hour ago, Jeffr2 said:

Sad times in the US when people think like this.  No wonder our democracy is in trouble.

 

Democracy in the US has been under siege for quite some time. Trump accelerated that siege, dramatically, with no respect for the rule of law, even though he pretended to be a "law and order" president, but only when it fired up his base.

 

I attribute a large part of the reason for the breakdown in American society (and culturally, throughout the world) to the the fault of Twitter, Instagram and social media in general. Add to that three decades of gorging on reality TV (perhaps the most corrosive force of them all) and you have a society that is the polar opposite of intellectual, and reflective, and traveling downhill at a breakneck speed. 

12 minutes ago, spidermike007 said:

 

Democracy in the US has been under siege for quite some time. Trump accelerated that siege, dramatically, with no respect for the rule of law, even though he pretended to be a "law and order" president, but only when it fired up his base.

 

I attribute a large part of the reason for the breakdown in American society (and culturally, throughout the world) to the the fault of Twitter, Instagram and social media in general. Add to that three decades of gorging on reality TV (perhaps the most corrosive force of them all) and you have a society that is the polar opposite of intellectual, and reflective, and traveling downhill at a breakneck speed. 

Listened to an interesting podcast today.  Basically saying if the GOP doesn't gerrymander, they're not going to have another president.  So, get ready for an all out assault on voter rights. It could get really ugly.

2 hours ago, thaibeachlovers said:

No, it doesn't matter at all.

But you arent a trump.supporter.

7 hours ago, Jeffr2 said:

Listened to an interesting podcast today.  Basically saying if the GOP doesn't gerrymander, they're not going to have another president.  So, get ready for an all out assault on voter rights. It could get really ugly.

Perhaps you know that the Census was interrupted for some months because of Covid, then Trump pushed for data to be finalized while he is still president. Wonder why? There were issues also about an attempt to exclude illegals from the count even though it is well established that everyone in the country is to be counted. Limiting the count to legal aliens would reduce the count in California and other states with big cities. The Census relates to the reapportioning of Representatives between the states, not to mention allocating Federal funds in entitlements. Then gerrymandering takes place in the statehouses!!

On 12/13/2020 at 5:33 PM, placnx said:

American elections take place on a fixed schedule unless there is an interim vacancy.

 

The Tea Party has co-opted the Republican Party, so they no longer need an independent existence. By going from the right at establishment Republicans and beating many in primary elections, the [new Republicans] have transformed, polarized, and gridlocked American politics.

 

This goes back to 1992 and Ross Perot who made George HW Bush a one-termer. It was also the beginning of the populism now represented by Trump and the [new Republicans]. In Florida during the Clinton years there were mini-putches in Republican county caucuses where Evangelicals took over the state Party from the grass roots.

America is not a parliamentary democracy so our elections are scheduled, as you and I both agree. 

My point concerned third party candidates, not the corruption and implosion of the republican party. Hopefully it will meet the same fate as the Whigs or the Bull Moose Party. 

On 12/13/2020 at 5:51 PM, Jeffr2 said:

Ummm....who's paying for the judges?  The clerks?  The electricity at the court houses. The facilities that are being used for this rather than other important matters.

 

Funds for lawyers come from Trump.  Funds for the judges, clerks, security, etc, come from taxpayers.

True, but they are not costing any extra to do the job the were hired for. Most are on salary and get paid regardless.

5 hours ago, habanero said:

True, but they are not costing any extra to do the job the were hired for. Most are on salary and get paid regardless.

But their time is getting wasted, time that could be spent productively. 45 lawsuits are an admitted pile of stuff you mix in your soil to help your garden grow better.

6 hours ago, habanero said:

True, but they are not costing any extra to do the job the were hired for. Most are on salary and get paid regardless.

What about all the other work they have to do?  Put in overtime?  Which us taxpayers have to pay for?  Push off other, perhaps critical, cases for this one?

 

It's a total waste of time and money.