Kamala Harris - Democratic candidate for POTUS - discussion thread

[RollTide_HTTR]

Personally, I think Biden has always been weird with women and touching and that journal note does not make me feel any more positive towards him on that front. However, it is one journal note without any real context and there is nothing to really be done unless there is something really nefarious around it in which case it is up to Biden's daughter an the people around her.

I don't have a daughter but for the first year and half of my sons life I was the primary care giver while my wife was dealing with serious mental health issues. And I can see situations where a very young kid would end up showering with their father but I have no idea the age here and there is certainly a line where it would be very very weird and concerning to me. His daughter might have been beyond that age and that is concerning to me at least.

That said, I don't think you can extrapolate this out to "one side that is trying as hard as it can to normalize child sexualization." I do not think most people who vote democrat or most Democrat politicians want children sexualized. And again, without more information there just isn't a lot to do here or even much you can assume. I do feel really bad for his daughter because this was clearly a quite personal diary. And if there was anything nefarious I can't imagine having to relive through any trauma(if there is any) out in public like this.

 

[Bazza]

Good for her.

Getting tired of all these RUDE protesters!

 

[Bazza]

Here she is again......boom! Can't wait for her to straighten Putin out!!! And all those middle east terrorists!

 

[HSV_1969]

Here's another simple example: The Trump tax cuts ballooned the deficit--estimated to cost close to $2 TRILLION over the law's ten-year life. Everyone KNEW they would balloon the deficit, and the Republicans passed it anyway. And they want to extend the cuts.

I don't think that the US Treasury has a revenue problem. The US government has a spending problem.

 

[Jon]

I don't think that the US Treasury has a revenue problem. The US government has a spending problem.

then you aren't paying attention because it is clearly both

 

[Bodhisattva]

I don't think that the US Treasury has a revenue problem. The US government has a spending problem.

Absolutely

then you aren't paying attention because it is clearly both

Well, I have paid attention every day for nearly 16 years. The government spends money like a gambling addict bunkered in at a casino with a stolen AmEx Black Card. We have a spending problem. Both sides are to blame.

 

[Jon]

Absolutely



Well, I have paid attention every day for nearly 16 years. The government spends money like a gambling addict bunkered in at a casino with a stolen AmEx Black Card. We have a spending problem. Both sides are to blame.

and I've pointed out to you for the last decade at a minimum that private companies are just as bad, if not worse. I had a conference call this week with a customer that bought $11m of software and never installed it that is now looking for a discount to renew that contract because this time they are going to use it.

And fwiw I don't think they will

 

[Bodhisattva]

and I've pointed out to you for the last decade at a minimum that private companies are just as bad, if not worse.

No, they are not. Not even close. Not in the same universe of waste.

 

[N.al-tider]

and I've pointed out to you for the last decade at a minimum that private companies are just as bad, if not worse. I had a conference call this week with a customer that bought $11m of software and never installed it that is now looking for a discount to renew that contract because this time they are going to use it.

And fwiw I don't they will

Who cares what private companies spend their money on? Certainly not me. After all, they are a private company. I do care about how Congress spends our tax money. I also don't like that if they run out of money, they just print more... That is ridiculous IMO...

 

[jthomas666]

and I've pointed out to you for the last decade at a minimum that private companies are just as bad, if not worse. I had a conference call this week with a customer that bought $11m of software and never installed it that is now looking for a discount to renew that contract because this time they are going to use it.

And fwiw I don't they will

But Jon, don't you see, your own first-hand experience is nothing next to Bodhi's. He's seen government waste FIRST HAND!!!!

I once worked for a company that bought a new software development tracking system. Spent a ridiculous amount of money on it. The day before the system went live, they laid off the guy who had managed the implementation. No one else knew how to manage the system. It was a colossal train wreck, and rather than admitting the mistake, they plunked down another wad of cash on a different system.

No one doubts that the government wastes money. But capitalism wastes a fair amount on its own.

 

[crimsonaudio]

and I've pointed out to you for the last decade at a minimum that private companies are just as bad, if not worse.

Apple and oranges - why would I care how wasteful someone is with their own money?

I have every reason to be frustrated with how wasteful the government is with MY money.

 

[Bodhisattva]

On my own extensive experience. In both the public and private sector.

I base my opinions on education on my experiences as a parent, as a former educator, the husband of an educator, and the son of an educator administrator.

Other people on this board have a wealth of education and experience of their own; you might do well to consider that the next time you're preparing to browbeat people with your experience and huuuge squishy frontal lobes.

How much experience do you have in federal government spending? If you can't tell the difference between spending in the public and private sectors ....

 

[Bazza]

Other people on this board have a wealth of education and experience of their own; you might do well to consider that the next time you're preparing to browbeat people with your experience and huuuge squishy frontal lobes.

 

[Bodhisattva]

Apple and oranges - why would I care how wasteful someone is with their own money?

I have every reason to be frustrated with how wasteful the government is with MY money.

You can't even compare the two. It's apples and a turd-filled toilet.

My experience in the private sector was one of getting more and more efficient. Expanding in some areas; contracting in others. Hiring and promoting good employees; letting go of the ones that were not good or were no longer a fit. Making profit by supplying a demand in the market.

My experience in the government ... Bloated payrolls. Lots of people who literally do no work. It's nearly impossible to fire someone. At best you encourage them to transfer (or, more likely, promote them out of your office). There is no concept of profit. It's only "spend everything you've got and ask for more." We literally have warehouses full of stuff all over the country that was never used. It's disgusting.

But we need to raise taxes?

 

[Bodhisattva]

I have better hair.

 

[CrimsonJazz]

But we need to raise taxes?

Hey, those Ukrainian pensions won't pay for themselves, you know.

 

[Bamabuzzard]

and I've pointed out to you for the last decade at a minimum that private companies are just as bad, if not worse. I had a conference call this week with a customer that bought $11m of software and never installed it that is now looking for a discount to renew that contract because this time they are going to use it.

And fwiw I don't think they will

Huge difference between a private company's money and taxpayer's dollars. Now, if the private company is getting subsidies from the government then there's a problem. But if they want to sit at their desks every day after five and light their $100 bills on fire because they're bored, I don't care. Because none of it is my money or your money. When the government does it, it's a problem.

The government has a fiduciary duty to the taxpayer to handle funds responsibly. That train has long jumped the tracks. Granted I'm an accountant so I will naturally look at the spending vs revenue collection much differently than most. But in the accounting world, you fix the spending before you start asking for more money. If we can't trust you with what you're already getting, why should we give you more? But again, that's my accountant's way of thinking.

 

[Jon]

You can't even compare the two. It's apples and a turd-filled toilet.

My experience in the private sector was one of getting more and more efficient. Expanding in some areas; contracting in others. Hiring and promoting good employees; letting go of the ones that were not good or were no longer a fit. Making profit by supplying a demand in the market.

My experience in the government ... Bloated payrolls. Lots of people who literally do no work. It's nearly impossible to fire someone. At best you encourage them to transfer (or, more likely, promote them out of your office). There is no concept of profit. It's only "spend everything you've got and ask for more." We literally have warehouses full of stuff all over the country that was never used. It's disgusting.

But we need to raise taxes?

I work for a company that let go of 7% of our workforce last year and the only effect was our stock price jumped a hair. Didn't really notice the missing people that much. I spent my first year at this company watching YouTube and arguing on tidefans. I also had 11 different managers that year. Seriously. Got paid 6 figures to watch YouTube and get lols here. Show up for a con call once or twice a week, sleep in and leave early no one noticed or cared. I know several dozen people that are doing this now on this company and dozens more at other companies.

I have a warehouse 3 miles from me with millions worth of IT Hardware that was bought in 2023 by a publicly traded company that is simply gathering dust waiting to be used. There was just as much software that is doing nothing because the hardware it was intended to run on is sitting in a warehouse.

Hysterical that you think this doesn't happen in the private sector.

Sure, my view is IT predominantly but I've sold to Fed, nearly every state in the Union, Education both higher and lower and all manor of private from fortune 50 to mom and pop. The only place that really focuses on wasteful spending is where the owner is still the decision maker or among the decision makers. Everywhere else is someone else's money

 

[Bodhisattva]

Hysterical that you think this doesn't happen in the private sector.

What's hysterical is your lack of comprehension. Never have I said that there isn't waste everywhere. People can be lazy and corrupt. That's amplified in a bureaucracy. I have repeatedly said that IT is an area where there seems to be built in waste, largely, I think, because most people don't understand it. Waste is bad in the private sector. It's epic in government.

When I worked for a national homebuilder, we had an IT team that would buy equipment for model homes in our various communities. Nothing complicated. But these guys - like you seem to be - were left to their own devices. They robbed the company by buying extra equipment for themselves. They got away with it for years. The government, as a matter of course, wastes money thousands-fold compared to what the private sector does.

I'm not sure why you are not comprehending what I am writing. Everything the government buys is wasteful. Everything. Millions of transactions and trillions of dollars. You can't compare the two.

 

[Jon]

What's hysterical is your lack of comprehension. Never have I said that there isn't waste everywhere. People can be lazy and corrupt. That's amplified in a bureaucracy. I have repeatedly said that IT is an area where there seems to be built in waste, largely, I think, because most people don't understand it. Waste is bad in the private sector. It's epic in government.

When I worked for a national homebuilder, we had an IT team that would buy equipment for model homes in our various communities. Nothing complicated. But these guys - like you seem to be - were left to their own devices. They robbed the company by buying extra equipment for themselves. They got away with it for years. The government, as a matter of course, wastes money thousands-fold compared to what the private sector does.

I'm not sure why you are not comprehending what I am writing. Everything the government buys is wasteful. Everything. Millions of transactions and trillions of dollars. You can't compare the two.

I've sold to national homebuilders

I've also worked in non-IT procurement for a global multinational, first job out of college. Saw tons of waste there too. Tons. Waste is a problem everywhere, not just in IT and not just with the Government. You don't want to believe it that's fine, I've seen it with my own eyes