“Why can’t we all just … stop shooting each other?”

Right. The amendment bill is a shit sandwich. There’s still infectious shit there, in between the white Wonderbread slices. Or maybe it’s an open-faced sandwich with one layer of bread and two slices of shit.

She “dismembered their bodies with a chainsaw.” I guess there was no wood-chipper available.

Black comedy aside, how does a human being do that? That’s next-level evil.

The US is the least trade-dependent member of the G7, by far. Trade is a relatively insignificant part of the US’s wealth. Thus, your statement that the “US has a strong economy because it maintains a presence with each of its trade partners” is flat wrong. The US is strong for the reasons I stated. It’s huge and has tremendous natural and human resources, all governed relatively loosely.

That fact redounds to Germany’s benefit, as well as to the rest of the west.

It’s not at all like the British because the US doesn’t have colonies. The British were engaging in mercantilism; the US isn’t.

I fully, 100% agree. Now is not the time. Also, we’d be fools from a cost-benefit standpoint.

eta: Nonetheless, Germany needs to step up.

I wasn’t suggesting that the US withdraw from the world stage.

The US is strong because it’s a vast country comprised of 330 million people spread out over 50 states, a district, and territories, with tremendous natural and human resources. Having Germany pull its weight after outsourcing most of its defense for nearly 8 decades won’t cause the US to crumble.

Yeah. Trumpists (cough cough) were right about one thing: the US needs to stop being the security guard for Europe on US taxpayers’ dime. It’s been 78 years since the end of WWII, and it’s time for Germany (in particular) to stop free-riding on the US security umbrella.

True, but that absolutely shouldn’t be the case. Germany has much more to fear from Russian expansionism in Europe.

And depending upon the impact of the ticket on insurance premiums, it might be worth hiring a ticket lawyer. I’m in the profession and I’ve done it. A fee of a few hundred bucks saved me a lot of hassle and modest insurance expense.

I hope you’re right …

I agree, but it’s not as though PA is a destination of choice like CA or CO or FL …

As it is, PA’s “stolen election” lunacy and position on the knife’s edge of Mastribation has dimmed the state’s prospects. Why would a person or company with options set up shop here? The answer is, they won’t unless and until the MAGA madness stops. So PA will be left with both urban and rural blight. It’s … SAD.

So, hypothetically, if you were driving a truck … or a car … or an SUV … or anything … and you somehow managed to pull out onto the turnpike with vehicles going the opposite fucking way, wouldn’t you just pull over right away? Like, immediately? And go, “Holy fucking shit! I just drove onto the Turnpike going the wrong way! Even if you’re drunk, or stoned, or high, or suffering from angina?

Fuck.

Did MAGATs think we’d just stand by as clear majorities of Pennsylvanians repeatedly voted for the actual American and not the Trumpist loser? That’s what gets me. My MAGA sign-wielding neighbors actually thought the rest of us would just go, “Oh, OK. You’re right. My quadruply-checked mail-in ballot is ‘fraudulent,’ and my vote just doesn’t count. He who has the Signs, wins.”

D’oh!

Both sides’ asses are on the line. But only one side needs to light up its ass.

Even automatic lights don’t necessarily switch to full on mode as soon as they should. Maybe vehicles should have led, always-on, rear end marker lights anyway. I think they’d enhance safety.

The simple answer is, cops wield tremendous, immediately life-changing or ending power over people in a way that no other profession does. Sure, alcoholism is a disease, and being a police officer who’s an alcoholic is dangerous to the public at large, the alcoholic cop, and also to public perceptions. I’d say a cop caught drunk on the job requires consequences, including but not limited to loss of employment as a cop for several years at least. Not just a slap on the wrist.

Yup. Here’s an example from a town I used to live in: https://lancasteronline.com/news/local/west-lampeter-cop-charged-with-dui-after-crash-found-staggering-next-to-his-vehicle-police/article_7d6d00c4-2ebe-11e4-81fb-0017a43b2370.html

The cop got ARD and is still on the force.

I’ve seen this movie before when cops are DUI here in PA. The cop will get ARD, and he’ll be “fired” and then reinstated by an “arbitrator” with back pay. There will essentially be no consequences.

No worries!

We (Americans) should convene a national town hall. It would be wild here and there, but I’d say overall we could get a lot done on things like immigration, abortion, LGBTQ rights and so on. Most people are decent, sensible and reasonable, even if many are prone to believing conspiracy theories regarding “stolen elections” and the like.

Well, we probably mostly agree then. Wait. Did we just potentially reach an agreement as a result of a Reddit conversation? Awesome! Hey, maybe Americans don’t fit neatly into political categories? Well 🖖 …

As I mentioned above, I’m having renovations done on my house. The amazing thing is that every single MAGA contractor has a crew of Hispanic (they’re all “Mexican” to them) workers. They would be out of business without the “Mexicans.” Fucking hypocrites.

Surgically transitioning before age 18 is a separate issue with admitted potential to do harm. And it’s exceptionally rare. No, you feel entitled to control other people’s choices and identities.

“Leftist,” huh? Lol. Nope. A civil libertarian. Remember that?

What exactly is the “one hell of a fight” going to be about? Again, lol.

Yep. The fact is, MAGAs are totally dependent upon us “libtards” for their living. I’ve been spending tens of thousands on home renovations, and any contractor or tradesperson who’s loudly MAGA doesn’t get my business. They can do whatever they want whenever they’re not on my job site. I look like I could be a MAGA (a middle-aged white guy with a shaved head who has a garage full of tools and flies a modestly-sized American-made US flag out front), but I get great pleasure in quietly not giving work to MAGAs who annoy me.

You’re privy to “the truth”? And the rest of us aren’t? Well, aren’t you special.

Have a little humility and stop trying to control other people. Meanwhile, you’ll lose this argument because most people don’t have your control needs.