OT - Current Affairs/COVID/Vaccines, etc

[bwgood77]

Unlikely a better year with what's about to happen in Washington.

Not so fast...

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[batsmasher]

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University of Phoenix #1 in student debt in 2014. $35.5B? holy moly.

[lilfishi22]

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University of Phoenix #1 in student debt in 2014. $35.5B? holy moly.

Being an Aussie, I can never understand how America can allow this. Having HECS or Fee-Help in Australia is huge. I walked away with a sizeable debt but the interest on the debt was basically zero and only required paying back after meeting a salary criteria.

[Frank Lee]

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University of Phoenix #1 in student debt in 2014. $35.5B? holy moly.

Being an Aussie, I can never understand how America can allow this. Having HECS or Fee-Help in Australia is huge. I walked away with a sizeable debt but the interest on the debt was basically zero and only required paying back after meeting a salary criteria.

We are a country run by banks and bullet makers.

We have short memories. The presidential election is something that interrupts our lives every four years… now Most will just stick their head back into the sand and not pay attention to anything going on. Just give us our weekends, our football and Christmas. The daily grind is overwhelming and the overall quality of life is declining. But the majority doesn't care as long as the 'cable' works and Walmart is near.....Democracy requires ongoing participation

to sum it up

'And you run and you run to catch up with the sun but it's sinking
Racing around to come up behind you again
The sun is the same in a relative way, but you're older
Shorter of breath and one day closer to death'

Make the most out of your days boys.....they are numbered

[bwgood77]

Watch on YouTube

University of Phoenix #1 in student debt in 2014. $35.5B? holy moly.

Being an Aussie, I can never understand how America can allow this. Having HECS or Fee-Help in Australia is huge. I walked away with a sizeable debt but the interest on the debt was basically zero and only required paying back after meeting a salary criteria.

I've been talking about this recently at work and on some of the other boards like the Current Affairs one down in the OT forums.

Student debt is absolutely ridiculous. People literally graduate with like 6 figure student loan debt and are buried for years. It used to be you could get grants and possibly minimal loans, but the biggest factor was that tuition has gone up astronomically in recent years.

Between education, health care costs (driven up by pharmaceutical companies), and the astronomical rise of housing prices over the past 15 years, it's crazy. The housing correction was devastating for many, but it was probably needed because they values priced younger people out of the housing market. Unfortunately for that group, they have come back.

But as Frank said, we are run by banks and bullet makers...I'll add to that...drug and oil companies.

It is corporate America and the middle class is disappearing as the lower class expands while trapped under mounds of debt.

[lilfishi22]

I don't know much about the history of higher education in America but unregulated fees/tuition seem to have something that's been around for a long time. Only recently has our current government started looking into full deregulations of fees/tuition only to be shot down by the opposition. Now they are looking at targeting the "best" courses which I read as the most popular, and deregulating those fees. The difference still between the US and AUS is that student debt at a very manageable rate will still be available from the government.

Just for clarity, I get government funding higher education courses is a heavy burden on the economy but education should absolutely be one of the top 3 priorities for the government. Not to say it should be a top 3 budget item (it currently is for Australia) but it shouldn't be diminished.

[Frank Lee]

Yes Bgood.... corporate America is poised to assert their control like never before. Big money has been invested and the payoff could be a thump down lasting longer than king Donald's reign. http://www.alternet.org/election-2016/koch-brothers-are-smiling-white-house-will-be-packed-some-their-most-loyal-servants#.WHdFBWaIVbY.email
This looks to be a very costly election as the henchmen are assembled and poised to tighten their grips on the throat of democracy. Fascism Is becoming accepted behavior in DC.Who is the Nazi now?

It's a twistedly sad thing when politicians claim 'the people have spoken' and they now have a mandate to force and enforce their agenda....when in fact approximately 50% of a little over 50% of the voting population actually support them. Do the math. Is this governing or ruling?

Gil Scott Heron said it best 30+ years ago in his rap on the GOP ..... 'the first thing I want to say is Mandate my Ass'...... this political snapshot is timeless if you substituted a few new names.

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[TeamTragic]

How about 4chan trolling the CIA, John McCain and various news outlets?

[lilfishi22]

If that whole 35pg was a legit troll job, then bravo! Hahaha

[bwgood77]

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Ouch

[bigfoot]

Man do I have a lot of respect for Popovich!

This man in the Oval Office is a soulless coward who thinks that he can only become large by belittling others. This has of course been a common practice of his, but to do it in this manner–and to lie about how previous Presidents responded to the deaths of soldiers–is as low as it gets. We have a pathological liar in the White House: unfit intellectually, emotionally, and psychologically to hold this office and the whole world knows it, especially those around him every day. The people who work with this President should be ashamed because they know it better than anyone just how unfit he is, and yet they choose to do nothing about it. This is their shame most of all.

https://www.thenation.com/article/a-soulless-coward-coach-gregg-popovich-responds-to-trump/

[batsmasher]

Man do I have a lot of respect for Popovich!

https://www.thenation.com/article/a-soulless-coward-coach-gregg-popovich-responds-to-trump/

I did like Lowe/Arnowitz's synopsis of why Pop has an itch when it comes to Trump. Was in Arnowitz's most recent Lowe Post appearance.

Pop's ex-military and all about established systems, familial unity and of course ground breaking in international player recruitment. Trump is the antithesis of that.

[SuperSunsFan]

difference between the Celtics and Suns is their fans would hold them accountable at all time while Suns fans will let their team go easy. Suns fans would pat the suns in the back hold back criticism after they crawl back from a deep hole they dug themselves early, Celtics fans continue the trash them non stop even after they gave an effort to crawl back with the unreal performance from smart.

Sounds like a liberal vs conservative observation.

how so?

[mikea7]

difference between the Celtics and Suns is their fans would hold them accountable at all time while Suns fans will let their team go easy. Suns fans would pat the suns in the back hold back criticism after they crawl back from a deep hole they dug themselves early, Celtics fans continue the trash them non stop even after they gave an effort to crawl back with the unreal performance from smart.

Sounds like a liberal vs conservative observation.

Just not sure you want to go there rn, especially after another bad, tough loss.

[SuperSunsFan]

difference between the Celtics and Suns is their fans would hold them accountable at all time while Suns fans will let their team go easy. Suns fans would pat the suns in the back hold back criticism after they crawl back from a deep hole they dug themselves early, Celtics fans continue the trash them non stop even after they gave an effort to crawl back with the unreal performance from smart.

Sounds like a liberal vs conservative observation.

Just not sure you want to go there rn, especially after another bad, tough loss.

politics is toxic.

[mikea7]

Sounds like a liberal vs conservative observation.

Just not sure you want to go there rn, especially after another bad, tough loss.

is boston a liberal or conservative city. as an immigrant i just don't get it, they are hardcore racist but vote democrats.

Waaay too complicated and fraught a topic for right here, right now. This is a great question, however, and one really has to explore political history in the US to understand where we are now. I personally feel that close study of pre-Civil War America, the war itself, and the Reconstruction era informs what we're dealing with today.

Anywhooooooooo

[bwgood77]

Sounds like a liberal vs conservative observation.

Just not sure you want to go there rn, especially after another bad, tough loss.

is boston a liberal or conservative city. as an immigrant i just don't get it, they are hardcore racist but vote democrats. CNN told me democrats are the good guys and republicans are the racists.

This is off topic so shouldn't be here but the state votes democratic. You have a segment of population in old Boston that is like that..not everyone in Boston obviously and not everyone in the state. And even then, they won't all vote Republican, but anyway, this conversation should go here....if you want to talk about it, post the question in a thread or new thread here as there will be more knowledgable people on that subject there viewforum.php?f=69 but if you do don't phrase it as "they are hardcore racist" but "I heard they are racist".

[SuperSunsFan]

Just not sure you want to go there rn, especially after another bad, tough loss.

is boston a liberal or conservative city. as an immigrant i just don't get it, they are hardcore racist but vote democrats. CNN told me democrats are the good guys and republicans are the racists.

This is off topic so shouldn't be here but the state votes democratic. You have a segment of population in old Boston that is like that..not everyone in Boston obviously and not everyone in the state. And even then, they won't all vote Republican, but anyway, this conversation should go here....if you want to talk about it, post the question in a thread or new thread here as there will be more knowledgable people on that subject there viewforum.php?f=69 but if you do don't phrase it as "they are hardcore racist" but "I heard they are racist".

i understand, i am sorry, i edited out the original comment already.

[SuperSunsFan]

just last ot question, has politics always been this toxic in america like some developed country? everyone is up in arms whenever politics is barely mentioned.

[bwgood77]

just last ot question, has politics always been this toxic in america like some developed country? everyone is up in arms whenever politics is barely mentioned.

Hard to be a last question with an answer. No. It's as toxic as it's ever been. It got increasingly worse with Fox News and talk radio. If you have Showtime watch "The Loudest Voice" and it will give you an idea.

I think people used to make up their minds a bit more on their own, but at some point a lot of people became indoctrined to believe what a party was behind. There are still a lot of people who are independent...probably close to a 3rd of people, but you have two solid bases who will get very divisive.

I think as the older crowd moves on and the internet prevails with more real information out there, people SHOULD decide for themselves without much influence, but of course the parties and powers and media will probably find a lot of ways to sway people. But the younger crowd taking over the votes of the older crowd should at least leave (for the most part) a more informed vote. Not to say the older crowd is not informed as they have been around a long time, but they typically watch more tv and listen to more radio and here all the never ending rhetoric.