@Walterodim's banner p

Walterodim

Only equals speak the truth, that’s my thought on’t

0 followers   follows 0 users  
joined 2022 September 05 12:47:06 UTC 

				
User ID: 551


				
				
				

			

		

	














	


		


			



	

		

			

			

				

					

						

							
						

						

							
							

								
Walterodim


								

								

								
								
								

								
							
					
 
				


				
Only equals speak the truth, that’s my thought on’t

				
				
				

				

					0 followers  

					follows 0 users  

					joined 2022 September 05 12:47:06 UTC
				


				
					

					
No bio...

				

				

				

				

				

					

					

					
					
					

					
User ID: 551


					
					
					
				

			


					

						
					



		

	

 











			
			

			
			

			




	


		

			
‎

			

				
				

					Hour
					Day
					Week
					Month
					Year
					
				

			


			
‎

			

	
	

	 Hot Bump Top Bottom Old Controversial Comments
	



		

	






	

		
		

		
		
	

	

  







		

			
			
				Culture War Roundup for the week of March 10, 2025
			
		

	

	

	

		
			

			

				

			

		

			


				

					
I have spotted a missed opportunity.


You could have done this.


				

				

						

							

								
							

						


						
					

				
			


			

	


			
			
				

			
		

	






		

			
			
				Wellness Wednesday for March 12, 2025
			
		

	

	

	

		
			

			

				

			

		

			


				

					
Personally, I'm shocked that your dad is only human. I doubt it even!


Jokes aside, be well and best to you and yours.


				

				

						

							

								
							

						


						
					

				
			


			

	


			
			
				

			
		

	






		

			
			
				Culture War Roundup for the week of March 3, 2025
			
		

	

	

	

		
			

			

				

			

		

			


				

					
I fucking hate that this is how Darryl Cooper is becoming known to a broader audience. His Jim Jones and Israel-Palestine podcast series are careful, empathic, and passionate. I'm not enough of a history buff to know how accurate they are, but they certainly aren't shows that I would associate with someone that is a flamethrower. I know he's always been a pretty far-right guy, but I do have to wonder if the attention has gotten him to a spot where he's more intentionally inflammatory.


				

				

						

							

								
							

						


						
					

				
			


			

	


			
			
				

			
		

	






		

			
			
				Culture War Roundup for the week of March 3, 2025
			
		

	

	

	

		
			

			

				

			

		

			


				

					


However, I disagree that lack of a suit (for Musk or Z.) objectively can be interpreted as disrespect.




Why do you disagree? I don't think it can be objectively interpreted as disrespect if people are misaligned regarding the expectations for a given setting, but if everyone is familiar with the expected level of formality and one party unilaterally settles on wearing joggers instead, that is absolutely a sign of disrespect. In the context of meetings between heads of state, Zelenskyy's choice of attire is certainly a signal, the only question is what exactly he's signaling.


				

				

						

							

								
							

						


						
					

				
			


			

	


			
			
				

			
		

	






		

			
			
				Culture War Roundup for the week of March 3, 2025
			
		

	

	

	

		
			

			

				

			

		

			


				

					


I think this is a bridge too far, even for Europe.




I would have thought a dozen Rotherhams and a Bataclan or two would be too much, but I was wrong.


				

				

						

							

								
							

						


						
					

				
			


			

	


			
			
				

			
		

	






		

			
			
				Culture War Roundup for the week of March 3, 2025
			
		

	

	

	

		
			

			

				

			

		

			


				

					
Well, shit.


				

				

						

							

								
							

						


						
					

				
			


			

	


			
			
				

			
		

	






		

			
			
				Culture War Roundup for the week of March 3, 2025
			
		

	

	

	

		
			

			

				

			

		

			


				

					
Yeah, it's why I use that example. Anyone that's experienced a decent shower hates these stupid trickle flow showerheads. I can barely think of a better example of what I mean when I say that we pay federal employees to make our lives slightly worse in pointless, annoying ways that no one would ever have considered a federal issue in the past.


They're also a fantastic example of how the rules are only for the hoi polloi. Anyone with resources is going to just get a rainfall shower or other high-end fixture, not buy a showerhead off Amazon and strip out the regulator.


				

				

						

							

								
							

						


						
					

				
			


			

	


			
			
				

			
		

	






		

			
			
				Culture War Roundup for the week of March 3, 2025
			
		

	

	

	

		
			

			

				

			

		

			


				

					
Many (perhaps most) of these regulations don't exist by statute and could be unraveled quite easily. The problem was putting a bunch of people into makework jobs where they filed all of the appropriate paperwork in the rulemaking process that created a bunch of pointless rules for the industry to follow. Replacing the showerhead flow regulation enthusiasts with people that undo that swiftly would, of course, be fought by environmental groups during the rulesmaking process, but there are usually not statutory requirements that this sort of thing continues.


				

				

						

							

								
							

						


						
					

				
			


			

	


			
			
				

			
		

	






		

			
			
				Culture War Roundup for the week of March 3, 2025
			
		

	

	

	

		
			

			

				

			

		

			


				

					


The immigration situation could have been resolved firmly in the mid to late 90s, when even California voted resoundingly for highly punitive measures against illegal migrants and at the height of Pat Buchanan’s popularity and the height of American prosperity and global power.




I wouldn't even say that the measures were "punitive" to illegals, they just weren't deliberately imposing costs on Americans. The landmark California legislation was the simple and straightforward Prop 187:




    

  1. All law enforcement agents who suspect that a person who has been arrested is in violation of immigration laws must investigate the detainee's immigration status, and if they find evidence of illegality they must report it to the attorney general of California, and to the federal Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS). They must also notify the detainee of his or her apparent status as an alien.
    2. 

  2. Local governments are prohibited from preventing or limiting the fulfillment of this requirement.
    3. 

  3. If government agents suspect anyone applying for benefits of being illegal immigrants, the agents must report their suspicions in writing to the
appropriate enforcement authorities.
    4. 

  4. People shall not receive any public social services until verified as a United States citizen or as a lawfully admitted alien.
    5. 

  5. People shall not receive any health care services from a publicly funded health care facility until verified as a United States citizen or as a lawfully admitted alien.
    6. 

  6. A public elementary or secondary school shall not admit or permit the attendance of any child until verified as a United States citizen or as a lawfully admitted alien.
    7. 

  7. By 1996, each school district shall verify the legal status of each child enrolled within the district and the legal status of each parent or guardian of each child.
    8. 

  8. A child who is in violation of the requirements above shall not continue to attend the school 90 days from the date of notice to the attorney general and INS.
    9. 

  9. The attorney general must keep records on all such cases and make them available to any other government entity that wishes to inspect them.
    10. 

  10. The manufacture, distribution, sale, or use of false citizenship or residency documents is a state felony punishable by imprisonment or fine.
    11. 





That this was what considered so punitive that Democrats fought tooth and nail and got the Supreme Court to strike it down really speaks volumes to me about priorities. Yes, they say, Americans should be forced to provide free schools and medical treatments for people that snuck into the country.


				

				

						

							

								
							

						


						
					

				
			


			

	


			
			
				

			
		

	






		

			
			
				Culture War Roundup for the week of March 3, 2025
			
		

	

	

	

		
			

			

				

			

		

			


				

					
This is a good example of a bigger point, which is that "efficiency" isn't just referring to the direct costs of spending. When you get rid of the guy that's in charge of regulating showerhead flow, you don't just save the $100K per year on the useless regulator, you also save compliance costs for every company that makes showerheads and create additional consumer surplus for people that can get showerheads they actually like. To not put a thumb on the scale, it's worth mentioning that you also (putatively) increase costs for water and whatever environmental costs are associated with it. Each choice when it comes to getting rid of regulators has significant externality impacts, both positive and negative, that are part of the picture of "efficiency".


				

				

						

							

								
							

						


						
					

				
			


			

	


			
			
				

			
		

	






		

			
			
				Culture War Roundup for the week of March 3, 2025
			
		

	

	

	

		
			

			

				

			

		

			


				

					
If there is a Covid-sized pandemic and DOGE has undercut the ability of the federal government to act, I will consider that a massive victory.


				

				

						

							

								
							

						


						
					

				
			


			

	


			
			
				

			
		

	






		

			
			
				Friday Fun Thread for February 28, 2025
			
		

	

	

	

		
			

			

				

			

		

			


				

					
A very Coaseian solution! This would certainly be my starting point.


				

				

						

							

								
							

						


						
					

				
			


			

	


			
			
				

			
		

	






		

			
			
				Wellness Wednesday for February 26, 2025
			
		

	

	

	

		
			

			

				

			

		

			


				

					


Though during the night I had very bad cramps. Every time I get them, I am scared for the kidney.




What do you view the upside to training this way as? I used to have cramping problems, no longer do (outside of marathons), and almost all of it is just because I don't put myself in that position during training. Cranking out hard reps builds fitness, but there just isn't a need or benefit to doing it to the point of true muscle failure. Supercompensation in most relevant systems (lactic threshold, aerobic fitness, muscular endurance, neuromuscular power) occurs and results in adaptation at levels well below a constant risk of injury.


				

				

						

							

								
							

						


						
					

				
			


			

	


			
			
				

			
		

	






		

			
			
				Culture War Roundup for the week of February 24, 2025
			
		

	

	

	

		
			

			

				

			

		

			


				

					


Can a law limit the constitution?




Separating is from ought, I think it clearly can. Libel laws inform us of where the limits on speech are. Arms rights are restricted in many ways. Governments routinely subject people to searches without warrants (whether they're reasonable is disputed, of course).


I don't even think that's unreasonable - I am under the impression that something as broad and simple as "freedom of speech" is not intended to be so literal as to mean that there isn't any speech, ever that can be abrogated by the government. Maximal literalism would suggest that even a simple noise ordinance is unconstitutional.


Put another way, I think of the Constitution as a set of articulated principles that must be upheld, but statute as working to define how those principles work in practice. When the two collide, someone must make a judgment on the matter. As cynical as I can be about law and judges, I don't actually know of a better way to handle this.


				

				

						

							

								
							

						


						
					

				
			


			

	


			
			
				

			
		

	






		

			
			
				Culture War Roundup for the week of February 24, 2025
			
		

	

	

	

		
			

			

				

			

		

			


				

					
Well, you've got to give them points for intellectual consistency and being willing to bite bullets! If a the Parks department wants to do something to improve general community wellbeing and make parks enjoyable for normal people, we have to think carefully about the rights of junkies to shoot up in parks. If the Health department says that it's about health, there is absolutely nothing that will counterbalance that and they have an arbitrary level of power to dictate who goes where when.


				

				

						

							

								
							

						


						
					

				
			


			

	


			
			
				

			
		

	






		

			
			
				Wellness Wednesday for February 19, 2025
			
		

	

	

	

		
			

			

				

			

		

			


				

					
Seconding @FiveHourMarthon, don't worry too much about the original plan, focus on the process. Things go up and down, they don't go the way you want, such is life. Consistency over long, long periods of time will prove itself out with gains.


Great job!


				

				

						

							

								
							

						


						
					

				
			


			

	


			
			
				

			
		

	






		

			
			
				Wellness Wednesday for February 19, 2025
			
		

	

	

	

		
			

			

				

			

		

			


				

					
Coming up on middle age, I don't care about cars as much as I used to, so I'm still driving a Scion that I leased a decade ago and then decided to purchase when the lease was up. Were I buying now, I would probably buy a Subaru, likely either a Crosstrek or an Impreza. I like hatchbacks for their practicality, the AWD is excellent in the winter, I think they look nice enough, and I'm not super price sensitive.


The main reason I'd consider spending more would be to get something with solid self-driving capabilities.


				

				

						

							

								
							

						


						
					

				
			


			

	


			
			
				

			
		

	






		

			
			
				Culture War Roundup for the week of February 17, 2025
			
		

	

	

	

		
			

			

				

			

		

			


				

					
The GDP is downstream of the general fuckuppery of the French and Spanish. They're just a lot less industrious than the Dutch.


				

				

						

							

								
							

						


						
					

				
			


			

	


			
			
				

			
		

	






		

			
			
				Culture War Roundup for the week of February 17, 2025
			
		

	

	

	

		
			

			

				

			

		

			


				

					
Their per capita GDP is 10% higher than Germany, 30% higher than France, and about 45% higher than Spain. Their debt to GDP ratio is 45%. When you visit, the productivity and industry is quite noticeable.


				

				

						

							

								
							

						


						
					

				
			


			

	


			
			
				

			
		

	






		

			
			
				Culture War Roundup for the week of February 17, 2025
			
		

	

	

	

		
			

			

				

			

		

			


				

					
Not at all. I view Russia as an adversary, although more of an annoying one than a serious threat at this point. In stark contrast, I view Europe as a loveable older brother that's a bit of a fuckup and needs to straighten themselves out. Many of my criticisms of European pathologies also apply to the United States though, so it's a bit like my loveable older brother that's kind of a drunk and doesn't really want to hear about it from me because I've been known to knock back a few myself. The only thing I genuinely dislike about Europeans is the tendency to smugly believe that there is some sort of superiority to the United States when I find such a claim absolutely laughable. Now we're at the point where my loveable, drunk, fuckup older brother still thinks of himself as better than me because acknowledging that he's broke and about to go bankrupt is just too hard to accept.


Huge caveat - I don't actually like to think of "Europe" as a single entity all that much because my experience with different places is very different. The Dutch aren't actually fuckups, for example. Also, to be clear, I really do mean that I find these places and peoples loveable.


				

				

						

							

								
							

						


						
					

				
			


			

	


			
			
				

			
		

	






		

			
			
				Small-Scale Question Sunday for February 16, 2025
			
		

	

	

	

		
			

			

				

			

		

			


				

					
Put simply, I think Elon Musk is an Antichrist. I'm not a religious man, but nothing seems to me to sum him up so neatly as the concept of an Antichrist. He has offered visions of salvation in the form of environmentalism, extraterrestrial travel, pro-natalism, and now DOGE. He is the richest man in the world and commands the world's largest microphone, using it to shape global opinion and change governments around the world. His relationship with the truth is flexible, to put it lightly.


If Antichrists are real, would they have many children via IVF with women like Grimes and Ashley St. Claire? Would he name them things like Exa Dark Sideræl and Techno Mechanicus? Absolutely.


				

				

						

							

								
							

						


						
					

				
			


			

	


			
			
				

			
		

	






		

			
			
				Culture War Roundup for the week of February 10, 2025
			
		

	

	

	

		
			

			

				

			

		

			


				

					
I'm more or less completely against it. The vast tracts of unspoiled land are an amazing part of the United States being what it is and speak to our history and our values. There is plenty of space for humans to live and settle within currently available land. Land shortages just aren't an actual problem that needs solving.


				

				

						

							

								
							

						


						
					

				
			


			

	


			
			
				

			
		

	






		

			
			
				Culture War Roundup for the week of February 10, 2025
			
		

	

	

	

		
			

			

				

			

		

			


				

					
Bonaire too! Or at least sort of. I suppose it's not really a country though.


				

				

						

							

								
							

						


						
					

				
			


			

	


			
			
				

			
		

	






		

			
			
				Culture War Roundup for the week of February 10, 2025
			
		

	

	

	

		
			

			

				

			

		

			


				

					
Relatedly, pulling out of Afghanistan. We finally did it, but the military leadership insisted on dragging their feet and doing it in an incompetent fashion to undermine Biden and it worked.


				

				

						

							

								
							

						


						
					

				
			


			

	


			
			
				

			
		

	






		

			
			
				Culture War Roundup for the week of February 10, 2025
			
		

	

	

	

		
			

			

				

			

		

			


				

					
The problem, for me, is that my options are not between an orderly phase-out and a stop-work order, but between a stop-work order and the status quo. I firmly believe that doing this in a slow, orderly fashion would just result in caterwauling about how we're killing the children in the future and that this caterwauling would continue apace through the next administration, which would restore funding in full plus a little extra bump for their trouble. If, like me, you want many of these activities curtailed, you just have to bite the bullet and accept that it's going to be an ugly process where every single person denied a previously received bit of American largesse informs you that you're literally killing children.


So, the solution, for me, is to say that the mistake is not in stopping now, but that we ever began the process of giving away so much American money that can never be redacted in the slightest and that is never enough to even begin to slake the demand.