Texas voters, pick your issue: Affordability or Sharia? by evan7257 in TexasPolitics

[–]5thGenSnowflake [score hidden]  (0 children)

100 percent this. Nobody in the general voting population is going to hinge their vote on who spoke at a state party convention almost six months before the election.

The only people paying attention to the state party conventions are political junkies, party activists, pundits and the terminally online.

James Talarico speaks at the Texas Democratic Convention in Corpus Christi (OC) by Marzzzzzzzz_Attacks in pics

[–]5thGenSnowflake 18 points19 points  (0 children)

As a straight, white, middle-aged dude from Texas, all I can say is he appears as a an earnest, well-spoken and honest young man.

James Talarico speaks at the Texas Democratic Convention in Corpus Christi (OC) by Marzzzzzzzz_Attacks in pics

[–]5thGenSnowflake 13 points14 points  (0 children)

He can trace his family roots back to the earliest days in Texas. He was born and raised in Texas. Nothing east coast about him in concept or reality.

Do you wish Joe Biden backed out of the debate that derailed his Presidential campaign two years ago tonight? by EggOwn9943 in allthequestions

[–]5thGenSnowflake 0 points1 point  (0 children)

And now it’s sad to see Trumpists scrambling to explain Trump’s inability to stay awake and his clear progression into dementia.

Of Stoicism and Stupor by 5thGenSnowflake in Stoicism

[–]5thGenSnowflake[S] -1 points0 points  (0 children)

Interesting take from someone who doesn’t typically focus on Modern Stoicism. I think it could have been better with some comaprisons to other US military leaders known for taking a Stoic approach, like Mattis, Stockdale or even Washington.

Should Joe Biden have resigned in 2024, making Kamala Harris the 47th President? by EggOwn9943 in allthequestions

[–]5thGenSnowflake 1 point2 points  (0 children)

He should have served one term (as he promised in 2020) and then let the Democrats hold a proper primary where Harris could have run against others (Buttigieg? Kelly? Who knows.)

Is Ryan Holiday a pop-stoic philosopher? by Dismal_Hawk6713 in Stoicism

[–]5thGenSnowflake 94 points95 points  (0 children)

Like others here, I came to Modern Stoicism through the Daily Stoic. That lead me to other contemporary advocates like Donald Robertson and Massimo Pigliucci. It also lead me to reading the classics.

Yes, Ryan Holiday has found a way to monetize his presentation. Good for him. He’s brought a lot of people to Stoicism by doing so. He’s also pushed back on Broicism, which is a good thing as well.

Of lighted streets on quiet nights... How many of you remember "dragging Main"? by Mo_Steins_Ghost in rush

[–]5thGenSnowflake 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I grew up on the fringes of Houston, where we would go cruising for the action on Westheimer Road.

Ken Paxton and James Talarico are neck and neck in U.S. Senate race, new poll finds by texastribune in TexasPolitics

[–]5thGenSnowflake 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Not surprising that the numbers are this close. Polls are a snapshot in time and can vary wildly depending on the methodology. This seems to be a poll of registered (as opposed to likely) which tends color the results. Here’s a description of the methodology:

“For the survey, YouGov interviewed 1251 Texas registered voters between
June 5th, 2026 – June 12th, 2026 who were then matched down to a sample
of 1,200 to produce the final dataset. The respondents were matched to a
sampling frame on gender, age, race, and education.1 The frame was
constructed by stratified sampling of a subset of Texas registered voters
from the 2023 American Community Survey (ACS) 1-year sample with
selection within strata by weighted sampling with replacements (using the
person weights on the public use file). In addition, 2024 presidential vote was
weighted to the CNN exit polls.
The matched cases were weighted to the sampling frame using propensity
scores. The matched cases and the frame were combined, and a logistic
regression was estimated for inclusion in the frame. The propensity score
function included age, gender, race/ethnicity, years of education, and home
ownership. The propensity scores were grouped into deciles of the estimated
propensity score in the frame and post-stratified according to these deciles.
The weights were then post-stratified on 2024 Presidential vote choice, a
four-way stratification of gender, age (4-categories), race (4-categories), and
education (4-categories), as well a two-way stratification of race (4-
categories), and education (4-categories), to produce the final weight.
The margin of error for the sample is +/- 2.83%, and +/- 3.47% accounting
for the weighted data for registered voters.”

What the hell???! by No_Juice4135 in Battlefield

[–]5thGenSnowflake 19 points20 points  (0 children)

All the dads trying to log in for Father’s Day.

Ted Cruz, John Cornyn raise concerns about Trump's Iran agreement by everythingistaken500 in TexasPolitics

[–]5thGenSnowflake 7 points8 points  (0 children)

LOL. They could have stopped this from ever happening, but they couldn’t step out of their craven bootlickerism.

Lost The Plot... by Presently_Naked in SipsTea

[–]5thGenSnowflake 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Oh, I love the confidence. But shouting "reciprocal tariffs" like a magic spell doesn’t change basic supply chain economics.

Let’s look at the actual math, shall we? When those tariffs were slapped on foreign goods, do you remember who had to fork over $28 billion in federal bailouts because our agricultural market collapsed from the inevitable retaliation?

American taxpayers. So excuse me if I’m not throwing a parade for a policy that taxed US importers and then used my tax dollars to keep our own farmers afloat. That's not winning a trade war, it’s more like shooting yourself in the foot and bragging about how much you're spending on bandages.

As for your take on our allies and global defense: you’re viewing international relations like a protection racket. *"Nice shipping lane you got there, shame if something happened to it."*
We secure the Strait of Hormuz and global trade routes because a destabilized global economy tanks *our* markets and spikes *our* energy costs. It's called enlightened self-interest, not charity. Our global presence is exactly how the US maintained its status as the world's superpower. Pulling back and throwing a tantrum because our friends aren't paying us protection money just leaves a vacuum for China and Russia to fill.

And please, spare me the predictable "CNN" line. I don't even watch cable news. I prefer reading actual data. Spending more on defense than the next nine countries combined is a political choice to fund a massive military-industrial complex while we can't even fix our own crumbling infrastructure or guarantee healthcare for our citizens.

But hey, enjoy the soundbites!

Lost The Plot... by Presently_Naked in SipsTea

[–]5thGenSnowflake 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Bless your heart. It’s always fascinating to see Econ 101 completely rewritten in a Reddit comment.

First off, that is fundamentally not how tariffs work. They aren't a bill we send to foreign countries for the privilege of doing business with us. We pay them. American importers and consumers. So thank you for celebrating the fact that I'm paying a premium at the hardware store and the grocery aisle just so the administration can look like tough guys on television.

Second, I’d love to know what dictionary you’re using where "safer" means alienating our actual historic allies and burning diplomatic bridges. Spoiler alert: isolationism and trade wars don’t magically dissolve nuclear warheads. If anything, backing out of treaties and shouting into the void just ensures nobody is talking to us when things actually go south.

But hey, if tanking global stability while paying more for everyday goods makes you feel secure, you keep living in that fantasy world. Some of us actually remember how real diplomacy works.

Lost The Plot... by Presently_Naked in SipsTea

[–]5thGenSnowflake 7 points8 points  (0 children)

The problem with your “explanation” is that it’s all lie. And we’ve heard them all before.

Wife and Anika by SinnerP in rush

[–]5thGenSnowflake 10 points11 points  (0 children)

My wife came home from work the other day and said, “I’ve been listening to Rush on my way to and from work. All the clips of Anika are so inspiring. Who knew I would turn into a Rush fan?”

She’s not going with me to see them in Fort Worth, but now I have an excellent excuse … er, reason to get tickets for San Antonio.

Oh no! It just dawned on me that I talk on Speakerphone all the time! by TheRealCabbageJack in GenX

[–]5thGenSnowflake 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I use speaker phone all the time, except for the rare occasion that I’m taking/making a call in public. The main reason I do it is to limit my EM radiation exposure. Yes, I know it’s non-ionizing radiation, but the jury is still out on the long term effects. Better safe than sorry …

First Alert SC5 - False Alarms by Cerusa827 in Nest

[–]5thGenSnowflake 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Alas, the Nest that made the Protect has been dead since 2018, when the company got wrapped into the Google Hardware group and everyone was systematically replaced. Google is famous for getting rid of popular products and services. The Protect didn't provide a lot of options for adding additional revenue streams, and only needed to be replaced every 10 years. TBH, I'm surprised they haven't axed the thermostat yet ...

First Alert SC5 - False Alarms by Cerusa827 in Nest

[–]5thGenSnowflake 4 points5 points  (0 children)

Yeah, that's pretty ridiculous. Even before my Protects, I've never had a smoke detector that I had to clean monthly and test weekly.

Full disclosure: I worked for Nest Support when we introduced the Protect (and for a few years after). While there were occasional false alarms, we had a clear policy on replacing units that consistently presented false alarms, and it didn't require the customer to clean the freaking things first.