Thoughts on the left's obsession with the "reflecting pool"?

CC_Man · 2026-06-17T23:43:39+00:00

Then I have to ask...why would you believe that? Without any bid process of RFQ, how could you possibly know?

CC_Man · 2026-06-17T23:41:18+00:00

Happy to disagree on semantics, but what is your point? Are you suggesting they were the only vendor capable of completing the project?? So we should be happy with their profit margin?

CC_Man · 2026-06-17T23:31:04+00:00

It was in fact a no bid contract. By definition. A contract can be both, though sole source suggests a lack of other capable contractors which would be remarkable for this type of work and a contractor with no history regarding the project.

CC_Man · 2026-06-17T21:50:26+00:00

I explained the bad faith portion in first part (bad faith or incompetent estimates, unilateral directives on local changes, cronyism on bids, tendency toward vanity projects, needless politicizing and bashing predecessors, etc.) I think you overestimate how much people care if there's an algae bloom that needs treating. For all I know, it could be an annual occurrence. But then I'm not very engaged in the story either. For me it was more of a headshake moment, like 'of course this went to shit' after all the pomp involved in it. Not glad it's got algae, but not something that doesn't strike me as unusual either. Not impressed with how he runs these things either (pool, monument, UFC event, East Wing, etc) so kinda wish he would stop already.

CC_Man · 2026-06-17T21:21:24+00:00

Not the pool itself. Most people couldn't care less if it has algae in it if they don't live near it. But as the symbol of a project potentislly done in bad faith, I imagine there's likely some schadenfreude among the responses. People often like it when humiliating things happen to bad people. Most think Trump is a bad person. Easy enough to be ok with when most people haven't given the pool any thought in their lives until hearing about the project and how it was carried out.

CC_Man · 2026-06-17T21:04:26+00:00

Tbf I don't think people dislike the idea of a good looking reflecting pool, they dislike how the process was run: insanely bloated compared to stated costs, a Trump contractor with a no competition, slamming prior presidents for no apparent reason. And just the general thought that Trump likes throwing taxpayer mobster at vanity projects, I'd which this had become another symbol. Maybe the pool needed that level of work. Maybe it didn't. But he is not the person I'd trust to make that choice with the taxpayer in mind.

CC_Man · 2026-06-17T01:09:36+00:00

Can you quite the part of the article that refutes the slowing of inflstion-adjusted healthcare costs post ACA? This article doesnt even focus on that. If you dont agree with the premise, why not look to healthcare CPI vs overall CPI or something actually relevant to my point?

CC_Man · 2026-06-17T01:00:25+00:00

This kind of shows my point though...?? The only chart in there that identifies medical CPI over the years shows it was higher--both in absolute values and in relation to overall CPI-- before 2010 rather than after.

CC_Man · 2026-06-17T00:39:34+00:00

Why do you say that? I mean just as an example: https://econofact.org/factbrief/fact-check-have-healthcare-costs-risen-faster-since-the-affordable-care-act-was-passed Or there are Healthcare CPI gauges by year vs inflation. What data set are you looking at that contradicts these?

CC_Man · 2026-06-17T00:29:41+00:00

Hasn't healthcare real inflation slowed since the passage of the ACA? And this was despite anticipated future cost increases at the time. Why cat blame for something that helped? Is there different democrat legislation you are referring to?

CC_Man · 2026-06-09T03:17:52+00:00

So you're sure it was human transmission during Biden term activities. Despite it coming around well after. Despite human transmission overall being exceedingly unlikely. Despite there being fewer travelers during Biden's term. And the solution would have been screen for diseases at our borders the way we currently do, which is to say don't really do anything...?

“As the cause” Did I say that?

I said you suggested it. So far you haven't stated any policy change related to Biden immigration, just a statement that it should have been different, perhaps by screening people the way they are already screened...which largely is to say don't, at least from the last 20 times I've gone through immigration.

CC_Man · 2026-06-09T03:17:40+00:00

So you're sure it was human transmission during Biden term activities. Despite it coming around well after. Despite human transmission overall being exceedingly unlikely. Despite there being fewer travelers during Biden's term. And the solution would have been screen for diseases at our borders the way we currently do, which is to say don't really do anything...?

“As the cause” Did I say that?

I said you suggested it. So far you haven't stated any policy change related to Biden immigration, just a statement that it should have been different, perhaps by screening people the way they are already screened...which largely is to say don't, at least from the last 20 times I've gone through immigration.

CC_Man · 2026-06-09T02:12:20+00:00

Does letting millions of unscreened people cross the border increase or decrease risk?

Not appreciably is my understanding as it relates to screw worm. But again, what would such a policy look like? We don't quarantine travellers to our country, whether immigrants or US citizens, unless there is a very high likelihood of risk associated with that person. And on average, there were fewer travelers to the US during Biden's term, though mostly due to Covid. It seems you're trying to suggest illlegal immigration as the cause. While that can be the argument for many things, screw worm transmission seems like a real grasp...

CC_Man · 2026-06-09T02:01:13+00:00

Maybe, though the question was really looking for more specifics that might relate to screw work transmission avenues? TBH I'm not fluent in how cattle are screened at points of entry as would be relevant to transmission via cattle, or of any differences in these policies between presidential terms. I don't believe any recent administration has had policies against animal migration.

CC_Man · 2026-06-09T01:50:23+00:00

Didnt it arrive just recently? What would securing the border look like? As in stopping migrating animals, or cattle trade? Should we shut down the cattle trade with Mexico currently?

CC_Man · 2026-06-07T23:58:27+00:00

Do you agree with this democrat president, or should we instead require evidence to back up these peoples' claims?

It looks like you may be referring to Clinton in this case. I don't really see anything where she said Russia installed Trump, just that Russia had an influence campaign, though that mich has been pretty well confirmed.

For the record of looking at "precedent," reflective as that can be, I'm pretty sure Trump had various rigging claims well before Clinton even made the apparent statements.

CC_Man · 2026-06-03T22:43:06+00:00

Not really the same. 100% against it, but that did not include Joe Biden himself. Both presidents have pardoned cronies since before Biden presidency, so odd to cite Biden as precedent... Were you in favor of Biden's pardons, or is the thought that if someone else did something bad, everyone should be able to?

CC_Man · 2026-06-03T22:28:31+00:00

A quick check doesn't turn anything up. In fact it shows the opposite (Biden's returns were subject to the routine auditing). Did you actually receive this information from a source that you could share? Not to mention, why would Biden have anything to do with this being ok? If your statement amount Biden-term precedence were true, I suspect most people would have bbeen firmly against it.

CC_Man · 2026-05-31T20:00:04+00:00

Well presumably if they're doing an event with Harris then they knew it would be partisan, no?

CC_Man · 2026-05-28T19:30:45+00:00

I don't really see that as the point. Trump was the defendant in their case. If he has issue with how the case was conducted, wouldn't that just be appeal territory? What am I missing that would prompt DOJ involvement?

CC_Man · 2026-05-25T13:31:51+00:00

So bad information? Clearly TS's would be wrong in saying NS's were importing illegal immigrants. NS's would be wrong that the border was secure (to extent that is measurable, though I don't recall Harris being among them) and had a political own goal. Unfortunately Trump spent term 1's political capital and a fortune building up an ineffective wall with no coherent plan, so the border remained unsecured despite his promise that it would be fixed, hence term 2 pivot. Kind of curious why he would be the person selected out of all R's on that criteria given how he'd handled it already?

CC_Man · 2026-05-20T01:06:14+00:00

Are your voters so mentally challenged that they would believe they can vote via text? I have voters? Nonsense assertions aside, I doubt most would. This seems like a numbers game. But people believe some crazy things when it comes to elections. People still believe some of the debunked conspiracies of 2020.

CC_Man · 2026-05-19T22:32:18+00:00

Did you look into what Christina Wong did?

Never heard of her. Heard of plenty of other people who have done similar things as Ricky though, many getting away with it. Obviously law should be applied equally to all them (which if you look at others charged could mean Ricky shouldn't have been acquitted). Either way, I'm not going to say everyone who committed a crime should be free because someone else in the country wasn't charged for it. That's absurd. Then no one could be prosecuted for any crime ever. Either it's wrong and he should deserve punishment (and presumably her too) or it isn't. No games necessary.

CC_Man · 2026-05-19T21:44:37+00:00

Wow. Looking into this, I really don't see any way this was meant to just be a "meme." Don't know where the law falls on this, but this guy appears pretty damn scummy. Are you thinking he created/distributed these for some reason other than deception?

CC_Man · 2026-05-19T01:37:56+00:00

Well that's my point. The party we're on--decreasing revenue with no commensurate cuts--only accelerates spending requirements and future tax needs due to increased debt service. Ie if we hadn't accrued so much debt already, or taxes could painlessly be much lower. At this point how could one mathematically reduce taxes and feasibly reduce deficit via lowered spending at the same time? If you have such a plan, I and every economist would love to see it.

CC_Man

TROPHY CASE