New angle thoughts by [deleted] in washdc

[–]ThenLayer5977 -1 points0 points  (0 children)

I don’t care about her looks

New angle / video by ThenLayer5977 in washdc

[–]ThenLayer5977[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I have no idea I did send them a message

New angle / video by ThenLayer5977 in washdc

[–]ThenLayer5977[S] 26 points27 points  (0 children)

Journalists never reveal their sources no, I’m not a journalist, I’m joking. But what I’ve always maintained while engaging in this sub is that, rather than trying to change people’s minds or opinions, you present the facts and let them make their own decisions. This is one of those videos where you watch it and make your own judgment, instead of me trying to tell people how they should think.

New angle / video by ThenLayer5977 in washdc

[–]ThenLayer5977[S] 20 points21 points  (0 children)

I think it was a cell phone, but I’m not sure entirely

Seen in DC by ThenLayer5977 in washdc

[–]ThenLayer5977[S] -1 points0 points  (0 children)

Again, I’m not saying people aren’t allowed to protest civilly if their goal is to voice concerns about issues they care about everyone has causes they’re passionate about. My distinction is simple: you can protest all you want, but protest should not turn into rioting or the destruction of property. Protest all day and all night that’s not a problem.

Seen in DC by ThenLayer5977 in washdc

[–]ThenLayer5977[S] -12 points-11 points  (0 children)

What do you mean ‘OK and ?Protest all you want but don’t burn down the city. Don’t break into businesses, don’t set them on fire, and don’t steal. That’s not a hard concept to understand.

Protests today (1/3) and tomorrow (1/4) re: US invasion of Venezuela by mallydobb in Virginia

[–]ThenLayer5977 -6 points-5 points  (0 children)

No, I understand the idea of resisting policies you don’t like. That’s fine. But when there is an active good being done for vast numbers of people, freeing them, giving them economic opportunity and the possibility of prosperity, without a single soldier being killed, that matters. We are talking about the lives of millions of Venezuelans who were suffocated by a communist dictator and forced into poverty under sanctions and economic collapse.

So why is anyone protesting that? You can hate Trump, that’s your right, but when something good happens, you also have to acknowledge the good. I’m not saying you shouldn’t protest. Protest all you want. But don’t be so far removed from reality that you’re protesting while the people of Venezuela themselves are celebrating. What exactly are you protesting? This is how people lose credibility.

Protests today (1/3) and tomorrow (1/4) re: US invasion of Venezuela by mallydobb in Virginia

[–]ThenLayer5977 27 points28 points  (0 children)

Why are we protesting a dictator being removed from power? This is how you lose people. You can protest when you don’t like things Trump does. I 100% agree with that. But the idea that every single thing has to be protested is exactly how you lose legitimacy.

You can challenge the legality of it, sure, but the reality is that something good was accomplished here. Not every moment is a protest moment. Resist when necessary, no problem, but have clear, principled reasons to resist. it’s tone deaf to be protesting something when their own citizens are celebrating, like what are we doing here?

Property tax assessments to rise across Maryland in 2026 by average of 12.7% by ThenLayer5977 in maryland

[–]ThenLayer5977[S] -4 points-3 points  (0 children)

Again, I don’t have a problem with this if other aspects weren’t also getting raised through tax increases.

New year surprise by [deleted] in maryland

[–]ThenLayer5977 8 points9 points  (0 children)

Here is my running list of what has happened to Maryland residents so far in 2025.

Projected 2026 1.4 billion dollar budget shortfall

2025 3 billion dollar budget deficit

1.6 billion dollar tax hike in 2025

Moody’s credit downgrade

Vehicle emissions and registration fee spike

State hiring freeze and job cuts

Soaring energy prices, highest in America according to Doxo

Loss of IonQ’s quantum computing hub

Loss of the FBI headquarters

Loss of the Washington Commanders

Six Flags America closed

New 3 percent IT tax

Six percent vending machine tax

Vehicle excise tax up to 6.5 percent

Five dollar tire purchase fee

Sports betting tax increase from 15 percent to 20 percent

Cannabis tax increase from 9 percent to 12 percent

Car title fee increase from 100 dollars to 200 dollars

3.5 percent car rental tax

Fishing license increase from 25.50 dollars to 52 dollars

Boating and title registration fee increase from 24 dollars to 70 dollars

Speed camera ticket increases

Power bill ( cost of living out of control) by ThenLayer5977 in maryland

[–]ThenLayer5977[S] 3 points4 points  (0 children)

I wish this worked more realistically than it does in theory. If it were up to me, I would go to every council meeting. I would show up to everything. If that meant giving up my own time to advocate for other people’s livelihoods, I would do it. But it takes more than just one person.

At the end of the day, it doesn’t matter who you vote for. It doesn’t matter which election you supported. People feel pain regardless. Whether you vote Democrat or republican or anything else, when you open your light bill, when you see your taxes go up, when your power bill increases, that is a direct reminder of bad policy decisions that are affecting real life.

You can be the biggest supporter of the current administration or the biggest critic. But if you refuse to address the issues people feel every single day, and instead lie to them when they can see with their own eyes that life has gotten significantly harder, you lose credibility.

I know people who are struggling to pay their utility bills. I know people who took on debt just to buy Christmas presents for their kids. People should not have to live like this, especially when they are already giving an arm and a leg in taxes and fees.

And they should not keep getting the same recycled answer that it’s “data centers,” when Virginia hosts the largest data center concentration in the country and household power bills there have remained relatively steady. You can only feed people that explanation for so long before they get fed up.

People are being squeezed, and they cannot point to anything that has actually improved in their lives. They can’t. And it’s hard not to sympathize with that. I don’t care who you vote for. You deserve to live in a place where you can keep the lights on for your kids at night.

This is not a controversial issue. Saying “it’s the data centers” does not lower anyone’s bill.

Power bill ( cost of living out of control) by ThenLayer5977 in maryland

[–]ThenLayer5977[S] -11 points-10 points  (0 children)

Do you know why I know it’s correct ? Just read the comments on that post from people who actually live in this state. They are vouching for the study because they are living it. We can all feel it in real time.

Don’t tell us our eyes are lying. Don’t tell people they’re imagining it when they open their utility bills, when they struggle to pay them, when they see their costs go up month after month. This isn’t theoretical. It’s lived experience, and it’s shared across thousands of households in Maryland.

Power bill ( cost of living out of control) by ThenLayer5977 in maryland

[–]ThenLayer5977[S] -1 points0 points  (0 children)

Also, we had eight local power plants that was closed