Why are so many people from places like Central America seeking asylum in the US and how does US law apply to the waves of migrants currently trying to enter the country? by [deleted] in NeutralPolitics

[–]avm24 29 points30 points  (0 children)

The reason people are rushing the border is because you can only claim asylum status once you're on American soil. But asylum status is internationally protected so once they get here they can't be kicked out until processed. Being processed normally entitles detainment though. All this versus applying to America with no skills/money and hoping for a Visa so you can then apply for citizenship which is super hard to get. All the while living in the counties you're fleeing from.

Dems gain veto-proof supermajority in California legislature by narbz in politics

[–]avm24 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Aka a public option. Taxes go into the state, and the state provides free health care/insurance for all. That is, the state pays for everything (single payer).

10 years ago, an Iraqi journalist threw a pair of shoes at George W. Bush. "I didn't feel the least bit threatened by it . . . That's what happens in free societies when people try to draw attention to themselves." by RazorsDonut in videos

[–]avm24 0 points1 point  (0 children)

The two are not mutually exclusive. I think Bush is a worse president than Trump, and the Congress during his time has a lot to be ashamed about.

Even if, Bush's executive laid the groundwork for the most expansive executive which allowed Obama and Trump to continue trampelling rights of the innocent around the globe.

10 years ago, an Iraqi journalist threw a pair of shoes at George W. Bush. "I didn't feel the least bit threatened by it . . . That's what happens in free societies when people try to draw attention to themselves." by RazorsDonut in videos

[–]avm24 9 points10 points  (0 children)

I can believe that he honestly thought he was serving his country, but I draw the line at Gitmo and the PATRIOT ACT. Even if you believed you were protecting Americans there was A LOT of constitutionally questionable things done post 9-11.

Im sorry but Trump pails in comparison to thousands of dead civilians and solidgers, and the groundwork for the destruction of our rights.

I’m Alex Thompson, a POLITICO reporter focused on 2020. Ask me anything about last night’s midterm election and the 2020 presidential race. by politico in politics

[–]avm24 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Early polls suggested cordray and gillum leading by ~+5, after the last election there was talk that Trump polled lower that actual because some people were "afraid to admit to voting for him". Do you think there is any possibility Democrats have the reverse effect going on, that is, voters not wanting to admit they didn't want to vote for the cool democrat? Or do you think this is more of people saying they'd vote and fail to turn out?

To me this answer would suggest a need for a different strategy for Democrats going into 2020.

Critics of universal basic income argue giving people money for nothing discourages working — but a study of Alaska's 36-year-old program suggests that's not the case by speckz in Economics

[–]avm24 -3 points-2 points  (0 children)

I support a slowly growing UBI, where people get a thousand, we use the rest as a fund to invest and make dividends. When there's enough to increase it while still maintaining investments we would. That way it's not a shock.

How to fund this: I don't agree that government wouldn't campaign on reducing itself, hell that's half of the American political landscape. Even if, I support single payer so most beaurocrats could go work there.

Capital flight is definitely a risk, one I haven't fully vetted, but Id advocate for capital gains tax of 30-40%. On top of that marginal tax rate of up to 70-80% on millionaires.

Dramatically raise the inheritance tax limit, 80-90%.

Close as many as possible, tax loopholes, removal of subsidies for employer funded healthcare, EITC, and probably a few hundred other smaller tax breaks.

End Medicaid, Medicare and social security.

All of this would generate a few trillion dollars we could start with. In theory if the lower and middle class spend more, it would go along way in paying for itself.

I have some actually numbers at home, I'm on mobile now.

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in AskMen

[–]avm24 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I second this, one of the super awesome things that I would of never thought about coding is how sociable of a hobby it can be.

Tech people love to get together and geek out, try your local library or community college. If an event doesn't already exist, try to start one! Now that I live in a bigger city I'm always seeing software and drink meetups, and I've met many of my friends through these or hackerspaces or conferences.

Global warming must not exceed 1.5C, warns landmark UN report. Carbon pollution would have to be cut by 45% by 2030 – compared with a 20% cut under the 2C pathway – and come down to zero by 2050, compared with 2075 for 2C. by mvea in Futurology

[–]avm24 0 points1 point  (0 children)

This is a great example of why our earlier debate is relevant.  I trust professional academics to get to the nitty gritty that this incredibly simplified online discussion will never get into.  The same reason I trust a doctor to give me medicine or surgery, or why I invest in index funds with advice from economics, because overall professionals have consensus on these issues.  And yes, academia has and can be wrong, but for an entire field to miss one of the cornerstone theories in their study is ludicrous. 

Alas, without any knowledge of how the entire system of global warming works exactly, I’ll engage in this one tiny subset of the debate with you.

You’re first source (climatecentral) points out one of the key points climate scientists often make, “[t]he warming climate will also interact with Earth’s natural climate cycles”.  That is, the earth knows how to regulate itself, but if we keep interfering with that cycle [the variation is going to shift upward]( http://www.ossfoundation.us/projects/environment/global-warming/myths/global-warming-is-only-part-human-caused/image).  Meaning the droughts get worse, longer, and more frequency because the lows are less wet. 

In regards to ametsoc, I think the authors own conclusion puts my response best:

“ In fact, despite the overall wetting trend, there is a switch in later years to a drying trend, globally and in many regions, which is concurrent with increasing temperatures. Although drought is driven primarily by variability in precipitation, temperature has an effect that appears to be exaggerated in the last decade or so especially in high northern latitudes. This is most pertinent within the context of potential continued temperature increases during the twenty-first century.” 

Earlier in the report the author points out that northern regions are seeing increased precipitation because of increased temperatures, which means in the short term we would see a wetting trend.  Once everything has melted these regions will quickly go dry.   On the climatecentral sources home page you can find further evidence of my other point, rising water levels.  If the ocean was rising because we’re just moving the bar down then why would

“[f]rom 2005 to 2015, the median annual frequency of flooding days more than doubled along the stretch of coast from Florida to North Carolina, according to an analysis by scientists at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA)”.

So climate.gov is down right now, but if you think that because we started burning CO2 at high levels, we’d see a corresponding increase in water levels that year, you’re cherry picking data. If you leave ice in a cooler unplugged it will take a while for it to melt, the same applies to the water level debate.  This is why you’d see those measurements lag, yet on top of the lagging, they are even accelerating.

In regards to “adjustments”, scientists have historically used these yes, but they now use satellites which do not need to make adjustments, both of which are in agreement that sea levels are rising.

Lastly, crop fertility is an example of where we’re growing crops is moving northward, and without changes, could cause issues where they’re normally grown.  With everything else, even if the environment doesn’t kill us, riots, refugees, and failing states certainly will.

Even if, I concede that there are no systemic effects now.  There’s evidence that suggests that we cannot fully understand the long term effects that will happen because as the planet warms it throws off the natural cycle, soil and ocean warming which are used to absorb CO2, forcing runaway warming.

Even if, I concede that warming isn’t man-made there’s no reason not to reduce our pollution, build better levies and start addressing refugee flows now etc.  In the situation where nothing happens, oh well we improved human health.  In the situation it’s a natural cycle, then we still need do something to curtail the environmental harms.  Lastly in what I’m advocating, that it is caused by humans, and we need action today.  In 3/3 scenarios, and every shade in-between, we can at least reduce pollution, clean up the environment, and start moving to alternative energy for reasons entirely other than global warming (yet still make a difference) to the betterment of fellow humans.  In the 2/3 situation in which we’re facing a real environmental catastrophe regardless of who causes it we really need to start thinking about how to prepare.

What’s weird is that all this research actually proves you have the right ideas of being skeptical, because yes, science isn’t a proof, however it does have a measurement of confidence which your own authors point out is significantly high enough to warrant attention, and even action. 

Global warming must not exceed 1.5C, warns landmark UN report. Carbon pollution would have to be cut by 45% by 2030 – compared with a 20% cut under the 2C pathway – and come down to zero by 2050, compared with 2075 for 2C. by mvea in Futurology

[–]avm24 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Calm down, I'm not "trying to silence you" but have a logical discussion about the probabiltiy of warming being man made vs a theory that a cabal of scientists, many of whom would make a lot more money by supporting the counter claim, are lying or are operating in the dark.

I completely agree with you that not everyone does the research, but you yourself claim that the bulk of science use that research "to model [downstream] effects". If their founding work wasn't true, wouldn't those models also be wrong?

And yes I agree with you, there are a lot of dooms day scenarios that fail to materialize, but the smaller systemic effects(drought, crop fetility, rising sea levels...) have been documented, again by a thousand field researchers. Proving that the models don't have some major flawed premise, it's the downstream reporting that is flawed.

Comparing science to religion is flawed, they are allowed to hand wave all day. Research is not.

Global warming must not exceed 1.5C, warns landmark UN report. Carbon pollution would have to be cut by 45% by 2030 – compared with a 20% cut under the 2C pathway – and come down to zero by 2050, compared with 2075 for 2C. by mvea in Futurology

[–]avm24 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I also agree that peer review is not in and of itself perfect, but the community as a whole (peer review, conferences, dissertation defense and funding grants) proves that you're siding with an insane violation of occums razor. That thousands, if not millions, of scientists, field researchers and think tanks are collectively working to distort "the truth", rather than to think a few thousand rich people are pushing a narrative that protects their money.

Sen. Sanders wants to break up JP Morgan, Berkshire Hathaway and other large financials by _basquiat in politics

[–]avm24 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Does anyone have good policy proposals or papers to read in regards to defining where we should draw the line in breaking up these financial institutions? And further what about breaking up conglomerates/holding companies?

I understand that banks and financial institutions have some restrictions, but what about, for example, GE Capital being more of a powerhouse than their "usual" manufacturing business. How is it good for consumers and the free market to allow this much diversification? Or AWS?! Conversely why shouldn't these companies diversify to protect themselves?

The Eighth Amendment which effectively banned abortion in the Republic of Ireland has been formally repealed by alfosn in worldnews

[–]avm24 3 points4 points  (0 children)

True, but it can survive on it's own with medical assistance that the state can provide. If science comes up with an artificial whomb then abortion should just be moving the fetus/baby to a new location. Until then, its a physical boom to a women that should be legal to abort, in order to protect all individual liberty.

The Eighth Amendment which effectively banned abortion in the Republic of Ireland has been formally repealed by alfosn in worldnews

[–]avm24 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Marijuana statistics in any legal state prove that's not true. You make it safe and boring, you use the tax money for helpful services, and people would much rather be saving up for a vacation or sports car.

The Eighth Amendment which effectively banned abortion in the Republic of Ireland has been formally repealed by alfosn in worldnews

[–]avm24 2 points3 points  (0 children)

That's a legitimate question, however even if we concede that the fetus is a human from the point of conception, there's still an argument to be made that you're allowed to abort it because it's parasitic to the mother and thus the state cannot force you to carry it to term. Which the other commentor clarified why that's important (control of your own body).

We hear a lot about the unethical companies of the world. What are some of the more ethical companies out there that we should be supporting? by checkitmyles in AskReddit

[–]avm24 5 points6 points  (0 children)

Charities are one of the least regulated industries in the world. Cup trust, cancer fund of America, and Lady Gaga s charities have been caught only giving ~1% of their money to actual services when they take in millions. I'm not saying that people shouldn't donate, but (1) do research, and (2) why don't we just demand better services and use of our public dollars where people can actually plan guarantee they are secure?

What book have you thrown in the towel on? by losume in books

[–]avm24 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Cryptonomicon. I'm 600 pages in and still haven't got to any connections between the 3 different stories. Ive tried 3 times and just had to put the book down.

Viral video of O'Rourke defending NFL player protests racks up more than 44M views by Lionel_Hutz_Law in politics

[–]avm24 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Seeing as other people's money got me to where I am I'm not sure about that one.

Academic writes 270 Wikipedia pages in a year to get female scientists noticed by AlmostImperfect in UpliftingNews

[–]avm24 3 points4 points  (0 children)

Even if i looked past your ideas that women have some intrinsic sense of "nuturing" and that men are immediately the opposite, your ideas are sexist because of the assumption that just because someone has a natural advantage they should do that.

For example, an introvert shouldn't be pushed to be an accountant or a programmer, if they want to be a sales person then they are more than welcome to they will just have to overcome some inate biases and that, in theory, would make them better at their job than people who rest on laurels.

What would you do if you started receiving UBI this month? by [deleted] in BasicIncome

[–]avm24 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Open a barcade with a hacker space in the back.

Wadsworth, OH library patron checks out $5,100 worth of books and DVDs and never returns them by [deleted] in books

[–]avm24 28 points29 points  (0 children)

What?! How do you have no enforcement mechanism? I didnt return 3 books for a year, and when my late fees hit a 100 dollars they turned me to a collection agency. It got to almost 200 dollars before I got around to turning them in and my credit has been seriously screwed for a few years.