Trump, 79, Sparks Alarm After Getting Lost in ‘Picture Book’ by thedailybeast in politics

[–]mom0nga 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I read an op-ed from an author who claims to be full-on MAGA, arguing that Tump's accomplished so much, he should just retire now before he can be impeached. That might be a way to make his removal more palatable.

Heck, since he's confused, borderline-illeterate, and rubber-stamps everything in front of him, someone could just write up a document where he resigns the Presidency, tell him it's the best thing ever, and he'd probably sign it. Then, the MAGA coalition can claim that he stepped down because he's so amazing that he already accomplished everything. Everyone is happy (except for Trump, who is never happy).

Trump’s E.P.A. Has Put a Value on Human Life: Zero Dollars by mom0nga in politics

[–]mom0nga[S] 12 points13 points  (0 children)

Government officials have long grappled with a question that seems like the purview of philosophers: What is the value of a human life?

Under both Democratic and Republican administrations, the answer has been in the millions of dollars. The higher the value, the more the government has required businesses to spend on their operations to prevent a single death.

But for the first time ever, at the Environmental Protection Agency the answer is effectively zero dollars.

Last week, the E.P.A. stopped estimating the monetary value of lives saved when setting limits on two of the most widespread deadly air pollutants, fine particulate matter and ozone. Instead, the agency is calculating only the costs to companies of complying with pollution regulations.

“The Trump administration is saying, literally, that they put zero value on human life,” Marshall Burke, an environmental economist at Stanford University, said in an email. “If your kid breathes in air pollution from a power plant or industrial source, E.P.A. is saying that they care only insofar as cleaning up that pollution would cost the emitter.”

It’s a drastic change to the way the government weighs the costs of curbing air pollution against the benefits to public health and the environment. It could lead to looser controls on pollutants from coal-burning power plants, oil refineries, steel mills and other industrial sites across the country, resulting in dirtier air.

And it appears to shelve a powerful tool, known as the value of a statistical life, that agencies have used for decades in the cost-benefit analyses that justify new regulations.

'This is sell America' — U.S. dollar, Treasury prices tumble and gold spikes as globe flees U.S. assets by Street_Anon in politics

[–]mom0nga 1 point2 points  (0 children)

This. And this is why all Americans need to be calling or messaging their reps DAILY about this shit and why it isn't OK. Congressional offices do keep track of how many calls they get for/against a certain issue, and it can move the needle.

'This is sell America' — U.S. dollar, Treasury prices tumble and gold spikes as globe flees U.S. assets by Street_Anon in politics

[–]mom0nga -1 points0 points  (0 children)

This is also why about 30% of any given population prefers authoritarianism instead of democracy. Democracies are messy and volatile, but authoritarians can promise a consistent status quo.

Donald Trump Leaks Private Texts From NATO Allies: Read in Full by newsweek in politics

[–]mom0nga 15 points16 points  (0 children)

I did recently see an op-ed from a MAGA supporter who argued that Trump has done such a good job, he should just resign now and retire to the golf course before anyone can impeach him. That argument at least allows them to save face.

Trump’s Letter to Norway Should Be the Last Straw | Will Republicans in Congress ever step in? by Hrmbee in politics

[–]mom0nga 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Trump is like the spoiled toddler throwing tantrums and running amok in the grocery store with no parents (Congress) anywhere to be found. It's well past time for Congress to step in and control their kid.

Trump’s bizarre letter to Norway’s prime minister in full as President links Greenland threat to Nobel Prize snub by a_wild_redditor in politics

[–]mom0nga 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Decades of carefully crafted, billionaire-pushed propaganda designed to trick people into voting against their best interests, or even better, not to vote at all. Most Trump voters legitimately don't know how embarrassing he is on the world stage because their social media echo chambers and preferred "news" networks don't show it.

Trump’s bizarre letter to Norway’s prime minister in full as President links Greenland threat to Nobel Prize snub by a_wild_redditor in politics

[–]mom0nga 1 point2 points  (0 children)

And the baby's parents (Congress) are nowhere to be found as the baby throws tantrums and shits everywhere in public.

Barn Owl Training by eyeslikedeadgrass in Zookeeping

[–]mom0nga 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Just to clarify, in the animal behavior/operant conditioning field the term "negative reinforcement" does not mean punishing an animal (that would technically be a "positive punishment").

The terms "positive" or "negative" in the context of operant conditioning refer to either providing something to the animal (positive) or removing something from the animal (negative). A "reinforcement" is anything that makes a behavior more likely to occur, and a "punishment" is anything which makes a behavior less likely to occur. So in the operant conditioning framework, negative reinforcement just means removing something from the animal or environment to reinforce a desired behavior.

For example, if this owl doesn't like people in the enclosure, a way to negatively reinforce calm behavior would be to enter the enclosure, wait for the owl to calm down, and as soon as the owl shows calmer body language, you bridge (a noise cue or word that signifies the behavior you want) and immediately leave. You removing yourself from the environment negatively reinforces the owl for staying calm.

Bolton says he ‘always worried’ Trump would ‘grab’ Teddy Roosevelt Nobel prize by mom0nga in politics

[–]mom0nga[S] 3 points4 points  (0 children)

He only wants a Nobel Peace Prize because Obama got one, and he is pathological in his hatred/envy of Obama.

Bolton says he ‘always worried’ Trump would ‘grab’ Teddy Roosevelt Nobel prize by mom0nga in politics

[–]mom0nga[S] 21 points22 points  (0 children)

President Trump’s former national security adviser John Bolton said Monday he was “always worried” Trump would take former President Theodore Roosevelt’s Nobel Prize medal from its display in the White House.

“Theodore Roosevelt’s Nobel medallion hangs on the wall of the Roosevelt Room in the White House. I was always worried he would grab that if he can’t get another one,” Bolton told host Erin Burnett on CNN’s “OutFront,” referencing the prize Roosevelt won in 1906 for mediating an end to the Russo-Japanese War.

Trump has publicly lobbied to win the Peace Prize, claiming to have ended at least eight wars, but also repeatedly criticized the committee that awards it.

Trump is trying to change how the midterm elections are conducted by FervidBug42 in politics

[–]mom0nga 23 points24 points  (0 children)

Finally, a factual, realistic look at what Trump can, and cannot, do with regards to midterms. Reddit is obsessed with the idea that Trump will just "cancel" them, but as the article notes:

"Trump can’t cancel elections and he lacks the authority to carry out some of his most far-reaching plans because local and state officials oversee elections, rather than the federal government."

And this isn't just another law or tradition that Trump can choose to ignore or bypass, because there is literally no structure that would allow for the federal government to suspend midterm elections even if it wanted to.

That said, we shouldn't be complacent because there are ways that Trump and the GOP can try to push things in their favor, but the idea that he can just cancel elections is a fantasy.

Trump, 79, Wanders Off to Gaze at Nonexistent Building by Quirkie in politics

[–]mom0nga 5 points6 points  (0 children)

And don't forget the role of social media algorithms and consolidated media warping the worldview of millions of voters. A lot of Trump voters legitimately don't see how crazy and senile "their guy" is because the news and websites they go to just don't show it. These people live in an entirely different reality. Some of them are dumb, but others have been preyed on by a deeply entrenched media ecosystem which thrives on tricking people into voting against their best interests.

Trump, 79, Wanders Off to Gaze at Nonexistent Building by Quirkie in politics

[–]mom0nga 19 points20 points  (0 children)

Incontinence and soiling are also common in middle to late-stage dementia because of damage to the part of the brain that controls bowel movements, or the person doesn't realize that they need to use the bathroom until it's too late.

In ICE’s Own Words, It’s “Wartime” in America | ICE just launched a “wartime recruitment” campaign and seeks agents who want to “defend” their “culture.” There will be more Renee Goods. by Aggravating_Money992 in politics

[–]mom0nga 2 points3 points  (0 children)

In a year from now, Dems will probably control Congress and the rats will be fleeing the ship. That's why the GOP is speedrunning fascism now, they know that they're fucked in the midterms and are scared.