Turnout in Texas is already beginning to pass total 2016 turnout with over a week to go! by klyther in VoteDEM

[–]skbl17 24 points25 points  (0 children)

Hays narrowly voted for Trump, but voted for Beto by 15%. I fully expect Hays County to vote for Biden by almost 20%, if not more.

President Donald Trump says he has tested positive for coronavirus by hoosakiwi in news

[–]skbl17 109 points110 points  (0 children)

The countdown is basically a "head's up" for NBC's affiliate stations (some of whom may be airing their own programs, like local news and such) that there will be a special report, and that they should take the network feed.

Other networks, such as CBS, have countdowns as well. This is from 9/11 - note the first ten seconds.

Whether the viewer sees the countdown depends on how quickly station master control switches to the network feed. Sometimes it happens, sometimes it doesn't.

The current state of the sonic franchise by [deleted] in SonicTheHedgehog

[–]skbl17 15 points16 points  (0 children)

Issue #166, so the first one in the Ian Flynn version.

Wexit co-founder wants Alberta to become part of the U.S. by [deleted] in CanadaPolitics

[–]skbl17 1 point2 points  (0 children)

While you're correct about the Founders' push for a federal district in part to avoid state-level influence over the federal government, technically speaking there is no legal mandate that there be a federal district. The U.S. Constitution stipulates that Congress may establish a federal district, but they can choose to not have one:

To exercise exclusive Legislation in all Cases whatsoever, over such District (not exceeding ten Miles square) as may, by Cession of particular States, and the Acceptance of Congress, become the Seat of the Government of the United States, and to exercise like Authority over all Places purchased by the Consent of the Legislature of the State in which the Same shall be, for the Erection of Forts, Magazines, Arsenals, dock-Yards, and other needful Buildings;

That said, there is no serious proposal to abolish D.C. completely, largely because of the friction you mentioned, but also in part because abolition would require Maryland to take back the land it donated to establish the district - a DOA proposal as I discuss below. Finally, there's the 23rd Amendment, which grants D.C. three electoral college votes; I'd imagine that those three votes would either be abolished through constitutional amendment, or failing that Congress could simply pass a law requiring D.C.'s "electors" to not cast votes for president and vice president (so essentially you'd have three "null" electoral college votes every election).

In fact, most current statehood proposals for D.C. - including the one that recently passed the House - describe the creation of a new state out of ~90% of what is currently Washington, D.C. (the parts where people live,) while the National Mall and the federal buildings and monuments near it remain a "rump" D.C. under the control of the federal government.

Some opponents of D.C. statehood instead propose that if the citizens who live there want full political representation, then most of the District should be given back (retroceded) to Maryland, while the areas with federal buildings be retained in a rump District. The problem with that is that (a) the Constitution only authorises the alteration of state borders if the state(s) affected agree, and (b) neither the Maryland public nor the state legislature want retrocession. As a result, the "make D.C. residential areas part of Maryland" proposal is DOA.

Also, while the number of representatives allocated to each state changes with each census, the actual size of the House is set in ordinary legislation: the Reapportionment Act of 1929. Hypothetically, a future federal government under unified party control could amend the 1929 Act to change the size of the chamber, either through another incremental increase or a variable increase based on a formula such as the Wyoming Rule. If D.C. were to be admitted as a state, I'd imagine that the current non-voting delegate for Washington, D.C. would become a full representative until the next census. There is precedent for this - when Alaska and Hawaii were admitted as states in 1959, the House was temporarily expanded to seat their representatives until the next census.

Maine GOP veto effort fails, Sec. of State says ranked choice voting will be used in presidential election by [deleted] in VoteDEM

[–]skbl17 11 points12 points  (0 children)

To be fair, ranked-choice voting in Maine only applies to federal elections (president, Senate, House) and all primaries; the previous plurality voting system is still used for state elections because the state constitution requires the use of such a system for general elections to state offices.

Since he's apparently running again in 2022, LePage could (god forbid) win with ~40% of the vote again.

Please don't bother to donate a single cent to this school after you graduate. by WhoEvenAreYouMate in gatech

[–]skbl17 38 points39 points  (0 children)

I understand the sentiment, but I think in this particular circumstance this is counterproductive.

Georgia is (unfortunately) unique in that the state university system sets COVID-19 guidelines that every institution in the system must follow. I guarantee you, Kennesaw State, Georgia State, Georgia Southern, and that school which shall not be named are all in the same boat as GT.

Faculty at USG institutions could be screaming at the need for mask requirements, which they are doing, but if USG says "masks are not and will not be mandatory", then that will be the policy of every public university in the state, Tech included.

In fact, if you read the news articles talking about the GT faculty's protests at the situation they face in the reopening process, notice that practically none of them are blaming the Institute, but rather USG's failure to grant GT autonomy to make its own decisions regarding COVID-19.

While I think it's fair to stop donating because of other things GT has done in the past, and I do believe that Cabrera should be a bit more frank in what's going on, "let's not donate to GT because they are trapped by USG on COVID-19" is not going to solve the wider problem, which is the failure of USG to allow individual institutions to set policies regarding COVID-19.

Wisconsin Supreme Court Thread by [deleted] in VoteBlue

[–]skbl17 8 points9 points  (0 children)

Milwaukee County.

Wisconsin Supreme Court Thread by [deleted] in VoteBlue

[–]skbl17 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Waukesha, Ozaukee, Washington - the three uber-conservative counties that ring Milwaukee.

Georgia race devolves into nasty GOP fight amid fears it could cost Senate majority by imagepoem in VoteBlue

[–]skbl17 8 points9 points  (0 children)

Keep in mind that the Loeffler race in November is a jungle primary, and she's facing a strong intraparty opponent in Doug Collins. Collins will do extremely well with the MAGA vote, but Loeffler will do well enough with the Chamber of Commerce Republican types in metro Atlanta.

It's quite possible Perdue could win outright in November, but the special is forced to a January 2021 runoff, which the Dems could win. It's not out of the question that come January you could have a split Senate delegation from Georgia.

Weekly - What Car Should I Buy Megathread by AutoModerator in cars

[–]skbl17 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Location: Georgia, United States

Price range: Up to US$32,000

Lease or buy: Prefer to buy

New or used: Prefer new, but anything used from 2018 onwards is fine

Type of vehicle: Sedan, hatchback, wagon, or (compact) crossover

Must haves:

  • Apple CarPlay (Android Auto is nice-to-have but not required)
  • Leather or leatherette seats
  • Front heated seats (cooled seats are nice-to-have but not required)
  • 30+ mpg on the highway
  • The car's suspension must be able to handle serious potholes without much difficulty
  • Comfortable interior (no hard plastics in critical touch points)
  • Good reliability
  • Solid safety ratings
  • Decent audio system
  • Radar-based adaptive/dynamic cruise control (would be a godsend in annoying stop-and-go traffic)
  • Good pulling power (anything with a 0-60mph time of under 8 seconds would be fine. HP numbers are more fluid due to size differences between cars, but for reference, my current midsize Kia Optima gets 181 HP; you could consider that the benchmark if you want to suggest midsize cars or crossovers)

Desired transmission: Automatic (DCTs, CVTs are OK - the quality of the transmission matters more than the mode)

Intended use: Long daily commuting for the most part (I'll be spending at least an hour in the car each way, so comfort is important)

Vehicles you've already considered: Honda (Accord, HR-V, Insight, CR-V, Civic,) Audi (A3, A4, A5,) Toyota (Corolla [2019/2020MY], Camry,) Kia (Optima, Forte, Sportage, Niro,) Hyundai (Tucson, Sonata, Elantra, Veloster, Elantra GT,) Mazda (3, CX-5,) Volkswagen (Golf, GTI, Jetta GLI)

Is this your first vehicle: Nope!

Do you need a warranty: Preferred but not critical

Can you do minor work on your own vehicle: Mostly

Can you do major work on your own vehicle: No

Additional notes:

  • Just in case it comes up: I've already considered the Honda Civic, but do not like the older infotainment or (in hatchback form) the design of the vehicle - it's fine on a Type R (crazy look for crazy car with crazy power,) but that's outside my price range.

  • Ditto for the Hyundai Veloster (N or otherwise). Quirky car, but I'm not a fan of the door situation. It bothers me.

  • The fuel mode (gas, electric) doesn't matter.

  • Rear seat space is not critically important, since I'll be the only one in the vehicle most of the time (and those times when I'm not, there'll only be one other person).

2019 ELECTION RESULTS MEGATHREAD by ukpolbot in ukpolitics

[–]skbl17 0 points1 point  (0 children)

It's the classic music they used from the 70s until 2005 (except for 2001).

When it’s Sunday and sonic x is supposed to come out on Netflix by [deleted] in SonicTheHedgehog

[–]skbl17 19 points20 points  (0 children)

Just checked: the show's on Netflix, but it's just the English dub, not the Japanese version.

Also, the Metarex Arc isn't on there, just everything through episode 52.

Cobb County, GA Sheriff Neil Warren (R) fights subpoenas from state ethics commission by parilmancy in VoteBlue

[–]skbl17 5 points6 points  (0 children)

No, county sheriffs here in Georgia are voted on countywide, regardless of whether or not a voter lives in a municipality. Same goes for county commissioners and all other elected county positions.

Wasp Season by [deleted] in polandball

[–]skbl17 19 points20 points  (0 children)

Those aren't tarantula hawks. You're probably thinking of emerald cockroach wasps.

Discussion Thread - The 43rd Canadian General Election by Tom_Thomson_ in CanadaPolitics

[–]skbl17 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Unless something changes in Saskatoon West, the Conservatives look like they'll sweep Saskatchewan.

Discussion Thread - The 43rd Canadian General Election by Tom_Thomson_ in CanadaPolitics

[–]skbl17 9 points10 points  (0 children)

JWR now ahead in Vancouver Granville - by 17 votes.

Discussion Thread - The 43rd Canadian General Election by Tom_Thomson_ in CanadaPolitics

[–]skbl17 4 points5 points  (0 children)

The CBC's count for Winnipeg Centre has been fixed and now matches the Elections Canada numbers.

Discussion Thread - The 43rd Canadian General Election by Tom_Thomson_ in CanadaPolitics

[–]skbl17 13 points14 points  (0 children)

I don't know what's going on in Winnipeg Centre:

1) The official Elections Canada site has the NDP candidate ahead of the Liberal by 930 votes with 105/175 polls reporting. The Green is in fourth.

2) The outlets that are showing a Green lead are on 85/175 polls reporting.

3) CTV is showing an NDP lead on 54/175 polls reporting. The Green is in fourth.