solstice @ solstice @lemmy.world

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2 yr. ago

I vividly remember the 2004 voting machine issues. It was the first general election with widespread use of computerized voting software, in the wake of the 2000 election disaster, and there was a lot of evidence that the machines could be tampered with quite easily. I'm not sure if there is real evidence that they were actually tampered with, but the fact the machines were not open source and demonstrably falsifiable is in itself alarming.

I don't recall any talk about the 2016 election being illegitimate. The results were horrifying obviously, and we were shocked the polls were so wrong, but actual fraud? I don't think so.

I was driving through rural Trump country not long ago and saw a billboard that had that iconic image of Man evolving from our ape-like ancestors. The billboard had a big red X through it and said No! God created!

That broke me. Literally broke me. Really helped me understand their response to covid and climate change et al. God help us when the next pandemic hits when permafrost in the arctic starts melting and releases all kind of microorganisms humans have never encountered before. Good luck fighting climate change when 40% of the country thinks evolution is a lie and god just went 'click'.

I took a year off work recently to detox and had a zero cortisol policy. Lines on my face faded, hair looks great and stopped thinning, came back nicely, lost weight, almost have a six pack for the first time in my life approaching 40. People know how stressful work is but most don't understand what it's like to truly live for yourself stress free. I'm super fortunate and grateful for having the opportunity to do that and highly recommend.

The hardest part about going back to work was reentering that disgusting American corporate culture of toxic optimism. I'm fine with a lot of work and my stress tolerance/management is much better now. But that culture of toxic optimism is hard to handle.

Girls 'miring

That's always possible I suppose but I don't think so. The crisis in 2011 rocked markets for months with monstrous daily swings up and down. There was barely a blip when fitch downgraded the debt and during the last few debt ceiling impasses.

Personally I think it's pretty clear at this point that it is just theater and they'll never allow a default. The reason being, all of congress is too wealthy and heavily invested in stable world markets, and obviously in the pockets of their corporate overlords who feel the same. A default would be catastrophic so it's just not going to happen.

What's really interesting is that the [manufactured] debt ceiling crisis in 2011 caused the credit rating agency S&P to downgrade US debt then as well...BUT, instead of causing US debt to be more expensive, investors wound up selling equities and buying MORE debt, causing interest rates to go down even more, and bond prices to increase!

Bill Gross, founder and manager at the time of PIMCO's fixed income/debt fund, the biggest in the world, wagered HEAVILY that the debt downgrade would cause interest rates to go UP, and bond prices and to go down, as they should, according to every economics textbook ever. He lost billions as a result and I think that's about when Pimco fired him even though he was the founder.

Interestingly, this downgrade seems to be largely ignored by both debt and equity markets. Markets appear to be pricing this in as "business as usual" which is sorta interesting in itself. Smart money seems to think everything is fine. I usually go with the smart money on these things, so I'm not too upset about Fitch's downgrade. (Just to be clear though, the R party can go fuck themselves.)

Who are you referring to?

I'll never understand why the DNC didn't start grooming someone for 2020 immediately the day after the election in November 2016. Yet another tactical blunder that is so characteristic of the party.

My firm has mandatory retirement at 65 for partners so younger professionals can become partner themselves. It's so weird how normal that is in every industry except government.

Noted, thanks

Noted, thanks