Posts Made By: David Cotterell

Originally Posted by Jim Moscheck

That's good to know. Living in Colorado I'm sure forest fires are always in the back of your mind. This last storm just left us a dusting to an inch yesterday. Other areas nearby fared far worse. We might get lots of clouds and cold, but SE Michigan sees little lake effect snow compared to the rest of the state and northern Ohio, Pennsylvania, or New York, which is just fine by me. I should go out observing tonight as it's going to be clear for a change, but standing outside at an eyepiece in 22ºF temps is not as enjoyable as it once was.

22ºF?

It was as clear as a bell last night but -20ºC here.  About -5ºF.  No chance for me - I have long ago given up on winter observing except what I can squeeze in at the Winter Star Party...

Skipping it this year and until they sort 120vac power out for the Girl Scout side.  My CPAP is vital to me. And sleeping in my van, beside my gear is also the way I want to roll.

Everybody stay well.

Dave

Originally Posted by Jim Moscheck

Again, I thought he was funny. Especially the skewering of Ted Cruz. What a spineless amoeba of a man who couldn't defend his wife, his father, and now himself from the likes of Tucker Carlson and especially Trump. yeah, I know he didn't endorse Trump. Until he did soon after. I think Raphael would be better off going back to Cancun or Canada instead of opening his mouth here. What a weenie of a man. 

How about no.  Does no work for you?

Dave

Originally Posted by Richard Davis

Outrage?

No, mocking the religious aspect as if God is going to judge people for whether or not they get the vaccine.

And here's a clue for the clueless, i.e. YOU.  

How 'bout buffoons get an understanding of the vaccine and the REASON people get vaccines.

Here's how a VACCINE works in case you don't know (which you apparently don't).

Vaccines protect YOU from getting sick.  Understand?  So if you have the vaccine, then YOU don't need to worry about whether or not I Have the vaccine.

You're already vaccinated against getting the virus, so whether or not I Got the vaccine should be none of your business. 

YOU are VACCINATED, so YOU Don't get sick.  

That's how it works.  When I was a child, I got the MMR so I Did NOT get Measles, Mumps, and Rubella from other kid who might have it.

Because you don't understand that simple concept DON'T blame me Forrest.  

Well, not exactly.  Obviously if i am vaccinated i am less likely to catch the virus which is to my benefit.  True.  But if I don't have the virus, I cannot pass it on to someone else. 

Same for masks, social distancing etc.  Whatever protects ME also protects YOU.   All part of the social 'commons' to which we all belong.  

Dave

You have all lost sight of the real issue here.

What is your position on wearing socks with sandals?

Dave

James Madison argued against any super-majority requirement in the Constitution the Framers were then designing, writing that otherwise, in his words, "the fundamental principle of free government would be reversed,“ “It would be no longer the majority that would rule: the power would be transferred to the minority.” 

Alexander Hamilton said “how much good may be prevented, and how much ill may be produced if a minority in either house of Congress had the power of hindering the doing what may be necessary.”

A filibuster/super majority was only to be used for rare occurrences as written by the framers.

impeachments,  expulsion of members,  overriding a presidential veto, ratification of treaties,  amendments to the Constitution.

Starting with the Obama administration use of the filibuster has increased tremendously and on virtually every type of legislation, well beyond the constitutional 5 things.

So how did it come to this?  Especially the fact that 41 R senators, who only represent 21 % of the population get to basically run everything in their favour? 

Dave

I would suggest that a bigger picture look would be that the filibuster shouldn't exist beyond what the Framers intended, no matter who increased its usage and no matter which party it favours at a particular moment in time.

Suppose, by 2025, a Republican's dream occurred and the President and the House were solidly R and the Senate was 51-49 R and the D's in the Senate filibustered everything that came down the pipe to prevent anything proposed by the R's.  Would there be a call from the R's to 'end the filibuster'? 

Dave

50 seconds! more than his wife gets...

Dave

Originally Posted by Richard Davis

Well, for one thing, we here in US live in a Constitutional Republic, not a Democracy. 

That's like saying "we're a carrot, not a vegetable."

Dave

Originally Posted by Greg Shaffer

Pretty sure you are not that ignorant Dave......vast difference

Republic:  a state in which supreme power is held by the people and their elected representatives, and which has an elected or nominated president rather than a monarch.

Democracy: a system of government by the whole population or all the eligible members of a state, typically through elected representatives.

This article https://www.thoughtco.com/republic-vs-democracy-4169936has plenty of nuanced details.  It  indicates that a Republic only allows elected representatives to make laws and has protections in a constitution to protect minority views while Democracies rule entirely by individual people getting a majority to the detriment of the minority.

By what the article says, Canada is as much a 'Republic' as the USA, at least inasmuch as our laws are only made by elected legislators (just like the USA) and that we have A Charter of Rights and Freedoms, analogous to the US Constitution, both of which protect minority positions.   Both the USA and Canada are actually Representative Democracies.

Representative Democracies have free and fair elections of representatives to Congresses, Senates,  Parliaments or Legislatures etc., often with two levels/houses. Representative Democracies also have a Constitutional document to protect all of the citizens from the 'tyranny of the majority'.  And they have various 'checks and balances', again to protect minority positions.

I think the position that the "USA is a Republic, not a Democracy" refers to the USA not being a Direct or Pure Democracy like Switzerland - the only Democratic country in the world so governed today.

"In the most prominent example in modern society, Switzerland practices a modified form of direct democracy under which any law enacted by the nation’s elected legislative branch can be vetoed by a vote of the general public. In addition, citizens can vote to require the national legislature to consider amendments to the Swiss constitution".   That's the 'Pure' Democracy that your founders, and ours wisely avoided. 

Dave

Originally Posted by Richard Davis

 

empty post?

Dave