how to fix the House

ikanreed: How about an system of elections where one group losing doesn't automatically imply victory for exactly one other?

this would require a change in the constitution, therefore, it will never happen.

changes that we would need, and need at the federal constitution level?

1) increase the number of members in the house from 435 to 1600-5300 (200k to 60k citizens per seat)

2) make it trivial for 3rd parties to get on the ballot with a federal law (state parties keep 3rd parties off of a federal ballot? wtf)

3) all elections are vote by mail (only way to be able to recount)

but none of these things will happen. ever. they dilute existing power structures.

Drug usage by recent president

is pot even stigmatized anymore? hasnt EVERYONE tried it 10-20 times by now? ;-)

cracks me up that we got to live threw the dark ages of drugs in america
nixon: shoot the hippies
carter: you KNOW he gets stoned
reagan: WAR ON DRUGS toss everyone in jail
bush 1.0: gave arms to the contra and saddam - probably not
Clinton: didnt inhale (translation: DUH of course I got stoned)
bush 2.0: quit around 1992 ("As I understand it," he said in 1999, "the current FBI form asks the question, 'Did somebody use drugs within the last 7 years?' )
Obama: I did coke and pot. (whatever big deal)

It will be interesting to watch what happens in 2016.

Odd Prediction from Pete - #376 - The Privacy Card

Odd Prediction from Pete - #376
At some point in the near future, the GOP will pull the Privacy Card.
They will accuse the DNC, rightfully, of having a massive database of every voter in the US, with massive amounts of "private" information.

The GOP will argue that the DNC is doing something evil with this database.
AKA getting out the vote, improving voter registration, skewing elections in the favor of evil democrats, etc.

The RNC has been trying to implement a similar get out the vote system as the Obama/DNC version. It was an hilarious failure in 2012.

/note: I REALLY hope that the DNC continues to use this system for 2016 and doesnt make their candidates recreate the wheel. sigh

divisive people

something really terrible happened. I think it started with reagan.
the vilification of the other guy. certainly it was when I first noticed it.
people who LOVED him, and demonized you if you said ANYTHING NEGATIVE against st ronnie, esp while we were at war, or whatever.

it go worse during clinton.
Those same ronnie worshippers attacked the president from all sides, policy and family, call him horrible names and insulted the office.

and then it got worse again, with 2.0
HOW DARE YOU QUESTION GOD THE PRESIDENT WHILE WE ARE AT WAR?????

and then a black, secret, illegal alien won the white house.
AND ALL HELL broke loose.
So we were still at war, but it was OK TO ATTACK THAT GUY in the white house.

FUCK EM
I started shunning THOSE PEOPLE.
And it has made all the difference.

Mother's Day

(composed while sleep deprived and drunk)

I had an AMAZING opportunity with my mother.
SHe was diagnosed with stage 4 pancreatic cancer.
This is a death sentence.
They send you home to die.

Seriously.
The experimental treatments at PLUTONIUM, injecting into the tumors.
This is not a FUN cancer, where with radiation and chemo you might have a slight chance of recovery.
This is go home and die.

OR agree to be part of one of the FEW experimental, and not hopeful experiments.
Dont get me wrong, the experiments ARE AWESOME. They expand the range of human knowledge and are awesome.

BUT!!

But we had a 6th month notice.
WE had the LUXURY of knowing, that my mom had 6 months to live. period. (she made it almost 6 months to the day).

Given that notice, I did what I could.
Saturday dinners. EVERY saturday. Until SHE was unable to travel.
The first one was near and easy.
The next one was at a place, that unknown to me, she had ALWAYS wanted to eat at, (Bernham - Atwood Cage), which is quite awesome.

Dinner was every Saturday.
Not everyone could make it. Not to every dinner, not to every location. But it was out of the house, until she couldn't travel anymore.

But it was FANTASTIC.
Unbelievable.
Different people. DIfferent places. Different times.
Sharing her life, and her friends and family.

We did it as long as she could travel.
I think she enjoyed it. I know that she said that she did.
I KNOW that others did.
I KNOW that pictures were taken and stories were told.

It was a celebration of life.
IT was amazing.

SO
What have you done?
You mother is alive?
Why dont you see here every day, week or month?
EVERY WEEK.
EVERY MONTH.

IF you do this, there is ZERO chance of regret when she dies.
ZERO ...

I can speak from experience.
As one of the accidental lucky few.
I had 6 months notice. I spent as much time as "I" could. I helped others where I could.


You have TODAY.
If it is the last day that you will ever see your mother, ....