Well... it's Trump... again. #47, here we go.

[Jimmy Higgins]

Trump tells department heads to ax probationary employees.

The Trump administration on Thursday moved swiftly to fire thousands of workers and directed agency heads to terminate most trial and probationary staff — a move that could affect as many as 200,000 employees, according to four people familiar with internal conversations who, like others interviewed for this report, spoke on the condition of anonymity because they are not authorized to speak publicly.

DOGE? Not really. They are firing these people because they are probationary, which means they are the easiest to remove from the worker rolls. Whether we had talent that would have been very efficient in that group, of there had to be some, had nothing to do with the firings.

Looks like the letter was dictated by an asshole, Elon Musk.

Probationary employees, dozens who said they had never received negative feedback about their work, received emails citing their performance to assert they “have not demonstrated that your further employment at the Agency would be in the public interest,” according to the correspondences reviewed by The Post.

 

[Politesse]

That's the whole point of Guantanamo. They needed a "beyond legal" place to put certain kinds of prisoners such that they would never be obliged to act on their case, and were willing to drop billions to make it happen.

The "war on terror" had somewhat of a blank check from Congress so the economics worked out. Trump doesn't have that with these people (and I can't imagine he'd get it), whomever they are. What it is $30k or $80k a day per prisoner to be down there? Once the people aren't getting paid, things start getting interesting.

Roughly 13 million a year, though the military is extremely guarded about disclosing all costs associated with the facility, so the number may actually be a bit higher if you count more than just direct expenses. It is by far the most expensive prison in the world. The total cost of this week's detentions alone will top $100 million well before the end of the year. This is part of why the Republicans are looking for candidates for new dark prisons overseas, most of those that we have now are too small and far too expensive for the scale of mass detainment that they are planning for. Remember, one of Trump's campaign promises was a deportation event specifically exceeding Operation Wetback in scale. That operation deported around one million people in its first year. Far more money will be dropped on these anti-immigration efforts than are spent on most government programs. On the other hand, part of the reason internment camps were invented in the first place was expense; part of what makes Guantanamo expensive per head is that we're maintaining a massive facility to house a few just a few dozen detainees at a time. If we concentrate greater numbers of people in the same place, and maintain enough of a workforce to ensure a steady flow of consumer hardgoods and services to defray the cost, our detainment facilities will become much more financially efficient over time.

And whatever they may say, there's evidence to support the idea that this is the true will of the American people. All presidents have increased the number of deportations, all presidents claim that it is only "the dangerous ones" they're after, and all presidents enjoy broad support for their efforts from their base; it's only "the other party", whichever party that is this year, that voices serious objections. If a wildly expensive deportation program has broad bipartisan support, it's not going to die for the sake of defunding. We are a very, very wealthy nation. If we want to spend the equivalent of a smaller nation's GDP exporting our own workforce to other places, neither bank nor court can stop us from choosing to continue making that fool's investment.

 

[ZiprHead]

 

[Politesse]

Ha! Never seen that site before, they look fun! My very extended family owns an actual Tennessee holler and has for centuries, named after us and everything, but I'm told it's not especially safe for out of state types to try and get out to it, so I will probably never see the place. My branch of the family lost touch with most of the TN cousins back in the 30s.

 

[ZiprHead]

DAAAMmmmnnnnnn!

 

[ZiprHead]

Are Incandescent Light Bulbs Coming Back?

Household incandescent light bulbs may be coming back because of an executive order reversing the DOE ban. Read more here to find out!

www.lightbulbs.com

 

[Loren Pechtel]

In harkens back to similar land theft by Zimbabwe government.

So, it is NOT A FACT that only white farmers are having their farmland appropriated, but that is a fear.

If an ethnic or racial group owned 70% of the farmland, it is reasonable they would bear that proportion of the expropriation.

Please do not confuse my concern with separating fact from speculation with approval.

Look at what actually happened in Zimbabwe--they took the land from the white farmers and gave it to the cronies of the guy in power. With just enough given to the people to pretend it was about giving it to the people. The cronies had no skill in farming the land. The people that got the land they were working on weren't in a position to actually do the whole thing even if they had known what to do (the reality is they knew their part of the job, not the big picture.) Zimbabwe agriculture was royally fucked by that. An oppressor of one's own race isn't magically superior to one of another race.

 

[Loren Pechtel]

I think the paper straw ban was done to piss off California. I could be wrong, but I have gotten the impression that California doesn't use many plastic straws. I have a better idea. I agree we could all stop using straws for most things, unless there is a medical condition that makes it easier for the person to drink through a straw or maybe while drinking a milkshake. I forgot about those since I haven't had one in years. I have a few plastic straws that I use in a large water cup at night, so I can take a sip every time I get up during the night, but I put them in the dishwasher and reuse them. They've lasted for years.

In California, plastic straws are only banned in full service restaurants, where a waiter takes your order and delivers your food. But, if you request a straw, they will give it to you. Fast food type places are exempt from the plastic straw ban. And yeah, California is notorious for these kinds of laws. I would be curious to see what percentage of plastic waste is from full service restaurant straws...I suspect its de minimus.

According to this 0.5%. Not large... but of things that we could do without... I'd say it is easily expendable. At a restaurant, it is likely the only thing that isn't reused. There is really no reason for it either. Ending the use of straws at sit down restaurants doesn't solve the plastic problem, but it is a relatively harmless attempt at reducing plastics.

At a fast food joint, it is nothing compared to the cup.

I rather suspect disposable straws reduced labor cost by more than the cost of the straws.

 

[laughing dog]

In harkens back to similar land theft by Zimbabwe government.

So, it is NOT A FACT that only white farmers are having their farmland appropriated, but that is a fear.

If an ethnic or racial group owned 70% of the farmland, it is reasonable they would bear that proportion of the expropriation.

Please do not confuse my concern with separating fact from speculation with approval.

Look at what actually happened in Zimbabwe--they took the land from the white farmers and gave it to the cronies of the guy in power. With just enough given to the people to pretend it was about giving it to the people. The cronies had no skill in farming the land. The people that got the land they were working on weren't in a position to actually do the whole thing even if they had known what to do (the reality is they knew their part of the job, not the big picture.) Zimbabwe agriculture was royally fucked by that. An oppressor of one's own race isn't magically superior to one of another race.

And that is relevant to a discussion about giving refugee status to white South African farmers because.....?

 

[Loren Pechtel]

In an interview FOTUS says he wants to relocation the 1.9 million Palestinians... but population estimates put the Palestinian population at around 2.1 to 2.2 million before the war. Is this an admission the government estimates a couple hundred thousand have been killed instead of the long out of date numbers that are occasionally used? Or is he just pulling numbers out of his ass again?

By other estimates 100k-200k have gotten out. Thus this isn't a smoking gun.

 

[Jimmy Higgins]

According to this 0.5%. Not large... but of things that we could do without... I'd say it is easily expendable. At a restaurant, it is likely the only thing that isn't reused. There is really no reason for it either. Ending the use of straws at sit down restaurants doesn't solve the plastic problem, but it is a relatively harmless attempt at reducing plastics.

At a fast food joint, it is nothing compared to the cup.

I rather suspect disposable straws reduced labor cost by more than the cost of the straws.

The glasses are cleaned regardless.

 

[Loren Pechtel]

So, it is NOT A FACT that only white farmers are having their farmland appropriated, but that is a fear.
If an ethnic or racial group owned 70% of the farmland, it is reasonable they would bear that proportion of the expropriation.
Please do not confuse my concern with separating fact from speculation with approval.

Again, even BBC admits that the goal of the land stealing law by the South African government is to redistribute land on a racial basis.

Shift the goal posts much? It is not a fact that only white farmers are having their farmland appropriated. At this point, there is no reports that I have seen of any land having been redistributed.

And, of course, the issue that Trump's executive order is for white farmers just files by your "race blind" radar.

For someone who allegedly despises Trump, you're doing a like of whiteknighting here for him.

Please quit being in utter denial about reality. As with all such redistributions it's about giving it to cronies, not to the people. (And, no, Mao didn't. Mao gave the land to "the people" as run by the state. True ownership lies with those capable of actually making decisions about it.)

 

[Jimmy Higgins]

As Trump appears to take unilateral approach with Ukraine peace talks with Russia... VP Vance says Europe needs to step up.

“NATO is a very important military alliance, of course, that we’re the most significant part of,” Vance said alongside Rutte. “But we want to make sure that NATO is actually built for the future, and we think a big part of that is ensuring that NATO does a little bit more burden-sharing in Europe, so the United States can focus on some of our challenges in East Asia.”

Trump and the United States “believe that Ukraine cannot be in NATO because it would mean escalation with the ‘Russians,' ” Zelensky told a roundtable of Ukrainian journalists in Munich, according to Ukrinform, a newswire. “They consider NATO’s presence in our constitution as the main reason for Ukraine’s occupation.”

Feels like Babylon 5 and Earth is about to join up with the Centauri.

 

[Loren Pechtel]

View attachment 49399
It’s official!!

Renaming things could be fun.

How about the first hurricane to hit the Gulf Coast of America gets named Hurricane Donald J?
Or maybe save that name for the first one that hits southern Florida. Call the first to hit Texas "Hurricane Abbott".
Tom

I agree with Hurricane Abbott. But Hurricane Donald should be the 4th, not the 1st. And if it's going to hit Florida make it DeSantis.

 

[Loren Pechtel]

Well, after they disband NOAA and privatize the National weather service, perhaps the naming of hurricanes will be up for bid.

I don't know if there have been firings yet at the National Weather Service but it seems to me that the forecast accuracy is already getting worse. The Local TV station does a better job forecasting storms. The NWS radically changed their forecast for the rest of this week three times today over the course of one hour. It feels like they are just letting the computers run the forecast with no human involvement.

I wouldn't be one bit surprised if that's exactly what's happening--the people either are not there or are doing things other than applying sanity to the weather models.

 

[KCFlyer]

Regarding NOAA, I wonder if Musk will consider Hurricane forecasting to be unnecessary.

Conservatives in general feel that NOAA is unneccesary. They would all be for private industry....but organizations like Intellicast or Accuweather get their data from...drum roll please - NOAA. And I'm sure they will eliminated it, not realizing how such a move would increase costs to their base. One big thing the weather service does for farmers is the long range forecasts - helping farmers to determine what crops to plant (drought resistant or not) and what kind and how much crop insurance to purchase. When they start seeing losses from weather related issues, the costs will be passed on to the consumer. Yet again. Which won't be much to bring the price of "groceries" (we are so fortunate that our dear leader gave us a name for the food we buy at the food store) down.

 

[Loren Pechtel]

Shift the goal posts much? It is not a fact that only white farmers are having their farmland appropriated. At this point, there is no reports that I have seen of any land having been redistributed.

Not shifting anything. Even Beebs is admitting that this is the goal of the new land theft law.

Of course you are shifting the goalposts (see the bold-faced potion that you seem to be unable to parse).

And, of course, the issue that Trump's executive order is for white farmers just files by your "race blind" radar.

If white South Africans are being persecuted by their government, should they not have the right to asylum? Or is asylum only something for non-whites and Muslims in your book?

Stop blowing smoke. This is a race-based policy - something you claim to abhor. This is refugee status for land-owning Afrikaaners (who, by the way, have publicly refused the offer), not any South African who is persecuted. Or are you saying that only land-owning white South Africans should have the right of asylum?

Once again, you're accusing others of what you're doing. It appears (I haven't dug into it) that it's the usual game of stealing from the outgroup to give to cronies. It's not racist to refer to a group that's basically all white as "white". You are trying to apply the racism to the offer to be refugees rather than to the theft in the first place.

 

[Loren Pechtel]

Try to focus. This is refugee status for land-owning Afrikaaners (who, by the way, have publicly refused the offer), not any White South African. Or are you saying that only land-owning white South Africans should have the right of asylum?

Everybody persecuted by their government.

I.e. not economic migrants from Nicaragua or El Salvador. Even though they have a more politically correct skin color.

Economic, all right: They're wealthy. They'll be bringing money. Most countries like immigrants with enough money. The general term is "golden visa".

 

[Loren Pechtel]

Trump cancelled grants to low income Alabamans for utility support. Not only do they no longer get the money, they must pay the past money back.

Citation?

Not because I don’t believe it but would like to read more about it.

Half true.

The money is cancelled, at least some people received a payment after it was cancelled (as usual, inertia. That's why you try to avoid doing things effective immediately!) and that money is being clawed back. Clawbacks of money because it turned out it shouldn't have been sent have been reality for a long time. I saw it when my mother died, they clawed back the last social security check. It works both ways, my wife is one of these people that will not retire until they have to and she only now has 35 years of work history in the US. That means every year the social security calculation would replace a zero with whatever she earned that year and taxes aren't done until April. The letter actually shows up in November correcting her social security check for the year and also sending a payment to make up all the months where her check was too small.

 

[marc]

In an interview FOTUS says he wants to relocation the 1.9 million Palestinians... but population estimates put the Palestinian population at around 2.1 to 2.2 million before the war. Is this an admission the government estimates a couple hundred thousand have been killed instead of the long out of date numbers that are occasionally used? Or is he just pulling numbers out of his ass again?

By other estimates 100k-200k have gotten out. Thus this isn't a smoking gun.

Where do those estimates come from?