Recruiting Forum Off Topic Thread III

[Crazy Ivan]

Good to see the AG step in.

Barr said:

"The First Amendment and federal statutory law prohibit discrimination against religious institutions and religious believers," Barr said. "Thus, government may not impose special restrictions on religious activity that do not also apply to similar nonreligious activity. For example, if a government allows movie theaters, restaurants, concert halls, and other comparable places of assembly to remain open and unrestricted, it may not order houses of worship to close, limit their congregation size, or otherwise impede religious gatherings. Religious institutions must not be singled out for special burdens."​

The attorney general also revealed that the Department of Justice has intervened in a situation in Mississippi in which church members were fined $500 each for gathering in their cars in the church parking lot to listen to their pastor preach over the radio.

"Today, the Department filed a Statement of Interest in support of a church in Mississippi that allegedly sought to hold parking lot worship services, in which congregants listened to their pastor preach over their car radios, while sitting in their cars in the church parking lot with their windows rolled up. The City of Greenville fined congregants $500 per person for attending these parking lot services – while permitting citizens to attend nearby drive-in restaurants, even with their windows open. The City appears to have thereby singled churches out as the only essential service (as designated by the state of Mississippi) that may not operate despite following all CDC and state recommendations regarding social distancing."​

The City of Greenville has since dropped the fines.

AG Barr orders local governments to stop applying gathering restrictions to churches unfairly

 

[bignewt]

The potential problem with term limits is they can empower interest groups and bureaucrats at the expense of elected officials. I don’t think they’d achieve what many hope.

Wait, what? Term limits would do the exact opposite. Lobbyists feed off of career politicians that serve for decades. That is how they build those relationships and wield their influence through them.

 

[GoBigOrange86]

Wait, what? Term limits would do the exact opposite. Lobbyists feed off of career politicians that serve for decades. That is how they build those relationships and wield their influence through them.

But the longer you've served in Washington, the more knowledge you have of how things operate. Term limits cause you to lose that institutional memory, and the people who know how to manipulate the system are those who are permitted to remain around the system for the long term, i.e., bureaucrats and interest groups. With term limits you get a bunch of naive first termers who don't know how things function in Washington being led around the nose by lobbyists and bureaucrats who now are the ones who possess all the long-term institutional memory.

Additionally, research shows that in states that have term limits, politicians routinely find ways to stay in politics and just rotate jobs. Many of them would simply become high-powered lobbyists (as they do now, frankly) and continue to wield enormous influence. The stated objective of term limits is to get fresh blood, but it's not at all clear that you get that so much as you get a reshuffling of deck chairs on the Titanic.

 

[GoBigOrange86]

BTW, anyone get their Trump Bucks yet?

 

[Rishvol]

BTW, anyone get their Trump Bucks yet?

I did. Paid off some bills with it

 

[bignewt]

But the longer you've served in Washington, the more knowledge you have of how things operate. Term limits cause you to lose that institutional memory, and the people who know how to manipulate the system are those who are permitted to remain around the system for the long term, i.e., bureaucrats and interest groups. With term limits you get a bunch of naive first termers who don't know how things function in Washington being led around the nose by lobbyists and bureaucrats who now are the ones who possess all the long-term institutional memory.

Additionally, research shows that in states that have term limits, politicians routinely find ways to stay in politics and just rotate jobs. Many of them would simply become high-powered lobbyists (as they do now, frankly) and continue to wield enormous influence. The stated objective of term limits is to get fresh blood, but it's not at all clear that you get that so much as you get a reshuffling of deck chairs on the Titanic.

Nope. Don't agree with any of that. The only thing multiple terms gives politicians is the way to make more money off of special interest groups and wield more power with them, becoming more and more greedy, crooked and compromised.

 

[GoBigOrange86]

Nope. Don't agree with any of that.

Well, what research we have on term limits indicates they don't work. But it's all academic anyway since you can't force members of Congress to bind themselves to term limits and they have no incentive to.

 

[OGbabyaviVol]

Hospitals are empty across the country. Laying off employees due to losing money like crazy. I have a friend that’s an ER Director in North Carolina. His ER is way down on volume. Typically sees 150 patients a day. Seeing 30 now.

So are the numbers being inflated falsely for some other unknown reason? Why are we still on lockdown? This is absurd. I feel like something bigger than COVID 19 is going on...

 

[bignewt]

Well, what research we have on term limits indicates they don't work. But it's all academic anyway since you can't force members of Congress to bind themselves to term limits and they have no incentive to.

I wonder why they have no incentive to? Hmmm?

 

[GoBigOrange86]

I wonder why they have no incentive to? Hmmm?

Would you kick yourself out of a job that gives you power and prestige?

 

[Rishvol]

So are the numbers being inflated falsely for some other unknown reason? Why are we still on lockdown? This is absurd. I feel like something bigger than COVID 19 is going on...

I was reading somewhere that hospitals are getting funding per case of COVID and many are inflating numbers to get the funding

 

[volatil]

So are the numbers being inflated falsely for some other unknown reason? Why are we still on lockdown? This is absurd. I feel like something bigger than COVID 19 is going on...

No like Rish said the definition of “Emergency” has changed

 

[InVOLuntary]

Wait, what? Term limits would do the exact opposite. Lobbyists feed off of career politicians that serve for decades. That is how they build those relationships and wield their influence through them.

I can see it from both sides. If you're into your last term you can try push through stuff with impunity. It's happened many times with term limited elected officials. Nothing to lose so I may as well cash in now.

 

[bignewt]

Would you kick yourself out of a job that gives you power and prestige?

You realize the source of that power is from lobbyists right?

 

[GoBigOrange86]

You realize the source of that power is from lobbyists right?

How exactly do you mean?

 

[Bassmaster_Vol]

Hospitals are empty across the country. Laying off employees due to losing money like crazy. I have a friend that’s an ER Director in North Carolina. His ER is way down on volume. Typically sees 150 patients a day. Seeing 30 now.

My wife was sent home yesterday. She’s a nurse in the OR here in Atlanta. They have nothing to do. So far she hasn’t been laid off but they are flexing people off. If she gets laid off, we’re in big trouble. They are seeing nobody in the ER, nobody in the OR and have only seen about 15 covid patients since this whole thing started. It’s ridiculous. This has to end. This mild virus has held us hostage long enough.

 

[Bassmaster_Vol]

Good to see the AG step in.

Barr said:

"The First Amendment and federal statutory law prohibit discrimination against religious institutions and religious believers," Barr said. "Thus, government may not impose special restrictions on religious activity that do not also apply to similar nonreligious activity. For example, if a government allows movie theaters, restaurants, concert halls, and other comparable places of assembly to remain open and unrestricted, it may not order houses of worship to close, limit their congregation size, or otherwise impede religious gatherings. Religious institutions must not be singled out for special burdens."​

The attorney general also revealed that the Department of Justice has intervened in a situation in Mississippi in which church members were fined $500 each for gathering in their cars in the church parking lot to listen to their pastor preach over the radio.

"Today, the Department filed a Statement of Interest in support of a church in Mississippi that allegedly sought to hold parking lot worship services, in which congregants listened to their pastor preach over their car radios, while sitting in their cars in the church parking lot with their windows rolled up. The City of Greenville fined congregants $500 per person for attending these parking lot services – while permitting citizens to attend nearby drive-in restaurants, even with their windows open. The City appears to have thereby singled churches out as the only essential service (as designated by the state of Mississippi) that may not operate despite following all CDC and state recommendations regarding social distancing."​

The City of Greenville has since dropped the fines.

AG Barr orders local governments to stop applying gathering restrictions to churches unfairly

This is why I’m thankful it isn’t Hillary in there. If this was happening under her, this defense of religious freedom would be very absent.

 

[Rishvol]

My wife was sent home yesterday. She’s a nurse in the OR here in Atlanta. They have nothing to do. So far she hasn’t been laid off but they are flexing people off. If she gets laid off, we’re in big trouble. They are seeing nobody in the ER, nobody in the OR and have only seen about 15 covid patients since this whole thing started. It’s ridiculous. This has to end. This mild virus has held us hostage long enough.

It's not the virus holding us hostage

 

[GoBigOrange86]

Good but long article in the Atlantic that shows this isn’t letting up any time soon:

Our Pandemic Summer

 

[Bassmaster_Vol]

It's not the virus holding us hostage

Fact

 

[bignewt]

How exactly do you mean?

It is a cycle that feeds itself. The lobbyists provide money, "perks" etc for the elected officials to take care of their interests. Therefore the officials rise up in the committees because the other junior officials see them as the ones that the lobbyists are taking care of the most. They get reelected, gaining more time to gain more power and influence that serves their lobbyists. Hence more power, hence more "perks."

 

[GoBigOrange86]

It is a cycle that feeds itself. The lobbyists provide money, "perks" etc for the elected officials to take care of their interests. Therefore the officials rise up in the committees because the other junior officials see them as the ones that the lobbyists are taking care of the most. They get reelected, gaining more time to gain more power and influence that serves their lobbyists. Hence more power, hence more "perks."

The most valuable thing lobbyists provide is information. They're a necessary part of the system and protected by the First Amendment, so they aren't going anywhere. Plus they need elected officials more than elected officials need them.

 

[bignewt]

The most valuable thing lobbyists provide is information. They're a necessary part of the system and protected by the First Amendment, so they aren't going anywhere. Plus they need elected officials more than elected officials need them.

Information...right...

 

[volatil]

My wife was sent home yesterday. She’s a nurse in the OR here in Atlanta. They have nothing to do. So far she hasn’t been laid off but they are flexing people off. If she gets laid off, we’re in big trouble. They are seeing nobody in the ER, nobody in the OR and have only seen about 15 covid patients since this whole thing started. It’s ridiculous. This has to end. This mild virus has held us hostage long enough.

We have seen over 100.

 

[GoBigOrange86]

Information...right...

Lobbying expenditures dwarf campaign contributions. Most members of Congress don't need the money anyway. They're in safe seats and aren't getting voted out regardless of what happens.