gerb-sam.bsky.social
Bias for truth.
I follow people who engage in respectful, constructive debate...
preferring those with opposing views.
51 posts
2 followers
1 following
Active Commenter
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Sorry, I admit this is subjective, but in my humble opinion, the old record still stands. www.snopes.com/articles/441...
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When Trump draws a red line, why does it always feel more like a blush-colored line.
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Are fascism or communism my only two choices?
Surely there's room for freedom and dignity somewhere between forced obedience and forced dependence.
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If only all that work had paid all the money I need, I'd be much happier in retirement.
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CRISPR gives us powerful mechanical tools to edit DNA—quickly, precisely, and at scale. However, it doesn’t tell us what to change, why, or whether the changes are wise.
The power to change is not the same as the wisdom to improve.
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Not sure I believe in an "antichrist".
There are people who may be evil (or simply irrational or crazy) enough. They just have not always had access to the weaponry and global megaphones that modern technology provides. A new development.
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I'm agnostic, but 2 Chronicles 7:14 resonates for me more than Revelation 13:
“If my people… humble themselves and pray… I will forgive their sin and heal their land.”
Meanwhile, I just can’t see how anything in the message below helps move us closer to that kind of healing—or forgiveness.
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Looks like the center of breeding territory is very near Hell👇
Hell, California was isolated by the construction of U.S. Route 60 and U.S. 70 and abandoned decades ago. No overpopulation or excessive eco-tourism worries there, but glad this hummingbird likes it. www.latimes.com/local/lanow/...
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If that's the "Broad-billed" version, I wonder what the 'narrow-billed' version looks like?
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Thanks for the Gibbon reference—he did trace the arc of history well. As Santayana said:
“Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it.”
What worries me more is that this arc may be hitting modern discontinuities—unknown to Rome, and even to Gibbon himself.
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I agree—public programs should be efficient and well-run (not all are). But I support Medicaid and most spending that helps people get essential care they couldn’t otherwise afford.
Maybe “welfare” isn’t the best term for everything public. We might need a new word.
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Glad to hear...there may be a slim chance I'll like the real thing.
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Not sure anyone (except maybe our enemies) seriously tries to match the U.S. and its allies in defense spending.
The NATO treaty is vague about what each country should spend. Even later guidance avoids dollar targets—it’s tied to each country’s GDP, not a global arms race.
More context here 👇
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True. I didn't include these in my claim about the federal social safety net either.
I did include benefits for elders like Social Security and Medicare (that even elders with financial means may receive... although currently taxed for that group).
Maybe all federal spending is a form of welfare?
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Reagan invented trickle-down economics. It didn’t really work out, but decades of lobbying sold the myth that billionaire wealth = freedom. Half the country now seems to think a trickle is still coming.
But I don’t think going back to the 1950s would work either👇
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Would taxing billionaires at higher rates collapse the job market?
Unlikely—there’s little evidence for that.
Most billionaires don’t create jobs based on marginal tax rates, and many already shelter wealth far from ordinary income taxes.
However….
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Despite a dangerous world, these multiples seem off optimal to me too & getting worse under Trump👇.
IMO, he's not a positive force for US Democracy...or the US position in the world. Still, maybe his desire to see our allies share more of the defense burden was justified...just poorly executed.
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Nearly every industry produces billionaires. Some are built for exponential accumulation, others spread returns more widely or gradually. Defense is somewhere in the middle.
Do you have specific policy suggestions—or just venting about capitalism in general?
Shouldn't costs of defense be shared?
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No. Should I?
The military-industrial complex carries the risk of convincing us we need to use—or offload—the weapons we keep funding. But it also provides jobs to a lot of people who are, at the end of the day, willing to work for food and a future.
Please advise.
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All good points. I agree—there are intangible factors that make the U.S. an attractive place to live and do business, even for those with other options.
But those factors aren’t static. And lately, they seem to be eroding faster here than in many other developed countries.
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If somehow humans lost accumulated learning with each generation, other species in animal kingdom may once again have a shot at supremacy.
I wonder, would dominance shift to apex predators with tribal hierarchies? Or to high-cognition, cooperative problem-solvers?
I suppose we'll never know.
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Fair.
Regardless of the asset, exit taxes on marked-to-market unrealized gains are a real obstacle to leaving tax-free.
But that one-time hit may not deter expatriation—especially if the plan is to double taxes on realized gains or impose recurring wealth taxes.
Maybe below is where we agree?...
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Maybe carrying a sign would increase her revenue...
Will clean-up
any kitchen
for food.
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I see nothing wrong with a 40% top marginal rate—if we also close loopholes so effective rates actually reflect what's on paper.
But even that won’t be enough to fix our broken safety nets.
We also need to improve the efficiency and impact of how public goods and services are delivered.
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That's a great question...critical to answer soon given instant global digital communication, AI, bots, & deep fakes.
ICBMs, Crisper, & terrorism only increase criticality.
For human civilization to avoid self-destruction, going forward, we will need to find better ways to sift truth from lies.
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Based on 2021 AGI data your 4X is likely closer to 10X, and growing! Still there are fewer people in the top 10% and their total earnings roughly equal the bottom 90%. This makes the wealthy an important piece of our shared cash cow; one we don't want leaving the US to retain more of their wealth.
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All fair questions.
But over half of the federal budget already goes to some form of social safety net. So the real question isn’t just whether we should do more—but how much more is feasible, and how best to fund it without triggering unintended consequences.
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Fair. But I wasn't blaming teachers. Indoctrination is best done using various forms of propaganda...education just being one possible path. Only the meme was focused on education.
Flat Earthers seem to miss how hard the "Truman Show" was to pull off, despite having only one person to fool.
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This critique of the bill’s wealth transfer is valid.
But tax policy rarely wins support based solely on who benefits—it wins on perception: fairness, aspiration, and resentment.
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Our new post-factual world creates a whole new set of challenges.
Wait until bots and deep fakes are common and far more difficult to distinguish from reality than they are today.
I suspect we've only scratched the surface.
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I mostly agree.
But anyone pretending to know exactly who pays, for which product, and where, is guessing. Tariffs ripple through global supply chains, shift prices, and change demand. The final burden depends on how supply and demand settle into a new equilibrium...messy and often counterintuitive.
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Or is it Daily bunny propositions a potential new lover?
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I agree. But it's a symptom of a larger and more common trend...wholesale rejection of facts from both public and private institutions as being "mainstream propaganda".
Sadly the vacuum is filled with misinformation designed mostly to enrage people and monetize the draw on eyeballs it creates.
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True.
However, most of the Flat Earthers I argue with seem to believe their proselytizing is only necessary because the education system has succeeded beyond anyone's wildest imagination...at indoctrinating the entire earth of a false 'global' reality.
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The outcome of our politics (as polar as the result becomes) seems to rest with moderates who are far closer to center than either party.
A fantasy, but if only there was only a way to create a party in the center, without splitting the vote of one and giving the win to the other.
RCV perhaps?
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Do Republicans have so much power today because the far-Right used Trump's populism to hijack what was a declining (but ideologically more moderate) Republican party?
...Or did far-Left identity politics, supported by the Democratic party, alienate the middle & empower the Right?
Some of both?
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Funny, is this using the term "Ends" to mean:
1) The goals of the Empire...as in the 'means to an end')?
2) The conclusion (endings) of UK Imperial rule in multiple locations?
3) Multiple ways the British Empire might come to an 'end'?
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I can think of more important stuff...like what Trump is doing to separation of powers and to damage relationships with allies or what Musk did to buy influence and is currently doing with the DOGE wrecking ball.
But sure...if devaluing X will move the needle, I'm in.
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Fair. In my defense, if you call America a democracy to a MAGA-head on twitter, they'll usually remind you that the US is a federal constitutional republic, not a democracy (incorrectly because the former is a form of the latter). But I'll concede, Trump probably doesn't know the difference.
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To be fair, that's only intended as temporary.
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I was being sarcastic, but I agree.
Not interested in a walled garden...or 4chan...just diverse opinions that are not easily triggered in debate. Grok's integration into the platform might help improve the quality of exchange...just not sure how long Musk will allow his own tool to call him a liar.
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IDK, An analogy: Should we call the Trump administration a "Democracy" out of disrespect?
And if so, who's being disrespected...Trump or Democracy?
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So...does that make bsky the methadone of social media?
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Maybe they're just purging the 'deep state' from the platform.
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IDK, some spouses may need to be taught to be correct first.(Not mine of course, she's the best...really! Especially at ignoring my flaws.)
That teaching is an investment in itself...not exactly 'free'.
Furthermore, if they are 'absolutely Right', any effort teaching may have a very low ROI.
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Good morning to you too.
Just hanging out here for a bit. X is down. I'm guessing they still have some employees they can assign to oversee the AI-enabled diagnostics, patching, repair, & future hardening of the system.
I like it here. I should come back here more often.
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A glass half full version might go something like this:
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Looks kinda like Sagittarius to me.
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Hope your a*s is doing OK.