More like the relief I was hoping to feel was a huge lie, and the previous weight and pain was a happy memory compared to this. Was hoping for a fuko today to aptly mirror my state.
The day isn’t over yet. The election hasn’t been decided. For that I am undecided about how I feel. Regardless, I am confident I will feel slightly to big league hung over tomorrow.
You left out “Oh fuck here we go again”. Having come of age during the time of black comedy and theatre of the absurd has well prepared me for this. However it was never supposed to be real.
Life sucks. Fortunately, when it’s over I’ll be dead.
At least my vision is almost completely recovered in my right eye and should be back to normal in my left eye by morning.*
I am almost out of rye. I guess I’ll have to switch to gin.
*I had laser eye surgery (third time, tho in my left eye this time) to correct a retinal tear about five hours ago. Was not fun but hey, was not the worst thing that happened today, so that’s good, right?
@duodec Thanks… I’ll be glad when this latest batch of floaters has dissipated… I’m already totally tired of looking thru what amounts to a squirming wad of out of focus USB cables…
I hope my retiree parents parked their money before they voted wrong, because I sure as hell won’t be in any position or mood to help their ignorant meddling racist asses.
@whogots One of my friends (in his middle 50’s and still driving for Papa John with no better prospect in sight) was talking about why he’s supporting Trump. He has two good friends who are all but homeless and completely dependent on government funded social programs. I told him when he “pulled the lever” on his Trump vote to remember to make room in his tiny apartment, as without those socialist programs funded by the Democrats his buddies will be on the street. That gave him pause but didn’t change his mind. He believes conservative promises of prosperity will magically lift them from poverty. My social group are a sterling example of voting against one’s interests, those with a decent standard of living are all Democrats and those living hand to mouth or on the dole are Republicans. Tax relief would help us a little and them not at all, and eliminating social programs for food, housing and medical care will not harm us but will destroy them.
@moondrake Same here. Their ability to reason from A to B is lacking. They believe that there is magic about to be unleashed that will benefit Them and take down The Others who have stolen all Their money.
@moondrake Healthy people need access to decent jobs not government handouts. I don’t think that the liberals really accept this. I’m all for helping out the working poor but we need to find a way to re-establish a manufacturing base. I know I’m hopelessly naive but there has to be a way and I don’t think that taxing the shit out of corporations is the answer. And I don’t think for a second that Trump knows how either.
@sammydog01 Actually it’s pretty much the only. Because when the jobs come back it’ll be AI operated machinery with even less human interface than is currently in use, that coupled with the loss of automated white collar jobs, you’re looking at on hell of a global welfare state.
@sammydog01
A factory currently exists that can take a car, tear it down and sort all the components by composition, even down to properly sorting the change under the seat, route the results to various recycling and landfill options, and the start anew with the next car.
Personnel to operate this factory when in good repair: 2-3 perhaps. When everything is perfectly smooth, perhaps 1-2.
New factories will be like that.
No matter what Trump does or what Hillary or Bernie might have done, globalism, job-loss, and job-export will not stop. Wall Street will mostly get what it wants.
And the corporate incentives to squeeze all that can be extracted from employees so as to prop the stock price and compete globally will continue.
One thing we need is extremely extensive technically-oriented universal business finance and economic education available to all, starting in pre-school. A very intensive curriculum escalating each year.
This is available now on coursera and the like, but most people may not have the skills to use or evaluate the information. And the program needs to start w 5 year olds. People who were so immersed that at age 25 they would know what an MBA or economist knows now, and be ready for more.
With or without extensive socialism, there is no easy fix for our probs - health, social, economic, and the “rust-belt” issues.
Wall Street does not want and will not create high-paying jobs unless there are mandatory high-tech skills and global skilled-labor shortages forcing a decent pay scale. They have no financial incentive, and their companies can’t afford it.
Whatever job-export-penalties are enacted (I would bet on very few), Wall Street doesn’t care. It will find ways around all that. Like it finds loopholes now.
Whatever growth occurs will go to high-tech jobs or pre-exported jobs. And those at low wages.
If the entire population possessed great economic and financial sophistication, and savvy business skills, perhaps we could at least discuss and brainstorm intelligently as a people.
The economy will not be returning to the 1950-60’s no matter what we might wish.
@f00l You might want to read Alvin Toffler’s (the futurist) ‘Powershift: Knowledge, Wealth and Violence at the Edge of the 21st Century’. Published in 1990, it details every facet of the (then new) tech changes in every part of the world. It addresses the Rust Belt, smokestack and the information industries, as well as the impacts on jobs and wealth. I’m about 3/4 of the way through.
@f00l I worked in a fiber plant until 1999 and it was highly labor intensive. I’m not talking about 1950. There are areas out there where people can do a better job than machines and tearing cars apart is probably not one of them. I believe that financial incentives work, you just need to figure out how to properly implement them.
@sammydog01 The problem with financial incentives is they are usually funded by the middle class and allow the 1% to pull their 10-15% off the top which result in an even smaller pie for the middle class to fight over. This shit has been going on since Rayguns.
@sammydog01
I’m no cynic. And no socialist. My uneducated gut says the the Econ and social philosophies of conservatives and progressives were both obsolete 15 years ago. I haven’t done recent Econ reading to see if any politically viable theories are going where they would start to “feel right” to me.
University Econ people use math but don’t understand it. Just engineering for fat tails won’t fix they modeling issues. They need to engineer for anthropology and power and culture shift and tech shift. This would yeild models no party now espouses. Political people use Econ for sloganeering. They are more interested in either specific issues (i.e. student loans) or political branding (i.e. Conservative) rather than the quality of the theory as a whole. So Conservatives go “small govt” as a article of faith, and progressive and populists offer a mishmash of fixes with no coherent strategy of paying for it or will it work. And both sides demonize the other.
I am completely for some form of universal health care or other. All I care about is: can everyone get it and afford it? And does it work? Health care has become so hightech, so expensive, and so gamed by the insurance and health industries that it is unaffordable to the middle classes now if done a la carte or individually. So either we offer some form of universal access or we resign ourselves to becoming a second world society with the rich and then everyone else.
Same with education. And funding at least tech and Econ and literacy educations at the college level ought to be matters of national security. If we don’t, the Chinese will. And then they will have the biggest economy, the best tech, and the best military.
And our national health ought to be a higher priority than propping up agribusiness and factory food. Unless we want healthcare costs to skyrocket and lives to shorten. And so few healthy people growing up that we had better get an automated military too.
University Econ thinking is dominated, as far as I have heard, by old-school thinking and old-world paradigms. Some Silicon Valley types need to dive in and re-invent the field. Which would come with its own probs. But it’s a start
if that fiber plant were built today it would likely be built south of the border or in Asia. With far more automation than 17 years ago.
Why? Wall Street. Investment banking can better afford automation and cheap labor and class division and job export and and impoverished middle class than it can afford high wages, decent working conditions.
Much of this is an Inevitable shift as predicted by Toffler and others. Globalization was inevitable. After WWII there were 2 superpowers, only one of which was prosperous. Europe took decades to recover and compete, as did educated Asia. Other educated non-devastated 1st world countries such as Canada and Australia didn’t have the population. The US ruled the Econ world. Little globalization. So high wage jobs.
Then Europe recovered, and Japan, and China, and Korea. And plenty of other countries developed relatively cheap educated English speaking workers. And making stuff in a 2nd or 3rd world country is cheaper than making it in a 1st world country. So the slowly imports became the norm. And slowly the jobs moved abroad. Now it’s not slow.
I don’t expect Donald Trump’s policies to create even one high wage non-college permanent job. Quite possible Hillary’s and Bernie’s policies would have the same depressing result.
One thing we desperately need is universal, sophisticated economic, financial, literacy. Perhaps that would give people tools to create new business and financial models. Al least people would understand how they are being used and abused. The middle class is now technically"disposable" except as consumers. Most of what they produce can be outsourced fast fast fast.
Soon even college jobs such as HR, legal, medical where possible, will be outsourced. Administrative assistants. Chem engineering and pharmaceutical research outsourced. Banking. Why not? And blue-collar? How about self-driving big rigs? The large companies such as Schneider are testing and planning for this now. I suspect McDonald’s is experimenting with automated fast food. And Walmart prob has a test big-box store somewhere that’s an automated experiment.
Much of the legal work of our recent foreclosure epidemic was done cross borders. Yeah much if it was also patently illegal. So they did a pause and reformed the rules. No one in jail. No legal work brought back onshore. More will be offshored.
Perhaps we can become the “upscale intellectual and services market” here while more ordinary jobs keep going abroad. This won’t do much for the rust belt or red America unless we all telecommute.
Giving up hope under current circumstances is pointless. What does that accomplish? And there is future prosperity out there to be had. I just don’t know where it’s coming from. And don’t know who does know.
In a globalized economy, 1st world prosperity is going to be very fraught for a while.
@moondrake Wonderful idea! We’ll start by the sea and have it stretch to where we can grow our own food and stuff. The nice thing about Mexico is that Drumpf is so anti-Mexicano he’ll leave us alone lest he be forced to communicate with them.
@mimsy
Can we go to a part of Mexico where kidnappings and drive-by or street shootings are pretty rare?
There are major highways where no-one drives, except in convoy with police escort. There are huge numbers of Hispanic Americans long the border who no longer cross, even tho they have family on the other side. They don’t want their families to have to pay ransom.
@f00l My US city is 30 ft from Cd. Juarez, which for several years was the most violent city in the world. During a shootout in downtown Juarez between gangsters and federales, bullets sprayed our city hall and went through the window into the office directly above mine. But in the past few years they have successfully turned it around, dropping from over 3,000 murders annually during the worst of it to less than 300 murders annually. People used to be afraid to go to Juarez, but this is no longer true. Much of Mexico is peaceful and beautiful. But when my BFF and I shopped for potential Caribbean homes, Roatan topped the list.
@f00l Not to worry- banditos really only hit people if they’ve got a reason and we’re not going to be money-flashing, obnoxious, loud Americans that destroy their way of life. We’ll, of course, show the Mexican people our respect and we’ll make every effort to help improve life where we go for everyone, not just for us. We will NOT be what we’re running from!
Mexicans, on the whole, are a warm and wonderful people with a rich culture that I have no doubt they’ll want to share. And since we’ll be people running from a hate culture, we’ll show them all the love we have.
Not in a hurry to exit due to Trump. But living abroad as has other appeals.
I don’t know anything about COL in Roatan or other places in Cebtral America. Is it affordable? Sounds appealing. I know Mennonites have very good lives in some of those places.
Re Juarez - last time I was in EP, I went to the main tourist drag in J off the walk bridge. About a decade ago. It was fine. If the whole city is safe, cool. Would you live there?
What knowledge I have is hearsay about the stretch of border from Matamoros to Ojinaga. I have a cousin who lives half the time in Port Isabel.
People don’t cross the border or they do so rarely with incredible caution. In many places even Mexican immigrants won’t go across. Their relatives come to visit them. I hear much of the Chihuahuan and Sonoran deserts are insanely dangerous for anyone 1st world. I have been told it’s much safer if you go far south - but don’t drive there. How are things on the west coast? Can you still drive down to Cabo?
@mimsey, nothing against Mexico or Mexicans. I love both and am fascinated by the culture. Unfortunately, much of the lightly populated desert areas near the borders are under drug lord control. They shoot people. They kidnap. It’s like Columbia used to be, in places.
Going somewhere warm and friendly and relaxed is a lovely thought.
None of the above. Seriously, WTF is your country thinking? (And now our immigration website is down. I wonder why?!?) I am feeling more than a little sick, too.
So far, I feel awful. I can not believe so many people were taken in by him, his lies, his racism, his misogyny, his xenophobia, his ignorance and his fear-mongering.
@andyw I think he knows his supporters well, and they really are racist, misogynistic, ignorant and xenophobic. I live among them. The last 8 years have been painful for them, because they really do not believe that all people are equal, that America is the land of opportunity for immigrants, or that women are equal to men. You can deplore these attitudes, but they voted in large numbers.
@OldCatLady Thank you for your thoughts. They did vote in large numbers, BUT more people voted for Secretary Clinton! They just weren’t all in the right places. That, at least, is a little encouraging.
You know those neighbours that rev their unmufflered engine at all times of the day and night, play their music at full blast all the time, have dozens of rusty junkers in their unmowed lawn and throw all their trash over the fence into your yard? I feel like they’re moving in.
@Pixy Except for the throwing of the trash you just described my neighbors. I do get blowing of their trash, though. The automated trash collectors are a disaster in this windy city.
@Pixy You’ve described my neighbors, except they also have an immobile RV parked beside their house, and a large dog that shits in my yard. And they sit in the garage in their wifebeaters and watch the big screen TV, because they’re just not comfortable inside.
@trisk I’m worried for my friends and family members that depend on social programs, especially medically. I don’t want to live in a Darwinian society, even if I have the necessary characteristics for survival.
In shock at first, then terrified, now nauseous. I don’t have the strength to star any posts.
/image sad clown
I didn’t even look to see what’s for sale yet.
Like there’s a tiny, screaming ball of stress in my chest that wants to cut its way out. Possibly through my head. Does that feeling have a name? I dunno, but it sure isn’t in the poll options.
We had a great candidate that, because of arrogance, entitlement and the fact that no one in the DNC knows any of @moondrake’s friends, got royally fucked. Now we’re all royally fucked. I’m astounded, but not surprised I guess, that the dimocratic leadership didn’t see this coming. Do they not know how bad off most of the rust belt is? Or (more likely) did they just not give a flying fuck? Was it the lead in the water? Bernie coulda taken him down without breaking a sweat. The thing that really pisses me off is that they can afford better booze than I can while they lick their wounds. This cheap shit that I can afford sucks for heavy duty obliteration. Maybe Meh could sell something more better tomorrow that’s within my puny budget that will get me where I need to go without ending up like @whogots?
@suewalsh1 They know alright. This was completely planned and intentional, except for the very last part where Trump won. They only care about poor people until they’ve secured their votes, and then it’s bye bye for another four years. Just like with most of the groups they court every election.
I’m about to go feel even worse. The high-dose flu vaccine is in, and I’m over 65, so bring it on. I don’t have any dental problems or I’d call for an appointment. Then I shall go out into the garden and eat worms.
@chienfou I’d like to say yes, but chances are that even if we got them all to register and vote, 50% of them would be fucking idiots, and we’d still be right where we are now. Somehow we have to reduce the fucking idiot factor. Maybe if we just got it to 49% we’d have a chance. Cut back on the inbreeding?
@droopus Jimmy Buffet line popped into my head:
‘Expatriated American feelin’ so all alone
Telling themselves the same lies
that they told themselves back home.’
@Dstraktd Unfortunately she suddenly dropped the lawsuit a few days ago. I’m assuming either a large payoff or an even larger amount of fear and intimidation.
We had a choice between a caring, competent, experienced, highly-qualified candidate, and a buffoon. We chose the buffoon.
They say we always get the president we deserve.
Fortunately for me, I’m a post-menopausal female, so whatever wars he starts, I won’t be expected to go, and when they make abortion and contraception illegal, it won’t affect me.
@Chakolate Because you care about others and you know this is the worst case scenario for them. Because we all want to be proud of our country, yet we’re now an international laughingstock.
@cinoclav Wow, is that ever true. Pity US government employees working outside the country. They will be mocked, asked ‘what the actual fuck’ in many different ways, and they can’t badmouth their government, or their country. Tourists can just shrug and blame it on the other guy.
After a couple of days to cool off… I haven’t.
What I have decided is that we need to fight back ON OUR TERMS!
I plan on letting DumbDonnie know on a daily basis, that more people voted against him than voted for him.
I’ll tweet it to him and I’ll email his .gov (gasp) website. Hell, maybe I’ll even start a petition!
Like my vote is the only one that should count
Kinda bad.
@DaveInSoCal superbad. that movie can’t even pick me up
Sick. I feel really fucking sick right now.
http://shirt.woot.com/offers/2016-voting-side-effects
http://shirt.woot.com/offers/we-the-people
@narfcake “Printed to order.” Ick. Get out the silk screens, guys!
@PocketBrain They’re lacking staff; if you look on the jobs page, there’s openings for several shirt.woot positions.
Kinda like . . . this.
More like the relief I was hoping to feel was a huge lie, and the previous weight and pain was a happy memory compared to this. Was hoping for a fuko today to aptly mirror my state.
I don’t think these cover all the feelings. Pretty sure about that.
I’m pretty sure this poll was written earlier in the day with different results in mind.
Like taking in all the salt on the internet is probably bad for me, but I’mma do it anyway.
Fucks available for giving are holding steady, at around zero, so, yeah, not bad.
The day isn’t over yet. The election hasn’t been decided. For that I am undecided about how I feel. Regardless, I am confident I will feel slightly to big league hung over tomorrow.
Last six months: We’ll be fine. America’s better than this. Last six hours: LOLJKMAYBENOT.
meh
Where is the “None of the above” option?
@Confusedkitty “Brewster’s Millions”
I wasn’t sure, during the campaign, whether or not I needed to go on. Now I’m sure.
/giphy rigged
@medz The rigging of models! … Hah!
You left out “Oh fuck here we go again”. Having come of age during the time of black comedy and theatre of the absurd has well prepared me for this. However it was never supposed to be real.
Life sucks. Fortunately, when it’s over I’ll be dead.
At least my vision is almost completely recovered in my right eye and should be back to normal in my left eye by morning.*
I am almost out of rye. I guess I’ll have to switch to gin.
*I had laser eye surgery (third time, tho in my left eye this time) to correct a retinal tear about five hours ago. Was not fun but hey, was not the worst thing that happened today, so that’s good, right?
@baqui63 Ick
@baqui63 Happy for your improved vision!
@duodec Thanks… I’ll be glad when this latest batch of floaters has dissipated… I’m already totally tired of looking thru what amounts to a squirming wad of out of focus USB cables…
It can happen here
Shit
Unlurking to say none of the fucking above.
I hope my retiree parents parked their money before they voted wrong, because I sure as hell won’t be in any position or mood to help their ignorant meddling racist asses.
@whogots One of my friends (in his middle 50’s and still driving for Papa John with no better prospect in sight) was talking about why he’s supporting Trump. He has two good friends who are all but homeless and completely dependent on government funded social programs. I told him when he “pulled the lever” on his Trump vote to remember to make room in his tiny apartment, as without those socialist programs funded by the Democrats his buddies will be on the street. That gave him pause but didn’t change his mind. He believes conservative promises of prosperity will magically lift them from poverty. My social group are a sterling example of voting against one’s interests, those with a decent standard of living are all Democrats and those living hand to mouth or on the dole are Republicans. Tax relief would help us a little and them not at all, and eliminating social programs for food, housing and medical care will not harm us but will destroy them.
@moondrake Same here. Their ability to reason from A to B is lacking. They believe that there is magic about to be unleashed that will benefit Them and take down The Others who have stolen all Their money.
@OldCatLady /Trumpbama
@moondrake Healthy people need access to decent jobs not government handouts. I don’t think that the liberals really accept this. I’m all for helping out the working poor but we need to find a way to re-establish a manufacturing base. I know I’m hopelessly naive but there has to be a way and I don’t think that taxing the shit out of corporations is the answer. And I don’t think for a second that Trump knows how either.
@sammydog01 Actually it’s pretty much the only. Because when the jobs come back it’ll be AI operated machinery with even less human interface than is currently in use, that coupled with the loss of automated white collar jobs, you’re looking at on hell of a global welfare state.
@sammydog01
A factory currently exists that can take a car, tear it down and sort all the components by composition, even down to properly sorting the change under the seat, route the results to various recycling and landfill options, and the start anew with the next car.
Personnel to operate this factory when in good repair: 2-3 perhaps. When everything is perfectly smooth, perhaps 1-2.
New factories will be like that.
No matter what Trump does or what Hillary or Bernie might have done, globalism, job-loss, and job-export will not stop. Wall Street will mostly get what it wants.
And the corporate incentives to squeeze all that can be extracted from employees so as to prop the stock price and compete globally will continue.
One thing we need is extremely extensive technically-oriented universal business finance and economic education available to all, starting in pre-school. A very intensive curriculum escalating each year.
This is available now on coursera and the like, but most people may not have the skills to use or evaluate the information. And the program needs to start w 5 year olds. People who were so immersed that at age 25 they would know what an MBA or economist knows now, and be ready for more.
With or without extensive socialism, there is no easy fix for our probs - health, social, economic, and the “rust-belt” issues.
Wall Street does not want and will not create high-paying jobs unless there are mandatory high-tech skills and global skilled-labor shortages forcing a decent pay scale. They have no financial incentive, and their companies can’t afford it.
Whatever job-export-penalties are enacted (I would bet on very few), Wall Street doesn’t care. It will find ways around all that. Like it finds loopholes now.
Whatever growth occurs will go to high-tech jobs or pre-exported jobs. And those at low wages.
If the entire population possessed great economic and financial sophistication, and savvy business skills, perhaps we could at least discuss and brainstorm intelligently as a people.
The economy will not be returning to the 1950-60’s no matter what we might wish.
@f00l You might want to read Alvin Toffler’s (the futurist) ‘Powershift: Knowledge, Wealth and Violence at the Edge of the 21st Century’. Published in 1990, it details every facet of the (then new) tech changes in every part of the world. It addresses the Rust Belt, smokestack and the information industries, as well as the impacts on jobs and wealth. I’m about 3/4 of the way through.
@OldCatLady
Fan of Toffler’s for decades.
Thanks for bringing him into this.
@f00l I worked in a fiber plant until 1999 and it was highly labor intensive. I’m not talking about 1950. There are areas out there where people can do a better job than machines and tearing cars apart is probably not one of them. I believe that financial incentives work, you just need to figure out how to properly implement them.
@sammydog01 The problem with financial incentives is they are usually funded by the middle class and allow the 1% to pull their 10-15% off the top which result in an even smaller pie for the middle class to fight over. This shit has been going on since Rayguns.
@cranky1950 I hear you. Still it has to be possible somehow, right? I’m not that much of a cynic yet.
@sammydog01 not with a republican congress
@sammydog01
I’m no cynic. And no socialist. My uneducated gut says the the Econ and social philosophies of conservatives and progressives were both obsolete 15 years ago. I haven’t done recent Econ reading to see if any politically viable theories are going where they would start to “feel right” to me.
University Econ people use math but don’t understand it. Just engineering for fat tails won’t fix they modeling issues. They need to engineer for anthropology and power and culture shift and tech shift. This would yeild models no party now espouses. Political people use Econ for sloganeering. They are more interested in either specific issues (i.e. student loans) or political branding (i.e. Conservative) rather than the quality of the theory as a whole. So Conservatives go “small govt” as a article of faith, and progressive and populists offer a mishmash of fixes with no coherent strategy of paying for it or will it work. And both sides demonize the other.
I am completely for some form of universal health care or other. All I care about is: can everyone get it and afford it? And does it work? Health care has become so hightech, so expensive, and so gamed by the insurance and health industries that it is unaffordable to the middle classes now if done a la carte or individually. So either we offer some form of universal access or we resign ourselves to becoming a second world society with the rich and then everyone else.
Same with education. And funding at least tech and Econ and literacy educations at the college level ought to be matters of national security. If we don’t, the Chinese will. And then they will have the biggest economy, the best tech, and the best military.
And our national health ought to be a higher priority than propping up agribusiness and factory food. Unless we want healthcare costs to skyrocket and lives to shorten. And so few healthy people growing up that we had better get an automated military too.
University Econ thinking is dominated, as far as I have heard, by old-school thinking and old-world paradigms. Some Silicon Valley types need to dive in and re-invent the field. Which would come with its own probs. But it’s a start
if that fiber plant were built today it would likely be built south of the border or in Asia. With far more automation than 17 years ago.
Why? Wall Street. Investment banking can better afford automation and cheap labor and class division and job export and and impoverished middle class than it can afford high wages, decent working conditions.
Much of this is an Inevitable shift as predicted by Toffler and others. Globalization was inevitable. After WWII there were 2 superpowers, only one of which was prosperous. Europe took decades to recover and compete, as did educated Asia. Other educated non-devastated 1st world countries such as Canada and Australia didn’t have the population. The US ruled the Econ world. Little globalization. So high wage jobs.
Then Europe recovered, and Japan, and China, and Korea. And plenty of other countries developed relatively cheap educated English speaking workers. And making stuff in a 2nd or 3rd world country is cheaper than making it in a 1st world country. So the slowly imports became the norm. And slowly the jobs moved abroad. Now it’s not slow.
I don’t expect Donald Trump’s policies to create even one high wage non-college permanent job. Quite possible Hillary’s and Bernie’s policies would have the same depressing result.
One thing we desperately need is universal, sophisticated economic, financial, literacy. Perhaps that would give people tools to create new business and financial models. Al least people would understand how they are being used and abused. The middle class is now technically"disposable" except as consumers. Most of what they produce can be outsourced fast fast fast.
Soon even college jobs such as HR, legal, medical where possible, will be outsourced. Administrative assistants. Chem engineering and pharmaceutical research outsourced. Banking. Why not? And blue-collar? How about self-driving big rigs? The large companies such as Schneider are testing and planning for this now. I suspect McDonald’s is experimenting with automated fast food. And Walmart prob has a test big-box store somewhere that’s an automated experiment.
Much of the legal work of our recent foreclosure epidemic was done cross borders. Yeah much if it was also patently illegal. So they did a pause and reformed the rules. No one in jail. No legal work brought back onshore. More will be offshored.
Perhaps we can become the “upscale intellectual and services market” here while more ordinary jobs keep going abroad. This won’t do much for the rust belt or red America unless we all telecommute.
Giving up hope under current circumstances is pointless. What does that accomplish? And there is future prosperity out there to be had. I just don’t know where it’s coming from. And don’t know who does know.
In a globalized economy, 1st world prosperity is going to be very fraught for a while.
Numb
What, you kids write this poll before seeing the results?
@InnocuousFarmer maybe they like cheeto faced tiny fingered ferret wearing cocksplats?
@ThatsHeadly I mean, I can’t rule out the possibility… I thought I knew people.
Scared and tense.
@CaptAmehrican Me too. I need my security spider right now…
How am I feeling?
I feel like moving to Mexico to start a commune…
Who’s with me?
@mimsy yo!
@mimsy ¡Sí!
@mimsy I ordered two Trump bug-out bags from Cards Against Humanity as a joke. Which child should I take with me?
@sammydog01 I hate to say it, but they’re our future. Send the kids by themselves, we’re getting too old to matter.
@mimsy I would really like to live by the sea. Build your commune close enough to see the Caribbean and I am in.
@sammydog01 Take as many children as you can- whether they’re yours or not! We’ll start a school and actually teach critical thinking skills!
@moondrake Wonderful idea! We’ll start by the sea and have it stretch to where we can grow our own food and stuff. The nice thing about Mexico is that Drumpf is so anti-Mexicano he’ll leave us alone lest he be forced to communicate with them.
@cranky1950 You’re in!
@narfcake ¡perfecto!
@mimsy
Can we go to a part of Mexico where kidnappings and drive-by or street shootings are pretty rare?
There are major highways where no-one drives, except in convoy with police escort. There are huge numbers of Hispanic Americans long the border who no longer cross, even tho they have family on the other side. They don’t want their families to have to pay ransom.
@f00l My US city is 30 ft from Cd. Juarez, which for several years was the most violent city in the world. During a shootout in downtown Juarez between gangsters and federales, bullets sprayed our city hall and went through the window into the office directly above mine. But in the past few years they have successfully turned it around, dropping from over 3,000 murders annually during the worst of it to less than 300 murders annually. People used to be afraid to go to Juarez, but this is no longer true. Much of Mexico is peaceful and beautiful. But when my BFF and I shopped for potential Caribbean homes, Roatan topped the list.
@f00l Not to worry- banditos really only hit people if they’ve got a reason and we’re not going to be money-flashing, obnoxious, loud Americans that destroy their way of life. We’ll, of course, show the Mexican people our respect and we’ll make every effort to help improve life where we go for everyone, not just for us. We will NOT be what we’re running from!
Mexicans, on the whole, are a warm and wonderful people with a rich culture that I have no doubt they’ll want to share. And since we’ll be people running from a hate culture, we’ll show them all the love we have.
@moondrake
@mimsey
Not in a hurry to exit due to Trump. But living abroad as has other appeals.
I don’t know anything about COL in Roatan or other places in Cebtral America. Is it affordable? Sounds appealing. I know Mennonites have very good lives in some of those places.
Re Juarez - last time I was in EP, I went to the main tourist drag in J off the walk bridge. About a decade ago. It was fine. If the whole city is safe, cool. Would you live there?
What knowledge I have is hearsay about the stretch of border from Matamoros to Ojinaga. I have a cousin who lives half the time in Port Isabel.
People don’t cross the border or they do so rarely with incredible caution. In many places even Mexican immigrants won’t go across. Their relatives come to visit them. I hear much of the Chihuahuan and Sonoran deserts are insanely dangerous for anyone 1st world. I have been told it’s much safer if you go far south - but don’t drive there. How are things on the west coast? Can you still drive down to Cabo?
@mimsey, nothing against Mexico or Mexicans. I love both and am fascinated by the culture. Unfortunately, much of the lightly populated desert areas near the borders are under drug lord control. They shoot people. They kidnap. It’s like Columbia used to be, in places.
Going somewhere warm and friendly and relaxed is a lovely thought.
None of the above. Seriously, WTF is your country thinking? (And now our immigration website is down. I wonder why?!?) I am feeling more than a little sick, too.
Like I wish I had a DeLorean and a sniper rifle.
So far, I feel awful. I can not believe so many people were taken in by him, his lies, his racism, his misogyny, his xenophobia, his ignorance and his fear-mongering.
@andyw I think he knows his supporters well, and they really are racist, misogynistic, ignorant and xenophobic. I live among them. The last 8 years have been painful for them, because they really do not believe that all people are equal, that America is the land of opportunity for immigrants, or that women are equal to men. You can deplore these attitudes, but they voted in large numbers.
@OldCatLady Thank you for your thoughts. They did vote in large numbers, BUT more people voted for Secretary Clinton! They just weren’t all in the right places. That, at least, is a little encouraging.
Like not participating in this Meh poll.
I’m guessing this was a poll to mirror the election, i.e. no good choice.
Seriously, I feel with my fingers… How 'bout you…?
@unkabob With my tongue
You know those neighbours that rev their unmufflered engine at all times of the day and night, play their music at full blast all the time, have dozens of rusty junkers in their unmowed lawn and throw all their trash over the fence into your yard? I feel like they’re moving in.
@Pixy Except for the throwing of the trash you just described my neighbors. I do get blowing of their trash, though. The automated trash collectors are a disaster in this windy city.
@Pixy The Mexican ones, or the white rednecks? Or both?
@Pixy You’ve described my neighbors, except they also have an immobile RV parked beside their house, and a large dog that shits in my yard. And they sit in the garage in their wifebeaters and watch the big screen TV, because they’re just not comfortable inside.
@Al_Coholic Yep, trashy redneck/asshole behavior isn’t limited to one race, no matter what some people might like to think.
Like a long, grinding, inescapable ordeal…
has been replaced by another long, grinding, inescapable ordeal.
I am afraid of what tomorrow will bring for all of my non-white and queer friends, especially here in the Midwest.
@trisk nothing
@trisk I’m worried for my friends and family members that depend on social programs, especially medically. I don’t want to live in a Darwinian society, even if I have the necessary characteristics for survival.
@trisk So how’d it go? Were they dragged out and beaten to death by raging mobs of screaming hillbillies?
the Cubs won. 2016 has that going for it at least.
This pretty much sums it up.
@Al_Coholic God, it’s a face that makes Odo look human.
@sanspoint And that’s one of the more human-looking ones.
@Al_Coholic @sanspoint He’s got a bit of a Bib Fortuna vibe going on in that one…
In shock at first, then terrified, now nauseous. I don’t have the strength to star any posts.
/image sad clown
I didn’t even look to see what’s for sale yet.
Is this poll trolling us?
Yay, Diarrhea!
No relief. Trepidation is the feeling I have. Something about a hand-basket…
Like there’s a tiny, screaming ball of stress in my chest that wants to cut its way out. Possibly through my head. Does that feeling have a name? I dunno, but it sure isn’t in the poll options.
@Chaeotica
@2many2no From now on, any horror films I watch will be political metaphors.
Bad. Thanks for the McDreamy spoiler, Glen.
Immense relief? You gotta be kidding! If Putin is sending congratulations…
I feel like adding “Gary Johnson” as an option on this poll.
None of the above
(gee… was that some Pavlovian slant to the actual poll/election cycle)
What a stupid poll. Where’s the option “I feel like spending all day throwing up”
I just don’t understand.
HL Mencken said “Nobody ever went broke underestimating the taste of the American public.”
Like shit.
/giphy shit
We had a great candidate that, because of arrogance, entitlement and the fact that no one in the DNC knows any of @moondrake’s friends, got royally fucked. Now we’re all royally fucked. I’m astounded, but not surprised I guess, that the dimocratic leadership didn’t see this coming. Do they not know how bad off most of the rust belt is? Or (more likely) did they just not give a flying fuck? Was it the lead in the water? Bernie coulda taken him down without breaking a sweat. The thing that really pisses me off is that they can afford better booze than I can while they lick their wounds. This cheap shit that I can afford sucks for heavy duty obliteration. Maybe Meh could sell something more better tomorrow that’s within my puny budget that will get me where I need to go without ending up like @whogots?
@suewalsh1 They know alright. This was completely planned and intentional, except for the very last part where Trump won. They only care about poor people until they’ve secured their votes, and then it’s bye bye for another four years. Just like with most of the groups they court every election.
I’m about to go feel even worse. The high-dose flu vaccine is in, and I’m over 65, so bring it on. I don’t have any dental problems or I’d call for an appointment. Then I shall go out into the garden and eat worms.
@OldCatLady WOW!! Well said!
How are these the only choices?
@marcee can’t alienate the monies
Like I’m living in a country just over 50% of which are fucking idiots.
@Sarahsda … would that be the 50% that don’t even bother to register and/or vote?
@Sarahsda You do realize Clinton won the popular vote, right?
@Sarahsda So you’re not affected in any way and feeling normal?
@chienfou I’d like to say yes, but chances are that even if we got them all to register and vote, 50% of them would be fucking idiots, and we’d still be right where we are now. Somehow we have to reduce the fucking idiot factor. Maybe if we just got it to 49% we’d have a chance. Cut back on the inbreeding?
@accelerator Yes, it worked for Bush II and now for the Flaming Orange Dumpster Fire. We should be proud that we’re keeping up a National Tradition.
@Sarahsda one party feels that way every election
@Sarahsda 25%
Looking at land in the Bahamas. Fuck this…
@droopus Jimmy Buffet line popped into my head:
‘Expatriated American feelin’ so all alone
Telling themselves the same lies
that they told themselves back home.’
Like a long, grinding, inescapable ordeal is just beginning, and will probably last at least 4 years.
@DonberKon Well there are a few indictments looming over his head. One being the Rape of a 13-year old girl. Impeachment, anyone???
@Dstraktd Unfortunately she suddenly dropped the lawsuit a few days ago. I’m assuming either a large payoff or an even larger amount of fear and intimidation.
oddly serene in a stupefied haze, sleepy. did someone put something in my coffee? did something happen?
Meh made this poll way too early.
Like the whole thing was one huge dumpster-fire, but now we are going to be forced to stand in the smoke for 4 years.
terrified.
@OldCatLady I never even get my teeth cleaned without the dentist giving me happy gas - how long since you had a cleaning? Hell, it might help.
We had a choice between a caring, competent, experienced, highly-qualified candidate, and a buffoon. We chose the buffoon.
They say we always get the president we deserve.
Fortunately for me, I’m a post-menopausal female, so whatever wars he starts, I won’t be expected to go, and when they make abortion and contraception illegal, it won’t affect me.
So why am I so depressed?
@Chakolate Because you care about others and you know this is the worst case scenario for them. Because we all want to be proud of our country, yet we’re now an international laughingstock.
@cinoclav Wow, is that ever true. Pity US government employees working outside the country. They will be mocked, asked ‘what the actual fuck’ in many different ways, and they can’t badmouth their government, or their country. Tourists can just shrug and blame it on the other guy.
@cinoclav Yes, I can’t help thinking what the rest of the world must be saying. Hillary is respected all over the world.
@Chakolate You don’t have to think it, it’s all over the internet.
http://www.nytimes.com/2016/11/09/world/europe/global-reaction-us-presidential-election-donald-trump.html?_r=0
Time to resurrect “sorryeverybody.com” so the rest of the world at least knows that not all of us are complicit in this travesty.
Edit: Ah, I see it’s underway.
A note of explanation - it was started in 2004 after W’s 2nd election.
Seems tame in comparison, no?
Rage.
tired. hungry. a little buzzed. and could probably stand to get laid.
hey… @mediocrebot asked. don’t blame me for speaking the truth.
Crappy, I thing I’ve got a cold
After a couple of days to cool off… I haven’t.
What I have decided is that we need to fight back ON OUR TERMS!
I plan on letting DumbDonnie know on a daily basis, that more people voted against him than voted for him.
I’ll tweet it to him and I’ll email his .gov (gasp) website. Hell, maybe I’ll even start a petition!
Ideas, anyone??