Azal

I want to say on that cultural shift, having lived my entire life in the dark blue sections of the US... that would be such a freaking welcome change.

Also fucking shocked that Kansas ISN'T dark blue.

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAhahahahahahahahahaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa.

Fuck.

Hah, my dad was the same way about the internet, and... not wrong, it looked so hopeful, yet now so dark. But then again, I'm a guy who hasn't had the proper combination of time/money/ability to get out of my country as the closest border is an 8 hour straight drive so about as close to the center of big country talking to someone on the other side of the world about the politics of our lands, so, who knows, maybe a little light there.

The thing I find is that... so much of what's going on is a pattern. Been joking when talking with my dad about the book World War Z I understand why people follow Nostradamus more, as a book written in 2006 is talking about the very problems that are happening today and coming up with some honestly concerning predictions. But then, a student of history and paying attention to current events can make someone look like a seer. As you say, the shipping to China, it's madness, except China has been pushing to take over just about everyones markets by being the cheapest even over keeping it own countries, but now they're becoming a dominant superpower again. I know in the US situation, it was because the Pre-Trump Republicans had become so business "friendly" (bowed the knee to the businesses above all else) that their attitude of "Free market" was fine to ship everything overseas to be made even at the cost of the workers here.

The banking crisis as you talk about, here again, but it was the Democrats that bailed them out... why? Aren't they opposition to the Republicans? The thing is the Democrats in the 90s freaked out when Ronald Reagan got in power, then H.W. Bush followed him, and so Clinton came in as the business friendly Democrat, and that's been the doctrine since. There hasn't actually been a workers party in the US as long as I've been alive.

I wish we could've been like Iceland, but when Democrats had control of the house, senate, and presidency they couldn't even get a healthcare plan that involved a government option, just the government giving insurance companies money, going after the banks is a non-starter in this country probably until the next depression.

Trump... honestly was one of the logical conclusions (I threw up in my mouth a little typing that), on one hand he's been the anti-establishment. In my state, where the capitol is over 1000 miles away, and I'm one of the closer half of the country, people have been sick of "DC elites", not all there's entire discussions on the Republican strategies otherwise, and the person that hurts the elites must be good. Trump is part of the establishment now, but he doesn't act like it, and the news doesn't act like it, still treats him like an outsider. That got a lot of people up when they don't pay attention to any news.

I think a lot of the problems caused and had by the US is by age, the country punches way above its weight class, lot of power very very fast. That wouldn't be a problem except we're still dealing with the fallout of our civil war that was 160 years ago, but the way the country views it is as if it were ancient times. Hell there are people who were alive when Civil Rights happened and yet it's taught in schools like it is so far back no one could remember it. If you're at all curious on that I do have a bit of an unhinged TED talk here in where our school history fails to discuss the context that's happened through history. On if that's on purpose, that's yet another completely different unhinged TED talk lol.

I really appreciate the dive into the politics there! As I talked with a coworker, to start understanding politics understanding historical context is important and I can keep some understanding with other countries, it's hard enough to know the nuance of all of our states, figuring out how to get started with other countries is difficult so the primer really helps. Some of this sounds familiar over here on the antiquated thoughts driving politics that should have fallen by the wayside years ago, though I think a few of yours might be older than ours is. Friend visited the UK recently and traveled throughout, like I told him, I intellectually knew how old that area is but realizing that there were places that were historic before our country even existed is still kinda baffling. But I digress.

Having to do a dive into the Tories as I just knew them as your conservatives, it's interesting that both the UK Conservative party and Scottish Conservatives definitely have a lot that I look at and go "That really does look like (Pre-Trump) Republicans" then every once in a while I see them supporting something that I realize if a Democrat would try to bring forward they'd be shouted down as being a communist. But what's most fascinating dichotomy between our countries is your conservatives are staunchly fighting to keep the UK together, as you say wouldn't allow you to hold a referendum after making you all leave the EU. Over in the States our Conservatives have gotten in bed with the US South which constantly yells about and threatens to secede again, and the Republican party is the one where you're going to find the confederate (not the confederate, flag, Virigina Battle Flag but that'd involve them knowing their own 'heritage') flag all over the place so you could argue our conservatives are more seperationists. Growing up with this creates a bit of a knee-jerk reaction to be opposed to splitting, though like with the pulling out of the EU and as you described there's actually a lot of ability to be successful to sustain yourselves that's makes sense... vs our guys have the likes of most of our southern states who cry how much they hate the federal government, yet percentage-wise are some of our most reliant on federal funds.

I'm from the future. He does.

Trump administration really didn't pull off much in his first 4 years because absolutely bloody chaotic administration ran more like a reality show with Republicans not knowing the game he was playing. But can talk at least one of his big talking points he tried then and is likely to push again.

"School choice"

A push has been going to get instead of money going to private schools, that tax dollars go to vouchers that can go to charter and private schools along with the public schools. Naturally it's sold as "your kids can go to whatever school you like." But what this means is now the people who can afford private schools won't be putting in to public schools where the poorer are still going to go because

A) These schools you still have to get accepted into. Public schools at least, you're in the district, you go to school. Looking up a private school in where I grew up involves sending test scores, letters of recommendation, writing samples, family meetings, etc. If you're a have not, you're not going there.

B) Tuition for this school is $29,300 for a student. One of those vouchers is not going to pay for that. Now used to the way to afford was to apply through the local business families group (Walton Family Foundation... Yup, Walmart) but now it's talking about Indexed Tuition with a lovely bit of "We also recognize that your family may need more clarity regarding your expected family contribution before proceeding with the application process: if so, please do not hesitate to contact the tuition committee"

This along with the attacks on teachers unions continue to degrade the public schools, likely leading to many of the ones both rural and urban shutting down due to lack of funds that are getting hoovered up by these private organizations. That's one of the attacks on education in the country right now.

So the US did in fact have a process where the government did give money to get broadband to the rural. But as is the nature with this country, was not a federal workforce, but was a company based one. The companies pocketed the money, got a few people hooked up, sat on their asses, then when people complained at them years later they responded they didn't have enough money to connect people.

And good lord I'd take English National Health Service over the US "pay an insurance company to argue why they shouldn't pay for your healthcare"

I do have a question on the independence, over here in the states the conversation was that Scotland stayed because to break from UK would be requiring a separate entry into EU with a lot less benefits because England was one of the special ones. Always figured that Scotland might make another attempt after Brexit, is there something I missed? I admit y'alls politics I don't quite get. Probably a lot like my talking individual state politics to you guys.

Yup. So basically you get a union shop in one of the states where this hasn't passed, it was voted in by the people working to be union and have representation. Representation has the costs, like the negotiators and lawyers that represent the workers. If a shop chooses that, anyone working there is paying dues to the shop, this sounds awful except the union jobs usually pay vastly better than the non-union jobs around here.

Now you don't have to join the union, they do create "fair-share" fees, these fees cover nonpolitical costs of the union like collective bargaining. The unions are by federal law required to represent employees who don't join the union, so this is what's covered. Right-To-Work means that the fair share fees are gone, and people being people, means less people are throwing in to the pool until basically a union shop doesn't have enough to pay for the representation. 26 of the 50 US states are right to work, the Supreme Court ruled in 2018 that union shops in public sector are unconstitutional, so we have maybe 6% of US workers in unions.

In the Missouri case, the state legislature passed a right-to-work law and signed in, but a referendum came up (Missouri gets a lot of these, basically petitions come and they get voted on by the state. WHICH BY THE WAY the republicans also has tried to get rid of because of this, and abortion) and the states electorate repealed the law with a 2 to 1 vote, even deep red parts of the state were hard against that.

Now every time Right-to-work comes up on bill, it's always characterized by the Republicans "It allows you to quit a job any time you want!" No, that's At-Will Employment, and that's also a shyster move because the more important part is that a company can let a person go at any point without reason, literally it's harder to fire someone and get in trouble, like protected parts of race or gender or such. There is no grounds for recourse for the person, they're just out on their ass. Only 8 states are not At Will.

Mine is the basic package for the price I'm doing, so your system is still nice.

I'll honestly take the weather being shit. I live where there is no chance in hell government will fund a thing and that was before the current election. And the weather here is humid as fuck with either 100 degrees F to Below 0 with the humidity being the only predictable thing, maybe a week of spring and fall each. Oh, and tornadoes.

No no no, you see, we showed the democrats by not showing up to vote! /s

uuugh... I made myself sick quoting those jackass fucktards. (I did vote, and screamed until I was blue in the face to get people to vote. About every year.)

Damn, you're an optimist.

I pay $70 a month for google fiber and it's legit a thing that keeps me in the city I'm in because better is absolutely fucking rare.

This isn't me trying to flex, this is me crying because I'd rather be in Scotland.