from the good-time-to-implement-strict-building-codes dept.
At 9PM ET September 20, ABC News reported
The island of Puerto Rico has been "destroyed" after Hurricane Maria made landfall there as a Category 4 storm Wednesday morning, according to emergency officials.
Puerto Rico's office of emergency management confirmed that 100 percent of the U.S. territory had lost power, noting that anyone with electricity was using a generator.
Multiple transmission lines sustained damage from the storm, said Ricardo Ramos, director of the Puerto Rico Electric Power Authority. Ramos said he hopes to begin launching helicopters by this weekends to begin inspecting the transmission lines.
Telecommunications throughout the island have "collapsed", Abner Gomez Cortes, executive director of Puerto Rico's office of emergency management and disaster administration agency, told ABC News.
[...] Cortes described Maria as an unprecedented storm, adding that the island had not seen a storm of that strength since 1928.
[...] Puerto Rico was still experiencing tropical-storm force winds Wednesday afternoon, forcing emergency services and search and rescue teams to wait before heading out to assess the damage, Cortes said.
More than 12,000 people are currently in shelters, and hospitals are now running on generators, Cortes said. Two hospitals--one in Caguas and one in Bayamon--have been damaged.
No deaths have been reported so far, but catastrophic flooding is currently taking place on the island. Multiple rain gauges have reported between 18 and 24 inches of rain, with some approaching the 30-inch mark over the last 24 hours.
Flooding is the danger "that will take lives", Cortes said, advising residents not to venture out of their homes until Thursday because "it is not safe to go out and observe".
[...] As of 8 p.m. ET, Maria had weakened to a Category 2 hurricane with maximum sustained wind of 110 mph, according to the National Hurricane Center.
[...] Some strengthening is possible now that the storm is back over the ocean, so Maria has potential to become a Category 3 hurricane again.
National Hurricane Center graphics for Maria.
Map of Caribbean Islands.
At 15:20 UTC, Mashable reported
Clips shot in the [cities] of Farjado, San Juan, and Guyama show buildings experiencing extreme structural damage. Doors are being ripped right off their hinges, and windows, walls, and roofs of homes, restaurants, and hotels are being stripped away by the storm's incredible power.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday September 21 2017, @04:17PM (5 children)
Some law-makers have shown reluctance to spend to help out damaged areas, as we saw after storm "Sandy". With all this new damage, Wash. DC is going to be full of "lively" discussions.
(Score: 4, Funny) by Snow on Thursday September 21 2017, @05:05PM (4 children)
Trump has this under control. He's a builder and he knows how to make deals.
(Score: 1, Insightful) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday September 21 2017, @06:58PM (3 children)
Too bad he didn't try to make a deal with the hurricane.
(Score: 1, Informative) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday September 21 2017, @07:13PM
That's cuz he knows they are a govt false flag operation.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday September 21 2017, @08:08PM
He probably did, we just didn't hear it (yet). He threatens everything and everybody if he doesn't get his way. He'll argue with crowd cameras and hurricanes alike.
(Score: 2) by arslan on Friday September 22 2017, @06:47AM
His hair caused the hurricane.
(Score: 2, Insightful) by requerdanos on Thursday September 21 2017, @04:18PM (39 children)
I feel for the residents of Puerto Rico and they are in my thoughts and prayers. First one major storm, then another, then some official who proclaims hyperbolic-ally that the entire island has been destroyed.
This would probably fail--indeed not even be conceived--had the target island been destroyed. I hope and pray that they meant "suffered heavy, widespread damage" or some other such not-totally-destroyed fate.
Thus not only not unprecedented, but the precedent (that was stronger, even) was less than 100 years ago. What is with these people? Isn't the actual storm and associated damage bad enough?
Assuming it's still there--I heard it had been destroyed.
Not destroyed?
Not outright destruction?
I have close friends with family in PR and I anxiously await hearing word from them. I hope they aren't listening to their officials just lately.
(Score: 2, Insightful) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday September 21 2017, @04:31PM (8 children)
Line-by-line quotation and rebuttal is irritating to read and is sure sign that the author has an immature grasp of argumentation, particularly because such micro-quotation is guaranteed to cut out valuable context.
Anyway, you should consider placing your thoughts and prayers into a bottle and then casting that bottle into the ocean; maybe they'll make it to the people in need.
(Score: 5, Insightful) by requerdanos on Thursday September 21 2017, @04:36PM
Although in this particular case, I don't believe that valuable context has been lost, I nonetheless apologize for irritating you. Peace.
(Score: 2, Insightful) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday September 21 2017, @04:42PM (1 child)
Your nitpick was wrong the first time and it is wrong now.
(Score: 4, Funny) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday September 21 2017, @04:48PM
It's not a nitpick. Try again.
Oh, I assure you that it is not wrong. You're wrong.
This is the first time.
I'm glad you agree that you're wrong.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday September 21 2017, @05:41PM (4 children)
It is the favorite method of jmo and some others, how about you go pick on them as well?
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday September 21 2017, @07:39PM
Yes, much better to just write huge paragraphs without explaining what you're even replying to. How you choose to organize your text can turn a good argument into a bad one.
(Score: 2) by stretch611 on Thursday September 21 2017, @10:04PM (2 children)
I would say that many people do pick on jmo and others... but is it really picking on them when it is deserved?
Now with 5 covid vaccine shots/boosters altering my DNA :P
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Friday September 22 2017, @12:33AM (1 child)
Imo it should be avoided because it lowers the quality of discussion. It creates tribalism. Tribalism is something humans should strive to evolve beyond.
I admit, sometimes I need to put a surprising amount of effort in keeping with that when it's jmo.
(Score: 2) by Azuma Hazuki on Friday September 22 2017, @03:58AM
IMO J-Mo can go fuck himself sideways with a rusty chainsaw. He's outright advocated for fascism, time and time again, with the unshakeable and undeserved confidence that can only come from a case of chronic, stage 4 Dunning-Krugeritis. This makes him either too dumb to bother with, or too evil not to do the text equivalent of Nazi-punching to.
I am "that girl" your mother warned you about...
(Score: 1, Troll) by VLM on Thursday September 21 2017, @05:04PM (8 children)
With no electricity, the locals aren't listening and the officials are merely trolling for donation money, which makes it sound very TV commercial-style over the top.
PR can join the US military, where I met some at a military training class. For them, its a near perfect analogy to us joining the French Foreign Legion. There was enough of a language barrier that we didn't get to know any of them, although at a very superficial level they implied they were the cream of the crop from their country (which given the expense of training them here, was probably true) and they did seem like nice enough people. The statehood question came up and none of them wanted PR to become a state, I donno the group or individual politics of that. It seems very strange to have the national guard of a foreign country report formally and directly to the USA president, but that's how it is.
(Score: 2) by bob_super on Thursday September 21 2017, @05:15PM
> With no electricity, the locals aren't listening and the officials are merely trolling for donation money, which makes it sound very TV commercial-style over the top.
Do I get twice as many destroyed islands if I order in the next five minutes? I'm really worried about S&H fees from a destroyed island, but ten easy payments of $10B sounds like one hell of a deal!
Maybe Apple should just buy the island altogether.
(Score: 5, Informative) by NotSanguine on Thursday September 21 2017, @07:47PM (6 children)
Puerto Rico [wikipedia.org] is most certainly *not* a foreign country. It is an unincorporated territory of the United States. Puerto Ricans are natural-born American citizens and have (as does the U.S. Virgin Islands and Guam) a representative (non-voting) in the House of Representatives.
Puerto Ricana are as American as any other citizen. Just as anyone born in the fifty states is an American citizen, so is anyone born in Puerto Rico.
And just to scare you, as Americans, they have U.S. passports and can travel anywhere in the U.S., the same as any other American.
No, no, you're not thinking; you're just being logical. --Niels Bohr
(Score: 1) by DECbot on Thursday September 21 2017, @08:58PM
Additionally, they can serve in the US military. In fact, one of my company commanders was Puerto Rician. The only time I understood precisely what she was saying was when she was on the far side of the parade field yelling at us.
"You! You in the blue! YOU! Hey ~crazy~ one! Yes YOU! What are you doing looking around!?! Get DOWN! Push ups, BEGIN!"
Coincidentally we were all wearing blue.
cats~$ sudo chown -R us /home/base
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Friday September 22 2017, @04:20AM (4 children)
I would contend that "being American" means you can vote in federal elections when old enough.
(Score: 2) by NotSanguine on Friday September 22 2017, @04:39AM (2 children)
Fortunately, you're not running things.
There are Puerto Ricans who are just as big an asshole as you are. There are Puerto Ricans that are kind, decent people.
They're business owners and system admins and recruiters and hookers and bus drivers and teachers. They're Psychologists and bank robbers and dentists and professional athletes and child rapists and stay at home moms.
They're politicians and butchers and engineers and CEOs. They're just like everyone else.
What they also are is Americans. Deal with it, you worthless piece of shit.
No, no, you're not thinking; you're just being logical. --Niels Bohr
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Saturday September 23 2017, @02:49AM (1 child)
It must feel good to bitch out other people like that. I don't actually think being American is so great. Who wants to associate with a bunch of aholes? Yes, Puerto Ricans have US citizenship. But they don't have an important right (to vote). You might remember that America was founded because people wanted to be able to vote.
(Score: 2) by NotSanguine on Saturday September 23 2017, @03:52AM
Just pointing out to a bigoted asshole what a bigoted asshole he/she is. I don't get any great pleasure out of it, I just don't like people who disrespect their fellow humans. I find such behavior despicable.
If you don't like being an American, more power to you. Don't let the door hit you on the way out, friend.
That's only true WRT elections for *Federal* offices, and the same is true for the folks on Guam and the U.S. Virgin Islands.
They most certainly *can* vote in local and territorial elections.
Also, citizens (from all those places) that live in a U.S. state most certainly can vote in Federal elections.
If it bothers anyone in Puerto Rico, they are free to move to any U.S. state, just like every other citizen. And if you move to Puerto Rico, you wouldn't be allowed to vote in Federal elections either.
No, no, you're not thinking; you're just being logical. --Niels Bohr
(Score: 2) by NotSanguine on Friday September 22 2017, @04:40AM
Oh, and some of them are worthless pieces of shit. Just like you.
No, no, you're not thinking; you're just being logical. --Niels Bohr
(Score: 2) by DeathMonkey on Thursday September 21 2017, @05:27PM (19 children)
Multiple transmission lines sustained damage from the storm....
This would probably fail--indeed not even be conceived--had the target island been destroyed. I hope and pray that they meant "suffered heavy, widespread damage" or some other such not-totally-destroyed fate.
in this case they mean that 100% of the island is without power. Funny how you left that bit out...
(Score: 4, Insightful) by Phoenix666 on Thursday September 21 2017, @05:38PM (18 children)
Well now they certainly are done for. I think we had a story about that a couple days ago, with a coronal mass ejection wiping out the grid and ending all life on Earth. We need smartphones to breathe and digest our food, after all.
What I suspect is actually the case is that people who live in the Caribbean take hurricanes in stride, the way that people took blizzards in stride in the high mountains where I grew up. Losing power due to an act of nature is something that happens. People know how to take shelter, keep bottled water around, canned goods, and batteries. I suspect they, like we, keep around hand-crank radios and lanterns. I suspect they, like we, check on their neighbors and help each other rebuild.
Washington DC delenda est.
(Score: 2) by DeathMonkey on Thursday September 21 2017, @06:02PM (11 children)
Sure, I don't disagree with that.
I was just pointing out that taking out 100% of the electrical grid counts as "destruction" in most people's book.
(Score: 1, Troll) by requerdanos on Thursday September 21 2017, @06:25PM (10 children)
Well, sure, destruction of something on the island.
Not of the Island.
Sort of like destruction of your theory here does not equate to you, yourself being destroyed.
It's not a difficult separation to make; different things are different even if one is a superset of the other on a massive scale.
(Score: 3, Interesting) by http on Thursday September 21 2017, @06:50PM (9 children)
Aristotle said it well:
-- Nicomachean Ethics, Book 1 (~350BC)
I browse at -1 when I have mod points. It's unsettling.
(Score: 3, Touché) by requerdanos on Thursday September 21 2017, @07:06PM (2 children)
Still, I would submit that genuinely confusing "some poles and wires" with "an island of 13,000 square kilometers (~5,000 sq mi) with a population of over three million" reflects a serious problem of perception and understanding that goes far beyond a simple "lack of precision."
(Score: 2) by DECbot on Thursday September 21 2017, @09:06PM (1 child)
Additionally, does "destroyed" mean that there are lines down and a few towers and poles with damage and need repair, or does it mean the majority of poles and high voltage towers are so utterly damaged and missing that the entire grid requires outright replacement? "Destroyed" makes me think of the latter, but the statement from the Mr. Ramos sounds more like the former. Either way, I'd like a descriptor better than "damaged."
cats~$ sudo chown -R us /home/base
(Score: 1, Troll) by realDonaldTrump on Friday September 22 2017, @01:48AM
It means absolutely obliterated. Their electrical grid is totally destroyed and so many other things. It’s in very, very, very perilous shape. It’s very sad what happened to Puerto Rico (what is going to happen to North Korea). I wouldn't bail them out. You have to cut the debt way down and get back to business. 🇺🇸
(Score: 2) by c0lo on Thursday September 21 2017, @10:53PM (5 children)
Good. Now, for the sake of precision, post the quote in Greek (the original language), please.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aoFiw2jMy-0 https://soylentnews.org/~MichaelDavidCrawford
(Score: 2) by Gaaark on Friday September 22 2017, @01:46AM (4 children)
For the sake of precision we need to dig up Aristotle and bring him back to life and ask for the exact quotation....
....could prove to be difficult, though.
:)
--- Please remind me if I haven't been civil to you: I'm channeling MDC. ---Gaaark 2.0 ---
(Score: 2) by c0lo on Friday September 22 2017, @02:01AM (3 children)
I'll tell you another thing that may prove difficult: posting anything in Greek characters.
As of now, if try using the Greek characters plane of UNICODE, you'll be very likely asked "to figure out something else." by the lame lameness filter.
Come one, give it a try, go to Know thyself [wikipedia.org] and copy/paste those Greek Unicode characters, see what goes.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aoFiw2jMy-0 https://soylentnews.org/~MichaelDavidCrawford
(Score: 3, Informative) by aristarchus on Friday September 22 2017, @09:04AM (2 children)
Nicomachean Ethics, Book 1, Chapter 1, as follows:
Yep, you need to remove every unaccented iota, replaced here with a barbaric Latin "i".
Source: http://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=Perseus%3Atext%3A1999.01.0053%3Abekker%20page%3D1094b [tufts.edu]
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Friday September 22 2017, @10:02AM
(Score: 2) by aristarchus on Friday September 22 2017, @10:08AM
Wrong section, Book 1, Chapter 3!
(Score: 2) by JoeMerchant on Thursday September 21 2017, @09:24PM (5 children)
In the late 1800s it may have been the case that people living in the Caribbean knew how to take tropical weather in stride, today with jet travel, easy immigration, and 89 years of no major storms hitting Puerto Rico, they're ripe for a fall - 89 years of sub-code construction and people who have lived in houses "all their lives without a problem" suddenly sunbathing whether they want to or not.
The post-Irma effects around here have been: day 1 standing water, falling trees and no electricity. Day 3, the standing water is gone, but the ants have multiplied by a factor of 10 from their pre-storm populations, apparently they like wet food. Day 5, electricity restored - just as we were getting into a power-free groove that actually worked pretty well. Day 7, the mosquitoes are here - worse than after Matthew which was itself 10x worse than a normal wet season mosquito bloom. It's all pretty easy to take since we still have a roof, windows with screens, working plumbing, etc. Take away the intact house and the whole thing becomes a lot less enjoyable.
🌻🌻 [google.com]
(Score: 1) by khallow on Thursday September 21 2017, @10:19PM (4 children)
They routinely get hit by tropical storms and hurricanes every year. And just with a little googling, I see that hurricane Hugo was cat 3 when it hit Puerto Rico in 1989.
[...]
Ants can't breathe water either. So of course, they're going to be on the surface where there is air, say in that nice dry house, rather than the usual places they go. The mosquitoes are a genuine surge in population. Apparently those eggs can last a while.
(Score: 1, Flamebait) by JoeMerchant on Thursday September 21 2017, @11:17PM (2 children)
Congrats on your research. Around here, our evac plans hinge on whether or not a Cat4 or higher has a reasonable chance of a direct hit. Cat3 and lower wind levels are generally NOT devastating to reasonably good construction even when you get the eyewall. Around 140mph sustained winds the shit hits the fan, especially when you do an eyewall traversal that hits you from one direction and then the other. Almost the whole island of Puerto Rico just got that, and it shows. Do some more research on what the after-effects of Hugo was on Puerto Rico and write a brief comparison/contrast paper on that.
The ants didn't show up in-force until after the sandy soil drained out, it's probably a combined effect - you'd be surprised at how quickly they can multiply. And, they're not in the house, they're all over the yard in much higher density than normal.
🌻🌻 [google.com]
(Score: 0, Flamebait) by khallow on Thursday September 21 2017, @11:32PM (1 child)
And how much are you paying me to do that?
(Score: 3, Interesting) by JoeMerchant on Friday September 22 2017, @01:41AM
Just as much as I paid you to look up when the last "biggest" hurricane hit Puerto Rico - one internet point. I might even give you a mod+ informative if you get some interesting facts in there.
🌻🌻 [google.com]
(Score: 2) by JoeMerchant on Saturday September 23 2017, @09:15PM
>Ants can't breathe water either. So of course, they're going to be on the surface where there is air...
Got bored, found this: http://www.jstor.org/stable/2387844?seq=1#page_scan_tab_contents [jstor.org]
Irma basically replicated those results in my yard. Areas of dry sand+litter became wet, ants moved in to the newly wet litter and multiplied - remarkably quickly.
At least the mosquito bloom is tapering down, for the moment. Still have 2-3 truckloads of brush to move out, waiting for the insect dominance of the yard to subside a bit more before doing the last of the cleanup.
🌻🌻 [google.com]
(Score: 2) by Phoenix666 on Friday September 22 2017, @12:29PM
Or they could use a couple of their other go-to verbs: "devastated" or "decimated." "Decimated" means "reduced by a tenth," which might be closer to the actual extent of the damage than "destroyed."
I find it ironic that another mis-used verb, "impact" would actually be nearly appropriate in this context, in the sense that the hurricane did physically impact the island and did leave a physical mark. And yet, they won't use it in the one case where it's called for.
Washington DC delenda est.
(Score: -1, Troll) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday September 21 2017, @04:25PM (22 children)
I heard the other day that the last time such a hurricane hit Puerto Rico was around 80 years ago; that means there are people alive today who can remember that event.
So, why should I care about people who squandered the last 8 decades not giving a fuck about preparing for the next such event?
Fuck these people; fuck all such people.
Fuck the Mexicans who keep building shanty houses on the soft soil of a former lake bed.
Fuck the people in Houston who keep spreading concrete over the places flood waters can be soaked up.
Fuck all the people in New Orleans who keep building a city the sea level without a care for their aging levies.
Fuck the people who live next to rivers and don't even build houses on stilts.
Fuck the people in Puerto Rico, who know that hurricanes exist and yet squander all their infrastructural resources on... what? I still don't know.
Fuck all the people in Japan, who damn well know what a tsunami is (that's a goddamn Jap word, FFS).
FUCK ALL OF THESE PEOPLE!
I'm tired of paying for their stupid choices; I'm tired of subsidizing their myopic ineptitude.
I refuse to feel sorry for them.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday September 21 2017, @04:43PM (14 children)
All those people should become refugees and move somewhere else, like Europe or the U.S. midwest.
Oh wait those places have natural disasters too.
(Score: 5, Funny) by frojack on Thursday September 21 2017, @04:53PM (6 children)
There are already more Puerto Rican's living in the US mainland than on the island of Puerto Rico.
No, you are mistaken. I've always had this sig.
(Score: 2) by Phoenix666 on Thursday September 21 2017, @05:41PM (5 children)
Most of them are in my neighborhood, judging from the noise level during the Puerto Rican Day parade.
Washington DC delenda est.
(Score: 2) by NotSanguine on Thursday September 21 2017, @07:53PM
Perhaps. Perhaps not. Do you have a Puerto Rican flag flying on your apartment building? I do. And it's not the only one on the block either.
N.B., I'm not Puerto Rican.
No, no, you're not thinking; you're just being logical. --Niels Bohr
(Score: 2) by JoeMerchant on Friday September 22 2017, @01:44AM (3 children)
Do you live in New York City? The PR community there is so large that there are out-enclaves of New York Puerto Ricans who have resettled elsewhere.
🌻🌻 [google.com]
(Score: 2) by NotSanguine on Friday September 22 2017, @02:31AM (1 child)
When I was in elementary school they taught us to sing La Borinqueña [youtube.com]. It is a pretty song.
All the same, that was in the mid 1970s when FALN [wikipedia.org] was at their most active.
Does that answer your question?
No, no, you're not thinking; you're just being logical. --Niels Bohr
(Score: 2) by JoeMerchant on Friday September 22 2017, @11:43AM
>120 bomb attacks on United States targets between 1974 and 1983 that killed six people and injured dozens of others.[1]
Wow, that's not very many casualties, though I guess it's like the IRA - targeting infrastructure more than people:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/S-Plan [wikipedia.org]
I'm used to the recent suicide bomber news where six dead and dozens injured requires less than 1% of that many explosions.
🌻🌻 [google.com]
(Score: 2) by Phoenix666 on Friday September 22 2017, @11:51AM
Brooklyn. Yes, people hang Puerto Rican flags from their fire escapes. Then again, they also hang Rainbow Flags, and "Dump Trump" flags, and Mexican flags...
New York City. Everybody's gotta have a fucking tribe.
I don't give a fuck what their fucking tribe is--they need to get outta the fucking way. ;-)
Washington DC delenda est.
(Score: 4, Insightful) by VLM on Thursday September 21 2017, @05:10PM (6 children)
Yup should definitely move to the Clinton Archipelago leftist coasts, definitely.
The difference in the midwest is we prep for our disasters so they don't really matter. If a snow storm hits Atlanta its an utter disaster, if a snow storm hits Chicago we (we in a general midwestern sense) are old school tough so its just BAU and nothing really bad happens. Got my snowblower, plenty of not-fresh food in the house, plenty of road salt, everyone's pretty chill about the weather impacting other activities, its just no big deal.
Kinda makes you wonder if you took midwesterners and moved them to Florida how it would turn out in a Hurricane. I guess it turns out pretty well in the few English speaking areas of Florida, despite boomer retirees being ... old.
(Score: 4, Touché) by bob_super on Thursday September 21 2017, @05:21PM
> Got my snowblower, plenty of not-fresh food in the house
If your disaster is a blizzard, you can keep food fresh even without power!
(Score: 3, Funny) by Phoenix666 on Thursday September 21 2017, @05:45PM
I'd welcome any number of them to re-settle in North Dakota. It's truly beautiful land, and spacious. Lots of Wall Drug billboards to look at. Otherwise nothing to obstruct the expanse of nothingness. Also, we could use their help in securing the northern border against invasion by Saskatchewanians and Manitobans. Dirty Canadians...
Washington DC delenda est.
(Score: 4, Informative) by DeathMonkey on Thursday September 21 2017, @06:00PM (2 children)
If a snow storm hits Atlanta its an utter disaster
And yet, if they bought a bunch of snow-plows that sat unused most years you'd be complaining about government overreach/spending.
(Score: 1, Funny) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday September 21 2017, @07:31PM
Hypocrisy: its a way of life for the xenophobes.
terk r jerbs!
(Score: 3, Interesting) by stretch611 on Thursday September 21 2017, @10:25PM
A few years ago after a big "storm of the century", Atlanta/GA/Metro counties were caught flat-footed and did buy a bunch of equipment.
Two years later, "Snowmageaddeon" hit Atlanta and the surrounding area. This is the one that most people heard about. It took me 11 and a half hours to drive 15 miles. (1pm to 12:30am.)
All the equipment? Useless, they did not have the manpower to use it all, and they did not have the experience to use it effectively. IMO, a bigger waste than unused. But hey, people selling plows that had government connections were thrilled.
Another HUGE issue, is that the people here think they need to drive everywhere when the snow is coming... In general, the people here suck when driving in dry weather... add rain and they are horrible... add snow and its un-describable.
Believe me... If you are anywhere near Atlanta and it snows... stay off the roads.
The one big storm after snowmageaddeon that I remember, all the government praised themselves for doing so well, getting it all cleared up within 3 days. Of course, the fact the sun came out afterwards and the temps stayed above freezing (barely, but it was above) overnight wasn't mentioned while giving themselves praise. And thats the big truth about Metro Atlanta and snow... the most effective snow removal in the area is the sun and warm temperature... not the idiots that think they know what they are doing.
For the record, I am currently living in the area, but I have had many northern winters too... living in various parts of the east coast and as far north as Maine. I've learn to drive with snow (and learned even knowing what to do/not do) does not save you from the idiot in the car behind you, or coming towards you in any direction. Do what I try to do when it snows in Atlanta... stay off the roads.
Now with 5 covid vaccine shots/boosters altering my DNA :P
(Score: 2, Insightful) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday September 21 2017, @09:14PM
Whereas if a hurricane were to hit Chicago everybody would panic, where-as Atlanta just buckles down. Or if a magnitude 6 earthquake were to hit Chicago it would cause havoc, whereas Tokyo just continues on BAU.
Your statement is more to do with the fact that Chicago gets snow all the time so has both the resources and the reason to dedicate those resources. Can you imagine the controversy and accusations of corruption if Atlanta spent $20 million a year for snow removal services?
The difference isn't because the mid-west is somehow "better" than anywhere else. It's just they experience different disasters, and thus are prepared for different emergencies.
(Score: 2) by http on Thursday September 21 2017, @07:07PM (4 children)
There is no human construction that nature can't eventually take down.
What are you going to do when all those people you want to fuck decide that they're going to move in next to you because you're so much smarter than they are and realize you have chosen the perfect place to live? I'll help you out with a quick language lesson: "arigato" is a quick and dirty way of saying "thank you" in Japanese.
I browse at -1 when I have mod points. It's unsettling.
(Score: 3, Interesting) by bob_super on Thursday September 21 2017, @08:35PM (1 child)
> There is no human construction that nature can't eventually take down.
For an extended value of "eventually", definitely.
In the safe for hundreds-of-years range, Europe is full of fun WW2 memorabilia which costs too much to destroy, and 500-year-old castles and churches which cost too much to heat.
One of my best friend grew up in a small building with walls over 1m thick and a solid thick timber roof. Built for sheep downstairs and servants upstairs, but more nature-proof than 99.9% of the buildings in the US.
It's a matter of investing enough to make things which last.
(Score: 3, Interesting) by FatPhil on Friday September 22 2017, @09:14AM
And those buildings still exist, obviously. As I type this I'm sitting in a >450 year old building (it's in official records in 1532, but there were wooden constructions here in 1457, so we have upper and lower bounds). It used to be a salt-cellar in medieval times, we were an important Hanseatic trading port, and this plot used to be within 100m of the sea back then (post-glacial uplift means the sea has retreated). After lunch I will go to the office, which is a mere >300 years old, but does have the walls closer to 1m thick than this place, and has fortunately lost the smell of the horses that used to be stabled there hundreds of years back.
Great minds discuss ideas; average minds discuss events; small minds discuss people; the smallest discuss themselves
(Score: 2) by Azuma Hazuki on Friday September 22 2017, @04:02AM (1 child)
"Arigatou gozaimasu" unless it's someone really familiar to you. Japanese is crazily hierarchical and polite speech is very important to functioning properly. Unless you know someone very well, it's all gozaimasu, kudasai, and $SURNAME-san in place of any form of "you" if you don't want to get anything from ostracized to beaten senseless.
I am "that girl" your mother warned you about...
(Score: 2) by http on Friday September 22 2017, @04:41AM
I predict they'll make some allowances, given that they're coming to AC's door and not the other way around. The only place I would dare to skip the `domo' is with sempai at a coffee shop.
If my incomplete lesson gets AC beaten, I may let a titter of glee escape my lips.
I browse at -1 when I have mod points. It's unsettling.
(Score: 2) by JoeMerchant on Thursday September 21 2017, @09:27PM
But group insurance is mandatory - otherwise it doesn't work.
🌻🌻 [google.com]
(Score: 2) by Phoenix666 on Friday September 22 2017, @12:36PM
The Japanese do know what a tsunami is, and prepare much more for them than any other people, really. They have tsunami alerts, drills in schools and offices, even tsunami barriers near heavily populated places. You might say they should go live somewhere else, and in fact they did try that but their neighbors didn't like it so much. So, man, telling them to not live in the one place where they can live, ie. Japan, is kind of a dick move.
That's true more or less of the places you listed.
Where you do have an argument is people with money who choose to build and buy multi-million dollar beach houses and then complain when the inevitable storm comes along and wipes out their investment. Well, duh, mother fucker. Build your house on an active volcano, and a pyroclastic flow is gonna take your ass out sooner or later.
Washington DC delenda est.
(Score: 4, Interesting) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday September 21 2017, @04:27PM (64 children)
Puerto Rico got hammered. It was only a matter of time, and anybody familiar with caribbean hurricanes knew it.
Was Puerto Rico prepared? Evidently, not. OK, that sucks, and is definitely an accusation that could be leveled at the island's government. Lots of people will try to point at the feds, because the feds have some degree of authority - but in reality there's been an arm's length relationship with Puerto Rico for a long time. So far, so good. That was yesterday.
What about today and tomorrow? Puerto Rico is flooded in reality, but is also metaphorically drowning in debt. The economy has been trashed by decades of mismanagement. This storm won't help. The open question is then what will they do?
One option is to go, cap in hand, to the feds to beg for the money to clear their debts, under the guise of some sort of hurricane relief. It would be an interesting argument; they could justify huge bailout funds to Florida and Texas on the logic that hey, they helped Puerto Rico. They could help Puerto Rico save face on international bond markets, and mask a financial bailout.
The fact is that this would be a popular but controversial approach, so another take on it would be to make the case for statehood now. This would come closer to resolving the debt issue on some levels, because they might be in a position to push it off on the feds - but there might be conditions attached, and it would be highly controversial in Puerto Rico itself. The opposite extreme, of outright independence, is not supported by the current exigencies, so that's improbable.
The null option would be muddling through - and a default on their debt, because it has reached a point of being unsupportable without some kind of external help (and massive, painful internal reforms).
What's the winning play? I don't know. I think that the long term best play might be statehood, but with some limits on debt written into the state constitution. Wipe out the current debt with federal assistance, and normalise the relationship, but that would anger too many people in the fifty states (no bailouts for irresponsible regional governments!) and Puerto Rico (independence for Puerto Rico!).
(Score: -1, Troll) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday September 21 2017, @04:36PM (50 children)
... and every state has a de facto standard language, English.
Puerto Rico is not American; it should either remain a territory, or be pinched off as its own little Latin country.
(Score: 3, Informative) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday September 21 2017, @04:45PM (16 children)
De facto is another way of saying that there is no official language. Many federal and local government agencies publish documents in Spanish. English-only laws violate the First Amendment.
There is a process for getting U.S. statehood. If Puerto Rico wants to engage in that process, let's see what happens.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday September 21 2017, @04:50PM (15 children)
It doesn't matter what the officials say; what matters is the standard that is actually in use.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday September 21 2017, @05:09PM (5 children)
You mean the fake standard that you just made up.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday September 21 2017, @06:32PM (4 children)
Standards are as people do.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday September 21 2017, @11:04PM (3 children)
¡Por eso no podemos tener la supremacía blanca! Los gringos no pueden aprender idiomas.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Friday September 22 2017, @12:41AM (1 child)
Mir stimmt.
(Score: 2) by Gaaark on Friday September 22 2017, @02:12AM
Klaatu Barada Nikto
--- Please remind me if I haven't been civil to you: I'm channeling MDC. ---Gaaark 2.0 ---
(Score: 2) by Phoenix666 on Friday September 22 2017, @12:44PM
真的吗? 为什么西班牙语说的人不能说汉语? 他们有什么问题?
I mean, 'cause if Spanish and German speakers don't speak Mandarin then they're clearly idiots, right?
Sure, monolingualism is the sole province of Americans.
Washington DC delenda est.
(Score: 3, Informative) by tangomargarine on Thursday September 21 2017, @06:23PM (8 children)
No. Having an official language for a state (country) is a legal term. Saying English is the "standard language" is not the same thing, because you're fudging it to mean de facto standard. We're talking about de jure standard.
"Is that really true?" "I just spent the last hour telling you to think for yourself! Didn't you hear anything I said?"
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday September 21 2017, @06:57PM (7 children)
The OP very clearly talks about a standard that is de facto, not a standard that is de jure.
(Score: 2) by tangomargarine on Thursday September 21 2017, @07:20PM (6 children)
Technically the OP is this guy [soylentnews.org], who doesn't mention language at all. Presumably you mean here [soylentnews.org]?
Why are we arguing over this?
"Is that really true?" "I just spent the last hour telling you to think for yourself! Didn't you hear anything I said?"
(Score: -1, Flamebait) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday September 21 2017, @08:16PM
You have chosen to interpret "the OP" as "the original poster", just so you can pretend to have won some argument.
How petty.
How about instead choosing to interpret "the OP" as "the other poster"? Then it means exactly what you already knew was meant, you intellectually dishonest asshole.
(Score: -1, Redundant) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday September 21 2017, @10:44PM
You have chosen to interpret "the OP" as "the original poster", just so you can pretend to have won some argument.
How petty.
How about instead choosing to interpret "the OP" as "the other poster"? In that case, it means exactly what you already knew was meant, you intellectually dishonest asshole.
(Score: -1, Redundant) by Anonymous Coward on Friday September 22 2017, @12:30AM
You have chosen to interpret "the OP" as "the original poster", just so you can pretend to have won some argument.
How petty.
How about instead choosing to interpret "the OP" as "the other poster"? In that case, it means exactly what you already knew was meant, you intellectually dishonest asshole.
(Score: -1, Redundant) by Anonymous Coward on Friday September 22 2017, @04:01AM
You have chosen to interpret "the OP" as "the original poster", just so you can pretend to have won some argument.
How petty.
How about instead choosing to interpret "the OP" as "the other poster"? In that case, it means exactly what you already knew was meant, you intellectually dishonest asshole.
(Score: -1, Redundant) by Anonymous Coward on Friday September 22 2017, @01:46PM
You have chosen to interpret "the OP" as "the original poster", just so you can pretend to have won some argument.
How petty.
How about instead choosing to interpret "the OP" as "the other poster"? In that case, it means exactly what you already knew was meant, you intellectually dishonest asshole.
(Score: -1, Redundant) by Anonymous Coward on Saturday September 23 2017, @04:04AM
You have chosen to interpret "the OP" as "the original poster", just so you can pretend to have won some argument.
How petty.
How about instead choosing to interpret "the OP" as "the other poster"? In that case, it means exactly what you already knew was meant, you intellectually dishonest asshole.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday September 21 2017, @04:51PM (29 children)
The standard language is:
a) not enshrined anywhere
b) in dispute (looking at you, California and the desert southwest in general)
c) unimportant because de facto bilinguality is the norm there anyway
The flag has changed before, and can change again. Ask Hawaii and Alaska.
If you pinched Puerto Rico off and left them their debt, you'd basically be guaranteeing failure. Moreover, it'd be very hard because the people of Puerto Rico are US citizens.
Remaining a territory without some kind of bailout still reduces to the problem of them suffering a huge default.
(Score: 2) by Azuma Hazuki on Thursday September 21 2017, @05:07PM
Si no hablas al menos un poco de español, vas a tener un mal tiempo.
I am "that girl" your mother warned you about...
(Score: 0, Disagree) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday September 21 2017, @05:07PM (22 children)
Their resource-squandering socialist society would indeed fail, and then be replaced naturally with market-oriented (that is, profit-oriented; that is, objectively sustainable) ways of organizing life.
As for citizenship, well, that will be handled by attrition: People who already have citizenship can keep it; they can move to the U.S. to have children if they like, in order to keep their citizenship for their children. Everybody born outside of the U.S. will not be citizens.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday September 21 2017, @05:34PM (1 child)
Incorrect. Children of US citizens inherit the citizenship.
There are a few ways to be a US citizen. Being born inside US borders, naturalisation, and US parentage (at least one parent, not both necessarily).
(Score: 1, Informative) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday September 21 2017, @06:55PM
OK, Mr. Shrute, besides the fact that such rules could be changed through a statute, here is what Wikipedia says [wikipedia.org] on the matter:
(Score: -1, Flamebait) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday September 21 2017, @05:48PM (4 children)
There is a cozy place in hell for ignoramuses like you, right next to the "hearth". In fact you're evil enough that I think satan might let you lick his butthole clean.
(Score: 1, Insightful) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday September 21 2017, @07:19PM (3 children)
"MUH OPPRESSION! MUH COUNTRY! DEM ILLEGALS!"
*actually they are citizens*
"MUH OPPRESSION! MUH COUNTRY! DEM ILLEGALS!"
*weeps for the future of the US*
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday September 21 2017, @08:19PM (2 children)
Just so you know.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday September 21 2017, @08:48PM (1 child)
I didn't expect to change your mind, I did intend to highlight the stupidity of the post I initially responded to. Ideological morons must be called out, even if there is zero chance of convincing them. Just so you know.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Friday September 22 2017, @09:13AM
Yes, other AC! It is not about you! ¡Piense en los niños!
(Score: 2) by NotSanguine on Thursday September 21 2017, @07:58PM (14 children)
Not so much. You should be kinder to your fellow natural-born American citizens: [wikipedia.org]
No, no, you're not thinking; you're just being logical. --Niels Bohr
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday September 21 2017, @08:51PM
Facts, they are a motherfucker huh?
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday September 21 2017, @10:46PM (12 children)
We're talking about pinching off Puerto Rico into its own, independent country.
How can you not perceive this?
(Score: 4, Insightful) by NotSanguine on Thursday September 21 2017, @11:53PM (11 children)
Because I don't care what you think or want.
Puerto Rico is part of the United States, and if, as a majority of Puerto Ricans want, we make their home the 51st state, I'm all for it. They are my brother and sister Americans and my fellow citizens. I am not of Puerto Rican extraction, but place of birth is unimportant to *real* Americans. We believe in the ideals that founded this country: You know,
"We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights, that among these are life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. That to secure these rights, governments are instituted among men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed."
This includes the ideal that we are all equal under the law, That you should demean my fellow Americans is distasteful at best and verging upon sociopathy at worst.
As I said, Puerto Rico is part of the United States and Puerto Ricans are your fellow Americans. Why do you hate America and Americans? Why do you want to destroy our republic?
But I suppose you are ignorant of history. Ignorant of the toil and struggle and heartbreak and blood and treasure your freedom cost our forbears. Your hatred of all that is good about the United States sickens me.
Your callous disregard of your fellow Americans disgusts me, AC. You've done enough. Have you no sense of decency, sir, at long last? Have you left no sense of decency?
No, no, you're not thinking; you're just being logical. --Niels Bohr
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Friday September 22 2017, @12:33AM (7 children)
Also, I don't know what you're talking about with this "brother"/"sister" nonsense. It's very strange.
(Score: 2) by NotSanguine on Friday September 22 2017, @12:54AM (6 children)
You prove my point for me. I feel sorry for you.
No, no, you're not thinking; you're just being logical. --Niels Bohr
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Friday September 22 2017, @04:03AM (5 children)
There is nobody from Puerto Rico who is my brother or sister.
(Score: 2) by NotSanguine on Friday September 22 2017, @04:21AM (4 children)
All Americans are brethren. If you're an American and you don't get that, I pity you.
No, no, you're not thinking; you're just being logical. --Niels Bohr
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Friday September 22 2017, @01:49PM (3 children)
Leave me alone.
If you're an American and you don't get that, I pity you.
(Score: 2) by NotSanguine on Friday September 22 2017, @03:57PM (2 children)
Given that you replied to me on a discussion site, it's clear that the moron is strong with you.
Kissy kissy, honey!
No, no, you're not thinking; you're just being logical. --Niels Bohr
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Saturday September 23 2017, @04:06AM (1 child)
Participating in a discussion website isn't collectivism; I choose, as an individual, to participate here.
(Score: 2) by NotSanguine on Sunday September 24 2017, @12:32AM
And so you do. However, and I assume (perhaps incorrectly) that you are responding to me because I replied to post by you [soylentnews.org].
I never mentioned collectivism, individuality or anything related to those ideas. Given what you said in that post [soylentnews.org]:
I pointed out how moronic it is to request, after *you* responded to me on an internet discussion site, that I shouldn't respond. If you really want to be left alone, why post here? And if you didn't want to engage with me, why did you engage with me? No one (Okay, I guess it's possible, but it seems unlikely in the extreme) held a gun to your head and forced you to make an ass of yourself in replies to my posts. But you did. And it seems you didn't like what I had to say.
I'm so sorry! You have been treated horribly! OMG! Someone didn't agree with you on the Internet! And what's more, they had the temerity to tell you so! Oh, the horror! Oh, the terrible unfairness of it all! Perhaps your mom will give you a hug to make you feel better. Moron. Yes, I said it again. If the shoe fits and all that...
I have no issue with the fact that you post or the idea that you should be allowed to say whatever you want. I'm a strong believer in individual choice and the freedom of expression.
So go right ahead and say whatever you want. I shall do the same.
As a parting thought, here's a piece of unsolicited advice: If you don't want to engage with someone, don't engage with them.
Have a wonderful day, AC!
No, no, you're not thinking; you're just being logical. --Niels Bohr
(Score: 2) by Gaaark on Friday September 22 2017, @02:17AM (2 children)
You sound quite Canadian, eh?
:)
--- Please remind me if I haven't been civil to you: I'm channeling MDC. ---Gaaark 2.0 ---
(Score: 2) by NotSanguine on Friday September 22 2017, @02:48AM (1 child)
I quoted Thomas Jefferson and Joseph Welch [wikipedia.org]. Both Americans. I'm an American too.
So not a Canuck in sight, ya hoser! :)
No, no, you're not thinking; you're just being logical. --Niels Bohr
(Score: 2) by Gaaark on Friday September 22 2017, @11:52AM
I've got BEEEERRR!
XD
--- Please remind me if I haven't been civil to you: I'm channeling MDC. ---Gaaark 2.0 ---
(Score: 1, Troll) by VLM on Thursday September 21 2017, @05:19PM (4 children)
They're bilingual in the sense that in theory I can program in COBOL, but in reality that ain't happening. I met the cream of their crop in the military at a somewhat competitive school (for them to attend, anyway) and they're pretty good at the "attention" "parade rest" "about face" "dismissed" type of English and they knew all the swear words, but their general fluency was somewhat lacking beyond that point. I suppose there's humility issues, I could claim I'm bilingual because I took Spanish in high school decades ago and I still remember how to ask politely for a beer in Spanish, but I'm not "really" bilingual. In that same sense PRs that I know, are bilingual but not "really" bilingual.
That lack of fluency made the school somewhat challenging for them. And these were the best guys in the entire PR National Guard, implying...
It was essentially a sys admin class, I would imagine some training you can get by monkey see monkey do style but this class took some reading. This was one of those classes with a 100% pass rate so I can't state what they really learned or didn't learn.
(Score: 3, Insightful) by NewNic on Thursday September 21 2017, @06:57PM (1 child)
... that they hadn't been chosen for their fluency in English? That other skills were considered more important?
lib·er·tar·i·an·ism ˌlibərˈterēənizəm/ noun: Magical thinking that useful idiots mistake for serious political theory
(Score: -1, Troll) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday September 21 2017, @07:00PM
... being non-white.
(Score: 2) by Spook brat on Thursday September 21 2017, @08:22PM (1 child)
I'll dispute the assertion that your classmates were the best of the PR NG. The ones I trained with had no issues with fluency whatsoever, and had less of an accent than at least two of our classmates from the mainland. I was not in a 100% pass program; the instructors were free to fail out anyone they felt couldn't cut it, resulting in the trainee being reassigned to a different specialty.
NewNic already suggested that perhaps they were being selected for a different set of skills; I'm sure your buddies in signals class were plenty smart with computers and electronics, it takes a different kind of smart to make it in HUMINT. I'll stop short of saying that that any of the intel/comms specialties attract a better class of people, despite my personal biases.
;)
Travel the galaxy! Meet fascinating life forms... And kill them [schlockmercenary.com]
(Score: 2) by VLM on Friday September 22 2017, @01:07AM
Although it superficially appears to be battle of anecdotes, with respect to the original claim of universal bilingualism...
That is a good point that I don't know how TOEFL was balanced against ASVAB. The Army has mysterious ways...
(Score: -1, Troll) by frojack on Thursday September 21 2017, @05:05PM (2 children)
Puerto Rico is not a territory.
If it was, it would have much better Government.
Its a commonwealth, which means local government, mostly inept, with its hand perpetually out asking for money, while at the same time resisting any federal management.
Guam an American Samoa are much better run. They are still poor, but they are better managed.
I doubt Statehood is an answer at this time. They have no concept of public administration. The two leftist leaning political parties are split right down the middle [wikipedia.org] on the issue of statehood.
No, you are mistaken. I've always had this sig.
(Score: 1, Touché) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday September 21 2017, @05:12PM
The past subjective form [wikipedia.org] of the verb "to be" is "were", not "was".
Also, Kentucky is a commonwealth. Just sayin'.
(Score: 4, Informative) by NewNic on Thursday September 21 2017, @07:14PM
How many falsehoods can you post in a single article?
Wikipedia says: [wikipedia.org]
lib·er·tar·i·an·ism ˌlibərˈterēənizəm/ noun: Magical thinking that useful idiots mistake for serious political theory
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday September 21 2017, @04:45PM (4 children)
Why do they not bury the power lines? I mean this is the one place where it would make sense. Before you say cost, how much does it cost to not have power ON THE WHOLE ISLAND for more than a week?
(Score: 1, Informative) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday September 21 2017, @04:46PM (2 children)
You can find arguments one way or another here: https://soylentnews.org/article.pl?sid=17/09/13/2022215 [soylentnews.org]
(Score: 2) by frojack on Thursday September 21 2017, @05:10PM (1 child)
You can find better arguments walking around any mainland new housing tract. You will never see a power pole.
Neighborhood power utilities underground has been the standard for 30 years in this country.
The only thing you find above ground is neighborhood feeders, and even these are starting to be buried in new construction.
High tension lines are still above ground in most places. But these are few, and therefore much easier to maintain, and can be built on steel towers if necessary.
No, you are mistaken. I've always had this sig.
(Score: 2) by realDonaldTrump on Thursday September 21 2017, @11:29PM
Power poles are very easy to steal. Look what happened in Jacksonville! pic.twitter.com/q6VKOvPKuU [twitter.com] #INFRASTRUCTURE 🇺🇸
(Score: 2) by requerdanos on Friday September 22 2017, @02:16PM
I am still going to say cost - poor people have a system we'll call the "hat system."
All the bills that need paying go into the hat.
As you pull bills out of the hat, you pay them.
If the bill you pull out is more than you can afford at the moment, back in the hat it goes.
This system is not great, and it has shortcomings like not getting your power lines buried, but it's pretty prevalent. I myself have spent a great deal of time poor, biding my time until I could pay off bills, with a full hat.
Saying "If we spend $x on making our power lines buried and windproof will help a lot next major storm" is great, may even be true, but moot if your money available is $x/10, or $x/100.
(Score: 3, Insightful) by stretch611 on Thursday September 21 2017, @10:42PM (7 children)
I agree, I do not know what to do either.
They are US citizens... It is a US territory. I believe that they should be helped. But I doubt that congress is likely to agree. Back when Sandy hit NJ/NY... the biggest opponents of helping the area were the asshat senators from Louisiana and Texas... and NJ/NY and the surrounding area are states, not territories.
As for statehood.. First PR needs to decide for itself... https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Puerto_Rican_status_referendum,_2017 [wikipedia.org]
And right now, I doubt it will become a state any time soon even if it wants to... Our congress is so ineffectual, I doubt they can pass anything major at all. Add to fact that most analysis expects PR to lean more Democrat than Republican and it is clear that they will not become a state under the current political climate.
Now with 5 covid vaccine shots/boosters altering my DNA :P
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Friday September 22 2017, @04:33AM (6 children)
It would help if they paid federal taxes, instead of free-loading.
(Score: 2) by NotSanguine on Friday September 22 2017, @04:59AM (2 children)
Yeah, just like all those other freeloaders [theatlantic.com].
No, no, you're not thinking; you're just being logical. --Niels Bohr
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Saturday September 23 2017, @02:59AM (1 child)
Given that they pay almost no federal tax, PR would be like 1000 on that freeloader chart.
(Score: 2) by NotSanguine on Saturday September 23 2017, @03:43AM
Actually, Not so much.
IIRC, Puerto Rico pays ~$4 Billion into Federal coffers annually and gets ~$6.5 Billion from the Federal Government. That's about $1.60 coming back for every dollar going to the Federal government
South Carolina, for example, gets almost $8.00 from the Federal government for every dollar it sends.
If you actually bothered to look at the link, you'd see that Puerto Rico would be pretty far down the list of "freeloaders."
Facts are stubborn things.
No, no, you're not thinking; you're just being logical. --Niels Bohr
(Score: 2) by stretch611 on Friday September 22 2017, @06:19AM (1 child)
Taxation, without representation... where in history have I heard that before?
Now with 5 covid vaccine shots/boosters altering my DNA :P
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Friday September 22 2017, @10:18AM
And in fact Washington himself rode against them for protesting the pro-business flat tax rates that east coast distilleries received over the 'Western' (Appalachian and further west) small farmers who were the mainstay of the country and also poor as fuck, many still in debt due to their time away during the Civil War (see also Shay's Rebellion.)
And after the turn of the 20th century it has only gotten progressively worse.
Citations:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Whiskey_Rebellion [wikipedia.org]
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moonshine [wikipedia.org]
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shays%27_Rebellion [wikipedia.org]
(Score: 2) by requerdanos on Friday September 22 2017, @02:20PM
I am not trying to make the discussion overly political, but the President is on record as saying that not paying taxes is a sign of being "smart." If anything this should increase our government's respect for and desire to help the Puerto Rican people. Right?