American Politics Thread VI: Can't We All Just Get Along?

[Godular]

Right, I can find any articles from local news station, which is kinda tells me that the article is just partisan dribble

I don't know what, exactly, is under dispute here.. that he's running? He has a website for his candidacy, that he's an administrator of a school that uses highly controversial books, he is and they do.

Some of the things in those textbooks..

“Dinosaurs and humans probably hung out: ‘Bible-believing Christians cannot accept any evolutionary interpretation. Dinosaurs and humans were definitely on the earth at the same time and may have even lived side by side within the past few thousand years.’ —Life Science, 3rd ed., Bob Jones University Press, 2007″
“God used the Trail of Tears to bring many Indians to Christ.—America: Land That I Love, Teacher ed., A Beka Book, 1994″
“Africa needs religion: ‘Africa is a continent with many needs. It is still in need of the gospel…Only about ten percent of Africans can read and write. In some areas the mission schools have been shut down by Communists who have taken over the government.’—Old World History and Geography in Christian Perspective, 3rd ed., A Beka Book, 2004
“Slave masters were nice guys: ‘A few slave holders were undeniably cruel. Examples of slaves beaten to death were not common, neither were they unknown. The majority of slave holders treated their slaves well.’ —United States History for Christian Schools, 2nd ed., Bob Jones University Press, 1991″
“The KKK was A-OK: ‘[The Ku Klux] Klan in some areas of the country tried to be a means of reform, fighting the decline in morality and using the symbol of the cross. Klan targets were bootleggers, wife-beaters, and immoral movies. In some communities it achieved a certain respectability as it worked with politicians.’—United States History for Christian Schools, 3rd ed., Bob Jones University Press, 2001″
“The Great Depression wasn’t as bad as the liberals made it sound: ‘Perhaps the best known work of propaganda to come from the Depression was John Steinbeck’s The Grapes of Wrath…Other forms of propaganda included rumors of mortgage foreclosures, mass evictions, and hunger riots and exaggerated statistics representing the number of unemployed and homeless people in America.’—United States History: Heritage of Freedom, 2nd ed., A Beka Book, 1996″

Link

You know, I'm not one to speak against acquiring new knowledge and understanding... but that shit right there is worthy of one helluva book burnin'.

[Uiiop]

"If a source has it's bias on it's sleeve that means we can not even consider it" is a poor mind but Mother Jones isn't something that these people would be more open minded about.

Motherjones is an actual news organization which is better than something that is just a blog for democrats in VA

Doesn't exactly excuse not noticing the multiple news orgs the blog was referring to. If only to see how the blog fucked up.

[Bombadil]

I don't know what, exactly, is under dispute here.. that he's running? He has a website for his candidacy, that he's an administrator of a school that uses highly controversial books, he is and they do.

Some of the things in those textbooks..

“Dinosaurs and humans probably hung out: ‘Bible-believing Christians cannot accept any evolutionary interpretation. Dinosaurs and humans were definitely on the earth at the same time and may have even lived side by side within the past few thousand years.’ —Life Science, 3rd ed., Bob Jones University Press, 2007″
“God used the Trail of Tears to bring many Indians to Christ.—America: Land That I Love, Teacher ed., A Beka Book, 1994″
“Africa needs religion: ‘Africa is a continent with many needs. It is still in need of the gospel…Only about ten percent of Africans can read and write. In some areas the mission schools have been shut down by Communists who have taken over the government.’—Old World History and Geography in Christian Perspective, 3rd ed., A Beka Book, 2004
“Slave masters were nice guys: ‘A few slave holders were undeniably cruel. Examples of slaves beaten to death were not common, neither were they unknown. The majority of slave holders treated their slaves well.’ —United States History for Christian Schools, 2nd ed., Bob Jones University Press, 1991″
“The KKK was A-OK: ‘[The Ku Klux] Klan in some areas of the country tried to be a means of reform, fighting the decline in morality and using the symbol of the cross. Klan targets were bootleggers, wife-beaters, and immoral movies. In some communities it achieved a certain respectability as it worked with politicians.’—United States History for Christian Schools, 3rd ed., Bob Jones University Press, 2001″
“The Great Depression wasn’t as bad as the liberals made it sound: ‘Perhaps the best known work of propaganda to come from the Depression was John Steinbeck’s The Grapes of Wrath…Other forms of propaganda included rumors of mortgage foreclosures, mass evictions, and hunger riots and exaggerated statistics representing the number of unemployed and homeless people in America.’—United States History: Heritage of Freedom, 2nd ed., A Beka Book, 1996″

Link

You know, I'm not one to speak against acquiring new knowledge and understanding... but that shit right there is worthy of one helluva book burnin'.

He's a graduate of Liberty University..

Doesn't mean he isn't a nice guy you could hang out and enjoy a beer and BBQ with, part of the current issue is that, aside from his wacko beliefs a lot of these people are generally nice people.

The key issue here is that a lot of these schools are funded by taxpayers and teach complete and utter bullshit.

[North Washington Republic]

You know, I'm not one to speak against acquiring new knowledge and understanding... but that shit right there is worthy of one helluva book burnin'.

He's a graduate of Liberty University..

Doesn't mean he isn't a nice guy you could hang out and enjoy a beer and BBQ with, part of the current issue is that, aside from his wacko beliefs a lot of these people are generally nice people.

The key issue here is that a lot of these schools are funded by taxpayers and teach complete and utter bullshit.

For me, it would be very difficult to maintain a close friendship that someone who is very religious at this point in my life, especially Evangelical Christians due to their insistence on proselytizing. I can see myself having a decent professional relationship though.

As for these type of schools receiving tax payer money, that must stop. These schools are teaching theology, not science.

[Salus Maior]

Right, I can find any articles from local news station, which is kinda tells me that the article is just partisan dribble

I don't know what, exactly, is under dispute here.. that he's running? He has a website for his candidacy, that he's an administrator of a school that uses highly controversial books, he is and they do.

Some of the things in those textbooks..

“Dinosaurs and humans probably hung out: ‘Bible-believing Christians cannot accept any evolutionary interpretation. Dinosaurs and humans were definitely on the earth at the same time and may have even lived side by side within the past few thousand years.’ —Life Science, 3rd ed., Bob Jones University Press, 2007″
“God used the Trail of Tears to bring many Indians to Christ.—America: Land That I Love, Teacher ed., A Beka Book, 1994″
“Africa needs religion: ‘Africa is a continent with many needs. It is still in need of the gospel…Only about ten percent of Africans can read and write. In some areas the mission schools have been shut down by Communists who have taken over the government.’—Old World History and Geography in Christian Perspective, 3rd ed., A Beka Book, 2004
“Slave masters were nice guys: ‘A few slave holders were undeniably cruel. Examples of slaves beaten to death were not common, neither were they unknown. The majority of slave holders treated their slaves well.’ —United States History for Christian Schools, 2nd ed., Bob Jones University Press, 1991″
“The KKK was A-OK: ‘[The Ku Klux] Klan in some areas of the country tried to be a means of reform, fighting the decline in morality and using the symbol of the cross. Klan targets were bootleggers, wife-beaters, and immoral movies. In some communities it achieved a certain respectability as it worked with politicians.’—United States History for Christian Schools, 3rd ed., Bob Jones University Press, 2001″
“The Great Depression wasn’t as bad as the liberals made it sound: ‘Perhaps the best known work of propaganda to come from the Depression was John Steinbeck’s The Grapes of Wrath…Other forms of propaganda included rumors of mortgage foreclosures, mass evictions, and hunger riots and exaggerated statistics representing the number of unemployed and homeless people in America.’—United States History: Heritage of Freedom, 2nd ed., A Beka Book, 1996″

Link

I hate everything.

[Thermodolia]

Motherjones is an actual news organization which is better than something that is just a blog for democrats in VA

Doesn't exactly excuse not noticing the multiple news orgs the blog was referring to. If only to see how the blog fucked up.

The problem is that a google search result doesn’t turn up anything besides the blog. Which raised More red flags than a soviet May Day celebration

[North Washington Republic]

Doesn't exactly excuse not noticing the multiple news orgs the blog was referring to. If only to see how the blog fucked up.

The problem is that a google search result doesn’t turn up anything besides the blog. Which raised More red flags than a soviet May Day celebration

Oh, you see a lot of red flags on May Day in Minneapolis.

[Shazbotdom]

It’s the routers I tell you. ROUTERS!

https://www.cnn.com/2021/07/26/politics ... index.html

My head hurts…….

He....He does know that no data is stored on Routers, right?



The stupid.....it hurts.

[Great Algerstonia]

It’s the routers I tell you. ROUTERS!

https://www.cnn.com/2021/07/26/politics ... index.html

My head hurts…….

Y'know, if it weren't for leftist media's complete obsession with Trump, he wouldn't have gotten elected in the first place.

[The Caleshan Valkyrie]

It’s the routers I tell you. ROUTERS!

https://www.cnn.com/2021/07/26/politics ... index.html

My head hurts…….

Y'know, if it weren't for leftist media's complete obsession with Trump, he wouldn't have gotten elected in the first place.

I’mma press X for doubt on that one.

[Eahland]

It’s the routers I tell you. ROUTERS!

https://www.cnn.com/2021/07/26/politics ... index.html

My head hurts…….

He....He does know that no data is stored on Routers, right?



The stupid.....it hurts.

No. No, he doesn't. He doesn't know what a router is. He doesn't know what a router does. He heard someone say "router" once, and the syllables lodged in the dementia-riddled Swiss cheese inside his skull, and now it comes rattling out when he makes mouth noises.

[The Black Forrest]

It’s the routers I tell you. ROUTERS!

https://www.cnn.com/2021/07/26/politics ... index.html

My head hurts…….

Y'know, if it weren't for leftist media's complete obsession with Trump, he wouldn't have gotten elected in the first place.

It’s possible. More concerning? It shows how little value the right places on intelligence. Owning the libs is all they seem to be concerned about.

[Kowani]

Rather than have a socialist govern, the Buffalo Common Council is attempting to simply eliminate the role of mayor (and of course, pretend it's about current Mayor Brown and not upcoming Mayor Walton)

The Buffalo Common Council will “explore” a city manager form of governance to replace the office of mayor.

Under such a plan, a city manager would be selected by the nine-member Council in conjunction with the community to "carry out the will of the Council members," University Council Member Rasheed N.C. Wyatt told The Buffalo News.

Wyatt, who has often clashed with Brown, said the impetus for opening up a discussion of a city manager model for Buffalo is not an indictment of Brown. It is an indictment of the current system of governance, which has led to "disinvestment" in poorer neighborhoods in a city that has gotten smaller and poorer, he said.

From 1980 to 2020, the approximate population in Buffalo decreased from 357,870 to 255,000, while the poverty rate grew from 26.1% to 30.1%, Wyatt noted.

“It is about this mayor, but there’s been numerous mayors before him and … I’m going back as far as 1980 so you can’t put it all on this mayor, but seeing that he’s been mayor for 16 years, it does speak to that,” said Wyatt, who introduced a resolution recently directing Council staff to produce a report detailing the pros and cons of establishing such a form of government in Buffalo.

The report is due in 90 days, about two weeks before the November mayoral election, in which Brown is waging a write-in campaign after losing the Democratic primary to political upstart India Walton. Any change that eliminates the office of mayor would have to come via a citywide ballot referendum, which would be all but impossible to get on the ballot by November. The Council, which goes into recess in August, adopted the resolution Tuesday . South Council Member Christopher P. Scanlon voted in the negative, saying a majority of five Council members selecting a city manager instead of "tens of thousands of voters appointing" a mayor could lead to some "nefarious behavior."

Masten Council Member Ulysees O. Wingo Sr. also voted no because if the Council selects a city manager, the Council would become the person’s boss, which would eliminate balance of power, he said.

“I’m not necessarily seeing how this would be any more equitable than what is already in place,” Wingo said.

City spokesman Michael J. DeGeorge said, “The mayor of Buffalo is the manager of the city.” DeGeorge pointed to Brown's record on economic development as evidence that the current system is working. Buffalo has record economic development he pegged at more than $7 billion, the lowest tax rate in over 25 years, rising property values, more than 2,100 units of affordable housing created, the largest spending on youth employment ever and the most diverse workforce in the history of Buffalo, he said.

Wyatt has been at odds with Brown often over the last year and a half, particularly over the use of speed cameras in school zones and the establishment of a formal fund balance policy to restore the city’s cash reserves. Wyatt said he felt retaliation from the administration over the speed cameras factored into his decision to start a conversation about a city manager.

"One of the things that really kind of added to this is the backlash that I received from the administration for standing up for my constituents,” Wyatt said. “And we cannot continue to govern in that type of way where if you don’t do what the mayor wants, he can attack you or not give you information. That is just not a good model and it’s shown over the years, the decades, that model does not help the residents in the City of Buffalo, especially those who are poor.” Wyatt spearheaded the effort to remove the ticket-issuing cameras from the city’s School Zone Safety Program, which set a 15 mph speed limit around 20 public, private and charter schools. Drivers captured on camera traveling at least 26 mph around arrival and dismissal times received citations mailed to the car's registered owner. The city got $36 of each $50 citation. Sensys Gatso, the camera company that issued the citations, received $14.

Critics complained that the program targeted the city's most impoverished residents because the cameras were in high-poverty, minority neighborhoods.

The council eventually enacted legislation to have the cameras removed over the mayor's objections.

The last speed camera to be deactivated was in Wyatt’s district.

Mayoral candidate India B. Walton's campaign did not return a request for comment on Wyatt's proposal.

[Orostan]

Rather than have a socialist govern, the Buffalo Common Council is attempting to simply eliminate the role of mayor (and of course, pretend it's about current Mayor Brown and not upcoming Mayor Walton)

The Buffalo Common Council will “explore” a city manager form of governance to replace the office of mayor.

Under such a plan, a city manager would be selected by the nine-member Council in conjunction with the community to "carry out the will of the Council members," University Council Member Rasheed N.C. Wyatt told The Buffalo News.

Wyatt, who has often clashed with Brown, said the impetus for opening up a discussion of a city manager model for Buffalo is not an indictment of Brown. It is an indictment of the current system of governance, which has led to "disinvestment" in poorer neighborhoods in a city that has gotten smaller and poorer, he said.

From 1980 to 2020, the approximate population in Buffalo decreased from 357,870 to 255,000, while the poverty rate grew from 26.1% to 30.1%, Wyatt noted.

“It is about this mayor, but there’s been numerous mayors before him and … I’m going back as far as 1980 so you can’t put it all on this mayor, but seeing that he’s been mayor for 16 years, it does speak to that,” said Wyatt, who introduced a resolution recently directing Council staff to produce a report detailing the pros and cons of establishing such a form of government in Buffalo.

The report is due in 90 days, about two weeks before the November mayoral election, in which Brown is waging a write-in campaign after losing the Democratic primary to political upstart India Walton. Any change that eliminates the office of mayor would have to come via a citywide ballot referendum, which would be all but impossible to get on the ballot by November. The Council, which goes into recess in August, adopted the resolution Tuesday . South Council Member Christopher P. Scanlon voted in the negative, saying a majority of five Council members selecting a city manager instead of "tens of thousands of voters appointing" a mayor could lead to some "nefarious behavior."

Masten Council Member Ulysees O. Wingo Sr. also voted no because if the Council selects a city manager, the Council would become the person’s boss, which would eliminate balance of power, he said.

“I’m not necessarily seeing how this would be any more equitable than what is already in place,” Wingo said.

City spokesman Michael J. DeGeorge said, “The mayor of Buffalo is the manager of the city.” DeGeorge pointed to Brown's record on economic development as evidence that the current system is working. Buffalo has record economic development he pegged at more than $7 billion, the lowest tax rate in over 25 years, rising property values, more than 2,100 units of affordable housing created, the largest spending on youth employment ever and the most diverse workforce in the history of Buffalo, he said.

Wyatt has been at odds with Brown often over the last year and a half, particularly over the use of speed cameras in school zones and the establishment of a formal fund balance policy to restore the city’s cash reserves. Wyatt said he felt retaliation from the administration over the speed cameras factored into his decision to start a conversation about a city manager.

"One of the things that really kind of added to this is the backlash that I received from the administration for standing up for my constituents,” Wyatt said. “And we cannot continue to govern in that type of way where if you don’t do what the mayor wants, he can attack you or not give you information. That is just not a good model and it’s shown over the years, the decades, that model does not help the residents in the City of Buffalo, especially those who are poor.” Wyatt spearheaded the effort to remove the ticket-issuing cameras from the city’s School Zone Safety Program, which set a 15 mph speed limit around 20 public, private and charter schools. Drivers captured on camera traveling at least 26 mph around arrival and dismissal times received citations mailed to the car's registered owner. The city got $36 of each $50 citation. Sensys Gatso, the camera company that issued the citations, received $14.

Critics complained that the program targeted the city's most impoverished residents because the cameras were in high-poverty, minority neighborhoods.

The council eventually enacted legislation to have the cameras removed over the mayor's objections.

The last speed camera to be deactivated was in Wyatt’s district.

Mayoral candidate India B. Walton's campaign did not return a request for comment on Wyatt's proposal.

incredibly ironic for them to use the poor being shit on by neoliberals as a reason to oppose a socialist.

[Kowani]

How much does a state Supreme Court cost? $250,000

Last fall, it seemed that Apache Corp., the giant Houston oil company, had hit a dead end in a long-running legal battle.

A paralegal named Cathryn Davis claimed the company fired her in 2013 for complaining about age and gender discrimination. A jury agreed, awarding $900,000 to her and her attorneys; an appeals court upheld the judgment. The company asked the Texas Supreme Court to review the case; but on Oct. 2, it declined.

Litigants can ask the state’s highest civil court to reconsider such decisions, but it’s a long shot; nearly 98 percent of the time, it refuses, according to research by the Texas Bar. Nevertheless, Apache notified the Supreme Court it intended to ask for a so-called rehearing. After the company contributed $250,000 in political support to justices seeking re-election, the court changed its mind.

Texas is one of only four states with partisan Supreme Court elections, and Apache’s appeal occurred while two of the nine Republican justices were simultaneously campaigning and making decisions about the company’s case. (In all, four were up for election but two recused themselves from the case because they had worked on Apache v. Davis before it reached the high court.)

Three weeks after the court’s denial of the appeal, Apache donated $250,000 to a newly formed political action committee, Judicial Fairness PAC. The Fortune 600 oil company has given money to political candidates before. But state records show the donation to the PAC dwarfed its previous gifts.

The contribution appears to be just the second Apache has made in a judicial race; the other was for $2,500 and was made nearly a decade ago.Texas law limits how much PACs can contribute to judicial candidates. Yet there is a loophole: Unlike with direct contributions, there is no ceiling on how much money the groups can spend independently on behalf of candidates.

Over the next several days, the Judicial Fairness PAC spent $750,000 on television and radio ads supporting the incumbent Texas Supreme Court justices, records show. Funded heavily by Texans for Lawsuit Reform, which has contributed lavishly in its efforts to rein in large jury awards, among other aims, the PAC spent a total of $4.5 million supporting the four candidates. They were the only races on which the new organization spent money.

Although the Judicial Fairness PAC funded only the Supreme Court races last year, in the future it plans to participate in judicial races at all levels, said Texans for Lawsuit Reform spokeswoman Lucy Nashed. “As long as Texas continues to use an election system to select our judges, it is imperative that voters be well informed about their choices,” she said.

On Nov. 3, each of the incumbent justices won. Two weeks later, Apache filed its motion for rehearing.

This time, the Supreme Court, upon reconsideration, agreed to hear the case. In June, it sided with Apache and against the jury’s findings, concluding that the company was going to fire Davis before she complained about discrimination. The $900,000 jury award was tossed.

The two justices who heard the case while campaigning are Chief Justice Nathan L. Hecht and Justice Jeff Boyd. Hecht declined to comment; Boyd has not responded to a request for comment. “Apache Corporation contributed to the Judicial Fairness PAC to ensure the Texas Supreme Court continued to be composed of fair, experienced and highly qualified judges,” the company said in a statement, adding that “Apache had no control over how money was spent by the PAC.”

Davis’ Houston attorney, Scott Newar, is unconvinced. The money Apache contributed to the justices while they were considering the appeal “creates the appearance that justice is for sale in Texas and undermines the Texas Supreme Court’s appearance of independence, impartiality and neutrality,” he said.

He said he will ask the court to withdraw its opinion in part because of the contributions from Apache and its law firm, Vinson & Elkins, which donated tens of thousands of dollars more to the justices while the Apache case was pending.

[Myrensis]

In more totally surprising news from the Arizona shitshow, the Director of the audit has essentially admitted what we all knew, that the numbers the "Cyber Ninjas" are reporting don't line up with reality at all, and that he was locked out of the building and the audit process for asking too many questions and sharing data with an outside analyst that revealed that it was bullshit.

During an appearance with local conservative talk show host James T. Harris on Monday, Bennett confirmed that he had given the data to Moore and White, that he had been banned from the site, that it wasn’t the first time he had been blocked from information about the audit, and that he had been ready to tender his resignation to Fann before she talked him into staying on the job. “The reason that I am that close to stepping down as the liaison is that I cannot be a part of a process that I am kept out of critical aspects along the way that make the audit legitimate and have integrity when we produce the final report,” Bennett said, “and unfortunately there have been too many of those situations.”

“The tip of the iceberg,” he continued, “came out last Friday when I was denied access to the audit itself.” Bennett went onto say that, though nominally in charge, he had been excluded from the actual adding up of the numbers and been denied information about how the audit was planning to validate its findings, if at all. “I’m the liaison and I think when people hear that word they think, ‘OK, he’s in charge of it,” Bennett said. “But that has not been the case and let me just share some examples of why I’m standing here on the precipice.”
---
If a third count were to be commissioned, Bennett said that he insisted an independent third party conduct it, but instead Cyber Ninjas has insisted on doing it themselves and blocking Bennett from access to the process. This led Bennett to conclude that Cyber Ninjas might cook the numbers of their tally to match those of the new one. “We have to make sure that we are not force balancing to their number or giving them something too early that would allow them to force balance back to our number,”

Bennett said. “I even asked Mr. Pullen what are the procedures for us to do this third count so that we can make sure that we are independent from the second, and he refused to tell me. And I just was shocked that I became very concerned that there would be this force balancing going on.” (Force balancing is an accounting term that basically means cooking the books.)

Which you would think would be enough to end the whole farce...except of course that the Republican Party has decided that reality itself is part of the conspiracy to oppress them and deny Trump his rightful place as King of America, so they will continue eating this bullshit up without question.

[San Lumen]

Rather than have a socialist govern, the Buffalo Common Council is attempting to simply eliminate the role of mayor (and of course, pretend it's about current Mayor Brown and not upcoming Mayor Walton)

The Buffalo Common Council will “explore” a city manager form of governance to replace the office of mayor.

Under such a plan, a city manager would be selected by the nine-member Council in conjunction with the community to "carry out the will of the Council members," University Council Member Rasheed N.C. Wyatt told The Buffalo News.

Wyatt, who has often clashed with Brown, said the impetus for opening up a discussion of a city manager model for Buffalo is not an indictment of Brown. It is an indictment of the current system of governance, which has led to "disinvestment" in poorer neighborhoods in a city that has gotten smaller and poorer, he said.

From 1980 to 2020, the approximate population in Buffalo decreased from 357,870 to 255,000, while the poverty rate grew from 26.1% to 30.1%, Wyatt noted.

“It is about this mayor, but there’s been numerous mayors before him and … I’m going back as far as 1980 so you can’t put it all on this mayor, but seeing that he’s been mayor for 16 years, it does speak to that,” said Wyatt, who introduced a resolution recently directing Council staff to produce a report detailing the pros and cons of establishing such a form of government in Buffalo.

The report is due in 90 days, about two weeks before the November mayoral election, in which Brown is waging a write-in campaign after losing the Democratic primary to political upstart India Walton. Any change that eliminates the office of mayor would have to come via a citywide ballot referendum, which would be all but impossible to get on the ballot by November. The Council, which goes into recess in August, adopted the resolution Tuesday . South Council Member Christopher P. Scanlon voted in the negative, saying a majority of five Council members selecting a city manager instead of "tens of thousands of voters appointing" a mayor could lead to some "nefarious behavior."

Masten Council Member Ulysees O. Wingo Sr. also voted no because if the Council selects a city manager, the Council would become the person’s boss, which would eliminate balance of power, he said.

“I’m not necessarily seeing how this would be any more equitable than what is already in place,” Wingo said.

City spokesman Michael J. DeGeorge said, “The mayor of Buffalo is the manager of the city.” DeGeorge pointed to Brown's record on economic development as evidence that the current system is working. Buffalo has record economic development he pegged at more than $7 billion, the lowest tax rate in over 25 years, rising property values, more than 2,100 units of affordable housing created, the largest spending on youth employment ever and the most diverse workforce in the history of Buffalo, he said.

Wyatt has been at odds with Brown often over the last year and a half, particularly over the use of speed cameras in school zones and the establishment of a formal fund balance policy to restore the city’s cash reserves. Wyatt said he felt retaliation from the administration over the speed cameras factored into his decision to start a conversation about a city manager.

"One of the things that really kind of added to this is the backlash that I received from the administration for standing up for my constituents,” Wyatt said. “And we cannot continue to govern in that type of way where if you don’t do what the mayor wants, he can attack you or not give you information. That is just not a good model and it’s shown over the years, the decades, that model does not help the residents in the City of Buffalo, especially those who are poor.” Wyatt spearheaded the effort to remove the ticket-issuing cameras from the city’s School Zone Safety Program, which set a 15 mph speed limit around 20 public, private and charter schools. Drivers captured on camera traveling at least 26 mph around arrival and dismissal times received citations mailed to the car's registered owner. The city got $36 of each $50 citation. Sensys Gatso, the camera company that issued the citations, received $14.

Critics complained that the program targeted the city's most impoverished residents because the cameras were in high-poverty, minority neighborhoods.

The council eventually enacted legislation to have the cameras removed over the mayor's objections.

The last speed camera to be deactivated was in Wyatt’s district.

Mayoral candidate India B. Walton's campaign did not return a request for comment on Wyatt's proposal.

Im fairly certain it would have to go to a referendum. Shame on the city council for even proposed this.

[San Lumen]

https://www.cnn.com/2021/07/27/politics ... index.html

Former Wyoming senator Mike Enzi has passed away aged 77 following a serious bike accident. He retired from the senate in 2020.

[B o r o v a n]

https://www.politico.com/news/2021/07/2 ... all-500817
https://www.sfgate.com/gavin-newsom-rec ... 332347.php
It's plausible that we're seeing a more competitive election in the Newsom recall. Likely voters are literally split but registered voters are a different story.

[Myrensis]

https://www.politico.com/news/2021/07/27/california-voters-split-newsom-recall-500817
https://www.sfgate.com/gavin-newsom-rec ... 332347.php
It's plausible that we're seeing a more competitive election in the Newsom recall. Likely voters are literally split but registered voters are a different story.

Will really depend on how much Newsom has annoyed Democratic voters.

Not that it really ultimately matters, he'll almost certainly be replaced by another Democrat, a left-leaning Independent at worst.

Only an anti-Trump Republican would have any chance of replacing him...but an anti-Trump Republican would also have no chance because the rabid Trump cultists (aka the majority of the Republican base) would turn on them.

[Thermodolia]

Y'know, if it weren't for leftist media's complete obsession with Trump, he wouldn't have gotten elected in the first place.

I’mma press X for doubt on that one.

He’s not entirely wrong. But it wasn’t leftist media but the corporate media. If the media back in 2016 didn’t cover him at all he never would have gotten popular. But thanks to the deregulation by Reagan the media cared less about news and more about money and views which meant wall to wall Trump

[San Lumen]

https://www.politico.com/news/2021/07/27/california-voters-split-newsom-recall-500817
https://www.sfgate.com/gavin-newsom-rec ... 332347.php
It's plausible that we're seeing a more competitive election in the Newsom recall. Likely voters are literally split but registered voters are a different story.

Will really depend on how much Newsom has annoyed Democratic voters.

Not that it really ultimately matters, he'll almost certainly be replaced by another Democrat, a left-leaning Independent at worst.

Only an anti-Trump Republican would have any chance of replacing him...but an anti-Trump Republican would also have no chance because the rabid Trump cultists (aka the majority of the Republican base) would turn on them.

No Democrats with any recognition are running.

[Salandriagado]

How much does a state Supreme Court cost? $250,000

Last fall, it seemed that Apache Corp., the giant Houston oil company, had hit a dead end in a long-running legal battle.

A paralegal named Cathryn Davis claimed the company fired her in 2013 for complaining about age and gender discrimination. A jury agreed, awarding $900,000 to her and her attorneys; an appeals court upheld the judgment. The company asked the Texas Supreme Court to review the case; but on Oct. 2, it declined.

Litigants can ask the state’s highest civil court to reconsider such decisions, but it’s a long shot; nearly 98 percent of the time, it refuses, according to research by the Texas Bar. Nevertheless, Apache notified the Supreme Court it intended to ask for a so-called rehearing. After the company contributed $250,000 in political support to justices seeking re-election, the court changed its mind.

Texas is one of only four states with partisan Supreme Court elections, and Apache’s appeal occurred while two of the nine Republican justices were simultaneously campaigning and making decisions about the company’s case. (In all, four were up for election but two recused themselves from the case because they had worked on Apache v. Davis before it reached the high court.)

Three weeks after the court’s denial of the appeal, Apache donated $250,000 to a newly formed political action committee, Judicial Fairness PAC. The Fortune 600 oil company has given money to political candidates before. But state records show the donation to the PAC dwarfed its previous gifts.

The contribution appears to be just the second Apache has made in a judicial race; the other was for $2,500 and was made nearly a decade ago.Texas law limits how much PACs can contribute to judicial candidates. Yet there is a loophole: Unlike with direct contributions, there is no ceiling on how much money the groups can spend independently on behalf of candidates.

Over the next several days, the Judicial Fairness PAC spent $750,000 on television and radio ads supporting the incumbent Texas Supreme Court justices, records show. Funded heavily by Texans for Lawsuit Reform, which has contributed lavishly in its efforts to rein in large jury awards, among other aims, the PAC spent a total of $4.5 million supporting the four candidates. They were the only races on which the new organization spent money.

Although the Judicial Fairness PAC funded only the Supreme Court races last year, in the future it plans to participate in judicial races at all levels, said Texans for Lawsuit Reform spokeswoman Lucy Nashed. “As long as Texas continues to use an election system to select our judges, it is imperative that voters be well informed about their choices,” she said.

On Nov. 3, each of the incumbent justices won. Two weeks later, Apache filed its motion for rehearing.

This time, the Supreme Court, upon reconsideration, agreed to hear the case. In June, it sided with Apache and against the jury’s findings, concluding that the company was going to fire Davis before she complained about discrimination. The $900,000 jury award was tossed.

The two justices who heard the case while campaigning are Chief Justice Nathan L. Hecht and Justice Jeff Boyd. Hecht declined to comment; Boyd has not responded to a request for comment. “Apache Corporation contributed to the Judicial Fairness PAC to ensure the Texas Supreme Court continued to be composed of fair, experienced and highly qualified judges,” the company said in a statement, adding that “Apache had no control over how money was spent by the PAC.”

Davis’ Houston attorney, Scott Newar, is unconvinced. The money Apache contributed to the justices while they were considering the appeal “creates the appearance that justice is for sale in Texas and undermines the Texas Supreme Court’s appearance of independence, impartiality and neutrality,” he said.

He said he will ask the court to withdraw its opinion in part because of the contributions from Apache and its law firm, Vinson & Elkins, which donated tens of thousands of dollars more to the justices while the Apache case was pending.

Oh look, yet another reason why judges shouldn't be elected.

[Genivaria]

It’s the routers I tell you. ROUTERS!

https://www.cnn.com/2021/07/26/politics ... index.html

My head hurts…….

Y'know, if it weren't for leftist media's complete obsession with Trump, he wouldn't have gotten elected in the first place.

'leftist media'
Yes because corporations aren't inherently anti-leftist.

[The Black Forrest]

https://www.politico.com/news/2021/07/27/california-voters-split-newsom-recall-500817
https://www.sfgate.com/gavin-newsom-rec ... 332347.php
It's plausible that we're seeing a more competitive election in the Newsom recall. Likely voters are literally split but registered voters are a different story.

Understandable. People go annoyed when outsiders tried to control Prop 8.

Newsom isn’t a loved politician. His bone headed moves during covid. San Francisco in general didn’t like him as a mayor. Hell mention his name to an old girl friend and she will go on a rant.

So the conflict. There are outside groups working on the recall effort which annoys people and yet there are people who are annoyed by Newsom.

After the circus called the Davis recall; many people aren’t interested either…..