Big Picture American Politics

[Buck_Mulligan]

While I agree that AOC is evolving from the far left of US politics, her identity was forged on the far left, and she'll have work to do to distance herself from that. Just as you wouldn't expect a member of the House Freedom Caucus to make it to the White House, so too will it be a heavy lift for AOC. People, it's a 49/51 country.

[Weekender]

I don't think AOC is a good pick, but give it 10 years and who knows.

I'm not even sure if the rules of too left/too right apply anymore.

[QuantumSync]

[QuantumSync]

Ryan McBeth
Jan 27, 2025

It is estimated that between 11 and 13 million illegal immigrants are in the USA. What would it cost to actually deport every single one?

According to the Immigration and Customs Enforcement numbers, along with the American Immigration council, a fugitive arrests costs roughly $6,736.87 per arrest.

Once the subject is detained, housing them costs $236.52 for a single person and $481.79 for a family.

Trial costs $1,719.57.

Deportation costs $1,479.29.

If the US were to detain, process, trial and deport or release every single illegal immigrant, it would most likely take at least 3 days.

Day 1: Capture, detention and processing.

Day 2: Trial

Day 3: Deportation or release.

This would cost the US Taxpayer $114,627,139,970.

If the process takes as long as 30 days, the cost would go up to $185,039,617,010.

If the process takes as long as a year, the cost would go up to $1,058,675,906,210.

Note that a one year wait is on the extreme end. The process might likely take between 3 and 30 days. But outliers could take longer.

[Psy-Fi]

That sounds like a priority job for Elon and the DOGE crew...

[Psy-Fi]

Federal appeals court strikes down ban on handgun sales to teens

A federal appeals court on Thursday struck down a longstanding federal ban that prevented the sale of handguns to Americans between the ages of 18 and 20 — a landmark gun control regulation in place since 1968.

[DJChameleon]

That sounds like a priority job for Elon and the DOGE crew...

Now that Vivek isn't a part of it. Elon doesn't care that much about things like that. He only cares about things related to tech and regulations that have hampered his company.

[QuantumSync]

Task & Purpose
Jan 31, 2025

On January 20th 2025 The United States government officially designated Mexican drug cartels as foreign terrorist organizations which now opens up the door for the possibility of missions exactly like this to occur. What historical examples can we examine to better understand how this situation might unfold? What would military action against the cartels look like at a tactical level?

[QuantumSync]

Ryan McBeth
Feb 3, 2025

Lieutenant Colonel Tulsi Gabbard is a truly American story.

She's of Samoan and European ancestry. She's a Hindu. She served as a state representative, a city councilwoman and a Representative for Hawaii. She was also an Army medic who went to officer training, eventually running a Military Police platoon and later a Civil Affairs battalion.

In 2020 she ran for president of the United States.

But in her rush to popularity, the very mechanisms that gave her popular appeal also raise serious questions about her judgement, especially for a position as vital as Director of National Intelligence who will brief the president every day.

Some of these positions are:
Her video on biological laboratories in Ukraine.
Her tweet blaming the US and NATO for Russia's invasion of Ukraine.
Her appearance on the Joe Rogan Podcast where she repeated Russian propaganda regarding $700 payments to victims of the Maui wildfires.
Her appearance on Charlie Kirk where she called Ukraine a "Proxy War of regime change."

Note that it is understandable that being a good podcast guest requires a level of outrageousness. However, one should be wary when the performance aids our adversaries.

Note that during the confirmation process, the Wall Street Journal released an article (may be paywalled) titled "As a Rising Political Star, Gabbard Paid to Mask Her Sect's Ties to Alleged Scheme." This detailed LTC Gabbard's efforts to distance herself from a pyramid scheme connected to her Hindu sect. Article 6 of the US Constitution specifically forbids any kind of religious test for public office.

Much of the testimony revolved around Edward Snowden, who was mentioned 62 times. Edward Snowden was a government IT contractor who stole state secrets, eventually releasing those secrets to the press and fleeting to Russia. You can read his account of the story in his autobiography "Permanent Record."

[Psy-Fi]

The Hill - Dems Disarray!

[Buck_Mulligan]

^^^ The David Hogg mentioned above was a student at the Marjorie Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland Florida at the time of the shooting in 2018.