# I pit the people of the United States of America. **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [December 2, 2017, 12:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-the-people-of-the-united-states-of-america/803285 "2017-12-02T00:40:28Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![asahi](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/asahi/32/8693_2.png) [@asahi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/asahi)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2017, 10:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-the-people-of-the-united-states-of-america/803285/21 "2017-12-02T10:54:55Z")
> [@Spectre\_of\_Pithecanthropus](#): > > He also left out the Jill Stein voters. > > From the left wing strategic point of view, it really shouldn’t have mattered that HRC wasn’t leftist enough, or that she had a private email server, or even that she didn’t seem to have clear proposals for her administration should she have won. Most of what we are now seeing and ranting about would not be happening. There would be no cabinet of oppositionist and incompetent billionaires. We would not have the most regressive tax reform LAW in American history. The SCOTUS seat now occupied by Neil Gorsuch would likely remain vacant, which would have been better for us. We wouldn’t have an AG who is champing at the bit to unleash the attack on state-sanctioned medical and recreational MJ. And if HRC really would have instigated a conflict with Russia, as some claimed, it would have likely been less alarming than what seems possible in with regard to the North Korea situation. Yeah, but what about all of those e-mails?!?!?!?!?!?! ---
**Author:** ![enipla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/54ee81/32.png) [@enipla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/enipla)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2017, 2:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-the-people-of-the-united-states-of-america/803285/22 "2017-12-02T14:08:09Z")
I emailed my congress critters and got some of my family to do so too. I hate the phone as I have hearing problems. But I endorse this pitting. What the hell has happened to us? ---
**Author:** ![Wesley\_Clark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wesley_clark/32/20581_2.png) [@Wesley\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wesley_Clark)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2017, 2:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-the-people-of-the-united-states-of-america/803285/23 "2017-12-02T14:57:58Z")
> [@Gary\_Kumquat](#): > > Really looking forward to China’s tenure as global superpower. No doubt in time they’ll get as complacent as the UK, then the USA did, but I trust we all agree it’s time for a change. Same here. Internationally, that will be Trumps main legacy. He accelerated the process of China becoming the new global superpower. China would’ve become the new global superpower anyway, but under Trump the process is going to happen 5-10 years sooner than it would have otherwise. I hope they are halfway benevolent. I know China is going to do a lot with science, technology, medicine, energy, etc. Hopefully they will help lift Africa out of poverty. But their indifference to western values is troubling. I hope the EU (and to a lesser degree the US) still standing up for western values continues to put pressure on other nations to do the right thing. I predict (could be wrong) that China’s economic growth will drop to western levels when their per capita GDP is about 20k. Which means they’ll have an economy about 25-30 trillion dollars. Big, but the US & EU combined is closer to 35-40 trillion. It’ll be more a multipolar world than a unipolar one. The US, EU & China will be the 3 main superpowers. But yes. America is sinking into dysfunctional white nationalism. We’ve always had white nationalism, but other than the civil war it never caused nationwide dysfunction. Ironically the civil war was a war fought for the interests of a tiny minority of wealthy business interests, but the masses viewed it as a battle over white nationalism. Same as what it happening today. The rank and file GOP voter has white nationalist tendencies, but the GOP party is pushing plutocratic economic interests. Sad. We’ve learned nothing in 150 year.s ---
**Author:** ![asahi](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/asahi/32/8693_2.png) [@asahi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/asahi)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2017, 3:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-the-people-of-the-united-states-of-america/803285/24 "2017-12-02T15:14:44Z")
Pfff…America’s sinking into both oceans for sure, but that doesn’t mean China’s going to take over the entire world, either. They’ve got their own problems. Their environment is one problem; another is that their continued growth (or the mirage of it) depends in no small part on the success of stability of the United States, and our willingness to be a trading partner. Xi Jinping is a corrupt bully, and pretty much all of China’s neighbors sleep with one eye open. I think what’s more likely is that we’re heading into a world with multiple competing powers, like the world from about 1890 to 1945. ---
**Author:** ![drm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/a88e57/32.png) [@drm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/drm)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2017, 3:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-the-people-of-the-united-states-of-america/803285/25 "2017-12-02T15:17:07Z")
Honest question. Is there an honest policy related reason why they vote on the tax bill past midnight? Do they do it because they know it’s unpopular? Is there another reason? ---
**Author:** ![Fuji](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/a9a28c/32.png) [@Fuji](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fuji)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2017, 3:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-the-people-of-the-united-states-of-america/803285/26 "2017-12-02T15:18:03Z")
> [@asahi](#): > > I think what’s more likely is that we’re heading into a world with multiple competing powers, like the world from about 1890 to 1945. Gee, and that worked out so well last time! (Snark not directed at you, but rather the current state of affairs. :() ---
**Author:** ![JKellyMap](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jkellymap/32/15880_2.png) [@JKellyMap](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JKellyMap)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2017, 3:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-the-people-of-the-united-states-of-america/803285/27 "2017-12-02T15:42:25Z")
> [@Chefguy](#): > > I’d be curious to know how many outraged people on this message board made calls to the senators who were fence riders who might vote against this piece of shit tax bill. Anyone? My wife and I called eight senators and left messages asking them to vote ‘no’ and giving reasons why. Anybody else? OP? If you don’t make your voices heard, then just bend over and enjoy the ass-fucking. You bet your sweet petootie I harangued my senator\*, by phone, email, and snail mail (\*the one who was on the fence, Ron Johnson, who alas went to he dark side in the end — quelle surprise). The OP is spot-on. The 30% of Americans who turn out to be drooling, gullible morons are most responsible for this tragedy, but the Bernie-or-bust idiots and I-just-won’t-vote-at-all “independents” are nearly as culpable. ---
**Author:** ![JKellyMap](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jkellymap/32/15880_2.png) [@JKellyMap](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JKellyMap)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2017, 3:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-the-people-of-the-united-states-of-america/803285/28 "2017-12-02T15:46:00Z")
> [@drm](#): > > Honest question. Is there an honest policy related reason why they vote on the tax bill past midnight? > > Do they do it because they know it’s unpopular? Is there another reason? No other reason (honest answer). Even a few of the drooling morons would start to turn against it if, you know, there were time to read the damned thing — let alone, heck, _maybe debate on the Senate floor, just a little_, the most monumental economic policy shift in at least 30 years? ---
**Author:** ![JKellyMap](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jkellymap/32/15880_2.png) [@JKellyMap](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JKellyMap)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2017, 3:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-the-people-of-the-united-states-of-america/803285/29 "2017-12-02T15:49:29Z")
Off-topic…holy mackerel, watchwolf and wolfpup are different Dopers! 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![asahi](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/asahi/32/8693_2.png) [@asahi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/asahi)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2017, 4:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-the-people-of-the-united-states-of-america/803285/30 "2017-12-02T16:24:36Z")
> [@drm](#): > > Honest question. Is there an honest policy related reason why they vote on the tax bill past midnight? > > Do they do it because they know it’s unpopular? Is there another reason? They’ve paid back their mega donors, the bloviating right wing press, their wealthier and politically active constituents, and they might have succeeded in averting a political civil war within their own party. Steven Bannon’s and his rag tag fascist army can still make noise - and they will - but it became a little harder to go after Mitch McConnell and whatever’s left of the Establishment last night. They will have a few years to figure out how to convince just enough voting Americans that cuts to Medicare, Medicaid, Obamacare-related programs, and other public programs aren’t really cuts. My guess is that the GOP and Trump collectively will gut federal bureaucracies so that less information will come out about the effects of these consequences. They’ll use more governmental power to lean on media to censor reporting. And of course, when all else fails, suppress the vote in urban centers. ---
**Author:** ![Jackmannii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jackmannii/32/311_2.png) [@Jackmannii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jackmannii)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2017, 4:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-the-people-of-the-united-states-of-america/803285/31 "2017-12-02T16:25:40Z")
> [@Agent\_Foxtrot](#): > > Environmental protections? [Gone](https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2017/10/05/climate/trump-environment-rules-reversed.html)…Republicans won control of the entire government…The only congressional Democrats currently in the news are sexual predators. On the positive side, demented hyperbole is alive and well. ---
**Author:** ![watchwolf49](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/e9c0ed/32.png) [@watchwolf49](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/watchwolf49)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2017, 5:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-the-people-of-the-united-states-of-america/803285/32 "2017-12-02T17:02:35Z")
> [@Chefguy](#): > > I’d be curious to know how many outraged people on this message board made calls to the senators who were fence riders who might vote against this piece of shit tax bill. Anyone? My wife and I called eight senators and left messages asking them to vote ‘no’ and giving reasons why. Anybody else? OP? If you don’t make your voices heard, then just bend over and enjoy the ass-fucking. Nice … do you honestly think that Merkley and Wyden would vote _for_ this new tax bill? … have those two _ever_ broke ranks with the National Democrat Party? … if either ever did, there’d be enough folks _not_ rioting in the streets to get them recalled an voted out of office in Portland alone … Merkley and Wyden are just the twin evil spokesmen of the Salem/Sacramento axis of EVIL … Doubly double-crossed I say … Portland has TWO congresscritters all to themselves while we have to share just one with them damn freaktoids up in the PRE … Don’t forget to run to your doctor’s office TODAY to ask him if Genotinacia™ is the right choice for you … your doctor has nothing better to do than to remind you that you don’t have leprosy … but for the 25% kickback, here’s a half dozen prescriptions anyway … just to be safe, right? … because bleeding out your asshole is a small price to pay to make sure your doctor doesn’t get sued for malpractice … > [@wolfpup](#): > > OP, you raise valid points, it’s just unfortunate that you undermine them with such broad-brush rhetoric. Perhaps I can clarify my own position by responding to this idiot … [snip] This from someone who doesn’t vote for their Head-of-State … that’s an _inherited_ position in Canada … her _only_ qualification is that her father was your Head-of-State … that’s just sad, so medieval, so backwards … a government that exists solely by permission of the English Parliament … kneel to your rightful overlords, suckers, we stand for our National Anthem because a free people kneels to _nothin’_ … North Carolina alone has won more Stanley Cups than all of Canada put together in the last 25 years … just pathetic … But Canadians are brave, that’s for sure … just look at how scarred up all your maple trees are … takes balls to knife attack a plant, must be hell chasing them down, eh? …have a sap-slurping good time for me will ya … North Dakota winters are catastrophically mild for Canada … I guess I’d think that too if I had to politely wait two weeks at every 4-way stop sign panicking that someone within a hundred miles has a gun … You young puppies don’t remember starvation in West Virginia and Kentucky … colored folk getting lynch in Alabama and Georgia … you’ve never heard of Jeffrey Miller, Allison Krause, William Schroeder, or Sandra Scheuer … better an inept Federal Government than one that usurps our liberties … you young-uns just don’t know how good you have it today, bunch of entitled snowflakes … you’re poor because you’re stupid is all … the stupid have always been poor in this country … your scared gods of liberalism are ripping you off blind … the rich have been kicking the middle class in thew nuts for over 400 years and the best the middle class can come up with is “Thank you, sir, may I please have another” generation after generation … just sad … _And you can be the first ones on your block To have your boy come home in a box._ We ran out of boxes and had to start using bags … was that really better than today? … ---
**Author:** ![Captain\_Amazing](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/6de8d8/32.png) [@Captain\_Amazing](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Captain_Amazing)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2017, 5:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-the-people-of-the-united-states-of-america/803285/33 "2017-12-02T17:07:35Z")
> [@D\_Anconia](#): > > Right. So what are Chefguy and Czarcasm going on about? They had contacted senators not their own who seemed to be “on the fence” about the situation to complain about the tax bill in the hope that their comments might influence their vote, because people like to feel that they have a positive influence, and its hard to accept in the modern United States, it’s next to impossible for an individual citizen to really influence government policy. ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2017, 5:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-the-people-of-the-united-states-of-america/803285/34 "2017-12-02T17:11:07Z")
> [@watchwolf49](#): > > … have those two _ever_ broke ranks with the National Democrat Party? … What is this “National Democrat Party” you speak of? I can’t seem to find any links to the group via the interwebs-Perhaps your spellcheck failed? ---
**Author:** ![Sunny\_Daze](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sunny_daze/32/438_2.png) [@Sunny\_Daze](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sunny_Daze)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2017, 5:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-the-people-of-the-united-states-of-america/803285/35 "2017-12-02T17:13:23Z")
> [@watchwolf49](#): > > Don’t forget to run to your doctor’s office TODAY to ask him if Genotinacia™ is the right choice for you … your doctor has nothing better to do than to remind you that you don’t have leprosy … but for the 25% kickback, here’s a half dozen prescriptions anyway … just to be safe, right? … because bleeding out your asshole is a small price to pay to make sure your doctor doesn’t get sued for malpractice … I snipped almost all of this, but what the ever-loving-fuck are you talking about? > [@JKellyMap](#): > > Off-topic…holy mackerel, watchwolf and wolfpup are different Dopers! 🙂 Good lord, yes they are. Ellipses, Ellipses, everywhere. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2017, 5:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-the-people-of-the-united-states-of-america/803285/36 "2017-12-02T17:17:47Z")
> [@drm](#): > > Honest question. Is there an honest policy related reason why they vote on the tax bill past midnight? > > Do they do it because they know it’s unpopular? Is there another reason? They submitted the final version of the bill only a few hours before the vote was scheduled. That kept opponents from having enough time to read it and raise issues over its flaws. [The final tax bill Democrats got from Republicans is covered in handwritten notes — and senators are complaining it’s unreadable](https://www.aol.com/article/news/2017/12/01/the-final-tax-bill-democrats-got-from-republicans-is-covered-in-handwritten-notes-and-senators-are-complaining-its-unreadable/23294815/) ---
**Author:** ![drm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/a88e57/32.png) [@drm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/drm)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2017, 5:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-the-people-of-the-united-states-of-america/803285/37 "2017-12-02T17:49:11Z")
> [@Little\_Nemo](#): > > They submitted the final version of the bill only a few hours before the vote was scheduled. That kept opponents from having enough time to read it and raise issues over its flaws. > > [The final tax bill Democrats got from Republicans is covered in handwritten notes — and senators are complaining it’s unreadable](https://www.aol.com/article/news/2017/12/01/the-final-tax-bill-democrats-got-from-republicans-is-covered-in-handwritten-notes-and-senators-are-complaining-its-unreadable/23294815/) Ah, great. Thanks! I’m not really sure where to start, to be honest. I try to give people the benefit of the doubt in these things, it’s getting tough. ---
**Author:** ![Gatopescado](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gatopescado/32/5711_2.png) [@Gatopescado](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gatopescado)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2017, 5:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-the-people-of-the-united-states-of-america/803285/38 "2017-12-02T17:50:49Z")
Post #32 is like some kind of bad acid trip. ---
**Author:** ![asahi](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/asahi/32/8693_2.png) [@asahi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/asahi)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2017, 5:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-the-people-of-the-united-states-of-america/803285/39 "2017-12-02T17:59:03Z")
> [@Gatopescado](#): > > Post #32 is like some kind of bad acid trip. Okay, so it’s not just me then. ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2017, 6:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-the-people-of-the-united-states-of-america/803285/40 "2017-12-02T18:14:56Z")
> [@watchwolf49](#): > > Nice … do you honestly think that Merkley and Wyden would vote _for_ this new tax bill? … have those two _ever_ broke ranks with the National Democrat Party? … if either ever did, there’d be enough folks _not_ rioting in the streets to get them recalled an voted out of office in Portland alone … Merkley and Wyden are just the twin evil spokesmen of the Salem/Sacramento axis of EVIL … > > Doubly double-crossed I say … > > Portland has TWO congresscritters all to themselves while we have to share just one with them damn freaktoids up in the PRE … > > … Of course not, which is why we didn’t call them. We called Corker, Murkowski, Collins, McCain, Johnson, and others. As for non-constituents contacting congress types: They don’t screen phone calls, and there is no requirement to state who you are or where you live unless you want an actual reply. If you use the contact form online, you do have to give your name, address, phone number, and if you’re not a constituent, it will be discarded. For those who think it does no good: how much good does it do to do NOTHING? This is what you’ve been conditioned to think, because an inactive and ignorant population is easily manipulated. So go ahead and sit on your hands, do nothing and bitch about what’s happening in Washington. Just don’t expect anything to change. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-the-people-of-the-united-states-of-america/803285.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-the-people-of-the-united-states-of-america/803285.md?page=3)