# Stupid Republican idea of the day **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [March 26, 2009, 6:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897 "2009-03-26T18:48:35Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1078
**Author:** ![ElvisL1ves](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/5daacb/32.png) [@ElvisL1ves](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ElvisL1ves)\ **Post date:** [May 12, 2015, 7:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897/21542 "2015-05-12T19:04:01Z")
In fairness, when Wyoming has to start worrying about sea level, we’re all pretty much beyond screwed already. ---
**Author:** ![jsc1953](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/5daacb/32.png) [@jsc1953](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jsc1953)\ **Post date:** [May 12, 2015, 7:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897/21543 "2015-05-12T19:32:57Z")
> [@Mollie\_Magill](#): > > I see Wyoming is taking a page out of North Carolina’s book. NC solved global warming by forbidding coastal engineers from taking rising sea levels into account when approving building permits on the beach. I can’t be the first one to think of King Canute holding back the tide, can I? ---
**Author:** ![Folacin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/folacin/32/3195_2.png) [@Folacin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Folacin)\ **Post date:** [May 12, 2015, 8:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897/21544 "2015-05-12T20:07:21Z")
> [@jsc1953](#): > > I can’t be the first one to think of King Canute holding back the tide, can I? Yeah, but Canute at least admitted that the tide was coming in . . . and attempted to do something about it. ---
**Author:** ![Kobal2](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kobal2/32/20_2.png) [@Kobal2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kobal2)\ **Post date:** [May 12, 2015, 8:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897/21545 "2015-05-12T20:12:48Z")
Actually, the much maligned Canute was trying to [ridicule his sycophants](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/King_Canute_and_the_waves) in that story - they were all “order us to do anything, king, and we’ll do it for you ! You can do anything, you’re so powerful !”, and he was like “oh, am I ? OK, I order the tides out of my kingdom. Go on, get your swords out guys, fight the sea for me. You said you would, right ?” (it’s probably apocryphal, either way) ---
**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Post date:** [May 12, 2015, 8:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897/21546 "2015-05-12T20:39:43Z")
> [@Folacin](#): > > Wyoming [criminalizes citizen science](http://www.slate.com/articles/health_and_science/science/2015/05/wyoming_law_against_data_collection_protecting_ranchers_by_ignoring_the.html): Why do they even bother passing laws that they must **know** will never survive the first court challenge?! ---
**Author:** ![running\_coach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/running_coach/32/15836_2.png) [@running\_coach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/running_coach)\ **Post date:** [May 12, 2015, 8:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897/21547 "2015-05-12T20:42:43Z")
> [@BrainGlutton](#): > > Why do they even bother passing laws that they must **know** will never survive the first court challenge?! So they can play to their supporters _and_ complain about activist judges. ---
**Author:** ![Kobal2](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kobal2/32/20_2.png) [@Kobal2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kobal2)\ **Post date:** [May 12, 2015, 8:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897/21548 "2015-05-12T20:43:16Z")
> [@BrainGlutton](#): > > Why do they even bother passing laws that they must **know** will never survive the first court challenge?! Feature, not bug. Gumming up the works of both government and justice is proof that government and justice don’t work and must be axed down. ETA : also, yeah, persecution narrative. They _want_ to do the right thing, but that oppressive Obama judicial system keepin’ 'em down ! ---
**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Post date:** [May 12, 2015, 8:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897/21549 "2015-05-12T20:44:05Z")
> [@eschereal](#): > > A fair bit of Wyoming is land used for recreation, like hiking and stuff, they would rather the hikers not find out that they literally are up shit crick. 😕 **All** open water, fresh and salt, is full of fish shit and bug shit and bird shit. Where there is life, there is shit. ---
**Author:** ![purplehorseshoe](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/purplehorseshoe/32/2996_2.png) [@purplehorseshoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/purplehorseshoe)\ **Post date:** [May 12, 2015, 8:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897/21550 "2015-05-12T20:48:18Z")
What would be the contamination source? Mining? Cattle ranching? ---
**Author:** ![Kobal2](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kobal2/32/20_2.png) [@Kobal2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kobal2)\ **Post date:** [May 12, 2015, 8:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897/21551 "2015-05-12T20:48:24Z")
> [@BrainGlutton](#): > > 😕 **All** open water, fresh and salt, is full of fish shit and bug shit and bird shit. Where there is life, there is shit. Or, as [an oldie popular French song](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dUK_sHwSX3I) goes : ignore those who say “be careful, the sea is disgusting : fishes fuck in it” ---
**Author:** ![Mollie\_Magill](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mollie_magill/32/20882_2.png) [@Mollie\_Magill](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mollie_Magill)\ **Post date:** [May 12, 2015, 9:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897/21552 "2015-05-12T21:22:03Z")
“The ocean’s nothing but a fish toilet. Look out!” - The Surf Punks ---
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [May 12, 2015, 9:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897/21553 "2015-05-12T21:43:28Z")
> [@purplehorseshoe](#): > > What would be the contamination source? Mining? Cattle ranching? Ranching. Cattle poop, to be specific. ---
**Author:** ![BigAppleBucky](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bigapplebucky/32/178_2.png) [@BigAppleBucky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigAppleBucky)\ **Post date:** [May 13, 2015, 12:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897/21554 "2015-05-13T00:24:45Z")
> [@jsc1953](#): > > I can’t be the first one to think of King Canute holding back the tide, can I? [Not by a long shot.](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showpost.php?p=15162134&postcount=5666) Beat you by almost three years. And have repeated myself a couple of other times in this thread. ---
**Author:** ![elucidator](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/8edcca/32.png) [@elucidator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elucidator)\ **Post date:** [May 13, 2015, 12:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897/21555 "2015-05-13T00:36:22Z")
I was thinking more like Ethelred the Unready. Might be the only one. Hope not, but maybe. ---
**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Post date:** [May 13, 2015, 1:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897/21556 "2015-05-13T01:13:11Z")
> [@elucidator](#): > > I was thinking more like Ethelred the Unready. Might be the only one. Hope not, but maybe. Appropriate, actually. [The “Unready” in his name actually means “ill-advised.”](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/%C3%86thelred_the_Unready) ---
**Author:** ![Rick\_Kitchen](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rick_kitchen/32/522_2.png) [@Rick\_Kitchen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rick_Kitchen)\ **Post date:** [May 13, 2015, 4:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897/21557 "2015-05-13T04:08:13Z")
[Donald Trump couldn’t resist taking advantage of the train crash tonight to tout his qualifications to be Presiden](http://www.motherjones.com/contributor/2015/05/i-need-to-stop-letting-this-idiot-get-to-me)t. Or Transportation Secretary. Or something. ---
**Author:** ![davidm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/davidm/32/225_2.png) [@davidm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/davidm)\ **Post date:** [May 13, 2015, 4:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897/21558 "2015-05-13T04:32:50Z")
> [@eschereal](#): > > A fair bit of Wyoming is land used for recreation, like hiking and stuff, they would rather the hikers not find out that they literally are up shit crick. > … Actually that’s not what it’s about. The E. coli problem comes from cattle ranches, and the ranchers, who are politically powerful, don’t want more regulations. Obviously this law won’t stand up to the first challenge. The war on science has reached the stage of trying to outlaw the discussion of science. That will fail when it hits the courts, obviously, but the more insidious thing is the attempt to defund certain kinds of research, such as cutting money from NASA earth science programs. [http://www.npr.org/sections/13.7/2015/05/12/406106296/climate-denialists-in-congress-acting-as-nasas-kryptonite?utm\_source=facebook.com&utm\_medium=social&utm\_campaign=npr&utm\_term=nprnews&utm\_content=20150512](http://www.npr.org/sections/13.7/2015/05/12/406106296/climate-denialists-in-congress-acting-as-nasas-kryptonite?utm_source=facebook.com&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=npr&utm_term=nprnews&utm_content=20150512) ---
**Author:** ![elucidator](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/8edcca/32.png) [@elucidator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elucidator)\ **Post date:** [May 13, 2015, 4:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897/21559 "2015-05-13T04:53:18Z")
What they don’t know won’t hurt them. Yet. ---
**Author:** ![Dag\_Otto](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/439d5e/32.png) [@Dag\_Otto](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dag_Otto)\ **Post date:** [May 13, 2015, 6:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897/21560 "2015-05-13T06:10:45Z")
So I found this on a raging liberal website: [Conservative spurns Obamacare and insurance — but blames Obama now that he’s going broke and blind](http://www.rawstory.com/2015/05/conservative-spurns-obamacare-and-insurance-but-blames-obama-now-that-hes-going-broke-and-blind/). Obviously, that site can’t be trusted to tell the story without bias. So I looked for a more balanced source: [Who should save sight of SC man who can’t afford surgery?](http://www.charlotteobserver.com/news/business/health-care/health-care-challenge-blog/article20696283.html) Um, Ok. Let’s just see what the gentleman has to say for himself on his [fundraising site](http://www.gofundme.com/s78e9w). Gee, even he admits that he had 1-1/2 years to maybe get a clue that insurance might be a good idea. Certainly he should have been able to buy coverage in one of the ACA enrollment periods. Ok, it’s a train wreck and the schadenfreude only provides a brief, transient giddiness followed by a bit of shame for laughing. I hope the guy gets the help he needs, even as I post his story in one of the Stupid threads here (is this the right one?). But what I really find astounding about this is that the comments on his fundraising page are the antithesis of about 99.99% of the usual comments you find on the internet. Liberal Douchebaggery comments to be sure, but at least coherent and a refreshing change from teabagger ranting. My favorite so far: "I gave all my money to pizza girl in Indiana. " ---
**Author:** ![Dag\_Otto](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/439d5e/32.png) [@Dag\_Otto](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dag_Otto)\ **Post date:** [May 13, 2015, 6:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897/21561 "2015-05-13T06:18:37Z")
Eh, the more balance source is actually the source for the Raw Story page. Sue me. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897.md?page=1077) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897.md?page=1079)