Paul Bijhouwer

Husband, father, brother, friend, Civil Engineer, occasional guitar player. Living in the world, hoping I am helping to make it better for all. 🇺🇦

[Paul Bijhouwer @Mr_Beekeeper]

All of this. Please read.

[Machine Pun Kelly 🇺🇦 @KellyScaletta]

The last few weeks I've been intermittently oscillating between anger, sorrow, and worry over the pending election.

And most of that isn't even over the MAGAs. They're going to do what they're going to do. And their minds can't be changed.

What bothers me is people suggesting they're not going to vote for Biden, even though they know that Trump is a terrible person, President, alternative, and human being. The people who detest him as much as I do are willing to let him take office "because the Dems should have chosen someone better" or some such nonsense.

It is the most "cut off the nose to spite the face" thing in all of human history.

But if you say that, you're the bad guy. How DARE you LECTURE us?!?!

So I'm not lecturing you. I'm just telling you some things.

When Biden had a Congress he could work with, they passed

The Inflation Reduction Act: The single largest investment in climate and energy in American history,

American Rescue Plan Act: Lowered health insurance premiums and provide 100% federal COBRA subsidy. Allowed 1 million Americans to gain coverage.

Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act: Invests $1 trillion to fix our nation's infrastructure while creating over 2 million jobs over the next decade

Postal Service Reform Act: Contains financial reforms intended to improve the Postal Service's financial sustainability, and operational reforms intended to increase efficiency, accountability, and transparency.

Bipartisan Safer Communities Act: Makes changes to gun control, mental health, and school safety. The law includes over $13 billion in federal funding for programs to improve public safety. The most significant gun-control legislation in 30 years.

CHIPS and Science Act: Provides $50 billion to revitalize the U.S. semiconductor industry and strengthen the country's economic and national security

Honoring Our PACT Act: Expands VA health care and benefits for veterans who have been exposed to toxic substances like burn pits and Agent Orange

Electoral Count Reform and Presidential Transition Improvement Act: Reforms and modernizes the outdated 1887 Electoral Count Act to ensure that electoral votes tallied by Congress accurately reflect each state's public vote for President.

Respect for Marriage Act: RFMA officially repealed The Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) and requires the federal government to recognize same-sex and interracial marriages, codifying parts of Obergefell, the 2013 ruling in United States v. Windsor, and the 1967 ruling in Loving v. Virginia.

Under Joe Biden's leadership the US has led the world economically in recovering from Covid.

Unemployment has been below 4% for the last 27 months, the lowest in over 50 years, and the longest since we've had primarily two-income households.

Underemployment (those who are settling for lesser jobs) is at 7%, the lowest number recorded since they've started tracking it in 1990.

And yes, international inflation has impacted the US (just as it has impacted every country in the world,) but among advanced nations, it currently has the 2nd lowest core inflation.

Wage growth is up to, even more than inflation. As of February, the average worker was making 6% more than they were pre-pandemic after adjusting for inflation.

Overall, personal income increased $122.0 billion (0.5 percent at a monthly rate) in March.

Disposable personal income (DPI)—personal income less personal current taxes—increased $104.0 billion (0.5 percent).

Personal saving was $671.0 billion and the personal saving rate—personal saving as a percentage of disposable personal income—was 3.2 percent in March.

And for once, the most income growth is going to the poorest Americans. Here is the wage growth since pre-pandemic levels.

Low-wage (10th percentile): 12.1%
Lower-middle-wage (avg 20th–40th): 5.0%
Middle-wage (avg 40th–60th): 3.0%
Upper-middle-wage (avg 60th–80th): 2.0%
High-wage (90th percentile): 0.9%

Nationally, the GDP has grown from 20.93 trillion to 27.36 trillion in 2023. That's an increase of over 30% since Biden took office.

And, for whatever it's worth, the Dow is up over 25% under Biden.

So please, stop telling me Biden is terrible for the economy.

And while we're at it, show some consistency. If you're going to blame Biden for all the inflation, give him all the credit for jobs recovered. If you're going to give Trump a pass for the jobs lost because of Covid, give Biden a pass for inflation caused because of Covid.

And while we're at it, the jobs that were lost during Covid (mostly the hospitality jobs) are the last ones coming back. But that's another axe to grind.

He has also repaired NATO to defend Ukraine, and helped add Finland and Sweden.

And for all the talk about the "wars" under Biden, America isn't at war--as we were under Trump. And no, America is not fighting "proxy wars." A proxy war is instigated by the major power.

Ukraine did not invade Russia. Russia invaded Ukraine. Hamaas attacked Israel.

Those aren't proxy wars. You may agree or disagree with funding them, but they aren't proxy wars, so stop calling them proxy wars.

But I digress.

The point is shit happens elsewhere in the world. There were 151 different wars and conflicts while Trump was President, but we didn't blame him for them. There sure wasn't "world peace."

In fact, more people globally, and more US servicemen died in conflicts under Trump than under Biden.

And Trump ordered nearly 20,000 drone strikes in just 4 years. Biden has ordered fewer than 500. So no, Trump is not the dove people say he is.

So yes, Biden has accomplished a lot. And we'll get to Gaza, but first let's talk about not what Trump "did" but what he promises to do.

These aren't darkly hidden campaign conspiracy theories. These are campaign promises available in interviews and published on the Interwebs.

Trump wants to replace over 10,000 federal employees with ideologically motivated "applicants." There is LITERALLY an application online with Project 2025. That's not some rumor.

He wants to SELL climate policy to the Oil Industry for $1 billion in campaign contributions. How's that going to work for climate change?

He wants to "round up" over 10 million undocumented workers and put them in internment camps. Again, campaign promise he made in an interview. Not something I'm making up.

He is happy to let red states force women to register their pregnancies.

What about trans rights? Gay rights? Do you think those are safe? What if Mike Johnson is still Speaker and Ted Cruz is the Senate Majority Leader? Those are very real possibilities if Trump wins.

Do you think a MAGA Senate is going to keep the filibuster in place? Do you doubt for a second that Thomas and Alito wouldn't resign so that Trump could appoint two more conservatives? How do you feel about a Trump-majority court?

Now on Gaza. Do you really believe that Joe Biden wants to "genocide" Palestinians? You can argue he hasn't done enough to hinder Israel's attacks, and I won't begrudge you that. But do you really believe Trump wouldn't be infinitely worse?

And I really do feel that people need to recognize that Biden is in a precarious position here. If he is too hard on Israel, he loses the election. If he's not hard enough on Israel, he loses the election. Either way Bibi (not Israel) wins.

You've already got Republicans trying to conflate him threatening to withhold support with Trump and Ukraine (which they were apparently OK with, but whatever).

Trump has promised (again, a promise) to "spill a gallon of blood for every drop they (the Palestinians) spill.

Then there's RFK Jr. The man who can't even host a dinner party for a brain worm. What does he offer? You say you don't want to vote for the lesser of two evils?

How is he less evil than Joe Biden? Honestly.

If you're going to vote FOR him, then please elaborate on why. I don't even know what his platform is beyond his last name and his pro-Polio stance.

My point is:

1. Joe Biden has actually been a pretty damned good President if you actually look at it.

2. Donald Trump will literally ruin 10s of millions of lives.

So if you're going to pretend that it's all the same, then fine. Go ahead. Watch the country burn to the ground so you can be pompous about it.

But don't bitch about it and blame the Democrats for running an incumbent President with the most successful first-term record in 50 years.

I fact-checked all the data in this post as I wrote it. But if you see an actual error, feel free to point it out and I will include it. But only if it's actually an error.

[Paul Bijhouwer @Mr_Beekeeper]

@OnlyFans @_getallmylinks
Your users are spamming BlueSky with robots. See attached screenshots. Please cancel the accounts of the users responsible for this spamming. I presume it violates your TOS. Also please establish accounts on BlueSky so you can be contacted there. Thanks

[Paul Bijhouwer @Mr_Beekeeper]

@FedExHelp my package seems to be stalled at your facility in Buffalo, where it arrived on the 11th. Amazon is showing delivery on the 19th. Do you have an 8 day delivery backlog in Buffalo?

[Paul Bijhouwer @Mr_Beekeeper]

Wordle 1,265 4/6

⬛⬛⬛⬛🟨
⬛🟨⬛⬛🟨
🟩🟩⬛🟩⬛
🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩

[Paul Bijhouwer @Mr_Beekeeper]

If you are still on this platform after the owner has made perfectly clear who he is and what he intends to do, I can only assume it is because you either support him or are not aware that there is a viable alternative. Join the X-odus to the butterfly app. I’m done here. Bye!

[Paul Bijhouwer @Mr_Beekeeper]

@vurnt22 are going to join us in the better place? I’m not on here much any more, and miss you!

[Paul Bijhouwer @Mr_Beekeeper]

@MattZeitlin SUNY Buffalo

[Paul Bijhouwer @Mr_Beekeeper]

@roywoodjr Started with 4 of course. ACTUAL chronological, not story line chronological.

[Paul Bijhouwer @Mr_Beekeeper]

@GenTXer2 Elvis Costello - This Year’s Model

[Paul Bijhouwer @Mr_Beekeeper]

Wordle 1,247 3/6

⬛🟩🟨⬛⬛
⬛⬛⬛🟩⬛
🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩

[Paul Bijhouwer @Mr_Beekeeper]

@brianstrx @DylanBurns1776 Citation please.

[Paul Bijhouwer @Mr_Beekeeper]

Great post, and I’m loving both the humor and seriousness in the replies!

[🍂 @Lovandfear]

What is life?
• Dostoevsky: It’s hell.
• Socrates: It’s a test.
• Aristotle: It’s the mind.
• Nietzsche: It’s power.
• Freud: It’s death.
• Marx: It’s the idea.
• Picasso: It’s art.
• Gandhi: It’s love.
• Schopenhauer: It’s suffering.
• Bertrand Russell: It’s competition.
• Steve Jobs: It’s faith.
• Einstein: It’s knowledge.
• Stephen Hawking: It’s hope.
• Kafka: It’s just the beginning.

Each one must therefore give life a meaning according to how you one perceive.

[Paul Bijhouwer @Mr_Beekeeper]

@Lovandfear @trivialtony It’s work, so find work you love.

[Paul Bijhouwer @Mr_Beekeeper]

@ByDavidMurphy @trivialtony Didn’t look like an ass-whipping to me. He clearly lost, but he also defended himself reasonably effectively. Do you begrudge Tyson another payday? Capitalism + Sports is what it is. You don’t have to like it. Clearly some people did.

[Paul Bijhouwer @Mr_Beekeeper]

@Pontifex Respectfully, I feel I must ask why the parishioners of the church are saddled with the costs of the sexual abuse scandal that was perpetrated by clergy and church hierarchy? Have the Vatican or the Dioceses sold even a single painting to defray the costs?

[Paul Bijhouwer @Mr_Beekeeper]

@VTDeservesMore @vurnt22 Checked your TL, and I see you have lots of other shitty takes too.

[Paul Bijhouwer @Mr_Beekeeper]

@VTDeservesMore @jderekambrose @vurnt22 Try “and” instead of “but.” Does not diminish his stature at all.

[Paul Bijhouwer @Mr_Beekeeper]

@VTDeservesMore @El__Bohemio @vurnt22 Do you prefer Dizz to Miles?

[Paul Bijhouwer @Mr_Beekeeper]

@trivialtony @vurnt22 Miles can’t play as fast as Dizzy, but I like his choice of notes better. Playing with feeling is the key.

[TaritaC.bsky.social @TaritaC]

@joshtpm @MrWinMarshall @FoxNews This dude is writing fevered fantasies. Republicans literally banned books, but Democrats are the party of censorship? Trump, Musk, and Vance are Ivy leaguers, rich as hell, 2 born with silver spoons in their mouths, yet the HBCU and state college grads were "elite"? GMAFB.

[Paul Bijhouwer @Mr_Beekeeper]

@MrWinMarshall @FoxNews Bullshit on a fake news network sounds about right for you.