Wild how the Epstein files led to absolutely nothing. A massive, state-connected child trafficking ring turned into a few weeks of political theater until people's eagerness to do something evaporated. A consequence of US politics revolving around two parties who are complicit.
.@JamesTalarico on Texas officially banning THC:
“This bill is insane.
Texans aren’t going to stop smoking weed and eating edibles because politicians in Austin say so. Texans will still use THC — but instead of getting it safely from a local small business, they’ll go back to getting it from the black market. From the drug cartels.
This ban is a gift to the cartels.
We are now telling full-grown adults how to live their lives. This is the nanny state at its worst; this is big government at its worst.
Instead of fully funding our schools, guaranteeing healthcare, or making childcare more affordable — this Legislature is focused on banning a product that gives people a little peace.
We’re making people’s lives harder, not easier.
I want to leave you with a quote: ‘It is time to end needless arrests and incarcerations of adults for small amounts of marijuana for personal use.’ That wasn’t a Democrat. That was President Donald Trump.
To my Republican colleagues, I’m asking you to oppose the cartels, stand with President Trump, and vote no on this insane bill.”
I DO NOT think people fully understand how much 1 billion is. If your salary was $100k with no tax, it would take you 10 years to become a millionaire, but 10,000 years to reach a billion. It is unethical for one person to be hoarding this much wealth while others cannot eat.
This might sound pessimistic, but I’ve always wondered why NO billionaire has single-handedly funded the halting or reversal of climate change purely for the narcissistic thrill of being able to say they literally saved humanity.
I can’t wrap my head around an economy where nursing homes cost enough to bankrupt families, yet the aides caring for our grandparents still rely on food banks. Or where daycare can consume an entire parent’s paycheck, while the people providing that care still can’t earn a living wage and need a second job. Something about that math just doesn’t add up.
What really fucking boils my piss is that we had the opportunity to change the world after Covid. The pandemic produced a fascinating real-world experiment. It demonstrated that human activity can alter emissions and local environmental conditions extraordinarily quickly