[Azath Vitr (D'ivers]

HoosierDaddy, on 30 August 2024 - 05:51 PM, said:

What I meant was just because the option is in front of you doesn't mean you do it. It's part of the software that all these places just plug and play.

Quote

I used to go to a bakery once a week where we pick up a tray, tongs, and then the pastries/bread. Bring the tray to the counter and the cashier put them in a box. before Covid, no tips expected. After Covid, they added the tips screen.

When they did, I simply stopped going there. Fast forward 2 years, [...] they have removed the tips screen, placed a tips box next to the cashier.

https://www.reddit.c...nt=share_button

So, at least in that case, it can't be blamed on the default software. And if no one had been tipping, they wouldn't be bothering with the tip box.

Also, there are numerous accounts of the employees turning the screen around for the customers to enter the tip. (While gazing at you expectantly, ready to turn it around to see how much you value their service?) Granted, IDK if you also have to sign the screen or something, or whether you're actually forced to select a value, but if they didn't expect anyone to tip---and didn't want to annoy people by making them feel pressured to tip---they could have just entered 0 themselves before burdening you with it.

If this legislation passes, be prepared to get asked for tips in even more situations... and to actually be pressured into doing it, because the economic incentive will be much greater to shift from flat wages or fees to tips. Tip the receptionist (for their body language?) if you ever want to get out of the waiting area.... (Besides, as automation does more and more, many jobs will come to be more about putting a personable and human face on it. Though AI already seems to be beating people at being personable... so many people might well prefer holograms, or robots, who could recognize you and load your body language and socialization preferences in advance.)

I'm imagining a tour group of foreigners having US prices explained to them... first you have to add X % tax to whatever the list price is, then you have to decide on Y % to tip---or else they might shoot you (well, of course, they might do that anyway...).

This post has been edited by Azath Vitr (D'ivers: 01 September 2024 - 12:16 PM

[Azath Vitr (D'ivers]

If you think I'm just indulging in unhinged slippery slope arguments for the sake of (tragi)comedy... lo and behold, here's today's New York Times, citing multiple experts:

Quote

It may soon get worse. Both major-party presidential candidates have embraced proposals to eliminate income taxes on tips, a move that would, in effect, subsidize tipping and prompt more businesses to rely on it.

Economists across the political spectrum have panned the tax idea [...]

[...] Tip screens have shown up at movie theater concession counters, airport newsstands and doctors' offices.

Spoiler

[...] for many of the businesses that added tip screens, the decision came down to a simple economic calculation: They needed to pay workers more to retain them, but couldn't afford to do so without raising prices. [...]

"Asking for a tip is a way of raising prices on the people who are willing or able to pay," [...] said Michael Lynn, a professor at Cornell University who has studied tipping. [...]

If tips aren't taxed, workers should, in theory, be more willing to sacrifice wages for tips. Over time, that could lead more businesses to adopt tipping for more workers, said Ernie Tedeschi, a research scholar at Yale Law School who was, until this spring, a White House economic adviser. [...] for workers, he said, "they're going to make a little bit less in wages."

Has the Spread of Tipping Reached Its Limit? Don't Count on It. - The New York Times (nytimes.com)

OTOH low income workers wouldn't benefit from elimination of the federal income tax because they already don't pay any federal income tax. But Trump also wants to eliminate the payroll tax on tips, which would give low income workers more money but at the expense of social programs and their future social security benefits. However, Trump seems to have a very robust plan for replacing social security: let climate change and future pandemics take care of the poor (and all the enemies of the Prophet Trump, in his immortal virtual form...).

This post has been edited by Azath Vitr (D'ivers: 01 September 2024 - 01:59 PM

[Cause]

I’m fascinated by the drama around Kennedy trying unsuccessfully in several cases to remove himself from certain ballots in battleground states. If they don’t write federal legislation about this before the next election then congress is asleep at the wheel.

A third party candidate with no chance of victory selectively choosing to run in some states but not others is an undeniable spoiler candidate. It’s blatant. It’s undemocratic.

I also lack knowledge of a possible legal term, but if it’s not illegal to sue states for access to the ballot only to later turn around and sue demanding to be removed it should be. That has to be a waste of court time and resources.

[amphibian]

A waste of time and resources is an apt way to describe RFK Jr's existence for the last several decades.

[HoosierDaddy]

Cause, on 09 September 2024 - 10:11 PM, said:

I'm fascinated by the drama around Kennedy trying unsuccessfully in several cases to remove himself from certain ballots in battleground states. If they don't write federal legislation about this before the next election then congress is asleep at the wheel.

A third party candidate with no chance of victory selectively choosing to run in some states but not others is an undeniable spoiler candidate. It's blatant. It's undemocratic.

I also lack knowledge of a possible legal term, but if it's not illegal to sue states for access to the ballot only to later turn around and sue demanding to be removed it should be. That has to be a waste of court time and resources.

The issue is that each state runs its own elections, so theoretically they should be able to hit each state's milestones for being on the ballot. The issue comes into play when your highest court in the land basically tells everyone: yes, you are each special and get to make the rules* but not so special as to effect the entire election (see Trump & Colorado).


The power hungry grifters looking to abuse elections have never been absent... they just have a far more primed fanbase in the electorate desperate to buy anyone's charlatain quackery.

[Cause]

I have new respect for Vance now I know he is just Troll and having fun with it.

“I don’t think most Americans, whether they like her music or [are] fans of hers or not, are going to be influenced by a billionaire celebrity.”
-JD Vance on Taylor Swift

🙈

[Azath Vitr (D'ivers]

Cause, on 12 September 2024 - 11:23 PM, said:

I have new respect for Vance now I know he is just Troll and having fun with it.

"I don't think most Americans, whether they like her music or [are] fans of hers or not, are going to be influenced by a billionaire celebrity."
-JD Vance on Taylor Swift

��

IDK, Vance seems pretty adamant about insisting that immigrants really are abducting and devouring pet cats and dogs....

(Cause, you monster!)

Vance claims he knows it's true because his campaign has gotten lots of reports of it. While local authorities claim they haven't gotten any (or not any credible reports, at least?).

Wonder if Vance is straight up lying... and if not, who is sending him these "reports"?

Delusional xenophobic Trump supporters who are too chickenshit to provide false reports to legal authorities and risk prosecution?

Anonymous Democrats who want Vance to seem even more unhinged?...

Quote

This year, the Democrats took out TV adverts in the area around Mar-a-Lago with a video of Barack Obama mocking Trump's penis size. The bully was being outclassed at his own game. [...]

This became the pattern for the [debate] night: Harris would provoke him and Trump would oblige. [...] He was like a cat being driven around the room by a laser point. He pounced on each piece of bait that Harris dangled[...] Minute by minute, Trump lost his capacity to speak in sentences or with focus.

Thirty minutes in[...] Trump yelled: "THEY ARE EATING THE DOGS." This was the moment when he lost the night.

US Debate: Kamala Harris made Trump look like a loser - New Statesman

This post has been edited by Azath Vitr (D'ivers: 13 September 2024 - 01:39 AM

[Azath Vitr (D'ivers]

Turns it was a Democrat after all:

Quote

Lee, who described herself as a Democrat who supports Donald Trump, said while she was "shocked" to see Trump repeat a claim she had made on social media, she has not been following the story closely—even as it became a viral sensation.

[...] The poster got the story from a friend of her daughter who heard it from an "acquaintance of a friend." Trump quoted her, but "I don't have any proof," says Patient Zero.

Ohio Migrant Pet-Eating Conspiracy's Patient Zero Heard It Fourth-Hand (thedailybeast.com)

... or more of a self-described "Democrat". I'd consider "Trump supporter" and "Democrat" to be a bit mutually exclusive...

Quote

Harris Taunts 'Chicken Man' Trump After He Dodges Another Debate

"THERE WILL BE NO THIRD DEBATE!!" [Trump] wrote [...]

Harris' campaign chairman, David Plouffe, responded [...] "At long last we discover his spirit animal. The Chicken. Let's see if chicken man [...]"

[...] the Twittersphere exploded with "bok bok chicken" jabs.

'There Will Be No Third Debate' Kamala Harris Calls Donald Trump 'Chicken Man' After Refusing Debate Rematch (thedailybeast.com)

Or rather: Harris's campaign, not Harris herself (not yet... I think). IDK, maybe his supporters will froth at the mouth about how "brave" he was after the assassination attempt? And isn't he more Orange Chicken Man?

But wait... are they calling Trump "Chicken Man" because... they're cannibals?? Laura Loomer, who's been traveling with Trump and conspicuously accompanying him on recent photo ops, has been ranting that the immigrants aren't just eating cats and dogs, they're eating people:

Quote

"Haitian immigrants aren't just eating cats and dogs. They eat HUMANS," Loomer baselessly claimed Thursday. "Remember their leader? Known as 'Barbeque'? Only Hannibal Lecter himself would want to bring more of them to the United States!"

"Don't let the media say that concerns about illegal immigration are 'conspiracy theories'. These aren't rumors. It's a FACT." [...]

Just days earlier, Trump claimed in a rally that "Dr. Hannibal Lecter" is "a representative of the people who are coming into our country."

Loomer invokes Hannibal Lecter as Trump triples down on lies about immigrants eating pets - Raw Story

Ah right, immigrants are cannibals. Gonna eat you. All your blessèd marbling's gonna belong to their bottomless bellies.

This post has been edited by Azath Vitr (D'ivers: 13 September 2024 - 11:44 AM

[worry]

This is behind a paywall, unfortunately, but it's not just Loomer who's in the fold: https://www.nytimes....ura-loomer.html
I mean it's kinda obvious why she's the one staying at Mar-a-Lago and is at his side & on the plane, etc. But there's a real who's who of creeps like Jack Posobiec and Libs of Tiktok who are, with Donald Trump and the RNC's direct backing, being gathered to do their dirty work -- in other words, stochastic terrorism. These are the Brownshirts of this era, I guess. I don't know that they're going to be nearly as scary or effective in the macro sense, but they're still obviously dangerous and already stoking threats and violence.

Quote

In advance of the event, Mr. Trump sent each person a signed letter thanking him or her “for being a social media warrior in the fight to save our country,” adding that he looked “forward to making viral content with you at the White House in just a few short months.”The group, according to Alex Bruesewitz, a political consultant who was hired by the campaign last month, collectively had about 50 million social media followers. Several of them, including Mr. Posobiec and Mr. O’Handley, have also been deployed by the Republican National Committee to help host election integrity webinars in recent weeks.

Webinars on how to disrupt the election -- kinda laughable and horrifying at once. Hope it's as successful as Trump U.

[Abyss]

Cause, on 12 September 2024 - 11:23 PM, said:

I have new respect for Vance now I know he is just Troll and having fun with it.

"I don't think most Americans, whether they like her music or [are] fans of hers or not, are going to be influenced by a billionaire celebrity."
-JD Vance on Taylor Swift

🙈

either laughing his ass off or utterly clueless.

[Macros]

Another shot a trump a lump?

[Azath Vitr (D'ivers]

Macros, on 15 September 2024 - 09:07 PM, said:

Another shot a trump a lump?

Almost... why didn't he take the shot(s)?

Quote

Hidden in bushes near the property line of the Trump International Golf Club, a suspect with an AK-47-style rifle and scope was spotted by a Secret Service agent moving one hole ahead of [Trump ...] within 300 and 500 feet [...] “With a rifle and a scope like that, that’s not a long distance,”

AK-47 Gunman With Scope Got in Range of Trump as He Golfed (thedailybeast.com)

Could've fired off a bunch of rounds... wouldn't need a hole in one.

Harris vs Trump is still close to being a coin flip (weighted slightly towards Harris), but Harris vs Vance... lol landslide

Probably for the best that he didn't get assassinated though. Might have MAGA riots in the street, conspiracy theories running even more rampant....

[worry]

In other words, we might have moved the timeline up roughly a month.

[Mezla PigDog]

I think I have misjudged Trump. With the attempts on his life, I would have expected him to find a way to quit somehow. He's thin skinned and only out for himself. Has he got himself in too deep to get out? Or do you get used to threats on your life? Or is he more ideological than we thought?

[Azath Vitr (D'ivers]

Mezla PigDog, on 16 September 2024 - 05:53 PM, said:

I think I have misjudged Trump. With the attempts on his life, I would have expected him to find a way to quit somehow. He's thin skinned and only out for himself. Has he got himself in too deep to get out? Or do you get used to threats on your life? Or is he more ideological than we thought?

If he doesn't become president again he'll probably go to prison.

Unless some people in law enforcement---and the Secret Service---are willing to help him flee to a friendly country, like Russia or (if he wants a safer haven for his accelerating dotage (and/or cyber-ascension...)) North Korea...

[Tiste Simeon]

Mezla PigDog, on 16 September 2024 - 05:53 PM, said:

I think I have misjudged Trump. With the attempts on his life, I would have expected him to find a way to quit somehow. He's thin skinned and only out for himself. Has he got himself in too deep to get out? Or do you get used to threats on your life? Or is he more ideological than we thought?

This second attempt was hardly that though.

In a week where there's a load of backlash against him for screaming hatred against a single civilian (Swift) and apparently hooking up with Laura Loomer, isn't it a little convenient that suddenly a man puts a bag and a gun somewhere near to where he's playing golf and doesn't even fire a shot?

The secret service fired some rounds near him and suddenly all the news can talk about if "another assassination attempt!" Trumps popularity went up with the last one. Of course he'd try it again.

I fully don't believe this was a real attempt.

[Azath Vitr (D'ivers]

Tiste Simeon, on 16 September 2024 - 07:03 PM, said:

Mezla PigDog, on 16 September 2024 - 05:53 PM, said:

I think I have misjudged Trump. With the attempts on his life, I would have expected him to find a way to quit somehow. He's thin skinned and only out for himself. Has he got himself in too deep to get out? Or do you get used to threats on your life? Or is he more ideological than we thought?

This second attempt was hardly that though.

In a week where there's a load of backlash against him for screaming hatred against a single civilian (Swift) and apparently hooking up with Laura Loomer, isn't it a little convenient that suddenly a man puts a bag and a gun somewhere near to where he's playing golf and doesn't even fire a shot?

The secret service fired some rounds near him and suddenly all the news can talk about if "another assassination attempt!" Trumps popularity went up with the last one. Of course he'd try it again.

I fully don't believe this was a real attempt.

I suspected that too at first, but on reflection, and now that more details have come out, it really seems extremely unlikely. Unless the secret service was in on it they could have shot him dead, and he'd almost certainly understand that given what happened to the previous aspiring assassin. And the guy traveled to Ukraine and tried to join the Ukrainian army, saying he'd gladly die for Ukraine. He's been posting about it on social media for years, etc.

Could covert Russian agents have goaded him into making the assassination attempt in the hopes that it would backfire against Ukraine? That's possible, but also seems unlikely, since Trump is worth more to them alive than dead (for now at least). And they could have then tipped the secret service off just before the assassination attempt, but that apparently didn't happen.

[Cause]

Im honestly shocked given the way America is and the way trump is that no one has taken shots at him before or been inspired by him to take shots at Biden.

Though there was the Pelosi hammer attack.

I always ponder when I see how some presidents can just casually ride the subway to work whereas the us president needs round the clock counter snipers and an armored car with built in machine guns to go a block.

[Tsundoku]

Cause, on 17 September 2024 - 12:50 AM, said:

I always ponder when I see how some presidents can just casually ride the subway to work whereas the us president needs round the clock counter snipers and an armored car with built in machine guns to go a block.

1. Because America.
2. Being so big and powerful and having such an effect for so long does tend to make a lot of enemies based on the fact you are America, not so much who you are individually.

[Abyss]

Azath Vitr (D, on 16 September 2024 - 06:25 PM, said:

Mezla PigDog, on 16 September 2024 - 05:53 PM, said:

I think I have misjudged Trump. With the attempts on his life, I would have expected him to find a way to quit somehow. He's thin skinned and only out for himself. Has he got himself in too deep to get out? Or do you get used to threats on your life? Or is he more ideological than we thought?

If he doesn't become president again he'll probably go to prison.
...

This.

Also, he thinks he's immortal and destined to triumphantly return to rule America and this time he'll do away w that silly two-term limit thing and then, well, you're familiar w the Emperor from WH40K or maybe The President from TRANSMETROPOLITAN.....