It's literally extortion and should be called out as such by every Democrat every time they are near a microphone.
"Nice state you've got there, it would be a shame if it burned down..."
Democrats saying well "we're better than that and shouldn't stoop to their level" clearly doesn't fucking work anymore (if it ever did). These are psychotic assholes toying with people's lives and livelihoods over politics — tell people that. Lay out their motivations, why they are spreading these malicious lies for their own benefit. Tell people they are making up all of this bullshit to avoid talking about climate change so their oil & gas buddies continue to make obscene profits at the expense of all of us. Remind people that NC got relief immediately after Hurricane Helene, and ask people whether they are okay with this shit happening to them too after they suffer a natural disaster.
Fuck each and every one of them. As a Californian, I'm so fucking furious right now. The devastation is unbelievable.
I posted on LI this morning that people who politicize natural disasters are part of the problem. You wanna be a solution? Roll of you sleeves, get out your wallet, help people. Otherwise you’re just as ineffective as a dry fire hydrant.
Watch. They will blame President Biden, as they have all along, for the high price of eggs. Have they heard of bird flu? Hellooo! Millions of birds culled because of H5N1 infections. The price of chicken has gone up too.
It’s not just the price of eggs, there’s now a shortage of eggs due to bird flu. Grocery stores and even Costco have signs informing customers of the reason there are no eggs on the shelves.
That last graph, ”Republicans see a natural disaster as a political opportunity. They seek to divide Americans because their business model suffers whenever people come together in shared humanity."
Hell yes!
The division is kiling us. I'm not saying make nice with T Tooberville. I'm saying look after your neighbor. Fill your foodbanks. Join your library or rec dept board. Pick up some litter if you prefer not talking to people while you make your contribution. Play music, with some other people. Read a poem. Write a poem. Take care of yourself but forge community ties- we must be the grassroot swell we need.
And if real violence goes down? Those local ties will be important.
Those who can do more, must, but each of us must build closer ties to our communities. Be the fabric we need. Protect yourself but turn away from hate.
Honestly, at this point, Newsom should just agree in public to do every little petty thing the Rethugs want - while making it perfectly clear that it is 100% extortion of American citizens by people who don't agree with them politically.
Then when it's time to fork over the tax money that Cali submits to the feds that then gets passed on to the bankrupt red states ... reverse the playing field.
You want Cali's money to keep your lame ass state government solvent? Here's is exactly what you need to do...
And, I think he could do it simply by passing state laws that say "tax money is NOT forwarded automatically to the Feds, it is collected by the state who then decides how to disperse it". State's Rights after all.
Would it cause a shitstorm? Abso-effing-lutely. Does the GOP deserve it? Also yes.
The sad thing is a lot of these unreconstructed states purposefully visit deprivation from defunding on the minorities in their borders (usually Black people) so we end up getting it in the neck anyway.
However, the folks that support the GOP in those pissant red states will also suffer. Requires proper messaging to make sure they understand where the blame lies - which the Dems are bad at - but it's far past time for playing nice.
I like that idea! These chuds have shown that they don't give a rat's ass about norms or shared humanity or the nation as a whole. But they forget that Blue States subsidize the Red states.
I get sick thinking of these unreconstructed assholes and their unreconstructed party. These people are monsters.
And look how *comfortable* they are doing this, comforted in the sweaty bosom of Murc's Law. When accountability accrues only to Democrats you are going to get things like this.
It's actually a 'principle' for that fascist organization to be sadistic to states that made the mistake of not voting for either their godking or their crappy party. It's just like what they did to New York vis-a-vis Hurricane Sandy, but even worse.
Also I will make a prediction, following how the Abrams Paradox and other constructions work. Karen Bass will be the only one who will receive consequences in political fallout of this disaster.
Dems should also stop saying that repubs are being cruel with these statements, even though it's true. The cruelty is the point with these assholes, so stop making such weak statements, Dems! Call out the lies and the cruelty, but also call out that is who they are - cruel liars. repubs think that being mean, cruel, and lying for their own benefit, is showing strength. They think that they have all of the power, Dems need to show power of their own. Withhold money and help to Red states when they need it, and through their statements back at them while doing so.
"We are trying to correct misinformation on this website we set up" would be an appropriate response if the misinformation was just coming from unknown private actors. But this shit is coming from the incoming POTUS and sitting GOP legislators! Failing to call them out by name and call them lying scumbags just makes it seem like gosh shucks this is an honest disagreement over whether the whole thing was engineered by radical DEI Woketivists using mind control drugs to turn us all gay, great minds may disagree on it.
And this is all before the New Guy takes over. You can bet with the next crisis, federal aid will be withheld unless (1) the local officials publicly kiss the right ass, and (2) there's some other corrupt quid pro quo. There's literally no disincentive for him running things this way, we already showed him there's no consequences. Welcome to our new horror.
Of course, while this "strings attached" stuff is gross, I do think it's worth discussing how the area should be rebuilt differently when this is over. Building expensive real estate in disaster-prone areas that private insurance cannot fully cover is just not sustainable, and not only will have a huge dollar cost but endangers lives (as we see here). California has an acute housing crisis so rebuilding should be dense but also with an eye to fire protection--firebreaks to contain future fires (when Tokyo, which we grossly firebombed during the war, rebuilt later they did exactly this and now have dense, walkable development that is much more fire-proof than before) and with more fire-retardant materials and vegetation. But for dealing with this current disaster, the immediate goal should be saving lives and reducing destruction. And that will go right out the window after January 20.
The irony is those reasonable suggestions are spun as radical left wing plotting. MAGA has promoted the theory that this is what the Left wants — no lovely beachfront property, more dense housing, etc. The actual conditions will just be torching DEI programs and electing more Republicans.
Yep--it's very much with GOP goals to rebuild expensive low-density housing in these areas and cover it with federal dollars (imagine the market insurance rates for a $15 million mansion in a flood zone!), then every time there's a disaster blame liberal policies for it. It's win-win!
Mueller, She Wrote’s Allison Gill posted this on Bluesky yesterday, re: strings-attached federal aid to California — “Well, then I support placing conditions on California’s tax revenue supporting red states.” But, is this possible? Can California make their federal tax contributions to the government conditional, too? Anyone actually know if this could happen?
I don't know, but why not claim that they can? Show some fighting spirit! Besides, it brings to the national discourse that states like California finance states like Texas and Florida.
I dont' see how that'd be possible. The federal revenues are collected by federal agencies, and to the extent the state remits anything to the feds, any conditions they want to impose on how those funds would be spent would be null.
CA would have to refuse to cooperate with the feds entirely, which would be another thing.
Right, Stephen. Dems should have taken off the gloves long ago, but need to NOW. Governor Newsom should call out repubs wanting to withhold money from helping California unless California transforms itself into a red state hell hole. One thing he can do - withhold money to the federal government so that California can fight the fires and help those in need. And he can truthfully say that it's the right thing to do, as the federal government is failing to uphold the ideals in the Preamble of the Constitution, like promoting "the general Welfare." He can also state the the red state won't miss California's money, as they are so perfect and that God is on their side.
I really hate this timeline we’re living in and it’s only going to get worse. I don’t know how I’m going to make it through the next 4 years.
It's literally extortion and should be called out as such by every Democrat every time they are near a microphone.
"Nice state you've got there, it would be a shame if it burned down..."
Democrats saying well "we're better than that and shouldn't stoop to their level" clearly doesn't fucking work anymore (if it ever did). These are psychotic assholes toying with people's lives and livelihoods over politics — tell people that. Lay out their motivations, why they are spreading these malicious lies for their own benefit. Tell people they are making up all of this bullshit to avoid talking about climate change so their oil & gas buddies continue to make obscene profits at the expense of all of us. Remind people that NC got relief immediately after Hurricane Helene, and ask people whether they are okay with this shit happening to them too after they suffer a natural disaster.
Fuck each and every one of them. As a Californian, I'm so fucking furious right now. The devastation is unbelievable.
I posted on LI this morning that people who politicize natural disasters are part of the problem. You wanna be a solution? Roll of you sleeves, get out your wallet, help people. Otherwise you’re just as ineffective as a dry fire hydrant.
Watch. They will blame President Biden, as they have all along, for the high price of eggs. Have they heard of bird flu? Hellooo! Millions of birds culled because of H5N1 infections. The price of chicken has gone up too.
It’s not just the price of eggs, there’s now a shortage of eggs due to bird flu. Grocery stores and even Costco have signs informing customers of the reason there are no eggs on the shelves.
Here's to hoping Biden can get federal aid going now before he's out.
That last graph, ”Republicans see a natural disaster as a political opportunity. They seek to divide Americans because their business model suffers whenever people come together in shared humanity."
Hell yes!
The division is kiling us. I'm not saying make nice with T Tooberville. I'm saying look after your neighbor. Fill your foodbanks. Join your library or rec dept board. Pick up some litter if you prefer not talking to people while you make your contribution. Play music, with some other people. Read a poem. Write a poem. Take care of yourself but forge community ties- we must be the grassroot swell we need.
And if real violence goes down? Those local ties will be important.
Those who can do more, must, but each of us must build closer ties to our communities. Be the fabric we need. Protect yourself but turn away from hate.
Solidarity.
Honestly, at this point, Newsom should just agree in public to do every little petty thing the Rethugs want - while making it perfectly clear that it is 100% extortion of American citizens by people who don't agree with them politically.
Then when it's time to fork over the tax money that Cali submits to the feds that then gets passed on to the bankrupt red states ... reverse the playing field.
You want Cali's money to keep your lame ass state government solvent? Here's is exactly what you need to do...
And, I think he could do it simply by passing state laws that say "tax money is NOT forwarded automatically to the Feds, it is collected by the state who then decides how to disperse it". State's Rights after all.
Would it cause a shitstorm? Abso-effing-lutely. Does the GOP deserve it? Also yes.
The sad thing is a lot of these unreconstructed states purposefully visit deprivation from defunding on the minorities in their borders (usually Black people) so we end up getting it in the neck anyway.
However, the folks that support the GOP in those pissant red states will also suffer. Requires proper messaging to make sure they understand where the blame lies - which the Dems are bad at - but it's far past time for playing nice.
I like that idea! These chuds have shown that they don't give a rat's ass about norms or shared humanity or the nation as a whole. But they forget that Blue States subsidize the Red states.
I get sick thinking of these unreconstructed assholes and their unreconstructed party. These people are monsters.
And look how *comfortable* they are doing this, comforted in the sweaty bosom of Murc's Law. When accountability accrues only to Democrats you are going to get things like this.
It's actually a 'principle' for that fascist organization to be sadistic to states that made the mistake of not voting for either their godking or their crappy party. It's just like what they did to New York vis-a-vis Hurricane Sandy, but even worse.
Also I will make a prediction, following how the Abrams Paradox and other constructions work. Karen Bass will be the only one who will receive consequences in political fallout of this disaster.
Dems should also stop saying that repubs are being cruel with these statements, even though it's true. The cruelty is the point with these assholes, so stop making such weak statements, Dems! Call out the lies and the cruelty, but also call out that is who they are - cruel liars. repubs think that being mean, cruel, and lying for their own benefit, is showing strength. They think that they have all of the power, Dems need to show power of their own. Withhold money and help to Red states when they need it, and through their statements back at them while doing so.
"We are trying to correct misinformation on this website we set up" would be an appropriate response if the misinformation was just coming from unknown private actors. But this shit is coming from the incoming POTUS and sitting GOP legislators! Failing to call them out by name and call them lying scumbags just makes it seem like gosh shucks this is an honest disagreement over whether the whole thing was engineered by radical DEI Woketivists using mind control drugs to turn us all gay, great minds may disagree on it.
And this is all before the New Guy takes over. You can bet with the next crisis, federal aid will be withheld unless (1) the local officials publicly kiss the right ass, and (2) there's some other corrupt quid pro quo. There's literally no disincentive for him running things this way, we already showed him there's no consequences. Welcome to our new horror.
Of course, while this "strings attached" stuff is gross, I do think it's worth discussing how the area should be rebuilt differently when this is over. Building expensive real estate in disaster-prone areas that private insurance cannot fully cover is just not sustainable, and not only will have a huge dollar cost but endangers lives (as we see here). California has an acute housing crisis so rebuilding should be dense but also with an eye to fire protection--firebreaks to contain future fires (when Tokyo, which we grossly firebombed during the war, rebuilt later they did exactly this and now have dense, walkable development that is much more fire-proof than before) and with more fire-retardant materials and vegetation. But for dealing with this current disaster, the immediate goal should be saving lives and reducing destruction. And that will go right out the window after January 20.
The irony is those reasonable suggestions are spun as radical left wing plotting. MAGA has promoted the theory that this is what the Left wants — no lovely beachfront property, more dense housing, etc. The actual conditions will just be torching DEI programs and electing more Republicans.
Yep--it's very much with GOP goals to rebuild expensive low-density housing in these areas and cover it with federal dollars (imagine the market insurance rates for a $15 million mansion in a flood zone!), then every time there's a disaster blame liberal policies for it. It's win-win!
It's the Kobayashi Maru of Political Science!
Mueller, She Wrote’s Allison Gill posted this on Bluesky yesterday, re: strings-attached federal aid to California — “Well, then I support placing conditions on California’s tax revenue supporting red states.” But, is this possible? Can California make their federal tax contributions to the government conditional, too? Anyone actually know if this could happen?
I don't know, but why not claim that they can? Show some fighting spirit! Besides, it brings to the national discourse that states like California finance states like Texas and Florida.
I dont' see how that'd be possible. The federal revenues are collected by federal agencies, and to the extent the state remits anything to the feds, any conditions they want to impose on how those funds would be spent would be null.
CA would have to refuse to cooperate with the feds entirely, which would be another thing.
𝑪𝒂𝒍𝒊𝒇𝒐𝒓𝒏𝒊𝒂 𝒄𝒐𝒏𝒕𝒓𝒊𝒃𝒖𝒕𝒆𝒔 𝒂 𝒔𝒊𝒈𝒏𝒊𝒇𝒊𝒄𝒂𝒏𝒕 𝒂𝒎𝒐𝒖𝒏𝒕 𝒐𝒇 𝒎𝒐𝒏𝒆𝒚 𝒕𝒐 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒇𝒆𝒅𝒆𝒓𝒂𝒍 𝒃𝒖𝒅𝒈𝒆𝒕. 𝑰𝒕’𝒔 𝒅𝒆𝒑𝒓𝒆𝒔𝒔𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒕𝒐 𝒆𝒗𝒆𝒏 𝒉𝒂𝒗𝒆 𝒕𝒐 𝒎𝒂𝒌𝒆 𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒔 𝒑𝒐𝒊𝒏𝒕, 𝒃𝒆𝒄𝒂𝒖𝒔𝒆 𝒘𝒆 𝒔𝒉𝒐𝒖𝒍𝒅𝒏’𝒕 𝒅𝒊𝒔𝒄𝒖𝒔𝒔 𝒐𝒖𝒓 𝒇𝒆𝒍𝒍𝒐𝒘 𝒄𝒊𝒕𝒊𝒛𝒆𝒏𝒔 𝒊𝒏 𝒔𝒖𝒄𝒉 𝒕𝒓𝒂𝒏𝒔𝒂𝒄𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏𝒂𝒍 𝒕𝒆𝒓𝒎𝒔. 𝒀𝒆𝒕, 𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒔 𝒊𝒔 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒑𝒐𝒍𝒊𝒕𝒊𝒄𝒔 𝒕𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝑫𝒐𝒏𝒂𝒍𝒅 𝑻𝒓𝒖𝒎𝒑 𝒉𝒂𝒔 𝒑𝒐𝒑𝒖𝒍𝒂𝒓𝒊𝒛𝒆𝒅. 𝑨𝒔 𝒐𝒇 𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒔 𝒘𝒓𝒊𝒕𝒊𝒏𝒈, 𝒉𝒆’𝒔 𝒏𝒐𝒕 𝒚𝒆𝒕 𝒄𝒂𝒍𝒍𝒆𝒅 𝑳𝒐𝒔 𝑨𝒏𝒈𝒆𝒍𝒆𝒔 𝑴𝒂𝒚𝒐𝒓 𝑲𝒂𝒓𝒆𝒏 𝑩𝒂𝒔𝒔 𝒐𝒓 𝑮𝒐𝒗𝒆𝒓𝒏𝒐𝒓 𝑮𝒂𝒗𝒊𝒏 𝑵𝒆𝒘𝒔𝒐𝒎 𝒕𝒐 𝒐𝒇𝒇𝒆𝒓 𝒉𝒊𝒔 𝒖𝒏𝒒𝒖𝒂𝒍𝒊𝒇𝒊𝒆𝒅 𝒔𝒖𝒑𝒑𝒐𝒓𝒕 𝒂𝒔 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒏𝒆𝒙𝒕 𝒑𝒓𝒆𝒔𝒊𝒅𝒆𝒏𝒕. 𝑰𝒏𝒔𝒕𝒆𝒂𝒅, 𝒉𝒆’𝒔 𝒋𝒖𝒔𝒕 𝒃𝒍𝒂𝒎𝒆𝒅 𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒎 𝒇𝒐𝒓 𝒆𝒗𝒆𝒓𝒚𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒕𝒉𝒂𝒕’𝒔 𝒈𝒐𝒏𝒆 𝒘𝒓𝒐𝒏𝒈.
Right, Stephen. Dems should have taken off the gloves long ago, but need to NOW. Governor Newsom should call out repubs wanting to withhold money from helping California unless California transforms itself into a red state hell hole. One thing he can do - withhold money to the federal government so that California can fight the fires and help those in need. And he can truthfully say that it's the right thing to do, as the federal government is failing to uphold the ideals in the Preamble of the Constitution, like promoting "the general Welfare." He can also state the the red state won't miss California's money, as they are so perfect and that God is on their side.