leicsmac

Clearly that's a matter of debate. Is the same true for all the other threats to life and health that were listed above? I fear this may be right.

... by giving Uncle Vlad everything he wants? Graveyards seldom breach a peace, I guess.

Well, yeah, foreign policy including Ukraine and the Middle East will cost lives and suffering under a Trump administration. The border will see many more people die looking to cross it/through detention and deportation, but because they're "illegal" apparently that's OK as a deterrent ("illegal" seems to mean "subhuman", apparently). But to add to that: Project 2025. Even if Trump himself distances himself from it, even if only some of it is implemented, it will have a massively detrimental effect on the lives of many women. Mass deregulation of food and medicine (including an antivaxxer heading the whole thing up) will cost lives as companies decide paying lawsuits for dead people is cheaper than actually producing stuff at a standard that doesn't kill people. Deregulation of healthcare systems, see above. And yes, environmental concerns too. When I look to the Far East, I see China building more renewable energy infrastructure last year than the US has done in its entire history (India needs to catch up took). And as the second largest carbon emissions contributor wholesale and one of the largest by capita, the US can't simply point fingers and say they won't take part in the unified solution necessary simply because others might not be pulling their weight. Well, they can, but then they will rightly be remembered as one of those who were responsible for a death toll through flooding, drought, famine and war that dwarfs any other event in history.

I wish I shared your optimism having looked at the polling data, mate. I really hope though, for everyone's sake, that you're right.

And that's not far at all, in cosmological terms. It is rather amazing what we can do with the limited observational information we have. I'm not sure, but perhaps they thought the tidal forces simply wouldn't be strong enough to cause effects like this? Hopefully craft like Europa Clipper will give us an even better idea of what's going on. That would be utterly insane if true. But then who knows? Singularities are one of those areas where practically every tested model we have on physics falls apart.

Another bloke that can't look beyond the border of his own country, and short term gain. Nothing that's not been said before, and none of it is a point.

Just finished this myself. The real find of the last couple of decades is that liquid water doesn't have to rely upon the heat from a nearby star to produce it. Ganymede, Europa and Enceladus, at least, are testament to that. The "Goldilocks" zone for such things is a fallacy. My belief that there is simple microbial life on at least one of those keeps growing with every discovery we make.

Well, with the two SC judges (along other things) Trump has already done damage to a lot of fundamental areas that will last a long time. He doesn't need much more time to cause more, but the more time he and his ideology have with the levers of power, the more damage there will be.

Well, let us hope we don't have to find out, and if we do, that you're right. More lives than a lot of people think are at stake.

The movement that he embodies, however, will. Which means there could be a line of successors ready to carry on his ideology.

Incompetence, not lack of trying. Additionally knowing that directly not allowing an open election would be too blatant to work and would generate too much resistance. The direct attempt at interference in Georgia, and then the rhetoric that led directly to January 6th, were themselves the (slightly) more subtle attempt.

I guess it's a case of "better much later than never" if they finally get the hint now, then. Considering how long it's been fairly obvious for.

Why should people be outraged now? Trump and his followers have been mask off for years now, behaviour like this is who they really are and always have been and it's been normalised to the point that people clearly accept it.

Additionally, let's not pretend January 6th 2021 didn't happen and Trump hasn't at least flirted with subverting democracy before.

Right. It's almost like some folks don't remember instances of kids using various epithets for black people, Asian people, LGBT folks, to their faces and repeatedly, learned from their parents.

To add to the figures given earlier, the point is rather simple: either these solutions are subsidised at cost now, or the US and everywhere else pays much, much more in lives, infrastructure and insurance costs later. And the glass half empty viewpoint is that there will have been irrevocable damage done by that point.

I think Dem policy on this matter is infinitely better than Repub and that's obvious in intent and at least stated policy by simply giving a shit, but fair enough. If Cooper is gone by Xmas, I might consider that offer.

... by sticking to pledges made at various conferences? I'm not sure I get the reasoning here - because there's no absolutely detailed road map, the Dems are as bad as the Repubs on this matter? Sorry mate, but that doesn't strike me as good faith and I know you're smart enough to be acutely aware of both the problem and the consequences that will result from it.

Another observation that I hope I'm wrong on: Given the depth of feeling and polarisation and because the result may well be close, there could well be serious unrest or worse in the US within the next decade.

One will guarantee the future of civilisation going forward, one will not. Not sure about the figures for each, but given what the human cost is, perhaps that might be less important? Women's rights to choose and environmental policy, for two, not enough? I wish I shared your optimism about the market somehow saving the world and not leaving hundreds of millions of people to suffer and die.

Pointing out that the other side likewise don't have fleshed out policies, no gun law reforms, continuing the revocation of Roe v Wade and looking to target Obgergefell v Hodges among others next, tax cuts and additional security for shooting, sorry, "apprehending" people crossing the border. Oh, and massive fossil fuel subsidies. Edit: one more thing; putting an antivaxxer in charge of the FDA.

I would say that a belief in selflessness and acting upon that belief, as well as voting accordingly, isn't really selfish, even if you're satisfying your own thoughts on the matter while doing so.

They're certainly not all stupid (again, wouldn't use that word myself anyway). But the smart ones are definitely driven by a fair amount of self interest at the expense of other people. Is that really a desirable quality?

Key word in that sentence being "likely". Some might have spent time there, have reasonable knowledge of the people and the politics, and still think that those voting for Trump are misguided and/or massively self interested, among other adjectives (wouldn't use the term stupid, myself). Do agree that the bigger issue is inequality based first and foremost, though. I don't think it is a coincidence that things have become more polarised as social media has gathered strength and the idea of truth is being subverted.

The political has become personal for a lot of people in the last decade or two, agreed. That being said, that's just a backslide to historical circumstances rather than an aberration and is prevalent a lot outside the Anglophone, I think. Fundamental human rights have been something that have had to have been fought tooth and nail for and clearly still are. Sad reflection of the times we live in.