Rob Streeper - a USA member here - got the C19 virus

[FenceFurniture]

That's a quaint notion, and very naive.

It does happen. Prolly not in the US these days though.

The fourth branch (the voting branch) will solve this problem in november.
Biden is the next president.

Well the rest of the world certainly hopes so - and not necessarily because Biden is a good choice - he's just "the other guy"; the Non-Trump candidate).

we've had too many elderly and virtue signal politicians lately.

Agreed. The next POTUS needs to be a highly skilled negotiator (with the US Public first so they calm-TF-down, then the ROtW so we can calm-TF-down). I'm not sure if that's Biden, but I don't think it was Warren or Sanders.

He's (Romney) not that virtuous.

I'm not saying he's virtuous, or indeed that I either like or respect him - I'm very glad he did not become POTUS. Just saying he was the only one with the guts to stand up to Trump and the GOP in the impeachment, knowing full well he was the only one and that his voted counted for jack. The rest hid under their desks like scaredy cats in a thunderstorm.

The reality of how it works is this:
* 48 states cast all of their electoral votes....................
Win the electoral college, and you win the election. The hoopla about this or that delegate turning, etc, is just that.

In a normal situation yes, but these are bizarre times on a number of fronts. We've already seen him speculating about a 20 year (or something) Trump dynasty. Certainly hope it's the case that the election is conducted/won/lost within the usual parameters, otherwise it could get way out of hand over there, which will destabilise the ROtW, and embolden one or two other countries even more.

Citizens in states will not tolerate anything else with their electoral votes other than what was done before.

So what would they do? Storm the WH as an anarchic mob? They tolerated Trump getting the EC votes with a 3mill popular vote deficit, and they tolerate the various gerrymanders, and they seem to tolerate the guff about mail voting being a bad thing even though the chief whiner does it, and they even tolerate having to queue for hours to vote a few times each election cycle, so.....
(by contrast - and this is with compulsory voting here, as it should be - it takes me about 10-15 minutes to vote including travel to/from, and plus Sausage Sandwich purchase and consumption time).

[ian]

The reality of how it works is this:
* 48 states cast all of their electoral votes for the majority or plurality winner in an election
* maine and nebraska have slightly different rules (neither has many electoral votes).

Win the electoral college, and you win the election. The hoopla about this or that delegate turning, etc, is just that. If biden just stays quiet, he wins easily because all of the delegates in swing states will go the opposite direction vs. last election.

Citizens in states will not tolerate anything else with their electoral votes other than what was done before.

what if in Republican controlled states it is easier to vote in the those counties that are Republican strongholds -- i.e. there are more places to cast your ballot -- than it is to vote in those counties that are Democrat strongholds -- i.e. as a Democrat supporter you have to queue for hours to cast your ballot.

Trump wins the "popular vote" and the EC because not enough Democrat supporters can afford to stand in line for 5+ hours to have their vote counted.

Source: Super Tuesday fury as ‘thousands of voters’ in black and Latino neighbourhoods forced to queue for hours in Texas | The Independent
"Voters from predominantly black and Latino neighbourhoods were forced to wait for hours to cast their ballot in Texas on Super Tuesday after long lines were reported at some polling stations.
Election officials in the Houston area were forced to send in additional voting machines as thousands of people reportedly waited for up to five hours to vote at one station.
The long waits came after the closure of hundreds of polling stations across Texas by the Republican-led state government since 2012."

In that scenario, would the "Citizens" in those states actually object to the practice?

[woodPixel]

Trump wins the "popular vote" and the EC because not enough Democrat supporters can afford to stand in line for 5+ hours to have their vote counted.

Source: Super Tuesday fury as ‘thousands of voters’ in black and Latino neighbourhoods forced to queue for hours in Texas | The Independent
"Voters from predominantly black and Latino neighbourhoods were forced to wait for hours to cast their ballot in Texas on Super Tuesday after long lines were reported at some polling stations.
Election officials in the Houston area were forced to send in additional voting machines as thousands of people reportedly waited for up to five hours to vote at one station.
The long waits came after the closure of hundreds of polling stations across Texas by the Republican-led state government since 2012."

In that scenario, would the "Citizens" in those states actually object to the practice?

I read the authorities used the opportunity to check each (Black/Latino) person for outstanding warrants! What a system! Nothing toxic there....

...by contrast - and this is with compulsory voting here, as it should be - it takes me about 10-15 minutes to vote including travel to/from, and plus Sausage Sandwich purchase and consumption time....

Well, that's what's wrong with the whole bloody USAnian voting system.... no frickin sausage sandwich. Idiots.


On another slightly less harsh matter, I remembered the picture of some months (weeks?) ago of some prime libertarian comrades showing their dissent on mask wearing and being "told what to do"..... Wonder how many now have COVID19 or are dead of it? THAT would interest me.

"Give me liberty and give me death!" .... "err, OR death... not and... or" something something....


The more I read, the more I'm convinced that the USA is a failed state in the last stages of implosion.

[Greg Ward]

Failed State?
Imploding?
What?
Obviously you don't own Apple or Netflix or Facebook or Caterpillar or Tesla shares or understand the military power of the US.
We've had more political angst in Australia in the last ten years than a few years of Trump has generated in the US.
I'd suggest you spend the time in the garden and stop reading if that is your conclusion.
Regards
Greg

[FenceFurniture]

We've had more political angst in Australia in the last ten years than a few years of Trump has generated in the US.

Jeez, I dunno about that Greg. Yes we've had some instability with the merry-go-round of PMs, but we've still only had one change of Govt since after 2007. Trump has managed to (deliberately, I might add) divide the country in two (or more?) in just three years, and purely for his own purposes. I've no doubt there were some cracks already there - probably some big ones, which is how he got up in the first place, but it seems to me that there are very bitter divisions now. That's lead to those outrageous scenes of mobs storming state houses of parliament armed to the gills with assault weapons.

Think it might be a while before dissatisfaction with our Govt comes to that.

[Lappa]

I just watched the news and heard the US had just had 67,000 new infections ( a record) then saw a guy in a US supermarket pull a gun because he was asked to wear a mask, saw a hall full of teenagers crowded together and refusing to follow directions and wear masks or socially distance; saw an adult saying it was all a conspiracy so she would never wear a mask then saw a medical guy saying if they would only listen re wearing masks and socially distancing they would have some hope of virus control.

I think there may be some truth in Woodpixel’s post.

[Tccp123]

Let's build a wall around Victoria!

[Fuzzie]

josephdemaistre1-2x.jpg

[woodPixel]

I made a mistake. The USA isn't imploding.

Its disintegrating.

[Tccp123]

I made a mistake. The USA isn't imploding.

Its disintegrating.

But what about Victoria? The police have apprehended them trying to sneak into Queensland (god's own country) and I read that in SA they had to use police dogs to track them down!! These people are a menace!!!

[Greg Ward]

I always say to my wife, you can't take an single or even several incidents and generalise them.
I don't think she understands either, or maybe she doesn't want to.
Relax, The US is not imploding, it's just going through what freedom allows, if you want control by an authoritarian government, just go to Cuba and see what 50 years of socialism has spawned.
Relax
Greg

[Tccp123]

, if you want control by an authoritarian government, just go to Cuba and see what years of socialism has spawned.

Or failing that (because of COVID travel restrictions) just go to Victoria to see the same thing...

[woodPixel]

Anyone heard from Rob?

I dont know so many people there. Only a few. Some are completely unaffected and others are buggered.

There are thousands of personal stories on Reddit where people have retold their experiences. Grim, terrible, sad stuff.

But what about Victoria? The police have apprehended them trying to sneak into Queensland (god's own country) and I read that in SA they had to use police dogs to track them down!! These people are a menace!!!

Well, tongue in cheek, its probably the first time in history that Qld is facing voluntary immigration

Honestly though, its getting out of hand. Aussies are acting like a bunch of numbats. Seriously, sneaking over a closed border during a global pandemic? In any other age you would have been SHOT.

I thought and felt Aussies were smart, resilient, hard, compassionate and look after their mates. We are instead acting like a bunch of frightened children and COMPLETELY screwing our mates in the process. Some of the stories in the last week are mind boggling.... hanging off backs of trains, sneaking down dirt back-roads, fake address changes for drivers licences, fleeing Melbourne to SA at the 11th hour like the idiots from Wuhan.

My statements above about the USA are what I fear for ourselves. We are not learning. We are not being smart, or sensible, or proper. Its shameful.

If we don't behave, then Ze Authorities will start to get... stroppy.

[FenceFurniture]

Anyone heard from Rob?

Last email was 7-10 days ago. He's flat tack with his business.

[Tccp123]

If we don't behave, then Ze Authorities will start to get... stroppy.

Tried to cross a border lately? They are patrolled by men with guns! Unlike US citizens we have been disarmed and are at the complete mercy of the government. That's exactly why the US constitution allows citizens to bear arms, to counter corrupt government.