My brother lived in Mexico City about a decade ago. We’re from the US. MC always had a bad rep, but like many things, it was overblown. Worst part of the city is the traffic. Public transport can be a little tight. Gotta get used to whatever lives in the water. Otherwise, I always enjoyed visiting. There was the one time there was an earthquake while I was on the roof of a high-rise, we don’t get those in Jersey, but that’s a fluke.

I appreciate what you’re saying, but wouldn’t one way to solve that problem be to remove folks who aren’t here legally? I don’t like Trump or his policies, but what he’s doing, as horrible as it is, seems to rectify the situation of having a slave caste. In fact, I see articles posted here all the time talking about how they can’t find people to work farms. It’s obviously created other problems, but they’re kind of irrelevant for this discussion.

I don’t know how the US can’t function the same way as a European nation just because it’s geographically across an ocean. I do agree with you that it shakes out that way, but I’m not sure why where the US is plays a role. How long does the US need to wait to not be composed of large settler populations?

Honest question here too because I appreciate your viewpoint, and I just know there’s a lot of folks across the pond who are quick to say America bad, and then America adjusts it’s tack to perform the same way as those countries, and I hear no, not like that.

So like every country in Europe, got it.

Just remove the name America from if and we’re good to go, because America bad.

Yeah, I just think you’ve oversimplified it all. Like I said, I love the idea, but it’s a huge ask, and it would require a lot of coordination over a period of time. I don’t think it’s out of the realm of possibility that sending Marines to the border, and sending them to protests in LA, is causing some kind of disenfranchisement amongst the enlisted, but a circle of dudes throwing rocks at a nalgene complaining about how this is bullshit is a far cry from an organized mutiny, essentially.

It’d be awesome. But how do you get a whole unit openly discussing insubordination? I love the idea, but it’s just not practical, and not in the short amount of time. The order came down within the last week? It was probably go go go since then.

They’re Marines, I can tell you from experience, they are unfortunately used to it.

2/7 is based on 29 Palms. They may have stopped at Pendleton on the way. 29 Palms is a Marine Corps base only.

Yeah, nobody here knows what they are talking about. “I won’t go, I refuse to go.” Cool, here come the MPs, you go straight to jail. This shit happened quick. It wasn’t like these units had time to talk and maybe try to form a unified front. They got mobilized quick, and so any choice you make, you’re doing it on your own.

And so is it right to disobey? Maybe. Is it easy? Absolutely not, and to suggest that is foolish, but easy to do from behind a desk.

And so I think they’ll do what they must. They’ll show up, they’ll stand in a line, and they’ll hope they don’t need to do any more than that. And it goes unsaid that there’s some morons who want to beat on people, but they’re the 10%. The rest of them don’t want to be there.

You say “easily,” but I doubt it appears so easy, because disobeying the order first starts with you violating the UCMJ and paying for it. Only then can you fight and say hey, the order was unlawful. But you’re doing that from military jail. It’s an uphill battle and there’s nothing easy about it.

I imagine the mindset is go, stand around with a shield, don’t murk protestors, and try to just wait this shit out.

Plus, for the Marines, they were living in 29 Palms beforehand, so it’s practically a vacation.

Yeah, that’s the problem isn’t it? I have to assume that if there was nowhere to work, there’d be less folks coming here illegally. It’s just known you can come, work your ass off, get paid pretty well in cash, and send that shit home on a weekly basis. And there’s rules about what can get sent home and there are ways folks skirt that all the time. It’s a whole economy. And nothing is done about the people facilitating it. It’s arresting the drug user, but leaving the dealers in place.

I have discovered bodies in various stages of post mortem, from recent to rigor. Shitting of pants is not a given. And I was an EMT, not just a crazy person.

Yeah, I guess I’m still a little confused. You’re allowed to deduct State and Local taxes on your federal return. Now it’s 10k, the BBB raises it to 40k. I’m just saying states should levy a tax to maximize the SALT deduction for everyone, because you’re allowed to do it. But it’s not going to happen, just me being silly.

I’m curious why you say this, and I’m not trying to be argumentative. I pay 11k for property taxes, and so with this I get to deduct that 11k from my federal taxes. And if you mean to say that the IRS and the Feds would be like hey, you can’t do that, yeah, you’re probably right, and I agree. I’m just curious if you had some other rationale for the suggestion. I am no tax expert.

I was wondering about this. The new BBB or whatever increases SALT to 40k. I live in Jersey. I would have no problem with NJ just taxing me 40k outright. You just pay 40k to live in NJ. And then I just deduct that 40k from my federal tax burden, bringing it down below 0. What’s stopping states from doing this?

I try to focus more locally whenever I get bent out of shape over the more broad scope of life. I can reach out and touch problems in my area, and it feels good to get involved in trying to fix things. Will it solve Gaza? Will it solve Trump? Nah, but maybe I help plant some trees, clean up the brook in town, just get involved. Who knows, maybe it trickles up (ha).

Fortunately, America has an affinity for reality TV, and so they’re distracted from whatever else this is a distraction for. I just have a part of me that can’t believe what’s happening.

I don’t see Vance flags on people’s trucks. I see Trump flags. I just don’t know that Vance gets the backing Trump does. I think the Rs capitulate to Trump so much because of his rabies base, and there’s this concern they’ll be replaced by someone who Trump endorses.

I do think it’s all a game for wealthy people, and we will just pay for it one way or another, regardless.

Those are the best ones.

Maybe we will become the Untied States, a common typo come to life, where all the states kinda just exist on their own, more similar in structure to the EU. Coming from one of the giver states with great education and social services, and even public transit, if the flyovers want to be shitty and sell me their crops and whatever, that’s fine.