This whole thing is so absurd. The IRS should directly collect the data if it so chooses. For millions of Americans, I'd say the vast majority, they should know all of our data all ready? That is how they audit us after all. Our employers are sending in our payroll info already. Social Security, Medicare, W2, etc. I don't see why the IRS doesn't just mail us a pre-filled out form, and then we can choose to send in a modification/alteration if desired and so forth. Our "no new taxes" republicans hold this back, they think it'll make paying our taxes too easy and make us complacent. Get bent.

Reporting in from here in eastern South Dakota - we grew corn for the first time in our garden this year. It was great, probably the best I can remember and we get plenty of good corn here. This year was below average moisture for us, and our tomatoes also had a good year, after about a decade of above average moisture being a struggle. I've had field corn (horrible, though this was over twenty years ago, typical gmo field corn now is probably worse) and below average sweet corn and the rank stuff sometimes in a can. We started using an organic/natural turkey manure based fertilizer which probably helps things along. Next year I also hope to plant some indian corn for fun, I'll have to figure out how to grind it.

Right now, I can't see anyone going crazy and complaining about any of those things. If you're working from home then you're happy to still have a job and hoping the economy doesn't get too much worse. Right now a company SHOULD be side stepping costs so as to stay viable through this tumult. What planet do you hail from? I know working from home probably has upped some of our water, electricity and maybe eventually our internet bill. But as noted there are other savings and conveniences. I can take an exercise break at noon, and not just a little walk, I can run a few miles and get all sweaty. Shower/shave/dress whenever. Grab a super cheap cup of coffee. Fix left overs, make bread, do whatever the spirit moves me to do.

Politics in America is horribly broken. The ability of lobbyists to lie and use their simplistic one liners to thwart progress is very real. Consider. These horrible internet providers over charge and under deliver and then tell the State legislators they don't want this unfair competition who can operate at a loss (they don't) and run legitimate established business out of town. But the fact is that they don't compete at all. Today, as for decades, internet service providers are only serving in the interests of their stock holders and are not being forced to modernize to where the consumer wants them to be. Fast modern internet is being thwarted by pro business and anti consumer Republicans all across America.

I recently read an excellent quote in a Poe story (Three Sundays in a Week), the years roll by and nothing changes:

First, in general I would agree with your basic sentiment. Apple didn't need much reason to switch. However, I think that the writing has been on the wall with Intel and their QA for a while now. All the security bugs tell this same story. As Linus says, security bugs are just bugs. There was a lot of chatter even then that Intel has been cutting its QA budget and there are consequences to that.

I agree, if I was protesting and it turned into that I go home. That is the reasonable standard that the law expects. But you are asserting that the punishment for arson, looting and vehicle destruction is murder by mob. That is not law and order, that is mob rules. Those on the far right do NOT hold the moral high ground that they think they do.

You're trying to paint a picture of crowds that assemble to protest, as if they are going to necessarily and obviously progress to a riot with looting and private property destruction. That's like saying that a bunch of white guys that confront protestors are thus obviously racists waiting for the slightest provocation so they can be afraid for their life and shoot someone. You're saying its legal and constitutional to inject yourself into a situation where you had no obligation to be, so that you could bait someone into a confrontation that you could then escalate to some modern form of lawful manslaughter? Isn't it ironic that these cosplay civil guardians are so fearful for their lives? Its not ironic, what's happening is obvious. These situations do not meet any reasonableness standard anywhere. I stand by my previous belief that both sides are anarchists. Taking, and reducing, the law into their own hands. The difference, is those on the (far) right intend to kill someone.

Idiots on the far right, walk around with their assault rifles, "protecting" statues they do not own. These people aren't your typical republicans and democrats. These are all anarchists, in my view. Cops need to clamp down on both of them. These situations are not reasonable. Cops need to intervene and tell them all to go home, and when the rightist civil gaurd idiots do not they need to be treated the same as the BLM protestors - except they are holding guns and the situation is worse. The cops are very much showing their hand in the way they are treating these crowds.

I personally believe that 0% sales tax on the internet for so long played a significant part. Especially early on it made it hard for your local book store to compete.

I'm sort of here too. I used to waste a lot of time tinkering and now I just don't care. I install Fedora since it tracks latest, I use GNOME because I want to install and mess around with the desktop environment as little as possible. An older laptop here, has its hardware pause/prev/next buttons working even - I largely use this as an OGG/MP3 player. I am fairly impressed with how well Linux works on the desktop these days. I am NOT impressed with GNOME but my give a damn went up and gone. If they would only realize their gross fascination with simple has gone too far and add in the tools (BY DEFAULT!) to tweak it just a little it would help so much. Half of the things you read regarding user interface frustrations mention how some problem is solved by install gnome-tweak or something and that is just not acceptable.

That's right! We only have about enough money to run a deficit of $1T per year and make sure that the bulk of that is accrued by the ultra wealth via an inept taxation regime. They absolutely MUST keep their 15% capital gains, their stock buy backs and their dividends so when the economy tanks - you know like it has three times in the last twenty years - we can bail them out some more. Now that the Fed can buy junk bonds we can save all the borderline companies too and protect the investments of the ultra rich, kinda rich, and vote rich.

But it does matter! He shouldn't lie to the American people and try to frame the situation like there are plenty of tests available when they were being very strictly controlled due to a lack of testing supplies. In some way you're right, he lied continually on everything, but I think this in particular is worth bludgeoning him with. By the way - I'll be putting a home made yard sign up this fall that says "Liberate America, #NeverTrump"; I live in a very Red State but I just can't ignore this madness and be silent. Like you're saying, I view statements like that as very problematic.

How about this reckless statement: "Anybody who wants a test gets a test" that surely led some to be more reckless than they should have been! If conservatives had any memory, this would be the equivalent of "if you like your healthcare plan..." except, you know, worse. But people lose all perspective when viewing the world through their politically tinted glasses.

That is the real story. Republicans have forgotten how to govern effectively. All Trump can do is fire the career "bureaucrats" that have the nerve to write negative reports, or even normal reports that tell the truth. The Trump shit show needs to end. Liberate America! #NeverTrump

Because the only thing Republicans could actually agree to was passing a tax cut. This isn't surprising though, they completely have forgotten how to govern effectively. Which also isn't hard to imagine. The influential base of Libertarian dolts in the Republican Party believes the only thing the federal government should do effectively is the defense of the nation. Everything else can be a total blubbering mess as long as the rich get their tax cuts, apparently even if its funded w/ a deficit.