The kid in Kenosha was committing a crime when he killed those people (he was 17, and crossed state lines to carry a firearm (not legal), and so, if the judge had not obviously been trying hard to prevent all the facts being used (ie refused to allow those killed to be referred to as "victims" but allowed them to be called "rioters", etc, refused to allow the video of the kid saying he couldn't wait to shoot people as that may influence the jury...no shit! Of course evidence will influence the jury, as does preventing evidence being used).

As for the false claims about the victims.. EVEN IF the claims you made were true, the kid wouldn't have known, and killing someone even if you find out after the fact they were a criminal is still illegal.

And I expect he will face the civil suits for the deaths (and as OJ discovered, a "Not Guilty" in a criminal trial does not result in a dismissal in the civil suit!). And there could be federal charges (after all he crossed state lines to do what he did), though I am surprised his mother was not charged as an accessory as she drove him there.

Not accurate...Medicare Part A is free (covered by your Social Security), but Part B you have to pay for....if you decide to take it. Of course, if you delay taking it, the cost goes up every year you decline it. For some though, they have insurance through their job they can continue into retirement that works out cheaper than Medicare Part B, so they decline it when they hit the point to make the decision.

They are also US citizens and so can vote in State and Federal Elections.

The cut-off is that fed money tends to only really flow through the Bureau of Indian Affairs.

Sounds like someone has no clue what being a civil servant is like.

1. Great benefits.
2. Decent Annual Leave, and separate Sick Leave earned from day 1. (plus all those sweet, sweet federal holidays)
3. Decent retirement plan

And depending on what you do and if you enjoy your career, you can work you way up the ladder and have a major impact along the way. And, auditors in the IRS make fairly decent money (I'd guess they are at least GS12 and above at full performance level), so depending on where you live it could be $100k easily. (https://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/pay-leave/salaries-wages/2021/general-schedule/) GS13 in DC pays over $100k to start.

Did you read what you posted? Blockbuster's rentals went up when they eliminated late fees. So, more people checked out movies. Sales were not the primary business model of Blockbuster.

Libraries business model is not sales. It is lending books. When those who have eliminated fines for late returns, etc see an increase in returned books and increase in usage of the library, then it appears to be beneficial for the business model of the library.

You forget the parties switch sides of the political spectrum in the 1960s as a result of the Civil Rights Act, and many Southern Democrats (aka the DIxiecrats), like Strom Thurmond switched parties, and then the Republicans went hard-core conservative despite being the party of Lincoln. So...perhaps you should learn a little US political history before ranting.

You did say this though:

Which does give the impression that is what you said.

See the 15th, 19th, 24th , and 26th Amendments of the US Constitution:

15th: The right of citizens of the United States to vote shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any State on account of race, color, or previous condition of servitude.

19th: The right of citizens of the United States to vote shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any State on account of sex.

24th: The right of citizens of the United States to vote in any primary or other election for President or Vice President, for electors for President or Vice President, or for Senator or Representative in Congress, shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or any State by reason of failure to pay any poll tax or other tax.

26th: The right of citizens of the United States, who are eighteen years of age or older, to vote shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any State on account of age.

Note the specific use of the term "citizen" vs "people" in these amendments. The US Constitution uses the term "people" when it means everyone within the jurisdiction of the US, and "Citizen" when delineating specific rights only given to citizens.

I believe the US Coast Guard is more para-military unless activated in wartime and seconded to the US Navy. And they are not part of DoD for legal reasons: The military is prevented from civilian law enforcement activities due to Posse Comitatus laws, whereas one of the Coast Guard's primary missions is civilian law enforcement.

Please provide some citations. Personal browsing while on a break is NOT in the performance of their duties usually (though there as times I have browsed legal databases to get caught up on the latest in the area of law I work in. I am not a lawyer, but do work within a niche aspect of federal labor law).

While in public, government officials cannot expect privacy. However, case law does point to times where the public can be excluded from aspects of government work. For example, if a person is in a mediation for an EEO complaint, the public is not able to gain the transcripts or even witness the mediation live unless the parties in the mediation agree to it.

Or do you have a citation to a SCOTUS or lower court decision that says any and every aspect of a government employee's day at work may be observed by the public?

No...Pornhub and the like are probably filtered out (most federal agencies tend to have both allowable and not-allowable lists on their network.

My personal phone? Get a warrant.

My government issued phone? File a FOIA request, and maybe the lawyers will allow it to be released, maybe not. I wouldn't care either way.

As far as a log of what I was doing while on the clock...do you need a list of every bathroom break, and what exactly was done? What about when I grab something to drink or eat on my break to take back to the office as I only have 15 minutes to do so between a couple of meetings, while I would otherwise be tied to my computer for back-to-back-to-back meetings? Need a list of everything I bought and consumed? What about if I checked my blood sugar? ...Sorry, one of the times when HIPAA comes into play...the agency can't release that, and I sure won't (I'll tell you to pound sand if I'm feeling polite).

Records have a legal definition (not what you want it to be), and as such, things that are Records have a retention requirement. If they are not a record, they can be deleted immediately legally.

You have no clue what such costs are. Prior to the ACA, insurance companies would drop you for exceeding a $ value in cost. Then you would have a pre-existing condition and couldn't get insurance. Or...prior to getting a job where you could afford insurance, a medical issue occurs, and suddenly, that becomes a pre-existing condition that precludes you getting coverage, or coverage is so expensive you can't afford it, or the insurance won't cover anything related to that.

Now compare this to a country with national health care...yes, you pay more in taxes, but it is less than you pay for medical insurance. AND, if you want medical insurance as well (to get in faster for elective procedures, have a private room, etc), you can and it is cheaper because you already have decent coverage for your health needs. (I've used both the US Military, private US and British NHS health systems in my lifetime...the NHS was as good as any in the US outside the concierge medical practices).

Transplants can result in costs well over a million dollars US, and as a result (if not insured, leads to bankruptcy or if insured, so much may not be covered you still end up with 6 figure debt). And with costs that high, some may forgo treatment to not put their families in debt and so death is the cheaper option. Even without such known issues, many in the US avoid going to the doctor or getting tests done due to the expense. This leads to people ending up in emergency rooms for problems which may have been easier and cheaper to treat if they had been seen earlier....but they couldn't afford this, so now are in even higher debt as a result.

In contrast, those with good coverage, especially those in places with national health care, get preventative care and early treatment. Which results in lower overall costs for everyone. Things that aren't a priority may require some waiting, but overall, people are healthier and have better long term outcomes due to early identification and intervention of issues.

As far as taxes go, most countries tax you on your earnings in the country, not on all earnings everywhere. Perhaps if the US closed the ability to move money out of the country and taxed as we did when even Reagan was president (though I'd go a little further back, perhaps to when he was pro-union), less need to try and grab money from those working and living overseas.

No,,,no it doesn't. Sexual Harassment has a legal definition. Only one word has any reference to how someone feels: "Sexual harassment is a form of sex discrimination and violates Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 when it occurs in the workplace. EEOC guidelines define sexual harassment as unwelcome sexual advances, requests for sexual favors, and other verbal or physical conduct of a sexual nature when:

Submission to such conduct is a term or condition of an individual’s employment. The requirement may be stated outright or may be implicit, or implied.
Submission to or rejection of the conduct is a basis for employment decisions
Conduct of a sexual nature has the purpose or effect of unreasonably interfering with work performance
Conduct of a sexual nature creates an intimidating, hostile, or offensive working environment."

So, if you do not make a sexual advance, request sexual favors or do any other actions of a sexual nature, then it is irrelevant to how someone feels about your actions. The reasonable person standard applies in the cases where it is not clear cut. ie. A bunch of coworkers are headed to a bar after work for happy hour. You ask someone in the cubicle next to you if they want to join the group. Not sexual harassment. You ask them to come back to your place after work for a drink...not sexual harassment. They say no but you continue to ask them after they said no...now you are in the realm of harassment.

Poor of today may be fat due to the low quality food available to them. In some cases where a food desert exists (ie few grocery stores with small stores offering high priced items along with selling gas such as 7-11), the dollar menu at fast food places becomes a regular source of food/calories. Add in lack of transportation (or unreliable transportation), this get magnified. So, whenever groceries are able to be gotten, you will tend towards cheap, high-calorie items in order to make it last. This is also the reason why when rich politicians try to show how easy it is to live on the amount someone getting food stamps receives it is simply political theatre. After all, if you have a reliable car, access to several grocery stores within a short drive and they have a variety of fresh fruits, vegetables and meats, one can make nutritious meals...because they also have reliable fridges, stoves, etc. to do so.

If you have none of those things, you have to plan accordingly....more canned and dry goods to last you. Of course, buying in bulk helps...but only if you have enough money to do so and a place to store it. And so on. I've been fortunate and never been in the position the poor are in. Been close, but I had a decent job and benefits (junior enlisted in the military do not make that much, especially when I was at the E4 and below grades), and the benefits definitely took pressure off with regard to getting sick or injured. My meals may not have been fancy for a few days prior to payday...but I had healthy food and decent housing.

Perhaps universal healthcare would take enough pressure off the poor that they won't have to worry about getting sick (preventative care is way cheaper than dealing with major issues...early screening for cancer, diabetes, etc) or skipping needed medication (like insulin) to stretch it out in order to have enough to pay for food/rent/transportation, etc. Not saying we give everyone mansions and expensive cars, but seek to find ways to help folks move up vs simply trying to not die daily.

We've been in Afghanistan and Iraq for that length of time....and you don't need cannon fodder to be that old (see plenty of child soldiers in war zones), all you need is someone who can carry a rifle and pull a 3-5lb trigger pull to fire the weapon. Put them on more modern systems, even less strength is needed.