Guy Chamberlin

Regulations and bureaucracy are especially irritating in many California zip codes, true, but real estate costs in California respond mostly to the free market. These prices simply wouldn't exist if so many people weren't willing to pay it. And when you build new housing here, it doesn't bring the other housing costs down, it just gives you more high priced units. Local governments DO mandate a percentage of low-cost housing when signing off on some of the larger residential developments, but these have barely made a dent in affordability. People in the lower paying jobs just have to commute from farther away, where it's still pretty expensive. The people of California do not like this, nor the homelessness issue, but it only stops when people stop paying the ridiculous prices being asked. And they haven't. California isn't more NIMBY than other states. Most pricy zip codes in America don't want low cost apartments blocking their view, taking their parking spaces, and bringing in lower-income neighbors. In fact California recently introduced SB9, a state law that allows property owners to subdivide their lots and build additional units while bypassing the red tape that used to discourage it. It's an in-fill strategy that encourages adding lower cost units, although not surprisingly some opportunists found a way to game the system. I don't know a single California home owner who wants to intentionally raise home prices at the expense of the teachers, firemen, small business owners and the grown children we want to live in our communities. I also don't know anyone who wants to move to Texas or Florida. And that's part of it, too.

My understanding is that it was Don Jr's heavy lobbying for fellow beard-wearer Vance that swung the decision, outweighing all the above concerns. At the same time, JD Vance had been on the short list for awhile, and many considered him the odds on favorite. So at least some of this is after-the-fact remorse for an unexpectedly poor performer.

As a California resident, I gotta say "huh?"

I think the discerning realists in the GOP can admit that life under Harris isn't likely to impact their lives much one way or the other. Inflation is a post-pandemic global issue that doesn't answer to one party or the other, and frankly the U.S. is the envy of the world for our recovery. Immigration has been a s#!tshow for years, and the GOP has successfully cornered the Dems into taking action. All the other economic metrics are good. Some are historically good. Transgender kids and electric cars don't move the needle much. While a lot of Dems were angry and concerned when G.W. Bush edged Al Gore, there wasn't the same sense of dread as today. You could fight for your beliefs and policies knowing that life as you knew it would basically continue. I don't recall saying "what in God's name is going on here? Who are these people? How did this happen? Are you f#&%ing kidding me?" as much. I really want to believe there's a line that my pragmatic and intelligent Republican friends won't cross.

What will help inner city kids is a bigger commitment to inner city public schools. If you think the private sector and a profit motive will get better results, they've already tried and it doesn't. Once again, your defense is that while the Trump faction has literally announced its desire to dismantle the Department of Education, they probably won't get away with it. That's hardly a reason not to worry. They're already installing the Ten Commandments and are establishing "Parent Driven" curricula, which they've already presumed will remove all the uncomfortable moments from our history and lead with Christian based morality and reference points. It's the exact opposite of what the U.S. Constitution intended, which is funny because these same people believe they are advancing respect for the Constitution. Looks like they'd prefer a return to the days when girls, gays, minorities and even the mere timid are free to be shamed and bullied. That's not an exaggeration. They've already written this s#!t up. If they don't ultimately succeed, they will still make a huge, hurtful mess. From a larger lens, the Republican Party under Donald Trump is waging a war on facts, designed to undermine the people who actually know what they're talking about. The first article of faith is the Stolen Election. You cannot look at the landscape today and say the Republican Party isn't benefiting from and lobbing for a stupider electorate.

FYI....this is what Liz Cheney's organization is about. There is no more explanation about what they are doing or plan to do beyond this paragraph. There is a Donations tab and an online store selling vaguely phrased swag. About Our Great Task: Republicans, Democrats, Independents must work together to ensure Donald Trump and those who have enabled him are defeated at the ballot box. This is the cause of our time. Our Great Task was founded by Former Congresswoman Liz Cheney because it will take all of us to stand up, defend our constitution, and defeat Donald Trump in this election.

I don't see Kamala pulling any Republicans and probably not a significant number of independents and undecideds, which aren't many to begin with. She can energize her own party and take advantage of the superior number of registered Democrats, and that's already closed the gap but hasn't overtaken Trump like it will have to. It now occurs to me that the marginalized Cheney wing of the party -- reflecting some of the never Trump Republicans here on HuskerBoard -- might encourage a significant number of would be Republicans to not vote at all, or make a symbolic write-in like Archy is doing. You don't have to vote for Kamala, just don't vote for Trump. That could get some traction and might make a difference, especially if Trump's ramblings and JD Vance's unpopularity increase.

I think The Largest Mass Deportation in History! will likely go the way of "The Most Beautiful 2,000 Mile Border Wall You Can Imagine!" But if they do attempt the mass roundup, I wonder how many wealthy Republican in the ag, ranching, meatpacking, construction and hospitality industries go all Oskar Shindler and try to save their own illegal immigrants, without whom they can't make nearly as much money. It's funny how much of the Project 2025 agenda will require massive federal government intervention, social engineering, taxpayer expense, and economic fallout.

This isn't the first time you've declared victory against an imaginary poster.

Here it is:

I'm getting fundraising pleas on my Facebook Feed with Liz Cheney's face and Liz Cheney quotes saying we must do everything we can to stop Donald Trump. I can't recall the organization she's fundraising for (it may be her own) but I would think as a Republican she'd try to keep the money out of direct Democratic Party coffers. I don't know how the various Republicans Against Trump organizations work, beyond social media adds opposing Trump and MAGA candidates.

If a current Republican were to endorse Harris, they would put themselves, their families and their staff at risk, while writing off any chance of reelection.

Seriously, what the f#&% is wrong with you? Where did anyone ever say there are no Pro-Hamas agitators? Or that they're not idiots?

Someone recently told me that you can do this in Oregon. That was news to me. My dad's mind was fine till the last two weeks of his life, but he'd become confined to a wheelchair and was pissed off most of the time. The thing he hated most in life --- asking for help --- was his 24/7 reality and a huge burden on my equally elderly mom. If he had full control over a peaceful exit, I think my Dad would have taken it.

Or......people saying that it's naive and ludicrous to be pro-Hammy, but mainstream and responsible to show concern for the besieged Palestinian people and question the motives of Benjamin Netenyahu. Plenty of super smart grown ups have gone with the latter, though I'm pretty sure you'd call them pro-Hammy anyway. Haven't we already established that you're rarely right? Don't make me look up all the posts where you admit you don't know what you're talking about. That being said...............something about this DC escalation feels orchestrated differently the college protests.