This is the Democratic Party.

[astonmartin708]

My 9 year old is home sick today so I asked him your question.

His response “Dad, if things are so bad that we can’t feed our own people wouldn’t other countries likely be in similar situations? How could they feed their own people and 300 million additional people?”

How can a 9 year old have more logical thoughts than you . Truth be told….if it does get to that point countries with the largest surpluses of agriculture capabilities to population will be way ahead of the curve. Might be a good idea to add this item to “how do we plan for the upcoming climate crisis”.

No offense.... but that isn't a smart statement....

First of all.... no.... all countries will not see the same effects during the same periods. They will all be effected to some degree because of global trade.... but their actual climactic situations (agricultural etc...) will not be the same all at once. Places that are already on the brink of inhospitality might become completely unlivable while other regions move from normally cold weather regions to being more temperate. (Like Colorado) Given enough time, and enough damage to the environment, all of earth could be in the same boat..... but these types of human migrations are inevitable in that case.... and they will likely result in conflicts for resources if peaceable accommodations can't be found. People won't just sit in their country and starve to death if they have any other options.

How could they feed their own people and 300 million additional people? Well... that depends on how much surplus food and agricultural land they had, and how much of it remained productive given climate change. Luckily, the US in general has had no problems feeding people to this point. Also luckily, in the current situation, we aren't relocating one of the more densely populated regions of the world. For instance.... if we had to decide if we wanted to let every Indian citizen in the country.... then yes.... we might have a problem. If we had to decide if we wanted to let every citizen of Vatican City, no we would not have a problem at all.

Reality is grey. It lies somewhere in between the realms of ease and impossibility.

Now, I don't expect that your 9 year old to be able to comprehend / digest all of that..... but you sure as heck should be able to.

 

[lawpoke87]

No offense.... but that isn't a smart statement....

First of all.... no.... all countries will not see the same effects during the same periods. They will all be effected to some degree because of global trade.... but their actual climactic situations (agricultural etc...) will not be the same all at once.

How could they feed their own people and 300 million additional people? Well... that depends on how much surplus food and agricultural land they had, and how much of it remained productive given climate change. Luckily, the US in general has had no problems feeding people to this point. Also luckily, in the current situation, we aren't relocating one of the more densely populated regions of the world. For instance.... if we had to decide if we wanted to let every Indian citizen in the country.... then yes.... we might have a problem. If we had to decide if we wanted to let every citizen of Vatican City, no we would not have a problem at all.

Reality is grey. It lies somewhere in between the realms of ease and impossibility.

Now, I don't expect that your 9 year old to be able to comprehend / digest all of that..... but you sure as heck should be able to.

You’re correct…climate change will not affect all countries the same. However, if a country as large and with the resources of the US becomes unsustainable due to the crisis it is highly unlikely any other country will be able to feed its own people plus an additional 300 million. Food production will be stressed on a global scale. I assume you’re simply being dense as the logic of this statement is fairly simplistic. Regardless, gets back to the basic point. With the uncertainty we’re facing, one of the measures which we should be taking is creating surpluses in agricultural supply and demand here in the US. You’ve argued for years the end of mankind is coming. Mass starvation, millions of acres of uninhabitable land, etc…. Yet you want to add millions or more people to that dynamic. Talk about a lack of comprehension.

 

[Gmoney4WW]

You’re correct…climate change will not affect all countries the same. However, if a country as large and with the resources of the US becomes unsustainable due to the crisis it is highly unlikely any other country will be able to feed its own people plus an additional 300 million. Food production will be stressed on a global scale. I assume you’re simply being dense as the logic of this statement is fairly simplistic. Regardless, gets back to the basic point. With the uncertainty we’re facing, one of the measures which we should be taking is creating surpluses in agricultural supply and demand here in the US. You’ve argued for years the end of mankind is coming. Mass starvation, millions of acres of uninhabitable land, etc…. Yet you want to add millions or more people to that dynamic. Talk about a lack of comprehension.

Distopia, America...

The city where Astro can complain all day. It must be heaven.

It would be more appropriate to be looking for solutions, but where's the fun in that.

 

[HuffyCane]

You guys keep missing the overall. Border crisis, climate change, Ukraine, homeless etc. It doesn’t matter.

It’s all a con.

People give millions to get officials elected. They want a return on that investment.

People getting elected want a safe retirement and have countless members of their entourage, or wayward sons, they have to take care of figuratively or financially, for better or for worse.

People actually running their 40 acres of government have to find a way to make those people happy and get to retirement themselves.

So you create a sense of urgency, find facts to support it, create and bunch of public/private partnerships and turn on the spigot.

Migrants over run the system for decades along the border by surging, and then nothing for months. But government is forced to pay contractors to handle the situation at any moment. Contractors that do nothing 10 months a year in some part of the country doing nothing but pacing around Indiana Jones sized warehouses repeatedly counting all the soccer balls, pampers and HDTVs that could be needed at any moment who were purchased through single sources procurement from newly created corporations with undisclosed owners. Contractors led by former Democratic operatives, who parse out the contracts to NGOs in DC and local “charities” who keep a slice for themselves and hire all the former congressional communications, policy and budget flunkies who can’t get jobs with real power. Who do the purchasing. They in turn create more pressure for more money, which they keep for themselves and spread around the country that gets funneled back into the dark money political organizations and labor unions that Dems condemn publicly. And the cycle starts over. Or at least used to. Now the “problem” is so huge, it’s become obvious, if not necessary, that you bring in companies with global reach who can put together miniature communities in hours, whether it’s an Iraqi prison, Alaskan oil community, North Dakota frack farm, or Texas migrant elementary school. That’s expensive, but tends to cap expenses and funnel them to companies in the military capability industry who aren’t interested in kicking back 10% to the big guys and another 40% directly and indirectly to people and companies who will funnel it into democratic political coffers. So you’ve got to decentralize the problem and move it to cities that have entrenched political machines and are starving for funding sources.

You think the City of New York is signing contracts with those hotels? Seriously doubt it. They sign contracts with companies that agree to be responsible for finding the care. Look at who is running those, what they charge and where that money goes.

The average “orphan”, smuggled to the US via the cartels by their parent(s), who entered the USA illegally years ago, required $1100 a day in housing costs alone along the southern border not long ago. That doesn’t count, food, clothing, medical, legal, education and other expenses. Multiply that by hundreds of thousands PER DAY. Where is that money going when the Hampton Inn down the street will contract for $54 a day and ICE/HHS has used those hotels in the past?

To quote Deep Throat. Don’t get bogged down in righteousness, you’ll miss the overall, follow the money.

https://homeland.house.gov/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/2023-08-10-From-Green-Bishop-Higgins-to-Lechleitner-ICE-re-ICE-Contracts.pdf

 

[Gmoney4WW]

You guys keep missing the overall. Border crisis, climate change, Ukraine, homeless etc. It doesn’t matter.

It’s all a con.

People give millions to get officials elected. They want a return on that investment.

People getting elected want a safe retirement and have countless members of their entourage, or wayward sons, they have to take care of figuratively or financially, for better or for worse.

People actually running their 40 acres of government have to find a way to make those people happy and get to retirement themselves.

So you create a sense of urgency, find facts to support it, create and bunch of public/private partnerships and turn on the spigot.

Migrants over run the system for decades along the border by surging, and then nothing for months. But government is forced to pay contractors to handle the situation at any moment. Contractors that do nothing 10 months a year in some part of the country doing nothing but pacing around Indiana Jones sized warehouses repeatedly counting all the soccer balls, pampers and HDTVs that could be needed at any moment who were purchased through single sources procurement from newly created corporations with undisclosed owners. Contractors led by former Democratic operatives, who parse out the contracts to NGOs in DC and local “charities” who keep a slice for themselves and hire all the former congressional communications, policy and budget flunkies who can’t get jobs with real power. Who do the purchasing. They in turn create more pressure for more money, which they keep for themselves and spread around the country that gets funneled back into the dark money political organizations and labor unions that Dems condemn publicly. And the cycle starts over. Or at least used to. Now the “problem” is so huge, it’s become obvious, if not necessary, that you bring in companies with global reach who can put together miniature communities in hours, whether it’s an Iraqi prison, Alaskan oil community, North Dakota frack farm, or Texas migrant elementary school. That’s expensive, but tends to cap expenses and funnel them to companies in the military capability industry who aren’t interested in kicking back 10% to the big guys and another 40% directly and indirectly to people and companies who will funnel it into democratic political coffers. So you’ve got to decentralize the problem and move it to cities that have entrenched political machines and are starving for funding sources.

You think the City of New York is signing contracts with those hotels? Seriously doubt it. They sign contracts with companies that agree to be responsible for finding the care. Look at who is running those, what they charge and where that money goes.

The average “orphan”, smuggled to the US via the cartels by their parent(s), who entered the USA illegally years ago, required $1100 a day in housing costs alone along the southern border not long ago. That doesn’t count, food, clothing, medical, legal, education and other expenses. Multiply that by hundreds of thousands PER DAY. Where is that money going when the Hampton Inn down the street will contract for $54 a day and ICE/HHS has used those hotels in the past?

To quote Deep Throat. Don’t get bogged down in righteousness, you’ll miss the overall, follow the money.

https://homeland.house.gov/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/2023-08-10-From-Green-Bishop-Higgins-to-Lechleitner-ICE-re-ICE-Contracts.pdf

Same sort of thing happens when Republicans are in the White House. This isn't party corruption it's just plain ole government corruption. Everybody gets theirs. Despite the massive political hullabaloo, the illegal immigrant thing is not any more out of control than it ever is. The stats tell a different story than the one the Republican party is putting out right now. It just happens to come in waves is the only real difference.

The rates of immigrants are still right at .5% of our population just like they have been for the last few years. But we need to keep them around their low, which is the percentage they reached during covid.(.3%) The rates are way lower than they were in the 2000's, and the early 2010's. The only growth is that the population has grown. 13 years of population growth brings us a 1.5m increase in the amount of immigrants. Significant, but not a major increase.

 

[HuffyCane]

Same sort of thing happens when Republicans are in the White House. This isn't party corruption it's just plain ole government corruption. Everybody gets theirs. Despite the massive political hullabaloo, the illegal immigrant thing is not any more out of control than it ever is. The stats tell a different story than the one the Republican party is putting out right now. It just happens to come in waves is the only real difference.

The rates of immigrants are still right at .5% of our population just like they have been for the last few years. But we need to keep them around their low, which is the percentage they reached during covid.(.3%) The rates are way lower than they were in the 2000's, and the early 2010's. The only growth is that the population has grown. 13 years of population growth brings us a 1.5m increase in the amount of immigrants. Significant, but not a major increase.

Oh I totally get it as far as both parties log rolling in Congress. You’ll get it too if you overlap that migration rate with $ spent per migrant since 2008

 

[astonmartin708]

You guys keep missing the overall. Border crisis, climate change, Ukraine, homeless etc. It doesn’t matter.

It’s all a con.

People give millions to get officials elected. They want a return on that investment.

People getting elected want a safe retirement and have countless members of their entourage, or wayward sons, they have to take care of figuratively or financially, for better or for worse.

People actually running their 40 acres of government have to find a way to make those people happy and get to retirement themselves.

So you create a sense of urgency, find facts to support it, create and bunch of public/private partnerships and turn on the spigot.

Migrants over run the system for decades along the border by surging, and then nothing for months. But government is forced to pay contractors to handle the situation at any moment. Contractors that do nothing 10 months a year in some part of the country doing nothing but pacing around Indiana Jones sized warehouses repeatedly counting all the soccer balls, pampers and HDTVs that could be needed at any moment who were purchased through single sources procurement from newly created corporations with undisclosed owners. Contractors led by former Democratic operatives, who parse out the contracts to NGOs in DC and local “charities” who keep a slice for themselves and hire all the former congressional communications, policy and budget flunkies who can’t get jobs with real power. Who do the purchasing. They in turn create more pressure for more money, which they keep for themselves and spread around the country that gets funneled back into the dark money political organizations and labor unions that Dems condemn publicly. And the cycle starts over. Or at least used to. Now the “problem” is so huge, it’s become obvious, if not necessary, that you bring in companies with global reach who can put together miniature communities in hours, whether it’s an Iraqi prison, Alaskan oil community, North Dakota frack farm, or Texas migrant elementary school. That’s expensive, but tends to cap expenses and funnel them to companies in the military capability industry who aren’t interested in kicking back 10% to the big guys and another 40% directly and indirectly to people and companies who will funnel it into democratic political coffers. So you’ve got to decentralize the problem and move it to cities that have entrenched political machines and are starving for funding sources.

You think the City of New York is signing contracts with those hotels? Seriously doubt it. They sign contracts with companies that agree to be responsible for finding the care. Look at who is running those, what they charge and where that money goes.

The average “orphan”, smuggled to the US via the cartels by their parent(s), who entered the USA illegally years ago, required $1100 a day in housing costs alone along the southern border not long ago. That doesn’t count, food, clothing, medical, legal, education and other expenses. Multiply that by hundreds of thousands PER DAY. Where is that money going when the Hampton Inn down the street will contract for $54 a day and ICE/HHS has used those hotels in the past?

To quote Deep Throat. Don’t get bogged down in righteousness, you’ll miss the overall, follow the money.

https://homeland.house.gov/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/2023-08-10-From-Green-Bishop-Higgins-to-Lechleitner-ICE-re-ICE-Contracts.pdf

I will take an orphan in right now for $1100 a day. They could stay as long as they want lol. I think most Americans would be asking: WHERE DO I SIGN UP!? That's $400K+ per year in housing alone per person. There is no way that's a real number for a single person.

 

[Gmoney4WW]

There are times when it is good that someone passes away, for their own sake as well as those around them: Dianne Feinstein.

 

[Gmoney4WW]

The far right talking to the far left is what several people on this board have prophesized or were afraid of, and it is already coming true. Gaetz is reaching out to progressive Democrats some of which are talking with him. I can't see these two disparate groups coming to an agreement on anyone anyway, and they still wouldn't have the votes if both groups got behind it 100%. It's just theater.

I can't believe the justification some progressive Democrats are using to side with Matt Gaetz over McCarthy. They are saying they can't side w McCarthy because he did things like starting the impeachment proceedings over Biden. It was the pressure of Gaetz that pushed McCarthy to start the impeachment proceedings without a vote.

The vote wouldn't have probably passed. McCarthy knew this, but was forced to do it without a vote because of Gaetz's threat to replace McCarthy. It was survival. The replacement would have done the same thing. Now the guy is going to congress to people who are considering it, and they are listening to him because of what Gaetz forced McCarthy to do. This argument makes no logical sense. How can one single progressive respect them self, while listening to him. This government gets more wacked every day.

Fascism is stirring the pot, or is the pot stirring fascism.

 

[HuffyCane]

Not really. It’s more Roy Cohn media stuff.

Gaetz and his antics are part of an overall strategy to disrupt the function of any government entity with legitimacy so long as that entity isn’t actively supporting, in a very public way, the aims of Donald Trump. And right now that aim is to stay out of prison. If you are surrounded, attack in every direction. Any institution that is working against you is just as illegitimate as the effort to prosecute you. I may be corrupt, but look at all this other corruption. Including a dysfunctional House.

That’s the theory any way.

I think the reality is as simple is Gaetz is notorious for chasing young very attractive Latinas in positions of influence going back decades. Him and AOC has been a rumor/meme in DC since 2019 or so.

 

[lawpoke87]

Anyone have any answers for the wave of looting we’ve seen over the last few years? Stores in our cities our closing in mass due to the losses. Actions which exasperates the flight to the burbs.

 

[HuffyCane]

Organized retail theft of this nature exists now in large part through two developments in the last three years. 1) Organized crime is able to utilize social media and other electronic communication to muster large groups of individuals to converge quickly and steal specific items which are off shored to China and Indonesia within hours in exchange for drugs, rather than be paid in hard money. Drugs, which are manufactured domestically or in Mexico utilizing supplies originating in China or from Chinese backed companies. 2) The US Department of Justice is the lead agency in the fight against organized crime but has been re-directed to investigate thousands of people caught on film trespassing in the Capitol in the largest and most expensive criminal investigation in the history of this country.

Organized crime also spiked from 2002 to 2005 while the FBI redirected resources from organized crime to terror and national security.

Crimes like this are crimes of opportunity because the perpetrators can make more/get more drugs in an hour than a week of panhandling or more. You can’t stop it through traditional law enforcement techniques focused on the street thieves, nor more than you can solve the drug problem only arresting 15 year olds doing hand to hands.

And if you haven’t noticed, it ain’t a good time for the DOJ and FBI to be asking the House for more money.

We need DOJ to do their job or at least prove they aren’t in on it.

And the various states changing theft laws to make participating in a mass theft event a felony punishable by a mandatory minimum without departure of two years regardless of whether you actually take an item would make a lot of sense.

Right now you’ve got the absurd situation where you can be in your sixties, married to a man who served in VietNam, the mother of three sons who are veterans, a retired school teacher who teaches adult literacy at night, and you get sentenced to years in prison for entering the Capitol after a police officer verbally told you it’s OK, but the folks in this video commit thefts like this with impunity or if caught must steal more than $1000.00 worth of items six or seven times before they score mandatory custody time in a county jail. Virtually none of them go to prison. That needs to change immediately.

 

[aTUfan]

Organized retail theft of this nature exists now in large part through two developments in the last three years. 1) Organized crime is able to utilize social media and other electronic communication to muster large groups of individuals to converge quickly and steal specific items which are off shored to China and Indonesia within hours in exchange for drugs, rather than be paid in hard money. Drugs, which are manufactured domestically or in Mexico utilizing supplies originating in China or from Chinese backed companies. 2) The US Department of Justice is the lead agency in the fight against organized crime but has been re-directed to investigate thousands of people caught on film trespassing in the Capitol in the largest and most expensive criminal investigation in the history of this country.

Organized crime also spiked from 2002 to 2005 while the FBI redirected resources from organized crime to terror and national security.

Crimes like this are crimes of opportunity because the perpetrators can make more/get more drugs in an hour than a week of panhandling or more. You can’t stop it through traditional law enforcement techniques focused on the street thieves, nor more than you can solve the drug problem only arresting 15 year olds doing hand to hands.

And if you haven’t noticed, it ain’t a good time for the DOJ and FBI to be asking the House for more money.

We need DOJ to do their job or at least prove they aren’t in on it.

And the various states changing theft laws to make participating in a mass theft event a felony punishable by a mandatory minimum without departure of two years regardless of whether you actually take an item would make a lot of sense.

Right now you’ve got the absurd situation where you can be in your sixties, married to a man who served in VietNam, the mother of three sons who are veterans, a retired school teacher who teaches adult literacy at night, and you get sentenced to years in prison for entering the Capitol after a police officer verbally told you it’s OK, but the folks in this video commit thefts like this with impunity or if caught must steal more than $1000.00 worth of items six or seven times before they score mandatory custody time in a county jail. Virtually none of them go to prison. That needs to change immediately.

we used to punish kids for stealing a stick of gum.

 

[astonmartin708]

Organized retail theft of this nature exists now in large part through two developments in the last three years. 1) Organized crime is able to utilize social media and other electronic communication to muster large groups of individuals to converge quickly and steal specific items which are off shored to China and Indonesia within hours in exchange for drugs, rather than be paid in hard money. Drugs, which are manufactured domestically or in Mexico utilizing supplies originating in China or from Chinese backed companies. 2) The US Department of Justice is the lead agency in the fight against organized crime but has been re-directed to investigate thousands of people caught on film trespassing in the Capitol in the largest and most expensive criminal investigation in the history of this country.

Organized crime also spiked from 2002 to 2005 while the FBI redirected resources from organized crime to terror and national security.

Crimes like this are crimes of opportunity because the perpetrators can make more/get more drugs in an hour than a week of panhandling or more. You can’t stop it through traditional law enforcement techniques focused on the street thieves, nor more than you can solve the drug problem only arresting 15 year olds doing hand to hands.

And if you haven’t noticed, it ain’t a good time for the DOJ and FBI to be asking the House for more money.

We need DOJ to do their job or at least prove they aren’t in on it.

And the various states changing theft laws to make participating in a mass theft event a felony punishable by a mandatory minimum without departure of two years regardless of whether you actually take an item would make a lot of sense.

Right now you’ve got the absurd situation where you can be in your sixties, married to a man who served in VietNam, the mother of three sons who are veterans, a retired school teacher who teaches adult literacy at night, and you get sentenced to years in prison for entering the Capitol after a police officer verbally told you it’s OK, but the folks in this video commit thefts like this with impunity or if caught must steal more than $1000.00 worth of items six or seven times before they score mandatory custody time in a county jail. Virtually none of them go to prison. That needs to change immediately.

Maybe if your mobster candidate hadn't organized a violent criminal trespass and vandalism event and gave the order to go to the scene of the crime.... we wouldn't need to have people at the FBI investigating this organized crime.

If you think that dumb kids stealing a couple <50K worth of televisions is worse than a bunch of dumb plumbers and database admins trying to steal the liberty of 80 million people whilst simultaneously doing tens of MILLIONS dollars worth of property damage , then there's something wrong with you.

Both are bad. One is worse.

That being said, you can tell this probably isn't an organized effort with the intent to send this stuff back to some East Asian country..... if it was, they wouldn't be stealing TV's.... they would be stealing things that have more value $/lb..... which would mainly mean laptop computers, Monitors, CPU's, graphics cards, etc...

 

[astonmartin708]

we used to punish kids for stealing a stick of gum.

Yeah. Let's cut off their hands! That will teach em!

 

[astonmartin708]

Anyone have any answers for the wave of looting we’ve seen over the last few years? Stores in our cities our closing in mass due to the losses. Actions which exasperates the flight to the burbs.

View embedded media

What does this have to do with the Democratic Party? Apart from Philly being a Democratic city. It's not the only community with crime and crime has little to do with Politics. You can go check with the Heroine / Fentanyl addicts across some of the Republican rural districts across the country.

 

[lawpoke87]

What does this have to do with the Democratic Party? Apart from Philly being a Democratic city. It's not the only community with crime and crime has little to do with Politics. You can go check with the Heroine / Fentanyl addicts across some of the Republican rural districts across the country.

Had to put it somewhere and since the area is 95% Dems, every politician in the city is a Dem, store closures are in Dem areas, seemed like the place to put it

Thanks for your insightful answer to the question I posed btw

Target closes 9 stores in response to retail theft, adds locked cases at some stores

Target expects to lose roughly $1.2 billion in profits from retail theft in 2022 and 2023.

finance.yahoo.com

 

[HuffyCane]

What does this have to do with the Democratic Party? Apart from Philly being a Democratic city. It's not the only community with crime and crime has little to do with Politics. You can go check with the Heroine / Fentanyl addicts across some of the Republican rural districts across the country.

How much organized retail theft are you seeing in Texas and Florida?

 

[HuffyCane]

Retailers leaving states due to failed bail reform policies.

 

[aTUfan]

Yeah. Let's cut off their hands! That will teach em!

no.

 

[HuffyCane]

That being said, you can tell this probably isn't an organized effort with the intent to send this stuff back to some East Asian country..... if it was, they wouldn't be stealing TV's.... they would be stealing things that have more value $/lb..... which would mainly mean laptop computers, Monitors, CPU's, graphics cards, etc...

You really shouldn’t argue with people who do for a living what you think you know from your elite critical thinking skills cultivated at the University of Tulsa, Google searches and whatever MSNBC tells you.

Boosters take whatever high value items are unsecured near exits and what is on the list given to them by their fence.

Fencing is vertically integrated and typically controlled off shore. A street level fence will transfer some products for immediate export through higher fences who typically recruited the street fence, usually in prison, and either the street or higher fence will sell some things through online auction, back door it at discount stores and pawn shops in certain states, pay false buyers to do returns sometimes to the very store where it was stolen, etc for items that aren’t in demand overseas or too bulky or don’t have a dollar value to export. But a portion of those sales is kicked up as part of the crew. This is big business. A street boost with the right fence will make $150,000 to $200,000 a year or more, not counting the drugs.

In a store like this one, bum rushes are increasingly cover for targeted theft. Street addicts are drafted in advance to bash the door and take the TV’s etc to distract security, block floor workers, etc. while the professional thieves enter at the same time to get high value items scouted in advance like jewelry and designer clothing.

It’s tempting to think that what you are seeing is regular people struggling under the increasing cost of Biden’s inflation and lack of opportunity, but it’s very sophisticated and will require a multi-tiered response to stop. If the feds won’t do their job, there’s no way to stop it. See generally, Hoover’s FBI.

 

[astonmartin708]

How much organized retail theft are you seeing in Texas and Florida?

A significant amount....

Texas siblings arrested in organized retail theft of scented candles, police say

Destiny Goynes, 22, and her 19-year-old brother, Dexter Goynes, were arrested after stealing thousands of dollars in items from a business in Lake Worth, Texas, police said.

www.foxbusiness.com

Chris Woodward: Texas businesses targeted by gangs as retail crime surges

When a thief broke into David Peck’s upscale dress and bridal store in Houston earlier this month, he wasn’t stealing. He was shopping.

wacotrib.com

11 arrested in alleged organized theft ring targeting retail stores, Plano police say

More than $15,000 in stolen merchandise was recovered, police say.

www.wfaa.com

Florida officials announce arrests in retail-theft ring

Attorney General Ashley Moody says retail theft ends up costing all Floridians, when stores are forced to pass the cost of stolen goods on to customers.

www.wcjb.com

'They're brazen:' Retail theft is becoming a problem in Martin County

On the Treasure Coast, retail theft at big box stores is becoming way too common.

cbs12.com

I'm sure I can find more for you if you need me to. Don't think your state doesn't have organized crime just because it has an R for a governor.

 

[astonmartin708]

You really shouldn’t argue with people who do for a living what you think you know from your elite critical thinking skills cultivated at the University of Tulsa, Google searches and whatever MSNBC tells you.

Boosters take whatever high value items are unsecured near exits and what is on the list given to them by their fence.

Fencing is vertically integrated and typically controlled off shore. A street level fence will transfer some products for immediate export through higher fences who typically recruited the street fence, usually in prison, and either the street or higher fence will sell some things through online auction, back door it at discount stores and pawn shops in certain states, pay false buyers to do returns sometimes to the very store where it was bought, etc for items that aren’t in demand overseas or too bulky or don’t have a dollar value to export. But a portion of those sales is kicked up as part of the crew. This is big business. A street boost with the right fence will make $150,000 to $200,000 a year or more, not counting the drugs.

Eye roll. Eye roll. Eye roll.

You think you're the only person who knows how vertically integrated criminal enterprises work? Every one who ever knew a street drug dealer that got caught and were forced to nark on their central dealer is well aware. I knew 3 'associates' of that variety at TU. Heck... that stuff was made famous in The Fast and The Furious and Gone in 60 Seconds 20+ years ago. (Though it's obviously been going on much, much, much longer) You act like this is some new novelty. This was very common with jewelry stores, pawn shops, car dealerships, etc... it has just turned to retail, precious metals, and backseats of cars more recently.

BTW, I have never watched MSNBC for more than 5 minutes in my life. I don't doubt that you swallow a load of Fox News or The Washington Examiner though.

I think what's really happening is the rise of internet retail, especially websites that allow for semi-anonymous sellers is making it much more easy for common criminals to move items than it used to be. As a booster, you used to actually have a fence. Now you can just resell whatever you steal at a discount on Amazon, Ebay, etc.. and it will be nearly immediately grabbed up. If you do want to act as a fence, it's not hard to find a bunch of addicts or poor kids in inner cities to go swipe stuff from Walmart, Target, or CVS for your E store.

There need to be some checks and balances put in place for internet sellers. Something like a federal retailers registry and licensing fee (much like a State Government's Secretary of State would have for any LLC)... also some way for brick and mortar retailers to track overlapping SKU's.....that would induce a lot of cost on the online retailers though to inventory every item they sell. It would probably mean the death of the citizen online retailer.

 

[Gmoney4WW]

Democrats being a little dishonest about the 45 day bill that was passed not allowing any Maga wins.

No Ukraine funding is definitely a maga win.

 

[astonmartin708]

no.

Oh come on.... you want to stop the crime don't you! Don't wuss out on us now! I thought you wanted to be tough on crime?

 

[noble cane]

Democrats being a little dishonest about the 45 day bill that was passed not allowing any Maga wins.

No Ukraine funding is definitely an American win.

FIFY


Just back from 14 days in Europe, mainly France... its fun when they discover that you are an American that speaks French fairly fluently..

3 things i learned in cafes over espresso, croissants, and gauloises:
1... No one likes Macron
2... Everyone thinks Biden is a senile puppet
3... the Ukraine is a quagmire of corruption and no one really gave a crap

The average frenchie that i spoke with was more concerned about losing their culture to the invading hordes of muslims from North Africa than losing the Ukraine to Putin.

 

[astonmartin708]

Might I add one that I’m embarrassed about?

https://www.nytimes.com/2023/09/30/us/politics/jamaal-bowman-fire-alarm-house.html

McCarthy is trying to compare it to January 6th…. I don’t think it rises quite to that severity, but it’s certainly despicable. He should be removed from office by a vote of his peers.

 

[astonmartin708]

FIFY


Just back from 14 days in Europe, mainly France... its fun when they discover that you are an American that speaks French fairly fluently..

3 things i learned in cafes over espresso, croissants, and gauloises:
1... No one likes Macron
2... Everyone thinks Biden is a senile puppet
3... the Ukraine is a quagmire of corruption and no one really gave a crap

The average frenchie that i spoke with was more concerned about losing their culture to the invading hordes of muslims from North Africa than losing the Ukraine to Putin.

Which parts of France were you in? Also, what does this have to do with the Democratic Party?

 

[HuffyCane]

FIFY


Just back from 14 days in Europe, mainly France... its fun when they discover that you are an American that speaks French fairly fluently..

3 things i learned in cafes over espresso, croissants, and gauloises:
1... No one likes Macron
2... Everyone thinks Biden is a senile puppet
3... the Ukraine is a quagmire of corruption and no one really gave a crap

The average frenchie that i spoke with was more concerned about losing their culture to the invading hordes of muslims from North Africa than losing the Ukraine to Putin.

Very much this in Italy as well.

 

[Gmoney4WW]

Not really. It’s more Roy Cohn media stuff.

Gaetz and his antics are part of an overall strategy to disrupt the function of any government entity with legitimacy so long as that entity isn’t actively supporting, in a very public way, the aims of Donald Trump. And right now that aim is to stay out of prison. If you are surrounded, attack in every direction. Any institution that is working against you is just as illegitimate as the effort to prosecute you. I may be corrupt, but look at all this other corruption. Including a dysfunctional House.

That’s the theory any way.

I think the reality is as simple is Gaetz is notorious for chasing young very attractive Latinas in positions of influence going back decades. Him and AOC has been a rumor/meme in DC since 2019 or so.

Girlfriend voting for lover, to oust McCarthy?

"...would I cast that vote? Absolutely. I think Kevin McCarthy is a very weak speaker. He clearly has lost control of his caucus. He has brought the United States, and millions of Americans to the brink, waiting until the final hour..."

Waiting till the final hour, at cause of Gaetz's pressure on his position.

 

[Gmoney4WW]

Very much this in Italy as well.

This in Italy, but more extreme. Italy with three exclamation marks.

 

[noble cane]

Very much this in Italy as well.

There was a huge migrant landing at Lampedusa while we were in Marseille and the French reaction was interesting.. EU pressure to take them and the French telling the EU to FO..

 

[noble cane]

Which parts of France were you in? Also, what does this have to do with the Democratic Party?

Paris, Marseille, Lyon, Burgundy among others..

I was responding to the non inclusion of Ukraine funding. The common French think we are led by un vieux fou sénile.

 

[astonmartin708]

Paris, Marseille, Lyon, Burgundy among others..

I was responding to the non inclusion of Ukraine funding. The common French think we are led by un vieux fou sénile.

I'm just noting that the understanding I have of France in general is that Paris is the ultra-epicenter of their population, and it tends to lean quite a bit more "liberal" than the rest of the country. (Not that different from the USA. Note Liberal in this context doesn't necessarily mean the exact same thing as in the USA)

Looking at their election map, it looks like the areas you visited supported Macron at a much higher clip just last year than they did Marine Le Pen. A silent majority at work? Maybe the loudest in the room are the loudest because they're the dissatisfied ones.

 

[noble cane]

I'm just noting that the understanding I have of France in general is that Paris is the ultra-epicenter of their population, and it tends to lean quite a bit more "liberal" than the rest of the country. (Not that different from the USA. Note Liberal in this context doesn't necessarily mean the exact same thing as in the USA)

Looking at their election map, it looks like the areas you visited supported Macron at a much higher clip just last year than they did Marine Le Pen. A silent majority at work? Maybe the loudest in the room are the loudest because they're the dissatisfied ones.

You put way more thought into my casual interactions than I did...kudos on time well wasted..

 

[Gmoney4WW]

There are extreme views anywhere you go in France. And they usually speak the loudest.

They were worried about the Muslims from North Africa in the early 90's. And there has been many a horde since then.

 

[lawpoke87]

Looks like Macron’s current approval rating sits at 30% 😱

POLITICO Poll of Polls — French polls, trends and election news for France

France legislative election 2024 Your complete guide to the aftermath of the French legislative election. Latest What to know Polls France — President Emmanuel Macron’s approval rating France…

www.politico.eu

 

[HuffyCane]

Looks like Macron’s current approval rating sits at 30% 😱

POLITICO Poll of Polls — French polls, trends and election news for France

France legislative election 2024 Your complete guide to the aftermath of the French legislative election. Latest What to know Polls France — President Emmanuel Macron’s approval rating France…

www.politico.eu

Married his high school theater teacher. They started up when he was 15 and she was married with three kids.

 

[Gmoney4WW]

Married his high school theater teacher. They started up when he was 15 and she was married with three kids.

That's not considered that unusual in France. They have a different set of morals related to age, mistresses, wives, etc. Yes it was unusual, but not as much as we would consider it here. She is the most beloved first lady they have had in awhile. Her popularity is way above 30%.

 

[HuffyCane]

That's not considered that unusual in France. They have a different set of morals related to age, mistresses, wives, etc. Yes it was unusual, but not as much as we would consider it here. She is the most beloved first lady they have had in awhile. Her popularity is way above 30%.

You cannot convince me that a mother telling her teenage daughter she’s leaving her father because she is romantically involved with someone even younger than her teenage daughter doesn’t cause significant trauma to her children. She should be ashamed of herself.